By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea urged citizens on Saturday to stay indoors as it warned of a "critical moment" in its battle on the coronavirus after recording the biggest daily jump in infections, as 813 new cases took the tally to 3,150. South Korea is grappling with the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, as a new death took the toll to 17, amid a record daily increase in infections since the country confirmed its first patient on Jan. 20. "We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend," Vice health minister Kim Kang-lip told a briefing. It was a "critical moment" in reining in the spread of the virus, he said, adding, "Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimize contact with other people." As many as 657 of the new cases were from southeastern Daegu city, the site of a church at the center of the outbreak, and 79 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. In the nearby city of Gumi, LG Display <034220.KS> has shut a display module plant for disinfection work until Tuesday, after an employee of a bank in the building tested positive for the virus. Health authorities have run tests on more than 210,000 members and 65,000 trainees of the church linked to a majority of cases after a 61-year-old woman known as "Patient 31" attended religious services there before testing positive. More than 88% have been checked, and about 3,300 have shown symptoms such as fever, Kim added. Some provincial officials want to press criminal charges against the church, saying it refused to release a complete list of members, although the church denied the accusation, and urged an end to "slander and oppression" of its followers. Kim said the government was working with the municipal authorities to check if the church provided an incomplete list. Story continues A court rejected a plan by conservative groups critical of President Moon Jae-in for a massive weekend rally in downtown Seoul, citing health concerns. The rapid spread of the virus has fueled fears of a pandemic, with more than 82,000 people infected, and over 2,700 deaths in China and 57 fatalities in 46 other nations, figures from the World Health Organisation showed on Friday. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Sandra Maler and Clarence Fernandez) Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/AP The investigation into the disappearance of doomsday mom Lori Vallows children has exposed a bitter, mudslinging custody battle between her niece and the nieces ex-husbandwith allegations of cult membership, child-stealing, and attempted murder. The fight is being waged between Melani Pawlowski and Brandon Boudreaux, an Arizona couple who were married with four children until things started to get very strange in the summer of 2019. Thats when, according to Boudreaux, his wife began spending a lot of time with Vallow, her aunt, and joined what he called a doomsday cult. She suddenly demanded a divorce, blindsiding Boudreaux. "I thought I had a happy marriage, so it was pretty overwhelming," Boudreaux told the Arizona Republic a few months ago. Things were about to get more overwhelming. On Oct. 2, Boudreaux was returning home when a 2018 Jeep Wrangler pulled up with a rifle with a silencer poking out of the window, he said. A bullet came whizzing at him and barely missed his head. Doomsday Mom Told Her Husbands Kids Their Dad Was Dead Via Text Message According to Boudreaux and prosecutors, the car belonged to Charles Vallow, husband of Lori Vallow. There was no way Charles was at the wheel, however. He had been dead for months. In July, while estranged from Lori, he traveled from his home in Texas to hers in Arizona to see their adopted 7-year-old son, J.J., and stepdaughter Tylee, 17. Lori would later tell police that Charles became physical and her brother, Alex Cox, shot him dead in self-defensealthough police are re-investigating his death in light of recent disturbing developments. After the shooting, Boudreaux said, he became fearful for his life and the safety of his children so he filed for custody. Pawlowski moved to Idaho, where Vallow had moved after her husbands death, and a judge granted Boudreaux temporary custody. He told the Republic he was in hiding with them in another state. About a month later, Vallow remarriedtying the knot with Chad Daybell, an author who penned apocalyptic novels for a Mormon audience. His wife of almost 30 years, Tammy, had suddenly died just weeks earlier and was buried without an autopsy (though her body has since been exhumed). Story continues Vallows children were not at the wedding; according to police, they had vanished weeks earlier and when authorities showed up on the newlyweds doorstep to check on Tylee and J.J.s welfare, Lori lied about where they were. That set into motion the investigation that would eventually generate headlines around the world, drawing scrutiny to the deaths of Vallow and Daybells previous spouses, raising questions about the fate of Tylee and J.J., and providing new ammunition for Boudreaux in his legal tussle with Pawlowski, who had also since remarried. Doomsday Writer Claimed Dead Wife Helped Him Find New One A court filing by Boudreaux on Feb. 19, first reported by Fox 10, included a number of unsubstantiated allegations of nefarious behavior by Pawlowski: that she was involved in a cult where adults and children alike have been being killed off like flies and that she was involved in the Oct. 2 shooting. Brandon believed Melani, his wife at the time, had a million dollars of reasons to have him killed, the filing alleged in reference to a life insurance policy. He claimed that Vallows brother, Cox, was the gunman; Cox has since died of unknown causes. In the court papers, Boudreaux also alleged that Pawlowski knows where Tylee and J.J. are and that she had ominously told her new husband, Sometimes children are full of light and then just like that they go dark. Arizona police have said they were not able to corroborate the litany of lurid accusationsand Pawlowski fired back with a barrage of her own allegations in a statement from her attorneys. Sadly, and irresponsibly, much of the media has quoted Brandon Boudreauxs biased, vindictive, and fake accusations as truth and fact when they are his resentful, vengeful, and dishonest efforts to get full custody of Melanis children, attorney Garrett Smith said. Brandon Boudreaux deceptively took Melanis children out of state and kept them unlawfully, Melani was the stable parent in her childrens lives while Brandon Boudreaux traveled for weeks and was rarely home. The statement went on to level ugly charges about Boudreauxs behavior and his family, including criminal misconduct, while defending Pawlowski. The lawyers said Pawlowski does not know where Vallows children are and told the FBI as much during three sit-downs. They added she had nothing to do with the Oct. 2 shooting, which they suggested was an elaborate manipulation. Doomsday Mom of Missing Kids Arrested in Hawaii Melani has never been associated with a cult, another attorney, Robert Jarvis, added. Melani is a lifetime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and her beliefs are consistent with the Church. Melani holds close to her belief in a loving God. She loves her children and respects life. In the middle of all this finger-pointing, the question of where Tylee and J.J. are remains unanswered. Police in Rexburg, Idaho, have said they believe the pair are in danger and that Vallow and Daybell have refused to cooperate with the investigation. A day after investigators asked Vallow and Daybell about the children, the couple left Idaho and eventually resurfaced in Hawaii. An Idaho judge ordered Vallow to return with the children, but she failed to show, and she was arrested on charges of child desertion, contempt of court, and promoting criminal behavior. That last count stems from an allegation that she asked a friend to lie for her and tell police that she had J.J. Initially held on $5 million bail, Vallow has since waived extradition and will soon return to Idaho to face the charges. Her attorneys say she plans to fight the allegation and did not comply with the court order only because she did not want them to end up in foster care. He did not, however, say where the children are. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. A Massachusetts woman is facing animal cruelty charges after two horses were found living in stalls with piles of manure so high that the animals backs were pressed against the barn roof rafters, causing sores. On Feb. 5, a team from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center spent two hours digging the horses out of their stalls because the manure blocked the doors. The animals are now being cared for by the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen, Massachusetts. Nancy L. Golec, the former owner of the horses, has been charged with four counts of felony animal cruelty. Golec was arraigned Monday. The horses, a 13-year-old Arabian named Shakira and an 11-year-old Quarter Horse/Arabian cross named Tia, were surrendered and taken by the MSPCA's equine ambulance to Nevins Farm. Once extracted from the stalls where they had been trapped, the sores on their backs a result of standing on piles of manure so high that their backs were pressed into the building's rafters were made plainly visible, the MSPCA said. Roger Lauze, the equine rescue training manager at Nevins Farm, said he hasn't seen such neglect in nearly 40 years of working in horse rescue. "The hooves on these horses were so overgrown and disfigured that it will take years of farrier work for them to reshape if that's even possible," he said. Both horses had overgrown teeth, with hind legs that were caked in manure. Tia is underweight, an additional sign that she had been neglected for years, the MSPCA said. Their overgrown and misshapen hooves contributed to imbalances that have significantly impacted their health. "Were going to do everything possible to help them live the rest of their lives without pain, but that will be determined by the degree to which we can reshape the hooves," Lauze said. X-rays confirmed changes to the coffin bones of both of Shakiras front hooves, but the staff are hopeful these changes will not further erode the quality of her life, the MSPCA said. "It really depends on the extent to which her hooves can be reshaped," Lauze said. Tias radiographs, however, show immense deformation of the coffin bones in her hind hooves, among other bone changes that could forever compromise her health. Despite the deplorable conditions they were in, Lauze said the animals are in good spirits now. "No matter what's been done to them, it doesn't change their attitudes and how they react to people," he said. "It's kind of amazing." The Nevins Farm team will continue to rehabilitate both horses in hopes that they can be placed for adoption. The organization is collecting money for the horses mounting medical bills through MSPCA at Nevins Farm Ashtons Hope Fund. A pair of filmmakers known online as the Proper People, who travel in search of abandoned buildings and sites to explore and photograph, recently posted on YouTube footage of their visit to Spingarn High School in Northeast Washington. The school, opened in 1952, before the Brown v. Board of Education decision banning segregation, has a rich African American history but was closed in 2013 due to declining enrollment. Judging by the duos video, it looks like all the city did was close not even lock the doors and walk away. How the filmmakers got into the school is unclear, but after the video was posted, NBC4 reporter Mark Segraves went to the school and found open doors and windows and signs that many other people had been inside. Left at the mercy of nature, vandals and thieves was the description of filmmakers. A more nuanced explanation is perhaps that WOs today dont wish to be seen as only seeking pensions, but look towards soldiering as a career. In the few days after the Supreme Court judgment on permanent commission for women officers (WOs) of the Indian Army and command opportunities for them, both of which got a positive nod from the court, there has been euphoria on one side but an equal amount of consternation among the older school of professional soldiers. Representing a strong view against command opportunities in particular and the potential of possible induction of WOs into combat units of the Army, senior Army veterans have reasoned that permanent commissions could be given to WOs only to allow them to serve till pensionable service, or rules on pension could be slightly bent for their benefit. Further, in their view, command of soldiers by WOs is problematic as soldiers, who are all male and mostly from rural stock, are used to seeing their womenfolk in a different role. The veterans believe rural Indias social norms forbid contact between men and women other than relatives, and therefore soldiers from such areas would not take orders from a woman. But personnel management issues about WOs are known only perfunctorily. A more nuanced explanation is perhaps that WOs today dont wish to be seen as only seeking pensions, but look towards soldiering as a career. First, the issue of WOs in combat arms like the infantry, armoured corps or mechanised infantry is unnecessarily being discussed, fearing that another legal appeal by some WOs may once again gain them the Supreme Courts sympathy. That aspect wasnt in court. Most operationally experienced officers will say its time may come in years, but may not be immediately. Its best to treat it as something that will remain in consideration for an appropriate decision when the environment is conducive; no need to fight it. Besides the fact that the issue of induction into combat arms was not even under consideration, one point seems to elude all post-judgment analyses is that whatever applies to WOs by way of the Supreme Court judgment is strictly for those who are selected for that role by a deep selection process. I would never be happy to serve with a bunch of male officers who have been randomly thrust into operations which involve physical contact with the enemy. Similarly, WOs who receive permanent commissions and will serve till at least the age of 54 will only be those who have it in them to perform their outlined tasks; there is no laid-down percentage for selection in such selection boards for male short service officers. To doubt this is to doubt the entire selection procedure of the Army. What needs reiteration is that permanent commission has been opened to WOs only in 10 non-contact arms and services, including the Corps of Signals, Corps of Engineers, Air Defence Artillery, Intelligence, Army Aviation (currently non-flying role), Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Judge Advocate General and Army Education Corps. Since permanent commission offers a full career opportunity and the Indian Army is essentially command oriented, it is only fair that similar career opportunities are also open to WOs; career progression without being tested in command criteria is not a possibility. A few functional issues do arise. First, there is to be no reservation in promotion vacancies for WOs. This means that they will compete on equal terms with their male counterparts for the restricted number of vacancies (sometimes as little as 30 per cent of batch strength). It means some male officers already at such reduced approval percentages will make way for WOs with better qualifications and potential. It may be remembered that the Armys selection boards examine the record of candidates through a closed system where the identity is anonymous. Thus, selection is entirely fair. Only those women whose record is comparable to their male counterparts will make it to selected status. The question then is their acceptability to the soldiers and subordinate male officers while placed in command appointments. It is my experience that I could have quite easily recognised command potential, or the lack of it, in the WOs who served under me. Many of these WOs were in command of sub-units (the actual command in the Army starts at unit level in the rank of colonel, but the testing for that ultimate capability is done while officers are in command of sub-units as majors and lieutenant-colonels). Most WOs now immediately vying for permanent commissions and later for unit command would have commanded sub-units with soldiers and some male officers as their subordinates. In the 28 years since WOs entered service, male subordinates are already sufficiently sensitised. The rural mindset may well exist, but Indian society has largely decided to give its daughters a fairer chance. A state like Haryana, which is often seen as conservative, is also the one which produces Indias finest female boxers and wrestlers; by no means very ladylike sports. Besides this, the modalities of implementation of the Supreme Court judgment remain flexible to the extent that command of frontline units of the 10 arms and services need not be thrust upon WOs with any degree of immediacy. This can be progressive with initial experimentation in command appointments of units and installations in peace stations, which are very much counted as command criteria for male counterparts too. Command of supply depots, rear ordnance depots, station workshops, area HQ signal resources or air support signal regiments and appointments such as Commander Works Engineers, may involve lesser personnel management and more technical expertise. It will no doubt throw up challenges for the Army Military Secretarys branch which believes in the policy of level playing field of opportunities when it comes to promotion boards. To overcome that, a few WOs with permanent commissions, at the outset, can be given command of frontline support units. It will add much confidence to WOs as a whole. Most field commanders with experience of having WOs serve under them will anecdotally relate instances of severe challenges overcome by these officers; and an equal number will also recall moments of abject failure. That is a natural phenomenon which provides inputs for the MS Branchs selection procedures. At the end of it, the best largely get through, and perform or perish at the next rank. This process of nature will ensure that the role of career WOs in the Army continues to mature and eventually leads to full acceptance. Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore From Esquire Welcome to Five Fits With, a series from writer and photographer Christopher Fenimore. From time to time, he'll check in with some of the style world's most interesting folks. He'll ask a few questions, and they'll respond with five of their favorite outfitsand the answers, of course. Get inspired. Get a fit off. Enjoy. I havent known Naoki Hamano for a long time, but I photographed him outside of fashion shows and around SoHo even before we met; he's just that good at putting a look together. It makes sense: Hes also the buyer for the esteemed Blue in Green, a shop that carries an incredible range of denim-focused brands, and an eclectic-yet-streamlined roster of fashion-adjacent labels. Hamano grew up in the countryside just outside of Tokyo, and hed travel in to the city on weekends, honing his love for fashion at renowned stores like Beams, Nepenthes, and United Arrows, along with the limitless host of retail doors Tokyo has to offer. After college, he moved to Tokyo, where he would duck out on break from his cafe shifts to check out stores in Harajuku and Shibuya. He says that while the staff at these shops were generally rude, each shops strong sense of individuality and style made for worthy visits. At this time, underground Tokyo street brands were beginning to make a stir outside of Japan. Hamano claims hes learned most of what he knows about fashion from Takahiro Miyashita, who launched Number (N)ine, and now designs the brand he most recently founded, TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist. It wasnt about a brand name, Hamano says. It was about having your own style based on your background, your experiences, what youve seen. Miyashita-san taught me fashion has no rules. Try anything if you think its cool. He remains friendly with Miyashita, and still learns from his words and style. I spoke to Hamano about his journey from Japan to Blue In Green, what makes the shop and its brands special, and how to purchase and take care of the perfect pair of denim. Story continues Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Why did you start working at a denim-specific store like Blue In Green? What keeps you there? I moved to New York to learn English. When I decided to live here longer, I looked for a fashion company to get a working visa and Blue In Green supported me as a sponsor, since Im Japanese, I already had years of experience in the fashion industry, and they carried a lot of Japanese labels. I figured I could help them. Thats how it started. Many stores come and go in New York City, and a lot of retailers in general are currently riding workwear and Americanas revived trendiness. How does a store maintain its longevity when so many others are shutting down? What keeps Blue In Green relevant? Blue In Green is not only about heritage style. You can also find fashion-oriented brands that appreciate craftsmanship and unique pieces when you come in the store. We have been trying to be the store that connects and mixes heritage and fashion. I think that has worked well in terms of keeping people excited, and I will be focusing on it more as a buyer in the future. Blue In Green has so much potential. Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Do you have a personal favorite brand, or a couple of favorites? If so, what makes them favorites? Thats an easy question. My favorite brand is definitely The Soloist. The designer, Miyashita-san, is a real artist. In most cases, he is the first designer who makes new styles, and many brands and companies follow his brand. Its very common now to see rebuilt clothing, but Miyashita-san was doing that already 20-plus years ago. I used to work for Number (N)ine in Tokyo; I learned a lot about fashion then. But even now I still learn a lot from him, through his work and conversations with him. I still remember when I put one of his jackets on for the first time when I started working at Number (N)ine. I was so impressed and felt so happy to wear it. I feel the same every time I wear his clothes. His art makes people happy. We need this kind of clothing now. Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore What is the last clothing item you purchased, and do you have your eyes set on any future pieces? The last item I purchased was my friend Tones optical lanyard and key chain. I have so many products from him. He is very talented. Ill get some S2W8 items. They have been great the last few collectionsits getting better and better. Blue In Green will carry them for spring/summer 2020. Im very excited. I also just saw the new autumn/winter 2020 The Soloist collection in Paris, and I placed a personal order for an insulated coat. I cant wait, though it wont come in until the autumn. Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore What does it take to get a customer excited about a new product or label? Our products have stories behind the designquality, themes, etc. Its easy for us to make customers excited. Where are the last three places you travelled to? Were there any cant-miss spots youd recommend? In Paris, you should check out the restaurant Paperboy and Ofr, a book store. In Tokyo, I liked the theme and presentation of Beams Japan. My favorite Yakitori place is Tokoshima. The best yakitori! And in Okayama, the Kapital store was amazing. Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore Photo credit: Christopher Fenimore What advice do you have for someone buying denim to find their perfect fit? What are some things to look for to tell a pair of jeans are well made? And, to round things out, how do you recommend washing denim? Of course you have to try jeans on in order to find the perfect fit, but Id say that if you feel comfortable and the jeans fit your lifestyle, they are your perfect jeans. For me, when you talk about whats well-made, its not about durability. When you touch [a good pair of jeans,] you feel the craftsmans soul in the stitching, fabric, and rivets. You cant get that from mass production jeans. There are no rules of how to take care of jeans, but I normally machine wash my jeans with detergent and hang dry once every one to two months because I prefer my jeans to fade with less contrast. But if you want high contrast fading like vintage jeans, youd soak in the bathtub and hang dry once every three months, if you wear them every day. You Might Also Like Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Coronavirus: 38-year-old woman had returned to Rome from northern Italy. The Lazio region has registered its first case of Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, after a woman living in Fiumicino - a coastal town beside Rome's main airport - tested positive for the virus, reports Italian news agency ANSA. The 38-year-old mother of two recently returned to the capital after spending a few days in Bergamo, near Milan in Lombardy, the region worst affected by Italy's Coronavirus outbreak. The woman is being treated at Rome's Spallanzani hospital, a specialist centre for treating infectious diseases. Her children - aged 5 and 10 - are also being kept under surveillance at the Rome hospital, according to reports in Italian media. The Lazio Region president Nicola Zingaretti announced that "all the procedures provided for by the scientific protocols have been activated", with a meeting scheduled in Rome today between the mayor of Fiumicino, the Spallanzani doctors and the regional health councillor, to take stock of the evolving situation. Until now there have been three cases of Coronavirus in Rome, all from outside the Lazio region: the three include the Chinese couple from Wuhan and an Italian who was flown back from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly virus. The Chinese couple, a husband and wife in their 60s, continue to make a good recovery, while the Italian has already been discharged. In addition there is the case of the 17-year-old Italian student Niccolo, who was airlifted from China before being treated successfully at the Spallanzani. Niccolo is being discharged today after making a full recovery. Lazio health authorities have begun installing pre-triage tents outside hospitals in Rome and around the region, in recent days, in preparation for a scenario "that we do not wish for but one which we are ready to face", according to regional health councillor Alessio D'Amato. Last night the Lazio Region issued the following guidelines: Wash your hands often. Hand washing and disinfection are decisive for preventing infection. Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands. Cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze or cough. Do not take antiviral drugs or antibiotics unless prescribed by your doctor. Clean the surfaces with chlorine or alcohol-based disinfectants. Use the mask only if you suspect you are ill or assist sick people. Made in China products and parcels received from China are not dangerous. Call the numbers available, do not go unnecessarily to the emergency room. If you have a fever, cough, muscle pain and have been in an area affected by the outbreak, or have come into contact with people from those areas, consult your general practitioner on the phone or call the toll-free number 1500 of the Ministry of Health to have information on what to do. If you have the 06 area code, you can also call 112. For all the other prefixes in Lazio, call the toll-free number 800 118 800 Pets do not spread the Coronavirus. Washington has issued a "Level 3" warning for Italy, due to the Coronavirus, advising US citizens to avoid "non-essential" travel to Italy. There are currently 822 cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Italy. These are mainly in the north, particularly in the Lombardy region, but there is a growing number of isolated cases around the country. However Italy's Coronavirus emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli stressed that about half of these cases involve light symptoms, with patients convalescing at home rather than in hopistal. Disinformation is one of the greatest challenges in beating Coronavirus, Simon Harris has said. The Minister for Health was speaking at a media event at Dublin airport to provide an update for travellers and the public after the first case of the virus on the island was identified in Belfast on Thursday. "It is really important that people get their information from reputable public health services," he said. "I'm sure all of your phones, and my phone were receiving many, many messages saying 'X hospital is in lockdown' or videos going up on Twitter with false information. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified misinformation as one of the biggest challenges in beating this virus so it's really important we listen to our public health professionals. Disinformation has been spread throughout the week via Whatsapp, Snapchat and other messaging apps via false reports of certain hotels and hospitals being on "lockdown" amid an outbreak, and further false reports of a "media blackout" that had been keeping the news from the public. "The importance of accurate information is a major challenge when our public health experts are trying to convey facts and information to keep us safe and to keep us well," Mr Harris added. A Coronavirus information stall has been set up at the arrivals gate in Dublin airport. If you have symptoms, phone your GP, and stay away from other people. pic.twitter.com/7A5wmedIcy aoife moore. (@aoifegracemoore) February 28, 2020 "That sometimes gets blurred by misinformation, by rumour or by everybody deciding they are an important health expert overnight. "We have some really good public health experts in this country and globally they're working their socks off for weeks and they're providing really good advice, really good protocols, that will leave this country well placed to deal with this virus." The passenger identified as the first on the island of Ireland to contract the virus travelled through Dublin Airport from Italy to Belfast. Aer Lingus confirmed that the person travelled on the airline in a statement saying: Aer Lingus can confirm that the patient in Northern Ireland who has been diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus travelled with the airline from northern Italy to Dublin. Aer Lingus is co-operating fully with the HSE in relation to the Covid-19 developments and is liaising with the Department of Foreign Affairs, other government departments and the relevant authorities as required. Aer Lingus will continue to assess the situation based on the guidance received. However, little other information was given to the public about the patient. Mr Harris says this is in line with best practice from public health professionals in order to protect patient confidentiality and WHO guidelines. "It's not my job to feed the curiosity of people in relation to a patient, my job is to reassure people that if you came into contact with a person with Covid-19, you have been contacted," he said. "I listened to early morning radio commentary today, and the idea that people are wandering around who have been impacted by this is simply just not true. "Anybody who's been in close contact has been contacted by the public health authorities and has been given very clear and specific advice." Harbor Springs school board authorizes May bond proposal During Monday's meeting, the board unanimously adopted a resolution to authorize the bonding proposal, with the election scheduled for Tuesday, May 3. Like anyone else, entrepreneurs need a night off now and again. And what better way to veg out than a night of binge-watching Netflix? But even an evening of playing couch potato can lead to a lightning bolt of inspiration if you watch the right things. Spend a little time recharging your batteries and get reinvigorated with these seven insightful movies on Netflix. This Netflix-produced documentary is about the infamous failed attempt to hold a music festival in 2017 in the Bahamas. It focuses on the disastrous build-up to the event, which was supposed to be a glittering three-day luxury festival, but in reality was a hellish and ghastly experience for the people who paid thousands to attend. Slick videos featuring influencers were key to helping Fyre Fest sell 5,000 tickets, but as the movie shows, there was absolutely no plan to follow through on the experiences the videos were promoting. Related: 13 Must-Watch Movies for Aspiring Entrepreneurs The film offers some important lessons for entrepreneurs, in particular anyone interested in using influencer marketing as a way to quickly grow your company. You can hire the most popular celebrities and influencers to promote your brand, but thats not what will make your company a success. Make sure you set expectations you can actually attain and, most of all, provide customers with a satisfactory experience. Based on Chris Gardners heart-wrenching rags to riches memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness is about winning the fight against all odds while staying true to your inner compass. The story details Gardners nearly one-year struggle with homelessness while raising his young son and pursuing an unpaid internship as a stockbroker. At times, he had to resort to sleeping in a subway bathroom, while struggling to sell medical bone-density scanners for income. It has been decades since this film was released, and yet the subject is still relevant today. What should we learn from this movie? We all face moments of desperation (although most of us are lucky enough to never face the extreme hardships Gardner had to overcome). But no matter how bad things get, you have to keep moving forward and believing in your dream. The basic premise of Yes Man is simple: Say yes to everything in life. Thats because life, with all of its chaos, danger and fun, is meant to be fully embraced. In the film, Carl Allen is a man who basically lives to say no to everything. Completely stuck in a negative mindset, Carl attends a self-help conference based on the concept of saying yes to any question thrown his way. What happens next is the result of Carl saying yes to every opportunity which of course is insane and a lot of fun. In the end, Carl realizes hes taken the yes exercise a little too far, but hes changed for the better. Related: 15 Gangster Movies Every Entrepreneur Should See and the Lessons They Teach The moral of the story: Seize the day, enjoy life, have fun and say yes whenever possible. This movie is lighthearted, full of laughs and has a great inspirational message. Its a reminder to seek a balance between saying yes and saying no when opportunities come our way. The late Stephen Hawking was one of the most brilliant and influential scientists of our time. But as well as harboring an exemplary scientific mind, he was an extraordinary man. Hawking was a fighter who overcame what was supposed to be a fatal case of ALS (or Lou Gehrigs disease) and went on to live a full and accomplished life. He was given no more than two or three years to live when he was diagnosed in 1964, but the disease progressed more slowly than expected. However, Hawking was confined to a wheelchair for much of his life, and as his condition worsened, he had to resort to speaking through a voice synthesizer and communicating by moving his eyebrows. Related: 8 Movies That Increase Your IQ - #5 Will Test How Smart You Are Key takeaways: Never stop asking questions. Hawking let nothing hold him back or keep him from his goal of creating something great out of his life. He proved time and again that life can give us great things if we are brave enough to dream, believe and work hard. If you love a great story of persistence and grit, dont pass this up. From the very beginning of this biographical movie, its clear that Steve Jobs was not about to follow the well-trodden path to success. The film is in three parts, each focused on the time period immediately prior to the launch of a key product. These scenes offer crucial insights into not only Jobs professional development, but also his often strained personal life. Jobs was a brilliant man who gravitated toward those who shared his obsessions. But, as the movie shows, he was not always good at playing well with others. Some crucial insights offered by the movie: What Steve Jobs lacked in skills, he made up for in vision. He wasnt a computer coder, a marketer or an engineer, yet without him, Apple would not exist. He didnt care about being liked, and he didnt let himself get bogged down by outmoded paradigms. He had a vision of affordable computing for all, and he let nothing stand in the way of accomplishing that goal. This Netflix original is based on the true story of a boy who saved his town from famine by constructing a windmill to provide water and electricity. William Kamkwamba was an adolescent when he was forced to drop out of school in Malawi because his family couldnt afford the school fees. As drought, deforestation, flood and famine hit his village, he began to search for a solution. He borrowed books from his former schools library, and in them he learned about wind turbines. At its heart, this is a story of incredible innovation. Related: 4 Business Lessons from Quentin Tarantino Movies What can entrepreneurs learn from this story? Necessity is the mother of invention, and knowledge is power. Also, every venture comes with inherent risk, but every risk creates new opportunities. The key is that you must not let your doubts hold you back. Even in failure, there are lessons to be learned and new goals to move on to. This is one of those compelling sci-fi psychodramas that will have you pondering the influence of the subconscious over our waking lives and what reality really means. In the movie, Dom Cobb is a thief with the ability to enter peoples dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious, a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage. He is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased if he uses "inception" to implant another person's idea into his target's subconscious. However, as Cobb is well aware, the subconscious mind will repel the attempts of inception, especially if that planted idea isnt authentic. The plot explores the idea of dream-sharing, connecting with others on a much deeper level, and being able to tap into someones core beliefs. Viewed from the standpoint of a professional marketer, Inception has several important insights. For one, every startup that is attempting to raise money from investors is essentially trying to sell a dream and hoping to get investors to see that dream as their own. Successful marketing is also based on the idea of a well-crafted, authentic message that resonates with a targeted audience. Done correctly, inception marketing exerts a subtle influence on the audience, so it feels natural, almost like it was their own idea. Related: 9 Inspirations To Draw From This World Traveler and Business Mogul Kuwait's Cybersys Wants To Offer You A Platform To Optimize Your Business The Future Of Work Is From Anywhere, at Anytime Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Joe Coulombe, who founded the inexpensive, trading post-themed grocery chain Trader Joes, died on Friday in Pasadena, California. He was 89. Coulombes son, also named Joe, told The Associated Press that his father died on Friday after a long illness. Joe was an extraordinarily smart and accomplished entrepreneur who built a company that introduced something welcomingly different in the grocery retail space. Joe opened the first Trader Joes store in 1967 in Pasadena, California, the company said in a press release. Notably thrifty and insightful, Joe went against conventional industry norms at the time, moving away from national brands and introducing Trader Joes private label in 1972. Joe was the perfect person at the right time for Trader Joes. He was a brilliant thinker with a mesmerizing personality that simply galvanized all with whom he worked. He was not only our founder, he was our first spokesperson. He starred in captivating radio ads for years, always signing off with his unique, thanks for listening, added CEO Dan Bane. Joe developed a cadre of leaders that carried on his vision and helped shape Trader Joes in the early years. Joes curiosity, philanthropic generosity, and irreverent sense of humor were woven into the fabric of the culture that defines Trader Joes stores. Bane went on to note that while Coulombe retired in 1988 his legacy is evident in Trader Joes stores today. Joe has said he always believed that it is the people that set Trader Joes apart, and we acknowledge that started with Joe. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Coulombe family and loved ones, he added. RELATED: These Are the Most Popular Trader Joes Items of the Year, According to Customers In the decades since Coulombe opened his first store, the chain has expanded across the country, with over 500 Trader Joes stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C, according to the Trader Joes website. Story continues The hallmarks of Trader Joes stores include its inexpensive food, one-of-a-kind popular products like everything bagel seasoning as well as its quirky trading post aesthetic. He wanted to make sure whatever was sold in our store was of good value, Coulombes son said, according to the AP. He always did lots of taste tests. My sisters and I remember him bringing home all kinds of things for us to try. At his offices he had practically daily tastings of new products. Always the aim was to provide good food and good value to people. Trader Joe's Coulombe opened the first Trader Joes store after reading a book titled White Shadows in the South Seas and visiting the Disneyland Jungle Trip ride, inspiring him to create the nautical theme of the store. Trader Joes employees who all sport Hawaiian shirts are known as captains, first mates and crew members, according to The Los Angeles Times. The newspaper also reported that Coulombes target audience included highly-educated, well-traveled shoppers who had a diverse taste in food but couldnt afford higher-end grocery chains. I have an ideal audience in mind, Coulombe told the Times in 1981. This is a person who got a Fulbright scholarship, went to Europe for a couple of years and developed a taste for something other than Velveeta by way of cheese, something more than ordinary beer by way of alcoholic beverages and something other than Folgers by way of coffee. RELATED: Remembering the Stars Weve Lost in 2020 Just five years after opening the first location in 1967, Trader Joes released the first of many private label products, Trader Joes granola. Coulombe eventually retired as CEO in 1988. In 2014, The New York Times described Trader Joes locations as Equal parts gourmet shop, discount warehouse and Tiki trading post. The AP also notes that Trader Joes is known for its compensation for employees, which includes medical, dental, vision and retirement plans, as well as annual salary increases. Coulombe is survived by his wife of 67 years, three children and six grandchildren, according to the AP. Doha: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the US is realistic about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is "seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation." Speaking after the signing ceremony in Qatar, Pompeo said he was still angry about the September 11, 2001 attacks that were planned in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. He says the US will not squander" what its soldiers have won through blood, sweat and tears. He says the US will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban do not comply with the agreement. The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three-four months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Some US troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The US spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by US. politicians and the American public. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban harbored bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Pompeo had privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah, said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its endless wars in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. But US officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The US has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. As we all have heard in history for some of us many moons ago there was old adage that went To Hell Or To Connacht. In 2020 the picture is not much brighter as due to the present wet weather many farmers in the West of Ireland find themselves under water with no immediate prospects of an improvement in conditions. We here in the South East of Ireland and in particular Kilkenny are also experiencing difficulties but the situation is not as critical. We can only hope and in cases pray that the weather conditions will improve for all involved in agriculture over the coming weeks. Another worrying aspect is the Coronavirus which has now become very serious not only in China and the neighbouring countries but now here in Europe and in particular Italy. With travel restrictions and a halt in all out production in mainland China the world economy could well feel a chill leading to a recession which will not be of benefit to anyone. The sheep sale in Kilkenny on Monday was a bigger affair compared to the previous with all hoggets meeting an excellent trade. Hoggets ranged from 133 to 142 for the butcher types with even some store 40 kilo selling in excess of 105. Cull ewes peaked at 130 but numbers were not over plentiful. The sheep sale commences every Monday (except Bank Holidays) at 10.15am. Our dairy sale on the same day saw fresh calved Friesian Heifers range from 1,250 to 1,860 per head with second to fourth lactation cows range from 1,100 to 1,400 per head. Next weeks sale will include approx 30 in calf cows and 50 Fresh Calved Friesian cows and heifers. Remember Dairy Sales on a Monday commence at 12.30pm. Our calf numbers have started to swell every Tuesday with last weeks sale attracting 350 head and this week over 620 been offered. A restriction in boat space is curtailing live exports which is generating a build up of calves for all exporters. On a positive front farmers are active around the ring especially for the better continental animal where bulls in this category are ranging from 180 to 450 per head. AA and Hereford plus the strong Friesian bulls are also attracting farmer interest. As and from this week calf sales commence at 10.30am every Tuesday. On Thursday our cattle sale comprised of 1,000 animals with all lots meeting a good solid trade the prices were well maintained with cull cows peaking at 2.15 per kilo. Forward store Continental bullocks and heifers had a top call of 2.55 per kilo. It was good to see a well attended sale generating a lot of interest from potential buyers. If you do intend selling cattle, remember that all animals should be entered before 4pm on the Wednesday. Until next week when perhaps we will have kinder, dryer weather please do be careful on the farm and good buying, good selling and good luck. Proper structures must be instituted to ... DAKAR (Reuters) - Guinea holds a constitutional referendum on Sunday that could allow President Alpha Conde to rule for 12 more years after his second term expires in December. While longer than Guineas vocal opposition would like, the potential 22-year tenure that would mean for Conde still pales in comparison with those of many other African leaders. Here are the longest-serving heads of state on the continent. * EQUATORIAL GUINEA - Teodoro Obiang (1979-present) Obiang, 77, seized power in a 1979 coup from his uncle, who was later executed by firing squad. He has held onto power ever since, relying on repression of political opponents and revenues from the countrys offshore oil reserves. * CAMEROON - Paul Biya (1982-present) Biya, 87, took over in 1982 from President Ahmadou Ahidjo and has won a series of elections, most recently a 2018 vote that his opponents called fraudulent. * UGANDA - Yoweri Museveni (1986-present) Museveni, 75, declared himself president in January 1986 when he seized Kampala after a five-year guerrilla struggle. The ruling party endorsed him as its candidate in the 2021 election after he scrapped a 75-year age limit that would have barred him from standing again. * CONGO REPUBLIC - Denis Sassou Nguesso (1979-92, 1997-present) Sassou Nguesso, 76, assumed office in 1979 before losing the countrys first multi-party elections in 1992. He regained power in 1997 after a brief civil war and changed the constitution in 2015 to let himself stand again for re-election the following year. * eSWATINI - King Mswati III (1986-present) Sub-Saharan Africas last absolute monarch, Mswati, 51, was crowned in April 1986. Political parties have been banned in eSwatini, previously known as Swaziland, since 1973. * CHAD - Idriss Deby (1990-present) Deby, 67, took power at the head of an armed rebellion. He abolished presidential term limits in 2005 before reimposing a two-term limit in 2018. It will not be applied retroactively, however, meaning he could serve two terms after the next election in 2021. * ERITREA - Isaias Afwerki (1993-present) Afwerki, 74, has ruled Eritrea since it gained independence from Ethiopia. There have never been national elections in Eritrea, which rights groups consider one of the most repressive states in the world. * DJIBOUTI - Ismail Omar Guelleh (1999-present) Guelleh, 72, was handpicked to succeed his uncle, independence leader Hassan Gouled Aptidon. He was elected to a fourth five-year term in 2016. * MOROCCO - King Mohammed VI (1999-present) Mohammed VI, 56, was crowned when his father, Hassan II, died of a heart attack. The Moroccan royal family has reigned since 1631, making it the Muslim worlds oldest dynasty. * RWANDA - Paul Kagame (2000-present) Kagame, 62, was widely seen as the real power in Rwanda after leading the rebel army that ended the 1994 genocide. He was formally elected president by the national assembly in 2000 and changed the constitution in 2015 to extend term limits, a move that could let him stay in power until 2034. Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Peter Cooney, Alessandra Prentice Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, named in IB staffers murder, is absconding Police on Friday said that suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Mohammad Tahir Hussain has gone into hiding, a day after he was booked for the murder and abduction of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the communal riots in northeast Delhis Chand Bagh. Read full story here. Unending wait to identify the dead at Delhi mortuaries after riots The death toll of the riots in north-east Delhi rose to 42 on Friday after three more dead bodies were pulled out of drains and another person succumbed at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Read full story here. Mobilisation, stockpiling ahead of riot caught Delhi police by surprise Mobilisation of mobs ready to run riot and prior stockpiling of projectiles by residents of affected areas took police by surprise as the scale of this weeks communal violence in the Capital became clearer in the initial investigation conducted thus far, officials in the know said on Friday. Read full story here. J&K to evict squatters from houses meant for Kashmiri Pandit migrants After the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday issued show-cause notices to almost 100 illegal occupants of apartments in Kashmiri migrant neighbourhoods in Jammu, a senior official said an exercise was underway to evict such people and accommodate genuine Kashmiri Pandit migrants instead in the government-builtflats. Read full story here. Good words for you also, but...: Judge who praised PM to Cong lawyer in court Dragging judges into controversy for good words spoken by them should be avoided, Supreme Court judge, justice Arun Mishra said in open court on Friday in a veiled reference to the controversy that erupted after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an international judicial conference on February 22. Read full story here. Knocking people out since 2010 - Ravichandran Ashwin shares creative CV on social media Ravichandran Ashwin took to Instagram on Friday to share a creative CV (Curriculam Vitae) and it consisted a few hilarious entries about the veteran spinner. Log mujhe pyaar se Baller bulate hai, (People call me Baller ) wrote Ashwin under the nickname section and when it comes to the description, he wrote , Mujhe dekh kar ladies sing, Dekho jaa raha hai Chennai ka Super King. Read full story here. Thappad box office day 1: Taapsee Pannu film has a slow start, makes estimated Rs 3 cr Thappad, starring Taapsee Pannu, had a slow start at the box office, says a report in Box Office India. It collected an estimated Rs 3 crore nett. Read full story here. California and Oregon have statewide bans of plastic bags while Hawaii has a de facto ban. Four other states have bans starting soon Exemptions include food takeout, bags for prescription drugs, plastic wrapping for newspapers delivered to subscribers, and non-prepackaged food Violators can expect fines of up to $500, although officials have said they will give stores time to adapt to the new rules. It will apply to all retailers who pay state taxes, including department stores, supermarkets, neighborhood corner stores and gas stations This weekend, a ban on single-use plastic bags will come into effect New York uses 23 billion plastic bags every year, according to state government Consumerist mecca New York targets its throwaway culture this weekend with a ban on single-use plastic bags that has been years in the making and is still rare in America. New Yorkers like to see themselves at the forefront of efforts to save the environment but are used to receiving groceries in free plastic bags, often doubled up to ensure sturdiness. On Sunday, that will change when New York becomes only the third US state to outlaw the non-biodegradable sacks blamed for choking rivers, littering neighborhoods and suffocating wildlife. Environmental activists welcome the new law but caution that exemptions will weaken its effect, while some small businesses worry the ban might negatively impact their profits. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio distributes reusable bags ahead of the statewide ban on plastic bags At the Westside Market in Manhattan, 66-year-old Janice Vrana, who says she has been shopping with a reusable cloth bag for a decade, is delighted 'pervasive' plastic sacks are being banished. 'You could drive over them 500 times with a Mack Truck and they probably wouldn't break down. Whatever little I can do, I do,' she told AFP. Janine Franciosa, a 38-year-old who works in advertising, said it is great people are becoming more aware of how their 'everyday purchases are affecting the environment.' But not everyone is happy. Westside Market manager Ian Joskowitz, 52, told AFP some customers were 'upset' because they use free plastic bags as garbage bags. food takeouts, beloved - and often delivered - by the city's 8.6 million inhabitants, are exempt from the single-use ban New York uses some 23 billion plastic bags every year, according to the state government. About 85 per cent are thrown away, ending up in landfills, and on streets and beaches, it says. After several failed attempts, lawmakers finally approved the ban in April 2019. It bars all retailers who pay state taxes - such as department stores, supermarkets, neighborhood corner stores and gas stations - from providing plastic bags to customers. Violators can expect fines of up to $500, although officials have said they will give stores time to adapt to the new rules. The ban will 'protect our natural resources for future generations,' said Governor Andrew Cuomo when he announced the legislation last year. A shopper with groceries in plastic bags walks in New York's Upper East Side neighborhood on ahead of the statewide ban on plastic bags The law allows New York city and counties to levy a five-cent tax on paper bags, with part of the resulting revenue going to an environmental protection fund. Kate Kurera, deputy director of Environmental Advocates of New York, says the ban will cause 'a tremendous reduction' in plastic waste pollution. She laments, however, that food takeouts, beloved by the city's 8.6 million inhabitants, are exempt. Other exemptions include bags for prescription drugs, plastic wrapping for newspapers delivered to subscribers, and bags used solely for non-prepackaged food such as meat and fish. Kurera wishes the government would make the paper bag fee mandatory to force customers to bring their own carriers, noting that producing paper bags is intensive in terms of oil, fossil fuels and trees used. 'Ideally neither bag is preferable,' she told AFP. 'Behavior is slower to change when people know they can get a free paper bag.' Greg Biryla, New York state director at the National Federation of Independent Business, says alternatives can cost up to seven times more than plastic bags. 'They are proportionally more burdensome on small businesses who aren't ordering in as big a quantity as their big business counterparts,' he told AFP. California and Oregon have statewide bans of plastic bags while Hawaii has a de facto ban. Four other states have bans starting soon while Texas has prevented its cities from outlawing plastic bags. New York is viewed as one of the most innovative cities in the world, but on the issue of plastic it has some catching up to do internationally. Ubiquitous across the Big Apple are single-use plastic utensils such as cutlery, straws and stirrers, which European Union countries have voted to outlaw by next year. New York's older residents note that plastic bags only became available in US grocery stores in 1979, signaling how quickly habits can change. 'When I was growing up we brought our own bags,' shopper Denise Shaleaon told AFP, adding of the ban: 'The New Yorker will have to live with it!' Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 17:34:46|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close HATAY, Turkey, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of irregular migrants on Saturday continued to pour in Turkey's northwestern border province of Edirne to make their way to Europe. Coming from diverse locations across the country, mainly Turkey's largest city Istanbul, migrants are arriving in Edirne which has five border gates with both Greece and Bulgaria. According to press reports, a significant number of refugees have gathered near the Pazarkule border gate with Greece and spent the previous night outdoors. The Greek police fired tear gas and stun grenades several times to disperse the crowd waiting at the border zone, the NTV broadcaster reported. The Greek authorities earlier announced that they would close the border gate to all crossings. The state-run Anadolu agency published some photos showing some refugees sneaking into Greece via the Evros River in inflatable boats. Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees have been waiting at Turkey's western coastline to go to a Greek island on the Aegean Sea, according to Anadolu. Turkey on Thursday announced that it would no longer stop refugees from going to Europe after the killing of at least 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold. Around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, fleeing from the bombardments of Syrian forces in Idlib, have recently flooded Turkey's border with Syria. Currently, Turkish authorities do not allow these refugees to cross the border into Turkey, keeping them on the Syrian side. Hosting over 3.7 million Syrians in its territory, the Turkish government earlier announced that it could no longer cope with a new flow of refugees alone. Gerald S. Krone, a theater manager and producer who in 1967 joined with Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks to found the Negro Ensemble Company, a New York theater troupe that championed black writers, actors and themes in what was then a largely white theatrical landscape, died on Feb. 20 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 86. His longtime partner, Ivan Kaminoff, said the cause was Parkinsons disease. Mr. Krone, who was managing various Off Broadway theaters at the time, brought administrative savvy to the new enterprise, while Mr. Hooks, an actor and producer, and Mr. Ward, an actor and playwright, concentrated on the creative side. Mr. Krone stood out in the partnership because he was white. Black activism was gaining a new militance in the second half of the 1960s, and before long the company, which took up residence at St. Marks Playhouse in the East Village, was drawing criticism over, among other things, the participation of Mr. Krone and other white people. We were damned for not being in Harlem, Mr. Ward wrote in a 1968 essay in The New York Times defending the company at the end of its first season, accused of conspiring against black playwrights, judged traitorous for hiring a few white people, and stigmatized with a host of other mortal and venial sins negating our right to be called a black theater. Jefferson County Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin said he trusts voters to choose the state school board more than politicians and is voting no on Amendment One. The measure, on the March 3 ballot, would replace Alabamas elected state school board with one appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. I think that, especially in todays society, Gonsoulin said, we shouldnt be giving up anything regarding our right to vote. It shouldnt be taken from us. Equally important, he said, I dont trust the current political climate in which parties are being placed before the people, whether were talking Democrats or Republicans. Supporters are pushing for a more professional board on multiple fronts, pointing to Alabamas dead last ranking in math on the recent national report card, but also criticizing the elected board for having five different superintendentsthree permanent, two interimin a short period of time and initially adopting Common Core standards. Opponents, like Gonsoulin, argue its wrong to limit the peoples right to choose. The School Superintendents of Alabama, of which Gonsoulin is a member, is not taking a position on the Amendment. The Alabama Association of School Boards supports a yes vote to replace the elected state school board. Gonsoulin has been working in public education for 31 years and was appointed as superintendent of the 35,000-student district in November. His is one of 90 local school boards that is elected statewide. Forty-eight local school boardsall in city school districts---are appointed by the municipal body that governs them. Gonsoulin said his distrust in the current political climate is based on the bad legislation that has hurt public schools, like the Alabama Accountability Act and the A through F school report card. Both laws, he said, unfairly place negative labels and blame on schools with poor children and minority children, which often have fewer resources. Im not trying to demonize the legislators, he said, but that was not, is not, and will never be good legislation for the education community. Gonsoulin isnt the only superintendent to say hes voting to keep the elected state school board. Demopolis City Superintendent Kyle Kalhoff and Elmore County Superintendent Richard Dennis told local newspapers theyre voting no as well. Gonsoulin said the negative light placed on public schools was passed by legislators who had a certain political agenda about what public education is supposed to be. I just dont trust that process to do the best thing for education. I just dont. Alabama Amendment One coverage Alabama to vote on whether to fire the state school board. Here are the facts. Can appointed state school board raise Alabamas national standing in education? How Alabama got an elected school board Alabama school board member threatens lawsuit if Amendment One passes Some big Alabama businesses back appointed state school board It is hard to comment on a draft constitutional amendment that is apparently not in its final form. But the stakes surrounding the proposed change to section 25 of South Africa's constitution are too high to wait until the governing African National Congress (ANC) sets out exactly how it wants to alter it. As the draft Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill , 2019 is currently worded, section 25(2)(b) would be changed to provide that: a court may, where land and any improvements thereon are expropriated for the purposes of land reform, determine that the amount of compensation is nil. In addition, a new section 25(3A) would be inserted authorising parliament to set out the circumstances in which such an order could be made, subject to the constitution. Existing commentary on this proposal has tended to split into two camps. On one view, expressed by the Constitutional Review Committee responsible for the draft Bill, the new section 25(2)(b) merely makes explicit that which is implicit in the constitution. Since any legislation enacted under the amended provision would be subject to the rest of the constitution, all that the draft Bill does is clear the way for the long-awaited (and necessary) change to the ANC's willing buyer, willing seller approach to land reform. On another view, the proposed amendment sends needlessly worrying signals to an already jittery market. If the property clause as it stands provides for the payment of nil compensation, why gratuitously stoke local and foreign investor fears by amending it? This second view has some merit. But the impact of the proposed amendment on investor confidence is not what should truly worry friends of liberal constitutionalism in South Africa. Improved prospects for liberal democracy depend on the relegitimation of the country's racially skewed economic system. Redistributive land reform clearly has an important role to play in that. Instead, friends of liberal constitutionalism should be worried about what the proposed amendment reveals about the fragility of the support for this form of government within the ANC. The real cause for concern Superficially, the origins of the amendment lie in the ANC's need to project itself as the true custodian of the national liberation project. In the face of the left-wing populist challenge posed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the ANC is simply monopolising the discursive space for that party's radical agenda. This might be plausible, to a degree. But this interpretation treats the ANC as a unified actor with a single set of strategic priorities. This is patently not the case. The ANC is currently split between a pragmatic, market-respecting faction aligned to President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a radical economic transformation faction associated with secretary general, Ace Magashule . Decision-making in the organisation is therefore a reflection of the relative strength of those factions. Against this background, the proposed amendment to the property clause is not so much a populist containment measure as a political wedge. The publication of the amendment followed a unanimous decision of the ANC's National Executive Committee. That the pragmatic faction in the party acceded to this change, however, should not be read as a wholesale endorsement of it. As soon as the amendment was mooted, the pragmatic faction was essentially presented with a choice. Either they could oppose it, and thus take responsibility for any further loss of electoral support to the EFF. Or they could embrace it, and in so doing accept a fundamental shift in the ANC's ideological direction. The pragmatic faction's participation in the National Executive Committee's decision amounted to choosing the second option in this wedge. As such, it is very revealing about their assessment of the strength of support for economic populism, both in the ANC and in the country more generally. That, more than anything else, is what friends of liberal constitutionalism in South Africa should be worried about. The possible scenarios Assuming that the public response to the draft Bill is overwhelmingly positive, there will be no stopping its adoption and the change to the ANC's attitude towards constitutional governance such a change would signal. For the radical economic transformation faction, and by extension the EFF, this outcome would represent a clear victory. The moderate, liberal-constitutionalist party of Nelson Mandela would effectively be dead, and the country launched onto a new constitutional-populist trajectory. On the other hand, if the public response to the draft Bill is mixed, or firmly against it, this would embolden the pragmatic faction to motivate for its withdrawal. Under this scenario, the failed constitutional reform process would arrest the momentum behind economic populism in South Africa, at least for the time being. Even if the draft Bill is passed, there would still be some scope for the pragmatic faction to use the amendment to rededicate the ANC to the orderly land reform process it promised but which has been waylaid by maladministration. Much would depend on how the pragmatic faction spins the amendment, and whether it is able to influence the nature of any ensuing land reform measures. For all these reasons, the proposed amendment to section 25 represents a critical juncture in South African constitutional politics. The outcome of the current public consultation process will shape the nature of its constitutional democracy for years to come. Theunis Roux does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Theunis Roux, Professor of Law, UNSW They were the images that Terry Teegee did not want to see. In the pre-dawn darkness of Feb. 6, Mounties descended on a snow-covered forest road in northern B.C. where supporters of Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs opposed to a natural gas pipeline had set up camp. As images of the raid and arrest of six people spread on social media, it triggered waves of protests and blockades across Canada and brought up memories from a year ago, when heavily armed RCMP stormed through a barricade and arrested 14 people in a similar raid that grabbed international attention. Teegee, B.C. regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says he got on the phone and asked senior RCMP officials to consider alternatives. Do you really need to arrest people? While Teegee is grateful to have open communication with the Mounties, he admits he cant help but feel an element of distrust and suspicion. Theres a very strained relationship with RCMP in Canada and Indigenous peoples, he says. Teegee, a member of the Takla Lake First Nation near Prince George, says Mounties are known in his community as nilhchuk-in, those who take us away. Its a reference to the Mounties historical role in removing Indigenous children from their homes and placing them in residential schools. We describe them as these people who took our children, stole our children. The complicated, fragile relationship between Mounties and Indigenous communities characterized over the years by encouraging acts of reconciliation and dispiriting moments of tension is now once again at a crossroads. Though RCMP have since relocated their base of operations and suspended patrols in Wetsuweten territory in an act of good faith to allow Indigenous leaders and federal and provincial government officials to try to resolve the dispute over the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a tenuous backdrop remains. You see some positive movements in this relationship, but ultimately its very whats going on here is really testing that relationship, Teegee says. The RCMPs history with Indigenous peoples dates back to the beginnings of the force itself. Established in 1873 under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, the police service was initially known as the North-West Mounted Police. The forces early relationship with Indigenous people has been the subject of myth, according to Steve Hewitt, a lecturer at Britains University of Birmingham who has written extensively on the RCMP. Theres the notion, increasingly challenged, that the Mounties played a protective role for Indigenous peoples, when in reality the Mounted Police were modelled after the Royal Irish Constabulary, a paramilitary colonial police force that the British used to control the Irish. In the Canadian case, the Mounted Police helped with the process of moving Indigenous peoples onto reserves to free up land for European settlers. In a recent online column, historian Sean Carleton, a professor at Mount Royal University, described a long historical pattern of Canada using a might is right approach to suppress Indigenous resistance. Its an ugly history, he writes, that may be jarring to those Canadians who cling to the mythology of the Mounties as red-coated riders who brought law and order to the west. He cites many flashpoints over the decades. There was the arrest in 1968 by RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police of a number of Mohawk citizens who had blocked a bridge near Cornwall, Ont., after the government decided to levy customs duties on goods brought back from the U.S. In 1995, there was the deployment by RCMP of 400 tactical officers to Gustafsen Lake in B.C., where a group of First Nations Sun Dancers were locked in a dispute with a rancher over access to land. And in 2013, there was the arrest by RCMP of some 40 Elsipogtog First Nation members in New Brunswick who blocked a road during a dispute over fracking activity in their territory. Its a far from exhaustive list. While acknowledging that its relationship with Indigenous communities has at times been difficult, RCMP officials say they have been working to repair it. In an email this week, RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Caroline Duval outlined in detail many of the steps the force has taken to improve relations with Indigenous groups based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership and said the force was developing a Canada-wide reconciliation strategy. As we forge a new path towards change, mutual respect and trust, we cannot forget or minimize the errors of the past. This is the only way in which we can ensure we do not repeat past actions. Duval acknowledged that reconciliation efforts can be hampered when our role as a law enforcement agency brings us into potential conflict with Indigenous peoples, land defenders and supporters. But when a court injunction is issued, as happened with the blockades on Wetsuweten territory, the RCMP strives to take a measured approach, she said. The hope always is to reach a peaceful resolution, without the need for police intervention. But one academic who has studied the policing of protest movements says hes skeptical of these overtures given the RCMPs strong institutional culture and failure to become a more demographically diverse force. (As of April 2019, the force consisted of 22 per cent women, 11.5 per cent visible minorities and 7.5 per cent Indigenous). Jeffrey Monaghan, a criminology professor at Carleton University, said theres a tendency for Indigenous demonstrators to receive more scrutiny and surveillance than non-Indigenous ones. It stems from a long-held policing bias stretching back to colonial times that views Indigenous communities as more prone to violence, aggressive and risky. Police culture is really hard to change. Its highly ingrained, he said. These are really inbound, tight and fraternal organizations. The RCMP is at the forefront of that. Duval said the force has offered two official apologies for the role RCMP played in the Indian Residential School legacy. Last year, she noted, the RCMP announced a land swap with a private land owner in Regina to enable the transfer of a residential school cemetery containing the graves of dozens of Indigenous children to an Indigenous commemorative group. Further, Indigenous committees have been set up nationally and regionally to advise senior RCMP leadership on the delivery of policing services in Indigenous communities. And all cadets at the training academy now participate in an interactive blanket exercise that teaches Indigenous history. In what was described as a watershed moment in late 2015, Bob Paulson, then-commissioner of the RCMP, told a gathering of the Assembly of First Nations there were racists in his force and that he wanted to get rid of them. At the time, Indigenous leaders praised the top Mountie for his candour. The Star reported that AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde told the top Mountie his presence at the meeting was starting to earn that trust and respect. In 2018, Brenda Lucki, Paulsons successor, issued an apology to the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls at a national inquiry, saying the RCMP could have done better. AFN Alberta regional chief Marlene Poitras said Friday these are all positive steps and is hopeful relations will improve. In the village of Fort Chipewyan where she grew up, she says, RCMP officers have done a much better job of integrating themselves in the community. But like her counterpart in B.C., she says its hard to erase the darker moments from her memory. RCMP have always been enforcers of the colonizers, she said, adding that high incarceration rates of Indigenous people remain a top concern. (Just last month, Canadas corrections watchdog released a report saying that the number of Indigenous people in federal custody had risen to 30 per cent). Theres no question communication between Indigenous communities and police has improved, Teegee said. But even though there has been great efforts made, it certainly hasnt changed enough to make it a good and functional relationship. The news this week that the RCMP in B.C. had agreed to stop police patrols in Wetsuweten territory to allow hereditary chiefs and government officials to negotiate an end to the pipeline dispute is a constructive step, Monaghan said. But why did this take so long? I think theyre going to be stuck with these very colonial images of super-militarized police storming a barricade in remote Indigenous territory for a long time. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 19:32:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit on Saturday called for "immediate cease-fire" between all warring parties in northwestern Syria, the Cairo-based pan-Arab organization said in a statement. The AL chief warned against "the seriousness of escalated military confrontations resulting from regional and international interventions in the Syrian arena." Tension is growing between the Turkish and Syrian armies in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib, the last stronghold of Ankara-backed Syrian rebels. Turkey has recently announced the deadly attack on Syrian military positions in response to Thursday night's air raids by the Syrian army on Turkish forces in Idlib, which killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers and wounded several others. "Military escalation in northwestern Syria has formed a model of blatant violation of humanitarian international law and caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster by displacing more than 1 million Syrians," Aboul-Gheit said in the statement. He also called for earnest negotiations sponsored by the United Nations to activate the political course and push for implementing the political process according to the UN Security Council Revolution 2254. Meanwhile, Turkey has been sending military reinforcements to Idlib, while the Syrian army has been carrying out a military campaign backed by Russian air power to restore the northwestern region since December 2019. Following the 2011 anti-government mass protests, the situation in Syria spiralled into a civil war of confrontations between pro-government forces and armed rebels and terrorists from the Islamic State (IS) militant group. The forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are backed by Russia, Iran and Shiite militias loyal to Iran such as Lebanon's Hezbollah. Since its eruption in March 2011, the Syrian crisis has killed half a million and wounded or displaced more than 14 million others. Neighboring Turkey alone hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Maharashtra cabinet sub-committee, set up under the chairmanship of Minister of Public Works Department Ashok Chavan, on Saturday met the state's senior counsel to discuss the further course of action over the Maratha reservation case. The sub-committee, also comprising cabinet ministers Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil, met senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi here to discuss the future course of action in the case in the Supreme Court. "The sub-committee met Rohatgi today and discussed issues regarding the approach to be taken by the legal teams in the upcoming date of hearing in the case on March 17. We want the Maratha reservation to be implemented without any problems," Chavan told reporters here. Senior officials of the state legislature, general administration and other departments were also present in the meeting, which also discussed other matters related to Maratha reservation. "We discussed ways of preparing for the upcoming hearing as there are people who have challenged the reservation and we have therefore appointed senior lawyers for the case so that we get the results in our favour," he said. Chavan also talked about farmers' issues and said that the government is considering the matter and trying to ensure that they get the best possible relief. Eknath Shinde, on the other hand, said that the High Court has allowed five per cent Muslim reservation in the state. "Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is in favour of taking all the communities ahead. For farmers, the chief minister has announced farm loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh and we are on the course of its successful implementation," he said. Shinde added that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government also took feedback from the farmers, who, he claimed, are optimistic about the relief. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dominic Cummings asked Boris Johnson to grant him special powers in Downing Street which have made him more powerful than the PM's special advisers. The assistant to the Prime Minister is understood to have a document - signed by Mr Johnson - stating that he has control over certain government projects. The agreement has little legal standing, meaning it has not received the same criticism lobbied at Tony Blair when he gave his press secretary Alastair Campbell and his chief of staff Jonathan Powell powers to order civil servants to obey their ministers. Dominic Cummings (right) asked Boris Johnson (left) to grant him special powers in Downing Street which have made him more powerful than the PM's special advisers A Downing Street source told The Daily Telegraph: 'Before he took the job, Dom made Boris sign a contract specifying what his powers were to be, that he would be allowed to hire and fire SpAds [and] confirming his authority over other key government projects.' Special advisers - known as SpAds- provide advice and guidance to ministers and often liaise with the media. Another source said: 'Boris asked Dom to come in and offered him the job, and Dom said, these are the areas I want control over: SpAds and personnel, and other key policy areas including the ARPA stuff, and I think some immigration policy and perhaps even reforming the civil service.' It comes after Downing Street launched a recruitment website to open up the way ministerial aides are hired on Thursday. Traditionally, party insiders have been appointed as special advisers but the Government is now seeking 'talented applicants from all walks of life'. The move comes amid concerns about the treatment of SpAds after Sonia Khan - an adviser to former chancellor Sajid Javid - was escorted out of Downing Street by police officers after being sacked by Mr Cummings. In a pointed resignation speech in the Commons former chancellor Sajid Javid criticised the growing influence of Mr Cummings (pictured) And the PM's chief adviser was challenged at an internal meeting of aides in Number 10 earlier this month, with one aide saying it was 'unkind' of him to say half of them would be fired. The website - spadjobs.uk - states that the Conservative Party is 'launching a search for talented and experienced communications and digital professionals'. It reads: 'In order to help the party support the Government's work to level-up the country, the best candidates will be considered for political appointments to serve as Special Advisers.' Candidates are asked to send a CV and cover letter by March 15. A senior Tory source said: 'We want to find experienced candidates who are prepared to work hard and help us unleash Britain's potential - in particular, we want people who have a background in advising business leaders and SMEs. 'Currently, talent is spread equally around the country but opportunity isn't. 'We want to change that and encourage people from all backgrounds to come and help us build a brighter future for our country.' In a pointed resignation speech in the Commons former chancellor Sajid Javid criticised the growing influence of Mr Cummings. Mr Javid warned that the merging of Treasury and No 10 teams ordered by Mr Cummings would stifle debate and was not in the national interest He warned that the merging of Treasury and No 10 teams ordered by Mr Cummings would stifle debate and was not in the national interest. Mr Javid also predicted that the Tories would wreck their reputation for economic competence and damage Britains public finances if a Budget spending spree resulted in higher taxes. Mr Javid quit at this months reshuffle after being told he could only keep his job if he agreed to sack all of his advisers and work with a joint team based in No 10. The joint economic unit was seen as a power grab by Mr Cummings who had clashed repeatedly with Mr Javids advisers behind the scenes. Downing Street said the unit had led to more effective working between the PM and new Chancellor Rishi Sunak. But Mr Javid said it undermined the independence of the Treasury, with potentially damaging impacts on the Government and the economy. In an apparent reference to Mr Cummings, he warned that no particular person or even a government has a monopoly on the best ideas. With the PM looking on, he said good governance depended on mutual respect and trust that allows for constructive, creative tension between teams. He added: A chancellor, like all cabinet ministers, has to be able to give candid advice to a prime minister so he is speaking truth to power. I believe that the arrangement proposed would significantly inhibit that and it would not have been in the national interest. Mr Javid paid tribute to both Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak. But, in a further jibe at the chief adviser, he said he would not comment further on the Cummings and goings in No 10. The move comes amid concerns about the treatment of SpAds after Sonia Khan - an adviser to former chancellor Sajid Javid - was escorted out of Downing Street by police officers after being sacked by Mr Cummings (pictured) The former chancellor also laid bare Tory tensions over tax and spending. Describing himself as a proud, low tax Conservative, he said that not everyone in the centre of Government feels the pressure to balance the books. He warned that the UKs tax burden was already the highest its been in 50 years and said it would be morally wrong for the country to live beyond its means. At a time when we need to do much more to level up across the generations, it would not be right to pass the bill for our day-to-day consumption to our children and grandchildren, he said. Mr Javid also warned Mr Sunak not to abandon tight fiscal rules, which Mr Cummings is said to have railed against. He said the financial markets would take a dim view of the UK if it let the public finances run out of control again. To govern is to choose, he added. And these rules crystallise the choices required: to keep spending under control, to keep taxes low, to root out waste and to pass the litmus test, rightly set in stone in our manifesto, of debt being lower at the end of the Parliament. Downing Street refused to commit itself to Mr Javids spending rules, fuelling speculation that they will be relaxed at the Budget. The PMs spokesman said: We will continue to have a clear fiscal framework. The detail is for the Chancellor to set out at the Budget. Following Mr Javids statement, Mr Johnson thanked him for his immense service, saying he had friends and admirers on all sides of the Commons. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Over 100 representatives of Indonesias religious communities who attended a government-sponsored seminar this week in Jakarta, said it is everyones responsibility to promote religious harmony. By Robin Gomes Not only civil and religious leaders but also all citizens have the responsibility in promoting values such as tolerance, respect, religious harmony, which strengthen Indonesians in their daily lives. Leaders of several religions of Indonesia made the call on February 27 in the capital Jakarta, during a seminar on Harmonious and constructive religion that strengthens national life. The event was organized by the People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR), the legislative branch of the Indonesian political system. Over 100 delegates, representing various faiths, government officials and civil society groups, attended the seminar. The Vaticans Fides news agency reported Prof. Syafiq Mughni, president of "Muhammadiyah", the oldest Islamic organization in Indonesia, as saying that every citizen of the country must contribute to religious harmony in a given situation and find ways to contribute to national life. Only in this way, he said, can the whole country progress. No religion can be used for "destructive purposes in any context and time", he added. In his speech, Fides said, Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor, the vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI), said that "religious leaders and government officials must work together to promote peace, love and solidarity between the different communities". Gomar Gultom of the Central Church Fellowship in Indonesia said that it is the task of every community and every believer to find ways for religion and the practice of worship to contribute to the country's ideals of peace and prosperity, opening the way to people's progress and the common good". Similar sentiments were expressed by the Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian representatives. The South-east Asian nation has long been an example of peaceful harmony, tolerance and unity among its people, thanks to the Pancasila, the 5 principles that form the philosophical and political ideology of the Indonesian state, ensure unity amidst religious pluralism in an officially secular system. With over 85% of its some 267 million people professing Islam, Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population. Christians of all denominations make up some 12% of the population. Most Indonesian Muslims are moderates but the nations image as a tolerant nation has been undermined by Islamic radicalism and intolerance in recent years, threatening its unity amidst its diversity. (Source: Fides) CHICO, Calif. The Gateway Science Museum is celebrating 10 years since they opened their doors. They are celebrating the free family event on Feb. 29 and March 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The big party will be on Saturday at 2 p.m. Chico State President, Gayle Hutchinson and retired professor, Ray Barnett will both give speeches at the party. Cake and Cookies will be served shortly after. Another activity will include mission aerospace, attendees can build their own rocket and then shoot the rocket through obstacles. We fundraised for 10 years to get the museum-going, Community Advisory Board, Jessee Allread said. So we are really excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary. For more information, CLICK HERE. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has reassured Ghanaians that it will continue to intensify its preparedness activities and heighten surveillance at all points of entry to prevent any possible case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) into the country. The assurance comes after Nigeria, the first African country in Sub Sahara and a neighbouring country, recorded its first confirmed case of the deadly disease, on Thursday, February 28. It involves an Italian who worked in Nigeria and went to Italy, but returned from Milan on Tuesday, February 25. The patient is reported by the Federal Health Authorities to be clinically stable, with no serious symptoms. Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the GHS, in a statement in Accra, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), however, urged those who had recently arrived from any of the countries that had reported cases to go into self-quarantine. They should thus stay away from the crowd for at least 14 days. In cases of persistent cough or fever, the GHS said, they should not visit any health centre or facility on their own but call the following numbers for assistance: 055 2222 004, 055 2222 005, 050 9497700, 055 8439 868. If you have just returned from any of the affected countries, and you are exhibiting symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, call the numbers above for assistance," it said. The GHS also entreated citizens to temporarily avoid non-essential visits to the affected countries. In order to streamline communication and avoid creating fear and panic, it advised the media to speak to only the following designated experts: The Director-General, Ghana Health Service-Dr. Patrick Kuma-Abaoagye; the Director of Public Health -Dr. Badu Sarkodie; the Deputy Director, Disease Surveillance Department- Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe; and Dr Dennis Laryea, the Port Health Coordinator. It said all media enquiries should also be directed to the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service. Citizens, it advised, should avoid spreading messages, which had not been authenticated by the Ministry of Health or Ghana Health Service on social media in order not to cause fear and panic. The GHS also encouraged the media to devote airtime to educate the public on the preventive measures they may need to adopt to avoid infection and the spread of the disease. "We will continue to monitor the situation globally and update the general public accordingly," it said. Meanwhile, it entreated the public to stick to the recommended precautionary measures, including to regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, or if possible, to use hand sanitisers regularly. They should also practise common cough/sneezing etiquette, such as the covering of mouth with a handkerchief or tissue paper when coughing or sneezing. Nigeria became the 49th country to report a COVID-19 case. According to worldometers.info, which is hosted by the American Library Association, 59 countries have so far recorded the viral respiratory disease. More than 84,000 people have been infected, with more than 2,800 killed. About 99 per cent of the cases are in China, with the City of Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease, being the hardest hit. However, more than 36,000 people have recovered from the disease. China reported the outbreak of the SARS-like disease to the World Health Organisation in December 2019. Ghana has so far tested 25 suspected cases but they have all proven negative. 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 Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed this week. Government forces, backed by Russian air power, have waged a major assault to capture the northwest province of Idlib, the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey. Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey to do what is necessary with the Syrian government alone. He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now. We did not go there because we were invited by (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad). We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We dont intend to leave before the people of Syria, okay, this is done, Erdogan added. Greek police fired teargas to push back hundreds of migrants gathered on its border with Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Unions doorstep. Greece, which has tense relations with its neighbour Turkey at the best of times and was a primary gateway for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, described the situation an onslaught and said it would keep migrants out. Greece yesterday faced an organised, mass and illegal attempt to violate its borders and it withstood this attempt, government spokesperson Stelios Petsas told reporters. The government will do whatever it takes to protect its borders, adding that police at the borders would be reinforced. Turkey said on Thursday it will no longer contain hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers after an air strike on war-ravaged Idlib in Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers. Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Show all 20 1 /20 Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants from Afghanistan arrive on a dinghy on a beach near the village of Skala Sikamias, after crossing part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey to the island of Lesbos, Greece Reuters Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants waiting on the Turkish side of the border AFP via Getty Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece A migrant woman holding her child sits in a field near the Meric (Evros) River at the Turkish-Greek border EPA Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants run to avoid tear gas thrown by Greek police during clashes near the Pazarkule border gate AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Refugees walk back after a failed attempt to pass the Greek border near the Meric EPA Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece A child cries as migrants arrive at the village of Skala Sikaminias AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece A migrant runs during clashes with the Greek police AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants use an inflatable boat as they attempt to enter Greece from Turkey by crossing the Maritsa river, near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey, 29 February 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece A migrant from Cameroon detained by Greek authorities sits in a room in the village of Marasia AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants walk towards the Greek border near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, 29 February 2020. AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece A migrant carries his belongings as he walks toward Meritsa river AFP via Getty Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Riot police detain a migrant AFP via Getty Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants prepare an inflatable boat as they attempt to enter Greece from Turkey by crossing the Maritsa river, near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. On February 29 2020, AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants use an inflatable boat as they attempt to enter Greece from Turkey by crossing the Maritsa river, near the Pazarkule border gate in Edirne, Turkey, 29 February 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants walk to the Greek border near the Pazarkule border gate at Edirne, Turkey AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Migrants walk to the Greek border near the Pazarkule border gate at Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, February 29 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Greek border guard use teargas on migrants trying to enter Greece, at Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, 29 February 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Greek border guard use teargas on migrants trying to enter Greece, at Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, 29 February 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Greek border guard use teargas on migrants trying to enter Greece, at Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, 29 February 2020 AP Migrants trapped between Turkey and Greece Greek border guard use teargas to push back migrants who try to enter Greece AP Almost immediately, convoys of people appeared heading towards the Greek land and sea borders. This has nothing to do with Idlib, Mr Petsas said, adding that in the past 24 hours Greek authorities had prevented attempts by 4,000 people to cross the border. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that some 18,000 migrants had crossed borders from Turkey into Europe. Speaking in Istanbul, he did not immediately provide evidence for the number, but said it would rise. There are currently 3.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and the country also plays host to migrants from other countries including Afghanistan. Bulgaria, which also shares a border with Turkey, said it had seen no migrant inflows. There is nothing different on our border from what we have seen a year, or two or three years ago, prime minister Poyko Borissov told reporters. A Titanic effort A Reuters witness said there were about 500 people in the buffer zone between the Greek and Turkish border posts, and beyond that on the Turkish side, at the Pazarkule border gate, hundreds more. Overnight, demonstrators hurled flaming pieces of wood at police, amateur footage filmed by a policeman on the scene, which was seen by Reuters, showed. Police fired teargas to keep people back. An estimated 3,000 people had gathered on the Turkish side of the border at Kastanies, a Greek government official said. Kastanies is just over 900km northeast of Athens. We are making a titanic effort to keep our borders closed to such migration flows, Panagiotis Harelas, head of border guards in the area, told reporters, showing empty gas canisters which were hurled from the Turkish side. They had Turkish writing on them. Nearly a million refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to Greeces islands in 2015, setting off a crisis over immigration in Europe, but that route all but closed after the European Union and Turkey agreed to stop the flow in March 2016. The river border Greece shares a long river border with Turkey, and is a known permeable route for asylum seekers. Reuters video showed tens of people at a time climbing, and some throwing their bags over a 3-metre fence covered all over with barbed wire along the Greek border in Turkeys western Edirne province. A group of Afghans with young children waded across fast-moving waters of the Evros river and took refuge in a small chapel. They crossed into Greece on Friday morning. Today is good said Shir Agha in broken English. Before, Erdogan people, police problem, he said. Their shoes were caked in mud. It had rained heavily the night before, and by early morning, temperatures were close to freezing. Greece had already said on Thursday it would tighten border controls to prevent coronavirus reaching its Aegean islands, where thousands of migrants are living in poor conditions. A Syrian man, who did not give his name, said they had been in the border area for two days and were in need of food. We have been here for two days, We have no food, look at these kids, he said. Reuters A shareholder of Chattanooga-base CBL & Associates is suing the company in Federal Court, saying shareholders were kept in the dark about a damaging lawsuit that stood to cost the company up to $180 million. Pierre Kemmer filed the 95-page complaint against CBL and CBL officers and directors Stephen D. Lebovitz, Charles B. Lebovitz, Farzana Khaleel, Don Sewell, Augustus N. Stephas, Gary L. Bryenton, A. Larry Chapman, Matthew S. Dominski, John D. Griffith, Richard J. Lieb, Gary J. Nay, and Kathleen M. Nelson. The suit is "for breaches of their fiduciary duties as directors and/or officers of CBL, unjust enrichment, waste of corporate assets, and violation of Sections of the Securities Exchange Act. It is "a shareholder derivative action that seeks to remedy wrongdoing committed by CBLs directors and officers from at least July 29, 2014 through the present." The lawsuit says, "Throughout much of the relevant period, the individual defendants failed to disclose just such a threat: the pendency of a massive class action lawsuit against CBL, which had the potential to incur hundreds of millions of dollars in liability. "The defendants permitted the company to take advantage of small business customers who rented mall space owned by the company by (1) unlawfully overcharging these retail tenants for electricity costs; (2) misrepresenting that the electric bills they received were not marked up; (3) hiding the fraudulent scheme by invoking audit waivers included in company leases; and (4) reaping ill-begotten gains from such improper activity." It notes that a lawsuit was filed in Florida by Wave Length Hair Salons and others against CBL over the issue of electric overcharges. That suit claimed that CBL "engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity by surreptitiously overcharging its tenants through a criminal enterprise by as much as 100 percent for its own profit." It claimed that for several years the company had overcharged them for electricity, despite a contractual agreement to provide electricity at cost, to keep the excess for profit." The suit says the Florida case "involved a class size of 4,800 people and the potential for treble damages, which brought the risk to $180 million in liability without attorneys fees." It says CBLs motion to dismiss the racketeering litigation was almost entirely denied on April 11, 2017, except for a count for breach of the implied covenant of fair dealing. On September 20, 2017, Catlin Specialty Insurance Company, CBLs insurance provider, won a declaratory judgment in Delaware state court ruling that Catlin had no obligation to cover the company in the event that CBL incurred liability in the Florida case. The federal court partially granted the racketeering litigation plaintiffs motion to certify the class under RICO and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices, and on January 23, 2019, the federal court denied the companys motion for summary judgment, "greatly accelerating the litigation." The new lawsuits says it was not until last March 1 that "CBL finally revealed the existence of the racketeering litigation to the public in its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. However, the 2018 10-K still omitted material facts about the litigation, divulging neither the degree of risk nor the amount-in-controversy (up to $180 million without attorneys fees) to shareholders, in clear violation of SEC and GAAP regulations." Following this partial disclosure, CBL stock dropped by $0.16 per share (eight percent) from the previous trading day, to close at $1.98 on March 1, 2019. On March 15, 2019, following a settlement mediation, CBL settled the Florida case for $90 million, which included the full claim amount of $60 million plus costs and attorneys fees. The new suit says, "CBLs total capitulation indicates that the company likely had little to no valid defenses to the plaintiffs claims." However, it said a CBL filing with the SEC one week later on March 22, 2019 "again failed to disclose the amount-in-controversy in the dispute, or that the parties had reached a settlement." It says following the disclosure, CBLs price per share dropped $0.47 per share (about 25 percent) on a trading volume of 11.7 million shares, from a closing price of $1.91 on March 26, 2019 to close at $1.44 on March 27, 2019. CBL Series D preferred shares fell by $0.74 (seven percent), and CBL Series E preferred shares fell by $0.69 in two days. The suit says, "The individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties by knowingly or recklessly causing the company to engage in the overcharge misconduct and causing the company to fail to maintain internal controls. "Furthermore, during the relevant period, the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties by causing the company to repurchase its own stock at prices that were artificially inflated due to the foregoing misrepresentations. Between October 1, 2016 and March 26, 2019, the company repurchased 123,252 shares of its own stock for $464,653. As the companys stock was actually only worth $1.00 per share, the price at which it was trading on April 25, 2019, the company overpaid $341,401." It says, "The need to undertake internal investigations, the losses from the waste of corporate assets, and losses due to the unjust enrichment of Individual defendants who were improperly over-compensated by the company and who benefited from the wrongdoing alleged herein, the company will have to expend many millions of dollars. The company has been substantially damaged as a result of the Individual defendants knowing or highly reckless breaches of fiduciary duty and other misconduct. The suit says Stephen D. Lebovitz has served as the companys CEO since January 1, 2010 and as a company director since November 1993. He served as the president of the company for a portion of the relevant period, from February 1999 to June 2018. He also serves as a member of the Executive Committee. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019 Stephen Lebovitz beneficially owned 832,154 shares (1.01 percent) of the companys stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, Stephen Lebovitz beneficially owned over $1.5 million worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, Stephen Lebovitz received $3,472,388 in compensation from the company. This included a base salary of $707,000 and stock awards worth $1,471,139. Charles Lebovitz is the companys chairman of the board and has been a company director since 1993. He previously served as CBLs president from November 1993 until 1999, and as its CEO from November 1993 until 2010. He also serves as chair of the Executive Committee. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019 Charles Lebovitz beneficially owned 19,112,878 shares (10.4 percent) of the companys stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, Charles Lebovitz beneficially owned approximately $34.6 million worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, Charles Lebovitz received $2,540,247 in compensation from the company. This included a base salary of $681,750 and stock awards worth $1,044,001. Farzana Khaleel has been the companys executive vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer since September 10, 2012. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019 she beneficially owned 318,371 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, she beneficially owned over $576,000 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, she received $1,283,157 in compensation from the company. This included a base salary of $534,279 and stock awards worth $417,600. Don Sewell has served as the companys senior vice president Management since February 2018. Previously, he served as the companys vice president Mall Management from February 2000 through February 2018, and he served in various other property management positions with the company from 1973 through 2000. Augustus N. Stephas served as the companys executive vice president and COO from 2010 until he resigned on December 31, 2018. Previously, he served as COO senior vice president of the company from February 2007 through January 2010, and as senior vice president Accounting and Controller from January 1997 through February 2007. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019, he beneficially owned 208,354 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, he beneficially owned approximately $377,120 worth of CBL stock. Gary L. Bryenton served as a company director from 2001 until his retirement on December 31, 2018. He was a member of the Audit Committee during the relevant period. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $180,000 in compensation from the company. This included a base salary of $80,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. A. Larry Chapman has been a company director since August 16, 2013. He also serves as the chair of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019, he beneficially owned 84,397 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, he beneficially owned approximately $153,000 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $180,000 in compensation from the company. This included cash compensation of $80,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. Matthew S. Dominski has been a company director since February 2, 2005. He is also the Lead Independent Director, serving as the chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019, he beneficially owned 93,276 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, he beneficially owned approximately $169,000 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $205,000 in compensation from the company. This included cash compensation of $105,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. John D. Griffith has been a company director since January 7, 2015. He also serves as a member of the Compensation and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committees. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019, he beneficially owned 83,382 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, he beneficially owned approximately $151,000 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $170,000 in compensation from the company. This included cash compensation of $70,000 and stock awards worth $100,000 Richard J. Lieb has been a company director since February 10, 2016. He also serves as a member of the Audit and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committees. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019 Defendant Lieb beneficially owned 72,509 shares of Company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, he beneficially owned over $131,000 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $175,000 in compensation from the company. This included cash compensation of $75,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. Gary J. Nay served as a company director from 2011 until his retirement on December 31, 2018. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, he received $170,000 in compensation from the company. This included cash compensation of $70,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. Kathleen M. Nelson has been a company director since May 5, 2009. She also serves as the chair of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee. According to the 2019 Proxy Statement, as of March 15, 2019, she beneficially owned 90,931 shares of company stock. Given that the price per share of the companys common stock at the close of trading on March 15, 2019 was $1.81, she beneficially owned over $164,500 worth of CBL stock. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, she received $175,000 in compensation from the company. This included a cash compensation of $75,000 and stock awards worth $100,000. The lawsuit charges that during 2005, "the individual defendants laid the groundwork for the overcharge misconduct, a fraudulent strategy that involved overcharging the companys retail tenants for electricity, and concealing such overcharges from the tenants and the public. This scheme was first proposed at a CBL leadership conference held in 2005. At the conference, the head of Valquest Systems, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in utilities allocation, presented a PowerPoint to certain members of the companys management, including defendants Sewell and Stephas. The PowerPoint presentation laid out how the company could reap greater profits from its retail tenants by charging the tenants higher rates for each kilowatt hour of electricity, and for more kilowatt hours of electricity than the tenants actually used. "Subsequently, the company and Valquest agreed to implement the scheme Valquest had devised, and to jointly track the amount of overcharge, so as to ensure that the overcharge would not increase to levels that would raise suspicion. Specifically, the company imposed a system of overbilling by directing and requiring its management to use lease agreements containing clauses that stated that tenants would be charged the same amount that the malls were charged by local utility providers. However, in spite of these contractual representations, the company would inflate tenants electric bills, sometimes by over 100 percent of the tenants actual utility usage. These unlawful electricity overcharges were then deliberately concealed by an audit waiver provision also included in the companys leases. "Each month, Valquest provided income allocation summaries tracking the amounts that company tenants had been overcharged to Sewell. Sewell and other members of CBL management participated in this correspondence. When tenants raised issues with the amounts they had been charged, Valquest would provide those tenants with misleading energy surveys intended to corroborate the inflated charges that the company billed. "One of the retail tenants impacted by the overcharge misconduct during this period was Wave Lengths Hair Salon of Florida, Inc. In June 2006, Wave Lengths entered into a 10-year lease for space at Gulf Coast Town Cente, a mall in Fort Myers, Florida owned by a subsidiary of CBL. After experiencing abnormally high electricity charges at GCTC, Wave Lengths raised concerns to the company about its energy costs. In response, as was done with other tenants who complained about overcharges, the company paid Valquest to provide Wave Lengths with an energy survey that falsely inflated Wave Lengths energy costs, so as to conceal the overcharges. "During early 2016, GCTC came under new management unaffiliated with the Company. GCTCs new operator conducted an evaluation of electricity usage throughout GCTC, and determined that the company had been significantly overcharging the malls tenants for their electricity. Subsequently, GCTCs operator reduced Wave Lengths electricity charges from an average of $600 per month to approximately $269 per month, thereby indicating that the company had been overcharging Wave Lengths by nearly 123 percent. Ultimately, through the overcharge misconduct, the company overcharged its retail tenants for over 190 million kilowatts of unused electricity, and raked in tens of millions of dollars as a result. "Between January 2011 and April 2019 alone, the company made roughly $60 million in fraudulent profits obtained through the scheme." The plaintiff said he is seeking damages and to require CBL to "take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable laws and to protect CBL and its shareholders from a repeat of the damaging events described herein, including, but not limited to, putting forward for shareholder vote the following resolutions for amendments to the companys Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation and the following actions as may be necessary to ensure proper corporate governance policies: 1. a proposal to strengthen the boards supervision of operations and develop and implement procedures for greater shareholder input into the policies and guidelines of the board; 2. a provision to permit the shareholders of CBL to nominate at least five candidates for election to the board; and 3. a proposal to ensure the establishment of effective oversight of compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. (e) Awarding CBL restitution from Individual defendants, and each of them; (f) Awarding Plaintiff the costs and disbursements of this action, including reasonable attorneys and experts fees, costs, and expenses; and (g) Granting such other and further relief as the court may deem just and proper." The suit was brought by attorneys Wade Cowan of Nashville and Phillip Kim of New York City. The Morrison government will put a travel ban on people coming from Iran from Sunday due to the country's "high death rate" from coronavirus as it tries to stem the flow of the disease into Australia. But Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy played down the likelihood of more bans for other countries, explaining "it's not possible to further isolate Australia", and that the focus should be on detection and containment instead. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a travel ban for Iran to start on Sunday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the new travel restrictions for Iran after a National Security Committee meeting on Saturday and based on the advice of health officials. The ban, which will apply from March 1, will mean people cannot travel from Iran to Australia for 14 days. For those in Australia, the travel advice has also been upgraded for Iran to "do not travel". When the Shoestring Theatre Company's world premiere of David Ireland's 'Cyprus Avenue,' the final play directed by Kevin O'Shea, opens at the Schoolyard Theatre Charleville on Friday night the 28th February for three nights only, it will feature among the five strong cast, members laden with acting awards and also two newcomers to the Charleville stage. William Lyons, who plays the demanding role of Eric in the play, needs no introduction to local audiences. He is a former winner of the best actor award at the All-Ireland Drama Festival in Athlone for his performance of Norman McAlister in 'A Night to Remember' by Marie Jones. He also won the best actor award on seven other occasions on the festival circuit throughout the country for the same role. William has also had roles in television commercials on RTE television and appeared on the Abbey Theatre's Peacock stage with the Shoestring production of Mark Doherty's 'Da' in 2015 when the Shoestring Company won the Abbey Theatre Award of that year, again under the direction n of Kevin O'Shea. Eilis Casey, who plays the wife, Bernie, is equally successful on the amateur stage having won best actor awards at Haulbowline, Cobh, Kilmallock and Doonbeg festivals and in the All-Ireland One Act festival in Dundrum with the Shannonside Players from Co. Clare. Though she has had many memorable roles with the Shoestring Company, this will be her first role with group on the festival circuit, and she is eagerly looking forward to the challenge. Derry Moloney who plays Slim in Cyprus Avenue is also a seasoned campaigner with the Shoestring having earned his stripes in their production as a brilliant McMurphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in 2014. The UCC drama and English student is thrilled to be in a world amateur premiere, and is aiming for a big performance in the play, and to contesting the festival circuit for the first time. The two newcomers are Ruth Sweeney, who is a native of Tarbert, Co. Kerry and a grand niece of the poet Brendan Kenneally. Ruth is a graduate of NUIG where she studied creative writing, and she too is eagerly looking forward to the role of the daughter in Cyprus Avenue. Malawi native Jacqui Mackalhira will also be making her stage debut as the psychiatrist, which is the Shoestring Company's swan song production under the astute direction of Kevin O'Shea. Booking for this production is at 087-1804870 and curtain-up is at 8.15pm. Donald Trump has urged his South Carolina supporters to vote for Bernie Sanders in the state's Democratic primary, after his supporters declared the Vermont senator would be easier to beat than Joe Biden in November's general election. The Commander-in-chief made the declaration during a 14,000 strong rally at the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday night, ahead of the primary on Saturday - which is 'open' so that all voters can cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation. Trump told the crowds he wanted to take a poll to see which candidate is the weakest, and then ask them to go vote for them. Donald Trump urged his South Carolina supporters to vote for Bernie Sanders in the state's Democratic primary on Saturday after taking a 'poll' to find out which candidate they thought was weakest Trump asked crowds at his Friday rally whether Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders would be easiest for him to beat in the general election. The crowd claimed Sanders would be best He explained that he was going to take a 'real' poll, to counter all of the 'fake' polls that are pushed out by the media. 'Who do I want to run against [in the general election]? Who the hell is easier to beat?' he asked the crowds, before yelling out the names of the top two contenders. 'Crazy Bernie?' he asked, before the crowd cheered loudly. 'Or Sleepy Joe?' he quizzed, as the crowds reacted with less enthusiasm. Reacting to the difference in volume, Trump asserted that Sanders would be the best contender to go up against in November. 'I think Crazy Bernie has it!' he laughed as the large crowd hollered and applauded. Elsewhere during the energetic rally, Trump came out guns blazing against Democrats and the media, claiming the two entities are politicizing the coronavirus. 'The press is in hysteria mode,' the president claimed. 'Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,' Trump said. 'They're politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs you see.' 'They have no clue. They don't have any clue,' he said of the other side of the political aisle. 'They can't even count their votes in Iowa,' he said in reference to the fiasco in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, which failed to declare an official winner weeks after ballots were cast. Donald Trump claimed to rally-goers Friday evening that the 'press is in hysteria mode' over the coronavirus, as he continued to downplay the threat 'Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,' Trump insisted The president held his rally in North Charleston on the eve of the Democratic primary elections in South Carolina, where the state's party will decided who they want to take on the president in November Trump also took a poll if the crowd to see who they thought it would be easier for him to beat in the general elections: Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden The crowd made it clear through cheers that they thought Trump would have an easier time taking on Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, who currently has the most delegates Trump brought both South Carolina Senators Lindsey Graham (right) and Tim Scott (left) up on stage to praise the Republican lawmakers Trump said that since Democrats could not beat him with the 'Russia hoax,' they instead are trying to turn attention to the coronavirus, which Trump says is 'their new hoax.' The president held his South Carolina rally on the eve of the Democratic primary election in the state. He was joined by South Carolina Senators Lindsey Graham and Tom Scott both Republicans. 'All I can say is that the fake news just doesn't get it. Do they?' he posed to the thousands of rally-goers, referencing the hype behind his reelection campaign. The president appeared testy as he came out on stage Friday evening as his administration faces backlash on its handling of the coronavirus outbreak and tumbling Stock Market to go along with it. At one point Trump brought both South Carolina senators on stage and allowed them to step up to the microphone after showering them with praise especially for Graham, who was one of the president's biggest defenders during the impeachment proceedings. When Graham stepped up to the mic, he thanked the president. 'Thank you for the strongest economy in my lifetime,' he said. 'And thank you, more than anything else, for putting up with the never ending bullst you have to go through.' The Stock Market saw its worst week since the 2008 crash as global markets continued to drop amid coronavirus concerns. But Trump continued to downplay the situation, chalking it up to a bit over a dozen cases in the U.S. and boasting that there have been no deaths so far. He also compared the lack of deaths connected to coronavirus in the U.S. to deaths related to the flu. 'We did something that's been pretty amazing. We have 15 people in this massive country, and because of the fact that we won early we could have had a lot more than that we're doing great, our country is doing so great. We are so unified,' he asserted, clarifying that it was the GOP that was more unified and not the country as a whole. Scott stepped up to the microphone to make some short remarks at the rally Lindsey Graham also took the mic, and thanked the president. 'Thank you for the strongest economy in my lifetime,' he said to Trump. 'And thank you, more than anything else, for putting up with the never ending bullst you have to go through' South Carolina is the last of the four early primary states, and Democratic will head to the polls Saturday to vote for the candidate they want to take on Trump in November. The Friday night rally marks the fourth time that president has presented counter-programming to the Democratic primaries, as he also held a rally in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada is the days surrounding the caucuses and primaries in those states. Donald Trump won the 2016 primary election in South Carolina, earning 32.5 per cent of the vote in a crowded Republican primary field. He also won South Carolina in the general elections that year by nearly 15 per cent, earning 54.9 per cent to Hillary Clinton's 40.7 per cent. The rally was held as concerns over the spread of coronavirus continues to plague the nation, especially after earlier this week when the Centers for Disease Control said an outbreak in the U.S. was inevitable. Trump told reporters at the White House Friday before departing for South Carolina that he could even ban travel from Italy, and other developed countries, that have seen higher rates of coronavirus cases. 'Well, we're looking at that right now and we're looking at a couple of countries - a few countries that have a little bit disproportionately high number,' Trump said when asked about Italy. 'And we're going to make that decision very soon.' Trump talked of tightening travel restrictions and at the same time he attacked the media and the Democrats over their reactions to the coronavirus outbreak. He suggested that the hype and the criticism were over the top. 'I think they're doing everything they can to instill fear in people and I think it's ridiculous and I think they're very disreputable,' Trump told reporters when asked if he believes the coronavirus situation was a 'hoax.' Trump said yes and referenced CNN 's coverage, calling it a 'disreputable network.' He continued his attack on the media at his rally, claiming the press coverage and Democrats' reactions were creating the hysteria surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. As Trump headed to South Carolina for the rally, Sanders slammed the president for leaving his post at the White House amid the growing coronavirus crisis. 'He is here in South Carolina for one reason - to disrupt the Democratic primary - that's why he's here,' Sanders told his own rally crowd in Columbia, South Carolina just a few hours before the president took stage. 'He hopes he can get a little media attention taken away from the Democratic candidates,' the Democratic socialist candidate continued. 'How petty, how pathetic is that?' A few days after Diwali, I venture on a morning walk in Kochi, something I dare not in Delhi! The sun is yet to disturb the quietude of this early morning. A pale blue hue remnant of a starry night blends the sky with the shimmering backwaters of the Arabian Sea near the horizon where the outlines of sleeping ships are as hazy as childhood memories. Colourful houses in Kochi look as if from a Malayalam movie set (Saubhadra Chatterji) Two men and a few regrets patiently wait to catch fish when a steamer carrying the first passengers appears through the mist near the jetty in Fort Kochi. To be sure, no one is wearing an anti-dust mask or grumbling about the weather. Gods own country: Really People have gathered around the tea stalls at the River Road. Since I am not the biggest fan of idli for breakfast, I happily steer towards Princess Street, the more colourful part of Kochi. Behind me, the over-hyped Chinese fishing nets that swing like the Sensex throughout the day, are basking under the first rays of the sun.Brightly-coloured quaint houses replace the leafy face of the city and look like a big Malayalam movie set. Many street sign-boards proudly proclaim, quite unnecessarily, that this is Gods own country. Colourful graffiti on Kochi walls depict images from Van Gogh paintings to Che Guevara (Saubhadra Chatterji) In this gold-standard of cityscape, Burgher Street is a gem. The paved, narrow lane is so pretty that theres actually a banner warning people against taking photographs and disturbing residents. The sheer beauty of this narrow lane must have attracted so many curious intruders (not the CAA ones) to click selfies that irritated locals had to take this rare step. Rare, because one of the reasons to travel to Kerala is to enjoy the welcoming nature of Malayalis. At least the Malayalis I know are helpful, humorous and hospitable. Thomas Dominic makes a good Fort Kochi plan for two days before connecting me to his brother, who in turn puts me in touch with Xavier Raju. Raju is a local journalist but also passionately helps people who wants to visit this idyllic part of the bustling city. Serenity engulfs an early morning in Kochi while people are busy catching fish (Saubhadra Chatterji) Raju, with his relatives packed in a brand-new SUV, picks me up for a quick tour of the city. The first stop is St. Francis Church, famous for the first resting place of Vasco da Gama after his death. The Portuguese authorities eventually shifted the grave of their global ambassador to Lisbon. Those keen to say hello to him can visit his tomb at the Jeronimos Monastery in the Belem neighbourhood of Lisbon. The best way to explore Fort Kochi and Mattancherri is by walking (Saubhadra Chatterji) Raju and co. drop me near the jetty after a whirlwind tour of a few churches, a former Danish tavern and a cemetery. Thats enough to fall in love with Kochi. The whiff of fresh air, the lush green landscape, a bright day and the salted raw mango strips are added bonuses. Score one for Maradona My hungry stomach reminds me that lunch is due. Since I dont want to take any chances with food, I enquire with a few bystanders about the availability of any good home-style fish and rice nearby.Come, sir. I will show you, says a young lad on a motorbike, You get both fried fish and meen curry. When you get tipsy after sipping beer near the backwaters, youll know its the effect of Cochin a city thats gorgeous even on an ordinary day After five minutes, he stops in front of Hotel Lucky Star. It looks like an eatery in Buenos Aires. For not only is it painted in blue-and- white stripes, it also has half a dozen pictures of Diego Maradona strategically pasted on the wall above the delivery counter. Some of its waiters are even wearing blue t-shirts (to keep their boss happy, I presume). Finally a senior waiter wearing an Argentina jersey arrives. He even turns around like a model on a ramp to proudly show the number 10 written on the back while taking my order of fish, chicken and rice. If youre inspired to eat here, I must add that the entire focus was on the decor and posters and not on the food. I hire an autorickshaw to go to an area called Mattancherry. It has the famous Jewish synagogue, a vibrant masala market and some trendy art cafes. The driver studied at a Kendriya Vidyalaya and speaks fluent Hindi. No meal in Kerala can be complete without prawns (Saubhadra Chatterji) He requests me to stop at a sari shop on the way and spend at least 10 minutes. I tell him that my wife has never appreciated any gift I bought for her and more importantly, she already has a wardrobe full of saris.Sir, if you spend 10 minutes there, I will get a fuel coupon from the shop, he says. We reach a particularly fancy shop. The driver stops his vehicle and turns around, Sir, tell them you have come from Maldives. These shopkeepers like rich tourists from Male. The Mattancherry area has the famous Jewish synagogue, a vibrant masala market and some trendy art cafes In my entire life, I have never accompanied any woman to buy saris. Now I am the lone customer and two sales girls try to teach me about different types of saris available in the shop. This is like a student of ancient history appearing for a test in econometrics. After fooling around for 10 minutes, I call Ruchira to ask if I can indeed buy her something. She sounds suspicious: You know very well that I rarely wear a sari. Then what are you doing there? I am unable to explain my position as I am not sure how many Maldivians speak Bengali. Dance of life Such woes of life can only be forgotten in a Kathakali theatre. Raju calls me to say that he has already reserved a seat for me for the evening show at the Kerala Kathakali Centre. But please be there an hour before the dance actually begins, he advises. Before the dance performance begins, theres an hour-long make-up session for the audience to see (Saubhadra Chatterji) I reach the Kathakali Centre in time to see two men in mundus (Keralas version of dhoti) sitting on the stage and applying make-up meticulously. Over an hour, the two of them transform into mythical characters in flawless make-up and costumes. Burgher Street is a gem. The paved, narrow lane is so pretty that theres actually a banner warning people against taking photographs and disturbing residents! Another man appears on the stage to explain the different mudras of the dance before he churns out the perfect notes of the background music. The performance begins and slowly the wooden stage turns into a mystic, astounding world of dance and music, leaving the crowd mostly foreigners to marvel at this excellent display of Keralas iconic dance form. By the time I come out of the theatre, the streets are near-empty. A few eateries are buzzing with guests. The shops are about to close. The long road empties into a darkness where the waters of the Arabian sea flow silently. The historic Jewish quarters is one of the top attractions (Saubhadra Chatterji) Next morning, I will see fishermen biking their way to the market. Egrets waiting to catch fish and a few ships on the horizon blowing their sirens of life. I will see a picture-perfect cityscape full of beautiful houses and a lush green environment. I will see more pedestrians and fewer cars. The spot where Vasco da Gama was buried in St. Francis church (Saubhadra Chatterji) And I will sit near the backwaters and sip a beer. And when I get tipsy, I will know for sure, its not the beer but the effect of Cochin a city thats gorgeous even on an ordinary day. Author bio: Saubhadra Chatterji is a senior editor with the political bureau of Hindustan Times who loves rasgullas and Ronaldo in equal parts! From HT Brunch, March1 , 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Egyptian Public Prosecution renewed on Saturday the imprisonment of two journalists and a former MP for 15 days pending investigations in the case known in the media as the Hope Plan cell. The three defendants are journalists Hossam Moenes and Hesham Fouad Abdel-Aleem in addition to former MP in the 2012 People's Assembly Ziad El-Aleimy. In June 2019, the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of three among others in light of uncovering a hostile scheme dubbed "Hope Plan". According to the ministry statement, the scheme was organised by fugitive Muslim Brotherhood leaders in coordination with those who claim to represent civil political forces. Search Keywords: Short link: Not so long after Caroline Flack took her own life, former "Love Island" star Montana Brown spoke up and claimed that her death might not be the last one to occur. During her heartbreaking interview with Mail Online, Brown opened up how she is terrified that other "Love Island" stars will follow Flack's passing. She admitted that almost all of the people from the ITV2 show also suffer from anxiety and depression. Brown said that she felt helpless because of the situation since she just attended Mike Thalassitis' funeral with the TV personality less than a year ago. Like Flack, the 26-year-old Thalassitis suffered from extreme depression before he committed suicide in March 2019. Thalassitis' body was found hanging in a park in Edmonton, North London. "For me, and I think I can speak for a lot of Love Islanders, you feel like, "Oh my God, who else is unhappy?" I need to speak to everyone," Brown emotionally said. "You feel this pressure because you don't want your friends to be unhappy, what can I do?" Aside from Thalassitis, another contestant Sophie Gradon also took her life by overdosing with cocaine and alcohol in 2018. Although the deaths of the former casts occurred year after year, Brown still does not blame "Love Island" for the losses they faced in just three years. "I think it's not necessarily to do with the show - there are really amazing positives that come out of the show - it's more the social media side of things," she went on. Brown added that the former and current stars struggle because of social media trolls who keep on sending messages to the stars to kill themselves or to throw acid in their faces. These unkind gestures cause "insane paranoia" to anyone who receives such hate comments. Case Closed The Crown Prosecution Service formally closed Flack's assault case following her sudden and tragic passing. According to the CPS, the prosecutors from the Highbury Magistrates' Court in North London called the order after the 40-year-old actress' death certificate has been presented. "Despite media coverage of Caroline's death and public comments made by her family about her death we needed to make this a formality to close the case. It is a formality that had to be be done and now has been," a spokesperson told The Sun. Flack was scheduled to stand trial on March 4 for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton last December 2019. But she tragically committed suicide after she found out that the CPS would be pursuing the case against her. Her family confirmed her death through a statement on the same day, saying: "We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on Feb. 15. We would ask that the press both respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time." Meanwhile, her management team then blamed the CPS over a "show trial" and criticized their choice to push through the trial though they knew "not only how very vulnerable Caroline was but also that the alleged victim did not support the prosecution and had disputed the CPS version of events." READ MORE: Caroline Flack Sent Heartbreaking Confession to Ex Danny Cipriani Hours Before Death Two new coronavirus cases in King County, Washington, are associated with a nursing home, raising the specter of an outbreak among people particularly susceptible to complications from an infection. One of the patients, a woman in her 70s, is in serious condition, said Jeff Duchin, Seattle and King County health officer. The other patient is a woman in her 40s who is health care worker at the facility, Life Care Center of Kirkland. Washington also reported the first U.S. coronavirus death Saturday, a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, the day after Oregon announced its first case of coronavirus. He is not tied to the nursing home. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending a team of experts to help local officials investigate the cases. Officials have already found that 27 of 108 residents at the nursing home report some symptoms of respiratory illness, Duchin said, and 25 of the 180 staff do, too. Health officials are investigating these cases but they dont yet know if the people are sick with coronavirus. The two confirmed cases at the nursing home and the man who died of coronavirus brought to 22 the number of infections in the United States discovered by the health care system, the CDC said. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE For U.S. residents at large, the risk of a COVID-19 infection continues to be low, a CDC official said Saturday, and that includes those in nursing homes. But the federal government is ramping up its work, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. We are facing a historic public health challenge, Messonnier said. There are now enough kits to test more than 75,000 people, she said. If the spread broadens, Messonnier said communities might have to take steps to prevent close contact between people, a method called social distancing. Oregon announced its first presumptive coronavirus case Friday in a person who works at Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego. Few people had close contact with the person, the school district superintendent said Saturday. As of Friday, the patient was at the Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. A second Oregon resident who was under investigation for the illness, unrelated to the Forest Hills employee, tested negative on Saturday, officials said. At least seven other tests are pending and 88 people are being monitored for the disease, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Forest Hills Elementary will be closed through Wednesday to deep-clean the school and allow health investigators to talk to the few people who had close contact with the employee and may have become infected. The person doesnt have a job with much student contact. Oregons sole coronavirus infection is one of a handful in the United States that, because they are of unknown origin, are particularly alarming for health officials. The majority of the more than 60 U.S. cases have been traced to travel abroad. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Washington coronavirus: Governor declares state of emergency Oregon coronavirus: What we know so far Coronavirus in Oregon: Second person under investigation tests negative for illness Best advice for those worried about coronavirus in Oregon: Stay calm Lake Oswego church taking precautions in light of Oregon coronavirus case -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. FORT WASHINGTON, Md.Panelists broke down the realities of socialism during a segment on the third day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)the largest conservative gathering in the country, whose theme this year is America vs. Socialism. Morgan Zegers, CEO of Young Americans Against Socialism, and Joshua Philipp, a senior investigative reporter with The Epoch Times, spoke about the roots of the ideology during a morning discussion at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Philipp said socialism is the dictatorship of the proletariat, which involves the government seizing every aspect of society and driving it toward its ultimate goalcommunism. The Feb. 28 discussion was hosted by Ian Walters of the American Conservative Union. The Communist Manifesto says that communism destroys all religion and all morality, Philipp said. We make the mistake of negotiating with these socialists just on the basis of economics when in reality it is about metaphysics and ontologyit is about attacking and destroying your values, your culture, your ideas and the foundations of your society. Philipp pointed to the Chinese Communist Party, which he said uses a system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Under the rule of the party, between 50 million to 70 million people people died of unnatural causes during peacetime. The regime is also at the forefront of religious oppression. To this day they [China] still have concentration camps, they still kill people for believing in religion, they still dictate what you can or cant believe, he said. They still say that if you want to be a Christian you have to recognize the state first and God second. Chinese people today are living under a tyrannical regime that masquerades as a capitalist society according to Philipp. Philipp added that young people living in the United States today think that socialism is going to free them from the corporations, when in reality, [socialism] is state capitalism. Zegers said recent polls on socialism are worrying but she still feels optimistic about the future of the country. I know a recent poll came out a few months ago that said 70 percent of people my age would vote for a socialist, she said at the conference. My counter to that is I dont think 70 percent of people my age want to seize the means of production.' Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a Democratic socialist and 2020 presidential candidate, has been under fire since praising the communist regime of Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator who imprisoned and killed dissidents during his decades in power. Sanders said during a recent interview with CBSs 60 Minutes that it was unfair to simply say everything is bad about Castros regime and lauded what he called its massive literacy program. In response to criticism of his commentsincluding from some DemocratsSanders told the audience at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, Of course you have a dictatorship in Cuba. Philipp said socialism does not get resolve any issue its followers believe they are fighting against. He called it a system of slavery that involves the state seizing control of the factories which then leads to the control every economic power in the country. It is one that takes control of every single part of your life, denies you the access to the fruits of your labor, tells you what you can and cannot think, and tells you what you can and cannot believe, he said. That is slavery in every single form, down to a level beyond what weve ever seen before. Down to your spiritual level and your ability to think freely. At an earlier panel discussion on the same topic, Jarrett Stepman, a contributor to the Daily Signal, said that in the United States, there is a concerted effort to rewrite history and to change the narrative about what we are. Its for the sole purposes of changing what America is, changing us to become a nation that embraces ideas like socialism, radical ideas that are very much against the original American concept, Stepman said. However, Philipp said he sees a resurgence where people are waking up and seeing [socialism] for exactly what it is. From The Epoch Times ROCHESTER As nations around the world grapple with the reality of coronavirus, the Mayo Clinic, as well as local school and government officials, are starting to react to the situation as well. During questioning with local media on Friday, Dr. Pritish Tosh, of Mayo Clinic Rochester, confirmed that the clinic has been postponing appointments from patients in two countries heavily affected by the virus. "Since the beginning of this outbreak, Mayo Clinic has been looking at what has been happening internationally and thinking about how do we best manage the patients coming to us internationally," Tosh said. "At this point, for patients who may be originating from China or South Korea, we've delayed their appointments, and this is in part to prevent the spread of the illness within our clinic and the community. Obviously, as the epidemic changes, potentially becoming a pandemic, we will continue to reassess these procedures." Tosh did not provide the number of patients who had their appointments postponed, and replied to a question of whether other countries might be added to that list by stating, "We will continue to modify our approach as public health recommendations evolve and as the epidemic evolves." ADVERTISEMENT Although the Mayo Clinic might be the most visible local entity responding to the threat of the coronavirus, its not the only one. Ken Jones, director of emergency management for the city of Rochester, is encouraging the public to stay informed from authorities on the subject, such as the Minnesota Department of Health and the Center for Disease Prevention and Control. "The City of Rochester is working proactively with Olmsted County Public Health Services and other community partners to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 virus," Jones said. "We know that more can be accomplished by working together in a coordinated way. As a city, we are taking steps to ensure our services continue to operate." The Rochester School District also recently spoke to the situation. The district shared a release on the subject from Olmsted County Public Health Services. Among other things, the release referenced the fact that the Minnesota Department of Health has compiled information on its website for schools regarding the virus. However, the notice from Olmsted County also clarified that the immediate threat of the virus in Minnesota is low. "The risk to the general public and Minnesotans remains low, and there is no current evidence to suggest COVID-19 is widely circulating in the U.S," Graham Briggs, director of Olmsted County Public Health, said in the release. "However, this could change, given new information about recent outbreaks in South Korea, Iran and Italy." There has been growing concern that the coronavirus could become more common in the United States. The New York Times quoted Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who reportedly said the threat was imminent. ADVERTISEMENT "Its not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen," Messonnier said, according to the New York Times. The notice from Olmsted County Public Health clarified that there werent any cases of coronavirus in Minnesota as of Feb. 25. Nonetheless, the letter included a list of proactive measures people can take to help reduce the spread of disease in general. Byron Public Schools also sent the information from Olmsted County to families in their district. In addition to distributing the release from the county, Rochester Public Schools released some accompanying information, saying that "the most recent protocols related to COVID-19" were shared with the staff and families in the school district. "For now, it is business as usual at RPS," the release from the district said. Although there haven't been any changes throughout the school district as a result of the virus growing threat, school officials did say they have had conversations with health officials throughout the region in regard to potential public health issues. "Together, we met to discuss our collaborative planning and response to public health emergencies," the release from Rochester Public Schools said. "Our relationship and continued practice with OCPHS, Olmsted Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Federal Medical Center, city and county emergency management, first responders and others, assure we are working together to prepare, plan, and respond in the best way possible for the health and safety of our community." ADVERTISEMENT Select the Somerset County Athlete of the Week for Jan. 3-7 LIMERICKs growing flooding crisis needs to be accounted for in the local authoritys new development plan for the city and county. That is according to geoscientist and Mary Immaculate College lecturer, Breandan MacGabhann, who reckons there are no solutions to the problem that has been causing widespread heartbreak across communities in Limerick and Clare this week. This week saw Clonlara homes flooded, parts of Castleconnell boat club submerged, public pathways between Corbally and Castletroy completely impassable, and vast landscapes practically turned into lakes. The natural carnage is the result of weeks of harsh events in the Mid-West, including three storms, numerous regimes of heavy rainfall, strong winds and high tides. The situation was so severe, the army was called to assist the Castleconnell community with sandbags during the week. However, dramatic episodes like this are now the new normal, according to Mr MacGabhann who teaches third level geography. That is why, he opines, that recent flooding needs to be accounted for in the new Limerick City and County Development Plan. Theres been heavy rain over the past couple of weeks, but nothing youd consider as a once in a decade or once in a century event. This is just the same winter storms that were seeing every year now not even as bad as some in recent years. Our climate is getting worse and our winters are wetter now. This is just the new normal. He said the problem is that with the volume of rain, the water has to go somewhere. Previously, when water fell, it was soaked up by wetlands and forests and eventually making its way back into the river systems. Now, its going straight into the rivers, and its just too much water too quickly, so the rivers break their banks, causing flooding. Dredging rivers as some have suggested wont work thats treating a symptom, but not the underlying problem. Mud and silt builds up in rivers when theyre brought in, and theyre brought in by water during this kind of weather, so thats just going to keep happening. What we need to do is stop the water getting to the rivers so quickly after rainfall. that means planting more forestry and re-wetting bogs to slow the flow. He said that there is no magic solution for those in flood homes, and that by building walls, it will push the flood elsewhere and put other homes at risk. In the shorter term, we need new flood risk maps, and new rules to make sure that more people arent building homes on areas likely to flood. I can use the Sentinel satellite data to produce new flood risk maps, and I hope the Council will work with me to incorporate those into the new Limerick City and County development plan, Mr McGabhann said. Outgoing Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik at his farewell ceremony on Saturday remembered Head Constable Rattan Lal killed in Delhi violence, saying the police personnel never hesitate to lay down their lives in the line of duty. "I am deeply pained over Constable Rattan Lal's death in Delhi violence. I pay tributes to him and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured policemen. Police personnel never hesitate to lay down their lives in the line of duty," said Patnaik. "During my long police service, I have seen the functioning of the police around the world, but I have always been proud that the responsibility and efficiency of the Delhi Police are different and excellent," he added. Patnaik said that not only in the country but in the entire world, there is no police force that faces new challenges every day like the Delhi Police. Earlier on January 31, the Union Home Ministry had informed that Delhi Police Commissioner Patnaik had been given one month's extension in services. He was due to retire on that day. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had approved the extension of Patnaik. MHA had earlier written to the ECI, seeking an extension for Patnaik. An Indian Police Services (IPS) officer of 1985 batch, Patnaik was appointed to the top post on January 30, 2017. His first posting was as Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Delhi's Najafgarh area followed by a posting as the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Puducherry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some Afghans believe the country will be better off with no foreign troops, while others fear the Talibans return. This is a momentous time for Afghanistan. Many are still in disbelief that what had been unthinkable is happening the United States and the Taliban agreeing with each other. The US and the Taliban are set to sign an agreement in Qatar that could lead to the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Al Jazeeras Hoda Abdel-Hamid has been looking at how people in Afghanistan feel about the agreement. A counter protester removes pieces of the blockade as supporters of the indigenous Wet'suwet'en Nation's hereditary chiefs camp at a railway blockade as part of protests against British Columbia's Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Codie McLachlan After about two weeks of pipeline protests blocking railroads and the movement of people and goods its still too early to put a dollar figure on the economic impact. But businesses and individuals are already feeling a financial toll, like CN and VIA workers who have been temporarily laid off. Things will likely get worse the longer the situation drags on. Doug Porter, BMOs chief economist, offers a preliminary outlook. The ultimate cost will depend on the duration of the shutdown, and we have plenty of recent evidence to make an early assessment, he said in a research note. The November CN strike, which lasted more than a week, ended up carving less than 0.1 ppts from GDP that month. However, this shutdown threatens to be more open-ended, with the situation fluid. Travellers are stranded and commuters cant get to work. Airline prices have gone up as a result. The situation is inconvenient but is unlikely to have major economic repercussions outside of the transportation sector itself, Pedro Antunes, The Conference Board of Canadas chief economist, told Yahoo Finance Canada. Billions of dollars at stake On the other hand, an ongoing disruption to the movement of goods along the supply chain would have widespread repercussions. Todays transportation logistics are extremely tight, allowing industry to manage production with just-in-time delivery, said Antunes. Essentially, companies tend to keep a minimum in inventories. As such, even short disruptions can lead to production stoppages. The Railway Association of Canada estimates more than $175 billion worth of goods are exported with the help of the countrys railways every year. Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, told a Toronto press conference that $425 million worth of goods are stuck for every day the blockade continues. Exporters are at risk from the transportation stoppages, but so are domestic industries and consumers, said Antunes. Were already hearing about some products not being available in store shelves, especially in eastern Canada. Story continues Businesses pen open letter to Trudeau A number of small businesses and farmers are having a hard time getting their products to market. They are also struggling to get supplies they need like propane, which is used to heat some homes. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) represents 110,000 small and medium-sized business members, who have shared their concerns. It wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to figure out how get things moving again. For example, one member in Quebec that makes flags and banners buys raw materials from a company in Taiwan, which sends the goods to Vancouver and then sends them by train to Montreal. Currently, this company is waiting for a delivery that will allow them to complete their contracts, which expire at the end of March 2020, read the letter. The company says its worried about production and delivery delays of the finished products, which would result in an approximately $100,000 loss if its contractual requirement isnt fulfilled. Theres also a CFIB member business in Alberta that uses 100,000 lbs of steel per day, which is shipped by rail. The owner says he can go 30 days before being forced to lay off 400 people. It, along with the CFIB, are concerned about another hit to Canadas reputation as a dependable place to do business. The CFIB hopes government and law enforcement can work together to resume rail service. Its also calling on the Canada Revenue Agency to be flexible with severely affected small businesses. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Conservative women share personal experiences in countries with socialist policies Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A panel of women leaders at the Conservative Political Action Conference shared personal experiences with socialism abroad to denounce the idea of the economic system being advanced by the far-left in the United States. On Thursday morning, CPAC hosted a panel featuring Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Joni Ernst of Iowa, which was moderated by Townhall.com editor Katie Pavlich. During her comments, Ernst recalled her brush with a socialist country while a student at Iowa State University where she got the opportunity to go on an agricultural exchange trip to the Soviet Union. I lived on a collective farm where my family had no running water, they were farming with horses and wagons, explained Ernst. They had no refrigerator, they had no automobile, they shared one bicycle among all the family members. That was socialism, folks. Living in poverty. Ernst explained that when the whole community would come together during the evenings with the American students, they asked them what is it like to be an American? and what is it like to be free? They hungered for the opportunity and the freedoms that we have as a country, continued Ernst, stressing that socialism is not what we should be striving for. She added that if thats what were striving for as a United States, Im not going to have any of it in response to Democrats in Congress and presidential hopefuls who are attempting to advance socialism. Pavlich recalled a time when she went to the Peoples Republic of China a couple of years ago as part of a delegation of professional journalists. We went to a university to speak to translator students about America and they were allowed to ask questions and they asked about the First Amendment, a basic right that we have, recalled Pavlich. One of the young women, one of the students who asked a question was condemned after that for asking, because they ask a bunch of American journalists, we obviously defended the First Amendment and the right to speak out, and she was punished for that. Considered the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the United States, CPAC is being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center at National Harbor, Maryland, through Saturday. The theme of this years CPAC is America vs. Socialism, featuring several speakers and sessions centered on examining the ideology. Other prominent scheduled speakers include President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, and several members of Congress, among others. The CPAC focus on socialism comes as Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an avowed Democratic Socialist, is gaining support in the Democratic presidential primary season. Sanders finished second in the Iowa Caucus, was declared the winner of the New Hampshire Primary, and won the Nevada Caucus. He has defended the idea of Democratic Socialism, comparing it to the New Deal reforms of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt helped create a government that made transformative progress in protecting the needs of working families. Today, in the second decade of the 21st century, we must take up the unfinished business of the New Deal and carry it to completion, Sanders said in a speech last year. Now, we must take the next step forward and guarantee every man, woman and child in our country basic economic rights the right to quality health care, the right to as much education as one needs to succeed in our society, the right to a good job that pays a living wage, the right to affordable housing, the right to a secure retirement, and the right to live in a clean environment. A Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Roads and Highways has said government is committed to constructing concrete roads across the country. According to the Deputy Roads and Highway Minister, Anthony Abefa Karbo, feasibility studies on the life span of roads have shown that those made with concretes last longer than the bitumen hence the adoption of the policy. Ghanaian roads have largely been constructed of bitumen with the exception of the Accra Tema motorway. The Deputy Minister, speaking after touring some roads being constructed with concrete in Tema, Anthony Karbo said the Ministry will encourage contractors to adopt the use of the technology in their work. Concrete roads are going to be a part of the road mix in the Ministry of Roads and Highways and as we speak currently, we have two major pilot concrete roads ongoing and this year has also been declared as the year of roads. Background The government accepted a proposal from the Ghana Charismatic Bishops' Conference for roads in the country to be constructed using concrete in 2017. They said it was God's prophetic word that the government moved towards the construction of roads using concrete roads which are cost-effective, durable and long-lasting rather the constructing asphaltic roads. They said it was God's prophetic word that the government moved towards the construction of roads using concrete roads which are cost-effective, durable and long-lasting rather the constructing asphaltic roads. The Vice President, Dr. Bawumia, who took a keen interest in the proposal said at the dedication of a Harvest International Ministries temple in Accra on Saturday, 15th July 2020, that the government has discussions on the matter and has involved Parliament. He added that the cabinet took a decision last week to make the country move away from asphalt roads to the construction of concrete roads. About Concrete Roads Some road construction experts say concrete roads has a longer life span than that of asphalt, with occasional rehabilitation works. Even though, it's expensive to construct such roads, its relatively cheaper in the long run and also friendly to the environment. Such roads are considerably less prone to wear and tear defects like rutting, cracking, stripping loss of texture, and potholes that can occur with flexible pavement surfaces. This low maintenance requirement is one of the principal advantages of concrete pavements. ---Ccitinewsroom After giving up hope that she would ever see the nearly $400,000 that was stolen from her in a phishing attack, Shark Tank co-host Barbara Corcoran learned that there was a happy ending to her story. The 70-year-old real estate entrepreneur says that the German bank that was used for the wire transfer of $388,700.11 that a scammer duped one of her assistants into sending has frozen the money before it went through to Asia. 'I'm thrilled!' Corcoran told Page Six on Friday. Barbara Corcoran has been cheated of nearly $400,000 in a phishing scam. Last week fraudsters instructed her bookkeeper to forward funds to a company they claimed was designing a building in which she'd invested Corcoran's accountant thought the email address belonged to her assistant as it was so similar 'I had already accepted it and moved on. Everyone told me I wouldn't get the money back and it just seems unbelievable! 'I really thought it was a goner!' she told Page Six. Corcoran was cheated out of the money after a phishing scam instructed her bookkeeper to forward funds to fraudsters. Last week, her accountant Christine received an email chain that appeared to include her assistant Emily's details. In the bogus email, impostors instructed Christine to pay $388,700.11 to a company named FFH Concept GmbH in Germany. Corcoran told DailyMail TV on Wednesday that the scam cost her business dearly because it was 'so simple and so well-executed'. The scheme was pulled off using an email address that was identical except for one character. In the communication, Christine is seen replying asking who the money is for. The scammers tell her that FFH a real company is designing apartments in which the TV star has invested. On Tuesday, Christine wired the funds to the account listed on the email. Corcoran's team only realized what had happened after Christine emailed Emily at her real address and the assistant suspected something was wrong. Emily then noticed her email address was incorrect in the previous chain. Corcoran described the attack as a 'hit and run', with the entire scam involving 'only five emails'. Corcoran told Daily Mail TV that the scam was 'so simple and so well-executed' which is why it cost her company dearly Corcoran said her company had been targeted by a similar scam around six months ago and she believes they 'came back for a second shot' Her team had traced the IP address back to a 'Chinese outfit', which she also believes was the perpetrator of the previous attack. 'It was a beautifully executed scam by a Chinese outfit I suspect it was the same one that tried the first time,' she said The self-labelled 'NYC Real Estate Queen' spoke of her embarrassment over being conned out of the cash. 'Is it more painful losing the money or is it more painful being embarrassed? I was going to say more painful being embarrassed but that's not true. It's painful losing money for no reason whatsoever,' Corcoran said in an interview with DailyMail TV. She said she felt 'sick to my stomach, almost like how could that happen? 'Is this really true? It is like finding out a guy is having an affair.' She added that her team was familiar with how scams work but the fraudsters had managed to trick them because they 'played on the card of trust' between them. It was critical that she reassured staff members caught up in it as soon as the scam came to light, Corcoran said. 'First thing I told the staff member was not to worry and it's water under the bridge. She is very responsible and I knew she was going to be sickened and feel responsible,' Corcoran said. 'I suppose there's a sucker born in every crowd and today I'm that sucker,' she said. Corcoran revealed to DailyMail TV that her company had also been targeted by a separate scam around six months before to the attack. 'I was almost scammed about six months ago for a little bit more money than that and we caught it as we were about to wire the transfer so I should know better,' she said. Her team had traced the IP address back to a 'Chinese outfit', which she also believes was the perpetrator of the previous attack. 'It was a beautifully executed scam by a Chinese outfit I suspect it was the same one that tried the first time,' she said. 'They came back for a second shot.' Corcoran's attorneys are considering their next steps. However, she said there is little chance she will get the money back. Corcoran appeared in good spirits outside the Good Morning America studios in New York City earlier on Tuesday. She may not have heard about the scam by then Corcoran appeared in good spirits as she spoke to DailyMail TV about her podcast 'Business Unusual' on Tuesday. She spoke about what makes a good entrepreneur in business. 'Every entrepreneur is different,' she said. 'The best entrepreneurs are self driven.' Corcoran said that the best entrepreneurs 'ignore' her advice 'as they listen to their own counsel'. The 'worst' are those that 'take out their notepad' because they are 'looking for a secret formula of how to succeed'. Corcoran also appeared on the Tamron Hall Show to give advice about being a 'lady boss' that morning, and was pictured waving to crowds outside the Good Morning America studios in New York City. Before Corcoran appeared on Shark Tank, she sold her Corcoran real estate company for $66million. She started the group in the 1970s with just $1,000 and let it go in 2001. The Planetary Society Our Vision Know the cosmos and our place within it. Our Mission Empowering the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration. New Delhi: The Delhi Police has registered 167 FIRs and arrested or detained 885 people in connection with the northeast Delhi violence, a senior officer said on Saturday. Thirty-six of the cases were registered under the Arms Act, they said. The police have lodged 13 cases for provocative social media posts on various sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Several social media accounts and web links involved in circulation of unlawful, offensive content have been suspended through the platforms concerned, the senior police officer said. Advisories on social and print media have been issued to sensitise people about responsible usage of online platforms. People have also been advised to maintain restraint while using social media platforms, police said. The death toll in the communal violence has gone up to 42. More than 250 people have been injured in the clashes. Finding solace in his paintings By Renuka Sadanandan Although the passing of his beloved wife has cast a shadow, Ifthikar Cader hasnt lost his love for painting as he prepares for his upcoming exhibition Plein-Air 2020 View(s): View(s): He has just finished painting it the previous evening a scene close to the Yala National Park- the setting sun reflected in the waters. Still on an easel in the artists studio at his Kohuwala home, the large canvas gives us a glimpse of what Ifthikar Caders exhibition Plein- Air 2020 to be held on March 3 and 4 at the Lionel Wendt, will offer. The painting glows with colour, but for the artist, sadly some of the vibrancy of life has diminished with the passing away of his beloved wife Shamimara last April. They had been married almost 60 years and he feels her absence deeply. Well known for his mastery of the plein air style, he is focusing all his energies on this exhibition which will show not only his recent work but some dating back a few decades. Painting has given him some solace in these difficult times, he says, something to turn his mind to, something that his doctor wife loved and encouraged him in. Theirs was an enduring love they met in Pakistan, her home country, when she was 23 and he just 20. They married in London where she was studying and where he would join the London School of Economics (later switching to accountancy), moved back to Pakistan a few years later before finally making their home here in Sri Lanka with their young family. Though painting had always fascinated him, so much so he would visit the vast galleries and museums in whichever European city he travelled to, in his younger days rugby was his primary passion, he recalls. It was only after retirement from a successful career in the gem business at the age of 57 that his eldest daughter Shahnaz seeing him bored at home, urged him to start painting again. It couldnt have come at a better time - Ifthikar now armed with a new set of paints he had got from the New Coops corner store at the Kollupitiya junction embarked on a remarkable journey which would see him plunge anew into painting and also into serious study. He went into art theory and techniques with the ample resources available on the Internet access to Internet was a Godsend to people like me for I was clueless, he says frankly. His first exhibition in 1996 saw quite a few paintings sold, some were bought by family and friends and this gave him the impetus to continue. He has exhibited regularly through the years. The plein air technique he favours involves painting outdoors and capturing the scene before him in a short space of time. With his great love for wildlife and travel, this suited him fine and frequent family trips to wildlife parks and lesser known spots gave him ample opportunity. By necessity, plein air paintings are small. You have only a small window of time, you have to be ever conscious of the changing light, he says, and in our tropical climes, by 5.30 p.m, the light is fading, quite in contrast to the long European summers. But the beauty lies in seeing nature in front of you. Age has restricted travel, so he now mostly draws from photographs. His recent works an arresting painting of Adams Peak was done from a photograph taken by Dr. Dinesh de Silva from a vantage point in Pidurutalagala; a coconut estate in Mundal; a leopard in all its spotted glory at Yala (the background looking more like Wilpattu) will be seen in this exhibition while there are all too familiar scenes from around the island- the Mirisawatiya dagoba, Sigiriya rock, even tranquil landscapes of Trinidad and Tobago and Pakistan, places he has visited over the years. Most of the artists here paint abstracts and his style of representative art, he feels, was not much appreciated. I found it difficult to get recognition because I paint in the traditional Impressionist style. I did a few abstracts and surprisingly they sold, he says but preferred to stick to his style. In recent years, he has adopted a more loose form, the background less delineated. As we go round the virtual art gallery on his walls, he recalls how he often neglects to sign his paintings and how his wife would always be quick to remind him have you signed it? Plein-Air 2020 Ifthikar Caders exhibition will be on March 3 and 4 at the Lionel Wendt Gallery. Few Democrats have the clout to engineer a deal at the Democrats national convention in July if theres no clear-cut nominee heading into the Milwaukee get-together. One is Barack Obama. But dont count on him to play power broker in a fight between Sen. Bernie Sanders who could have the inside track with a strong Super Tuesday showing, but may not have a majority of pledged delegates before the convention and whoever is No. 2, says a top national Democratic operative. I dont think he will do it, said Addisu Demissie, who ran New Jersey Sen. Cory Bookers presidential campaign and Gavin Newsoms 2018 run for governor. Ultimately, he wants the voters to make the decision, Demissie told The Chronicles Its All Political podcast. His responsibility is to bring the party back together once voters have made their decision not to put his finger on the scale either for Bernie or against Bernie or for one of these other candidates. He can go there in July in Milwaukee and stand on the stage and give a forceful endorsement of whoever the nominee ends up being, Demissie said. And that moment will be the most important moment in a lot of ways for our party between now and November, because he is the only one who can bring us back together. Barbara Lee sits it out: California progressives who havent made up their minds in the presidential primary wont be getting help from Rep. Barbara Lee. The Oakland Democrat wont endorse anyone before Tuesday, a spokeswoman said. Granted, endorsements mean little unless your name is Oprah or Obama. But Lees blessing would mean something to progressives trying to choose between Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Lees been a hero to the left nationally ever since she cast the lone vote in Congress against the authorization to go to war after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She takes that responsibility seriously, as she told The Chronicle in January. As an African American progressive woman, Lee said, I have to do this in a strategic way that really furthers the progressive agenda. Lee, who endorsed California Sen. Kamala Harris and campaigned for her until she dropped out of the race in December, said she was listening to all of them. Apparently, she didnt hear enough to make a call. But look for something deeper in Lees reticence. Lee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were the only members of the Bay Area House delegation not to endorse before Californias 2016 presidential primary, even though Lees politics were much more aligned with those of Sanders than of Hillary Clinton. She says her silence then was strategic. She wanted to be part of the team that worked to bridge the gap between the camps. The result, Lee said, was that she helped craft one of the most progressive platforms in the partys history. She may be holding her endorsement in the hope of bridging a gap between Sanders and another Democrat. Again. Poll mania: Brace yourself for an onslaught of information Tuesday from exit polls when results from 14 states, including California, start rolling in. Ashanti Gholar, president of Emerge which recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office suggests watching three sets of numbers to see which presidential candidate is energizing enough voters to build a winning coalition in November. Watch how women are voting, how people of color are voting and how young people are voting, Gholar said this week during a visit to Oakland. Because those are the people that were going to need to win especially women of color. Gholar said those metrics will give us more insight into who is expanding their base ... and who is bringing more people to the table. 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. Biden on the wane: One candidate who has not been expanding his base in California is former Vice President Joe Biden. In June, Biden led the Democratic field with 22% of the vote, polls indicated. Now he has 8%, according to a Berkeley IGS Poll released Friday, far behind Sanders, who has 34%. Biden has long touted how popular he is with African American voters. But his fortunes have fallen so far in California that he now trails Pete Buttigieg who has had problems wooing voters of color among likely black voters in the state, according to the survey. Among likely Democratic voters in California, only 10% of African Americans now back Biden, fifth among Democrats and far behind Sanders, who is backed by 38%, the poll indicates. Its a sign of Bidens broader problems in California. The state is the single biggest prize in the primary season, but Biden is in danger of falling short of the threshold needed to win delegates meaning he could leave here with a big zero. Biden spent little time campaigning here and held only one large public rally, in November in Los Angeles. Most of his other visits were for high-dollar fundraisers, including at Sen. Dianne Feinsteins Pacific Heights home in October, where only a single reporter was allowed inside to report on his remarks. Biden dodged other opportunities to appear in more public settings in the state over the past year, even in front of fellow Democrats. He skipped the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco last spring that attracted 14 candidates. He also stiff-armed a party gathering in the city in August that all the other top candidates attended. Oddly, Biden is planning to spend election day in California, at a location to be announced. Perhaps thats because he has a fundraiser scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli 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!) Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and chief medical officer Dr Jean-Claude Schmit are holding their third press conference this week, following conferences held on Monday and Wednesday. The minister began by apologising for the late notice, announcing that the ministry must presume Luxembourg has its first case of coronavirus. The authorities have tested around 50 people and have had a first person test positive for coronavirus. The man, who is in his 40s, returned from Italy via Charleroi Airport and is currently admitted to the CHL. A second test was carried out in Rotterdam. The authorities received the results on Sunday, which confirmed the man tested positive for coronavirus. He reported himself to the Sanitary Inspection Unit. The authorities are currently in the process of following contact tracing in order to determine if any other people have been infected. The man is currently doing well, but the Ministry of Health's focus is to contain the virus as much as possible. The chief medical officer was unable to provide further information about the man's identity, but said that his symptoms manifested at quite a late time. The man's family appear to show no symptoms, but have been quarantined a security measure nonetheless. The minister was unable to say any more about the contract tracing work that is taking place. The CHL has reserved six rooms with low air pressure for the purpose of treating potential patients with coronavirus. Lenert reiterated that hospitals having rooms prepared for infectious diseases is completely ordinary. On Sunday, a crisis cell involving the prime minister will come together to look at new steps. The government will provide further details as Sunday goes on. The authorities will decide on their next step once contact tracing has been completed and once the crisis cell has met. As for how this changes things for the rest of the population, the minister stressed that effectively nothing has changed. The public should continue to follow prior guidance, including washing their hands a lot and sneezing into their elbows. Anybody who has been in any risk regions over the past fourteen days and is showing symptoms, such as fever and a cough, they should contact 112 over the weekend. During the week, people should contact the Sanitary Inspection Unit at 2478- 56 50. A guide to washing hands The minister reiterated that there is no need for panic and that the situation is wholly normal, and going according to the authorities' preparations. Contrary to other countries that have had outbreaks, the situation in Luxembourg is completely different with the one isolated case. She reminded the press that the COVID-19 coronavirus is effectively a flu. There are three important symptoms, chief medical officer Dr Jean-Claude Schmit, highlighted: a cough, a fever - which is the most likely present - and shortness of breath. Anybody with these symptoms having returned from risk regions should contact the authorities. People with the symptoms who have not been in risk regions have a very unlikely chance of having coronavirus. These regions include China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, South Korea and Lombardy and Veneto in Italy. Asked about face masks, Schmit added that there is a shortage in Europe, but one that is a bit superfluous. Face masks purchased by the public do not actually help healthy people, but are designed to be worn by people with colds or the flu. Again, both Lenert and Schmit highlighted that there is no need for panic as the authorities had prepared extensively for a first diagnosis and procedures have gone by as planned. Link to the Ministry of Health's website More than 60 countries have now reported confirmed coronavirus cases. Measures increased at Brussels-Charleroi Airport Brussels South Charleroi Airport revealed on Sunday that it would be increasing its precautionary measures after the news emerged that the Luxembourgish patient had travelled via the airport. Amongst other measures, the airport has now opened a crisis centre. The authorities are also tracing the man's exact journey and are working with the airport to determine who the man had contact with at the airport. Belgium reported its second confirmed case on Sunday morning. According to a Ministry of Health press conference, a patient who had visited France has shown moderate symptoms and is at a hospital in Antwerp. Interim prime minister reunites with Pakatan Harapan coalition partner Anwar Ibrahim but political turmoil not yet over. Malaysias Mahathir Mohamad has said he has agreed to be the prime ministerial candidate for the former ruling coalition, less than a week after he quit and plunged the country into turmoil. I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support, Mahathir said in a statement on Saturday. That meant that Mahathir, who is the worlds oldest government leader at 94, will reunite with on-off ally and long-term rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, resuming a pact that swept the coalition to a surprise election victory in 2018. Pakatan Harapan states its full support towards Dr Mahathir as candidate for prime minister, said a statement from the coalition formed by the two men whose struggle has shaped Malaysian politics for two decades. Anwar also posted the statement, which declares that the coalition will continue to fight for its principles in government, on social media. Mahathir has thus likely secured the support he needs to return as prime minister full-time, less than a week after he resigned and was appointed as interim leader. The political futures of both Mahathir and Anwar had appeared in doubt on Friday, with Anwar competing as a candidate in his own right and Mahathir finding little support for a unity government that would have strengthened his power. A new alliance had formed behind former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 72, who had the backing of the old governing party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Mahathir and Anwar had united in 2018 to drive that party, tarnished by corruption, from power; at the time it was led by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, who now faces corruption charges. On Friday, Mahathirs party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, made a surprise announcement endorsing Muhyiddin as the next prime minister. Then on Saturday, the party, also known as Bersatu, announced that Mahathir is no longer its chairman following his resignation from the position on February 24. But the statement did not say whether or not Mahathir has also been dismissed from the party. To paraphrase @fahmi_fadzil its time to do the right thing for the rakyat & our beloved nation https://t.co/agzSbRnnjO Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) February 29, 2020 Pakatan only has one candidate that could win the support of the majority of the MPs, Mahathir not Anwar, analyst Adib Zalkapli of Bower Group Asia told Reuters news agency. Anwar will have to fight another day. Today is all about stopping UMNO and PAS from returning to government, he added referring to the dominant opposition party and its coalition partner seeking to take over power with the help of some members of Mahathirs own party, Bersatu. No date for handover to Anwar Tension had persisted between Mahathir and Anwar over the prime ministers promise to hand over power to the younger politician one day. No date for that was ever set. Neither Mahathir nor Pakatan Harapan made any mention of that promise in Saturdays statements. A failed bid by Mahathirs supporters to form a new government without his designated successor, Anwar, and Mahathirs shock resignation on Monday broke apart the ruling alliance less than two years after it defeated the corruption-tainted Barisan Nasional coalition that had led the country for 61 years. The infighting renewed the political rivalry between Mahathir and Anwar, which stretches back more than 20 years. On Thursday, Mahathir had announced that a special session of parliament will be convened on Monday to elect the next prime minister. But the speaker of parliament and the countrys monarch contradicted that statement, saying that only the king had the power to reconvene the parliament. With Mahathirs latest announcement, it remains unclear whether the March 2 special session will happen. With 30,000 Americans a year dying from fentanyl, and likely more from other drugs that are laced with that substance, its time to crack down on fentanyl dealers. To that end, Sen. Tom Cotton has proposed the Zero tolerance for Deceptive Fentanyl Trafficking Act. The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Kelly Loeffler. This law would create a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison for those convicted of dealing fentanyl while claiming it is something else. If the offender has a prior felony conviction or is in the U.S. illegally, he would get life in prison. And if the dealer intended to kill someone with fentanyl and succeeded, the bill would make that crime eligible for the death penalty, as any other first-degree murder is. Daniel Horowitz has more about Sen. Cottons bill, including the story of an Ohio woman whose daughter died of fentanyl after two females sold it to her under the pretense that it was a prescription-type painkiller for her back injury. The Ohio woman says that while the daughter was incapacitated, the dealers used her ATM card to drain the victims bank accounts. The Ohio woman told Horowitz that one of the two dealers served 28 months in jail for her crime. The other served no time at all. She was later involved in two other incidents of death from fentanyl, accompanied by theft. Cottons bill would ensure properly harsh punishment for criminals like these two. It would not, however, punish people who possess or consume fentanyl. The sole target is those who are poisoning Americans with fentanyl. I wonder whether President Trump will back this legislation. A year ago, speaking in New Hampshire, a state particularly hard hit by fentanyl, Trump said: You know, its an amazing thing. Some of these drug dealers will kill thousands of people during their lifetime thousands of people and destroy many more lives than that. But they will kill thousands of people during their lifetime, and theyll get caught and theyll get 30 days in jail. Or theyll go away for a year, or theyll be fined. And yet, if you kill one person, you get the death penalty or you go to jail for life. He added, if we dont get tough on the drug dealers, we are wasting our time, and that toughness includes the death penalty. Accordingly, Trump should support Cottons bill. But its not clear whether Trump is serious about using tough sentencing to combat deadly drug dealing. After all, he backed the First Step Act which legislates leniency for federal felons who deal deadly drugs other than fentanyl. The Zero tolerance for Deceptive Fentanyl Trafficking Act will test Trumps seriousness on the matter of preventing deaths due to fentanyl. There is still a chance that Covid-19 will prove to be more fire drill than actual fire. A global pandemic is all but certain, but there are many unknowns: Will the virus itself prove to be less contagious or far less deadly than is currently feared? Will it show a tendency to recede in warmer weather the way that seasonal flu does? Can a vaccine be made quickly available? (Dr. Fauci says that one may be ready for testing in as little as two months, and could be commercially available in about a year.) Any of these developments may yet break the global transmission chain, and the vortex of fear and market-tumbling anxiety in which the world now finds itself may yet pass. If the next few weeks or months bring calm and scientists increasingly worry that they will not the world would do well to remember this time what it seems to have forgotten again and again. Another pathogen will emerge soon enough, and another after that. Eventually, one of them will be far worse than all its predecessors. If we are very unlucky, it could be worse than anything in living memory. Imagine something as contagious as measles (which any given infected person passes to 90 percent of the people he or she encounters) only many times more deadly, and youll have a good sense of what keeps global health officials up at night. Heres what is certain: Despite many warnings over many years, we are still not ready. Not in China, where nearly two decades after that SARS outbreak food markets that sell live animals still thrive and authoritarianism still undermines honest and accurate communication about infectious diseases. Not in Africa, where basic public health capacity remains hobbled by a lack of investment and, in some cases, by political unrest and violence. Not in the United States, where shortsighted budget cuts and growing nationalism have shrunk commitments to pandemic preparedness, both at home and abroad. To be sure, some broad progress has been made in the past few years. Vaccine development and deployment now proceed faster than at any point in history. The World Health Organization has corrected many of the institutional shortcomings that thwarted its responses to previous outbreaks. Other countries, in both Europe and Africa, have stepped up to fill the global health leadership position that America appears to have vacated. But, as Covid-19 makes clear, much more is still needed. A stockbroker-belt town in Surrey was gripped by panic over the virus last night. A man in affluent Haslemere tested positive for the bug - becoming the first person to catch the deadly illness in the UK. He is now in an isolation unit in hospital as health officials urgently try to trace anyone he recently had contact with. The man had been to Haslemere Health Centre where it is feared he infected a GP, who himself was taken to a specialist centre on Friday after displaying symptoms. There is concern in the town that the doctor may have passed the virus on to other patients who visited his surgery. The doctor's wife is also a GP, although it is not known if she has contracted the bug. The man had been to Haslemere Health Centre where it is feared he infected a GP, who himself was taken to a specialist centre on Friday after displaying symptoms The infected man is known to have visited the Prince of Wales pub near Haslemere last Sunday and came into contact with a female member of staff - but she was not told to self-isolate until Friday night. A sign outside the pub yesterday said it was shut until further notice for a 'full deep clean'. Chris Sturt, 29, a part-time cook at the pub, said: 'I'm not concerned myself because I didn't come into contact with the confirmed case. 'What's more disconcerting is that there a GP who's got it who has been in contact with a lot of people.' A woman walking her dog nearby complained about the lack of 'urgency' and information, adding: 'I have to figure out what's happening from my local MP's Facebook page.' Ironically, Haslemere - which has a population of 10,000 - was the subject of a 2018 documentary on BBC4 called Contagion! which attempted to demonstrate how a pandemic might unfold. Producers said it was the ideal place to test how far a deadly virus might spread because it is relatively close to Britain's two biggest airports and an easy drive to the seaports of Portsmouth and Southampton. It also has a bustling high street and regular rail commuter services to London. Former health secretary and South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt said it was a 'worrying time' for the county. Haslemere - which has a population of 10,000 - was the subject of a 2018 documentary on BBC4 called Contagion! which attempted to demonstrate how a pandemic might unfold By Trend Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC suspends air communication with Iran due to the current epidemiological situation, Trend reports referring to AZAL. Tonight Buta Airways will perform the last J2-9005 flight on direction Baku-Tehran, returning from Imam Khomeini airport without passengers. Iran Air will also suspend flights to Heydar Aliyev International Airport. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Kuala Lumpur: Muhyiddin Yassin will become Malaysias next prime minister, the countrys king said yesterday. The shock announcement came just hours after Mahathir Mohamad, 94, the former and acting prime minister, had looked to have secured the numbers to be sworn in as the countrys eighth prime minister. Muhyiddin Yassin will become Malaysia's next prime minister. Credit:AP The pending installation of Muhyiddin comes after a tumultuous week of politics in which the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) governing coalition collapsed. Muhyiddin was once an ally of Mahathir in the Bersatu party, which until less than a week ago was part of the Pakatan Harapan. Militia fighters in Democratic Republic of Congo killed 24 people and injured 12 others, local officials said Saturday, the latest attack in the restive northeastern province of Ituri. The killings took place late Friday in a region where some 700 people have died since a surge in intercommunal violence in 2017. Dozens of militia groups are active in eastern DR Congo, a legacy of the two Congo wars in the 1990s that dragged in its neighbours Uganda and Rwanda. Friday's latest massacre was attributed to a militia active in northern Ituri, bordering Uganda and South Sudan, known as Cooperative for the Development of Congo, or CODECO by its French initials. "A total of 24 people were killed by gunshots" by militiamen from CODECO, said local administrative official Innocent Madukadala in the Djugu territory. Alfred Alingi, another local administrator in Djugu, confirmed details of the attack. The assailants were dressed in military uniform and "were shooting civilians in their way," he said. CODECO are a militia tied to the Lendu ethnic group. The Ituri region has returned to violence since the end of 2017, mainly in its northern part. Conflict between two ethnic groups from 1999 to 2003 caused tens of thousands of deaths there, ending only with the dispatch of a European force -- the first rapid-reaction military mission by the European Union outside Europe. The conflict erupted between the Lendu, mainly farmers, and the Hema, herders and traders, in the gold-mining and oil-rich province. The government on Friday signed a peace deal with another local armed groups, the FRPI (Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri), who have been active in the area for two decades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a healthcare liability statute after removing a phrase from the provision that the Court considered unconstitutional as violating the separation of powers clause of the Tennessee Constitution because the phrases removed all discretion from judicial discovery procedures. This case stems from a healthcare liability wrongful death lawsuit that was brought on behalf of an individual who died in the course of treatment by the defendants for gastrointestinal problems. During the discovery phase, the defendants filed a motion for a qualified protective order to allow the defendants to conduct interviews with the deceaseds non-party treating healthcare providers outside the presence of counsel for the plaintiff. This motion was filed under Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-26-121(f), which provides that a trial court shall issue the qualified protective order if the defendants file according to the statute. The plaintiff responded to the motion, arguing that the statute at issue was unconstitutional as violating the separation of powers clause in the Tennessee Constitution because it requires trial courts to issue the qualified protective order and strips the court of its inherent discretionary authority over discovery matters. The trial court reluctantly granted the motion for the qualified protective order. The plaintiff then sought permission for an interlocutory appeal, and the trial court granted the motion. The Court of Appeals, however, denied the plaintiffs application for permission to appeal. The plaintiff then sought permission to appeal to Tennessee Supreme Court, and the Court granted the application. In the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, the Court first adopted a substantive versus procedural test to analyze whether a statute violated the separation of powers provision of the Tennessee Constitution. In applying that test to the statute involved in this case, the Court determined that the overriding purpose of the statute was not entirely procedural. As a result, the statute was within the authority of the legislature to enact. However, the Court further determined that the portion of the statute which provided that a trial court shall issue the qualified protective order violated the separation of powers provision in that this mandatory requirement addressed entirely procedural matters and removed the inherent discretion of trial courts regarding discovery matters. The Court then concluded that the statute could be elided so that the language was no longer mandatory but permissive as to trial courts. As a result, the Court held the statute, as elided, to be constitutional. The Court then vacated the trial courts qualified protective order in this case and remanded the case to the trial court for reconsideration in light of the guidance provided in the opinion. Justice Holly Kirby concurred in part and dissented in part. Justice Kirby agreed with the majoritys adoption of the substantive versus procedural test to analyze separation of powers constitutional challenges. Applying that test, however, she concluded that the entire statute violates separation of powers because it involves pure court procedure, a matter within the control and authority of the judicial branch of the Tennessee government. Even if it were not purely procedural, applying the test the majority adopted, the statute violates separation of powers because it nullifies a ruling by the States Supreme Court on a question of pure court procedure. As a result, Justice Kirby would hold that the entire statute is unconstitutional. To read the Supreme Courts majority opinion in Rhonda Willeford, et al. v. Timothy P. Klepper, MD, et al. v. State of Tennessee, authored by Chief Justice Jeff Bivins, and the concurring and dissenting opinion authored by Justice Holly Kirby, go to the opinions section of TNCourts.gov. The Trump White House and its allies, over the past 18 months, assembled detailed lists of disloyal government officials to oust and trusted pro-Trump people to replace them according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the effort who spoke to Axios. Driving the news: By the time President Trump instructed his 29-year-old former body man and new head of presidential personnel to rid his government of anti-Trump officials, he'd gathered reams of material to support his suspicions. While Trump's distrust has only intensified since his impeachment and acquittal, he has long been on the hunt for "bad people" inside the White House and U.S. government, and fresh "pro-Trump" options. Outside advisers have been happy to oblige. In reporting this story, I have been briefed on, or reviewed, memos and lists the president received since 2018 suggesting whom he should hire and fire. Most of these details have never been published. A well-connected network of conservative activists with close ties to Trump and top administration officials is quietly helping develop these "Never Trump"/pro-Trump lists, and some sent memos to Trump to shape his views, per sources with direct knowledge. Members of this network include Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Republican Senate staffer Barbara Ledeen. The big picture: Since Trump's Senate acquittal, aides say the president has crossed a psychological line regarding what he calls the "Deep State." He feels his government from Justice to State to Defense to Homeland Security is filled with "snakes." He wants them fired and replaced ASAP. "I think it's a very positive development," said Rich Higgins, who served on Trump's National Security Council in 2017. H.R. McMaster removed Higgins after he wrote a memo speculating that Trump's presidency faced threats from Marxists, the "Deep State," so-called globalists, bankers, Islamists, and establishment Republicans. (This was long before the full scope of the FBI's Russia investigation was known to Trump and his aides.) said Rich Higgins, who served on Trump's National Security Council in 2017. H.R. McMaster removed Higgins after he wrote a memo speculating that Trump's presidency faced threats from Marxists, the "Deep State," so-called globalists, bankers, Islamists, and establishment Republicans. (This was long before the full scope of the FBI's Russia investigation was known to Trump and his aides.) Higgins told me on Sunday he stands by everything he wrote in his memo, but "I would probably remove 'bankers' if I had to do it over and I would play up the intel community role which I neglected." Let's get to the memos. 1. The Jessie Liu memo: Shortly before withdrawing the nomination of the former D.C. U.S. attorney for a top Treasury role, the president reviewed a memo on Liu's alleged misdeeds, according to a source with direct knowledge. Ledeen wrote the memo, and its findings left a striking impression on Trump, per sources with direct knowledge. Ledeen declined to comment. A source with direct knowledge of the memo's contents said it contained 14 sections building a case for why Liu was unfit for the job for which Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin selected her, including: Not acting on criminal referrals of some of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's accusers. Signing "the sentencing filing asking for jail time" for Gen. Michael Flynn (a friend of Ledeen's). Holding a leadership role in a women's lawyers networking group that Ledeen criticized as "pro-choice and anti-Alito." Not indicting former deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe. Dismissing charges against "violent inauguration protesters who plotted to disrupt the inauguration." Neither Liu nor the White House responded to requests for comment. Between the lines: The Liu memo is not the first such memo to reach the president's desk and there's a common thread in Groundswell, a conservative activist network that's headed by Thomas and whose members include Ledeen. Sources leaked me details of two other memos from people associated with the Groundswell network that also caused a stir inside the White House over the past year. Thomas has spent a significant amount of time and energy urging Trump administration officials to change the personnel inside his government. This came to a head early last year. Members of Groundswell, whose members earlier led the successful campaign to remove McMaster as national security adviser, meet on Wednesdays in the D.C. offices of Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that has led the fight against the Mueller probe. Judicial Watch's president is Tom Fitton. He's a regular on Fox News, and Trump regularly retweets his commentary on the "Deep State." Conservative activists who attend Groundswell meetings funneled names to Thomas, and she compiled those recommendations and passed them along to the president, according to a source close to her. She handed a memo of names directly to the president in early 2019. (The New York Times reported on her group's meeting with Trump at the time.) 2. The Groundswell memo: The presidential personnel office reviewed Thomas' memo and determined that some names she passed along for jobs were not appropriate candidates. Trump may revisit some given his current mood. Potential hires she offered to Trump, per sources with direct knowledge: Sheriff David Clarke for a senior Homeland Security role. Fox News regular and former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino for a Homeland Security or counterterrorism adviser role. Devin Nunes aide Derek Harvey for the National Security Council (where he served before McMaster pushed him out). Radio talk show host Chris Plante for press secretary. Federalist contributor Ben Weingarten for the National Security Council. What we're hearing: These memos created tension inside the White House, as people close to the president constantly told him his own staff, especially those running personnel, were undermining him and White House staff countered they were being smeared. 3. The State Department memo: In one extraordinary incident last year, President Trump passed along another action memo to his then-head of presidential personnel, Sean Doocey (since pushed to State and replaced with former body man John McEntee). People familiar with the January 2019 memo say it came from conservatives associated with Groundswell. Though nobody Ive spoken to has claimed credit for it. According to sources briefed on the incident, the memo was, in large part, an attack against Doocey. The memo accused him and a colleague in the State Department of obstructionism and named several State Department officials who needed to be fired. This list named former deputy secretary John Sullivan, deputy undersecretary for management Bill Todd, and undersecretary for political affairs David Hale, who later testified in the impeachment hearings. (Todd and Hale are career foreign service officers, serving in positions typically reserved for career officials.) Sullivan is now the U.S. Ambassador to Russia. The memo ended with an allegation that Doocey had sneakily changed the name of an appointment Trump had already agreed on, swapping out Mira Ricardel for Sean Cairncross to run the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Sources briefed on the matter say this particular charge was false on its face because Cairncross was nominated in January 2018, months before Ricardel was briefly discussed as an alternative, per sources with direct knowledge. The bottom line: As the New York Times' Peter Baker wrote on Saturday, "in some of the most critical corners of the Trump administration, officials show up for work now never entirely sure who will be there by the end of the evening themselves included." A man in his 50s with underlying health conditions has died in Washington state of COVID-19, state health officials said Saturday, marking the first such reported death in the United States. New details about the death were revealed by county and state health officials at a news conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. State and King County health officials said new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died. They said they identified three new cases, including the man who died, bringing the countys total confirmed coronavirus cases to four. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming three patients were infected by unknown means. The patients an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington and an employee at a Lake Oswego school hadnt recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person, authorities said. Earlier U.S. cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients. The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits. Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area reported two cases where the source of infection wasn't known. The older woman was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said. "This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation," said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. "But we don't know to what extent," Cody said. "It could be a little, it could be a lot." "We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible," she said. Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state. The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have traveled to Solano County, where another woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source. Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said. At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for "self-quarantine" after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday. The case "highlights the vulnerability of the nation's hospitals to this virus," the union said. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said. Both patients weren't seriously ill. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. But health officials aren't taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding. In Southern California's Orange County, the city of Costa Mesa went to court to prevent state and federal health officials from transferring dozens of people exposed to the virus aboard a cruise ship in Japan to a state-owned facility in the city. The passengers, including some who tested positive for the virus and underwent hospital care, had been staying at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. On Friday, state officials said the federal decided it no longer had a crucial need to move those people to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. That's because of the imminent end of the isolation period for those passengers and the relatively small number of persons who ended up testing positive, officials said. The new coronavirus cases of unknown origin marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could spread beyond the reach of preventative measures like quarantines, though state health officials said that was inevitable and that the risk of widespread transmission remains low. California public health officials on Friday said more than 9,380 people are self-monitoring after arriving on commercial flights from China through Los Angeles and San Francisco. That's up from the 8,400 that Newsom cited on Thursday, though officials said the number increases daily as more flights arrive. Officials are not too worried, for now, about casual contact, because federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through "close contact, being within six feet of somebody for what they're calling a prolonged period of time," said Dr. James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. As infectious disease experts fanned out in the Solano County city of Vacaville, some residents in the city between San Francisco and Sacramento stocked up on supplies amid fears things could get worse despite official reassurances, while others took the news in stride. The woman in the community who has coronavirus first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, before her condition worsened and she was transferred to the medical center in Sacramento. Sacramento County's top health official told The Sacramento Bee on Friday that he expects several medical workers to test positive themselves in the next few days. Numerous workers at both hospitals have been tested, but the tests were sent to labs approved by the CDC and generally take three to four days to complete. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's health services director, said he expects even those who test positive to become only mildly ill. Confusion over how quickly the woman was tested for coronavirus concerned McKinsey Paz, who works at a private security firm in Vacaville. The company has already stockpiled 450 face masks and is scrambling for more "since they're hard to come by." The company's owner bought enough cleaning and disinfectant supplies to both scrub down the office and send home with employees. But they appeared to be at the extreme for preparations. Eugenia Kendall was wearing a face mask, but in fear of anything including the common cold. Her immune system is impaired because she is undergoing chemotherapy, and she has long been taking such precautions. Were not paranoid. Were just trying to be practical, said her husband of 31 years, Ivan Kendall. We wipe the shopping carts if they have them, and when I get back in the car I wipe my hands and just hope for the best. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school Lake Oswego School District officials hold news conference Coronavirus in Oregon: Some are calm, some definitely not Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Washington coronavirus: Governor declares state of emergency -- The Associated Press BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 36,000 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals, accounting for 45.9 percent of the total confirmed cases, a health official said Friday. Of the over 8,400 cured cases that have been analyzed, mild and common cases accounted for 90.8 percent, with severe cases taking up 7.2 percent and critical cases accounting for 2 percent, said Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission at a press conference Friday. The average age of patients with mild symptoms is 43, and that of severe and critical patients is 53, Guo said, adding that patients with basic diseases, even severe ones, can be well cured through strengthened treatment. Guo pointed out that 85 percent of the patients were treated with antiviral therapy, and nearly 40 percent of the patients received treatment combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine. "For patients with mild symptoms, general treatment is often adopted," she added. The COVID-19 virus infection is characterized by sudden and rapid deterioration in a small number of mild cases, which means all patients should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, said Wang Guiqiang, director of the infectious diseases department of the Peking University First Hospital. "There exists a misunderstanding that COVID-19 is a self-limited disease, so it does not require treatment, which is wrong," he said, calling on people to go to hospitals once infected with the virus to avoid the risk of deterioration and further spread of the disease. SnyderWestern Texas College proudly celebrates women on campus working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Western Texas College also encourages young women to pursue their dreams in STEM fields. Women in the STEM fields are an integral part of innovations and solutions here on campus, said Dr. Barb Beebe, College President. Our programs let young women choose their own unique paths, she added. We strongly support our female students who choose to enter STEM fields. As of spring of 2020, 324 full and part-time female students have declared a STEM field as their major at WTC. House Bill 3435, introduced by State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers (HD 113), established March 1 as Texas Girls in STEM Day. Rep. Bowers wants to ensure that Texas encourages and celebrates females pursuing and achieving success in STEM fields. As a former teacher, I am especially proud of House Bill 3435, Bowers posted on her webpage. While the global community has made an extensive effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science over the past few years, we are still seeing women and young girls be excluded from participating fully in science. Through 'Texas Girls in STEM Day', we can ensure that Texas does its part in helping women and young girls achieve their dreams. The women working in STEM on the Western Texas College campus (featured in the photos) include: Jessica Colvin, Assistant Professor, Agriculture Delinda Dacus, Help Desk Technician Christylee DeBlieck, Title V Administrative Assistant Erin Dierker, Chemistry Instructor Stephanie Ducheneaux, Dean of Instructional Affairs Dana Fahntrapp, Petroleum Technology Instructor Keely Green, Math Instructor Donna Howington, Math Instructor Candis Kelly, Computer Maintenance Technology Instructor Linda Kimura, Technology Administrative Assistant Sandy Kinman, Assistant Professor, Information Technology Sylvia Mason, Biology Instructor Emily Powell, Dean of Technology & Information Security Laurie Roland, Medical Assistant Instructor Dr. Ava Russell, Associate Professor Math, Division Chair for Adjunct Instruction Ashley Semler, Agriculture Science Curriculum Specialist These women make a difference in the lives of WTC students and the community through their imagination, innovations, and contributions. They shape the world with creative problem solving that is essential to everyones health, happiness, and safety. At WTC, women in STEM fields have introduced and developed some of the most significant improvements on campus, said Stephanie Ducheneaux, Dean of Instruction. We are defined by what we bring to the table. Ducheneaux received the Digging Deeper Award in 2015 for her innovative work on campus. All of WTCs programs accept and support females. WTC encourages young women to explore career fields in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. You can explore these fields at WTC by taking a campus tour. The recruiters and instructors would be happy to show you the campus and STEM programs at WTC that can help you shape the future. Follow us on social media to see more photos of women on campus working in STEM fields. You can help support and encourage young women to pursue a career in STEM fields by sharing and tagging posts. Michigan lawmakers are proposing a 24 percent wholesale tax on vaping products as part of an effort to set regulatory frameworks around the industry. A six-bill package from a bipartisan group of Michigan senators, Senate Bills 781-786, would set a tax on the products and raise the legal age for smoking tobacco and e-cigarette products to 21 to match up with the federal requirements signed into law in December. If passed, the bills would also require vape retailers to be licensed and prevent retailers from marketing vaping products in a manner that could appeal to youth or young adults. The package would increase fines issued as penalties for people who sell tobacco or nicotine products to a minor. Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, told the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee this week he started with the 24 percent number to find a middle ground between no tax and the tax level on traditional tobacco products. Overall, he said hes hoping the bills will bring more certainty to retailers, consumers and other residents about Michigans vaping laws and regulations. Theres not a lot of clarity out there and we want to fix that, he told lawmakers during a Senate Regulatory Reform Committee hearing this week. We want to make sure these products are sold and taxed appropriately to prevent the spread of black market items and keep these products out of the hands of kids. The concept was supported at the committee level by Juul, one of the nations largest manufacturers of e-cigarette and vaping products, and retailers selling vaping products. But representatives of several health organizations expressed concern that the bills as written wouldnt go far enough and would ultimately do little to reduce tobacco use. The bills havent yet been taken up for a committee vote and could see additional changes. The proposal comes amid ongoing concerns over the safety of vapes and their popularity among young people. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there have been 2,758 cases of vaping-related lung injury reported nationally and 64 deaths, and in Michigan, there have been 73 reported cases of vaping-related lung injury. The vaping additive vitamin E acetate has been linked to the health issues, and separate bills that recently passed the Michigan House would ban the substance in vaping products. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sought to temporarily ban the sale of flavored vaping products in retail stores and online through the emergency rule process, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services declared youth vaping a public health emergency last year. The ban was blocked in court while legal challenges are pending. Related coverage: You must be 21 to buy cigarettes, tobacco products in Michigan Michigan joins multi-state investigation into Juul e-cigarette vaping products Fourth vaping-related death reported in Michigan Michigan House OKs ban on vitamin E acetate in vaping products Whitmer asks Supreme Court to restore flavored vaping ban Michigan flavored vape van takes effect today: 6 things to know Video: Michigan governor on banning flavored e-cigarettes Vape advocates say Michigans e-cigarette ban will hurt adults trying to quit tobacco Trump considers ending sale of flavored e-cigarettes days after Michigans ban GREENWICH The presence of an apparently homeless young man on the streets of Old Greenwich is not a common sight. There was alarm and apprehension, as well as extensive chatter on social media about the man. Residents expressed concern about the frigid weather and the risks of sleeping outdoors. There was speculation in the community on what kind of services could be made available to the man. Late in the week, police said action had been taken by authorities. The man is getting assistance. He is a local subject and getting help, according to Lt. Mark Zuccerella of the Greenwich police. Specifics were not provided. While visible forms of homelessness in Greenwich are fairly rare, they are not unheard of. Housing insecurity people sleeping in cars or squatting in unused structures is another issue that the towns social services department and police contend with. In 2015, police reported there were three panhandlers working the area in one month, though they later moved on. Alan Barry, commissioner of the Department of Human Services, said in an email: Whenever a person is identified as homeless by our staff, or we are notified by anyone in the community of a person who could be homeless, we send out a case manager ... to offer assistance. The challenge working with homeless is that the only immediate help available is a referral to a shelter. Continuing, he said, All too often, our offer of assistance is rejected, but we continue with follow up to encourage the person to accept our assistance. The need is to have more permanent housing available with wrap around support services, such as mental health, substance abuse and employment. The Greenwich human services department seeks to get homeless people to shelter and services in Stamford at Inspirica or Pacific House. There are times when the shelters are full and there is a need to locate a shelter outside of the immediate area, Barry said. By Trend Despite the spread of the coronavirus in Iran, Azerbaijani citizens continue to visit this country, a member of the operational headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers Yagut Garayeva said at a briefing for media representatives in connection with the coronavirus, Trend reports February 28. There are still cases when Azerbaijani citizens visit Iran, and upon returning, they try to evade the checks, Garayeva noted. They must understand that these checks are carried out in order to ensure their safety and health. Effectiveness of the work done depends not only on us, but citizens should also help us in this matter. Iran is one of the recent countries, affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 380 people have been infected, 34 people have already died. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The disease in Iran has already spread to at least fifteen Iranian provinces. Following the reports of coronavirus spread in the Islamic Republic, several countries have taken measures, including closing borders and banning flights. The death rate from the coronavirus in Iran is higher than in other countries where the infection has spread. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on February 19. The Commissioner at the isolation centre Prof. Akin Abayomi , Lagos Commissioner for Health, has paid a visit to the Italian who was it by the coonvirus. The commissioner who displayed a picture he took with the index case on his twitter handle, said he spoke with the man and assured him that he would be taken care of. In the photo, the Italian man could be seen faintly discussing with Abayomi from where he is isolated. The commissioner was not wearing a face mask or anything. According to Abayomi, I also visited the #COVID19 patient a male Italian national who is isolated at the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, where he is been managed by our well trained staff. I spoke to him and assured him of @followlasg resolve to ensure he gets adequate care #ForAGreaterLagos See more photos below: Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor February 29 : Bollywood actor Aditya Kapoor who was seen along with Pragya Kapoor at the Launch of the NGO 'Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation' said that people need to plant more and more trees. The actor also urged people, that it's not as tough as it looks. When asked about his views on planting trees, on this Aditya said, "This is a very special cause. I have grown up in Mumbai and always wanted to contribute in some or the other way for my city. It's a diehard need, we need more trees, and we need more tree covers in Mumbai. We need to start somewhere I also want to urge people that it's not as tough as it looks. People do think how will they do it! We need to break the myth, that it's not possible. It's just like getting together with a group of friends for this special cause and it's a matter of couple of hours. Do your breakfast and plant some trees that's it added Aditya. Meanwhile on the work front, Aditya Kapur will be seen in Mahesh Bhatts upcoming project Sadak 2 is scheduled to release on 10 July 2020. The film is produced by Mukesh Bhatt, directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles. It is been also confirmed that filmmaker Mohit Suri is planning the sequel to his 2014 hit Ek Villain with John Abraham and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead roles. 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Addressing a function to commemorate the first anniversary of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, Modi said a new FPO will be set up to increase the income of the farmers and to empower them. This will enable the farmers to market and process the crops along with producing them. He said Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on this in the next five years. Modi also distributed Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to 10 beneficiary farmers of PM-Kisan. The KCCs are being distributed to farmers from 28,000 branches of banks across the country on Saturday as part of a special campaign by the government to provide KCC facilities to all beneficiaries of PM-Kisan, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed the media here earlier. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel also participated in the function, STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After Sears shuttered its last foothold in the Staten Island Mall after 46 years in September, Century 21 Department Store has announced it will occupy the first-floor space in the New Springville shopping center. A sign displayed at the former Sears entrance on Saturday announces the pending opening of Century 21 Department Store, which is known for high-end merchandise at discount prices. A spokesperson for Century 21 didnt immediately have details about the opening. But this is not the first time the department store brand was available in the Mall. A pop up" Century 21 EDITION opened in 2018, offering a large selection of womens accessories -- mainly high-end designer handbags. The retailer had partnered with LXRandCo to offer shoppers an assortment of vintage designer bags, accessories, jewelry and watches from top brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes. Century 21 is a 55-year-old iconic department store to which Staten Islanders have long traveled to locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey to snag bargains on designer clothing. THE DEMISE OF SEARS The Sears closure was the result of Sears Holdings filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2018. At this time, only the lower level was still occupied by Sears. Primark -- a 50-year-old company founded in Dublin -- opened one of its first U.S. stores in the second-floor space formerly occupied by Sears in 2017. Primark saw an opportunity to expand in the United States as part of Sears downsizing operation. The retailer occupies 55,000 square feet -- the entire second floor of the former Sears -- in the Mall. Sears first started its downsizing in the Mall when it closed its auto body shop in 2016, which had been open since March 1973. The 23,000-square-foot space became the new home of a Container Store, which opened in May 2016. MALL RENOVATION The Malls changing face is part of its 242,000-square-foot expansion, which was unveiled two years ago. Among the new retailers at the Mall are an AMC Movie Theater, and Lidl, a supermarket with German roots. Eateries that opened as part of the renovation include Shake Shack, Dave & Busters, The Melt Shop and Chipotle Mexican Grill, Tommys Tap + Tavern, Chick-fil-A and more. In addition, P.F. Changs -- a worldwide chain restaurant known for its Asian-style wok cooking -- plans to open its first Staten Island location in September in the Mall. FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER I dont want to ruin your weekend, but I have decided to take a break from writing columns wherein I warn readers about the global menace posed by squirrels. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion I dont want to ruin your weekend, but I have decided to take a break from writing columns wherein I warn readers about the global menace posed by squirrels. I have decided to do this partly because, despite alerting readers to the shocking fact that squirrels have caused more damage to North Americas power grid than international terrorists, I still have not received any major journalism awards. Go figure. But the main reason I am turning a blind eye to the mounting misbehaviour of the squirrel population is the fact that I have recently become aware of an even more ominous threat to humanity. As many of you have no doubt already deduced, I am talking about ducks. Yes, I realize most of us believe ducks to be rather benign and, other than not wearing pants in public (Yes, Im looking at you, Donald!), many of them seem to be innocent, law-abiding waterfowl. But as a crusading newspaper columnist who spends a lot of his free time googling random words, I have recently stumbled upon a flock of news reports that paint a far more sinister portrait of these feathery fiends. We will start in Birmingham, England, where earlier this week, according to a raft of reports, two criminals wandered into a local shop, committed a brazen theft, and then were chased out of the store. What made this robbery even more interesting was the fact the two suspects were armed and, yes, Im sure you saw this coming with a duck. When West Midlands Police officers arrived at the scene of the crime, they were somewhat surprised to discover that, when they fled, the robbers left their web-footed accomplice behind. No doubt it was a robber duck. Police later posted a photo of the duck suspect and issued the following tweet: "What the duck!!! Policing is a strange thing at times. This poor duck was left in a shop when the offenders for a shop theft made off having brought him with them. Quacking work by officers and hes on route with the rspca." By all accounts, despite being taken into police custody, the duck has refused to rat out the crooked compatriots who abandoned him. In other words, this duck is no stool pigeon. I am not an avian expert, but I would like to think that if police keep up the pressure on this unusual suspect, eventually hes going to quack. I do not wish to spark a widespread panic, but this sort of bad behaviour seems all too common from our so-called feathered friends. Consider the case of a Brazilian parrot that made headlines around the world last year after being taken into custody because it tried to warn its drug-dealing owners that police were in the process of raiding their home. According to The Washington Post, when officers arrived at the home of a pair of suspected crack cocaine dealers, the green-and-white parrot, trained to spot police cars, began loudly squawking "Mamae, policia!" which translates to "Mama, police!" The winged watchdog was taken into custody along with large amounts of drugs and cash but the parrot refused to sing like a canary, perching in stubborn silence as police did their best to loosen its beak. In Colombia in 2010, a parrot named Lorenzo also made international headlines after police recorded it warning his owners to "Run! Run!" in Spanish at the sight of officers approaching. The bird was found guarding a cache of guns and pot. "You could say he was some sort of lookout," a Colombian police officer told The Associated Press at the time. But we dont have time to get worked up about parrots today, because we are far too busy wringing our hands and perspiring heavily over the antics of rogue ducks. If you think I am joking around in a light-hearted manner, just consider the nightmare that is unfolding at Flagler College, a private liberal arts institution in St. Augustine, Fla. I am holding in my hands several news reports stating the maintenance staff at Flagler College are at their wits end trying to deal with two ducks who have made a habit of inviting themselves in for a dip in the pool used by students. 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. Here is an email the college sent to students explaining the standoff: "We have two ducks that have found our pool very inviting. Ducks make a mess of the water and pool area so we are testing different methods to make our pool less inviting. We have an owl decoy as a bird of prey sitting on the edge of the pool. The ducks seem to have adopted him so we now have a floating alligator head. Hopefully this will make them nervous and motivate them to find another home. Please keep the alligator head in the pool so we can see if it is effective. Thank you for your co-operation." Our first thought was to wonder precisely where one goes to buy a faux floating alligator head. Before we could figure that out, however, we stumbled on a follow-up news report that appeared under this headline: "Flagler College ducks tell gator head to quack off." According to this story, the daring ducks just waddled right back into the pool, made friends with the floating alligator head, and now the colleges perplexed maintenance staff are puzzling over what to do next. I hate to make light of the situation, but these are fowl times at Flagler College. I personally doubt they will be able to quack this case. On the other hand, we can now answer the timeless question why did the duck cross the road? Because he wanted to rob a convenience store on the other side. doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca New Delhi, Feb 29 : During his visit to the violence hit areas of northeast Delhi on Saturday, National Commission for Minorities Chairman Gairul Hassan Rizvi asked officials to hold peace meetings between the two communities to bring peace. Rizvi along with other members of the commission visited the violence hit Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar and Khajuri Khas areas. The commission members also went to the residence of Border Security Force (BSF) trooper Mohammad Anees, whose house was torched by miscreants on Tuesday and also met families whose houses were gutted in the violence. Speaking to IANS, Rizvi said, "I have directed the police officials to hold meetings of the two communities for peace." He said he has also asked the police to take more steps to bring peace in the area. "The meetings between the two communities should not happen with the people residing on the main road but also on the inner streets and small lanes to dispel the atmosphere of fear," he said. On Saturday, locals were seen distributing the forms issued by the Delhi government to seek compensation for the damage to their properties. Even as most of the shops opened on Saturday in the violence hit areas, normalcy is yet to return. Heavy deployment of police, para military and the Rapid Action Force was visible in the affected areas. People and families, who had fled due to the riots have not yet returned to their homes. Many of the families, fleeing the violence hit areas, wished not to speak to the media and said that they were returning to their native places in different states or going to the homes of their relatives in the city. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 20:03:00|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Feb.29 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Saturday it has handed over a large cache of captured weapons of war from al-Shabab terrorists to the Somali government. Francisco Madeira, head of AMISOM, said the weapons, which included rocket-propelled grenade launchers, general-purpose machine guns and assault rifles, were captured during joint operations by AMISOM and the Somali security forces. "This shows that we not only have the will, but we are making all efforts to comply with these resolutions," Madeira said in a statement issued in Mogadishu. "This is just a symbolic handover. We have got stores the Somali authorities will access, see and ship the weapons for safe storage," he added. Tigabu Yilma Wondimhunegn, AMISOM Force Commander, said AMISOM and Somali security forces were in the process of streamlining the procedure of handing over captured weapons. "Recently, we have had some arms and ammunition recovered in Sector one especially Lower Shabelle region and Sector two and the process for their hand over is ongoing," Tigabu said. Abdisaid Muse Ali, national security advisor to the President of Somalia, hailed the cooperation between AMISOM and Somali security forces, which has enabled success in operations against al-Shabab terrorists. "Al-Shabab has evolved and the fight today is much more sophisticated through improvised explosive devices (IEDs), through instilling fear, through raising or broadening their extortion base," Ali added. US First Lady Melania Trump has once again recalled her two-day visit to India along with President Donald Trump in a series of tweets. A day after tweeting about her unforgettable afternoon at a school in Delhi, Melania Trump posted to thank everyonefrom President Ram Nath Kovind to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and othersfor the warmth with which she was welcomed in India. Her first tweet was about her Tuesdays visit to Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi. Donald Trump and Melania Trump paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat after being accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. The first family of the United States, who visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Monday, had laid a wreath and paid floral tributes at the memorial located on the banks of the Yamuna in the national capital. It was an honor to lay a wreath at the beautiful Raj Ghat Memorial & plant a tree to remember the life & legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Melania Trump tweeted. The US First Lady then thanked President Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind for the warm welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan, where they were treated to a lavish dinner. Thank you President @Rashtrapatibhvn and First Lady Savita Kovind for the warm welcome to the Presidential Palace. It was a beautiful day celebrating the friendship between our two nations Flag of IndiaFlag of United States, she tweeted. In another tweet, she tagged her husband US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thank you @narendramodi for welcoming me and @POTUS to your beautiful country. We were delighted to receive such a warm welcome from you and the people of India! she said. She also thanked Manu Gulati, a Delhi government school teacher who took her around a school to attend a happiness class. Thank you - Loved meeting you all! Continue to #BeBest, Melania Trump in a reply to Gulatis tweet. Gulati had tweeted, Dear @FLOTUS. Our childrens excitement at having you in our school continues even after you have returned home. Thank you for giving @HappinessDelhi such a great shot in the arm! We all simply adore you! #BeBest. Melania Trumps last tweet mentioned the employees at the US embassy in India. It was great meeting the US Embassy staff @USAndIndia and their families in #India. @POTUS and I are thankful for your commitment to representing the #USA Flag of IndiaFlag of United States, she said. The US president and Melania Trump had landed in India with Gujarats Ahmedabad as their first stop. They then visited the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradeshs Agar before reaching Delhi. President Trump and PM Modi on Tuesday had held talks on trade and defence as both the countries signed several deals in the national capital. India and the US agreed during Trumps visit on the expeditious conclusion of the legal text for phase one of a trade deal that will lead up to a larger bilateral trade agreement. The two sides hadnt been able to bridge differences to come up with a widely anticipated limited trade package ahead of Trumps visit. Trump wrapped up his whirlwind two-day trip on Tuesday night but not before assuring Indias movers and shakers that he would come back many times to the country. By Wang Tonghua and Gao Liying Huang Wenjie, this is a somewhat unfamiliar name. Many young people at the Huoshenshan Hospital which is now operated by the Chinese PLA and is responsible for the treatment of the COVID-19 infection may have totally no idea when asked if they knew Huang Wenjie. However, it is a familiar name among Huang's senior peers. If you use the search engine, you will find that he was the first one who successfully reported the first Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) case and treated the first SARS patient in 2003. He made a significant contribution to fighting SARS and was rewarded the first-class merit citation in 2003. Huang Wenjie was in his 40s when fighting in the frontline against SARS in Guangdong 17 years ago. 17 years later, Huang turned 58 years old and the COVID-19 epidemic occurred. Huang, now the chief of Respiratory Medicine at the General Hospital under the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command, returned to the battlefield and serves as an expert in the PLA military medical team to Hubei. A veterans true qualities After entering the Huoshenshan Hospital, Huang took the lead to work like a repair worker and a cleaner. He checked everything including switches, sewer and AC to ensure that they function normally. Huang Wenjie's ward began to focus on treating patients in serious and critical conditions on February 8. A patient with serious conditions had a history of diabetes and hypertension, and his condition deteriorated rapidly after admission. Huang stood by the bed, carefully observed the patient's response, fine-tuned the ventilator parameters to ensure that he was given the most appropriate respiratory support treatment. The patient suddenly coughed sharply, making people around very nervous. Huang Wenjie pulled out a tissue and handed it to the patient. "Please be well protected," the patient reminded. Huang Wenjie smiled slightly and said: "Relax, I am here to kill the virus!" In those days when many people got worried talking about SARS in 2003, Huang often stood for half an hour in front of the patient's bed. Now, Huang always check the throat, listen to the breathing sounds in the lungs, and clear tracheal secretions for patients. "The closer you get to the diseased, the more details you can possibly obtain, and the treatment is more pertinent," said Huang. Huang Wenjie kept working from 1 p.m. on Feb. 8 until the admission and triage of all 45 patients were completed. It was until then that Huang became aware that his feet were numb. "I thought I couldn't hold on at that time," Huang Wenjie said. Seeing the painful eyes and critical state of the patients, Huang had only one thought: "We must save them." Having high blood pressure, Huang brought antihypertensive drugs before leaving for Wuhan. As long as staying in the "Red Zone" in his protective suit for a long time, He would feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. He had to try to regulate his breathing as much as possible, and never showed it to his colleagues. Occasionally, Huang would send his wife a WeChat message to let his wife know that he was doing ok in the middle of the night. The wife understood his true voice: Huang is most worried about whether he could treat more patients, rather than his own health. Aura of an old soldier An old soldier never panics. Facing the epidemic, Huang Wenjie stated his reasons for participating in the fight: "There is no problem in my body and thus I am physically fit to the fight. I had studied in Wuhan and have been familiar with the regional environment. Most importantly, I have experience in fighting against SARS." This time, Huang Wenjie once again became backbone of this team. "What I admire the most is Director Huang's clinical acuity," said Dr. Luo Gaoquan, "Although the treatment guidelines have formulated guiding principles, acute clinical judgement is needed for specific treatment." Huang proposed the principle of precise treatment based on the comprehensive judgment of the patient's basic disease, imaging performance, laboratory test results and clinical treatment response in order to achieve the best results. Huang Wenjie and his medical team provide scientific treatment based on their extensive clinical experience. They have successfully treated 34 patients since February 26. When patients express their heartfelt thanks to Huang, he would always reply: "I am a doctor, and saving peoples lives is my job and my duty." The Ghabr family will finally be able to eat together. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Ghabr family will finally be able to eat together. Zekarias Ghabr, his wife Sembetu and their four children immigrants from Eritrea via Sudan had lived in an apartment where the kitchen area was too cramped to let six people dine at the same time. Sembetu Ghabr (from left) withone-year-old Gedna, Weldeyesus, Zekarias, Matias and Delina smile after receiving the keys of their first home in Canada thanks to Habitat for Humanity. (Maan Alhmidi / Winnipeg Free Press) That situation will change this weekend as the family moves from its crowded apartment to a new house that includes a spacious dining area on the second floor. The move is possible because the family was helped by Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, an organization dedicated to providing affordable housing for first-time homebuyers. "Its a pleasure to hold my own house keys," Zekarias said on Friday at his three-storey, four-bedroom home on Grove Avenue. Zekarias Ghabrs, who holds two jobs, worked for 500 hours helping to build the Point Douglas home alongside the organizations volunteers and staff members. (Maan Alhmidi / Winnipeg Free Press) "As a newcomer, I didnt have enough knowledge to handle (buying a house)," said Zekarias. "I dont own any down payment... My only choice was to rent an apartment." When they arrived in 2016, Zekarias started work as a construction laborer, mostly doing concrete. He's grateful to the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba for helping him get the job. Zekarias works 40 hours a week, with occasional overtime. He also works about 12 hours per week at a restaurant as a dishwasher. His wife works full-time at home taking care of their children: Delina, 13; Matias, 11; Weldeyesus, 6; and Gedna, 1. Habitat for Humanity has completed more than 415 homes since its work in Manitoba began in 1987. It plans to build 18 houses in Winnipeg in 2020. "We work with families with a low income somebody at the home has to have a full-time job for two years. They have to have children and they have to show a need for affordable housing," said Michelle Pereira, the organization's vice president. "We probably get 10 applications a day. The need is massive." The Ghabrs bought their home for $298,000, a value set by an independent expert. They will pay an affordable mortgage based on 27 per cent of their household gross taxable income. The mortgage terms include no down payment, and no interest for 15 years. After that time, the family should have more equity than debt in their home and will be required to get a mortgage with a traditional lender. Zekarias also contributed sweat equity, working for 500 hours building the house alongside the organizations volunteers and staff members. "I learned how to work and volunteer with people," he said. The volunteers who helped build the house included Sherryl Koop, who came with her family members on Friday to hand the keys to the Ghabr family. She participated to honor the memory of her brother, Vern Koop, who was a long-time employee of Habitat and died a year ago this week. 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. "It's very emotional," Koop said. "[My brother] wanted people to have homes. If people have homes, they can have stabilization in their lives." city.desk@freepress.mb.ca The commercial capacity of NTPC will become 49,695 MW. NTPC in an exchange filing on Saturday, 29 February 2020, declared the commencement of 800 MW Unit#1 of Darlipalli Super Thermal Power Station Stage-I (2 x 800 MW). The commercial production will start from 1 March 2020. With this, the commercial capacity of NTPC and NTPC group will become 49,695 MW and 58,156 MW respectively. Earlier, the company informed that commercial operation of 250 MW unit of Barauni Thermal Power Station Stage-II (2 x 250 MW) will commence from 1 March 2020. Shares of NTPC closed 2.29% lower at Rs 106.55 on Friday. Meanwhile, the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex closed 1448.37 points or 3.64% lower at 38,297.29. NTPC is a Maharatna company operating in the power generation business. The Government of India holds 54.14% stake in the company as of 31 December 2019. Power generating major's consolidated net profit rose 22.4% to Rs 3,179.06 crore on a 0.3% fall in net sales to Rs 25,412.39 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UPDATE 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28: Oregon has its first coronavirus case. The immediate coronavirus risk to Oregonians is low but people still should use their understandable concerns about the global outbreak to take precautions, the states top health officials said Friday. That means planning for a two-week stay at home in case a quarantine becomes necessary, having an adequate store of food and supplies and practicing good hygiene, said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. The bottom line is, make sure you and your family are prepared, Allen said after briefing to lawmakers on the House Committee on Health Care in Salem. The new coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the world, and federal officials said this week the disease is bound to proliferate in the United States, as well. The same day of Allens presentation, officials announced two new cases in Washington including in a high school student with no known connections to previous outbreaks, two cases in Mexico and one in Nigeria. Also Friday, California announced what could be the second case of coronavirus in the United States not directly linked to travel abroad or to a person known to be infected. The Oregon case is the third such case and the Washington case is the fourth. The disease has already killed about 3,000 people and has infected more than 80,000, the vast majority of them in China. If it comes to Oregon, county health officials will be on the front lines in the response, said state health officer Dr. Dean Sidelinger. Counties will take on the job of managing a sick persons quarantine, tracking down anyone who has been in contact with them and making sure they stay home for two weeks. But the Oregon Health Authority is at the center of the bureaucratic pinwheel that is Oregons coronavirus response. The agency pulls in information and instruction from the federal government and feeds it to local health departments. As an example, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells the state authority which Oregonians have recently flown in from China and the state then relays that information to county departments. The county departments, in turn, track those people down and monitor them for symptoms while they stay home for two weeks. As of Feb. 25, Oregon counties were watching over 76 people who had recently returned from China and had finished monitoring 178 others. Two people under monitoring developed coronavirus symptoms and thus qualified for CDC testing. They were found negative for the virus. Depending on how an epidemic develops, the state could very well step in and offer counties extra resources. Theres a worldwide shortage of a specific kind of facemask for example, and the Oregon Health Authority has a stockpile of them to send to hospitals if necessary. The state is prepared to tackle potential surges in cases, another health authority official said, though Allen could not say how many hospital beds the state has when asked by a lawmaker. Allen said its unlikely that schools would have to close, although that wouldnt be out of the ordinary when theres an infectious disease on the loose. We close schools all the time because of diseases such as influenza and norovirus, Allen said. But the state is very unlikely to unleash measures like the ones under way in Japan, where the government recently announced it would be shutting down all schools in the country for a month. So far, Oregon has convened a slew of groups to talk about tackling an epidemic. Gov. Kate Brown announced a group of representatives from 12 state agencies to help her respond to an epidemic, for example, and the Oregon Health Authority has been on regular conference calls with health care providers, county health departments and the CDC. While officials say the virus will almost certainly spread in the United States, Sidelinger sounded a few positive notes. Less than 1 percent of those infected in China die of the virus, according to the latest statistics, Sidelinger told lawmakers. The rate most likely would be even lower in the United States because of this countrys more robust health care system, he said. The disease is behaving much like the common flu in that it is most dangerous for the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, he said. And, just like with the flu, the best thing to do to prevent an infection is to use low-tech interventions like washing hands. Really, thats it, said Allen, Sidelingers boss. Those are long-term preventive measures that work. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The DHS employee, who was not identified, works for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Newark, according to the complaint. After arriving from China, she called a supervisor to ask if she should remain at home under quarantine, but she was told to report to work Feb. 10, according to Ward Morrow, an attorney for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents USCIS employees. Sen. Menendez (D-NJ) toured the CDI with Hackensack Meridian Health experts who are also preparing for potential cases in New Jersey. The virus has spread to 48 countries and federal health authorities have warned Americans to prepare for major disruptions in the U.S. while President Trump this week appointed Vice President Mike Pence to oversee the nation's response to a potential outbreak. "Coronavirus is already in the US and we are preparing for cases in New Jersey," said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, the chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "As the state's largest comprehensive health network, we are positioning ourselves as the leader to mitigate its effects, and also develop innovations which will help in the days and weeks to come." "Timely diagnostics are critical and we are veterans in this kind of event," said David S. Perlin, Ph.D., the chief scientific officer and senior vice president of the CDI. "Our rapid diagnostic lab has previously been part of the 2003 SARS response, and the 2009 H1N1 response and most recently the Candida auris outbreak. We're doing our part to get Hackensack Meridian Health, and the state of New Jersey, ready for any viral spread." "I applaud the great and innovative minds of everyone at Hackensack Meridian's Center for Discovery and Innovation. The work that's done here is vital to our state and nation's health care," said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy. "The United States is capable of answering any challenge so long as we have the necessary resources and strategy to succeed. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect the public health of New Jersey families and all Americans. Together we can prevent COVID-19 from turning into a full-blown public health crisis." The visit started with a tour of the CDI's Institute for Cancer and Infectious Diseases, which is where the work on the new diagnostic will be completed. Afterward, the senator and Perlin were joined by Daniel Varga, M.D., chief physician executive at Hackensack Meridian Health, to give an update on the health network's preparation. "We can all do our part to prepare for the coming of the virus," said Varga. "There will be tests of providing access, and delivering care in response to any outbreaks. But with innovative approaches like telemedicine and other strategic uses of our resources, we will keep spread minimal, and treat the ill to the best of our ability." The CDI built COVID-19 diagnostic assays several weeks ago but is still awaiting validating samples. Perlin and his team established two tests: one recommended by the CDC, and another one by a prominent group in Germany that is being adopted in Europe. ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick. Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 34,100 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves. The network's notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019" list. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org. ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION The Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), a newly established member of Hackensack Meridian Health, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions. The CDI, housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, offers world-class researchers a support infrastructure and culture of discovery that promotes science innovation and rapid translation to the clinic. SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health Related Links https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org The primary is the first to be held in the wake of revelations that Russia is once again seeking to interfere in the presidential campaign, according to U.S. intelligence officials, in part by bolstering the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who now leads in the delegate count after strong showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. What actions Russia has taken to promote Sanders remain unclear. The tally by BBC Persian is six times higher than the health ministry's official death toll of 34. Iran is the only country in the Gulf region that has reported deaths from Covid-19 At least 210 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease, sources in the country's health system have told BBC Persian. Most of the victims are from the capital, Tehran, and the city of Qom, where cases of Covid-19 first emerged. The figure is six times higher than the official death toll of 34 given by the health ministry earlier on Friday. Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour insisted it was being transparent and accused the BBC of spreading lies. It comes after a member of parliament for Qom accused the authorities of a cover-up and the US expressed concern that they may not be sharing information. "We have made offers to the Islamic Republic of Iran to help," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a congressional committee in Washington on Friday. "Their healthcare infrastructure is not robust and, to date, their willingness to share information about what's really going on inside... Iran has not been robust." Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed the offer of help. "The claim to help Iran confront coronavirus by a country that has imposed expansive pressures on the Iranian nation through its economic terrorism and has even blocked the way for purchase of medical equipment and medicines is ridiculous and a political-psychological game," he said. Growing lack of confidence in authorities By Kasra Naji, BBC Persian There are fears in Iran that the government, unsure of how to handle the outbreak, is covering up the extent of the spread of the new coronavirus disease. Now, a tally of figures reported by BBC Persian's sources in several hospitals suggests at least 210 people had died across the country as of Thursday night. The highest number of deaths were said to be in Tehran, where a disproportionately high number of officials have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, including a vice-president, a deputy minister, and at least two MPs. Friday prayers in Tehran and 22 other cities were cancelled, and schools and universities closed. Thousands of Iranians have also been stranded inside and outside the country as many flights have been stopped to and from Iran. There have been more than 83,000 reported cases of Covid-19 worldwide and 2,800 deaths since the disease emerged late last year - the vast majority in China. At midday on Friday, the Iranian health ministry reported eight new deaths related to Covid-19, increasing the official toll to 34. It also said 143 new cases had been detected, bringing the total to 388. "Staying home, restricting traffic, reducing movement and interactions, avoiding unnecessary travel, cancelling any nationwide gatherings along with observing individual health tips are the only ways to control Covid-19," Mr Jahanpour tweeted. Later, Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced that all schools would be closed for at least three days from Saturday as a precaution. "We have a relatively difficult week ahead... as we see the trend, the main peak of the disease will be in the next week and coming days," he told state TV. A member of the Tehran City Council told Ilna news agency that "the number of infected patients may rise to 10,000 or 15,000" in the coming weeks. The head of the World Health Organization's emergencies programme, Dr Michael Ryan, said on Thursday that the apparent high mortality rate in Iran indicated its outbreak might be more widespread than realised. A WHO mission is due to arrive in Iran on Sunday or Monday to help. Dr Ryan said on Friday that its departure had been delayed due to "issues with getting flights and access to Iran", but that the United Arab Emirates was helping. Some health experts have questioned the actions of the Iranian authorities since the first cases of Covid-19 were reported nine days ago. President Hassan Rouhani has ruled out placing any cities or areas in quarantine, despite the head of the joint WHO-Chinese mission on Covid-19 saying such measures had helped "changed the course" of the outbreak in China. There has also been concern about the decision not to close the Shia Muslim shrine of Hazrat Masumeh in Qom, which is visited by millions of pilgrims every year. Some restrictions on access have nevertheless been imposed in recent days. Mr Namaki told state TV that people would be allowed to visit the shrine once they had been given hand-sanitising gels, health information and face masks. "[They must] not gather together in groups - just pray and leave," he said. The shrine's custodian, Ayatollah Mohammed Saeedi, has said that it should be kept open as a "house for cure" and that "people should be encouraged to come". Vice-President for Women's and Family Affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi are among several senior officials who have been infected. The Hamshahri Online website reported that Ms Ebtekar - the highest-ranking woman in the Iranian government - had attended a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and a number of ministers shortly before testing positive on Thursday. Iran has also been the source of dozens of cases in neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Pakistan. BBC by Leonard Grandio | Mavericks Correspondent | Sat, Feb 29th 3:38pm EST Chuck Cooperstein on Twitter is reporting that the Dallas Mavericks have listed Luka Doncic as questionable for tomorrows contest with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Doncic has taken some bumps on his injured thumb over his last couple of games. (Chuck Cooperstein on Twitter) Hopelessness and desperation are gradually taking over the people who are yet to get any of their loved ones missing in the communal clashes in northeast Delhi, with some like Alam Afroz now visiting hospital mortuaries "for closure". A distraught Afroz (52), who has been looking for his son for days, says he is unable to answer the anxious queries of his family members about his whereabouts. "Even if his body is found in a drain, I will know at least that he is gone. Every time I go back home, my daughter-in-law and granddaughter ask if there has been any of him and I have nothing to answer," he said. IB staffer Ankit Sharma's body, with multiple stab wounds, was found in a drain in Chand Bagh a day after he went missing during the riots. Madeena (48), whose son has been missing since Tuesday, was at the GTB hospital mortuary looking for his body after her efforts to trace him bore no fruit. "I have been visiting different police stations. There is no trace of him. I don't know if he is alive or not. Even if he is found here among the dead, I will get a closure at least. Otherwise I will live in hopes forever that he will come home some day," she told PTI. Mohammad Qadir from Bijnor too has been making the rounds of GTB hospital since Wednesday, looking for his 18-year-old brother Aftab. "He had gone to meet his friends that day. His friends told me that they were attacked by a mob. While the others managed to escape, he was beaten up badly. Nobody knows what happened to him and where he went. "I have approached the police several times but they ask me to visit the police stations which have witnessed some of the worst violence and arson. I tried, but it is scary," he said. Frantic search for the whereabouts of 22-year-old Monis also ended at the GTB Hospital morgue on Friday. Monis' mother was wailing outside the mortuary as the family was called inside. They identified his body. He was missing since February 25. But for the family of 35-year-old Mohammad Feroze the search didn't end at the GTB hospital. His wife Shabana said he was returning home from work, when he was beaten up. "His phone was probably broken during that attack. He was saved by a Muslim family who gave him shelter. He called his nephew and me from their phone on February 24 but since then there has been no contact," she said. Recalling her last conversation with him, she said, "He said he had been beaten up and couldn't talk much since there was no electricity as the wires had been damaged by rioters and the phone's battery was about to die. He said, 'This is probably our last conversation. Don't know when we will talk again'." Shabana said they have learnt that the house where he was given shelter has been burnt down. "We don't know where he is," she said with a heavy voice. "Feroze might be alive. But he had said that he was badly injured. He was quite weak and was suffering from tuberculosis. We will also go to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital to look for him," said a family member. The communal violence in northeast Delhi sparked by protests over the amended citizenship law has claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 people injured. But the number of people who are stilling missing is unclear. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas severely affected by the riots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The U.S. reported on Saturday its first death from the coronavirus in King County in Washington state. Jamie Nixon, a public information officer with the Washington State Department of Health, said that a patient in the state has died from the infection. The patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, who was tested at the Washington State Public Health Lab, according to U.S. health officials. There was no evidence that he got the infection through travel or contact with another infected person. Officials are investigating how he contracted the virus. President Trump during a Saturday press conference incorrectly said the patient was a woman. There are more than 85,000 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide and at least 2,933 confirmed deaths. At least 64 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. The death comes as several cases in Washington state, California and Oregon have raised fears over the local, person-to-person transmission of the virus in people who have not recently traveled or been in contact with infected people. Washington state officials said on Friday that a high school student in Snohomish County, near Seattle, had the virus and was in home isolation. Officials also confirmed a case in a woman in her 50s in King County, who had recently traveled to Daegu, South Korea, and had since been in home isolation. Health officials said that more than 50 people in a Washington state nursing facility called Life Care are sick and being tested for the virus. There are two presumptive positives associated with the facility: a health care worker and a woman in her 70s. "In addition, over 50 individuals associated with Life Care are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalized with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for COVID-19," Seattle and King County officials said on Saturday. "Additional positive cases are expected," they said. Washington state governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency on Saturday after the man's death. "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," the governor said in a statement. Filmmaker Dinesh Vijan said the plot of "Go Goa Gone 2" will centre around aliens, unlike its predecessor which was a comedy about zombies. Eros international and Maddock Films recently announced the sequel to the 2013 film, which featured an ensemble cast of Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Kemmu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari and Puja Gupta. The movie followed three men whose holiday to Goa turns out to be a zombie nightmare. Saif played the role of Boris, a Russian mobster-turned-zombie hunter, in the Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK-directed film. "The team of 'Roohi Afzana' is writing the sequel. The writer came up with the idea and I loved it and then we developed it. Eros said let's announce it and we did. We just need to give every actor, who was there in the first part, a little more like a 2.0 version and bring something new. "Zombie element won't be there, we are doing it with aliens. The world will be similar like same emotion, same comic timing, like stoner comedy, but a new journey," Dinesh told PTI. Though the producer hasn't approached the cast for the sequel, he hopes to get the whole team back. "We haven't approached the actors yet. The intend is to get everybody. They should be happy and like the role. There will be two new additions to the cast - one male and female. It will start by the end of the year," Vijan said. The sequel has a release date of March 2021. Besides "Go Goa Gone 2", the producer is looking forward to "Roohi Afzana", which is a follow-up to Vijan's 2018 horror comedy "Stree". The filmmaker intends to make a third film in the series "Munjha", which will be set in the same genre. "When 'Stree' was ready, the script of 'Roohi Afzana' was being worked on. Now 'Roohi Afzana' will come and script of 'Munjha' is getting ready and then there is one more. Then we will do the second part of everything and then they will all merge. That's the idea. Each one of them is bigger than the previous one." "Stree", featuring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi, was set in small town of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, where an evil spirit named 'Stree' abducts men in the night during festival season. It was based on the urban legend of "Nale Ba" that went viral in Karnataka in the 1990s. "Roohi Afzana", which will also feature Rajkummar alongside Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Sharma, tells the story of a ghost who abducts brides on their honeymoons. It will release on June 5 this year. Talking about "Munjha", Vijan said, "It is like a legend, it is a naughty ghost and he is looking for his bride. It is based on a true legend." The producer said he enjoys exploring the space of horror that is laced with comedy. "In horror-comedy, you are afraid but you laugh too. It is fun. Horror-comedy universe is the only thing I have for Maddock's future right now. Then I will built one more universe," he added. Vijan is currently awaiting the release of his next production "Angrezi Medium" with Irrfan Khan. The film directed by Homi Adajania will come out on March 20. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 16:54:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used to treat COVID-19 patients, yielding good outcomes, said a medical expert Saturday. With TCM treatment, patients with mild symptoms have seen their fever or cough alleviated, Wang Rongbing, director physician with Beijing Ditan Hospital, said at a press conference. For severely ill patients, TCM helped relieve symptoms and restore blood oxygen saturation, preventing the patients' conditions from developing into critically ill cases, Wang said. She also noted the effectiveness of Qingfei Paidu Soup, a herbal concoction that mixes ephedra and licorice root among other ingredients, in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with symptoms ranging from mild to critical. Qingfei Paidu Soup has been used in 66 designated hospitals in 10 provincial-level regions, Wang said, adding that of the 1,183 patients under medical observation, 640 have been discharged from hospital and 457 have seen their symptoms eased. : The budget session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly would begin on March 6, during which the House is expected to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan issued notification on Saturday summoning the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council to meet at 11 AM on March 6. Besides the presentation of the Budget, the assembly is expected to pass a resolution against the citizenship law. The state cabinet, at a meeting on February 16, had urged the Centre to abrogate the CAA. The state cabinetappealed to the Union government not to discriminate on the basis of religion for according Indian citizenship. It requested the Centre to treat all religions equal before the law, an official release on thecabinetmeeting had said. Themeeting, chaired by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, felt that the CAA would lead to discrimination on the basis of religion while granting citizenship, thus jeopardising secularism as envisaged in the Constitution, the release said. TheCabinetdecided to pass a resolution to the effect in the state Assembly, the way Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have done, the release had said. Meanwhile, the opposition Congress held a meeting of its leaders here and decided to raise farmers issues, among others, during the Assembly session. Alleging that the TRS government diluted the Rythu Bandhu (farmers investment support scheme) introduced with fanfare, Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy demanded that the scheme be implemented without any limitation and that ex-gratia be paid to the kin of all farmers who had committed suicide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BRUSSELS (AP) As European Union leaders deliberated over their 1 trillion-euro ($1.1 trillion) budget Thursday, lawmakers were deeply concerned about potential conflicts of interest that could see hundreds of millions of euros in funds granted to companies linked to some of the very people deciding how the money should be spent. One high-profile case concerns Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. A leaked EU audit last year concluded that the populist billionaire might have had a conflict of interest over EU subsidies involving his former business empire. More than 100 million euros could be involved, according to multiple reports about the audit. Babis denies any wrongdoing and has accused the EU of trying to destabilize the Czech Republic. But EU concerns are not just confined to the Czech Republic. The business interests of leaders in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and possibly others are also raising eyebrows in Brussels, where European institutions lack the tools and law to effectively combat the problem. The allegations of possible fraud eat away at public confidence in the European project at a time when far-right and anti-migrant parties are gaining political traction and just after one of Europe's biggest member countries, the United Kingdom, left the world's biggest trading bloc. The underlying question is how to prevent the people who decide how much tax payers money gets spent on agriculture subsidies, infrastructure projects or regional development aid from channeling that cash into their business interests. After talks with the leaders as Thursday's summit opened, European Parliament President David Sassoli expressed surprise that the latest budget proposal would see funding cuts to Europe's public administration. There is something bizarre about this," Sassoli told reporters. "We want to have proper checks on resources. How can you do that if you have cuts, if you have this kind of reduction? Story continues In a resolution on the eve of the extraordinary budget summit, the European Parliaments spending watchdog, the Budgetary Control Committee, said it is deeply worried by recent reports about agricultural funds allegedly benefiting oligarchic structures. "Given the widespread problems of conflicts of interest in the distribution of (the) Unions agricultural funds, it is undesirable that members of the European Council, agricultural ministers, functionaries, or their family members should be taking decisions on income support, it said. The committee urged the EUs executive Commission to propose a maximum amount of direct payment per natural person as beneficial owner of one or several companies in any one seven-year budget period. The lawmakers appealed for guidelines for the avoidance of conflicts of interest of high-profile politicians," and they asked the European Council the institution representing the 27 EU member countries to adopt common ethical standards" on conflicts of interest. It is unacceptable that individual beneficiaries can receive up to three-digit million sums, Monika Hohlmeier, the chair of the committee, said after lawmakers examined a 2018 EU budget Wednesday. She called for EU-wide rules to avoid conflicts of interests of high-level politicians and emphasize the need for common ethical standards. No leader was publicly mentioned by name by the committee, which has no oversight over national budgets or even the budget of the European Council, and whose membershave discussed the leaked audit behind closed doors and prefer to keep a low profile. Separately, the lawmakers are also concerned that criminal gangs are getting their hands on EU money. Italian authorities launched a crackdown last month on parts of the Sicilian Mafia working in cahoots with public officials to defraud the EU of more than 10 million euros ($11 million) in agricultural aid. They said mafiosi used violent threats and extortion to seize ownership of lands eligible for EU aid. But national authorities on their own are virtually powerless to act when it comes to potential conflicts of interest at the EU level. To really combat the problem, the EU's executive commission would have to work to bolster the rules. In the Czech Republic, meanwhile, a new wave of protests against Babis is expected next week. They follow two major rallies last year when a total of more than half a million people demanded that Babis step down, in the biggest such demonstrations in the country since the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution. ___ Karel Janicek in Prague and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday and the two leaders decided to work together on making the national capital the best city in the world. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Kejriwal said most of the matters under the Delhi government are related to the housing and urban affairs ministry. "It was a courtesy meeting. Both of us accepted and decided that we would work together for the next five years for the progress of Delhi. We both dream of making Delhi the best city in the world. "Our government will work with his ministry to provide more facilities to the people of Delhi," he said. Responding to a question on providing immediate help to victims of violence in northeast Delhi, Kejriwal said his government is now working for the relief and rehabilitation of victims. "I am also taking detailed information from authorities concerned every day. Along with this, we are also working round the clock on the ground. If needed, we will definitely seek help from the central government," the chief minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 20:20:02|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PARIS, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Participants at a high-level event in Mexico City on indigenous languages issued a strategic roadmap for the Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) prioritizing the empowerment indigenous language users, Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Saturday. More than 500 participants from 50 countries, including government ministers, indigenous leaders, researchers, public and private partners, and other stakeholders and experts adopted the Los Pinos Declaration at the end of a two-day event - "Making a decade of action for indigenous languages", which was organized by UNESCO and Mexico, said UNESCO in a press release. Under the slogan "Nothing for us without us", the declaration gives strategic recommendations for the Decade, with emphasis on indigenous peoples' rights to freedom of expression, to an education in their mother tongue and to participation in public life using their languages. With regard to participation in public life, the Declaration highlights the importance of enabling the use of indigenous languages in justice systems, the media, labour and health programmes. It also points to the potential of digital technologies in supporting the use and preservation of those languages. The Declaration recognizes the importance of indigenous languages to social cohesion and inclusion, cultural rights, health and justice and highlights their relevance to sustainable development and the preservation of biodiversity as they maintain ancient and traditional knowledge that binds humanity with nature. Current data indicates that at least 40 percent of the 7,000 languages used worldwide are at some level of endangerment. UNESCO is to make available more statistical data later this year in its Atlas of Languages, a database about practically all human languages. The editorial also overlooks important facts in the report and about bail reform in general. Bail reform addresses long-standing racial disparities in the criminal justice system. More than 8 out of 10 felony defendants of all ethnic groups assessed with a PSA attended all their court appearances and were not charged with any new offenses while awaiting trial. In this population of defendants, African American defendants were more than twice as likely to be released on non-cash bonds (117% increase) after bail reform, and 8 out of 10 African American defendants were not charged with a new offense while awaiting trial in the community. There was also an 80% increase in the number of Latino defendants who received non-cash bonds, and nearly 9 out of 10 Latino defendants remained charge-free while their cases were pending. Staff at The Courtyard Apartments in Carrick-on-Shannon have announced that they are thrilled and proud to once again be crowned winners of 'The Best Hen and Stag Provider' in Ireland at the much coveted weddingsonline awards. The weddingsonline awards are the industry standard and the Oscars of the Irish wedding industry. These awards recognise the professionalism, dedication, exceptional service and all-round excellence of wedding venues and suppliers made more special in that it comes on the 20th anniversary of weddingsonline. The awards present a rigorous examination of wedding suppliers and venues and we are thankful to our independent team of judges for their dedication and hard work. says Jonathan Bryans Commercial Director, weddingsonline. Read Also: Sad passing of Mary Mostyn Having previously won this award in 2018 it is a welcome addition to The Courtyard Apartments mounting list of awards including Best Self-Catering Accommodation in The Hotel Awards Ireland 2019. In a joint statement managers Stephen and Nigel Murtagh praised their staff for this recognition. This award is an acknowledgment of the consistent dedication of the whole team at The Courtyard Apartments. We are lucky to have such a great team of housekeeping and maintenance staff without whom our business could not succeed, Head of Security: Barry McKeon and in particular our front of House staff; Rachel Flanagan, Catriona McGourty and Joanna Heeran. Special mention must go to our marketing manager Pamela Ruddy who has driven this aspect of the business with such dedication. We would like to thank all our wonderful guests who have taken the time to give us their vote. We hope to continue to improve and provide first class service for all our future guests. Finally we would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to The Landmark Hotel for their fantastic achievement. It is testament to the level of service on offer in this wonderful town of ours. Read Also: Leitrim jobs round-up: Who's hiring in the county this week? (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As we saw in the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire, a quick consensus formed in media coverage of the debate in Nevada. Elizabeth Warren won, and Michael Bloomberg, making his first debate appearance, lost. Everyone came ready to attack the former three-term New York City mayor, who has rocketed to second or third place in the national polls while spending unprecedented sums in states where the other candidates either havent campaigned at all or have only just begun. His inexperience in debating at this level was obvious. Most of the attacks (on stop-and-frisk policing, on reports that hes said demeaning things about women, about his previous support for and from Republicans, and more) should have been easy to anticipate. Yet he simply did not deliver strong answers. The good news for him is that hes not competing in any primaries until March 3, so he has plenty of time to recover if bad press from this event blunts his momentum. (Michael Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) Warren had failed to make an impression in recent debates, and her third-place finish in Iowa and weak fourth in New Hampshire put her campaign in serious trouble. She was at her best in Las Vegas despite some voice problems from a recent cold. Besides her attacks on Bloomberg, she also went after Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar effectively. The others on the stage probably arent going to get headlines from this debate, and how theyre judged will likely depend on who is doing the judging. Biden has learned to show energy by shouting all the time (as Bernie Sanders has done for two presidential campaigns now). Those who like the former vice president but who were worried that he had lost a step were probably satisfied with his Las Vegas performance. Buttigieg spent a lot of time attacking Bloomberg, Sanders and Klobuchar, eventually engaging in back-and-forth schoolyard taunts with the Minnesota senator. Again, whether he seems like a fresh alternative or a preprogrammed know-it-all probably depends on impressions formed before the debate. Klobuchar has an arsenal of effective debate maneuvers; this time, with others also bringing plenty of energy, she stood out a lot less than she did in New Hampshire. Story continues As for Sanders? He took some shots, especially from Buttigieg and Bloomberg, who zinged him for being a millionaire with three houses. Im sure the Vermont senators supporters thought he handled it well, but I doubt he made any new fans. I saw a lot of pundits assuming that all of this worked to Sanderss advantage: Hes leading in the national and Nevada polls, and as long as he escaped without damage that must be good for him. We wont know how it plays out until the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, the South Carolina primary on Feb. 28, and in his fundraising over this next stretch. (Warrens camp was already bragging about her instant cash infusion as the debate was going on.) One point I think some are overlooking: This was the debate in which the fringe candidates were all excluded from the stage. Just holding their own is bound to help not only Warren, who had been lost in the shuffle recently, but also Buttigieg and Klobuchar, who are still little known to most Democrats nationally. Remember: A lot of Democrats are still getting their first looks at these candidates. Biden and Sanders were well known going into the campaign; Bloomberg has made himself well known despite his late entry to the race. We wont know until Saturday night what effect any of this has on Democrats caucusing in Nevada many of whom have already voted early. But weve seen debates move votes in the short term before, and it could happen again. To contact the author of this story: Jonathan Bernstein at jbernstein62@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katy Roberts at kroberts29@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University and wrote A Plain Blog About Politics. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday deferred for March 4 the judgement in the death of the father of the woman who was raped by expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Uttar Pradesh`s Unnao in 2017. District Judge Dharmesh Sharma said that the judgement will be pronounced on March 4. The rape survivor`s father died on April 9, 2018 in police custody. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had on July 13, 2018, filed a chargesheet in the matter, in which it named Sengar and others. According to the probe agency, an altercation took place between the rape survivor`s father and one Shashi Pratap Singh on April 3, 2018, after which the latter called his associates and attacked the woman`s father. Kuldeep Singh Sengar`s brother Atul Singh was also part of the group that attacked the survivor`s father and his co-worker, said CBI. Later, survivor`s father was taken to the police station, where he was arrested after an FIR was lodged against him. CBI, in its chargesheet, said that Sengar was in touch with the district police superintendent and police station`s in-charge. Thereafter, the charges were framed against Sengar, his brother Atul, Makhi police station in-charge Ashok Singh Bhadauria, Sub Inspector Kamta Prasad, Constable Amir Khan and six others in the case. On August 1 last year, the Supreme Court transferred the case to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh. In December 2019, Sengar was convicted and jailed for life by a Delhi court for raping the girl, who was a minor at the time of incident, at his residence in Unnao in June 2017, where she had gone seeking a job. Doha The Ministry of Public Health announced today the first confirmed case of coronavirus 2019 (Covid -19) in the country. The ministry said, in a statement, that the confirmed case is a 36- year- old Qatari citizen, who had recently returned from Iran, along with other citizens Qatar evacuated on a private plane from Iran and were subjected to quarantine on arrival on Thursday. The ministry statement said that the patient has been admitted to the CDC in complete isolation and is in stable condition. In all three cases, consultants for the buildings owners determined the cause to be nickel sulfide inclusion, in which minute stones of the compound mistakenly get into tempered glass during the strengthening process. When the glass heats up in the sun, even years after it has been installed, the nickel sulfide can expand and cause the glass to shatter into tiny pellets. While the glass often remains in the frame, experts say, wind can suck it out in pellets or larger clumps. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Biomedical engineers at the UConn School of Dental Medicine recently developed a handheld 3D bioprinter that could revolutionize the way musculoskeletal surgical procedures are performed. The bioprinter, developed by Dr. Ali Tamayol, associate professor in the School of Dental Medicine biomedical engineering department, enables surgeons to deposit scaffolds -- or materials to help support cellular and tissue growth -- directly into the defect sites within weakened skeletal muscles. Tamayol's research was recently published in the American Chemical Society journal. "The printer is robust and allows proper filling of the cavity with fibrillar scaffolds in which fibers resemble the architecture of the native tissue," says Tamayol. The scaffolds from the bioprinter adhere precisely to the surrounding tissues of the injury and mimic the properties of the existing tissue -- eliminating the need for any suturing. Current methods for reconstructive surgery have been largely inadequate in treating volumetric muscle loss. As a result, 3D printing technology has emerged as an up and coming solution to help reconstruct muscle. Dr. Indranil Sinha, a plastic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard joined Tamayol in this research study. With expertise in treatment of muscle injuries, Sinha says that a "good solution currently does not exist for patients who suffer volumetric muscle loss. A customizable, printed gel establishes the foundation for a new treatment paradigm can improve the care of our trauma patients." Existing 3D bioprinting technology is not without its problems. Implanting the hydrogel-based scaffolds successfully requires a very specific biomaterial to be printed that will adhere to the defect site. While 3D bioprinted scaffolds mimicking skeletal muscles have been created in vitro, they have not been successfully used on an actual subject. Tamayol's solution fixes the problem. Tamayol's bioprinter prints gelatin-based hydrogels -- known as "bioink" -- that have been proven to be effective in adhering to defect sites of mice with volumetric muscle loss injury. The mice showed a significant increase in muscle hypertrophy following Tamayol's therapy. "This is a new generation of 3D printers than enables clinicians to directly print the scaffold within the patient's body," said Tamayol. "Best of all, this system does not require the presence of sophisticated imaging and printing systems." After falling for the blatant Schumination hoax, I want to note without further comment three significant appellate court decisions ruling on Trump administration policies. I link to stories on the decisions followed by links to the slip opinions of the decisions themselves. 1. Appeals court temporarily blocks Trump administrations Remain-in-Mexico policy. A federal appeals court on Friday slapped a temporary halt on the Remain-in-Mexico policy one of the most effective Trump administration policies in halting last years migrant crisis dealing a significant blow to the administrations efforts to control the flow of migrants claiming asylum at the southern border. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in a 2-1 vote to put a hold on the policy formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). In a separate ruling Friday, the same court also blocked an administration policy that prevents immigrants who crossed the border illegally from then claiming asylum in the U.S. Innovation Law Lab v. Wolf, No. 19-15716 (9th Cir. Feb. 28, 2020). 2. Court hands Trump win in sanctuary city fight, says administration can deny grant money. A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed a major win to the Trump administration in its fight against sanctuary jurisdictions, ruling that it can deny grant money to states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York overturned a lower court ruling that stopped the administrations 2017 move to withhold grant money from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which dispenses over $250 million a year to state and local criminal justice efforts. New York v. Barr, Nos. 19267(L); 19275(con), (2nd Cir. Feb, 26, 2020). 3. Trump wins appeal to block McGahn testimony. President Donald Trump scored a major legal victory on Friday when a federal appeals court panel ruled former White House counsel Don McGahn can defy a congressional subpoena for his testimony. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuits opinion overturned a lower court decision requiring McGahns testimony and told the judge presiding over the case to dismiss it outright. The ruling is a blow to House Democrats attempts to break the Trump administrations intransigent stance that it can block Congress from talking to witnesses. McGahn was a key source of information for Robert Mueller and Democrats have been angling to secure an interview to find out what he told the special counsel. Committee on the Judiciary v. McGahn, No. 1:19-cv-02379 (D.C. Cir Feb. 28, 2020). As punishment for my falling for the Schumer hoax, I will spend the rest of the day reading these decisions and writing up notes on them for publication tomorrow morning. Im not sure the punishment fits the crime, but let it be. A new malware dioscovered has been shown to be able to steal 2FA codes from the Google Authenticator app Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) was the industrys answer to curbing illegitimate access for online accounts. This was especially the case to prevent bank accounts from being hacked and was eventually utilized by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple etc. Now a new security threat claims to be able to steal 2FA codes from the Google Authenticator. According to Threatfabric, new Android malware is capable of stealing 2FA codes from Googles app. Typically apps like Googles 2FA or even Microsofts App for that matter are considered safer than the SMS method of receiving 2FA codes. This was because SMS isnt transmitted over a secure protocol and can be intercepted. Then theres the additional threat of SIM cloning that has led to multiple counts of banking fraud in the past. Now, it would appear that Googles 2FA app has also been proven to be vulnerable. According to Threatfabric, the malware is not yet being distributed or advertised on underground forums, suggesting that the hack may still be in testing stages. What we dont know yet is whether the malware is exploiting something in the Android OS or a weakness in Googles 2FA app to gain access to the codes. The report only lists the vulnerability to impact Android, meaning iOS users are still secure. This could also mean that the vulnerability exploits a combined vulnerability in Android and the 2FA app. There is also no information on whether the malware would make other 2FA apps vulnerable, but in either case, it is something to be supremely worried about. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 Trend: Co-chairman of the Azerbaijan Caucus at the US Congress, member of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs Steve Chabot made a statement on Feb. 26, 2020 on Khojaly genocide, Trend reports with reference to the Azerbaijani embassy in the US. The statement was included in the agenda of the Congress, and on Feb. 26 Chabot also took part in the event held in the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. With a sense of deep sorrow Chabot paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Khojaly massacre, which he called the darkest chapter in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Chabot stressed that in the fall of 1991, Armenian and Soviet forces surrounded the town of Khojaly in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. After bombarding the city, these forces attacked Khojaly on the night of February 25-February 26, killing more than 600 innocent Azerbaijanis, including women, children and the elderly. Citing the Human Rights Watch 1992 report, Chabot said that the attacks on fleeing civilians "deliberately disregarded ... customary law restraint'' and as a result, innocent civilians were injured, some of whom died and some were forced to leave the city. He added that the victims of Khojaly remind everyone of the value of peace. Chabot expressed regret that Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is still ongoing, despite the efforts of the United States and international community to foster a negotiated settlement. "I call on all parties involved to productively engage with the Minsk Process to find a peaceful resolution to this decades-old conflict." Having paid tribute to the memory of those who died in these appalling events, the congressman once again called on his colleagues to join him and the Azerbaijani people to remember this tragedy. One of the most senior women in the tech world of Silicon Valley has told how her business is thriving in Northern Ireland. Sarah Friar, who grew up in Sion Mills in Co Tyrone, is chief executive of Nextdoor, an online hub enabling neighbours to share information. Its mission statement says it seeks to create a kinder world by bringing neighbours together. Ms Friar said the hub has taken off in Northern Ireland, with an even spread across rural and urban areas. Neighbours log on to discuss matters such as where they can source the best plumbers, decorators or beauticians. They will also discuss any concerns about anything that might be going on in the area. She maintains a close link with back home, where her parents May and Harry still live in Sion Mills. May was a district nurse, while Harry was personnel manager in the mill which gave the village its name. He is also the leader of Nextdoor in the village. Sarah has lived in the US for 22 years and is married to David, a hedge fund partner. They have a daughter of 14 and a son, aged 12. She has led Nextdoor for 14 months, and previously worked as chief financial officer at the payments company Square. She studied engineering at Oxford and worked as a business analyst before decamping to the US for an MBA. She said she is pleased with how Nextdoor has performed here. "Northern Ireland is completely covered, which makes me so happy," she said. "I get to sneak peek sometimes into my dad's neighbourhood in Sion Mills, which is pretty rural... Northern Ireland is a very engaged community for Nextdoor. I think people are really community oriented and have typically spent time with their neighbours and know their neighbours." Law enforcement agencies can also have a presence on Nextdoor and Ms Friar praised the PSNI for its embrace of Nextdoor. She held a meeting with Chief Constable Simon Byrne during her visit home this week. "They are focused so much now on community policing. We are getting past what I grew up with and moving to the police being frankly an important part of helping build communities," she added. "The PSNI is our poster child in the UK for being the best at using technology. "What I see them doing now is humanising themselves, so it's not such and such a PSNI person, but it's this inspector or this sergeant. "It's them asking questions of neighbours asking questions like, we're doing a bike patrol tonight, is there anywhere you want us to go?" She said the close relationships between neighbours in Sion Mills had been an inspiration to her work at Nextdoor. "Sion Mills was like this unique petri dish of Catholics and Protestants literally living side by side," she said. "We didn't have that sense of two communities living together but divided by walls. The village was founded by Quakers who wanted everyone to live together. "I went to one of the very few integrated primary schools and they even made a Panorama programme about us because it was so special. "At home our next-door neighbours are a different religion to us and are still our next door neighbours and our best friends. "When I go home, the first thing I do is knock on the door next door. I think about them a lot when I think about Nextdoor and the product insights of what can work in real life, I think how do I recreate that amazing relationship that we had growing up with our next door neighbours." She has vivid memories of the Troubles in nearby Strabane, where she went to the town's grammar school. "Strabane was the most bombed town of its size in Western Europe and I think it carried that unfortunate banner for about two or three decades," she added. Ms Friar says the TV sitcom Derry Girls has done a good job of reflecting life back then. Living in a border village a lot of her time was also spent in Donegal. During her visit, Ms Friar also launched a Local Deals feature on Nextdoor, which allows small businesses to target people living in an area with special deals. "We think that when local businesses thrive, neighbourhoods thrive," she said. She also held a Nextdoor event at Belfast tech hub Ormeau Baths, as well as meeting members of her Ladies Who Launch programme, a support network for women entrepreneurs. Her visits home are always refreshing. Ms Friar added: "You can't get too caught up in yourself when you come home and you see the likes of the farming community and spend time with your cousins - it's great. "They have a feeling for what I do but they don't spend a lot time on what I do. "They're much more into how I am doing, how is my family doing. "Sometimes you get into professional relationships where it's all about how the business is doing, but I find it like a brain cleanse to be home in Northern Ireland." Ranchi: former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has questioned the timing of the permission granted by the Delhi government on Friday (February 29) to prosecute him in the JNU sedition case dating back to 2016. The Left leader demanded a speedy trial while responding to the development in the four-year-old sedition case, stating that "the entire country gets to know how a law like sedition is being misused." Kanhaiya, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Begusarai seat as CPI candidate and lost it to BJP's Giriraj Singh, alleged that the chargesheet was filed deliberately against him at a time when he was about to contest election in Bihar. "The chargesheet was filed for the first time when I was about to contest the election and now elections are going to be held in Bihar again. There is National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar and the state government has passed a resolution in the Assembly against National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR)," ANI quoted Kanhaiya as saying at a press conference in Ranchi on Friday. "It is clear that this matter was created and delayed for political benefit. I want a speedy trial in a fast-track court so that the entire country gets to know how a law like sedition is being misused," he said. Kumar's statement comes after the Delhi government on Friday gave the go-ahead to the city police to prosecute him and two others involved in the case. Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi Police wrote a letter to Delhi Home Secretary requesting him to expeditiously give clearance to prosecute Kumar in the case. In the letter, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Pramod Kushwah said, "It is requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction under Section 196 CrPC as required for the offence under Chapter VI of the IPC, that is, Section 124A IPC." In the chargesheet filed in the court in January this year, the Delhi Police had said that Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, led a procession and raised anti-national slogans at an event in the university campus on February 9, 2016, to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. It is to be noted that Zee News was the first TV news channel to have aired the controversial video clip showing several JNU students, including Khalid, Kumar and Bhattacharya, shouting anti-India and pro-Pakistan slogans at the varsity campus. Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested and later released on bail. It said that there were video footages wherein Kanhaiya Kumar is seen leading the students who were raising anti-national slogans and that he had been identified by the witnesses in the videos. The controversial video showed a gathering of JNU students raising anti-national slogans such as Kitne Afzal maaroge, ghar ghar se Afzal niklenge, Pakistan Zindabad, 'India Tere Tukde Tukde Honge', 'India Go Back' etc. The video of the controversial February 9 event was shot by Zee News and was later sent for forensic examination to the CFSL. The video clip shot by Zee News, which came under attack from the alleged sympathisers of the 'Tukde Tukde' gang, was later found to be 100 percent authentic and not doctored. Leading Japanese cardiologist, Dr. Masahisa Yamane along with eminent Indian physicians join hands for knowledge sharing around latest technologies in Interventional Cardiology Boston Scientific, a global medical device company, with its continued commitment towards advance therapy adoption in interventional cardiology for treating Complex and High-Risk Coronary Intervention (CHIP) patients, has collaborated with a leading interventional Cardiologist Dr. Masahisa Yamane, Director of Cardiovascular Division, Sekishinkai Saitama Hospital, Saitama to proctor a set of coronary intervention workshops in India. Keeping in line with the mission to transform patient lives, Boston Scientific is regularly striving to adopt newer and advanced treatment mechanisms that improve the health of patients around the world. In one such endeavor, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh hosted a workshop today in collaboration with Boston Scientific and Dr. Masahisa Yamane from Japan, focusing on providing a knowledge sharing platform for Interventional Cardiologists to discuss and develop expertise in adoption of latest technologies for complex and high - risk angioplasties. The workshop will also spread across India including Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Patna between February 3, 2020 and February 7, 2020. Eminent cardiologists of the Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh hospital participated in the workshop that witnessed complex high-risk angioplasties, using advanced technologies like Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) and Rotational Atherectomy, that are now providing the physician with critical information about the diseased area and aiding in selection of optimal treatment methods for treating artery blockages and coronary complexities. Usage of such advanced technologies may provide better outcomes in the long term for patients, thereby improving the quality of life. Dr. Naveen Bhamri, Director and Head of Department, Cardiology- Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh said, We are extremely happy to collaborate with Boston Scientific and the international faculty for this workshop. The cardiology scenario is witnessing a paradigm shift in treatment mechanisms and technologies. Cases related to chronic total occlusion of coronary arteries, and calcification of the blood vessels is on the rise and so ongoing innovation in medical technology may enables physicians to provide better treatment and improve quality of life for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Technology is paving the way for improved medical treatment to help people suffering from cardiovascular diseases (CVD). According to WHO, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVD in 2016, representing 31 percent of all global deaths. Out of the 17 million premature deaths, under the age of 70, 37 percent were caused by CVDs *. The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web: You don't need millions in the bank to become a client at Morgan Stanley anymore, said Greg Iacurci at CNBC all you need to have now is an E-Trade account. Last week the Wall Street investment bank agreed on a $13 billion purchase of the discount brokerage. E-Trade, with 5.2 million customers, was once a revolutionary platform that "helped usher in a dramatic shift among financial services firms" and fueled the rise of indexes and exchange-traded funds, making investing vastly easier for do-it-yourself investors. If approved, the deal "the biggest bank takeover since the 2008 financial crisis" would put Morgan's blue-chip "financial advice at the fingertips of a population that hadn't previously had access." For Morgan, these new customers are a chance to "steady the ship," said The Economist. A decade ago, two-thirds of Morgan's profits came out of buying and selling securities. That high-stakes strategy produces "large, lumpy sums when markets are strong," but it's not a dependable source of revenue. Wealth management actually brought in more money last year, and Morgan is betting that IT will become "the bank's main business." To hear liberals tell it, the whole story of finance is "Wall Street getting richer as folks on Main Street scrape by," said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. So why are Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, a couple of the most revered names on Wall Street, so eager for E-Trade's Main Street customers? Despite constant liberal sniping, wealth growth isn't confined to the top 1 percent; stock and mutual fund holdings for the rest of America have doubled since 2010. The people benefiting from share buybacks and increasing dividends are ordinary Americans. And Wall Street's most prestigious banks believe that trend will continue. That's why they're "making long bets on the middle class becoming richer." Morgan Stanley buying E-Trade and Goldman offering no-fee bank accounts are ways to get to middle-class investors while they are still building wealth. Morgan Stanley also knows that young people "only want to interact with the bank digitally," said Brian Chappatta at Bloomberg. E-Trade gives Morgan access to digital natives and their "emerging wealth." Get them into the fold early and they'll be more likely to eventually "move over to the bank's existing wealth-management offerings once they accumulate more money and need a robust financial plan." Story continues For Morgan Stanley's brokers, buying E-Trade is like "inviting cannibals in for dinner," said John Foley at BreakingViews. After all, it's discount brokerages like E-Trade that killed brokerages' traditional source of revenue. But it's worth it for Morgan Stanley to steal the opportunity from Goldman Sachs. There's a decades-old rivalry between the two investment banks. Both are trying to expand to a broader base of customers, and this is a chance for Morgan to put Goldman "on the back foot." Let's just hope E-Trade and Morgan Stanley's clients win in this, too, said Jason Zweig at The Wall Street Journal. "Much as the Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo, from flesh to skin to horn to sinew and hooves," brokerages have become increasingly adept at finding new strategies for harvesting money, even as stock-trading commissions fall to zero. Investors who don't want to get skinned should keep asking themselves if they're getting the best deal. This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, try the magazine for a month here. More stories from theweek.com Coronavirus might be the end of international travel as we know it Public Enemy kicks out Flavor Flav after Bernie Sanders spat If democratic socialism is so bad, why is Norway so great? Minorities from Pakistan have erected a banner calling the countrys army epicenter of international terrorism in Geneva during the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The banner, which read Pakistani Army Epicenter of International Terrorism, was seen near the iconic Broken Chair during the 43rd session of UNHRC. News agency ANI reported that a protest is also scheduled to be held by Baloch and Pashtun activists in front of the United Nations office against the involvement of the Pakistani military establishment in breeding terror outfits. The activists are demanding that the UN should reprimand Pakistan, take immediate action to stop this and establish the rule of law in the region, it reported. This comes after India on Friday advised Pakistans top leadership to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating from its soil and territories under its control while decrying Islamabads efforts to derail the positive developments in Jammu and Kashmir. Indias statement came a week after the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris decided to retain Pakistan in its Grey List and warned the country of stern action if it fails to prosecute and penalise those involved in terror funding emanating from its jurisdiction. India also highlighted the plight of minorities in Muslim-majority Pakistan, asking the Pakistani leadership to end harassment and execution of minorities through misuse of the blasphemy law, end forced conversions and marriages of women and girls from Hindu, Sikh and Christian religions and stop religious persecution against Shias, Ahmadiyas, Ismailia and Hazaras. The 43s session of UNHRC started in Geneva on February 24 and will continue till March 20. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NORRISTOWN While no cases of the coronavirus from China have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, Montgomery County officials are working to put necessary protocols in place, according to commissioners Chairwoman Val Arkoosh. We want to be ready for any changes that we might have to put into place should COVID-19 become widespread here in Montgomery County, Arkoosh said in a phone interview Friday. Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan City, China. It has since spread with cases reported in more than 50 countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Several department heads from various agencies including the Montgomery County Office of Public Health and Department of Public Safety met Friday afternoon to discuss the matter, Arkoosh said. A representative from the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania was also welcomed to participate. She added the countys office of public health has existing policies in place to monitor and deal with infectious disease outbreaks such as influenza and measles. In the event someone falls ill, Arkoosh said the department can procure test samples, and based on the results, make recommendations with the goal of reducing spread of that disease or containing that disease. The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety issued guidelines on Feb. 25 for its EMS personnel with regards to COVID-19. The situation is fluid and changing every minute, county officials said in a statement. The CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health are opening command centers, according to Arkoosh, and the states hospital association is working with local hospitals to keep communication consistent. Arkoosh, who is also a physician, said there are several procedures for hospital employees and emergency medical services providers to follow when dealing with infectious diseases including sterilizing their hands before and after contact with every single patent. She added hospitals are equipped with personal protective gear for employees if they encounter a patient with an infectious disease. In addition, medical facilities are taking inventory to make sure that everyone has enough supplies of items including masks and gloves, Arkoosh said. Its really just making sure that everyone is prepared. Hopefully we wont need this preparation, but I do believe that given how this has been spreading, we absolutely must be prepared, she said. People going to places where the disease is prevalent, or coming into contact with someone whos traveled there could be susceptible to contracting the disease. If neither of those things are true, its extremely unlikely that someone has COVID-19, she said. Its much more likely that they just have the flu. Influenza is pretty active right now in Pennsylvania, so that is the most likely diagnosis. According to CDC, the symptoms for Coronavirus Disease 2019 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Arkoosh encouraged anyone with those symptoms to call their doctor, who will prompt them to take the appropriate next steps of coming in for an evaluation or going to a medical facility. In general, she emphasized the importance of residents practicing good health habits by washing their hands, coughing into their elbows and staying home if theyre sick. Arkoosh stressed she doesnt want the public to be alarmed. Right now the risk is very, very low, Arkoosh said. I think we are prepared, and if people just stay calm, and are careful in their personal habits, hopefully we wont have a problem here. UPDATE, 6:30 p.m.: N.J. patient does not have coronavirus, health department says A patient at a Monmouth County hospital is being treated and tested for a suspected case of coronavirus, state and local health officials confirmed Saturday morning. If the patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel tests positive, it would be the first case in New Jersey of the disease that has been threatening the globe. The patient has been isolated at the hospital and is currently being tested by the New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories, officials said. Results are expected within 24 hours, Gov. Phil Murphys office said. The sex, age, and other information about the patient is not yet available. As of Saturday, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Jersey. Five people in the state have been tested coroanvirus in recent weeks, but all tests have come back negative. Please rest assured that our health care team is taking every precaution in caring for this isolated patient and determining an accurate diagnosis, Daniel W. Varga, Hackensack Meridians chief physician executive, said in a statement Saturday. Varga said the hospital is working with the New Jersey Department of Health and following protocols from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control including isolating the patient, using protective equipment, restricting visitors, and disposing all materials used in treatment. He added that doctors are continuing to screen patients with appropriate symptoms for for travel history to China, Italy, Iran, Japan, and South Korea including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. It is not clear if the patient has traveled to a country where coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has spread. We are dedicated to the care and well-being of communities," Varga said. "We will continue to keep you informed. The governors office said the patient is being testing in according to CDC guidelines. The hospital has taken all necessary precautions and is following infectious disease protocol, said Alexandra Altman, a spokesman for Murphys office. A spokeswoman for the CDC told NJ Advance Media the agency does not have any further information on the situation. The new suspected case comes a day after the state Department of Health announced that the New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories in West Trenton would now be able to test for coronavirus without having to send out samples to the CDC. That, officials said, would allow doctors to cut down on the amount of time it takes for test results, from weeks to a matter of days. Testing capability will further enhance New Jerseys preparedness and response to this evolving health emergency," state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement. Everything at Bayshore Medical Center appeared to be business as usual Saturday afternoon. There were many open parking spaces in the visitor and patient section of the parking lot. And there did not seem to be many people walking into the emergency room. A few staff members walking through the halls were wearing face masks but the main lobby and cafeteria areas were quiet. A view of Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel on Saturday. There are 195 asymptomatic individuals in New Jersey who are self-quarantined based on their travel history, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. They are being monitored by local health officials. None of them is considered high risk. The Ocean County Health Department had 13 people being voluntarily monitored for COVID-19. As of Thursday, all but four completed the monitoring process, according to Brian Lippai, spokesman, spokesman for the countys health department. None showed any symptoms of coronavirus. Those 4 will be done by the end of the weekend, Lippai said in an email. The 13 people were identified through their recent travel history, and the individuals were in consistent daily communication with us and were given instructions should they demonstrate any symptoms which fortunately never occurred, Lippai said. Monmouth County had been monitoring nine people. They were extremely low risk, they were basically self-monitoring, said David Henry, spokesman for the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. Murphy said Wednesday New Jerseys state government is taking steps to prepare for all scenarios. Were doing everything we can to get out ahead of this and also be as prepared as possible if something hits us, the governor said. Murphys office said the governor spoke Friday night with Vice President Mike Pence, whom President Donald Trump has put in charge of the federal response to the virus. The Vice President praised New Jersey for taking aggressive and proactive measures to combat the public health threat and reiterated that the Trump Administration stands ready to support New Jerseys efforts in this fight, Murphys office said. The state also created a website and a hotline 1-800-222-1222 to answer questions about the virus. There are currently 85,952 cases of the novel coronavirus in the world including 66 in the U.S., according to a running tally by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. The overall numbers includes 39,761 people who have recovered across the globe. As of Saturday, 2,940 people have died from the disease. The first death in the U.S. in Washington state was confirmed Saturday. On Friday, officials confirmed three new cases in California, Oregon, and Washington of patients in the U.S. with coronavirus contracted from an unknown source. That means they do not have a known travel history to places where the disease has spread or exposure to someone with the virus. A top CDC official warned Americans this week to prepare for an inevitable outbreak. Federal health officials say the virus may lead to "community spread which means it spreads from person to person in communities across the country. The virus started in China but has been found in six continents across the globe. The head of the World Health Organization said this week the risk of the virus spreading worldwide was very high," citing the continued increase in the number of cases and the number of affected countries. Fear of coronavirus spreading has also caused stock markets to tumble in recent days. NJ Advance Media staff writer Susan K. Livio and Olivia Rizzo contributed to this report. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. According to the German Foreign Ministry, these funds will go to the ICRC humanitarian project in eastern Ukraine, aimed at overcoming the consequences of the ongoing conflict, helping people on both sides of the contact line in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions: providing the population with clean drinking water, medical care, medicines, food and hygiene items, training of medical personnel, search for missing and family reunification, mine awareness, etc.Until 2021, Germany will allocate 12.3 million euros for humanitarian projects of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine. The lives of royal children Prince George and Princess Charlotte may be at risk as the threat of the fatal coronavirus hits London and the school attended by Prince William and Kate Middleton's offspring. According to reports, Thomas's Battersea spokesperson has confirmed that several students from the said institution are suspected to be infected by the novel coronavirus. They are currently under self-quarantine and waiting for the result of the virus test. "Like all schools, we are taking the potential risks connected with the spread of Covid-19 very seriously and to this end are following government guidance to the letter around both prevention against infection and in dealing with cases where any staff or pupils are suspected of being exposed to the virus or who display any symptoms," the statement reads, as reported by ABC News. The spokesperson also confirmed that some students are being tested to make sure if they carry the contagious virus. "We currently have a very small number of pupils who have been tested, and these individuals are currently, as per government advice, remaining at home pending the receipt of their test results," the statement added. The spokesperson furthered that they have informed the parents, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, about the testing of coronavirus among the students. However, they refuse to comment on the identities of the students subjected to coronavirus tests to "preserve staff and pupil confidentiality." Thomas's Battersea is a private day school located in South London. It currently caters to almost 550 students from different backgrounds. The said institution has a less than four miles distance from The Cambridge's residence in Kensington Palace. The six-year-old Prince George started attending Thomas's Battersea three years ago, while his sister, four-year-old Princess Charlotte, joined the school last year. Coronavirus Scare in the U.K. Earlier this year, the threat of coronavirus has affected people from all over the world. As of writing, there are now 19 cases of confirmed coronavirus in the United Kingdom -- with the first infected patient coming from Wales. One of the infected patients is a British passenger who died while onboard a virus-hit cruise ship. The 20th suspected case of coronavirus in the U.K. is said to be a patient who has not been outside the country recently. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that the virus was passed on the patient in the U.K., but the source was still "unclear" and they do not have further details yet on the chain of transmission on such a particular case. Coronavirus Origin The virus officially called COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, back in December 2019. It has now spread to over 49 countries, with the highest cases coming from South Korea, Italy, and Iran. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency. It now has more than 81,000 confirmed cases around the world, most of which are from China. COVID-19 share similar symptoms with pneumonia, such as slight cold, fever, difficulty in breathing. As of now, there is no specific cure and immunization to prevent the said virus. - Jemima Oware, the Registrar-General, has disclosed that plans are in place to dissolve companies that refuse to file their tax returns - Oware stated that a notice would be released by the end of March 2020 which would caution businesses operating in Ghana to file their returns - She added that some big businesses in Ghana have not filed their returns for a number of years Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in The Registrar-General, Jemima Oware, has revealed that her department is in the process of dissolving companies that do not file their tax returns. According to her, businesses that have not filed their returns for more than 10 years now would be affected. Oware indicated that some big businesses in Ghana have not filed their returns and under the law, I can dissolve them. Jemima Oware Source: graphic.com.gh Source: UGC READ ALSO: MTN records GHC1 billion profit in 2019; total revenue was over GHC5 billion Per a myjoyonline.com report, Oware added that her office would release a notice by the end of March 2020, cautioning all companies who havent filed their returns to do so. Failure to act according to the directive, she added, would lead to a dissolution of such businesses. The new Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992), all dissolved companies will cease to do business for 12 years before they can re-register. Oware revealed that there are over one million registered businesses in the Departments database but just about 10% of them have filed their returns. In other news, the Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah, has argued that that a weak currency sometimes works well for a country. READ ALSO: Senegal outdoors West Africa's largest wind power plant According to him, a weak cedi is a bait to bring tourists into Ghana since a strong currency has a negative effect on the number of tourists that could visit Ghana. To him, having a weak currency makes the country a fair place as people on vacation exchange a lot with countries with such currencies. Per a classfmonline.com report, he cited an example to the effect that one needs a lot of cedis to get Pounds during a visit to the United Kingdom (UK). Dr. Assibey-Yeboah went on to say that those who visited the country as part of the Year of Return project chose Ghana because the currency is weak. In that respect, they earn a lot of money when they bring in dollars to exchange and that helps them spend a lot. He further noted that a currency that gains strength affects tourism and is, therefore, a bad thing. READ ALSO: World Health Organization records first case of coronavirus in Algeria Read the best news on Ghana #1 news app. Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana "I don't believe there is a president in Ghana" - Frustrated taxi driver speaks | #Yencomgh Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send us a message on our Facebook page or on Instagram with your stories, photos or videos Source: YEN.com.gh Japan Set to launch a mission to Mars' Moons Japan, Sat, 29 Feb 2020 Sangita Roy Japan recently announced that they are planning to send a space mission to Phobos, a satellite of Mars. This is the first time that any country will land a spacecraft on any moon of Mars if the mission is successful. This will also be the first round trip to the Martian orbit if the shuttle lands successfully. This is sample-return Mars mission of Japanese Space Agency. According to a recent statement by the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, they are pushing their Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) into development. So, as per their development plan, the Japanese team will proceed to create the hardware and software for the mission. The slated date for this mission is tentatively at 2024. What is the Timeline for Japans Mars Mission? As per the detailed mission summary given by JAXA, the Mars missions will arrive on the planet by 2025 after launching 2024. For the next three years, the JAXA will be conducting an extensive survey of Mars moon, Phobos and Deimos. The survey will create a detailed mapping of the surfaces of both moons. During this 3 year period, the JAXA will also be sending a probe to Phobos and digging at least 2 cms into the surface. They will then retrieve a sample from the moons surface. There are plans underway for including a rover to hop on the surface like the one used on an asteroid in 2018. Technically, the spacecraft will have 11 instruments onboard which will help its tasks during the mission. Provided everything goes well, the missions should conclude in 2029 when the spacecraft will be landing on earth. Why is Phobos Important? Phobos has been a target for investigation and inquiry for scientists worldwide in recent years. They are yet to confirm if these two are actually asteroids caught in Mars gravity. Alternatively, they may confirm that these satellites were formed when an extrasolar body slammed into the planet. This particular mission will look to solve these questions and some more. Phobos holds a very important spot in terms of space colonization since it can serve as a stepping stone. According to a statement by Jim Green, a chief scientist at NASA giving the JAXA announcement, humans cannot explore many parts of the solar system yet. However, Phobos and Deimos do stand in our margin and their orbit makes them tactically important. It is possible that future missions to Mars will be routed through installations on these satellites. However, this will only come into question when the MMX missions have been successfully concluded. What Instruments Will the MMX Mission Take? The MMX mission is primarily focussed on understanding the surface of the Martian moons. So, it will be carrying several instruments out of which NASA will be providing two. These are one which can analyse the elemental aspects of the moons surface and a pneumatic sampling device. Space experts at NASA have been discussing the two moons for several years now. They have created detailed mission briefs including crews. A well-received research paper dating back to 2007 stated that a mission to these two celestial bodies will push the envelope on human space exploration one giant step further. While previous missions to the moons like the 1988 Soviet Phobos 2 spacecraft have been ambitious, the explorer malfunctioned and the attempt failed. The 2011 Russian Phobos-Grunt mission which launched in 2011 didnt even make it beyond Earths orbit. MMX plans to address these failures and become the first successful human mission to Phobos and Deimos. More than 200,000 public school teachers and principals across Sri Lanka held a one-day strike on Wednesday to demand a resolution to long-standing salary issues, improved working conditions and an end to government attacks on free education. Part of the teachers protest march The strike, which was called by an alliance of unions, including the Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU), which is controlled by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), and the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU), was an attempt to dissipate rising anger among teachers. At a February 14 protest rally in Colombo, teacher union officials demagogically promised to call indefinite strike action but instead limited Wednesdays walkout to a one-day sick-leave campaign. Tied to the capitalist state, the unions are hostile to any mobilisation of teachers or other workers in a political struggle against the government. Wednesdays strike was the largest industrial action in Sri Lanka since President Gotabhaya Rajapakse came to power in November and indicates seething opposition to the ongoing social attacks on workers by consecutive Sri Lankan governments. Over the last three months, strikes have erupted in the plantations and at the state-owned Kahatagaha mine. Over 15,000 workers sacked by the Rajapakse government are also maintaining an ongoing protest in Colombo near the Presidential Secretariat to demand reinstatement. The political establishment has responded to the strikes by promoting Sinhala chauvinism against Tamils and Muslims in an attempt to divide workers. Running parallel with this communalist propaganda, the Tamil parties have stepped up their nationalist rhetoric. Despite this, about 90 percent of public school teachers across the ethnic divide actively participated in Wednesdays stoppage. Almost all public schools in the war-ravaged North and East, the central plantation districts and other parts in the country were shut down. About 3,000 teachers from all districts of the island held a protest march and rally outside the education ministry in Colombo. Hundreds of police officers armed with tear gas, batons and water cannon were mobilised ready to attack the protesting educators. Police manhandled teachers when they attempted to remove barriers blocking the entrance to the education ministry. In Jaffna, the northern provincial capital, hundreds of teachers protested and in Vavuniya students and parents joined the teachers demonstrations. Teachers protest in Jaffna The teachers struggle in Sri Lanka is part of an international resurgence of the working class. Hundreds of thousands of teachers in the US, Canada, France, Poland, Argentina and India have taken strike action since 2018 in defence of free education and for decent wages and living conditions. Last year, Sri Lankan teachers conducted a series of struggles, including a two-day strike in September. The teacher unions, however, called off the scheduled five-day strike in September after two days, accepting a bogus promise by the previous government that it would pay an interim allowance, starting in January this year. The unions did everything to sabotage this weeks industrial action and doing nothing to mobilise teachers. In some schools the unions did not even inform teachers about the walkout and protest. While a majority of educators in Sri Lanka do not belong to the unions out of disgust with their betrayals, many teachers participated in Wednesdays walkout. Previous demands also included and increase in government spending on public education to 6 percent of gross domestic product, restoration of the 2016 pensions scheme and an end to ongoing increases in non-teaching duties. Teachers protest march Desperate to avoid any confrontation with the government, the union alliance abandoned these and several other demands, limiting Wednesdays strike to an appeal to the government to pay the previously promised interim allowance. When the Rajapakse government came to power, the new education minister, Dulles Alahapperuma, initially promised to pay the allowance but then backtracked. On Wednesday, he told the media that although the government supported payment of the interim allowance, teachers would have to wait until the next government is formed and a new budget presented. President Rajapakse is planning to dissolve parliament next week and hold a new general election. He hopes that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which is led by his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, will win a two-thirds parliamentary majority. The cash-strapped Rajapakse regime is determined to impose the burden of the countrys deepening economic crisis on Sri Lankan workers and the rural masses. Addressing the protesting teachers on Wednesday, CTSU secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe repeatedly declared that the trade unions had never betrayed any teachers struggles. Another nervous union bureaucrat demagogically declared, that the unions would no longer be a messenger for the education ministers bogus promises. Hostile to the union leadership, some protesters shouted, Enough of talks, whats the next action? A group of teachers also rushed to the education ministry gate shouting: We need a final answer. We cant go back without solution. Were tired of bogus talks. Lets move for an indefinite strike. CTU leader Joseph Stalin claimed that although an education ministry official had been sent for talks, We are not ready for a discussion and will call a five-day strike from the 23rd of next month. Many teachers disbelieved Stalins claims, shouting Its too late. Several called out that they were ready to strike, starting tomorrow. Sensing that things could get out of control, the union leaders quickly called off the protest but many protesters did not leave the area. When one teacher questioned union officials and demanded to know why they were delaying the strike for a month, CTSU secretary Jayasinghe rushed towards him, declaring, We take this decision with the agreement of all the trade unions. If you dont agree with that then leave the union. Jayasinghes threatening response exposes the anti-democratic nature of the unions. In a face-saving move, teacher union officials then declared that they would call a strike on March 16. A despicable role is also being played by the Joint Teacher Services Union (JTSU), which is led by the fake-left Frontline Socialist Party. It held a separate protest stunt involving about 100 of its members in the same area prior to the CTU and CTSU mobilisation. The JTSU protesters attempted to enter the ministry premises but were blocked by the police. Police confront striking teachers outside education ministry in Colombo The JTSU bureaucrats criticise the other teacher unions for accepting the previous governments interim allowance and the education departments moves to turn the sector into a closed service. However, the organisation presents no genuine alternative and insist that more protests will force the government to grant teachers demands. The Teachers Group of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) issued a statement and campaigned among teachers during Wednesdays protest. The statement pointed out that militant action was insufficient and that teachers needed a political program based on a socialist perspective to win their demands. The SEP teachers group statement said: There is a firm determination among teachers to fight for the right to free education, adequate wages and the facilities needed to provide a quality education for students. Mere determination, however, is not enough. It is essential to clearly identify the real challenges facing teachers, to develop a strategy to overcome them, and to build up new organisational forms in order to carry out that strategy. The Rajapakse government, the statement warned, was planning to cut the budget deficit by half this year and had already started to gut free education and slash healthcare, jobs and wages. The statement explained that the fundamental barrier confronting teachers was the reactionary role being played by the trade unions. It pointed out that the deepening economic crisis of Sri Lankan capitalism was part of the global crisis of capitalism crisis. The SEP teachers group statement called on teachers to break from the unions, which are tied to the capitalist system, and build independent action committees to rally the support of all teachers, as well as parents and students, in unity with other workers in Sri Lanka and internationally in the fight for a socialist program. Click here to read the full article. On New Years Day, while on vacation in the Dominican Republic, Mariah Carey posted a video of herself, feet dangling in her hot tub, dressed in a shimmering silver gown. Days later she was back on Instagram with more photos of the dress, but this time she was draped in the water, gown still on, in the kind of fully fabulous diva move one can only hope for from Mariah Carey. As the story goes, she loved the dress so much that she asked her team to reach out to the man behind it, Michael Costello, and see if he might be up for creating her wardrobe for her Las Vegas residency, The Butterfly Returns. More from WWD Of course, I had to pinch myself when I heard that, Costello says, over the phone from Los Angeles in the midst of packing for his final Mariah trip to Vegas. I was just blown away. The show, which opened on Valentines Day and closes this weekend, features five looks, all done by Costello, with the exception of an Adrienne Landau feather coat he selected for Carey. The drama begins in a black, long-sleeve, hand-beaded, appliqued bodysuit with a sheer black chiffon skirt covered in black Swarovski crystals, a look Costello calls all legs for days. She then changes into a bodysuit with the Adrienne Landau ostrich feather coat, at which part Carey calls Costello on stage for a glam moment and he drapes the coat over her; a strapless hot pink sequined mermaid dress, Costellos favorite, that is totally Mariah, and either a white or silver gown, depending on how shes feeling, for a few ballads. It was a pleasure to work with Michael on these designs, as he understands the nuances of a dress that works for a performance, Carey writes in an e-mail. He is a wonderful collaborator and beautifully created these new, spectacular ensembles for my Las Vegas residency. Story continues Costello, who has previously worked with Carey on a few custom dresses for events (including the New Years Eve look), was also responsible for dressing Jennifer Lopez for some of her Vegas residency outfits. For The Butterfly Returns, the process began with a phone call with Carey, before he flew to New York to her gorgeous, gorgeous home to show her the initial five options he had created for her. Things that were going through my head were Bette Midler, Cher, Diana Ross, all the people that Bob Mackie had worked with, Costello says of taking inspiration from Vegas. Because its Vegas, we wanted to stay with sequins and stuff that has lots of stage presence and sparkle, and we wanted to keep things fitted to show off her body. Shes in her best shape right now and her body, its pretty much banging and she just looks great in stuff thats more fitted and with sparkles. Its a residency in Vegas. I think people come and they want to see sparkles. He took some inspiration from classic Mariah moments and knew he wanted to see her onstage in plunging necklines, off-the-shoulder moments, long sleeves, mermaid silhouettes all things Carey told him she loves. I suggested things like fringe and oversize crystals, but Mariah was like, Nope, I definitely dont want to do fringe, especially dont want to do oversize crystals, he says. She wont just put a dress on shes very into the process as far as the sketching, the fabric, the color, the cut. She knows her body so well and she knows exactly whats going to work on her body. Weve worked with so many celebrities before and a lot of them are like either just, make it black, make it white, make it blue, make it pink. But Mariah knows whats going to hit her in the right areas and whats going to accentuate her the best. Lets face it, shes got all the assets. And he is adamant that even though she may like a dramatic train on a sequined gown, her diva reputation gets overblown. I get really upset because some stylists and some people are like, Oh, shes such a diva. Oh, shes so difficult to work with. Maybe I have not yet had the opportunity to see that side of her, but the Mariah that Ive been working super closely with is so fun, so exciting, so enthusiastic, so opinionated on the clothes. I think shes great to work with and shes still so extremely passionate about her music and her writing and her fans. Perhaps surprisingly, she also cares deeply about what her fans think of her onstage looks. There was a moment where we were talking about people leaving comments and I was still shocked to know that she reads the comments and she goes through every single comment to see what people are saying about the looks, Costello says. For one of the looks in particular, she felt a little bothered by someone who left a comment. And I said, Hey, I mean, opinions are like aholes. Everybody has one and theyre not always going to be that great. You look smoking hot and you look amazing, you went out there and did that and people are going to hate, no matter what. Her fans like to tell Costello what theyd like to see her in more of as well, whether thats warranted or not. Im getting tons of Mariah texts, and texts from the fans telling me I should never put her in a flowy skirt. We need to see her legs more. We need to see more boobs. Im getting all of that, but Im not paying attention to her because she looks killer on stage. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. South Dakota's chief justice seeks $5 million for courthouse security In Chief Justice Jensen's State of the Judiciary Address, he mentioned courthouse security, sexual harassment training and a lack of court reporters. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Anuj Kumar, who got injured in recent clashes in northeast Delhi's Gokulpuri, said that the police force was heavily outnumbered as the place turned into a battlefield with frenzied mobs torching houses, shops, vehicles and hurling stones. IMAGE: Police officers stand guard in an alley in a riot affected area in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters The ACP, who was discharged from the hospital two days ago, said, "We were instructed that the road linking Signature Bridge with the border of Ghaziabad should not remain blocked. But slowly and steadily the crowd started getting bigger and included both men and women. They were around 20,000- 25,000, while we were only 200. I don't know whether they had planned to block the road as they did previously." "We spoke to them peacefully and asked them to remain confined to the service road instead of the main road. Till then rumours had started spreading that some women and children had lost their lives in a police shootout. There was construction underway near the bridge, so stones and bricks were lying there. The protesters started pelting stones suddenly and we were injured, including the deputy commissioner of police who was bleeding severely," he added. The clashes took place at the same time when US President Donald Trump was on a two-day maiden visit to India. The ACP further stated that the police had fired teargas shells to disperse the crowd but the effort was futile as the distance between the protesters and the security was large. "We were standing on two opposite ends of the road. We didn't want to open fire as many women took part in the protest. But we were heavily outnumbered," Kumar said. "My aim then was to first rescue the DCP because he was bleeding heavily. But we also didn't want to hurt any protester," he stressed. Rattan Lal, a head constable attached to the office of the ACP Gokalpuri, died of injuries he sustained during stone pelting at Gokalpuri. Three other civilians succumbed to injuries in the clashes, a Delhi government official said, adding 50 people with injuries had come to the hospital for treatment. At least 11 police personnel, including Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, Amit Sharma and Kumar himself were injured while trying to quell the protests. The clashes between pro and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters took place at various places in the northeast District of Delhi on Monday. At least 42 people, including a police head constable, have died while around 200 people have been injured in the violence. Two Special Investigative Teams have been constituted under Crime Branch, Delhi Police to probe the violence. BOSTON Four miles from the Cambridge home of Elizabeth Warren, more than 13,000 people turned out in freezing temperatures Saturday for an outdoor Bernie Sanders rally at Boston Common, three days before Massachusetts 91 delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday. With former Vice President Joe Biden the favorite to win Saturday's South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, Sanders looked ahead to Super Tuesday, where he has an opportunity to build a significant overall delegate lead. He was in Springfield, Massachusetts, Friday night and will be in Virginia on Saturday evening before heading to Los Angeles on Sunday. As some of you may know, the establishment is getting very nervous about our campaign, said Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont, taking the stage after musician Bela Fleck warmed up the crowd with the banjo. And tonight, theyre going to turn on the TV and theyre going to find that 10,000 people came out to the Boston Common, and theyre going to become even more nervous. The Sanders campaign later said 13,200 people attended. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., campaigns during a rally on Boston Common, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) ORG XMIT: MAMS123 South Carolina primary: Pivotal South Carolina could reshape the Democratic race heading into Super Tuesday In Massachusetts, Sanders is going for a knockout punch against Warren, a U.S. senator from the state, and delegates that once seemed improbable given her home-state advantage. But Sanders, the national Democratic frontrunner, has surged into first place in recent Massachusetts polls, topping Warren 25% to 17% in a survey released Friday by WBUR. They were followed by Pete Buttigeig, 14%; Mike Bloomberg, 13%; and Biden, 9%. Sanders, a democratic socialist, did not mention Warren during his speech, railing instead on President Donald Trump, the 1 percent and billionaires in his usual populist pitch. This is not just a campaign. We are a movement, Sanders said. Here we are a few days before the Massachusetts primary in the most consequential election in the modern history of America. And we are assembled to tell Donald Trump hes not going to destroy democracy in America. Story continues I know I am in a city of great learning with great universities, he added. And Ive got to tell you, I dont have a Ph.D. in mathematics, but this I do know: 99% is a hell of a lot bigger than 1%. What to know about Super Tuesday: Why is it so important? What's a delegate? And what happens at a brokered convention? Sanders' rise has come at the expense of Warren, who is also running in the party's progressive lane and shares several policy positions as Sanders. The Warren campaign this week released a list of 147 Massachusetts elected officials local, state and federal supporting her campaign. Backers include Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Jim McGovern, Joe Kennedy III, Katherine Clark and Lori Trahan, as well as state Speaker Robert DeLeo, state Senate President Karen Spilka and Attorney General Maura Healey. But Warren has not campaigned in Massachusetts in recent days. She will be in Houston on Saturday night. POLL: Elizabeth Warren neck-and-neck with Bernie Sanders in her home state of Massachusetts Among those in the Sanders crowd, Thomas Simpson, a 29-year-old nonprofit worker from Allston, Massachusetts, said he originally supported Warren but switched and voted for Sanders during the early-voting period after her struggles in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Just the trends in the polls seemed to indicate that its a race between Bernie, Bloomberg and maybe Biden as well, Simpson said, describing himself as much more aligned with Bernies policies than the others. In general, I dont necessarily gravitate toward Bernies outright advocacy of socialism, he said, applauding Warrens support of progressive taxation. Im not as far left as Bernies politics, but I think that we definitely need to nominate somebody whos going to offer a clear choice to Donald Trump and his policies. Simpson said Bloomberg would be a disaster and that hes concerned with the possibility of a brokered convention at the Democratic National Convention if Sanders doesnt reach a majority of delegates. I would hope the party and the superdelegates would do the right thing at that point and realize theres a movement going on in the Democratic Party. Theres a movement toward progressive positions, Simpson said. 'A plan to fight back': How Elizabeth Warren stumbled in New Hampshire and her plan for 'the long haul' Brian Willis, 56, a union stage handle from Scituate, Massachusetts, said he voted for Warren for Senate in both 2012 and 2018 but is backing Sanders for president. He proposed that Warren serve as Sanders vice president if hes elected. I think theyd make a great team, but Ive been a Bernie supporter for a while and I think that she has less electability, in my opinion, Willis said. If Bernie wasnt in the race, shed be my top choice. Willis touted Sanders years and years of fighting for the underdog. Hes stood up for what was right. And so has Elizabeth Warren, he said, but added: I believe the Democratic establishment stole his opportunity last cycle. Massachusetts state Rep. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, was among a handful of Democrats to speak before Sanders. This Common has hosted revolutionaries from John Adams to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Connolly said. "So, its very fitting that we are in here today in support of Sen. Sanders, for Bernie is a revolutionary and a true champion for public good. Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Primary election 2020: Bernie Sanders draws major crowd in Boston Slovak government approves defense treaty with US US senators unveil bill to impose sanctions against Russia EU wants to help Lebanon avoid economic collapse CSTO to approve Kazakhstan peacekeepers withdrawal order German president calls for thorough discussion on mandatory vaccination Andranik Hovhannisyan elected UN Human Rights Council vice-president Aliyev: Peace treaty with Armenia not a guarantee for avoiding war Russian Foreign Ministry: Further NATO enlargement involves risks Barcelona name their starting lineup 7 main causes of metabolic disorders Aliyev not to let OSCE deal with the Karabakh conflict Ex-Mayor of Yerevan invited to police Real Madrid name their starting lineup Boris Johnson apologizes for attending party during lockdown Global COVID-19 cases rise by 55% percent, deaths stable Thailand introduces $9 tourist fee Erdogan vows to tame Turkish inflation as scepticism grows Turkey's Turkic world ambitions face reality check in Kazakhstan Teacher in Baku beats student NEWS.am daily digest: 12.01.22 Roma midfielder set to join Getafe Turkish FM expresses concerns to Chinese counterpart OSCE Chairman-in-Office speaks on situation along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Iran cancels travel ban on common borders Zayn Malik is on WooPlus now! 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PSG intend to sign Paul Pogba 4,391 foreign nationals visit Artsakh in 2021 China calls on US to immediately close Guantanamo prison State Department says more progress must be made to salvage nuclear deal Measure ensuring implementation of law on addendum to law on Armenia state border is approved Davit Minasyan is sworn in as new mayor of Armenias Parakar enlarged community World Bank: Armenia economic growth expected to be 4.8% in 2022 and 5.4% in 2023 Azerbaijani Defense Minister receives new commander of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh Kanye West rep denies reports on cooperations with Azerbaijani president ex-son-in-law Biden names Kamala Harris as US president during Atlanta speech Ombudsman: Azerbaijan is launching provocations in Armenia territories where it earlier invaded Russia-NATO Council meeting kicks off in Brussels Serdar Kilic is appointed Turkey special representative for Armenia Armenia ambassador to Georgia informs Switzerland envoy about Azerbaijan's gross ceasefire violation Economy minister: Armenia government was guided by political considerations when lifting sanctions on Turkey goods Eric Cantona: I don't really care about the next World Cup Turkey defense minister expresses support for Azerbaijan in another military aggression against Armenia Pochettino in talks with Manchester United Pashinyan, Putin discuss Karabakh, Kazakhstan Toivo Klaar: Deeply worried by reports of renewed incidents and casualties on Armenia-Azerbaijan Germany: A record 80,430 COVID-19 cases detected per day 3 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Atletico Madrid not extending Luis Suarez's deal Criminal case launched into 3 Armenia soldiers killing by Azerbaijan shootings 76 children born in Armenia thanks to infertility overcoming program Copper rises in price One of main tasks of Armenia peacekeepers in Kazakhstans Almaty is to prevent water supply system poisoning The Oscars to have a host after a 3-year hiatus About 80 Americans cannot fly from Afghanistan Turkey parliament ex-deputy speaker: Armenia must fulfill 4 preconditions Border situation in Armenias Gegharkunik Province was calm at night French FM says talks on Iranian nuclear deal are progressing slowly 289 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Fati, De Jong and Araujo are ready for game against Real Madrid Gold slightly rises in price North Korea says it successfully tested another hypersonic missile OSCE calls on Azerbaijan, Armenia to refrain from the use of force Oil is trading without a single dynamic US State Department welcomes announcement on CSTO forces withdrawal from Kazakhstan Karen Khachanov reach quarterfinals Newspaper: Ex-ministers are summoned to Hayastan All Armenian Fund parliamentary inquiry committee MOD: Armenia soldiers dead body found at midnight after Azerbaijan provocation Newspaper: Casualties of Armenia PM Pashinyan's 'era of peace' What are health risks of toothpaste? US concerned about EastMed natural gas pipeline project Giant fish sold at auction for over 16 million yen Mourinho invites Ndombele to Roma Xavi: Match with Real can be turning point for our team German Marshall Fund: It Is not too early to think about political change in Turkey Armenian Foreign Ministry: We call on Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocations Vaccination may prolong menstrual cycle Armenia's Geghamasar community head: The situation is stable now Queen Elizabeth II's favorite fast food revealed Human Rights Defender: Azerbaijani troops open fire on Armenian sovereign territory World Economic Forum: Cybersecurity and space pose new risks to the global economy Porto midfielder to move Roma 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 Fabio Cannavaro refuses to lead the Polish team European Commission to require Poland to pay fine of nearly EUR 70 million White House announces $308 million humanitarian aid for Afghanistan Vahan Bichakhchyan starts training with Pogon 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 Armenian ex-president expresses condolences on poet Razmik Davoyan's death Traction Programme to showcase 8 startups during the Digital Demo Day Azerbaijan uses artillery and UAVs, 3 Armenian soldiers wounded Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 The government will bring in three international consulting firms to help develop the city master plan for the countrys new capital in East Kalimantan, which has been envisioned to become "a smart metropolis" that matches US' Silicon Valley. Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said on Friday that American engineering company AECOM, management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and Japanese architectural and engineering firm Nikken Sekkei would design the city. The development of the new capital will make use of the latest technology and be environmentally friendly. McKinsey has been hired to assist the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) while Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which has pledged to invest in the project, will work with Nikken Sekkei. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login People leave their houses following clashes over the new citizenship law, at Brij Puri area of northeast Delhi on Friday. PTI New Delhi: As life started limping back to normal in parts of riot affected areas of Northeast Delhi on Friday, many people recalled the traumatic experience they had undergone while saving their lives when armed rioters attacked their homes. There is also fear among many locals that the police could implicate them to save their own skin. The riot took the lives of 43 people and left over 200 injured. It is suspected that the death toll might increase. Our houses were set on fire; businesses were targeted by the mob during the riot. We lost everything in this riot. However, this could not stop us from progressing. We will look forward and also fight against injustice. It was the politicians and some section of media which portrayed us as terrorists. We are angry but cannot go against the country. It was a big challenge for us to overcome this riot, but as people say time heals all wounds, we will emerge as strong and join the mainstream with other communities, said Rashid, a local shopkeeper of Chand Bagh area, recalling when his family was forced to flee after a mob allegedly attacked their home. The nightmare on Wednesday night ended only after Rashid and his family of four entered a Muslim-dominated lane. I was at home when a mob barged in. We somehow managed to escape, said Rashid, who runs a shop to feed his family. The insensitivity of politicians and law enforcement agencies, which failed to nab the culprits, also hurt the victims of the riot. Their families are still traumatised and struggling for their survival. The five days of riot has changed our lives forever, he said. It is very difficult to win the trust of the people who lost their families, houses, and businesses in this riot. We feel deceived and ignored, said Rohit Sharma, a bank employee and resident of Chand Bagh area. We took shelter in our relatives house for the next two days. After the situation normalised, we came back on Friday. I keep thinking about the mob mentality, how someone can kill a human being without any reason, said Sharma, who is still in shock. If the guilty of 1984 had been punished, we wouldnt have seen the 1993 Mumbai riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots. Be prepared for it as it will keep happening until the government takes firm action, said Najeeb, a resident of Maujpur whose friend was killed in the riot. We dont hate anybody. We just want justice and compensation, which will secure the future of our next generation. However, the wounds will remain in our heart, soul, and mind. Though time will lessen the pain, the memory of the tragedy will stay forever, he added. Rome is burning while our politicians fiddle. Or fiddle about, anyhow. Britain is stirring the Brexit pot and no-deal is back on the menu. Meanwhile our political leaders casually tell us we must be patient while they take their time weighing up the whos and hows, the ifs and maybes of government formation. It is three weeks since election day and progress towards government formation is dawdling. No sense of urgency is apparent. Even as the British backslide on their Brexit promises. And it's not just Brexit posing risks - flooding and the coronavirus are danger zones. Boris Johnson's administration is shaping up to dismantle the joint declaration setting out the framework for the future EU-British relationship - and the focus of our political leaders is elsewhere. They are sighing, wringing their hands and looking into their hearts, wondering if they can steel themselves to enter government or not. The Brexit soundtrack, muted for a while but with the volume up on "high" now, means instability ahead. But nothing seems capable of galvanising Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They have ruled out coalition with Sinn Fein and shy away from the idea of another general election, but can't quite bring themselves to take the only viable step that remains - inevitable though it looks. The national interest requires a government - not a caretaker government - but progress is at a snail's pace and self-indulgent in the extreme. No wonder party loyalty is a thing of the past. Michael Gove turned up the heat under the Brexit pot with his categorical "there will be no border down the Irish Sea" assurance in the House of Commons on Thursday. Is it possible he's speaking the truth? Or is he reaching for alternative facts which bear little relation to factual facts? And wasn't that all meant to be settled by the revised Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland in the Withdrawal Agreement, due to come into operation at the end of 2020? A worrying development, you might think. But not troublesome enough for parties to speed up the rate at which they consider government formation. Fine Gael has yet to appoint a negotiating team. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail haven't even exchanged policy documents yet. Even with no-deal back on the table. A lot of what the British are saying currently is for domestic consumption. It cannot be coincidental that negotiations with the EU start on Monday. Nevertheless there has been a shift in tone since Julian Smith was removed as secretary of state for Northern Ireland and Britain's Taskforce Europe unit began limbering up. What are we to make of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to give Mr Gove his full Ruritanian-style title, insisting there'll be no border in the Irish Sea? It's possible he is playing with 'alternative facts'. Or he may be indulging in a little creative interpretation - checks, schmecks, they don't really count here. Or he may be convinced there will be no deal and consequently no wet border between Britain and the North. A hard border, with all the negative repercussions for people on both sides of it, is the reality of what's at stake. Yet still our political leaders dither about coalition. By contrast, the British are decisive about their Brexit aims. They want a Canada-style deal, they say. This will mean some trade friction so businesses need to prepare. But Britain is claiming it is ready to go for World Trade Organisation rules if the Canada option is ruled out - no-deal by another name. On the face of it, this WTO talk is nonsense. British business would bear the full brunt of tariffs and lose out on access to 450 million customers in the EU. But the Tories have the parliamentary numbers to do as they choose. Say what you like about them, they are highly motivated. Clearly, the British are altering their position on the Border, without the brake imposed by their parliament in its previous incarnation, and all of us on this island will be affected. A great deal of uncertainty lies ahead. And what of our political leaders, are they so busy carving up ministries that some of what's happening is passing them by? Consider recent speeches. Mr Gove's remarks in the House of Commons sounded suspiciously like a signal that no-deal is on the way. Arguably, impending trade talks are for public consumption. The narrative may well go as follows: we tried, truly we did, but the dastardly Europeans were unreasonable. He warned the EU that Britain would walk away from talks in June unless there was a "broad outline" of a free trade agreement in place, capable of being concluded in September. The British are painting red lines already - and while we all know how watery the last ones turned out, danger does lie ahead. Britain's Brexit negotiator David Frost spoke in Brussels recently, insisting London would not accept level-playing-field rules imposed by the EU - even if it meant losing out on access to the single market. The tone suggested the possibility of negotiations collapsing before year end, when the transition period finishes. Yet more chest-thumping? Or a sign a crash-out Brexit wouldn't upset the Johnson administration? It's packed with hard Brexiteers, after all. Although nobody so far on the British side is using no-deal language. Deliberately so. As for their Irish counterparts, they are preoccupied with party destiny meditations and the gravity of the situation may be bypassing them. But it's the British bargaining ploy once again. Former minister Theresa Villiers contorted herself into all sorts of shapes to avoid saying "no-deal" on BBC Radio 5 Live recently. She was at such pains to sidestep it, there could be no coincidence. Ms Villiers denied that failing to strike a trade deal amounted to a no-deal scenario, insisting an exit treaty with the EU had been agreed covering citizens' rights and the divorce payment. "The risks and potential issues are not nearly as great as they were," she said, although they look fraught from the Irish perspective. No-deal injures Northern Ireland and the Republic. It's damaging for Britain, too - not least because the powerful Irish-American Washington lobby says the United States won't strike a trade deal with Britain if the Good Friday Agreement is compromised. That wriggly, higgledy-piggledy Border is where no-deal may happen, or where the Tories may pull back from the brink. But Anglo-centric chest-thumping aside, it's either a border in the Irish Sea with checks to protect the single market - or no-deal. Anglo-centric chest-thumping isn't edifying, of course. But, frankly, it pales in comparison with Hibernian navel-gazing. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A young man from Kashmir who remained holed up for over 40 hours in a madrasa in old Mustafabad to escape the rioters during violence in parts of northeast Delhi on Friday recalled the horror. Basharat Shaifi, 25, said that his ordeal began after rioting broke out in his Chand Bagh locality on Tuesday night. He said that he was studying in his rented house when an anxious neighbour, Hamid, came around 10 pm on Tuesday and asked him to flee since violence had broken out. ALSO READ | Delhi riots: Police complaint against Wall Street Journal for spreading 'communal tension' Shaifi said that fearing for his life, he locked his house and fled with only a mobile phone in his pocket. Hamid, a local, accompanied by his wife and children led them through the lanes and bylanes to old Mustafabad. We all reached a two-storey seminary around 10.30 pm, but it was already swarming with people young, old, and children who too were trying to escape the rioters, Shaifi said. Narrating how he was rescued, Shaifi said one of his friends was a Kashmiri journalist whom he contacted on Thursday and told her about his ordeal. She then contacted Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajan Bhagat, who was posted in the Crime Branch in old Mustafabad. The IPS officer contacted him to tell him about the evacuation plan, following which Bhagat went to the seminary along with a posse of security personnel on Thursday evening and rescued him. The Managing Director of the Ghana Supply Company Limited, Hon. Abraham Jawol, has been honoured by the Voiceless Media and Consult for revitalizing the Ghana Supply Company Limited from a distressed to a sustainable state at a ceremony in Accra. Speaking at the awards ceremony in Accra, Chief Akilu Sayibu, Managing Director of the Voiceless Media and Consult, praised Hon. Jawol for working hard with his management team to make the GSCL, which was previously described by industry watchers as a heavily indebted and poor State Agency in Ghana, sustainable. According to the Voiceless Media, the GSCL was previously selling its properties to pay salaries of staff and utility bills but had now laid a solid foundation for self-sustainability hence the award. Chief Akilu Sayibu revealed that the Voiceless Media Awards was a novelty never experienced in Ghana since Independence and called on other media organisations to feel free to emulate their style. Explaining further, the Managing Director of the Voiceless Consult admonished the media to not only use its watchdog role to focus on bad news. "If bad news sells, then good performance must sell even better", he stated. The Voiceless Media awards is the brainchild of Chief Akilu Sayibu who believes that honouring people who are doing their best in their endeavours will encourage them as well as others to contribute much more to the socio-economic development of mother Ghana. Receiving the award, Hon. Abraham Jawol, on behalf of the management of the GSCL, thanked the Management of the Voiceless Media and Consult for this initiative adding that they were humbled fully for the recognition and intend to do much more for the betterment of mother Ghana. Hon. Jawol used the opportunity to appeal to the media in Ghana to take an interest in the operations of the GSCL to enable the public to take advantage of their services. Two lucky players from Auckland have won a $25.1 million share of last nights record-breaking $50 million Powerball jackpot. The lucky players won Powerball First Division outright to take home a $25.1 million share of the historic jackpot. The winning tickets were sold at Countdown Manukau City Mall in Auckland and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. Each prize is made up of $25 million from Powerball First Division and $111,111 from Lotto First Division. Kiwis all over the country have been dreaming what they would do if they won Powerball and now two lucky players are about to find out. The champagne is on ice and we are ready to celebrate with New Zealands newest big winners, says Lotto NZs Head of Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility Marie Winfield. Seven other Lotto players will also be celebrating tonight after winning a $111,111 share of Lotto First Division. The winning tickets were sold at the following stores: Store Location Tai Ping Auckland MyLotto Auckland Greerton Lotto Tauranga Greenmeadows New World Napier Levin New World Levin On the Spot Tapanui Tapanui Balclutha Bookshop Paper Plus Balclutha But the winning doesnt stop there. In Saturday nights Strike Must Be Won Draw, the $1 million jackpot was shared by three players who each take home $333,333. The winning Strike tickets were sold at Blagdon Four Square in New Plymouth, Milton Night n Day in Milton and on MyLotto to a player from Auckland. While winners around the country are celebrating following last nights draw, community groups around New Zealand will also be seeing the benefit. Lotto NZ exists to generate essential funding for Kiwi communities its why were here. With 100 percent of Lotto NZs profits helping support over 3,000 good causes around the country, every ticket bought helps make a real difference in Kiwi communities, says Marie. Thirty-nine Lotto players win Second Division Thirty-nine Lotto players will be enjoying a boost to their bank account after each winning $26,117 with Lotto Second Division in last nights live Lotto draw. Eight lucky players also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $35,771. The winning Powerball Second Division tickets were sold at New World Regent in Whangarei, Greerton Lotto in Tauranga (X2), Taradale Four Square in Napier, Village Post Temuka in Temuka and on MyLotto to players from Auckland (X2). The winning Second Division tickets were sold at the following stores: Store Location MyLotto Northland Paihia Four Square Paihia New World Regent (+PB) Whangarei Whau Valley Dairy Whangarei New World Warkworth Warkworth Salisbury Superette Auckland Eden Foods (St Heliers) Auckland MyLotto (x4) (+PB x2) Auckland Meg Star Auckland Woodward Dairy Auckland Whitcoulls St Lukes Auckland Countdown Airport (+PB) Auckland Pak N Save Sylvia Park Auckland MyLotto Waikato Greerton Lotto (x2) (+PB x2) Tauranga Napier City Pak N Save Napier Taradale Four Square (+PB) Napier Four Square Patea Patea SuperValue Whanganui Whanganui Waipawa Four Square Waipawa New World Feilding Feilding Inner City Post & Lotto Palmerston North Eastside Foodmarket and Lotto Porirua Bedford Superette Porirua MyLotto Wellington New World Newlands Wellington Whitcoulls Lambton Quay Wellington Pak N Save Richmond Nelson MyLotto Canterbury Village Post Temuka (+PB) Temuka Wigram New World Christchurch Waimate New World Waimate New World Three Parks Wanaka Pak n Save Queenstown Queenstown Collingwood Foodcentre Invercargill Anyone who bought their ticket from any of the above stores should write their name on the back of the ticket and check it immediately at any Lotto outlet, online at mylotto.co.nz or through the Lotto NZ App. Players can phone Lotto on 0800 695 6886 if they want to enquire about the best way to claim a prize. A Port Health Service staff member stands next to a thermal scanner as passengers arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on Jan 27, 2019. (Photo: AFP) "The case is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the Feb 25, 2020," Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement on Twitter. "The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos." Prior to the case in Nigeria, just two cases had surfaced across all of Africa - in Egypt and in Algeria - a tally that had puzzled health specialists, given the continent's close economic ties with China. The World Health Organization warned earlier this week that African health systems were ill-equipped to respond to the deadly coronavirus outbreak should cases start to proliferate on the continent. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 17:58:48|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close Pedestrians pass a shop selling masks at Myeongdong shopping malls in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 29, 2020. South Korea confirmed 813 more cases of the COVID-19 on Saturday, raising the total number of infections to 3,150. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua) SEOUL, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Korea confirmed 813 more cases of the COVID-19 on Saturday, raising the total number of infections to 3,150. As of 4:00 p.m. local time, the number of infected patients totaled 3,150, up 813 from the previous day. Four more deaths were reported, lifting the combined death toll to 17. The virus infection jumped in recent days, with 2,306 new cases reported on Feb. 19-28. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has updated the data twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time. Of the new patients, 657 were residents in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, and 79 came from its surrounding North Gyeongsang province. The total number of infections in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province increased to 2,236 and 488 respectively. Daegu became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the biggest cluster of mass infections was found in the city with a 2.4 million population. The city ordered all of its 800 preschools, primary and secondary schools to postpone their March openings by two more weeks. The education ministry already delayed the opening of the first semester by a week to March 9. The Daegu cluster was closely linked to the church services of a homegrown minor religious sect, called Sincheonji, in Daegu. As of Saturday morning, 1,557 cases were tied to the worship services. Out of around 1,200 confirmed patients who were untraceable to the source of infection, most of the patients were believed to have been linked to the Sincheonji church services, the health authorities estimated. The health authorities completed the test on about 1,300 members of the Sincheonji Daegu branch, who developed fever and other symptoms, and the test results would be announced by this weekend. Among about 190,000 followers across the country to be available on the list offered by Sincheonji to the government, the health authorities checked about 170,000 followers. Of the total, 3,381 showed infection symptoms. The health authorities asked people to stay home and refrain from going outside as this weekend is forecast to be the most significant period for the virus containment efforts. A total of 119 cases were traced to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo county, just south of Daegu. Test for all of about 650 patients and medical staff was completed as almost all of the patients at the hospital's psychiatric ward tested positive for the virus. The cluster infection at the hospital was believed to have been linked to the Sincheonji sect as a number of followers attended a funeral ceremony for a brother of the Sincheonji founder. The government has designated Daegu and Cheongdo as a "special care zone." Two more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, lifting the combined number to 28. The 25th patient was discharged from hospital with recovery on Feb. 22, but the 74-year-old woman tested positive again on Friday, becoming the first South Korean to be re-infected with the COVID-19. The Togolese government has issued a communique through the Ministry of Territorial Administration of Decentralization and Local Authority warning citizens against taking part in any illegal demonstration in the capital, Lome on Friday. The communique signed by the sector Minister, Payadowa Boukpessi, released Thursday evening said, "we learned that Dr. Agbeyome Kodjo planned to organize a public demonstration on Friday," against, "Law No. 2019-019 of August 12, 2019 amending law No. 2011-010 of May 2019-fixing the conditions of exercise of the freedom of assembly and public peaceful demonstration...thus illegal." The Ministry further warned, "all those who will take part in it will be guilty of participating in an illegal demonstration," and that the security forces would be deployed to uphold the law to allow people go about their daily businesses freely. On Thursday afternoon, former Prime Minister, Dr. Agbeyome Messan Kodjo, one of the 2020 Presidential Candidates assured members of his Party and other followers that the demonstration would come off as earlier planned. The demonstration by the main opposition Party is against provisional results released by the country's National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) Monday dawn, which saw incumbent Faure Eyadema declared" President-Elect," awaiting validation by the Constitutional Court. The protesters planned to March "peacefully" Friday afternoon from Bas-Fond college St Joseph to the French Embassy. Meanwhile, information reaching the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicates that some families were leaving the small West African country for Ghana, Benin and Nigeria. 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 Please DOUX follow us Doux Reviews has been on the web since 2004 and features thousands of episode reviews of the best classic and current television shows as well as many book and movie reviews At the dawn of the 1920s, Venezuela had drilled its first oil wells and was just two years away from the eruption of almost a million barrels of oil from the Barroso No. 2 well on the shores of Lake Maracaibo an event that would amplify the countrys oil ambitions and alter its fortunes forever. Few would have guessed that almost a century later, Venezuelas oil production per citizen would be lower than in 1926. Once a major OPEC producer, Venezuela has witnessed a spectacular fall in oil production over the last 20 years under Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. In 2019, U.S. sanctions hastened this decline. Will Venezuela ever reclaim its place as a top oil producer? With state oil company PDVSA saddled with crippling debt, poor management and corruption, resuscitating Venezuelas oil industry would clearly require foreign investment. Several international oil companies maintain limited operations in the country, while others have exited completely. For investment to flow on the scale required to restore Venezuelan output to pre-Chavez levels, numerous hurdles would have to be overcome, according to large Western oil companies we interviewed for a recent report. Given U.S. sanctions and Maduros track record, it is unlikely that investment conditions will improve under his regime. But Venezuelas appeal to oil majors would be uncertain even with new leadership. Perhaps the biggest barrier is U.S. sanctions, which effectively ban Venezuelan crude exports to the United States and dollar transactions with PDVSA and threaten action against foreign companies deemed to be supporting the Maduro regime. Venezuelas onerous fiscal and regulatory framework would also need revision, companies say. Venezuelas government take is among the highest in the world above 90 percent and most companies can only operate as minority partners with PDVSA, which manages most projects and sells the crude they produce. With PDVSA in shambles, most Western oil companies would prefer not to partner with it under current rules. Taxes and royalties on less profitable fields would also need to be reduced to compensate for numerous costs and risks, even under the most optimistic political scenario. These costs are many, and their magnitude unknown. The countrys power and transport infrastructure is highly degraded, and statistics on the national power system have not been published in almost a decade. Armed groups continue to operate in the countrys vast swathes of unpoliced territory, creating the need to contract security. The mass exodus of trained personnel, and questions over whether they will return, may call for importing oil workers. Innumerable safety and environmental liabilities will be inherited from PDVSA, which stopped releasing reports about spills in 2016. Venezuela also will face a competitive global investment landscape. Weak oil prices may be extended by sluggish global demand and large volumes of new supply. This makes a risky producer with a laundry list of extra costs even one with the worlds largest reserves and low extraction costs a harder sell to boardrooms. In addition, as oil companies increasingly face pressure to implement emissions reduction targets, Venezuelas carbon-intensive heavy oil becomes a less attractive prospect. Lastly, as U.S. sanctions cut off Gulf Coast refiners from Venezuelan heavy crude, they may permanently switch to other sources, such as Canada, or reconfigure refineries to process different grades. Loss of the U.S. market forces Venezuela to continue shipping its oil across the world to sell in China and India at a discount. As companies abandon Venezuela under todays difficult conditions, they are less likely to return. Companies no longer in Venezuela will have a harder time assessing conditions on the ground and will compare Venezuela to many other new opportunities around the world. Venezuelas road to recovery will be long and rife with obstacles. Despite the oil industrys moribund state, it will be the key to jump-starting a return to prosperity given Venezuelas lack of economic diversification. Any new government will have to quickly boost oil investment to the extent possible in the short term while pursuing medium-term economic diversification. Their success and the continued stability of Venezuela will depend on establishing better investment conditions, creating political and contractual stability, and planning long-term strategies for economic reconstruction that capitalize on the countrys oil wealth but do not live and die by it. Lisa Viscidi is the director of the Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. Nate Graham is an associate with the Energy, Climate Change & Extractive Industries Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Anyone who held Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation (NYSE:AP) for five years would be nursing their metaphorical wounds since the share price dropped 85% in that time. And some of the more recent buyers are probably worried, too, with the stock falling 23% in the last year. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 20% in the last three months. We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson. Check out our latest analysis for Ampco-Pittsburgh Ampco-Pittsburgh isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth. Over five years, Ampco-Pittsburgh grew its revenue at 11% per year. That's a pretty good rate for a long time period. So the stock price fall of 31% per year seems pretty steep. The truth is that the growth might be below expectations, and investors are probably worried about the continual losses. The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). NYSE:AP Income Statement, February 29th 2020 We like that insiders have been buying shares in the last twelve months. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. This free report showing analyst forecasts should help you form a view on Ampco-Pittsburgh A Different Perspective While the broader market gained around 6.2% in the last year, Ampco-Pittsburgh shareholders lost 23%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. However, the loss over the last year isn't as bad as the 30% per annum loss investors have suffered over the last half decade. We would want clear information suggesting the company will grow, before taking the view that the share price will stabilize. 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. To that end, you should be aware of the 5 warning signs we've spotted with Ampco-Pittsburgh . Story continues If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. India has always respected Maldives' sovereignty and treated it as an equal, said Maldivian Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed on Friday. "Many superpowers have risen, empires rise and fall and now we see India on the rise. As India rises and attains the status of superpower... We do not see how India's actions have ever been a threat to the Maldives or any of its neighbours. India has always respected our sovereignty and always treated us as equals, however small we are," said Nasheed while speaking at the Ideas Conclave 2020 here. The former President lauded the Indian government saying that it has never happened that a project initiated by New Delhi had become a debt trap. "Maldives now has a democratic government and now with Indian assistance. It is all very different. Indian projects in the Maldives are transparent and everyone knows what is going on. Everybody knows the price of it. Indian projects tendered by Government of India are transparent. It is very rare, has almost never happened that any of these have become a debt trap. I like India rising," he said. However, Nasheed voiced concerns over the rise of China in the Indian Ocean. "We've another superpower coming to the Indian Ocean - China. Unfortunately, the manner in which this superpower is treating the Indian Ocean islands is very, very different," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 11:24:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Friday called on Beijing and Washington to cooperate to address global challenges, warning against "political virus" disseminated by politically-motivated people. In an article published in USA Today, Cui said that Beijing has responded on an epic scale since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in China. "From the top leadership to grassroots, from medical professionals to ordinary people, the Chinese people have united and displayed extraordinary fortitude and devotion to fight the disease," Cui said. As a responsible country, China has also erected a Great Wall of disease prevention for the world, he said, adding that China has been releasing the disease-related information in an open, transparent and responsible manner. The Chinese diplomat praised medical professionals, who made a great sacrifice, as everyday heroes, and listed their heart-warming acts. "To save more time for work, women doctors have had their long hair cut and men have shaved their hair off. To save medical supplies, they drink less or even no water so that they will remove the protective suits and use the bathroom less often, as the suits have to be disposed of once taken off," he said. Cui extended gratitude for people's gesture of solidarity and goodwill from all around the world, expressing China's readiness to "repay the kindness shown to us by offering assistance to the countries and regions where the epidemic is taking a toll, and this is what we can and should do." He also noted that while the Chinese people are fighting the visible virus from nature, China is also under attack from "political virus" that is disseminated by some politically motivated people. "To be frank, compared with the coronavirus, these invisible viruses are more poisonous and harmful, as they are attacking the leading force of the epidemic control in an attempt to break down our line of defense," he said. Cui called on China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, to cooperate to address global challenges and problems, as "the interests of the 1.7 billion Chinese and American people and of the 8 billion world population are at stake." "Disease knows no borders. This unexpected epidemic reminds us again how vulnerable mankind is and how essential it is to help each other in the face of difficulties," he added. Washoe County District Attorney Bruce Hahn and his companion attended Shen Yun Performing Arts in Reno, Nevada, at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, on Feb. 28, 2020. (NTD Television) RENO, Nev.The curtain rose on world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time in Reno, Nevada, a fact that local residents like district supervising attorney and Shen Yun fan Bruce Hahn is grateful for. The [Shen Yun] performance was magnificent. This is the fourth performance Ive attended. [They] finally came to Reno and Im grateful cause I had to drive to Sacramento all the previous years, said Hahn, who serves as the district attorney for Washoe County, which encompasses Reno. Regarding his yearly sojourn, Hahn confirmed his ongoing appreciation. Oh, yes, its new each time, he said. It was grateful, uplifting, and spiritual, Hahn said about New York-based Shen Yun, which he attended at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 28, 2020. The lawyer waxed poetic about the spiritual elements in Shen Yun, which comprise a core element of not only its performance but also of traditional Chinese culture itself, which these artists are on a mission to revive. The performance, its uplifting, its meaningful, Hahn said. More than just the dance and the grace, its spiritually uplifting and Im grateful for that. It brings hope. It brings comfort and peace and thats meaningful to many many people. And thats what [the] performance brings to us. Its a message of renewal and peace thats available if we choose it. Its important for all of us, its important for you and I, our children, and those to come after us, he added. Shen Yuns performance consists of roughly 20 vignettes, some of which are storytelling dances, others of which are bel canto vocal solos with lyrics that speak of heavenly realms and divine beings. These are rich with spiritual beliefs that run deep throughout ancient Chinese culture. Its more than merely visceral, Hahn said about Shen Yuns artistry. Its, again, something thats spiritual. Its something that speaks to the inner man. And thats what I think is valuable about [what] Shen Yun has brought. Shen Yun is unable to perform in China today due to campaigns suppressing traditional Chinese culture, including even persecution of spiritual believers such as followers of Falun Dafa. Thats unfortunate that they dont have that level of expression that we enjoy here in the States, Hahn said. But Shen Yun is giving hope to many that the moral foundations and soulful connections traditional Chinese culture encourages can one day return to China, and that meanwhile, the rest of the world can benefit. I think the [Shen Yun] performance speaks to that movement, Hahn said, to this point, it speaks to communicating in a different medium that, again, speaks to the inner man, Hahn said that he felt that personally. The final piece of the evening depicts the Creator returning to earth, a long-told legend passed down by Chinese people. What we appreciate about the finale is the hope that it brings, Hahn said. It speaks of hope. With reporting by NTD Television and Brett Featherstone. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Culinary Detective: Sun, Sand, Sea and Sausages! It is always a pleasure to receive a call from The Nai Harn inviting me to experience their latest culinary offering, however, I must admit, I am more used to heading there for a late lunch or an early evening bite at one of their multitude of world-class restaurants. So, when my phone rang and Executive Chef, Mark Jones, invited me for breakfast, I was somewhat surprised, and to meet at Rock Salt at 8am in the morning, positively intrigued. LifeCulinary-DetectiveChris-Watson By Chris Watson Saturday 29 February 2020, 04:00PM Steak and egg Photo: Rock Salt Whilst starting the day at The Nai Harns all-day dining restaurant, Cosmo is definitely an experience, showcasing premium products in a vast array of delectable dishes with Marks trademark attention to detail, Rock Salt, isnt even open, or is it? I am not the first to arrive at this renowned semi-open-air beachside restaurant, with several casual tables strategically placed at the entrance, occupied by what appears to be a combination of both local Phuket residents and holidaymakers. I notice they are also enjoying lattes, pastries and tall glasses of vibrant fresh orange juice. As Mark approaches, I do recall hearing that Rock Salt was offering morning coffees and pastries, but this is hardly front-page news. For those who have not had the pleasure of meeting Mark, immaculately dressed in his whites and continually scanning diners, plates and both kitchen and service staff, he can initially appear somewhat formidable, his standards extremely high and his level of tolerance for errors, particularly low. We embrace as old friends and he leads me into the restaurant proper, where a table has already been set for three. Service staff, always charming and efficient bring me my usual latte and Mark joins me brandishing an elegant menu. Pleasantries out of the way, he excitedly tells me the reason for my invitation. It was always part of the grand plan, to offer a selection of signature breakfast dishes at Rock Salt to appeal to both our island residents and visiting tourists, not staying at The Nai Harn who wish to indulge in a keenly priced premium ingredient-focused breakfast. Whilst we began by offering continental style coffees and pastries, we are now launching a more comprehensive service. Indeed prices appear to be incredibly good value with the Full Monty Rock Salt breakfast, priced at B325 and Eggs Benedict at B295. I also notice that in line with all restaurants at The Nai Harn, prices are shown net, with no added taxes or service charge; the price you see is the price you pay! Also, knowing Marks meticulous care, I am confident all dishes will feature only the very best products available. Our additional diner this morning is the ever-present General Manager, Frank Grassmann who arrives with impeccable timing, just as we order. Somewhat un-European, we order several dishes to share and Mark briefly exits to supervise their preparation. Whilst waiting, I notice that Nai Harn beach is even at this early hour, surprisingly busy when I wrongly perceived the general populous would still be recovering from their late-night clubbing the previous evening; Frank gives me his take. Nai Harn beach has always been popular with visitors and residents alike who head there first thing in the morning to grab a sought-after spot from which they may enjoy the day. It was this that many months ago sparked the idea to eventually offer a quality signature breakfast to engage both our local community and guests from other hotels who may not have the capacity or desire for a super extensive traditional buffet breakfast, or equally important, the budget. Mark returns accompanied by a friendly waitress who presents us with, chia seed and bananas, steak and egg and egg benedict; thank goodness, I have no lunch engagement. Mark describes the healthy option as chilled chia seed and coconut milk porridge with bananas, candied pecans, crumbled baked cashew nuts and topped with a drizzle of Chiang Mai blossom honey. I begin with the steak and egg; a deliciously tender pork gammon steak, home-cured with demerara sugar for four to five weeks and air-dried for up to five days, finished off in the wood-fired oven, lightly charred and served with slightly crisp yet melt in the mouth rosti fritter, fried egg and squeaky spinach. Frank chooses the eggs benedict, perfectly poached according to Marks secret technique, incidentally which I aim to elicit from him at some future juncture, with a twist on the predictable ham of slivers of prosciutto adding lightness and a welcome hint of saltiness, then finished with a velvety hollandaise. There are several other options available, all including painstakingly sourced ingredients, home-made northern Thailand Kurobuta pork sausages, fresh smoked Scottish salmon, daily in-house baked bread and croissants, fruit danish and pain au raisin, of course, all made with French butter. The menu is continually evolving with home-cured bacon, a work in progress and for dog walkers, a sure to be welcomed, soon to be launched initiative of dishes that will cater for both equally valued parties! Finishing off my second latte, there are few other settings on the island where one can enjoy such idyllic views and a value for money, high-quality breakfast experience; in fact, I cant think of any. If you can, please email me. Rock Salt is open for Breakfast from 7:30am to 10:00am daily. Chris is a former Michelin Guide Inspector who following an international career in hospitality spanning 30 years in both the Middle East and Asia, has now settled in Thailand and contributes a monthly restaurant column. A Liberal Party affiliate derailed former Labor leader Bill Shorten by warning historic and unproven rape allegations were set to torpedo his 2019 election campaign, an explosive new book claims. The man secretly advised Mr Shorten's team of a looming sex scandal just weeks before Mr Morrison called the election, according to a new book by reporter Samantha Maiden. 'The man claimed he had been helping the Prime Minister with background on the rape claim, but that now he had played him he was happy to hand it over to the ALP,' Ms Maiden writes in her new book Party Animals. Former Opposition leader Bill Shorten was said to be rattled by the 'secret advice' just before the 2019 election was called, according to an explosive new book The 'secret advice' seriously rattled Mr Shorten, upsetting and distracting him just before the election which Labor lost, Ms Maiden writes. The fears proved baseless as no major media outlet aired the allegations which were unproven, highly defamatory and vigorously denied by Mr Shorten. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly denied any suggestion that the Liberal Party had deliberately sent a mole into the Labor camp to rattle Mr Shorten before the election. 'These assertions are completely false,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday. 'This is yet another attempt by Labor to invent stories to try and excuse their poor performance at the election.' A spokesperson for Bill Shorten's office said simply that the former Opposition leader had given the election campaign his best effort. 'Bill and the Labor team gave the campaign every ounce of their energy, attention and commitment,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday. The well-connected Liberal Party figure at the heart of the allegations was dubbed 'Deep Throat' by the Australian Labor Party (ALP), Ms Maiden writes. The original Deep Throat was the secret FBI informant that famously exposed the Watergate scandal to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. When the scandal became public, it forced the resignation of US President Richard Nixon in 1974. The historic allegation allegedly raised by the operative relates to claims by Kathy Sherriff that she was raped by Mr Shorten at an event organised in the 1980s by Labor's youth wing. Police investigated the accusation in 2013 and did not lay charges, saying there was no case to answer. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied on Saturday that the Liberal Party had sent in any mole to rattle Mr Shorten with historic, unproven rape allegations Mr Shorten publicly denied the allegation as soon as he was able, when the police investigation ended. 'The allegations were untrue and abhorrent. This has been deeply distressing for my family,' he said at the time, as reported in The Australian. After 'Deep Throat' secretly warned the Labor camp about the supposed impending sex scandal, Mr Morrison appeared to allude to the allegation in the last question time before he called the election. While talking about the budget, Mr Morrison casually dropped a reference to Bill Shorten partying at Labor vanguard conferences in 1989, Ms Maiden writes in her book. 'Vanguard' was the name of the ALP camp where the alleged assault occurred, and the reference immediately raised the alarm at ALP headquarters. The original Deep Throat, Mark Felt (pictured left), was a former FBI official who exposed the Watergate scandal in the US to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Ms Maiden writes that Mr Shorten was so upset he hired high-powered commercial law firm Arnold Bloch Leiber and a Victorian silk, Neil Clelland QC, to prepare legal arguments and defamation writs. Labor was afraid that tabloid newspapers would interview Ms Sherriff and the issue would blow up in the middle of the election campaign. Ms Maiden writes that the threat damaged the ALP's election campaign, including when someone told Mr Shorten that News Corp was going to run stories on the rape claim just before a press conference where he clashed with a Ten Network reporter over climate-change policy costings on April 17. Samantha Maiden's book Party Animals is due out on Tuesday, published by Viking. Adaa Khan age, height, weight, net worth, boyfriend/husband, top songs and movies: Adaa Khan the Khatron Ke Khiladi 10 contestant, has been in the public eye for over a decade now with her first acting role in Palampur express which aired back in 2009, she appeared in various television serials ever since and is fondly remembered by her fans primarily because of her run as Naadin Sheesha in the hit television series Naagin, a role she has made her own and has 5 awards for her portrayal to prove it as well. Adaa Khan is one of the most recognizable faces in the television Indian television industry that is praised equally for her acting skills as well as her undeniable beauty. Unsafe drinking water and household air pollution are major causes of illness and death around the world. This is also the case in Rwanda, where most people living in rural areas drink untreated water and burn firewood on open stoves to cook their meals. More than 80% of Rwandans rely on firewood as their primary fuel source. After neonatal disorders, pneumonia and diarrhoeal disease are the two leading killers of children under five years of age in Rwanda. Unsafe drinking water is the leading cause of diarrhoeal disease. And cooking indoors on open-fire stoves, with fuel such as wood and charcoal, has been linked to pneumonia, low birth weight and impaired development in children. There have been many efforts to address these environmental health issues, but they often lack the financial support to be sustained in the long term. In 2011, we came together as government, implementers and independent evaluators to design and study a programme that would address these environmental health challenges in Rwanda. It would need to be both sustainable and scalable. The programme was financed and led by DelAgua , a UK-based water test kit company, in partnership with the Rwanda Ministry of Health. It was branded Tubeho Neza , which translates to live well in Kinyarwanda an official language of Rwanda. DelAgua and the Ministry of Health evaluated which technologies could most effectively reduce drinking water contamination and indoor air pollution. They needed to be technologies that people would adopt, were durable, and could be maintained easily by community health workers. To become financially sustainable, we wanted the project to be eligible for carbon credits under the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism. By reducing wood fuel demands, the project could earn revenue through the generation and sale of these carbon credits . DelAgua and the Ministry of Health, after certification by the Rwanda Bureau of Standards, decided to use the Vestergaard Frandsen LifeStraw Family 2.0 household water filter and the EcoZoom Dura portable wood-burning cookstove. A 2012 pilot demonstrated the viability and impact of this programme: households started, and continued, to use the water filters and cookstoves. These findings led to a larger roll-out which started in 2014. The roll-out Working with the Rwanda National Police and the Ministry of Health, DelAgua reached over 101,000 households with the water filters and cookstoves. In 2015 they distributed an additional 250,000 cookstoves to nearly a million more people. Community health workers advised communities and households about proper use of the products. They then visited each household regularly for a year after the distribution to encourage adoption and perform any repairs that were needed. From 2012 to 2016, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Emory University evaluated the programme. They looked at the design, adoption rate and impacts on water quality, air quality, respiratory disease and diarrhoea, as well as the carbon credit financing mechanism. This project study was published in 2019 and showed promising results. Among children under five years of age, the intervention reduced seven-day prevalence of reported diarrhoea by 29% and acute respiratory infection by 25%. As expected, drinking water quality improved, probably explaining the impact on diarrhoea. But people's exposure to fine particulate matter in the air (measured with personal exposure sensors) remained unchanged, despite increased outdoor cooking with the improved cookstoves. This is consistent with other research that found no protective effect from cooking on improved biomass stoves, such as the Tubeho Neza. But the study also found that people used the products less over time, as reinforcement by the community health workers became less frequent. As correct, consistent use is essential for achieving health benefits, it is unclear whether the protective effects can be sustained in the absence of regular visits and engagement with households. Beyond the directly measured health impacts, the people who implement the products also analysed the overall programme costs and benefits. There were savings in fuelwood - an estimated 65,000 tons, enough to reverse deforestation in the region for a few years. Over five years the total programme cost was nearly US$12 million and the total benefit was estimated at over $66 million. These results suggest that the programme was cost-effective in reducing wood fuel use, improving drinking water quality, and reducing risk of diarrhoea and respiratory illness among children under five. Future challenges As long as these products are still in use, DelAgua earns carbon credits which are then sold to the World Bank and other buyers. The aim to is to benefit private sector investors and to support the programme's continuation. The water filters and stoves used in the trial are nearing the end of their lifetimes and it does not look as if they can be replaced, given the weak carbon credit market . As a result, DelAgua has transitioned to a focus on carbon-credit subsidised retail sales of these products in Rwanda. Over the same years as this programme in Rwanda, there were several other large-scale trials of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in low-income settings. They indicated little or no impacts on health . Similarly, a study of community hygiene clubs in Rwanda designed to improve awareness without providing any products showed no impact on health. Cleaner fuels, such as liquefied petroleum gas, may offer a potential solution to further improving air quality, and are being evaluated in a multi-country trial that includes Rwanda. But accessibility and affordability of such fuels will continue to be a challenge in many settings. In contrast, the Tubeho Neza programme has showed that it is possible to provide interventions against major diseases to vulnerable households at scale and to secure their adoption and consistent use. It also demonstrated the efficiency of combining critical environmental interventions at the household level. This achievement can inform other national efforts. Evan Thomas led a team in design and implementation of the programme, Jean de Dieu Ngirabega represented the Ministry of Health, while Thomas Clasen's team independently studied its impacts. Evan Thomas was previously employed by DelAgua, and was responsible for designing and managing the program described. Thomas Clasen was employed by Emory University or LSTHM which received funding under a grant from Portland State University. Jean De Dieu Ngirabega does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Evan Thomas, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Boulder And Jean De Dieu Ngirabega, Visiting lecturer, Research and Community Health, Ruli Higher Institute of Health And Thomas Clasen, Professor, Emory University Is Abdulmumin Jibrin, who represented Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency of Kano State currently a member of the House of Representatives? The answer is yes if you check the National Assembly website. But Mr Jibrin left the House last year after he was sacked by the court and then defeated by Ali Datti-Yako (PDP, Kano) in a rerun election last month. The listing of Mr Jibrin as a serving member of the House of Representatives on the National Assembly website adds to a string of others who long after losing rerun elections continue to be listed as Nigerian lawmakers by the website of the National Assembly. Days of scrutinising the website revealed that five sacked members are still paraded as serving members. Even more curious, a dead man is also listed by the website as a serving member of the House of Representatives. Muhammadu Fagengawo died towards the end of last year but is still the representative of Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State on the National Assembly website. Those sacked but are still called members on the website include Ogbee Lazarus (PDP, Ebonyi), Ifeanyi Ibezi (APGA, Anambra), and Kingsley Onuwubuariri (PDP, Imo). Others sacked by the courts but continue to maintain presence on the website are Tata Omar (APC, Bauchi) and Hassan Abubakar (APC, Sokoto). Earlier this month, House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila inaugurated six lawmakers who won supplementary elections. However, while others have had their names uploaded on the website, the name of Abdullahi Abubakar (PDP, Sokoto) is missing. Instead, Hassan Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress fills the slot for Sokoto North/Sokoto South on the website. This is the same case for Miriam Onuoha-Ibezim (APC, Imo) whose Isiala Mbano/Okigwe/Onuimo constituency is represented by Kingsley Onuwubuariri on the website. In Bauchi State, even though Auwal Jatau (PDP, Bauchi) is the sitting representative, Tata Omar is still listed as the name for Zaki Federal Constituency of the state. Other cases Inaugurated since last November, PDPs Chinedu Ogah is the representative of Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State. However, a party mate, Ogbee Lazarus, has maintained that title since on the websire Another PDP member, Obinna Chidoka of Idemili North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State, has his slot on the website still being occupied by Ifeanyi Ibezi of APGA. Incomplete list Perhaps even worse, the website does not recognise at least four members or their constituencies. Nigeria has 360 federal constituencies but the website has only 356 lawmakers and constituency. The four missing members and constituencies are Sam Okwu of Oju/Obi Federal Constituency (PDP, Benue), Boniface Emerengwa of Ikwerre-Emohua constituency (PDP, Rivers), Ogor Okuweh, former minority leader representing Isoko North/South of Delta State and Oluwarotimi Agunsoye of the APC who represents Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State. Oju/Obi Federal Constituency is one of the 11 constituencies in Benue State and its representatives is Samson Okwu of the PDP. He replaced APGAs David Ogewu last November. However, there is no record of either of them on the website. Also, Ikwerre-Emohua Federal Constituency is missing on the website from the list of federal constituencies in River State. This also means Boniface Emerengwa, representative of the constituency, is absent on the lawmakers register. Also, PDPs Ogor Okuweh, former minority leader, does not have his name and constituency in Delta Sate, Isoko North/South, on the website. The fourth constituency missing on the list is Kosofe in Lagos State. It is represented by Oluwarotimi Agunsoye of the APC. Unsightly site? As it is for the green chamber, so it is for the red chamber. For this, the National Assembly has often been criticised for the poor management of its website. Delayed updates, missing information, unavailable materials are some of the anomalies that have dogged the website. For instance, a similar pattern of stale information currently displayed on the website existed during the eighth assembly. Errors such as mismatch of a name to a party and sacked lawmakers retaining their spots on the site are rife. Also, at the peak of defection in the eighth assembly, profiles of defectors, including the then Senate President Bukola Saraki who also defected, remained not updated for weeks. The profiles of a former senator, Foster Ogola (PDP, Bayelsa West), has also remained unchanged despite revelations of him forging his PhD certificate. He had calmed he obtained the degree from GMF Christian University, Lagos, in 2012, a university the National Universities Commission (NUC) said it does not recognise. A Nigerian on Twitter has also called out the handlers of the website for not archiving old bills and the scant results the site returns after an internal search. Advertisements Dear @nassnigeria the redesign of your website makes it impossible for one to locate old bills when searching with Google. While the item is displayed in the search result, on clicking on it, one is redirected to your home page. Also, your websites internal search is useless. Nicholas Ibekwe (@nicholasibekwe) November 5, 2019 Implication With a series of misleading information on the National Assembly website, what ought to be a one-stop-shop for all things related to legislation in the country misses its track. As a result, information on bills, past and present lawmakers, and others needed for research or academic purposes as well as citizens engagement with the legislature is forfeited. Since 2003, statutory allocations to the National Assembly ranged from 23 billion in 2003 to 154 billion in 2010. This year, 128 billion has been budgeted. Since 2012, bar 2017, the breakdown of NASS allocations has always been kept secret, so it is hard to know how much has been spent on everything ICT-related over the years. However, checks by this newspaper into the available breakdown show that not less than 1.85 billion was spent on internet access, ICT consulting, IT services and other related subheads by the National Assembly in 2017 alone. Adejoke Akinsanmi, a spokesperson of the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), a sister institute of the National Assembly which has a mandate to provide improved and relevant information to the public, said the website is undergoing an upgrade. She also said the ICT arm of the National Assembly manages the site by itself but her institute liaises with them. They are not updating on the current website because they are building another one, she said, unable to tell how long the upgrade has been on. Also, House spokesperson, Benjamin Kalu, said the stale information on the website is as result of human error and not deliberate. It will be updated soon. He added that although NASS management has been handling the site, the House media committee will overtime take over the management of any platform that has to do with the image of the House. Boris Johnson's political rivals have lined up to brand last night's engagement announcement to pregnant partner Carrie Symonds a distraction ploy. Labour MPs poured cynicism on the news and suggested the timing was deliberately choreographed to eclipse the damaging Home Office row engulfing the government and Priti Patel. Mr Johnson is also under the spotlight for his slow response to the coronavirus outbreak, and has been accused of being a 'part-time prime minister'. And he faced a backlash for not visiting flood-hit communities during the recent storms, instead staying put at the government's grace-and-favour country retreat in Kent. To compound Downing Street's existing troubles, Home Office mandarin Sir Philip Rutnam resigned today following an ugly briefing war with Ms Patel. The fallout from the bombshell resignation threatened to fuel a bruising news cycle for Number 10. Labour MP Charlotte Nichols last night tweeted it was 'remarkable that the announcement JUST HAPPENED to be on the day of the unprecedented resignation of top Home Office official Sir Philip Rutnam'. Her Opposition colleague Florence Eshalomi piled in and said it was 'very convenient' the Prime Minister had elected to make the announcement last night. Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby in early summer Labour MP Charlotte Nichols last night tweeted it was 'remarkable that the announcement JUST HAPPENED to be on the day of the unprecedented resignation of top Home Office official Sir Philip Rutnam' Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell helped encourage the Twitter outrage. He tweeted: 'Sorry but Boris Johnson getting another woman pregnant hardly qualifies as news.' In his diatribe, he added: 'Poor kid is what I think.' Several political commentators also weighed in to suggest Number 10 could have gamed that making the announcement would displace negative media coverage. HuffPost's Paul Waugh tweeted: 'Given that this has been long talked about within Westminster and Whitehall, it was always a question of just when they would time the announcement. 'The PM wouldn't be so cynical to try and bury bad news (Patel/Rutnam) with, er, good news? Surely not.' ITV's political editor Robert Peston tweeted: 'I am sure just a total coincidence but certainly convenient that the home office perm sec's angry divorce from government is now fighting with the PM's marriage and imminent baby for front page coverage.' After winning an emphatic 80-seat majority in December, Mr Johnson was praised for delivering on his flagship election promise to get Brexit done. But this honeymoon phase appears to have fizzled out, and the government was today in the firing line after Sir Philip took aim at the 'vicious and orchestrated' campaign against him. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell helped fuel Twitter outrage by suggesting the announcement was timed to overshadow a political row at the Home Office Home Secretary Priti Patel's permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam resigned today with an extraordinary blast at his former boss over a 'vicious and orchestrated' campaign against him The 33-year civil service veteran launched a withering attack on Ms Patel in his resignation statement which he made on live TV. Pictured: Ms Patel arriving at the National Police Chief's Council in London earlier this week After persistent reports of a major rift between him and Ms Patel - one of the PM's biggest supporters - the 33-year civil service veteran walked out with all guns blazing, launching a withering attack on Ms Patel in a statement on live TV this morning. He accused her of lying and said he had received allegations that she had shouted and sworn at staff. The former official said he was the victim of a 'briefing campaign' and that in choosing to publicly resign he had turned down a 'financial settlement' from the Cabinet Office. The official had himself been accused of briefing against the Home Secretary in the media but said this claim was 'completely false'. Responding to Sir Philip's bombshell departure, Labour leadership contender Sir Keir Starmer said Ms Patel had 'a duty' to come to Parliament and 'explain her own conduct'. Yesterday, the Prime Minister pushed back at accusations of weak leadership and claimed that preventing a major British outbreak was the government's 'top priority' And Yvette Cooper, the chairman of the powerful Commons home affairs select committee, called on the Government to 'get a grip' over the 'immensely serious' allegations. She added that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill had a 'duty' to investigate the allegations. Yesterday, the Prime Minister was also forced to push back at accusations of weak leadership and claimed that preventing a major British outbreak was the government's 'top priority'. He said he had met with the chief medical officer and reassured that the NHS was equipped to deal with a coronavirus epidemic. The outrage threatened to boil over when it emerged he has scheduled a COBRA meeting for Monday, rather than calling a round-table of the government's top officials immediately. The PM, who has been back at Number 10 for the past week, swatted away accusations of inaction when quizzed in a TV interview this evening He said there have been 'regular series of COBRA meetings to prepare for this eventuality,' yet Monday's will be the first one he will chair. Just as Indias economy starts to show signs of a recovery, the coronavirus outbreak is looming as a new threat. Data on Friday is set to show growth accelerated for the first time in seven quarters, reaching 4.7% in the three months through December from a year ago, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. That was before the virus began spreading early this year, disrupting global supply chains as China shut factories and restricted the movement of people to contain the epidemic. The pickup in Indias growth last quarter from 4.5% in the previous three months probably came from a rebound in farm output, an improving services industry and rising government spending. But the recovery remains uneven, with a slew of high-frequency indicators showing consumption -- which accounts for 60% of gross domestic product -- is still weak. As a result, economists expect the government to retain its estimate of 5% GDP growth for the fiscal year through March, an 11-year low. The coronavirus adds a new layer of complication. The World Bank sees global economic growth in the first half of 2020 likely falling short of the 2.5% pace it forecast for the full year amid supply disruptions of everything from automobile components to pharmaceutical ingredients. India imports more than one-fifth of its total non-oil, non-gold goods from China, and production halts there pose downside risk to domestic manufacturing, economists said. Temporary price increases are likely to be accompanied by production delays if the pain spills over into the April-June quarter," said Radhika Rao, an economist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd. in Singapore. Rate Cuts Even before the virus began spreading, surveys showed consumer spending was in the doldrums while business sentiment was frail with the economy still grappling with the aftermath of a shadow banking crisis that has crippled credit growth. Factory output contracted in two of the three months in the fourth quarter of 2019, data show. The enduring weakness in some sectors of the economy, along with the threat from the coronavirus have persuaded the Reserve Bank of India to keep the door open for more policy easing after cutting interest rates by 135 basis points last year. The virus may impact tourist arrivals and global trade," the RBI said at its most recent policy meeting in February. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the government is ready to respond with measures to counter the effect the virus may have on domestic industry. On Feb. 1, she unveiled a budget with modest steps to stimulate consumer demand in the form of changes to personal income tax rules. That, together with the lower corporate tax rates announced last year, are likely to have a lagged effect on growth and demand. An economic recovery is underway," said Rahul Bajoria, a senior economist at Barclays Plc in Mumbai. However, elevated inflation will likely rule out further rate cuts by the monetary policy committee in the near term." This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics The Nigerian government recently announced that it had released about 1,400 Boko Haram suspects. The reason given was they had repented and were to be re-integrated into society. The government said the releases which happened in three tranches were part of its four-year old de-radicalisation programme called Operation Safe Corridor . The announcement generated a lot of angst. Opposition leaders attacked the decision , as did soldiers fighting the terrorists. These reactions mask a fundamental challenge facing governments in conflict situations: how does it deal with defectors? Simply executing combatants, or detaining them indefinitely, aren't viable options. De-radicalisation and re-integration programmes therefore become unavoidable. As several commentators on the Boko Haram conflict have repeatedly maintained, such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , a purely military solution won't defeat the group. Generally 'de-radicalisation' is understood to involve having people with extreme and violent religious or political ideologies adopt more moderate and non-violent views. The approach is predicated on the assumption that terrorists, and others with extremist views, can be engaged in a way that can reduce their risk of re-offending. But there are a number of questions that 'de-radicalisation' and 're-integration' programmes raise. These include: is it possible to screen the combatants well enough to measure what level of threat they pose? This is a problem in a country like Nigeria where the basis of selecting those who are being released isn't transparent. For example, there are allegations that criminal elements in the military have colluded with Boko Haram to secure the release of unrepentant terrorists. Soldiers inspect a damaged Armoured Personnel Carrier recovered from Boko Haram jihadists. Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images Another question that's raised is: how can we ensure that the 'former terrorists', if re-integrated into the society, do not end up radicalising others in the community, or becoming spies to their former terrorist masters? And is it fair to rehabilitate the combatants without also rehabilitating their victims? Most countries faced with violent extremism and terrorism have adopted one form or another of de-radicalisation programmes. Whether they have worked or not is hard to judge because assessments are very often made by people responsible for the programmes. But one thing is clear: governments don't have many viable alternatives. Nigeria's programmes Nigeria has three main de-radicalisation programmes. One is located in Kuje prison, Abuja, and was set up by the Nigerian government in 2014. Participants are combatants convicted of violent extremist offences and inmates awaiting trial. The aim of the programme is to combat religious ideology and offer vocational training as a prelude to re-integrating them into communities. There is also the Yellow Ribbon Initiative which is located in communities in Borno State, in the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency in the north of the country. This is organised by a not for profit organisation, the Neem Foundation . It was set up in 2017 and targets women, children and young people associated with Boko Haram. The third is Operation Safe Corridor , which was set up in 2016 by the government. It targets Boko Haram combatants who have surrendered. This approach targets three key issues: religious ideology, structural or political grievances and post-conflict trauma. The project engages Imams to work with those in the programme on religion. Participants are also offered training in rudimentary vocational skills. And they are offered therapy to overcome the trauma they faced as members of Boko Haram. Experiences elsewhere A wide range of countries have introduced de-radicalisation programmes. In Africa, the four Lake Chad basin countries Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad have their own versions . In Somalia, the Serendi Rehabilitation Centre in Mogadishu offers support to 'low-risk' former members of Al-Shabaab. In Northern Ireland, the Early Release Scheme ensured the conditional release of convicted terrorists under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. It was deemed essential to sustaining the country's peace process. In Colombia, former guerrillas who fought for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were invited to join a peace building programme called the 'collective reincorporation' . Do they work? There is no consensus on what constitutes success in reforming a terrorist. There is, however, general acceptance that a narrow focus on recidivism as the key metric has been discredited. This is because the reasons for peoples' behaviour isn't always understood. For example, re-offending could well have been stimulated by new impulses after release. On the other hand, not re-offending does not necessarily mean the person has abandoned extremist views. There is also confusion about whether any kind of rehabilitation is necessarily brought about by the de-radicalisation programme. For example, it could be more about the desire for freedom, or to access some benefits that go with a rehabilitation programme. Measuring success isn't easy. Official information is likely to be biased as the state and groups running programmes are wont to paint a rosy picture to justify the expenditure. Inmates walk in a line after they were handed over to state officials for rehabilitation. Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images Additionally, whether a de-radicalisation programme is deemed successful or not may be subjective depending on what metrics are used. A good example is the research done for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change . It praised Nigeria's Operation Safe Corridor to the high heavens, arguing that it was a model of rehabilitation for Africa as well as the Western world. Yet a report for the Carnegie Foundation was very critical of the programme on several grounds. This included a lack of clarity on eligibility and as well as how former combatants would be re-integrated into civilian life. Not many options The question often not asked about de-radicalisation programmes is: what's the alternative? Framed this way, it's obvious that governments facing challenges of terrorism and violent extremism have virtually no other alternative. But that shouldn't stop criticism of the way in which programmes are run. The Nigerian government's release of 1,400 former Boko Haram fighters is a case in point. It was handled badly, not least because the public was told after the event. The timing was also inauspicious. There is currently a resurgence of attacks by the terrorist group. At the same time President Muhammadu Buhari's government is facing a declining sense of legitimacy . These factors helped harden attitudes and drove the push-back from Nigerians. Jideofor Adibe received funding from Brookings Institution, USA, as part of a team of consultants between 2013 and 2014 on the impact of Conflict and Instability (including the Boko Haram conflicts) on Agriculture in Nigeria and Mali. By Jideofor Adibe, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Nasarawa State University, Keffi A North Korean propaganda outlet on Wednesday accused high-profile defector Thae Yong-ho of deserting the communist nation after committing embezzlement and rape in the country's first reaction to the decision by the South Korean main opposition party to scout him for April's general elections. Thae, a former No. 2 diplomat at North Korea's Embassy in London, defected to the South in 2016. He has since been a vocal critic of the regime in Pyongyang, and the South's conservative main opposition United Future Party (UFP) scouted him earlier this month to run for the National Assembly. On Wednesday, Meari, one of the North's propaganda websites, slammed the party's decision, saying "driving these scums to the forefront of confrontation between the two Koreas is an intolerable challenge to our nation's desire for unification." It then described Thae as "a snob who escaped the strict punishment of the law after committing all kinds of vicious crimes in our republic including embezzling state funds and raping a minor, and he is a scum unworthy of being called a human." Weeks earlier, a North Korean media outlet had lashed out at the party's recruitment of another North Korean defector named Ji Seong-ho, a human rights activist known for his surprise appearance at U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech in 2018. (Yonhap) St. Marys University School of Law has been hosting an immigration symposium for years, but it took on added significance Friday following a year of tumultuous changes to the immigration system under the Trump administration. The migration of people is one of the most critical issues we face around the world generally, and in San Antonio in particular, said Gabriel Saenz, editor of the Scholar, the St. Marys law review on race and social justice. The demand for adequate legal assistance is ever growing. The topics of the symposium, held at the Institute for Texan Cultures, varied widely, from the efforts to expand the border wall, to the needs of deported migrants in Mexico, to the ways that spirituality and aiding migrants intersect. As the event was under way, a federal appeals court blocked President Donald Trumps Remain in Mexico policy, news that spurred a round of applause when it was announced. Remain in Mexico leaves migrants waiting for their court hearings in dangerous northern Mexico cities. The policy has made it difficult for lawyers to represent the migrants, and as a result only .1 percent of them have won their asylum cases. San Antonio has a long history of immigration, its not an exaggeration to say this city wouldnt exist in its modern form without immigration, said former Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, who led a discussion with city leaders earlier on in the daylong symposium. Ann Helmke, the citys faith liaison, asked for a moment of silence for immigrants adversely affected by U.S. laws. Much of the symposium was solemn, apart from one bright spot: the perfomance by Orgullo del Sur, Graebner Elementarys student mariachi band, which prompted a standing ovation and several cries of Orale! from the lawyers. Tucked into the tote bags handed out to all the audience members was a small pocketbook Constitution a tribute to the keynote speaker, Khizr Khan. I am humbled to be standing before you, he told the lawyers, calling them custodians of our constitution. The Pakistani-American and his wife lost their son in the Iraq War. He rose to national fame after a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where he criticized Trump and his immigration rhetoric and pulled out a pocketbook-sized Constitution. I stand before you as a Muslim-American, allow me to share my love story of the Constitution of the United States, Khan said at the symposium, telling of how he had first read the Constitution in 1972 in Pakistan and became a believer in its ideals ideals he still holds on to today. Khan spoke about one other prized document: a simple card, mailed to him by four students in 2016. It was shortly after Trump campaigned on a Muslim ban in his bid for the presidency. The card read: Mr. Khan, would you make sure that Maria is not thrown out of this country? We love her, she is a good student. Thank you. It prompted Khan to give the DNC speech, when he pulled out his pocket Constitution. My love story to the Constitution of the United States is a reminder that we still believe in our country, he said Friday. We still believe in America. And its our turn to bring the spirit back. Silvia Foster-Frau covers immigration news in the San Antonio, Bexar County and South Texas area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | sfosterfrau@express-news.net | Twitter: @SilviaElenaFF Al-Azhar called for the prevalence of the values of citizenship and the inclusion of all, and the rejection of all forms of religious and racial discrimination. Egypt's Al-Azhar issued a statement on Saturday expressing its deep concern about the wave of sectarian violence India has been witnessing in the past week because of the country's new citizenship law. India's new law grants citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants only coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before 2015. Al-Azhar called for the prevalence of the values of citizenship and the inclusion of all, and the rejection of all forms of religious and racial discrimination. Egypt's top religious institution expressed its confidence in India's ability to resolve the crisis once the culture of dialogue and the principles of coexistence prevailed. Al-Azhar pointed out in its statement that Muslims in India are the second largest group of Muslims globally, and that they have been an important part of what India's history. Al-Azhar brought to attention its statement issued last December in which it warned against the consequences of excluding Muslims from the new Indian citizenship law. It said that the new law was an unexpected blow since India "has always been an example of religious pluralism and acceptance of the other." Earlier last week riots broke out in the Indian capital New Delhi. Clashes between Hindus and Muslims left at least 40 dead and hundreds injured. For months tensions had been building between Hindus and Muslims protesting against the citizenship law and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies. However, this wave of violence exploded last Sunday on the eve of US President Donald Trump's first state visit to India. Egypt's Al-Azhar extended its condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Search Keywords: Short link: The United States First Lady Melania Trump thanked President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the warm welcome accorded to her and US President Donald Trump during their first official visit to India. "Thank you @narendramodi for welcoming me and @POTUS to your beautiful country. We were delighted to receive such a warm welcome from you and the people of India!," tweeted Melania. "Thank you President @Rashtrapatibhvn and First Lady Savita Kovind for the warm welcome to the Presidential Palace. It was a beautiful day celebrating the friendship between our two nations," she said in a following tweet. Donald Trump, accompanied by wife Melania and a high-level delegation, visited India earlier this week. During their 36-hour visit, Trump and the first lady attended various events and visited two cities - Ahmedabad and Agra - besides the national capital of India. Upon their arrival at Ahmedabad airport on Monday, the US first couple was accorded a warm welcome by Prime Minister Modi and thousands of people who had lined up on the streets of the city. Trump and Melania visited the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi had spent several years of his life. Later, the US President addressed the 'Namaste Trump' event at Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium along with Modi, where both the leaders had hailed the growing ties between the two countries. From Ahmedabad, the couple had flown to Agra in Uttar Pradesh to visit Taj Mahal. The US President, holding hand of wife Melania, took a stroll at the Taj Mahal lawns. They also posed for a picture at Diana's bench. During the last leg of their visit, Trump and Melania visited New Delhi. The couple received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday morning. They also visited Raj Ghat and planted a tree to remember the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. "It was an honor to lay a wreath at the beautiful Raj Ghat Memorial & plant a tree to remember the life & legacy of Mahatma Gandhi," Melania tweeted. On Tuesday, the first lady attended 'Happiness Classes' at the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School co-ed school in South Moti Bagh as part of the Happiness Curriculum, in which students are taught various activities including meditation, street plays and basic obedience aimed at reducing anxiety and stress levels. The couple wrapped up their visit by attending a banquet hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) South Carolina Democrats were voting in Saturdays presidential primary with a greater sense of nostalgia for the Obama presidency than voters in earlier contestslikely reflecting the state's sizable bloc of African American voters, the AP reports. Voters in the Palmetto State were more likely than those in Iowa and New Hampshire to want to restore the political system to the way it was before President Trump took office, as opposed to seeking a candidate who will enact fundamental change. That's according to AP VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of more than 1,400 voters in South Carolina's Democratic primary. About 4 in 10 voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire. story continues below That includes the roughly 50% of African American voters who said they want a Democratic presidential nominee who would emulate the presidency of Barack Obama the first nonwhite individual to hold the office. By comparison, roughly two-thirds of white voters want a presidential candidate who would bring fundamental change to Washington. Among interesting details: Health care was the leading issue among the state's Democratic voters, with about 4 in 10 calling it most important. Twenty-two percent viewed the economy as the top priority, while 14% identified climate change. About 6 in 10 voters said they support reparations for slavery, an issue that revealed a sharp racial divide. African Americans were vastly more supportive of compensation than white voters. (Read more Democratic presidential primaries stories.) American model Hailey Baldwin has that revealed exactly which television moment caused her husband Justin Bieber to give her a call and reconcile after the pair took a break from their relationship. According to People magazine, the 23-year-old model made an appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' and during the hilarious interview, the show's host Fallon asked Baldwin: "Did you do any party tricks? Well, I say this because the last time you were on our show; you did something that was the most amazing thing ever. Everybody was talking about it, you opened a beer bottle with your teeth." To which Baldwin replied, "It was really fun and there's actually another funny story behind this and that is that last time I was here, we did this little party trick where I opened a Corona bottle with my teeth, the next morning -- after the interview had aired -- I got a certain phone call from a certain someone and it was a little like, 'Hey, how are you? I saw you on 'Jimmy Fallon' last night. You were looking really good. I loved that trick that you did, I had no idea that you can do that. It was so cool.' Cut to, I'm now married to that certain someone." After which, the crowd immediately erupted into applause as Fallon himself appears to be astonished on listening to the love story, and said, "No, no!" and Fallon even compares Bieber and Baldwin's romance to a movie storyline. Baldwin said that with a laugh that she feels like Jimmy gets a little credit for helping her spark. The host jokingly said: "You'd think I'd be invited to your wedding," and clarified that his comment was in plain humour and said that they look cute together. As the show progresses, Fallon shows the audience black-and-white snaps from Baldwin and Bieber's second wedding ceremony. In one of the pictures, Baldwin is seen licking her husband's mouth. Fallon poked fun and said: "Here's you and Justin, everyone gets to lick the groom." To which the host Baldwin jokingly replied, "Well not everyone got to lick the groom, okay." Baldwin met Bieber when she was just 13 years old in 2009, noted Fallon. She began to say: "I know, it sounds like this weird arranged marriage situation." Baldwin revealed that the couple met when her dad brought her to the 'Today' show where Justin performed. And she remembers that at that time Bieber was only 15-year-old. Baldwin and Bieber tied the knot for the first time in a private ceremony on September 13, 2018, in New York. In September 2019, the couple then celebrated their nuptials with a larger ceremony in front of family and friends in South Carolina. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telling someone you were raised by survivalists in the middle of rural Idaho is an excellent conversation starter. Tara Westover needs to have a conversation about this, but perhaps not with the millions of people who read her bestselling book, Educated. The memoir can be a problematic genre. When it is used to discuss a broad social issue, the individual perspective of the narrator can bring focus to the topic. However, many memoirs are overly self-focused, relating personal histories in excessive detail. Often, it seems that authors view the memoir as a means of either therapy or self-promotion. Behind the humor, the tangential histories, and the detailed descriptions hides a great deal of pain. Compounding this tendency is todays decidedly voyeuristic culture, fueled by tabloid magazines and reality television, in which we are quick to pounce on juicy details of other peoples lives, seeking shocking tidbits with which we can thrill listeners at our next cocktail party. The public adores memoir-style books, and they fly off the shelves and up the ranks of must-read lists. There is much to be shocked by in Educated, Westovers 2019 New York Times bestseller. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and Westovers book proves it; much of her story is frighteningly brutal, featuring horrible accidents, unrelenting cycles of familial abuse, and religious fanaticism. Westover, the youngest of seven children, was raised by Mormon survivalists and had no formal education in her childhood beyond learning to read. She spent her days helping her mother, a midwife, make herbal remedies and sorting scrap in her fathers junkyard. By teaching herself algebra, Westover was able to score high enough on the ACT to enter Brigham Young University and eventually make her way through Cambridge and Harvard, earning a Ph.D. in history. Educated details Westovers childhood and her unusual educational journey, but much of the story revolves around dramatic moments involving a violent older brother and painful accidents that filled her youth. It is a riveting book, drawing the reader in as Westover discovers the world outside Bucks Peak, the rural valley where she grew up, and tries to reconcile her growing knowledge with her loyalty to family she still loves. It is raw, powerful, and moving. Story continues While interviewing Westover at the Aspen Ideas Festival last June, The Atlantic editor Jeffery Goldberg said he had been worried, while reading the book, that she wouldnt make it out alive at the end even though, of course, he knew she did. I felt the same way, growing nervous each time Westover returned to Bucks Peak, and I wished shed stay away. But she cant. The more I read, the more uncomfortable I became. I do not doubt the truth of her story or her personal experiences. She is careful to explain memories, footnoting them to point out which siblings she talked to in order to clarify details. She uses paraphrases of emails to emphasize moments in the story. Her portrayal of Mormonism, and religion in general, is evenhanded. But, in the end, the manner in which she wrote focusing heavily on catastrophes and abuse suggests a deeper and more unsettling point. This is a woman dealing with a very traumatic upbringing, an upbringing that will take her many years to fully come to terms with. Shes been through more in 33 years than many have in a lifetime, has graduated from esteemed institutions, and continues her climb in the academic world all without ever gaining her high-school diploma. Its sensational, yes, and heartrending and painful. But Westovers memoir never comes full circle. She never explains the purpose of sharing these deeply personal details, perhaps because shes still wrestling with the implications of her own conclusions and decisions, despite insisting in the end that shes made her peace with them. Her book is styled as a way of explaining her unconventional (oh, for a stronger word!) path, but was this the right time for her to tell her story? The books jarring tone and lack of clarity in its end goal suggest perhaps it wasnt. If not, then her agent and editors did her a disservice despite the books runaway success. Readers can and should cheer her on as she overcomes obstacles in pursuing education and independence. But the books intense focus on her upbringing and interactions with her family illustrates a different kind of education than the one she set out to tell readers she obtained. Her higher-education story is unique, but in the telling of her tale, it takes a backseat to the larger problem of her struggle to integrate her newfound knowledge with her upbringing, her familys lifestyle, and her desire to be accepted and loved by them. Education is about experiences, but most important, it is about learning how to learn, how to wrestle with universal ideas and hone critical-thinking skills. Based on the story Westover tells, her primary education was less about learning facts and ideas than it was about coming to recognize the ugly cycles of abuse permitted and promoted by her family and her fight to escape them. This is far more of a reflection on the mental illness that seems to be behind some of her family members actions and beliefs than on education. Educated in heavy manual labor, herbal healing, and a twisted view of womanhood, she seems to be caught in a personal struggle for survival as she tries to come to grips with her past. Dredging up those deep feelings and traumatic experiences for a best-selling book likely isnt the best way to heal. More from National Review [February 29, 2020] Cloud Services Market and Cloud Services Brokerage Market Research - A Detailed Study on Key Companies, Current Trends, Business Developments, Segmentation Assessment Analysis, Demand Outlook and Forecast 2026 Dallas, Texas, Feb. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Cloud Services Market Extensive Analysis 2020 Cloud computing serves an enterprise by offering access to storage, servers, databases, and an array of application services over the Internet. End-user enterprises provision and use what they need via web applications whereas a provider of cloud services, owns the essential network-connected hardware for application services. In Cloud computing network of remote servers is shared which are hosted on the internet rather than on a personal computer or on a local server to process, share, manage and store data. All the devices in the network can access data simultaneously through a specifically referred common storage space. From any location and at any time all devices in the network can access data and also the use of cloud computing technology reduces cost. There are many factors that are driving the growth of the global cloud computing services market. The cost effectiveness is considered to be the most important factor for driving the market. More than 35% of the annual operating costs can be reduced by organizations with the deployment of cloud computing services. Request for a sample of global Cloud Services report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4140534 Business performances of the organizations is boost up by the other factor that includes all the functional capabilities. Additionally, in such regions adoption of cloud services is increased by the emergence of small and medium enterprises. The global cloud services industry can be bifurcated on the basis of various factors such as geography, end user, type and service. Software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service are the type of services included in the segment. The global Cloud Services market can be fragmented on the basis of type, Public Cloud Private Cloud The global Cloud Services market can be fragmented on the basis of applications, Manufacturing Cloud Service Finance Cloud Service Healthcare Cloud Service Retail Cloud Service Government Cloud Service Aerospace and Defense Cloud Service It & Telecommunication Cloud Service The global cloud services market is continuously evolving and it is expected to reach new heights in the coming years due to various growth factors. When compared to conventional physical storage the cloud services provides cost benefits as it is estimated that cloud services would save 35% of the annual operations cost and since considered as the primary growth factor. Due to flexibility provided in the business processes access from any place at any time and functional capabilities is another driver. Browse Full global Cloud Services Report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-cloud-services-market-report-2019-competitive-landscape-trends-and-opportunities The market is highly concentrated in regions like Middle East and Africa (Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia), Central and South America (Colombia, Mexico, Brazil), Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore), India, Japan, China, Europe, United States. Some the key vendors in the Global Cloud services market are Yonyou, Informatica, TIBCO Software, IBM, Talend, KPMG, SupplyOn AG, Orcestra Networks, SAP, Microsoft, Apttus Corporation, Teradata Corporation, Agility Multichannel, EnterWorks, Riversand Technologies, VisionWare, Stibo Systems, SAS Institute, Software AG, GAVS, Sunway World, Magnitude, Oracle TOC of the global Cloud Services market Covers: 1. Global Cloud Services Market Overview 2. Global global Cloud Services Market Landscape by Player 3. Players Profiles of global Cloud Services Industry 4. Global global Cloud Services Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type 5. Global global Cloud Services Market Analysis by Application 6. Global global Cloud Services Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2014-2019) 7. Global global Cloud Services Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2014-2019) 8. Global Cloud Services Manufacturing Analysis 9. Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers 10. Global Cloud Services Market Dynamics 11. Global global Cloud Services Market Forecast (2019-2026) 12. Research Findings and Conclusion Direct Purchase Single User copy of global Cloud Services Report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/4140534 Part-II Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Comprehensive Analysis 2020 The global cloud services brokerage market is primarily driven by factors such as increased demand for the services, which is one of the major factors for the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. There has been an increased demand for the connection of Internet facilities which is likely to boost the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In addition, there has been an increased demand for the internet services which is one of the major factor for the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In the past few decades, there has been an increased demand for the multi-cloud platforms, which leads to an increased demand for the global cloud services brokerage market. Furthermore, there has been an increased demand for the enterprises which is one of the major factors for the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In the coming years, the demand for the computing and cloud based systems has surged, which is one of the major aspects for the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. There has been an increased demand for the transfer of the data, which is likely to boost the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. Request for a sample of global Cloud Services Brokerage report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/3578304 With the increased demand for the organizations, there has been an increased demand for the enterprises, which are currently using the cloud based services brokerage, which is one of the major factors which are likely to boost the growth of the market in the global cloud services brokerage market. In the past few decades, there has been an increase in the demand and the technological advances is one of the major factors which is likely to boost the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. Numerous organizations and competitors are contributing to the growth of the market by increase in the innovation, which is the estimated forecast period. Integration of the cloud premises is also one of the major factors which is likely to boost the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In the past decade, there has been an increase in the demand for technology, which is one of the major aspects for the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In the past few decades, there has been an increase in competition among the players, which is likely to have an impact on the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. Top vendors of global Cloud Services Brokerage market are, Accenture, Doublehorn, Jamcracker, IBM, HPE, Rightscale, Dell, Wipro, Arrow Electronics, Activeplatform, Cloudmore, Incontinuum, DXC Technology, Cognizant, Bittitan, Nephos Technologies, Opentext, Computenext, Cloudfx, Fujitsu, Tech Mahindra, ATOS, Cloudreach, Neostratus, Proximitum Browse full global Cloud Services Brokerage Report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-cloud-services-brokerage-market-report-2019 The global cloud based services brokerage market can be fragmented on the basis of application, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Large Enterprises The global cloud based services brokerage market can be fragmented on the basis of type, Internal Brokerage Enablement External Brokerage Enablement Geographical segments and regions, in the market is further fragmented in to Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, LATAM and MEA, and others. North America has the largest share for the global Social media analytics market. TOC of the global cloud based services brokerage market Covers: Section 1 Cloud Services Brokerage Definition Section 2 Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview Section 3 Manufacturer Cloud Services Brokerage Business Introduction Section 4 Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Segmentation (Region Level) Section 5 Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Segmentation (Product Type Level) Section 6 Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Segmentation (Industry Level) Section 7 Global Cloud Services Brokerage Market Segmentation (Channel Level) Section 8 Cloud Services Brokerage Market Forecast 2019-2024 Section 9 Cloud Services Brokerage Segmentation Product Type Section 10 Cloud Services Brokerage Segmentation Industry Section 11 Cloud Services Brokerage Cost of Production Analysis Direct Purchase Single User copy of global Cloud Services Brokerage Report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/3578304 About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: USA: +1 (972)-362-8199 | IND: +91 895 659 5155 Email ID: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Seasonal patriotism for political opportunities View(s): My dear Shavendra, I thought of writing to you when I heard that Uncle Sam has imposed a travel ban on you and your family from travelling to their country. Apparently, this is on the basis of there being allegations against you about what you did during the final stages of the Eelam war more than ten years ago. Although we dont know yet what your thoughts are on this matter, the reaction to this declaration has been two-fold: some are rushing to hail you as a patriot who was instrumental in winning the war. Others are equally quick to praise Uncle Sam for their decision and are virtually asking for more. It is interesting that this announcement should be made now. It has been more than a decade since the war was over and you have held numerous responsible positions since then. Why, you even served in New York as one of our representatives to the United Nations- and no one bothered to complain then! It is also not as if these allegations have suddenly been proven beyond reasonable doubt. Despite many efforts by many people to prove these accusations over the past decade, they still remain allegations. However, Uncle Sam calls them credible allegations and have slapped this ban on you. Well, if credible allegations are enough to punish someone, then there is someone with a heap of credible allegations against them: Uncle Donald who is the ultimate boss in Uncle Sams land. The list of allegations against him is long and lurid, but no one has punished him yet, have they? Besides, Uncle Sam lecturing us on alleged war crimes is a bit rich isnt it, coming from a country which, just to give one example, raided and bombed Iraq on the pretext of searching for weapons of mass destruction? The only weapon of mass destruction there turned out to be their own military! Anyway, Shavendra, the other issue that I wanted to caution you about is those who are rushing to defend you. I hope you understand that defending you because you were defending your country against terrorism is separate from defending you to masquerade as a patriot for political advantage. Some who are beating their breasts over your plight are quite clearly engaging in the latter. They know that an election is around the corner and what better way to win some votes than to howl about your plight and talk about the travails our ranaviruvo or war heroes are subjected to, by Uncle Sam? You must remember that the people who are now complaining about what Uncle Sam has done to you and issuing statements condemning it are those who jailed the biggest ranaviruva of them all, the then General who is now a Field Marshall, stripped him of his rank and deprived him of his pension! We know that people in Paradise have short memories but even they should be able to remember that not so long ago, the Field Marshall was given the same treatment that you got- denying him a visa to enter Uncle Sams land. Those who are shouting about you now werent heard shouting at that time! This week we even heard the young leader of the new balavegaya, the young man who lost at the recent big race, condemn the decision against you and pledge his support for you. Well, for several years both he and his party maintained a deafening silence. Why has he suddenly woken up now? This is why, Shavendra, you must realise that most of those who support you do so not necessarily because they believe in protecting ranaviruvo or because they believe in you. They do so because of the political advantage they can get, what with a general election on the cards in a few weeks. Please dont get me wrong. It is not that we do not appreciate what you- or any of the other armed forces personnel- did during the war. It is because of all of you that we are free from terrorism today. The entire nation owes you a deep debt of gratitude for that- and Uncle Sam cant tell us otherwise. The ongoing events in Geneva is a good example that those who dont agree with how the war ended will never be satisfied, not appreciating that peace has dawned on our nation now. If they had their way, the war would still be raging and thousands more would be dead but they dont see it that way. Keeping that in mind, we also hope you are aware that some of those who claim to be taking the fight to Uncle Sam were citizens of that land until not so long ago. Others still remain citizens. You neednt worry as long as you recognise that they are all playing to the gallery. We wish you well, Shavendra. Yours truly, Punchi Putha PS- Everyone trying to embrace you now is a bit like Pavithra embracing that lady with the Corona virus: they do it only because they know it will make them look good in the eyes of the public, knowing very well that if there was half a hint of trouble, they would be the first to discard you! Eight of the 144 evacuees brought to San Antonio from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are infected with the new coronovirus, federal officials said Friday. The number is likely to go up as three more evacuees at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland are awaiting confirmation that they have the virus. They had tested positive before they left the ship, which had become a quarantine site while it was docked in Yokohama, Japan. The tests done here by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were for confirmation. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ The US has signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants aimed at bringing to an end the near-two-decade war in Afghanistan. Under the deal signed in Qatar, the US and Nato will withdraw all troops from the country within 14 months and the US will make an initial reduction in the number of its military personnel to 8,600 within 135 days of the agreement if the Taliban meets its commitments to prevent terrorism. President Trump said that Washington was working to finally end Americas longest war and bring our troops back home. The US and Afghan governments said in a joint statement: The coalition will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months following the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement ... subject to the Talibans fulfilment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement. Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Show all 20 1 /20 Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria*, 15 in the home her family has lived in for the past two years in Mazar-i Sharif She was forced to flee her home with her family after their town was attacked by armed groups. Nooria describes a rocket hitting her neighbours home killing many inside. They fled on foot with just the clothes on their backs and she now lives in Mazari Shariff where Save the Children have enrolled her in school and provide vocational training Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria* hopes for a future with no war; "When they attacked our village, the rocket hit our neighbour's house and they all died. Our house then caught fire and we ran away. My friends who I used to play with - I still don't know if they are alive or if they are dead. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict I'm hoping for a better future, to learn, to support my family and to get them out of this difficult life. And I'm hoping for a future where there is no war. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed*, 16 at his family home in Mazar-i Sharif Naveed lost his leg when he stepped on a mine aged just 8-years-old. He was herding the family's sheep in the mountains near their home when he triggered a landmine Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict After months of medical treatment his right leg was eventually amputated. He received physiotherapy and a prosthetic leg from the International Committee for the Red Cross in Mazar Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Now enrolled in school, Naveed is being given vocational training by Save the Children. For around a year I felt and dreamt that I still had my leg. But when I woke up and saw, there was no leg. Sometimes Id feel with my hand to check and find it wasn't there. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict If someone has loses their leg, it does not mean that they have lost their mind." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "With the help of our minds we can continue to study, learn, and work to make the future of our families brighter. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed and Mahboob*, 55 (Naveed's father) Several years ago Neveed's father, Mahboob, was brutally beaten with rifle butts by armed groups after, he says, he failed to provide food for them while they were stationed in the family's village. He suffered brain damage which affected the right side of his body, speech and his brain function Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba*, 14, and Arezo*, 15 in a village outside Kabul Habiba and Arezo were injured with their mother three years ago in a suicide bombing in Kabul. Arezo is still traumatised from what she saw and has become completely withdrawn Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Arezo's younger sister Habiba cares for her, takes her to lessons and anywhere she wants to go. They are both in school through Save the Children's 'Steps towards Afghan girls' education success' (STAGES) programme, which helps the most marginalised girls get access to education, stay in school and learn. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba says: When I woke up and I opened my eyes I saw lots of bodies and I thought I was not alive any more. It was horrible. I'll never forget that. Whenever there is a big sound she gets scared because she was traumatised by the sound she heard during the attack. I love my sister, and I help her with her lessons, I take her anywhere." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "She's older than me but I feel like the older one because I support her. I hope for a better future for me and my sister. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Khalida*, 10 in a classroom in a village outside Kabul Two years ago Khalida lost her 18-year old brother when he was killed in an explosion in Kabul. She misses him every day and says the family are still carrying the grief of his loss Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "Two years ago, my brother was going to Kabul when an explosion happened and he lost his life. We are still carrying the grief and are crying over him. At the time we were happy, everyone was happy. Now no-one is happy in the family. When I remember him, I cry and feel so bad. I hope for peace and that war will stop, and that nobody loses their brother Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict I want to get education to become a teacher. I want to teach others who have never been to school Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema*,11 at her family home in Kabul Sema recalls coming home from her aunt's house and being told that her father had been killed in a suicide attack Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema still thinks about him every second and likes to look at his prayer beads (Tisbeh) to remember him. They hang from the curtain in the family home. She loves school and wants to become a teacher one day. Sema says she wants peace in her country to stop other children losing their fathers. We still have lots of his belongings, like his car, his clothes, his watch, his shoes. Whenever we see them we cry. He gave us all so much love every moment and he is on our minds. I want for the powerful people around the world to stop the war and bring peace, because I don't want other children to lose their fathers. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict I want to become a teacher to serve the country and I don't want any girls to be illiterate. I want to teach all the girls, so they have access to education. *Names have been changed to protect identities Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of Nato, said the organisation supported the deal and was prepared to reduce the number of troops in the country. However, he said Nato would increase its presence again should the situation deteriorate, adding: Peace is long and hard and we have to be prepared for setbacks and spoilers. Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, welcomed the deal but stressed the importance of sustaining the nationwide reduction in violence, for the benefits of all Afghans. The peace agreement aims to bring an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan, and allow US troops to return home from Americas longest war. US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and Qatars minister of foreign affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, in Doha (AFP via Getty) (AFP via Getty Images) George W Bush, then president, ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the 11 September attacks in 2001. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaeda militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the US tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently holds sway over half the country. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Saturday to witness the signing of the historic deal by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Mark Esper, the US defence secretary, meanwhile travelled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about Washingtons commitment to the country. The US embassy in Kabul said it was a monumental day for Afghanistan, adding in a post on Twitter: It is about making peace and crafting a common, brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan. Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group, said: The biggest thing is that we hope the US remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal. He added that it was irritating and provocative that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand down. Afghanistan president says US and Taliban will sign peace deal The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said: These agreements mark a significant moment in the pursuit of peace in Afghanistan. The current reduction in violence is welcome and I hope it will be maintained, but meaningful negotiations between the Afghan leadership and the Taliban are the real prize, and I hope this opportunity will be seized. The only way to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan is through a political solution. More than 2,400 US troops have been killed in the war since 2001, along with more than 450 UK troops and tens of thousands of Afghan government soldiers, Taliban fighters and civilians. Additional reporting by agencies. The 2020 edition of the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR Abu Dhabi), is placing a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence, as it has become an accelerator in the identification and adoption of disruptive innovations and entrepreneurial opportunities within the national and cybersecurity sectors. The event - to be held from March 17 to 19 - will feature a variety of key activities that will include the 'Better World Hackathon'. Conceptualised by the UAE Ministry of Interior, the Better World Hackathon is a new highlight of ISNR Abu Dhabi, bringing together world-renowned data scientists from across the world to compete under the slogan, 'Security Innovation 2020'. The $310,000 grand prize competition will aim to unveil solutions to meet the challenges in the field of safety, civil defence and citizen services. "The goal of Better World Hackathon is to gather the brightest minds of the AI world in UAE, to solve the country's and the worlds crucial challenges," remarked Major General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Inspector-General of the Ministry of Interior, UAE. "This initiative showcases that the UAE is AI-aware, investing in its potential, and actively looking to nurture expertise and experiences towards this. The Hackathon is designed to bring together some of the best minds from around the world to innovate together, and we are proud to align it with ISNR Abu Dhabi," stated Al Raisi. Co-organised by the UAE Ministry of Interior with the support of Reed Exhibitions, ISNR Abu Dhabi 2020 promotes innovation, thought leadership, business and public awareness by bringing together the national and cyber security community to accelerate people-public-private partnership for a safer connected world. An 'AI Hub' at the exhibition will feature innovators, disruptors, and start-ups from around the world that will convene to showcase and pitch their AI-specific solutions across a variety of categories that include face recognition; crime prediction; robotics; unmanned systems/drones; crowd management; and cyber security, said the organisers. These solutions are engineered to significantly improve national and cyber security throughout the region. Twelve finalists will be selected by a jury of industry experts, and the winner will receive a prestigious 'Innovation Award'. ISNR Abu Dhabi 2020 has also collaborated with the Gothams Hub71 accelerator. It aims to identify, support and scale leading early-stage technology companies in order to successfully engage with the global aerospace, aviation and defence industry, they added.-TradeArabia News Service Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi dismissed the US secretary of states remarks on Washingtons offer to help Tehran in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak as hypocritical and deceitful propaganda, Tasnim reports. In a statement late on Friday, Mousavi deplored the US offer to Help the Islamic Republic as a hypocritical and political move to deceive the world's public opinion. An offer of assistance to Iran in fighting against the coronavirus by a country that has caused enormous pressure on the Iranian people through its economic terrorism and sanctions and even blocked Iran's attempts to buy medicine and medical equipment is a ridiculous political-psychological game, he said. The spokesman went on to say that the Foreign Ministry is in close contact with many countries in order to meet the countrys pharmaceutical and healthcare needs and to fight the coronavirus. So far, a considerable part of the countrys critical needs, including 100,000 (COVID-19) diagnostic kits, surgery masks, medical ventilators, etc. have been supplied by friendly countries and more is to come, he added. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement earlier on Friday that his country had offered Iran assistance in the fight against Coronavirus. The remarks came as the Iranian Health Ministrys public relations director said that so far, 34 people have lost their lives due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19). By noon today, the number of people with coronavirus disease has reached 388, of whom 34 have died, Kianoush Jahanpour said on Friday. The health official went on to say that over the past days, 73 of the patients have recovered from the disease. Medical staff in 20 provinces of Iran have been working tirelessly over the past week to contain the novel coronavirus that has originated from China. Dr Anthony Ofosu, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), says the service has put in place systems and measures to protect the country against the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19). He said the country has recorded nine suspected cases of the virus, but that all the suspected cases were tested negative of the virus. Dr Ofosu said this at the 2019 Upper West Regional Annual Performance Review Conference of the GHS which was aimed at assessing the health sector performance. It was also to enable the sector players to identify gaps in health service delivery and to chart strategies towards bridging those gaps to improve service delivery to the people while sustaining the gains made over the years. Representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, (JICA), UNICEF and Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) among others attended the three-day conference held under the theme: Improving maternal and newborn care through quality healthcare delivery. Dr Ofosu identified training of Port Health staff to screen passengers at the Kotoka International Airport and training of medical teams at the Tema and Ridge hospitals to handle suspected cases of the COVID-19 patients as some of the measures being taken to prevent the virus from entering and spreading in the country. He said all Regional Health Directors are on the alert regarding the COVID-19 virus and they have activated and trained rapid response teams against the virus with some isolation centres identified. On other issues, he said although the country has made great strides in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths, the slow pace of the reduction poses a threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on health. The 2019 Peer Review Report for the Upper West Region, presented at the conference, pegged the doctor-population ratio at one doctor to 14, 310 people in 2018 and one doctor to 13, 000 people in 2019 as against a national target of one doctor to 7,500 people. Dr Ofosu said they would create incentives for critical health officers who accept postings to deprived areas or establish a rational system for posting staff to deprived areas in order to revamp the sector and to surmount the numerous challenges in the sector. Kuoro Abu Diaka Sakube Ninia, who chaired the function, said reducing maternal mortality depended, not only on increasing access to healthcare but also improving the quality of the care that was delivered. Our purpose here today and any other purpose of which assessment and evaluation are to be done must seek to improve the quality of clinical care and to improve utilization of that care, he said. Kuoro Ninia said there is a need for health service providers to check their attitude towards clients and urged them to be professional in the discharge of their duties. 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 Audience watch the performance of "Zheng", a traditional Chinese musical instrument, before the Sound of Spring concert held in New York, the United States, Jan. 26, 2020. The U.S.-China Music Institute presented its first annual Chinese New Year Concert featuring Bard College's The Orchestra Now, performing a lively collection of Chinese symphonic works in New York on Sunday. The concert, the Sound of Spring, held at 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Sunday at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, was co-presented by the Central Conservatory of Music in China, with the participation of China Institute in New York City. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) (Newser) Naomi Seibt is news again, and not for her campaign against climate science. The teenage German YouTuber, dubbed the "anti-Greta," expressed support Friday for an alt-right commentator who's drawn a searing critique from the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Washington Post reports. "I'm still a fan, absolutely," Seibt said of Stefan Molyneux at the Conservative Political Action Conference. According to the SPLC, Molyneux is "a skilled propagandist" and an "alleged cult leader who amplifies scientific racism, eugenics and white supremacism." But Seibt is quick to defend the Canadian libertarian who calls himself "skeptical" of white nationalism, the Guardian reports. "He is not devaluing other races, not at all, he's just describing his experience in western countries" Seibt says. story continues below She adds that "we still have freedom of speech in these countries, and we're very happy that's the case." Yet a roundup of Molyneux quotes paints another picture, with him calling blacks "collectively less intelligent" and saying the backlash against non-whites "will be quick, decisive, and brutal." Both have drawn attention for their remarks about Jews, with Molyneux appearing to sympathize with German anti-Jewish sentiment before the Holocaust, and Seibt saying after a fatal synagogue attack that Jews are "at the top" of groups considered oppressed while "ordinary Germans" are "at the bottom." Molyneux has a big YouTube following, while Seibt has been hired by the US thinktank the Heartland Institute to decry "climate alarmism." (See why one critic says Seibt spreads "the four Ds.") By Trend The last project is planned to be completed within the Southern Gas Corridor in 2020, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said. Shahbazov made the remark in Baku at the event dedicated to the sixth ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor, Trend reports. The last fourth component of the Southern Gas Corridor has been completed by 92 percent, the minister added. The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline project is planned to be completed by late 2020. Shahbazov noted that at the first stage, 16 billion cubic meters of gas will be transported through the Southern Gas Corridor - 6 billion cubic meters of gas will be transported to Turkey and the rest to Europe. The minister also noted that in the future there is an opportunity to expand the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor to 31 billion cubic meters, and after that - twice as much. The Balkan countries are interested in the future of this project, added Shahbazov. In particular, it is expected that Bulgaria will be the first among buyers of Azerbaijani gas, and then other Balkan countries will also have the opportunity to join this project. There are many promising gas fields in Azerbaijan and there will be enough gas for the second phase of the Southern Gas Corridor. The sixth ministerial meeting is being held in Baku within the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor. Among the participants are representatives of BP, Southern Gas Corridor, BOTAS, TPAO, TANAP, TAP, SNAM, Fluxys, ICGB AD, Transgaz, SNGN Romgaz SA, Uniper Global Commodities SE, Bulgargaz EAD, SACE, Plinacro and international financial institutions, namely, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and European Investment Bank. The first ministerial meeting as part of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council was held on February 12, 2015, the second meeting on February 29, 2016, the third meeting on February 23, 2017, the fourth meeting on February 15, 2018 and the fifth meeting on February 20, 2019. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was ready to aid Iran with its outbreak of novel coronavirus if the country asked for assistance. If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask. We will have great professionals over there, Trump said at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington. The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level. Irans health ministry on Saturday reported nine new deaths, taking the total to 43. US authorities in the West Coast state of Washington meanwhile confirmed on Saturday the first fatality on American soil. Trump imposed new restrictions on anyone who has traveled in the last two weeks to Iran, and urged Americans not to visit hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea. The US State Department said it had formally told Iran of the United States willingness to assist in unspecified ways through a message sent via Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran. The United States, which has had no diplomatic ties with Iran since 1980, pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal with the country and reimposed crippling sanctions in 2018. (Newser) Joe Coulombe, the "Joe" behind the Trader Joe's name, died Friday at the age of 89 at his home in Pasadena, Calif. His son Joseph confirmed his death after a long illness to the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. Coulombe had been the owner of a chain of convenience stores in the Los Angeles area in the mid-'60s when he became concerned about competition from 7-Eleven. Looking for his own niche, Coulombe stumbled upon some readings that indicated more people than ever were getting a college education, and that a new Boeing plane (the 747) would soon be taking flight and reducing the cost of air travel. That led Coulombe to his target demographicwell-educated, well-traveled consumers with not terribly deep pocketbooks, but who enjoyed diverse food and drinkand he opened his first Trader Joe's in 1967 in Pasadena. story continues below What also made the store stand out: its South Seas trading post theme, with friendly employees wearing Hawaiian shirts and using maritime bells to communicate on the job. Trader Joe's soon started focusing on affordable organic and natural foods, and the AP notes Coulombe also made sure to stock his shelves with wine, the most famous of which was its $1.99 Charles Shaw offeringbetter known as "Two-Buck Chuck." Coulombe sold the company in 1979 to Theo Albrecht, co-founder of the Aldi supermarket chain, though he stayed on as CEO for 10 more years. Today, per the Trader Joe's website, there are more than 500 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Coulombe is survived by his wife of 67 years, three children, and six grandchildren. (Read more obituary stories.) Why didnt you hear about it? What was still going on four or five weeks ago? Impeachment, thats all the press wanted to talk about," Mulvaney said. The reason youre seeing so much attention to it today is that they think this is going to be the thing that brings down the president. Thats what this is all about. South Korea reported its first case of reinfection by the new coronavirus Saturday amid mounting concerns over the rapid rise in infections here. A South Korean woman tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time, even after being released from quarantine, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The 73-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with the virus earlier in the month, was released from hospital Feb. 22 after making a full recovery. She started showed symptoms again Thursday and was found to have contracted the virus again Friday, the agency said This is the first time in South Korea that a person has been infected a second time with COVID-19 after being discharged. The woman had not traveled abroad, although her son and daughter-in-law had recently been to China's Guangdong Province, and both had contracted the virus. Local health authorities said that the woman claimed she had stayed indoors after her release. The government reported a whopping 594 additional cases of the new coronavirus her as of Saturday morning, to bring the total number of infections to 2,931. So far, 17 patients have died from the virus that emerged in China late last year. (Yonhap) She is one of the fashion world's most in demand models and has dominated runway shows worldwide. And Kaia Gerber proved she was just as stylish off the catwalk when she stepped out in Paris between shows at Fashion Week on Saturday. Despite opting for comfort in casual attire, the supermodel, 18, looked incredible in a tan trench coat as she navigated through the French city on foot. Off duty: Kaia Gerber, 18, proved she was just as stylish off the catwalk when she stepped out in Paris between shows at Fashion Week on Saturday Looking older than her years, Kaia's supermodel frame was draped in the loose fitting jacket which covered her 90's inspired ensemble. Her knee length trench revealed a pair of loose fitting straight-cut jeans as she walked comfortably after swapping her catwalk stilettos for a pair of New Balance trainers. Her opened jacket also offered a glimpse of a navy and white stripped blouse - an effortless addition to her chic ensemble. Comfort: Kaia's supermodel frame was draped in the loose fitting tan coloured trench coat which revealed a pair of loose fitting straight-cut jeans The beauty shielded her face with her hand as she walked, with a pair of black frames wrapped around her eyes. She completed her look with an olive green cross body bag complete with tan leather detailing. Before hitting Paris, Kaia was in Milan for Fashion Week where she walked for brands including Prada, Fendi, Moschino and Max Mara. And just recently in Paris she led a slew of models at the Loewe show in front of a star-studded audience including Gwendoline Christie on Friday morning. Casual: She swapped her catwalk stilettos for a pair of New Balance trainers and completed her look with an olive green cross body bag complete with tan leather detailing At the show, the model looked typically chic in a midnight blue ruched dress which featured a bold studded panel teamed with a pair of patent black shoes, decorated with a silver letter L on the front. And on Thursday, the model - who is deemed one of the elite - joined Gigi Hadid for Chloe's Autumn/ Winter 2020/ 2021 showcase, where she demanded attention in a variety of fashionable pieces. Despite being one of the most in demand models, the daughter of former supermodel Cindy Crawford, admitted she was 'skeptical' about becoming a model at first. She also said that when her career started to take off, she would refuse 'special treatment' because of her family connections. A mother holds her child killed by Armenian troops in Khojaly in February 1992. / Embassy of Azerbaijan This article was contributed by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Korea. ED. The Khojaly genocide was a grave crime against the peaceful Azerbaijani people committed during Armenia's aggressive war against Azerbaijan. The town of Khojaly is located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in February. The strategic importance of Khojaly is related with its location at the crossroads of the main highways of the region, as well as having the only airport in the Nagorno-Karabakh. In the second half of February 1992, Khojaly was under total siege by Armenian military units and any attempts by local civilians to break the siege were prevented. On the night of Feb. 25 to 26, 1992, in violation of all international legal norms, Armenian armed forces attacked the civilian population of the besieged town of Khojaly with heavy military equipment, killing with unprecedented brutality and razing the town to the ground. As a result of this crime against not only the people of Azerbaijan, but against humanity, 613 civilians, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elders were brutally murdered on grounds of national identity. Khojaly villagers were beheaded, had their eyes gouged out, were skinned, and burned alive. Those trying to flee were killed with a particular brutality by Armenian troops who ambushed them on roads and in forests. The Khojaly genocide was organized by the political and state leadership of the Republic of Armenia and was carried out by Armenian armed forces, Armenian terrorist groups in Nagorno-Karabakh and the former USSR army deployed in Khankandi. A security team guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been put up in a luxury 1,100-a-week Airbnb house near the couples eight-bedroom Canadian mansion. Described as idyllic, the detectives taxpayer-funded bolthole on Vancouver Island has sea views and access to a beach. More officers are understood to be housed elsewhere on the island. The Airbnb house was vacated when Harry flew to the UK five days ago for his final round of Royal duties. A neighbour said: There used to be a security team there. They moved out a few days ago when Harry went. We havent seen them since. The arrangement will intensify the fierce debate about the cost of the couples round-the-clock protection, which since November has been provided by both Scotland Yard officers and Canadian Mounties. In a humiliating blow last week, Canada announced it would quit guarding them on March 31 when they step down as working Royals to pursue lucrative commercial careers. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement in London in November 2017 The eight-bedroom mansion where Price Harry and Megan Msrkle are staying on Vancouver island in British Columbia Canada has a legal obligation to provide security to so-called internationally protected persons, but the couples change in status will mean this no longer applies. This means the cost which could run to millions of pounds will fall solely on UK taxpayers. Britain currently pays 600,000 for the Sussexes team of protection officers. It is thought each costs around 100,000, which covers their salary, overtime, overseas allowance and pensions, and flights and accommodation. But the couples permanent move overseas is likely to see costs rise significantly, with speculation that they would need at least 12 security officers. The Metropolitan Police has calculated that the total annual bill could rise to 20 million, according to one report. Critics say the Duke and Duchess should fund their own security after they become private citizens. Harry and Meghan insist they have a legal right to year-round protection for them and their son Archie. It was previously reported that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had given the UK a commitment that his government would contribute to the costs, although this was never confirmed. Recent polls found that only one in five Canadians believed paying for the couples security was an appropriate use of state funds, and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation delivered an 80,000-signature petition to Mr Trudeaus office opposing footing the bill. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 400.64 crore to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the current financial year, an official spokesman said on Saturday. Against the normative allocation of Rs 500 crore for the current fiscal, Rs 400.64 crore was sanctioned for various projects of Public Works Department (PWD), Public Health Engineering (PHE) and animal husbandry, thus registering a cumulative achievement of 95.95 per cent, the spokesman said. Financial Commissioner (Finance) Arun Kumar Mehta chaired the meeting to review the performance achieved under NABARD funded projects. The meeting discussed the sanctioned projects which include 85 rural roads and bridges, 38 water supply schemes, and two animal husbandry projects, he said. He said the projects worth Rs 99.08 crore have already been sent for sanctioning to NABARD. These include five of horticulture (fruit and vegetable market), six for extending the agriculture extension facilities, and eight for minor irrigation and flood control works. The meeting also discussed ways to enhance the capacity of departments to utilise whole sanctioned amounts efficiently, the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Editors Note: Thomas Feyer, the letters editor of The Times, recused himself from selecting responses to his own article and delegated that role to another editor. To the Editor: Re Women, Please Speak Out, by Thomas Feyer (Sunday Review, Feb. 16), a report on progress toward the goal of parity for women on the letters page: I spent 18 years as the letters editor at The Calgary Herald. I believe that your obsession with tallying the gender of letter writers to achieve greater parity between men and women is the height of political correctness run amok. During my tenure at The Herald, I, too, noticed that more men than women wrote letters. However, gender was never among my criteria for publication. Letters that were well written, concise and thoughtful got published in The Herald, regardless of whether a man or a woman wrote them. My goal for The Heralds letters page was simply to offer a mix of topics and a diversity of opinions each day. The best letters were often the two-line zingers we received from a variety of people indulging in delightfully sarcastic commentary on political and other issues. Men write letters to the editor more often than women. So what? Stop being silly. Just publish the best letters you get, regardless of who wrote them. A founding member of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, has cautioned port authorities throughout the country to tighten security at the entre-points to ward-off threats of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The former Minister who is currently a Member of the Parliamentary Service Board and the Ghana Gas Board said although they were putting up measures, the structures were not enough to combat serious emergencies. In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, Mr. Ossei Aidooh, who is also a former Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, described the current state of unpreparedness as akin to the port beckoning the virus into Ghana. According to him, there were many foreigners, including; Chinese, who were entering the country through the Tema Port without any meaningful screening at a time that China had admitted losing control over the viral outbreak. The current state of affairs, he said posed danger to the lives at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. I fear for the lives of GHAPOHA workers, Mr. Ossei Aidooh, who is credited with pioneering the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tema, said. Government, a couple of weeks ago, announced that it had put in place measures to ensure that people travelling into the country were scanned for the deadly coronavirus before they were allowed into the country. As part of the arrangement, temperature scans were installed at both the Kotoka International Airport and the Tema Port. However, it is well known that most people entering the country do not go through the scan procedures. There have been reports of visiting foreigners virtually fighting state officials who demand that they go through the scanning process. Mr. Ossei Aidooh is asking that more be done. We must tighten the measures to keep out the virus; probably we should think of quarantining every visitor for at least the incubation period of the virus, now that the virus is on almost every continent, Mr. Ossei Aidooh said. There are reports of the virus emerging in the United States of America and Iran, where about 15 deaths were recorded. There is an outbreak in Italy which has recorded over 300 cases with about 11 deaths. Austria, Croatia, Switzerland and Algeria in Africa, have been reported to have experienced some cases of coronavirus in their jurisdictions. Spain is also battling to contain the outbreak of COVID 19 after it identified some of its citizens contracting the virus from Italy. China has currently declared the outbreak of COVID-19 out of control and is seeking the help of the World Health Organisation to declare a state of emergency after losing thousands of its citizens. It is reported that there are about 80,000 (Eighty thousand) reported cases with about 2,700 (Two Thousand Seven Hundred) deaths so far globally. 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 Abhimanyu Dassani's debut film, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota opened to some rave reviews from the critics and the young actor even bagged the Filmfare Best Debut (Male) Award for his impressive performance in the Vasan Bala directorial. This year, the actor has two releases- Sabbir Khan's action-entertainer Nikamma and Umesh Shukla's ensemble comedy Aankh Micholi. Recently, while speaking with PTI, Abhimanyu said that his aim is to explore his range as an actor. Talking about how his upcoming projects are completely different from each other, the actor said, "I didn't take a film till Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota released and so there was a delay in the next film. I have been choosy in selecting films. I don't want to be blocked or be put in any box. Nikamma is a commercial-action thriller, while Aankh Micholi is a family comedy." Besides Nikamma and Aankh Micholi, Abhimanyu is also working on an untitled-romantic drama film. "I don't want to do same kind of films again and again. It is important to do different films as that's the enrichment and growth an actor can have. More than the genre, I want to explore my capacity of what I can do and not do," the actor continued. The actor further said, "Today, the opportunities are bigger. I am lucky to be part of this new age cinema, where there is a balance between commercial Bollywood cinema and content cinema. The opportunities have increased and it is great for actors." Meanwhile, Abhimanyu will be seen doing some hardcore action scenes in Nikamma. Talking about it, the actor told the news agency that he prefers performing his own stunts. "I love doing an action. We have incorporated a new kind of stunts. I did training in Krag Maga (military self-defence and fighting system), it is deadly hand-to-hand combat, military use. I did that workshop for 15 days in Istanbul. I learnt the basics too. I do stunts on my own and don't use a body double. I have grown up watching action films of Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise and I got to know that they do action on their own, I respect them. I want to do it that way as it looks natural, real instead of looking perfect," said Abhimanyu. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Abhimanyu Dassani: I Don't Want To Be The Next Hot Thing! Abhimanyu Dassani's Birthday Gift For Salman Khan Has A Maine Pyaar Kiya Connection! Forty seven more people have died of the deadly coronavirus, rasing the death toll in the country to 2,835 while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 79,251, Chinese health officials said on Saturday. China's National Health Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Saturday said it received reports of 427 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection and 47 deaths on Friday. Among the deaths reported, 45 were from the epicentre of the virus Hubei Province, one in Beijing and Henan respectively, it said. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland have reached 79,251 by the end of Friday, and 2,835 people have died of the disease, it said. The virus, though slowing down its virulence, continued to affect more people as another 248 new suspected cases were reported taking the total to 1,418 people. Also on Friday, 2,885 people were discharged from the hospitals after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 288 to 7,664, the NHC said. A total of 39,002 people have been discharged from the hospitals after the recovery. By the end of Friday, 94 confirmed cases, including two deaths, have been reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao and 34 in Taiwan, including one death. Meanwhile, a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said in Geneva on Friday that it is unhelpful to declare a pandemic when people are still trying to contain COVID-19, although the WHO has raised the epidemic risk alert to the highest level. The WHO revised on Friday the risk assessment of the COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at global level, as an increasing number of cases in more countries were reported over the last few days. "A Pandemic is a unique situation, in which all citizens on the planet will likely be exposed to a virus within a defined period of time," state-run Xinhua agency quoted Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme as saying. However, in the case of COVID-19, it has been proved that the course of the epidemic can be significantly altered through containment measures and robust public health response, the expert noted. The word "pandemic" is "colloquial," Ryan said, appealing for actions that go beyond colloquial terms. The existing data do not support the concept of a pandemic so far, he said, highlighting that China has clearly shown that it is not necessarily the natural outcome of the COVID-19 epidemic if indispensable responses are made quickly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US law firm has ordered 1,100 staff members at its London headquarters to work from home today after an employee returning from Northern Italy fell ill. Baker McKenzie, based in the heart of the capital's financial district, has ordered staff to work remotely. And while staff work from home, the London HQ will undergo a deep clean before updating workers on Sunday evening if the staff member has tested positive for the virus. Baker McKenzie, based in the heart of London's financial district, has ordered staff to work remotely Italy is the site of Europe's worst outbreak so far, with 889 people infected and 21 dead, but authorities in some less-affected areas have re-opened schools and museums in an effort to bring daily life back to normal. A Baker McKenzie spokesman said: 'Our priority is the health and well being of our clients and we have asked out London office employees to work from home. 'We continue to closely monitor the situation and are following the advice and guidance issued by the government and Public Health England,' the spokesman added. They added how the firm has the necessary technology and IT systems in place for staff to work at home allowing them to take precautionary measures without impacting clients. The announcement was issued just two days after US oil giant Chevron sent home around 300 staff at its offices in London's Canary Wharf after an employee returned from a foreign work trip with flu like symptoms. It is understood the Baker McKenzie employee had been on annual leave before they returned to work earlier this week, according to City A.M. The employee worked from home for two days before returning to the London office for two more before they began to feel unwell. The patient, from Surrey, is understood to be a man treated at Haslemere Health Centre before being transferred to Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London It comes after the UK's 20th coronavirus case is the first patient to have caught the infection on British soil. The patient, from Surrey, is understood to be a man who was treated at Haslemere Health Centre before being transferred to Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London. He contracted the illness in England from an unknown spreader - who authorities are racing to track down to avoid them contaminating more people. The UK's 20th coronavirus patient has been confirmed, marking the first case to have caught the infection on British soil. He came from Surrey A spokesman declined to comment on the how long the office, which is the first known London law firm to clear its premises, would be closed for if the staff member tested positive. Crossrail, which shares the same building on New Bridge Street, also asked staff to stay away. Media firm OMD has also shut its Central London office and told around 1,000 staff to work from home after an employee returned from a trip to Australia via Singapore. (Bloomberg) -- Turkey threatened to release a new wave of refugees toward Europe after western allies were cool to its calls for assistance in the wake of the deadliest day so far for Turkish forces in Syria. The statement, by President Recep Tayyip Erdogans communications director, came shortly after a European Union spokesman said it had received no information from Turkey on a change in its policy on migrants. The latest escalation came after 33 Turkish troops were killed and dozens more wounded in airstrikes in northwestern Syria Thursday, triggering a retaliatory strike against Syrian government forces. Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, denied any role in the attack, but Turkish officials criticized Moscow for not doing more to rein in its ally. Hours after Erdogan spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin announced the two may meet in Moscow March 5 or 6, according to Russias state-run Tass news service. Below are highlights of whats taking place since Thursdays clashes in Turkish local time: Key Developments Erdogans communications director says the nation wont be able to handle a new refugee flow if Syrias Idlib falls to forces loyal to Syrian President AssadPutin, Erdogan held detailed discussions on Idlib, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Turkey said the two leaders are expected to hold face-to-face talksTurkey says 309 Syrian troops have been killed in retaliation since Thursdays clashesTurkish stocks, lira and bonds slumped as geopolitical risks added to virus woes plaguing risky assets Turkey Hits Syrian Chemical Warfare Facility Near Aleppo (6:26 a.m.) Turkeys military hit several Syrian targets, including a chemical warfare facility which is located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the northern city of Aleppo, according to the presidents office. Meanwhile, Turkeys Defense Ministry said 1 more Turkish soldier was killed in Syria on Friday. That increased the confirmed death toll for Turkish troops in Idlib to 53 in February. Story continues Pompeo Blames Assad, Russia, Iran for Crisis (12:55 a.m.) Secretary of State Michael Pompeo blamed the Assad regime, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah for preventing the establishment of a cease-fire in northern Syria and said the U.S. is reviewing options to assist Turkey against this aggression as we seek to prevent further Assad regime and Russian brutality and alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Idlib. The attacks must cease, humanitarian access must be granted, and a political solution advanced, Pompeo said in a statement. Turkey had previously asked the U.S. to deploy two Patriot missile-defense batteries on its southern border to free it to punish any future attacks by Russian-backed Syrian troops. UN Chief Seeks Immediate Cease-Fire (9:20 p.m.) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the latest escalation represents one of of the most alarming moments across the duration of the Syrian conflict. Without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour, Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday. The most pressing need is an immediate cease-fire before the situation gets entirely out of control. Trump Reaffirms Turkey Support in Erdogan Call (8:31 p.m.) U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences for the loss of Turkish troops and reaffirmed his support for Turkeys efforts to de-escalate the situation in northwest Syria and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe, according to a White House statement. The two leaders agreed that the Syrian regime, Russia, and the Iranian regime must halt their offensive before more innocent civilians are killed and displaced, according to the statement. Merkel Offers Erdogan Solidarity in Call (8:26 p.m.) In a call with Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered solidarity in humanitarian support for the people driven out of Idlib. The two leaders agreed on the need for a new cease-fire and political talks as soon as possible, according to a readout from Merkels office. Erdogan condemned reckless attacks on Turkish units and called for an end to the offensive attacks by Syria and its supporters. Putin, Erdogan May Meet in Moscow Next Week (6:59 p.m.) Putin and Erdogan may meet in Moscow March 5 or 6 to discuss the crisis, Russias official Tass news agency said, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The Kremlin had resisted Erdogans earlier calls for a meeting in Istanbul at that time. UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting (6:42 p.m.) Security Council meeting to be held at 4 p.m. in New York to discuss the developing crisis, Belgiums UN mission said in a tweet. U.K. Wants UN Security Council Meeting on Idlib (6:11 p.m.) U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned Russia and Syria over the reckless airstrikes that killed at least 33 Turkish soldiers in Idlib, and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. We support our NATO ally Turkeys efforts to negotiate an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Idlib, which is imperative if this already dangerous situation is not to deteriorate further, Raab said in an emailed statement. Yesterdays events only confirmed the reckless and brutal nature of the offensive which the Syrian regime and Russia are conducting in Idlib. Greece Closes Customs Post on Border With Turkey (5:53 p.m.) Greece closed the customs post at the Kastanies border crossing with Turkey, known as Pazarkule in Turkish, to prevent a number of migrants gathered there from entering the country. Greece does not bear any responsibility for the tragic events in Syria and will not suffer the consequences of decisions taken by others, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a Twitter post. Altun Says Millions to Flee to Europe if Idlib Falls (3:09 p.m.) Turkey is pressed by developments in Syrias Idlib and has no choice but to loosen its policy of preventing refugees from fleeing on to Europe, Erdogans communications director Fahrettin Altun says in Ankara. EU Reiterates Calls For De-Escalation (2:30 p.m.) EU Commission spokesman Peter Stano reiterated the blocs calls to Russia for de-escalation, without, however, announcing any concrete action other than ongoing contacts with the parties involved. Stano said the Commission hasnt been notified of any changes in Turkeys migration policy, nor has it received any figures from EU member states so far showing an increase in inflows. Russia Says Putin, Erdogan Spoke by Phone on Idlib (1:09 p.m.) Erdogan called Putin to discuss the crisis Friday and the two had a detailed discussion, Lavrov told a Moscow news conference. It was devoted to the need to do everything to fulfill the original agreements on the Idlib de-escalation zone, Lavrov said, referring to the 2018 agreement with Turkey. Lavrov expressed Russias deepest condolences for the deaths of the Turkish servicemen. While Russia is doing all it can to protect Turkish forces in Idlib, it cant prevent the Syrian government from striking terrorists on its soil, he said. No Change in Turkish Policy on Refugees (12:54 p.m.) Turkeys policy on refugees and immigrants hasnt changed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy says in an emailed statement. However, the recent developments have increased the refugee pressure on Turkey, Aksoy said. Some immigrants and refugees have started moving toward our Western borders. In case the situation deteriorates, this risk will continue to escalate. Turkeys Defense Minister Disputes Russian Account (12:14 p.m.) The attack against Turkish troops in Idlib, Syria occurred even as Russian officers on the ground were informed of their positions, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was cited as saying by state media. During the attack, there were no armed groups around our troops. Following the first strike, another warning was issued, but the attack continued, Akar said. Even ambulances were hit during these airstrikes. In response to the attack, Turkish forces targeted more than 200 Syrian military locations with heavy fire from ground forces, planes and drones, Akar said. The attacks have neutralized 309 Syrian soldiers as they hit five helicopters, 23 tanks and aerial defense systems, the minister said. Stoltenberg Calls on Syria, Russia to Halt Airstrikes (11:47 a.m.) Russia and the Assad regime must stop all airstrikes in Syrias Idlib province and de-escalate the crisis, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with BBC Radio. I call on the Assad regime and Russia to stop all the airstrikes and to engage in a constructive manner in UN-led efforts to find a lasting peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria. There is no doubt that Russia is playing an active role in Syria and also in Idlib province, he said. Earlier, Stoltenberg urged all parties to deescalate this dangerous situation in a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to a NATO statement EU Calls for Idlib De-escalation (11:28 a.m.) Josep Borrell, the European Unions foreign policy chief, said in a Twitter post that the bloc calls on all sides for rapid de-escalation and regret all loss of life. Ongoing escalation around needs to stop urgently. There is a risk of sliding into a major open international military confrontation. It is also causing unbearable humanitarian suffering and putting civilians in danger, he said. Turkish Markets Roiled After Syria Showdown Escalated (09:55 a.m.) The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index slumped 10% at the open, its biggest intraday drop in almost seven years, led by lenders Akbank TAS and Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS. The currency dropped for a fifth day, even as state banks were seen selling dollars aggressively, according to two traders with knowledge of the matter. Russians Say They Didnt Target Turkish Soldiers (08:50 a.m.) Russia denied involvement in Thursdays attack, saying the Turkish troops had been within the ranks of terrorist groups that came under fire from Syrian government forces. When it was clear there were Turkish casualties, Russia took exhaustive measures for a complete cessation of fire by the Syrian military, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Friday. Erdogans Party Says Its Getting Difficult to Hold Refugees (02:52 a.m.) Turkeys policy on Syrian refugees remains unchanged but its getting increasingly difficult to hold them, said Omer Celik, spokesman of Erdogans ruling party, AKP. Our refugee policy is the same but there is a situation at hand. Were not in a position to hold the refugees anymore, Celik was cited as saying by Turkeys state news agency Anadolu. --With assistance from Vladimir Kuznetsov, Firat Kozok, Kerim Karakaya, Constantine Courcoulas, Stuart Biggs, Justin Sink and Stepan Kravchenko. To contact the reporters on this story: Firat Kozok in Ankara at fkozok@bloomberg.net;David Wainer in New York at dwainer3@bloomberg.net;Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, ;Riad Hamade at rhamade@bloomberg.net, Bill Faries, Joshua Gallu For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Carers in a troubled town have no control over the children they look after, a shock email has revealed. It comes after a father watched on in horror as a woman sat on her phone while a 15-year-old boy chromed for almost three hours. An email, obtained by The Townsville Bulletin, confirmed that carers in the town have absolutely no control of the children in their care. 'We are not able to restrict their movements and we cannot stop them from leaving our residence or moving about in the community,' CEO the company allegedly wrote. Carers in a troubled town have no control over the children they look after, a shock email has revealed The onlooker who captured the shocking scene, who does not want to be named, could not believe his eyes. 'I was gobsmacked,' the resident told the publication. In the three-hour period, the resident said the supervisor sat at a picnic table scrolling through her phone, as the boy chromed using a large aerosol can, with his back to her. Chroming, also known as sniffing, is an act in which adults and teenagers inhale poisonous fumes from deodorant, paint and glue. It is another way to get 'high' and allows the individual to feel good for a few hours before it wears off. There are serious health factors involved with chroming such as brain damage or suffocation when the chromers' lungs stop working properly. Chroming is not illegal under Queensland Police law. No penalty could be enforced on the woman, despite a history of chroming deaths. Chroming, also known as sniffing, is an act in which adults and teenagers inhale poisonous fumes from deodorant, paint and glue (People chroming on the bus in Queensland) 'The issue we have with chroming is that unfortunately it is not illegal. Again, we ask the State Government, make chroming illegal,' Deputy Mayor of Brisbane, Krista Adams said on ABC Radio Brisbane. Queensland's Department of Youth Justice has found more teenagers were caught chroming in 2018 and 2017. Child Protection and Investigation Unit officer-in-charge Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles said chroming was happening regularly around the city, with police encountering a daily interaction with someone effected by the substance. He said juveniles take advantage of the cheap and easily accessible aerosols, but it is is often hard for police to detect whether they are affected. 'The problem we have is there is no definite indicators, it's not like alcohol where the effects can be long lasting,' Sen-Sgt Miles said. Daily Mail have contacted Child Safety Minister Di Farmer and the Department of Education for comment. 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. Kolkata is bracing for widespread protests on March 1, when Union home minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Jagat Prakash Nadda are scheduled to arrive in the city to address a public rally where they will speak in favour the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). While Left parties have called for protests on the streets, an apolitical gathering has been called a group of Muslim social workers and students for a protest at the Bengal BJP headquarters. The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, one of Indias leading organisations of Islamic scholars, has called for a protest march in the city which will be led by Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury. A separate protest has been organised by a group of social activists. Most of these programmes are around the citys Esplanade, which is also the venue of Shahs rally. Kolkata will welcome Shah just the way Narendra Modi was welcomed with black flags. Shah has his hands soaked in blood in the Delhi clashes. He is not welcome in Bengal, said Mohammed Salim, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He also sought to club the states ruling TMC with the BJP. Mamata Banerjee may try her best to offer Shah a red carpet but people will take to the streets, he added. Social activist Wali Rahmani, who has called for a gherao (blockade) of the Bengal BJP headquarters, said, We will march from Ramlila Maidan to the BJP office, carrying a packet of sweets, flowers and a letter for Shah so that he stops delivering hate speeches and ensures his party men stop doing the same. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hinds state unit president and the library minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, said he will lead a peaceful march from Moulali area, condemning Shahs inaction during the clashes in tNew Delhi and demanding his resignation. Shah has earned our country a bad name in the world, Chowdhury said. Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra said the party would decide on Saturday whether to join the Left in Sundays protest. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, has criticised chief minister Mamata Banerjee for attending a meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council chaired by Shah in Bhubaneswar on Friday. TMC has exposed its secret understanding with the BJP, Chowdhury said. The administration is expecting a situation similar to that in January when protesters brought the city to a standstill during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit. Then, the police did not allow protesters to reach anywhere near the venues of the Prime Ministers various engagements. This time is different. While most of the events Modi participated in were indoors, around 100,000 BJP supporters are expected to gather at Shahid Minar ground to listen to Shah. The BJP has emerged the second most powerful political force in the state after the TMC. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state to the TMCs 22. BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh criticised the planned protests. The Left and Congress, due to their destructive politics, are on the verge of extinction. They are resorting to the same brand of politics for a revival. People will reject them, Ghosh said. No police officer agreed to speak on the record. None of the protest programmes have been given permission. The police will remain alert and ensure that protesters do not come near the venue of the BJPs rally, said a senior officer of Kolkata police who is involved in security arrangements for the day. Senior TMC leaders declined comment, saying the chief minister was monitoring the whole situation. She is the home minister and only she will comment, said a senior TMC minister who did not want to be identified. TMC has no scheduled programme on Sunday. During Modis visit, TMC carried out a sit-in demonstration, even though Banerjee met Modi at the governors residence. She later described it as a courtesy call. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Rwandan newspapers this week were awash with stories and comments on the appointment of new ministers in a cabinet reshuffle that concerned the Health and Education portfolios Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the inauguration of 29 Special Composite Group Complex of Security Guard (NSG) in Rajarhat on Sunday. The Home Minister is also scheduled to address two public meetings in Kolkata the same day. Shah is currently on a two-day visit to Odisha where he chaired the 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in Bhubaneswar and addressed a public meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A group of #NotAgainSU student protesters crashed a luncheon Saturday for Syracuse University donors and parents. Most of the students were barred from entering, but a few were let into the luncheon at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School, protesters said on the #NotAgainSU Twitter account. A university spokeswoman denied any students were barred from the event. One student, when given a chance, faced the room and calmly said: You should know what your money supports. The money is not being allocated to any people of color. It is not being allocated to people who are disabled," the student said in a video posted on Instagram. "And this school has been constantly lying to the blogs and the media, trying to make us look like we are the bad guys, when really, the administration has been avoiding us. Syracuse University issued this statement Saturday evening: "The chancellor hosted a group of Syracuse University parents earlier today at Eggers Hall. During the gathering, a group of student protesters arrived and were able to enter the space. They spoke for a few minutes about their protest and concerns and then proceeded to depart. At no time was anyone barred or prevented from entering the parent event. #NotAgainSU has been occupying Crouse-Hinds Hall since Feb. 17, protesting what they say is racism and prejudice on campus. The group, which was formed after a rash of racist, anti-Semitic graffiti was found on campus during the fall semester, has vowed to stay inside the building until administrators meet their demands. Speaking during the luncheon, the student told donors about the contentious start of this months protest. The university suspended about 30 students in an attempt to stop the protest. Officials locked outsiders out of Crouse-Hinds for two days and refused to let food or other items into the building. Two weeks into the protest, the student said #NotAgainSU wants to leave Crouse-Hinds. But they wont leave the building, she said, until Chancellor Kent Syverud meets and negotiates with them. The student ended her impromptu speech with a plea to to Syverud. Chancellor, Im asking you to please meet with us on Monday so we can negotiate, she said, so that we can leave and make this campus a better place. Then, after exchanging thank yous with the crowd, her speech ended. *** Editors note: This article was updated to add a statement from Syracuse University about the luncheon Saturday. 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. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? You can reach me at shouse@syracuse.com | (315) 466-4160 | Twitter | Facebook During the "Samajik Adhikarta Shivir" here on Saturday, a visually-challenged youth took a selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the smartphone he received under the assistance to disabled persons for purchase/fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed assistive aids and devices to nearly 27,000 senior citizens and Divyangjans at the biggest-ever "Samajik Adhikarta Shivir". Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said his government has been working with the goal of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas'. "Swastih Prajaabhyah Paripaalayantaam, Nyaayena MaargeNa, Maheem Mahishaah (It is the responsibility of the government that every person is benefited, every person gets justice)," he said. "This is the basis for the philosophy of 'sabka saath sabka vikas sabka vishwaas'. With this spirit, our government is working for the welfare and development of each and everyone in the society. It is my government's first priority to protect the interests of 130 crore Indians whether senior citizens, divyangjans, tribals or the downtrodden," he added. Modi said that the participation of every specially-abled youth was necessary for the creation of "New India" and added that they were being constantly encouraged. In the mega camp over 56,000 Assistive Aids and Devices of different types were distributed free of cost to nearly 27,000 beneficiaries under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana and Divyangjans under the scheme of ADIP. The cost of the aids and devices is over Rs 19 crore. The objective is to provide assistance through these aids and devices to the daily living and socio-economic development of the Divyangjan and the senior citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 23:53:28|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan authorities have arrested 47 illegal immigrants in the White Beach, southern the Atlantic city of Agadir, official news agency reported Saturday. The illegal immigrants, including six women and an infant, are all from sub-Saharan Africa, it added. They were arrested Friday night, while they were about to board a boat to take them to Spain's Canary Islands in the Atlantic. In 2019, 62 human trafficking networks were busted and 505 people involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling were arrested in Morocco, according to official statistics. Moroccan authorities arrested 27,317 illegal immigrants in 2019, the Moroccan police said. Militia fighters in Democratic Republic of Congo killed 24 people and injured 12 others, a local official said Saturday, the latest bout of unrest in the violence-wracked northeastern province of Ituri. The killings took place late Friday in the province, where some 700 people have died since a surge in communal violence in 2017. The government on Friday signed a peace deal with one of the local armed groups, the FRPI (Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri), who have been active in the area for two decades. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Srinagar, Feb 29 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday raided the residence of Shakir Bashir Magray, an alleged handler and close associate of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber Adil Dar who had carried out the Pulwama terror attack in February last year. According to reports, some rooms in Magrey's house in Pulwama have been sealed. Sources said his father is also being questioned. On Friday, the NIA had said that a major breakthrough has been been achieved in the Pulwama suicide attack case with the arrest of Shakir Bashir Magrey. According to the NIA, Magrey, an over ground worker (OGW) for militants, provided logistical assistance to JeM suicide bomber Adil Dar. "A furniture shop owner, Shakir Bashir Magrey provided shelter and other logistical assistance to suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar. He was introduced to Dar in mid-2018 by Pakistani militant Mohammad Umar Farooq, after which Magrey became a full-time OGW of JeM," an NIA statement said. It said that during his initial interrogation, Magrey has disclosed that on several occasions, he collected and delivered arms, ammunition, cash and explosive materials to JeM militants, including those involved in the Pulwama attack. "Accused Shakir Bashir Magrey has further revealed that he had harboured Adil Ahmad Dar and Pakistani militant Mohammad Umar Farooq in his house from late 2018 till the attack in February 2019, and assisted them in the preparation of IED," the statement said. "His shop is located near Lethpora bridge, and as advised by Mohammad Umar, he started conducting reconnaissance of the movement of CRPF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in January 2019, and informed Mohammad Umar and Adil Ahmad Dar about it," it added. The NIA statement further said that Magrey was also involved in modifying the Maruti Eeco car and fitting the IED in it in early February 2019. "During investigation, the make, model and number of the car used in the attack was quickly ascertained by NIA to be a Maruti Eeco through forensic examination of the tiny remnants of the car, which were seized from the spot during extended searches. This has been corroborated by Magrey," the statement said. It added that explosives used in the attack were determined to be Ammonium Nitrate, Nitro-Glycerin and RDX. "Investigation has also confirmed the identity of the suicide bomber to be Adil Ahmad Dar through DNA matching with that of his father," the statement said. Other key militants involved in the attack have been found to be Muddasir Ahmad Khan, (JeM's divisional commander in South Kashmir who was killed in an operation by security forces on March 11, 2019), Pakistani militant Muhammad Umar Farooq and IED expert Kamran, (both killed on March 29, 2019), the owner of the car Sajjad Ahmad Bhat from Anantnag (killed on June 16, 2019) and Qari Yassir, JeM's commander for Kashmir (killed on January 25, 2020). The suicide attack on the CRPF convoy moving from Jammu towards Srinagar on February 14, 2019 near Pulwama had claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. Magrey was produced before a Special NIA court in Jammu on Friday and remanded to 15 days NIA custody for detailed interrogation. Premier Brian Pallister said Friday that the passenger taken off an airplane in Winnipeg Thursday did not have COVID-19. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Premier Brian Pallister said Friday that the passenger taken off an airplane in Winnipeg Thursday did not have COVID-19. "It's not a coronavirus case," said Pallister. He couldn't offer specifics, or say whether the person who had a medical issue had been in China or any of the at-risk countries before boarding the WestJet flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg Thursday afternoon. Paramedics in masks and protective gear took the passenger off the plane before other passengers were allowed to disembark, a WestJet spokesperson said Thursday. Emergency responders cleared the flight with the approval of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the airline spokesperson said. Premier Brian Pallister said the passenger taken off an airplane in Winnipeg on Thursday did not have COVID-19 and he is confident Manitoba is well-prepared to deal with an outbreak if it occurs. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Manitoba Health said Thursday that "all appropriate precautions and procedures" were followed, and that public health officials are monitoring the "emerging and rapidly evolving situation related to COVID-19." On Friday, when asked to explain how the premier knows the person taken off the WestJet flight does not have the coronavirus -- when provincial lab test results takes 24 hours and confirmation at the National Microbiology Laboratory takes 48 hours -- a provincial spokeswoman didn't explain but offered a brief statement: "At this time, no laboratory-confirmed cases have been identified in the province and the overall risk to Manitobans remains low," she said. The province will notify the public as soon as someone tests positive for COVID-19 at the Cadham Provincial Laboratory -- where it would be termed a "presumptive" case -- before it's confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab, said another health department spokesperson. On the front lines, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says it's ready to deal with the virus if and when it arrives. It consulted with Shared Health and has a new protocol and followed it Thursday at the airport, said spokeswoman Erin Madden. "As COVID-19 has spread and the countries where the virus has been identified has widened, our protocols have evolved," said Madden. Crews responding to all incidents involving patients with flu-like symptoms are now taking personal protective precautions, collecting travel histories and advising hospitals accordingly, she said. When 911 medical dispatch says a patient is experiencing an influenza-like illness -- cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, malaise, and respiratory symptoms consistent with respiratory infection -- crews are reminded to don proper personal protection and to put an N-95 mask, surgical mask or oxygen mask on the patient on initial contact, she said. Paramedics dressed in protective clothing guide a stretcher carrying an ill woman from a Westjet flight at Richardson International Airport on Thursday, spreading fears she had the coronavirus. (Shannon VanRaes / Reuters) In such cases, paramedics ask the patient if they had close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 within 14 days prior to becoming ill, if they had close contact with a person with flu-like symptoms who's travelled to China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam within 14 days of feeling ill, or had laboratory exposure with a person who works directly with biological specimens known to contain COVID-19. If the patient answers yes to any of those questions, paramedics contact the hospital to ensure necessary isolation arrangement are made, said Madden. After contacting or transporting someone with a flu-like illness, crews follow disinfecting procedures of their ambulances and equipment, she said. Pallister said he's confident Manitoba is "well-prepared" to deal with an outbreak if it occurs. "I don't think this is an unprecedented thing," the premier said, noting Manitoba has dealt with outbreaks in the past. During the 2009-2010 H1N1 epidemic, Manitoba had more than 2,600 confirmed cases and 11 people died. 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. "The important thing is to learn from each experience," said the premier. Provincial government departments are working together to prepare for a worst-case scenario with COVID-19, Pallister said, deferring to the Health Minister for details of that plan. Meanwhile, fears over the economic impact of COVID-19 sent stock prices tumbling for a seventh consecutive day on Friday, resulting in the worst weekly decline for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis. In Manitoba, the province announced Friday that its budget will be released March 11. Visitors wearing face masks take photos at a park overlooking the Forbidden City in Beijing on Friday. (Mark Schiefelbein / The Associated Press) Pallister said the 2020 budget will make Manitoba stronger and better able to withstand a real health issue, not a "scare" like what happened Thursday at the airport. "Just as a healthy body can repel disease better than an unhealthy one, a stronger province can find its way in challenging times better if it's set the stage to be stronger," Pallister said. "We'll continue with this budget to move to become a stronger, more resilient province." carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca CHARLESTON, S.C. Dawn Vollink says shes finally ready to settle on Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Well, maybe. The 70-year-old Democrat who once contemplated voting for former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (before he showed attitude in recent debates) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (before she slumped in Nevada) in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary says she is re-considering supporting Warren after the Massachusetts senators vigorous takedown of Mike Bloomberg. But even now, shes not 100% sold on Warren or anyone else in the field. None of them totally knocks me off my feet, said Vollink, who attended a Warren rally here Monday as she tried to gather more information about the candidates. None of them really stands out. I mean, Id vote for a gerbil before Id vote for Trump, so its been sort of a process of elimination. Voters like Vollnik many of them white, well-educated, and suburban have played an influential and often confounding role during the first month of the Democratic race. After a year of campaigning and three nominating contests, they are still deeply unsure of which candidate to support, even often watching their top preference shift from week to week. Its a dynamic once again set to shape results in Saturdays primary in South Carolina. A lot of undecided voters have flown all over the place the last year, said Ian Sams, a former aide to Sen. Kamala Harriss presidential campaign. They tend to be college-educated, highly informed people, and theyre looking for signals for who can beat Trump and whos the strongest general election nominee more than they are going with their gut or falling in love with a candidate. The indecision of these voters is a continuation of a trend that started in 2019 and, if anything, has intensified as primary voting has begun. Hesitant voters were prevalent at the candidates rallies in South Carolina this week, as many hoping to gather last-minute information to help inform their final decision. In interviews, most also openly acknowledged how their perception of electability was complicating their choice. Fifty-two-year-old Darshan Sarmento, for example, attended a small rally Thursday night for billionaire Tom Steyer but admitted that she really liked Warren. She was just worried Warrens gender would prevent her from defeating Trump. I really like Warren, and her ideas, and her plans, Sarmento said. But then theres this little voice inside my head that says, Are we really ready for a woman? Sarmento attended Steyers rally with her wife, Rachel Dunai. Both women said they had a similar electability concern with another candidate they liked: Buttigieg. Weve barely gotten the right to get married, said Dunai, who lives in Summerville, S.C. I dont think theyre going to put a gay man in charge. READ MORE: Election 2020: Bernie Sanders wins big at Nevada caucus, widens lead for Democratic nomination READ MORE: Those dual fears pushed them to at least consider Steyer, a longshot candidate whos polling better in South Carolina thanks mostly to the millions of dollars spent on advertising in the state. Both women emphasized that in the end, they just wanted to pick a candidate who could defeat Trump. Weve got 36 hours left, right? Dunai said. Then well decide. Late deciding voters like Sarmento and Dunai have been the norm so far in the Democratic primary. More than a third of caucus-goers in Iowa made up their mind in the days before that states contest, according to entrance polls, while roughly half of Democrats in New Hampshire did so before that states primary, exit polls showed. The late-breaking voter bloc helped Klobuchar vault to a surprise third-place finish in the Granite State, after a well-reviewed debate performance days before the primary. But just as soon as voters are ready to give momentum in this primary, they seem equally as ready to take it away. As much as I like Amy Klobuchar, Im not sure shes a sustainable long-term candidate based on Nevada, said Kim Alexander, a 42-year-old Charleston resident. Alexander attended a Warren rally in town Monday and said she was considering supporting the Massachusetts senator but still hadnt quite made up her mind. Klobuchar finished sixth in Nevada, and polls in South Carolina indicate shes on track for a similar finish here Saturday. Some Democratic leaders say the reasons for the indecision is rooted in the sheer size of a field that once totaled 25 candidates, and even now includes more than a half-dozen serious contenders. I do think when you have the largest field of candidates that we have ever had in the history of a nominating process, that will you actually will have people who have not made up their minds, Trav Robertson, chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said on McClatchys Beyond the Bubble podcast. Its not a sin. Its OK to flip to from one candidate. It means theyre looking at them. Robertson joked that as of Monday, even he hadnt cast his vote. The shifting allegiances among suburban white voters has been a boon to a candidates like Bernie Sanders, whose loyal base of progressive die-hards is unwavering, and Joe Biden, who is favored to win in South Carolina thanks mostly to his deep appeal to the states many black voters. Consolidating those voters would be a boon to Warren, Buttigieg, or Klobuchar. But among Democratic operatives, theres skepticism that will happen before candidates start dropping out of the race. I dont think were ever going to be in a situation where suddenly the skies part and everyone sees the light and it all consolidates around one candidate, Sams said. I think its going to depend on where you are and which candidates are left in the field. Vollink said that even before the Warren rally started Monday, she was 75% sure shed vote for her. But Vollink held open the possibility that she might cast her ballot for someone else. Vollink, who was vacationing in South Carolina but lives in Kalamazoo, Mich., has until March 10 to make a final decision. Am I being fickle? she said. I dont know. Alex Roarty of the McClatchy Washington Bureau wrote this story. 2020 McClatchy Washington Bureau Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau at www.mcclatchydc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. * A Malaysian woman on Thursday (February 27) was tested positive for COVID-19, days after returning from Japan, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. The ministry also said two other individuals who had previously tested positive had fully recovered and had been discharged, one 67-year old female Chinese national and one 83-year-old US woman, bringing the total number of recovery to 22. *Japan's Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda on Friday requested all students to remain indoors and not to attend schools that have been closed to contain COVID-19. * The Republic of Korea (ROK) confirmed 256 more cases of the COVID-19 on Friday, raising the total number of infections to 2,022. As of 9:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the number of infected patients totaled 2,022, up 256 from the previous day. The death toll was unchanged at 13. * The Finnish government is setting up a coordination group and allocating an initial EUR8.9 million (US$9.79 million) for the control of the novel coronavirus, government officials told a press conference Thursday. * A total of 650 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Italy, an increase by 122 cases compared to the previous count provided by authorities at midday Thursday. Fatalities linked to the infection rose to 17, after three more people died in northern Lombardy region, according to the authorities. *The first case of COVID-19 infection has been detected in the Netherlands, Dutch Health Minister Bruno Bruins announced on Thursday. The infected patient is a man who recently visited Lombardy, Italy, and is now under quarantine in a hospital in southern Dutch city Tilburg. * With 20 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in a day, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in France has increased to 38, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced on Thursday evening. * Five new cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed in Sweden, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven, the country's Public Health Agency announced at a press conference Thursday evening. * Two more coronavirus cases were confirmed in Vienna later on Thursday, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in Austria to five. * The Council of Ministers of Cyprus decided on Thursday to beef up checks at crossing points in the so-called Green Line dividing the eastern Mediterranean island into Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot zones as an additional measure to guard against the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said. * Iraq on Thursday announced a new case of novel coronavirus disease in the country's northern province of Kirkuk, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Iraq to seven. * International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says the IOC is fully committed to the Tokyo Olympics going ahead on schedule despite the threat of a further spread of coronavirus. Japan's Kyodo news agency said that Bach told Japanese media on Thursday that the IOC "is fully committed to a successful Olympic Games in Tokyo starting July 24." * In order to avoid coronavirus infection, Palestine on Thursday urged Palestinians to avoid travel abroad unless necessary, including travel for pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's Mecca city. Palestine is still free of coronavirus cases but has declared a national emergency strategy to prevent the outbreak. * Rafic Hariri Hospital registered the third case of COVID-19 in Lebanon while, Al-Jadeed local TV channel reported Thursday. * Iranian capital Tehran's Friday prayer ceremony was cancelled by the headquarters of the event, official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. According to the latest report on Thursday, 245 people have been infected by the virus and 26 have died since Feb. 18 when Iran announced the first case of infection in the country. * Nigeria's first case of COVID-19 has been recorded in Lagos, the country's commercial hub and most populous city, the Lagos state government confirmed early Friday. * Egypt's only announced case of COVID-19, known as the novel coronavirus, was discharged from hospital after the quarantine period was over and the case has tested negative, said a joint statement by the Egyptian Health Ministry and the Wold Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday. * California is expanding test for the novel coronavirus after the first patient in the country with no known exposure was confirmed in the state. The state pushed for more testing for the disease, including for people showing possible symptoms and not just those who have traveled outside the country, Governor Gavin Newsom said at a live press conference Thursday morning. * The Department of National Defense (DND) of the Philippines said on Thursday that it welcomes the senate approval of an anti-terrorism bill that empowers law enforcers in the fight against the organized terrorist group. On Wednesday, the Philippine senate approved on final reading Senate Bill 1083 or Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 which provides more teeth to the law against terrorism. * China will provide a comprehensive emergency assistance package to Pakistan to counter the desert locust swarm attacks, Chinese experts on locust control told a press conference in Karachi on Thursday. * Pakistan-US trade talks during the visit of US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to Pakistan have failed to make a longstanding impact to enhance the business ties between the two countries, local media quoted finance ministry sources as saying on Thursday. * The death toll during communal violence in the Indian capital city Delhi Thursday evening rose to 37, officials said. Over 200 people were also injured in the violence that ravaged the city for three days. * US Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke by phone on Thursday with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar over Syria and Libya, said the Pentagon in a statement. * The foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group (V4), namely, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, reiterated their support for the start of European Union (EU) accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia at a meeting in Prague on Thursday. The Czech Republic, now holding the presidency of the V4, hosted the meeting of the V4 and Western Balkans. * Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a session of talks with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on bilateral relations and means to enhance them, the Royal Court said Thursday. TORRINGTON Declining enrollment, staffing, salaries, and benefits were recently reviewed by Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski in her annual budget presentation to the Board of Education. The proposed 2020-2021 budget reflects a 3.8 percent increase, Lubomski said in her written presentation. The contractual obligations equal 3.3 percent of the budget. Therefore, we believe this budget is extremely responsible. The superintendents $77,511,773 proposal calls for an increase of $2,456,865 over the approved 2018-19 budget of $74,663,978. The budget begins at the site level with the Leadership Team at each school, Lubomski wrote. Budget meetings are held with the principals and the five Central Office administrators with input from the Facilities Director to discuss the needs at each site. Key information was examined as part of our preparation including enrollment projections, current class sizes and staffing utilization, schedules, student needs and program delivery models. Special education, lower enrollment Members of the City Council are expected to hear a presentation on district special education costs at its meeting March 2. Those costs, Lubomski said in her proposal, continue to increase, in spite of losing 37 special education students since August 2019. Along with those special education students, the number of outplaced students also dropped, from 104 students in 2018-19 to 95 students for the 2019-20 school year. However, 90 new students needing special education services have enrolled in the school district since the start of the school year, according to the superintendents proposal. Those students were not accounted for in the 2019-20 budget. According to Lubomskis report, enrollment in 2018-19 was 4,129 students; for 2019-20, the total enrollment is 4,065 students. The districts highest enrollment, according to the report, was 4,620 students in 2010-11. Enrollment has steadily dropped since that year. Salaries, benefits, other increases Salaries and benefits total $1.74 million in the proposed budget. The school district is looking to bring in five new staff members in 2020-21 with salaries that total $246,045, including $74,476 for a districtwide psychologist. Along with the psychologist, staffing requests include a Spanish teacher at Torrington High School with a salary of $46,128, a coding/technology teacher with a salary of $57,750, and a food skills instructor for $17,600. At the elementary school, the superintendent is requesting a nurse at a salary of $48,091. The budget also includes $161,711 to improve communication infrastructure and technology security at the schools, to ensure cyber security and upgrade technology infrastructure in our buildings, the superintendent said. Other increases include repairs and maintenance at Torrington High School and maintenance at Torrington Middle School, totaling $101,490; books and periodicals, general and technology supplies totaling $17, 557, contracted services and legal fees totaling $60,419, disposal services totaling $7,106, and travel expenses totaling $3,930. The proposed budget for outplacement services in 2020-21 is $9.5 million, an increase of $200,000 from 2019-20. The proposed budget implements a newly created WINN (What I Need Now) block schedule at the districts elementary schools and middle school, providing enrichment programs for students. Lubomski said the district will save $591,869 with 12 staff layoffs, based on the decline in enrollment, and $187,250 in non-staff reductions. Whats next The budget process continues March 4 with a budget subcommittee meeting at the districts Migeon Avenue offices, followed by a public hearing March 9 at Vogel-Wetmores library at 6:30 p.m. to discuss elementary and special education and curriculum. A tentative budget meeting is set for March 11 at Torrington Middle School, followed by a second public hearing at 6:30 p.m. March 16 at the Torrington High School library, and a Board of Education meeting in the Torrington High School library at 6 p.m. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Satellite images show a dramatic drop in pollution over China after the coronavirus outbreak shut down swathes of the countrys industry and travel. US space agency Nasa said the change was at least partly related to the economic slowdown caused by efforts to contain the virus. Nasa maps show how levels of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas from vehicles, power plants and factories, plummeted after the mass quarantine, compared with before. Scientists have previously found the coronavirus wiped out at least a quarter of Chinas emissions of damaging greenhouse gases in just two weeks in mid-February. Closing industrial plants and asking people to stop at home has led to sharp drops in the burning of fossil fuels a key cause of the climate crisis in the worlds largest greenhouse gas producer. Pollution levels in January contrast with those in February (Nasa) China, where the outbreak began, has nearly 80,000 cases of coronavirus, by far the largest number of any country, with nearly 2,900 deaths. Nasas maps compare pollution levels between the first three weeks of the year and 10-25 February. The space agencys scientists said the fall in pollution was first apparent near Wuhan, the source of the outbreak, but eventually spread across the country. This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event, said Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at Nasas Goddard Space Flight Centre. She said she had seen a decline in nitrogen dioxide levels during the economic recession of 2008 but said that decrease was more gradual. LIVE Updates | File image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited for the centenary celebrations of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka next month because India played an intrinsic role in the country's liberation, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem. The envoy said the celebrations on March 17, which coincide with the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujib -- referred to as "Bangabandhu" or the father of the Bengali Nation -- will kick off a year-long series of events in Bangladesh as well as the UK. "Prime Minister Modi is among the special guests invited to the centenary, which also has intrinsic links with Bangabandhu's homecoming in 1971," Tasneem told PTI in an interview. "The roadmap of that journey is that he first stopped in London, where he was officially recognised as the president of the independent state of Bangladesh and had bilateral meetings at 10 Downing Street. Then he was flown to Delhi, where he held a public gathering with (then Indian prime minister) Indira Gandhi," she recalled. The diplomat traced the active role played by Gandhi at the time alongside the then UK prime minister, Edward Heath, to seek Sheikh Mujib's release from Karachi Jail in Pakistan. "They collectively played a very proactive role in the release of Bangabandhu and to ensure that he was not harmed in any way. So, at the very genesis of Bangladesh, the relationships were clear and the Bangladesh-India ties remain as strong till date, as do the UK-Bangladesh ties," she said. In reference to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was passed by the Indian Parliament in December last year to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, the envoy said the implication of the law was "hurtful" to Bangladesh. "The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said it is an internal matter of India but also quite unnecessary. Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh have done very well for themselves, especially in the financial sphere, as they have a particular skill with mathematics and accounts," she said. Amid a recent unrest over the contentious law in Delhi, there have been some calls for Bangladesh to withdraw Modi's invite to the centenary celebrations in Dhaka next month, a demand rejected by the Bangladeshi government. Shiv Sena leader and state urban development department minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday indicated that the party, which heads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, supports a proposal to set aside 5% of admissions in educational institutions for Muslims. Shinde said chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was in favour of taking all communities on board. The high court has allowed 5% Muslim reservation in the state... Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is in favour of taking all the communities ahead. For farmers, the chief minister has announced a farm loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh and we are on the course of its successful implementation, Shinde told reporters. On Friday, minority affairs minister Nawab Malik, replying to a question in the Legislative Council, said the quota can be implemented and a legislation to that effect would be introduced soon. The Bombay high court had in November 2014 struck down reservations for the Maratha community in government jobs and college admissions and Muslims in jobs, but allowed the state to provide a quota for Muslims in educational institutions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena government chose not to implement the Muslim quota after coming to power the same year. Shiv Sena insiders said there had been no change in the partys stance, noting that it had supported the demand for 5% reservation for Muslims in education during a debate in the Maharashtra assembly in November 2018. Senas chief whip Sunil Prabhu had said the party was in favour of reservations for Muslim as well as the Maratha and Dhangar communities provided existing quotas were left untouched. A Sena minister said on condition of anonymity, The MVA government is bound by the common minimum programme (CMP) and the programme mentions schemes for the minorities. We are proceeding as per the written word. The Shiv Sen had promised to resolve pending issues of various communities ,including Muslims, in its manifesto [for the October 2019 assembly polls]. The common minimum programme prepared by the Shiv Sena and its partners in the MVA, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, stated that the government shall adopt various schemes to eliminate the social, educational and economic backwardness of the minority community and implement Constitutional safeguards for its security welfare in letter and spirit. Former NCP legislator Prakash Shendge, who is an Other Backward Class (OBC) leader supporting the Shiv Sena, denied that the quota for Muslims would dilute Maratha or OBC reservations. If the quota comes, it would come from the general category ad not affect the OBC or Maratha quota. Such statements are made by the opposition to create a rift between the communities. We welcome the state governments move, he said. Political analyst Surendra Jondhale said the Senas stance showed it was being practical. The issue was lingering during the BJP government because the Marathas were pushing strongly for quotas. This is political pragmatism of the Shiv Sena to go with the quota for minorities. Besides, the Congress and the NCP must have pushed for it and convinced the Sena leadership. Jondhale said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The intra-Afghan peace talks, involving representatives from the Afghan government, the Taliban and various other groups, will be held in Norway's capital Oslo by March 10, officials here said on Saturday, as the US signed a landmark agreement with the Taliban in Doha to bring peace in the war-torn country. This will be probably for the first time since the 9/11 attacks that the representative of a duly elected Afghan government and the Taliban would be meeting face-to-face for peace talks. "The parties will be meeting in Oslo. That negotiation will kick off as soon as each of the various components of that can get their negotiators to Oslo. We certainly expect it to be in the first half of March. It may take a week, a week and a half, for all the parties to travel there," a senior administration official told reporters here. Throughout this period, the reduction in violence remains in place, so it will give the US a good opportunity to test the durability of the reduction in violence and also perhaps set a better stage for it to move towards a permanent ceasefire once all the parties are at the table, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The parties at the table will be the Afghan government and the Opposition; it will be the Taliban; it will be Afghan civil society, and especially women's groups will all be parties for this negotiation at the table. The United States will be present, but this will be an intra-Afghan negotiation," said the official. As part of the agreement, the US has established a communications channel, which is currently based in Doha, where it will continue its role of mediating between the Taliban and the Afghan government. That communications channel is responsible for supporting the implementation of the agreement, another senior administration official said. "Obviously, we would be present in intra-Afghan negotiations," the official said, adding that in Oslo, several other countries have expressed their intention to play a helpful role. "There'll be other governments who will be supporting and facilitating the talks, so it would be, for example, us, the United States; Indonesia is likely to play a role, Germany is likely to play a role, Uzbekistan is interested in playing a role. So different types of partners that can help the parties," the second official said. The United Nations would also be playing a role. "So they're working out the design of how to do that most effectively, so I think that I would come back to you on how that develops," said the official. According to the official, upon reaching Oslo, there will be commitments that the parties will be making that will further reduce the level of violence. "Our aspiration is very early on, once we have all the parties at the table, to reach a real ceasefire, which will require a lot more effort and will require all voices in Afghanistan to be represented at the table, because everyone will need to be committed to that for it to hold," said the official. Responding to a question, the official said that it is "genuinely hard to predict" how this is going to unfold, given the complexity of the situation and the various positions of the parties. "Ideally, what would happen is that they would come to an early conclusion on an approach," the official noted. They need to identify the many difficult types of issues. For example, security forces, how do they begin consolidation; reconciliation, how do they do that; sort of what their governance structure should be, the official said. "They don't have to actually agree to all those things, but they have to identify what are the things they have to tackle to set up a political roadmap for the country, and maybe put some timeline against it. So that would be an initial agreement, and then they would subsequently execute," the official said. "What we want to see is progress by all parties. So the non-Talib Afghans as well the Taliban to seriously start working this out. And again, our expectation is that it won't be easy, but possibly they can move more quickly on just identifying selecting the universe of tasks that they have to tackle," the official observed. More than 18-year-long Afghan war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Some 2.5 million Afghans are registered as refugees abroad and another two million are displaced within their country. The war has cost the US taxpayer more than USD 1 trillion in military and rebuilding costs since the US-led invasion of 2001. More than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade, according to the United Nations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of people across the Boston Common cheered and waved blue Bernie placards as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the sight of the crowd will draw the attention of an apprehensive Democratic establishment. Tonight theyre going to turn on the TV, and theyre going to find out that 10,000 people turned out to the Boston Common and theyre going to become even more nervous, the presidential hopeful said Saturday afternoon as he made his case to voters, days before Super Tuesday. Its unclear how many people attended the rally in the Massachusetts capital, but the crowd spread across a portion of the park from Tremont Street to the Beacon Street by the State House. Elugardo introduces Sen. Bernie Sanders. pic.twitter.com/dnx8aOX45g Steph Solis (@stephmsolis) February 29, 2020 Despite having the most super delegates ahead of Super Tuesday, Democratic senators have appeared hesitant to acknowledge Sanders as the front-runner in the primaries. Come Tuesday, Massachusetts joins 13 states and Washington, D.C., in holding primaries. Saturday was Sanders final appearance before the votes in the home state of rival candidate Elizabeth Warren. Sanders also took the stage at the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Friday. A poll released Friday by WCVB and UMass Amherst have Sanders and Warren neck-and-neck in Massachusetts. Sanders had 24% of the. vote, while Warren had 23%. Another poll released earlier this week by WBUR shows Sanders was the chosen candidate for 25% of likely Democratic voters. Warren trailed behind with 17% of likely voters. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in third with 14%, followed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with 13%. The crowd that filled the common Saturday afternoon, though, were unequivocal Sanders supporters, ranging from college students to couples with toddlers in tow to retirees. Angel Alvarez, 21, who attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he supported Sanders in 2016 and plans to vote for him in November. Im just glad to see him coming back in 2020, he said. Hes stayed consistent with his message. Elizabeth Scott, 57, of Boston, said she felt bamboozled by every Democrat she helped elect to the White House, namely Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But Sanders strikes her as different. I think Bernie is real. He means what he says, and Im not scared of socialism, Scott said, referring to Democrats and Republicans who have derided the democratic socialist as a communist. When Sanders came out, he reiterated his support ending private prisons and detention centers, implementing Medicare for All, legalizing marijuana and taking on climate change. He also promised to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path toward citizenship and to restore temporary protections for young undocumented immigrants under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on his first day in office. On day 1, 1.8 million young people eligible for the DACA program. Ends border policies separating families and under admin move forward to pass comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship. He also made a dig at Bloomberg, who entered the race in November and has invested millions in advertising. Were gonna win this election because the American people are tired of a corrupt political system. Were tired of people like Mayor Bloomberg or anybody else, Sanders said. We are a democracy, not an oligarchy. We dont want billionaires buying elections. The Bloomberg campaign responded to Sanders comments in a statement Saturday afternoon. Mike Bloomberg stands out as the candidate who can bring sorely needed leadership, pragmatism and real problem solving to the White House after four years of chaos," said Ed Davis, former Boston Police commissioner and the states campaign chair for Bloomberg 2020. Bernie Sanders talk of revolution turns me off, and alienates many voters that are needed to defeat Donald Trump. As Sanders rallied the crowd, Sanders said that his campaign has made business leaders nervous. I just read the other day that the military industrial complex is getting very nervous. Theyre afraid were going to end endless wars. Wall Street is getting nervous because were going to break up the giant banks, he said. He added: Were going to win this election despite a lot of the pundits and the establishment saying Bernie cant beat trump. CITY HALL -- Staten Islands Independence Partys screening committee endorsed Rep. Max Rose earlier this month ahead of the June primary and a slate of Democrats and Republicans vying for seats in the state Legislature. The Independence Party has endorsed across political parties for years. In 2016 and 2018 the Party endorsed Roses 2018 Republican rival former GOP Rep. Daniel Donovan. In addition to Rep. Rose, the Independence Party also endorsed Democrats state Sen. Diane Savino; Assemblyman Michael Cusick over his GOP rival attorney Anthony DeGuerre; Assemblyman Charles Fall over his Republican challenger retired Detective Paul Ciurcina Jr.; Savinos deputy chief of staff, Brandon Patterson, who is running for Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis Assembly seat; as well as Republicans state Sen. Andrew Lanza and Assemblyman Micheal Reilly, who do not yet have any Democratic challengers or primary rivals. In just a short time in office, Congressman Rose has proven himself to be a fighter for all of Staten Island and South Brooklyn, and an independent voice in a hyper-partisan time. Whether its his work on the seawall safeguarding Staten Islands shores, his leadership on split tolling which will reduce traffic, or his advocacy for our veterans, its clear Max Rose gets the job done! Said Independence Party Chairman Avi Gvili. Gvili said the party selects candidates over party affiliation based on their records and the job they have done to improve the lives of Staten Islanders. "When I was elected, I promised to take on anyone in any party to get results for Staten Island and South Brooklyn--and I'm proud to have kept that promise, said Rose. I'm honored to have the endorsement of the Independence Party of New York and look forward to continuing to fight through the partisanship to achieve common sense results. ISLANDS COUNCIL ON JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS OF STATEN ISLAND STAND BEHIND CHARLES FALLS TRIP TO ISRAEL The Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island is standing behind Assemblyman Charles Fall after the freshman lawmaker came under fire from the Islamic Leadership Council of New York for a recent trip to Israel. Fall and other state lawmakers took a trip to Israel last week sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), which regularly sponsors trips to Israel for lawmakers. However, the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, which represents more than 90 mosques and Muslim organizations across the state, some of which supported Fall before he was elected to the Assembly, views JCRC trips as zionist propaganda trips that only provide a one-sided and pro-Israel narrative of the region. Zionism is the national ideology of Israel which asserts that Jewish people deserve their own state in Israel. However, Arabs and the majority Muslim Palestinians generally oppose Zionism, because they view the ideology as a form of discrimination against its ability to form a separate state free of Israeli occupation in the West Bank. COJO-SI pushed back against the council, arguing Fall was being a great unifier in taking the trip, and instead, was able to bring diverse communities together in friendship, and as a driving force in building bridges across Staten Island. The goal of the Israel visit was to further enhance our communal vision which COJO-SI proudly and actively supports of building bridges and unity among all residents of our great City, said COJO-SIs CEO and Executive Vice president, Scott Maurer. The organizers of the JCRC-NY Israel mission are renown and respected as visionaries who actively work with the great diverse communities who call New York home in bringing all New York together with the sole objective of having dialogue, open communication and establishing friendships that can help us navigate good times and turbulent moments that sadly we must confront. Before the Islamic Leadership Council of New York blasted Fall for his trip, the assemblymans office had initially declined and avoided multiple requests for comment on where the assemblyman had traveled and for what purpose, for a day, until pressed by the Advance. COJO-SI pointed out that Fall stood with shoulder to shoulder at synagogues, mosques and churches to show one message: hate is wrong and hate has no home in Staten Island and that hate against one group is hate against all groups, Maurer said. The Islamic Leadership Council of New Yorks Executive Director Raja Abdulhaq, said that as a fellow Muslim, the council had held Fall to a higher standard and are disappointed the assemblyman went on a trip that essentially stands against fellow Palestinians including Muslim Palestinians. Abdulhaq said he is unsure whether those groups will support Fall again after his trip to Israel. He said the council and other groups want to first speak personally to the assemblyman about his trip. Meanwhile, Fall has defended his trip as a learning experience and said he would not apologize for going. Strengthening the connections between our communities will make us better able to work together on issues that are important to Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike, Fall said. If we join forces to combat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and act on issues of shared concern, our strength is multiplied. Only together, can we make New York a place where tolerance prevails. For these reasons, I will not and should not have to justify or apologize for my trip and learning experience in Israel. The people elected me to be a uniter, not a divider and I call on all community leaders to join me in this effort. SAVINO, FALL TO HOST BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION SATURDAY North Shore Assemblyman Charles Fall and state Sen. Diane Savino will host a Black History Month celebration on Saturday Feb. 29. The event will take place at Reach Out and Touch Ministries from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will highlight a number of community leaders and advocates that have contributed to the Staten Island community. BORELLI, NYC H2O CELEBRATE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP Councilman Joe Borelli and community partner NYC H20 are rallying around another year of bringing hundreds of South Shore students into nature to learn about the Islands ecology and wildlife. The partnership was made possible through funding from Borellis City Council office. Over the summer and fall, Borelli, H20, and more than 200 students from PS 55, IS 75, and PS 58 removed more than two tons of trash and debris from Lemon Creek and Conference House Park. H2O Borelli also led 19 field trips with 599 students from District 51 to Lemon Creek and Silver Lake with ecologists, scientists, naturalists Were taking more garbage and plastic out of our communities than we ever have in the past and were doing it with more members of the community than we ever have in the past. Hundreds of kids and their parents are joining us for cleanups, educational nature walks, and beach days. This has truly become a community effort and it has been rewarding to observe over the last several years, said Borelli. A California man accused of killing his landlord last year while briefly living in Longview made his first appearance on first-degree murder and other charges Friday in the Cowlitz County Jail courtroom. Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning agreed to hold David James Eugene Daniel Jr., 25, without bail until a bail hearing can be held on March 6, as requested by prosecutors. Longview police believe that in late October, Daniel killed his live-in landlord, Arthur R. Mahlum, stole Mahlums pickup, wallet, cellphone and credit cards then fled to California. Officers responded to a call at about 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 27 to the Birch Street house and found Mahlum dead in his bedroom. A warrant for Daniels arrest was filed Oct. 31 in Cowlitz County Superior Court, and Barstow, Calif., officers arrested Daniel Jr. that same day. Longview police went to Barstow the following day to interview Daniel, who admitted that he walked into Mahlums bedroom while Mahlum was watching TV, and without saying a word, shot him in the head with a gun he stole from Mahlum, according to court documents. Daniel had only lived at the house for about a month. He indicated to officers he was frustrated after Mahlum told him he may have to move out because the house was in foreclosure. When asked how he ended up in Longview in the first place, Daniel told officers he wanted to leave California to get a new start in life. Officials were delayed in getting Daniel back to Cowlitz County because he was already in the process of going to prison in California on an unrelated matter, Cowlitz County prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen said in December. Local law enforcement booked Daniel Jr. into the Cowlitz County Jail on Thursday night, Jurvakainen said Friday. Daniel Jr. is charged with first-degree murder, motor vehicle theft, second-degree identity theft and second-degree theft. He will have the opportunity to enter a plea at his arraignment, which has not yet been scheduled. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 10 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A meeting of Congress leaders was held at party chief Sonia Gandhi's residence here on Saturday in which it was decided that the party would raise the issue of violence in Delhi in the second half of Parliament's Budget Session beginning Monday. The meeting was attended by party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh, AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Anand Sharma, and Gaurav Gogoi. Sources said the discussion was held on the strategy to target the government on the violence in Delhi. Forty-two people died and over 200 were injured in violence in Delhi over the past few days. There was also damage to property. Congress has accused the Central government and Delhi government of failing to contain the violence that erupted in parts of northeast Delhi. The party has demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP has accused the Congress of "politicising" violence and said there was "instigation" by opposition leaders to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin has said the European Union would not accept "artificial deadlines" in talks on a future relationship with the UK, urging London to be led by reason in the negotiations. On Thursday, the British government said it would walk away from talks on future ties with the EU if "good progress" was not made in the negotiations by June, and underlined its goal was to gain political and economic independence from the bloc. With talks beginning on Monday in Brussels, both sides are far apart, with the UK's main demand for an off-the-peg free trade deal rejected by the EU, which says the two neighbours have a unique relationship that requires shared rules. "If the UK decides to shorten the negotiation period, it will be the UK's responsibility," Ms Montchalin told an audience at the Chatham House think-tank in London. "It will not be our choice on the European side and that choice will have consequences in terms of the breadth and depth of the relationship we can build." She appealed to London to apply "reason" to the talks, warning the UK not to try to pursue a strategy of divide and rule with the 27-member EU. President Moon Jae-in adjusts his mask during his meeting with small merchants in Taegu, Korea's epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic. Yonhap By Oh Young-jin The ongoing coronavirus epidemic has not just hobbled President Moon Jae-in but also may put U.S. President Donald Trump in as tight a spot. Chinese President Xi Jin-ping is also in hot water for not containing the virus at an early stage after the discovery that officials in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the disease, suppressed initial signs of the outbreak. "One day it is like a miracle. It will disappear," Trump said at a White House meeting with the media Thursday. "The 15 will soon go down to three or four." He was talking about the 15 confirmed cases in the U.S. As of Friday (Korean time), the number had risen to 59. A worker wearing a protective full-body suit stands near a framed picture of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a government-organized tour of Mengniu Dairy factory in Beijing. AP-Yonhap Besides, Trump also boasted of the "incredible job" his administration was doing in dealing with the epidemic. But repots have it that health workers who handled evacuees from Wuhan were not given proper gear or preparation, and were exposed to the risk of contagion. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the alarm, saying the U.S. might face "community spread." What is happening in Taegu or Wuhan, China, are examples of community transmissions. Trump is seeking re-election in November, and is regarded as likely to win, thanks to the humming U.S. economy and confusion among the Democratic candidates. But he should be careful, however good he may be at dodging responsibility. If the disease spreads further, there could be plenty of variables for his re-election bid. He could learn from President Moon Jae-in how one mishap in crisis management can threaten to unravel a presidency. U.S. President Donald Trump, with members of his coronavirus task force, speaks at a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. AP-Yonhap SAN DIEGO, Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Days before the March 3 countywide election, Pastors on Point San Diego has officially endorsed Yes on B the Better Choice Measure applauding its legally-binding housing affordability commitments. Pastors on Point San Diego joins Yes on B's broad coalition of supporters, local labor groups, housing advocates, public safety officials, business leaders and nearly 40 elected officials from across the County. "Yes on B will ultimately help address our region's housing crisis by providing San Diego's working families with affordable housing opportunities, which have become rare in our region," said Dr. William Benson, President of Pastors on Point San Diego. "But this will only be possible if we come together to vote Yes on B the Better Choice measure during the Primary Election on March 3." If approved by voters, Measure B will provide 2,135 homes for the San Diego region, more than 60% of which will be affordably-priced for working San Diego families. Measure B is a better choice than the current General Plan designation that allows for up to 2 million square-feet of retail and office buildings and 99 luxury estates to be built on this property. Yes on B would instead create a carbon neutral community with 1,209 acres of permanently preserved open space, 36 acres of parks and 19 miles of trails. San Diego County voters have the opportunity to uphold the County Board of Supervisor's unanimous approval of this community by voting Yes on Measure B on March 3rd. Ad paid for by Yes on B for a Better Choice: A coalition of first responders, fire safety experts, housing advocates, elected officials, business leaders and taxpayers. Committee major funding from Newland Sierra, LLC SOURCE Yes on B SIOUX CITY -- Amy and Brett Wheelock were married four years ago today, yet are only officially celebrating their first anniversary. That's because their Feb. 29th anniversary date, commonly known as Leap Day, only rolls around once every four years. "Our first anniversary, yes," Amy said this week, forming her fingers into air quotes in saying the "first." "It is our fourth...But it it is of course our first official full day anniversary," Brett said. The Wheelocks, who sat at a dining room table to discuss their lives, are the type who laugh a lot and play off answers of the other. Assessing their history of having known each other since their teens and the long road that led to a wedding 35 years later, the Wheelocks said they really liked picking a wedding date that only presents itself on leap years. "I like the uniqueness. That's why we picked February 29, the uniqueness. It is a great conversational topic," Brett said. Brett said he hears some male friends saying he made a great wedding date choice: "You're smart, you get to skip out every three years, and (only) buy her a gift every four years." Actually, that mentality doesn't remotely fit Brett, Amy said, giving many examples of how he is the type who gives surprise presents on any given day, such as popping in with her favorite light drink at work. The Wheelocks are very reciprocal in such loving gestures. "She will leave notes under my pillow. We write (sweet sayings) on our dry-erase in the kitchen a lot," Brett said. "We're thoughtful all year long to each other," Amy said. The couple will have lots of friends and relatives, including some of their blended families of five children and one grandchild, on Saturday for the anniversary celebration in their Riverside home, with food and karaoke. Brett said they have bounced around in recent years on whether to celebrate on Feb. 28 or March 1. "It gives the ability to celebrate when we want, on our schedule," Brett said. Leap Days are an extra day required as an adjustment, because the earth's orbit and the calendar are slightly out of step. Feb. 29 weddings are not common. In Woodbury County, there were four marriage licenses issued for the day in 2016, and only three in 2012, according to records from the Recorder's Office. The group four years ago included Kate and Bobby Michaelson, Lyndsay and Ceith Barker and Jessica and Michael Brechler, all of Sioux City. In 2016, Feb. 29 fell on a Monday, which is far from the norm as a wedding date. The Wheelock's pastor said he'd never been an officiant for a Monday ceremony. "Our pastor thought it was very unique as well," Brett said. Amy Wheelock works for the Sioux City Police Department and Brett Wheelock is a general contractor. The two, who are in their 50s, met when attending West High School in Sioux City before graduating in the classes of 1983 and 1985. They never dated at West, although Amy, who had a serious boyfriend at the time, was one day questioned by friends in school -- who would you date, if not your current guy? "I said, 'Brett Wheelock,' " she recalled. In summer 2010, after each Amy and Brett had prior marriages that ended, and Amy moved back to Sioux City from Minnesota, they met again when out with a group of friends. There was an immediate spark. "We've been together pretty much every night since then. Our personalities just really fit," Amy said. "I don't want to slam our ex's, but we made a great choice this time," Brett added. They dated for a half decade, and by 2015, Amy was wondering when a wedding might land. She decided to propose to him on Christmas Eve, in unvarnished silly fashion, by using a candy ring pop as the ring to present. She had two such rings on hand, then got a surprise that holiday night: "He beat me to it, with an actual ring." The couple decided to get married within two months, and announced the Feb. 29 date, which befuddled some acquaintances. "The ones who know us were chuckling and thought it was cute," Brett said. "It was so fun and so relaxed, it was so enjoyable. We told everybody to dress down, to come have fun, enjoy the moment with us." Four years later, the love still flows for the Wheelocks. "Even just a gentle touch on the back when they walk by makes a difference," Amy said. She added, "Brett is always positive, always upbeat...I'll have down days and he will always bring me up." Love 10 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Councillors and council staff have expressed their frustration at ongoing problems with water supply in South Leitrim. At Monday's Ballinamore Municipal District meeting, assistant senior engineer, Francis Gaffney, told members that the council is operating under a Service Level Agreement with Irish Water, we have no hand, act or part in the preparation of a budget with them. Mr Gaffney said that there is no money available from Irish Water this year to carry out much needed upgrades of infrastructure in South Leitrim. We had a commitment from Irish Water to do replacement works on pipes previously but none of this is going ahead now this year, he said. This year Irish Water has committed to upgrade works in St George's Terrace, Carrick-on-Shannon. However Mr Gaffney said water mains installed in the South Leitrim area in the 1970s have reached the end of their life and are failing, causing significant disruptions to supply. Places such as Keshcarrigan, Fenagh and Ballinamore are all being impacted by bursts, he noted. He estimated that 50-60km of pipes needed to be urgently replaced adding they are failing on us every other week. He said that despite appeals for funding from Irish Water he had been informed we are getting no more money. This is a very big issue...these pipes are all over the place and they are coming to the end of their life. We are in the position where we have to keep repairing them (when they burst) and that's all we can do. Mr Gaffney said this problem is not unique to Leitrim adding that similar issues are being reported in counties across the country. While he acknowledged that major infrastructural works have been carried out in other areas of Leitrim since Irish Water came into existence, he said that major investment is needed going forward in South Leitrim. Critical to this is the replacement of failing infrastructure and also the extension of Carrick- on-Shannon's water treatment plant, which is already operating near full capacity with no scope for provision to cater for further development in the region over the next 10 to 15 years. There is very little (investment) to report in 2020 in Leitrim nor any indication of any investment planned in 2021, said Mr Gaffney. He said Irish Water has also halted training budgets and is cutting back on everything. It is very difficult to do business with them. He said the replacement of a stretch of pipework at Castlefore, Co Leitrim was our number one priority this year. We wanted to do two sections and now we are being told that this work is not going to be done this year. These are bursting week in and week out. They need upgrading, he said while head of finance, Vincent Dwyer, acknowledged that the council's had a budget overspend in 2019 because of an overtime bill in dealing with burst mains across South Leitrim. We have raised this with Irish Water but the truth of the matter is they don't have the money. We are just keeping essential works going, said Mr Dwyer. Mr Gaffney vowed there will be nobody left without water. If supply goes overnight and we can fix the problem and it is safe to do so, we will do it. We don't care about (Irish Water's) overtime budget. Cllr Caillian Ellis asked if the council could look at installing a number of valves along problematic supply lines so water could be turned off and conserved in the event of a burst. Mr Gaffney said he would see what he could do but it would require the agreement of Irish Water. He said previously councils had a discretionary budget which could be used to finance these kind of works but now we have to jump through hoops to get anything done, to prove we need to do it. In a statement issued to the Leitrim Observer this week, Irish Water said decisions have not been finalised yet as to where funding will be allocated for 2020. A Draft Investment Plan was submitted to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities in November 2018 and since then Irish Water has reviewed this portfolio, prioritising projects and programmes based on new and better information, updated timelines as projects progress as well as new and emerging needs in our water network to best serve our customers, support growth and meet the objectives under our business plan. They said key outcomes such as leakage, water supply zones removed from the EPAs Remedial Action List, areas where raw sewage is entering the sea and areas identified by the European Court of Justice under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive all take priority. While they accept delivery timelines for the upgrade of Carrick-on-Shannon water treatment plant cannot yet be confirmed they are committed to providing a safe and reliable water supply, protecting the environment and supporting the growth of homes and businesses. Irish Water will continue to work with the Council on a daily basis to meet these goals. A fourth Victorian passenger who was on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has tested positive for coronavirus. A Victorian patient diagnosed with coronavirus arrives at Essendon Airport from Darwin Credit:Nine News Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos said the passenger, a man in his 70s, was evacuated from a Northern Territory-based quarantine camp to a metropolitan Melbourne hospital on Sunday morning. He arrived at Essendon Airport in Melbourne's north-west on Sunday afternoon. A Perth man who had been on the Diamond Princess became the first Australian victim of coronavirus in the early hours of Sunday morning. The 78-year-old, who has not been named, died at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital after he was evacuated from Darwin earlier this month with his wife, who has also tested positive to the virus. San Francisco police on Thursday arrested a man who they said recorded last week's attack on an older Asian man and posted it to social media. Image: Dwayne Grayson Dwayne Grayson, 20, is facing charges including robbery and elder abuse as well as a hate crime enhancement in Saturdays attack on a 68-year-old man collecting recyclables, police said. He's also accused of probation violation for a prior robbery conviction. The police department said in a statement that Grayson recorded and posted video of the attack that went viral and has been viewed millions of times. Grayson was being held without bail Thursday night. It was not immediately clear Thursday night if he had an attorney. Police are searching for another suspect, and the chief said a second arrest is expected soon. The video shows a man wearing a dark jacket, black pants and black sneakers threatening and brandishing an object at an Asian man. Bystanders watched the attack and hurled racially charged taunts at the man as well. "I hate Asians, n," one person can be heard yelling in the video. The victim can be seen crying as onlookers imitate him and laugh and hold phones up to his face as he is visibly distressed. The victim was struck on the back of the head and complained of pain but had no visible injury, police said. Community groups called for action after the attack. San Francisco has a large Asian-American population, making up around 34 percent of the citys population, according to 2017 census estimates. Police said in Thursday's statement that officers had been working tirelessly to identify those responsible. "We don't tolerate this type of behavior in our city," Police Chief William Scott said Thursday. Mayor London Breed said at a community gathering Thursday that the video sparked widespread outrage, and not just in the Asian community. She said many black residents also said called for action, according to video from NBC Bay Area. "I would never want anyone to treat my grandmother the way that I saw an elderly person treated here," Breed said in the Bayview District. "We are better than that." San Franciscos Bayview community is in the eastern section of the city, southeast of the Mission District. Ex-NFL player Jack Brewer calls Trump first black president as supporters bless him at White House Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Former Vikings player-turned-ordained minister Jack Brewer called President Donald Trump Americas first black president and joined other black supporters in praying for him during a round table meeting at the White House Thursday during which Trump declared he will not stop until he has 100% support from the community. Trump, at the meeting with black supporters, cited low unemployment rates for African Americans and the passage of a criminal justice bill providing early release for thousands of federal drug offenders as examples of how hes helping the black community, The Associated Press reported. I will not stop. I will not give up until we have delivered equal and abundant opportunity to every neighborhood across our land, Trump said. During the roundtable meeting, Brewer enthusiastically declared Trump Americas first black president despite the election of former President Barack Obama as the nations first African American president in 2008. Mr. President, I dont mean to interrupt, but Ive got to say this because its Black History Month. Man, you are the first black president, Brewer said. Fox News noted that before Obama's election, former President Bill Clinton was often referred to as the nation's first black president. Jack Brewer: "Mr. President, I dont mean to interrupt, but Ive got to say this because its #BlackHistoryMonth -- man, you're the first black president." pic.twitter.com/AZf670rUfs BernieisaCommie.357 (@ASimplePatriot) February 28, 2020 Ive been a Democrat all my life but Im not a Democrat now, he told Trump earlier. Youve changed me. You touched me. And you made my work go to another level. You inspire me. And every time I go into those prisons and I ask my guys how many of them had their sentences reduced and they raise their hands, I know Im doing Gods work and I thank you for that. In a further statement on Twitter, Brewer noted: Blacks in America have listened to Presidents campaign on empty Promises for over 50 years, now @realDonaldTrump has delivered real Policies that are bringing people out of poverty and freeing our black sons and fathers from mass incarceration. The Black Awakening is happening. Trump told the group, which included internet personalities Diamond and Silk, and Martin Luther King Jr.s niece, Alveda King, that we have a lot of great things in store and a lot of interesting times. Youve been seeing the polls, the polls have been incredible. I wont be satisfied until I get 100% because nobody is doing more for black people. Nobody has done more, he said to applause. Comedian Terrence K. Williams, who sat next to Trump during the roundtable, called him, the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln. The presidents spiritual adviser Paula White agreed, telling the president you are the greatest president and you will go down in history as you create history for all Americans. Approval of Trump among black Americans has been consistent at about 1 in 10 over the course of his presidency, AP said. A Pew Research Center analysis of people who participated in its polls and were confirmed to have voted also showed Trump won just 6% of black voters in 2016, the news agency noted. Trump, in addition to highlighting his administrations legislative victories on criminal justice reform, also pointed to an accounting of economic statistics and funding for historically black colleges during a reception, the New York Post reported. I just want to congratulate the black community because what youve done in the progress youve made over the last three years, Trump said. The African American poverty rate has plummeted to the lowest level in the history of our country. These are good numbers. I dont know. I mean, I should be at 100% I hate to tell you, right? said the president as the crowd repeatedly chanted, Four more years! Gertrude Jane Holliday Stone, 89, a civil-rights icon with Houstons National African American Museum, also thanked Trump for all he has been doing for humanity during a reception to celebrate Black History Month at the White House Thursday. I dont believe in abortions. He doesnt, either, she said. You might be killing an Einstein. You might be killing a Nobel laureate. And you might be killing somebody thats going to find the cure for the coronavirus, she said as she thanked Trump even more. Magna is one of the worlds largest automotive suppliers. (Photo by Milos Vujinovic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Despite rising concerns about the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the chief executive of Canadas largest auto parts manufacturer said production has not been affected outside of China. In fact, most of Magna Internationals plants in China have resumed operations, albeit at reduced capacity, CEO Don Walker told reporters following the companys investor conference on Thursday. Magna has 54 manufacturing plants located in China employing 18,750 people. Walker said there are still a couple plants down in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak. The factories that are back up and running are operating at between 50 to 80 per cent capacity. It looks like its not getting any worse, Walker said in an interview with reporters. Most of the car companies are up and running as well, but they are having trouble getting enough people. Im sure there will still be interruptions in production, but at least it is starting. Five Magna employees in China had confirmed cases of the virus. Four have since recovered, and Walker said the fifth is also expected to be okay. Fears about the widespread impact of the coronavirus caused stock markets to plunge over the past several days, streaks not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down approximately 640 points to 16,071.55 as of 11:33 a.m. ET, a drop of nearly 4 per cent. Magnas stock is down more than 10 per cent since last Friday. As of Thursday, there were more than 82,000 cases of COVID-19 confirmed around the world in 46 countries. Approximately 2,800 people have died of the virus globally. Still, Walker said the impact of the production issues in China has yet to spread to Europe and North America, although he does expect there will be some challenges. The impact of the production shutdowns to other areas of the world is unknown, but Im sure theres going to be some disruptions, Walker said. If they get back up and running, at least its probably relatively manageable. But nobody can quantify at this point in time what impact it has in other areas, whether its going to have an impact on the supply chain or production in other countries that are facing it. I think its too early to tell. Story continues Magnas chief financial officer Vincent Galifi said quarterly sales in China are between US$400 and US$500 million, which amounts to less than 5 per cent of the companys annual sales of about US$40 billion. The company has so far maintained its 2020 outlook, but may make adjustments based on the impact of the coronavirus when it reports its next quarterly earnings. There are a lot of unknowns here, but well just have to wait and see what happens, Walker said. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. China's efforts to contain the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are already taking their toll on the U.S. drug supply, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA requires more than 180 manufacturers of human drugs sold in the U.S. to provide warnings as soon as they anticipate a supply chain disruption. On Friday, FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn warned the medical community that one of those companies has already raised the first alarm. What we know According to the FDA's latest supply-chain update, supplies of an active ingredient in an unidentified drug marketed in the U.S. are drying up because it is manufactured at a site impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, leading to a shortage of the drug. The agency was not specific about which drug it is, nor did it say which company was first to break the glass and pull the handle. The agency did say there are alternatives available to the drug. What's next? It's impossible to predict which products will be affected by China's unprecedented lockdown, but we can safely say companies that are deeply embedded in the generic drug business, such as Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TEVA), will be the most likely to raise the next alarms. According to the FDA, China is the source of 13% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to make medicines sold in the U.S. market. The vast majority of APIs sourced from China and sold in the U.S. are used to make generic drugs, which rely on economies of scale to reach any level of profitability. Generally, companies that manufacture new medicines will be less likely to run into U.S. supply shortages related to international constraints. That said, AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) manufacture a lot of products in China for patients in that market. Boehringer Ingelheim will work with Trutino Biosciences to access the companys On-Demand-Cytokine TM (ODC) platform to develop new cancer immunology compounds The partners aim to develop safer, more tolerable and more effective cytokine therapies for single agent and novel combinations with Boehringer Ingelheims innovative cancer vaccine, oncolytic virus, T cell engager and myeloid-targeting therapies Boehringer Ingelheim and Trutino Biosciences today announced they have entered into a research collaboration and worldwide licensing agreement based on Trutinos innovative On-Demand-Cytokine (ODC) platform. Under the terms of strategic alliance, Boehringer Ingelheim gains access to Trutinos ODC platform technology for the generation and development of up to three new ODC candidates. This new collaboration combines Boehringer Ingelheims long-term strategy to provide first-in-class, breakthrough therapies for cancer patients with Trutinos unique knowledge and expertise in increasing the safety and efficacy of cytokine therapies. Developing a strong and innovative cytokine therapeutic program as an additional component of our cancer immunology portfolio, demonstrates how we are Taking Cancer On, and provides a high potential combination partner for our existing cancer vaccine, oncolytic virus, T cell engager and myeloid-targeting therapeutics portfolio, said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Global Head, Cancer Immunology & Immune Modulation Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. We are very pleased to partner with Trutino and harness the potential of their innovative scientific platform to develop treatment breakthroughs that will transform the lives of cancer patients. Trutinos ODC platform masks the activity of cytokines until they reach the tumor site and become fully activated, sparing systemic exposure and potentially leading to a higher margin of safety and greater efficacy than conventional cytokine treatments. Trutino will generate the new ODC molecules and carry out preclinical validation, handing over development to Boehringer Ingelheim for late pre-clinical testing through the rest of development. We are excited to embark on this partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in cancer immunology, to advance cytokine therapeutic options that address the unmet medical needs of patients worldwide, said Phillip Kim, Ph.D., MBA, Founder and CEO of Trutino Biosciences. Boehringer Ingelheim has a deep commitment to innovative scientific approaches and is a leader in bringing novel cancer therapies to market. This global partnership validates the broad potential of our proprietary ODC platform to create safer and more effective cytokine therapies that can be delivered systemically and activated locally. Together, we can rapidly develop a new generation of cytokine therapies to address critical unmet need in oncology. Trutinos clinical potential was initially recognized by Boehringer Ingelheim through its grass roots programs, including the BI Innovation Prize, where the ODC platform technology was an early-stage standout in the 2019 program held in San Diego. Launched in 2015, the grass roots programs comprise of BI Office Hours, BI Academy and the BI Innovation Prize. Through Office Hours, Boehringer Ingelheim has provided over 200 early-stage companies in the life-sciences community with mentoring and direct access to relevant expertise and industry perspective from senior leaders within the company. In partnership with BioLabs in Boston, New York and San Diego, Boehringer Ingelheim has awarded numerous entrepreneurs with free lab space through the Golden Ticket program. As a company dedicated to improving health and quality of life, these programs give Boehringer Ingelheim the opportunity to lend expertise to the innovation community and offer guidance around the science to help enable ideas to deliver the next breakthroughs. The partnership with Trutino will strengthen Boehringer Ingelheims next generation immune oncology portfolio, which combines cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, T Cell engagers and myeloid targeting platforms with the aim of making cold tumors that are invisible to the immune system hot to rally the immune system against the tumor. Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will provide an upfront payment, near-term pre-clinical milestone payments and clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, including royalties on future product sales. Please click on the following link for Notes to Editors: http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/cytokine-platform-collaboration-trutino-biosciences View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200227005580/en/ Washington, Feb 29 : As the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina nears, progressive candidate Bernie Sanders boasted of previous victories in the intra-party races in New Hampshire and Nevada, while taking aim at centrist rival Joe Biden. The back-to-back wins in the two states and what he claimed was a "popular vote" victory in the Iowa caucuses made the Democratic establishment "nervous", Xinhua news agency quoted the Vermont Senator as saying while addressing supporters in Wofford College, a liberal arts school in South Carolina's Upcountry. "The establishment sees turnouts like this... You're making them very nervous," he added. The 78-year-old in his speech also took a direct aim at Biden, saying that the former Vice President could not beat incumbent President Donald Trump because "he voted for the Iraq war" and "supported terrible trade agreements that cost us millions of jobs". The South Carolina primary is scheduled for Saturday. After finishing previous nominating contests disappointingly, Biden is counting on a win in South Carolina to shore up momentum. He has been on top of recent state polls and won what could be a crucial endorsement from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the highest-ranking Africa-American member of Congress and one of the most influential Democrats in South Carolina. "I will win South Carolina," Biden declared at the Democratic presidential debate in Charleston on Tuesday when asked whether he would drop out of the race if he does not win the primary in the state. Sanders lost to former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the Iowa caucuses in delegate vote counts by a razor-thin edge of 12 to 13. The veteran politician however, recently has seen his popularity surge nationally, and state polls show he is leading in California, Colorado and Wisconsin -- in all of which he holds double-digit advantage. In addition to Sanders, Biden and Buttigieg, the others Democrats competing in the South Carolina primary include Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii. Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic nomination but will skip the contest in South Carolina. This story was originally published on Feb. 29, 2020. Two old warriors from the battle of Iwo Jima met up for the first time earlier this month to mark the 75th anniversary of the horrific fight for that volcanic piece of rock in the Pacific. Marine Cpl. Raymond Hart, 98, a retired New York City cop, joined 96-year-old Cpl. Hershel "Woody" Williams, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps Feb. 22 to recall the history the two men shared. Williams, of Quiet Dell, West Virginia, is the last survivor of the 27 Iwo Jima Medal of Honor recipients. Williams gave a stirring speech before an overflow audience on the battle and his commitment to continue serving Gold Star families. At the end, Hart was ushered down to meet Williams to an explosion of applause and cheers from the audience. Hart stuck around for a bit to sign autographs. Earlier, he had startled museum officials with the bag of war souvenirs he had brought with him. Related: On 75th Anniversary of Iwo Jima Flag-Raising, Some Struggle with History-Changing News Hart began pulling items from the bag shortly after entering the museum. There was the case displaying his medals, including the Bronze Star, and then the helmet he wore through the island campaigns and the occupation of Japan. The helmet had two holes above the front brim where a bullet fired by a Japanese sniper on Iwo Jima had entered and exited, creasing Hart's temple as it passed through. Museum officials quickly began thinking of how to rearrange exhibits to show what Hart had brought them, after assuring him that he'd get his keepsakes back at the end of the day. Hart, who retired from the NYPD as a deputy inspector, said he was bending over to help another Marine from the 28th Regiment on the second day of the Iwo Jima invasion, Feb. 20, 1945, when the bullet hit his helmet, stunning him and knocking him back. "It was like a big explosion going off inside my helmet. My feet got me out of there," Hart said. But he remained with his unit through the grueling 36-day fight to take the island. Hart said that, during the campaign, he came to know Pfc. Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian who was one of the six who raised the second, larger flag atop Mount Suribachi in the moment captured in the iconic photo by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. "Ira would come sleep in our tents. Didn't say much, but Ira was a good guy," Hart said. Hart said his unit had little trouble coming ashore on Feb. 19, 1945, but on the second day they were stopped by fierce Japanese resistance. The campaign would become a bloody slog at close quarters. The Japanese had dug 11 miles of tunnels under the island to protect against air bombardment, artillery and naval gunfire. They had prepared reinforced pillboxes with interlocking fields of fire. "It was the flamethrowers got it done" on Iwo Jima, Hart said. 'Inch by Inch' Fight The Japanese defenders had to be dug out at great cost. The Marines took more than 20,000 casualties, including about 7,000 killed in action. Of the estimated 20,000 Japanese on the island, only about 1,000 survived. It was in large part what the analysts sometimes call a "short-sword war fight." As described by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley last week, the American advantages in air and artillery had been mostly negated by the intricate Japanese defenses, putting the individual Marine up against the individual Japanese defender. Milley had heard that firsthand from his father, Alexander Milley, who served as a Navy corpsman on Iwo Jima. At the World War II Memorial on Feb. 19, the 75th anniversary of the landings, Milley said that the battle was "the bloodiest campaign in American history by square miles" on an island two miles wide and four miles long. More ordnance had been expended on such a small target area than in any other battle ahead of the landings, but once the Marines got about 800 yards in from the beach, they hit the "trigger line," and then "all hell broke loose," Milley said. "It was inch by inch, yard by yard." That's where Woody Williams and his flamethrower came in. 'We Had to Win' In the transport ships heading to Iwo Jima, "We in the lower ranks had no concept of what the purpose really was" for taking the island, Williams said. "We only knew we had to win." Four days into the battle, on Feb. 23, 1945, the two flags were raised on Suribachi, setting off a brief celebration among the Marines. Around him, leathernecks were firing their weapons into the air. Williams, serving with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division, said he also fired his weapon but then it was back to the fight. The Marines had been trying to get across the airfield, but the Japanese pillboxes had stopped them and they were taking heavy casualties. His commander called a meeting in a shell crater to keep them out of the line of fire, Williams said in his speech at the museum. "They asked me, as being the only flamethrower and demolition expert left, would I do something about the pillboxes that had them stalled?" he said. "I have no idea of my response," he added, but "one of the Marines, after the campaign when I was back in Guam, made the statement that my response was, 'I'll try.'" Somehow, with the 70-pound flamethrower on his back, the 5-foot-6 Williams got to the roof of one of the pillboxes. There was a pipe sticking up from the roof, and smoke was coming out of it. "I used that pipe to get my flame" into the pillbox, Williams said. "They didn't give us any trouble after that." At another point, several Japanese troops with fixed bayonets came around the corner of a pillbox and charged at him, Williams said. "I had to get within 15 yards" to use the flamethrower, he said. "Whether they ran out of ammunition, I have no idea, but they charged around the pillbox with bayonets fixed to get me, and I got them first." Williams reckons that he used a total of six flamethrowers through the long and bloody afternoon, but much of what transpired "is just a blank. I have no memory," he said. FILE -- In this Feb. 19, 2016 file photo, Hershel "Woody" Williams is greeted by students at Sheppard Elementary in Wichita Falls, Texas, before a luncheon honoring members of the Iwo Jima Survivors Association. (Torin Halsey/Times Record News via AP) Williams' Medal of Honor citation states: "Covered only by four riflemen, he 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." Williams would later learn that two of the four Marines he had picked out to cover for him in the effort to get within range of the enemy had been killed in action. "Once I found out that this happened, this Medal of Honor took on a different significance," he said at the museum. "I said, from that point on, it does not belong to me. It belongs to them. I wear it in their honor. I keep it shined for them, because there is no greater sacrifice than when someone sacrifices their life for you and me." After the war, Williams worked for more than 30 years for what was then the Veterans Administration, and he continues serving to establish memorials for Gold Star families nationwide with help from his Hershel "Woody" Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. There are now Gold Star memorials in at least 45 states, Williams said, and he never misses a groundbreaking. His dream is to have a Gold Star memorial in Washington, D.C. They Wouldn't Take Back the Helmet Ray Hart said he had blood streaming from his brow from the sniper bullet that hit his helmet, but the Marine Corps decided he didn't rate a Purple Heart. The Marines also either didn't have another helmet on hand or wouldn't give him one, so he wore the helmet with the hole for the rest of his tour. After the war, "I decided I needed a more sedentary life, so I became a New York City cop," Hart said with a laugh. He was still wearing the dented helmet when he mustered out of the Marine Corps, he said. As all Marines know well, the Corps always wants its stuff back, no matter the condition, but they made an exception for Hart's helmet. As he was returning his other equipment, the gear guy took a look at his helmet and said, "We can't use that again -- take it with you." Hart did, and it's now at home with him in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Read more: Battle of Iwo Jima's Last Living Medal of Honor Recipient Still Working for Military Families Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday assured adequate job opportunities to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir but said that cannot be guaranteed to the "unemployed politicians who might have to remain jobless for a long time". He said whether implementation of central laws or delimitation, everything is going to happen in Jammu and Kashmir and the people need to make the best use of it instead of getting "misguided by what somebody has been saying for his own consideration or motivation". "All the apprehensions are be dispelled and we have not to get affected because every third day somebody gets up and says that what happened to the jobs... First, I believe that for any responsible government, it is not important to give salaried jobs because that is half justice to the youth. You have to create employability, making them capable of earning their livelihood instead of giving them a salaried jobs," Singh said at a function here. He said the Centre has launched the Startup and the Standup India initiatives which have given "fruitful results" and referred to the "transformation" in the north eastern states of the country, where, he said, the exodus of youth in search of jobs was a huge problem. "Today, what we are witnessing in North East is that the youth from outside like Gujarat and Karnataka are coming there and sometimes it worries me. We have to prepare our youth for jobs rather than give them those casual appointments on the eve of elections and fool them and ruin their careers," the minister said. He said the job opportunities will come under the new set-up but "we cannot guarantee employment to the politicians who might have to remain unemployed for a long time. These unemployed politicians have much more concern for employment". Similarly, all the acts will be there but it has to happen one time because the Union Territory is being managed by the Home Ministry which is already hard pressed, he said. The minister said there is talk of delimitation not happening. "The delimitation (to redraw assembly constituencies) will take place but the politicians who are showing concern should be suggested that instead they should worry as their constituency might get declared reserved (after delimitation). I think that is the reason for their concern." Inaugurating the Pension Adalat for Central government pensioners and an awareness programme on the National Pension System (NPS), Singh said in less than 16 weeks since the UT came into being, this is the fifth national-level programme in a row which has taken place here. "It has happened with such an ease and convenience that sometimes one wonders whether it would have happened in the pre-UT era," the minister said. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated repeatedly that Jammu and Kashmir should be given the same focus as was given to the North East in the past five and a half years. "When BJP came to power, the North East was in the for wrong reasons like months long blockades, violence, insurgency, corruption cases and zero development. The militancy there was not the type of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir where elder brother is a militant and the younger brother being a KAS officer. "The psychological gap was so much that you had terms being used like hinterland and mainland. This is not used here. One of my colleagues said he was addressed as minister from India. We overcome this psychological gap and completely transformed the region and therefore I do not see any reason why we cannot do it in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Singh said Gawhati, the main city in the North East, is much more cosmopolitan, metropolitan and developed than the two cities of Jammu and Srinagar. While Itanagar, which is close to the China border, is vibrating with slogans of 'Bharat mata ki jai' and that is the kind of transformation there, he added. "We have a model before us and it is a recent model from Modi Govt 1.0 which need to be repeated in Modi government 2.0 in a different part of the country," he said. The development eluded the erstwhile state because there was a lack of will, lack of sincerity and lack of commitment as over the period of time the vested interest sought to build "artificial barriers" to keep themselves isolated and away from development journey with rest of the India because that suited to them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Bella Hadid was every inch the style chameleon as she hit the catwalk for the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood's Paris Fashion Week show at the Hotel de Ville on Saturday afternoon. Having walked the Haider Ackermann show earlier in the day, the model, 23, switched up her look once again as she slipped into a completely sheer lace bridal gown for the Autumn/ Winter 2020- 2021 showcase. Bella channelled her inner warrior as she pulled a dagger from her brown waist belt while walking down the runway as the bride for the show's grand finale. Wow: Bella Hadid was every inch the style chameleon as she hit the catwalk for Vivienne Westwood Paris Fashion Week show at the Hotel de Ville on Saturday afternoon Bella brought the glamour to Vivienne Westwood's show as she showcased the ornate dress, which featured a Victorian scalloped hemline, puff ball sleeves and exposed her cleavage. Her waist was cinched in thanks to a satin pink corset and a dark brown belt which wound around her slender midriff. The floor-length dress then flowed out and featured an asymmetric hemline and dramatic train which trailed behind as she walked down the runway. The American beauty added extra sparkle to her look with silver sparkly court shoes and wore her brunette tresses in a sleek straight centre parting. Bridal: Bella brought the glamour to Vivienne Westwood's show as she showcased the ornate dress, which featured a Victorian scalloped hemline, puff ball sleeves and exposed her cleavage Beautiful: Bella was presented with a huge bouquet of flowers by Andreas Kronthaler after storming the catwalk Gracing the runway: The floor-length dress flowed out and featured an asymmetric hemline and dramatic train which trailed behind as she walked down the runway Daring: Earlier in the day, Bella sported one of her most quirkiest looks on this year's PFW catwalk to date for Haider Ackermann's Autumn/ Winter 2020- 2021 show As the bride of the show, Bella was presented a huge bouquet of spring flowers by designer Andreas Kronthaler. But in a gesture of gallantry, the model got down on one knee to propose with the flowers to Vivienne. The Instagram sensation also took to the catwalk in a strapless black latex bustier dress, which showcased her ample cleavage. Vivienne teamed the look with cream eyelet trousers which came complete with drawstrings and black velcro shoes. Versatile: Bella also took to the catwalk in a strapless black latex bustier dress, which she teamed with cream eyelet trousers and drawstrings Cloves of garlic: But it was her garlic necklace that caught the eye, with the designer no doubt paying homage to holding the show in the French capital Leap year: In a gesture of gallantry, the model got down on one knee to propose with the flowers to Vivienne Dynamic trio: Bella posed for a photo with Vivienne and her husband and designer Andreas Kronthaler But it was her garlic necklace that caught the eye, with the designer no doubt paying homage to holding the show in the French capital. Jourdan Dunn led the arrivals for the show and looked effortlessly stylish. The newly-engaged-model, 29, wore a rouched pink dress which perfectly fit her statuesque frame with bardot style sleeves falling off her shoulders. The British beauty exhibited her ample cleavage in the couture Vivienne Westwood gown. She wore simple silver strappy sandals on her feet and a dazzling choker with the initials A&V embellished across it. Here come the girls: Jourdan Dunn (L) looked effortlessly stylish as she led the arrivals for the show alongside Janelle Monae (centre) Busty: British beauty Jourdan exhibited her ample cleavage in the couture Vivienne Westwood gown as she positioned herself in the front row next to Janelle, 34 The natural beauty accentuated her striking features with a dramatic smokey eye that featured quirky cat-eye flicks. She slicked back her raven tresses into a simple ponytail which meant all focus was on her radiant beauty. The model positioned herself in the front row next to Janelle Monae. The singer, 34, wore the same gorgeous gown as Jourdan but in an ashy grey shade. Matching: Janelle wore the same gorgeous gown as Jourdan but in an ashy grey shade She accessorised with black boots and an extravagant head piece with two hats positioned on top of one another. Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood was the designer who often let her clothes speak for themselves, as independent designs and as her own statements of culture. This idea is that she uses her clothing as a statement of her own is a motif consistent throughout her time as a designer. Quirky: Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream Statement: Westwood was the designer who often let her clothes speak for themselves, as independent designs and as her own statements of culture This was certainly present on the catwalk on Saturday, the designer and her husband Andreas created an array of quirky costumes, extravagant headpieces and an abudance of ruffles, clashing prints and textures. Earlier in the day, Bella sported one of her most quirkiest looks on this year's PFW catwalk to date for Haider Ackermann's Autumn/ Winter 2020- 2021 show. Genius: Vivienne and her husband Andreas created an array of quirky costumes, extravagant headpieces and an abudance of ruffles, clashing prints and textures The model looked unrecognisable as she sported an alabaster complexion, bleached eyebrows and a black bouffant wig with whispy fringe. Bella took to the runway in a black form-fitting polo neck and satin pleated culottes. She added a boost to her statuesque frame with pointed black heels and sported a minimal make-up look. The model gave Marge Simpson a run for her money as she stormed down the catwalk in the beehive wig. Extravagant: The model gave Marge Simpson a run for her money as she stormed down the catwalk in the beehive wig during her earlier show New look: The supermodel rocked bleached eyebrows and a black bouffant wig with whispy fringe Fair: The model looked unrecognisable as she sported an alabaster complexion All eyes on her: The model certainly stood out for the crowd Strike a pose: Bella Hadid posed with another model who was in an all-white ensemble Clean cut: The simple cuts of his creations are resolutely modern, dynamic and urban areas - and this was certainly seen during Saturday's showcase High-fashion friends: Haider Ackermann, who is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion, joined Bella for a snap Ying and yang! Bella and another model showcased contrasting black and white looks FROW! Liya Kebede, Kevin Mischel, Timothee, Setsuko Klossowska de Rola and Peter Marino were on the front row at the show Haider Ackermann is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion. Influenced by cultural differences, Ackermann's fashion contrasts and blends dress codes. The simple cuts of his creations are often asymmetric and sewn of different materials, resolutely modern, dynamic and urban areas - and this was certainly seen during Saturday's showcase. Fashionistas: Dominique Issermann and Caroline de Maigret got front row seats Casually-clad: Timothee Chalamet cut a casual figure as he arrived for the fashion showcase, Kevin Mischel sat in the front row of the Haider Ackermann show Ackermann was one of the designers approached to succeed Galliano at Dior, after declining the proposed succession of Martin Margiela in 2009. In 2010, Karl Lagerfeld described him as his ideal successor at Chanel, and some commentators called him a 'new Yves Saint-Laurent'. After the show, Bella emerged in grey pinstripe trousers, which had cut out slashes at the sides. Happy: Setsuko De Rola Klossowska and Peter Marino appeared in high spirits ahead of the fashion showcase Paris Fashion Week: Timothee and designer Haider posed for a photo backstage Cool: Timothee added a quirky vibrant jumper to his look later in the afternoon The American beauty teamed the look with white vest, a black knit waistcoat and a long scarf, which she draped around her neck. She shrugged a leather jacket over her arm and donned a pair of green tinted sunglasses. Bella's latest catwalk appearance comes after she joined sister Gigi and her mother Yolanda for dinner on Friday, amid protests happening in the city. Fashion maven: After the show, Bella emerged in grey pinstripe trousers, which had cut out slashes at the sides. The American beauty teamed the look with white vest and a black knit waistcoat Sartorially-savvy: Bella shrugged a leather jacket over her arm and donned a pair of green tinted sunglasses Hectic schedule: Bella changed back into her pin stripe outfit after storming the catwalk for Vivienne Westwood The model had arrived at Cesar restaurant to join her sister and mum for dinner, who were reportedly being 'held' inside, as protesters descended on the streets and police were called in to control the situation. The Cesar Awards had been taking place in Paris at the time, with women's groups protesting after director Roman Polanski's movie An Officer and a Spy received 12 nominations at the awards, following rape allegations against him. The awards, dubbed the French Oscars, has been subjected to backlash after Polanski's film topped this year's nominations. Back in the studio! Bella took to Instagram to share some shots for her fitting with Off White designer Virgil Abloh Polanski has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in the US in 1977. French actress, Adele Haenel, who worked with Polanski on her first film, recently alleged he also sexually harassed her when she was 12. The filmmaker is facing multiple accusations of sexual harassment that he has repeatedly denied and Polanski decided not to attend the Cesar Awards, given the protests. It's claimed the Hadids spent 'three hours' inside the restaurant while police tackled the situation outside. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Bella, Gigi and Yolanda Hadid for comment. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Nigeria is in bad shape, noting that the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is heaping further pains on Nigeria with its response to the rising insecurity in the country. National chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this while addressing the 89th Emergency National Executive Committee, NEC, and meeting of the party in Abuja. Secondus who welcomed eight governors and two deputy governors to the meeting expressed displeasure at the worrying state of security in the country, noting that the situation was getting worse on a daily basis. Amidst the frightening insecurity accompanied by mass killings that has set fears on the people, what you get from government is multiple tariffs, Value Added Tax, VAT and continued indulgences in lies and propaganda. Even when the National Assembly after reviewing the situation and asked the President to overhaul the security system for greater efficiency, the government has continued to demonstrate their insensitivity to the plight of the populace. Nigerians have never been as afraid of their lives as they are at moment in this country. Its as bad as that. Also speaking, chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal pledged to midwife a process that would bring about a strong bond of unity in the party. I assure you that we shall continue to have synergy with the NWC and we shall continue to work together and support our party that is waxing stronger every day. As we go into congresses we are appealing for an inclusiveness in whatever we are going to do. We shall be transparent and be accommodating and be free and fair in the conduct of the congresses. The world is watching us and expecting us to build on what we have started with our last convention in Port Harcourt, Tambuwal said. Speaking on behalf of the National Assembly caucus, Senate minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe pledged to make the Buhari-led government unhappy by constantly pointing out to them the error of their ways. In attendance were Governors Nyesom Wike, Udom Emmanuel, Bala Mohammed, Aminu Tambuwal and Ifeanyi Okowa of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Sokoto and Delta states respectively. Others were Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa) as well as the deputy governors of Cross River and Zamfara states. The Muckross Park Hotel and Chem Aqua have apologised in the High Court following action from a County Cork guest who contracted Legionnaires Disease after using the hotels spa facilities in 2015 . Photo by Michelle Cooper Galivn A woman who contracted Legionnaires Disease after using the spa facilities at Muckross Park Hotel in August 2015 has said she hopes her story, which saw her in an induced coma while fighting for her life, will raise awareness of the disease amongst the hospitality industry. A statement on behalf of Mary Kelleher (55) - Waterfall, County Cork - was issued to The Kerryman this week by her solicitor, Amy Connolly, after Ms Kelleher received an apology in the High Court from the hotel and NCH Ireland, trading as Chem Aqua with offices at Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, Dublin. Liability had been admitted in the case and it was before the court only for assessment of damages. Mr Justice Kevin Cross was told that the case had been settled, and the details of this settlement are confidential. The court heard that Ms Kelleher, feeling unwell within days of checking out, complained of tiredness and aching muscles. She initially went to a doctor on August 12, 2015, and went back to a doctor on August 16, when she was told she had pneumonia before being transferred to Bon Secours Hospital, Cork. The court heard that she remembered being admitted and placed in a ward, but nothing else; she woke from an induced coma - on September 9, 2015 - after three weeks. While Ms Kelleher has declined to speak to the media at this time, a statement on her behalf was provided to The Kerryman. "On August 6, 2015, my husband and I travelled to the five-star Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney, for an overnight spa break to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary," Ms Kelleher's statement read. "Little did I know that it would almost claim my life. "I contracted Legionnaires Disease in the Hotel Spa and spent three weeks in an induced coma in intensive care, critically ill and fighting for my life. "I am lucky to be alive today, but I will have to live with the consequences of contracting Legionnaires Disease for the rest of my life. What upsets me most is that my illness could have been prevented. "I hope that by highlighting this issue, the hospitality industry will sit up and take note that Legionnaires Disease is a very real risk to all customers. Spa operators need to be alert to the dangers lurking in their water systems. "I also hope that my story will raise people's awareness of Legionnaire's Disease. People who go to a spa in Ireland should expect to leave it as healthy as when they entered," she added. iNua Hospitality Chief Executive Sean O'Driscoll, a director at the hotel, spoke to The Kerryman this week and said the hotel has spent over 200,000 on improvements "to ensure our spa and hotel had the best-practice controls in place". "iNua purchased the hotel in [February] 2015, and the incident occurred shortly afterwards, in August 2015," Mr O'Driscoll said. "We had a legionella-prevention programme in place when we purchased the hotel, and we then continued with that programme. "Following the incident, weaknesses were identified in the programme, and we dismissed the company that supported the hotel at that time. We hired a new support company and an independent risk-assessor. "We fully co-operated with the HSE and HSA [Health and Safety Authority] and implemented all recommendations. "Following the incident, we spent over 200,000 on improvements to ensure our spa and hotel had the best-practice controls in place. We have continued regular testing, and there have been no further incidents since 2015. "We [iNua Hospitality] take guests' safety extremely seriously and have been very diligent in implementing recommendations by the HSE," he added. In a statement read to the court by Eoin Clifford SC for the defendants, Ms Kelleher and her family received an apology for the serious injuries she suffered. The statement added that the defendants do not underestimate the profound distress and impact that the incident had and continues to have on Ms Kelleher. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available The U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory late Friday saying the Centers for Disease Control recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Italy. The level 3 advisory, issued for all of Italy, says some community spread has been reported in the European nation. Many of the confirmed cases, however, have been associated with travel to or from mainland China or close contact with a travel-related case. The Italian government has reported 888 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday. The death toll has risen to 21, and dozens more have been hospitalized because they presented symptoms. U.S. colleges, including several in Massachusetts, have canceled study abroad trips to Italy, citing coronavirus concerns. UMass Amherst suspended its study-abroad program in Italy following the latest travel advisory. Assumption College in Worcester and Northeastern University in Boston suspended all school-related travel to northern Italy. Endicott College in Beverly offered to pull students from their study-abroad trips. More than 83,000 worldwide cases have been reported of the virus, which first began in Wuhan, China, with the majority of cases in China. The rate of infection appears to be slowing there, but it is unclear whether the trend is temporary. The U.S. has seen at least 65 confirmed cases, including at least three deemed possible local transmissions, according to the World Health Organization and CDC. Related Content A wild elephant was killed when a speeding train hit her in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district, a forest official said on Saturday. The female elephant was crossing the tracks in the Chakulia area when the Koraput Samaleshwari Express hit it on Friday, Divisional Forest Officer, Abhisekh Kumar said. A team of forest department officials visited the spot and conducted post-mortem. After the autopsy the carcass of the elephant was buried in the forest area, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This undated photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDCs laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. (CDC via AP) Possible Coronavirus Outbreak in Long Term Care Facility in Washington: Officials Officials on Saturday said theyve identified a possible coronavirus outbreak in a nursing facility in Washington state, hours after the state announced the first death in the nation from the disease the virus causes and its governor declared a state of emergency. The possible outbreak at a Life Care Center in Kirkland includes the first health care worker who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States, a woman in her 40s, Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health, Seattle & King County, told reporters on a phone call. The woman is in satisfactory condition at Overlake Hospital. Another patient, a longterm resident at the facility, is in her 70s. She is in serious condition at Evergreen Hospital. No other patients have tested positive but officials have received reports that approximately 27 residents and 25 staff members are showing symptoms of respiratory illness. There are 108 residents and 180 staff members at the facility. Testing is planned for all those who have symptoms. We would not be surprised to find additional cases, Duchin said. The cases are two among others that show some spread in the community, Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington state health officer, told reporters. We feel that the risk to the public is increasing, she added. If officials in the state see more spread, they could recommend measures such as canceling large public events, she said. A support operations tent is seen at an earmarked quarantine site for healthy people potentially exposed to the novel coronavirus, behind Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, north of Seattle, Washington on Feb. 28, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) Officials in the state earlier Saturday reported the first death from COVID-19. The patient was a man in his 50s who had underlying health conditions., Duchin said. The death was not linked to the Life Care Center. The Life Care Center in Kirkland confirmed to a local reporter that it was the site of the possible outbreak. The residents with symptoms who were exposed are quarantined and theyre not allowing visitations from family members, volunteers, or vendors right now. A woman at the center answered affirmatively when asked on the phone whether the center was the one officials were referring to. She then directed The Epoch Times to call a different number for more details. No one picked up. The facility describes itself as the perfect choice for patients and residents seeking skilled nursing care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and short-term and long-term care in a premier nursing home. There is no information about the situation with the virus on its website. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee later Saturday declared a state of emergency in response to the new cases of COVID-19. This will allow us to get the resources we need, Inslee said. This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state. A proclamation tells state agencies and departments to do everything possible to assist affected communities, allowing the use of the Washington National Guard if necessary. WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would witness the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement on a withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The agreement is due to be signed in Doha on Saturday. Trump in a statement also called on the Taliban and the Afghan government to "seize this opportunity for peace," and said that if they fulfill their commitments, "We will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home." (Reporting by Jonathan Landay Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar on Saturday advised students not to give open calls to riot-affected people in Delhi to come and stay in the campus. We want peace and harmony to prevail in Delhi and the affected people need to be provided all possible help. Some students in our campus gave an open call to outsiders to come and stay on the campus. They are the same students who criticised saying that outsiders came into the campus and they were responsible for the incident that took place in January, Kumar told ANI. Kumar said there was no harm in providing humanitarian help to those affected by the riots but insisted that safety and security of the campus was paramount. Also Watch | Delhi violence | 123 FIRs, 630 arrested till now in north east clashes: Police Safety and security are also very important that is why we have advised our students that please dont give open calls to outsiders to come and stay on the campus. Instead, you can collect essential items and materials from the campus and provide humanitarian help to the affected people and JNU administration will fully support. Right now the campus is peaceful and security is in place and there are no outsiders, he added. Kumars advice came a day after the university administration issued a notice advising students not to give an open call to Delhi violence victims to come and stay on the campus. It has been brought our notice that you have declared JNU open for shelter. This is to inform you that you have no legal right to make the JNU campus a shelter. You are strictly advised against any such activity failing which appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against you, the notice on Friday said. The administration has received several calls from the campus residents that are feeling very insecure due to the call given by you, said the notice to JNU students union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh and three other members of the union. On Thursday, the JNUSU had given a call for riot-hit people to take shelter in the campus. The riots in Northeast Delhi that rocked the capital for three days earlier this week have claimed at least 42 lives and left hundreds injured and many missing and have left a trail of destruction. Households who discharge more waste will have to pay more according to an amended Law on Environmental Protection. Nguyen Thuong Hien, deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration Nguyen Thuong Hien, deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration said on February 27 that the government had learned from South Korea and Japan so the amended Law on Environmental Protection would have more detailed rules about household solid waste management. According to Hien, the current fee collecting method does not bring in enough money for waste treatment work. Instead of fees for collecting and dealing with rubbish, they will sell environmentally-friendly rubbish bags to households in residential areas. "Who discharge more rubbish will have to pay more," he said. Provinces and municipalities will assign firms that will manufacture the bags. The revenues will cover the state's waste treatment cost. The households that discharge less than 300 kg of rubbish a day can buy rubbish bags like retail customers. Those that discharge more than 300 kg a day will have to make a contract with the manufacturers. Statistics from the Vietnam Environment Administration show that the amount of discharged solid waste increased from 28 million tonnes in 2009 to 35.7 million tonnes in 2015. That means Vietnam discharges 10% more solid waste each year and these numbers are still on the rise. It is estimated that 70,000 tonnes of solid waste is discharged from residential areas a day. The number of solid waste increases by 10-16% every year, including a huge number of plastic products and bags. Vietnam has issued several regulations regarding the responsibility of the litterers and how to classify the rubbish but the results were not very effective. Nguoilaodong/Dtinews Hanoi river struggling with rubbish Nhue River in Hanoi has become more polluted due to rubbish. It was Sunday night when the news broke that we were in the midst of an outbreak of the coronavirus. Apparently the virus had been identified in the Veneto region and the Venice Carnival, usually a three-day event, was cut short. The slightly surreal images of revellers getting temperature scans while dressed in the typical masks and extravagant dress of the carnival did little to quell the ensuing panic. Remember that the Venice Carnival and its masks - particularly the elongated medico della peste (plague doctor) - mask, are associated with the Bubonic plague. This and the fact the virus was now called Covid-19 (had it mutated?) sparked something close to terror in Lombardy. Readers in Ireland will be familiar with the images on social media of supermarket shelves completely cleared out in Milan. This was the scene on Sunday night. Yes, there was a rush on certain products but it was Sunday evening and stocks were low. The over-sharing of images of empty shelves certainly didn't do anything to inspire confidence. Faced with the possibility of a seemingly out-of-control outbreak of Covid-19 and, with the government acting swiftly to close schools for a week in Lombardy, I made a snap decision to pack my wife, three children and dog into the car and head for Tuscany. Offices were also closed and business were enacting smart working where practicable. The reasoning was that government looked to have been blind-sided by the severity of the outbreak and I thought a regional lockdown was imminent. I also had flashbacks to Storm Emma and the panic- buying of bread when we lived in Ireland. I remember the claustrophobia of a week in the house together and the stress it created. So, better to hit the road and head for Tuscany, where there hadn't been any Covid-19 cases declared and where there are beaches on which the children could tire themselves out during the day. As the hours passed into Monday and the confirmed cases ticked ever upward with a slow but steady stream of fatalities, it looked like things might get very bad indeed. Despite what you might read in the foreign press, the Italian health system is excellent. In fact, it puts our own to shame. Italian doctors are, in my opinion, some of the best in the world and the action taken by the government has been swift and effective. The media has been keeping us all informed in real time of any new cases or events. There is a lot to be said for the level of transparency in evidence. Milan on Monday was like a ghost town. Offices across the city were closed and most people stayed at home. It is not unusual to see Milan completely deserted, as anyone who has visited in August, when the locals all go to the seaside at the same time, can attest. The effect, however, was still unnerving. In Lecco, on Lake Como, where I live, Marco Valsechi, owner of the Shamrock Irish Pub, was determined not to break his roll of 2,183 days in a row and opened long enough to serve a single pint of Guinness. Many of the Irish in Milan remain in self-imposed quarantine, partly out of a sense of duty, but also because it offers a good excuse to spend quality time with their families. The situation continues to evolve, with more than 800 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 21 deaths and 11 towns on Wuhan-style lockdown. The rest of Lombardy remains on yellow alert with no imposed quarantine. The country's borders remain open. Schools remain closed for the rest of the week across the affected areas with three million students - and six million edgy parents - sitting at home. All public meetings and services are cancelled, as are university exams, and people are being asked to work from home where possible. News of Ireland's postponement of their Six Nations meeting with Italy barely registered as a blip on the radar here, with interest in the national rugby team at a low ebb. Of far more concern is the fact Juventus and Internazionale's game tomorrow will take place behind closed doors. Some are billing it as a title decider. After the initial panic of the outbreak, the situation looks to have stabilised. Bars and restaurants are again permitted to open after 6pm. With as many as 40pc of overseas bookings in Milan now cancelled, the tourism industry is set to take a big hit. The government, however, is keen to convey the message that Italy remains open for business and it is perfectly safe to travel to, as long as the 'red zones' are avoided. Italians themselves seem to have shrugged off any lingering fear of contagion. Calling a few ski resorts in Bormio and Livigno to check whether Irish winter tourists should cancel their trips, I was informed that while virtually all foreign bookings have been cancelled, Italians are undeterred and are out on the slopes as we speak. What else are you supposed to do with the kids? Of course, politicians are always going to see opportunity in a crisis and the ultimate opportunist, Matteo Salvini, former minister of the interior, has accused the government of not being able to protect its borders, to fuel his anti-immigration rhetoric. None of the current Covid-19 cases in Italy have any association with the Middle East or Africa. He may have a point, however. It is said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's swift decision to ban direct flights from China at the beginning of the Wuhan outbreak caused Italians to enter the country from China through third countries, which disabled authorities' ability to track travellers. Providing the outbreak is indeed contained and the rate of contagion decreases, the way this has been dealt with inspires confidence in the Italian government and in particular the health system. Perhaps a net benefit of the situation will be companies observing how a smart working situation can work in practice. While many Italian business pay lip service to smart working, most in reality remain rooted in a very traditional clock-in and clock-out corporate culture. There is most definitely the feeling of a return to normality for Lombardy. Supermarkets have warned people against panic-buying of goods and have assured the public that their supply chains remain fully operational. Life here is quickly getting back to normal, albeit with a heightened sense of hygiene. British Airways and easyJet have suspended flights to northern Italy, but Ryanair is operating as normal. The Irish government has advised people not to make unnecessary journeys to affected areas, but there are no travel bans in place as yet. If people still wish to travel to Italy, then, some common sense precautions should be taken, such as avoiding the 'red zones' and washing their hands, as well as self-isolating should any symptoms appear. Hand sanitiser and face masks are virtually impossible to find here, though, so Irish tourists would be advised to stock up before arriving. Due to unprecedented demand for tickets to attend "The Blacksmith" in 2019, patrons are advised to book early to see this extremely funny comedy as it returns to the Droichead Arts Centre this week, from 25th to 29th February. The plot is filled with hilarious dialogue and situations which reignite the wondrous world of the mainly forgotten Blacksmith's Forge. The year is 1949, an age of innocence when superstition and Fairy folklore is exposed in it's most glorious form with the emergence of characters such as Mary Kate and Brigid Mc Keon played by Alice Bellew and Marguerita Sampson respectively. Indeed, all the characters in this play are based on real life people who lived and loved in the Cooley Peninsula and are proud descendants of even more famous ancestors depicted in the " Tain Bo Cualigne". The film " Saints and Sinners" was shot in Carlingford in 1949 and formed the basis for The Blacksmith , giving poetic licence to create a unique environment never before seen or portrayed in any Irish theatre. You will meet other colourful characters such as Plug Murphy ( David Andrews ) Tiddly Patterson ( Michael Ferguson ) The Wiper Mooney ( Gareth Byrne ) Molly Rafferty ( Carmel Matthews ) and the Queen of the plough herself Cissy Murphy (Mary Cooney) The Blacksmith himself, Bill Smith (Guy Lynch ) together with Sergeant Conchobar O Sullivan ( Con Mc Ginley) try to maintain some semblance of order and credulity when faced with such fiery adversaries as The Hag of the Bog, Banshees and the fearsome " Puca". The arrival of Hollywood actress Christine Norden ( Pauline Meegan ) and film producer Leslie Arliss ( Paul Davis) into Bill's humble Forge culminate in a memorable scene which simply has to be experienced. This superb comedy is suitable for all ages and has already proven hugely popular with very young audiences. The shows will also benefit local charities, including: Drogheda Alzheimers Society Tuesday 25th February. Duleek/Bellewstown Community Project: Wednesday 26th February. Niall Mellon Educate: Thursday 27th February. Duleek Drama Players/ Duleek Meals on Wheels: Friday 28th February. Duleek Drama Players/ Gary Kelly Centre: Saturday 29th February. 'In this play, I hope to bring to life through the characters I met personally in the Cooley area of the 1950's , some of the magic which has gained immortality in a tribute to a bygone era ruled by that self-same marvellous culture which shaped our unique heritage,' Michael Ferguson states. 'This work is dedicated to my wife Kay, whose father, Denis ( Dinny ) McCarthy " Blacksmith Extraordinaire " was the posthumous inspiration for the play.' New Delhi: Reminding the Congress of its record of twist and turn and plain and simple votebank politics, the BJP on Friday told the opposition party not to preach it rajdharma, a day after the Congress asked the ruling party at the Centre to follow rajdharma over the Delhi riots. The BJP also reiterated its allegation that the Congress had provoked people against the amended Citizenship Act during its December rally at the Ramlila ground, which the ruling party claimed was instigating people against a legislation passed by Parliament. The BJP reminded the Congress that granting citizenship to persecuted minorities coming from neigbouring countries was a demand and a promise of the Congress, including late prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and the aim of the CAA. Hitting back at the Congresss interim president, Sonia Gandhi, who had led a delegation of her party leaders to meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday over the Delhi violence, the ruling BJP also asked the opposition party to clear its stand on persecuted minorities coming from neighbouring countries. The BJP claimed that it disapproved the controversial comments made by some of its leaders, including Kapil Mishra over which the party is facing flak of various quarters. Condemning the Congress, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the language used by the Congress during its rally was aar paar ka faisla (on CAA)...was it not provocation..Congress leaders stood with Jinnah wali aazadi at Shaheen Bagh....please dont preach us Rajdharma when your own record is full of rapid violence, twist and turn and plain and simple votebank politics. When asked about the controversial comments made by some BJP leaders, Prasad said Amit Shah has already clarified the partys position, and the top BJP brass never considered their comments appropriate. They have not approved of their remarks...If publicly very senior leaders have disapproved of these statements, I think it means a lot...the party with its own internal system will surely respond to these situations,said Prasad. When asked about the Congress attack on the government over the transfer of Delhi High Court judge, Justice S Muralidhar, the Union law minister hit back at the party, noting that Congress government in the 1970s had superseded Supreme Court judges, a move seen as an assault on judicial independence. He reminded the Cogress that commitment to judicial, media and individual freedom is one of the Modi governments fundamentals as he cited its leaders fight against the Emergency. He reiterated that Justice Muralidhars transfer had nothing to do with any case as a recommendation to this effect was already made by the Supreme Court collegium and the judge had also given his consent. Landra Gould, widow of senator Harry M. Reid, pays respects at his casket at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll/Bloomberg News) The former Senate majority leader was remembered as a pragmatic dealmaker who became a political force across two presidencies. Willow Creek Germany ends leadership summit early after speaker tests positive for coronavirus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Willow Creek Germany has ended its leadership summit a day early after a speaker tested positive for coronavirus. The three-day summit opened in Karlsruhe, southwest Germany, on Thursday with talks from Craig Groeschel and Danielle Strickland. It had been due to end on Saturday. Willow Creek said in a statement in German on Twitter that the speaker, who has not been named, "was not at any time present during the summit" and that there was no risk to delegates. Summit organizers said they had become aware of the diagnosis at midday on Friday and taken the decision to end early as a "preventative measure." "We would like to inform you that we have ended the Willow Creek Leadership Summit 2020 in Karlsruhe early," said the announcement. It continued: "This was done for reasons of safety. According to health officials, participants were never in any danger. "Nonetheless, we have decided to end this event as a preventative measure so all participants can get home safely." The statement added that prior to the summit, the speaker had had personal contact with some senior figures, who are now self-isolating as a precaution. The organisation added: "For us, safety is the first priority. That's why we have taken this preventative measure and we wish everyone a safe journey home." Also on Friday, the World Council of Churches said concerns around the coronavirus have prompted it to postpone its next meeting of the central committee, which had been slated for March 18-24, along with the executive committee meeting that was to precede it. The new date for the central committee meeting will be Aug. 18-25, while the executive committee will now be held from June 15-22. "The decision is a prudential one, taking into account all relevant information and assessing the total risks for the participants, the WCC as an organization, the integrity of a meeting of the governing bodies under these circumstances, and for the health of all involved in such a gathering, directly or indirectly," said WCC moderator Dr. Agnes Abuom. This article was originally published at Christian Today Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad lost a power struggle Saturday with a little-known ex-interior minister to be the country's new prime minister in a shock twist that will return a scandal-plagued party to power. Muhyiddin Yassin will be sworn in on Sunday, royal officials said, after a week of turmoil that followed the collapse of a reformist government and Mahathir's resignation as premier. "The process to appoint the prime minister cannot be delayed because the country needs a government for the well-being of the people and the nation," a palace statement said. The king appoints the premier, and rival candidates had this week been seeking to show they commanded majority support from MPs As well as ending the premiership of Mahathir, at 94 the world's oldest leader, it means there will be little hope of his designated successor Anwar Ibrahim becoming prime minister. Muhyiddin's coalition is dominated by the multi-ethnic country's Muslim majority, and includes the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the scandal-plagued party of disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak. UMNO was the lynchpin of a long-ruling coalition toppled from power at historic elections in 2018 amid allegations Najib and his cronies looted state fund 1MDB. Muhyiddin, a former Mahathir ally, had joined forces with UMNO in a bid to win power. His coalition also includes a hardline Muslim party that is pushing for Islamic laws. The current crisis began when Mahathir and Anwar's ruling "Pact of Hope" alliance, which stormed to a historic victory two years ago against Najib's government, collapsed a week ago. A group of ruling coalition lawmakers had joined forces with opposition parties in a bid to form a new government without Anwar and stop him becoming premier. After that effort failed, Mahathir and Anwar launched rival bids to win power, reviving a rivalry that has shaped for more than two decades in the Southeast Asian nation. But as Muhyiddin's bid quickly gained support and it became clear that he could get into power with UMNO, Mahathir and Anwar did a volte-face and joined forces again on Saturday. The remaining parties from the "Pact of Hope" alliance threw their support behind Mahathir to become premier, and there had been hopes he could stop Muhyiddin. The "Pact of Hope", a ragtag band of opposition groups that included a party dominated by the country's ethnic Chinese minority, Anwar's People's Justice Party and Mahathir's Malay-dominated outfit, was uneasy from the start. Mahathir had pledged to eventually hand the premiership to Anwar, but many were sceptical he wanted to give power to his old rival, and rival factions were seeking to push Anwar out. Muhyiddin, 72, was a member of UMNO for many decades and held a string of senior posts. He was deputy prime minister in Najib's government, but Najib sacked him after he voiced criticism of the 1MDB scandal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Boris Johnson finally settled his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler just 11 days before announcing he and girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby. The Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, were given the go-ahead to officially end their marriage of more than 25 years on February 18. Based on Mr Johnson's estimated cash and assets, Ms Wheeler could be receiving around 4million if split equally between the two. Boris Johnson only settled his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler (pictured together in 2018) 11 days before announcing he and girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby Tonight - 11 days after the settlement - a spokesperson for Mr Johnson, 55, and his 31-year-old partner announced that the couple are expecting their first baby together. Ms Symonds also posted the news saying: 'I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on here but I wanted my friends to find out from me. Based on Mr Johnson's estimated cash and assets, Ms Wheeler could be receiving around 4million if split equally between the two 'Many of you already know but for my friends that still don't, we got engaged at the end of last year... and we've got a baby hatching early summer.' The date of their wedding has not yet been announced. Ms Wheeler and Mr Johnson married in 1993 and have four children. They separated in 2018. Last year Ms Wheeler announced that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in May but recovered after undergoing two operations. Ms Wheeler, a QC, and Mr Johnson first announced that they had separated and were going through the process of divorce in September 2018. Within months, Mr Johnson had moved in with Miss Symonds, 31. Last Tuesday, Judge Sarah Gibbons oversaw a private hearing in the Central Family Court in London, which neither Mr Johnson or Ms Wheeler attended. During the short hearing, she gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for a decree absolute, which would bring the marriage to an end. A case number revealed Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler were involved in a dispute over money or assets. Marina Claire Wheeler was named as the 'petitioner' and 'applicant' in the case, while Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson was named as the 'respondent'. Pictured: The couple together in 2015 How Boris's second divorce could be finalised in days Judge Gibbons gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for a decree absolute 'out of time'. This suggests that she was granted a decree nisi by the courts more than a year ago. Those who are successfully granted a decree nisi have up to a year to apply for the next stage of divorce, the decree absolute. Should the applicant fail to do so within 12 months - as was the case with Ms Wheeler - they are required to reapply for permission for the decree absolute and explain the reason for the delay, which is what occurred in court today. It is likely that the application for an decree absolute was delayed by Ms Wheeler while both parties discussed a financial settlement, which the court also heard today had been agreed. As Ms Wheeler was granted permission to reapply for the decree absolute by the judge this afternoon, she can now make her final application at any point from today. Once she does so, a divorce certificate will be sent to both parties, likely within a week, that officially ends the marriage. Advertisement Marina Claire Wheeler was named as the 'petitioner' and 'applicant' in the case, while Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson was named as the 'respondent'. Mr Johnson was said to have had 6.5million in cash and assets as of September 2018, but will have likely seen his wealth rise since becoming Prime Minister last July. It is therefore plausible that Ms Wheeler will be receiving around 4million if it is an equal split. However, the judge said no detail from the case relating to money can be revealed in reports, apart from what is already in the public domain. Judge Gibbons gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for the decree absolute 'out of time'. This suggests that she was granted a decree nisi by the courts more than a year ago. Those who are successfully granted a decree nisi have up to a year to apply for the next stage of divorce, the decree absolute. Should the applicant fail to do so within 12 months - as was the case with Ms Wheeler - they are required to reapply for permission for the decree absolute and explain the reason for the delay, which is what occurred in court in February. It is likely that the application for an decree absolute was delayed by Ms Wheeler while both parties discussed a financial settlement, which the court also heard had been agreed. As Ms Wheeler was granted permission to reapply for the decree absolute by the judge this afternoon, she can now make her final application at any point from today. Tonight - 11 days after the settlement - a spokesperson for Mr Johnson, 55, and his 31-year-old partner announced that the couple are expecting their first baby together. Pictured: Ms Symonds shared this photo to her Instagram Boris Johnson met his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen while they were students at Oxford, and they wed in 1987. Pictured: Mr Johnson and Ms Mostyn-Owen in 1987 Once she does so, a divorce certificate will be sent to both parties, likely within a week, that officially ends the marriage. Miss Symonds' status remains a delicate subject. It has been suggested in the past that Miss Symonds could not become a fully-fledged 'first lady' until the couple were married. Mr Johnson was coy when asked about the subject last year, telling reporters that marriage speculation was 'a tiny bit premature'. Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler announced that they had separated and were going through the process of divorce in September 2018 - saying that 'as friends we will continue to support our four children in the years ahead'. Boris Johnson's marriage to Allegra Mostyn-Owen ended in 1993. Pictured: The couple on their wedding day Mr Johnson was a childhood friend of Ms Wheeler - the daughter of BBC journalist Charles Wheeler - when they were both pupils at the European School in Brussels. He met his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen while they were students at Oxford, and they wed in 1987, but they were divorced in 1993 and he married Ms Wheeler later that year. The couple have two sons and two daughters. Mr Johnson has repeatedly come under scrutiny over his personal life. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009. In 2004, he was sacked from the Tory frontbench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt. Talking about her cancer diagnosis last year, Ms Wheeler said: 'I was unimpressed. Clutching a leaflet, I left thinking: "That's absurd. I have no time for this. Quite apart from anything else, I have a book to write." I had already missed my deadline twice.' Talking about her mother's diagnosis, Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler's eldest child Lara said: 'My mother's illness wasn't something I had posted about or alluded to in any way online. It had inevitably been very hard. 'When she was diagnosed in May she had no symptoms she was busy working as a QC, as well as writing a memoir about her own mother's family in India and Pakistan. 'During that tough time, I didn't stop using social media altogether. In fact, I was scrolling through Instagram on a regular basis. 'But while I used it as a numbing distraction, it didn't even occur to me to add pictures of my own life at the time of hospitals and hand-holding.' Mr Johnson's father Stanley Johnson spent Christmas with Ms Wheeler and the children last year. Some restaurants are seeing the impact of rising concerns about the coronavirus in the Bay Area, citing canceled reservations, scrubbed private parties and overall slow nights. In some cases, the restaurants are losing business because of the lack of tourism from China. Meanwhile, San Francisco Chinatown restaurants have seen the neighborhoods streets empty out because of misplaced concerns and suspected xenophobia. Other restaurant owners arent sure exactly why business has dipped, but mounting fears around the coronavirus as cases emerge in Northern California could be the answer. Its like being in biblical times here fires, floods, plagues, said Christopher Kostow, executive chef at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, which has seen a burst of cancellations because of the virus and had to briefly shut down during wildfires that hit Wine Country last fall. He said some cancellations stemmed from international tourists who opted out of their vacation plans, while others were domestic visitors newly nervous about coming to the Bay Area after San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency. I understand why San Francisco did that, but it definitely sends a bit of a haunting message, he said. Well see how it plays out in the months to come. On Friday, a Bay Area tech company canceled a full buyout of Charter Oak, another one of Kostows Napa Valley restaurants. Local companies are pulling out of conferences en masse, while some, like Facebooks Global Marketing Summit, have been flat-out canceled. The impact on restaurants, however, doesnt seem to be widespread yet. The Chronicle reached out to more than 25 San Francisco restaurants outside of Chinatown this week to ask about the coronavirus, and the majority did not report any noticeable change in business. A few declined to comment. It can be difficult for a restaurant owner to tell why business slows, especially during an already slow time of year, but large party cancellations stand out. Alexander Hong, the chef-owner of Cal-Italian spot Sorrel in Pacific Heights, said one 14-person party recently canceled, citing the coronavirus. The San Francisco French destination restaurant La Folie reported that a few guests canceled reservations because they were experiencing flu-like symptoms and nervous about going out. La Folie had previously announced that its closing for good this month. While business has been strong at Paul Einbunds San Francisco restaurants, the Morris and Gap Year at Nico, the restaurateur suspects the effects could be more drawn out. People are getting really scared and overreacting, he said. People are going to be less excited about traveling. People are going to hold off on their plans. All of that is going to affect us. Kostow said management at Meadowood has begun discussing how to prepare for a pandemic. He has some experience in this, given he also has a restaurant, Ensue, in Shenzhen, China. Ensue has been closed since Lunar New Year because of the virus but will reopen this week. Many restaurants similarly shut down, while others changed formats. A lot of restaurants have moved to takeout because people are holed up in their apartments, Kostow said. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Meanwhile, Chinatown restaurants have been hurt the hardest and the longest. Even last month, banquet restaurants started seeing mass cancellations of large events and Lunar New Year luncheons. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. The rumor is, Better dont go to Chinatown, you might catch the virus, said Bill Lee, the owner of Far East Cafe, one of the neighborhoods last two remaining banquet hall restaurants. There are still no confirmed cases of coronavirus originating in San Francisco and there is no reason to think it would be in Chinatown other than xenophobic associations because the virus started in China. This appears to be impacting Chinese restaurants across the country. According to Yelp, calls to Chinese restaurants, visits to Chinese restaurant websites and perusals of Chinese menus are down 20% since virus fears began to take hold. Lee has told would-be diners not to believe the rumors, but the cancellations come anyway. I keep losing money, he said. If it keeps going, I think I might close down after the summer this year. Michelin-starred Mister Jius, also located in Chinatown, has also been slow the past few days. Im really, really reluctant to say its related to the coronavirus because we dont know, said pastry chef Melissa Chou. I dont want to feed into this panic. Nobody thinks Chinese people just inherently have coronavirus, right? Thats absurd. But I dont know. Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker Bengaluru: Waiting in the wings to be Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, D K Shivakumar has been told to wait for some time until the party makes up its mind on similar appointments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The party is so riven with factions that any decision on any of these states is likely to lead a bout of sulking by one or other faction. So, for the time being, wait. To keep D K Shivakumar appeased, the party paradropped its gen sec Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is supposed to be close to the man. Azad was in Bengaluru yesterday to attend a meeting organized by Kashmiri Muslims, and on his way to the airport for the return flight, he made a detour to Shivakumar's residence this morning. And so was the amber light shown to the strongman. In all there are five states in which the Congress is faced with squabbling factions each vying for the leadership positions. In Karnataka in particular, the party is poised to made two crucial decisions: one on the new KPCC chief, and second whether to give the roles of Congress Legislature Party leader and leader of the opposition to two different individuaos. These two decisions have been put on hold for at least a month, till the budget session in Karnataka and the Parliament session are on. The leadership squabble in Karnataka has been an open secret for five years. One faction is headed by former chief minister Siddaramaiah, a migrant from the Janata Dal(S). Old loyalists of the party have been cribbing since then as Siddaramaiahs supporters have come to dominate the party. Their discomfort is more acute because the AICC man for Karnataka, K C Venugopal, also supports the Siddaramaiah group. Venugopal's dislike for Shivakumar too is an open secret because the latter is close to Venugopal's arch rival in Kerala, Ramesh Chennithala. As long as M/s Venugopal and Siddaramaiah had the blessings of Rahul Gandhi, the old-timers had no choice but to sulk in the corner. Talk of Shivakumar becoming KPCC chief has been in the air since he came out of jail. His candidature was greenlighted by y Sonia Gandhi and the decks were cleared. But then, Rahul Gandhi, protector of the Venugopal-Siddaramaiah combine, made something of a return to being de facto head of the party. Thus encouraged, Venugopal and Siddaramaiah have become active to protect their interests in the party. A lot of other developments' too have happened in Karnataka, which, to the high command out there, have been signals to go slow. The party has therefore done what it does when faced with a difficult decision: put it off to later. In route news, United slashes flights to Asia; Delta, Hawaiian and Korean cut Seoul flights and airlines expand change fee waivers as coronavirus continues its spread; SFO route news from Cathay, Virgin Atlantic and American; BA, Delta move around idled Asia widebodies; JetBlue and Alaska waive change fees for flights booked in the next two weeks; United boosts checked bag charges; Delta, LATAM set a date for frequent flyer reciprocity; American revives code-sharing with Qatar Airways; Frontier adds a San Jose route; SFO prepares for next phase of Terminal 1 expansion; American Express opens another Centurion Lounge; and Capitol One plans its own airport lounges. Now that major U.S. and international carriers have effectively shut down service on routes to China for the next couple of months, the focus is shifting to South Korea and other Asian destinations as coronavirus continues to spread. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week advised travelers to avoid all unnecessary trips to South Korea, where the number of cases in South Korea has surged in recent days. United Airlines is cutting its San Francisco-Seoul schedule back to three flights a week March 8 through April 30 (down from the previously scheduled daily service in March and 12 flights a week in April), and reducing service on other Asia routes as well. From SFO, United will reduce its two daily Singapore flights to just one March 8-24; scale back Osaka service from a daily schedule to five days a week March 28-April 24; and replace the 777-300 on its SFO-Taipei route with a smaller 787-9 during March and April. From other gateways, United will suspend Houston-Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles-Narita flights from March 8 to April 24, along with Chicago-Narita service March 8-April 27. Newark-Tokyo Narita ser vice will be trimmed from daily service to five flights a week March 28-April 24. Delta said this week it is cutting back service to Seoul Incheon. The carrier has suspended Minneapolis/St. Paul-Seoul service through April 30, and it has reduced frequencies from seven to five flights a week on its Seoul routes from Seattle, Detroit and Atlanta. Delta has also pushed back the planned launch of a new Seoul-Manila route from March 29 to May 1. Delta also said it will waive change fees for passengers ticketed to fly to Seoul through April 30, just as it did earlier for travelers booked to Shanghai and Beijing. You can see the details of Deltas waiver policy here. United has done the same for Seoul passengers who bought their tickets by February 23; click here for the specifics. And American this week also issued a waiver for Seoul travelers who bought tickets by February 24; to see the details, click here and scroll down. Hawaiian Airlines has also reacted to the South Korea outbreak, canceling its five weekly flights from Honolulu to Seoul Incheon from March 2 through April 30. And Korean Air is paring back its U.S. operations as well, reducing its San Francisco-Seoul Incheon schedule from two flights a day to one from March 29 through April 22, cutting Seoul-New York JFK service from seven weekly A380 flights to three weekly 777-300ER flights on the same dates, and trimming Seoul-Washington Dulles schedules from daily service to five flights a week April 3-25. Meanwhile, after a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, Delta extended its change fee waiver for flights to Bologna, Milan, Venice and Turin through March 15 to match its joint venture partner Air France and then a few days later, expanded the waiver to all Italy destinations. United and American this week also expanded their waivers to cover northern Italy. See the above links to their websites for specifics. In what turns out to be a fortuitous coincidence, South Koreas Asiana Airlines was due to suspend its daily San Francisco-Seoul A350 flights starting this weekend and continuing through mid-April, but it has nothing to do with coronavirus. The temporary halt in service on the SFO route was ordered by the South Korean Supreme Court last fall as a punishment for the July 2013 crash of Asiana flight 214 into a seawall as it attempted to land at SFO. After an investigation, South Koreas Transport Ministry declared that pilot error was the cause, and the suggested punishment worked its way through the courts for several years before the final order came down in October. Airbus In other San Francisco news, as February turns into March, Cathay Pacific is again cutting SFO service to Hong Kong; in February, it went from three flights a day to 10 a week, and now it is dropping to seven a week Virgin Atlantic has dropped its plan to start using a new Airbus A350-1000 on its SFO-London Heathrow route this spring, according to Routesonline.com. Earlier, the carrier had scheduled a May 15 introduction of the new aircraft for its SFO flights 019/020, but its latest filing indicates it will keep using a 787-9 on the route instead, with no estimate of when that aircraft might change. (Virgin will put an A350-1000 onto its Los Angeles-Heathrow route on March 29.) Meanwhile, American Airlines will put a 787-8 into service for one daily San Francisco-Chicago OHare flight from March 28 through April 24. Airlines have extra wide-bodies on their hands due to the suspension of China flights, and British Airways will use them to boost capacity temporarily on a couple of U.S. routes, adding a second daily London-Seattle roundtrip from May 1-31 and a second daily Miami flight during April and May. Delta plans to deploy Airbus A350-900s on its Atlanta-London route May 1-19, Detroit-London April 1-May 20 and Detroit-Paris March 2-April 30, replacing older aircraft. As we noted earlier this week, JetBlue said it is waiving change and cancellation fees for all flights booked between Feb. 27 and March 11, for travel through June 1. The airline said it wanted to reassure passengers concerned about whether coronavirus news would affect their flight plans. A day after JetBlues announcement, Alaska Airlines matched that policy, suspending change and cancellation fees for flights booked from Feb. 27 through March 12. Money paid for canceled flights will be applied to future flight credits, not refunds. If you check bags on United and youre not fee-exempt thanks to your MileagePlus or credit card status, youll be paying more starting March 6. Thats when United hikes its checked bag fees by $5, to $35 each way for the first bag and $45 for the second. The carrier is matching a similar recent increase imposed by JetBlue. The old rates of $30/$40 will still apply for passengers who bought their tickets before February 21, and for travelers who prepay their bag fees before on-line check-in. The new fees apply to domestic United flights and short-haul trips to the Caribbean and Latin America. Delta this week provide an update on plans to integrate operations and programs with its new South American partner carrier LATAM. Effective for flights beginning April 1, Delta said, SkyMiles members and LATAM loyalty members will be able to earn and spend miles on all flights in the two carriers combined networks. More reciprocal benefits will come later in the year, including lounge access and priority boarding. Delta has also started code-sharing with LATAMs affiliate airlines in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, giving Delta travelers access to 51 onward routes in South America. A similar agreement with LATAMs Brazil affiliate is expected by June. On March 29, Delta will move its operations at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport to be near LATAM flights in Terminal 3 there, and at New York JFK, LATAM has already moved to Terminal 4 for quick Delta connections. Finally, Delta said it will be adding another 13 daily domestic flights into Miami to support LATAM connections, including new routes from Orlando, Tampa, Raleigh-Durham and Salt Lake City. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE bi-weekly email alerts More than two years ago, American Airlines ended its code-sharing agreement with Qatar Airways at a time when the Big Three U.S. carriers were in a heated dispute with the Big Three Middle Eastern airlines. The former alleged that the latter were subsidized by their governments and expanding their U.S. routes too quickly with the compliance of U.S. regulators. That feud has since died down, and this week American said it plans to renew code-sharing with Qatar on that carriers flights from the U.S. to Doha and beyond. American said that once the agreement wins government approvals, its customers will start to gain access to new destinations in the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia that are not currently served by American. In domestic route developments, Frontier Airlines will expand its California presence on April 23 by launching new daily roundtrips to San Jose and to Los Angeles International from Phoenix Sky Harbor American plans to add a second daily E-175 flight between Monterey and Dallas/Ft. Worth from April 8 through November and to operate the route year-round instead of seasonally Spirit Airlines this week introduced new service from Austin to Cancun, Mexico with four flights a week, and said it will begin new daily service from Austin to Newark and Nashville starting March 26 Southwest Airlines will add a ski destination next winter, with plans to kick off daily flights from Denver to Steamboat Springs, Colorado before the end of this year And after testing the idea on its Chicago-Hawaii flights, United will expand the offer of free sandwiches starting in March to customers on flights to Honolulu from its Denver, Washington Dulles, Houston and Newark hubs. In airport news, March 24 is the scheduled debut for the next phase of San Francisco Internationals expansion of Terminal 1, the Harvey Milk Terminal, which will be occupied by American Airlines. The new T1 section includes nine aircraft gates, three restaurants, four retail outlets, a new ticket counter area, public art, and a Harvey Milk exhibit from the SFO Museum. The new Admirals Club in T1 should open on March 24, too. SFO officials also said this week that beginning March 3, airlines in the International Terminal will stop making terminal-wide flight announcements over the PA system. Instead, travelers are advised to track flight status on the terminals flight information screens or on their airlines app. Charlotte Douglas International, Americans North Carolina hub, is the site of American Express newest Centurion Lounge, located post-security on the top floor of the airports expanded Plaza area between Concourses D and E. The newly opened lounge encompasses 13,000 square feet; it will offer a locally inspired food menu, a complementary full bar, shower suites, workspaces, power outlets, high-speed Wi-Fi, private phone areas, family rooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows with airfield views. Its AmExs eleventh Centurion Lounge, and its open to Platinum Card, Centurion and Delta Reserve Card members and their guests. Pretty soon, American Express wont be the only card issuer to operate airport lounges for its customers. Capitol One plans to open its first airport lounge sometime next year in Washington Dulles. The 9,100-square-foot lounge will be located post-security and is expected to offer not only the standard features like an open bar, free food, a shower room and a conference room, but also spa services and a workout area. Theres no word yet on exactly which Capitol One cardholders will qualify for the lounge. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The Bitter Root Humane Association is preparing for the construction of an estimated $3.5 million shelter in Hamilton after settling a lawsuit with neighbors. Hamiltons Zoning Board of Adjustment and Bitter Root Humane Association settled the lawsuit filed by six neighbors in December. The neighbors asked the court to revoke a conditional use permit and require a new hearing on the proposal to replace the 35-year-old shelter and surrounding kennels. The parties were able to come to a settlement following 13 hours of mediation in early February. The settlement was recently filed in district court and the zoning board approved it last week. Were ready to roll, said BRHA board president Kathie Butts Thursday. What a weight that is off our shoulders. Its been a long winter. The Humane Association had hoped to begin construction of the new 9,000-square-foot shelter last fall. The neighbors living in the Stonegate Meadows subdivision said the associations plans to move the new shelter 100 feet closer to the subdivision would increase the noise from barking dogs and affect the neighborhood. "Citizens of Hamilton rely upon local government to follow Hamilton Municipal Codes when making decisions to protect property values and the quality of life within the neighborhoods and communities in which we reside," said Kent Barbian, one of the neighbors who filed the lawsuit. "Many area homeowners do not feel the City of Hamilton/ZBA adequately performed their duty to protect residents when approving the location for the new expanded BRHA facility. "With that said, I am proud of what we've accomplished as not only did we create positive change for the town of Hamilton, but also greatly benefited its citizens going forward in addressing future change," Barbian said. "We performed our civic duty by acting in good faith and we tried to be neighborly all in an effort to better the community in which we live. With the settlement agreement completed, we can all put this behind us and focus on the future." As part of the settlement agreement, the parties agreed that if the noise from the shelter went over 60 decibels along the north fence line, the Bitter Root Humane Association will install sound mitigation measures. Butts said the sound engineer the association hired knows of a company that makes quilted, weather-proof blankets that are designed to absorb sound. Meeting that 60-decibel mark seems possible to us, she said. These blankets are made of a well-functioning, sound-absorbing material that apparently works really well. Last year in March, Bitter Root Humane Association members said the association had spent more than a decade raising money for the new building. The association worked with a Connecticut engineer who focuses on developing designs for animal shelters that reduce noise and odors while creating a space that lowers the potential for the spread of disease among the animals that live there. The association was formed in 1972 by a group of women concerned about the lack of an animal shelter in the Bitterroot Valley. The first shelter was on Adirondack Street in Hamilton. In 1984, Countess Margarite Bessenyey gave the board the land on Fairgrounds Road with a long-term lease. In 1990, the Bessenyey estate donated the land. The current shelter was built in 1985 after the board raised about $100,000 through dances, bake sales and raffles. Members of the association met with representatives of Sletten Construction on Tuesday, Butts said. The plans call for breaking ground sometime in mid-March with the hope of moving into the new building around Thanksgiving or Christmas. The current shelter property includes the 3,000-square-foot shelter and almost 6,000 square feet in outbuildings in varied conditions. The crematorium is also housed in a separate building. Well now have a little over 9,000 square feet all under one roof, Butts said. In the past, the staff has been challenged at times to deal with snow and ice outside. The new shelter will be safer for both the staff and the public. The crematorium will also be inside the new building in a fireproof room. Its exhaust will be triple-filtered, which Butts said should make it nicer for anyone downwind. There will be a larger area for cats thats divided into three rooms. That will allow the shelter to separate kittens and younger cats. The new shelter will accommodate seven more dogs in kennels. An indoor community area will be available for emergencies, like wildfires, when dog and cat numbers can jump dramatically. We have reused the space that weve always had in a way thats a lot better for everyone, Butts said. Back when this current shelter was designed, we didnt understand the science for sheltering. We have that figured out now. Butts said the association is still raising funds for the new shelter and its operation. Even if we do get all the money we need and dont need to get a bank loan, we still need to raise $300,000 a year in operating monies to keep the shelter open. Once the new building is constructed, Butts said an artist plans to paint a diorama of a giant tree in the community room. Hamilton High School art students will lend their artistic talents to the project. People will be able to Buy a Tomorrow leaf that will include their name as part of a fundraising effort. We are definitely still looking for anyone feeling philanthropic, Butts said. We would love to be the recipient of that philanthropy. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kathy A. Megyeri Washington To the Editor: Men should listen to women. Not because Kimberly Probolus says so. Nor for the reasons she states. Her arguments are pure poppycock, either totally absurd or completely useless. Dr. Probolus says that women do not speak with one voice. Yet she urges members of Congress to listen to the opinions of their female constituents and prioritize the legislation that they ask for. Members of Congress should listen to their female constituents. Not because they are female, but because they are constituents. But legislators cannot determine which legislative proposals to prioritize simply by noting the gender of constituents. Likewise, Dr. Probolus advises men in their private conversations with women to listen to her, and do what she says. The absurdity of this advice becomes clear simply by reversing roles. Would anybody take me seriously if I were to advise women in their private lives to listen to him and do what he says? As a male reader and a staunch supporter of equal opportunity for men and women, I find that her argument makes me less likely to listen to the next feminist argument, not more. Men should take women seriously, not because they are women, but because they are people, and because the inherent dignity of all individuals is equally inalienable, regardless of gender. And because increased diversity of participation in public life improves the quality of all of our lives and our democracy, which sorely needs womens voices just now. That is why men should listen to women. John Fahs Oslo To the Editor: When I, as a young woman in the 1980s, was invited to a party to be introduced to society in my fiances Southern city, I was advised by the women there that women dont talk politics, dont make jokes and should seldom join in the conversation. Their role is to listen intently to the men and laugh politely. In my experience the legacy of that mentality persists, albeit to a lesser degree. If the first step to change is awareness that theres an issue, I encourage men to start paying attention to how often its the men who dominate the conversation in a mixed group and the women who just listen politely and cant seem to break in; to how often when a man and a woman are conversing, the woman asks about the man and his life and the man asks nothing about the woman; to how often the men expound on a topic they know little about when the silent woman in their midst is an expert. Each month, Future Tense Fictiona series of short stories from Future Tense and Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination about how technology and science will change our livespublishes a story on a theme. The theme for JanuaryMarch 2020: politics. After the inauguration, the speeches, and the four-jet flyover, the new president walked back toward the Capitol building, clasping his wifes hand. That was good, yes? he said. They love you, said the first lady. Advertisement He smiled modestly, but it was true; they did love him. All the way to the National Statuary Hall, where he would mingle with dignitaries for a few minutes before heading to the White House, people stood and applauded. Huge crowd, said Damon, his campaign adviser. Almost 2013 Obama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bigger, said Clara, his press secretary. Almost 2009 Obama. Almost as big as Trump said his was, said Damon. Well, now youre being ridiculous, said the president. He looked at them both. We did it, huh? We really did it. You did it, said Clara, who then added: Mr. President. In the National Statuary Hall, the generals immediately made a beeline for him, a solid block of old men squeezed into starched collars and boards. The Navy chief pumped his hand. Terrific speech, Mr. President. Advertisement Advertisement Outstanding, said the Air Force chief of staff. The best Ive heard. He smiled magnanimously. You know, Ive always wanted to ask. Do we have an alien? The Air Force chief of staff blinked. I beg your pardon? An alien. He winked at the first lady. I always wondered. You have to tell me. Im the president. The Air Force chief of staff pursed his lips. There was an uncomfortable silence. Oh, my God, said the president. Perhaps we can save this for a more suitable time, said the Air Force chief of staff. Theres a The president lowered his voice. Theres really an Its your inauguration, said the Air Force chief of staff. Ill leave you to enjoy yourself. We can discuss these other matters in a secure environment. Advertisement Advertisement The room was filling with people, most of whom would soon attempt to close in for a quick word or a handshake. Follow me, he told the Air Force chief of staff, making for the nearest doorway. Two men in dark suits appeared, part of the Secret Service detachment that swam and mutated around him, occasionally spitting out agents who looked so similar he couldnt keep track of who was who. Can you clear this hallway? They nodded, because of course they could. When they were alone, he asked the Air Force chief of staff: We actually have an alien? Advertisement Advertisement The Air Force chief of staff took a long, reluctant breath. Yes, Mr. President. Yes? Yes. An alien. We do have an alien, yes, Mr. President. Advertisement Advertisement He peered into the Air Force chief of staffs pale blue eyes. I feel like this might be a hazing ritual for new presidents. I assure you, Mr. President, its no joke. An alien. As in He fluttered his fingers. A spaceship came to Earth. Yes, Mr. President. What does it look like? The alien, sir? Or the spacecraft? The alien, he said. No. Both. The spacecraft was a yellowish sphere that eventually melted away to a stringy, viscous substance. The alien is a blue, jellylike object approximately the size of a family sofa. Advertisement Advertisement And we have it? Thats correct, Mr. President. Its at Area 51. The president eyed him. I want to be clear: If youre yanking my chain Advertisement Im not yanking your chain, Mr. President. We have an alien. How long have we had it? Twelve years. Twelve! he said, which echoed through the hallway. He lowered his voice. Twelve years and no one said anything? Not Bush nor Obama? Not Trump? The alien, said the president, and Trump. They didnt see eye to eye. Trump didnt like him, sir. He paused. Im sorry? President Trump didnt get along with the alien. They had a tempestuous relationship. I bet they did, he said, before remembering himself. This wasnt the campaign trail. You mean he can talk. The alien, that is. Yes, sir. We taught him English. President Trump spoke with him several times. But they didnt get along. No, Mr. President. The alien, said the president, and Trump. They didnt see eye to eye. Advertisement That is correct, Mr. President. I swear to God, he said, if youre messing with me Sir, I have zero sense of humor, said the Air Force chief of staff. Ask my wife. Advertisement The president rubbed his chin. Can I see it? Advertisement The Air Force chief of staff adopted a pained expression. At the end of the hallway, the first lady appeared behind a Secret Service man, raised a thin arm, and tapped her wrist. I can see youre busy, said the Air Force chief of staff. I wont keep you Yes, you will. I want an answer. The Air Force chief of staff hesitated. Well, sir, youre the president. If you want to see the alien, you can see it. But I recommend against it. Advertisement At the end of the hallway, the first lady put her hands on her hips. I want to see it, the president said. By the time I get done with the White House ballyhoo, I want you to have a video for me to watch. He moved toward the first lady. Mr. President, there is no video. He turned. What? All evidence is contained within Area 51. Its considered too dangerous to risk a leak. He walked back to the Air Force chief of staff. Youre telling me that if I want to see the alien, I have to fly to Nevada? Unfortunately, yes, said the Air Force chief of staff, who did not appear to find this very unfortunate. Once your schedule opens up, we could Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im changing my schedule, the president said. We leave tonight. The Air Force chief of staffs mouth hung open for a moment. Then he gently closed it. And I want you to come with me, said the president, because I have a lot of questions. An alien? said the first lady, when they were inside the limousine. He nodded. A goddamn alien. Are you sure he wasnt joking? Thats what I said. But he insists its real. Advertisement Advertisement Hmm. The first lady rested her chin on her wrist and gazed out through the smoked glass at the passing streets. It was beginning to rain. So, listen, said the president. Were flying out to Area 51 tonight. Advertisement She looked at him. What about your schedule? Screw the schedule. Ive been thinking. This is just what Ive been looking for. A way to start my term with a splash. Whats the one word I used most on the campaign trail? Scotch, said the first lady. Trust, he said. It was trust. Its time to restore trust in government. But that trust needs to be earned. Yes, I was at the speeches, darling. This alien, he said, poking his pant leg for emphasis, has been kept hidden for 12 years. Twelve years! Because the government didnt trust people to know. Well, they elected me, and I do trust them. Advertisement Mmm, she said. What? Well, its a wonderful sound bite. I know it tested through the roof and won you Ohio. But now that youre in office, you need to be practical. Advertisement Actually, I need to do exactly what I promised. He spread his arms. Isnt that a shock? Who could have seen that coming? Darling, youre being dramatic. Those werent sound bites. Thats what I believe. We have to rebuild trust in this country. Trust in government, trust in our institutions, and, most important of all, trust in each other. That starts with what I do on my first day. It starts with this alien. Hmm, the first lady said. He took her hand across the leather seats. Do you believe me? She smiled. I believe that if anyone can do it, you can. There we go, he said. He felt optimistic. He looked out the window and saw a family waving flags. He waved back, even though they couldnt see him through the glass. There we go. Advertisement Advertisement Air Force One lifted off at 8:11 p.m. Its official destination was an unnamed private airport in Pennsylvania. According to the press secretary, the president was visiting ailing family, in a private and urgent matter that would not be discussed further. Advertisement Advertisement Its just that if the first thing you do is hop a plane to Area 51, people will connect the dots, she said, across the aisle. Clara Fielding was being surprisingly calm about the idea of intelligent alien life, to the presidents mind. Hed seen her scream like a wounded boar over a misworded press release. Ill be connecting the dots for them, soon. He already loved the airplane. It was fantastically spacious, as if he were hurtling through the air in an apartment. In fact, Ive already written up a few words. He dug into his jacket pocket for his notebook. Advertisement The first ladys brows furrowed. What? he said. I know you like to write your own speeches, but for an event of this magnitude, isnt it better if Jeff I dont do it because I like it. Its more authentic. Yes, more authentic, yes, she said, nodding, but Jeff is, you know, a professional speechwriter. In a time like this, dont you think I can write a speech. Im not just a mouthpiece for Jeff. I only mean Why dont you listen to it? he said. Then you can decide whether Jeff could do better. Advertisement Damon, his adviser, was standing in the aisle, leaning slightly on Claras seat. I bet its a knockout, Mr. President. Advertisement Thank you, Damon. He kept meaning to get rid of Damon. The guy was a yes man. It was continually embarrassing that he hadnt been able to pull the trigger. These are first thoughts. Nothings nailed down. He cleared his throat. At some point in our lives, all of us have turned our eyes to the stars and wondered whether anyone was out there, looking back. Today, at last, we finally have our answer. Advertisement Hmm, said the first lady. He looked at her. Do you have a comment? Well, its not really today, is it? Weve had the alien for 12 years. And today, the people are finding out about it. Theyre getting their answer today. Advertisement I suppose. He looked around. Should I continue? Im loving it, said Damon. Go right ahead, Mr. President. Employing technology beyond our current understanding, a golden sphere entered our atmosphere and came to rest outside of Richmond, Virginia. From this vehicle, our visitor emerged. He was first greeted by Clara visibly flinched in her seat. He glanced at her. What? Advertisement Advertisement Nothing, Mr. President. Sorry to interrupt. If you have feedback, lets hear it, he said. Thats what this process is about. Well, sir, I notice you said he. The president blinked. Is that not accurate? My understanding at this point, said Clara, choosing her words carefully, is that its not accurate, no. The alien is female? Advertisement I believe its neither. The president twisted in his chair. Wheres Mc He spotted the Air Force chief of staff at the rear of the room, huddled with a small group of military personnel. The president beckoned impatiently. Is the alien male? The Air Force chief of staff inhaled deeply. He wasnt missing any opportunities to make it clear that he was here under duress. It was an endless parade of frowns and pained pauses. Mr. President, as you required a full briefing, I have here special envoy Kevin Pilsman, whos our mission lead. A neat, middle-aged man in a blue jacket stepped forward. A great pleasure to meet you, Mr. President. Im very excited about the prospect of finally making our findings public. The Air Force chief of staff looked pained. Advertisement Advertisement Excellent, the president said. Thats the spirit. Is it male? Advertisement Strictly speaking, Mr. President, it doesnt possess sex organs. Not as wed categorize them, anyway. So its sexless? That is correct. The president looked at the Air Force chief of staff. I feel like you called it he before. The Air Force chief of staff said, We tend to use masculine terms informally, since it looks male. Clara emitted a sound that was something like a grunt and something like a sneeze. The president glanced at her. Excuse me, she said. The first lady offered, But it is so impersonal. Almost frightening. I think its an easier sell if we say he or she, rather than it. Advertisement Good point, said the president. And it looks male? To the eye, yes, said the Air Force chief of staff. Clara grunt-sneezed again. The president said, Is there something you want to say, Clara? To be honest, Clara said, it sounds a little like were foisting a male gender onto a genderless creature. Which I would have to say I disagree with. Why is that? Because its not. Its not male. But it looks male, said Kevin. Clara turned to him. Im given to understand it looks like a rhinoceros crossed with a set of bagpipes. How is that male? Advertisement Advertisement Its really the sense you get when you see it, I suppose, Kevin said. Its, you know, big and ugly. Advertisement Its male because its ugly? Thats your logic? I dont care whether its ugly, said the president. I just want to know what to call it, so I can get past the second sentence of my speech. Were getting bogged down. Mr. President, if I may, said Kevin. Weve done this a while, and found it easiest to use gender-neutral male terms. Advertisement Clara twisted around in her seat. Excuse me? I mean he in a neutral sense. Such as we might say a jet is reaching the end of her service. Obviously the jet isnt femaleits merely an expression. Oh, like when you see a dog in the street, Damon interjected. You say, Theres a good boy, as a default. Advertisement The president looked at Clara. Im sorry, she said. I feel like Im watching the Ten Commandments being written here, and unless I say something, a burning bush is going to be gendered for the next 2,000 years. First, theres no such thing as a gender-neutral male pronoun. Thats an oxymoron. Second, when you see a dog and say he, youre not assuming a genderless dog. Youre assuming a male dog. Advertisement The Air Force chief of staff sighed. The first lady leaned forward. What does it call itself? Ah, said Kevin. Yes. Thank you. Male. He refers to himself as a male. Well, that settles it, said the president. No objection to using the aliens chosen pronouns, I assume? He raised his notepad. Advertisement Clara asked, Who taught it to speak? Kevin said, Pardon me? What has been the gender balance of the personnel who have interacted with the alien over the last 12 years, would you say? Kevin glanced at the Air Force chief of staff. Im not sure of the relevancy of Seventy percent male? Clara said. Stop me when I get close. Eighty? She peered at him. Has it seen a woman? We could use they, Damon offered. Or ze. Is that right? Ze for he/she and zir for his/her? I think Ive heard that. For Gods sake, the president said. Were spending all our time on a single word. Advertisement The first lady said, This is why I wanted to have Jeff. He can navigate these things. Advertisement Well, Jeffs not here. The president spread his arms. Do you see Jeff anywhere? Advertisement Advertisement The first lady crossed her arms. Im sorry. I didnt mean to snap. He rubbed his forehead. Perhaps a short break, said the first lady. Youre running on fumes. Theres no need to figure all this out yet. Maybe youre right. He couldnt stop rubbing his forehead. Thank you, everyone. Im going to lie down for a few minutes. There was an honest-to-God bedroom, complete with a desk and two sitting chairs. A bedroom on an airplane. He fell onto the bed and stared at the recessed ceiling lights while the first lady gently climbed in beside him. After a minute, she began fooling with her tablet. Advertisement What are you doing? he said. She gazed at him over her reading glasses. Hed always liked those glasses. She reminded him of his eighth grade English teacher, about whom hed had complicated feelings. The department has run scenarios on going public with the alien. Likely reactions and consequences. Whats the consensus? Well, she said, scrolling, they look at different aspects. I can give you the summaries, if you like. Please. International relations: sharply increased likelihood of major conflicts, particularly with Russia and China. Elevated risk of espionage. Elevated risk of assassination. Advertisement Really? I was thinking the opposite. An alien would unite us as a species. It shows what we have in common. I suppose its not humanitys alien, though, is it? Its Americas. Will we share it? Advertisement I guess not, he said. Hmm. I hadnt thought of that. I dont want this to be political. I want it to help us rise above all that. Advertisement Next is religion. She inhaled. Goodness. What happens with religion? Wide-scale collapse of faith among moderates, coupled with accelerating radicalism and cultlike behavior in Really? Theres nothing about aliens in the Bible, the first lady said. Possibly thats a problem. I suppose its not humanitys alien, though, is it? Its Americas. Will we share it? These analyses are so pessimistic. Thats the problem with this country. Weve lost our Trust? Yes, exactly. Were all hunkered down, wanting to protect our own little patch from each other. But this country was founded on trust. Its the basis of the free market. Of the family unit. Every community requires it. Advertisement The first ladys eyes moved from side to side, reading. Goodness, she said. Immigration is really appalling. Put that down, the president said. You know what I keep thinking? Trump knew about this and sat on it. I cant figure that out. It doesnt seem in the mans nature. Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps he thought it might upstage him. Or contradict him. He rolled onto his side. Its like a higher power, isnt it? Like the adults have come into the room and caught us squabbling. Now its going to hit us with some home truths. The first lady eyed him. What if we dont like its truths? He shrugged. I still believe the people deserve to hear it for themselves. Advertisement Mmm, she said. What? He touched her hip. Am I still being a hopeless optimist? She smiled, the way he liked, when it was just for him. I believe you are a decent man, who will always do the right thing. Ever kissed a man on Air Force One? The corners of her lips curled. Ask me again, she said, in one minute. They touched down and rolled into a gray, unmarked hangar. After that was an elevator, as big as a kitchen, staffed by young men in blue uniforms who stared straight ahead without unblinking. Advertisement The alien is confined to a 20-by-18-foot cage, said Kevin, the special envoy. Its hermetically sealed, for security, and so we can maintain the aliens ideal climate. Around the cage is a series of metal slats we can open or close on command. And, of course, theres a microphone, so you can communicate. Advertisement Advertisement I can speak to it just like you and I are speaking? Kevin nodded. He speaks English very well. The president nodded. I have to say, Im looking forward to this. The Air Force chief of staff cleared his throat. Kevin said, There is something you should know. Hell try to give you a message. A message? Yes, Mr. President. When he receives new visitors, he wants to give them his message. Which is? To be honest, sir, Id rather not preempt it. Well, Id rather you did, and Im the president. He looked at the Air Force chief of staff. The alien came to Earth with a message, and Im hearing about it now? You didnt think to mention that earlier? Advertisement Unacceptable, said Damon. The message is a little uncomfortable, sir, said the Air Force chief of staff. Is it, said the president. This he could believe: that the aliens message didnt dovetail with the aims and objectives of the U.S. military. And its not the case that he arrived with the message. He developed it in the ensuing years. The elevator doors began to close, and one of the guards helpfully pressed a button to open them again. Advertisement Advertisement You know what? the president said. I think Im going to hear it for myself. He strode between the doors. Cold air gripped him. In the center of a cavernous space, beneath a ring of glaring spotlights, sat a massive rectangular block shuttered with dark gray metal. Thick tubes and twisted cables rose to the ceiling, where the fan blades turned and hummed. Advertisement Advertisement Thats it? he said unnecessarily. His breath fogged. An alien, he thought. A goddamn alien. Yes, Mr. President, said Kevin. A secure, climate-controlled environment designed for his particular needs. He stays in there all the time? How does he feel about that? He doesnt love it, Kevin admitted. Hes expressed a desire to leave. But he cant survive in our atmosphere. Hed need a suit of some kind and a mobility device. He gestured. This way. The president crossed dark concrete, eyeing the block. He could see the slats Kevin had mentionedclosed now, concealing whatever was inside. Nearby stood an area with tables and equipment: speakers, microphones, and cameras. Twelve years, he thought. A long time for a creature to be kept in captivity. A creature with a message. Advertisement They stopped. He glanced around. Do I need a microphone? Advertisement No, sir. We have you. And when I say so, youll He gestured at the block in front of him. Well open the slats so you can see each other. Yes, Mr. President. He nodded. He was more nervous than hed expected. Partly because of the historical weight of the momentfootage of which, no doubt, would be placed into the permanent archivebut mainly because of the creature itself. An alien, he thought. A goddamn alien. He glanced around the group. Damon gave him a thumbs-up. Open it, the president said. There was a mighty crack. Lines appeared in the metal slats, widening, until the president could see slices of the environment within. He thought, Is that it?, because everything was dark and formless, and then, Oh, yes. Advertisement His first impression was of a jellyfish, but blue. Instead of tentacles, it bristled with stout pipes of different lengths. Small mouthlike openings grew and closed rhythmically around its body. If it had eyes or ears, he couldnt see them. Advertisement He turned to Kevin. Can it see me? Sound burst from the speakers. Like my father gargling half a glass of water, the president thought. Who are you? Advertisement Advertisement He composed himself. I am the president of the United States. My name is Youre tall. The president smiled, amused. I suppose I am. It spoke through its pipes, he gathered; he could see them constrict and loosen. You have me at a disadvantage, though. I have no idea of your height, relative to your people. Im tall. Then we are two tall people, you and I. This was a little mundane, he thought. This wasnt really what he wanted going into the historical archive. We come from different worlds, you and I, but here we are, together. A cluster of pipes exhaled together. I have a message. Oh, yes, said the president. It is important. You must listen carefully. You have my attention. It is a warning. You are in danger. He felt a cold tickle in his heart. He was the president. He could nuke a city, order an assassination, remake the world. He had run for office knowing the great responsibilities it would bring. Yet he hadnt expected to be hearing about danger from an alien on day one. All of you, said the alien. You will be wiped out within three of your generations, unless you take action. It may already be too late. Advertisement Its climate change, he thought. Its goddamn climate change. Hed suspected it would be his greatest challenge. Maybe this would be the circuit breaker. An alien come to Earth with a warningthat might convince the coal states. Although it might not. It might only get their backs up, like it had when it was a Swedish teenager. Advertisement Are you listening? Yes, the president said. Im sorry. Is it climate change? The aliens pipes hissed. Is what climate change? The danger. Your warning. No. Ah, he said. It is far more serious. You face corrosion at the fundamental level of DNA. Yikes, he thought. Your race will be completely destroyed. Its genome scattered. Reduced to little more than animals. How will this take place? Breeding, said the alien. It is already happening. Did you say breeding? Mixing of the bloodlines. I shall explain. When a white man takes a woman of inferior stocksay, a Negress, or a Jewessor, equally, the other way, when a white woman is taken by a blacktheir childs blood is irreparably diluted. The president sucked in his lips. A few moments passed. He stared at the alien. Will you excuse me for a moment? Advertisement Advertisement I have more to tell you. My warning is incomplete. Yes, the president said. Im sure. But I just He glanced at Kevin. Can we close this? Kevin signaled. The slats banged and rattled back together, finally closing off the alien from sight. There was silence but for the humming of the fans. The president looked around the group. What was that? No one answered. I believe I asked a question. What the hell was that? Kevin cleared his throat. I assume youre referring to the, ah, ideological views that the alien holds. Hes a racist, said the president. Hes a huge, flaming racist. Well-l-l-l said Kevin. We prefer not to throw around labels. That, the president said, pointing at the wall, was incredibly, incredibly racist. He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture that he thought hed managed to eradicate on the campaign trail. The first ladys face was ashen. Clara, his press secretary, had her head in her hands. How is this possible? Advertisement Mr. President? How is a blue sack a white supremacist? Its self-hating, said Damon. Actually, said Kevin, the alien considers himself to be white. Advertisement Excuse me? said the president. On the outside, obviously, hes a semirigid blue gel, but ideologically, he feels an affinity with Stop, the president said. Thats not what Im asking. I want to know how a sentient sofa becomes a racist. Has it always been like this? Kevin shook his head. His views have skewed over time. How? How does it even know these words? He watches TV. The president blinked. Excuse me? As part of his socialization program, weve exposed him to various forms of media. Some radio, some television What kind of television? Under President Bush, we mostly screened family dramas from the 50s and 60s. The alien seemed to enjoy those, although this period predates our ability to communicate, so its hard to say for sure. But he would extend his pipes toward the screen during the closing sequence of The Waltons, for example, in a fairly wholesome manner. Then what happened? President Obama was encouraged by his rapid speech development and directed us to open up PBS, C-SPAN, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel, among others. However, the History Channel proved problematic and was later withdrawn. He accused us of a conspiracy to conceal the truth from him. And, to be fair, we really were concealing the existence of an alien. Why? The alien became hooked on Ancient Aliens, said Kevin. I mean, he really loved it. Not in a Waltons kind of way. It was different. During episodes, his vibrissa became active, and for hours afterward, his pipes inflated and deflated in an agitated manner. The Obama administration grew concerned about this, and about how History Channel content was becoming less He paused, searching for the word. Advertisement Advertisement True, suggested the first lady. Appropriate, Kevin said. Terminating it made the alien very unhappy, though. He accused us of a conspiracy to conceal the truth from him. And, to be fair, we really were concealing the existence of an alien. But anyway, his media intake was then limited until early 2017, at which time the new administration formed a different view. Advertisement Oh, my God, the president said. Trump showed it Fox News. The first lady put a hand over her mouth. Yes, sir. But I want to be clear: Television is only one component of the socialization program. I dont want to imply that hes been doing nothing but soaking up Fox News. What else, then? He reads newspapers, sometimes. And he browses the internet. It has internet access? Yes, Mr. President. You mean it browses websites? Where does it go? In the last few years, I must admit, hes been spending most of his time on what you might characterize as alt-right sites. He also posts on social media. Why do we let him post? Its a two-way process, said Kevin. The alien needs to interact with people in order to improve his communication and socialization skills. Also, this enabled a number of side projects, such as a study into whether most people can detect that theyre engaging online with an extraterrestrial. Advertisement The president hesitated. Did they? Kevin shook his head. The alien did get banned from the New York Times comment section. But not for being an alien. For flaming. The president stared. Thats like trolling, said the first lady. Using inflammatory language to upset people. Are you telling me that the alien was trolling in the comments section of the New York Times? If you ask the alien, Kevin said, he was banned for posting simple facts. The president rubbed his face. Careful, darling, said the first lady. Your hair. This is a disaster, he thought. He couldnt unveil a blue white supremacist to the world. A thought occurred to him, and he turned to the Air Force chief of staff. You said Trump didnt like the alien? Why not? Id have thought it might have Advertisement Appealed to a certain demographic? offered the first lady. There was some talk of going public, Mr. President. Every administration has kicked around the idea of a public announcement. However, President Trump and the alien had a falling-out. Of what nature? A personal nature, I would say, Mr. President. It insulted him? Yes, sir. They insulted each other. It was very heated. After that, neither would forgive the other. Advertisement Advertisement The president shook his head. All right. Everything youve been doing, it stops. No more Fox News. No more internet. Mr. President, said Kevin, appalled. This is a long-term project. Terminating our research at this point would Its stopped, he said. And, frankly, if I were in your shoes, I wouldnt be arguing. Youve turned the first visitor to Earth into a racist. Mr. President, I must say, that is deeply unfair. We didnt force it to adopt these views. On the contrary, the science team took a neutral, hands-off position, in order to allow it to develop without undue influence. Into a racist, the president said. Who are we blaming, then? Fox? The Air Force chief of staff said, In my opinion, sir, the alien is simply kind of a dick. The president looked at him. We can make allowances for the fact that he comes from a different culture. But frankly, sir, hes not smart. And he enjoys being difficult. For example, sometimes he expels fluid. We know he can direct it into a receptacle built for purpose, but still, sometimes he does it on the floor. And he wont say where hes from. In my opinion, sir, the alien is simply kind of a dick. We dont know which planet hes from? Sir, were actually not sure that he knows. Then why is he here? Why come to Earth? Advertisement Kevin said, We have several theories. He may have been kicked out by his own people, or simply gotten lost. It does seem less likely now that he is a special emissary sent here with a purpose, like we believed in the beginning. That would make sense to me, said Clara. If hes been rejected by his own people and, no pun intended, alienated, that may have pushed him toward extremist views. It, said the president. Pushed it. Yes, she said. Thats what I meant, of course. Mr. President, said the Air Force chief of staff, I think you can see now why it would be a terrible mistake to reveal this thing to the world. Ah, well, I dont necessarily agree, said Kevin. As someone whos worked closely with the alien for years, I think its time to share publicly what an extraordinary creature we have. I understand he has a few rough edges, politically speaking, but isnt that, well, a reflection of society? Dont we all value free speech even when its not speech we agree with? Advertisement Advertisement Oh, please, said the first lady. The president looked around the group. Clara said, Mr. President, you cant. It would tear the country apart. Whatever you decide, itll be the right thing to do, Mr. President, said Damon. Mmm, said the first lady. He ran his hand through his hair. This time no one spoke. All right, said the president. Im going to fix this. Open it up. The metal slats cracked open. The alien had moved, the president saw; it had heaved itself closer. Oh, it gurgled. Look whos back. The president of the Jew-nited States. I want to make something clear to you, said the president. I hold in my heart a great hope that you and I can be friends. But the views you have expressed are morally repugnant. They are grounded in ignorance and will not be tolerated. Advertisement The alien was silent. Do you understand? I understand you have been brainwashed by the mainstream media. I am not brainwashed, the president said. It is you, unfortunately, who have been brainwashed. The alien gurgled briefly. Youre stupid. Now listen here, he said. I thought you might be different. But you government people are all the same. Advertisement Youve been misled, Im sorry to say, by what youve been hearing. But that ends today. From now on, youll be given real information, from proper, well-researched sources. Youll Youre filtering my internet? receive fact-checked, authoritative You cant handle a debate, so you shut down the truth. So much for tolerance, said the alien. So much for the open marketplace of ideas. Are you a Jew? I heard you were a Jew. I dont see how thats relevant. Message received, loud and clear. I am the president of the United States, he said, getting heated. I have absolute authority over what happens to you, what is done to you Come in here and say that, said the alien. I goddamn will, the president said, stepping forward, you goddamned piece of Mr. President! said the first lady. The cameras were still running, of course. He barked, Close it! The metal slats began to close. He was sweating. Damon offered a handkerchief. He accepted it gratefully and began to mop his brow. The silence stretched. OK, he said, mostly to himself. OK. Mr. President? said the Air Force chief of staff. Advertisement Advertisement Bury it, he said. Sir? Put it away. I dont want to hear about it ever again. I dont want anyone to hear about it. The Air Force chief of staff smiled grimly. Yes, Mr. President. Kevin looked between them. But but we cant Advertisement Maybe well get another one, Clara said suddenly. One alien came to Earth; maybe therell be another. And this time, we can handle it properly. Oh, yes, said the first lady. Thats a terrific idea. I like that. But, said Kevin, what if it asks what happened to the first one? Wed say we dont know what its talking about. Pretend it never happened. The first lady hugged herself against the cold. Thats all you can do sometimes, isnt it? Put it behind you, pretend it never happened, and move on. Thats how weve made progress for the last 200 years: by plowing on no matter what, with a steadfast eye on the future. And ignoring past mistakes, Clara said. Exactly. You cant fix everything, said the first lady. Sometimes you can only ignore it. Mr. President, appealed Kevin. Surely you cant Advertisement He raised a hand. Kevin fell silent. Im tired, the president said. Id like to return to Air Force One. The first lady smiled. She offered her hand, and he took it. As they were walking away, he turned for a last look back, but the first ladys grip tightened in his. Only forward, darling, she said, and he nodded. Read a response essay by Sarah Scoles, author of They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers. Most Recent in Future Tense Fiction No Moon and Flat Calm, by Elizabeth Bear Space Leek, by Chen Qiufan Zero in Babel, by E. Lily Yu What the Dead Man Said, by Chinelo Onwualu Double Spiral, by Marcy Kelly Affordances, by Cory Doctorow A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Robot Walk Into a Bar, by Andrew Dana Hudson Actually Naneen, by Malka Older The Truth Is All There Is, by Emily Parker And read 14 more Future Tense Fiction tales in our anthology Future Tense Fiction: Stories of Tomorrow. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Axios Democratic leaders have found a mechanism to enable them to bypass an initial Republican filibuster and debate the party's sweeping elections reform bills, according to a new leadership memo obtained by Axios.Why it matters: The strategy is the latest example of how Democrats are seeking new ways to try to bypass Senate procedures that are blocking their agenda. But the ultimate outcome will likely be the same: insufficient support to change the 60-vote threshold needed to pass sweeping voting r West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has demanded information from the state government on alleged misuse of public funds on an advertisement campaign against the CAA and the authorities who sanctioned it, official sources said on Saturday. The governor's office has sent a letter to the principal secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs, to submit a detailed response about the money spent on the campaign against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), they said. In a communication to the government on February 4, the sources said, Dhankhar took exception to the spending of "crores of rupees" on advertisements in print and visual media with a tagline "No CAA, No NRC, No NPR". Concerns were also raised about the involvement of senior administrative and police functionaries, including the chief and home secretaries and the DGP, in the ads that appeared by the side of the chief minister, they added. Dhankhar had repeatedly cautioned the West Bengal government that funds from the state exchequer cannot be used for advertisements backing an agitation against a valid law. The Calcutta High Court had also subsequently asked the state government to suspend all such advertisements. A senior leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), who did not wish to be named, hit out at the governor for crossing his "constitutional brief". "The governor, from the very beginning, has been trying to interfere in matters of the state government. This is completely absurd that he is seeking details (on the alleged misuse of public funds)," the TMC leader said. The BJP, however, came out in support of Dhankhar and alleged that the state government has been misusing public funds. "The TMC government time and again alleges that it is yet to receive funds from the Centre, but misuses public money on anti-CAA advertisements. This is double standards of the TMC," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said. Later in the day, Dhankhar said he was "astonished" that he hasn't received a reply from the state government yet. "Despite having a meeting with Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and senior minister Partha Chatterjee, I am yet to get a reply from the West Bengal government," he said. According to the sources, such utilisation of public funds makes a plausible case for grant of sanction of prosecution by the governor. There are instances when governors have given sanction for prosecution of chief ministers for misuse of such funds. Apart from the infamous A R Antulay case, in recent times, the then Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj in 2011 had sanctioned the prosecution of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa by the Karnataka Lokayukta under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for his involvement in illegal mining of iron ore in the state. The Bihar governor had granted sanction for prosecution of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case. The sources said it was alleged that no "live" media coverage was allowed of Dhankhar's address to the assembly on the opening day of the budget session on February 7 because of fears that he might raise the "misuse of public funds" in his speech. The state government was extremely unsure whether Dhankhar would read out the Cabinet-approved address or go ahead with the changes he had suggested, they said. However, maintaining the constitutional practice, the governor stuck to reading the Cabinet-approved address. Dhankhar had suggested a number of changes in the draft budget session speech. However, they were not approved by the Bengal Cabinet. "Illustratively, crores of rupees have been spent on such advertisements in the print and visual/TV media that advance the agenda of the ruling party. The theme of the advertisement is virtual tag line of the ruling dispensation in the state. "This is impermissible and legal outrage. Such blatant misuse of public funds is bound to generate serious consequences in law for those concerned," the governor had suggested for inclusion, documents accessed by PTI showed. Alluding to the high court's intervention on this, Dhankar had also sought the addition that "there has already been a judicial intervention mandating a stop to this. The logical way forward needs to be expedited for this grave infraction of law and propriety so that law takes its course on fast track". "I am considering all aspects of the advertisement and role of the officials so that lawful course may be initiated," he had suggested for inclusion in his draft speech. The governor had also proposed to indicate in his speech the "worrisome law and order situation" in the state with numerous instances pointing towards "internal disturbances", an expression that finds mention in Article 355 of the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Google employee has been tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Switzerland. The Google employee was in the Zurich office "for a limited time" before showing the symptoms of COVID -19, according to an NPR report. The development was later confirmed by Google in an official statement. However, Google has not shut its Zurich office. Spokesperson for Google also added that the company has taken all the required precautions in keeping with the advice of public health officials as they "prioritise everyone's health and safety". The tech giant said that it has restricted employee travel to countries like Iraq, Italy and China as concern around coronavirus grow. These restrictions can also be expanded to countries like Japan and South Korea from the next month, Google said. Meanwhile, Amazon has announced travel restrictions for employees amid the virus outbreak. Amazon has put restriction on all non-urgent and non-essential travel, according to IANS. The death toll due to coronavirus epidemic has reached 2,835 and the number of confirmed cases has increased to 79,251 in China. Also read: Coronavirus: India temporarily suspends visa on arrival for Japanese, Korean nationals Also read: IMF likely to downgrade growth forecast due to coronavirus outbreak Also read: Coronavirus impact: Hyundai Motors shuts factory in South Korea after worker tests positive Kathryn McPherson loves fashion. But fashion doesn't always love her back. As someone who has had low vision all her life, caused by multiple medical conditions including bilateral coloboma (a tissue defect in both eyes) and nystagmus (involuntary eye movement), Ms McPherson, 27, has sometimes found the fashion industry to be difficult to navigate. Kathryn McPherson (right) wearing the coat designed for her by Kangan Institute graduate Sabrina Sekerovski. Credit:Eddie Jim "It doesn't make sense for the fashion industry to ignore people with blindness and low vision because we have such a different take on it," she said. "Were quite tactile people so having someone like myself or someone with lower vision than what I have on [a brand's] team could be quite beneficial." Ms McPherson, a workshop facilitator, said there were so many misconceptions in the general community about blindness and fashion, including that people with vision impairment can't possibly have an interest in something as visual as clothing. Gov. Tom Wolf signed an historic executive order in October directing the states Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a standard that is compatible with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a collaboration of ten northeastern states that is designed to lower carbon pollution from the power sector. That order followed Gov. Wolfs commitment to reducing the states climate pollution by 26 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by mid-century, compared to 2005 levels. Pennsylvania has the fifth dirtiest power sector in the nation, and the power plants operating in the state emit more carbon pollution than all the other power plants in the ten northeastern states in RGGI combined. Pennsylvania can move forward quickly with a market-based protective standard to address carbon pollution early in 2020, ensuring that a proposed rule is presented to the Environmental Quality Board for review at its May 2020 meeting and then opening it for public comment so all Pennsylvanians can weigh in. Here are three reasons Pennsylvania must move ahead with Gov. Wolfs historic move to limit carbon pollution. 1. Pennsylvania has a significant opportunity to make cost-effective carbon pollution reductions While carbon pollution from Pennsylvanias power sector has declined in recent years, driven primarily by market trends including cheap natural gas prices, it is projected to start increasing again soon. Several recent, expert analyses have shown that by the mid-2020s, Pennsylvanias power sector carbon pollution could be more than 30 percent higher than current levels. Linking with RGGI and ensuring all electric power used in Pennsylvania is covered under a pollution cap could lower carbon pollution by more than 35 percent and produce roughly $200 million in net savings for Pennsylvania in 2030, with cost savings coming from reduced need to build new power plants and from declining fuel costs. These pollution reductions and costs savings are driven in part by more of the existing nuclear fleet remaining in operation. By driving investments in energy efficiency, RGGI has already reduced consumer energy bills the average residential electricity bill in RGGI states will be 35 percent lower in 2031 and produced enormous public health benefits. RGGI has helped save hundreds of lives, prevented thousands of asthma attacks, created 44,000 job-years, and saved billions of dollars in health-related economic costs. These potential benefits are especially meaningful in Pennsylvania, which has the highest percentage of premature deaths caused by air pollution in the nation and could see collateral benefits in reductions of soot, smog and toxic pollution by implementing a program like RGGI. 2. Lower carbon emissions equal greater cost savings for Pennsylvanians while spurring renewable energy development More ambitious carbon pollution limits can incent new clean energy builds while retaining all of the states existing nuclear fleet all at lower system costs. This can increase solar capacity in Pennsylvania by more than 10 times, leading to an increase in renewable generation of more than 130 percent in 2030. But we could see tangible results even quicker: A 2019 report found that limiting carbon pollution and linking with RGGI could generate up to 25 percent more wind and solar generation in Pennsylvania by 2026 compared to business-as-usual scenarios. A program like RGGI offers promise to expand Pennsylvanias 90,000-strong clean energy jobs economy and competitively position the Commonwealth to be a national leader in the clean economy. Indeed, the clean energy sector in Pennsylvania is growing five times faster than the states overall employment growth rate. Additionally, analysis shows that under RGGI, Pennsylvania can maintain and even increase its role as a net energy exporter from current levels due in part to the substantial energy resources the state has to offer the region. 3. Public support for concrete climate policy is sky-high in Pennsylvania There is strong support in Pennsylvania for moving forward to reduce carbon pollution. A poll conducted by EDF Action earlier this year found that 79 percent of Pennsylvania voters support regulations to reduce carbon pollution, including 66 percent of state Republicans polled. Major Pennsylvania power companies, including Exelon and FirstEnergy, applauded Governor Wolfs executive order. Ceres, an organization that works with investors and major companies, also praised the move, noting the economic opportunity a program like RGGI could offer for Pennsylvania. It is urgent that we address climate change. That means it is critical for Pennsylvania to move forward without delay, and put in place an ambitious program to secure carbon pollution reductions and lock in economic and public health benefits at the lowest cost. We respectfully urge Gov. Wolf to develop a proposed rule to submit to the DEPs Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee at its April meeting and to the Environmental Quality Board at its May meeting to make urgently needed progress via concrete action on the climate crisis in Pennsylvania. Mandy Warner is senior policy manager of the Environmental Defense Fund. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jay Lehr and Tom Harris (The Jakarta Post) Ottawa, Canada Sat, February 29, 2020 12:49 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20675e2f8 3 Opinion population,population-growth,human Free For thousands of years, philosophers have wrung their hands because of fears about the supposed negative impacts of population growth on life as they knew it. In the 5th century BC, Confucius argued that population increases would reduce the quality of life. In ancient Greece both Plato and Aristotle maintained that a growing population was not sustainable for their resources. In the 2nd century AD, Christian philosopher Tertullian, worried that Carthage, with its teeming population, was becoming unsustainably burdensome to the world. But none of the warnings had much impact on modern society until Dr. Paul Ehrlich, formerly a butterfly biologist at Stanford University, successfully scared the world with his 1968 book The Population Bomb. In it, he attempted to convince readers that the English economist, Thomas Malthus, was right in predicting the end of the world back in 1798. As a result of his highly inaccurate publication, Ehrlich was awarded a MacArthur Genius Award. This gave him prominent platforms from which to give annual predictions of doom and gloom, 100 percent of which proved false. Now 87, Ehrlich maintains he has been right all along, just off in the timing. It reminds one of global warming activists who brush aside their numerous errors by claiming that only their timing is off. Now it is the turn of the population alarmists led by the United Nations with their prediction of 11 billion by the end of this century, who are about to have egg on their faces. The demographers, who study population trends, are now certain that, not only will we not reach that number, but instead predict the worlds population will begin to decline before we reach 9 billion. Read also: Population of Earth to reach 9.7 billion in 2050: UN In the near term, a decline in population is a benefit, relieving pressure on the environment and the Earths resources. However, the economic models of our future will require a total rebuild. We need to prepare not for the consequences of a population boom, but a population bust. Market economics failed to topple Chinese communism, but the potential halving of its population by the end of the century just might. Their 30-year program of allowing no more than two children per family actually resulted in a lowering of the average birth rate to less than one child per family. When accounting for single-child families, multi-child families and the no-child families, who decided life was easier without any children, the birth rate in China is now actually 0.7 per family. The United Kingdom-based newspaper, The Independent, reports: In January, a government-affiliated think tank warned that the population in the worlds second-biggest economy could start to shrink as soon as 2027. Even in Africa, there is encouraging evidence of population decline, where Kenya, for example, has halved its birth rate in recent decades. Woman are marrying later, getting an education and then entering the workforce. As a result of these three factors, not a single country in the developed world even has a replacement birth rate (2.1 children per woman, according to the UN Population Division) any longer. The United States will continue to grow a little as a result of immigration. Indias rapidly growing population has finally slowed and may one day stabilize. Economically, we can expect countries to struggle with fewer young workers and taxpayers. Automation will help but robots dont buy refrigerators or smart clothes for the office party. Consumption is the bedrock of any economy. Growth in every way has carried economics and industries forward for generations. Job growth will eventually stop and staying much longer in one job will very likely become common. Read also: Big population, big strength? Happily, we likely have as much as three decades before the effects of declining birthdates will be evident on the size of most countries populations. Many nations will have experienced stability long enough for governments to study how they have managed their economies. It is clearly going to be a new world for economics but likely something societies can deal with. __________ Jay Lehr and Tom Harris are respectively senior policy adviser and executive director of the Ottawa-based International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC). Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The stock market is swooning. Consumers are stockpiling masks and antibacterial gels. President Trumps response to a global epidemic has done little to quell fears. In the right-wing media universe, however, the commotion over the coronavirus is hardly a crisis for the White House. Instead, its just another biased attack on a president from the usual haters. It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host, said on his syndicated program this week, dismissing the disease as a Democratic talking point. The coronavirus is the common cold, folks, Mr. Limbaugh added, incorrectly. (The coronavirus is more deadly and more contagious than the common cold, and it can cause severe flulike symptoms.) Jeff Trout, partner in Trout Brothers Dairy of Blain, was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Dairy Producer at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit on Feb. 5 in State College. I was kind of surprised by it, Trout said at his familys dairy farm off Red Rock Road in Southwest Madison Twp. Hes been nominated in the past, but never expected to win. The award was presented by the Center for Dairy Excellence a state institute aimed at improving Pennsylvanias dairy industry in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Dairymens Association and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, two private trade groups. The award recognizes Trout for superior management, innovation, leadership and service in the dairy industry. The Trout dairy farm has grown over the past 60 years. Trouts father bought the farm in 1954 with just a few dozen cows. He started milking by hand, but soon had to expand. The first tank in the milk room was just 300 gallons. Next came an 800-gallon tank, then a 1,500-gallon tank. Today, theres a 3,000-gallon tank and a 7,000-gallon tank in the milk room. Each time, either my father or we said, Well never fill that, but eventually we did, Trout said, laughing. Hes been working at the farm since he was a kid and full-time since graduating from high school in 1977. In the 1980s, Jeff and his brother Mike took over operation of the farm and set about growing and diversifying its operations. The herd has grown from about 80 cows to nearly 700 today. Primarily a family operation early on, Trout Dairy now employs 12 people full-time. Some have been with the dairy for more than 20 years. Once you get so large, Trout said, you get work done through people. And theres a lot of work to do for everyone. The cows and calves devour more than 85,000 pounds of food a day. The farm produces about 5,800 pounds (58 hundredweight) of milk every day, and each cow has to be manually hooked up to the suction, 32 cows at a time, three times a day. In 2011, Trout also launched Bootlleg Creamery, an ice cream business that serves 24 flavors at a shop in Duncannon and at special events. The diversification helped to quadruple the dairy business. Three years later, they had to add a new milking center and this year they built another cow barn. Its a constant stream of business, with some jumps and hiccups here and there. DISTINGUISHED Jeff Trout of Blain was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Dairy Producer honor at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit in State College on Feb. 5. In addition to the dairy farm he runs with his brother, he also owns the ice cream producer Bootlleg Creamery. (Photo Courtesy of Frank Campbell) Every seven years weve gone through growth spurts, Trout said. While discussing the business, he got a call for an ice cream order for a wedding. He took the call, recorded the order in his computer and then came back. We get people calling for orders throughout the summer. But he noted the creamery is mostly a side business. The cows are my priority. It has to be that way. Because of the high costs to install the stainless steel equipment for processing his own milk for ice cream (millions of dollars), Trout doesnt use his milk for the creamery. Hes planning for the day when thats a possibility. We would like to get there, he said. Instead, the milk is sold to the Mount Holly Springs Land O Lakes processor where its readied for butter production and sale to grocery stores. Or, the fat and proteins are separated for other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Trout has had to negotiate the difficult global dairy market like other farmers. Prices are low because theres a glut of milk as farmers have improved their methods. For the most part, they also dont see premiums from sale of cheese and yogurt, even though thats been a huge international business thats really driven the dairy industry in recent decades. Then, theres the tit-for-tat tariffs of trade wars that complicate matters. Diversifying operations helps to ride out those economic issues. But in some ways, those are not the most worrisome trends to Trout. People take food for granted, he said. Im alarmed by the lack of understanding of where food comes from. He tries to educate people and is excited about bringing people to farms through agri-tourism. In the meantime, hell keep plugging along, trying to build the community hes been a part of for so long. I care very much about dairy, Trout said, and we want to have a farm thats good to the community. Jim T. Ryan can be reached via e-mail at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com Women walking on a street in Hanoi Feb. 28, wear protective face masks amid fears of the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. AFP A South Korean flight turned back while en route to Vietnam, Saturday, after the authorities there said it would not be allowed to land in Hanoi. This could be part of the Southeast Asian nation's moves to restrict entry by South Koreans amid the new coronavirus outbreak. The Asiana Airlines flight arrived back at Incheon International Airport around two hours after departing for Hanoi at 10:30 a.m. Asiana said it decided to return flight OZ729 when the Vietnamese authorities requested the plane land at Van Don International Airport, around 140 kilometers away from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. The plane was carrying 40 passengers. Aasia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who was cleared by the country's Supreme Court of blasphemy charges after spending eight years on death row, has said that she always believed she would be freed. In an interview to the BBC on Friday, Bibi, who now lives in Canada, said she hoped she would be able to return to Pakistan one day as she recounted her suffering inside the jail and mistreatment at the hands of the prison guards. The 47-year-old mother of four was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but spent eight years in solitary confinement. Bibi, who was in France to promote her memoir "Enfin Libre!" (Finally Free), written with French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, said that her Christian faith helped her through the ordeal. "They said change your faith, and you'll be freed. But I said no. I will live my sentence. With my faith," she said. Bibi said that she always believed she would be freed. "I found out from my husband that the whole world was praying for me. And that even the Pope had prayed for me. That made me happy. And I found out the whole world was praying for my misery to end. That made me feel that their prayers would definitely free me," she was quoted as saying by Britain's public broadcaster. Bibi called on Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan to free anyone unjustly accused or convicted of blasphemy and to ensure that the charges are investigated properly. "Innocents should not be punished for no reason and people who are innocent, in prison, should be freed. During the investigation, both parties should be questioned properly because there are a lot of problems in our investigative procedures. And it is hard to tell who is on whose side," she said. Despite her ordeal, Bibi said she still felt positively about Pakistan and hoped to return there one day. "It was my country that freed me. That makes me proud. I left of my own volition because I was in danger there. Anything could have happened to me at any point. So that's why I left my country. But I have the same love for my country in my heart now. I still respect my country and I want to see the day when I'm able to go back," she said. The Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted Bibi of blasphemy charges on October 31, 2018. The judgement triggered protests across Pakistan with protestors led by Islamic political party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and other groups blocking major highways and roads in different parts of the country. Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih in a video message had appealed to the world leaders, including the US President, and the premiers of the UK and Canada, to help his wife leave Pakistan for her safety. The Christian community has been targeted in numerous attacks in recent years, leaving many feeling vulnerable to a climate of intolerance in the Muslim-majority Pakistan. Bibi says in her book that the Christian community is despised and bullied and discriminated against, the report said. Data provided by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) shows a total of 720 Muslims, 516 Ahmedis, 238 Christians and 31 Hindus have been accused under various clauses of the blasphemy law from 1987 until 2017, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Because of all weve done, the risk to the American people remains very low. We have the greatest experts in the world, really in the world, right here the people that are called upon by other countries when things like this happen. We were ready to adapt and were ready to do whatever we have to as the disease spreads, if it spreads. The level that weve had in our country is very low. And those people are getting better or, we think that in almost all cases ... We have in quarantine those infected and those at risk. We have a lot of great quarantine facilities. Were rapidly developing a vaccine and they can speak to you, the professionals can speak to you about that. The vaccine is coming along well, and in speaking to the doctors, we think this is something that we can develop fairly rapidly, a vaccine, for the future. Were very, very ready for this, for anything, whether its going to be a breakout of larger proportions or whether or not were you know, were at that very low level. And we want to keep it that way. Chitrakoot: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (February 29, 2020) launched a campaign to set up 10,000 new farmer producer organisations (FPOs) across the country in the next five years. The announcement was made by PM Modi while addressing a rally in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh where he commemorated the first anniversary of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. PM Modi said that a new FPO will be set up to increase the income of the farmers and to empower them. This will enable the farmers to market and process the crops along with producing them. He said an amount of Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on this campaign for the next five years. During his visit to Uttar Pradesh PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway and said it will prove to be the development expressway of the region and will provide employment to many. Giving details of the project, PM said, "The Bundelkhand Expressway, which will be built at a cost of about Rs 15,000 crore will create thousands of employment opportunities here and will also connect the common man with a facility like big cities." He further asserted, "This project will take Bundelkhand on the path of development, it will prove to be the development expressway of the region and definitely change peoples lives in this entire region." PM Modi was accompanied by UP CM Yogi Adityanath who lauded the step of government and said that the Bundelkhand Expressway is going to benefit the farmers of the region. Announcing some other beneficiaries for the farmers, PM Modi launched Kisan credit cards and said that the be launching a saturation drive for distribution of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC). Over 6.5 Crore of the approximately 8.5 Crore beneficiaries under PM-KISAN Scheme possesses the Kisan Credit Cards. Prior to his Chitrakoot visit, PM Modi visited a distribution camp in Prayagraj and distributed assistive aids and devices to senior citizens and the differently-abled. In the mega camp, over 56,000 assistive aid and devices of different types will be distributed free of cost to over 26,000 of beneficiaries. Addressing the crowd PM said, "Coming to Prayagraj have always given a feeling of purity and energy. I had come to this holy land in February last year during the Kumbh. Then, I had got a fortune by taking a dip in the Sangam river.'' PM Modi attended several programmes which were focused on social empowerment, infrastructure and farmers welfare in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Geogia Fowler first made a name for herself when she featured in the prestigious Victoria's Secret runway show, and has since taken to catwalks worldwide. Dominating the runway at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday, the New Zealand born beauty, 27, led a slew of models to showcase the newest collection from Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab. The Kiwi star stunned in an elegant chiffon gown, embroidered with a floral design, with sheer detailing revealing the model's bare chest. Elegant display: Georgia Fowler, 27, led a slew of models in the Elie Saab runway show at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday Like many designs from the fashion powerhouse, the floral piece oozed elegance and femininity with Georgia complementing the ensemble with her natural poise. The gown boasted peplum sleeves with a cinched in waist, and a high neckline with a neck-tie pulled to one side. Georgia's golden brown tresses were swept into a sleek bun and featured a strong side part which framed her pretty visage. Her minimal make-up palette accentuated her natural beauty and was worn beneath a subtle netted veil. Going bare: The kiwi model stunned in an elegant chiffon gown, embroidered with a floral design, with sheer detailing revealing the models bare chest Pretty: Georgia's golden brown tresses were swept into a sleek bun and featured a strong side part which framed her pretty visage The runway model added height to her stature in a pair of black pointed heels with an ankle cuff detail which brushed the edge of her dress as she walked. And while the model demanded attention as her feet gracefully swept the floor, she was one of many to showcase the winter/fall collection. Also taking part in the runway show was french-born model Cindy Bruna, 24, who wowed in a tutu style polka dot tulle dress with a long train draping behind her. The showstopping number displayed the beauty's long, lean legs, and featured a pussybow neckline and a black belt which cinched her in at the waist. Beautiful: Like many designs from the fashion powerhouse, the floral piece oozed elegance and femininity with Georgia complementing the ensemble with her natural poise Boosting her height, Cindy added a pair of pointed black heels, while she accessorised with a huge pair of elaborate black drop earrings. Her brunette tresses were swept in to a sleek bun while she wore a minimal palette of make-up beneath a netted veil. Like Georgia, the fashion world was first introduced to Cindy when she made her debut as a Victoria Secret Angel. Paris Fashion Week will see Celine, Vivienne Westwood, Balenciaga, Valentino, Givenchy, Stella McCartney showcase their designs over the weekend, before Chanel and Louis Vuitton wrap up the fashion event on its final day on Tuesday. Trump renews nomination which he withdrew last year amid mounting questions about Texas legislators lack of experience. US President Donald Trump has once again picked Republican lawmaker John Ratcliffe to be the nations top intelligence official. Trump, who announced the moved on Twitter on Friday, first nominated Ratcliffe, a fierce defender of the president, last year but withdrew the nomination amid questions about Ratcliffes lack of experience and possible resume embellishment. The move comes as Trump faces increasing criticism among Democrats for firing a wave of White House employees from the US national security community, who were perceived as critical of him. I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRattcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director National Intelligence, Trump tweeted. Would have completed the process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. It was unclear to which report Trump was referring. Ratcliffes office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. John is an outstanding man of great talent, Trump tweeted. His announcement drew a lukewarm response from Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who said he looked forward to receiving Congressman Ratcliffes official nomination and ushering it through the Senates regular order. Democrats objected, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for swift bipartisan rejection of Ratcliffe as overseer of the 17 agencies comprising the US intelligence community. The last time this nomination was unsuccessfully put forward, serious bipartisan questions were raised about Rep. Ratcliffes background and qualifications, Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. Its hard for me to see that anything new has happened to change that. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president was ignoring many serious outstanding concerns about Ratcliffe and that intelligence should never be guided by partisanship or politics. Unfortunately, Congressman Ratcliffe has shown an unacceptable embrace of conspiracy theories and a clear disrespect and distrust of our law enforcement and intelligence patriots that disqualify him from leading Americas intelligence community, Pelosi said in a statement. Fierce loyalist Ratcliffe, who has represented a Texas congressional district since 2015 and is a member of the House intelligence and judiciary committees, was an outspoken defender of the president during the Democratic-led proceedings that resulted in Trumps impeachment last year on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Republican-controlled Senate acquitted Trump this month. Trump first nominated Ratcliffe to be the director of national intelligence (DNI) on July 28, 2019, to succeed Dan Coats, a former Republican senator with whom Trump clashed over assessments involving Russia, North Korea and Iran. News outlets, including Reuters, reported on concerns that Ratcliffe exaggerated his counterterrorism experience as a federal prosecutor in Texas. In a February 25, 2015 press release, Ratcliffe said he had convicted individuals in the prosecution of a charity that funnelled money to Hamas, the Palestinian armed group on the US list of foreign terrorist organisations. Three defence lawyers said they had no recollection of his involvement in the case. Trump dropped the nomination on August 2 last year, with Ratcliffe saying that he did not want a partisan national security and intelligence debate surrounding my nomination, however untrue. Earlier this month, Trump appointed Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and a staunch Trump loyalist, as the acting DNI, which does not require Senate approval. The revival of the Texas congressmans nomination lets Grenell remain as acting DNI while the Senate considers Ratcliffe. Grenell was limited to serving until March 11 in a temporary capacity unless Trump tapped a full-time replacement. The president named Grenell to replace Joseph Mcguire, who also served in an acting capacity, after an aide to the former Navy admiral and intelligence veteran briefed the House Intelligence Committee on Russian attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential race. New federal regulations would make it harder for hemp growers to prove their plants are not marijuana, in what could be a major setback to a promising industry legalized just two years ago, farmers and state officials say. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in October unveiled stricter standards for hemp testing than many states had allowed under pilot programs that date to 2014. Now states are scrambling to adapt, and farmers are worrying they'll face a higher risk of having to destroy crops that test "hot" as marijuana. "Once again, Washington, D.C., is out of touch with rural America," said Democratic Vermont state Sen. John Rodgers, who is also a hemp farmer. Hemp and marijuana are separated by a fine legal line: Federal law defines cannabis plants with a concentration greater than 0.3% of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, as illegal marijuana. Plants with a lower concentration are defined as hemp, which can be legally sold anywhere. The interim USDA rule that states must adopt by November requires more rigorous testing within a shorter time frame than many states have required so far. It also gives farmers less wiggle room to salvage crops that grow hot, or above the 0.3% THC mark. ADVERTISEMENT Last year in the 16 states that shared their data with Stateline, 4,309 acres of hemp out of more than 179,000 acres planted were destroyed because plants tested over the 0.3% limit. Five state agriculture departments did not respond to a Stateline request for data. Thirteen states did not have a hemp program last year. The remaining states either shared partial data - for instance, acres licensed but not acres destroyed - or could not provide data in acres. Many state agriculture officials said failures could spike under the federal rule. In Maine, for instance, none of the more than 2,000 acres tested last year were considered hot. But under the USDA's more stringent testing standards, more than a fourth of the crop would have failed, according to State Horticulturalist Gary Fish. "It's one thing to say, 'After this date such and such happens,' but what are the realities of enforcement?" asked Will Tarleton, founder of Canvast Supply Co., a Tennessee-based seed supplier and consulting group on hemp farming. "That's ultimately everyone's concern. 'Am I going to jail or not? Am I going to lose my farm or not?' There's a lot riding on the farmer to do the right thing." Some advocates say there's no way small farmers can comply. "The testing rules are designed to create as many violations and crop failures as possible," said Mark Barnett, a Maine cannabis advocate and retailer of the popular hemp extract cannabidiol, known as CBD. State leaders have time to persuade federal officials to make changes, however. While the USDA's interim rule goes into effect Nov. 1, final regulations may not be issued until after the 2021 growing season. "We will use the comments received and lessons learned during the growing season to help us develop the final regulations," said U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers in a teleconference with reporters earlier this month. Farmers in about 22 states grew hemp under pilot programs prior to the 2018 farm bill, and all but three states now allow hemp production. ADVERTISEMENT At least 30 states will have to revise their laws and regulations to comply with the interim rule, said Barb Glenn, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, an Arlington, Virginia-based membership group. States such as Texas that never created a pilot hemp program are at a disadvantage, according to Coleman Hemphill, president of the hemp advocacy group Texas Hemp Industries Association. Early adopters such as Kentucky and Vermont can extend their pilot programs through this growing season - rather than adopting the strict USDA rule right away - and will likely produce a more lucrative product as a result. "I, in good conscience, couldn't encourage Texas farmers to grow for CBD given that there's a strong likelihood that if they do produce a profitable crop, it would not be compliant," Hemphill said. "It would have to be destroyed." So far, the USDA has approved hemp production plans that met the new requirements for 10 tribes and eight states: Delaware, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Only New Hampshire of the 50 states has chosen not to operate a state program. Instead, the USDA will issue licenses for Granite State producers. Twelve states have plans under review. At least another 15, including Colorado, Kentucky, Maine and Vermont, will continue operating for now under their 2014 pilot programs, which don't meet the new requirements. Hemp farmers struggle to grow low-THC plants for two key reasons, said Cornell University professor Larry Smart, who leads the university's hemp research and extension team. First, many hemp varieties that farmers sow are hybrids of plants grown to maximize THC and plants grown to maximize CBD, Smart said. "If you let those plants grow, no matter what the environmental conditions, they're very likely going to grow between 1% and 6% THC." ADVERTISEMENT Second, the enzyme that produces CBD also produces a little bit of THC, he said. So growers who are trying to maximize CBD - aiming for a concentration of 10%, say - will end up with plants that hit above the legal THC limit, at about 0.6% THC. Meanwhile, researchers don't know how growing conditions affect THC levels and whether farmers can lower their chances of exceeding the 0.3% mark. "The bottom line is, we don't really have good, solid data yet to say, 'Do this' or 'Don't do this' to try to avoid having a noncompliant level," such as how much fertilizer nitrogen to apply or whether to irrigate, said Bob Pearce, an extension professor in the plant and soil sciences department at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Some state officials nationwide say that unpredictable genetics make hemp a risky crop. "When the genetics piece of this gets figured out on a wide-scale basis, the industry has a chance to be profitable for a lot of people and really be a niche crop," said Don Robison, seed administrator at the Office of Indiana State Chemist. "At this point, there's a lot more risk and potential financial loss than there is financial gain for companies." In a year-end agronomic survey of 183 Indiana hemp growers, about three-quarters of them said they broke even or lost money in 2019. About a third of the 3,100 acres the state tested exceeded the legal THC limit of 0.3%. But it burned only about 500 acres. Hemp grown for fiber in Indiana that exceeded the legal THC limit was permitted to stay in the field longer to reduce the THC level, Robison said. To help farmers, some state pilot programs allow growers to salvage crops with a THC concentration between 0.3% and 1%. In Montana, for instance, growers can sell such plants after sending them to a processing facility that extracts the THC. "At that point, it's basically going to be THC-free hemp CBD oil," said Andy Gray, hemp program coordinator at the Montana Department of Agriculture. Selling crops that test above 0.3% THC will no longer be possible under the interim federal rule, though farmers will get some leeway to account for imprecise test results. If the rule had been in effect last year, about 8,000 acres in Montana - some 20% of acres tested - would have been destroyed, Gray said. Under the state pilot program, most of the 8,000 acres that tested hot were salvaged, and only 160 acres were destroyed. Other pilot programs, such as Oregon's and Maine's, required hemp to be tested for "delta-9 THC," a less strict standard than "total THC" testing now required by regulators - which counts both delta-9 THC and THC-A molecules. The tougher standard means that many hemp varieties will no longer be able to pass THC tests. "It made a significant difference and is going to affect what varieties are going to be legal in the U.S.," said Matt Cyrus, a hemp grower and president of the Deschutes County, Ore., Farm Bureau. Farmers will have to experiment with varieties that will be riskier or less profitable, he said. State officials also are worried about the USDA's description of negligent violations. The agency considers producers who grow hemp without a license, who fail to disclose the location of hemp fields or who have a crop that exceeds 0.5% THC to be in violation of the rules. Producers with three violations over five years will be banned from their state's hemp program for another five years. Even if a crop is over the legal THC limit, the producer's intent matters, said Stephanie Smith, chief policy enforcement officer at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. "In the state of Vermont, we feel you have to conduct an investigation and gather all the facts to determine whether someone is acting negligently." Farm groups and state policymakers are lobbying Congress to raise hemp's legal THC limit to 1%. Rodgers, the Vermont state senator, said he's putting together a letter to send members of Congress, either from the Vermont agricultural committee or a resolution from the full state House and Senate, to increase the THC level to 1%. In Kentucky, Republican state Rep. Richard Heath introduced a similar resolution in the House. The USDA notes that it can't raise the 0.3% standard without congressional approval. "The farm bill set forth these requirements," Summers of the USDA said in the teleconference earlier this month. "Any changes to these requirements require legislative action." The National Association of State Agriculture Departments has recommended that the USDA allow farmers to salvage crops that grow between the 0.3% and 1% THC range, as Montana has done. "It still allows farmers to have a viable crop," Glenn said. USDA officials may, however, on their own revise other testing requirements that state officials say would be impossible to implement and would hurt small farmers, who are less able to risk producing noncompliant crops. During the teleconference, Summers said the USDA does have flexibility in some of the testing and sampling procedures and disposal of hot hemp. Under the interim rule, every hemp field, greenhouse and indoor grow must be sampled by a law enforcement agency - or a government-approved agent - and tested by a Drug Enforcement Administration-certified lab within 15 days of harvest. State agriculture departments argue that they, local governments and law enforcement partners can't physically collect samples of every crop. In Colorado, where about 53,000 acres were planted last year, only about a fourth of hemp farms were tested, said Brian Koontz, Colorado's industrial hemp program manager. The selection process takes into account which farms are most likely to test hot, including farmers who grew high-THC plants the year before and farmers new to growing hemp. Testing would increase fourfold under the USDA rule. "Our current infrastructure can't handle that," Koontz said. He estimates that 100 people or more would need to travel the state to collect samples every year. Farmers and state officials also say the 15-day testing time frame is too short. "In many cases, it takes 10 days to two weeks to get the results back on a test. So the test is obsolete almost by the time you get the results back," said Cyrus of the Deschutes County Farm Bureau. And they point out that labs registered with the DEA are scarce. There are none in Vermont, for instance. The state accepts results from third-party labs that test hemp plants. But there aren't even enough third-party labs in the state to test crops and report results to all farmers within 15 days, said Smith, who manages the state's hemp program. "So those farmers and producers will have to harvest their crop and then dry them and put them in storage before they know whether they have a compliant crop," she said. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and state agriculture officials have recommended that the USDA instead require states to focus on testing high-risk fields over a 30-day period, and to drop the DEA-certification requirement. The USDA is aware farmers are worried about the 15-day turnaround. "It's something we've heard loud and clear, and it's something we are dealing with," Summers said. Some state officials also want the USDA to drop the requirement that law enforcement officials collect and destroy hot hemp plants. On a large farm, that can take days or weeks, Koontz said. Barnett, the hemp retailer and cannabis advocate in Maine, wonders why the DEA is even involved. "A lot of states are getting wise to the fact that the USDA is not going to be a good steward of this program," Barnett said. "The fact that the DEA shows up anywhere at all in this is a flashing warning sign. This is not a drug." By the time the USDA finalizes its regulations, however, the testing debate may be irrelevant. In two years, said Smart of Cornell, plant breeders will likely have developed verified, low-THC hemp varieties. Once farmers have seeds that will produce reliable hemp plants, there should be no need for testing. "Why would you test a farmer with 1,000 acres of certified fiber cultivar?" he asked. "Do you really think they're trying to grow marijuana?" --- (c)2020 Stateline.org Visit Stateline.org at www.stateline.org Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. As the threat of coronavirus grows in Iran, the Indian envoy to Tehran said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of citizens who wish to go back home. Dhamu Gaddam, India's Ambassador to Iran, took to Twitter informing that the discussions are underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements. In view of COVID19, working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements. Will keep you updated. Dhamu Gaddam (@dhamugaddam) February 29, 2020 On February 27, the Indian Embassy said that it has been receiving queries from Indian nationals residing in Iran and their relatives in India over the evolving situation of coronavirus. The Embassy informed that it is in touch with the local authorities in Iran and closely monitoring the situation. It also urged Indian nationals to follow the advisories issued by Iranian authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Read: Corona Beer Says Sales Not Hit Amid Confusion With Coronavirus While the official death toll in Iran due to coronavirus has remained at 34, a global media report suggested that at least 210 people died of the infection. Health Ministry has dismissed the claims but acknowledged that Iran will have a tough week ahead. The main peak of the coronavirus will be in next week and the coming days, warned the Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki. Irans official report on the death toll has been a controversial issue after an Iranian lawmaker accused the government of hiding the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak in Qom. Ahmad Amiriabadi Farahani, an official from Qom, had accused Irans Health Minister of lying about the outbreak and said that at least 50 people died in the city due to the virus. Read: Pilgrims Continue To Worship At Mecca In Saudi Arabia Despite Coronavirus Fears Death toll in China crosses 2,800 According to the latest report, 47 new deaths in China due to coronavirus infections have been confirmed, taking the total death toll because of the deadly virus to over 2,800. While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, other countries, including Italy, Japan and the Philippines, have also now reported deaths related to COVID-19. Read: Bill Gates Calls Coronavirus Outbreak 'once-in-a-century' Pathogen Read: Death Toll Of Coronavirus In China Climbs To 2,835 With 47 More Fatalities (With AP inputs) A man wearing a Popeye the Sailor Man t-shirt was seen running away from three men in chilling CCTV footage eight days before his death. Neil Bennett, 43, was found dead in heavy vegetation near a creek on Buchanan Road in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, on January 19. On Saturday, police released CCTV footage of Mr Bennett clutching a black bag as he ran under the Sheep Station Creek Bridge towards Morayfield State High School at 6:30pm on January 11. Following closely behind were three men running in the same direction, two of whom were wearing orange high-visibility vests. Neil Bennett, 43, was found dead in heavy vegetation near a creek on Buchanan Road in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, on January 19 Mr Bennett was wearing a Popeye the Sailor Man T-shirt which read 'Welcome to the gun show' on the front. Queensland Police believe the deceased man had come from Morayfield Shopping Centre and are urging anyone who may have lost or had a black bag stolen in the centre to come forward. The three men who were running behind Mr Bennett or people who know them have also been urged to come forward to authorities. CCTV footage shows Mr Bennett wearing a Popeye the Sailor Man t-shirt while clutching a black bag and running down the street at 6:30pm on January 11 Andrew Walz calls himself a "proven business leader" and a "passionate advocate for students." Walz, a Republican from Rhode Island, is running for Congress with the tagline, "Let's make change in Washington together," or so his Twitter account claimed. Earlier this month, Walz's account received a coveted blue checkmark from Twitter as part of the company's broader push to verify the authenticity of many Senate, House and gubernatorial candidates currently running for office. Twitter has framed this effort as key to helping Americans find reliable information about politicians in the leadup to the 2020 election. But there's just one problem: Walz does not exist. The candidate is the creation of a 17-year-old high school student from upstate New York, CNN Business has learned. The student, who CNN Business spoke to with the permission of his parents and has agreed not to name as he is a minor, said he was "bored" over the holidays and created the fake account to test Twitter's election integrity efforts. The blue checkmark is a hallmark of Twitter and one that was later copied by Facebook. It is often given to prominent accounts belonging to journalists, politicians, government agencies and businesses. The feature is central to Twitter's goal of helping users find reliable information on the platform, often from verified newsmakers. The fact that a teenager using next to no resources was able to quickly create a fake candidate in his free time and get it verified by Twitter raises questions about the company's preparedness for handling how the 2020 elections will play out on its platform. A Twitter spokesperson recently told one publication, "Our worst-case scenario is that we verify someone who isn't actually the candidate." Last year, Twitter was criticized for saying it would not verify candidates unless they won their primaries. In December, Twitter changed its policy and said it would verify primary candidates to help improve information for voters on the platform. The verification of the false candidate is an example of the challenges social media companies can face when they try to make changes that are meant to make their platforms more transparent. After CNN Business contacted Twitter about the fake account, the company suspended it. "The creation of a fake candidate account is in violation of our rules and the account has been permanently suspended," a Twitter spokesperson said. The verification of the fake candidate came as real candidates across the US have complained that Twitter has not verified their accounts. One Democratic primary candidate in Georgia told CNN Business that not being verified may negatively impact online donations made to her campaign. Twitter told CNN Business it had verified nearly 1,500 candidates since announcing the expansion of its verification program in December. The making of a fake candidate The high school student said he became interested in how social media platforms were trying to combat election meddling after learning in history class about Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election. After Twitter announced in December that it would give a blue checkmark to verify all 2020 congressional and gubernatorial candidates, the high school senior decided to test how the company was verifying that candidates really were who they said they were -- and if they existed in the first place. "During Christmas break I was kind of bored and I learned a lot from history class, but also on the news they were talking more about misinformation," the high school student told CNN. The teenager told CNN it took him about 20 minutes to create a website for his fake candidate and five minutes to make the Twitter account. For the photograph of the fake candidate, he said he downloaded a picture from a website called This Person Does Not Exist. The site uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic faces of fake people. The same type of technology is involved in the creation of deepfake videos, which have become a national security concern. The student then submitted the information about the fake candidate, including filling in a short survey, to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit website that bills itself as an encyclopedia of American political candidates. Twitter announced in December that it would partner with Ballotpedia "to utilize their expertise in identifying the official campaign Twitter accounts of candidates." Neither Twitter nor Ballotpedia asked for any identification or documentation to prove that Andrew Walz was a real candidate, or even a real person, according to the student. In a comprehensive response to CNN Business' questions, Geoff Pallay, Ballotpedia's editor in chief, said, "Ballotpedia definitely made a mistake here." Explaining how the false candidate had been approved by Ballotpedia without proof the candidate had officially filed, Pallay explained, "Many candidates generate campaign activities, such as establishing an online presence, far in advance of their states' filing deadlines. Because of that, we have observed a category of 'declared candidate' versus an 'officially filed candidate.'" Pallay said Ballotpedia submits lists of candidates to Twitter once a week, which are used as part of Twitter's verification process. Pallay said Ballotpedia had not distinguished "declared" and "officially filed" candidates in those lists to Twitter. Pallay said Ballotpedia will make this distinction in the future. As of Thursday evening, Walz's account was still up on Ballotpedia but a message was added to the page informing users that Ballotpedia had been informed that "Andrew Walz may not be a legitimate candidate for office" and they were investigating. A few weeks after Walz's profile went live on Ballotpedia, Twitter reached out to the fake candidate about verifying his account, according to the teenager. Twitter's only request was that he add a background image on the top of his account, he said. The fake Twitter account only had 10 followers as of Wednesday. The student deliberately did not promote the account as his intentions were to test Twitter's systems rather than confuse voters, he told CNN Business. "I want Twitter to succeed. I love Twitter. I think it's a great platform and I've learned so much from it," the teen said. He said Twitter and Ballotpedia could take simple steps to verify a candidate is real, such as checking Federal Election Commission records or asking for proof of identification. "I never had to do that," he added. A real candidate struggles While Twitter verified the account of a fake candidate, real candidates across the country have complained that Twitter has not verified their accounts. Jannquell Peters, who is running in the Democratic primary in Georgia's 13th Congressional District, told CNN Business her campaign has reached out to Twitter multiple times asking to verify her account since December. Peters also has a profile on Ballotpedia. During an interview at her campaign office on the outskirts of Atlanta on Tuesday, Peters said that not being verified could affect whether people donate to her campaign. When CNN Business showed Twitter Peters' account, it said that her website linked out to her campaign team account, rather than her own account. Twitter said this discrepancy had caused a delay in verifying Peters' account. Twitter verified the account after being contacted by CNN Thursday. "When you're asking for money online and you want to put forth the best effort you can when you are running a campaign, every little thing matters," said Peters, who is running against a longtime incumbent with a verified account. On Tuesday, political publication The Hill reported that Twitter had yet to verify dozens of candidates. A Twitter spokesperson told CNN Business Thursday, "We've put into place a rigorous process to ensure that, through our partnership with Ballotpedia, we accurately identify and verify candidates' legitimate Twitter accounts. Sometimes, this thorough process can cause a short delay between when candidates qualify for the primary ballot and when candidates are verified." 2020 With the 2020 US election looming, there's pressure on Twitter and other platforms to tackle a huge variety of misinformation threats. "I had no malicious intent. I just wanted to simply test to see whether this could happen. So in case someone with bad intentions wanted to do this, Twitter now knows and can take steps to fix this," the student told CNN. The US intelligence community says America's adversaries, including Russia, are seeking to interfere in the 2020 election. They are sophisticated and well-resourced actors. The intelligence community's concerns were put into perspective by the 17-year-old: "If I could do this as a high schooler, imagine what a highly trained team of people doing this could do." Congratulations, alhadeeqa.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Alhadeeqa.com scored 61 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 15 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the alhadeeqa homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the alhadeeqa homepage on Twitter + the total number of alhadeeqa followers (if alhadeeqa has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the alhadeeqa homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the alhadeeqa homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the alhadeeqa homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if alhadeeqa has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE - www.alhadeeqa.com DESCRIPTION , , , , , , , , , KEYWORDS , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , OTHER KEYWORDS CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Arabic (Saudi Arabia) UTF-8Arabic (Saudi Arabia) DETECTED LANGUAGE Italian Italian SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux The language of alhadeeqa.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for alhadeeqa.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 11:50 p.m. EST Friday, March 6, for the launch of its 20th resupply mission to the International Space Station . Live coverage of the launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida will air on NASA Television and the agency's website with prelaunch events Thursday, March 5 and March 6. The NASA-contracted Dragon spacecraft will be filled with supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will take place during Expeditions 62 and 63. In addition to bringing research to station, the Dragon's unpressurized trunk will transport ESA's (European Space Agency) Bartolomeo, a new commercial research platform set to be installed on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory. Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit about 10 minutes after launch. It will then deploy its solar arrays and begin a carefully choreographed series of thruster firings to reach the space station. When it arrives March 9, Expedition 62 Flight Engineer Jessica Meir of NASA will grapple Dragon, with Andrew Morgan of NASA acting as a backup. The station crew will monitor Dragon functions during rendezvous. After Dragon's capture, mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will send ground commands for the station's arm to rotate and install it on the bottom of the station's Harmony module. Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern): Thursday, March 5 3 p.m. NASA Social, What's on Board science briefing from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida . Media have the opportunity to call in for this event only. Media will have one-on-one, in person opportunities to speak with principal investigators for payloads on this mission at the Kennedy Press Site at 3 p.m. Friday . Media who would like to call in for the What's on Board science briefing should phone Kennedy's NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 by 2 p.m. Thursday for dial-in information. This briefing will highlight the following research: NASA Social, What's on Board science briefing from NASA's in . Media who would like to call in for the What's on Board science briefing should phone Kennedy's NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 by for dial-in information. This briefing will highlight the following research: Jennifer Buchli , deputy chief scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program Science Office, will share an overview of the research being conducted aboard the space station and how it benefits exploration and humanity. , deputy chief scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program Science Office, will share an overview of the research being conducted aboard the space station and how it benefits exploration and humanity. Michael Roberts , interim chief scientist for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, will discuss the lab's work in advancing science in space, and in developing partnerships that drive industrialization through microgravity research. , interim chief scientist for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, will discuss the lab's work in advancing science in space, and in developing partnerships that drive industrialization through microgravity research. Bill Corely , director of business development for Airbus Defence and Space, and Bartolomeo Project Manager Andreas Schutte , will discuss the new external science platform, Bartolomeo. , director of business development for Airbus Defence and Space, and Bartolomeo Project Manager , will discuss the new external science platform, Bartolomeo. Chunhui Xu , associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine , and principal investigator for the Generation of Cardiomyocytes from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (MVP Cell-03) experiment, will discuss the study on the generation of specialized heart muscle cells for use in research and clinical applications. Chief Scientist of Techshot, Gene Boland , will share how the Multi-use Variable-g Platform will facilitate this experiment. , associate professor at , and principal investigator for the Generation of Cardiomyocytes from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (MVP Cell-03) experiment, will discuss the study on the generation of specialized heart muscle cells for use in research and clinical applications. Chief Scientist of Techshot, , will share how the Multi-use Variable-g Platform will facilitate this experiment. Paul Patton , senior manager, front end innovation and regulatory, for Delta Faucet, and Garry Marty , principal product engineer for Delta Faucet, will discuss the Droplet Formation Study, which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow of Delta Faucet's H2Okinetic showerhead technology. This research in microgravity could help improve the technology, creating better performance and improved user experience while conserving water and energy. , senior manager, front end innovation and regulatory, for Delta Faucet, and , principal product engineer for Delta Faucet, will discuss the Droplet Formation Study, which evaluates water droplet formation and water flow of Delta Faucet's H2Okinetic showerhead technology. This research in microgravity could help improve the technology, creating better performance and improved user experience while conserving water and energy. Aaron Beeler , professor of medicinal chemistry at Boston University and principal investigator, and Matthew Mailloux , co-investigator, will discuss Flow Chemistry Platform for Synthetic Reactions on ISS, which will study the effects of microgravity on chemical reactions, as a first step toward on-demand chemical synthesis on the space station. Friday, March 6 4 p.m. Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from NASA's International Space Station Program, SpaceX, and the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing. Media who would like to call in for the prelaunch news conference should phone the NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 by 3 p.m. , for dial-in information. Participants include: Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with representatives from NASA's International Space Station Program, SpaceX, and the U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing. Media who would like to call in for the prelaunch news conference should phone the NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 by , for dial-in information. Participants include: Joel Montalbano , deputy manager for International Space Station Program , deputy manager for International Space Station Program Jennifer Buchli , deputy chief scientist for International Space Station Program , deputy chief scientist for International Space Station Program Hans Koenigsmann , vice president, Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX , vice president, Build and Flight Reliability at SpaceX Mike McAleenan , launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing , launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing 11:30 p.m. NASA TV launch coverage begins for the 11:50 p.m. , launch. Monday, March 9 4:30 a.m. NASA TV coverage begins of Dragon arrival to the station and capture. Capture is scheduled for approximately 6 a.m. NASA TV coverage begins of Dragon arrival to the station and capture. Capture is scheduled for approximately 7:30 a.m. NASA TV coverage begins of Dragon installation to the nadir port of the Harmony module of the station Dragon will remain at the space station for about four weeks, after which the spacecraft will return to Earth with research and cargo. The deadline for media to apply for accreditation for this launch has passed, but general information about media accreditation is available by emailing [email protected]. For the latest schedule of media activities for this launch onsite at Kennedy, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to-broadcast-next-space-station-resupply-launch-prelaunch-activities Learn more about the SpaceX resupply mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the boil water notice will remain in effect until at least 7 a.m. Saturday. The latest water samples need to sit for 18 hours before they can be submitted to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for analysis, he said at a press conference. If the test results show the water is free of bacteria, then the boil water notice could be lifted at that time. Some Missouri City residents and most Houston residents are under a water boil notice, after a water main break brought parts of the city to a halt, forced the closure of schools and created havoc on an eastside freeway. The 610 East Loop, from about Clinton Road to Interstate 45, has since reopened in both directions. The freeway, just southwest of where the city-owned pipe burst open about noon on Thursday, was flooded for hours. At least 12 vehicles were disabled. WATER BOIL SAFETY: What to do and how to stay safe under Houston water boil Houston's boil order was issued for most of the city around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, when the water pressure dropped below the Texas Commission on Environmental Qualitys required minimum of 20 PSI, according to a city alert. HoustonChronicle.com: Exclusive drone footage shows aftermath of Houston water line break Health officials warned the lack of pressure could increase the risk of bacteria. Houston Public Works spokeswoman Erin Jones said the boil order would remain active until further notice. Friday afternoon, residents in the Missouri City neighborhood of Fonmeadow were advised to boil their water. The Southwest Harris County MUD No. 1 issued the advisory. It is in effect until further notice. All schools in the Houston Independent School District were closed on Friday because of the water main break, a blessing for some and likely a headache for others. Dozens of children traversed the landscaped hills of Levy Park in the Upper Kirby area, basking in the sunshine during their unexpected break from school. Patricia Sullivan, 37, lounged with her bare feet up on a chair in front of her, reading a book and keeping an eye on her 9-year-old. As a single mom, she had to take an unpaid day off her job to watch her daughter. But she was relieved to be out of the house and enjoying a beautiful day especially after hearing stories from friends about clogged toilets and no running water the day before. Its annoying and its gross, she said. It seems pretty disgusting. Nearby, Peter Muessig said its been business as usual for him, but that his two children were enjoying their day. We love it! his 6-year-old daughter Emerson interjected. Were not enjoying it, we love it! Emerson tied her shoelaces, and Muessig, 36, prepared to take her to another spot in the park. Youve never seen such happy faces when we got the news, he said. HISD couldnt have planned a better day to cancel school. HISD District 7 Trustee Anne Sung set up shop Friday morning at Marines Empanadas, a Colombian restaurant in west Houston. She knew that students would be excited to be off school, but she wanted to cram in instructional time for anyone who needed it before end-of-year testing. Sung put out a call online, saying she could tutor anyone at no charge in math and physics. Just one student had shown up by 1 p.m., but they spent two hours doing algebra. I thought today might be a day to reach out, because clearly there are students who arent in school, Sung said. Turner will provide an update on the water main break in east Houston at 3:30 p.m. the city announced early Friday afternoon. Officials from the citys health and public works departments will join Turner for the update. Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center, which was significantly affected by the water break Thursday, was mostly back to business at usual Friday, though many of the hospitals postponed elective procedures until next week. Memorial Hermann said it brought in truckloads of bottled water and 5,000-gallon water tanks. The institution still most affected was the Harris Health System, which closed 35 of its clinics "out of abundance of caution for caution for patient and employee safety." In a news release, system officials said that they contacted all patients and rescheduled their appointments and that they expect to resume normal clinic operations Monday. You can find the list of clinics here. Also in the Houston area, MD Anderson Cancer Center postponed all of Friday's non-emergency patient-care activities at its campuses in the medical center, West Houston and Memorial City, and Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center rescheduled all outpatient elective procedures at its hospital in the medical center. Texas Children's closed two facilities -- its dental and orthodontic clinics. NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. All 16 hikers stuck on a mountain north-west of Brisbane on Saturday morning have now been safely rescued by rope. Paramedics were on the scene at Mount Tibrogargan in the Glass House Mountains after receiving a call for help just before 6am. Some of the 16 climbers stuck on a mountain north-west of Brisbane wait to be rescued earlier on Saturday. Credit:Nine News Just before 10am, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services had taken six of the hikers down the mountain and by 11am, all had been rescued. Two people were assessed by paramedics, with only one woman in her 20s suffering a minor leg injury. WASHINGTON Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are asking the Justice Departments inspector general to investigate potential political interference at the department. In a letter sent Thursday, 10 committee Democrats led by Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., ask Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate an apparent pattern of political interference in Justice Department matters by President Donald Trump or other White House officials. They are asking Horowitz to determine whether there is a pattern of abuse or misconduct within the department or among DOJ employees. The letter, obtained by NBC News, comes after Attorney General Bill Barr stepped in to recommend a lesser sentence for Trump associate Roger Stone than what was requested by the career prosecutors, four of whom resigned from the case or the department in response to Barr's actions. The senators point to concerns stemming from Barrs recommendations in the Stone case, his assignment of an outside prosecutor to look into the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the decision to pursue a case against former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe despite recommendations against doing so. They also note other instances of concern in which the department has been involved in questionable cases, including the role that Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has within the Justice Department and his and the presidents efforts to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. Victims injured during the riots in northeast Delhi participate in a peace march to protest against communal violence, in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI) NEW DELHI: Is the controversial BJP leader Kapil Mishra, accused of instigating the Delhi riots, emerging as the Hindutva face of the Capital? Amidst chants of Jai Shri Ram and Bharat Mata ki Jai, Mr Mishra participated in a peace march organised by an RSS-backed NGO, Delhi Peace Forum, at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Giving a communal overtone to the march, participants held placards that read, Delhi against jihadi violence. To drum up support of the majority community, huge posters of the slain constable Ratan Lal, the IB staffer Ankti Sharma and Dinesh Khatik, a Dalit who was killed in the riots, were put up on the stage. Though he did not deliver any speech and sat in the third row, Mr Mishra appeared to be the main attraction of the TV channels and the participants. The organisers of the peace march did not seem to be too pleased with Mr Mishra's presence. Some claimed that he was not invited and came on his own. However, Mr Mishra stole the thunder by requesting the people over Twitter to reach Jantar Mantar to participate in the peace march His supporters shouted, Dekho dekho kaun aaya, sher aaya, sher aaya (see who has come, it is the tiger) as soon Mr Mishra reached Jantar Mantar. Mr Mishra, a former AAP MLA who contested unsuccessfully from the Model Town Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket, was first seen seated in the front row below the stage but later moved to the third row. He did not address the gathering nor try to go on the stage. According to sources, after seeing Mr Mishra in the front row the organisers contacted the BJP city unit to request it to ask him to move back. We messaged Mr Mishra to move back by a few rows. After our request he was seen sitting in the third row," said a Delhi BJP office-bearer. Later in the evening, Mr Mishra tweeted a video of the march waving the Tricolour and said, Look at the crowd today at Jantar Mantar, tum kitna bhi jhooth phailao, ye public hai sab janti hai (No matter how much you lie, the people know everything). According to the organisers, the people whose family members were killed or houses and shops were burnt during the riots participated in the peace march. Mr Suresh Khatik said that his brother Dinesh was shot dead when he went out on February 24 to Shiv Vihar to buy milk for his one-and-a-half-year-old son. Mr Kamal Sharma said his two restaurants in Bhajapura were burnt by mobs. "Those who used to eat at my restaurants for the last three years set them on fire," he added. The speakers, who included some retired Army officers, said that the CAA was not against any Indian citizen irrespective of their religion. Before the march began, homage was paid to those killed in the riots. Afterwards, those in the march raised slogans against the rioters and demanded their arrest. Thousands of people marched from Jantar Mantar to Connaught Place shouting slogans. Agra, Feb 29 : After the historic visit of US President Donald Trump, Taj Mahal Saturday will have another President admiring its beauty. The iconic 17th century monument of love will remain closed Saturday afternoon for tourists. Archaeological Survey of India, Superintending Archaeologist Vasant Swarnkar said Myanmar President U Win Myint and first lady Daw Cho Cho will visit the Taj Mahal on Saturday. The VIP road from the Kheria airport to the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal has been cleaned up and traffic streamlined by security personnel. Myanmar President is on a four-day visit to India, and arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday. Earlier on Thursday, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in Delhi and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues. Officials in Washington state say a person has died of coronavirus, the first death to be reported in the United States. The news comes after it was revealed that three more people had tested positive for covid-19 on the West Coast a high school student in Washington, a school employee in Oregon and and elderly woman with chronic health problems in California. None had had any contact with someone known to have been infected, suggesting a wider transmission of the deadly virus than previously known. There had already been another case of so-called "community" transmission in California. State officials in Washington said the death happened in King County, near Seattle, but did not immediately release any more details, However, they said they would hold a news conference later. They also said there were now a number of cases in the state,. In an early statement the victim was referred to as being male. However, at a press conference later Donald Trump said that it was woman in her late 50s who had serious health issues. The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Show all 11 1 /11 The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Visitors with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus, inside of a car, bottom right, get virus test by members of medical team as others queue in their cars at a "drive-through" test facility at Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Workers move equipment into containers set up as a makeshift medical facility to accommodate COVID-19 patients at a hospital's grounds in Daegu, South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea People wait in line to buy face masks in front of a store at Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Medical workers wearing protective gears comfort each other outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on 28 February 2020 REUTERS The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Medical staff in protective gears arrive for a duty shift at Dongsan Hospital in Daegu South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A man wears a mask and goggles as he waits in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea South Korean medical workers wearing protective gear visit a residence of people with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus to take samples, near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean army vehicle sprays disinfectant on a road to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea on Thursday 27 February 2020. AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Troops set up makeshift partitions and beds at the Armed Forces Hospital in Daegu South Korea 28 February 2020 EPA Earlier US cases include three people evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, as well as 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses, and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to US military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Recommended Coronavirus transmission fears as unexplained new US cases diagnosed Washington governor Jay Inslee released a statement saying: "It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. "In partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Emergency Management and local and community health partners, we are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts. "I am committed to keeping Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed." The message was later updated to remove the reference to the victim being male. Mr Inslee also declared a state of emergency in Washington, directing state agencies to use "all resources necessary" to prepare for and respond to the outbreak. The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," the governor vowed. The administration is considering introducing entry restrictions at the US-Mexican border. However, there is so far no evidence to suggest that covid-19 is coming from Mexico. Agencies contributed to this report Iran, Italy and S Korea hit with travel restrictions by Trump administration following first coronavirus death in US. The government of United States has announced additional travel restrictions affecting Iran, Italy and South Korea, which have emerged as major hotspots of the new coronavirus outbreak, following the first death from the virus in the country. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday the existing travel ban on Iran would extend to foreign nationals who had been in that country the past 14 days. He also urged US citizens not to travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea. The US has already imposed restriction on entry from China, where the virus originated late last year. We want to lower the amount of travel to and from the most impacted areas, this is a basic containment strategy, said Health Secretary Alex Azar at a joint news conference with President Donald Trump. Shortly before the news conference, the Washington state Department of Health confirmed that one person had died of the disease officially known as COVID-19, marking the first death linked to the new coronavirus in the US. The death in the western state comes amid a slowly growing number of cases of community transmission in the US. There are some 62 cases in the country, mostly evacuees from a cruise ship. Of the 22 cases in the US directly, around 15 are in recovery, while several remain ill. Trump told reporters at the White House that the deceased person was a medically high-risk woman in her late 50s, although a health official in Washington state later said it was a man. The victim appears to have become ill through local transmission, said Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The investigation at this time shows no evidence of link to travel or a known contact, Redfield said at the news conference. Redfield stressed that the risk to the American public remains low, echoing comments by Trump, who urged the media to exercise restraint. If you are healthy, you will probably go through a process and you will be fine, the president said. There is no reason to panic at all. This is something that is being handled professionally. Trump also announced he will meet on Monday heads of top pharmaceutical companies to discuss the novel coronavirus. Global spread The virus has now hit 61 countries worldwide, with more than 2,900 people killed and nearly 86,000 infected since it was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. Its rapid spread beyond Chinas borders in the past week has caused stock markets to sink to their lowest levels since the 2008 global financial crisis over fears the disease could wreak havoc on the world economy. Although the vast majority of infections have been in China, more daily cases are now logged outside the country. South Korea, which has the most infected people outside China, reported its biggest surge in new cases on Saturday with 813 more patients confirmed, bringing its total to 3,150. Italy, the epicentre of the outbreak in Europe, also reported a jump in new cases on Saturday, its number of infections exceeding 1,000 and the death toll jumping by eight to 29. Iran, meanwhile reported 205 new cases, with the overall number of infections now standing at 593 and the death toll at 43. France on Saturday cancelled all gatherings of 5,000 people or more in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak which has infected 100 people throughout the country. The virus has also spread to previously untouched areas in recent days, reaching new countries including Azerbaijan, Mexico and New Zealand, as well as the first case in sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria reporting a case. Qatar and Ecuador both confirmed their first cases on Saturday. Supreme Court will decide on Monday if the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special privileges to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir should be heard by a larger bench of not less than seven judges. The constitution bench headed by justice Ramana and also comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant had reserved its verdict on the issue of reference on January 23 last month. Senior counsel Dinesh Dwivedi, who was appearing for an intervenor in the case, had pointed out that two earlier SC judgments, Prem Nath Kaul (1959) and Sampat Prakash (1968), are at loggerheads with regard to the scope and intent of article 370. Since both these judgments were delivered by benches of five judges, Dwivedi had asked the court to refer the issue to a bench of seven or more judges. In Sampat Prakash judgement, the Supreme Court held that article 370 will cease to be operative only if the President issues a direction to that effect on a recommendation made by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. In Prem Nath Kaul verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that plenary powers of the ruler of Kashmir were not limited by Article 370. The temporary provisions of Article 370, the court ruled, were based on the assumption that the ultimate relationship between India and Jammu & Kashmir would be finally determined by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. The central government and the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir had opposed the reference and submitted that there was no conflict between the two judgments. The centre has argued that the sovereignty of J&K enabled by Article 370 was temporary. The centre had abrogated the Article on August 5 through a resolution in the Parliament and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh. At least 23 petitions were filed in the top court challenging the government decision to abrogate Article 370. The hearing on the legality of the centres move will be considered by the court after it settles the question regarding reference to larger Bench. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has hailed a "story of absolute resilience, survival and hope" as the Mogo Wildlife Park reopened its doors after this summer's unprecedented bushfire season. A community event was on Saturday held at the zoo, which closed as the aggressive Currowan bushfire bore down on the property on New Year's Eve. The zoo will reopen to the public from Sunday. After two months closure, Mogo Zoo is due to be re-opened by staff this Sunday following the devastating bushfires. Credit:James Brickwood Dozens of zookeepers and volunteers worked through danger to protect the zoo animals, including holding some in their homes. Larger animals such as lions and tigers were ushered into their "night dens" for protection and reassurance amid the blaze. DOHA, Qatar Acknowledging a military stalemate after nearly two decades of conflict, the United States on Saturday signed a peace agreement with the Taliban that is aimed at ending Americas longest war and bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan more than 18 years after they invaded in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The historic deal, signed by chief negotiators from the two sides and witnessed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, could see the withdrawal of all American and allied forces in the next 14 months and allow President Donald Trump to keep a key campaign pledge to extract the U.S. from endless wars. But it could also easily unravel, particularly if the Taliban fail to meet their commitments. At the White House, Trump told reporters the U.S. deserves credit for having helped Afghanistan take a step toward peace. He spoke cautiously of the deals prospects for success and cautioned the Taliban against violating their commitments. We think well be successful in the end, he said, referring to all-Afghan peace talks and a final U.S. exit. He said he will be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future, and described the group as tired of war. He did not say where or why he plans to meet with Taliban leaders. He said he thinks they are serious about the deal they signed but warned that if it fails, the U.S. could restart combat. If bad things happen, well go back in with military firepower, Trump said. Pompeo was similarly cautious. Today, we are realistic. We are seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation, Pompeo said in the Qatari capital of Doha. Today, we are restrained. We recognize that America shouldnt fight in perpetuity in the graveyard of empires if we can help Afghans forge peace. Under the agreement, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism, including specific obligations to renounce al-Qaida and prevent that group or others from using Afghan soil to plot attacks on the U.S. or its allies. The deal sets the stage for intra-Afghan peace talks to begin around March 10, with the aim of negotiating a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing agreement between rival Afghan groups. Its perhaps the most complicated and difficult phase of the plan. It does not, however, tie Americas withdrawal to any specific outcome from the all Afghan talks, according to U.S. officials. Pompeo said that the chapter of American history on the Taliban is written in blood and stressed that while the road ahead would be difficult, the deal represented the best opportunity for peace in a generation. At a parallel ceremony in Kabul, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a joint statement committing the Afghan government to support the U.S.-Taliban deal, which is viewed skeptically by many war-weary Afghans, particularly women who fear a comeback of repression under the ultra-conservative Taliban. President George W. Bush had ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to 9/11. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when al-Qaida hijackers flew two airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, crashed another into the Pentagon and took down a fourth in Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the U.S. tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The United States has spent nearly $1 trillion in Afghanistan, two-thirds of that on defense, most of it for its own soldiers but also for the Afghan Security Forces. More than 3,500 U.S. and coalition soldiers have died in Afghanistan, more than 2,400 of them Americans. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public as the memory of the attacks on that crisp, sunny morning faded, despite having changed how many Americans see the world. While Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, he appeared to avoid any direct contact with the Taliban delegation. The deal was signed by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who then shook hands. Members of the Taliban shouted Allahu Akhbar or God is greatest. Others in attendance, including the Qatari hosts, applauded politely. We are committed to implementing this agreement, Baradar said in brief comments. I call on all Afghans to honestly work for peace and gather around the table for peace negotiations. Some Taliban celebrated the deal as a victory. Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah, said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Talibans lead negotiators. Meanwhile in Kabul, in a rare show of unity, Ghani sat beside his chief political rival Abdullah Abdullah at a ceremony with Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that included a declaration between the Afghan government and the United States intended to show U.S. support for Afghanistan. For Afghanistans government which has been deeply criticized by its political opponents, including Abdullah, the real job ahead will be cobbling together a negotiating team to sit across from the Taliban. The talks are to determine the face of a post-war Afghanistan. Those negotiations, to be held in Oslo, Norway, are expected to begin around March 10. The Taliban have made it clear they expect the Afghan government to release their 5,000 prisoners before the start of negotiations. Around that time, the Taliban are to release 1,000 government security forces. Until now the government has not agreed to the prisoner release which could unravel intra-Afghan negotiations before they even get started. Esper warned the road ahead was a long one and would not be without its challenges. This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning, the road ahead will not be easy. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of wars in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could boost his re-election bid in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of talks. Its not clear what will become of gains made in womens rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Womens rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The U.S. has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the U.S. has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the U.S. air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day reduction of violence period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. ___ Gannon reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Robert Burns in Washington and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed. By Trend Armenians want the deportation of Azerbaijanis to be presented as an event that occurred after the Sumgayit 1988 events, but in reality the deportation began long before the events of 1988, said Ph.D. in history, Azerbaijani associate professor Asad Gurbanli told Trend February 28. Starting from the second half of January 1988, refugees began to come to Azerbaijan from various territories in Armenia where Azerbaijanis lived, Gurbanli noted. The Armenian press hid it, and intentionally made it public after the Sumgayit events, presenting it as a reason for the departure of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, added Gurbanli. The historian noted that from January until the end of February, when the pogroms in Sumgayit (Feb. 29, 1988-March 1, 1988) began, more than 4,000 Azerbaijanis had been already expelled from Armenia. These Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from Armenia, said Gurbanli. Their cars were shelled by Armenians, and the villages where the Azerbaijanis lived were attacked. Gurbanli added that discrimination of Azerbaijanis in Armenia at the state level has been carried out since 1925. This policy intensified in the 1960s, said the Azerbaijani historian. The Armenian people were marking the anniversary of the genocide invented by themselves. But, since 1960, the Armenian state took over this mission. Thus, even more oppression of Azerbaijanis began. It was in those years that the Armenian youth began to oppose the Azerbaijanis, and grew up in a spirit of hatred towards them. The biggest event in this regard took place in 1983 in the Masis district adjacent to Yerevan. During a wedding, Armenian youth attacked people, their homes and desecrated the graves of Azerbaijanis. Gurbanli noted that the number of Azerbaijanis who left Armenia during the 1988 deportation was controversial, as some sources say the number of deported Azerbaijanis was 189,000. "This figure doesn't include Azerbaijani students who left Armenia to study in other countries, soldiers, prisoners, etc. According to my information, about 250,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from Armenia. Gurbanli said that the Armenians express unreasonable opinions that their rights were allegedly violated in Nagorno-Karabakh, that they were oppressed by the Azerbaijanis on the ethnic principle. During the negotiations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenians try to raise this issue, the historian added. In this case, in the negotiation process it is necessary to also raise the issue of protecting Azerbaijani refugees expelled from Armenia. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz France's film industry was in turmoil after the entire cast and crew of Roman Polanski's new film pulled out of the Cesar awards ceremony last night. The French equivalent of the Oscars was billed as the most explosive in its 45-year history amid accusations it had turned a blind eye to rape allegations against Polanski in awarding his film, 'An Officer and a Spy', more nominations than any other film. The French-Polish 87-year-old had already said he would not attend, while the Cesars board resigned over the furore that followed his film's 12 nominations. Polanski is wanted in the US for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He denies any wrongdoing. Brad Pitt was due to receive an honorary award, but also declined to attend. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Indias economic growth story, which after a disappointing slowdown in the first half of the year had started showing a few fragile signs of recovery in recent months, is now faced with a new layer of complicationthe impact of the coronavirus on the Indian and global economy. Global supply chains that depend on China, the worlds biggest manufacturer, are already feeling the pinch. The World Bank feels global economic growth in the first half of this calendar year may fall short of the 2.5% GDP growth rate it had earlier forecast, on account of supply and travel disruptions. Indias pharma, automobile and electronics industries are among those largely dependent on imports from the neighbouring Asian giant. Some 67% of active pharmaceutical ingredients, the raw material that goes into making drugs, are imported from China and stocks for them are expected to run dry in a couple of months unless replenished from alternative costlier sources. Many automobile firms that depend on China for spares supply too have sounded the alarm. The matter has become serious enough for the government to hold rushed meetings to try resolve the crisis. Indias GDP grew by 4.75% in the first half of 2019-2020 and is expected to grow by 5.25% in the second. But coming on top of constrained consumer demand and a continuing shadow banking crisis, supply disruptions due to the virus scare, especially if the epidemic persists, could cripple even this growth. An ongoing downswing in the global market on account of currency and trade wars has already seen Indian exports weakening. During the first 10 months of this fiscal it declined marginally by nearly 2%. Supply disruptions coupled with weaker demand from China and Indias traditional markets in the West could hit exports further. Unlike in the past when foreign trade made up a small proportion of Indias total economy, it now accounts for 44% of our GDP with increasing integration with the world economy. So, whenever the global economy catches a cold, India is forced to sneeze, with disastrous effects on its domestic growth and employment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fiachra Gibbons (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Sat, February 29, 2020 08:08 684 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20674f7c1 2 Entertainment minority-groups,France,film,Racism,Cesar-Awards Free Some of France's top stars of color slammed the French film industry on Thursday, accusing it of confining black, North African and Asian-origin performers to stereotypical bit parts. In an open letter on the eve of the Cesars -- the French Oscars -- they lambasted the "invisibility" of minorities both in front of the camera and behind it. The 30 signatories slammed the hypocrisy of an industry which this year invited the black American director Spike Lee to head the jury at the Cannes film festival while pushing black creators to the margins at home. The letter, which was also signed by La Haine director Mathieu Kassovitz and arthouse favourite Olivier Assayas, said minority "actors, directors and producers were almost invisible" in France. Those that did land parts were often relegated to minor roles playing stereotypical characters, it said. "Actors of color are given insignificant parts which would never justify them getting a Cesar," the letter complained. The call echoes the #OscarsSoWhite movement in the US which began in 2015 and has spread noisily through social media. Eriq Ebouaney, the star of the historical drama Lumumba, said that other than "a few exceptions like Omar Sy... when French actors of color get a role it is in a film about the housing estates" in the country's poor and restive suburbs. Read also: Leadership of 'French Oscars' resigns amid Polanski controversy 'Open the doors' Sy -- best known for The Intouchables -- was conspicuously absent from the list of signatories, although he had earlier demanded "profound reform" of the Cesars. The French Oscars has been rocking from a series of crises since it garlanded the controversial director Roman Polanski with the highest number of nominations for his film An Officer and a Spy. "Urgent measures on inclusion have to happen," the letter warned, if the industry wants to avoid positive discrimination being forced on it. "It is time to open the doors and the windows of French cinema," it added. "Because talent, like emotion, has no color." The letter also pointed to the success of Mali-born Ladj Ly's Oscar-nominated movie, Les Miserables, as proof of the appeal of films that properly reflect the minority experience in France. The film, set in a troubled housing estate, has 11 Cesar nominations, just one behind Polanski's historical drama about the Dreyfus affair, when a Jewish officer was wrongly persecuted by the French army at the turn of the 20th century. The film faced calls for a boycott from feminists when it opened last year, with many branding the veteran a "sex criminal and rapist". Polanski, 87, is still wanted in the United States for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Just before his new movie opened in France, a French photographer claimed that he had also raped her in 1975 -- an accusation that he strongly denies. The director told AFP Thursday that he would not be attending the ceremony for fear of a "public lynching" by feminists. The entire board of the Cesars was forced to resign earlier this month in the wake of the controversy over Polanski's nominations. WASHINGTON President Trump and members of his administration mobilized on Friday to confront the threat of the coronavirus not just the outbreak, but the news media and the Democrats they accused of exaggerating its danger. While stock markets tumbled, companies searched for new supply chains and health officials scrambled to prevent a spread of the virus, Mr. Trump and his aides, congressional allies and backers in the conservative media sought to blame the messenger and the political opposition in the latest polarizing moment in the nations capital. Mr. Trump said that news outlets like CNN were doing everything they can to instill fear in people, while some Democrats were trying to gain political favor by saying a lot of untruths. His acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, went even further, telling conservative activists that journalists were hyping the coronavirus because they think this will bring down the president; thats what this is all about. At a campaign rally on Friday evening in South Carolina, the president denounced Democrats, describing the concerns they have expressed about the virus as their new hoax after the Russia investigation and then impeachment. Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, he said. We did one of the great jobs. You say, Hows President Trump doing? They go, Oh, not good, not good. They have no clue. They dont have any clue. They cannot even count the votes in Iowa. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marchio Irfan Gorbiano (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 16:57 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20676d6be 1 National McKinsey-Company,capital-city-relocation,Tony-Blair,Jokowi,East-Kalimantan,SoftBank-Group-Corp,development,AECOM Free Former British prime minister Tony Blair has said he is confident Indonesias new capital city will be a special place, describing the capital relocation plan as an outstanding vision for Indonesia as well as an inspiration for the whole world. I think the project is enormously exciting. Its going to be a project that doesnt just mean creating a new capital city, but a capital city that is going to be very special in the way that its developed, Blair said after a meeting with President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Friday. The former British prime minister has been appointed to join the steering committee for the new capital city development project, alongside SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan. What would make the new city special, Blair went on to say, was the fact it would be built by not only prioritizing environmental considerations, but also the countrys economic growth and development. The Presidents vision for this capital city is one in which the city itself is going to be attractive. Its going to be a place where people want to come, live and to work, [and] also a capital city that is able to offer a whole new dimension to the Indonesian economy, he said. Read also: Foreign, local investors lining up to help develop Indonesia's new capital city, says Luhut Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan announced after Fridays meeting that the government would work with American engineering company AECOM, consulting firm McKinsey & Company and Japanese architectural and engineering firm Nikken Sekkei to design the new capital city. The new capital city, which is set to be located in East Kalimantan, is to be designed with the latest technology and an environmentally friendly concept. The government stated earlier that the project would cost Rp 466 trillion (US$ 34.06 billion), with one-fifth of the funds to come from the state budget. The UAE government is also prepared to invest $22.8 billion in the project through a sovereign wealth fund, alongside SoftBank and the United States International Development Finance Corporation. (dpk) Geneva [Switzerland], Feb 29 (ANI): India's most important characteristic is its plurality and the Constitution gives equal rights to everyone irrespective of its religion, Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha MJ Akbar said on Saturday at a special meeting held in Geneva to discuss the Citizenship Amendment Act. The meeting -- which was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council session -- saw the participation of Indian and European Parliamentarians, along with several journalists. Other than Akbar, the panelists included the Chief Imam of India Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Journalist Atika Ahmed Farooqui, Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) Paulo Casaca and Member of European Parliament Fulvio Martusciello, among others. Fulvio Martusciello, insisting on the ever-present brotherhood and peace in the country, stated that the CAA will not affect the rights of minorities and has no provisions that include Indian citizens. 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. The legislation has drawn nationwide protests since it was given nod in the Parliament last year. Ahmed Ilyasi drew the attention to the Muslim community in India stating "India has the second-largest number of Muslims in the world...and it welcomes all diverse viewpoints". Paulo Casaca focused on the role of Europe in this disinformation campaign stating that the EU institutions are feeding the hatred and chaos. He warned the EU to change its attitude first towards the refugees at its borders before interfering in India. He added that the CAA provides a special fast track procedure to certain groups from certain neighbouring countries. (ANI) 44-year-old Italian man, who was diagnosed with Coronavirus, reportedly attempted to escape from the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State (formerly, Infectious Diseases Hospital). KanyiDaily had reported that the Italian man was placed under isolation on Thursday, February, 27, 2020, after he was confirmed as the first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria. A high ranking health worker, who spoke to Punch on the condition of anonymity, said the coronavirus patient tried to run away from the isolation center on Friday, February 28th. The health worker said the Italian man had complained bitterly of excessive heat and mosquitoes and the very poor quality of the isolation centre. The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Friday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot. There is nothing there (inside the isolation ward) aside from bed and hospital locker. He almost ran away and is still threatening to do that, the source said. The anonymous health worker stated that the level of preparedness in Lagos State for infectious diseases such as Coronavirus and Lassa fever is zero. According to the staff, Lagos does not have the facility to accommodate individuals who might have come in contact with the Italian. The source said the facility that is meant to accommodate both suspected and confirmed Coronavirus cases is still undergoing renovation and might take a while before it can function fully. The worker also revealed that the isolation area was a room in one of the wards, and that it was quickly vacated to accommodate the index case. The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to Coronavirus is kept. There is no single equipment inside that place. It is just like any other regular hospital room with a bed. That building you see that is being repainted is the original place meant to quarantine Coronavirus patients. As you can see, the place is not ready. The state government is just renovating it, despite the fact that the virus started spreading since December 2019. It is really sad that a country like Nigeria is never ready to medically contain infectious disease outbreak. This is why most health workers leave because they are predisposed to danger of infection. the staff said Speaking further, the source said that the Mainland Hospital does not have a ready and designated facility to isolate and treat Lassa fever patients, much less Coronavirus. The place meant for Lassa fever patient has been under construction in the past one month. It is not yet completed. As you can see, they are makeshift structures, hurriedly put together with white tarpaulin. They are not permanent structures and I dont know how this place can actually accommodate humans that have a highly infectious disease like Lassa fever, he said. The health worker added that indeed the state government has traced those the Italian man came in contact with in the state, however they allegedly have not been quarantined because the state lacks the requisite facility. The standard medical operational procedure is to track all contacts and have them quarantined to avoid further spread of the virus. But we cannot do that here because we lack such facility, which is why there is emphasis on self quarantine. Even where the Italian man is presently being isolated was a room vacated by a patient. I pray God saves us in the coming months because we are not ready for the danger posed by the Coronavirus. the staff said A nurse at the facility, who appeared unconcerned by the situation on the ground, was seen walking out of the isolation area without wearing personal protective equipment. When asked why she was not wearing a face mask and gloves, she told a Punch Reporter; What is coronavirus? Gloves and face masks cannot do anything. We have been working here for years with people that have deadly diseases. At last, all of us will die, she said Meanwhile, Ogun state government has shut down Lafarge Africa Plc, a cement plant where the Italian works. The state government has also isolated 28 people to prevent the spread of the disease. Preparations are continuing for the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerces Rural Recognition Banquet, set for 6 p.m. March 24 at the Platte County Ag Park. The 52nd annual event will spotlight the many great contributions that the agricultural community and agribusiness have made to Columbus over the previous year. It will also serve as a celebration for people who have made a significant impact on agriculture and Columbus, through the presentation of five main awards: The Ag Pioneer Award, Ag Impact Award, Outstanding Area Farmer, Outstanding Senior Farmer and the Outstanding Women in Agriculture Awards. Those particular awards will be presented to BJ Barcel of Barcel Landscape Products (Ag Pioneer), Dean Hanke (Ag Impact), Tim Mueller, (Outstanding Area Farmer), Mark Jenny (Outstanding Senior Farmer), and Kelly Jackson (Outstanding Woman in Agriculture), the chamber and committee recently announced. Plans were continuing to be finalized at Fridays Agribusiness Breakfast at the Stack n Steak, where committee chairman Brad Christensen has been crossing his ts and dotting his i's to make sure the event is as good as previous years. With Platte County coming off of an eventful year, he said he feels that the 2020 event will be a good way to celebrate the impact that local farmers make on the community. Last year, we had it the week after we had the flood, Christensen said. We questioned, Should we have it? We felt that our community needed that, our ag family needed the fellowship and the time to get together. I feel that this year has proven that our ag family and ag community is very strong. We all come together to help each other in our time of need and support. Its not over yet, but it gives us another year to reflect on achievements and even the struggles that weve been handed or dealt. The event will include a spotlight on the Platte County 4-H program, as outstanding 4-H members will be presented awards delivered by the Nebraska Extension staff. In a press release sent out Friday, extension/4-H youth development coordinator Jill Goedeken said that they were appreciative of the spotlight that will be given to the many 4-H participants throughout the county. Our staff appreciates the opportunity to spotlight 4-H members, families and volunteers at the Rural Recognition Banquet, Goedeken said. It is certainly a special evening for the 4-H program and I look forward to congratulating all of the tremendous youth and volunteers honored at the Rural Recognition Banquet. A few loose ends need to be tied up before the big day, but for the most part, Christensen said that everything was finalized for the event. Hes looking forward to a great turnout to the event and another year of spotlighting whats good in the world of agribusiness. Its a great night to honor area farmers and anyone whos in ag in our community, said Miki Naylor, a member of the Agribusiness Committee from Pillen Family Farms. We have a long-standing tradition of people (for whom) this is their livelihood, this is who they are and were glad to be part of it and to honor their contributions. Zach Roth is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at zachary.roth@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Nirbhaya convicts left no stone unturned to escape gallows, failed to get relief Squirmed for a bit before going still: The final moments of Nirbhayas killers Nirbhaya case: Convict Akshay Kumar files fresh mercy plea, says previous one didn't have all facts India oi-Mousumi Dash New Delhi, Feb 29: A convict in the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case, Akshay Kumar has moved a fresh mercy petition to the President Ram Nath Kovind, claiming that the petition filed earlier did not have all the facts. The fresh petition for commutation of death sentence has come three days before the new date for hanging set at March 3 by a Delhi court. The killer of Nirbhaya, Akshay Kumar had moved his original mercy petition on February 1 and President Kovind had rejected it on February 5. However, on Friday, another convict Pawan Kumar Gupta filed a curative petition before the Supreme Court, in his plea he sought his death sentence to be commuted to a life imprisonment sentence. Earlier on February 5, the Delhi high court had dismissed the Centre's plea against the trial court's order staying the execution of death sentence of the four convicts. It also faulted the authorities concerned for not taking steps for issuance of death warrant after the rejection of appeals of the accused by the apex court in 2017. The trial court on February 17 issued fresh date for execution of death warrants for March 3 at 6 am for the four convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Nirbhaya case: Convict Vinay Kumar Sharma is suffering from mental illness; Lawyer informs court The mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh, Vinay and Akshay -- have already been dismissed by the President. The apex court had earlier dismissed separate pleas filed by Mukesh and Vinay challenging the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President. On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who later came to be known as ''Nirbhaya'' (fearless), was gang raped and savagely assaulted in a moving bus in South Delhi. She died after a fortnight. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 16:47 [IST] Former president gave it all before reality set in Hosni Mubarak, who died last week at the age of 91, was president of Egypt for three decades (1981-2011). Thats more than Gamal Abdul Nasser (who served for 14 years, from 1956-1970) and Anwar Sadat (1970-1981) combined. Mubarak had nothing close to the charisma of either Nasser or Sadat tough acts to follow. He came to power following Sadats assassination during a military parade in October 1981. Mubarak, injured in the attack, was seated next to Sadat. Few thought Mubarak would hang on to become Egypts longest serving president. He kept the peace Sadat negotiated with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin under US President Jimmy Carter at Camp David in 1978, while at the same time rebuilding Egypts Arab relations. Saddam Hussein had choreographed Egypts expulsion from the Arab League in 1979 in response to the widespread Arab rejection of the Camp David Accords. Mubarak, leveraging Iraqs desperation in the Iran-Iraq War, worked Egypts way back into the Arab fold under Mubarak. By 1989, the Arab League headquarters was back in Cairo. Mubarak also deepened Egypts relationship with the United States. What is now accepted as a given was not always so. Prior to Sadats turnaround, Egypt was in the Soviet, or non-aligned, sphere. Under Mubarak, Egypt became a partner and consigliere for US-brokered Israeli-Palestinian and regional diplomacy. Its not to say that the United States and Egypt were in sync on all issues at all times, such as with differences over the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, but it was indeed a partnership, which continues to this day. Inside Egypt, Mubarak tolerated little political dissent. He was especially tough on the Muslim Brotherhood, and civil society and other activists noted that his decrees and security services often cast a wider net, as Muhammed Magdy reports. His response to terrorists, like the radical "Islamic Group," was an uncompromising iron fist. Human rights became an issue in ties with Washington, although it never undercut the foundation of the US-Egyptian partnership. He ruled Egypt like a Pharaoh with nearly absolute power, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of Mubarak in her book "Hard Choices," adding that for three decades he tried harder than any other Arab leader to convince Yasser Arafat to accept the peace agreement negotiated by my husband in 2000. By 2011, Mubarak seemed ill-prepared, even bewildered, by the popular demonstrations that called for his ouster. Clinton reveals that observers had noticed that Mubarak had been personally shattered by the loss of his 12-year-old grandson two years earlier, in 2009. The abdication of Hosni Mubarak had become inevitable, wrote Fouad Ajami in 2011. Deaf to the sounds of his own country, blind to the disaffection with him and his reign, Mr. Mubarak gave it all before reality set in. Mubarak was cleared of charges for killing over 800 protesters but was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption. New fault lines on political Islam in Libya Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt under Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, elected president in 2014, have refocused and aligned against the spread of political Islam in the region. They were right in their warnings about the Brotherhood. They would not allow "another Egypt." This was not about Iran, whose policies the three also opposed. In this new score, Qatar, which has been accused of supporting the Brotherhood and related movements throughout the region, became the target. Qatar had cheered on Mubaraks downfall and the rise of Mohammed Morsi. The three, along with Bahrain, imposed an embargo on Qatar in 2017. Turkey, a key ally of Qatar, has also became an antagonist by its shuttling of Syrian-based jihadis to Libya. As Samuel Ramani writes, Although the UAE remains [Khalifa] Hifters primary ally in the Arab world, Saudi Arabias importance as a patron of the Libyan National Army and opponent of Turkish involvement in Libya has grown in recent weeks. During the African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia Feb. 9, writes George Mikhail, Sisi put forward a proposal to hold an African summit aimed at establishing a joint African military force to combat terrorism. Observers believe Egypts proposal aims to confront the Turkish military presence in some African countries such as Somalia and Libya." Egyptian opposition cuts ties with Brotherhood The Muslim Brotherhood is also losing ground among other opposition and civil society groups in Egypt. Egyptian opposition parties seem to have decided to sever any existing or potential relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, Amr Mostafa writes. The Civil Democratic Movement, the largest coalition of the Egyptian opposition parties, announced Feb. 6 its intention to present the Egyptian regime with a proposal to amend the parliamentary elections law to guarantee the representation of opposition parties in parliament while also preventing the election of candidates who are linked to the Brotherhood. IMF praise for Sisis ambitious home-grown reform An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on Egypt in October praised Sisis ambitious home-grown reform program that has been successful in achieving macroeconomic stabilization, a recovery in growth and employment, and putting public debt on a clearly declining trajectory. As we wrote here, The numbers are impressive. Unemployment has dropped over the last four years from 12.3% to about 8% (projected to 7.5% by 2020); the budget deficit is down from 10.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) to a projected 5.6% by 2019-20; and real GDP growth increased from 4.1% to 5.9%, to a projected 6% by 2020. This progress is the start of a long road, and has come with some costs and hardships to lower-income families, who have been affected by aspects of austerity, leading to protests last fall. But there is no denying the economic progress since Sisi came to office. Egypts foreign currency reserves have reached such a point that Egypt is turning down a $1 billion IMF loan, Al-Monitor contributor David Awad asked Uma Ramakrishnan, IMF's mission chief for Egypt, about potential IMF financing alternatives for Egypt, if and when needed. Egypts foreign currency reserves exceeded their highest historical levels. Egypt has full access to international capital markets to meet its needs, she said via email. Trusted partner Egypt is still a go-to partner for US regional initiatives, including the Trump administrations "Peace to Prosperity" plan. From a US national security perspective, that, too, is Mubaraks legacy. Under Sisi, US-Egyptian ties, as well as Egyptian-Israeli security cooperation, has never been better. As we wrote last month, Egypts mediation with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and between Israel and Hamas, reveals the weight of Egypt in Israeli-Palestinian affairs, and in particular in Gaza. Egypt is a trusted broker. It has walked a careful line on the Trump plan, as Hagar Hosny explains, and by doing so has preserved its options and leverage. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A teacher at Grant Park High School is facing charges of sexual exploitation involving a student. Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Rob Carver said Thursday he did not want to use the word "relationship," but confirmed there was more than one alleged incident between the 16-year-old student and 27-year-old woman, who was also charged with sexual assault and supplying liquor to a minor. The alleged offences happened between Dec. 1, 2019, and Feb. 8. Police declined to reveal the gender of the student, in an effort to protect their identity, nor release the name of the teacher, for the same reason. A 16-year-old cannot consent to sexual acts with a person of authority, including a teacher. In July 2019, Winnipeg police released the name of male teacher Ishmael Mustapha, then 46 and an instructor at University of Winnipeg Collegiate high school, when he was accused of sexual assault involving students. When asked why he was named and the female teacher in the Grant Park case was not, Carver said: "I dont know, I didnt write that press release," referring to the Mustapha case. The Crown stayed the charges against Mustapha in December 2019. On Thursday, Carver said multiple students were supplied alcohol by the Grant Park teacher, but no other alleged victims have come forward with claims of sexual assault. He also said it isnt normal procedure to release the name of the school in cases such as this, but authorities wanted to give parents with children in other schools peace of mind. "We wanted to do everything we could to make sure we didnt identify any of the victims, but we also didnt want parents pulling their hair out worrying that it might have been their kids school," he said. 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. Police still have at least one student to interview as part of the investigation, Carver said. "We dont think they (interviews) will result in new victims. However, there is the potential that someone else could come forward." The Winnipeg School Division could not give more information about the teacher nor the case, said senior information officer Radean Carter. The divisions critical support services are being made available to students, she said. "Winnipeg School Division is co-operating fully with the Winnipeg Police Service in their investigation." Carter could not confirm whether the teacher in question has been fired. Police said she was released under orders not to contact the victim, be around other minors, use the internet or seek employment or volunteer work that would put her in a position of authority over a minor. city.desk@freepress.mb.ca Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 11:33:07|Editor: ZD Video Player Close CANBERRA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- A Roman column moves like a serpent, and 19 European classic sculptures stand in a line like the Chinese Goddess of Mercy with one thousand hands. Chinese artist Xu Zhen explores the collision of cultures with his works. From March 14 to September 13, 2020, his 14 works will be exhibited at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). The exhibition is named Xu Zhen: Eternity V.S. Evolution, which showcases the artist's work from early videos to more recent monumental sculptures. "A leading artist of his generation, Xu Zhen grapples with the implications of globalization, not just in China, but around the world," said Nick Mitzevich, director of NGA. "He deftly combines cultural forms with equal parts provocation and humor, exposing the fault lines between cultures and suggesting new ways of living together," he said. Xu, based in Shanghai, is among China's younger generation of artists. Coordinating curator Peter Johnson from NGA told Xinhua on Friday that the artist is interested in the way that different cultures meet. "Sometimes, they clash, sometimes they create new and beautiful forms out of that," he said. Johnson noted that Xu's works are interesting because they have a sense of grandeur, are a little bit disconcerting and humorous. One of the works at the entrance of the hall is called "Hello", which features a classic column. The form is normally used in banks or court houses in the West, but Xu said in China it sometimes appears in the place where people sing karaoke or public baths. "The column has come alive as a serpent," said the curator. "As you enter the gallery, the serpent moves and follows you around the space. It's like it's almost poised to strike." This is the first time the work is exhibited outside China, he added. Another major work is called European Thousand-Armed Classical Sculpture 2014. "It's a series of European sculptures, including Greek gods, the Statue of Liberty, and Jesus Christ," said Johnson. "They all lined up that they look like in a dance party. But when you view it from the front, they take on the form of the thousand-armed goddess of compassion, Guanyin." "I'm drawn to such things because of what they say about power and what is valued in different societies," said Xu, who believed that the scale of his homeland is one of the inspirations for his colossal works. Preparation for this exhibition took about a year. "I think it's always important to try and increase the cultural dialogue and exchange between particular Australia and China, because we are such close neighbors," said Johnson. He added that it is a good time for the exhibition now. After the COVID-19 outbreak, he noticed some "disappointing stories in the media about how people are viewing Chinese in Australia". "So I think it's really important to show the amazing creativity and the depth of culture that China has," he said. NEW YORK The Federal Communications Commission has proposed roughly $200 million in fines combined for the four major U.S. phone companies for improperly disclosing customers real-time location. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said during a news conference Friday that the fines amounted to $91 million for T-Mobile, $57 million for AT&T, $48 million for Verizon and $12 million for Sprint. More details would be released later Friday. The carriers can object to the proposed fines, which could change. The companies didnt immediately return calls for comment. Location data makes it possible to identify the whereabouts of nearly any phone in the U.S. The carriers had apparently allowed outside companies to pinpoint the location of wireless devices without their owners knowledge or consent, according to published reports. After word of the fines leaked Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who had investigated the carriers, said the fines were comically inadequate and wouldnt stop phone companies from abusing Americans privacy. He said that big companies take reckless disregard for Americans personal information, knowing they can write off comparatively tiny fines as the cost of doing business. In a release Friday, the FCC said the fines were for the carriers apparently selling access to their customers location information without taking reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to that information. It also admonished the carriers for apparently disclosing their customers location information, without their authorization, to a third party. Federal law requires that telecommunications carriers protect the confidentiality of some customer data, including location information. The FCC says that carriers must try to protect against unauthorized attempts to gain access to this data and that they or those acting on their behalf must get consent from customers before using it. One 2018 report showed a prison-communications company called Securus allowing such abuses as letting a sheriff track a judge and others, thanks to information that ultimately came from data broker LocationSmart. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile pledged to stop providing information on U.S. phone owners locations to LocationSmart, Zumigo and other data brokers later that year. But Congress questioned in early 2019 why sharing by some carriers seemed to have continued, as detailed in a Motherboard report about bounty hunters gaining access to the data in January 2019. AT&T and T-Mobile said then that they would stop selling all location data from mobile phones to brokers by March 2019. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Nairobi, January 30, 2020 Burundi authorities should not contest the appeal of four journalists from Iwacu convicted today and should stop filing state security charges against reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, a court in Burundi convicted four Iwacu journalists of attempting to undermine state security, fined them each $530, and sentenced them to two years and six months in prison, according to reports by Iwacu and The Associated Press. A driver from the media outlet, who was facing the same charges, was acquitted, according to these reports. Iwacu reported that the outlet will file an appeal on the journalists behalf. The sentencing of four Iwacu journalists to two and a half years behind bars for no crime other than reporting the news is a devastating blow to the media in Burundi, where the press freedom climate is already grave, said CPJs Sub-Saharan Africa representative, Muthoki Mumo. Christine Kamikazi, Agnes Ndirubusa, Egide Harerimana, and Terence Mpozenzi have already spent months in detention. They should be freed immediately. The four journalistsbroadcast reporter Christine Kamikazi, politics head Agnes Ndirubusa, English service reporter Egide Harerimana, and photojournalist Terence Mpozenzihave been in detention since their arrest in October 2019, as CPJ has documented. Their driver, Adolphe Masabarikiza, was arrested alongside them and released in November, according to CPJ research. File image Two pigeons found their way inside a GoAir aircraft, which was preparing for departure for Jaipur from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International airport here on February 28, prompting the airline to urge the AAI to deal with the issue of bird menace on February 29. Ahmedabad airport is currently managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). A video of the incident was tweeted on February 29 by a passenger, which has gone viral on social media. "Two pigeons found their way inside the GoAir's Ahmedabad Jaipur flight G8-702 while passengers were boarding (the aircraft)," the airline said in a statement. "The crew immediately got the birds shooed away. The flight took off as per its scheduled departure of 5 pm (Friday)," the airline added. GoAir expressed regrets for any inconvenience caused to its passengers, the airline said, adding it has requested the Airports Authority of India (AAI) get rid of this menace, it further said. A twitter user Prashant Ramwani has posted the video of the incident with a tweet "Ek kabootar plane ke andar". The video clip shows a pigeon flying inside the plane with passengers sitting in it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 07:04:41|Editor: ZD Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The four EU members of the UN Security Council -- Belgium, Estonia, France and Germany -- plus Poland, which has left the council, on Friday asked for an immediate end to the military escalation in northwest Syria. "The military escalation in Idlib must stop. It must stop now," said a joint statement of the five countries read out by Sven Jurgenson, Estonian permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. "We strongly condemn yesterday's attack against Turkish forces operating in Idlib and reiterate our solidarity with Turkey. We offer our condolences for the death of Turkish soldiers," said the statement. The council scheduled an emergency meeting on the escalating conflict in Syria's Idlib region, the last major opposition stronghold in the conflict-torn country. The meeting was requested by Belgium, France, Germany, Estonia, Britain, the United States and the Dominican Republic. Syrian government airstrikes reportedly killed 33 Turkish troops on Thursday, heightening tensions between pro-opposition Turkey and Syrian ally Russia. This story has been updated to include comment from the Department of Education. A group of consumer advocates filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (ED) for revising an Obama-era rule that was designed to protect students who were defrauded by predatory schools. The group is challenging the departments revised rule on borrower defense, calling it fatally-flawed and grounded on the false premise that student borrowers are the bad actors. The lawsuit was filed by the Project on Predatory Lending and Public Citizen Litigation Group on behalf of the New York Legal Assistance Group, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This devastating rule goes above and beyond the departments other significant efforts to deny defrauded students loan relief, Project on Predatory Student Lending Director Toby Merrill said in a press release. It imposes impossible standards for defrauded students seeking to assert their legal rights to loan cancellation, and relies on explanations that defy logic and rest on no evidence. There is no question this rule is illegal and will not stand up in court. In response to the lawsuit, ED Press Secretary Angela Morabito told Yahoo Finance in a statement that the Department will vigorously defend its regulation, which gives students and borrowers the relief that theyre owed, restores fairness and due process, extends the period for closed school discharges, and saves the taxpayers up to $11.1 billion over ten years. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on her first day as secretary in Washington, DC in 2017. (Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) Arbitrary and capricious Under existing federal law, borrowers with federal loans are eligible for loan forgiveness if a college or a university has misled them or engaged in other misconduct in violation of certain state laws. The department has faced an onslaught of these claims, in the wake of the for-profit giant Corinthian Colleges shutting down in 2015. According to the lawsuit, the department made changes in 2016 to protect student borrowers and federal taxpayers by strengthening mechanisms for borrowers who were misled, deceived, and defrauded by their schools to obtain relief from federal student loans and disincentivizing schools financially risky and misleading practices. Story continues But in 2017, the department under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos delayed implementation of the 2016 rule three times, the lawsuit asserted, and proceeded to ignore it as current law. A federal court had then stated that the departments delaying of that 2016 rule was unlawful because the delays were procedurally flawed and arbitrary and capricious. But ED later issued a new rule in 2019, which greatly relaxed the safeguards put in place in 2016, despite mountains of evidence of the harm that unscrupulous schools had caused student borrowers and federal taxpayers, the lawsuit stated. EDs new rules were published in September 2019 and are due to come into effect in July 2020. The department also released a new methodology to assess hundreds of thousands of the potential debt relief claims. Experts and lawmakers criticized the new formula used by the department as bad math and mystifying. Defrauded students called it a slap in the face. DeVos responded to these comments, stating that there has been a 5,000% increase in borrower defense claim since 2015, and was simply trying to find a way to efficiently process them. She added that the Obama administration had caused the chaos as it had weaponized regulations to go after for-profit colleges, and used the law in a discriminatory fashion. But the lawsuit added that the department, with its 2019 rule, embraced positions and reasoning that run contrary to both logic and the experience of student borrowers, as demonstrated by a wealth of data and comments submitted in opposition to its proposals. DeVos testifies during a hearing before House Education and Labor Committee December 12, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images) Lawsuits and lawmakers battle DeVos on for-profit issue The new rules on granting defrauded students relief have been a hot-button issue on Capitol Hill. Previously, House Democrats had voted to overturn DeVos borrower defense rule in mid-January, hoping to reinstate the Obama-era rules, but had acknowledged then that the action represented more of a message than an order to DeVos. The revised rule on borrower defense is so outrageous that I think it cannot go without comment, House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott told Yahoo Finance in a previous interview. But this isnt the only lawsuit shes facing on the issue: Theres a separate lawsuit from a teachers union over DeVos decision to rescind an Obama-era rule that was designed to protect students from for-profits, called gainful employment. Yahoo Finance reached out to ED for comment and has not received a response as of publication. Aarthi is a writer for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami. Read more: Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A new Global Dialogue Series to explore subjects that reflect India's international outlook and impact the India-UK relationship has been launched in London as part of a worldwide effort. The launch event, around the topic of "Does India have an image problem?", was held at the Nehru Centre -- the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission in London -- on Thursday evening and involved business chiefs, senior politicians, mediapersons, UK government officials and thought leaders. Some of the special guests at the inaugural discussion included Ashok Malik, Policy Advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), economist and author Lord Meghnad Desai, Vedanta Resources chief Anil Agarwal, Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi and Australian political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby. "The aim of this series is to open a free and frank discussion on India with a broad spectrum of thought leaders from across the globe," said Manoj Ladwa, CEO of India Inc. -- the UK-based media house behind the new series. "The series will not shy away from tackling the tough questions head-on to hold leaders to account, dispel any misconceptions and also pave the way for a truly strategic dialogue on India's increasingly globalised agenda. With that in mind, the next dialogue will be with Sir Philip Barton -- the newly-appointed UK High Commissioner to Delhi," he said. The discussions around the topic of India's image problem, held under the Chatham House Rule, revolved around the misrepresentation and poor communication that resulted in negative perceptions in the western media of some Indian government decisions. The under-reporting of social infrastructure programmes, including the Narendra Modi-led government's revolutionary water conservation efforts, was highlighted as contributing to an image problem for a pluralistic and democratic country like India. The general conclusion was that issues around the revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and the "unfortunate juxtapositioning" of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) needed to be much better communicated around the world. It was highlighted that while the NRC was not going ahead at this time, the CAA was specifically targeted at giving stateless people citizenship rights. In Kashmir, it was argued, the status quo was "simply unsustainable" because it held back the region's growth and development and that the Indian government's move was aimed at creating an ecosystem for free-and-fair elections for the people of the region to drive the narrative, and not allow it to be driven by militants. Besides the UK, similar dialogues as part of the new dialogue series have been planned in Singapore, Dubai and the US in the coming months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday threatened to let thousands of refugees cross into Europe and warned Damascus would "pay a price" after dozens of Turkish troops were killed inside Syria. Around 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said as several thousand migrants were in skirmishes with Greek police firing tear gas across the frontier. The escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia, who back opposing forces in the Syria conflict, after an air strike killed the Turkish troops sparked fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe. Erdogan said he would let refugees travel to Europe from NATO-member Turkey. "What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We will not close those doors.... Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises." He was referring to a 2016 deal with the European Union to stop refugee flows in exchange for billions of euros in aid. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. - Thousands to spend 'cold night' at border - Erdogan's comments were his first since 34 Turkish troops were killed since Thursday in northern Syria's Idlib region, where Moscow-backed Syrian regime forces are battling to retake the last rebel enclave. Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said nearly 50,000 migrants had left Turkey for Europe via the western province of Edirne, bordering Greece, in comments published in the official Anadolu news agency. But the IOM said its staff had observed "at least 13,000 people gathered along the 212-kilometre (130-mile) long border. "Thousands of migrants, including families with young children, are passing a cold night along the border between Turkey and Greece," it said. There were skirmishes on the Turkish-Greek border at Pazarkule Saturday, as Greek police fired tear gas to push back thousands of migrants who hurled rocks at them, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. "Look who's lecturing us on international law!" Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted. "They're shamelessly throwing tear gas bombs on thousands of innocents piled at their gates." - Unimpeded flow - In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed "concern" on the unimpeded flow of migrants from Turkey to the bloc's external borders in Greece and Bulgaria. "Our top priority at this stage is to ensure that Greece and Bulgaria have our full support," she tweeted. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. "We averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our land borders," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said after the meeting. A Greek police source said migrants had started fires and opened holes in border fences. Police and soldiers patrolled the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and issued loudspeaker warnings not to enter Greek territory. The Greek coast guard said that from early Friday to early Saturday 180 migrants reached the islands of Lesbos and Samos, crossing the eastern Aegean from the Turkish coast. One rubber dinghy arrived early Saturday in Lesbos carrying 27 African migrants, many of them women, who wept and prayed on their knees, said an AFP reporter. The UN says nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced by the fighting in northwest Syria since December, forced to flee in the bitter cold. - Fresh strikes in Syria - Turkey said its forces had destroyed a "chemical warfare facility," just south of Aleppo. Syria's state media denied the attack and the existence of such a facility. Turkish drone strikes killed 26 Syrian soldiers on Saturday, an independent war monitor said, after Erdogan threatened the regime would "pay a price" for its aggression. The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes "targeted positions of the regime forces in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside". The killing of Turkish troops by President Bashar al-Assad's forces -- backed by Russian air power -- has sent tensions between Ankara and Moscow soaring. On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. He may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. But the Turkish leader remained critical on Saturday. "I asked Mr Putin: 'What's your business there?'," Erdogan said. "If you establish a base, do so but get out of our way and leave us face to face with the regime." French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia and Turkey to establish a "lasting ceasefire" in the Idlib region, after separate phone calls with the two countries' leaders, a statement from his office said. Seeking support from Europe after the Idlib casualties, Erdogan told Macron that Ankara wanted to see "clear and concrete support" from NATO "not only in words but in deeds", according to the Turkish presidency. Erdogan also warned the humanitarian crisis would "deepen unless the regime's attacks are stopped in Syria." burs-fo/tom City of Sugar Land The Sugar Land Parks and Recreation Department was recently honored by the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council (HAUF) with the 2019 Project of the Year award for the Right Tree, Right Place volunteer tree planting event. Trees are a vital part of our lives, and they provide so much more than landscaping. They clean the air, reduce erosion, add to property values and so much more. We are proud to organize and host these tree plantings for the betterment of our community, Sugar Land assistant director of the Parks and Recreation Department William Hajdik said during an awards ceremony Jan. 14 at HAUFCs annual meeting. Each year, HAUF recognizes and honors individuals or groups in the greater Houston area who have gone above and beyond in the field of arboriculture and urban forestry. A man has died in Washington state of COVID-19, state health officials said Saturday, marking the first such reported death in the United States. State officials issued a terse news release announcing the death, gave no details and scheduled a news conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, but gave no other details. State and King County health officials said new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died. They did not say how many new cases there are. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the person who died was a man from Washington state. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, Inslee said. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming three patients were infected by unknown means. The patients an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Wash., and an employee at a Portland, Ore.-area school hadnt recently travelled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveller or an infected person, authorities said. Earlier U.S. cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicentre of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients. The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits. Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area reported two cases where the source of infection wasnt known. The older woman was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said. This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation, said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. But we dont know to what extent, Cody said. It could be a little, it could be a lot. We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible, she said. Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state. The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have travelled to Solano County, where another woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source. Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said. At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health-care workers were sent home for self-quarantine after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday. The case highlights the vulnerability of the nations hospitals to this virus, the union said. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently travelled to South Korea, authorities said. Both patients werent seriously ill. But health officials arent taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding. In Southern Californias Orange County, the city of Costa Mesa went to court to prevent state and federal health officials from transferring dozens of people exposed to the virus aboard a cruise ship in Japan to a state-owned facility in the city. The passengers, including some who tested positive for the virus and underwent hospital care, had been staying at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. On Friday, state officials said the federal decided it no longer had a crucial need to move those people to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. Thats because of the imminent end of the isolation period for those passengers and the relatively small number of persons who ended up testing positive, officials said. The new coronavirus cases of unknown origin marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could spread beyond the reach of preventative measures like quarantines, though state health officials said that was inevitable and that the risk of widespread transmission remains low. California public health officials on Friday said more than 9,380 people are self-monitoring after arriving on commercial flights from China through Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thats up from the 8,400 that Newsom cited on Thursday, though officials said the number increases daily as more flights arrive. Officials are not too worried, for now, about casual contact, because federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through close contact, being within six feet of somebody for what theyre calling a prolonged period of time, said Dr. James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. As infectious disease experts fanned out in the Solano County city of Vacaville, some residents in the city between San Francisco and Sacramento stocked up on supplies amid fears things could get worse despite official reassurances, while others took the news in stride. The woman in the community who has coronavirus first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, before her condition worsened and she was transferred to the medical centre in Sacramento. Sacramento Countys top health official told the Sacramento Bee on Friday that he expects several medical workers to test positive themselves in the next few days. Numerous workers at both hospitals have been tested, but the tests were sent to labs approved by the CDC and generally take three to four days to complete. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento Countys health services director, said he expects even those who test positive to become only mildly ill. Confusion over how quickly the woman was tested for coronavirus concerned McKinsey Paz, who works at a private security firm in Vacaville. The company has already stockpiled 450 face masks and is scrambling for more since theyre hard to come by. The companys owner bought enough cleaning and disinfectant supplies to both scrub down the office and send home with employees. But they appeared to be at the extreme for preparations. Eugenia Kendall was wearing a face mask, but in fear of anything including the common cold. Her immune system is impaired because she is undergoing chemotherapy, and she has long been taking such precautions. Were not paranoid. Were just trying to be practical, said her husband of 31 years, Ivan Kendall. We wipe the shopping carts if they have them, and when I get back in the car I wipe my hands and just hope for the best. A debt-ridden farmer died on Saturday after he allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison earlier this week. Deceased Jagjeevan allegedly consumed poison on Thursday when the revenue team reached his residence for debt money collection. "Jagjeevan had taken loan of around Rs 28 lakh from different banks. Due to this, banks issued RC. On February 27, our revenue team had gone to his house for collecting money," Adarsh Singh, District Magistrate, told ANI. "When the team was talking to him, he took out a suspected material from his pocket and swallowed it. He was admitted to a hospital and died later," added Singh. The deceased's son Lavkesh said: "My father was taken from the house. They told us that my father had a bank loan. Later, we got a phone from the police station that he was unwell. He was admitted to the hospital. Barabanki MP Upendra Singh has demanded a magisterial inquiry into the farmer's death. The district unit chief of farmers' union Anil Verma demanded that his debt should be waived off and the deceased's family should be provided with the financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a ceremony in Doha, Qatar, a deal known as The Agreement To Bring Peace To Afghanistan between the United States and the Taliban was signed by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Baradar Abdul-Ghani on February 29. It lays out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan after more than 18 years of war in return for various security commitments from the insurgents and a pledge to hold talks with the government in Kabul. Amid growing alarm over the coronavirus, the United States on Friday (local time) postponed a special summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders. "As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting previously scheduled for mid-March," Voice of America quoted a senior administration official as saying. The official added, "The United States values our relationships with the nations of this critical region and looks forward to future meetings." The summit was scheduled to be held in Las Vegas in the second week of March. Moreover, bilateral meetings were planned between US President Donald Trump and the leaders of ASEAN countries. "The American business community recognizes the importance of this summit for the leaders of ASEAN and for the US government as it pertains to the Indo-Pacific strategy," Elizabeth Dugan, president of US-ASEAN Business Council, said after the postponement. Dugan added that the organization looked forward to working closely with the US and ASEAN leadership to ensure the success of this important engagement at a later date. The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation of a number of international events across the According to the authorities, at least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide. Coronavirus has spread to more than 45 other countries including the US, UK, Singapore, Italy, France, Russia, Spain, and India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP feeds on constant hatred against Muslims. The community does not have any strong political allies to counter the BJP. Other institutions media, judiciary and investigative agencies appear deeply compromised and cannot be expected to mitigate the political onslaught. The toll of the Delhi riots keeps mounting. At least 42 have been killed in the capital of the worlds largest democracy. It started with a supposed clash between CAA supporters and anti-CAA protesters following the speech of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra. The clash soon turned into a riot and, in some places, into a de facto anti-Muslim pogrom. Many including prominent journalists and commentators have taken offence over the use of word pogrom. They would stress how both sides have lost lives and property. Hardly anyone would deny that both Hindus and Muslims have suffered loses. The difference, however, is that the former has the sympathy and support of political executive and, by extension, the police while no political actor even wants to be seen as being sympathetic to the latter. Any overt expression of concern or empathy towards the latter is political suicide and, therefore, strategic silence is imperative. At the lowest level, there are a large number of videos and testimonies of police acting as bystanders during violence or even colluding with mobs against Muslims. At a higher level, the Union government has ensured that no one from the BJP is arrested despite their explicit hate speeches on the record. The police have refused to even file a FIR against Kapil Mishra and others. The party has taken no action against them either. On 26 February, Justice S Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court came down heavily on the police over their brazen refusal to uphold basic rule of law, and specifically questioned why the police have not filed a FIR against Kapil Mishra and others. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta persistently refused to promise any action on the matter and strongly objected to any criticism of Delhi Police. The bench gave 24 hours to the police to examine videos of the hate speech and respond. The government swiftly issued the gazette notification of Justice Muralidhars transfer to Punjab and Haryana High Court the same night. Predictably, the next day, a new bench comprising Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar gave the Central government four weeks to file an affidavit and adjourned the matter till then. The fact that someone as dispensable for BJP as Mishra enjoys such layers of protection from the State and party shows the implied approval his words have from the ruling party. It is a manifestation of the privilege and patronage enjoyed by one side. Meanwhile, Sherjeel Imam, Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, and Dr Kafeel Khan continue to remain in jail on flimsy grounds. It is this State protection and support for one side against the other that makes the case for it be referred to as anti-Muslim pogrom. The role of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders have been unsatisfactory at best and complicity at worse. For two days, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued only a few general statements requesting peace. It was followed by bizarre theatrics of Kejriwal and his colleagues praying at Raj Ghat instead of visiting the affected areas, and mobilising party cadres and government machinery. Despite serious questions on the role of Delhi Police in the initial period, Kejriwal and his party have not questioned Home Minister Amit Shah. AAP received some flak for its fence-sitting attitude on issues of CAA-NRC-NPR and the associated protests during the Delhi election. Supporters and sympathisers explained it as a strategic move to avoid polarisation. The hope was that once elected, Kejriwal would acknowledge and support the cause. That did not happen, and his party continued with their strategic rhetoric of making sure not to question the majoritarian narrative. The state government has started relief work and Kejriwal visited some affected areas later, too little and too late. The Congress, despite its continuing decline in Delhi, has maintained its support for the anti-CAA protests. However, its cadres and leaders were not seen in the affected areas initially either. Nonetheless, the party does not have any elected leader or strong cadre in Delhi to even remotely match AAP. Interim party president Sonia Gandhi criticised the role of the State and Central government and demanded Shahs resignation. Following her press conference, Prime Minister Modi broke his silence and tweeted an appeal for peace. The larger point is that while both sides have suffered damages, the patronage and sympathy of the State is not equal for both. Even as the violence seems to be reducing, the story is not over for Muslims. In the name of investigation, the government agencies will disproportionately crackdown on Muslims, while the mainstream media will continue to demonise them it has already started with Tahir Hussain being claimed as a mastermind of the violence. While one side is expected to receive a semblance of justice (as it should), such hope is practically non-existent for Muslims. The BJP feeds on constant hatred against Muslims. The community does not have any strong political allies to counter the BJP. Other institutions media, judiciary and investigative agencies appear deeply compromised and cannot be expected to mitigate the political onslaught. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval told a local jo ho gaya, so ho gaya (whatever happened has happened) during a visit to an area affected by violence. The statement embodies the predicament of Muslims: Do not hope for any justice and move on with whatever has happened and will happen. The author studies political science at Ashoka University and is a former research associate at Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University A man wears a face mask while pushing his shopping cart in Alhambra, California, on February 27, 2020. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images This week's market sell-off over coronavirus fears hit health insurance and hospital stocks especially hard. The S&P 500 Managed Health Care sector had its worst weekly loss since Feb. 2009, falling more than 15% for the week. Shares of UnitedHealth Group snapped a six-session losing streak on Friday, but ended the week down nearly 17% from its historic high on Feb. 19. Shares of pharmacy and insurance giant CVS Health and Medicaid insurer Centene fell into bear market territory this week, down more than 23% from their highs, while hospital operator Tenet Healthcare fell 23% for the week. Part of investors' worries surround the uncertainty over the potential impact of a widespread Covid-19 outbreak in the United States. For insurers, it will almost certainly result in higher costs as Americans who get sick seek medical care. Too soon to calculate coronavirus costs While health officials say it's now a matter of when we'll see a major outbreak, analysts say it's still too soon to calculate how a major outbreak could impact health care earnings. Given the pattern of infection in China, many say an outbreak here could be comparable to a severe flu season, with elevated emergency room use and hospitalizations for older patients with underlying medical conditions. Piper Sandler analyst Sarah James said she's not modeling for coronavirus in her company estimates yet. At this point, this week's sell-off in hospitals and health insurer stocks has been overdone. "The care that people are getting, who have (coronavirus now) is on military bases, and not being run through their health insurance," James said, adding that if the Covid-19 were to become as widespread as a bad flu, "it's not really that impactful for earnings." During a strong flu season, higher emergency room use and hospitalizations can lead to an increase of 10 to 20 basis points in increased medical care spending, said J.P. Morgan analyst Gary Taylor. Yet, he said, that fractional increase doesn't materially impact the bottom line. "When you look at all the respiratory diseases that we've seen globally in the last 50 years, and ask 'have we ever seen one of those be materially impactful to total U.S. health care spending?' the answer is no," said Taylor. In 2009, the widespread outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus sickened nearly 89 million Americans hitting young and middle-aged adults and children especially hard resulting in 274,000 people being hospitalized with respiratory conditions. By comparison, a typical flu season results in about 400,000 hospitalizations. Similarly, for hospitals, the increased admissions of elderly patients on Medicare that could result from a coronavirus outbreak would likely be offset by the postponement of elective surgery, which tends to involve higher-margin procedures for health systems. Virus adds to underlying political worries Pilot of helicopter that crashed heralded for 'miracle' landing The crew of a Hagerstown-based helicopter and the juvenile patient they picked up in Chambersburg, Pa., are OK after a crash near Philadelphia. This Aug. 26, 2015, photo released by the Television Academy shows Lee Phillip Bell at the Television Academy's 67th Emmy Daytime Peer Group Celebration in Beverly Hills, Calif. Bell, who co-created "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful" and hosted her own daytime talk show in Chicago for 33 years, died Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, at her home in Los Angeles. AP Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and hosted her own daytime talk show in Chicago for 33 years, has died. She was 91. Bell died Tuesday of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, according to Eva Basler, a spokeswoman for the family and their company Bell-Phillip Television Productions. ''Our mother was a loving and supportive wife, mother and grandmother,'' her family said in a statement. ''Gracious and kind, she enriched the lives of all who knew her. We will miss her tremendously.'' Bell and her husband William J. Bell co-created two of daytime television's most successful and enduring dramas. ''Y&R'' has been on the air since 1973, while ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' will mark its 33rd anniversary in March. Born in Chicago on June 9, 1928, Bell began her career as a broadcast journalist in her hometown, where she hosted and produced her eponymous daytime talk show from 1953-1986 on WBBM-TV, the local CBS affiliate. She explored timely social issues and concerns, while also interviewing Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Judy Garland, Clint Eastwood, Oprah Winfrey, Lucille Ball and the Beatles and Rolling Stones. She won 16 regional Emmy Awards for her show. Bell also produced and narrated several award-winning specials and documentaries on such topics as foster children, rape and divorce. Bell won a Daytime Emmy award for outstanding drama series for ''Y&R'' in 1975. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Daytime Emmys in 2007. Her husband died in 2005. She is survived by her sons William and Bradley and daughter Lauralee Bell Martin, who appears on ''Y&R.'' William Bell is president and CEO of the family's production company. Bradley is executive producer and head writer for ''The Bold and the Beautiful.'' Her daughter-in-law, Colleen Bell, served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary during President Barack Obama's administration and is executive director of the California Film Commission. Another daughter-in-law, Maria Arena Bell, is a former head writer on ''Y&R.'' Her other survivors are son-in-law Scott Martin and eight grandchildren. (AP) No injuries were reported in a house fire in Deerfield Avenue, Hampden Township. The fire happened sometime on Friday evening, ABC27 reports. Firefighters told the news agency the fire was burning long before they arrived. A young girl was home at the time of the fire, but she was able to get out unharmed. One firefighter told the news agency it was the worst fire they had seen in some time. A pretty devastating scene on Deerfield Avenue in Hampden Township. Neighbors tell me a young girl was home at the time of the fire, but everyone got out safely. pic.twitter.com/wXLz4beTsn Sarah Gisriel (@SarahGABC27) February 28, 2020 Hampden Township Fires public information officers tells me that this fire was burning a long time before they got there. They will likely be here for several more hours. One firefighter told me this is the worst fire the township has seen in awhile. pic.twitter.com/z1TUoq6ozM Sarah Gisriel (@SarahGABC27) February 28, 2020 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. An state inmate is in critical condition after an altercation with another inmate on Sunday, and the Alabama Department of Corrections is investigating an apparent suicide that happened the same day. At about 4 p.m. on Sunday, officers at Easterling Correctional Facility in Clio found Marquell Underwood unresponsive in his cell. He was not on suicide watch. The ADOC said attempts at life-saving measures were unsuccessful. No other information has been released pending an investigation and autopsy. Underwood, 22, was sentenced to life in prison in July 2018 for a murder conviction out of Tuscaloosa County. Michael Woods, 22, an inmate at Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore County, was injured in an altercation with another inmate on Sunday. Woods was flown from the prison for medical treatment at a hospital. Woods is serving a 10-year sentence for drug possession in an Escambia County case. The ADOC is investigating the altercation, which happened about 8 p.m. Andre Azoulay, Advisor to King Mohammed VI, was awarded Friday the Gold Medal of Andalusia, Medallas de Oro de Andalucia, in recognition for his exemplary commitment to solidarity and harmony and for his pioneering approach at the head of the Foundation of Three Cultures, through which Morocco, Spain and Andalusia have been telling the world, for over twenty years, the art of living together. President of the Andalusian government, Juan Manuel Moreno, who handed the medal to Andre Azoulay at a ceremony in Sevilla said his government bestowed this medal on Mr. Azoulay in recognition of the distinguished career of the man, who has worked for years to promote understanding and mutual respect between Morocco, Andalusia and Spain. Andre Azoulay on his part underlined the historic and visionary decision of Morocco which, in the mid-1990s, proposed to Spain and Andalusia to come together to create the Foundation of the Three Cultures. The idea behind the setting up of the Foundation was to make it the institution of reference, the space of resilience and resistance in the face of the dangers of the cultural and social fracture that was already looming all around us. History has proved Morocco right and it is to my King and my country that I dedicate today, from Seville, the medal awarded to me, he added. At a time and in a space where the community of nations is still searching for landmarks, Morocco has put the richness and depth of its cultural and spiritual diversity at the heart of the modernity of its society, thus giving full legitimacy and raison detre to the Foundation of the Three Cultures and its influence in the Euro-Mediterranean area and in the world, the Royal advisor pointed out. Police on Friday identified those slain in three recent homicides and provided some additional information. Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said one case is being looked at as a possible justifiable homicide and another turned into a homicide after a January shooting victim died in a hospital. No arrests have been made in the three cases. Gallegos said 35-year-old Esteven Lara was shot at a mobile home park near Wyoming and Zuni SE on Jan. 6. Lara died from his injuries at a hospital. He did not say when Lara died or give any other details. Gallegos identified Michael Sanchez, 34, as the man shot and killed during an alleged burglary attempt outside a West Side bar on Feb. 21. Officers responded around 8:15 p.m. to the Effingbar and Grill, near Coors and Sequoia NW, after a woman called 911 to report a man breaking into her vehicle. Police say security officers approached the suspect and shots were fired. Arriving officers found Sanchez wounded, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Gallegos did not say who shot Sanchez or whether Sanchez was armed or give any other details. The next night, Omar Echenique, 61, was fatally shot in Southeast Albuquerque, Gallegos said. Officers responded around 9:50 p.m. to a shooting near Kathryn and Louisiana SE. But police say two men had already taken him to Davita Medical Office, and he was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he died. The total number of homicides for the year stands at 13. Two additional deaths are being investigated as possible justifiable homicides, Gallegos said. MGM RESORTS INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of MGM Resorts International - MGM Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). On February 20, 2020, the Company disclosed that it was the victim of a data breach discovered last summer caused by "unauthorized access" to a cloud computing server that stored guests' phone numbers, addresses and other personal data, following reports of the breach the previous day, claiming that the breach had resulted in stolen data from over 10 million guests being published recently on an online forum. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether MGM's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to MGM's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of MGM shares and would like to discuss yor legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-mgm/ to learn more. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200228005612/en/ A Rochester health care provider is setting up a new, additional Southwest Rochester location due to growing needs from clients and a pressing drive for more space. Zumbro Valley Health Centeris a "private, non-profit organization that provides mental health, substance use, primary care, and community-based services to Southeast Minnesota communities." Its main Rochester facility at 343 Wood Lake Drive SE offers a wide range of services, including in-patient residential care. It also has an office in downtown Rochester as well as one in the nearby community of Harmony. Now, Zumbro Valley is preparing a southwest complex to serve as as a third Rochester center. "We've been looking for the last year ... We've been in a real space crunch," said CEO Beth Krehbiel. ADVERTISEMENT A new sign is up and a lease has been signed for Zumbro Valley Health Center to bring its integrated practice to a 12,400-square-foot complex at 1620 Greenview Drive SW. That's the building last occupied by PrairieCare Medical Group , which built a new Rochester facility that it moved into last fall. Krehbiel said that since the building was previously set up for providing care, it made it a good fit for Zumbro Valley. "It's really conducive for mental health care, with many group rooms," she said. "It's beautiful ... and very affordable." The goal is to open the new site by mid-April. Right now, Krehbiel and her team are working out details on how the integrated model of care will be implemented and what staff members will work there. Zumbro Valley Health Center has about 180 employees, and it is budgeted to expand to 200 in 2020, according to Krehbiel. While adding more space is helpful, the new facility will also give clients another place to meet with staff that might be easier to access for some, she said. "This will give us more availability to help keep up with the growing demands for mental health, housing and other services. We are really committed to same day and next day intake. Our goal is to not have a waiting list," said Krehbiel. Patch day is also a pay day of sorts. A special day for everyone. Patch day is when the Pacific Island villagers receiving cataract operations from the YWAM humanitarian medical teams take off their eye dressings and can see again. Powerful moments, miraculous, says Julie McLaughlin, a volunteer with the YWAM, or Youth With a Mission, Ships Aotearoa. YWAM - pronounced why-wham. And patch day is also this volunteers pay day. Very, very extraordinary watching someone be given their sight back. YWAM is a Christian organisation taking primary health care to isolated communities of Pacific neighbours aboard a fleet of medical mission ships. Julie McLaughlin is soaking up the sun on the deck of one of those ships, the MV YWAM Koha an elegant 52-year-old, 500-tonne, 48-metre cargo vessel which is being recommissioned as a volunteer based medical aid ship at the Vessel Works refit yard on the Tauranga waterfront. Julie McLaughlin flicks away a couple of joyful tears as she tells the story of Willy, even though shes told the story a myriad times. Willy had been needlessly blind with cataracts for 11 years. He came on board, waited his turn with the ophthalmologist, then had 40 minutes of surgery. The next day was patches day. Everyones favourite day, says Julie. Willys eye patches are removed. He looks at the YWAM team and doesnt know them. They have just been voices. Then he recognises his nephew and returns his gaze. They embrace and start crying. So all of us were crying. Its a powerful moment because his life has been changed for the good forever. It was also a powerful moment when the ship was gifted to the YWAM Aotearoa. In its previous incarnation it was a cargo vessel called Claymore II. Four times a year for ten years, the ship made a 14 day, 5408km journey to the remote Pitcairn Island delivering cargo and supplies. When the contract expired, owners Nigel and Brenda Jolly of Stoney Creek Shipping gave the ship to YWAM Aotearoa. They didnt want the ship sitting idle and rusting. Now the vessels been refitted, repurposed and renamed. And hopefully, in May, she will be deployed to remote parts of the South Pacific, dispensing primary health care, dentistry and ophthalmic surgery and optometry services, accessing remote communities that aeroplanes cant. The sign-in log at top of the gang plank advises everyone that Jesus is aboard. Well, thats the hope, says Marty Emmett, New Zealand operations manager for YWAM Ships Aotearoa. Because if hes not, we are in a lot of trouble. Thats probably because mission ships are an expensive business. OK, the Koha was just that koha and all the crew are volunteers, but it still had to go through dry dock and survey that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, says Marty. And they still need to find $350,000 for deployment, $100,000 of that is just fuel. The Koha has been on a promotional tour of New Zealand and on consecutive Sundays, March 8, 15 and 22 the vessel will be open to the public. People love to wander a ship, says Marty. And New Zealanders are practical and appreciate being able to see, smell and touch what we do. When they come aboard, they get drawn into our mission. Marty needs a few new volunteers to get drawn in qualified skippers, marine engineers, deckhands, electricians, welder and plumbers. Thats to look after the Koha. They also need dentists, nurses, doctors. On the forward deck of this cargo ship is a flash, new white shipping container windows, door and steps. Some friends of mine in my hometown of Whanganui got together when they heard about the ship. Theyre in the dental business and rallied businesses in the town. What they produced is a beautiful dental container. It was designed to operate independent of the ship and can become a permanent, land-based dental clinic, just beyond the white sands and palm fringes in some isolated Pacific island location. Theres a second container given by a German ministry. It could become a pharmacy. Julie McLaughlin talks about the quite beautiful people who live in great beauty on the islands. They would give their last coconut. But they are confronted with health challenges. And its heart breaking. They are problems that are easily prevented, easily treated, but they simply dont have the resources. YWAM Aotearoa will deliver a shipload of those resources and a whole lot of goodwill later this year. Six people who were in close contact with the man have also been quarantined. Of those six, two have symptoms of a mild respiratory illness and are being assessed at Westmead Hospital as a precaution while they await test results, the NSW Health Spokesperson said. The man with the confirmed case of COVID-19 became unwell two days after arriving in Australia, and is not considered to have been infectious on his flight. There is no indication to suggest that anyone on the flight is at risk from this case, the spokesperson said. Another man in his 50s was under investigation in Sydney for possible COVID-19 but NSW Health said late on Sunday that he is unlikely to have the virus, although further testing was being conducted as a precaution. NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said this latest case arrived in Sydney from Iran on February 22, one week before Australia enacted its travel ban for the country. "He did not develop symptoms until 24 February 2020 and was seen at a hospital emergency department and tested on 28 February, Dr Chant said. He was advised to be isolated at home while waiting for the test result which was confirmed positive for COVID-19 late on 29 February. The local public health unit is following up contacts of the confirmed case and is also following up on contacts of the second possible case as a precaution. Australia has so far recorded 27 confirmed cases of coronavirus and its first COVID-19 death on Sunday, the same day the US also reported its first death linked to the virus. Globally there have been 84,124 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (36,711 have recovered) and 2,867 deaths as infection rates soar in Italy, and Iran announced 205 new infections within 24 hours. NSW Health is urging people who have recently returned from Iran or another high-risk country to ensure they are aware of the symptoms and seek an immediate health assessment if symptoms develop within 14 days of their departure from that country. Australian Iranian Community Organisation president Siamak Ghahreman said he 100 per cent supports the travel ban, even though it means there are some members of his community who are stuck in Iran during the health crisis. Of course the travel ban affects many people, but that is actually a good thing to do, Mr Ghahreman said. The individuals cannot put the rest of the community at risk. If this is what needs to be done, it should be enforced ... It benefits everyone. Not just Iranians but everyone in Australia. The Australian government's Iran travel ban will apply from Sunday and will mean people cannot travel from Iran to Australia for 14 days. Mr Ghahreman said the local Iranian community is no more panicked about the prospect of the virus spreading here than any other group, but they are very worried about the situation in Iran and angry about the response of the Iranian government. Iran has acted too late and too little, he said. Theres a lot of secrecy at the moment about this. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, runny nose or shortness of breath. Loading Anyone with these symptoms should isolate themselves from others and practice simple hygiene by covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and washing their hands thoroughly, Dr Chant said. Please call ahead to speak to your GP before visiting, or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. GPs can arrange testing, if you are very unwell you can also call ahead before attending your local Emergency Department for assessment," she said. Health workers in NSW public hospitals and community-based GPs have been issued advice to help them identify any cases and apply careful infection control measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. The previous four people diagnosed in NSW have all been discharged from hospital. In Moscow, five people, who had contact with an Iranian citizen diagnosed with the coronavirus, were hospitalized, the operational headquarters for monitoring and controlling the situation with the disease reports. It is clarified that an Iranian citizen flew to Moscow from Tehran on February 19, and the next day flew to Shanghai. Between flights, he spent about 16 hours in a capsule hotel near Sheremetyevo airport. During his stay, the man wore a medical mask. Upon arrival in Shanghai, he spent two days at the hotel, then he took the train to Lanzhou, and on February 23, he went to Zhongwei. There, on February 26, he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Palace announcement trumps Mahathir Mohamads bid to return to power after his resignation amid political crisis. Malaysias king has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister, the latest twist to a weeklong political crisis. In a statement issued by the palace on Saturday, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Muhyiddin, a former interior minister and president of the Bersatu party, will be sworn in on Sunday as he likely commands the most support of any candidate. The appointment came after this weeks shock resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a move that plunged the country into crisis following a weekend of political wrangling and the collapse of the ruling alliance. The process to appoint the prime minister cannot be delayed because the country needs a government for the wellbeing of the people and the nation, the palace statement said. The king appoints the countrys prime minister. The king decreed that it was the best decision for all. The announcement came hours after Mahathir struck a new deal to work with his former ruling alliance led by rival Anwar Ibrahim and threw his name into the fray again. But the palace announced that King Abdullah believed that Muhyiddin has the support of a majority of legislators. I only ask for all Malaysians to accept the decision announced by the national palace today, Muhyiddin told reporters at his home. Real challenge Mahathir, 94, had led the Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan, or PH) to a spectacular election win in 2018 but the government imploded on Monday when he unexpectedly quit. Muhyiddin had emerged on Friday as the frontrunner after receiving more backing from legislators than PHs Anwar Ibrahim, a longtime rival and sometime ally of Mahathir. The appointment of Muhyiddin, who heads Mahathirs Bersatu party, will ironically bring back to power the United Malays National Organization, which was overthrown by Mahathirs governing alliance in a historic vote in May 2018. A lot of people in Malaysia are very upset, said Bridget Walsh, a senior researcher at the National Taiwan University. (Muhyiddin is) the man without the mandate. He faces a real challenge to get support and move the country forward, she told Al Jazeera. He has not offered plans (for government) and his own coalition is also very large. There will be challenges to keeping it together. Amy, a Malaysian voter from Kuala Lumpur, said while she likes Mahathir and supported him during the 2018 elections, she welcomes the election of Muhyiddin. He should be given a chance, she told Al Jazeera. Additional reporting by Ted Regencia from Kuala Lumpur This year the annual Conservative Political Action Conference started last February 26 - February 29, 2020. It is held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Fort Washington, Maryland, United States. CPAC is a conference that is attended by conservative activists and politicians from across the United States and it is hosted by American Conservative Union or ACU. The purpose of this is to share the president's vision and mission for the country. CPAC is described to be the world's largest and most influential meeting of all conservatives in the world. It first took place in 1974 and the keynote speech was headed by the former president Ronald Reagan. The tradition of this convention also assess the standing and the performance of the president and how he handles the country. According to the president's campaign adviser Michelle Schlapp, America's democracy and freedom can be easily shattered, though America is the greatest country in the world there are still lapses that are going on. America's freedom had been seen even in the past but it can be swiftly taken from any individual. People have seen it country after country. America's democracy and freedom is now under threat and it is the government's duty and obligation to save America from the horrible ideas of socialism because socialism will lead to communism. The organizers for this year of CPAC described the convention with a theme of this year's "America is in a threat of Socialism" that points out the mission of the democrats to make ways to impeach the president especially Sen. Bernie Sanders who describes himself as a democratic socialist that will act as the primary head for socialism. As the President is now accused of holding military aids as means of intimidating the President of Ukraine. Michelle Schlapp also added that she herself stands for faith, family and country. She also stated that President Trump is now standing against all fake news that are being thrown at him. Democrats are trying to pull him down and they won't stop until he goes for an impeachment. Schlapp also said the president stands against socialism and democrats use this as a way to pull the president down. Schlapp encourages the people to stand for the truth and do not be silent because being silent is like being a socialist. Democrats want the people to be silent and they want to intimidate people. Democrats want to wake up the Russia investigation and impeachment vote to take the president down. The highlight of the convention is when they said that socialism does not make America great. The conference that will last until Saturday will discuss more about the targeted political territory for the Democrats whose battle over the government are shown at a primary debate last Tuesday night in South Carolina. Bernie Sanders praised Cuba's Fidel Castro and took this as an opportunity to heat up his rivals. Saunders praise Castro's emotional price tags on the policies that he proposed. The annual CPAC gathering will show the speeches and presentations of President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, republican lawmakers, officials from the white house and other's from the president's re-election campaign. HANWELL, N.B. - A New Brunswick bartender's role in a tiny girl's sudden birth during a snowstorm has helped rekindle some lost family ties. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. HANWELL, N.B. - A New Brunswick bartender's role in a tiny girl's sudden birth during a snowstorm has helped rekindle some lost family ties. Monica Storey says just after her shift ended at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday night she heard noises in the front lobby, followed by the sudden cries of a mother in labour and then of a newborn girl emerging in the doorway. Melitta Storey and her baby Abigail Grace Storey are shown in a Fredericton hospital in a handout photo. A New Brunswick bartender's role in a tiny girl's sudden birth during a snowstorm has helped rekindle some lost family ties. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Angela urquhart MANDATORY CREDIT The 27-year-old rushed to the area with a male staff member and soon she was fetching blankets and assisting. Storey called paramedics and received instructions on tying the umbilical cord with a piece of gauze taken from the hotel first aid kit. Mother Melitta Storey and grandmother Angela Urquhart said during an interview at a Fredericton hospital that the infant girl, Abigail Grace Storey, is in good health after her birth at the Radisson Kingswood Hotel and Suites in Hanwell, N.B. At the time of birth, neither the mother nor the bartender were aware of the connection, but they discovered later they share a last name. Monica's great-grandfather was the brother of Melitta's great-grandfather The hotel employee says she came away from the experience both amazed at the capacity of women to cope with rapid labour and childbirth, and a sense that each day may provide an astonishing surprise. "It's kind of a serendipitous thing that threw us all together," said Monica. "You never know what's going to happen when you wake up in the morning. ... It was good to be there." The grandmother said she expects she'll stay in touch with Monica Storey, and the story will become part of extended family lore. "I think the connection will last," she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 29, 2020. ABUJA, Nigeria Nigerian authorities on Friday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa as the outbreak spread to a region with some of the worlds weakest health systems. The health commissioner for Lagos, Africas largest city with more than 20 million people, said an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on Tuesday from Milan on a business trip fell ill the next day. Commissioner Akin Abayomi said the man was clinically stable with no serious symptoms. Abayomi said officials were working to identify all of the mans contacts in Nigeria. The Italian had traveled on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and then to Lagos, according to health authorities. Lagos state early this month advised people arriving from virus-affected areas to observe 14 days of self-quarantine. I have seen him this morning, he is in high spirits, said Dr. Bowale Abimbola, medical director of the hospital where the 44-year-old Italian was brought with body aches and fever. He is doing well and we expect that he will continue to do well. Nigerian health authorities urged Lagos residents to take measures such as keeping their distance from people who cough and washing their hands regularly. Cases of the virus also were confirmed in Egypt and Algeria in north Africa in recent days. Until then, some global health experts had expressed surprise that no cases had been reported in Africa. Concerns about the virus spreading to countries with weaker health systems led the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global health emergency last month. WHO officials in Africa have warned that health systems could be overwhelmed. Nigeria is one of 13 African countries classified by the WHO as high priority in this outbreak because of direct links to China or a high number of visitors from there. That Nigerias first case came from overseas and wasnt person-to-person transmission inside Africa shows that the Nigerian government had the right systems in place to detect and confirm this case, Trudie Lang, director of The Global Health Network at the Nuffield Department of Medicine and the University of Oxford, said in a statement. But detection of further cases in Africa will be challenging as more inexpensive testing kits are needed for on-the-spot diagnosis, Lang added. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has hurried to train its 54 member countries in testing for the virus. Just two countries had the capability at the beginning of this month. Now more than two dozen have it, including Nigeria. Africa Centers for Disease Control has deployed an epidemiologist to Nigeria and shipped 1,000 additional testing kits, according to Africa CDC director Dr. John Nkengasong. Nigeria is well capacitated to respond to the outbreak, he said. Africa CDC had anticipated that COVID-19 outbreak would inevitably impact Africa and has been working actively with African Union Member States and partners on preparedness and response to the disease in the continent. Most African airlines with direct flights to China quickly suspended them, and countries activated surveillance and quarantine measures. Many had experience with trying to prevent the spread of the devastating West Africa Ebola outbreak that ended in 2016. Global health experts point to that as a sign of preparedness in this outbreak. The Africa CDC was created in response to the Ebola outbreak, and many countries established public health institutes. Nigeria was praised for quickly containing cases when the Ebola outbreak reached there in 2014 after an infected man from Liberia landed in Lagos. Nineteen people were infected and seven died, but officials were praised for effective public awareness campaigns. The Ebola outbreak taught us a lot of lessons, the director of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, wrote in a commentary for The Conversation last month. As of December, all 36 of Nigerias states had a rapid response team in case of a disease outbreak, he wrote, and 22 states had emergency operations centers. Nigeria is also currently dealing with an outbreak of Lassa fever an indication of the health challenges that many African nations face. With the new virus case announced in Nigeria, Africas most populous country with 190 million people and numerous air links around the continent and beyond, other nations warned of possible spread. Given these recent developments globally and in Africa, it is not unlikely that we will have importation of COVID-19 to South Africa, that countrys National Institute for Communicable Diseases said. Separately, South Africa said two citizens who had been working on the Princess Diamond cruise ship have the virus and will stay in Japan for treatment. South Africa said it was informed by Japanese authorities Tuesday after the quarantine on the ship ended. In a separate statement, South Africa said it planned to evacuate more than 130 citizens from Chinas Wuhan city where the outbreak began. It did not say when that would happen. South Africa is the first major country in sub-Saharan Africa to evacuate its citizens, while thousands of African students remain stranded. Several governments have said its safer to stay in place and not risk spreading the virus back home. In Kenya, the High Court on Friday ruled that all 239 passengers who arrived Thursday on a China Southern Airlines flight should be found and quarantined at a military facility until declared virus-free. The case was brought by the Law Society of Kenya and others amid a public outcry. The court also suspended all flights from China for 10 days. Separately, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered that a national isolation and treatment facility be completed within a week. -- The Associated Press CAIRO - Egypt on Saturday said it would use all available means to defend the interests of its people after Ethiopia skipped the latest round of U.S.-brokered talks on a disputed Nile dam project with Egypt and Sudan. A final deal on the massive Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was expected in the two-day, U.S.-brokered talks in Washington, which were concluded Friday. The U.S. crafted a draft deal on the filling and operation of the dam based on proposals by legal and technical teams from all three countries and with input of the World Bank, according to a statement by U.S. Treasury Steven Mnuchin Egypt signed the deal, Ethiopia skipped the talks and Sudan, which attended, did not sign the U.S.-crafted deal. Egypt said Saturday in a statement by its Foreign Ministry it regrets Ethiopias unjustifiable absence ... at this this critical stage in the negotiations. It described the deal as fair and balanced. Ethiopia has said it skipped the talks because the countrys delegation hasnt concluded its consultation with relevant stakeholders. The dispute over what will be Africas largest hydroelectric dam pits Ethiopias desire to pull millions out of poverty against Egypts concerns over a critical water supply. Egypt will continue to give the matter the maximum attention it deserves, as part of bearing their national responsibilities in defending the interests of the Egyptian people as well as their fate and future, by all available means, Egypts Foreign Ministry said without elaborating. The emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, stars as the Market Focus at the 2020 London Book Fair. It is the start of an extraordinary year for Sharjah, which will also be the guest of honor country at the Bologna Childrens Book Fair and the Guadalajara International Book Fair. This series of professional events extends a yearlong run of initiatives that began with Sharjahs turn as UNESCO World Book Capitol in 2019. Why has this modest-size state within a relatively small country invested so heavily in books, publishing, and reading? When it comes to why books? the answer is simple: the direction and authority comes from the ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, says Faisal Al Nabouda of the Sharjah Book Authority, who is responsible for putting together the professional program at the London Book Fair. He believes that reading books offers the finest conveyance of knowledge and wisdom available to man. The sheikh, a prolific author himself, will be present at the opening ceremony of this years fair. But why extend this support of books and publishing to the international community? The U.A.E. has more than 200 nationalities living in it and from the beginning has been a very metropolitan place, with a lot of different communities, Al Nabouda says. So it is natural that we share culture, not only with our fellow Emiratis and the countries around the Gulf but with all people from across the world. The U.A.E. has a special relationship with the U.K.one that dates back to the late 19th century, reinforced by the discovery of oil in the emirates and a partnership with British Petroleum, and that carries on to today. Sharjah was the location of the first regional hub for British Airways when it started flying to the region in the 1930s, Al Nabouda says. At the LBF, visitors will be treated to a stand organized by the Sharjah Institute of Heritage, which will feature traditional clothing and crafts, a display of maps showing the evolution of the U.A.E., and samples of its cuisine, including tea and dates. Numerous other activities, such as musical performances and author readings, will take place at the LBF and throughout London. Twelve Emirati authors are attending the fair. These include spoken-word poet Afra Atiq, who will be honored as author of the day on Wednesday, March 11; poets Khulood Al Mualla and Khalid Albudoor; short story writer Mohammad Al-Murr; novelist Salha Obaid; fantasy writer Dubai Abulhoul; and essayist and diplomat Omar Saif Ghobash. In addition, 60 books by Emirati authors have been translated exclusively for the fair. It is our hope that the authors and the books we bring to the fair will help spur interest in the Emirates and will foster more buying and selling of rights, Al Nabouda says. As noted, the London Book Fair is just the kickoff for a big year that will see the emirate featured at fairs across the world. But for Al Nabouda and others from Sharjah, the highlight is the Sharjah International Book Fair, which takes place in November and has risen to the top tier of international events. When people come to Sharjah, they are amazed at what they find, Al Nabouda says. There is the book fair, yes, but also Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, the Emirates Publishers Association, our ongoing translation-grant program, and so much more. All of these initiatives seek to empower and support reading in the countryand now, as you can see in London, all around the world. Back to the main feature. The coronavirus has caused the first drug shortage in the US. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the shortage in a statement released Thursday night. The agency didn't identify the affected medicine. "A manufacturer has alerted us to a shortage of a human drug that was recently added to the drug shortages list," FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in the statement. "The manufacturer just notified us that this shortage is related to a site affected by coronavirus." There are alternatives to the drug that patients can use, Hahn added. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. People stand in line to buy protective masks at the Government Pharmaceutical Organization in Bangkok, Thailand, 07 February 2020. Getty Images The coronavirus outbreak has caused the first drug shortage in the US. The US Food and Drug Administration announced the shortage Thursday night, the health agency declined to identify the drug. "A manufacturer has alerted us to a shortage of a human drug that was recently added to the drug shortages list," Hahn said in the statement. "The manufacturer just notified us that this shortage is related to a site affected by coronavirus." The FDA has contacted more than 180 drug manufacturers since January 24, asking them to evaluate their supply chains related to China. China is a critic ial player in the global supply chain for drugs, as many ingredients in the medicines we take are manufactured there. As the virus has spread to infect tens of thousands throughout China, the country has taken aggressive measures to attempt to curb the spread. The drug shortage is caused by manufacturing problems with the active pharmaceutical ingredient, which is the central ingredient of drugs, the FDA stated. "It is important to note that there are other alternatives that can be used by patients," Hahn added. "We are working with the manufacturer as well as other manufacturers to mitigate the shortage. We will do everything possible to mitigate the shortage." The FDA has also identified about 20 other drugs whose ingredients are solely sourced from China The FDA stated Thursday none of the companies producing these drugs have reported shortages, and all of these medicines are considered "non-critical." Business Insider WHEN Ruby Walsh retired, Paul Townend was always going to be the main beneficiary. That has certainly been the case and he is well on his way to becoming champion jockey again. But there is plenty to go around at Willie Mullins and hasnt Danny Mullins done exceptionally well of late, grabbing every chance afforded him. As a rider, the 27-year-old is not everyones cup of tea and has his fair share of detractors. He is not what you would call a stylist, certainly not in the way one thinks of Walsh himself, Paul Carberry, Davy Russell or Richard Dunwoody. But that said I dont think too many would accuse the likes of Tony McCoy or Peter Scudamore of being in that stylish mode either and they managed to do rather well. Mullins is no overnight success, having once been regarded as a teenage sensation. As a sixteen-year-old, he rode his first winner aboard My Girl Sophie at Leopardstown on May 21, 2008. My Girl Sophie was trained by Jim Bolger and beat a horse called Be Smart, partnered by none other than Michael Kinane. The youngster was well and truly up and running on the racecourse, having been a star of the pony racing circuit with 126 winners. The word sensation was first used to describe Mullins later in 2008, when he rode a treble on the flat at the Galway festival. It came on the Friday night, with Mullins taking the featured Guinness Handicap on the Paul Cashman-trained 20-1 shot, Glitter Baby. He won a maiden for his uncle, Tom Mullins, on Cristal Island and a handicap on the Mick Quinlan-trained Metal Madness. His display on Metal Madness particularly impressed Quinlan, who had brought the horse across from Newmarket. Said Quinlan: I havent seen a kid like him for years. Mullins soon began to develop physically, and after about two years had to abandon the flat full time, and concentrate on jump racing. It is fair to say he never quite fulfilled his early promise and there have been times when hes struggled along the way. He did, of course, have a period as first jockey to owner, Barry Connell. They combined for a share of success, but it was a horse of Connells which marked one of the real dark days for Mullins. That was Our Conor, a 1m purchase by Connell. He was a well fancied 5-1 shot, with Mullins in the plate, for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2014, but took a crashing fall at the third flight. Our Conor broke his back and had to be put down. Mullins lasted less than two years with Connell, but has long been supported by his uncle, Willie Mullins, and even more heavily so since Walsh departed the scene. A hint of nepotism, obviously, but Mullins senior has always been of a mind to keep things in-house and, in any case, his nephew has more than repaid the faith placed in him. Danny has enjoyed a terrific start to 2020 and, by my reckoning, has already ridden ten winners this year, nine of them for Willie. He has produced some dynamic displays, especially on Willies Total Recall in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park last month. One of six runners in the contest for the trainer, Total Recall had become less than reliable, but was given a powerful drive to score decisively. There have been several other good days, Cash Back for instance in a novice chase at Naas in early January. Townend rode the other Mullins horse, the 7-4 favourite, Tornado Flyer, but he ran badly, as Cash Back (7-2) made all to win by 12 lengths. More recently Danny has repeatedly ended up on the right one, when Willie has had more than one runner in a race. It happened on Asterion Forlonge in a Grade 1 hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival on February 2. Again, Townend was on the apparent first string, Mt Leinster, but it was Asterion Forlonge who ran the opposition ragged. Danny gave Elfile a superb drive on February 19 to land a Grade 3 hurdle at Punchestown, with stable companion, Laurina, back in third. He was on the mark again the following day at Thurles when sweeping home on Willies second string, Five OClock, in a Grade 3 hurdle. And the icing on the cake came at Fairyhouse last Saturday when he booted home a spectacular double for Willie, Burning Victory and the enigmatic Acapella Bourgeois. Willie ran four in a Grade 3 juvenile hurdle and Danny was on the right one, somehow coaxing Burning Victory home in front, after the filly had jumped just a single hurdle properly. Danny then got Acapella Bourgeois into the most perfect rhythm to beat stable companion Bellshill, by 15 lengths, in the Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase. He is living proof that sustained hard work and some help from a gifted uncle can take you a long way. Danny Mullins is hot right now and, quite simply, impossible to ignore. THE Henry de Bromhead-trained Jason The Militant was some shock 25-1 winner of a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Naas last Sunday. On all known form it was very difficult to make any sort of case for him, even accepting he was perfectly suited by testing conditions. It will be interesting to see how the contest works out. The race confirmed that the highly-regarded, eventual third, Andy Dufresne has a bit of a soft centre. That possibility reared its head at Navan two runs earlier when he was outbattled by Latest Exhibition. The argument can be made that at Naas he was conceding the first two 6lbs, which is fair enough, but arrived with every chance in the straight and found precious little. The decision to bypass Cheltenham, made prior to Sunday, is clearly the right way to go and, maybe, as his trainer, Gordon Elliott, seems to believe, he will only come into his own as a chaser. The eye-catcher, however, was the Noel Meade-trained Beacon Edge, who was beaten a nose into second and would surely have scored, but for a sloppy leap at the last. He was returning from an absence of 130 days, not having been seen since taking a maiden hurdle by ten lengths at Punchestown in the middle of October. Indeed, Beacon Edge wasnt a guaranteed winner then, because The Very Man, who has failed to deliver in three subsequent outings, was challenging strongly when falling at the final flight. Naas shaped as a major improvement on the part of Beacon Edge! EMERGENCY services attended a scene in which a tree fell on the roof of a house amid Storm Jorge's severe winds this Saturday. The incident occurred as the Spanish storm arrived in the country shortly before 1pm in Bilboa, near Cappamore, when a tree fell on the roof of the building. It is understood that there was damage caused, however, there were no injuries reported. Were you affected by Storm Jorge? Contact us at news@limerickleader.ie. Limerick Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the incident at 12.44pm, and dispatched one unit from Cappamore to the scene. Emergency services were at the scene for less than an hour. This was one of a number of tree-related incidents in Limerick and Clare, as Storm Jorge battered the west coast and through the midlands this Saturday afternoon. A number of roads were blocked throughout the day due to fallen trees and wires. As of yet, there have been no Storm Jorge-related injuries in Limerick. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) has purchased the Fire Weaver fire control network software for use by its warplanes, artillery and armored vehicles. In 2020 at least one of the four armored brigades will adopt the system. After the armor brigades have it, the six infantry brigades will. Some of the 22 reserve brigades (nine of them armored) may get the system as well. Put simply, Fire Weaver takes data from existing sensors on tanks and other armored vehicles as well as artillery and warplanes and rapidly (within five seconds) lets vehicles, warplanes and artillery know which available target each combat system should fire at. This eliminates a common battlefield situation where too many weapons fire on some targets while other targets are not initially fired on at all. Currently, tank crews and artillery spotters (troops who call back to tell artillery which targets to hit) have manual procedures for picking which targets they should fire at. That often works quite well, especially during a situation where a tank unit encountering the enemy has an opportunity to fire first. Fire Weaver automates these decisions and makes more effective choices more quickly. The troops and pilots can override the Fire Weaver selected target but tests have shown that Fire Weaver is usually quite effective in selecting the best targets for each tank, artillery unit or aircraft. Fire Weaver is easy to implement in the IDF because the Israelis have already been providing their troops with better sensors and battlefield networks. For example, in mid-2019 three Israeli firms, responding to an IDF proposal, showed off their versions of the proposed Carmel Concept for future armored vehicles. Three different armored vehicles; the Merkava 4 tank, Namer IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) and the Eitan 8x8 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) had proposed versions of Carmel installed. Carmel involves several existing technologies plus proposed new ones that would turn an armored vehicle into a combat system that would operate with, a crew of two or a robotic vehicle operated remotely (like a UAV) or autonomously to benefit from more information about where friendly and suspected enemy forces were. This information would often be delivered in real-time. This sort of thing provides a tremendous advantage in combat. The best example of similar (to Carmel) existing tech is used in the F-35 where numerous sensor and communications systems are controlled by software that uses data fusion (merging data from many sources and presenting it to the pilot in a comprehensible fashion) to provide the F-35 pilot with unprecedented situational awareness. That means an accurate picture of where the pilot and everything else in the vicinity is. It had long been known that superior situational awareness was the key to victory in combat be it in the air, at sea or on land. Carmel proposes that manufacturers find ways to effectively combine existing tech with improved software. This would include more AI (Artificial Intelligence) to analyze sensor and situational data at high speed and either act autonomously (as ADS, or Active Defense Systems, do) or present options to the vehicle operators. Russia has already attempted a version of Carmel with its Armata vehicle system. Russia built the T-14 tank and T-15 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) to demonstrate how their system works. Russia does not have the F-35 degree of data fusion software or even the existing sensor capabilities Israel has. Russia cannot afford to buy many Armata vehicles so their Armata remains more a demonstrator than a vehicle in service. The IDF wants as much of the Carmel System implemented as soon as possible in existing and new armored vehicles. Carmel is a further development of existing technologies. For example in mid-2017 an Israeli firm announced it was marketing a ground vehicle version of the VR (virtual reality) capabilities already incorporated into some Israeli developed helmet displays used by combat pilots. The ground vehicle VR system is called Iron Vision and it is considered essential for next-generation tanks (like the Merkava 4) which will largely dispense with the traditional dependence on the tank commander spending a lot of time with his head sticking out of the turret to get a better view of the situation, and have smaller crews of crews only two or three. The VR helmet display would not just show video of what is outside but also an overlay of other information or even a map. Israel pioneered the development and use of these helmets and the F-35 was designed to use such a helmet. One drawback of adopting VR helmet displays on a wide scale, like for armored vehicle crews, is the need to deal with the motion sickness problems some users encounter when first (or always) using the system. This is an old problem that was first encountered decades ago when modern flight simulators entered widespread use for combat pilots. Back then it was called simulator sickness. It is related to seasickness, which has been the bane of seafarers for thousands of years and was later found applicable to about a quarter of aircraft passengers. This motion sickness affected fewer pilots using modern (since the 1970s) flight simulators because one thing prospective military pilots must demonstrate is resistance to motion sickness. Simulator sickness was different and many pilots resistant to motion sickness suffered from simulator sickness. It was found that, like the ancient seasickness, over time most people got used to it. This is what the ancients called getting your sea legs. But even screened and trained military aircrew sometimes (fewer than five percent) could not adjust to simulator sickness. Because simulator sickness tended to show up after you left the simulator (and your body failed to immediately adapt) the military found that this was a manageable problem. Commercial VR (virtual reality) developers have a more serious problem as more of their potential users (women in general and kids before puberty) are susceptible and, unlike adults on the job, you cant compel consumers to do certain things that take time and effort to deal with the problem. Some will try the cure but the reality is that VR products currently have a bad reputation. That motivates commercial firms to find a solution and when they do, the military will have fewer problems with this and it may help air or ship passengers. The IDF considered all their current options here and for the moment have an alternative, which is simply showing the VR information on flat-screen displays already common inside tanks. Tank crews, however, being mostly young men familiar with video games are more eager to go with the glass armor VR. And that is what Carmel uses, in addition to flat screens. The simulator sickness problem for tank crews is quite recent. The Israeli firm (Elbit) that pioneered the use of helmet-mounted display systems for jet fighter pilots had by 2016 had developed versions for helicopter pilots and crews of armored vehicles. The helicopter version (BrightNite) uses a multidirectional FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Radar) to see clearly at night and display that data on special helmet visors used by pilots. In effect, while flying at night or in bad weather the BrightNite provides a form of virtual reality (VR) that enables the pilot to look in any direction and see what is out there in great detail and in real-time. The visor display still provides pilot selectable aircraft data (speed, direction, overlays of mission data and so on). BrightNite also allows the pilot to look down and, in effect, see through the cockpit floor at the terrain below. This was the inspiration for the glass armor VR in armored vehicles. The IronVision helmets simply display videos so armored vehicle crews see what the day/night vidcams and other sensors mounted on all sides of the vehicle see. In effect, the crew can see through the armor at what is going on outside the vehicle. The IronVision HMS (Helmet Mounted System) is a major breakthrough because vehicle crews in combat are often forced to operate buttoned-up (no one with their head outside the vehicle to see what was going on) because of intense enemy fire. Armored vehicles have been moving towards something like IronVision since the 1990s as more and more vidcams were mounted on the outside of the vehicle and more of them were designed to resist or adapt to combat damage. But the video had to be viewed on flat-screen displays and crew had to click from one camera to another to see in different directions. By now most modern tanks (and many other armored vehicles) have enough cameras to see 360 degrees (all around) the vehicle as well as up. But IronVision eliminates the need to look at a flat-screen and fiddle with camera controls. The crew simply turn on the HMS and see whatever they want by turning their heads. This is particularly critical in urban combat, where enemy troops, especially those armed with anti-vehicle rockets, can be anywhere, including the upper floors of buildings. The tech for IronVision was developed from a concept that goes back to the 1950s when work on smart helmets developed for fighter pilots first began. At first, this was all about creating a HUD (Heads-Up Display), which at first was a system that projected data on a small transparent screen in front of the pilot. These first appeared in the late 1950s and were common in jet fighters by the late 1960s. The first helmet-mounted displays appeared in South Africa in the 1970s. In the 1980s Israeli companies took the lead in developing this technology, and made many technical breakthroughs that led to DASH (Display and Sight Helmet) system in the 1980s. Elbit teamed up with American firms to develop and market JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems), which is largely an improved DASH system and entered service in 2002. Since then the technology has been developed rapidly to produce a combined VR and HUD. The first visor displays soon evolved into the equivalent of a see-through computer monitor or HUD on the helmet visor. By 2000 this evolved to versions that enabled the pilot to can turn his head towards a target, get an enemy aircraft into the crosshairs displayed on the visor, and fire a missile that will promptly go after a target the pilot was looking at. There is an additional advantage in letting the pilot look around more often without having to look down at cockpit displays, or straight ahead at a HUD mounted in front of the pilot just inside the canopy. The helmet-mounted HUD gave an experienced pilot an extra edge in finding enemy aircraft or targets, and maneuvering to get into a better position for attacks. These pilot helmets were also useful for air-to-ground attacks, which the latest VR versions like BrightNite and IronVision are also designed to do. While Fire Weaver and Carmel might sound like a daring leaps into future tech, they are not. These are the next steps in organizing existing tech into something more useful and effective on the battlefield. At its core, Carmel seeks the best design of an armored vehicle cockpit where two operators sitting side by side have much improved situational awareness and, depending on the type of vehicle, a different array of automated weapons at their command. For a tank, this would be the main gun, an RWS (Remote Weapons Station) atop the turret with a machine-gun in addition to ADS. An IFV would have an autocannon, RWS, ATGMs (Anti-tank guided missiles) and ADS while the APC would lack the small turret with the autocannon. The IFV and APC would also carry infantry in the back, who would dismount with a better idea of the situation outside. There is also a smaller version of Iron Vision for infantry that consists of an eyepiece displaying situational awareness data. The eyepiece has been tested and it would flip up and turned off as needed. Infantry, more than anyone on the battlefield, depend on situational awareness to survive and win. In 2019 the IDF started using several versions of the Carmel implementation in some older armored vehicles, new vehicles, for testing. This may later involve testing of crewless (remotely controlled/autonomous) vehicles as well. The Carmel concept already envisions a third crew member sitting behind the two-vehicle operators to control nearby crewless vehicles. With the addition of Fire Weaver armor crews and their air support can find targets more quickly and eliminate the threat. An NCP minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra announced that a law will be enacted to give five percent quota to Muslims in education, but a senior Shiv Sena minister said later that no such decision had been taken Mumbai: An NCP minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra announced on Friday that a law will be enacted to give five per cent quota to Muslims in education, but a senior Shiv Sena minister said later that no such decision had been taken. Replying to a question by Congress Sharad Ranpise in the Legislative Council, Minority Affairs Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik said the government will ensure that a law giving five percent quota to Muslims in education is passed soon. He also assured that appropriate action would be taken before the next academic year starts. But soon thereafter, Urban Development Minister and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde said no decision had been taken on this issue yet. Leaders of the MVA will together take a call on policy decisions about giving reservation to any community. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take appropriate decisions at the appropriate time. No decision has been taken yet, he told reporters. Malik, however, reiterated outside the legislature what he had announced inside. The (Bombay) High Court had approved (for Muslims) five per cent reservation in government education (institutes), he told reporters. We will come out with an Act to ensure five per cent reservation in government education. The government will definitely take a decision on giving reservation (to Muslims), the NCP leader said. The then Congress-NCP government in the state had issued an ordinance giving five per cent quota to Muslims in 2014 along with 16 percent quota for the Maratha community. The BJP-Shiv Sena government which followed enacted a law for Maratha reservation but dropped the Muslim quota. The Mallow Field Club has been working on a plan to honour the work and legacy of a locally-born artist who went on to become one of the most important North American painters of the 19th century. Born in Mallow on September 3, 1810, Paul Kane was the fifth of eight children born to Michael Kane and Frances Loach. When Paul was nine the family emigrated to Canada, settling in the city of York (modern day Toronto) on the shores of Lake Ontario. His early working life was spent painting furniture and portraits before he decided to travel to Europe to gain an education in European art. After spending four years travelling between London, Paris, Rome, Florence and Venice, Kane returned to Canada and embarked on a career as a professional artist. On his return he met American painter George Catlin, who had already earned a reputation for recording the everyday lives of native American peoples in great detail. Inspired by Catlin's work, Kane gained sponsorship from the Hudson's Bay Company and in 1845 began travelling extensively across the American north west, the great plains and the Pacific coast. Over the following three years Kane sketched and documented what he saw, using his drawings as the basis for his later canvass paintings. He witnessed one of the last great buffalo hunts on the plains and captured the lives of ordinary people that were then under great threat from European immigrants. Kane was very aware that he may be among the last to witness the old ways before they were gone forever in a pristine landscape that was also under threat. During the expedition he produced more than 700 sketches as well as written journals and more than 100 oil on canvas paintings most of which were bought by the Canadian government and are on display in the National Gallery providing an invaluable record of life in the Pacific North West before large-scale European settlement. In 1853 he married painter and writer Harriet Clench and the couple had four children. Paul Kane died in 1871 and is buried at St James' Cemetery, Toronto. In 1937 Kane was declared a National Historic person in Canada and on the centenary of his death was honoured by Canada Post with a stamp based on one of his paintings. In 1978 the City of Toronto purchased the Kane house which was later designated a heritage structure. The chairman of Mallow Field Club, Kevin Myers, said they hoped to purchase reproductions of some of Kane's paintings in order to exhibit them in Mallow. Mr Myers said the Club had submitted a proposal to Cork County Council for an exhibition of Kane's work at Mallow Castle. The issue was raised again at a recent council meeting by Cllr Liam Madden, drawing a positive response from municipal district officer Liz Donovan who said the authority would assist the club with a view to holding an exhibition in the local library and other venues. "We believed such an exhibition would be of great interest to visitors to Mallow from North America by telling Paul Kane's story through the reproductions and other material," said Mr Myers. In the meantime he has appealed for help in trying to trace the exact building in Mallow where Paul Kane was born and raised. The Family Zone will include four miniature versions of the theme park's most iconic attractions ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the World's Leading Theme Park, welcomed guests today to experience its all-new Family Zone for the first time. Complete with four state-of-the-art attractions designed exclusively for younger guests, the new area is a must-visit for families and friends of all ages. The new zone promises to deliver unrivalled thrills that mirror the adult guest experience at the iconic red-roofed theme park. The launch of the Family Zone is one of the many special surprises lined up throughout 2020, as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi gears up to celebrate its 10th anniversary this November. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8698251-ferrari-world-abu-dhabi-family-zone-open/. Commenting on the launch of the new Family Zone, Bianca Sammut, General Manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, said, "It fills us with great pride and joy to officially open the Family Zone at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi - with four game-changing miniature attractions inspired by our fan-favorite rides. We can finally show our younger guests what it's like to be a 'big kid' at our legendary theme park! The addition of these attractions is a key milestone in our 10-year journey and a testament of our dedication to continuously elevate the guest experience at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi." The Family Zone encompasses four all-new attractions; the Formula Rossa Junior, Speedway Race, Flying Wings and the Turbo Tower, all designed for younger guests seeking action-packed adventures. A spectacular adventure awaits guests aboard Formula Rossa Junior, where guests will experience the intensity, thrill and speed of the Formula Rossa in its miniature version. Younger guests are in for a ride of a lifetime as they hop on board the adrenaline-packed ride and feel the Ferrari spirit at a speed of 45 km/h on this miniature version of the world's fastest roller coaster. Meanwhile, Speedway Race, a colorful two-seater race car, will take guests on a journey unlike any other. With this smaller-scaled version of the Junior GP, guests of all ages can feel the need for speed. Speedway Race is truly a one-of-a-kind visual experience for the entire family to discover. For the young guests who love to dream big, Flying Wings is a must. On this spectacular ride, aspiring pilots are invited to navigate their flights as they soar through the theme park for the ultimate airborne experience. Younger guests will be able to take on their sail, control the movement of the glider all on their own and brace themselves for a thrilling new adventure on this mini version of the iconic Flying Aces. For those who want to look beyond the horizons, Turbo Tower promises a spectacular aerial view of the theme park for families and friends to discover. A junior version of the Turbo Track, this thrilling attraction launches aspiring Ferrari drivers up into the air and back down for the ultimate zero-gravity fall. After working up an appetite at the Family Zone, little ones are in for a treat with Mamma Rossella's brand-new kids' menu. Full of bite-sized treats bursting with flavor, the park's signature Italian eatery's new menu is sure to satisfy even the pickiest eaters, with mouthwatering morsels including miniature wood-fired pizzas, mac and cheese croquettes, fish and chips and a traditional spaghetti Bolognese. For more information, please visit: www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096421/Ferrari_World_Turbo_Tower.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096420/Ferrari_World_10_Years_Logo.jpg The Supreme Court will decide on Monday whether or not the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, that granted special privileges to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, should be heard by a larger bench of not less than seven judges. A five-judge Constitution bench, presided by Justice N V Ramana and comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant, reserved its order on reference of the case to a larger bench on January 23. On August 2, 2019, the central government scrapped the provision of Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir now stands bifurcated into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. At least 23 petitions were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the central governments decision. Senior counsel Dinesh Dwivedi, who was appearing for an intervenor in the case, had pointed out that two earlier SC judgments, Prem Nath Kaul (1959) and Sampat Prakash (1968), are at loggerheads with regard to the scope and intent of article 370. Since both these judgments were delivered by benches of five judges, Dwivedi had asked the court to refer the issue to a bench of seven or more judges. In Sampat Prakash judgement, the Supreme Court held that Article 370 will cease to be operative only if the President issues a direction to that effect on a recommendation made by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. In Prem Nath Kaul verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that plenary powers of the ruler of Kashmir were not limited by Article 370. The temporary provisions of Article 370, the court ruled, were based on the assumption that the ultimate relationship between India and Jammu & Kashmir would be finally determined by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. The central government and the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir opposed the reference and submitted that there was no conflict between the two judgments. The Centre has argued that the sovereignty of J&K enabled by Article 370 was temporary. Besides challenge to the abrogation of Article 370, a slew of petitions were also filed in Supreme Court challenging the restrictions in the Kashmir valley which the petitioners had argued were in violation of their fundamental right to speech and expression and the right to move freely under Article 19 of the Constitution. Those petitions were heard separately by three-judge bench of the Supreme Court which on January 10 held that restrictive orders suspending internet, telecommunication and movement should be published by the government indicating the specific reasons for imposing the restrictions and it should be proportional to the concerns necessitating such suspension. A communications blackout and a lockdown were imposed in the region on August 5, 2019, when hundreds of politicians and activists were detained to prevent protests against the move and Jammu & Kashmirs division into two Union Territories. Most of the restrictions have since been eased even as access to the Internet remains restricted and three former chief ministers are among top politicians under continued detention. Expressing his affection for Hanoi, Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov recalled that the capital cities of Hanoi and Astana of Kazakhstan, now renamed Nursultan, signed a memorandum of cooperation in 2012. Citing that the two cities have very fast growth rates in many areas, the Ambassador said this is one of the favourable conditions for the two sides to further strengthen their cooperation on the basis of the signed agreement. Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov also expressed his hope that Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and the delegation of Hanoi would visit Nursultan soon to witness the changes of this city first-hand. For his part, Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung agreed that the two capital cities are big centres for politics, culture, education and transport. The practical and effective development of the relationship between Hanoi and Nursultan will contribute to consolidating the time-honoured relationship between Vietnam and Kazakhstan, he added. The Hanoi leader also proposed some contents to concretise the bilateral cooperation, including periodic high-level delegation exchange; strengthening people-to-people exchange, especially exchanges between socio-political organisations, scientists and young people; exchanging and learning experiences in education, culture, management and urban planning, especially in building smart cities; supporting and creating conditions for Vietnamese students to study in in Kazakhstan and vice versa. The two sides also have potential in tourism, trade, and agricultural product trade, Chairman Chung said, adding that Hanoi will propose and discuss with the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and related agencies of Kazakhstan about the possibility of opening a direct flight between the two countries. On this occasion, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung wished Ambassador Yerlan Baizhanov a successful term in the country and hoped that he will act as a bridge to bring the relations between Vietnam and Kazakhstan in general and between the two capital cities in particular to new heights. President Donald Trump says 22 people in the U.S. have been stricken by the new coronavirus and additional cases in the United States are likely, but that there is no reason for panic. Trump provided an update on the virus after the first reported U.S. death Saturday, of a woman he described as being in her late 50s and having a high medical risk. He says healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract the new virus. As the president spoke from the White House Briefing Room, Washington state health officials said a man in Washington state had died. State officials issued a terse news release announcing the death, gave no details and scheduled a news conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, but gave no other details. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, Inslee said, indicating the patient who had died was a male. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus." The discrepancy on the patient's identity from White House officials and Washington state health officials has not been explained. State and King County health officials said new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died. They did not say how many new cases there are. The virus threat has spooked global markets and the public at large, but Trump is cautioning that theres no reason to panic at all. Vice President Mike Pence announced that travel restrictions and guidance will be implemented for several countries impacted by the coronavirus. The U.S. is banning travel from Iran in response to the outbreak and elevating travel warnings to regions of Italy and South Korea. We want to lower the amount of travel to and from the most impacted areas, said Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human Services. This is a basic containment strategy. This is a developing story. Toxic chemical releases from Arizonas industries rose 70% in 2018 from 2017, a new EPA report shows. But the company whose Pinto Valley Mine in Miami is reported to have by far the largest share of the increase says it gave the Environmental Protection Agency inaccurate totals of its releases. When it corrects them, the 2018 release total should be in line with the figures it gave EPA for 2017, said Colleen Roche, a spokeswoman for Capstone Mining Corp. If it turns out Pinto Valley had no increase in 2018, that would by itself override all other Arizona companies reported increases, leaving the 2018 statewide total a little below that of 2017. The company has yet to provide corrected totals, nearly three weeks after informing the Star that its initial report to EPA was erroneous. Pinto Valley is focused on making sure that the data we amend the report with is accurate before releasing it, Roche said. At the same time, all but two of the other top 10 largest releasers after Pinto Valley showed higher totals for 2018 than for 2017. Fire broke out in an oil warehouse in Chennai on Saturday and initially 12 fire tenders reached the spot and were dousing the fire. Here are the latest updates from Chennai warehouse fire: Damage to goods worth 100 crore The fire spread quickly across the facility, damaging raw materials worth about 100 crore, a top Fire and Rescue Services official said. The blaze, amid clouds of thick black smoke, spread rapidly since the chemical was highly combustible and the cause of the fire was being probed, DGP, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, C Sylendra Babu said No Casualties No casualties have been reported so far Over 500 firemen, 26 fire tenders deployed Over 500 firemen, 26 fire tenders have been deployed to douse a massive fire that broke out at an oil warehouse in Madhavaram on Saturday. "Over 500 firemen, 26 fire tenders and 6 foam tenders on the job. To a large extent, the fire has been put out. It is a godown of a chemical-based material used for medical purpose, so the possibility of poisonous gas ruled out," Sylendra Babu, Additional Director, Fire and Rescue Service, told ANI. Property damage in the fire is yet to be examined Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. VANCOUVERThe B.C. government has confirmed a new presumptive positive case of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the eighth case in the province is a woman in her 60s from Tehran, Iran, who travelled to B.C. to visit family and developed symptoms a few days after arriving. Henry says the woman has a relatively mild case of the virus and she is in self-isolation at home, along with a small number of close contacts. She says the public health investigation is ongoing, but the woman was aware of the virus spreading in Iran and she travelled to a clinic while wearing a mask. Henry added that the first four people who tested positive for the virus in B.C. have recovered and are doing well, while the other three people who tested positive are in stable condition and remain in isolation at home. She says many of those peoples close contacts have finished their two-week quarantine period and there have been no new cases from within that group. Health Minister Adrian Dix noted that more than a thousand people in B.C. have been tested for the virus, which is higher than other jurisdictions, including the entire United States. Read more about: T he Government has insisted that the NHS "has what it needs" to manage the coronavirus outbreak as health officials continue to hunt for the source of the UK-infected case. Health Minister Edward Argar said the health service has "long standing plans" to deal with an increase in hospital admissions and that there is "no reason to think that we shouldnt be able to continue containing it". His comments came as health officials were trying to find out how a man, who lives in Surrey, was diagnosed with the virus - the 20th British person to test positive, but the first to contract it in the UK. Public Health England is tracing anyone who has been in contact with the patient. England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was not clear whether the patient had contracted it "directly or indirectly" from someone who had recently returned from abroad. Coronavirus has wiped more than 200 billion off shares on the FTSE 100 this week / AP The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the original source of the virus was unclear, adding that there was no immediately identifiable link to overseas travel. Mr Argar told BBC Radio 4's Today: Were still in the containment phase of this disease. We have been pretty good at containing it thus far. "And the chief medical officer has been very clear that there is no reason to think that we shouldnt be able to continue containing it, so thats what our focus is on. A sign at Haslemere Health Centre in Surrey / PA Mr Argar refused to comment on reports that the Surrey man had also passed it on to their doctor. Haslemere Health Centre in the county was closed on Friday, with a statement on its website saying: The surgery is temporarily closed today to enable a clean of the surgery as a routine precautionary measure. The practice will reopen on Saturday and patients will be advised if their appointment needs to be rearranged. Im aware of the report, but Im going on the basis of what Ive been told, he told the BBC. I havent had any details of that and I think it would be wrong to comment on speculation in the press without that detailed advice from the chief medical officer." British man from Diamond Princess cruise liner dies from coronavirus He added: It is a new development but the chief medical officer has also said we are still doing the contact tracing around that and we are still looking into the details of that case, so it is probably a bit premature to say more than that at the moment. Talking to Sky, Mr Argar that he was "confident the NHS has what it needs to manage" the Covid-19 outbreak and the NHS "has long standing plans to handle and to cope with any increase in hospital admissions". Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, said on Twitter he was thinking of clinicians, staff and patients at the surgery during this worrying time. People wearing face masks in Trafalgar Square in London / PA He added: Thoughts today with new Covid19 patient and local GP with symptoms alongside their families. Meanwhile, a British man, reported to be in his 70s and said to have lived abroad, was confirmed as the first UK citizen to die from coronavirus . The man, who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship which has been quarantined off Japans coast amid the outbreak, was the sixth person from the vessel to have died. David Abel and his wife Sally were both on board the ship, where more than 700 tourists became infected, and are now undergoing treatment for the virus in hospital. Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures 1 /61 Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures A man wearing a protective mask travels on the underground tube Reuters A woman wearing a protective face mask Jeremy Selwyn A man and woman wearing protective face masks on a bus PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A woman shopper wears a protective mask as she walks down an aisle in a supermarket in London AFP via Getty Images A man wearing a face mask waits to board an underground train on the Central Line at Bank station in London AP A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A woman wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street in London PA A woman wearing a mask walks by the Emirates Stadium Action Images via Reuters A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at Waterloo station Reuters A woman wears a surgical mask as she walks through Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport Reuters A fan in the stands wears a mask during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridg PA A man wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street PA Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A person wears a mask in a display of street style outside the BFC Show Space show in London PA Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A commuter on the tube wearing a face mask Jeremy Selwyn A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridge Getty Images People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A man wearing a face mask walks past an entrance sign for Bank underground train station AP The coronavirus outbreak will unlikely lead to a Tube ban PA People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground. PA People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA A man wears a mask as he takes a photograph in China Town AP A man in a hazmat suit and face mask cleans the Ritchie Street Health Centre, Islington PA A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A man arrives at Euston Underground wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Staff in suits at St Thomas's Hospital today Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A man wears a face mask as he stands near an electronic arrivals board at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a protective face mask is seen on London Bridg Reuters Mr Abel said in a YouTube video: Sad news this morning, wasnt it? We awakened to that, to hear that one of the Brits has sadly passed away in hospital out here in Japan. Our thoughts, our concern is for all of the families left behind. We are fortunate, were doing OK, were being really, really well cared for. The developments came as the Government prepares to bring in new emergency powers to help stop the spread of Covid-19, which will aim to give schools, councils and other parts of the public sector powers to suspend laws including health and safety measures to cope with a pandemic. Teachers and nursery workers will be allowed to have larger classes to cope with staff absences under the laws, which are due to be introduced next week. Boris Johnson: Coronavirus is 'top priority' Elsewhere, the UKs leading index of companies saw its sharpest weekly fall since the middle of the financial crisis as markets lost 3.2 per cent on Friday. The bloodbath that has gripped markets for days continued, wiping more than 200 billion off shares on the FTSE 100 this week, as traders panicked over the spread of coronavirus. It includes a major drop on Friday , with the index losing 215.79 points to 6,580.61 as the blue chip index posted its worst week since October 2008, the depths of the financial crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the coronavirus was now the Governments top priority as critics accused him of failing to take a lead on the UK response. He is set to hold a Cobra meeting on the issue on Monday. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Mr Johnson said: On the issue of coronavirus, which obviously is a great concern to people, I just want to reassure everybody and say that the NHS is making every possible preparation. Coronavirus: Costa Adeje Hotel lockdown in Tenerife 1 /32 Coronavirus: Costa Adeje Hotel lockdown in Tenerife A police officer stands by a barrier in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel where the number of coronavirus cases has doubled AP People stand on their balconies of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel AP General view of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje Reuters Tourists sunbath at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta AFP via Getty Images Police officers stand outside of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife Reuters Spanish police officers stand outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain AP Emergency workers rest at a health control outside H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife REUTERS PA AP A woman looks from a terrace of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Reuters General view taken on February 25, 2020 of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta, where hundreds of people were confined to their rooms after an Italian tourist was hospitalised with a suspected case of coronavirus. - Tourists staying in a four-star hotel on the Spanish island of Tenerife AFP via Getty Images H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google A police officer controls the road to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island AP via Reuters An employee wears a protective mask as he talks with guests inside a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adej via Reuters Tourists stand on the balcony of their rooms at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta AFP via Getty Images H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain Google AFP via Getty Images A Spanish police officer sets a barrier blocking the access to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain AP A Spanish National Police car is parked outside a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adeje, in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife via Reuters Spanish police officers patrol outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island AP Employees wearing protective masks arrange water bottles in the lobby of a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adeje, in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife via Reuters H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google StreetView As you can imagine, the issue of coronavirus is something that is now the Governments top priority. Health Minister Helen Whately said it was likely more people in the UK would contract coronavirus and that plans were in place should it become a pandemic. The Conservative MP told BBC Newsnight: I cant reiterate enough that we are well prepared but we do have to recognise that it is likely we will see more cases in the UK. We have plans in place and have carried out exercises so in the event of something like a flu pandemic, we are ready. Globally, the list of countries touched by the illness has climbed to nearly 60 as Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Iceland and the Netherlands reported their first cases. More than 84,000 people worldwide have contracted the illness, with deaths topping 2,800. China, where the outbreak began in December, has seen a slowdown in new infections and on Saturday morning reported 427 new cases over the past 24 hours along with 47 additional deaths. The city at the epicentre of the outbreak, Wuhan, accounted for the bulk of both. Canada has reportedly confirmed a total of 15 cases of the novel Coronavirus as of February 29, including a presumptive case in Quebec City. So far, seven cases each have reportedly been confirmed in Ontario and British Columbia and one suspected case in Quebec. The presumptively positive samples in Quebec have been dispatched to the National Microbiology Laboratory for further testing. If confirmed by the laboratory, this would be Canada's fifteenth confirmed case, as per reports. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has been closely monitoring the situation and has been assessing the public health risks associated with COVID-19 in Canada. Canadas chief public health officer has reportedly been in close contact with the provincial and territorial medical officers to ensure that any cases of COVID-19 occurring in Canada should be rapidly identified and managed in order to protect the health of Canadians, suggest reports. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Indian Embassy In Iran To Facilitate Return Of Citizens Read: Bill Gates Calls Coronavirus Outbreak 'once-in-a-century' Pathogen A woman in British Columbia who returned from Iran was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was the first case in Canada with no travel history to China. Meanwhile, in Ontario, the man quarantined at Sunnybrook Hospital who is Canada's first case of the virus was cleared previously after testing negative for the illness twice in 24 hours, said National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, according to media reports. Most cases linked to Iran Most cases in Canada detected with the strain of Coronavirus have been linked to Iran. The officials in British Columbia declared that the woman from London, Ontario who had earlier tested positive to the virus had the strain disappear from her system making her the first case ever in Canada cured of the malignant disease. Canada had reportedly suspended all flights operational with China earlier. Air Canada recently announced that it was extending its suspension of flights between Canada and the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai until April 10 due to the outbreak of the virus. Read: Corona Beer Says Sales Not Hit Amid Confusion With Coronavirus Read: Georgia Governor Creates Coronavirus Task Force (with inputs from agencies) Millions of savers could be forced to wait another two years to dip into their pensions under controversial plans drawn up by the Treasury. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has come under pressure ahead of next months Budget to raise the minimum pension age from 55 to 57 amid fears many households have been cashing in their retirement funds too quickly. Sweeping pension reforms were introduced in April 2015, allowing savers more freedom over what to do with their own money. With Chancellor Rishi Sunak due to deliver his first Budget on March 11, the biggest pensions firms are lobbying the Government to introduce legislation as swiftly as possible But at same time George Osborne, then chancellor, made a little-noticed pledge to raise the threshold from 55 to 57 by 2028. This was designed to ensure there is a ten-year gap between the age at which savers can draw their private pension and the state pension age, which is set to rise to 66 for both men and women this October, and to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2039. The pledge, contained in a Treasury document in July 2014 and signed off by Mr Osborne, has been shelved by successive ministers. Sweeping pension reforms were introduced in April 2015, allowing savers more freedom over what to do with their own money. But at same time George Osborne, then chancellor, made a little-noticed pledge to raise the threshold from 55 to 57 by 2028 But the Treasury has told the Daily Mail it intends to press ahead with the reform. With Mr Sunak due to deliver his first Budget on March 11, the biggest pensions firms are lobbying the Government to introduce legislation as swiftly as possible. The Association of British Insurers warned earlier this week that more than 350,000 savers cashed in their entire pension pot last year, and claimed many are in danger of falling into poverty in retirement. But last night experts warned an increase in the pension age will come as nasty shock to many savers including carers and those in ill health, who had banked on accessing their savings at 55. Baroness Altmann, who was pensions minister when the reforms were introduced, said: The whole point of having a private pension is to allow people to retire if they need to. We need to maintain the principle of trusting people with their money and giving them freedom and choice. Carla Morris, financial planner at Brewin Dolphin, said: This will come as a surprise to many. If the new tax rules come into effect, people could have to get extra jobs or work longer than expected to replace the income they thought they would get at 55. It is important for everyone to be aware. Mr Osbornes 2015 overhaul gave savers more flexibility over what to do with their pension pots, including the ability to cash them in at the age of 55. It proved hugely popular, with savers withdrawing almost 33billion since they were introduced. Previously people could only draw a quarter of their funds as tax free cash at that age. Earlier this week the ABI warned that many were withdrawing their retirement funds at an unsustainable rate with one million cashing in their entire pot. Last night experts warned an increase in the pension age will come as nasty shock to many savers including carers and those in ill health, who had banked on accessing their savings at 55 [File photo] It said: The earlier that someone can access their pension, the greater the risk of exhausting their pot, especially as the state pension age is increasing. But industry experts have said the warnings are overblown. They have pointed out that most savers have several pensions, while official figures show 90 per cent of funds that are completely cashed in are smaller pots worth less than 30,000. HM Revenue & Customs figures show that the average withdrawal from a pension had fallen to 6,820 at the end of last year, down from 11,940 in 2015. A Treasury spokesman said: The announcement of the minimum pension age rise to age 57 in 2014 set out the timetable for this change, and we will announce next steps in due course. By Trend Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with PASHA Bank, one of the largest banks in Azerbaijan. The memorandum provides for cooperation between PASHA Bank and Baku Higher Oil School in the implementation of modern educational (scientific) programs. Also, under the memorandum, BHOS students will undertake an internship at PASHA Bank. The document was signed by Rector of Baku Higher Oil School Elmar Gasimov and Executive Board Member, Chief Operating Officer of PASHA Bank Jalal Orujov. The signing ceremony was attended by heads of various departments of Baku Higher Oil School and Pasha Bank, as well as students of the Process Automation Engineering Department and Information Security Department of BHOS. Speaking at the ceremony, Elmar Gasimov expressed satisfaction with the cooperation with Pasha Bank. He emphasized the importance of teaching students practical skills, along with theoretical knowledge. The rector noted the need to build human resources capacity and create an effective business environment in higher education institutions and local companies to prevent brain drain abroad. Jalal Orujov also spoke at the event. Speaking about the main goals of Pasha Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in the country, he stressed that the bank has always supported young people in achieving success. Jalal Orujov emphasized the importance of cooperation with BHOS in this direction. At the end of the event, the students received answers to their questions about internship and employment. Then, the representatives of Pasha Bank visited the BHOS campus. It should be noted that BHOS and Pasha Bank have successful experience in implementing joint projects. Several BHOS students were employed at Pasha Bank after they had successfully completing practical training there. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz An Indian national is among a gang of five men jailed by a UK court for a total of over 30 years for an online fraud conspiracy involving a 10-million pounds payment diversion scam. Satish Kotinadhuni, 44, was arrested from his home in east London and charged in June last year with conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday to five years for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and six years for conspiracy to convert criminal property, both sentences to run concurrently. "Satish Kotinadhuni was a 'mule herder'. He would procure hundreds other people's bank accounts for use in the fraud," the Metropolitan Police said. "Such accounts were sourced from dishonest people who were prepared to 'sell on' their own bank accounts for a fee whilst knowing that they would be used for fraud," the Met said. Officers based in the North West London Economic Crime Unit, which forms part of the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate, identified a total of 235 separate frauds, committed from 2014 to 2019, totalling GBP 9,218,522.76. A number of victims were traced with the help of the UK's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau whose Action Fraud service allows both domestic and overseas victims to report fraud online. "This has been a long trial due to the defendants' refusal to accept their guilt despite overwhelming evidence," said Detective Constable Chris Collins of the Met's Economic Crime. "A common feature in this case was the use of mule bank accounts. I advise anyone conducting financial business by email to verify the bank account they are sending their money to by contacting the intended recipient by means other than email," Collins said. "Furthermore, people should be aware that a genuine investment company would not use different private bank accounts in different names in a legitimate transaction," he added. The main method employed by the gang was the use of Malware to steal the login credentials of email accounts belonging to businesses and private individuals worldwide. This would allow the fraudsters to monitor the chosen email accounts for high value financial transactions. Having identified a legitimate financial transaction between two parties, email conversations were intercepted and spoof emails sent so that victims were duped into paying funds into UK based "mule" bank accounts, controlled by the fraudsters instead of their intended legitimate destination. Another method involved conning victims out of thousands of pounds by selling investments in "Binary currency trading schemes" that did not exist. Victims ranged from high profile individuals and organisations to private individuals who thought that they were paying money to their conveyancing solicitor during a property transaction. In order for the fraud to operate, a ready supply of mule accounts were needed and a total of 100 mule accounts featured in the investigation, the Met said. Olumuyiwa Ogunduyile, a 39-year-old Nigerian national and the so-called boss of the operation, was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and seven and a half years for conspiracy to convert criminal property, to run concurrently. Two other Nigerian nationals and a German-born Ghanian were among the other gang members jailed for an average of six years each. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Principals have hit back at Education Minister Sarah Mitchell's plan to curb school autonomy, describing her comments as "unfair" given the high levels of accountability already imposed on schools. On Saturday The Sydney Morning Herald revealed Ms Mitchell was "unhappy" with the way Local Schools, Local Decisions - a reform introduced in 2012 - was working. She said the government would take back control of schools and reduce the power of principals. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell. Credit:Janie Barrett NSW Primary Principals Association president Phil Seymour told The Sun-Herald he was "disappointed" the minister chose to play out commentary on LSLD in the media, given that professional organisations like his own were happy to discuss improvements to the system. Mr Seymour said principals "did not need any more accountability", since directors ratify principals' school plans, principals report annually to parents and the system, and the school's performance is assessed against an excellence framework each year. President Trump sought to ease rising fears about the coronavirus epidemic on a day when the first U.S. death from COVID-19 was reported and more cases were reported on the West Coast. Trump said that a medically high risk woman in Washington state had died from the virus but added no other details about her case. State health officials, in their own statement, said a middle-aged man with underlying health problems had died of the virus. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers of Disease Control, tweeted later in the day that CDC erroneously identified the patient as a female in a briefing earlier today with the President and Vice President. Trump said he hoped that Americans would not curtail their daily lives because of the virus and portrayed the risk as minimal. So, healthy people, if you're healthy, you will probably go through a process and you'll be fine, Trump added. The president said he had put in place the most aggressive actions taken anywhere in the world, although China has confined millions of people to their homes, and other countries, including Japan and South Korea, have taken strong measures including closing public schools. President Trump. (AP/Andrew Harnik) The administration also expanded the existing, terrorist-related ban on entry to the United State by Iranians to cover foreign nationals who traveled there and increased the level of travel advisories to parts of Italy and South Korea that have experienced outbreaks. The president said his administration had negotiated a protocol with the governments of Italy and South Korea to screen all passengers traveling to the United States. Trump did acknowledge that the country found itself "under quite adverse circumstances" owing to the virus, adding, we hope it's not going to be a major circumstance." Walking a line of trying to assure nervous citizens while assessing the threat from the virus, Trump said he had met for two and a half hours with Vice President Mike Pence and his coronavirus task force, which Pence heads. Story continues Pence said that those receiving treatment for the virus in the U.S. have the prayers of millions. The vice president said that Americans do not need to go out and get a mask," but the Trump administration would increase the supply of them for health care workers. He described the effort to contain the virus an "all-hands-on-deck effort." Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that while the number of cases in the United States remained "low," it was "following a pattern" seen in countries where it is more widespread. The first U.S. death in the United Sates was reported in King County, Washington, the health department there reported Saturday morning. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. President Trump at the press briefing on Feb. 29. (AP/Carolyn Kaster) New cases of the virus were also confirmed late Friday and early Saturday in California, Oregon and Washington state. Two people infected in California and one in Oregon had not traveled to countries where the virus is more widespread. A Washington woman diagnosed with the virus had recently traveled to South Korea, but a high school student from the state who is listed as presumptive positive did not. Thousands of people across the West Coast who might have come into contact with infected individuals are being monitored for signs of infection. Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services, said at Saturdays news conference that it was still safe for Americans to travel to California, Washington and Oregon. The president said he was "looking" at possibly putting restrictions on travel across the border with Mexico "very strongly" but that no decision had been made. At a Friday-night campaign rally in North Charleston, S.C., Trump said Democrats where whipping up fear over coronavirus as a way to hurt him politically. This is their new hoax, Trump said. Asked about his remarks at the press conference, he emphasized that he was not saying the virus was a hoax but rather claims that his administration had put the country in danger by, among other actions, cutting the budget for epidemic preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump claimed credit for stopping travel to China weeks ago, a step that he said has prevented a much wider outbreak in the United States. So far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States, and it doesnt mean we wont, but we are totally prepared, Trump added. At a Thursday press conference at which he announced Pence would head up the U.S. response to the coronavirus, Trump said the number of cases was going very substantially down, not up. Since then, however, the number of reported cases has continued to climb. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: 12.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump doesnt know this, but the coronavirus vaccine would be free under a provision in the Affordable Care Act. According to Business Insider: A little-known provision of Obamacare would likely make any coronavirus vaccine free for most people with health insurance. Plus, the law expanded insurance coverage for roughly 20 million Americans and widened access to medical care. Those components underscore the laws broad reach across the healthcare sector and its potential to form a pillar in a federal strategy to combat the spread of a deadly, unknown disease. Theres an important link between broader healthcare policies like the Affordable Care Act and responding to a potential public health emergency like this virus, Larry Levitt, the executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Business Insider. Obama was a change president, who has left a lasting legacy of improving the lives of millions of Americans. Trump has tried to undo the Obama legacy. In fact, the entire purpose of his administration is to erase the Obama presidency. The coronavirus is providing another reminder of why Trump and the Republicans must not be allowed to destroy the Affordable Care Act. Even though he has been out of office for years, Barack Obama still has your back. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook A man who pleaded guilty to supplying drugs and preventing the lawful burial of his Indian-origin gay lover during a date last year has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment at a UK court for dumping the body rather than alerting the police. Hiran Chauhan's body was discovered by some schoolchildren after it was buried in a park by Neil Cuckson following a drug-fuelled "chemsex" session. Judge Alan Conrad told Cuckson that concealing the death and hiding the body "made it impossible for experts to obtain the results which they usually can in the case of a suspicious death". "To save your own skin, and to thwart a police investigation, you embarked on an elaborate plan to dispose of his body," he said, during a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, during which tributes were also paid to Hiran by his family. The court heard that 24-year-old chef Hiran and 32-year-old supermarket worker Cuckson met on online dating app Grindr and discussed drugs for their date in July. After Cuckson woke up to find Hiran dead in his flat, he kept the body in his flat before purchasing a car, a wheelbarrow and a pitchfork. Five days later, he was caught on CCTV struggling to lift the body into the boot of the car, before dragging Hiran's body across the road to a nearby woodland. When police went to Cuckson's flat they detected a "pungent smell" and arrested him on suspicion of murder. According to 'Manchester Evening News', Hiran's sister, Gemma Chauhan, movingly spoke in court in front of Cuckson to reveal the impact of her sibling's death. She said: "Hiran was the life and soul of the party, no matter how he was feeling or what he was struggling with he always had a smile on his face and never let anyone around him be sad or suffer. "All Hiran wanted was love, he looked for love from others because unfortunately we did not get this from our parents." She told the court that the tragedy was that everyone will only ever have one side of the story, Cuckson's version of events. I will never know the truth. Hiran just wanted to be loved. He used the dating sites in the hope of finding this, she said, who was among the family members desperately trying to trace Hiran after he went missing last year. The court heard how Cuckson frantically tried to cover up the death, storing his body in his third floor flat for days, and sleeping on the floor while Hiran remained on the bed. He continued to go to work at his Tesco supermarket workplace in Manchester city centre, until he decided to buy a car online, specifically to remove Hiran's body. Almost a week later, schoolchildren discovered the body, wrapped in bedding and plastic sheets, in the woodland near his home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If we have the largest voter turnout in the history of Massachusetts primary we can win here in Massachusetts, we can win the Democratic nomination, he said. He did not mention the South Carolina primary. So far, Mr. Sanders has advertised more heavily than Ms. Warren in her home state, deployed about a dozen staff members, set up four field offices, had 1,500 volunteer events and organized canvassers to knock on 50,000 doors just last weekend, according to his campaign. Mr. Sanders even used his Twitter platform to amplify a local zoning and redevelopment fight in East Boston this week. In an apparent nod to the urgency of the situation, a super PAC supporting Ms. Warren announced late Thursday that it was buying up television time in Boston to give her a last-minute boost. Ms. Warren has declined several times to call Massachusetts a must-win state twice in a CNN town hall on Wednesday and again Saturday morning while campaigning in Columbia, S.C. Asked about Mr. Sanderss presence in the state, she told reporters: I know that Massachusetts is a very progressive state and progressive ideas are very popular. And so Im sure thats why Bernie is campaigning there. In Springfield, Mr. Sanderss supporters were relishing the possibility of a win. Lindsay Sabadosa, a state representative in Massachusetts and co-chairwoman of the Sanders campaign in the state, almost mockingly appropriated some of Ms. Warrens own rhetoric as she introduced him, saying she was counting down the days until election night. Not only because I am ready for a new president and let me tell you, I am ready for a new president but because I am ready for a new president who believes in big, bold structural change and who has the courage, the passion and the plans to make it happen, she said. There has been limited polling in Massachusetts. One survey, from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, taken after the New Hampshire primary but before Mr. Sanders won Nevada, showed a statistical dead heat, with Mr. Sanders at 21 percent and Ms. Warren at 20 percent. Another, from the radio station WBUR, showed Mr. Sanders opening a lead, with 25 percent to Ms. Warrens 17 percent. Digital media giants Facebook, Twitter and Google have threatened to suspend services in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan's government gave approval to new social media regulations in the country. Through a group called the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), the digital giants wrote a scathing letter to Pakistan PM Imran Khan. AIC has called the rules "vague and arbitrary in nature". The companies warned that "the rules as currently written would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses". The Asia Internet Coalition is an industry association that promotes the understanding and resolution of internet policy issues in the Asia Pacific region. "We are not against regulation of social media, and we acknowledge that Pakistan already has an extensive legislative framework governing online content. However, these rules fail to address crucial issues such as internationally recognized rights to individual expression and privacy," AIC added. As per the new rules, Pakistan has made it mandatory for social media companies to open offices in Islamabad (capital of Pakistan). Besides, the country has instructed these digital giants to build data servers to store information and take down content upon identification of authorities. Besides, through this new digital censorship law, authorities will be able to take action against its citizens if found guilty of targeting state institutions at home and abroad on social media. Failure to comply with the government will result in hefty fines and possible termination of services. "In case of failure to comply within 15 days, it would have the power to suspend their services or impose a fine worth up to 500 million Pakistani rupees". Mumbai, Feb 29 : Putting her duties as a public representative before concerns over her health and personal comfort, a BJP woman MLA from Kaij in Beed is busy attending the ongoing Budget session of Maharashtra Assembly even when she is over seven-month pregnant. Namita A Mundada, a first-time legislator, however feels it is no big deal. The 30-year-old said: "I feel it's no big deal. I have seen other women in different spheres of life working right till the end of pregnancy term." However, she pointed out, there were a few perks too of the impending motherhood despite problems, difficulties and health precautions to be taken ahead of the delivery of her first child. "Well, for one, during the Question Hours, my questions on my constituency and its people seem to get some priority. Instead of the usual wait of 8-9 hours, my questions are taken care of in less than half the time," she laughed. After taking care of her constituents, Namita says, she ensures proper care for self and the yet-to-be-born baby, particularly food, exercise, and rest as per doctors' advice. "I take all regular precautions like other pregnant women, eat my meals on time, don't sit at a stretch for long, take a walk to get some exercise in Assembly premises or lobby. Only after the day's proceedings are over that I go back home and rest," the BJP lawmaker said. She said she reaches the Assembly at least an hour early to meet her voters, listen to their problems and grievances while waiting for her turn in the legislature, and also manages to hold quick meetings with ministers or officials concerned. "My husband Akshay and father-in-law Nandkishore are extremely supportive, besides my own parents. They go out of their way to ensure I neglect neither my official duties nor my baby. The delivery is expected around mid-April," she said with a smile. Recalling her experiences, the BJP leader said that the real challenge was to take care in her first trimester that coincided with the campaigning for the Assembly elections in October 2019. "Women are advised maximum precautions during that period, but here I was in the thick of the poll campaign, putting in 18-19 hours of work daily," Namita recalled. However, her father-in-law Nandkishore Mundada ensured her needs were taken care of. For example, at rallies, her motorcade halted at least 500-1000 metres from the stage; there were fireworks, but she would sit calmly in her car to avoid noise and air pollution outside. "People in my constituency are very understanding and accommodative; similarly fellow legislators, ministers, officials, party colleagues etc." Namita added. She has her concerns about the Assembly's Monsoon Session later in the year when she will have to devote all her time to care and feed for the newborn, but says she hopes to manage, adding that she will bring the child to the Assembly "at least once". For the present, she is just happy to focus on her duties towards people in her constituency, the Assembly and her party. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Karamjit Kaur (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) Sat, February 29, 2020 15:14 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067698d7 2 News Singapore-Airlines,Airlines,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,health,travel,COVID-19 Free Singapore Airlines (SIA) is cutting pay for management staff as the global coronavirus outbreak continues to hit demand for air travel. In a note to staff Friday afternoon, chief executive Goh Choon Phong said: "My management team will take the lead." From March 1, his pay will be cut by 15 percent . The two executive vice-presidents will take a 12 percent cut, and senior vice-presidents a 10 percent cut, The Straits Times found out. Other affected staff will take a 7 percent or 5 percent cut. A voluntary no-pay leave scheme will be offered to staff, including cabin crew and pilots. Goh said: "Those who opt for this can be assured that the jobs will be there upon their return." The new measures are part of broader cost-cutting initiatives, including deferring some capital expenditure, that the airline is rolling out to deal with a business downturn that has hit the global aviation industry. The SIA group - comprising the premium parent airline, SilkAir and budget carrier Scoot - has temporarily suspended more than 3,000 return flights from this month to end-May following the outbreak in order to mitigate the impact of the significant drop in demand. This accounts for 9.9 per cent of the group's scheduled flights until end-May. Read also: Singapore Airlines temporarily halts some flights to Indonesian cities Scoot is also looking at similar manpower cost reduction measures, a spokesman said. Goh said in his note: "We will continue to be proactive in implementing measures to meet the evolving challenges. Tough decisions will be needed along the way. Management will take the lead, and all of us must be prepared to make sacrifices. Our priority is to save jobs." Earlier in the week, SIA had updated staff on the significant impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the SIA Group and the need to be nimble and flexible in addressing the rapid decline in air travel. Goh said: "Since my note, Covid-19 has spread faster outside China, with a large number of cases reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. There are growing concerns across other parts of the world, including our major markets in Europe and the United States." Changi Airport recently reported that passenger movements fell by over 25 percent during the first two weeks of this month, while traffic between Singapore and China dropped by more than 85 percent year on year. The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents global carriers, has warned that airlines in the Asia-Pacific could suffer a potential 13 percent full-year loss in passenger demand as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Such a scenario would result in a US$27.8 billion revenue loss for Asian airlines. Iata's director-general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said in a recent note: "Airlines are making difficult decisions to cut capacity and, in some cases, routes. Lower fuel costs will help offset some of the lost revenue, but this will be a very tough year for airlines." Topics : This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Spreading and Symptoms This is not a time to panic but a time to prepare At the very heart of Korea's Coronavirus Outbreak is the Shincheonji religious group where being ill was no deterent to mandatory attendance in crowded conditions at the church in Daegu, South Korea. There, a parishioner easily spread it to the thousands who are now sickened with the disease. In America, we too have our gathering places where one can expect to meet up with the flu and other communicable diseases. Grocery stores, the workplace, concerts, anywhere people congregate in close proximity. Super spreaders are not only carriers of a particular disease, but it's their habits that contribute to their ability to infect others. Openly sneezing and coughing or simply touching and leaving the virus behind will spread an airborne disease like the Covid-19 Virus to everyone in the immediate vicinity. "These bad habits must be broken and people need to speak up when a mother allows her sick child to openly cough and sneeze with no coverage while in line at your local drug store," says Todd West, owner of First Aid Global LLC. "These bad habits, more than anything else will almost assuredly give you the flu if you allow it to happen. That's where masks come in as a most helpful device. Sick persons especially need to dawn a mask in order to keep the virus contained therein. And those who aren't yet affected need to understand that wearing a mask and gloves made from latex or nitrile will deter you from touching your own face, something we tend to do unconsciously at least 3 to 6 times per minute." These are all helpful tips for avoiding viral transmission, but in the face of a government lockdown of vital public information, we need to be smart about protecting ourselves and our families. Not only has the CDC stated that masks won't help you but it's been learned that the government has eliminated many of the positions and agencies responsible for keeping our population safe during an outbreak. Stifling the flow of information will only serve to frustrate and confuse citizens so it is up to each of us to prepare for the inevitability of a pandemic. "If the Covid-19 Virus takes hold here in the states, you can expect your life to change dramatically and not for just two weeks, but for two years," Mr. West says. "We recommend that you stock up on long-term storage food and water and have an extra supply of your prescription medications. This is not a time to panic but a time to prepare. Wash your hands often, use hand sanitizers whenever possible, have a supply of masks and gloves and limit your exposure to those we consider super spreaders." Oregons first presumptive patient with the new coronavirus likely had little close contact with students at the Lake Oswego elementary school where the person works, the district superintendent said Saturday. Only a few people at Forest Hills Elementary School had contact with the sick employee and they will be asked to stay home for two weeks, monitor themselves for symptoms, Superintendent Lora de la Cruz said at a news conference. The very best thing we can all do right now is to remain calm and pay close attention to the advice and guidance of our public health officials, de la Cruz said. The employee lives in neighboring Washington County and was last at the school on Feb. 19, state health and school officials said. They have not released the persons age, gender or condition but said the patient is at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Forest Hills will be shut through Wednesday as a precaution and to get a deep cleaning, the school district said Friday after the governor announced the states likely first case of coronavirus. In cooperation with the Oregon Health Authority and local public health, we are actively monitoring students and staff absences and reports of illness, de la Cruz said. We ask that if any staff, students and community members are feeling ill that you remain at home. A team from contractor ServPro is evaluating the school and its germ-annihilating work could start this weekend, officials said. The school has about 25 teachers and 430 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The district also plans to disinfect its other schools and school buses by Monday morning, de la Cruz said. The Forest Hills employees diagnosis still needs to be verified by the federal government, but the state is treating the case with the assumption that it will be confirmed. It is one of just a handful of cases in the United States that have not been traced to travel or close contact with a person known to have coronavirus. That means that there could be more cases in Oregon and other states that health officials do not yet know about. A second person who was under investigation for the illness, unrelated to the Forest Hills employee, tested negative on Saturday, officials said. At least seven other tests are pending and 88 people are being monitored for the disease, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The coronavirus epidemic is ramping up by the day, with new cases announced in countries across the globe and yet more cases announced in China, where the virus originated. The first U.S. death was announced Saturday, in Washington state. Worldwide, there are now around 80,000 cases and around 3,000 deaths. There are at least 62 cases in the United States so far, most of them linked to travel abroad. In Oregon, the Lake Oswego superintendent said the employee with coronavirus is getting great care. We care deeply about this persons health and our thoughts are with him and his family, said de la Cruz, who has been superintendent since June 2019. Forest Hills Elementary was quiet Saturday, with barriers placed across the driveway at the entrance and what appeared to be a new Do Not Enter sign. The one-story red brick main building was shut tight in the woodsy residential neighborhood. A few people were letting their dogs romp on the schools field, but otherwise the place was empty. In the surrounding neighborhood, people jogged by, walked their dogs and otherwise went about their business on a cloudy, cool morning. De la Cruz said health authorities told the district it didnt need to close Forest Hills but officials decided to in an abundance of caution. The district has no plans to close other schools, she said, but would reconsider that if other coronavirus cases develop. For those of you who are affected by the schools closure, its recommended that you rest at home, spend time with your family over the next few days, seek medical attention if you or someone in your family becomes symptomatic, she said. The temporary Forest Hills shuttering is timed to allow for a full 14-day quarantine period from the day that the employee was last at the school, de la Cruz said. At this point it appears that this person likely only had close contact with a few individuals and that they have been asked to stay home from work or school for two weeks," she said. Theyve been asked to monitor themselves for symptoms and stay in regular contact with their health care providers and the local public health department. Dr. Sarah Present, a family physician who also works as a public health officer in Clackamas County, said she also has a child in elementary school. I want this whole community to know that your concerns are valid and that we are listening to them, she said. While health experts are still determining the level of risk of the new coronavirus, it doesnt appear to be virulent like the measles, Present said. It requires prolonged close contact for exposure. She urged people to follow proven techniques -- staying home if youre sick, covering your cough, washing hands and washing surfaces at home. At this time in our community, if you do have a respiratory illness it is still much more likely to be a common cold or influenza," she said, than COVID-19 as the novel coronavirus is known. If people experience mild symptoms, she said, stay at home as you would with a cold. But if you have difficulty breathing or other more serious symptoms, call your medical provider to determine the next steps. Our main focus is to limit spread in the community, Present said. 28 Coronavirus shuts down Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Lake Oswego School District officials hold news conference Coronavirus in Oregon: Some are calm, some definitely not Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Jayati Ramakrishnan, Mark Graves and Kale Williams contributed to this report. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The Africa Centre for Parliamentary Journalism and Research (CPJR-Africa) has called on Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, the Speaker of Parliament to retract threats to revoke accreditation to journalists who abandon proceedings in the chamber to cover press conferences of individual members or caucuses of Parliament. The Centre said the media had contributed a lot to the success stories of the countrys democratic dispensation and "this is not the time to gag and censor it." Mr Harrison Kofi Belley, Executive Director of CPJR-Africa, said this in a press release signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency following media reports of the Speaker of Parliament allegedly threatening to revoke the accreditation of journalists who deviated from their core duties of covering proceedings on the floor of the House. He said the threat was unfortunate and undemocratic, therefore it was important for the Speaker to withdraw it. Mr Belley said giving accreditation to media houses or journalists to cover proceedings of Parliament did not give the Speaker license to instruct them as to what they must cover in Parliament. The Executive Director said Parliament was an environment that hosted views, interest and agenda, thus the media as an institution was there to serve the interest of all. Mr Belley said the presence of the media in Parliament should be seen as satisfying a constitutional mandate on behalf of the people of Ghana and must be regarded as such. 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 The first detected case of coronavirus in Africa highlights the vulnerability of the world's poorest continent to outbreaks of contagious diseases. Much of Africa struggles with conflicts, poor health infrastructure, crowded cities with inadequate sanitation, rickety governance and porous borders -- all of which provide excellent opportunities for the microbe to spread, experts say. Last weekend, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pleaded with African Union states "to come together to be more aggressive in attacking" the virus. "Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for COVID-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems," said Tedros, referring to the virus by its official name. The first case south of the Sahara was announced on Friday in Nigeria's mega-city of Lagos. Two previous cases in Africa were detected in Egypt and Algeria. A 2016 analysis by the Rand Corporation, a US thinktank, found that of the 25 countries in the world that are most vulnerable to infectious outbreaks, 22 are in Africa -- the others are Afghanistan, Yemen and Haiti. Heading its list were Somalia, the Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Mauritania and Angola. The report put the finger on a "disease hot spot belt" extending on a line of countries, running across the southern rim of the Sahara through the Sahel to the Horn of Africa, many of which are struggling with conflicts. "Were a communicable disease to emerge within this chain of countries, it could easily spread across borders in all directions, abetted by high overall vulnerability and a string of weak national health systems along the way," the report warned. "Though we have seen modern diseases rapidly transmitted all over the world through interconnected travel, it is these vulnerable states with porous borders and weak or conflict-affected neighbors that face the greatest risks and potential health challenges." - Weak health systems - Past epidemics in Africa -- from malaria and HIV to drug-resistant TB and Ebola -- have already triggered loud warnings about the continent's problems in health care. They range from public awareness and disease screening to lack of doctors, nurses, drugs and hospital beds -- and the heightened risks for people already weak from malnourishment or a damaged immune system. According to the World Bank, per-capita health expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 was just $78 (70 euros), compared to $1,026 on average in the rest of the world. The highest was $9,351 in North America, followed by $3,846 in the European Union. Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network at Oxford University, said a major concern was that the virus, despite its relatively low mortality rate, could "overwhelm health-care provision" in African countries. This would have a cascade effect, affecting care for Africa's many other health problems, she told Britain's Science Media Centre (SMC). There is "real fear that health systems become swamped and unable to manage their ongoing health care, thereby presenting an even greater threat than the virus," she noted. In a study of anti-coronavirus preparedness in Africa on February 19, The Lancet medical journal said that overall, countries had strengthened their shield. Implemented measures included temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. But some countries "remain ill-equipped," notably on surveillance and rapid identification of suspected cases, patient isolation and contact tracing, it said. South of the Sahara, only South Africa won high marks for preparedness, while Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya would all need support, it said. In early February, just South Africa and Senegal among sub-Saharan countries had existing lab facilities to test people for the coronavirus, although the WHO thereafter supplied equipment to some 40 countries. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), a coordination body set up by the AU, established an anti-coronavirus task force on February 5. Its main task is to provide African countries with training on lab diagnosis, surveillance, screening and safe transportation of suspected cases. John Moore The end was closing in on them. Not two months after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Talibans Kandahar stronghold was about to fall to its Northern Alliance antagonists. The Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, commanded his forces in the city to seize the best opportunity to achieve martyrdom. But after a week they acquiesced to their new reality. They offered to surrender Kandahar and demobilize, relegating their five-year rule to a few northern and eastern pockets where fighting persisted. I think we should go home, announced Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban spokesman, on Dec. 7. Trump, Afghanistan, and The Tweet of Damocles They had a condition. Omar had to remain in Kandahar, albeit under mutually acceptable supervision. Hamid Karzai, head of the new internationally backed Afghan government, was open to it, provided Omar distance himself completely from terrorism. Asked by the Associated Press about the terms of Omars quasi-captivity, the new leader said those were details that we still have to work out. Karzais American patrons had other ideas. "I do not think there will be a negotiated end to the situation that's unacceptable to the United States," said Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. secretary of defense. Could Omar live, as his spokesman had implored, with dignity? The answer is no, Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon. It would not be consistent with what I have said. No one will ever know what would have happened if Rumsfeld and the George W. Bush administration had permitted Karzai and Omar to work out a dealwhether it would have held, whether the Taliban would have truly broken with al Qaeda, whether Afghanistan would have known peace. But there is brutal certainty about what happened instead: 2,298 dead U.S. servicemembers and at least 43,000 dead Afghans in a war the U.S. fought for a generation rather than admit it could not win. The Trump administration, in by far its most laudable foreign-policy act, is on the verge of a peace agreement with the Taliban. Official details about the U.S.-Taliban deal, likely to be signed Saturday, are scarce. Nothing about what follows is certain, not even whether it augurs the end of the war: Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last week that the U.S. expects to draw down to 8,600 troops, around the force levels it inherited from the Obama administration, while the Taliban insist the U.S. must withdraw entirely. Arduous negotiations await an Afghan government that is deeply divided internally and was brought into these peace talks reluctantly. Story continues Whatever emerges, Trumpto his credit and to the shame of those Trump critics who consider themselves more responsible stewards of U.S. foreign policyhas shattered the generation-long American political cowardice that inhibited negotiating an end to the war. At least three times over the past 19 years that the U.S. could have had such a deal, on terms at least as favorable to Washington as the one reached now, and likely better. The first was the 2001 surrender offer. Another opportunity arose in 2003. The third came amid Obamas 2010-11 troop surge. In the early days, the U.S. and its Afghan clients were so triumphant about their apparent victory, and the wounds of 9/11 and the Afghan civil war so fresh, that they sneered at negotiations. Later, when the Taliban insurgency showed the folly of that decision, the U.S. preferred to fight on in the similarly elusive hope that more violence would mean more leverage. Instead, over the course of 19 years, the Taliban simply strengthened their own. The outcomes we could have gotten a decade earlier, two decades earlier, would have been far stronger, lamented retired Army Col. Chris Kolenda, who was part of the failed 2011-12 peace effort and has ever since urged the U.S. to negotiate with the Taliban. Its a missed opportunity, assessed Ali Jalali, the former Afghan interior minister whom the Taliban contacted in 2003 to explore a deal. All of which is another way of saying that Americas fantasies of what it could achieve in the war, even after it became a Washington cliche that the war had no military solution, consigned thousands to needless deaths. Jalali was a retired Afghan Army colonel, trained by the U.S. and elevated to interior minister in January 2003. Ahmed Rashid, in his 2008 book Descent Into Chaos, describes Jalali as a reformist who operated as a check against corrupt officials and the clique of ex-Northern Alliance figures who dominated the early Karzai era. They doomed what Jalali, in his 2017 book A Military History of Afghanistan, calls the second of the two major opportunities for a comprehensive peace deal with the Taliban. In the spring of 2003, a Taliban emissary discreetly approached Jalali in Kabulas others did Karzai and military potentate Marshal Mohammed Fahimto see if a new modus vivendi was possible. The Taliban was in a liminal state. Its leadership was in Pakistan under the protection of Pakistana Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), but its insurgency had yet to fully coalesce. The ISI pressed the Taliban to cross the border back into Afghanistan and fight. Once there, however, its fighters received recruitment feelers from rival extremist factions; if they balked, the rivals would report their locations to U.S. and coalition forces for attack. There were pressures all around on the Taliban, Jalali recalled. Nonetheless, in 2003, the Taliban raised the price for a deal. They wanted immunity from prosecution and coalition attack, something hardly assured in U.S.-patrolled, Northern Alliance-dominated Afghanistan. If so, they would give up their insurgency and become something like a political party in the new internationally-guaranteed regime. At the Afghan national security council, several figures, including Jalali, argued it was worth exploring. Their demands were simple and reasonable, but lacked details, he remembered. But the officials who had spent years fighting the Taliban were no more interested in peace than Rumsfeld was. If Taliban fighters wanted to surrender as individuals, that was to be embraced. Those who didnt would be crushed by the U.S.-Kabul alliance. After all, they were winning. We discussed it for weeks. At the time, it was considered inside Afghanistan that the Taliban was a spent force [and] they cannot be given that kind of concession, Jalali told The Daily Beast. Later they said the Taliban can lay down their weapons and surrender. No unconditional immunity. This was the mentality. Jalali believes the Americans knew little beyond the broad outlines of the Taliban proffer. They were disengaged from Afghanistan and preoccupied with the invasion of Iraq. The majority of the Afghan government were the spoilers, even though Jalali said Karzai was, as in 2001, open to a deal. The political context then was favorable to the Afghan government and coalition forces and unfavorable to the Taliban. Therefore, a settlement was easier to reach, a sustainable one, Jalali explained. In the end, the Karzai government never sent an official response to the Taliban. The Talibans response was to launch in earnest what Jalali calls the Second War of the Taliban. That war intensified over the coming years. In 2008, it had killed 100 U.S. troops, more than any year thus far, signaling Taliban strength and drawing American alarm. Newly elected President Barack Obama responded by ordering two rounds of troop escalationsfirst 23,000 by March and another 30,000 in Decemberbracketing an embrace of an expansive counterinsurgency seeking to retake land from the Taliban. But the July 2011 date Obama set for the end of the surge outpaced any plan for ending the war. By late 2010, with the date to end the surge approaching, the Obama team decided to see if a deal with the Taliban was achievable. It was a heavy lift. Both the Taliban and the U.S. were internally divided about the merits of a diplomatic accord. The Taliban let it be known they were done with Karzaihis government was Americaa puppet, so they would only deal with America. As united as the Obama team was in insisting the war had no military solution, it had a harder time envisioning a political solution. Veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke found himself undermined by military commander David Petraeus, who felt himself undermined by Holbrookes diplomacywhich, in his view, relied on his war effort for leverage, anyway. As long as you dont talk about ceasefires, then Ive got no issue with it, a colleague quoted Petraeus saying in Mark Landlers book Alter Egos. Petraeus instead sought reintegration, a cousin of the insistence on surrender that killed the 2001 and 2003 offers. From the standpoint of the U.S. military, throughout that period, [there was] a persistent preference for trying to improve the US/Afghan-government position on the battlefield before negotiating. Thats one thing that got in the way of prioritizing the effort, said Laurel Miller, a former senior U.S. diplomat focused on Afghanistan. U.S. outreach to the Taliban, done behind Karzais back, did not get the chance to yield anything substantial. It was clear that the Taliban, in a vastly stronger position since they last sought an accord, would have a higher asking price for peace. Despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raising hopes for a deal in a February 2011 speech, Obamas team had their doubts that their Taliban interlocutor, Tayeb Agha, had sway with Omar, who, as the surge drew to a close, urged Obama to make important and tough decisions. They would not get that far. In 2012, the U.S. and the Taliban reached a preliminary agreement to permit the Taliban to open a political office in Qatar. It was little more than a confidence-building measure, but Karzai was livid and rejected it, something the Obama team, which had untruthfully sworn the peace process would be Afghan-led, accepted as final. Envoy Marc Grossman told Agha that Karzais rejection doomed their deal. That was incomprehensible to the Taliban, which understood Karzai as an American stooge. In March, the Taliban announced they were walking away from the talks, blaming the Americans ever-changing position. Laurel Miller became deputy Afghanistan/Pakistan envoy in 2013 and eventually took over the office, a position she held until June 2017. She said that there were various efforts after 2012 to restart the peace process, but nothing took hold, owing both to continued opposition from the U.S. military and the inability to make an arduous, uncertain peace process central to Obamas final term. If you compare the level of political capital and diplomatic muscle invested in negotiating the Iran deal or the opening with Cuba with trying to negotiate peace in Afghanistan, you see the latter pales in comparison, and I say that as someone involved in it, Miller said. Trump initially seemed to follow Obamas template: deep uncertainty about the wisdom of the Afghanistan war coupled with acquiescence to the militarys impulse to escalate. But in 2018, following an initiative by Kolenda and ex-diplomat Robin Raphel revealed by The Daily Beast, U.S. officials again resumed contact with the Taliban. Soon, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appointed a Bush-era Afghanistan ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, to revive a diplomatic channel in pursuit of negotiating an end to the war. While formally committed to an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led process, Khalilzad functionally jettisoned it. The Taliban would not talk to the Kabul government without reaching an assurance with the U.S. firstand this time, Washington decided that it would not defer to its Afghan clients. The Americans were not exactly dealing from a position of strength. The Taliban, seeing little gain from diplomacy, intensified their war after Obama drew down in 2014. They came to control ever more territory, erasing whatever military initiative was won by Obamas and Trumps surges. All of this dispirited Kolenda, who had been part of the 2011-12 negotiating team. We had a huge amount of leverage in 2011. The Taliban controlled a fraction of the country [compared to today], but we couldnt get our act together, Kolenda remembers. Lack of vision, internal frictions, the withdrawal timeline, and poor coordination with the Karzai government squandered the opportunity. If we gave [the political] capital then that we gave the effort now, my personal belief is wed have gotten a better deal then and a better outcome overall. Stats Show Trumps Afghanistan Surge Has Failed It remains to be seen if the Afghans can negotiate peace. Khalilzads team has built in an incentive, according to two sources briefed on the terms of the deal: the U.S. will return to Obama-era troop levels over the course of five months, but any end to the U.S. military presence is conditionalthough on precisely what remains unclear. But what is compelling to the Taliban is likely horrifying to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Ghani, emerging from a mess of an election, has been dragged into a process he distrusts by an American patron he distrusts as well. Jalali, the former Afghan interior minister, describes himself as cautiously hopeful. But he considers the disunity between the U.S. and its Afghan clients to be ominous. If there is a withdrawal of U.S. forces, if its not benchmarked with other elements of peacemakingAfghan talks, a reduction in violence, the closing of Taliban bases in Pakistanthen the Taliban will just wait out the withdrawal of international forces and try to make separate deals with separate Afghan political groups, he said. Several Americans interviewed for this story were reluctant to condemn the earlier failures of the U.S. to negotiate an end to the war. You cant coldly judge the rational case for sitting down with these folks. Its still hard. I do think there were opportunities that should have been taken along the way, said Annie Pforzheimer, who until March 2019 was the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Afghanistan after serving as a senior diplomat in Kabul. But the alternative to the rational case for sitting down with these folks has been a war that continued to kill, maim, displace and impoverish thousands long after it became unwinnable. As with Vietnam, America has preferred denial of its loss to facing it forthrightly. It is unable to reconcile its defeat with its cherished conception of its own omnipotence. All of that speaks to the central reason why the U.S. avoided earlier deals with the Taliban as its leverage disappeared. Making peace with the Taliban, says Miller, is another way of saying we didnt win the war. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who was expelled from the Janata Dal-United in January-end, could be a TMC candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in West Bengal next month, a party source said in New Delhi on Saturday. The poll is scheduled on March 26. The source said that barring one, the Mamata Banerjees party Trinamool Congress (TMC) is looking for new faces since it wants more active members in the Upper House of Parliament. The four TMC seats, which will fall vacant, are currently held by Manish Gupta, Jogen Chowdhury, Ahmed Hassan Imran, and KD Singh. Given the demands of the national politics at present, more active politicians and Rajya Sabha MPs are needed. Therefore, the youth should get a chance. Prashant Kishor has opened a front against the BJP. It will help TMC to speak out at the national level. Those who can get a chance on the other seats include Dinesh Trivedi and Mausam Noor, the source said. As per the number of MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly, the TMC will win four seats to the Rajya Sabha, whereas a candidate with either the support of CPI(M)-Congress or the TMC-Congress combine will sail through to win the fifth one. This fifth seat is currently held by Ritabrata Banerjee, elected as a CPI(M) nominee in 2014 but since expelled from the party in 2017. Sukkur District Health Officer Dr Munir Mangrio confirmed that 13 bodies were sent to the Rohri hospital, while the remaining bodies were sent to the Sukkur hospital. The deceased included five women and nine men. Karachi: A horrific collision between a speeding train and a passenger bus at an unmanned crossing killed at least 20 people, including children, and left scores injured in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, officials said. The accident took place on Friday at the Kandhra railway crossing, near the Rohri railway station in the province, when the '45 UP Pakistan Express' train coming from Rawalpindi towards Karachi collided with the passenger bus. Sukkur Commissioner Shafiq Ahmed Mahesar confirmed that at least 20 people, including children, died in the incident, adding that the casualties could rise as the condition of several of the injured was critical. "We have shifted at least 60 injured people to hospitals in Rohri and Sukkur," he said. "The bus, carrying more than 50 passengers, was going from Sukkur to Punjab," senior Sukkur police official Jamil Ahmed said. "It was a horrible accident. So strong was the impact of the train hitting the bus that it was split into three parts," he said. The bus was dragged around 150-200 feet by the train, Ahmed said. Rescue officials said among the victims, some died on the spot while others breathed their last while being shifted to hospitals. Commissioner Shafique Ahmed said the injured, including women and children, were taken to different hospitals in Rohri and Sukkur. "It is a huge tragedy and all administration and police officials are rushing to the site. It was an unmanned railway crossing and unfortunately, the driver of the bus took a risk by trying to cross it when the train was coming in full speed," he said. Sukkur District Health Officer Dr Munir Mangrio confirmed that 13 bodies were sent to the Rohri hospital, while the remaining bodies were sent to the Sukkur hospital. The deceased included five women and nine men. According to a Pakistan Railways spokesperson, the bus driver was apparently at fault in the incident. He said the train's engine was damaged in the collision, while the assistant driver sustained injuries. Pakistan Railways has 2,470 unmanned crossings, for which the railway ministry has written to provincial governments several times to depute personnel. The federal government inspector of railways (FGIR) will investigate the incident, the spokesperson added. By PTI BHOPAL: After Maharashtra, now the Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh is planning to bring reservation for Muslims in educational institutions. Dropping hints about a reservation for Muslims in MP, states water resources minister Hukum Singh Karada said on Saturday, We too are preparing detailed agenda for minorities. You will yourself see in the future that well provide relaxation much more than what Maharashtra has announced. I wont be able to say more about what is planned, as Im not authorized to make any declaration, but I can assure that the relaxation would be more than Maharashtra". Talking to journalists in Agar-Malwa district, Karada said: Just wait and watch, surely our government will give even more liberal message in the near future. Informed sources within the state Congress party confided to The New Indian Express that there could be a plan to grant reservation to Muslims in educational institutions in Madhya Pradesh. The opposition BJP responded saying it will oppose the decision right from the Vidhan Sabha to the streets of the state. Finally the Congress government is showing its true colour. Just after more than doubling the honorarium of Muslim clerics, the now the state government as per the cabinet minister Hukum Singh Karada, is planning to grant reservation to Muslims, which is against the Constitution. Across the country, the BJP is opposed to providing reservation on religious lines, so well protest any kind of reservation to Muslims in MP, said state BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal. Maharashtra's minister for minority affairs Nawab Malik had announced on Friday that a law would be enacted soon to render 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutions. The High Court had given its nod to grant 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in government educational institutions. But the last government didnt act on it. So weve announced that we will implement the High Courts order in form of law as soon as possible in Maharashtra, the Maharashtra minister had said on Friday. Concerns about the damage caused to the coast by recent storms were raised by Cllr Antoin Watters at the monthly meeting of Louth County Council. The storms had caused extensive damage at Gyles Quay and Templetown in the north of the county. Gyles Quay is a very popular beach, he reminded the council, and he asked if it would be possible to meet on site with an engineer as it would be helpful to access the damage. A private laneway to a dwelling at Templetown had also been severely affected by the storm and while he accepted that it wasn't the council's responsibility he wondered if there was any way to have some works carried out in the area. Chief Excecutive Ms Joan Martin recalled that following previous storms there had been a callout by the Department for councils to submit applications for funding for areas which had suffered damage. However, she cautioned that Louth was not nearly as badly hit as the west coast of Ireland but she assured the meeting that they would apply for any special funding which is made available as they had done in the past. Cllr Pearse McGeough sought an update regarding the proposed works to stop coastal erosion at Seabank. He noted that while the Chief Executive had indicated that the east coast was not as badly affected as the west coast, serious damage had been caused to the pier at Salterstown. He was fearful that if there were any more bad storms, the impact could be very serious. Director of Service Mr Frank Pentony replied that he didn't have a timeframe for the submissions to An Bord Pleanala in relation to the coastal protection works at Seabank. San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton went out to enjoy cigars and drinks Wednesday night at a downtown cigar bar where he said he and his African American friends faced racial discrimination. We all know the difference between bad service and discrimination, he said Friday in an interview with The Chronicle. This definitely goes beyond bad service in terms of how we were treated and in contrast with how other patrons were treated in the bar, how she (the server) talked to us. Curtis Post, founder and managing partner of the Occidental Cigar Club, where Walton gathered with a group of eight or nine friends, denied any discrimination. He said the club is a small place and people are asked to make room for others. Its not based on color of skin or how much someone spends, he said. We want everyone to have a good experience in the bar. Walton offered his view of the experience in a one-star review posted Thursday on Yelp in which he complained that a rude and aggressive hostess repeatedly reminded his party of a $20 (per person) minimum while not telling a nearby group of white men or any other patrons the same. She constantly raised her voice at us and the last straw, asked me and a few of my friends to move at the bar to make space for other white patrons, the supervisor wrote. Post said his partner, the woman referred to by Walton, and a handful of regular patrons said that the supervisor said, Why the f do I have to move and pounded his fists on the bar. That outburst, Post said, prompted her to close the groups tab. Walton said in his review that the group comprised several professional black men, dressed in suits and other professional attire, and that when they refused to step aside to make room for the white men, the hostess closed their tab, which exceeded the minimum. When he asked to speak to the owner, he said, she identified herself as a co-owner. Most of the people with him were from out of town and visiting San Francisco to attend a Black History Month program, Walton said, which made the way they were treated feel even worse. I havent been discriminated against like that in years, he said. Its a sad state of affairs that it still happens. I can only believe I was treated like that because of the color of my skin since other patrons were being treated much differently. 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. After posting his review, Walton said, his office received a call from a man who identified himself as another co-owner. He said he has not yet returned the call but plans to do so after the weekend. He plans to ask for a public apology. I want a lesson to be learned and nobody to be treated like this again, he said. We fight hard in this city to make sure things like this dont happen. Post said he will be happy to discuss the incident with Walton. Discrimination is not what were about, he said. Thats so unlike us. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Paris Sat, February 29, 2020 10:44 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206754ecb 2 World handshakes,coronavirus,health,France,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19 Free French authorities on Friday recommended that people refrain from shaking hands to prevent infection from the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases jumped by 19 to 57. France will also keep several schools in the Oise area north of Paris closed after holidays end on Sunday in order to halt the spread of the virus, Health Minister Olivier Veran said. The virus is now circulating on our territory ... I recommend that, for now, people do not shake hands, Veran told reporters at a daily briefing about the outbreak. Veran called on citizens to help stop the spread of the virus by respecting authorities safety instructions. Protect yourself and your loved ones, he said. Separately, Defense Minister Florence Parly said on her Twitter feed that several confirmed coronavirus infections had been reported on the military base of Creil, north of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macrons office said on Friday that the government will meet on Saturday to discuss the health crisis. On Thursday, the health ministry had reported 38 cases of coronavirus in France, of which two people had died, 12 were cured and 24 were hospitalized, with two of those being in a serious condition. To our students, faculty, staff, and parents: As Virginia Tech continues to closely monitor and assess the outbreak of COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) worldwide, and its potential impact on university programs and other activities our community members are engaged in, the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remains our primary concern. Because of the continued growth in the number of COVID-19 cases in Italy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel for Italy earlier this afternoon. Given this development, and in accordance with Policy 1070, Virginia Tech is suspending participation in all activities in Italy immediately. In addition, the university will re-evaluate its programs in Canton Ticino, Switzerland, and decisions regarding those programs will be made in consultation with our on-site staff and cantonal officials. Currently, there are no CDC, COVID-19 related advisories for Switzerland. In Canton Ticino, all colleges and universities are open and holding classes. Students, faculty, and staff participating in exchange programs, study abroad opportunities through other agencies and institutions, research, internships, conferences, competitions, or other university-supported travel in Italy are strongly urged to return immediately. We recommend students follow guidance from their host institution and host nation and remind all travelers of the health recommendations from the Schiffert Health Center. Concerns for the safety, well-being, and free movement of the students, faculty, and staff in these programs guided this difficult decision. The university believes this is absolutely essential to reduce the potential risk of our students being unable to leave the region due to containment efforts. As needed, we will work directly with students, faculty, and staff to facilitate their safe return. Impacted individuals will undoubtedly have many questions and concerns. Virginia Tech is committed to offer its full support and assistance to mitigate the academic impact of this decision and related issues. Please visit our COVID-19 website for the latest information. In addition, Virginia Tech will continue to aid and support other students and faculty who are abroad elsewhere or seek to travel abroad in the future. With spring break approaching, we recognize that many of our international students and scholars may be unable to travel home as they may have planned. The university is committed to support those who may face these emerging challenges. Virginia Techs four faculty-led, spring break programs traveling to low-risk nations (Ireland, Iceland, Ecuador, and Peru-Argentina) are proceeding as planned at this time. The CDC has not indicated COVID-19 risk to travelers in these countries. All summer programs that include travel in CDC Warning Level 2 nations are being asked to prepare alternate plans to avoid travel to those countries. For restrictions regarding inbound travel from CDC Warning Level 3 countries, please refer to the travel restriction information website. Departments will be responsible for communicating the information on this site to their students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars. We continue to encourage our community to take precautions and exercise good health practices. To learn more about preventive health practices, and to receive university updates on the impact of COVID-19 outbreak, please continue to monitor our COVID-19 website. Cyril Clarke Executive Vice President and Provost Dr Badu Sarkodie, the Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Friday urged Ghanaians not to panic over the confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in neighbouring Nigeria. Ghana, with the support of the World Health Organisation and other relevant bodies, had strengthened and enhanced its preparedness regimes at all levels to prevent an outbreak. The needed support, he said, had also been given to health staff to boost their confidence to manage any case that would test positive. Dr Sarkodie was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, which sought to find out what further interventions the national technical team on COVID-19 would introduce following the reported case in Nigeria, on Friday. "We just have to continually monitor to ensure that the relevant actions are being taken with regard to surveillance," he said. So far, Ghanas Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has tested 25 suspected cases and they have all proven negative. Nigerias Health Authorities, on Thursday, February 27, confirmed its first case of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case, in Lagos State. It involves an Italian citizen who worked in Nigeria, travelled to Italy and returned from Milan to Nigeria on February 25, this year. More than a dozen countries have recorded their first cases of Coronavirus in the past 48 hours, with Tudors Adhanom, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, cautioning that the outbreak had become a potential pandemic. Dr Sarkodie said though the case in Nigeria was unfortunate, it was good that it was picked up early - without delay to prevent an outbreak. The situation could have been in Ghana, he said, as the two countries shared similar risks. The monitoring is very critical; we need to ensure that passengers are watched closely to pick up any case that may arrive, he emphasised, but added that, the country is positioned to pick it early, investigate and contain it. Jingles in the various local languages would soon be aired to boost the mass media campaign on prevention and early detection. Nigeria is the 49th country to report a coronavirus case, but the first in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr Sarkodie urged citizens to adhere to the preventive measures that had been recommended for their safety. They should regularly and thoroughly wash hands with soap and water and use alcohol-based hand sanitisers. They should also maintain at least one and half metres (five feet) distance between themselves and anyone who had a cough or sneezed. People coughing persistently or sneezing should stay indoors or keep a social distance, but not mix with a crowd. They must adhere to good respiratory hygiene by covering mouths and noses with a handkerchief or tissue while sneezing or coughing, he cautioned. Coronavirus has since December 2019, killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 83,000 worldwide. Stock markets, general trading and businesses have been badly hit, while many social and sporting activities, which involve a crowd, in many of the 55 affected countries have been cancelled or suspended. 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 Wipeouts on world sharemarkets as coronavirus fears grow are having a big impact on super funds but industry experts say fund members should resist the temptation to switch to more conservative investment options that risk leaving them worse off in the long run. Most super funds have about half of their invested retirement savings exposed to Australian and overseas shares, which have both taken a beating over the past week. A woman wears a protective mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus at the airport in Mexico City on Friday. Credit:AP In the US, the benchmark S&P 500 index fell 4.4 per cent on Thursday night (Australian time) its largest single-day decline since 2011. Wall Street fell again on Friday night - along with steep dips in the European and Asian markets - to lock in the worst week since the global financial crisis. A Gold Coast beautician identified as Queensland's sixth coronavirus victim had "brief interactions" with clients at Australia Fair Shopping Centre before she was placed in isolation. The 63-year-old woman returned from Iran on Monday and began working at Hair Plus on Thursday morning from 11am. She saw between 30 and 40 clients for treatments including facials and waxing before she went home sick. Once her symptoms worsened, she went to the Gold Coast University Hospital, where she was taken into isolation after testing positive for coronavirus. Princess Beatrice will be exchanging vows with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the end of May and has been very busy planning her big day. The royals have confirmed that the ceremony will be held inside St. Jamess Palace at the Chapel Royal and the reception will take place at Buckingham Palace. While we wait for more announcements, heres a look at which tiara Queen Elizabeth might lend Princess Beatrice for her big day. Princess Beatrice and Queen Elizabeth | Indigo/Getty Images When will Princess Beatrice reveal her tiara? Beatrice and Mozzi got engaged during a trip to Italy last fall. The couple announced their engagement on social media shortly thereafter, prompting an enormous amount of excitement over another royal wedding. Since then, Buckingham Palace has slowly released details about the wedding, including the recent venue announcement. Other details regarding the ceremony, however, have been kept tightly under wraps. More announcements will surely come as we get closer to the wedding, including an official guest list for the big day. But when it comes to what Beatrice is going to wear for the wedding, fans will likely have to wait until the day of the ceremony to find out. Princess Beatrice is fully expected to wear a tiara for the wedding, which will mark the first time weve seen her rock a jeweled headpiece in public. Although there is no telling which tiara Beatrice will pick, there are several frontrunners in Queen Elizabeths collection. Which tiara will Queen Elizabeth lend Beatrice? There are three tiaras that Beatrice is probably considering for her wedding, all of which Queen Elizabeth will likely lend out. According to Hello Magazine, the most obvious choice for Beatrice is the York tiara. The tiara was given to Princess Beatrices mother, Sarah Ferguson, when she tied the knot to Prince Andrew in 1986. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip gave Ferguson the headpiece as a gift. Ferguson has worn the tiara on a number of different occasions and was given permission to keep it following her divorce from Andrew in 1996. She was last seen wearing it during Elton Johns White Tie and Tiara Ball in 2001. Sarah so beautiful in the York tiara! Wonder if Beatrice could wear this!https://t.co/WmcFk2TMlg Francine Blaise (@FrancineBlaise1) February 17, 2020 Considering how Princess Eugenie did not wear the tiara during her wedding, there is a good chance that Princess Beatrice will choose it. The other two candidates include the Strathmore Rose tiara and the Oriental Circlet tiara. The Strathmore Rose tiara has not been seen in public for decades, while the Oriental Circlet tiara was last worn by Queen Elizabeth in 2005. Who will attend the wedding? Tiaras aside, fans are also looking forward to seeing which members of the royal family will show up for Beatrices wedding. Despite his recent sex scandal, Andrew is reportedly set to walk his daughter down the aisle. Princess Beatrices mother is also expected to be present for the wedding, even though she has a rather turbulent relationship with Philip. Following her divorce from Andrew, sources claimed that Philip refused to give Ferguson money when she experienced financial troubles. We also do not know if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will appear at the ceremony. The couples exit from the monarchy will take place at the end of March. If they do return for the wedding, it might make for an awkward time for the rest of the family. In light of the potential drama, sources claim that Queen Elizabeth has told everyone to be on their best behavior at the wedding. A look at Princess Beatrices wedding venue When it comes to Beatrices wedding venue, the Chapel Royal holds a lot of significance for the royal family. The venue has witnessed a slew of royal events over the years, including christenings and weddings. Queen Victoria, for example, used the Chapel Royal to wed Prince Albert in the winter of 1840. Princess Beatrice could snub Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle at her wedding by following this royal protocol #royal https://t.co/9A28foSQws pic.twitter.com/aH2ojgUFg4 Daily Express (@Daily_Express) February 25, 2020 St. Jamess Palace is also where Prince Charles, Princess Alexandra, and Princess Anne call home when they are staying in London. Beatrice and her future husband are also staying in the palace, though it is unclear where they will live after they tie the knot. The royals have not revealed whether or not Princess Beatrices wedding will be televised, though odds are it will remain a private event. Some 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border after Turkey's president threatened to allow some of the many refugees in the country cross into Europe, the UN said Saturday. "Thousands of migrants, including families with young children, are passing a cold night along the border between Turkey and Greece," the International Organization for Migration said in a statement, adding that its staff had observed "at least 13,000 people gathered along the 212-kilometre (125-mile) long border." Greek police clashed on Saturday with thousands of migrants who were already gathering on the border to try to enter Europe, while Turkey and Russia, which back opposing forces in the Syria conflict, held high-level talks to try to defuse tensions. >> Europe 'lacks leverage' over Turkey amid Erdogan migrant threat Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday vowed to allow migrants to travel on to Europe from Turkey which he said can no longer handle new waves of people fleeing war-torn Syria. It already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. The comments were his first after Turkish 34 troops were killed since Thursday in the northern Syria province of Idlib where Moscow-backed Syrian regime forces are battling to retake the last rebel holdout area. "What did we do yesterday (Friday)? We opened the doors," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We will not close those doors ...Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises." He was referring to a 2016 deal with the European Union to stop refugee flows in exchange for billions of euros in aid. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency meeting to discuss tensions on the border with Turkey. The Turkish leader said 18,000 migrants have amassed on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday. Thousands of migrants who remained stuck on the Turkish-Greek border were in skirmishes with Greek police on Saturday who fired tear gas to push them back, according to AFP photographer in the western province of Edirne. The migrants massed at the Pazarkule border crossing responded by hurling stones at the police. 'Violations of our borders' In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. The pressure to cope with the influx split the European Union. "Greece yesterday came under an organised, mass, illegal attack... a violation of our borders and endured it," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Saturday after the emergency meeting with Mitsotakis. "We averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our land borders." A Greek police source said security forces fired tear gas Saturday morning against migrants massing on the Turkish side because the migrants had set fires and opened holes in the border fences. Armed policemen and soldiers are patrolling the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and are warning with loudspeakers not to enter Greek territory. Greek authorities were also using drones to monitor the migrants moves. Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos told Skai television the situation was under control "I believe that the borders have been protected," he said. According to Hellenic Coast Guard, from early Friday to early Saturday 180 migrants reached the islands of Eastern Aegean, Lesbos and Samos in sea crossings. The UN said nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced in the bitter cold by the fighting in northwest Syria since December. 'Pay a price' Turkey said that Turkish forces destroyed a "chemical warfare facility," just south of Aleppo, in retaliation its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in Idlib. "As of last night, we blew up a depot housing seven chemical products," Erdogan said. "We would not want things to reach this point but as they force us to do this, they will pay a price." But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources inside the war-torn country, said that Turkey instead hit a military airport in eastern Aleppo, where the monitoring group says there are no chemical weapons. Thirty-three Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Russian-backed Syrian regime forces in the Idlib on Thursday, the biggest Turkish military loss on the battlefield in recent years. A 34th Turkish soldier has since died. The latest incident has raised further tensions between Ankara and Moscow, whose relationship has been tested by violations of a 2018 deal to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. As part of the agreement, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the province but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces -- backed by Russian air power -- have pressed on with a relentless campaign to take back the remaining chunks of the territory. On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in a bid to scale down the tensions, with the Kremlin saying the two expressed "serious concern" about the situation. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. Despite being on opposite ends of the war, Turkey, which backs several rebel groups in Syria, and key regime ally Russia are trying to find a political solution. The United States and the United Nations have called for an end to the Syrian offensive in Idlib and the deadly flare-up raising fresh concerns for civilians caught up in the escalation of the eight-year civil war. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Syria Turkey, Russia leaders aim to defuse tensions The presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone Friday to try to defuse tensions that rose significantly in Syria after 33 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike blamed on the Syrian government, and a new wave of refugees and migrants headed for the Greek land and sea border after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back. The attack Thursday marked the deadliest day for the Turkish military since Ankara first entered the Syrian conflict in 2016 and also was the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces, raising the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. It was not clear whether Syrian or Russia jets carried out the strike, but Turkey blamed Syrias government, and Russia denied responsibility. France Historic Paris train station evacuated PARIS Police evacuated an historic Paris train station on Friday after a fire engulfed multiple vehicles and sent a large cloud of black smoke over the neighborhood. Rebecca Long-Bailey has vowed that the Labour Party would compete 'toe-to-toe' against the Prime Minister's controversial adviser Dominic Cummings if she becomes leader. The shadow business secretary said she wants to establish a media rebuttal unit and put a greater emphasis on digital campaigning to take on Mr Cummings at the next election. She added that Labour had been 'nowhere near' the Conservative Party when competing for votes at the December poll. Rebecca Long-Bailey (speaking at a leadership hustings in Brighton) has vowed that the Labour Party would compete 'toe-to-toe' against the Prime Minister's controversial adviser Dominic Cummings if she becomes leader Mr Cummings was heralded for successfully targeting Eurosceptic voters through online and social media advertising when leading the campaign operation at Vote Leave during the referendum. Boris Johnson also credits his right-hand man with penning the 'Get Brexit done' slogan that helped usher in his Tory landslide victory. Speaking at a leadership hustings in Brighton, Ms Long-Bailey said Labour would need to change their tactics if it was to beat Mr Cummings and the Tories next time round. She said: 'We have to be more ruthless. We need to have a rebuttal unit in our party that fights back at those smears [against the party leader] immediately. 'We also need to have a digital campaigning team that is increased far beyond the current capacity so we can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Dominic Cummings. Dominic Cummings (pictured) was heralded for successfully targeting Eurosceptic voters through online and social media advertising when leading the campaign operation at Vote Leave during the referendum 'We were nowhere near in this election campaign. 'They were targeting demographics - your hobbies, your income groups - and we were just putting out nice memes and videos, and that's not good enough. 'We have got to be ruthless, forensic and we have got to fight back.' Sir Keir Starmer, shadow Brexit secretary, told supporters that outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn faced worse 'vilification' in the press than any Labour leader before him. He warned the party must not adopt Mr Cummings' strategy of attacking the UK's free press or else risk a polarised media model similar to that seen in America. Since the election the Prime Minister, with Mr Cummings by his side in Downing Street, has opened a consultation into decriminalising non-payment of the television licence fee that makes up the majority of the BBC's income. Journalists also walked out of a Number 10 briefing earlier this month after it became apparent that some reporters had been excluded. Voting has now started in the three-candidate leadership contest as Ms Long-Bailey, Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Lisa Nandy (right) continue to battle for the top position with the winner set to be announced on April 4 Sir Keir said: 'Part of Cummings' approach is to attack independent journalism and to try and push us down an American model that will make it 10 times worse. 'This is a culture war. 'It is very important we diversify the press, we call out the vilification but that we stand up for an independent and free press. 'Otherwise, Dominic Cummings will take us down the American model and it will be 10 times worse by the time we get to the next election.' Lisa Nandy, the only backbencher left in the race for the top job, said she wanted to see a social media tax to help provide local news outlets with long-term funding. The Wigan MP also said she would like to 'mutualise' the BBC so the public could have a greater say over its running. She added: 'I want to see us mutualise the BBC, not because I hate the BBC but because I believe in the licence fee and I believe it must be far more accountable to the public and the people who fund the BBC. 'It would be far less open to manipulation from this right-wing Tory government.' The sensational resignation of Sir Philip Rutnam, the Home Office's most senior civil servant who quit amid a bullying row with Home Secretary Priti Patel, was not addressed during Labour's the 90-minute debate. Voting has now started in the three-candidate leadership contest with a winner due to be announced on April 4. If the latest polls are right, Vermont Sen. and avowed socialist Bernie Sanders will either be the Democratic presidential nominee or the person who decides the nominee. And hes not even a Democrat. Not that it matters. Under Democratic Party rules, candidates win no delegates in the primaries unless they get at least 15% of the vote statewide, or 15% of the vote in individual congressional districts. In California, the polls show Sanders is the only candidate comfortably over the 15% line. Its quite possible that rivals such as Joe Biden will leave California, the primary seasons biggest prize, with none of the states 415 pledged delegates. Basically, the Democrats have come up with rules for awarding delegates that nullify the votes of anyone backing a candidate who doesnt hit the magic threshold. It makes ranked-choice voting look democratic. Its still possible Sanders will get to the Democratic convention without the majority of delegates he needs to be nominated on the first ballot. But he may have the votes to change the rules and allow him to win with only a plurality. And if he doesnt, his supporters will still be in position to decide who the nominee is, or walk out and doom the party to defeat against President Trump in November. And they will do whatever Bernie says. So we are in trouble as a party. The same trouble the Republican Party was in before it all but dissolved under the Tea Party and Trump. Support Chinatown: Since the coronavirus outbreak, Ive made a point of eating one or two meals a week in Chinatown, which is hurting because of unfounded fears about catching the disease there. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bested me when she spent nearly four hours there the other day to show her support. Just before she started her tour, Chinatown was hit by one of those famously unexplained Pacific Gas and Electric Co. outages. Somehow, as Pelosi slowly moved up the street, block by block, the lights came back on. Have another piece: The night before her Chinatown excursion, Nancy Pelosi was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser at the Waterbar restaurant for Rep. Jim Costa, the Fresno Democrat whos being primaried by another Democrat. Costa is an eight-term moderate whose challenger, Fresno City Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, has the backing of local activists and organized labor. The race is a classic example of the split within the party between older establishment Democrats and younger progressives. Pelosi was asked how she manages to keep the various factions of Democrats united. You know, I raised five kids. And I made sure that they didnt cut up the pie until all of the work was done to make the pie in the first place, Pelosi said. So I told the caucus the same thing stop talking about division. When you get the pie, then you can talk about equitable division. Wrapping it up: Black History Month had a great wrap-up at San Francisco City Hall the other day, with Mayor London Breed, state Board of Equalization Chairwoman Malia Cohen and Supervisor Shamann Walton presiding over the event. Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer and Ahsha Safai and Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu were also there. 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 for my money, it was the Pittsburg High School marching band and cheerleading squad that stole the show. They blew the roof off the rotunda with their music and moves. The event was paid for by the usual corporate sponsors, including Comcast, AT&T, Google and Salesforce. Typically, the sponsors at such events get their names on a poster onstage and maybe get a shout-out at the end. But given the recent allegations of corruption at City Hall, someone decided it would be best to get the corporate donors more out front, for transparencys sake. So for the first time, they read off the names at the very start of the program. Movie time: Call of the Wild. This is a darn good movie. The headliner is Harrison Ford, who is finally cast as someone his actual age. But the real star is Buck, a dog thrust into the wilds of Alaska. If youre interested, see it soon. I was the only person in the theater. Dont panic: I spent the whole week out and about and riding Muni. I can report that even with the coronavirus dominating the news, everyone appeared to be their calm, cramped and rude selves. Lets hope it stays that way. Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com "Star Wars" actor Joonas Suotamo and his wife Milla Pohjasvaara have become parents to their second child. The 33-year-old actor, best known for voicing Chewbacca in the franchise, shared the on social media on Friday, saying his daughter was born earlier this week. "We have some exciting news: we were blessed to welcome the newest member of our family! Our little princess (or senator, or general, or whatever she wants to be!) was born this week and is doing great," Suotamo wrote alongside a photo of the newborn. The Finnish actor has named the newborn Bacca after his character from the sci-fi series. He had taken over the reins of the beloved character from Peter Mayhew with 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". The actor and Pohjasvaara are already parents to son Aatos, who Suotamo said, "is gonna have to get used to there being two little ones in the house now." "So far he is doing well with it, and we expect him to grow up to be a great big brother. Welcome to the world Princess Bacca," he concluded the post. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nigeria has witnessed a proliferation of political parties since the country returned to democratic civil rule under the Fourth Republic. Although only three parties were registered by the military government for the elections in 1999, the latest general election in 2019 saw a record 91 political parties that fielded over 23,000 candidates. On February 6, 2020, INEC took the nation by surprise by deregistering 74 out of the 91 registered parties that participated in the 2019 general elections. Only 18 parties are currently left on INECs register. Defence The commission said its decision followed a comparative review and court-ordered re-run elections arising from litigations on political parties in the last elections. It said the political parties performed poorly and failed to win at least one political seat in the last general elections. INEC also said the parties breached the requirement for registration of political parties under section 225 of the Nigerian constitution. Angry parties Expectedly, the exercise sparked public debate as to whether the electoral umpire has the constitutional power to make such a move. Some of the affected parties kicked against INECs action, insisting that it acted against illegally. All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP), Fresh Democratic Party (FDP) and Alliance for Democracy (AD) cried foul and accused the electoral umpire of illegality. On their parts, KOWA party, Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), and the Socialist Party of Nigeria vowed to seek legal redress. KOWA acting national chairman, Mark Adebayo, said his party and 32 others had approached the Federal High Court, Abuja in 2019, to restrain INEC from deregistering parties pending the determination of the suit. He said the court upon hearing the Motion for an Interlocutory Injunction adjourned for ruling on February 17, some days before the INEC hammer. The National Youth Leader of the SPN, Hassan Soweto, said the move to shrink the democratic space was an attempt to ensure that politics is accessible to only the rich who are in a position to buy votes and sponsor electoral thuggery. The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, described the INEC decision as an affront on the judiciary, an abuse of the Court Process and a conscious disregard for the rule of law. It added that there was an existing court order restraining INEC from de-registering the political parties pending the determination of the suit. The Federal High Court, upon hearing the motion for an interlocutory Injunction on January 23, 2020, adjourned for ruling on February 17, 2020, he said. Simmering anger Not satisfied with the decision of INEC, 33 out of 74 political parties deregistered filed a suit seeking an order of the court to restrain the electoral commission from deregistering them. The court last week granted the injunction sought by the parties barring the electoral commission from deregistering them. Justice Anwuli Chikere said INEC failed to counter the application by the applicants whose rights must be protected. Experts perspectives Some experts have also applauded INECs action saying none of the 74 affected parties won at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in at least one state, nor won a single local government in a state during the governorship elections during the 2019 general election. The deregistration of political parties is an effort to sanitise the electoral process, said Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Watching the Vote, an election observer group. He said, The latest action of deregistering political parties who failed one of the criteria for registration or could not win at least 25 per cent of votes cast in one state of the federation during the 2019 presidential election or win a single local government in a state during the governorship elections, is no doubt in line with the constitution. Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who headed the National Assembly Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for 12 years, insists INEC has the constitutional backing to deregister political parties if proven to have performed poorly at elections. For him, parties crying foul do not understand the provisions of the constitution on the issue. Advertisements Previous exercises This certainly is not the first time INEC would deregister parties since the restoration of democracy in 1999. In 2003, it struck out some political parties from its register. This prompted the late legal luminary and former presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party, Gani Fawehinmi, whose party was one of those affected, to challenge the action of the electoral body in court. He contended that deregistration of parties violates the freedom of association. In January 2003, the court made an order of injunction restraining INEC, its agents, officers, privies from basing the registration of political associations as political parties on the aforesaid offending provisions of the Guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2001. It also dismissed in its entirety the cross-appeal brought by INEC. INEC, under the chairmanship of Attahiru Jega also embarked on the exercise when he axed 39 political parties between 2011 and 2013 on the strength of Section 78 (7) (I & ii). As it is now, the affected parties challenged the action. READ ALSO: Fresh Democratic Party (FDP) under the leadership of Chris Okotie, a clergyman, instituted a case in an Abuja High Court. The court, in its judgement in July 2013, restrained INEC from deregistering any political party. The court appears to have followed the same pattern as Mrs Chikere of the Federal High Court in Abuja also held that the electoral commission failed to oppose the application by the applicants whose rights of association must be protected. What usually follows after such is decisions are taken by the court is that more political associations would file applications to be recognized as parties. Over the years, this has led to the emergence of mushroom parties in the political space. Interestingly, many of the parties emerge for different reasons, one of disaffections that follows after some big parties are thrown into crisis. Sadly, such parties hardly win elections but only remain in the briefcase of the leaders. How system works in other countries Aside from communist countries like China and North Korea, many democratic countries in the world have a multi-party system in place. Nigerias constitution was patterned after that of the United States of America. Although the latters federalism has spanned several decades, Nigerias democratic experiment is still developing and has barely survived five transitional elections. South Africa is a democratic but one-party dominant state with the African National Congress in power. It has over 14 parties represented in parliament but many more registered but unrepresented in parliament. The ANC party has dominated elections since the end of apartheid in 1994. Statistics on the last general elections held on May 8, 2019, showed that the South African third force also performed poorly. The elections had a record of 48 parties with three major parties, the ANC, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the Democratic Alliance (DA). Another country that practices a multi-party system, is Ghana. It has two dominant political parties, the National Democratic Congress, the New Patriotic Party and others. As of 2018, there were 24 political parties listed on the website of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. In the last general elections in 2016, seven candidates ran for president. the two major parties got 98.25 per cent of the 15 million total vote cast. The incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo under the NP party won the election with 5 million votes defeating former president John Mahama. Need for third force With Nigeria having an estimated population of about 200 million and about 250 ethnic groups, there is a need for a third force to challenge the trend of politicking, an analyst said. Nigeria probably needs more parties (not just a third one) because of the diverse range of ethnic, religious and economic views that need to be represented in the parliament, Cheta Nwanze, lead analyst at SBM Intelligence told PREMIUM TIMES. However, to be a party, you need to be able to show that youre not just a portfolio contraption as most of our so-called third force parties have turned out to be, but a true grassroots movement. This means, given our recent history, being able to win a position in a local government, and run that LGA for a bit, Mr Nwanze said. Chennai: "Indian 2" Director S Shankar has announced Rs 1 crore financial assistance to the families of the three technicians who lost their lives at the shooting spot earlier this month. In a statement, Shankar said whatever help is rendered to the families who lost their loved ones (Krishna, Madhu and Chandran) cannot compensate the loss of their lives. "Nevertheless, a sum of Rs 1 crore will be given to the affected families by me which may be of small help to them," he said. Shankar said more than relief of escaping himself by a whisker, the pain of losing three people is tormenting him. He said he is trying to recover from the shock of the accident and he is not able to digest the accident despite several safety measures taken. Three technicians -- Madhu, Chandran and Krishna -- were killed and 12 others injured after the crane fell on them while constructing the sets at the EVP Film City near here on February 19 night. Movie hero Kamal Haasan, female lead Kajal Aggarwal, as well as Shankar himself, had a providential escape that night. Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street. The 55-year-old Prime Minister and 31-year-old conservationist, whose relationship has been the subject of intense intrigue, are now getting ready to welcome what may be referred to as a 'Brexit baby'. Ms Symonds, a former Conservative Party communications chief, found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Mr Johnson last year just months after the announcement of his separation from second wife Marina Wheeler. The public relations expert had been in the so-called Westminster Bubble for most of her remarkably ascendant career, a high-point being when she was made head of party PR aged just 29. Ms Symonds joined the Tory party media machine in 2009, first as a press adviser, then head of broadcast at Conservative campaign headquarters ahead of the 2015 general election. Her association with Mr Johnson dates back to the early years, having worked on his successful re-election bid at City Hall in 2012. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with partner Carrie Symonds, they have announced that they are expecting a baby in the early summer and that they have got engaged Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds holding hands in the Sussex countryside last summer, shortly after reports of a blazing row between the couple But a row that saw police called to their home in the early stages of the Conservative leadership race offered a glimpse into the complicated private life about which Mr Johnson tries desperately to avoid answering questions. The couple had been living together at Ms Symonds's flat in Camberwell, south London, until the well-publicised row recorded by neighbours in June 2019. They now live in a flat above Number 11 Downing Street and have adopted a Jack Russell-cross puppy called Dilyn. In December, Mr Johnson's sister Rachel Johnson said she has yet to meet Ms Symonds. But their father Stanley, who appeared alongside Ms Johnson on ITV's Good Morning Britain, said he has met Ms Symonds, adding: 'The Johnsons are united in this.' Back in January last year, Ms Symonds was joined by Stanley Johnson at an event in London opposing Japan's plans to resume commercial whaling. The pair were spotted smiling and chatting together after they both addressed the crowd. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson's turbulent marriage to Ms Wheeler, during which they had four children, ended after 25 years together in September 2018. Ms Symonds shared the news to friends on her private Instagram account this evening In 2004 he was sacked from the Tory front-bench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt and the Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while mayor of London in 2009. Claims that Mr Johnson squeezed the thigh of journalist Charlotte Edwardes, at a private lunch at The Spectator magazine's HQ shortly after he became editor in 1999, overshadowed his first Conservative Party conference as PM. But in a public display of affection, Mr Johnson kissed Ms Symonds after his speech to party members at the event. Mr Johnson greeted Cabinet ministers before embracing his girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek and then walking out of the hall holding her hand. Meanwhile, allegations about Mr Johnson's relationship with American entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, and whether she enjoyed preferential treatment while he was London mayor, also dominated the headlines in September. Mr Johnson has insisted Ms Edwardes's allegations are not true and has denied any impropriety in relation to the claims about Ms Arcuri. Details added (first version posted at 14:58). BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 28 Trend: The Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan has confirmed the first case of coronavirus infection in the country, Trend reports with reference to the Operational Headquarters. According to the Headquarters, the infected is a Russian citizen. The Russian citizen showed the primary signs of a coronavirus when crossing the state border with Iran in the direction of Azerbaijan. Then the Russian citizen was placed in a special box of the hospital. The results of the tests were positive. Currently, the patient's health is stable. The hospital has all the necessary equipment and professional medical staff to provide the patient with appropriate therapy, as well as to prevent the spread of infection. Moreover, appropriate measures are being taken to suppress the spread of the virus and its undesirable consequences. Work is underway to identify the persons with whom the patient had close contact, and to identify the source of infection of the patient, as well as the ways of the infections spread. A series of public meetings are being held tomorrow (Wednesday) to find out if there is sufficient interest for the opening of a new all-Irish post-primary school in Dundalk. This follows on from the controversy over Colaiste Lu last year when parents and students protested over the level of classes being provided through the medium of Irish after the school moved into the new Colaiste Cu Chulainn campus. A number of parents withdrew their children from the school, with some going to other schools in town while ten students opted to travel to Colaiste Ghlor na Mara in Balbriggan. Now, following a public meeting last October about the future delivery of Irish medium education in the county, An Foras Patrunachta has been working with LMETB to provide a solution and obtain sanction from the department of Education to open and operate a satellite of Colaiste Ghlor na Mara in Dundalk from next September. Parent Aidan Kinsella explains that if there is sufficient interest, An Foras Patrunachta will open and run a fully immersive school in Dundalk, offering the full range of curriculum subjects taught through Irish. Eventually it is hoped that there will be enough students attending the satellite school, which will share a roll number with the Balbriggan Gaelcolaiste, to become a standalone school. At the moment, the local pupils attending the school in Balbriggan have to leave Dundalk on a mini-bus at 7.20am, arriving back in town at 4.20pm. Information sessions are being held tomorrow to outline how the new school would operate under the patronage of An Foras Patrunachta with its general secretary Caoimhin O hEaghra as keynote speaker. These public meetings take place in Gael Scoil Dhun Dealgan at 2.20pm, in Kilsaren National School at 6pm and in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Dundalk at 7.30pm. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari expressed "deep sorrow" on Saturday over the loss of lives in the communal violence in northeastern parts of the city earlier this week and claimed the police "failed" to gauge the magnitude of the situation in time. He accused non-BJP parties of playing a "negative" role in light of protests against the amended Citizenship Act, that "snowballed into violence" in Delhi. Forty-two lives have been lost so far and over 250 injured in the violence that started with stone pelting at Maujpur Chowk in Jafarabad area between pro- and anti- Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters on Sunday and later escalated to communal clashes in several parts of the northeast Delhi constituency represented in Lok Sabha by Tiwari. "I don't know what to say. Loss of so many lives is a matter of deep sorrow. It appears that the police also failed to assess the ground situation in time. It could have prevented loss of so many lives," the Lok Sabha MP told reporters. He, however, asserted that the Delhi Police brought the situation under "control" as soon as 73 companies of additional forces were deployed in the riot-hit areas on February 24. "Still, it's a failure. Nobody had any idea of the scale of the violence. Police too had no idea of it," Tiwari told reporters. Tiwari also blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for not helping in defusing the tense situation. "First, AAP councillor Tahir Hussain was found allegedly involved in the violence and now Congress' ex-councilor Ishrat Jahan's name has come up for the same, thus pointing out that the AAP and Congress together have worked to mislead people," he said in a statement. Expressing his concern over the violence,Tiwari said that he was constantly in touch with the people and made every effort to help them and ensure presence of police in riot-hit areas. "For the last three days, I was on the phone replying to the calls for help and assuring presence of police in violence-affected areas," the Delhi BJP chief said. "Let us not jump in to decide who is guilty. Rather wait for the investigation to complete," he said when asked about complaints that police did not respond to calls of help from people in riot-hit areas. He said that people were "still scared" but the situation was moving towards normalcy. "My only wish is that the injured recover soon and strict action is taken against the perpetrators of the violence." He also appealed to the people to not pay attention to "rumours" concerning the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that the state Congress Committee will stage a protest outside Income-Tax Department's office on Saturday. This comes after officials of the Income Tax Department conducted a raid at his Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia's residence in Bhilai on Friday. "We met the Governor of the state and put forward our point of view as to how people were not even informed about the I-T raids. They are roaming around in the state with the armed forces from Jagdalpur to Raigarh, creating an atmosphere of fear. State Congress Committee will stage a demonstration outside the I-T office today," Baghel told reporters here. The I-T Department on Thursday conducted raids at 25 premises, including those of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Ajaz Dhebar and senior IAS officers in the state. The officials raided properties of Ajaz Dhebar, his brother Anwar Dhebar and liquor baron Pappu Bhatiya. Searches were also conducted on the premises of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, Vivek Dhand and Anil Tuteja. Dhand is also a former Chief Secretary of the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yolo County health officer Ron Chapman said it is unclear how or when the three students could have been exposed to someone with the virus in the community. He declined to say whether the three had any ties to the Solano County woman who was hospitalized as the first U.S. community transmission of the virus. Washington America's longest war may finally be nearing an end. The United States and the Islamists it toppled from power in Afghanistan are poised to sign a peace deal Saturday after a conflict that outlasted two U.S. commanders in chief and is now led by a third eager to extricate America from "endless wars." More than 18 years since President George W. Bush ordered bombing in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the agreement will set the stage for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, some of whom were not yet born when the World Trade Center collapsed. Saturday's ceremony also signals the potential end of a tremendous investment of blood and treasure. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost. Yet it's also a conflict that is frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. In the Qatari capital of Doha, America's top diplomat will stand with leaders of the Taliban, Afghanistan's former rulers who harbored Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. It will likely be an uncomfortable appearance for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump insisted on his participation, according to two people present. U.S. troops are to be withdrawn to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following Saturday's signing. Further drawdowns are to depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, compliance that will be assessed by the United States. Trump, as he seeks re-election this year, is looking to make good on his campaign promise to bring troops home from the Middle East. Still, he has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In a statement released by the White House, Trump said Friday that if the Taliban and Afghan governments live up to the commitments in the agreement, "we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. If the agreement is successful, Afghanistan, the "graveyard of empires" that has repeatedly repelled foreign invaders from imperial Britain and Russia to the Soviet Union, will have once again successfully turned away a world power from its landlocked borders. But prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghani factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Were beginning to see some Spring pop through our Winter, how about you? I do not believe in student evaluations, though I have learned from them over the years: Student evaluations of teaching reflect students biases and are otherwise unreliable. So goes much of criticism of these evaluations, or SETs. Increasingly, research backs up both of those concerns. On the other side of the debate, SET proponents acknowledge that these evaluations are imperfect indicators of teaching quality. Still, proponents argue that well-designed SETs inevitably tell us something valuable about students learning experiences with a given professor. A new study -- which one expert called a possible game-changer -- seeks to cut through the noise by assuming the best of SETs -- at least, that which is supported by the existing literature. Its analysis assumes that the scores students give instructors are moderately correlated with student learning and the use of pedagogical best practices. It assumes that SETs are highly reliable, or that professors consistently get the same ratings. And it assumes that SETs do not systematically discriminate against instructors on the basis of irrelevant criteria such as their gender, class size and type of course being taught. And even when stacking the deck for SETs, the study finds that these evaluations are deeply flawed measures of teaching quality. Unbiased, Reliable and Valid Student Evaluations Can Still Be Unfair, published in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, was written by Justin Esarey and Natalie Valdes. Esarey, an associate professor, and Valdes, an undergraduate research fellow, both work in political science at Wake Forest University. They note -- rightly -- that their field has faced concerns about gender bias, including in student evaluations of female professors. The problem transcends political science, of course, and many studies suggest that students perceive instructors differently based on factors beyond gender, such as race. (Political scientists Mirya Hollman, Ellen Key and Rebecca Kreitzer maintain a bibliography of relevant studies here.) As the paper notes, Using invalid, unreliable or biased student evaluations to make decisions about hiring and tenure is obviously harmful to students and faculty alike." Even worse, it says, biased SETs could disadvantage faculty from underrepresented minority groups or punish faculty members who teach unpopular required courses. While these are important problems, the authors write, they shift gears and ask a different question: if SETs are valid, reliable, and unbiased, what then? Are SET scores without demonstrable bias and moderately correlated with instructor quality a fair basis on which to judge a faculty members teaching performance? If the answer to the latter question is no, then there is a much bigger problem with the use of SETs than is commonly recognized. And no is indeed the answer: even under ideal circumstances, Esarey and Valdes write, SETs still yield an unacceptably high error rate. Summing up his findings this week, Esarey said that unless the correlation between student ratings and teaching quality is far, far stronger than even the most optimistic empirical research can support, then common administrative uses of SETs very frequently lead to incorrect decisions. Those professors with the very highest evaluations are often poor teachers, he added, and those with the very lowest evaluations are often better than the typical instructor. Consequently, Esarey said that he and Valdes would expect any administrative decisions made using SET scores as the primary basis for judgment to be quite unfair. How to stay focused, this being the first little clip much more at link: Staying focused can help you accomplish a variety of professional and personal tasks, from studying for a test to finishing your work an hour early. There are various practical steps you can take to help yourself focus better and to stop checking your Facebook or phone every fifteen minutes. To stay focused on the task ahead of you, resist the impulse to give in to distractions, make a to-do list (which has built-in breaks) and resist the temptation to multi-task. Luxury class beliefs, virtue signaling, and status: This is not to say that elite colleges dont educate their students, or that Canada Goose jackets dont keep their wearers warm. But top universities are also crucial for induction into the luxury belief class. Take vocabulary. Your typical middle-class American could not tell you what heteronormative or cisgender means. But if you visit Harvard, youll find plenty of rich 19-year-olds who will eagerly explain them to you. When someone uses the phrase cultural appropriation, what they are really saying is I was educated at a top college. Consider the Veblen quote, Refined tastes, manners, habits of life are a useful evidence of gentility, because good breeding requires time, application and expense, and can therefore not be compassed by those whose time and energy are taken up with work. Only the affluent can afford to learn strange vocabulary because ordinary people have real problems to worry about. The chief purpose of luxury beliefs is to indicate evidence of the believers social class and education. Only academics educated at elite institutions could have conjured up a coherent and reasonable-sounding argument for why parents should not be allowed to raise their kids, and should hold baby lotteries instead. When an affluent person advocates for drug legalization, or anti-vaccination policies, or open borders, or loose sexual norms, or uses the term white privilege, they are engaging in a status display. They are trying to tell you, I am a member of the upper class. Affluent people promote open borders or the decriminalization of drugs because it advances their social standing, not least because they know that the adoption of those policies will cost them less than others. The logic is akin to conspicuous consumptionif youre a student who has a large subsidy from your parents and I do not, you can afford to waste $900 and I cant, so wearing a Canada Goose jacket is a good way of advertising your superior wealth and status. Proposing policies that will cost you as a member of the upper class less than they would cost me serve the same function. Advocating for open borders and drug experimentation are good ways of advertising your membership of the elite because, thanks to your wealth and social connections, they will cost you less than me. Election accuracy, polling accuracy: WASHINGTON (AP) Americans have widespread concerns about the security and integrity of elections, with few saying they have high confidence that votes in the 2020 presidential election will be counted accurately. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds skepticism about the democratic process in the United States. While a third of Americans say they have high confidence in an accurate count, roughly another third are only moderately confident and a remaining third say they have little confidence. Whats to prevent old Vlad Putin from interfering in the election? I dont know, says Reid Gibson, an independent voter in Missouri, referring to the Russian president, who U.S intelligence agencies say interfered in the 2016 election with a sophisticated operation to sow division and help elect Donald Trump, a Republican. FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress this month that Russia is still engaged in information warfare heading into the 2020 election but that law enforcement has not seen efforts to target infrastructure like voting machines. Still, U.S. officials say one of Russias goals is to sow doubt about the integrity of U.S. elections, and the poll suggests that even if Russia isnt targeting voting infrastructure it may be achieving that goal because of the lack of voter confidence following from the 2016 election. There also are widespread fears about security vulnerabilities as well as voter suppression and voter fraud. About half of Americans say they are highly concerned that the countrys voting systems might be vulnerable to hackers, and about that many also are strongly concerned about foreign governments interfering by tampering with election results or influencing American attitudes. But concerns vary significantly by partisanship, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to express worries about the security of elections. About 6 in 10 Democrats say they are very or extremely concerned that voting systems might be vulnerable to hackers. Roughly two-thirds also are highly concerned that foreign governments will interfere in 2020 by tampering with results or influencing what Americans think about political candidates. By contrast, fewer than half of Republicans express significant concern about hackers, and just about a quarter are highly concerned about any form of foreign interference. Corona virus panic: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will ask all elementary and high schools across the country to temporarily close beginning Monday. The development comes after a man in his 80s who was infected with the new coronavirus died in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. Fifteen new cases of infection were reported there on Thursday. Hokkaido's governor said the man who died had pre-existing conditions. Naomichi Suzuki said, " The patient was more susceptible to respiratory problems compared to healthy people." More on corona virus: New Delhi: Former Union Minister M J Akbar told a Delhi court on Friday that journalist Priya Ramani had defamed him by calling him with adjectives such as 'media's biggest predator' in the wake of #MeToo movement in 2018 that harmed his reputation. M J Akbar made the allegations before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja through his lawyer during the final hearing of a private criminal defamation complaint filed by him against Priya Ramani. Akbar resigned as Union minister on October 17, 2018. Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist. Senior advocate Geeta Luthra, appearing for Akbar, said that the allegations were intentional and malafide. When you call someone media's biggest predator, it is per se defamatory. Calling a person with such adjectives is on the face of it defamatory. In the eyes of the people, Akbar's reputation was harmed... The per se effect was lowering of my (Akbar) reputation in the eyes of the right thinking members of the society, she told the court. She said there was no due process in the allegations. It has a cascading effect. Embarrassing questions were asked. I (Akbar) am a person of greatest integrity... There was no due process in the allegations. You cannot just make allegation and let that person suffer, she added. Luthra said that if there was any grievance, it had to be raised then and there before the appropriate authority. We need to realise the effect has what we say or what we do. It's not like she went to any authority or raised any grievance. Opportunity was there, rights were there but to attack so person behind their back on social media...knowing that his whole life will be adversely affected? It's not right, she said. M J Akbar has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign against him. Akbar had earlier told the court that the allegations made in an article in the 'Vogue' and the subsequent tweets were defamatory on the face of it as the complainant had deposed them to be false and imaginary and that an immediate damage was caused to him due to the false allegations by Priya Ramani. Ramani had earlier told the court that her disclosure of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar has come at a great personal cost and she had nothing to gain from it. She had said her move would empower women to speak up and make them understand their rights at workplace. Several women came up with accounts of the alleged sexual harassment by M J Akbar him while they were working as journalists under him. He has termed the allegations false, fabricated and deeply distressing and said he was taking appropriate legal action against them. A medical member wearing protective gear guides drivers with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a "drive-through" virus test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Jung Yeonje-JE/AFP via Getty Images) South Korea Observes 813 New Coronavirus Cases in a Single Day South Korea observed a record daily outbreak of 813 new coronavirus cases, reported on Feb. 29, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The country is facing the largest outbreak of coronavirus outside of China with 3,150 confirmed cases of infection and 17 cases of death as of Saturday. Authorities asked people to maintain personal hygiene and keep social distancing until the beginning of March, according to a release by the KCDC. We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend, Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip told a briefing. It was a critical moment in reining in the spread of the virus, he said, adding: Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimize contact with other people. As of Saturday, health authorities had run tests on 90,905 suspected cases with 8,143 cases scanned in the same day alone. Those tested include 65,000 trainees of a church in Daegu city after a 61-year-old woman known as Patient 31 attended religious services there before testing positive. From Feb. 4 onward, Korean authorities forbade all foreigners with a history of visiting or staying in Chinas Hubei province two weeks before the notice from entering the country. Through such measures, inbound travelers from China dropped by 60 percent from 13,000 on February 2 to 5,200 on February 8, said the Korean Ministry of Health in a release. The authorities are putting more isolation facilities for those infected in cities and provinces and are also imposing a fine of $2,500 (KRW 3 million) or less or imprisonment with labor for one year on those failing to abide by isolation requirements. Dramatic Rise of Cases in Iran The outbreak of the new virus in Iran has also been dramaticthe head of Irans task force to stop the illness, was seen coughing, sweating, and wheezing across televised interviews before acknowledging he was infected. Then, days later, a visibly pale official sat only feet away from President Hassan Rouhani and other top leaders before she too reportedly came down with the virus. On Friday, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour again reported a huge spike in cases, saying there were now 388 confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran and 34 deaths. In brief remarks from Tehran, he cautioned the number of cases would likely further spike as Iran now has 15 laboratories testing samples. Reuters and The Epoch Times Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report. Mayor John Tory is calling the eleventh-hour tentative agreement between the City of Toronto and the union representing outside workers a good outcome for everyone. This five-year agreement is timely. It is affordable. It is responsible, Tory told reporters Saturday morning after a deal was reached minutes before a strike deadline, averting a disruption that would have affected a host of services for Torontonians. The agreement is fair to Toronto residents and Local 416 workers, said a joint statement issued by both sides Friday night. All city services, including city-owned arenas, remain open as usual. Curbside and commercial garbage collection will also continue as scheduled. I firmly believe this is a good outcome for everyone. In a world that is growing ever more unpredictable, I am proud that we continue to get things done at Toronto City Hall in a calm and respectful way that produces results and maintains stability, the mayor said. Details of the deal will not be made public until after it is ratified by CUPE Local 416 members, a vote that a union spokesperson said is expected next week. After that, it needs to be approved by city council. The mayor said reaching a deal that is fair to Toronto taxpayers city council recently approved a budget that includes a total property tax hike of 4.24 per cent, well above the rate of inflation has been a priority since the start of negotiations six months ago that included the last three days with mediator William Kaplan. Tory said neither side got everything they wanted but once terms are revealed people will see that we did something that is responsible in the context of our stewardship of the public finances. CUPE Local 416 represents the citys 5,000 outside workers. The unions membership includes garbage collectors east of Yonge Street as well as those who work in animal services, parks and recreation and building maintenance, among other things. A major source of contention was the issue of job security. Members with 15 years of experience as of Dec. 31, 2019 when the locals most recent contract expired were protected from job loss if the city privatized services, what Tory has described as a jobs for life provision. In the 2016 contract negotiated between the city and Local 416, that protection was limited to union members who had reached 15 years of service as of Dec. 31, 2019, effectively capping the number of members who could qualify. During negotiations, CUPE Local 416 president Eddie Mariconda said that 90 per cent of union members indicated they wanted to restore the protection to all workers who reach 15 years of service, including those who reach it after Dec. 31, 2019. Members could still be let go over job performance issues. A labour disruption was avoided after a last-minute tentative deal was struck between the union and the city late Friday night. The workers had been in a legal strike position, or could have been locked out, since 12:01 a.m. Thursday but both sides agreed to extend bargaining by another 48 hours. With files from Francine Kopun TY Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun Read more about: Solomiya Bobrovskaya is such a strange and unusual phenomenon in modern politics that analogs or comparisons as such are beneath criticism, an analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza, Ekaterina Vinnik, said in the National Question program on Vesti.FM radio station. The National Question is a weekly program on Vesti.FM, during which various aspects of national relations in Russia and the CIS countries are discussed. Today's program was dedicated to the phenomenon of Solomiya Bobrovskaya. The expert noted that there are certain groups of the Russian indigenous peoples' representatives who promote their culture and values abroad, while not imposing their vision directly in Russia. It should be noted that Solomiya Bobrovskaya, a former adviser, and then deputy of the former head of the Odesa regional state administration, ex-President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, is a young and rather ambiguous figure in the Ukrainian politics. Obviously, the methods that she uses to attract attention can hardly be called ordinary. It would seem that while she holds the post of secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, she should strengthen ties between states and not to drive a wedge into them, but apparently, rebellious spirit of her former boss, is innate to her as well, Ekaterina Vinnik said. The expert also emphasized that Bobrovskaya by her actions was able to attract media attention. Such behavior is inherent to some former Crimean politicians, for example, Refat Chubarov, who, while currently living in Ukraine, tries to defend the rights of the peninsulas minority (who, by the way, do not need protection) - Crimean Tatars. Unfortunately, such a practice has nothing to do with the desire for justice of any kind, but is an attempt to attract attention and gain political advantages, the expert continued. The question is how to respond to such escapades. In my opinion, you should not pay attention to them, since this is another attempt to divide the people of Russia on the eve of important political and social changes. It is obvious that Bashkortostan will get things straight with the Bashkort organization without Solomiya Bobrovskayas help, who should, first of all, represent the interests of the Ukrainian people, Vinnik concluded. However, he continues to work from his residence at the Vaticans Santa Marta hotel Pope Francis Open source Pope Francis canceled official engagements for the third day in a row Saturday as he battled an apparent cold. This is reported by the Associated Press. The 83-year-old pope, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has never canceled so many official audiences or events in his seven-year papacy. Francis is, however, continuing to work from his residence at the Vaticans Santa Marta hotel and is receiving people in private, the Vatican press office said. On Saturday, those private meetings were with the head of the Vaticans bishops office, Francis ambassadors to Lebanon and France and a Ukrainian archbishop. Canceled were his two planned official audiences formal affairs in the Apostolic Palace where Francis would have delivered a speech and greeted a great number of people at the end. Those were to include an audience with an international bioethics organization and with members of the scandal-marred Legion of Christ religious order. On Sunday, Francis is expected to leave the Vatican with top Holy See bureaucrats for a week of spiritual exercises in the Roman countryside, an annual retreat that the pope attends at the start of each Lent. Francis last appeared in public on Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and blowing his nose during an Ash Wednesday Mass. The following day, he canceled a Mass across town with Roman priests and on Friday, skipped an audience with participants of a Vatican conference on artificial intelligence. The Vatican has stressed that Francis has celebrated Mass each morning and greeted attendees at the end, and then proceeded to continue working from home. The Vatican hasnt revealed the nature of Francis illness, saying only he has a slight indisposition. Francis illness, though, has come amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has sickened more than 800 people, most in northern Italy. Three people have died and six others have been injured after a 25kg tank of dry ice was tipped into a pool during the birthday party of an Instagram influencer. Ekaterina Didenko, a Russian blogger with more than a million followers, was hosting a party for her 29th birthday when the frozen carbon dioxide was poured into the water, The Mirror reported. The dry ice was intended to create an impressive visual effect for the guests as they jumped into the pool. Russian blogger Ekaterina Didenko, 29, has shared her grief after the dry ice tragedy at her birthday party. Source: Instagram/didenko.katerina Several partygoers suffered acute carbon dioxide poisoning and were taken to hospital. Some were reported to have suffered chemical burns, while two people both aged 25, Natalia Monakova and Yuri Alferov, died at the scene. Didenkos husband Valentin, 32, became the third fatality, according to Russian news website Komsomolskaya Pravda. The blogger also shared the devastating news on Instagram through tears, saying: Valya (a nickname for Valentin) isn't with us anymore. She added she did not know what to tell the children, asking her followers if they knew someone who could offer psychological help to reach out. The birthday event was being hosted at a pool and sauna complex in Moscow, with party organisers reportedly responsible for the stunt going wrong. The blogger and her husband, Valentin. He became the third fatality of dry ice tragedy. Source: Instagram/didenko.katerina Dry ice produces powerful and toxic vapour when its combined with water, and leads to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood when present in a space with poor ventilation. The blogger has reportedly posted an update to Instagram following the incident, telling people she was being cared for in the intensive care unit. Initial investigations indicate the three people reportedly died from pulmonary edema, which was caused by breathing in too much carbon monoxide. The mum of two, who is a highly qualified pharmacist, usually shares advice on at-home medicine use, intimate updates on her life, and even chemical experiments conducted by herself and her daughter. A criminal case had been opened by the Russian Investigative Committee to look into whether the deaths were a result of negligence, according to The Mirror. Story continues 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. DERBY The disposition hearing of the Newtown man accused of sending explicit images of his ex-girlfriend was continued Thursday at state Superior Court to April 2. Paul Carpenter, 57, of Parmalee Hill Road, was arrested by state police Feb. 16, after several women said he texted them sexually explicit videos of his ex-girlfriend without her knowledge or consent. Last October, a 52-year-old woman showed Oxfords resident state trooper screenshots of texts, pictures and videos Carpenter had sent to her friends, police said. They included images of the victim that were vulgar and sexual in nature, which the victim said were taken and sent without her consent or knowledge, according to the warrant for Carpenters arrest. Police seized Carpenters iPhone and Macbook computer in December and found multiple files related to the case, according to the warrant. Carpenter claimed the victim was aware he filmed the videos and that she personally showed it to others in the past. He also told police they were crazy to seize his cell phone and computer for merely sending a couple videos to the victims best friend, according to the warrant. Carpenter was charged with dissemination of voyeurism material, illegal dissemination of an intimate image and second-degree harassment. He is out on $20,000 bond and is also facing a third-degree assault charge for a March 2019 incident in Oxford, according to court records. An ependymoma is a primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor New Delhi based BLK Super Specialty Hospitals Neurosurgeons performed a six-hour-long microsurgical complete excision of large brain tumor with Neuro Navigation recently. "The patient was admitted to the hospital with complaints of recurrent seizures, vomiting, aphasia, urinary incontinence, diminution of vision, and right side weakness of the body. MRI BRAIN was suggestive of a large left frontal mass lesion with midline shift which was occupying more than half of the cerebral hemisphere with a tumor size of 8.7x8.6x7.8cm, informed Dr. Anil Kansal, Director & HOD - Neuro Surgery & Neuro Spine in BLK Centre for Neurosciences. "Brain tumors are rare in kids specifically and such large size tumors are rarest. In Joyfords case, this highly vascular tumor presented several risks of surgery including the risk of paralysis of a limb or any other neurological deficit. Excess bleeding during surgery was also a major risk. With a thought-through process, we planned a microscopic resection of the tumor. Surgery was successful and post-operative patient was perfectly fine without any neurological complication, which was a major risk in this case. The tumor biopsy showed that the tumor was cancerous and patient underwent radiation therapy at the hospital, elaborated Dr. Kansal. According to experts, an ependymoma is a primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. This means it begins in the ependymal cells in the brain and spinal cord that lines the passageway where the cerebrospinal fluid nourishes the brain flow. After another tie vote Tuesday night, the Boyertown Area School Board abandoned its plan to narrow its seven applicants for a board vacancy down to two finalists, and instead picked from the entire list, thereby choosing Marianne Scott as the newest member. I have the coronavirus. And it hasn't been that bad. I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I've ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don't have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual. I caught the virus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that was quarantined outside Yokohama for 14 days, at the end of a 16-day cruise I took with my wife, Jeri. When I left the ship a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine. We checked our temperatures throughout our quarantine. Jeri and I got a swab test for the virus. Our temperatures were normal; they'd get the swab results back in 48 hours. Our test results had not arrived before we boarded buses for the airport, where two U.S. government planes waited for us. As we took off from Tokyo, I had a bit of a cough, but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin. I felt pretty tired - but who wouldn't, in our situation? I dozed off. When I woke up, I had a fever. I made my way to the back of the cargo plane, where the Air Force had set up a quarantine area cordoned off with sheets of plastic. They took my temperature. It was over 103 degrees. So I took a seat in the quarantine area and fell back asleep until we touched down in California, at Travis Air Force Base. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came onto the plane and said that three of us who had been cordoned off would fly to Omaha (with our spouses, if they wanted to come along). The CDC had a quarantine location at the University of Nebraska's hospital. We arrived on Feb. 17, greeted by a fleet of ambulances and police cars. Officials put me on a stretcher and wheeled me into a van, which made for a very dramatic scene. I easily could have walked despite my exhaustion. On the hospital campus, they put me in a biocontainment unit. The space was sealed off, with two double-paned windows that looked out on the hallway, and a large, heavy, insulated door. Two cameras watched me at all times; a set of computer monitors were equipped with microphones, so that the medical staff and I could communicate with CDC officials at central command down the hall. The room had last been used for the Ebola outbreak in 2013. A doctor and nurses reviewed my case with me and took a bunch of lab tests. They wore heavy-duty hazmat suits sealed with duct tape and equipped with motors that helped with air circulation. It looked like something out of "The Andromeda Strain." When the test came back a few hours later, I wasn't surprised to learn that I had the coronavirus. Later, the Tokyo swab confirmed the result - I had caught the virus even before I left the ship. It didn't scare me too badly. I knew my number was up. The way I saw it, I was going to get stuck in at least 14 more days of quarantine, even if I didn't get the virus. So many fellow passengers had come down with the illness, including one of my friends, that I'd gotten somewhat used to the idea that I might catch it, too. My wife, however, tested negative and headed to quarantine at a separate facility a few blocks away. After those days being cooped up on the ship together, I think we both relished the alone time; we still could communicate through our phones. During the first few days, the hospital staff hooked me up to an IV, mostly as a precaution, and used it to administer magnesium and potassium, just to make sure I had plenty of vitamins. Other than that, my treatment has consisted of what felt like gallons and gallons of Gatorade - and, when my fever rose just above 100 degrees, some ibuprofen. The nurses came to the room every four hours or so, to check my vitals, ask if I needed anything and to draw my blood. I got very good at unhooking all the monitors checking my oxygen level, blood pressure and heart rate so I could go to the bathroom or just pace around the room a little, to get my blood flowing. I never quite got the hang of hooking them back up without making a tangled mess. After 10 days, I moved out of biocontainment and into the same facility as Jeri. Now we can videochat from our separate quarantines, in neighboring rooms. As of my most recent test, on Thursday, I am still testing positive for the virus. But by now, I don't require much medical care. The nurses check my temperature twice a day and draw my blood, because I've agreed to participate in a clinical study to try to find a treatment for coronavirus. If I test negative three days in a row, then I get to leave. The time has passed more quickly than I would've expected. With my laptop, I get as much work done as I can, remotely. I catch up with friends. I take walks around my room, trying to take a thousand more steps each day. I also watch the news. It's surreal to see everyone panic - news conferences, the stock market falling, school closures - about a disease I have. It does seem likely that coronavirus will spread in the U.S., but it won't help anybody if we all panic. Based on my experience, I'd recommend that everyone get a good digital thermometer, just as a comfort tool, so they can reassure themselves if their noses start running. I have been relatively fortunate: At least six Diamond Princess passengers have died from the virus, of the around 705 passengers who caught it. But coronavirus doesn't have to be a horrible calamity. If you told me when I left home in January that I wouldn't be back until March - that, instead, I would be confined for more than 24 days because I'd catch a novel virus at the center of what could become a pandemic - that would have completely freaked me out. But now that it's happening, I'm just taking it one day at a time. _ _ _ As told to Washington Post editor Sophia Nguyen. India takes up with Canada reports of threats to Indians, asks Canadian authorities to ensure safety Grateful to US for its support: MEA on receiving COVID-19 consignment US-Taliban peace deal: India reiterates support for 'Afghan-led, Afghan controlled process' India oi-Mousumi Dash New Delhi, Feb 29: India reiterated to the US-Taliban peace deal and US-Afghanistan joint declaration in Doha on Saturday, it summarize the consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan. India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran represented the country at the signing of the landmark peace deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement, "India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process." Diplomats from a number of countries including Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia were present during signing of the deal which marks end of the United States' war in Afghanistan since 2001. India was invited for the signing-in ceremony by the Qatar government. India's presence at the ceremony marked a significant change in its policy as it was for the first time New Delhi sent an official representative to an event involving the Taliban. India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. In a significant move, India had sent two former diplomats in "non-official" capacity to a conference on Afghan peace process in Moscow in November 2018. The conference organised by Russia was attended by a high-level Taliban delegation, representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries, including the US, Pakistan and China. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 22:45 [IST] West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had repeatedly cautioned the state government that an agitation against a valid law cannot be funded through advertisements at State expense Kolkata: West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has demanded information from the state government on alleged misuse of public funds on an advertisement campaign against the new Citizenship law and on the authorities who sanctioned the campaign, official sources said on Saturday. The governor's office has sent a letter to the principal secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs, to submit to him a detailed response on the money spent on the anti-CAA campaign, they said. In a communication to the government on 4 February, the sources said, Dhankhar took exception to the spending of "crores of rupees" on advertisements in print and visual media having a tagline "No CAA, No NRC, No NPR". A concern was also raised about the involvement of senior administrative and police functionaries, including the chief and home secretaries and the DGP, in the ads by the side of the chief minister, they added. Dhankhar had repeatedly cautioned the state government that an agitation against a valid law cannot be funded through advertisements at State expense. Later, the Calcutta High Court asked the Bengal government to suspend all such advertisements. According to the sources, such utilisation of public funds makes a plausible case for grant of sanction of prosecution by the governor. There are instances when governors have given sanction for prosecution of chief ministers for misuse of public funds. Apart from the AR Antulay case, in recent times then Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj in 2011 sanctioned the prosecution of chief minister BS Yeddyurappa by the Karnataka Lokayukta under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for his involvement in illegal mining of iron ore in the state. The Bihar governor gave sanction for prosecution of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case. It was alleged that no 'live' media coverage was allowed of the governor's address to the assembly on the opening day of the budget session on 7 February because of fears he might have raised the 'misuse of public funds' in his speech. The sources said the government was extremely unsure whether Dhankhar would read out the Cabinet-approved address or would go with the changes he had suggested. However, maintaining the constitutional practice, the governor conformed to reading the Cabinet-approved address. It may be noted that Dhankhar, who is having a running battle with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, had suggested a number of changes in the draft budget session speech. However, the changes were not approved by the Bengal Cabinet. As per documents accessed by PTI, the governor had proposed addition of the utilisation of State public funds for fuelling a political agitation and described the act as a "serious wrong that generates serious consequences for those concerned." "This is betrayal of trust reposed in them by law. This has happened in a blatant manner in the state in several ways. Illustratively crores of rupees have been spent on such advertisements in the print and visual/TV media that advance the agenda of the ruling party. The theme of the advertisement is virtual tag line of the ruling dispensation in the state, i.e., No CAA, No NRC, No NPR'. This is impermissible and legal outrage. Such blatant misuse of public funds is bound to generate serious consequences in law for those concerned," he had suggested for inclusion. Alluding to the high court's intervention on this, he had also suggested for addition that "there has already been a judicial intervention mandating a stop to this. The logical way forward needs to be expedited for this grave infraction of law and propriety so that law takes its course on fast track." "I am considering all aspects of the advertisement and role of the officials so that lawful course may be initiated," the governor had suggested for addition to his draft speech. He had also proposed to indicate in his speech the "worrisome law and order situation" in the state with numerous instances pointing towards "internal disturbances" an expression that finds mention in Article 355 of the Constitution. Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof on Saturday won the top prize at the Berlin film festival for "There Is No Evil", a searingly critical work about the death penalty in his country. Rasoulof, 48, is currently banned from leaving Iran and was unable to accept the Golden Bear in person. Accepting the award on his behalf, producer Farzad Pak thanked "the amazing cast and crew who, put their lives in danger to be on this film." The film tells four loosely related individual stories about the death penalty in Iran, from the executioner to the families of the victims. Industry magazine "Variety" called it Rasoulof's "most openly critical statement yet". Rasoulof was sentenced to a year in prison last year for "attacking the security of the state", and banned from making films for life. Speaking to a news conference via mobile phone, the director said his latest film was about "taking responsibility" under despotism. "You can try to put aside your own responsibility and pass the buck to the government... but (people) can say no," he said. - Teenage abortion drama - The runner-up jury prize went to Eliza Hittman's teenage abortion drama "Never Rarely Sometimes Always", which had been a favourite among critics. Sidney Flanigan plays a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania forced to travel to New York in order to abort an unplanned pregnancy. Hailed for its empathy and emotion, female solidarity is at the heart of the film, in which male characters are marginalised and often predatory. Audiences and critics were particularly enthralled by an intense, single-shot scene in which Flanigan's character answers personal questions at a clinic. "While I was researching this film, I spent a tremendous amount of time inside planned parenthood and other clinics," said Hittman. She added that she had been "humbled" by that experience, before addressing the nurses and social workers who work in such clinics. "I want to thank them for their incredible service to our countries, for protecting the lives and rights of all people with uteruses." Hittman's success came in the wake of a controversy earlier in the festival over jury president Jeremy Irons' past comments on abortion and women's rights. In a 2016 interview with the Guardian, Irons had said abortion "harms a woman" and that the church was "right to say it was a sin". At his opening press conference, the jury head was forced to clarify that he supported "wholeheartedly the right of women to have an abortion should they so decide". The debate over women's representation and the #MeToo movement continued throughout the festival, fuelled in part by news Monday of Harvey Weinstein's conviction for rape and sexual assault. New festival directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek also came under fire for picking one fewer female-directed film than in the previous year. And there was widespread outrage over the Russian film "DAU: Natasha", whose cinematographer Juergen Juerges won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution on Saturday. Part of the sprawling, controversial Russian art project "DAU", it was widely slammed for an interrogation scene which included a graphic sexual assault. The makers of the film were also forced to deny rumours of abuse on set. Ahead of the awards ceremony, a handful of protesters outside the venue held up a banner reading "DAU = violence and abuse". Yet Juerges disputed those claims, saying that director Ilya Khrzhanovsky "may push boundaries professionally, but he does not cross them". - Nazi past scandal - Another German, Paula Beer, won Best Actress for her role in Christian Petzold's water-themed romance "Undine". The award for Best Actor went to Italy's Elio Germano for his portrayal of the mental and physical struggles of painter Antonio Ligabue in "Hidden Away". "I dedicate this prize to all the outcasts, all the people who are a little bit strange," said the 39-year-old. Germano also featured in "Bad Tales" by Italian brothers Fabio and Damiano D'Innocenzo, which won Best Screenplay. The award for Best Director went to South Korea's Hong Sangsoo for "The Woman Who Ran", a minimalistic film about a woman whose husband is away on a business trip. Industry magazine IndieWire described the film as a "charming look at smart women dealing with annoying men". "Delete History", a French comedy about society in the age of the internet, won the "70th anniversary Silver Bear". The prize replaced the traditional "Alfred Bauer Prize", which was removed from the list of "Silver Bears" after it emerged that Berlinale founding director Bauer was a high-ranking Nazi. Iranian actress Baran Rasoulof posed with the trophy 'Golden Bear for Best Film', on behalf of her father, director and producer Mohammad Rasoulof, who is not allowed to leave Iran The story of the royal life and struggles of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, will soon be watched on the big screen. Vice TV posted a trailer of a documentary about the former actress that will shed light on the years leading up to her departure from the royal family along with her husband Prince Harry and their nine-month-old son Archie. According to Deadline, "Meghan Markle: Escaping the Crown" will be an hour-long special and will investigate the roles of British tabloids and the palace's toxic culture in vilifying "Britain's first black princess." It will also "explore issues of race, prejudice and obsession in a story that threatens to upend one of the longest-running institutions in the world." The "Sussex Royal" branding saga that has engulfed the couple recently will be tackled in the documentary as well. The documentary film promises to have exclusive interviews with palace insiders and experts, including the royal brothers' former butler and royal correspondents. The trailer starts with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding on May 2018, as they can be seen waving at flag-bearing fans outside of St George's Chapel in Windsor, England. At that time, the couple were expected to "drive the monarchy forward into the 21st century," according to an expert. "This was going to be a fairytale," as the cheers die down and the voiceover breaks through. On being a member of the royal family, Meghan admitted in the documentary trailer that she "did not have any understanding of what it would be like" before adding: "I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair." Mixed Reactions On YouTube, several people commented on the trailer. One user said, "Harry was a lone wolf now he is free. Good for them." Another person said, "Oh god, Vice, why are you turning this into a race war? It has nothing to do with race at all." "This is not about race- I'm mixed race. I'm American I've lived in London. Yes- they are a bit prude. But the bottom line is that the crown is an institution! A well-run one at that." "Meghan Markle: Escaping the Crown" will be first for Vice Television's Vice Versa, a new series of independent documentaries that the company says aims to tackle broken systems and corrupt power structures. "Our flagship documentary series for 'Vice Versa' will serve as a hub for compelling storytelling that shakes the status quo and awakens viewers to new ideas," Morgan Hertzan, EVP and general manager of Vice TV announced. Speaking of their latest documentary, Hertzan explained that it is a prime example of a point of view "you won't hear elsewhere" since they are tackling the subject in a confrontational way. It will premiere on March 10 at 9 PM ET/PT on Vice TV. This report follows Prince Harry's request that he does not want to be called a Prince anymore. Instead, he wants to be addressed as just Harry. In a video of Markle they shared on Instagram last week, she was telling British Vogue editor Edward Enninful to call her "Meghan" instead of "Duchess." According to Insider, they might use "Mountbatten-Windsor" as their last names, or simply, the "house" they belong in, which is "Sussex." This rendering shows one of the wraps that will be put on the four shuttle buses that are part of UI RIDE, a service launching Oct. 31, 2019, that will transport faculty members, students and staff members traveling on university business between the Urbana and Chicago campuses. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine apologized Friday for the bands lackluster performance at a festival Thursday night. The band took the stage for a set as part of the Vina del Mar festival in Chile, which is a huge music festival there and broadcast on TV. Videos from the official festival account show Levine less animated than his usual performances. Friday, Levine posted a mea culpa to his Instagram story, saying he wanted to be honest with his fans. To be totally frank, there were some things holding me back sonically last night and I let them get to me and it impacted how I was behaving on stage and it was unprofessional and I apologize, the singer said. CHILE-VINA-MUSIC-FESTIVAL-MAROON 5 In a statement to Billboard, the band echoed those sentiments, saying they also experienced numerous technical difficulties including monitor issues and with both of Adam Levines in ears. It created a very difficult situation for the band to deliver their normal show, a representative for the band said in a statement. Levine added he tried to zero in and focus on singing as the issues in their 70-minute set unfolded. I wanted to sound good, number one, and look good, feel good, number two, he said. I struggled a lot and sometimes its really hard for me to mask the struggle and so for that, I did let you guys down and I apologize. Last night, it wasnt our best. And for that, all I can say is that Im really sorry, he said. Despite videos showing fans cheering at the actual performance, many fans were not happy in the comments. One question for the fans of Maroon 5: are they always this boring? Or are they phoning it in only because we are from Chile and he doesnt know who we are?" one person tweeted. Una pregunta para las fans de maroon 5, siempre son asi de fomes? O canta desganado solo porque somos de chile y no sabe quienes somos ? k (@habloalreves) February 28, 2020 Another person commented on Youtube, This is like someone singing karaoke. Story continues This is a festival transmitted to ALL OF LATIN AMERICA, Adam didnt greet people, didnt interact with the public, didnt accept the prizes he was given, didnt even say goodbye, that disappointment the lack of desire that he put into this show, another person commented. The Latin American public deserves the same respect and delivery in any part of the world. In the statement to Billboard, Maroon 5 added they do have several more shows coming up in South America. Its one show of many, coming to South America and performing is one our favorite things to do, Levine said in his video. We absolutely adore our Chilean fans and love coming here. [February 28, 2020] Brookfield Infrastructure Completes Annual Filings BROOKFIELD, News, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) today announced that it has filed its 2019 annual report on Form 20-F (the Annual Report), including its audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, with the SEC on EDGAR as well as with the Canadian securities authorities on SEDAR. These documents are also available under the Financial Reports section of our website and a hard copy will be provided to unitholders free of charge upon request. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, energy and data infrastructure sectors aross North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that generate stable cash flows and require minimal maintenance capital expenditures. Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with over $540 billion of assets under management. More information is available at www.brookfield.com . Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. Further information is available at https://bip.brookfield.com and investors are encouraged to consult the website. For more information, please contact: Media: Claire Holland Vice President, Communications Tel: (416) 369-8236 Email: [email protected] Investors: Melissa Low Vice President, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 956-5239 Email: [email protected] New Delhi: A view of torched Rajdhani Senior Secondary School in Shiv Vihar after the riots in North East Delhi, on Feb 28, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: A view of torched Rajdhani Senior Secondary School in Shiv Vihar after the riots in North East Delhi, on Feb 28, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Feb 29 : The Directorate of Education on Saturday declared that the schools in northeast Delhi will remain closed till March 7. This comes in the wake of the large-scale violence in northeast Delhi earlier this week. More than 40 people have been killed in the clashes and arson. The authorities ordered the closure of all the schools in northeast Delhi on Tuesday after the outbreak of violence on Monday. The Delhi government has demanded the suspension of the board examinations in the schools in these areas. In addition to the 10th and 12th board exams, the school examinations up to class 11 were also postponed. On Friday, the Delhi High Court asked the city police to ensure that the board examination centres in the violence-hit northeast area of the national capital are given proper security. A Bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdar was hearing a petition seeking a direction to change the examination centres for students undertaking Class 10 and 12 CBSE examination. The court directed that "exam centres must be sanitised" and asked police to ensure that "there is no breach of security." "At present the exams scheduled from March 2 onwards will be held subject to situation on the ground," the bench said. The matter will now be heard on March 4. The CBSE told the court that letters have been sent to the National Testing Authority to ensure that the board exams do not clash with the IIT and medical examinations. After the violence following the clashes between pro and anti-CAA groups on Sunday intensified on Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said there will be no school examinations on Tuesday in the violence-hit areas and all government and private schools will remain closed. However, the board exams of class 10 and 12 are beyond the control of the Delhi government. Good news! State Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-26th Dist., recently signed on as a co-sponsor for both HB 22 and HB 23. These two bills will create one Independent Citizens Commission to draw our congressional and state legislative maps in Pennsylvania. These bills have enormous bipartisan support with both the citizens of Pennsylvania and with rank-and-file members of the General Assembly. Nearly 100 state House Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. In Harrisburg, despite the fact that we have 203 state house representatives and despite the fact that nearly half those representatives are on record as supporting redistricting reform through their co-sponsorship, only two representatives will decide whether the legislation can move forward. The chair of the State Government Committee, Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming) decides whether to bring the legislation to a vote in committee. Assuming the bills pass out of committee, the Majority Leader, Rep. Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), decides whether to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote. The decisions of these two legislators will determine whether our rank-and-file legislators have the opportunity to vote on reform. Therefore, we are all constituents of these two legislators. Write and/or call Rep. Everett and ask him to schedule a vote for HB 22 and HB 23 in the State Government Committee. And once that vote happens, be ready to call and/or write to Rep. Cutler to ensure that the legislation gets to the floor for a vote. For more information about redistricting reform and the independent citizens commission, visit https://www.fairdistrictspa.com. -Ruth Yeiser, Lower Frederick Township The brand has focused on digital amplification across social media platforms in collaboration with Akshay Kumar and key influencers such as Miss Malini, Chef Ajay Chopra and Deeksha Joshi Fortune, a renowned food FMCG brand has unveiled a brand new logo and a wide range of product offerings. In the digital era, where the consumers attitude and behaviour have become extremely intuitive, the brand opted to focus on digital amplification to present its new identity across social media platforms in collaboration with Akshay Kumar & key influencers such as Miss Malini, Chef Ajay Chopra, Deeksha Joshi and many others. Over the past two decades, consumers have evolved. Being a beacon of inspiration, Fortune has uplifted its look and feel and built a modern and contemporary brand image. Owing to that, Fortune has revised the brand logo and packaging, along with the way they communicate with the consumers. Breaking down its stereotype of being a popular oil brand, Fortune now consists of a wide range of product offerings from rice, dal, atta, soya chunks, besan and much more. The brand launched a campaign #Whatsinthebox on 21st Feb with ace actor Akshay Kumar & key influencers to create conversations and generate curiosity amongst the target audience by solving the puzzle & unbox the mystery Fortune box. On 28th Feb, the brand with Akshay Kumar unboxed the new identity and the wide range of offerings under the Fortune umbrella. Talking about the announcement, Angshu Mallick, Deputy CEO said, Fortune has always been about connecting with the consumers in the correct way. For the evolving needs of our consumers, Fortune has undertaken a step towards uplifting the brand proposition by modernizing the identity of the brand. For decades Fortune has been synonymous with oils, and while we have the largest share of the pie in the category, we are determined to dominate all categories. Our vision is to become the largest food FMCG brand in the country which is why Fortune range also includes Rice, Atta, Besan, Dal, Soya chunks and more in an all-new avatar that I believe will resonate better with all the consumers. Sanjay Adesara, Media & Strategy Head said, For the digitally evolved consumers today brands are more than just a product. They connect with its philosophy, identity and buy into their vision. For the last 20 years, Fortune has been periodically reinventing itself not only in its range (today the Fortune Foods range includes Rice, Atta, Besan, Pulses, Soya chunks, and more) but also in its identity. To retain the affinity of todays visually-stimulated generation we have undertaken this rebranding initiative. Fortunes consistent quest for growth combined with innovation and experimentation will contribute to the brands overall sales and business model. Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India) The last inspection on the pipe that sent water flowing over the East 610 Loop and put most of the city on a boil water notice didnt give officials anything to worry about. It was 3 years ago when the city last looked at the pipe, a major artery for the citys water supply. The pipes valves were closed and workers walked through the 8-foot water main, searching for joint issues and other problems. Inspectors found minor stuff, minor blemishes, said Jeff Weatherford, head of transportation and drainage operations for Houston Public Works. Nothing that would indicate something like this. A contractor company was digging about three feet above the pipe, searching for the leak, when it burst just before noon on Thursday. The city has been on a boil water notice since Thursday evening and will remain so until at least Saturday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a press conference. Missouri City is also on a boil notice. When youre dealing with aging infrastructure those possibilities always occur, he said of the break. Thats in every city. There were no injuries, Turner said, and no homes were flooded. The city is exploring the possibility of a disaster declaration to help businesses that had to stop operations on Friday. Houstonians can expect the boil notice to continue until at least 7 a.m., when water samples taken from 43 sites reach the state-mandated time of 18 hours to be tested for bacteria. The city said it has no indication the water is contaminated and expects a positive result. Repairs on the pipe are expected to be completed Sunday, and officials hope it will resume carrying water on Tuesday. We just knew there was a leak Turner said that the leak comes with the territory: The pipe is 35 years old, and its lifespan will be about 50 years. Is it beyond its lifespan? No, but its not a brand-new pipe, said Weatherford of Houstons Department of Public Works. And you got to remember here as well we dont exactly live in a place where its 70 degrees every day and mild rains. All the city knew before the pipe burst was that there was a leak, though the amount of water loss didnt indicate it was particularly large. Neither the city nor the contract company realized how large the leak was, or that the soil lying above the pipe was essentially containing it, said Weatherford. The contractor searching it never even got to the water main before it ruptured. If we had realized, gee, theres a chance of this happening, we would have isolated the pipe beforehand, Weatherford said. We just knew there was a leak. While the pipe had been inspected 3 years ago, Weatherford couldnt say whether that was a standard amount of time to go without an inspection. He said it hadnt had any recent repairs done. The Department of Public Works has not yet responded to questions about how often the pipe was previously inspected, the results of those inspections and what other contractors have dealt with the pipe. The contractor Workers with city contractor Harper Brothers Construction were shoveling about three feet above the 10-foot-deep pipe when it blew. The City of Houston has paid Harper Brothers more than $99 million since 2016, including $11 million since the start of this year, according to data from the city website. The data does not specify what projects Harper Brothers did. Max Moll, deputy director for the city controllers office, said some previous contracts include water line improvements in other parts of the city. Safety is our top priority, Dave Baldridge, the company spokesman, said in an email. Our employees are highly experienced, and our civil construction and engineering protocols reflect the latest proven safety procedures. He did not answer any other questions. The company was founded in 2014, according to co-founder Jon Harpers LinkedIn profile. David Hawes, the executive director of the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority, said the company has a very good reputation and is known for its work on public works projects, from water and sewer lines to road construction. Hawes said he tries to get Harper Brothers for all of the authoritys projects. Theyre exceptional contractors. They do great work, Hawes said. They do it, they get it done quickly and they get it done under budget. My attitude on this is: These things happen. Southwest Houston Development Authority tapped Harper Brothers for a $20 million reconstruction of Fondren Road from West Park to Route 59. That work was done from September 2015 to October 2016, according to the companys site. They completely rebuilt Fondren, Hawes said. They got it done four months early and under budget. At a loss The water main break had closed all of Houston Independent School District on Friday. Some single parents had to take the day off work to watch their children. Others scrambled to find childcare. Health inspectors visited 400 restaurants Friday to ensure they were following citys guidance on the boil notice. The Texas Medical Center, which was significantly affected by the water break Thursday, was mostly back to business at usual Friday. Both MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center had postponed non-emergency work at their medical center campuses. Texas Children's closed two facilities. The institution still most impacted Friday was the Harris Health System, which closed 35 of its clinics including Smith Clinic. Barbara Hess, 59, was shocked when she saw the clinic was closed, and was at a loss for where to go next. She had driven from Katy on Friday afternoon to pick up her pain medication. Oh dear, she said. I mean, I guess if it gets bad enough Ill go to the ER. Transferring her prescription to a pharmacy out of Harris Health System wasnt a possibility. Its too expensive, she said. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, this is serious, Hess said. Like Hess, Juana Martinez, 42, pulled up to Smith to pick up meds; she said she just a one or two days of her epilepsy medication left. I think Im going to have to go to a CVS, but its more expensive, she said. Hess finally called Harris Health and asked whether LBJ Hospitals pharmacy about a 30-minute drive in rush hour traffic from the Smith Clinic was closed. She put up both thumbs with a sigh of relief. Theyre open, she said. Todd Ackerman contributed reporting. sarah.smith@chron.com dylan.mcguinness@chron.com samantha.ketterer@chron.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban Saturday to honour its commitments to sever ties with jihadist groups as Washington signed a landmark deal with the Afghan insurgents. He called on the Taliban to "keep your promises to cut ties with Al-Qaeda." "I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper," he said at the ceremony in Doha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The healthcare industry in India has grown at an exponential rate over the last decade. With the latest advancements in the field of healthcare, you can now access prompt medical assistance in case of emergencies and opt for a host of advanced treatments for various diseases. At the same time, the cost of medical treatments has too increased and is expected to rise further. The whole context boils down to one thing health insurance is a necessity in todays times. If you run a business or a firm, it is practically essential for you to provide financial security to your employees under a group health insurance policy. Instead of buying individual health insurance policies, you can save money by providing health coverage to your employees under one group health insurance policy. Furthermore, it is in your hands to decide the sum assured per employee or other voluntary terms of the group health plan. As an employer, it is also crucial that you assess your employees needs for a group health insurance coverage and avoid common insurance buying mistakes. Common Mistakes to Avoid While Buying Group Health Insurance Choosing Inadequate Coverage Insuring your employees financially against medical emergencies with the help of a group health insurance policy is a wise decision. But this benefit wont make much of a difference in their lives if the coverage limit is inadequate. Whether any of your employees have an individual health insurance plan or not, the treatment costs can reach a few lakhs, especially in case of life-threatening ailments such as cardiovascular failures and cancer. If the group health insurance policy in place, only offers sub-par coverage, the chances are that your employees may have to dig deep into their savings to pay the treatment costs adding to their worries. So make sure you opt for a group health insurance cover that offers adequate coverage to your employees. Selecting Low Room Rent Capping Most group health insurance policies have room rent limits. To better understand this aspect, consider the following example Mr. Verma faced a medical emergency for which he got hospitalized for five days to get the necessary treatment. His health was covered under a group plan offered by his employer, and the room rent was covered but only up to Rs. 10,000 under the policy. Since the total room rent was above this amount, he had to pay for it out from his pocket. It implies that if you purchase a group health insurance plan that provides low room rent, your employees may get the insurance reimbursement for hospitalization expenses based on the room rent limits. Selecting a very low room rent capping wont help. Instead, it is advisable that you customize the capping as per your budget. Buying the Plan Based on Low Premium Only Group health insurance policies usually offer a low rate of premium. However, the rate varies as per the sum assured selected. Instead of choosing a group health insurance plan entirely based on the low rate of premium, you must know about different factors that determine the premium amount, before buying the policy. These factors include the number of people covered in the plan, average age, the benefits opted and sum assured for each member covered. Overall, it is advisable that you purchase a low-cost group health insurance policy that is good for your employees, and not just for your company. Make sure you know and understand what determines the premium of a group health insurance policy before you buy one. Not Doing Required Research Before Buying the Policy Group health insurance domain is a complex world so it may confuse you as an employer. As a result, it is possible that you may not perform in-depth research before buying the group health insurance policy. Such decisions may lead to problems for your employees, usually at the time of claim settlement. You can easily avoid this scenario by first developing an insight into the different group health insurance plans and how a group health insurance policy works. With proper knowledge about the policy coverage, you can customize the policy to fit into your business and employees needs. Group health insurance policies from reputable insurance broking firms such as SecureNow allow you to seamlessly personalize all the aspects of the plan to ensure smooth and transparent claim settlement. Your employees are no less than an extended family who are there to help you grow your business. By keeping the above factors in mind you can keep their health secured with a group health insurance policy in return for their loyalty. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's campaign on Saturday will begin a massive voter outreach push, with plans to hold more than 2,400 events across 30 states ahead of Super Tuesday, ABC News has learned. The mobilization drive, beginning as the rest of the Democratic field remained focused on the South Carolina primary, is a show of force meant to highlight the scale of Bloomberg's nationwide operation. With Bloomberg appearing on primary ballots for the first time on Tuesday, his 2,100-person campaign's effort will complement the overwhelming advertising campaign he's waged on television and online. He's spent more than half-a-billion dollars since entering the Democratic primary, at an average of more than $5 million a day. MORE: Bloomberg defends controversial surveillance program that targeted Muslims "Our team of thousands of committed volunteers and state staff are spending the days leading up to Super Tuesday connecting with voters in their towns and communities across the U.S.," Dan Kanninen, Bloomberg's states director, told ABC News in a statement. PHOTO: CLARKSVILLE, TN- FEBRUARY 28: Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg uses a mallet to seal a barrel of bourbon that is named after him as he visits the Old Glory Distilling Company on February 28, 2020 in Clarksville, Tennessee. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) "Our unmatched organization will be in full display this weekend as we continue to build on our momentum and talk to voters about Mike's record on critical issues like health care, climate change, and gun violence prevention, and why he is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump in November." MORE: Bloomberg criticizes Trump's response to coronavirus as he launches campaign blitz ahead of Super Tuesday In addition to new national television spots this week touting his record in City Hall and knocking President Trump's response to the spread of the coronavirus, the Bloomberg campaign has aired ads in Super Tuesday states tailored to local issues and audiences from public lands in Utah, to women's reproductive rights and the El Paso shooting and gun control in Texas, according to a campaign official. Story continues Bloomberg is continuing an aggressive travel schedule this weekend and through Tuesday, a swing that began Thursday and includes more than 10 stops across six southern states, ending with an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday night. MORE: Inside the allegation that Bloomberg told a pregnant employee to kill it Bloomberg held events in Houston, Oklahoma City and Bentonville, Arkansas, on Thursday before spending Friday traveling through Tennessee. He'll start the weekend in Virginia, before traveling to North Carolina, Alabama, and back to Texas. PHOTO: BLOUNTVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 28: Democratic presidential candidate, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg waits to be introduced to speak during a rally held at the Tri-City Aviation on February 28, 2020 in Blountville, Tennessee. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The campaign is planning to dispatch 75 surrogates across the country to rally organizers and volunteers, including former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Bloomberg's longtime girlfriend Diana Taylor, who will be campaigning for Bloomberg in California, Utah, Arkansas and Alabama. Despite his staffing and advertising advantage over some of his opponents Bloomberg has 200 offices around the country and more than 100 in Super Tuesday states the former mayor still faces a challenge next week, as he seeks to make a dent in Sen. Bernie Sanders' delegate lead and pull ahead from the rest of the still-crowded field. The Vermont senator, the frontrunner since the Iowa caucuses, is expected to perform well in a number of states, including delegate-rich California. And a strong showing from former Vice President Joe Biden, who is favored to win the South Carolina primary Saturday, could also complicate Bloomberg's efforts to reach viability across the map on Tuesday, and deny the delegates Sanders needs to clinch the Democratic Party's nomination in the coming months. Bloomberg campaign plans 2,400 events in 30 states ahead of Super Tuesday originally appeared on abcnews.go.com I nearly fell to my knees in gratitude. A half-hour later, I went to the University of Nebraska at Kearney to hear national apologist Dr. Frank Turek lecture on the proof of Gods existence. As Turek spoke, my mind hopscotched between God and the sudden punch-in-the-gut absolute of our mortality. We believe we will live forever. We are wrong. When Chucks illness was diagnosed before Christmas a year ago, I clung to Chucks assurance that Keytruda would keep him alive. This cancer is like a chronic illness. It will always be there, but they can control it with drugs, Chuck said with remarkable calm. Melanoma was no longer a death sentence, he said; doctors assured him he could live for five years. He was serene when I talked to him Saturday, too. A year ago, he and Judy married for 48 years talked soberly about all they wanted to do before the inevitable end. A retired magazine editor, Chuck works part time with a cruise ship line in Jacksonville. Last fall, he and Judy took a two-week cruise through the Panama Canal. In June if he can they plan to go to London for five days and cruise through Norwegian fjords. File photo of Major Abdul Rahim of the Afghan army who received a transplant of hands from a Kerala accident victim. Kochi: When Major Abdul Rahim, a soldier in the Afghan army, died in a bomb blast in Kabul on February 19, a tear was shed for him in far away Ernakulam district of Kerala. The major had received a transplant of hands from Eloor native T G Joseph back in 2015, and the latters family had grown attached to the Afghan soldier. Maj. Abdul Rahim, a bomb disposal expert, had lost his hands in an explosion in 2012. For three years thereafter, he struggled with his handicap. Then, when 54-year-old Joseph passed away in a road accident, it was decided to give his hands to the Afghan major. The transplant procedure was successfully performed by a team of doctors led by Dr. Subrahmania Iyer at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi. After the transplant and an intensive spell of physiotherapy, Abdul Rahim could regain a considerable part of his hands functions. He rejoined the army and returned to defuse bombs in his war-torn country. In gratitude, Major Abdul Rahim would visit Kochi every year to meet Josephs family. We were shocked to hear of the demise of Major Abdul Rahim. Though Joseph left us, a part of him lived on. Abdul Rahim was a living memorial for us. Whenever he came to the Amrita institute for a consultation, we used to visit him, Josephs wife Francisca was quoted as saying by Mathrubhoomi daily. Major Abdul Rahim struck up a good friendship with his predecessor, in a way of speaking: the first person to have had a successful hand transplant at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. T R Manu became a close friend of the Afghan solider and kept regularly in touch. The Haryana Budget had a bonanza for every MLA this time -- a computer tablet that held the entire document for them to read. Worryingly for one MLA, the devices were made in coronavirus-hit Wuhan in China. The distribution of tablets for the Budget was billed a first for any assembly in the country, even if Congress MLA Varun Chaudhary expressed concern that they could "spread" the coronavirus. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presented Budget 2020-21 in the state assembly here on Friday, reading out the 68-page document in Hindi in the old-fashioned print version. But others could read it on the tabs which were distributed to the entire 90-member House in their sealed boxes as he read out the speech. Before Khattar began, Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said it was for the first time anywhere in the country that tabs were given to legislators to read the Budget in digital form. In a statement later, Varun Chaudhary, the Congress MLA from Mullana reserved constituency, called it a publicity stunt. There was no need for a publicity stunt of presenting the Budget digitally. The assembly members were presented with a tab which is manufactured in Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak which has claimed several lives in that country and spread to other parts of the world, he said. He said the virus was first reported in December 2019 which happens to be date of manufacture of the tablets. He added that it was beyond my understanding why Wuhan-made tabs were selected from the whole world. Whether these tabs were checked properly for any trace of the coronavirus, that question remains, he said. In neighbouring Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on Wednesday said the distribution of smartphones to youth in the state was delayed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China. The Congress in Punjab had promised smartphones for the youth in its election manifesto. Image Credits: PTI When police officers walked tall By Tassie Seneviratne Policing the Police View(s): View(s): Dr. R.M. Heen Nilame, an octogenarian General Physician (GP), was among the many who responded by email having read my article in the Sunday Times of February 16. His reflections on his childhood memories of the Police and the Rule of Law, and comparing them to current trends, are worthy of sharing with other readers. His email read as follows: O tempora, O mores Just finished reading your article re the Police Commission. During my childhood, villagers got upset if an ordinary PC was seen. Political interference with the Police started, if I remember right, during Madam Sirimavos time by her nephew Felix. Correct me if I am wrong. The period this GP talks of nostalgically is over 80 years ago. A Police constable (PC) then represented the law. Lawbreakers shuddered at the mere presence of a PC in the village. Even as late as 1958 when I joined the Police Force as a sub-inspector, the insight I had into the Police was this: At an interview with the applicants, the Assistant Director of Training (ADT), Fred Brohier, an ex-Royal Air Force pilot with an impressive personality, asked a question from the applicants assembled as to whom a Police officers loyalty is due. Various answers such as: to the Prime Minister; to the Inspector General of Police, were given. Having listened to these answers, the ADT stated in very categorical terms that a Policeman owed his loyalty to no mothers son, but to the law of the land, and elaborated on it. It is then and there I decided that the Police was the place for me. Police duties were good and fulfilling for about 14 years. But alas, the Republican Constitution of 1972 brought the Police under a minister, in whom all powers of the Police were vested. This is the start of political interference in the Police that the GP refers to. The 1978 Constitution strengthened the political control over the Police even further. In 2002, there was much euphoria about setting up an Independent Police Commission. What was envisaged was a commission to insulate the Police from political interference and ensure its independence. But alas again, what came out was a transfer of all powers of enlistment, promotions, transfers and punishment to the National Police Commission (NPC). The result was the debacle which was dealt with in my previous article that prompted the octogenarian GP to hark back to the good old days. I have since read the Annual Report 2017 of the NPC. It is 30 pages of jargon, only with a view to expanding its horizons. There is not a word on insulating the Police from political interference. There have been no Annual Reports since 2017. I have also read the NPC website (https://www.npc.gov.lk/). Under History and its sub-heading 17th Amendment, it is written: The main objective in establishing an oversight body on policing, by the 17th Amendment was to ensure the independence of the Police Service from interference or undue influence and to instil respect for Rule of Law in the minds of all ranks of the Police Service in order for them to perform their duties impartially and fearlessly. All powers for managing police personnel and investigation of public complaints against police were entrusted to NPC, a major step towards the oversight function to ensure accountability of the substantive work expected of the police. This takes my mind to a line from John Miltons famous poem, In His Blindness: Doth God exact day-labour, light denyd, I fondly ask. In the parallel case under review, one has to ask, Does the NPC exact accountability from the Police, having stripped the IGP of all his powers and arrogating them to itself? In the good old days that the octogenarian GP harks back to, a policemans forthright assertion was I am the law. Today it is the NPC asserting We know the law; you do what we tell you and be accountable for it and be damned if you do and damned if you dont! (The writer is a retired Senior Superintendent of Police. Seneviratnetz@gmail.com) Mr. Biden, who lost badly in Iowa and New Hampshire but improved in last weekends Nevada caucuses, appeared on track to win a majority of black Democrats in South Carolina, with voters citing his familiarity with their concerns and his potential to appeal to moderate Republicans in a general election. But the final margins may reveal fault lines around gender, age, regions and viewpoints. Other Democratic hopefuls from across the ideological spectrum liberals like Mr. Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as the billionaire Tom Steyer and moderates like Mr. Buttigieg were aiming to demonstrate that African-Americans are not a monolithic voting bloc. Many black Democrats made that point over the last year, as some favored white candidates like Mr. Biden over black contenders like Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, and others embraced a wide variety of political and ideological positions. Mr. Biden led in South Carolina polls all year, but Mr. Sanders and Mr. Steyer gained ground recently, and Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg were seeking to show that they have black support in the primary. I dont know that anybodys going to walk away with it. And I think there might be some surprises, said the Rev. Joseph Darby, a pastor who leads Nichols Chapel A.M.E. Church in Charleston. But I dont pay attention to the polls because they never call me. At a ministers breakfast in North Charleston on Wednesday hosted by National Action Network, the civil rights organization led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, several voters echoed his point stating that the question of what Democratic candidate is most electable in the primary could not be settled until black voters throughout the South weighed in on the nominee. NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Army was condemned for being the epicentre of global terrorism by the country's minorities which displayed posters near the Broken Chair monument in Geneva during the ongoing 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The posters displayed by Pakistan minorities demanded that the United Nations to take strict action against Islamabad for its covert support and funding to teror outfits. The posters put up by Pakistans minority community members read: Pakistan Army Epicenter of International Terrorism. The posters were displayed to draw the attention to the global terrorism that has its roots in Pakistan and urged the UN to take immediate action to tackle these threats to global security. A protest is scheduled to be held by Baloch and Pashtun activists in front of the United Nations Office of Geneva at Broken Chair against the involvement of the Pakistani military establishment in breeding terror outfits. Since 9/11 Mumbai terror attack, Pakistan has been the epicentre of international terrorism, and the region of North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan, used to be a hub of local and international terrorists linked to groups such as Al-Qaeda and Taliban. The Pakistani government has been actively involved in terrorist activities within the region and beyond by actively sponsoring terrorist groups. The unregulated financial structure of Pakistan paves the way for the irregular transfer of money while feeding terrorism in the country. According to reports, terrorists in Pakistan are able to organise, plan, raise funds, and operate easily in the country because of lack of governance and political will to address the problem. Meanwhile, India on Friday asked Pakistan's top leadership to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating from its soil and territories under its control while decrying Islamabad's efforts to derail the positive developments in Jammu and Kashmir. India's statement came a week after the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris decided to retain Pakistan in its 'Grey List' and warned the country of stern action if it fails to prosecute and penalise those involved in terror funding emanating from its jurisdiction. Exercising the right of reply after Pakistan raised concerns over human rights in Jammu and Kashmir at the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council here, India's representative said that the international community cannot be misled by Pakistani hysterical reactions at all global forums to malign India. "The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fast returning to normalcy despite serious attempts by Pakistan to derail the positive developments through its active support to terrorist groups and related entities," he said. Giving Pakistan a 10-point advise list, the Indian diplomat asked it to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating in the country and territories under its control. "Stop public advocacy and support for terrorists by Pakistani leadership at the highest level, end illegal and forcible occupation and reverse the demographic changes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and take structural reforms to develop a semblance of democracy in Pakistan," he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The export of fruit and vegetables from Turkey to Kazakhstan increased by over 80 percent in Jan. 2020 compared to Jan. 2019, Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend. Turkey exported fruit and vegetables worth $407,720 to Kazakhstan in Jan. 2020, which is 83.9 percent more than in Jan. 2019. Overall, Turkey exported $256.2 million worth of fruit and vegetables in Jan. 2020, which is 28.6 percent more than in Jan. 2019. Trade between Kazakhstan and Turkey exceeded $2.2 billion in 2019 having increased by $68.5 million compared to 2018. The overall export from Turkey to Kazakhstan was $806 million, whereas import from Kazakhstan amounted to $1.4 billion. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh The dust raised by the move by South-west governors to tackle insecurity within their domain through Amotekun has raised a new flag over the fragility of the Nigerian state. The utter mistrust and mutual suspicion have so obvious and gave the lie to the indivisibility theory. The motivation for the outfit is the spiralling dire security situation in the region, resulting in the deaths of innocent citizens. No one was spared. Religious leaders, professors, doctors, lawyers, students, nurses, businessmen and women, traditional rulers, as well as children have either been kidnapped, raped, killed, mutilated for rituals or set free after being traumatised and huge ransom paid. The Amotekun idea arose from the rubbles of many failed attempt to raise the security alertness of the existing security architecture to be more committed and empowered to deal with threatening situation. This failure is still whirling not only within the south west, but also across the country. The level of bloodletting by bandits and gun-wielding herdsmen in rural and urban communities is now most alarming and defying any proper description. Despite the noise of Amotekun and the argued justification for it, daily reports are laden with continued skirmishes and killings by herdsmen and ritualists. On January 9, 2020, the security outfit was eventually launched in Ibadan by the South West states, with the aim of combating banditry, criminality and other vices in the region. The governors were clear in their statements. The region was no longer a home for criminals and the security of lives and the property of the people would henceforth be their primary objective. During the launch, the governors clarified that Amotekun would protect all ethnic groups in the region and would not be used to intimidate anyone but chiefly to provide security for all. They allayed the fears of all stakeholders that the outfit would simply complement the efforts of the police and other security agencies and not to be independent as being insinuated by its opponents. Since its launch, it has been a cloudy moment for the outfit, with criticisms and pouring in from the north. Amotekun is yet to begin its flight. The fears have halted its operation and uncertainty is now the word. Some leaders in the north dared to accuse the governors of planning a secession from the country. Foremost politician, Balarabe Musa did not mince words when he accused the governors of seeking to create and declare Oduduwa Republic. Its criticism were similar to that of the umbrella body of the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah, which described the Amotekun as an ethnic militia, a monster that has to be tamed before it becomes a disaster for the country. Miyetti Allah believes that the ethnic militia or ethnic army with divisive intentions should be silenced because it has no law backing it. The outburst of Miyetti Allah followed an earlier declaration by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that Amotekun was illegal and offended the Constitution. The AGF had argued that the law only empowers the police to provide security for the country. This is based on the fact that policing the country is on the exclusive list of the constitution and chiefly bars the states from creating or arming a security outfit such as the Amotekun. Further discussions, meetings and interactions between the governors and the Federal Government produced a sort of soft landing for Amotekun, with certain agreements reached between them. It was then agreed that the regionalisation of Amotekun should be jettisoned, so that individual states should be responsible for the operation of its own security outfit. It was also agreed that the outfits would be backed by laws passed by the respective legislatures of the states. By that agreement all processes and procedures regarding the implementation of Amotekun had to be put on hold pending the enactment of the enabling laws for the security network. Steps towards this were taken with the coming together of the Attorneys General of the states in Ibadan and successfully drew up a draft of the laws which were harmonised before they were taken to their respective legislatures. While Ekiti State House of Assembly has passed the bill, the other states are still in the process of doing the same. The bill went farther than expected to make provisions chiefly to address the fears of sceptics, who from the start believed that the bill was aimed at distablising the country or that it was formed as an ethnic militia. It is yet to be known if the provisions will allay their fears. First, the draft bill has provided that the composition of the proposed board for Amotekun, will have the representatives of the Army, the Navy and the Airforce. The board will also have the state Commissioner of Police in the states, and the state Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as board members. Section 6 of the provides that The Board shall comprise: (a) a Chairman, who shall be a person of proven integrity with experience in security matters and shall be a retired Law Enforcement or Military Officer not below the rank of a Major or its equivalent in the other Security Services; (b) The Commissioner of Police in the State or his/her representative; (c) One member representing the different services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria operating in the State; (d) The State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in the State or his/her representative e; (e) The Executive Secretary, Ekiti State Security Trust Fund or his/her representative; (f) One representative each of the Community Development Association drawn from the three Senatorial zones the State; (g) The Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers or his representative; (h) The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps Commander. Officials close the governors say these broad inclusion of the leading security agencies will give credence to the position of the governors that the outfit will not be used against any ethnic group or to promote sectional agenda. Another provision that may be contentious is that which allows the Amotekun Corps to bear arms, albeit, under the supervision and approval of the Inspector General of Police. Section 18(1) of the bill, Amotekun Corps shall, subject to the approval of the Inspector General of Police have the power to bear licensed arms in the performance of its duties and as may be incidental to the operation of its objectives under this Law. The corps will also have the power to collaborate with and assist the Police and other Security Network Agencies in gathering information about crime, crime investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons suspected or involved in kidnapping, terrorism, cattle rustling, cultism, highway robbery and other criminal activities. It will also be required to disarm unauthorised persons with arms and dangerous weapons and assist crime and accident victims. On the above provisions, citizens are mostly in support, as many believe most of the terrorising gangs are well armed with sophisticated weapons. One of the traditional rulers in Ondo State had stressed the need for the governors to ensure the Amotekun corps possessed lethal weapon if they must successfully protect the people. Section 34 of the bill is likely to pose a problem, given a seeming immunity to members of the corps. It states that, Acts done in the Course of Duty by any member of the Board, staff of the Agency or member of the Amotekun Corps is hereby excluded from liability and shall not be sued in his or her personal capacity for any lawful act done in the course of duty. An Akure-based lawyer and rights activist, Charles Titiloye, has righty questioned some provisions intending to over protect the Amotekun agency. According to him, Section 35 which deals with pre-action notice of 30 days should be expunged. The section states that A suit shall not commence against the Agency unless 30 days written notice of intention to commence an action is issued to the Agency and it must include the particulars of the intending Claimant, details of the complaint and reliefs sought. Advertisements Mr Titiloye, said the inclusion of 30 days pre-action notice before accessing court in Amotekun bill would be a violation of the rights of citizens to seek justice when Amotekun security agents violate their human rights. Amotekun is a security outfit whose action where its violates citizens fundamental human rights, should be actionable within 24 hours, he said. This section on pre-action in Amotekun bill is in conflict with section 46 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria which allows unrestricted access to Court when fundamental Human rights of citizens are violated. He warned stakeholders to be careful not to create a security outfit that could not be challenged until after 30 days. He said Nigerian Police Act did not have such provisions which bar citizens from approaching the court within 30 days. The unfettered powers of the government as stated in Section 14(4) to fire the Amotekun Corps Commander when it is in his opinion that his stay in office was no longer in the public interest is another grey area needing some surgical action of the legislatures. The Oyo State version of the bill reads: The Oyo State Amotekun Corps Commander may be removed from office by the Governor if the Governor is satisfied that it is not in the interest of the public that he should continue to be in office. The Ekiti State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), has weighed into the discussions, suggesting that the agency should introduce a compulsory psychiatric test for the personnel as part of recruitment rules. Its suggestion is based on the enormous powers vested on members of the group in the discharge of their duties. The bar also said the idea became necessary in view of alleged the well documented abuse of powers by the security agencies, which had led to brutality, illegal detention and the killing of Nigerians. This position was articulated by the bars chairman, Ayokanmi Falade, who had made a submission to the house during its public hearing on it. Mr Falade said section 19 of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency bill sent to the House spoke about qualification, but the issue of mental stability was not put into account. Under the interpretation of sections, arms should not mean firearms alone, it should also include axes, cutlasses and even stick. That I think would have been taken to into account before passage, he also added. Section 5(2) categorically states that The Agency shall in the course of carrying out its duties, safeguard the human rights of every person as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other relevant human rights instruments. However, voicing its reservations, a non-governmental organisation, Citizens Gavel, said certain provisions of the bill could compromise the rights of the citizens. The groups Team Lead, Nelson Olanipekun, warned that it would be of greater damage for Amotekun to evolve, only to contribute to the terrible human rights violations prevalent in the security sector. READ ALSO: The group recommended that the Amotekun Bill made provisions for the punishments and other disciplinary measures that could be adopted, whenever there was a violation of human rights provisions. He said Section 25 (12) (f) of the bill provides that the complaint board should recommend its decision and any such action deemed fit and send its recommendation(s) to the Attorney General in respect of every complaint and request received. The group argued that this reveals that the complaint board is not independent, as all its powers are subject to the ratification of the Attorney General of the State. Thus, the complaint board is almost powerless. To ensure that its personnel are people of credible characters, the bill provided that besides applying for enlisting in the corps, such persons would receive confirmation from the Divisional Police Officer in his Local Government Area of residence that he/she is of proven character and integrity and has no criminal records. Such persons would also need to be endorsed by the Chairman of his/her Local Government Area of residence or the traditional ruler of the community where such a person resides. Traditional rulers in Ondo State have also pressed for the close monitoring of the outfit to forestall abuses. Besides the provisions made for the eligibility for membership of Amotekun Corps, the traditional rulers want to have a role in endorsing individuals to be hired. They argue that it would be necessary for the traditional rulers to be able to identify their community members who would take up the security roles within their domain. The Onigedegede of Igedegede, Walidu Sanni, whose palace was recently vandalised by suspected herdsmen, appealed to governors of the six states in the South-West to expedite action on the outfit. He advised governors in the region to ensure that those recruited into the outfit serve only in their communities where they are familiar with the terrain. In his opinion, members of the group must be armed with modern weapons, saying this could be achieved if the governors apply for arms license from the federal government. The knocks on the bill are salutary to the extent that they point vividly to the singular concerns of the citizenry. While people would appreciate the efforts of the security agency to protect their lives from being endangered by strangers, they would also need the assurances that the same security agency would not pose a similar danger to their normal lives. If these fears are adequately addressed in the final document, the people will certainly be at rest. After meeting with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the kin of the two Dalit men who were thrashed in Nagaur district, expressed satisfaction over police action in the matter. A delegation led by Sangharsh Samiti convener Gautam Nayak met the Chief Minister at his official residence here and said aggrieved families were satisfied with the police action in the case as their demands have been fulfilled by the government. "The victims' side is completely satisfied with the police action. The government has also extended full support to the kin of the victims and fulfilled all their demands," said Nayak after the meeting. The fathers of the victims Kaluram and Jagdish also thanked CM Gehlot for timely action in the case. The meeting comes a day after Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said it was the moral responsibilty of the government to ensure no such incidents took place in the state. The state government has provided financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each to both the victims. According to government officials, arrangements will also be made to provide employment to the youths at the local level. On Thursday, Gehlot had said that seven people have been arrested in connection with the "horrific incident" in Nagaur where the two Dalit men were tortured for alleged theft. According to reports, the incident took place on February 15 after which a few videos had gone viral. The victims registered an FIR on February 19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to a survey, one-third of the American beer drinkers are refusing to drink Corona beer since the outbreak of coronavirus. As per the reports, 38 per cent of beer drinkers took part in the survey which revealed that they would not buy Corona beer as the virus have spread globally. Ronn Torossian, the founder of the public relations team said that there is no correlation between the virus and the beer except a similar name. He added that the brand has claimed that theres no linkage between the virus and the beer company, and added that it is a disaster for the Corona brand. READ: 'Potential Pandemic': Netizens Criticise Trump For Downplaying Coronavirus Outbreak 38% Americans won't drink Corona beer For everyone reading that "38% of Americans won't drink Corona because of Coronavirus": misleading, terrible headline. Actuality: "The survey encompasses polling from 737 beer drinkers in the United States." 38% of 737 beer-drinkers =/= 38% of a country's entire population. pic.twitter.com/GW9ipcWrTm Kim Maida (@KimMaida) February 28, 2020 And only 4% of Corona drinkers said they were avoiding it because of the coronavirus. So the overwhelming majority of that 38% won't buy Corona "under any circumstances" because they just don't like Corona. Very irresponsible headline. Paulo Crawford Ribeiro (@CrawfordRibeiro) February 29, 2020 READ: Iranian MP Dies After Being Tested Positive For Coronavirus: Report The survey spoke to approximately 700 Americans beer drinkers and found that one-third of them refused to buy the beer. Meanwhile, according to Google trends, there has been a sudden spike in searches for Coronavirus beer, "Corona virus beer" and Virus corona beer in the last few days. The web searches are primarily from Australia, India, Canada and America. The conclusion for the searches of the beer and virus together reveals that people are confused between Corona beer and the coronavirus, as they have similarities in names. The deadly virus had been originated from the seafood market in Wuhan, China. Meanwhile, the United States on February 28 reportedly confirmed its 64th case, who was a Diamond Princess cruise ship passenger. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the individual was a Travis Air Force Base evacuee as well and the new case was reported in Solano County, California. READ: Quarantine On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Resulted In More Coronavirus Cases: Study READ: 'Do Not Travel To Iran': Australia Warns Citizens Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Harvey Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala was seen visiting him in hospital on Friday, as a spokesman for the convicted rapist said he is 'mentally down'. Aidala was pictured in the lobby of Bellevue Hospital, Manhattan, Friday morning, where Weinstein has been in custody since Monday after he started suffering from heart palpitations and chest pains while on route to Rikers Island. The disgraced media mogul fell ill just hours after being convicted by a New York jury of raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi in 2006. His defense attorney Aidala was spotted buying snacks in the hospital while visiting his client, on the same day that doctors ordered a CAT scan for Weinstein, according to a source. Harvey Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala (above) was seen visiting him in hospital on Friday, as a spokesman for the convicted rapist said he is 'mentally down' Aidala was pictured in the lobby of Bellevue Hospital, Manhattan, Friday morning, where Weinstein has been in custody since Monday after he started suffering from heart palpitations and chest pains as he was being transported to Rikers Island Weinstein is spending his time in the hospital reading books about Winston Churchill and speaking with his two young children and ex-wife Georgina Chapman, the source said. His team has been rallying roundhim, as a spokesman for the convicted rapist warned that he is 'mentally down' following his conviction. Spokesman Juda Engelmayer, who also paid a visit to Weinstein's hospital bed Friday, said the disgraced Hollywood producer has struggled to come to terms with the jury's decision. 'He doesn't understand how the jury didn't understand that he's not guilty of these crimes,' said Engelmayer, according to Page Six. 'He's not in the best spirits.' Engelmayer sought to dispel rumors that Weinstein's diversion to hospital - instead of Rikers Island correctional facility - has left him with a sweeter deal. 'He's emotionally down, he's mentally down. He's in a prison,' he said. The disgraced media mogul fell ill just hours after being convicted by a New York jury of raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi in 2006 A source revealed on Friday that doctors had ordered a CAT scan for Weinstein 'Let's dispel any notion he's in some cushy place. His hospital room is a cinder block room with a hospital bed and a very wide open stainless steel toilet with no lid and open glass windows all around. Any cops or hospital staff can see in when they walk by.' But last night Weinsteins victims accused him of getting special treatment after claims emerged that he is staying in a large hospital suite with his family - a far cry from a cell in grim Rikers Island, often nicknamed Torture Island. As he enters his fifth day in hospital, it emerged that Weinstein's defense lawyers are having second thoughts about trying to get him out on bail. The convicted rapist's team have been rallying round, as a spokesman warned that he is 'mentally down' after being convicted His defense attorney Aidala was spotted buying snacks in the hospital (above) while visiting his client His legal team had initially said after his conviction that they were trying to get him released on bond prior to his March 11 sentencing. But Aidala now says that might not be the case due to separate charges Weinstein is facing in California. Aidala told Bloomberg on Friday that he fears the convicted rapist could be arrested by Los Angeles authorities if they try to get him out on bail while he awaits sentencing in New York. Weinstein's lawyers fear the convicted rapist could be arrested by Los Angeles authorities if they try to get him out on bail while he awaits sentencing in New York. He is pictured arriving at court on Monday on the day he was convicted 'This is all new uncharted territory,' said Aidala. 'He's got his case in LA, and we're trying to figure out - if we get him out - they could immediately move to get him in their custody once a judge here grants him bail.' In the California case, Weinstein is accused of raping one woman in a Beverly Hills hotel and groping another woman, model Lauren Young, while masturbating in a hotel bathroom on consecutive nights during Oscars week in 2013. He is charged with forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. The charges, which were announced the night before his New York rape trial started on January 6, could land Weinstein an additional 28 years in prison if convicted of the most serious counts. Weinstein, who plans to appeal, is facing up to 29 years in prison for the New York conviction. His legal team had initially said after his conviction that they were trying to get him released on bond prior to his March 11 sentencing. But Aidala now says that might not be the case due to separate charges Weinstein is facing in California Weinstein was convicted by a New York jury this week of raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi in 2006 The LA case will not start until after his sentencing in New York on March 11 and no date has yet been set. Weinstein is expected to be released into the custody of Los Angeles authorities so he can face trial there. If convicted, he would then serve any potential prison sentence in California after his New York sentence is over. Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno told DailyMail.com that their team haven't yet started thinking about the LA case. One of the woman Weinstein is charged with sexually assaulting in the LA case, Lauren Young, was one of the six accusers who testified during the New York trial. Young, a model and actress, was among three women allowed to testify as prosecutors sought to show Weinstein's 'prior bad acts' to establish a pattern of abuse. Weinstein was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 (left) and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 (right) One of the woman Weinstein is charged with sexually assaulting in the LA case, Lauren Marie Young, was one of the six accusers who testified during the New York trial It is not yet clear how many prior bad act witnesses LA prosecutors will call in that case. California does not have the same restraints New York does in terms of allowing such witnesses and prosecutors are reportedly hoping to take advantage of it by widening the scope and number of witnesses they can use to show an alleged pattern. Italian-Filipina model Ambra Gutierrez is expected to be one of those witnesses, sources told the New York Times. Gutierrez was one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct in 2015 when she went to police and claimed he had fondled her breasts and put his hand up her skirt during a business meeting. Investigators had her wear a wire when she went to meet with the producer the following day and he was heard in the tapes apologizing for his inappropriate touching as he begged her to go to his hotel room. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, however, declined to press charges at the time. While LA prosecutors can't bring charges against Weinstein over Gutierrez's allegations, her testimony is expected to play a role in the case there. As Weinstein's defense attorneys mull their next move, one of the jurors who found him guilty spoke out on Friday saying that the verdict had nothing to do with the #MeToo movement. Juror No 9, who gave his name only as Drew, said the group focused on the evidence alone before making their decision. The verdict absolutely did not point towards a stance or voice as to any larger movement, he added. Asked whether wider implications had been considered, the juror told a US broadcaster: No, zero, absolutely zero. It is not yet clear when Weinstein will be transported to Rikers Island. SPRINGFIELD A 74-year-old Ware man was sentenced Friday to serve 15 years in federal prison on charges he had sex with an underage girl for money and induced her to make pornographic videos for him. Walter Brown previously entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court in Springfield to single counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and two counts each of sexual exploitation of a child and sex trafficking. Brown is the second person sentenced in this case. In October, Claire Poole was sentenced to serve 10 years and five months in prison after she pleaded guilty of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and two counts of sex trafficking. According to prosecutors, Poole introduced the girl to Brown, then acted as go-between, relaying Browns instructions for making the videos and later driving the girl to Browns home in Ware for sex. She also supplied the cellphone for the girl to make the videos. Brown was arrested in July 2017 following an investigation by the Western Massachusetts Human Trafficking Working Group. He has been held in detention since his arrest. Addressing a Kisan Sammelan in Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign to set up 10,000 new farmer producer organisations (FPOs) across the country in the next five years. Addressing a function to commemorate the first anniversary of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, Modi said a new FPO will be set up to increase the income of the farmers and to empower them. This will enable the farmers to market and process the crops along with producing them. He said Rs 5,000 crore will be spent on this in the next five years. Modi also distributed Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to 10 beneficiary farmers of PM-Kisan. The KCCs are being distributed to farmers from 28,000 branches of banks across the country on Saturday as part of a special campaign by the government to provide KCC facilities to all beneficiaries of PM-Kisan, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed the media here earlier. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel also participated in the function, President Donald Trump appeared Saturday at a hastily called news conference in the White House briefing room with Vice President Mike Pence and top public health officials to announce that the U.S. was banning travel to Iran and urging Americans not to travel to regions of Italy and South Korea where the virus has been prevalent. The U.S. is expanding travel restrictions, including for Iran and Iranian citizens, and any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past two weeks, said Pence, who heads Trumps coronavirus task force. The task force met Saturday and brought the president a range of options, Pence said; the new travel restrictions and advisory were the result. Trump said on Friday he was considering expanded travel restrictions for a few countries, beyond those imposed a month ago on China. Italys confirmed coronavirus infections topped 1,000 on Saturday, while Chinas Xi Jinping scrapped a rare trip to Japan. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Trump said he was considering additional restrictions, including closing the U.S. border with Mexico in response to the virus spread, but later added: This is not a border that seems to be much of a problem right now. "We're thinking about all borders," he said. Travel to Iran is already quite limited, though some families are allowed to travel there on a visa. It is one of the seven initial countries on Trump's travel ban list, which means travel from Iran also is already severely restricted. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there was no evidence of link to travel abroad in the case of the person who died in Washington state, the first U.S. death from the virus. The Washington case was the first death in U.S. but not first American to die: A 60-year-old U.S. citizen died in Wuhan in early February. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the travel restrictions as of Feb. 29, 2020, are: China and Iran: U.S. travelers should avoid all nonessential travel to these destinations. Entry of foreign nationals from these destinations has been suspended. South Korea and Italy: CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel. Japan: CDC recommends that older adults or those who have chronic medical conditions consider postponing travel. Hong Kong: Travelers should practice usual precautions. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school Lake Oswego School District officials hold news conference Coronavirus in Oregon: Some are calm, some definitely not Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Washington coronavirus: Governor declares state of emergency San Francisco, Feb 29 : SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is confident that the traditional warfare era is long over and the future belongs to drone fighter planes that will dominate the sky and F-35 fighter jets will have nowhere to go. Addressing the gathering at Air Warfare Symposium organised by the US Air Force in Florida on Friday, Musk said the age of fighter jets dominating the sky is over. "For the air domain... things are definitely going to go into, kind of... locally autonomous drone warfare... is where the future will be... It's not I want the future to be this, this is what the future will be, autonomous drone warfare...," The Drive reported Musk as saying. "Drones locally will be autonomous, but I think we still want to retain the authority to damage or destroy anything that isn't an autonomous drone. Keep the authority back there with a person in the loom. The fighter jet era has passed. It's drones," Musk added. Later, in a tweet, the SpaceX founder said: "The competitor should be a drone fighter plane that's remote controlled by a human, but with its maneuvers augmented by autonomy. The F-35 would have no chance against it". He stressed that F-35 stealth jet "would have no chance" against a drone remotely piloted by a human. The US Air Force successfully tested an advanced, jet-powered drone called the XQ58-A Valkyrie recently that could accompany human-piloted fighter jets on missions. The autonomous unmanned vehicle, can play a key role in electronic warfare, strike and surveillance on the battlefield. According to New Atlas, the Valkyrie can carry a small payload of smart bombs, and has a range of just under 2,500 miles. The F-16 Fighting Falcon tops out at just over 2,600 miles while the F-22 Raptor has a range of over 1,800 miles. Musk also discussed about making a Starfleet real at the symposium. "How do we make Starfleet real?" he asked, stressing that reusable launch vehicles are "absolutely fundamental" to achieving whatever space ambitions the military might have, including staying ahead of China. "I think we can go a long way to make Starfleet real and these utopian futures real". "The foundation of war is economics. If you have half the resources of the counter-party then you better be real innovative because [otherwise] we're going to lose... The US will be, militarily, second," Musk said. WASHINGTON (AP) - A top aide to President Donald Trump complained Friday that the news media doesn't pay enough attention to the president's loving relationship with his 13-year-old son, Barron. "The presidents just a really caring father and you dont see that," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering for conservatives. "The press would never show you that because it doesnt fit." Mulvaney said he noticed on his first trip with the president that Trump had called his son multiple times to check in and let him know when his helicopter would be returning to the White House. The first lady's office has requested that the media respect the privacy of the youngest of the president's five children and discourages writing about him. Her office declined to comment on Mulvaney's remarks. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump walk toward Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. The Trumps are heading to Florida to spend the weekend at their Mar-a-Lago estate. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) President Donald Trump, flanked by first lady Melania Trump, left, and son Barron Trump, right, waves from the top of the steps of Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. The Trumps are spending the weekend at their Mar-a-Lago estate. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Four more people have died in Italy from coronavirus, the civil protection agency said on Friday, bringing the total to 21, while the number of those testing positive for the illness jumped to 821 from 650 the day before, Reuters reports. The outbreak which began last week in Italys northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto have made the country the hardest-hit in Europe and have led to draconian measures and a sharp reduction in economic activity. Lombardy will ask the government to maintain for at least another week the containment measures already implemented against the outbreak, the regional government said on Friday. Reducing government employees' retirement age from 60 to 58, free education for all students up to Class 12 and a debt waiver for landless farmers were some of the major announcements made by Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in the 2020-21 budget on Friday. Badal on Friday presented a Rs 1,54,805 crore budget in the state Assembly here. Deciding against levying any fresh taxes, Badal also announced a waiver of Change of Land Use (CLU) charges for two years for new industries coming up outside municipal limits and slashed 'mandi' fee on vegetables from 4 to 1%. The budget earmarked Rs 100 crore for giving 10 lakh free smartphones to the youth, which was one of the main poll promises of the ruling Congress. The delivery of smartphones, however, has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, Badal said in his fourth budget speech. Asserting that the state's finances were "back on track", Badal said the state has reached the point where there is no funding gap in 2020-21 because of the government's sustained efforts to bringing in fiscal prudence. In a major announcement, Badal said the retirement age of government employees has been reduced from 60 to 58. "With this, we will be able to provide employment to three to four times the number of people who retire. We will also be able to get more talented pool of young people to serve Punjab," he later told reporters. He said the number of employees who are going to be affected by this move was yet to be worked out and that the decision will be implemented in two phases. "Those who have turned 59 will retire on March 31 this year and those who are 58 will retire from September 30," he added. Currently, 3.50 lakh government employees are working in the state departments and the attrition rate is 5 to 9%. When asked about the financial implications, Badal said he was expecting that the financial outgo on account of reducing the retirement age would be Rs 3,500 crore. Allocating Rs 12,488 crore for promotion of schools and higher education, the minister announced free education for all students in government schools up to Class 12. Currently, education is free for all students up to Class 8 and it is free up to Class 12 only for girls. Free transportation facility for primary schools students will also be provided and for this Rs 10 crore has been allocated, Badal said. He also announced to earmark Rs 4,000 crore in the budget for the 6th Pay Commission which is expected to submit recommendations in the near future. He further announced payment of 6% Dearness Allowance arrears to employees next month which would involve financial outgo of Rs 1,000 crore. The government employees have been seeking release of their pending DA. Badal also announced allocation of Rs 2,000 crore including Rs 520 crore especially for waiving loans of landless farm workers under its flagship programme of crop loan waiver scheme. The government has already waived crop loans of all small and marginal farmers (up to 5 acres) who have loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. Later, Badal also said the compensation to families of farmers who committed suicide would be ensured within 60 days. The allocation for free power subsidy for farmers has been kept at Rs 8,275 crore for 2020-21, he said. In another important announcement, the minister said under the new assessment policy of the excise and taxation department, the number of pending and old VAT assessment cases would come down from 1.24 lakh to about 30,000. In the budget, Badal proposed revenue receipts of Rs 88,004 crore and revenue expenditure of Rs 95,716 crore for 2020-21. He further said the revenue deficit for 2020-21 will be Rs 7,712 crore (1.20% of GSDP) and the fiscal deficit will be Rs 18,828 crore (2.92% of GSDP). He also projected outstanding debt of Rs 2,48,236 crore for 2020-21 as against 2019-20 revised estimates of Rs 2,28,906 crore. While Chief Minister Amarinder Singh lauded the budget, the Opposition dubbed it "visionless and directionless". "With his futuristic budget projections, the finance minister laid down a progressive roadmap that will chart the way for the state's holistic growth and development, with all sections of the society set to be benefitted," said Amarinder Singh in a statement here. BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh said the budget is "nothing but a document of deceit" and a "U-turn" on the promises made by the Congress party ahead of 2017 assembly elections. Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia described the budget as a "fraud" on the people of Punjab. In a statement here, he said figures had been "fudged" to paint a rosy picture even as Punjab was suffering due to "inefficiency and mismanagement" of the state's finances by Badal. Badal also proposed capital expenditure of Rs 10,280 crore. He said the state would get higher share from the central taxes as has been proposed by the 15th Finance Commission. He said the state government proposes to set up two agriculture colleges at Gurdaspur and Balachaur. Also read: India's fiscal deficit gets worse; check out April-January figures Also read: Q3 GDP growth: Will the slowdown end today? BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 Trend: A hotline has been created for Azerbaijani citizens wishing to return from Iran, Trend reports on Feb. 29 referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Hot lines have been created in the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz for the return of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. Azerbaijani citizens willing to return from Iran should contact the diplomatic missions via the following hot lines: Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran Phone: (+98 910) 559 56 10 (+9821) 22 55 82 99 (+9821) 22 55 42 55 Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz : (+98 902) 095 13 83 (+98413) 333 48 02/04 While considering WHO recommendations and the experience of other countries, a decision was made to temporarily close the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran from 16:00 (GMT+4) for two weeks in connection with the risk of spreading of coronavirus on the basis of a restrictive regime. This measure was discussed with the Iranian relevant state structures and Iran was informed about Azerbaijans decision. The necessary corridor will be ensured by using the appropriate regime for the departure of Iranian citizens from Azerbaijan to Iran and the entry of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. A man was shot and killed by San Antonio police officers at a West Side residence Saturday morning after officers say the man pointed a gun at them. Police were called to a home on the 300 block of Concio Drive just before 6:30 a.m. by a woman who reported a disturbance with a gun, according San Antonio Police Chief William McManus. Police arrived to find two people, including the woman, outside of the house. They told police a man was inside the residence acting irrationally, McManus said. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox When the two officers entered the home, McManus said they saw the man in a hallway who turned and pointed a gun at them. The two officers then shot the man multiple times. The man turned out to be an on-again, off-again boyfriend of the mother of the woman who called the police, according to officers. The mother was not present during the incident. The man, 45, died at the scene. No one else was injured. The two officers involved have a combined 9 years of experience with SAPD, McManus said. Three young children were were ushered out of the home before police entered and the shooting occurred, McManus said. London, Feb 29 : A UK man has been sentenced to six years in jail for dumping his Indian-origin date's body in a forest following the latter's death due to a drug overdose, a media report said. The Manchester Crown Court heard on Friday that the 24-year-old victim Hiran Chauhan, a Tesco retail store manager, went to the residence of the accused Neil Cuckson, 32, after they chatted about taking drugs on Grindr, a dating app for gay men, the Metro newspaper said in the report. Cuckson said they both drank liquid ecstasy or GHB during "chemsex" (consuming drugs to facilitate or enhance sexual activity) and admitted that he injected Chauhan and himself with crystal meth before they fell asleep in the early hours of July 3, 2019. The defendant claimed he woke up to find Chauhan had died, but instead of alerting the authorities, he kept the body in his apartment and went to work as normal. Later in the day, Cuckson dragged the body, wrapped in plastic sheeting, across the road from his flat to a nearby woodland. The body of Chauhan, a chef at El Capo restaurant in Manchester's Northern Quarter, was discovered the next day. After his arrest, Cuckson said that Chauhan had overdosed, "I didn't kill him". "He (Cuckson) told police that by the time he knew Hiran was dead he was panicking and that he was trying to cover up what had happened," the Metro newspaper quoted prosecutor Michael Lavery as saying. While sentencing on Friday, Judge Alan Conrad told the defendant: "The state of Chauhan's body is a direct result of you having concealed his death and hidden the body, which made it impossible for experts to obtain the results which they usually can in the case of a suspicious death." Conrad added that "anybody with any decency" would have alerted the authorities to the situation. Melanie Spooner, who died in 2011. (Photo submitted) DOCTOR Melanie Spooner would have celebrated her 40th birthday in May 2021 but sadly she lost her personal battle with anorexia which had tormented her since teenage years and which finally claimed her life at the age of 30 in 2011. Melanie was a gifted paediatrician and academic living and working in London at the Evelina Childrens Hospital part of St Thomas - opposite the Houses of Parliament at the time she died. She was discovered on the bedroom floor of her apartment by her parents Robert and Jane Spooner from Stratford whod driven to London concerned about their daughter having failed to make contact with her for a few days. The trauma will never be erased but the campaign to help others goes on and Mr and Spooner have used their tragedy to help boost awareness for a national charity that supports those living with eating disorders. Next week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, (2nd to 8th March) run by the charity Beat and Mr and Mrs Spooner will be supporting the week-long event by helping to raise funds and being interviewed by the media. Robert Spooner said he and his wife have also set themselves a target to raise 40,000 for Beat to coincide with what would have been Mels 40th birthday by next year. We have two charity balls planned one in May this year and one in May 2021, the first will be at the Stratford Manor Hotel and include a three course meal, live music and raffle. So far we have raised 6,000 and we have further pledges. We are also holding a coffee morning in Quinton Village Hall on 4th March, Mr Spooner said. For more information visit www.mels40milestone.com/ Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal A key Juarez Cartel enforcer in the drug war that claimed thousands of lives in northern Mexico a decade ago was quietly extradited to New Mexico last month to face federal charges stemming from an even older marijuana conspiracy. Luis Carlos Vazques Barragan, also known as El 20 and El Senor, was the operational leader of La Linea, the cartels enforcement arm, which was formed by a group of corrupt former Chihuahua state police officers, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports. He was among eight former high-ranking cartel leaders brought from Mexico to face charges in the United States nine years after the initial extradition request. Vazques was arrested in 2010 in connection with the detonation of a car bomb in Ciudad Juarez that killed a federal police officer, an unidentified mechanic and a doctor who responded to the site of the blast. The incident was widely publicized at the time, and a video of the bomb scene is still on social media. He has been in a Mexican prison since his arrest 10 days after the bombing. From 2007 through 2012, the Juarez Cartel was locked in a vicious battle with the Sinaloa Cartel for control of drug traffic through Juarez and the surrounding area that left thousands dead in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. According to DEA and Mexican law enforcement reports, Vazques was in charge of ordering the deaths of rival gang members and managed the Juarez Cartel operations in the state of Chihuahua. At the time of his arrest in Mexico, Vazques reported directly to the Cartels leader, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes. Carrillo Fuentes was arrested in 2014 and is in a Mexican prison. He has announced his retirement from the cartel business since his arrest, according to Mexican press reports. A few months before the car bombing in Juarez, a federal grand jury in Albuquerque returned an indictment charging Vazques with conspiracy to distribute more than a ton of marijuana and running a continuing criminal enterprise. The U.S. government requested Vazques extradition in February 2011 to face charges in federal court here. In early January of this year, the Mexican Attorney Generals Office gathered eight cartel members from different federal prisons and took them to the Toluca International Airport, near Mexico City, where they were handed over to deputy U.S. marshals, who brought them to the United States. The action was announced in a three-paragraph news release from the Mexican Attorney Generals Office. Two other former leaders of the Juarez Cartel were among those extradited with Vazques Pedro El Sol Sanchez Arras, who ran the organizations operations in southern Chihuahua, and Benjamin El Cachitas Valeriano Jr., who was responsible for the cartels operations in South Texas. They face federal charges in Texas. Routine business The continuing criminal enterprise Vazques is charged with overseeing was a pretty routine piece of Juarez Cartel business a large-scale marijuana-smuggling operation that moved marijuana through New Mexico to cities around the country. The case dates back to 2005, when DEA agents began investigating an organization shipping marijuana, and involves at least 10 other defendants. Through the use of wiretaps, DEA and local law enforcement agents intercepted marijuana loads destined for Indianapolis and other locations. One of the defendants was caught by Albuquerque police with 1,091 pounds of marijuana hidden in the bed of his truck during a traffic stop. Other loads were smaller in the 300-pound range. Most of the defendants in the case pleaded guilty and were sentenced by 2010. But one of the defendants, Mario Talavera, absconded from a federal halfway house in Albuquerque and lived in Mexico for five years until he was arrested and deported back to the United States in 2015. Talavera, a U.S. citizen who had been living in Juarez, eventually pleaded guilty to marijuana trafficking charges and was sentenced to 6years in federal prison in 2017. Another defendant, Cruz Zacatecas Lopez-Acevedo, was in Mexico when the Albuquerque case was indicted in 2008. He was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. in 2019. Lopez-Acevedo and Vazques have both pleaded not guilty. Although accused in the same conspiracy, they will be tried separately. A federal judge ruled the case against Vazques was complex, allowing his attorney more time to review the extensive wiretaps and other evidence while preparing a defense. Mumbai, Feb 29 : Despite making a mark with varied roles in films such as "Kalyug", "Traffic Signal", "Go Goa Gone" and now "Malang", actor Kunal Kemmu says he mostly gets offers to play comic roles thanks to his roles in the "Golmaal" series. The actor says he has much more to offer as a performer. "I can't say that I am underrated, but I am underutilised for sure as an actor. I know that I am capable of doing so much as a performer. I have so much to offer. I have more potential than what the audience has seen in the films that I have done so far. Or maybe my fans who like my work believe that I am versatile as an actor. But that is not how the filmmakers and casting directors are seeing me," Kunal told IANS. The actor recently proved his versatility in Mohit Suri's "Malang". In the film, he played a cold-blooded psychopathic cop who deceptively passes off as a thorough gentleman in public. While the multistarrer also featured Aditya Roy Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Disha Patani in lauded and important roles, it was Kunal's portrayal of a complex character that became a major talking point. "One of my friends who is also a filmmaker told me that his reference to my work was 'Golmaal'. So, he tends to think that I am good in comedy. He added that my comic timing was good. Then he mentioned that he was surprised to see me in 'Malang'. I think many people are under the impression that I can only be good at comedy. I really have a lot to offer, if they cast me!" said Kunal who, in the nineties, had impressed as a child artiste in films such as "Sir", "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke", "Naaraaz", "Raja Hindustani", "Tamanna", "Bhai" and "Zakhm", before making his debut as a lead actor in the 2005 release, "Kalyug". Currently, the actor is busy shooting the new season of the ZEE5 web series "Abhay 2". Philanthropist Bill Gates on Friday urged wealthy nations to help low and middle-income countries strengthen their health systems in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, which Gates said has started to behave like a "once-in-a-century" pathogen. "By helping countries in Africa and South Asia get ready now," we can save lives and also slow the global circulation of this virus," Gates, the former chairman and chief executive of Microsoft Corp , wrote in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine. The novel coronavirus that first emerged in China and has now spread to 46 countries is much harder to stop than similar viruses that caused the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Gates wrote. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already pledged $100 million to fight the outbreak. Gates' plea was echoed on Friday by the World Health Organization, which said the risk was very high that the virus would spread and have a global impact. The WHO implored governments to swing into action to contain the virus before it becomes widespread. Such actions could slow the virus, giving nations more time to prepare, officials said. "Health systems around the world are just not ready," Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the WHO emergencies program, told a news briefing. Gates said the world needs to invest in disease surveillance and better technology to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines and drugs. Besides technical solutions, Gates called for better diplomatic efforts to drive international collaboration and data sharing, and increased government spending on drugs and vaccines that would give private companies incentives to take up such efforts. Also read: Mukesh Ambani loses $5 billion, Ajim Premji $869 million, Adani $496 million in 2 months Also read: Geneva car show cancelled over coronavirus fears Comcast will sell access to its trove of data on how Americans watch TV to Comscore, a media analytics firm that measures TV audiences, the companies said Friday. Read more Comcast will sell access to its trove of data on how Americans watch TV to Comscore, a media analytics firm that measures TV audiences, the companies said Friday. The Philadelphia cable giant will license viewership data from customers set-top boxes, which Comscore will use to improve its measurements of TV ratings. The audience measurements are used by buyers and sellers of advertisements. At least $70 billion was spent on TV advertisements in 2019, according to market researcher eMarketer. Its a rare deal for Comcast, the company says. The Philadelphia media giant didnt provide this type of consumer data to anyone in the industry until 2017, when it reached a similar deal with Nielsen, even as other pay TV providers and online streaming services made such data available. In 2015, Comcast turned down a $100 million offer from Nielsen for an exclusive license to the data, according to the Wall Street Journal. Neither Comcast nor Comscore disclosed financial terms of the agreement. Comcast said the data is de-identified, meaning it does not include the names, addresses, or other personal information of customers. The data doesnt identify specific set-top boxes either, so viewing information cannot be traced back to a user or household. Comcast, the nations largest cable TV operator, had been a holdout in terms of sharing such viewership data with audience measurement firms. Comscore said it has had access to such data from other pay TV companies for a decade, starting with Dish. Comscore CEO Bill Livek said the Comcast deal will strengthen the ratings firms measurement of television households across the country. Comscore already had access to data from Dish, DirecTV, Charter, and Cox. It is a major step in our ongoing journey toward more precise measurement, helping us develop better products to serve our customers and drive revenue growth in the coming years," Livek said in a statement. The deal comes a few days after Comcasts NBCUniversal announced that its advertisers can now buy ads on different video services, target precise audiences, and better measure how ads perform in an all-in-one technology system. NBCUniversal is preparing to launch a video streaming service this spring, called Peacock. Spending on such advertising industry insiders call it connected TV ads is expected to reach $14 billion by 2023 according to eMarketer. That market is increasingly important for companies like Comcast as traditional TV advertising market continues to shrink it is expected to drop to more than $68 billion in 2023. There are no plans to cancel mass gatherings in Northern Ireland despite the first case of coronavirus being confirmed. St Patrick's Day celebrations will be going ahead as scheduled unless there is a dramatic escalation in the spread of the disease. There are also no plans to cancel any major events at Belfast's SSE Arena in the near future. Yesterday, Switzerland became the first country in Europe to announced an immediate ban on all "public and private" events involving more than 1,000 people. Belfast City Council said it will be taking a lead from the Public Health Authority ahead of any major events planned for the city - including the annual St Patrick's Day celebrations in the city centre which attract thousands of visitors from across the world. "At present, Belfast City Council has no plans to cancel its annual St Patrick Day celebrations," the council said. "We will continue to follow public health advice and will act in accordance with any advice received." The SSE Arena, where the Belfast Giants have several matches scheduled over the next few weeks and Irish rock band The Script are due to perform next Tuesday night, also said it will be carrying on as normal unless advice changes. A spokesperson said: "The SSE Arena, Belfast is monitoring ongoing developments regarding coronavirus and will follow guidance issued by the Public Health Agency." Across the UK there have been warnings that mass gatherings, including major sporting events and concerts, could face cancellations for at least two months amid the global spread of the coronavirus. The Six Nations match between Ireland and Italy scheduled for March 7 in Dublin has already been postponed with England's trip to Rome on March 14 also in doubt due to the virus' stranglehold in northern Italy, which has become a major centre of infection with 11 towns in lockdown. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are preparing for the Euro 2020 play-offs at the end of March, with Northern Ireland to travel to Bosnia and the Republic scheduled to play in Slovakia on March 26. As yet, there are no cases in either country. Milan: On the sixth floor of a skyscraper, two dozen epidemiologists and public health experts form the nerve centre of the effort to contain a coronavirus outbreak in Italy that has alarmed Europe and put the wealthy Lombardy region at the centre of global concern. They work the phones, pore over digital maps and study computer screens. They update databases with confirmed cases. They track those whom infected people might have had contact with. They coordinate with hospitals and laboratories to verify test results, sometimes for people with no symptoms. But their efforts have also fuelled a political and scientific quarrel that may prove important to how Italy and other countries confront the virus: How much is too much when it comes to containment efforts? It's not every day that Italy is accused of being overly efficient, but Lombardy's response has, unusually, been criticised for its vigour at a time when most governments are worried about being accused of doing too little. Kolkata, March 1 : The Calcutta High Court has ruled that it is not mandatory for foreigners to produce a valid passport and its particulars for processing of application for grant of Indian citizenship if he is able to satisfy the appropriate authorities the reasons for non-availability of the document. Justice Sabysachi Bhattacharya passed the order while disposing off a petition by granting the petitioner liberty to file an application before the authority "as contemplated in Rule 11 of the Citizenship Rules 2009, upon furnishing explanation as to the non-availability of the passport". Bismillah Khan had filed the petition saying he was being denied the citizenship of India because of his inability to file an application under Section 5 (1) (c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, apparently due to the mandatory requirement of furnishing a copy of the passport for such application. The petitioner's counsel submitted that Khan was a Pakhtoon citizen and due to political turmoil in the said state, which subsequently merged partially into Afghanistan and partially into Pakistan, he, as a five-year old, had to migrate to India with his father in 1973. Under such circumstances, the petitioner could not have any opportunity of having a valid passport, since they were refugees under distress, the counsel said. The petitioner had previously approached a coordinate Bench of the court, wherein a single judge, passed an order on July 25, 2018, directing him to comply with the formalities required, as communicated by the secretary to the Government of India to the Secretary to the Government of West Bengal (Home), vide a letter dated December 7, 2017. The court had then also given liberty to the petitioner to apply afresh before the appropriate authority under Section 5(1)(c) of the 1955 Act, having complied with all the formalities. The petitioner then moved Bhattacharya's court submitting that a complete application as directed by the Coordinate Bench cannot be possibly filed by his client due to the mandatory requirement of uploading a copy of his passport, which the petitioner does not have due to reasons beyond his control. The counsel said Khan is married to an Indian citizen, has a daughter and living in India for close to half a century. The counsel for the union of India submitted that in view of no application having been filed by the petitioner, there is no scope of granting such proposed application at the present juncture for the Union. The counsel argued that it is mandatory to file an application in Form III for the application of the petitioner under Section 5(1)(c) of the Act to be considered at all. In view of the petitioner not complying with the mandatory requirement of submitting a copy of his passport, the state government cannot, under the law, forward such application to the union government. After hearing all sides, Justice Bhattacharya said although the rule "contemplates that an application shall not be entertained unless the application is made in Form III, such provision ipso facto does not make the availability of a passport a mandatory requirement". "..the Form given with the Rules or the Rules themselves cannot override the provision of the statute itself, under which the said Rules are framed, which does not stipulate such a mandate on the applicants for citizenship under Section 5 (1)(c) of the 1955 Act mandatorily to carry a passport". The court said although such provision is included in the Form, which has to be complied with by the applicant, "it is nowhere indicated in such Form that all the relevant particulars, including the particulars regarding passport of the petitioner have to be furnished mandatorily, along with a copy of a valid foreign passport, even in the event the petitioner, for valid reasons, is not in a position to produce such passport". Justice Bhattacharya ruled that under such circumstances, it cannot be held that the provision of producing a passport and its particulars is mandatory in nature and there has to be a relaxation in such requirement "in case the petitioner is able to satisfy the appropriate authorities the reasons for non- availability of such passport". "Unless such a leeway is given to the applicants, genuine persons who otherwise have all the formal documents indicating that they have been residing in India for a long time and have married a resident of India would also be unable to apply for Indian Citizenship despite having lived their entire lives and contributed to the economy and diverse culture of this country." He said such a scenario would be contradictory to the spirit of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. "In such view of the matter, the requirement of having a passport has to be read as optional in Form III of the Citizenship Rules, 2009 and the authorities are deemed to have the power to relax such 6 requirement in the event the applicant satisfied the authorities for genuine reasons why the applicant is not in a position to produce such passport," the February 24 order said. The court ruled that despite the provision of making applications online, a provision has to be made for persons who do not have all the particulars of their passport, which is read as optional, to file applications manually, which are to be treated as valid applications under Rule 5 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009. The court also ordered that alternatively the necessary software be amended so that the online applications can be presented with or without passports, in the latter case furnishing detailed reasons as to non-furnishing of passports. "Sanctioning of such forms, however, will be conditional upon the satisfaction of the relevant authorities about the reasons for the applicant not being able to produce her/his passport," the order said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 12:28:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's exports grew 3.2 percent year on year in January, thanks in large part to the manufacturing and petroleum industries, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) announced on Friday. The INEGI said in its report that the value of Mexican exports reached over 33.6 billion U.S. dollars in the first month of the year, with almost 31.3 billion corresponding to non-petroleum exports and over 2.3 billion to petroleum exports. However, Mexico still saw a trade deficit of around 2.4 billion dollars in January, while in January 2019, it saw a deficit of over 4.6 billion dollars. In a separate report, the country's second largest financial group Banorte explained that there is currently caution at the international level due to the possibility of disruptions of global supply chains. The Banorte report said the magnitude of deficit is at its lowest in eight years, which continues to signal the possibility of a relevant structural change. "This has been boosted specifically by a greater external demand helping exports, while imports have remained contained, reinforcing a sign of weakness in terms of investment appetite," it added. Mexico's trade is primarily oriented towards the United States. Non-petroleum exports from Mexico to the United States grew 1.9 percent year-on-year in January, while the exports to the rest of the world grew 5 percent in the first month of the year. A rapidly emerging coronavirus pandemic has all of us concerned. Rather than any panic, we need strong bipartisan public action and reasonable individual action to prepare for every possibility. I have confidence in our San Antonio public health officials, though less so in a federal bureaucracy encumbered by a president who has refused to acknowledge the extent of this threat or invest necessary resources. I remain hopeful that we will not endure the outbreaks other countries are experiencing. But the safest course is to overprepare, equipping ourselves with strong precautions based upon science-led, level-headed resolve. Our local public health leaders such as San Antonio Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger and San Antonio Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick are doing just that, and I am working to back them up in their request for an adequate supply of local test kits, which can be rapidly processed, and necessary protective gear and training for medical professionals. First steps individuals can take include ensuring that you and everyone around you has gotten a flu shot. This wont prevent coronavirus, but it will prevent you from being weakened by illness. Simple routine steps such as handwashing and staying home when ill are essential. Ensure a sufficient supply of needed prescriptions and food in the event that it may be needed, determine telework possibilities, and evaluate childcare and eldercare options. A checklist of helpful measures you can take now to keep your family ready is available at cdc.gov. By placing American evacuees at Lackland, the administration thrust San Antonio into a front-line role. I began seeking more information that Saturday and continued by bringing administration officials for the first meeting with Mayor Ron Nirenberg in my Washington office on Feb. 5. After receiving disturbing firsthand reports concerning dangerous mishandling of quarantined Miramar AFB evacuees, I asked U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro to join in an urgent Feb. 13 request to HHS Secretary Alex Azar regarding quarantine protocol and health care worker protection. On Feb. 18, I invited local participation in a conference call that included concern regarding transport of evacuees for testing outside Lackland. Thereafter, I sought removal of bureaucratic hurdles to ensure testing decisions based solely upon protecting public health. Throughout this time, repeated calls advancing local priorities to multiple federal agencies have been met mostly with evasion. Years of severe cuts to our public health infrastructure have weakened our capacity to respond. Even in February as this outbreak was rapidly expanding President Donald Trump proposed harsh cuts to the very agencies working to keep us safe, including CDC support for local public health preparedness. Nevertheless, we hope, here in Congress, to swiftly advance a robust emergency funding bill for coronavirus. The administrations abdication of readiness and erosion of our public health infrastructure require local leaders and Congress to try to fill that void all the faster as well as the personal efforts of each one of us. We can keep focused by continuing to work together to overcome Trump indifference to San Antonio and vigorously protect our public health. Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett represents San Antonio. A pair of miracle twins born on a leap day celebrate their first birthday despite being four years old. Twins Kody and Leo, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, officially turn one today - four years after they were born by emergency c-section on February 29 2016. And the twins are not the only ones celebrating their unusual birthday, as centenarian Vera Blundell from Romsey, Hampshire, will blow out her candles for just the 25th time. Brothers Kody and Leo, from Shipley, West Yorkshire, officially turn one today despite being four The 100-year-old great-grandmother is one of around five million so-called 'leaplings' across the world born on February 29, a day which falls just once every four years. Parents Sally Jennings and Robert Jacques were elated to discover they were expecting naturally conceived twins in 2015. However they were dealt a devastating blow when Sally developed Hellp Syndrome, a potentially-fatal pregnancy complication which caused organ failure at six months. People are stunned when they reveal the boisterous four-year-olds are 'leaplings' and have only just turned one Parents Sally Jennings and Robert Jacques (pictured with Kody and Leo) were elated to discover they were expecting naturally conceived twins in 2015 The support worker was rushed into theatre at 7pm on February 29, 2016 to deliver the boys eight weeks before her April due date, with Kody weighing 4lbs 1oz and his brother Leo weighing 3lbs. But the family say their boys' peculiar birthday makes them even more special and admit people are stunned when they reveal the boisterous four-year-olds are 'leaplings' and have only just turned one. Production operative Robert said: 'It's the look on people's faces when you tell them, they don't really understand and it takes them a while to get it. Centenarian Vera Blundell from Romsey, Hampshire, will blow out her candles for just the 25th time today 'I thought most people knew about leap years but some people have never even heard of it or they've never really realised that there would be people born on February 29. 'A couple of months before the boys were born, we were talking about when they were going to arrive and made the joke that it was a leap year so it could happen then, but because they were due in April we never thought they would actually come then. 'When they were born I was joking saying it was going to be nice and cheap when it came to birthdays.' Father Robert said: 'When they were born I was joking saying it was going to be nice and cheap when it came to birthdays.' Pictured: Twins Leo and Kody as newborns Despite some minor bleeding, Sally's pregnancy had seemed relatively uncomplicated until she started experiencing serious fatigue and black flashes in her vision at six months along. The mother-to-be was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a common disorder in women pregnant with twins, which causes high blood pressure and low platelet count. Leap year birthdays The odds of being born on February 29th are 1 in 1,461, or .068 per cent, with only about five million leaplings in the whole world. According to the Office for National Statistics 10,796 people have been born on February 29 since 1995. Most countries and territories tend to recognise that a Leap Day baby has legally 'aged' on March 1 of non-Leap Years, including England, Wales, Hong Kong. Famous stars with a February 29 birthday is Superman along with The Godfather actor Alex Rocco, rapper Saul Williams and Get Shorty actor Dennis Farina. Advertisement She later developed potentially fatal Hellp Syndrome which saw her red blood cells begin to rupture and kidneys start to fail and she was rushed to theatre, where the boys were born just after 10pm. Sally said: 'I think because of what we were going through at the time we didn't really think about it until after they were born. 'It was quite exciting when it sunk in that we had leap year babies. 'They're still quite young so I don't think they fully understand yet, but we do tell them they're leaplings and that even though they're four they're technically only turning one. 'We haven't really experienced any problems with the birth date so far but I suspect as they get older and they have to fill their date of birth out on paperwork they might face more everyday issues with it. 'I think it just makes it feel all the more special really and hopefully when they get older they will feel special to them too. 'The bond between them as twins is so strong, it's something we will never be able to truly understand. 'I think the fact they are leap year babies just heightens that even further.' Revealing the secret to a long life, great-grandmonther Vera Blundell said 'health and luck', as well as an active lifestyle is her secret. She plans to celebrate the milestone with a party organised by her family. Mrs Blundell who has five grand-children and seven great grand-children - used to run a florists with her husband but has been retired for more than 30 years. During the Second World War, she would cycle to work at the Edwin Jones department store in Southampton, despite daylight bombing overhead. She met her husband, Harold Blundell, whilst working in the International Stores, and they married in June 1941. Mr Blundell took on the family business, a fruit and vegetable shop, and developed the business over the years. The couple went on to have three children, and were together for 58 years until Harold's death in 1999. The shop later became Blundell Florist, where Mrs Blundell played a vital role. The couple handed the business to their two daughters when they retired in 1989. Residents of Nigeria's economic hub Lagos scrambled for hygiene products Friday, after the chaotic megacity of 20 million announced the first confirmed case of new coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa. Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said in a statement overnight that the infected person was an Italian citizen who flew in from Milan, at the heart of Europe's largest outbreak, earlier this week. "The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms," Ehanire said, adding that he was being treated at a hospital for infectious diseases in Lagos. The low number of cases so far across Africa, which has close economic ties with China, the epicentre of the deadly outbreak, has puzzled health specialists. Prior to the case in Nigeria, there had been just two cases on the continent -- in Egypt and Algeria. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with some 190 million people, is viewed as highly vulnerable to viral spread given its weak health system and high population density. Worried inhabitants of Lagos, a city hit by the West African Ebola epidemic in 2014, were already flocking to pharmacies Friday morning in search of hand sanitiser and masks. "We are sold out for now, people came massively this morning," a worker at a pharmacy on Lagos Island told AFP. Hand hygiene: A visitor uses sanitisation gel before being allowed into a state hospital in Lagos. By PIUS UTOMI EKPEI (AFP) "Masks are scarce in town, we tried to order some and we couldn't get them so people should use a handkerchief instead." One customer refused to shake hands as he said he was struggling to buy hygiene products. "I've been trying to find hand sanitiser everywhere, they don't have it anymore in the supermarket, they don't have it at the pharmacy, I'm upset," John said, giving only his first name. "This epidemic is so scary, we should be very careful." 'Biggest concern' The delay in the first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa appears to have given the region a chance to get better prepared -- with more than half of the countries establishing laboratories to diagnose the virus. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has still called for the continent "to come together to be more aggressive in attacking" the issue and said the "biggest concern" is outbreaks in countries with fragile health systems. Kenya's high court on Friday ordered the suspension of flights from China after an uproar over the government allowing travellers into the country without compulsory quarantine for the new coronavirus. The region of West Africa already has the bitter experience of dealing with the devastating Ebola outbreak that killed some 11,000 people from 2013 to 2016. The disease's arrival in Lagos in 2014 set off alarm bells across the globe and unleashed a wave of panic among residents. In the end Lagos escaped relatively lightly and only seven people died from a total of 19 infected, with the WHO praising the fast response. Nigerian officials moved quickly Friday to reassure the population that the country was prepared to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. "We have continued to beef our own security. The level of preparedness continues to improve of Nigeria every day," the health minister, Ehanire, told a press conference in the capital Abuja. Health officials said the infected person flew to Lagos via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines on Monday and spent a night in a hotel before heading to the company offices of French-Swiss firm Lafarge outside the city. "We have immediately identified all personnel that have had remote or direct contact with the individual concerned and initiated an isolate, quarantine and disinfect protocol," the company said in a statement. The authorities say they have set up quarantine centres in Lagos and Abuja and there are four laboratories in the country with the capacity to diagnose the virus. 'Lessons from Ebola' The director general of the West African Health Organisation Stanley Okolo insisted this month that the region had "learnt from the lessons of Ebola". He said members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc agreed recently to come up with a "regional cost plan" and estimated that up to $50 million was required. "The devastation of an epidemic affects everybody," he said. Situated in a tropical region close to the equator, Nigeria has had to face the threat of multiple contagious diseases. An outbreak of Lassa fever, which is spread mainly through rat faeces and urine, has killed over 100 people across the country since the start of the year. Experts say the oil-rich economic powerhouse is better prepared to deal with any disease epidemics than some of its poorer neighbours in the region. But the government is criticised for not spending enough on health and crumbling infrastructure, corruption and the departure of doctors to better paying jobs abroad have eaten away at the sector. MSU Extension of Midland County and cooperating parent educators sponsor the Parents Corner. Send submissions to Midland County MSU Extension Educator, Lisa Treiber, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland, MI 48640. St. Johns Lutheran School Open House St. Johns Lutheran School is hosting an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 7, for prospective students in preschool through grade 8. St. Johns preschool offers classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, as well as Young 5 class. The fully licensed program is planned to help each child grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially and spiritually. An extended-care program is also available from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for students in all grades. Preschool children can be dropped off at parents convenience and we will ensure they get to and from their class. The accredited day school has classes for kindergarten grade 8. Visit www.sjlmidland.org for more information or call 989-835-7041 to arrange a tour of the facility, located at 505 E. Carpenter St., Midland. Afternoon at the Sugarhouse Discover the magic of maple syrup season Saturdays and Sundays in March as families experience the process of making syrup from start to finish. Visitors are invited to peek in buckets on tapped trees, watch the steam rise in the sugar house and learn how to change maple sap into sweet syrup. This event will take place each Saturday and Sunday in March (except Saturday, March 21 Maple Syrup Day) from 1 to 4 p.m. at Chippewa Nature Center 400 S. Badour Road, Midland. For more information visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org or call 989-631-0830. Nature Day Camp Registration for Chippewa Nature Centers Nature Day Camp begins Tuesday, March 3 at 8 a.m. Campers ages 3-16 will make new friends, gain confidence in outdoor skills and get dirty as they explore Chippewa Nature Center and beyond. Visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org/nature-day-camp to learn more. In Search of Snowy Owls The open farm fields of Michigans Thumb area resemble the arctic summer habitats of snowy owls. Travel by Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) van with Interpretive Naturalist Michelle Fournier in search of snowy owls. You may also see rough-legged hawks, horned larks, snow buntings or American tree dparrows. Bring a lunch, binoculars and a field guide and dress for the weather. CNC will have spotting scopes and binoculars to share. Most of the time will be spent driving or standing outside the van, but well also include a few short walks. The event takes place on Saturday, March 7 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Registration is required. NEMCSA Head Start Preschool Programs NEMCSA Head Start offers Preschool Experiences at no cost to families of children ages 3-4. Head Start also serves children with Special Needs and/or disabilities. Head Start is a member of the Midland County Regional Preschool Partnership. The first step to enroll is to complete an interest form online at www.michiganpreschool.org. NEMCSA Head Start offers full day and half day preschool classrooms that run four days a week. There are locations in Midland, Sanford and Mills Area. Sites include Longview Early Childhood Center, M-20 Locations, Washington Street, Sanford Early Childhood Center, and North Midland Family Center. Contact Megan Greer 832-0968 or Kelly Scoles 832-7520, to schedule an application appointment to learn if your family is eligible. Audiences are in for a barrel of laughs when members of Tullylease Amateur Dramatic Society roll out their brand new production 'Pretend Sick this weekend. The popular comedy by Michael J. Ginnelly chronicles the story of a mother, son and daughter living in rural Ireland. The mother is prepared to do anything to keep her daughter at home, while the brother also likes having her around but wont admit it. To complicate matters, the young woman's boyfriend can't leave his own mother, but then a stranger comes and throws a spanner in the works! 'Pretend Sick' will open in Tullylease Community Centre on this Sunday, March 1st, and will be staged on Thursday 5th, Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th and Thursday 12th at 8pm each night. A U.S. Marine fires a heavy machine gun to counter Taliban fire from a nearby treeline, during a firefight in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Aug. 25, 2011. (Brennan Linsley/AP) Lets Go Home: Afghan War Vets Torn on US-Taliban Deal SAVANNAH, Ga.Veterans of Americas longest war are finding themselves torn as the United States signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan. For many, the United States is long overdue in withdrawing its forces after more than 18 years of fighting. Others question the trustworthiness of the Taliban, whose hard-line government the U.S.-led forces overthrew in 2001. Skeptics worry the Talibans reintegration could cause Afghanistan to backslide on such issues as human rights. If they sign a peace treaty and Afghanistan goes back to the Taliban or Sharia law, then its all been for nothing, said former Army Staff Sgt. Will Blackburn of Hinesville, Georgia. U.S. First Lt. Shane Oravsky (L) of the 101st Airborne Division searches a house with an Afghan police officer in Mandozai, in Khost province, Afghanistan, on April 18, 2008. (Rafiq Maqbool/AP) Though doubtful the Taliban will abide by the peace deal, Backburn said hes ready for hostilities to end. He first deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 with an infantry unit of the Armys 10th Mountain Division. A decade later, his son headed overseas for the same fight. Anything that would get us out of that country, I will support fully, said Blackburn, 58, who left the Army in 2010. Other Afghanistan veterans interviewed by The Associated Press said that, while the peace deal may not be perfect, its time to end the war that began weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. The toll has been heavy. More than 2,300 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 20,600 others wounded in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001. Former Sgt. Michael Carrasquillo served as an infantrymen in the Armys 173rd Airborne Brigade when his unit was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005. Shot five times while dragging a wounded comrade to safety, Carrasquillo spent the next two years in the hospital and underwent dozens of surgeries. Peace in any way, shape, or form is a good thing, said Carraquillo, 36, of Monrovia, Maryland, who leads a support group for wounded veterans through the Wounded Warrior Project. We dont want more guys to die or to get injured. The peace plan calls for the Trump administration to initially draw down U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600. A timetable for a complete U.S. withdrawal hasnt been verified. In return, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country to stage attacks on the United States or its allies. The Taliban and representatives from Kabul must negotiate a framework for a postwar Afghanistan. I know the Taliban, and I never thought they could be trustworthy, said Cmdr. Tom Porter of the U.S. Navy Reserve, who oversaw media operations in Afghanistan during the U.S.-led troop surge that began in 2010. I know they have a different view of time and history than we do. Porter said hes concerned the Taliban could abide by the accord long enough to see American forces leave, then try to wrest control of Afghanistan under an assumption the United States wont be willing to return for another fight. If youre the Taliban, people have come and gone and invaded that place for thousands of years, said Porter, head of government affairs in Washington for the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Ghenghis Khan has come and gone. Theyve got a long view of things. Former Army Capt. Emily Millers job focused on communicating with Afghan women and children on deployments in 2011 and 2012 to assist U.S. special operations forces. She said protecting womens rights and human rights overall needs to be a priority. Overall, Miller said, shes thrilled to see a chance for Afghanistan to break from its long history of perpetual war. There is this new generation and I think its really time to unlock that hope and optimism of Afghans that are really open to peace, she said. Whats the alternative to peace? This endless cycle of violence doesnt really lead anywhere. At Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, Army Staff Sgt. Phillip Wright thinks of himself as one of the older guys at age 33. He deployed to Kabul in 2010 with a field artillery unit to help train Afghanistans army. Nowadays, Wright works alongside many young American soldiers whove never been overseas. He thinks its time for Afghanistans military to stand on its own after years of U.S. mentoring. We were able to train an army for another country. So I do believe there has been a lot of good thats come out of it, he said. American Marines with full battle gear prepare to leave the U.S. military compound at Kandahar airport for a mission to an undisclosed location on Dec. 31, 2001. (John Moore/AP) Theres no hesitation from Chris Collins, a former Army Reservist, when asked if its time for a U.S. exit. Its not worth one more American life, said Collins, 38. Enough is enough. Collinss unit from Missouri deployed to neighboring Uzbekistan in 2004 to run a supply warehouse for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Returning as a civilian contractor five years later, he concluded little had changed. Lets go home, said Collins, now training to be a nurse. We cant stay there forever. They dont want us there. Its no different today than it was 18 years ago, essentially. By Russ Bynum President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo as the co-ordinator of the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta militants. Dokubos suspension takes immediate effect, according to a statement by Femi Adesina, the presidential adviser on media and publicity. The suspension followed the recommendation of the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, who had set up a Caretaker Committee, on Buharis instruction, to look into the faithful execution of the programme. The committee emerged after numerous allegations and petitions surrounding the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which has been dogged in the past by similar allegations of financial misdeeds. Former President Umaru YarAdua established the programme in 2008 to end the rebellion in the Niger Delta by militants. Part of the Committees task is to ensure that allocated resources are properly utilized in consonance with governments objective of alleviating problems in the Niger Delta region, and stamping out corruption in the Amnesty Programme, said Adesina. The President has also directed that the Caretaker Committee set up to review the programme should oversee the running of the programme henceforth, with a view to ensuring that government objectives are achieved, Adesina added. Dokubo was appointed by Buhari in March 2018, to replace Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, who was also accused of misappropriating the funds meant for the programme. Dokubo, was born in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local government of Rivers state on the 23rd of March 1952. His primary and Secondary education were done in Abonnema. He then went to the UK to do his A-Levels at Huddersfield Technical College in West Yorkshire. From 1978-1980 Dokubo was admitted to the University of Teesside at Middlesbrough, where he undertook a course in modern History and politics and was awarded a BA[Hons.]. He went to the University of Bradford for his Masters Degree in Peace Studies, and followed with a doctoral degree in Nuclear Weapon Proliferation in 1985. He returned to Nigeria in 1993 after some years of lecturing at Bradford. He was a research professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos before he was appointed to head the amnesty programme. Other heads of the programme were: Timi Alaibe(2009-2011), Kingsley Kuku(2011-2015). This week, the Tibetans are celebrating Losar, or the Tibetan New Year. While Losar itself goes on for about two weeks, the first three days are when families gather to celebrate. There are prayers, rituals, and a feast. Interestingly, Tibetan cuisine does not include many sweet dishes. And this extends to their unofficial national drink, tea. In 1959, the Dalai Lama of Tibet sought asylum in India, and several thousand of his people followed him. In 2009, the community commemorated half a century of exile with events across the country. It was at one such event that I first tasted Tibetan tea, or po cha. The chef was Tsering, who ran a popular restaurant, Amdos Corner, in Bengaluru. He was from Amdo, more famous as the birthplace of the present Dalai Lama. Like many Tibetans choosing exile over an occupied land, Tsering left Tibet for India in his late teens. Tsering had cooked a large spread for the event but most memorable was the po cha that greeted every guest. Because po cha looks like regular chai, the first sip is slightly disorienting. Where you expect a familiar sweetness, you taste a salty, almost soupy broth. It takes getting used to but is a warming and hearty drink. In Tibet, po cha is made with pu-erh, a form of fermented black tea compressed into bricks, along with yak milk, yak butter and with salt mined from Tibets famous lakes. I asked Tsering about the ingredients he had available to him; strangely enough, it was the salt he missed the most. In Tibet, the salt is...," he searched for the right words, so... good, so...sweet!" There was poignancy to that statement, with its implication of an exile state, of homesickness, and deep yearning. To make po cha, you can use pu-erh or any store-bought black tea. You can replace yak butter with Amul butter, Tibetan salt with iodized salt, and yak milk with cows milk. Traditionally, the tea is boiled for several hours, and the decoction churned along with salt, butter and milk in a cylindrical churner called chandong. At home, you can steep the tea for a few minutes and use a blender to produce a cup of passable po cha. And yet, this is not a tea I would recommend you make at home. To truly appreciate a cup of po cha, find the right place or the right company. If you are in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh, parts of Nepal or Sikkim, ask for a mug of po cha when you make a pit stop at a tea house. It will moisturize chapped lips, offer warmth, and much needed energy if you are trekking. If you are visiting McLeod Ganj in Dharamsala, or Bylekuppe near Coorg, or the Tibetan colony in Delhis Majnu ka Tila, or even Bengaluru, its not hard to find a Tibetan restaurant. Ask for a cup of po cha, even if its not on the menu. Drink it while you make small talk with Tibetans. And make sure you follow their lead and slurp, not sip. TEA TRIVIA Po cha was the inspiration for bulletproof coffee, made popular by Dave Asprey, who created the Bulletproof Diet. Tea Nanny is a weekly series steeped in the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Bengaluru-based tea blogger and writer who reports on the tea industry. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Explosive new evidence undermining Prince Andrew's claim that he did not know teenage trafficking victim Virginia Roberts is set to emerge in the United States, her lawyer claimed last night. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, David Boies said further evidence linking the Duke of York with Ms Roberts will be made public as part of a string of civil lawsuits being brought in America by victims of serial paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. His comments came after this newspaper last week revealed that a highly respected former Royal protection officer has raised questions about Andrew's 'alibi' for the night he allegedly had sex with Ms Roberts in London. Ms Roberts claims that she was flown to London by Epstein in March 2001 when she was 17 and coerced into having sex with the Duke. This was the first of three alleged sexual encounters with the Prince. Virginia Roberts with her lawyer David Boies, left, who says that more evidence that she met Prince Andrew will emerge in court Andrew, 60, has categorically denied the claims, and in November he told Newsnight's Emily Maitlis: 'I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.' But Mr Boies, who with his colleague Sigrid McCawley is representing Ms Roberts and seven more Epstein's victims, last night accused the Queen's second son and his advisers of 'continuing to dissemble'. 'There is other evidence that will come out that undercuts his assertion that he didn't know Virginia, had not been with her,' he said. Referring to this newspaper's revelations last week and another report claiming Andrew was seen kissing a young blonde woman on Epstein's Caribbean island, he added: 'The evidence that has come out in the last week is important, but it is not all that is going to be coming out.' Any new evidence will pile pressure on Andrew to co-operate with an FBI probe into Epstein's sex trafficking ring. In a blistering interview, Mr Boies also: Claimed further evidence will emerge showing the Duke visited Epstein's notorious 13 million New Mexico ranch where several women have said they were sexually abused; Urged the Metropolitan Police to reopen an investigation into Ms Roberts's claims; Condemned Andrew for refusing to co-operate with Epstein's victims; Admitted lawyers still do not know the whereabouts of Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite accused of recruiting girls for Epstein's sex trafficking ring. Ms Roberts claims that she was flown to London by Epstein in March 2001 when she was 17 and coerced into having sex with the Duke (pictured together with Ghislaine Maxwell) Prince Andrew faces the prospect of further damning revelations about his relationship with Epstein and claims about Ms Roberts being made public between now and June as part of a slew of civil cases against the multi-million pound estate of the disgraced financier, who was found dead in his New York jail cell last August after his arrest on child sex trafficking charges. He had previously served 13 months in jail in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution. Last month, US Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman, who is overseeing lawsuits brought by 16 women against the Epstein estate, ordered a so-called 'fact discovery' before cases are brought to trial. This means the victims' lawyers will be able to present new evidence, demand the publication of previously undisclosed documents and even quiz alleged co-conspirators accused of helping Epstein procure young women and underage girls for his sex ring. Judge Freeman said this process should be completed by June 10. Mr Boies claims this will lead to the publication of new evidence showing that the Duke knew Ms Roberts, now 36 and going by her married surname Giuffre. Prince Andrew faces the prospect of further damning revelations about his relationship with Epstein 'I think the mistake that he [Prince Andrew] made was thinking that somehow this evidence wouldn't dribble out and now, of course, that's exactly what's happening. Prince Andrew is sufficiently recognisable that more and more of this evidence comes out and I think it just puts him in a terrible position and one that could have been avoided, at least in part, if he had simply been more forthright and forthcoming initially. 'A judge in New York in some of the cases has set a discovery cut-off for June, so I think a lot of this will come out between now and June.' Asked what the new evidence is, he replied: 'I can't get into this but all I can say is that there will be more evidence coming out.' He did, however, claim that new evidence will emerge showing that Prince Andrew visited Epstein's vast Zorro ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The New York Times last year claimed that Epstein told scientists that he hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at the ranch. Andrew, 60, has categorically denied the claims, and in November he told Newsnight's Emily Maitlis: 'I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever' Several of his accusers claim they were raped there. In November, it emerged that a former housekeeper at the ranch had claimed Prince Andrew spent three days there in 2001, where she said he was kept company by an unnamed 'beautiful' female doctor. Mr Boies, one of the most prominent lawyers in the United States, accused Andrew and people speaking on his behalf of attacking Ms Roberts's credibility. An unnamed supporter of Andrew last year claimed that a photograph showing the Duke with his arm wrapped around Ms Roberts's bare waist, which was taken in Ms Maxwell's home in Belgravia, Central London, in 2001 was 'fake' and that Ms Roberts's story was 'a fantasy'. Mr Boies added: 'At some point I think Prince Andrew and the people who are speaking on his behalf need to recognise that continuing to dissemble is not only unsustainable but counterproductive. 'He is worse off today than he would have been if he had simply faced up to whatever happened.' Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night. Why are Prince Andrew's lawyers such a secret? Lawyer for his alleged victim Virginia Roberts criticises the Duke for refusing to name the legal firm representing him The lawyer acting for Prince Andrew's alleged victim Virginia Roberts last night lambasted the Duke for refusing to name the legal firm representing him. Buckingham Palace has repeatedly refused requests from journalists to identify the lawyers working on behalf of the Queen's second son and astonishingly, even Ms Roberts's US lawyer says he is in the dark. 'We don't really know who his lawyers are,' David Boies said last night. 'We know he has lawyers and we know he has PR people but exactly who they are and who is doing it officially and who is doing it unofficially, we don't know. They are not, as far as I know, saying.' The silence comes despite a clamour from US investigators for Andrew to provide information about paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. David Boies, with paedphile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's victim Annie Farmer, right, and Virginia Roberts The Duke has previously been represented by the London law firm Schillings. Royal sources, however, indicated that he has instructed another firm with extensive US legal expertise. Mr Boies added: 'This attempt to shroud everything in secrecy and hope somehow it will go away is I think misguided and ultimately counterproductive. This is not going to go away. This is not something that if you simply ignore it, people will lose interest in it.' The FBI, US prosecutors and lawyers for Epstein's victims want to speak to Andrew as part of investigations into the disgraced financier's sex trafficking ring. Ms Roberts, now known by her married name Giuffre, claims she was trafficked to London and coerced into having sex with the Prince on three occasions in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands. The Duke has categorically and repeatedly denied her claims. Last month, US attorney Geoffrey Berman said prosecutors and the FBI had contacted the Duke's representatives but had received no reply. Andrew was said to be 'angry and bewildered' about the claims, saying he had not been approached to speak about the case. But in the increasingly bitter war of words, Mr Boies supported Mr Berman's account, adding: 'We have continued to be met with an absolute refusal to co-operate in our investigation. An absolute refusal to be interviewed.' Mr Boies also said that the whereabouts of Ghislaine Maxwell remain unknown. The socialite disappeared from public life around 2016, although Prince Andrew told BBC's Newsnight that he saw her as recently as last spring or summer, saying: 'She was here doing some rally.' Mr Boies added: 'We heard she was in California, the South of France, Israel, the UK We have not been able to establish any credible evidence of where she actually is.' Mr Boies said our story last week that a former Royal protection officer had raised questions about Andrew's 'alibi' for the night he allegedly had sex with Ms Roberts in London in March 2001 was 'significant'. He added: 'All the evidence that has come out is supportive of what Virginia has said.' He also urged Scotland Yard to reopen its investigation into the claims made by Ms Roberts, now 36. She made a criminal complaint against Epstein and Maxwell to the Met in July 2015, but in November 2016 Scotland Yard decided not to proceed with an inquiry. It is understood the complaint did not include any criminal allegations against the Prince. 'Both in the UK and the United States, prosecutors failed to pursue evidence of Epstein's sex trafficking that was presented to them,' Mr Boies added. Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Roberts praises 'bravery' of former police officer who queried Duke's alibi The woman who alleges she was flown to London to have sex with Prince Andrew as a teenager has praised the 'bravery' of a former police officer who raised questions about the Duke's 'alibi'. In an emotional tweet, Virginia Roberts thanked the highly respected ex-Royal protection officer for speaking to The Mail on Sunday last week. His claim that the Duke of York may have returned to Buckingham Palace in the early hours of March 11, 2001 contradicts Andrew's account of being 'at home' all evening after taking his daughter Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey. In a tweet, Miss Roberts, 36, wrote: 'Thank you to the brave officer coming forward with his memory of events. Every single shred of evidence helps put pressure on the authorities to do the right thing.' The former officer recalled how the Duke arrived by car at the front of the Palace in the middle of the night and he shouted at guards because they did not open the gates quickly enough. In an emotional tweet, Virginia Roberts thanked the highly respected ex-Royal protection officer for speaking to The Mail on Sunday last week He believes it could have been the same night that Miss Roberts alleges she had sex with the Duke at the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell after she was trafficked to London on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet. The account has heaped pressure on the Metropolitan Police to disclose any information it holds on Andrew's whereabouts on March 10 or 11, 2001. The unnamed ex-officer has applied to see his shift roster to confirm his account. The individual, who had an exemplary 23-year career in the Met, said he received messages of support from former colleagues last week. He explained that he had felt a 'moral obligation' to step forward because Miss Roberts was a victim of sex trafficking. 'These are crimes that cause very real pain and humiliation on the victims, ruins lives and, as we now see, the wounds never heal,' he said. 'It was this one occasion at the Palace with Prince Andrew that stuck in my mind, because it was so unusual and now I realise it may be important to the case.' China has shared its treatment procedure of the coronavirus (Covid-19) with Nigeria, the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, has said Mr Ehanire while briefing journalists in Abuja on the newly confirmed case in Lagos on Friday said China had shared with Nigeria some of the treatment knowledge gathered while treating patients with the disease. Mr Ehanire said China did that out of its good gesture and relationship with the country. Nigeria on Friday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus disease which originated from China in December and has since spread to over 50 countries. While Nigeria is just experiencing its first case and the third country in Africa after Egypt and Algeria, who confirmed a case each, many countries in Europe and the Middle East have been reporting the outbreak and deaths from the disease. Mr Ehanire said China knows more about the disease and they have made some successful treatments. We have received a lot of cooperation from the ambassador of China who had come to visit twice to reassure us of his commitment and to give us the support in anyway. They have sent us a treatment protocol because they have succeeded in treating over four or five thousand people in their country and we have sent the protocol to our centres here to study and add what they already know. They have shared the treatment procedures with Nigeria and this will assist in the treatment of confirmed cases, he said. He said this will help the country and the experts will not be fighting blind like China did because the virus is a new one and its behaviour is not yet very well known. He, however, said the country will also keep watching out for new information and results from ongoing researches on the virus and updating when necessary. Officially, the exact cure of the disease has not been determined, but over 20,000 infected persons have recovered from the disease in China. China In China the epicentre of the disease the National Health Commission on Friday reported at least 47 new coronavirus deaths, bringing to 2,791 the number of fatalities in the country. Coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 83,000 worldwide. Briefing the media, WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said as of 6 a.m. Geneva time on Friday, China had reported a total of 78,959 cases to WHO, including 2791 deaths. In the past 24 hours, China reported 329 COVID19 cases the lowest in over a month As of February 25, he said, 29,745 people in China had been discharged from hospital after recovery. Outside China, there are now 4351 cases in 49 countries and 67 deaths. Outbreak The coronavirus outbreak was declared a global health emergency of international concern by the WHO in January when cases of the disease kept on spreading within China and other countries. China is the epicentre for the disease, however, the rapid spread of the disease in three countries, Iran, Italy and South Korea, has been raising international concerns. Meanwhile, Iran and Italy are fast becoming hotspots after experiencing dozens of deaths and infections. Since Thursday, five countries, Nigeria inclusive, have reported their first COVID-19 cases. All these cases have links to Italy. Twenty-four cases have been exported from Italy to 14 countries, and 97 cases have been exported from Iran to 11 countries. Advertisements On Friday, Nigerias health minister said the name of the Italian patient in Nigeria can not be disclosed because of patient confidentiality. Mr Ehanire said his relief is that the patient has not shown serious symptoms and as far as statistics are concerned up to 97 per cent of those who have coronavirus do recover and their lives saved. The terrible thing about the disease is that it spreads extremely easily and people can get it. We have enough commodities, the federal government has released funds and we have been able to order for enough commodities that we need, he said. He also commended Lagos State for its prompt action and said he knows they are well prepared based on the previous experience garnered from the Ebola outbreak. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has also activated the emergency operations center (EOC) and will be sending experts to assist Lagos State with contact tracing and case detection. Quarantine Mr Ehanire, however, said Nigeria is following the WHOs advice that there is no need for every country to put every single traveller on quarantine. He said some countries chose to do differently but Nigeria is following the guidelines of WHO which says screen all persons entering your country, take their travel history if they are coming from a country that has a high burden of coronavirus, invite them for questioning, give them a phone number to call in case of emergency and advise them in the interest of their families to stay in self isolation for 14days and report and symptoms immediately. He said the monitoring team will call if the quarantined persons do not call. If they dont call, we will call and find out how they are and if there are suspicious symptoms we will send an ambulance to go get them, he said. Sajid Javid revealed how he took the decision to resign as Chancellor instead of being 'humiliated' by sacking all his aides at a reshuffle. Mr Javid dramatically stepped down earlier this month following a brutal turf war between Boris Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings and Treasury aides. The Bromsgrove MP was given an ultimatum by the PM that he must accept his political advisers being ousted to stay in No11 - but he chose to walk away. Defending his decision, he told The Times: 'It was really hard. I wanted to do a budget but . . . when the prime minister said to me these are the conditions, in my mind it was black and white. 'Even if I had entertained the idea for a second I would be absolutely humiliated afterwards.' Sajid Javid revealed how he took the decision to resign as Chancellor instead of being 'humiliated' by sacking all his aides at a reshuffle Conservative heavyweight Mr Javid, 50, said other Cabinet members hastily congratulated him after defending the right of ministers to offer Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'candid advice'. He said he had text messages from other Cabinet ministers telling him 'well done', thanking him for speaking on all their behalf. Mr Javid added: 'I loved my job. I have wanted to be Chancellor since I knew who Nigel Lawson was when I was a kid and the only person that believed I could ever become chancellor was my dad. He never got to see it.' In a move that could be seen as a challenge to his replacement Rishi Sunak - and the Government as a whole - Mr Javid revealed the Budget he had planned to announce, focusing on tax cuts and moves towards economic liberalisation. His doomed Budget proposed: Reducing the 20p basic rate of income tax to 18p from April Additional cuts to take the basic rate down to 15p by 2025 Tax breaks for business capital investors Quick-charging points for electric vehicles The introduction of 'super enterprise zones' Reductions to stamp duty Mr Javid said he had 'no option' but to leave Cabinet when he was told to sack his advisers, and he still has to unpack boxes after moving from the seat of British power in Downing Street back to Fulham. Mr Javid did not comment on Dominic Cummings, but said there were people 'in the centre' that thought No 10 controlling the Treasury was a good idea - a proposition he does not agree with His daughter Maya, 10, left a note with advice 'for future prime ministers' at Dorneywood, the Chancellor's grace and favour country residence. Mr Javid did not comment on Dominic Cummings, but said there were people 'in the centre' that thought No 10 controlling the Treasury was a good idea - a proposition he does not agree with. He said a separation between the offices of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor was crucial, and a 'natural tension' that exists between the two because other than the Treasury, all other departments are 'spending' departments - including No10. Mr Javid said that the Prime Minister should not shy away from being challenged, insisting that the ability for a Cabinet minister to freely express themselves regularly was crucial. Mr Javid made clear that it was not political differences that made him step down but a merging of operations at Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street. Mr Javid said that the Prime Minister should not shy away from being challenged, insisting that the ability for a Cabinet minister to freely express themselves regularly was crucial He expressed his belief that tax cuts should be prioritised for Conservative governments, saying the party should be far more 'aggressive' on long-term tax reductions, and even go 'much further' than their manifesto. Mr Javid's Budget would have featured a 2p reduction in the basic rate of income tax - the biggest cut 'in decades' - with hopes to see it reduced to 15p in the pound by the end of the current parliament. He warned of a 'productivity challenge' in Britain, and proposed reducing the burden on businesses by letting companies immediately deduct the entire cost of investment from their tax bill. Another key aspect of Mr Javid's spending philosophy is his emphasis on investing in so-called 'human capital'. He said that there are five million adults who have left the education system without basic literacy and numeracy skills - the highest proportion among a working population in the G20. Mr Javid proposed a 'Right to Retrain', similar to Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy scheme that sought to extend property ownership. He now warns that the primary threat facing the country at the moment is coronavirus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 08:24:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The death toll during communal violence in the Indian capital city Delhi Friday evening rose to 42, officials said. Over 350 people were also injured in the violence that ravaged the city for three days. "As per records available at different hospitals, the death toll by now is 42," an official said. "Besides this, the number of injured in the violence is over 350." Police officials Friday said the situation was under control but the personnel were still deployed in the affected areas. The violence left a trail of damage in the northeastern parts of the city as torched vehicles, vandalised shops and burnt buildings present a scray look. Delhi Police has come under fierce criticism for its apparent inaction. "A total of 123 FIRs have been registered and around 630 people detained. Senior police officers deployment will remain the same as today. Things are getting normal, distress calls have drastically gone down," Delhi Police PRO M S Randhawa told the media. Unrelenting communal violence broke out in the northeastern part of the city following which mobs armed with sticks and rods resorted to arson, looting and vandalism. Many people, especially Muslims, have left their homes in the affected areas and took shelter in other safer locations. The clashes broke out between pro- and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) groups in the northeastern part of the city on Sunday and took an ugly turn on Monday and Tuesday. Protests against the controversial new citizenship law triggered on December 11 last year, the day India's upper house of parliament passed the law. Since then there has been no let-up in the protests. The law aims at granting citizenship to illegal immigrants belonging to six religions - Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi and Christianity - from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, it has kept out Muslim immigrants from applying for citizenship. So far, the violence against the law has killed over 70 people across India. Janet Jackson knows a thing or two about dance moves. When Miss Jackson offers praise, the recipient can bask in the glory of being appreciated by a Grammy-winning pop icon. Talladega Colleges Great Tornado Marching Band caught Jacksons attention recently with its Mardi Gras performance of Velvet Rope in New Orleans, prompting kudos from her via social media. Drum majors for the band can be seen front and center in the video clip, moving and grooving to the title song of Jacksons 1997 album. I LOVE IT! Yall are STEPPIN! #VelvetRope #GoinIN, Jackson said Friday on Instagram. Thank you, Janet Jackson for showing the Great Tornado some love, the band said on its Facebook page, pointing viewers to the full YouTube video. (Watch the 1:24 clip below.) We are thrilled to be recognized by the incomparable Ms. Janet Jackson, band director Miguel Bonds said in a press release. It is a great honor to be praised by such a profoundly talented performer. The bands Mardi Gras schedule for this year included parades for several krewes in New Orleans, according to the Great Tornados Instagram. Its not clear which performance made Jackson cheer, but the YouTube video was posted by the band on Feb. 26, one day after the Krewe of Zulu parade. Talladega College, founded in 1865, is Alabamas oldest private HBCU, according to the HBCU Lifestyle website. The Talladega College marching band is the largest student organization on campus, with more than 300 members. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2020) - Pasofino Gold Limited (TSXV: VEIN) (FSE: N071) ("Pasofino" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Darryl Levitt has been appointed as a director of the Company, effective as of February 28, 2020. Mr. Levitt's appointment is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company also announces that Fiona Fitzmaurice has resigned as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, and the Company is presently searching for a new Chief Financial Officer. Pasofino would like to thank Ms. Fitzmaurice for her service to the Company. About Pasofino Gold Limited Pasofino Gold Limited is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company. For further information, please visit www.pasofinogold.com or contact: Stephen Dunn, President & CEO T: (416) 361-2827 E: dunnsteve@protonmail.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 news release. This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's plans with respect to completion of a name change, the ability to raise the funds to finance its ongoing business activities including the acquisition of mineral projects and the exploration and development of its projects. Such 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 such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to, the results of exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities; the ability of the Company to complete transactions on terms announced; timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms and those risk factors outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis as filed on SEDAR. Pasofino Gold does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52970 A boat in the East Sea circa 1930s. Robert Neff Collection By Robert Neff Rocky islets in the East Sea, circa 1910s. Robert Neff Collection In his 52-year long life, Leap Year Basu, a resident of Howrah district in West Bengal, has never met a namesake. Perhaps, he would not. He was born on February 29, 1968, and the family doctor suggested that he should be named Leap Year. His parents agreed and formally named him Leap Year. Since then he is known as Leap Year sir to his students and Leap Year to one and all. Bimalendu Sinha Roy, our family doctor, proposed my name. My father, Durgacharan Basu, and mother, Shefali, readily agreed. I have a nickname, Bablu, by which family members call me. Everyone else calls me Leap Year, said Bose, a resident of Salkia in Howrah district. A father of a 16-year-old son named Tamojoy, who appeared in the West Bengal Board of Secondary Educations recently-concluded school-leaving exam this year, Leap Year Bose said that he never faced any embarrassment due to his unique name. All my records, from school-leaving certificate to university records and government-provided identity cards, thats my name, he said. Bose graduated from the University of Calcutta in Sanskrit. He lives with his wife, son and his brothers families. In the Salkia area, he is quite a famous figure. Ask anyone in the locality and the neighbourhood for my address, and you will get to know. Everybody here knows Leap Year Bose. Thats kind of an advantage of my name, he said, adding, he never thought of changing his name. Leap Year Bose is a Sanskrit private tutor who also works as a part-time teacher at Anglo Sanskrit High School, a state government-aided school in Salkia. He is a former student of the same school. He has been teaching Sanskrit for the past 22 years and has dozens of students. On Saturday, his students organised a birthday celebration at his home offering him sweets. At Anglo Sanskrit High School, Bose offered sweets to his students and other teachers. Our family had no tradition of celebrating birthdays. However, these days, students celebrate it, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Maeve Ennis, Kathryn OLeary, Dick Donaghue and Summer Venn-Keane at the cheque presentation to Focus Ireland from the screening of Besties in The Presentation Centre The community support organisation Focus Ireland was presented with a cheque for 514 last week as a result of a film premiere in Enniscorthy. The film, 'Besties', was shot on location in Enniscorthy and Bunclody and featured a cast composed of actors all from or living in county Wexford. The film was premiered at a screening in the Presentation Centre and on the night there were also two other short films shown that were also filmed in county Wexford. The premiere night was used to raise money for Focus Ireland which is an organisation that fights homelessness. Kathryn O'Leary was delighted to accept the cheque on behalf of the organisation and she thanked everyone involved in creating the film for their generosity and support. The premiere night in the Presentation Centre was very well attended with a capacity audience present on the night. While the main purpose of the launch was to promote the film, along with the two other films, 'Dark Waters' and 'What Next Mother?', the night was also organised by those involved with the film to raise money for the charity. According to Focus Ireland's figures there were 17,962 social housing units outputted in 2019, however, there were 68,693 households waiting for social housing. There is a widespread homeless crisis in Ireland at the moment and that's something that Focus Ireland works hard at addressing. The organisation was founded by Sr Stanislaus Kennedy who recognised the importance of involving people who are, or have been directly affected by homelessness in the development of homelessness services. across the country. In the coming decades, new rovers will roam the sands of Mars. An orbiter will sample the seas of Jupiter's moon Europa. A drone will grace the skies of Saturn's moon Titan. Mission planners dream of equipping these mechanical scouts with instruments capable of scouring the unknown environments for signs of life, but the technology required to do so is deceptively complex. Explorers seeking alien life must first grapple with questions of fundamental biology. What does it mean to be alive? What traits must all organisms share even those that might inhabit methane lakes or ice-locked oceans? The burgeoning field of astrobiology seeks answers in the form of "biosignatures" surefire signs of life that a simple experiment could identify, such as DNA or proteins. DNA is like a toolkit that stores and transmits vital information passed from a living organism to its offspring. The molecule's ingredients, called nucleotides, are four components coiled in a double helix called adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. But as researchers debate which molecules to look for, recent work suggests casting a broader net. In 2019, for instance, a team of synthetic biologists showed that the four-molecule genetic code that describes all known life on Earth isn't the only group of molecules that could support evolution. "You set these grand challenges to make a new Darwinian system," says Steven Benner, founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution at the University of Florida and leader of the group. "That drags scientists kicking and screaming across uncharted terrain." The recent research, which was published in the journal Science, covered new ground regarding genetic information storage. Netflix represents digital movies as long strings of 0's and 1's, and all known Earth organisms follow a similar strategy. They store instructions for producing copies of themselves in their DNA another long string, but one assembled from four molecules rather than two numbers. This system enables evolution by being reliable enough to safeguard those instructions between generations while maintaining the flexibility for occasional revisions. But does the alphabet of life have to contain four letters? Some have argued yes four elements strike the perfect balance between fitting in more information and a lower risk of typos. Up to 12 letters are possible on paper, though, and Benner has spent three decades (during two of which he received NASA funding totaling nearly $5 million) realizing some of them in the lab. In the new research, his group announced the construction of an eight-molecule system capable of storing, copying and editing information. They dubbed it hachimoji DNA, meaning "eight letters" in Japanese. The minor molecular tweak has major consequences for biotechnology. When it comes to manipulating biomolecules and microbes, modern techniques rely on a suite of tools that work only with the traditional four elements of DNA. For even the simplest tasks with hachimoji molecules, Benner's group had to reinvent new biological equivalents of the wheel. "Everything that you take for granted in modern biotechnology, you have to do yourself," he says. "You're basically back to doing 1960s molecular biology." And hachimoji molecules represent just minor riffs on standard DNA, with a few oxygen and nitrogen atoms shuffled around here and there. Biologists would really struggle to get a handle on a truly alien system. Letting his imagination run wild, Benner speculates about exotic DNA molecules forming a flat sheet, as opposed to a linear strand. Good luck trying to fit that square peg into a round detector. In a notice, JNU registrar Pramod Kumar warned of disciplinary action against students found involved in providing shelter to victims of northeast Delhi's violence New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration on Friday warned the university's students' union against providing shelter to the victims of the northeast Delhi violence on the campus. In a notice, JNU registrar Pramod Kumar warned of disciplinary action against students found involved in any such efforts. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) has "no legal right to make the JNU campus a shelter", the notice said. "You are strictly advised against any such activity, failing which appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against you. You are also advised to uphold the need to keep an educational institution like JNU a congenial space for study and research," it said. According to the notice, the JNU administration had received multiple calls from the campus residents who said they were feeling insecure due to the call given by the JNUSU. "You are hereby warned that you will be held responsible for any inconvenience or insecurity caused to JNU residents," it said. Meanwhile, Delhi University students took out a peace march in the campus for communal harmony. Many students boycotted classes to express solidarity with the victims of the communal violence in northeast Delhi, that has claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured so far. QUITO, Ecuador - Officials in Ecuador on Saturday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the South American nation, while Mexico reported two more cases and Brazil one more. Ecuadors Health Minister Catalina Andramuno Zeballos said a more-than-70-year-old Ecuadoran woman who lives in Spain arrived in the country on Feb. 14 showing no symptoms of illness. In the following days she began to feel badly with a fever, Andramuno said at a news conference, adding that she was taken to a medical centre. The National Institute of Public Health and Investigation in Ecuador confirmed the virus. The deputy minister of health, Julio Lopez said that the patients condition was critical. It was the second case in South America, following a Brazilian case reported on Wednesday. The Sao Paulo state health department reported another Brazilian case later on Saturday a person who had recently visited Italy. Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno sent out a tweet urging people to stay calm, and the Interior Ministry announced it was barring mass gatherings in the cities of Guayaquil where the infected woman was located and Babahoyo. Mexicos Health Department said late Friday that a new case had been confirmed in Mexico City, adding to the first two confirmed cases announced earlier that day. One of those was also in the capital, and the other in the northwestern state of Sinaloa. Miguel Riquelme Solis, the governor of the northern border state of Coahuila, said Saturday that federal health officials had confirmed a fourth case, in the city of Torreon: a 20-year-old woman who travelled to Europe, including Milan, Italy, in January and February and returned to Mexico in recent days. Two days later she began to have symptoms, Riquelme told Milenio television. State Health Secretary Roberto Bernal said the woman was in good health. She and family members were under a 14-day quarantine, and two other young people who travelled with her had been in contact with authorities. Mexican health officials said the country is not currently facing a national emergency over the virus. Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said that as long as the country is seeing only isolated cases theres no need to take extreme measures such as cancelling mass events. Mexico was ground zero for the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu, and many in the country have vivid memories of that time. Back then many stayed home as much as possible and avoided gatherings out of fear. Shops, restaurants and other businesses closed. In the capital, streets were eerily quiet compared with the usual chaotic traffic. So far there has been no repeat of that sort of fear. There were reports of increased purchases of items like face masks and hand sanitizer, and the National Alliance of Small Businesses said shortages of those items would likely cause prices to rise. At a shady square in the neighbourhood of Coyoacan in southern Mexico City on Saturday, families strolled hand in hand and ate churros to the sound of organ grinders. Some wore facemasks, like Maria Fernanda Olivares, a 15-year-old high school student out for a walk with her dad. She said she hopes all Mexicans take precautions against spreading the virus. This is not something that should be taken lightly, Olivares said. The Roman Catholic Bishops Conference in Mexico said parishioners should avoid physical contact during the ritual exchange of wishes for peace and said communion wafers should be placed in Mass-goers hands instead of their mouths. Associated Press writers Peter Orsi in Mexico City and Marcelo de Sousa in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. The pet dog of a coronavirus patient in Hong Kong has tested weak positive for the virus. The dog was placed in quarantine on Wednesday, according to a Fox News report. The Hong Kong government confirmed the positive test in a press release on Friday. At present, the AFCD [Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department] does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with COVID-19 virus or can be a source of infection to people, said the Hong Kong governments press release. The governments statement indicates the dog will be kept in quarantine, tested for coronavirus multiple times and will only be returned when the test result is negative, said a Business Insider report. Although the dog shows no symptoms of the virus, the virus can reportedly spread without them showing up, said Fox News. It is possible the positive test was a result of environmental contamination of the animals mouth and nose, the AFCD spokesman said. The spokesman said pet owners should practice good hygiene after being in contact with their pets: washing their hands thoroughly with soap or use an alcohol sanitizer. According to an ABS CBN News report, authorities in Hong Kong have said All pets of people in Hong Kong infected with the coronavirus will be quarantined. It further states that "the move is the first reported case anywhere in the world of a government quarantining pets over the outbreak. Business Insider reports that although health officials have stated there is no evidence the virus is not transmitted by cats and dogs to humans, some regions have begun preventative action. In a move criticized by animal rights groups, Reuters reports that authorities in Moscow have "rounded up stray animals and exterminated rats as a preventative measure. In China, pet owners unable to return to quarantined cities have abandoned thousands of pets, states a report by Business Insider. Read more: Tens of thousands of people who want the Catalonia region to become independent from Spain on Saturday held a major rally across the border, in southeastern France. Catalan separatists are keen to draw international attention to their fight, and the rally in Perpignan aimed to be a show of strength. The rallys slogan was, The republic at the center of the world a reference to the desired Catalan republic. Perpignan lies about 200 kilometers (120 miles) by road from the Catalan capital, Barcelona. Holding the event in French territory allowed former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont to attend, too. The European Parliament member is a fugitive from Spain after declaring Catalan independence in 2017. Puigdemonts political alliance, Together for Catalonia, will be competing for votes with other separatist parties in an upcoming regional election in Catalonia. No date has been set for the ballot. The current Catalan president, Quim Torra, and other senior figures in the independence movement joined the event. Organizers hoped to draw some 70,000 people. Hundreds of buses set out from Catalonia for the rally. Spains constitution states that the country is indivisible, and the national government in Madrid has refused to countenance independence for Catalonia. Like other Spanish regions, Catalonia already has a large degree of financial, administrative and legislative autonomy. Polls show residents in the Spanish region of 7.5 million people are roughly evenly divided over the question of independence. From the streets of Beijing to Milan Fashion Week, people around the world are turning to protective masks and respirators to try and reduce the risk of infection amid the global outbreak of coronavirus. Demand is so high that it's increasingly difficult to order respirators on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. "We're seeing outbreaks develop in new countries every day. But even the countries where there isn't a widespread outbreak are working really hard to prepare right now, in case they do have that situation," Dr. Nikki McCullough, 3M's global head of safety, told CNBC. To fill the surge in demand for the devices, particularly the N95 respirator, 3M is ramping up production, which means hosting job fairs, making offers on the spot and expanding its assembly line with robots. In Aberdeen, South Dakota, more than 650 employees at one of 3M's largest manufacturing facilities are working overtime to increase face mask production. "We immediately ramped up production in this facility," Andy Rehder, plant manager at 3M, said. "We have capacity to do that and we did that immediately ... really from a more standard five-day to a seven-day week." Experts told CNBC the supply of masks could play a role in the speed at which the COVID-19 virus spreads, and with no vaccine on the market medical workers are relying on protective gear to reduce the risk of infection. "I think that the biggest challenge for everyone around the world is how fast this is moving around the globe and that it is right now affecting every continent except Antarctica," said McCullough, who helped develop the N95 respirator. "So every country around the world is trying to respond." The Department of Health and Human Services said earlier this week the U.S. currently has a stockpile of roughly 30 million N95 respirators; however, it needs nearly 300 million as the risk of a U.S. coronavirus outbreak continues to rise. Prestige Ameritech, based in North Richland Hills, Texas, said it received a total order of 100 million N95 respirators from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The N95 respirator filters 95% of airborne particles, and can even filter out bacteria and viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Many face masks on the market, including surgical masks, do not effectively filter out particles in the air. Health-care professionals are concerned that 3M and other respirator manufacturers like Honeywell and Kimberly-Clark won't be able to fulfill all the orders flooding in. "We know what we have to do and we know we have to keep our numbers up and we know we have to keep ourselves safe and we need to put out great quality and that's what we come out here to do," said Tim Hofer, a 3M machine production operator. For factory workers inside the 450,000-square-foot 3M facility, the global demand for their product is providing some perspective for their work. "It's easy to get caught up in just the monotony of factory work," said Amber Lutz, 3M's lead machine operator, "and when you sit back and think about what we're doing is really so impactful on people." CNBC's Patrick Manning contributed to this report. New Delhi, Feb 29 : Calling for helps to Delhi riots victims, the Archbishop of Delhi, Anil Couto urged followers of Archdiocese in Delhi to extend shelter, food and clothing to the victims of violence. He also added that if needed the Churches and institutional premises of Archdiocese in Delhi will remain open in the Lenten season to help the victims. "At this trying moment when communal riots have suddenly gripped Delhi, let us come forward with our prayers and every possible effort to bring relief to the affected people in terms of shelter, food and clothing etc.," the Archbishop of Delhi said in a letter addressed to all priests, religious and followers of Archdiocese of Delhi. "If need be, by even opening up our church/institutional premises for this noble cause in the Lenten season," he added in the letter. Over 40 people have lost their lives and 263 injured persons have been admitted to various hospitals with around 100 odd having bullet injuries, in Delhi riots according to Delhi Police. "The toll will continue to rise as more deaths and injured data is tabulated," said a senior police officer. A total of 148 cases have been registered out of which 25 FIRs are under Arms Act. "A total 630 people have been arrested/detained and Special Investigation Team has started a probe into the matter," said Special Commissioner of Police S.N. Shrivastava. The World Health Organization says healthcare systems are still unprepared, but containment is possible. The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded the global risk of the coronavirus outbreak to "very high" - its top level of risk assessment. But the UN body said there was still a chance of containing the virus if its chain of transmission were broken. WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also stressed that fear and misinformation were the biggest challenges to overcome. More than 50 countries have now reported cases of coronavirus. And sources within Iran's healthcare system told BBC Persian that, as of Thursday evening, at least 210 people had died from the virus. This is more than six times higher than the official government figure. At a press conference in Geneva, Dr Tedros said that most cases could still be traced, and there was no evidence of the virus "spreading freely in communities". His colleague, Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's Emergency Health Programme, said that the risk level was intended to serve as a "reality check" for governments, since healthcare systems were still unprepared. "You have a duty to your citizens, you have a duty to the world to be ready," said Dr Ryan. WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fear was still the biggest challenge What are the latest developments? Globally, more than 80,000 people have been infected. About 2,800 have died - the vast majority in China's Hubei province. China confirmed another 327 cases - the lowest daily increase for a month - along with 44 deaths Switzerland suspended all events with more than 1,000 participants until 15 March, including the Geneva International Motor Show Iceland, Nigeria, Mexico, New Zealand, Belarus and the Netherlands all reported their first cases The first British death from Covid-19 was announced - a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan Fear about the virus has continued to hit global markets. Shares have shed almost 13% of their value this week on London's FTSE, wiping 210bn ($267bn) from the value of companies on the index What else did the WHO say? Dr Ryan also stressed that current data information does not suggest the virus has become a global pandemic. "If we say there's a pandemic of coronavirus, we're essentially accepting that every human on the planet will be exposed," he said. "The data does not support that as yet and China has clearly shown that that's not necessarily the natural outcome of this event if we take action." Dr Tedros reiterated that the spread had the potential to become a pandemic, but cautioned against unnecessary panic. "Our greatest enemy right now is not the virus itself, it's fear, rumours and stigma," he said. The WHO has said proper containment, with the help of an "all government, all society approach" will help slow down rates of infection, break chains of infection and take pressure off healthcare systems around the world. BBC Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says a decal bearing an energy services companys logo below a cartoon depicting what appears to be a sexual assault shows desperation. An Alberta woman complained to the RCMP earlier this week about the black-and-white drawing of a female figures bare back with hands pulling on her braided pigtails. Under the drawing is the name Greta and the logo of X-Site Energy Services. Thunberg, who is 17, has tweeted a story written about the cartoon and said they are starting to get more and more desperate... She adds that it shows climate activists are winning. RCMP in central Alberta say the decal is not child pornography nor does it depict a non-consensual act that would be a direct threat to the person. Alberta RCMP do not believe it constitutes a criminal offence, a police statement said Friday. As such, Alberta RCMP will not be commenting any further on this investigation. A torrent of online outrage was sparked after Michelle Narang of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., posted the image on social media Wednesday night. She said she cried when she saw it. The visual is jarring, Narang said Thursday. It hurt. It hurt on so many levels. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Status of Women Minister Leela Aheer and politicians of all stripes denounced the graphic. Thunberg has made headlines for her passionate pleas to world leaders to take tougher action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and for inspiring large climate marches around the world. She joined thousands in a march through downtown Edmonton in October. Oil-and-gas industry supporters showed up, but they were vastly outnumbered by the climate marchers. Read more about: (Newser) A "worrying US first" now has some company. A coronavirus patient in Solano County, Calif., was the first one in the nation said to have contracted the disease (also known as COVID-19) without having traveled to a country that's had an outbreak, or being exposed to other known patients. Now three more cases that look to have been caused by "community spread" have been reported, leading health officials to fear more may be coming, per CNN. The second patient, also from California, is an "older adult woman" who hails from Santa Clara County and who'd been hospitalized for a respiratory illness before receiving her diagnosis. The third case of "unknown origin" is a resident of Washington County, Ore., though that patient's diagnosis needs to be verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. story continues below Washington state is where the fourth case is being reported: The state's Department of Health on Friday said a high school student in Snohomish County is being quarantined at home after testing positive for the illness, per the Washington Post. That case, like the Oregon one, is also a "presumptive positive," meaning CDC confirmation is needed. "If we were worried yesterday, we are even more worried today," an infectious disease specialist for Vanderbilt University Medical Center tells the New York Times. Meanwhile, Google, Amazon, and Facebook are among the big companies in the US canceling events and domestic travel for their employees because of the spread of the coronavirus, a move that the Post notes could have a domino effect on airlines and hotels around the country. So far, no one has died from the coronavirus in the US, where 65 cases have been confirmed. (Read more coronavirus stories.) When the first season of Better Call Saul (Netflix) made its debut in 2015, I'd never heard of Rhea Seehorn and neither had most other people. But as Jimmy McGill's girlfriend and fellow lawyer Kim Wexler, she became the drama's beating heart and now registers as one of the finest acting presences on television. Life, though, is not being kind to her character, who spent the first four seasons of this show trying to reconcile her love for the feckless Jimmy with her ingrained wish to do the right thing, both ethically and morally, in her dealings with others - not least with Jimmy himself, whose actions always tested her sense of propriety. And so she was in an unhappy place throughout this week's opening episodes of the fifth season, only too aware of the change in Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) who, at the close of season four, had gone from being the dodgy but loveable man she thought she knew to one succumbing to his dark side - rebranding himself as Saul Goodman and seemingly set on the ruthless path that would make him such an unsettling figure in Breaking Bad. All of Kim's concerns about this disturbing new Jimmy were captured in Seehorn's nuanced, subtle but very affecting playing, and you had the terrible sense of someone being dragged down against her will to accommodate the demands of her still beguiling lover. Will she escape his emotional clutches or will she suffer some dreadful outcome? They're the questions being asked by apprehensive viewers who recall that Kim's character never featured in Breaking Bad. Well, given that a sixth and final season has yet to come, presumably she'll be around a while longer. As will frightening drug baron Gus Fring and lugubrious assassin Mike, both of whom become key figures in Breaking Bad. And creator Vince Gilligan continues to excel with a drama that's even more quirky and arresting than the original landmark drama from which it came. Indeed, it makes all the other dramas on offer this week seem positively pedestrian, though Last Tango in Halifax (BBC1) made a welcome return. This Sally Wainwright soap opera about two widowed people finding late-life love and marriage was always commendable for its sharp script, and it is still sparky in its take on humdrum lives. And it's greatly enhanced by the playing of Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid as the elderly couple, and by Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker as their middle-aged daughters. But when is Sally Wainwright going to give us a third season of Happy Valley, that outstanding crime drama starring Lancashire as a beleaguered North of England policewoman? In the meantime, there's a second season of Blood (Virgin One). The first season had the distinction, for an Irish-made drama, of being not bad at all - a slow-burning but atmospheric story, created and written by Sophie Petzal, in which troubled daughter Cat (Carolina Main) suspected her doctor father Jim (Adrian Dunbar) of killing her mother. To be honest, I can't recall quite how it ended, but now, with Petzal again the scriptwriter, Jim is back in his rural homeland after a year away and his other daughter, Fiona, is acting strangely. Jim also has to contend with locals who remain suspicious of him. Meanwhile, drug-dealing thugs seem set on creating violent mayhem. Video of the Day In this week's opening episode there was no sign of estranged daughter Cat, which was a pity, but Dunbar was again a commanding presence as the concerned but somewhat furtive Jim, while Grainne Keenan was persuasively unsettled as the troubled Fiona. I'll stick with it. The series is not to be confused with Flesh and Blood (Virgin One), which ran over four successive nights this week on ITV but is being rationed out over four weeks for Irish consumption. This involves the meeting up of recently widowed Vivien (Francesca Annis) and retired surgeon Mark, played in familiar hangdog fashion by Stephen Rea. But her three adult children, all of them with baggage of their own, doubt his earnestly expressed courting of their mother. There's also a nosey neighbour, played by Imelda Staunton, who may not be as harmless as everyone thinks. Or you could try The Twilight Zone (SyFy), which is a rebooting of some episodes originally made famous in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Rod Serling. The rebooting has been done by Jordan Peele, who's currently a critics' darling for his unsettling comedy horrors, Get Out and Us, and he also narrates the stories. The only one I've so far seen is 'Nightmare at 30,000 Feet', in which an airline passenger listens to a podcast about an air disaster that seems to be describing the flight he's currently taking. Not bad but in no way distinguished and not as frightening as the much leaner Serling original. Meanwhile, you could get your fill of "design legend" architect Hugh Wallace on RTE1 this week. There he was hosting The Great House Revival and there he was again on the new series of Home of the Year, delivering his bumptious verdicts. Before you know it, RTE will have him presenting the Nine O'Clock news. In this week's Home of the Year (RTE1), he said "Wow!" to a period house in Dublin. He also thought it "fabulous" and "wonderful", with a colour scheme that "takes your breath away". Interior designer Deirdre Whelan, for her part, deemed it both "amazing" and "fantastic". Down in Co Meath, Hugh was of the opinion that three barns joined together were not only "a beautiful architectural statement" but "just wonderful", too. Whatever you say, Hugh. While hes still got a primary to win against a crowded Democratic field, Sen. Bernie Sanders took the fight to President Donald Trump on Friday before more 4,500 supporters gathered at Springfields MassMutual Center. Sanders told the raucous crowd his campaigns movement by, of and for the working people would win Sen. Elizabeth Warrens home state of Massachusetts and eventually the Democratic nomination. The Vermont progressive described Trump as a pathological liar" and fraud running the most corrupt administration in modern U.S. history. Donald Trump apparently never read the Constitution, Sanders said. Every day, with his attacks on the media, attacks on the judiciary, attacks on Congress ... he has undermined American democracy, moving this country toward an autocracy. This is a democracy. Were proud of our democracy. Were not going to have an autocracy. The American people, he argued, are sick and tired of a government that works for the rich and ignores everybody else. This is not just a campaign. It is a movement that says to the corporate elite: you cannot have it all. Were coming back.' Sanders seized on reports that Democratic leaders and several industries were fearful of his nomination. The political establishment are getting really nervous, he said. The military industrial complex, Wall Street, insurance and drug companies and the fossil fuel industry thats destroying this planet were all right to get nervous," Sanders added. "Were going after them. Sanders said the common refrain from Democratic party leaders was that Bernie cant beat Trump. But he urged them to look at the last 60 national polls ... 56 out of 60 times, we beat Trump." He also touted polls showing him besting Trump in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Theyre not worried that we cant beat Trump, he said, theyre worried we will beat Trump. Sanders Springfield rally comes as the campaign swings through the Bay State ahead of Super Tuesday, with a four-day music and canvassing festival, BERNIEPALOOZA, in Worcester, and another rally planned in Boston on Saturday. Boris Johnson's chief adviser has been accused of a possible conflict of interest over a payment of nearly 500,000 from a luxury property developer while working for a government affordable housing body. Sir Edward Lister, 70, received the six-figure payment from Malaysian property developer EcoWorld between 2016 and 2019. But at the time he was also Chairman of Homes England - a government body that funds affordable housing projects. Sir Edward Lister, 70, received the six-figure payment from Malaysian property developer EcoWorld. Pictured: Sir Edward alongside Carrie Symonds as they waited for Boris Johnson to arrive at Downing Street in July 2019 Affordable housing is defined as being cheaper than market rates but more expensive than council houses. Only seven per cent of EcoWorld's homes were classed as affordable, according to its most recent annual report. The consultancy fees paid to Sir Edward totalled 487,000. This far exceeded his annual salary of 68,000 which he received while working for Homes England. He resigned both these roles when he was appointed as the Prime Minister's chief strategic adviser at Downing Street in July 2019. Senior civil service appointees are required to declare their outside interests but are not legally bound to disclose payments received from those interests. Speaking to The Times, Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said the payments looked 'like a major conflict of interest'. '[Sir Edward] had a duty not to put himself in a conflict of interest situation.' Sir Edward resigned both these roles when he was appointed by the Prime Minister (pictured) as his chief strategic adviser in July 2019 Clive Betts, chairman-elect of the House of Commons' housing select committee, also speaking to the newspaper said: 'There are a lot of questions to be asked. 'It feels very wrong that someone in charge of allocating resources to build housing, including affordable housing, has this arrangement with a developer.' Sir Edward was previously asked about potential conflicts of interests which he rebutted. He said that he had 'always been close' to the property industry and 'conflicts can arise'. But added: 'I know how to handle that... I understand what I should do, how I should do it and to declare everything properly.' A spokesman for the government said that he had followed the appropriate processes when declaring his interests. EcoWorld added that his involvement was fully recorded and his declared interest in the company was not considered to be a conflict of interest. Photo: The Canadian Press Immigration guards finish loading a van of asylum seekers leaving court under guard after some of them learned that they won't have to return to Mexico in light of a major federal court ruling against the Trump administration on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in El Paso, Texas. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that sending asylum seekers to wait in Mexico is illegal nationwide. The ruling came during the asylum testimony of one family in the group being put into the van. The blue bags, marked "for court only" are typically laden with sandwiches and water bottles for migrants appearing in court. A Trump administration immigration policy that requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. courts was blocked and then reinstated by a court in the matter of hours, creating chaos at border crossings, courtrooms and legal offices. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the policy on hold midday Friday, delivering a setback to a policy that has become one of President Donald Trump's signature efforts to restrict immigration. But by the end of the day, the court allowed the program to go back into effect after the Justice Department argued that its suspension will prompt migrants to overrun the border and endanger national security. The White House argued that the suspension of the policy would overwhelm the nation's immigration system, damage relations with the government of Mexico and increase the risk of outbreak from the new coronavirus. Customs and Border Protection closed one border crossing leading into El Paso after the initial decision. Government attorneys said immigration lawyers had begun demanding that asylum seekers be allowed in the United States, with one insisting that 1,000 people be allowed to enter at one location. The program was instituted last year and has sent about 60,000 asylum seekers back to Mexico. Immigration lawyers and advocates say the program is a humanitarian disaster, subjecting migrants to violence, kidnapping and extortion in dangerous Mexican border cities. Hundreds more have been living in squalid encampments just across the border. The immediate response by immigrants and their lawyers to the initial decision Friday reflects the growing frustration on the part of asylum seekers who have been waiting for months in areas of Mexico that even the U.S. State Department urges people not to visit because of crime and kidnapping. Representatives from the group Human Rights First hand-delivered a copy of the decision Friday to CBP officers at a bridge connecting Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Lawyers were hoping to get their clients before U.S. immigration court judges. Blocking the program has become a top priority for immigrant advocates. Maya Ivars, an attorney for Al Otro Lado, a LA-based legal advocacy group, said volunteer lawyers from around the country booked flights to San Diego after the policy was blocked. A Venezuelan mother showed up at a border crossing in Tijuana with her 1-year-old son Friday after an attorney assisting her on her asylum bid texted her about the policy being halted. She came immediately to the border to ask border inspectors that she be allowed in the U.S., arriving with about a dozen families about 30 people total -- around the same time the court suspended its own order. A government official told an attorney for the group to wait at the turnstile gates to the U.S. Liliana Gonzalez, 32, got a phone call from an attorney Friday that the policy was halted and that she should pack her belongings. Her husband and three children, ages 13, 6 and 4, packed their bags and a suitcase and checked out of their migrant shelter. Fridays developments caused whiplash. Its somewhat confusing, Gonzalez said. You believe, you dont believe. Lets see what God says. Lets see what the law says. The family fled gang threats in El Salvador and has been living in Tijuana for a year, waiting more than seven months just to file an initial claim. Their first court hearing in San Diego was Feb. 18. The decision interrupted some court cases. Immigration Judge Philip Law in San Diego delayed a final hearing on a Honduran man's asylum case to April 17 after a government attorney couldnt answer his questions about the effect of ruling. The attorney said she asked her supervisor how to address the ruling and that he didnt know what to do either. In El Paso, an administrator came to tell a judge of the ruling as he heard the case of a Central American mother and her partner. The couple cried when they learned they could get into the U.S. with restrictions. The couple and their two young children were put into government detention to wait for the next steps in their case. Do you guys understand that? Judge Nathan Herbert asked through an interpreter. There was a pretty significant change in the law in the middle of your testimony. The three-judge panel told the government to file written arguments by the end of Monday and for the plaintiffs to respond by the end of Tuesday. Coronavirus Death Toll In Iran Rises To 43 02/29/20 Source: RFE/RL Iran's Health Ministry says nine people have died from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 43 amid 593 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Islamic republic. Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour gave the new figure on February 29. "We have had 205 new cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours", he said, while urging people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. Official Iran's statistics on coronavirus as of February 28th Infections: 593 Deaths: 43 Recovered: 123 Iran has the highest death toll outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak. The BBC's Persian service said a count conducted by its unnamed sources in several hospitals suggested at least 210 people had died in the country as of late on February 27. The Health Ministry vehemently denied the report. The rapid spread of the outbreak forced the cancellation of Friday Prayers in many mosques across the country. Asadollah Abbasi, a spokesman of the parliamentary presidium, was quoted as saying on February 29 that five of 100 lawmakers in the Majlis, or parliament, had tested positive for the virus. He said the other lawmakers will also be tested. Residents of Qom, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, wait to be examined by a mobile medical team on February 27. (photo by Tasnim News Agency) Iran's government spokesman will hold his weekly news conference online due to the outbreak, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported on February 29. Iran has become the main hot spot of the virus in the Middle East, and the country's officials have been accused of hiding the true scale of the outbreak. A worker disinfecting metro wagons & buses in Tehran (photo by Majid Khani, ISNA) Authorities canceled Friday Prayers in Tehran and 22 provincial capitals in response to the looming pandemic, while the Health Ministry advised against all public events, such as weddings or funerals. Schools and universities, along with cultural gathering places such cinemas, theatres, and concert halls, have all been closed. Worried Iranians wearing face masks (see more photos by ISNA) COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, has infected some 83,000 people in dozens of countries, causing 2,800 deaths. Most of the cases and deaths were reported in China, where the disease emerged in December. Countries on three continents reported their first cases of the coronavirus on February 28, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, BBC, IRNA As news of the first fatality broke, President Trump announced he would extend an existing travel ban on Iran to apply to any foreign nationals who had been in that country over the past 14 days. He also raised the warning level for travel to Italy and South Korea, recommending Americans not travel to certain regions of those countries with outbreaks of the virus. Trump said he is also considering restrictions across the southern U.S. border. Mexicos Foreign Ministry later pointed out the country has fewer cases of coronavirus infection than the United States. By IANS NEW DELHI: India's celebrated top cops endorse the common view that Delhi Police were mute spectators to the violence which led to bloody communal riots in the national capital during US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to India earlier this week. Former Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma said, "Had I been the Commissioner, at any cost I would not have allowed the rioters to take the law into their hands, no matter if I was transferred or terminated by the government." On Delhi Police' utter failure to control the riots, former Border Security Force (BSF) DGP Prakash Singh said, "The disgrace brought to the uniform by (Delhi Police Commissioner) Amulya Patnaik is unpardonable. I really feel pity for him." ALSO READ: BSF to rebuild jawan's home burnt in Delhi riots as wedding gift Regarding the alleged delayed response time of the police in reaching the scenes of riots, former Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh said, "Delhi Police acted like a rainbow. It appeared after the storm (riots) passed away." On Amulya Patnaik's leadership role which is under heavy criticism, Vikram Singh quipped, "When Napoleon marched along with his force, he always marched ahead of the infantry. Here Patnaik and his key officials were missing (from the spot)." On failing to take tough action against the rioters in the first 48 hours after the riots broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told IANS, "Seeing all sorts of weapons used in the violence, it appears to me that these riots were pre-planned. However, the police, despite having a robust security apparatus, was not at all prepared to take on the rioters. Yeh police ki nalayki hai." When celebrated IPS officer B.S. Bedi (87), the former police chief of Jammu and Kashmir, was asked how a demonstration over CAA turned into ugly riots in the national capital, the octogenarian cop said, "A stitch in time saves nine. Had the police sorted out the Jafrabad controversy in time (relating to protest), the situation would not have slipped out of Patnaik's control. It looks as if the police could not assess the scale of violence, and its intelligence seems to have failed." ALSO READ: BJP MP Parvesh Verma to give one-month salary to kin of police, IB officials killed in Delhi riots On asked about political pressure and interference in police work, Bedi said that it is a misnomer. "In any given law and order situation, the boss is the Commissioner, not the Minister. Political bosses never interfere in such grim situations," he said. While speaking with former Delhi Police Commissioner T.R. Kakkar, IANS posed a question to him, "If you were the Commissioner, what action would you have taken in the given situation?" "I would have taken the toughest action in the initial hours of the violence. Minimum use of force and inadequate deployment of jawans led to total chaos. The image of the police has taken a beating in the eyes of the world, as all bad things happened in the capital when the US President was on a state visit. The weapons and petrol bombs recovered from certain premises reveal that the violence was planned. The Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor reacted late." When asked was the prolonged protest at Shaheen Bagh for weeks one of the reasons behind the simmering communal tension in the national capital, Ajai Raj Sharma said, "Had I been in place of the present Commissioner (Amulya Patnaik), I would have shifted the protesters to the adjoining park. The loose rope given to the protesters by the cops to block a busy road for such a long period was a wrong decision." Prakash Singh and Vikram Singh also agreed that the police did not take the road blockade in Shaheen Bagh seriously, which subsequently became an Achilles heel for the administration. A grandmother who took a chainsaw to a plantation of Sitka spruce in a Coillte forest has declared a victory for nature after being cleared of criminal damage. Sioned Jones (61) was found guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of the theft of felled logs, however, and will be sentenced next October. Jones, of Maughanaclea, Kealkill, Bantry, Co Cork, accepted she cut down the spruce trees and took logs for her stove but denied her actions were criminal, arguing she was an "Earth protector". Judge Sean O Donnabhain questioned how Mother Earth could be saved by wielding a chainsaw but after legal argument, he directed the jury to find Jones not guilty of causing 3,000 in damage to 500 spruce trees in November and December 2018. She was convicted of unlawfully taking 500 worth of timber. Jones told the court she replaced the felled spruce with 150 native broadleaves to restore diversity and insect and bird life to the forest. She said spruce monoculture created dark, impenetrable forest where wildlife could not survive. She also said spruce plantations turned the soil and water acidic and she was concerned for her well water. Jones, a biochemist turned forester and farmer, is originally from Wales but resident in Kealkill for 32 years. She had the support of Extinction Rebellion and other environmental groups Afterwards, Padraic Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife Trust said widespread spruce planting in Ireland had to end. "While we do not condone damage to property, we understand the frustrations of local people who have to live near these plantations. Industrial forestry has caused untold damage to nature," he said. Coillte said: "The felling of trees without a licence or removal of timber without proper authorisation is an illegal activity, and we work with the relevant authorities to seek prosecutions if this occurs on our lands." Jakarta: Passengers on an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to Auckland, including a woman who was diagnosed with coronavirus on arrival in New Zealand, spent nearly two hours on the ground in transit in Bali's Denpasar airport. The woman, aged in her 60s, tested positive for coronavirus after arriving on Emirates flight EK450 last Wednesday and is the first positive case of Covid-19 in New Zealand. She had been ill while on the flight and had taken precautions, including wearing a mask. Tourist arrivals in Bali have taken a hit following a ban on Chinese visitors to Indonesia. Credit:Amilia Rosa The flight from Dubai to Auckland includes a stop over of one hour and 40 minutes in Bali. The presence of a person infected with coronavirus transiting through Bali would be among the first known cases in the country with a population of hundreds of millions. Residents of some of Brisbane's wealthiest suburbs say they are being hit by a crime wave, with a gang of thieves running wild. The suburbs of Clayfield, Ascot, and Hamilton have been targeted by thieves with police confirming reported crime has escalated, leaving locals furious. The notorious Northside gang has a reputation for stealing luxury cars and have now begun to bait guard dogs and ransack houses in the area, reports 9 News. The Northside gang has a reputation for stealing luxury cars and have now reportedly begun to bait guard dogs and ransack houses in the suburbs in Brisbane inner northern suburbs Hamilton resident Nick Buick's Mercedes was stolen a month-and-a-half ago with the car later being allegedly used as a getaway vehicle in a bakery heist at Heathwood. The three masked thieves then also allegedly used the vehicle in a ram raid on a petrol station in the outer southern suburb of Wacol. 'Everyone in this area I know has been robbed or got footage of people trying to get their doors open,' Mr Buick said. 'It's out of control.' 'It's quite helpless, you know what I mean? It doesn't seem to matter how much you spend on security. People have big dogs and the dogs just get poisoned,' Mr Buick said. From Saturday, 15 extra police officers will be deployed at the Hendra Police station as part of a six month pilot program to try and reduce crime in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs. Cameras using automatic number plate recognition to detect stolen cars are also in use with Polair helicopters increasing their patrols to track the vehicles. Residents in the area held an emergency meeting this week with police representatives in attendance to address the issue. The Queensland government has also assured residents they have put hundreds more police on the beat across the city in an effort to crackdown on crime. Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court, Ramesh Ranganathan had a narrow escape when he slipped while offering prayers at Sangam in Devprayag on Saturday. However, no sooner the Chief Justice slipped, a police officer standing close to him got hold of him. The agility on the part of police personnel saved his life. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hailed as a modern-day civil rights hero, NAACP New York State Conference President Dr. Hazel Dukes delivered the keynote address Saturday at a Stapleton event closing out Black History Month. Staten Islands 15th annual Black History Town Hall was held at the First Central Baptist Church on Wright Street following a breakfast ceremony and panel discussion at the Central Family Life Center down the street. I was moved when I received the invitation, Dukes, a former national president of the NAACP, said. Im pleased to be here. It is the last day by the calendar, and what some people want to say is the end of Black History Month, but we live black history everyday. Dukes, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, moved to Long Island in 1956, where she fought housing discrimination and worked to elect the first black member of the Roslyn school board. At Saturdays event, she was honored with its Humanitarian Award. Ed Josey, president of the Staten Island chapter of the NAACP, introduced Dukes referring to her as a modern-day civil rights hero. Josey, 80, was also honored Saturday for the work he has done in the borough with the events Leadership Award. Its a great honor, but I do not regard that as totally mine, he said. Without the people around me I would not be getting it. Its not a one-man show. Collaboration like Josey spoke about was one of the topics discussed at the town hall meeting and breakfast, which were both attended by more than 200 people. The panel discussion focused on a wide range of topics from bail reform to mental health to the upcoming 2020 Census. The Rev. Dr. Demetrius Carolina, pastor for the First Central Baptist Church, said the main themes for both events were networking, community empowerment, community empowerment, and standing up to the challenge. Ive been doing this for 15 years, and each year it becomes more important to have these type of events, he said. There must be times that we can bring people together. Also honored at the event, in addition to Dukes and Josey, were Christine Hollie, an associate vice president at Staten Island University Hospital, with the Special Community Engagement Award; Wagner College Music professor Dr. Roger Wesby with the Bridge Builder award; Central Family Life Center Minister Antoinnette Dongean with the Community Service Award; Tyler Sims, a graduate of Port Richmond High School and Delaware State University with the Youth of the Year Award; educator Kwesi Ndzibah with the Education Award; and the Newport Car Service with the Business Award. A number of politicians and representatives from their offices attended the events, including Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn), Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Adams, who is one of the early candidates announced for the 2021 Mayoral election, spoke about growing up black in New York City, the challenges his family faced, and the importance of having celebrations like Saturdays. He referred to his mother, Dorothy, as his own civil rights icon. If we go through our history without reflecting on the people who got us here, we forget the meaning of African history, Adams said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:44:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Five Islamic State (IS) militants and a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi member were killed Saturday in a clash in the country's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said. The IS militants opened fire on Hashd Shaabi forces in the desert of al-Garma in northwest of the city of Fallujah, which itself located some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, sparking a clash between the two sides, a media office affiliated with the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement. An Iraqi army forces intervened in the clash and opened fire on the extremist IS militants, the statement said. The clashes resulted in the killing of five IS militants and a Hashd Shaabi member, the statement added. The IS attack is the second during the day, as the extremist militants opened fire on the government-backed tribal fighters in the nearby Hour al-Basha area in northeast of Baghdad, and killed three tribal fighters before they fled the scene, according to an earlier JOC statement. The security situation in Iraq has been improved since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Kuwait to close schools, universities for two weeks Kuwait to close schools, universities for two weeks Studying will be suspended for two weeks at schools and universities in Kuwait starting March 1, Kuwaiti governments spokesman said. Tareq Al-Merzem, head of the Kuwait's Centre for Government Communication (CGC) and government spokesman, said that the decision was made at the cabinet meeting today, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported. The suspension includes students and members of the teaching staff, he indicated. Police officers investigate a mass shooting at the Molson Coors headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 27, 2020. Sara Stathas/Reuters Police have identified the six people killed Wednesday at the Molson Coors beverage company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The victims and shooter were all employees of the company. A possible motive for the killing has not yet been released. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Milwaukee Police have identified the six people who died in Wednesday's mass shooting at the Molson Coors beverage company. Dale Hudson, 60; Gennady Levshetz, 61; Jesus Valle Jr., 33; Dana Walk, 57; and Trevor Wetselaar, 33, were all employees of the beverage company. After killing his coworkers, the 51-year-old shooter, Anthony Ferrill, turned the gun on himself, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said. "The Milwaukee Police Department sends out condolences to the families of the victims and to the employees of Molson Coors," a statement from the department said. Milwaukee police responded to the shooting just after 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The attack occurred at the company's sprawling complex, which includes a mix of corporate offices and brewing facilities. The complex is widely known in the Milwaukee area as "Miller Valley," the Associated Press reported. Ferrill was dressed in the company's uniform when he opened fire, the New York Times previously reported. Police have yet to reveal details about the shooting, including the motive, the gunman or how the bloodshed unfolded. The victims include an electrician, a Navy veteran, a father of two small children, a fisherman and a grandfather who is being remembered as someone who "always put his family's needs before his own," according to the Associated Press reported. "There are no words to express the deep sadness many of us are feeling right now. The most important thing is that we support and care for each other," Gavin Hattersley, CEO, Molson Coors Beverage Company, said in a statement. "Please hold your family members tight tonight and keep the families of our fallen teammates in your thoughts." Story continues The last mass shooting in the Milwaukee area was in August 2012, when white supremacist Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others at a Sikh temple in suburban Oak Creek, according to the AP. Shortly before word of the brewery shooting broke, Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told reporters in suburban Franklin that state gun laws would not change despite a push by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, according to a report in the Journal Sentinel. Read the original article on Insider SALINE, MI -- Open conversations and breaking down barriers were the themes of the latest Saline Area Schools listening session Saturday, Feb. 29. Saturdays discussion was the fourth of five listening sessions hosted by the school district. They were organized in the wake of a racist social media group chat involving Saline High School students, followed by a parent asking another why he didnt stay in Mexico at a community forum earlier this month. The open discussions are part of the districts plan to address the incidents and racism as an issue, Superintendent Scot Graden said Saturday. Discussion notes and online survey feedback are to be reported to the community later this school year. It really has been an opportunity for us in the district to reflect on our current (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts. They date back over a year, said while introducing the gathering. It certainly has changed the sense of urgency, changed the sense of focus in terms of -- what are some of the tangible actions we can take as a community and a school district to help us improve the environment? Saline community talks about cultural changes to fight racism Larry Lindsey, a parent of children who graduated from Saline Area Schools, said one of the first steps toward resolution is acknowledging the problem. He works with Saline Parents Against Racism and said community leadership has been responsive to feedback. Theres been good dialogue with the administration," Lindsey said. "Were hopeful we can go forward and make change. So our students, especially students of color, will feel more inclusiveness and have zero tolerance for racism. Participants said celebrations of heritage are one way to educate the community about diversity. But many also warned that it shouldnt always be up to people of color to lead educational efforts on diversity. Saline resident Norma Smith said she thought one way to address the incidents was for leaders to actively recruit diverse populations to the community. I dont think this is the schools issue, Smith said. I think this is a city, county, church, country issue. Were putting the burden on the schools and the students. And unfortunately for some, Saline is not an island. We could never exist without the surrounding area of well-educated, successful and a very colorful population. What if we opened our thinking and recognized this as an opportunity instead of a problem? For Lindsey, a dialogue of understanding, a strong set of values and responding quickly to racist incidents may be the solutions. Were dealing with a hard issue -- racism -- the root of that is a hard issue," Lindsey said. "Everyone will have to do a hard check in the midst of all of this. But there will be more love that comes out of this that permeates in the communit,y which I think is the glue thats going to bring this together. There are three upcoming listening sessions in the community: 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2 at St. Paul Church, 122 W Michigan Ave. 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 at Harvest Elementary School, 1155 Campus Parkway. 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9 at Saline High School, 1300 Campus Parkway. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Ann Arbor task force lays out possible next steps for downtown central park Bodycam video shows Zavier Simpson telling police his name is Jeff Jackson Apollo missions workshop and concerts: 5 things to do around Ann Arbor, Feb. 28-March 1 Half Year Financial Report and Appendix 4D Perth, Feb 28, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Ltd ( ASX:BLK ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:BKHRF ) generated a strong net profit for the half-year ended 31 December 2019 of $24m, including $19m relating to the sale of non-core assets. Gross profit and cash flows from operations of A$7m and A$7m respectively illustrated the operational turnaround from prior periods' mining investments, underpinned by gold production of 37,568oz at an All in Sustaining Cost ('AISC') of A$1,524/oz.Owing to a combination of strong operating performance, the realisation of value from the sale of non-core assets, and proceeds from equity transactions, the Company was able to achieve significant balance sheet repair including:- Reduction in trade payables of $11m; and- total debt reduction of $9m, including the extinguishment of a Convertible Note debt.Additionally, there was significant investment into preproduction mining areas, in particular at the Williamson open pit mine where $8m of the total $10m contribution in relation to the Lake Way Transaction1 was realised.Key business development activities in the six months included the successful completion of the Stage 1 Expansion Study, the refurbishment of the Rod Mill (providing additional mill throughput) and exploration activities which included the delineation of further Golden Age underground extensions.To view the half year report, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 25, 2020. The U.S. Department of Defense has signed a contract for the production of Javelin anti-tank missile systems for a number of countries, including Ukraine. Read alsoNational Interest: Ukraine is getting stronger: What if it could take on Russia? "Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded an US$18,431,215 modification (P00022) to contract W31P4Q-19-C-0059. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 25, 2020," reads a statement on the website of the U.S. Department of Defense. "Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army, and foreign military sales (Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates) funds in the amount of US$18,431,215 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity," it said. As UNIAN reported earlier, at the end of 2017, the U.S. Presidential Administration of Donald Trump decided to sell Ukraine lethal weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missile systems. On March 1, 2018, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of 210 Javelin missiles and 37 launchers totaling about US$47 million, which were delivered to Ukraine in April 2018. In 2019, Ukraine's Defense Ministry signed a contract for delivery of the second batch of the U.S. Javelin anti-tank missile systems (ATMS). By Steven L. Shields Burn those tablets! Stop bowing to the dead! Pagan rites! Christians must bow only to Jesus (or God)! The early Catholic missionaries did so much damage to the fabric of Korean society. The Protestant missionaries repeated their cultural arrogance. Hundreds, if not thousands, died at the hands of a panicked government charged with enforcing the law and upholding civil society. The early French priests, who entered the country illegally not just once, but repeatedly were spreading anarchy and anti-government sentiment. Some may see them as martyrs but flouting the laws of the land is hardly an ethical stance. Yes, but, one says, they were obeying a "higher law." That may be my justification, but frankly, it's just an excuse to do what I want to do, rather than obey the legal authority of a country. Westerners are quick to declare what "should" be done in each place. Much criticism has been heaped on Joseon government officials and royals for being "closed-minded" or xenophobic. (Such attitudes continue today). Religion and Confucianism are both ritualistic. But ritual does not make something religion. During Joseon, as most understand, Confucianism was fully part of the fabric of society. The principles of respect and relationships were ingrained in all facets of the kingdom. Confucianism is not a religion. One might say, perhaps, that Confucianism was a system of governance for the country as well as for personal and family relations. That's one of the basic principles that outsiders misunderstand. Western missionaries derided ancestor memorials by calling them "pagan worship." Somehow, they believed that "worship" was the exclusive domain of their beliefs. Worship. Does this word apply only to religion? I don't think so. People "worship" many different "gods." In the world today, money is the most important god for many. Many people worship K-pop "idols." Fashion and "name" brands are worshiped by many. I have a friend who flies to Dubai to buy handbags at the duty-free shops there because they are such a bargain at only several million won each. In churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, believers worship that which represents for them the divine force of the universe, call it "God," "Jesus," "Allah," "Yahweh," and so forth. All of these are forms of worship. When the early Christian priests taught that honoring one's ancestors was pagan worship, they could not have been more wrong. In the broad sense of the term, the ritual could be defined as a form of worship. However, labeling it pagan showed a gross lack of cultural understanding; like horses with blinders. But then, Christianity was mostly like that at the time. Imposing one's understanding on others who are different still prevails in much of Christianity today. Getting the people riled up to the point of burning their ancestors' wipae (name tablet) was the biggest strategic error of all time by the Catholic priests. Had they taken time to understand Confucian rituals even the least bit, many deaths may have been avoided. What I find interesting is that in the West, we honor our departed in much the same way. Bowing is done differently. Westerners don't have the custom of bowing to grandma and grandpa, as is done in Korea and other places in Asia. Bowing is not worship. It's a way to show respect. Westerners are more relaxed about that. When a loved one dies, Westerners call the priest or pastor, who launches into an often lengthy prayer ritual, calling on God to take care of the departed. At funerals family members and friends share memories of the departed. The priest gives a sermon, reads scripture, and prays. At the cemetery, the gravesite is "dedicated" by prayer and more scripture reading and sermonizing. Later, families make annual pilgrimages to the gravesite to remember grandpa and put flowers on his grave. I have friends who take a birthday cake to the cemetery and have a family birthday party for grandpa. My mother used to take flowers to grandma's grave on every holiday on the calendar: Valentine's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and so on. Many families hang photos of their ancestors on the wall in their homes. There is nothing wrong with remembering and loving our grandparents. We would not be alive if it weren't for them, but none of this deifies our ancestors. Westerners have been just as fervent about genealogies as have Koreans. Jesa (ancestor memorial) is not "worship" in the Christian definition, and it never was. Christians can keep Confucian rituals as they wish. There is nothing sinful, nothing pagan and nothing wrong. When I was pastor of my church, I taught this to my parishioners. I encouraged them to be Christian and Korean at the same time. Whatever the culture dictates about respect, do it. Everyone can and should share memories of grandpa. Steven L. Shields has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch. He can be reached at slshields@gmail.com. Land of Sky names Ramsey to lead agency The Land of Sky Regional Council has selected Nathan Ramsey to serve as the planning agency's new executive director. LandRamseys selection culminates a search process that attracted 75 applicants. The committee selected four finalists for interview sessions. I want to express my appreciation to each of the applicants and to our finalists whose impressive credentials, experience and professionalism made the selection process a very challenging one. Ramsey has served as the director of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board at Land of Sky Regional Counci since Jan. 1, 2016, and has served as its interim executive director since Dec. 7 when Justin Hembree left to become executive director of the Mid-Carolina Council of Government. Ramsey earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from UNC Asheville and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is a past chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and served one term in the state House. "Nathans extensive knowledge of our region and its people will benefit the Council in our service to the people of Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties," Land of Sky Chair Larry Harris said. A multi-county, local government, planning and development organization, the Land of Sky Regional Council reaches across county and municipal borders providing technical assistance to local governments and administer projects and programs which benefit our regions citizens. Bengaluru, Feb 29 : The city civic body has decided to ban holding protests, rallies and sit-in demonstrations by all and sundry at the iconic Town Hall in the city centre, ostensibly to prevent traffic jams and untoward incidents in its vicinity, an official said on Saturday. "Our executive council has passed a resolution with the consent of all civic corporators to ban holding protests, demonstrations, rallies and public meetings around the Town Hall, as they were resulting in grid lock on a busy road facing it and disrupting public programmes and cultural events in it," L. Suresh, senior official at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, told IANS. Built in 1935 by Mysore Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar, the all-stone building in neo-classical style has a flight of steps leading to the entrance porch resting on six Tuscan columns. It is named after former Bangalore city municipality president K.P. Puttanna Chetty. "Bengaluru city mayor Goutham Kumar has recommended to the city police commissioner not to grant permission to any organisation, group or political party to stage protests, demonstrations or rallies, as the space around the Town Hall gets blocked and the gathering spills onto the busy road, choking vehicular traffic," said Suresh. Massive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sit-in demonstrations and rallies by various organisations, including political parties, for other causes at the venue led to choc-a-bloc traffic and disrupted social and cultural events inside the Town Hall, which is owned by the city civic body. The renovated Hall has a huge auditorium with two floors and a capacity to seat about 1,000 people inside its hallowed precincts. "As the sprawling Freedom Park, 2 km away from Town Hall, has been earmarked for holding protests, demonstrations, rallies and public meetings, ban on staging them around the Town Hall will facilitate smooth vehicular traffic flow and ensure conduct of public events in its auditorium," Suresh added. However, BBMP opposition leader and Congress corporator Abdul Wajid said that his party was opposed to the blanket ban on protests at Town Hall, as to stage them at a public place was the democratic right of every aggrieved citizen. "We are not party to the executive council resolution and will demand its withdrawal, as Town Hall is a popular and convenient venue for all events, including protests, demonstrations, rallies and public meetings in view of its central location, historical significance and symbolism," Wajid told IANS. Various organisations representing students, NGOs, women, social activists, workers and trade unions have also threatened to launch an agitation against the ban on protests at Town Hall, which is a public place and belongs to all citizens. Estonia asked Latvia to cancel the Schengen visa of a journalist with the Russian daily Izvestia after deeming him a national security risk, the newspaper said on Saturday, citing Estonian officials MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) Estonia asked Latvia to cancel the Schengen visa of a journalist with the Russian daily Izvestia after deeming him a national security risk, the newspaper said on Saturday, citing Estonian officials. Andrei Zakharov was barred from entering Latvia at Riga airport on February 24. The newspaper said he has been banned from going to the European Union's borderless Schengen area for five years. "The Security Police has reasonable grounds to suspect that Andrei Zakharov's actions may pose a threat to the security and public order of Estonia or any other EU member state," the paper cited an official Estonian response as saying. According to the newspaper's press office, Zakharov angered the Baltic nation's authorities with his coverage of Estonian teachers educating students about the history of the local LGBT community and the government's decision not to mark the 75th anniversary of the Estonian capital's liberation from German troops. The Delhi Government will issue a WhatsApp number on which complaints can be made against hate material being circulated in the wake of the riots in Northeast Delhi, ANI reported. There is a lot of hate material being circulated on WhatsApp. If anyone receives any such material, he/she should immediately file a complaint with Delhi Government. The Delhi Govt will issue a WhatsApp number on which such complaints can be made, ANI quoted government sources as saying. An official will screen all the complaints received. The complaints which are genuine would then be forwarded to the police for necessary action, it said. Earlier Friday night, the Delhi Police said that it is constantly monitoring social media and will take strict legal action against those circulating hate material. In the wake of incidents of stone pelting, arson and damage to property in some pockets of North-East Delhi area, a lot of hate material is being circulated on social media to flare up communal tension, which is an offence under the law. Delhi Police is constantly monitoring social media and will take strict legal action against those found indulging in it. People are hereby advised not to post anything incriminating. If they come across any such hate material, they may complain at CYBER HELPLINE 155260, the Delhi Police tweeted. Three days of rioting earlier this week have left at least 42 dead, hundreds injured and several missing. The riots have also left a trail of destruction including houses, schools, cars and two-wheelers that were burnt. Delhi Police on Friday said they have identified at least 1000 rioters and have so far detained or arrested at least 630. The police have formed two special investigation teams (SITs) to probe Delhis worst communal violence in at least three decades. Officially, socialism isnt welcome here in the United States because so many socialist nations fail. Many are built on a false economy in which citizens are promised something for nothing. In some examples, a dictator comes to power, fails to deliver on promises made to the masses, and many citizens live in abject poverty. In other examples, the central government is oversized along with taxes. Recently, we have witnessed the effects of socialism in Venezuela. Once one of Latin Americas richest nations, Venezuela now is one of the poorest, and its ruled by a cruel and delusional dictator, Nicolas Meduro. As many times as Americans have seen socialism ruin other countries, you would think we would have no interest in adopting socialist philosophies here, but recent history says otherwise. Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren endorse socialist solutions to some of our nations largest challenges. To fix the U.S. health care system, both candidates endorse health care for all. Both also propose free tuition at public colleges or two-year institutions. Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden. Carlos Barria/Reuters Presidential candidate Joe Biden has spent the last several weeks telling campaign audiences he was arrested in apartheid South Africa while trying to meet with Nelson Mandela. On Friday, he told CNN the story wasn't true. Amid the former vice president's admission, he is looking to the South Carolina primary for a second wind, where he hopes for a big turnout from black voters. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders has typically claimed the mantle of being arrested for his civil rights activism. But throughout the presidential campaign, former Vice President Joe Biden has repeatedly touted his own experience with civil disobedience. And in the past few weeks, he's claimed he was arrested during a visit with Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa with the Congressional Black Caucus and other US officials. On Friday, he admitted that the South Africa story wasn't true. Biden has previously made (and retracted) exaggerated statements about his own involvement in the Civil Rights movement. Since early February, the former vice president has told at least three audiences on the campaign trail that he was arrested in apartheid South Africa. "This day, 30 years ago, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison and entered into discussions about apartheid," Biden told an audience in South Carolina about two weeks ago, the New York Times reported. "I had the great honor of meeting him. I had the great honor of being arrested with our UN ambassador on the streets of Soweto trying to get to see him on Robbens Island," Biden said. On Friday, Biden came clean. He told CNN that he wasn't actually arrested, but that white Afrikaners during the visit tried to separate him from the Congressional Black Caucus. "When I said 'arrested,' I meant I was not able, I was not able to move," Biden told CNN. "The cops, the Afrikaners, didn't let me go with them, they made me stay where I was. I wasn't arrested, I was stopped. I was not able to move where I wanted to go." Story continues Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event in Conway, S.C., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Associated Press Prior to the about-face, Biden's claim was scrutinized by journalists. Andrew Young, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus at the time and not the US ambassador to the United Nations, as Biden claimed told reporters he wasn't arrested during the trip. "If Mr. Biden, then a United States senator from Delaware, was in fact arrested while trying to visit Mr. Mandela, he did not mention it in his 2007 memoir when writing about a 1970s trip to South Africa," Katie Glueck and Thomas Kaplan wrote in the New York Times. "A check of available news accounts by The New York Times turned up no references to an arrest," Glueck and Kaplan added. Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central's "Daily Show" and himself South African, said he was "personally offended" by Biden's tale. The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 25, 2020 Amid Biden's admission, he is looking to the South Carolina primary for a second wind after placing fourth and fifth in Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively, and a second-place finish in Nevada, more than 30 points behind Sanders. In South Carolina, his campaign is banking on a big turnout from black voters, who have strongly supported him for much of the presidential race. Today, however, that support is less guaranteed as Sanders makes inroads with the demographic. The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider The United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed a peace deal in Doha, Qatar, after months of negotiations, aimed at ending the 18-year long war in Afghanistan and which will pave the way for Washington to withdraw all its troops from the country within 14 months. The agreement was signed between the representatives of the US and the Taliban in Doha in the presence of representatives of various countries. Ahead of signing of the deal, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said the United States will closely watch the Taliban for their compliance with their commitments and calibrate the peace of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan with the group's action. Pompeo made the remarks ahead of signing the peace deal with the Taliban aimed at ending an 18-year long war in the country. "Efforts only became real when the Taliban showed interest in pursuing real peace & ending their relationship with Al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups. The agreement that we will sign today is the true test of this effort," Pompeo said. "We will closely watch the Taliban for their compliance with their commitments and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal with their actions. This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a base for international terrorists," he added. As per the joint declaration between Washington and the Afghan government, the US will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The plan is 'subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement'. 'The United States reaffirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments,' the joint declaration read, as reported by Tolo News. As per the declaration, the US will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement. However, there is no obligation for the US to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach an agreement, officials said in Washington, DC on Saturday. The US currently has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. This is the level that General Scotts Miller, Commander of US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation troops in Afghanistan, had earlier identified as necessary to fulfil his mission. The withdrawal of troops and the agreement itself move in parallel processes, a senior administration official said. "Our withdrawal is aligned with this agreement and is conditions-based. If the political settlement fails, if the talks fail, there is nothing that obliges the United States to withdraw troops," said the official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity. "That's not to say that the President doesn't have prerogatives as Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America to make any decision that he feels appropriate as our President, but there is no obligation for the United States to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach agreement or if the Taliban show bad faith in the course of this negotiation," the official said. Responding to questions, the official noted that the withdrawal of troops will not be immediate. The reduction of troops to 8,600 is part of the initial agreement and it will play out over several months. "It doesn't happen immediately. It takes a while to get out. It's not going to happen overnight. But that is the commander on the ground's recommendation, that is the President's intention, and that's in the agreement," said the official. According to another senior administration official, America's commitment to act on the drawdown is tied to the Taliban's action on their commitments in the agreement, which include in detail counter terrorism commitments, because that was US' priority concern, but also includes their engagement in these negotiations. As far as the long-term goal, the President's aspiration remains ultimately to bring a political settlement here, end the war, and end the US military commitment to Afghanistan, the official said. "The President does not seek a permanent commitment of US forces to a war in Afghanistan. There are a lot of ways that we can and will continue to work with the Afghan Government in the aftermath of a political settlement, and there's many venues of cooperation between us and them, but it is the President's ambition to reach a political settlement and have the United States forces leave and end the fight. That is his goal," the official said. IMAGES: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, and Zalmay Khalilzad, US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, sign an agreement at a ceremony between members of Afghanistan's Taliban and the US in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday. Photographs: Ibraheem al Omari/Reuters -- with inputs from PTI UNHRC resolution: Mangala says co-sponsorship saved Lanka from international war crimes probe Insists text was negotiated with then President, then PM and UK, US envoys View(s): View(s): Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Friday defended his role in piloting the United National Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka as a co-sponsor saying the country was on the verge of an international investigation by 2014 and the Yahapalana Government managed to avoid it by negotiations he conducted on the telephone from New York with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, foreign ministry officials and the Colombo-based envoys of Britain and the United States. In a lengthy statement, Mr Samaraweera warns incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa of facing a similar fate that befell the SLFP founder and one-time Premier S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike by supporting extremist forces. The Government changed in January 2015 at a time when Sri Lanka was in dire straits and the Government of the day, under the leadership of President Sirisena decided, based on the 100-Day Programme, to bring all these issues back home from the international arena, by taking local ownership and taking charge of all processes through resolution 30/1, Mr Samaraweera insisted. He argued this was a reassertion of Sri Lankas sovereignty and regaining SrI Lankas lost respect and dignity among the international community once again. It was also an opportunity for Sri Lanka to prove that Sri Lankan justice is fully capable of ensuring credible accountability. Resolution 30/1 gives Sri Lanka and NOT the international community or an international court that responsibility, he remarked. The consensus resolution was intended to achieve three main aims, the former Foreign Minister stressed. First and most importantly, it provided the means for Sri Lanka to take charge of its own reconciliation agenda, and provided a broad-framework and vision for the country to strengthen reconciliation, end impunity, fortify democracy and strengthen, uphold and entrench institutionally the human rights of all citizens irrespective of their ethnicity, race, religion, faith or gender. Secondly, it allowed Sri Lanka the means to restore the dignity of the institutions of the army, airforce, navy and police, by investigating locally, through locally designed processes, all allegations of violations of the law including by the LTTE and any others. Thirdly, it enabled Sri Lanka to regain its due place and dignity on the international stage, normalising its relations with the international community to chart its path to economic progress and prosperity as a hub in the Indian Ocean. The final text of the resolution was largely negotiated over the telephone, with the President and I at the same hotel in New York, and the Prime Minister in Colombo accompanied by the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time and the Ambassador of the US and High Commissioner of the UK. Once consensus was reached, the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time who was in Colombo had coordinated with Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and conveyed the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council. He noted that once the resolution was adopted by the Council, it was presented to Parliament, where there was broad consensus in the House. President Sirisena also chaired two sessions of an All Party Conference at which the views of all political parties were consulted and sought for implementation of the provisions of the resolution, including the design of mechanisms. However, he reminded that parties representing what was then called the Joint Opposition in Parliament did not submit any views at the time. Backtracking on the resolution sends a very clear signal to the people of our country and our partners in the world. The message is that Sri Lanka cares not for reconciliation, accountability or even democracy. It heralds the dismantling of the institutions that form the bedrock of our nations progress, the reversal of trust among communities and countries that was earned through much toil, and the embrace of our basest instincts of hate, insecurity, fear and envy. It is important to be mindful of the fact that although Sri Lanka withdraws from co-sponsorship of resolution 30/1 and subsequent resolutions that extended 30/1 (i.e. 34/1 and 40/1), the mandate of the resolutions passed by the Human Rights Council do not go away. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will remain bound by the provisions of resolution 40/1 and will have to continue to report to the Council even though Sri Lanka may not cooperate, and just as the Council did in pre-2015, it can continue to act without Sri Lankas cooperation, Mr. Samaraweera noted. He added: Over the last five years, the country was slowly healing. Relations between the communities were beginning to normalise. A Sri Lanka where everyone felt truly at home and at peace, as equal brothers and sisters, was beginning to emerge. The space had opened up to discuss and resolve problems without fear. We were beginning to work together to fulfill our dream of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka. Our relations with the world were restored. We maintained close ties and amity with all the major powers of the world India, China, the US and EU while strengthening our ties with all states including the states in East Asia. If the government backtracks on this resolution, it must be prepared to take responsibility for the resumption of resentment, frustration and fear among the vulnerable in our country. From the many insurgencies we have experienced over the last few decades, we know where such feelings lead. It will have to take responsibility for the erosion of democracy. And, for our isolation in the world. We know the costs. Individual sanctions have already begun with a travel ban being placed by the USA on the Commander of the Army. It would be no surprise if such targeted sanctions increase and in a few years our economy would be in tatters once again. And most of all, we know that feeling of unease and anxiety, the feeling of simmering conflict and fear, rather than tranquility, amity and progress. Ultimately, the peace and prosperity of our country depend on ourselves and the choices we make. They depend not on our stars or on other countries. We must decide the future we want: to move forward together to peace and prosperity or backward alone into the darkness, fear and violence of the past. On a personal note, the former Foreign Minister warned Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mahinda Rajapaksa was once a dear friend. Mahinda, you know that in your heart of hearts, you are not one of them. And demons, once unleashed, are not exorcised. I pray that your alliance with dark forces does not lead to you and Sri Lanka befalling the same fate as S.W.R.D Bandaranaike did after he made his pact with extremists. Full statement " " Lucy Parsons, at the time of her arrest during an unemployment protest at Hull House, in Chicago, Illinois, on Jan. 18, 1915. Chicago History Museum/Getty Images Labor Day doesn't just mark the end of summer, or the start of a new school year. At least it shouldn't. This federal holiday, created in 1894 and set on the first Monday in September, is actually a celebration of America's workers. It celebrates the end of horrid practices such as child labor, 12-hour workdays and unsafe working conditions. And it lauds the American workers who helped create today's safer, more equitable work environment. Many women were leaders in the early labor-rights movement, as discussed in an episode of the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You. In "The Women of the Labor Movement," co-hosts Emilie Aries and Bridget Todd spotlighted one of America's first female, minority activists, Lucy Gonzales Parsons. Advertisement Born in Texas in the 1850s, Parsons was of Mexican, Native American and African-American descent, though she denied her African-American heritage probably because of the brutal racism blacks experienced at the time. She married Albert Parsons, a white man, although there were laws banning interracial marriage back then. The two fled to Chicago in the 1870s, after Albert Parsons was shot in the leg and threatened with lynching while helping black citizens register to vote. Once in Chicago, the couple became involved in the Socialist Labor Party, and then anarchist movements, where violence was deemed acceptable almost necessary to fight injustice. Parsons, a gifted speaker and writer, used her words to lead fights against African-American lynchings, the sharecropper system, 12-hour workdays and other issues. Massive worker strikes began spreading across the country. Then tragedy struck. Employees at Chicago's McCormick Harvest Works went on strike, agitating for an eight-hour workday. During the strike, police shot into the unarmed crowd, killing four and wounding many. Workers assembled peacefully in the city's Haymarket Square the next day to support the strikers, when someone lobbed a bomb into the crowd, killing a police officer. Although no one knew who did it, police decided to hunt down all known local activists. Albert Parsons, who wasn't even at Haymarket Square, was taken into custody and hanged. When Lucy went to say goodbye to her husband, she was arrested, stripped naked and left in a jail cell until her husband's execution was over. However, she was never charged for conspiracy in the bombing, deemed incapable of violence since she was female. Parsons struggled to earn a living and care for her two kids after her husband's execution. Yet she never stopped fighting for workers' rights. One Chicago official pronounced her "more dangerous than a thousand rioters." She died at age 89 in a house fire in 1942. Police confiscated her writings and books from her burnt-down house and never returned them. Many activists like Parsons devoted their lives to better working conditions for all. Yet today, says Bridget, "We don't cherish the eight-hour workday. We don't cherish what Lucy Parsons fought for ... We don't think of it as precious. And people lost their lives for it." Emilie agrees, noting it's ironic that today, Americans work longer and harder of their own accord, as society lauds those who do so. One example: Workers in the U.S. now voluntarily leave a week's worth of vacation on the table annually. Lucy Parsons would not be happy. Now That's Interesting Many people know Cesar Chavez led the United Farm Workers, a union devoted to helping farmhands. But he actually co-founded the group (originally called the National Farm Workers Association) with Gilbert Padilla and a female activist named Dolores Huerta. It was Huerta who negotiated union contracts, including those associated with the famous California grape-growers' strike in the 1960s. A surge in early voting in the March 3 primary might not set a record but could come close, as the number of ballots cast in both political parties gradually increased this week. Early voting, which began Feb. 18 at 38 sites countywide, ended Friday. Voters who didnt get to the polls early can still cast a ballot on Tuesday, election day, at any of 280 vote centers countywide with the new ExpressVote system. Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen said the turnout was brisk all along. Daily early vote totals averaged about 8,000 ballots last week. But the daily total rose to 10,213 on Monday; 11,465 Tuesday; 12,512 Wednesday; and 15,679 Thursday. Voting was heavy across the city Friday some voters reported waiting an hour to cast their ballots and the single-day total nearly doubled to 27,027, bringing the 11-day in-person total to 122,176. On ExpressNews.com: Early voting turnout high in San Antonio, statewide The cumulative early vote total had reached 100,000 shortly before noon Friday, putting this years number on track for surpassing the last presidential primary in 2016, when voters were considering Republican candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders led a field of Democrats. In the 2008 primary, Clinton and Barack Obama led the Democratic presidential candidates while Republicans John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul were vying to succeed President George W. Bush. After a record-setting early vote turnout of 138,838 in Bexar County, the 2008 primary generated 135,834 votes on election day. That election, the total, had a 31.5 percent turnout, which was super for a primary. That just blew the wheels off everything, Callanen said. On ExpressNews.com: Check out our 2020 Voter Guide The number of names on the countys voter registration rolls has markedly increased, from 871,916 in 2008 to 1,131,924 as of Feb. 14, and voters seem highly engaged for a presidential primary with an incumbent seeking re-election, Callanen said. We will have far exceeded 16 and 18. But when were looking at those record numbers in 2008, we may get close to that 138,000 once mail-in ballots, expected to exceed 15,000, are counted, she said. Its a great turnout, Callanen added. It feels like we have a lot of the same core voters. The complete early voting totals with mail ballots will be reported publicly Tuesday night. On ExpressNews.com: Sheriff faces seven challengers while seeking second term Holding to tradition in Bexar County, Brook Hollow Library had the highest number of Republican voters with 3,671 and overall voters in early voting as of Friday evening, while Wonderland of the Americas mall had the largest number of ballots cast in the Democratic primary with 4,580. Callanen urged voters to study the ballot before going to the polls and educate themselves on rules enforced by election officials, including voter identification requirements, restrictions on electronic devices cellphones and tablets should be turned off and prohibitions on campaign hats and T-shirts at the polls. Its not those officials that are making an arbitrary call. Its the law, she said. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA An inspirational Foulksmills woman, who successfully sued the HSE in 2017 for 8.5 million over the circumstances of her birth at Wexford General Hospital, was the keynote speaker at a symposium on intellectual disability at WIT on Thursday. Shannon O'Farrell-Molloy, now aged 22, has gone on to find work and open her own motivational speaking business for people. Supporting People with Intellectual Disability in our Community was the theme of the packed conference which she addressed at ArcLabs, WIT West Campus in Waterford. Shannon was invited to speak at the event which was attended by students from several schools in the south east, both primary and post-primary. She now has her sights set on speaking to third level students also. Ms O'Farrell-Molloy, of Kayle, Foulksmills, had in 2017, through her mother Sandra Maguire Molloy, sued the HSE over the circumstances of her birth at Wexford General Hospital on July 18, 1997. Shannon's mother was admitted to the hospital on the day before the birth and monitoring of the foetal heartbeat with CTG (cardiotocography) was commenced. On the morning Shannon was born, there was failure to monitor the foetal heart beat between 8 a.m. and 9.10 a.m., and failure to adequately or at all manage the labour and delivery. It was further claimed Shannon was delivered far too late. Addressing the crowd in WIT, Shannon said: 'I had a brain injury the day I was born which caused me to have Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and mild learning difficulties. If you are going to become disabled do it right,' she said. 'As a child I always had a dream to go to college. I found out about a leadership course in WIT where I met two guys who told me about the CSIL courses.' With encouragement from her parents who told her to 'go for it' she applied and was accepted onto the CSIL course in 2016. She was a student of the college's Certificate in Skills & Independent Living (CSIL) programme between 2016 and 2018. 'I never knew that it would happen,' she said, adding that through her business Be Different Be Inspired, she talks about the positives and negatives of having a brain injury. 'I enjoy motivating people in order to make their dreams come true. My family and friends are amazing. They are behind me 100 per cent to support me, encourage me and help make my dreams come true. Being disabled doesn't mean you can't. It means take a different path.' Shannon said her graduation day at WIT was the proudest moment of her life and was given a standing ovation after her presentation. The symposium Intellectual Disability Nursing was held in conjunction with the Department of Nursing and Healthcare's partners from St John Fisher College Wegman School of Nursing and the Golisano Foundation, both in Rochester, New York. The main organiser was Dr Sara Kennedy from the New Ross area. WIT runs an intellectual disability nursing degree as well as the CSIL programme, developed specifically for adults with intellectual disability. Over the course of the day there were speakers ranging from Ms O'Farrell Molloy who completed the CSIL programme, to a nursing student as well as WIT research-active lecturers and graduates of the intellectual disability nursing degree. The United States told the United Nations Security Council that Turkey has its support to respond in self-defense to attacks on Turkish observation posts in Syria. Ambassador Kelly Craft told the Security Council that as a NATO ally, the United States commitment to Turkey will "not waiver." Craft also condemned Thursday's airstrike on Turkish troops which killed 33 soldiers. The strike is being blamed on the Syrian government. The attack marked the deadliest day for the Turkish military since Ankara first entered the Syrian conflict in 2016 and also was the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces, raising the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. It was not clear whether Syrian or Russia jets carried out the strike, but Turkey blamed Syria's government and Russia denied responsibility. Erin Scott/Reuters In a closed-door briefing to members of Congress about government surveillance, a senior Justice Department official was asked a surprising question. The question came when intelligence and national security officials gathered earlier this week to brief members of the House Intelligence Committee on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a law with some authorities that will expire in several weeks. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, prefaced her question by saying it was a bit off-topic. According to two sources with knowledge of the briefing, Speier then asked John Demers, the Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division at the Justice Department, whether Jeffrey Epstein had ever worked as an undercover FBI asset. Then she pressed him on whether he had any personal knowledge of Epsteina convicted pedophile who died in jail last August, awaiting trialworking with the FBI. Demers responded that he worked for the Justice Department, not the FBI, and that he had no knowledge of Epstein doing such work. The question raised eyebrows, as it appeared to be based on a theory that law enforcement officials may have turned a blind eye to the serial rapist because he helped them gather information. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment, and a spokesperson for Speier did not provide on-record comment. The Man Who Could Inherit Jeffrey Epsteins Millions The Miami Herald reported in November 2018 that, as part of an extremely generous plea deal he received from then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acostas office in 2007, Epstein provided what the government called valuable consideration for unspecified information he supplied to federal investigators. The Herald said it was unclear what information, if any, Epstein shared with law enforcement. And Vicky Ward reported for The Daily Beast last August that Acosta later told Trump transition team officials that Epsteins case was connected to intelligence matters. He went on to become Secretary of Labor. I was told Epstein belonged to intelligence and to leave it alone, Acosta privately told Trump transition team officials before his confirmation, per Wards story. Story continues On July 8, 2019, the Justice Department charged Epstein with sex trafficking of underage girls. In a lengthy press conference two days later, Acosta fielded a question about whether or not the sexual predator was an intelligence asset. So, there has been reporting to that effect, he said obliquely, per The Washington Examiner. And let me say, theres been report to a lot of effects in this case. Not just now but over the years. And again, I would, I would hesitate to take this reporting as fact. Acostas efforts to explain his generous treatment of the serial rapist were not enough to save his job; after facing blistering criticism, he resigned from the Trump administration on July 19. Epstein was found dead in his prison cell less than a month later. The New York City Medical Examiners Office said the death was a suicide; a private pathologist hired by Epsteins brother said it could have been a homicide, as The New York Times reported. Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Departments top watchdog was investigating the circumstances of Epsteins death. Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislane Maxwell had countless powerful friends and acquaintances. In 2002, future President Donald Trump said Epstein liked beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. Bill Clinton flew on Epsteins notorious private jet numerous times. And Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was photographed at a public event with Maxwell in 2013. Epsteins connections even extended to literal royalty; Prince Andrew spent a significant amount of time with him before his death, and stepped back from his royal duties after giving a trainwreck interview to the BBC about his relationship with the serial child rapist. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Protesters throw brickbats during clashes between a group of anti-CAA protesters and supporters of the CAA. (PTI) The Delhi police has arrested over 514 people for their involvement in the Delhi violence. Shops and schools were closed and many streets were deserted with police making announcements that no one should come out of their homes. There has been heavy deployment of police in the rioted areas of the city to avoid any possibility of violence. More forces have been deployed at mosques in the area for the Friday prayers, the government said. No incidents of violence has been reported since Wednesday morning, it said in a statement late on Thursday. A mother whose child fell onto train tracks at Shankill Dart Station last Thursday has praised the actions of a young man who jumped down to lift her daughter to safety. Kirsten Murphy, who lives in Wicklow town, was travelling to Dublin and had driven as far as Shankill to get the Dart. She was at the platform with her 10-month-old baby and two-year-old daughter. As the train came to a stop, she rolled her buggy towards the door to press the button on one of the last carriages. 'In a split second, my toddler fell and landed on the train line,' she said. The door of the train was open and a family on board came running towards her. Kirsten screamed for someone to push the emergency button to alert the driver and prevent the train moving. A young man who was getting off the train, closer to the front, bolted down the platform, jumped down and lifted Kirsten's daughter Sarah up, handing her to another man. 'That train had started its journey in Greystones and every hero who helped us that day was already on board the train,' said Kirsten. 'There's no words to do justice to the gratitude I feel for those folk,' said Kirsten. She said they included a lady called Susan and a man called Alan, as well as the young lad who jumped down, and the family who came to them. 'I will forever be so incredibly grateful to you all. You are all my heroes.' She said that the whole think happened quickly, but at the time it felt like ages. 'I heard a cry, looked down and she was lying right beside the metal track,' said Kirsten. 'I just started screaming.' She described sobbing once she had Sarah back in her arms. She said she doesn't know who the young man is who lifted her daughter up. Remarkably, he jumped down a second time to retrieve the little girl's hat from the track. 'I got on the train and people onboard were looking after us, but he was gone,' she said. A woman on the train phoned Kirsten's husband for her, and he met her in Dublin. Another man, Alan, was supposed to be getting off at Grand Canal Dock for his last day in work, but accompanied Kirsten to Tara Street, where she was getting off. 'Someone on Greystones Open Forum knew Susan, so we think we will be able to speak to her to thank her,' said Kirsten. 'People really looked out for us,' she said. 'In every case where a horrible incident has occurred, you will always have people who will be your heroes.' Kirsten said that the gap at Shankill station between the platform and train is too large. 'It's incredibly dangerous,' she said, urging people to be extremely careful at the station. 'I was nearly sick with the shock,' said Kirsten. 'Even now I feel a lump in my throat just thinking about it. I was absolutely hysterical.' Sarah has a large bruise on her hip from landing on the line but is otherwise uninjured, and doesn't seem to be troubled by what happened. Kirsten's husband Tim has contacted Irish Rail and submitted an incident report. He has also reported the incident to gardai. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore said that she will raise the incident with Irish Rail and the Minister for Transport. 'This is an extremely concerning incident and must have been very frightening for Kirsten and Sarah,' said Deputy Whitmore. 'I would like to thank those passengers that immediately jumped to their aid - their quick action and bravery may have prevented a tragedy. Kirsten said that since Sarah's fall, she has heard stories of other similar falls have occurred, including two people on the same frosty morning the previous week, and a woman who reported falling into the gap 30 years ago at the same station. The Murphy family moved to Wicklow from Killiney last year. Kirsten said that the reason she went to Shankill station was that she was familiar with the station. Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Saturday said he will file a defamation suit against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly levelling false allegations against him in connection with the diversion of buprenorphine tablets from private de-addiction centres (PDAC). Speaking in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, Majithia had sought Sidhu's dismissal from the cabinet, alleging that five crore tablets of buprenorphine, a scheduled drug, worth Rs 200 crore had gone missing from the PDCAs. Describing Majithia's allegations as "baseless and fallacious", Sidhu said he will file a defamation suit against the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader. The previous SAD-BJP government "totally failed" to break the supply line of drugs and now the Akalis are trying to divert people's attention by politicising the issue, the health minister said. Sidhu said the PDACs are authorised to directly purchase medicines from pharmaceutical companies and the health department has no role in the process. The difference in online and offline records of medicines was noticed by the health department itself. After that, to ensure 100 per cent data entry online, show cause notices have been issued to the PDACs, he added. Sidhu said he has directed Principal Secretary Anurag Aggarwal to conduct a thorough audit of all the PDACs. He said he has also asked Aggarwal to ensure that treatment of patients is not affected during the audit. He added that he is personally monitoring the issue and legal action will be taken after an analysis of the online and offline records of the PDACs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) They played a coupla wiseguys in The Sopranos. Now, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa are launching a podcast dedicated to the iconic series that has defined their careers. Imperioli and Schirripa, aka Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccala Baccalieri Jr., have teamed up to launch the Talking Sopranos podcast in April. They announced the project in a trailer for the show posted to YouTube Wednesday. Weve been talking about doing this podcast for quite a long time, Schirripa says in the trailer. I think we have a lot to say and a lot to tell the people out there about what went on with the show. Both will be rewatching the series from beginning to end. Imperioli, who wrote five episodes of The Sopranos," says he hasnt seen the show since it first aired. Schirripa, 61, and Imperioli, 53, have remained friends since the series wrapped with a cut to black in 2007. They say they will be inviting guest stars from the series as well as directors and writers of episodes and locations managers to join them on the podcast, which will launch on Spotify and Apple. They will also be taking questions from fans ... with one caveat, Schirripa says Besides What was the ending all about? What Im interested in is the casting, Schirripa says. I wanna know what other people were up for what roles. Ive heard things over the years, but to me, I cant picture anyone else in the roles than the people who did it. But Id like to know that." I also think theres more people watching Sopranos now than watched it back then, he says. In November, months after series creator David Chase and the cast of the show marked the 20th anniversary of the 1999 premiere on HBO, thousands of fans gathered at the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus for the first SopranosCon. At the fan convention, series diehards stood in line for hours to get autographs and photos from talents like Dominic Chianese, who played Uncle Junior, Vincent Pastore, who played Sal Big Pussy Bonpensiero, and Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri. Its as popular today as it was back then," Schirripa says of the series. I think the Sopranos fanbase is some of the most loyal, says Imperioli, who currently stars in the NBC series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, which films inside the former Izod Center in East Rutherford. The Sopranossance will continue when the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark comes to theaters on Sept. 25. Satriale's was recreated on Market Street in Paterson for the forthcoming "Sopranos" prequel movie "The Many Saints of Newark." Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Michael Gandolfini, 20, son of series star James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, plays a young Tony in the New Line movie, co-written by Chase and directed by Alan Taylor. The Many Saints of Newark" filmed scenes depicting the 1967 riots in Newark last spring, in and around Branford Place. Michael Gandolfini also filmed at Holstens in Bloomfield, the last place fans saw Tony in the show. On Market Street in Paterson, set designers resurrected Satriales Pork Store, which was surrounded by 1960s grocery stores and muscle cars for the occasion. The movies cast includes Oscar-nominated actress Vera Farmiga (The Departed), who graduated high school in Flemington. Farmiga will possibly play Tonys mother, Livia Soprano (though that is not confirmed). Alessandro Nivola plays young Tonys mentor, Dickie Moltisanti, father to Imperiolis Christopher in the series. The name Moltisanti is key to the movies title, as it translates to many saints." Other stars of the film are Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Unions own Ray Liotta, Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), John Magaro (Chases Not Fade Away), Corey Stoll (First Man), Billy Magnussen (Aladdin) and Italian actress Michela De Rossi. 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. Yes, as it turns out: fresh from her appointment as a Member in the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours list, Arndt felt compelled to defend the actions of Rowan Baxter, who doused his wife and three children in petrol in Brisbane the week before last, and burned them to death. Most peoples thoughts went straight to the victims who died in terror. Not Arndts. She congratulated Queensland police for keeping an open mind on whether Baxter might have been driven too far. Note the misplaced outrage, she tweeted. How dare police deviate from the feminist script of seeking excuses ... and explanations when women stab their partners to death, or drive their children into dams but immediately judging a man in these circumstances as simply representing the evil violence that is in all men. This attitude is what every victim of domestic violence fears she will encounter if she manages to seek help. Arndts comments focused attention on her Australia Day honour, culminating in the past week in bipartisan support for a Labor Senate motion moving that the values that underpin Ms Arndts views on the Baxter family murders were not consistent with her retaining her Order of Australia. State and federal politicians from both sides have written to the Council for the Order of Australia urging it to reconsider the honour. Should Arndt be stripped of her AM? Why was she awarded it in the first place? Her recent remarks were no real surprise. Her attitudes and beliefs, played out over the decades she has courted publicity, have always been on open display. She began as an editor and writer. Somewhere along the way she devolved into a reactionary who makes a living decrying an alleged feminist conspiracy that is ruining the lives of men. She defends mens rights, which to her means attacking women. She is not a clinical psychologist, yet in her many media appearances, including on Bolts television show, the tag on the screen describes her as one. Hannah Clarke, pictured with son Trey. Credit:Facebook Her honours citation was for significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men". Since when did social commentary of any sort, but particularly hers, constitute a service? Why give her a higher gong than the quiet heroes of the OAM list, which is crowded with nurses, aged-care workers, farmers, community volunteers, interfaith clerics, doctors and conservationists? The honours process is executed on behalf of all Australians yet it is utterly opaque. The Order of Australia has four categories, starting at the top with an Companion of the Order (AC), then down in order of eminence to Officer of the Order (AO), Member of the Order (AM, which Arndt was appointed) and Medal of the Order (OAM). The Order of Australia Council, chaired by former Liberal politician Shane Stone, AC, meets twice a year to wade through nominations sent in by the public and prepared by the secretariat. (Stone is the former Country Liberal chief minister of the Northern Territory, and the citation for his own AC included services to politics.) Referees are contacted and interviewed, and nominees are not supposed to know who has nominated them. The councils decisions do not have to be unanimous. Beyond that, the decision-making process is anyones guess. Stories abound of public relations consultancies preparing the nominations on behalf of their well-connected, rich clients. One prominent Sydney PR (who refuses such requests) told me they usually come in two forms from companies wanting their executives nominated and individuals who want an honour but need it to look like someone else has nominated them. Loading The council comprises community representatives and the secretaries of the governors of the states and territories. The community representatives are philanthropist Rupert Myer, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, Professor Matthew Vadas, former clerk of the House of Representatives Bernard Wright, former WA Liberal politician Cheryl Edwardes, corporate consultant Gabrielle Trainor, and Amelia Hodge, CEO of the Australian Property Institute. Ex-officio members are Senator Mathias Cormann (who was not present when Arndt's honour was signed off), ADF chief Angus Campbell, and a public servant from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. I tried to contact all the community representatives barring Wright (for whom I could not find a number) over the past week but received no responses other than from the office of Hodge, who was overseas. After putting questions about Arndts appointment, I received a statement from Stone that the council would consider the correspondence regarding Arndts honour in a methodical way and, once considerations were concluded, it would inform the member of the outcome. Loading The councils consideration of any individual matter is based on factual information and not by external pressure or lobbying, Stone wrote. Neither the Council or I will be providing a running commentary on our deliberations. 1 Can't Help Falling In Love/Rock-A-Hula Baby Elvis Presley 2 The Young Ones Cliff Richard 3 Let's Twist Again Chubby Checker 4 Forget Me Not Elen Kane 5 Walk On By Leroy Van Dyke 6 Run To Him Bobby Vee 7 Cryin' In The Rain The Everly Brothers 8 Wimoweh Karl Denver 9 Little Bitty Tear Burl Ives 10 I'd Never Find Another You Billy Fury Classic love song 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was recorded by Elvis Presley for the soundtrack of his 1961 movie 'Blue Hawaii'. It was released in the UK in 1962 as a double-A side single with 'Rock-A-Hula-Baby' but 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was the impetus for the drive to number one and the subsequent four weeks at the top of the UK chart. Even though it sold more than a million in the US, 'Can't Help Falling In Love' failed to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two behind Joey Dee and the Starliters' 'Peppermint Twist'. By the time 'Can't Help Falling In Love' reached the top of the UK charts, the 'Blue Hawaii' soundtrack was already a top selling album. It spent 20 consecutive weeks at the top of the US album charts, a record not broken until 1977 by Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'. The melody to 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was based on French song 'Plaisir D'Amour', penned by German Jean-Paul Egide-Martini in 1784. 'Can't Help Falling In Love' co-writer George Weiss, a one time president of the Songwriters Guild of America, also wrote Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' and 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight', a No. 1 hit for The Tokens which was based on 1939 song 'Mbube' by South African musician Solomon Linda. 'Can't Help Falling In Love' was one of 21 Elvis Presley number one hits in the UK. The total, which includes three singles from his Noughties reissues campaign, makes Elvis the artist with most UK chart-topping singles, four ahead of The Beatles, and seven ahead of Cliff Richard and Westlife. 'Can't Help Falling In Love' finally reached No.1 in the US in 1993 courtesy of a cover version from UB40 that also topped the UK charts. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion curated for you. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. SC verdict on referring Article 370 case to larger bench on Monday Supreme Court will decide on Monday if the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that granted special privileges to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir should be heard by a larger bench of not less than seven judges. Read More PM Modis blueprint for Bundelkhands development has an expressway in it Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for nearly 300 km long Bundelkhand Expressway on Saturday afternoon at Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and said it will play a vital role in expediting the work for the defence corridor and also boost the economy of the backward region. Read More Schools in violence-affected northeast Delhi to remain closed till March 7 The Delhi government has postponed annual school examinations up to March 7 in violence-hit northeast Delhi. All schools in the riot-affected areas of the capital will remain closed till March 7, the Directorate of Education Examination cell announced on Saturday. Read More Michael Vaughan tears into Virat Kohli and Co after meek show in Christchurch Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised Team India after their meek performance on the opening day of second Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. Fast-bowler Kyle Jamieson scalped five wickets as India were bundled out for 242. Read More Shruti Haasan shares her struggle with PCOS Shruti Haasan has opened up about what leads to her fluctuating weight and why she chose to get lip fillers, days after her hard-hitting social media post on body-shaming. The actor has revealed she suffers from PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and dysmenorrhea and got lip fillers after being told that she didnt look Indian enough for films. Read More If Apple launched a foldable iPhone, this is how it might look like The short video of the concept iPhone 12 Flip posted on Instagram shows the folded handset that has half the thickness of Samsung Galaxy Flip and with a larger screen on the outside than the foldable Moto Razr smartphone. Read More Manish Malhotra on life struggles, his inspiring journey from boutique worker to ace couturier Bollywoods favourtie fashion designer Manish Malhotra on Friday opened up about his life story starting from his childhood, initial struggles, and how his mother encouraged him to pursue his dreams. In an interview with the Instagram handle, Humans of Bombay, the 53-year-old model-turned-couturier revealed that he grew up in a typical Punjabi household and was always fascinated with Bollywood. Read More Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29 2020 High alert: A paramilitary soldier stands guard outside a chemists shop in a riot-affected area after clashes erupted between people demonstrating for and against a new citizenship law in New Delhi on Friday.(Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri) The Indonesian government has conveyed its concerns over the recent deadly riots in New Delhi, as anger mounts in the predominantly Muslim country over what local Islamic groups say is anti-Muslim violence in India. The Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it had called the Indian ambassador in Jakarta to discuss the riots that have claimed dozens of lives. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login A federal appeals court on Friday blocked a key asylum policy of Donald Trump's administration which has forced many applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed, delivering a blow to the US president's signature crackdown on migration at the southern border. The policy, known as "Remain in Mexico", has been used to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America back to Mexico, but was placed on hold by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The court ruled that the policy "is invalid in its entirety" under US law concerning migrant rights and UN refugee protocols, and should be blocked "in its entirety". The court had originally allowed the policy to go ahead last year, pending the appeal, overruling a district judge who had ruled against the measure. The district judge had heard evidence that migrants returned to Mexico under the policy faced discrimination, physical violence, sexual assault, corruption and lack of food and shelter. Some 59,000 people have been returned to Mexico under the programme since it was introduced in January 2019, according to official figures released Thursday. The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups that challenged the policy in court, welcomed the ruling Friday. "The court forcefully rejected the Trump administration's assertion that it could strand asylum seekers in Mexico and subject them to grave danger," said attorney Judy Rabinovitz in a statement. "It's time for the administration to follow the law and stop putting asylum seekers in harm's way." "The policy is facially and flatly illegal," tweeted Harvard Law School constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe. But a Department of Justice spokesman said the Trump administration had "acted faithfully" and slammed the ruling which "highlights the consequences and impropriety of nationwide injunctions". The court's decision "not only ignores the Constitutional authority of Congress and the administration for a policy in effect for over a year, but also extends relief beyond the parties before the court". Trump promised to build a wall along most of the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometre) US-Mexico border -- paid for by Mexico -- during his 2016 presidential campaign. But the number of detained migrants soared as hundreds of thousands of people, mostly from Central America, poured into the US, with many seeking asylum. A crackdown including the "Remain in Mexico" policy has seen border apprehensions plunge in recent months. The figure stood at fewer than 37,000 last month, from more than 58,000 a year earlier. In a separate ruling Friday, the same appeals court also struck down the Trump policy of blocking anyone entering illegally, without going through an official port of entry, from applying for asylum. "Together, the two decisions represent a significant setback for the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum applications," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor. "This issue is surely headed to the Supreme Court," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CLEVELAND, Ohio Benette Renee Smith loved to write poetry and sing. Family members described her as sweet, gentle and artistically talented, but her life was one of struggles. The 54-year-old grandmother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and wrestled with drug addiction for most of her adult life. Like many Americans without ready access to mental-health services or addiction and recovery services, Smith often spent time living on the streets, bouncing between shelters and jails where mental-heath treatment is often sparse. Family members said they grew concerned for Smiths safety when she didnt respond to phone calls and text messages on Jan. 23 as they tried to wish her a happy birthday. Within three weeks, they would learn her grisly fate. Cleveland firefighters discovered her dismembered body Feb. 19 in a smoldering brush pile in a field near train tracks in the citys Collinwood neighborhood. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner on Wednesday identified her with DNA analysis and Cleveland police are investigating the case as a suspected homicide. The medical examiner has not made an official ruling on how she died, and as of Saturday, Cleveland police have made no arrests or released any details about a possible suspect. Smiths death horrified her family and left them saddened and searching for answers to who took her life. I dont know what kind of evil monster could do this, her brother Bobby Jones said. Its hard to fathom the evilness among us. What could you do to make someone do that to you? She had her demons, as we all do, but she was a sweet soul. She dealt with her issues as best she could. The lack of affordable and accessible mental-health resources has created an undue burden on communities throughout the United States. Much of the fallout of Americas mental-health crisis falls to the criminal-justice system, which in recent years has struggled to cope with jails packed with the drug addicted and people with mental illnesses. The U.S. Department of Justice estimated that 37 percent of the federal prison population alone included people who suffer from mental illness. Five of the nine deaths in the Cuyahoga County Jail between 2018 and 2019 were suicides, and three were the result of drug overdoses. Community leaders here Thursday urged county officials to provide more crisis centers for people with mental illness or drug addictions as an alternative to jail. The county budgeted $2.5 million for the center and MetroHealth pitched in $1 million. Smith grew up in Painesville and was one of 10 children. Her death marked the second tragedy that befell her siblings. Her brother, Robert Jones, was a state champion wrestler at Painesville Harvey High School. He was stabbed to death on Christmas Eve 1982, when Smith was 15. That really affected our family, Smiths sister, Kim Woodford, said. Smith loved writing poetry from a young age, and continued to share her poems with her family. She cooked dinners for her family, specializing in soups, Woodford said. She loved to be around the family, Woodford said. But she was a free spirit and she wanted to live on her own terms. She cycled through periods of being off her medication, using crack cocaine and getting arrested, mostly for petty crimes, followed by stretches where she seemed fine. She was arrested several times beginning in 1989 for drug possession or fights. Her brother-in-law, Phillip Magee, a 30-year administrator for the Illinois prison system, said she received little or no care for her mental illness during her stretches in jail or prison. At least four of her convictions were for fights that happened while she was in custody, which only prolonged the time she spent in jail. Theres not a person who got more additional time served for more minor offenses than her, Magee said. She wasnt a criminal. But the system had nothing available or anyone to help figure out what to do with her. They didnt have the will to provide services. When she left the jail system, she often went to group homes that provided some treatment, but not the best. She would convince herself that someone was trying to harm her or that the treatment wasnt working and either lashed out at people or left, according to family members and police reports. She would stay for a time with family members, but wanted to live on her own. She spent time in and out of homeless shelters in Cleveland, according to Cleveland police reports. She lived at the Harbor Light substance abuse treatment facility in March 2019, when police were called because Smith was suicidal and asked to go to a hospital to get medication, according to police reports. Treatment seemed to help, family members said, but it was rarely continuous to the degree in which she required. Despite her struggles, she maintained relationships with her family and her daughters, her sister, Paula Magee said. Her family suspected nothing out of the ordinary in her day-to-day life in the months leading up to her death. Along with her siblings, she attended a Jan. 10 funeral for a cousin. Four days after the funeral, staff at the Norma Herr Womens Shelter in downtown Cleveland took her to University Hospitals after she said that she wanted to harm herself or others. She also claimed that she hid a gun somewhere. She was eventually transferred to a hospital in Lake County. Her cousin, Paul Harden, picked her up from the hospital. Harden said Smith seemed fine and talked about buying some shoes and picking up money from Western Union. Harden said he told Smith she could live with him for a while once he got settled into his new home. She was going in and out of group homes and treatment and no one could pinpoint to get her back upright in her life, Harden said. She slipped through the cracks somehow. Her family members said they never believed Smith was in any danger of being targeted for a violent crime. Its evil, Paula Magee said. Its unnecessary evil. Nothing justifies that. She was very kind. Read more from cleveland.com: Teen theft ring tied to 42 lightning-fast car thefts, purse snatchings from unlocked cars in Cleveland, suburbs, prosecutors say 5-year-old boy started fire in Cleveland house because he was hungry, left home alone, police say Cuyahoga County Jail officer convicted in inmate beating will likely serve prison time in protective custody Leroy Little Bear grew up observing the land and its creatures on Canadas largest Indigenous reserve, the Blood Tribe, in southwestern Alberta. He remembers as a child watching the geese migrate south and the deer fleeing to the mountains for shelter as the winter cold approached. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Leroy Little Bear grew up observing the land and its creatures on Canadas largest Indigenous reserve, the Blood Tribe, in southwestern Alberta. He remembers as a child watching the geese migrate south and the deer fleeing to the mountains for shelter as the winter cold approached. "But now the geese stay out the year long," Little Bear says. "And the deer stay out on the plains." Little Bear, now in his 70s, is an Order of Canada recipient and a professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge. He says Indigenous communities have known about climate change for at least five or six decades, and that was knowledge that came from the direct observations of and connection with the land. "The western way of thinking about science is all about measurement," he says. "And anything you cannot measure is not science. For native people, its not so much about measurement. It really is about relationships and relational networks." Little Bear, an Order of Canada recipient and a professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, says Indigenous communities have known about climate change for at least five or six decades based on direct observations of and connection with the land. (Supplied) The complexities of how the world is changing cant be described by the number of degrees it warms, he says, it also has to be about understanding how that warming disrupts the entire ecosystem. Coming at this issue from a western science perspective, Scott Higgins agrees that climate-change implications are much more complex than many understand. Higgins is a research scientist at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Winnipeg-based think tank. "If you only knew the annual average change in air temperature, youd miss a lot," Higgins says. But as Little Bear points out, climate change isnt a future problem; its impacts have been felt for decades. The magnitude of those repercussions will only continue to grow with time, unless global carbon emissions are slowed, and then virtually stopped. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change drew a proverbial line in the sand and told world leaders that changes needed to be made in the next 12 years if there is any hope of keeping warming to 1.5 C. Warming beyond that is incompatible with human civilization as we know it. The risk of conflict, famine, disease and natural disasters all rise significantly even if there is only another half-degree of warming that takes place, according to the same IPCC report. Rising sea levels might be what most people think of when they think of climate change but that doesnt mean this region is immune to other effects. Here in Manitoba, climate change is triggering greater spring rains and warmer temperatures in both winter and summer, for starters. "The western way of thinking about science is all about measurement and anything you cannot measure is not science. For native people, its not so much about measurement. It really is about relationships and relational networks." Little Bear More rain in the spring doesnt just mean you need a better umbrella, it affects waterways, the kind of crops that can thrive in our landscape, even how we build our cities infrastructure. The spillover effects are endless and complex. Higgins conducts his research at the freshwater research facility known as the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. The facility is meant to conduct whole-ecosystem experiments, but more than 50 years ago, researchers started tracking air and water temperatures (among other things) as part of their control data and, inadvertently, they started tracking local climate change. The ELA data independently demonstrates that this region like much of Canada and other northern countries is witnessing warming that far outpaces the global average. This has been corroborated by federal research numbers that say the Prairies have already warmed by 1.9 C between 1946 and 2016, compared with the global average of 0.8 C. "(Its) a lot faster than the global average, but it is pretty standard for the latitude that were at," Higgins says. "I get a number of people who tell me, Just so you know, I dont believe in climate change. So I say, Well, lets just look at the data." Higgins says for many people, having that chance to see the raw data for themselves, gathered in their own backyard, changes their perspective. Scott Higgins, research scientist at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area Inc, poses for a portrait in his office in Winnipeg. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press) Internationally recognized climate modelling allows us to take a look past what is already happening towards what the future holds. For example, in a hypothetical future world one where weve collectively acted to lower emissions, starting now there will still be nearly two degrees of warming (1.7 C), on average, globally by 2050. But here in the Prairies, thats expected to be higher, at roughly 2.8 C. Expand the timeline to the end of the century, and that difference has expanded to 2.2 C and 4.3 C, respectively. And thats the optimistic version of events. This assumes that annual carbon emissions start declining, which is the exact opposite of whats happening. In 2018, carbon emissions increased by 2.8 per cent over 2017; the fastest rate of increase seen in years. Though the totals arent in yet, emissions from 2019 are expected to have climbed again, according to estimates from the international research consortium, the Global Carbon Project. Realistically, the ambitious goal of restraining warming to 1.5 C, originally set by the IPCC in 2018 has become unattainable. Emissions would have to drop by roughly 15 per cent per year in order to achieve that goal. So now we aim for the global two-degree scenario (what ends up being more than four degrees for Winnipeggers). Lets hope that target doesnt also pass us by, but it cant be taken for granted that it wont. In a less-optimistic climate forecasting model, wherein humans continue to emit carbon at status quo levels, things quickly become dire for this region, and for the rest of the world. In this scenario, globally, temperatures will rise by 4.0 C by the end of the century. In the Canadian Prairies, it will be more like 6.6 C. "What that means is, winters as we know it, are gone," says Danny Blair, a University of Winnipeg climatologist and the Director of Science for the Prairie Climate Centre. "Winter is a really important part of our climate, a really important part of our ecosystem, of our culture, an important part of our hydrology for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous (communities)." How much snow falls is changing, and when lakes freeze and thaw is shifting. That means less time during the winter that ice roads will be reliable, which will have a significant impact on the more remote parts of the province. Take Churchill, for example. On average from 1976 to 2005, the town had 50 days each year that temperatures dropped below -30 C. In the 2050-80 period, the average is projected to shrink to eight days. Blair says, until now, most of the warming has happened in the winter but soon more significant changes will occur at other times of the year, as well. Winter is a really important part of our climate, a really important part of our ecosystem, of our culture, an important part of our hydrology for both Indigenous and nonIndigenous (communities). Danny Blair, Director of Science for the Prairie Climate Centre. In this scenario in Winnipeg, spring rain is expected to increase by 17 per cent, but decrease by three per cent in the summer. More than an entire month of days at or above 30 C would be added to the calendar. Blair admits that many peoples first response to that news is that a warmer climate might not be such a bad thing, but that perspective likely fails to consider the consequences. To start, heat waves kill people. Two people died in southern Manitoba last summer, and 66 died in a single heat wave in Montreal in 2018. Higher temperatures mean more forest fires, creating more smoke blowing across the country. Its also an economic problem. Winnipeg city council will soon be mulling a $2.6-million funding request for the purposes of implementing a climate action plan. Economists are still debating how much this will cost when all factors are tallied, but the most pessimistic estimates are grim, indeed. A recent working paper by the International Monetary Fund cited one study that pegged the hit to global GDP to be 23 per cent by 2100. That study made it clear that the economic pain would not be divvied up equally, estimating that per capita GDP in South and Southeast Asia, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa would fall by as much as 80 per cent. More than money lost, international leaders of developing nations are trying to hold developed countries, such as Canada, accountable for their role in allowing climate change to threaten some of the most vulnerable regions of the world. The climate ambassador for the Marshall Islands, Tony de Brum, has called even a two-degree scenario (thats the optimistic one) the equivalent of genocide. "Displacements of populations and destruction of cultural language and tradition is equivalent, in our minds, to genocide," de Brum told Radio New Zealand in 2015. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But we need not look to faraway countries; climate change is destroying key aspects of culture right here in Canada. Little Bear recalls how one of the ceremonies important to his people is meant to happen after the first thunder of the spring. As rains come earlier and earlier, the ceremony and all of the other relationships that were once held between the first thunder and the ecosystem are now broken. "Imagine if you are a Christian and all of the crosses from your town were removed. And maybe we go further and say all of the little churches on street corners were removed," he says. "What kind of impact would that have on you? "You would still have all of your beliefs, but theres just something missing. Right? Well that is similar (to this). How the climate is changing is affecting certain patterns that the culture is based on." sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca Last Sunday, in answer to a question from Henry Ridgeway, this column traced the history of city-owned housing project Stinson Homes. The community began with leftover World War II barracks that had been built at Stinson Field, as the municipal airport was known at the time. The barracks were renovated after the war to provide affordable apartments during a critical housing shortage. The property, which turned a profit for the city, declined over the years because of lack of maintenance while it was operated by the San Antonio Housing Authority. The community was closed and razed during the mid-1960s. On ExpressNews.com: Postwar housing near Stinson Field profitable for San Antonio city government That was the focus of the column, but a former resident wrote to remind us that the project started with good intentions. The barracks were built to house soldiers at the Stinson Field Air Depot Training Station, part of the Air Service Command that was charged with the supply and maintenance of U.S. Army Air Forces installations. Stinson received commendations for excellence in its mission of training air depot groups as welders, sheet-metal workers, radio and weapons repair technicians, electricians, parachute riggers, medics, clerks and truck drivers who would be ready to work together to keep planes flying anywhere in the world. San Antonios first city airport was requisitioned by the Army Air Forces on June 6, 1942. The first personnel to serve there lived and worked in portable huts, while a contractor built barracks that were ready Jan. 1, 1943. These were mostly two-story buildings containing large open rooms furnished with not much more than bunk beds. At wars end, the airfield, with its barracks and other community buildings, was turned over to the city. First called Stinson Village, it was converted to housing for war veterans. B.L. Craighead was one of them. I think my wife read in the paper about Stinson Homes opening and how and where to apply for an apartment, he wrote. Since in those days, housing was at a premium, she wasted no time in getting our application in to the City of San Antonio. Craighead had trained elsewhere, at Sheppard Field near Wichita Falls and in a college training detachment at Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham, Ala. exposed to the approximate training as at West Point, as the war was winding down. We even got 10 hours of flight training; pretty heady stuff for an 18-year-old. Back in San Antonio when it was over, the young Craigheads, then parents of a newborn son, were living with his parents and other family members in a two-bedroom, one-bath home on Zercher Road. It was crowded with eight of us, he said. Both the San Antonio Express and San Antonio Light announced plans early in 1946 to redevelop the Stinson barracks for veterans, with preference to be given to those with children. The two-story buildings were converted into six or eight apartments each, from one-room efficiencies to three-bedroom units. A former officers club was redesigned to house 28 families. In total, according to the Express, July 3, 1946, planners projected eight one-room apartments, 156 one-bedrooms, 184 two-bedrooms and 32 three-bedrooms, to accommodate 380 families. There was some thought of equipping it to be a self-sustaining community, using the former military theater, commissary and chapel to perform the same functions for the veterans and their families. Later on, occasional use was made of the nonresidential buildings, but lack of convenient goods and services was a drawback. On ExpressNews.com: Top-notch female aviator Katherine Stinson part of family that opened air field The Stinson apartments were supposed to be ready by September 1946, but postwar shortages of construction materials slowed the project. The Craigheads were among about 1,100 applying for the 435 units that eventually became available. The apartments were rented as they became ready; the first 50 families moved into the renovated barracks described by the Army during the handover to the city as semipermanent housing in mid-November 1946. The young veterans, wives and children left their in-laws, $100-a-month unfurnished apartments and park benches to move, with a sigh of relief, into the Stinson Field emergency housing project, reported the Light, Nov. 8, 1936. The first wave of tenants had tales of woe about their previous housing: flooded homes, country commutes and high rents for a place nobody would have. In comparison, the newly rehabbed spaces were clean and watertight, with gas stoves and iceboxes (not refrigerators; those had to be provided by tenants if desired) and an average rent of $35 a month. Most of the families realize that their homes are temporary and look forward to the day when materials are available and prices are reasonable enough for them to build a home of their own, the Light reported. The Craigheads moved in early in 1947, renting a two-bedroom upstairs unit for $35. This was a good deal, he said, but putting it in context, construction laborers (at that time) worked and raised their families on $6 a day, and skilled carpenters made $2 an hour, or $16 a day. Their new home had a separate kitchen and bath with a metal shower stall. Shower time was known by all, he remembers, because the stalls buckled and were so very noisy. The dividing walls between units were not insulated, so we had little sound privacy, but we didnt care. We were like one big, happy family and just so grateful to have our own apartment. As the housing shortage eased, and the young veterans moved out, the city repurposed the complex and opened applications to all, keeping the rents low with tenant services to match. historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn Meghalaya government clamped curfew, imposed restriction on mobile internet in six districts and ordered a quick probe in a bid to douse the flame of violence that broke out soon after an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act meeting in East Khasi Hills district on Friday killing a student union member. Tension gripped and violence broke out after a member of Khasi Students' Union (KSU) was attacked by a group of persons at the Ichamati area on Friday evening. A KSU member died and several others were seriously injured in the arson that broke out thereafter. Also read One dies as anti-CAA protesters attacked in Meghalaya, curfew imposed in Shillong Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told reporters in Shillong that the meeting ended peacefully but the situation turned tense following a clash that broke out thereafter. "We have taken the matter very seriously and have clamped curfew in that affected area. We have also imposed restrictions on the use of mobile internet as a precautionary measure and ordered a probe into the incident. We want to appeal to all to maintain calm and help the administration to nab those who were involved in the death," Sangma said. Sources said the KSU had held a public meeting to oppose the CAA and demanding introduction of Inner Line Permit system in the state to prevent "adverse impact" of the CAA on tribal population. But a group of residents there, who were apparently supporting CAA engaged in an argument and attacked the student. Curfew remained in force in Shillong on Saturday in order to prevent the spread of violence. "Message system like SMS and Whatsapp and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are likely to be used for transmission of information through pictures, video, and texts and have potential to cause serious breakdown of law and order," said a notification issued by Meghalaya home department. In a tweet, Governor Tathagata Roy appealed all in Meghalaya, tribal or non-tribal to maintain calm. "Don't spread rumours and don't listen to rumours. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma assured that he is taking all necessary steps, it said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 23:41:26|Editor: yhy Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- China is committed to strengthening cooperation against the novel coronavirus and other health challenges facing the globe, including those in Africa, a Chinese diplomat has said, while also praising international and regional solidarity with China since the outbreak. China has made remarkable progress in the battle against the coronavirus, and leaders of over 170 countries and more than 40 international organizations such as the United Nations have expressed solidarity with, sympathy and support for the country, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian told a press conference in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on Friday. The ambassador suggested that international and regional cooperation be expanded, and that good communication with the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as information and experience sharing with relevant countries be continued. Considering the declining trend of new cases and the rising numbers of recovered patients in China as positive signs, Tan expressed optimism over China's prospects for economic growth. Although there will be a moderation in economic growth for the first quarter, he said "we are confident that the economy will also bounce back. China will meet its economic and social development goals this year. It is our firm belief that China will prevail over this epidemic and emerge stronger." "China has made significant sacrifices. Our containment and mitigation efforts are paying off. The situation is witnessing positive changes across the country," he said, noting that the WHO said the epidemic in China, which peaked and plateaued between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2, has been declining steadily since then. "The Chinese government attaches great importance to international cooperation. The Chinese side has always followed the principles of openness, transparency, and acted with a responsible attitude with regard to international cooperation on COVID-19. In doing so, China has earned respect and support globally," Tan said. Noting China-Africa cooperation in public health has been going on for many years, Tan recalled that the Chinese government and people gave the continent a hand in its fight against the Ebola outbreak in 2014, braving difficulties and dangers and offering help by sending medical personnel, equipment and medicine. As China is combating the new virus, African countries and people have also provided it with various forms of support, which vividly illustrates the brotherly friendship between both sides. "Noting that African countries are also facing many challenges in epidemic prevention and control, China is willing to provide them with more medical supplies that are urgently needed, including test kits," the ambassador added. Speaking of the international students in central China's Hubei Province, the epicenter of the epidemic, the ambassador said that there are more than 5,400 international students in the province. "The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety, health and well-being of foreign nationals in China. The Foreign Ministry and other competent authorities have directed relevant local departments to do their level best to address difficulties encountered by foreign nationals," he said. Organizers of Chattanooga Engineers Week, or E-Week, are reaching out to Cleveland State Community College by providing a gift to help purchase two new robotic lego kits for campers who register for the 2020 STEAM Camps at CSCC. We have one week each year to celebrate engineers and engineering, said Lulu Copeland, Chattanooga E-Week organizer. But year-round, the E-Week Committee promotes STEM activities developing future engineers, including robotics camps and competitions. During E-Week, scholarships are presented to educational institutions and students for engineering and engineering technology programs. E-Week was held in Chattanooga on Feb. 20-22. We appreciate how the E-Week organizers have played a role in helping with the education of students throughout the year, said Dr. Bill Seymour, Cleveland State Community College president. Watching our STEAM Camps grow over the years has been energizing. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. The Summer STEAM enrichment program at Cleveland State Community College hosts camps in Cleveland, Athens, and Monroe County, Tennessee. The current Cleveland State STEAM Camps on the schedule for Summer 2020 are Multi-Media Camp, Musical Theater Camp, Balsa Bridge Camp, Jr. Naturalists Camp, Coding Camp, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Lego Robotics Camps. Two teenagers have been arrested after an arson attack on the premises of a disabled charity in Londonderry. The teenage boys, aged 13 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of arson and two counts of burglary. They were also arrested in relation to a burglary which occurred at a fast food outlet on the Bishop Street area sometime between 5:10am and 5:25am on Saturday morning. A sum of money was taken from a till inside the outlet and damage was caused to the door of the property. Both remain in police custody at this time. The attack on the charity's premises was widely condemned. Destined works with people with learning disabilities and last year opened its new North West Learning Disability Centre headquarters on Foyle Road in the city. Police received a report on Saturday morning that the business had been broken into. Two fires were reported in the kitchen and under the stairs of the building. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) dispatched appliances to the scene on Saturday morning. Fire crews with breathing apparatus entered the building with hoses and jets and the blaze was extinguished. Nobody was inside the property at the time of the incident. NIFRS Group Commander William Johnston said the fire was believed to be arson due to the two separate blazes. "It would be very unusual for two fires to start in different places in the same building," he said. "We have now handed the investigation over to the PSNI." SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he was "sickened" to hear the news, while his party colleague Mark H Durkan said he was "disgusted and angry". "There has been significant public investment there providing state of the art facilities to support the work being done with and by some of the most vulnerable members of our community," Foyle MLA Mr Durkan said. "Those responsible would need to catch themselves on and consider the consequences of their actions on the community." Expand Close Police sealed the area off on Saturday morning / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police sealed the area off on Saturday morning Sinn Fein's Karen Mullan said that those behind the break in destroyed the building's new kitchen for it's cafe. This centre not only provides activities and programmes for young people and adults with learning disabilities, but it also provides vital employment," the Foyle MLA said. The community are rightly devastated and will rally their support behind Destined. Anyone with any information or CCTV footage should contact the PSNI to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice for this despicable crime." DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton visited the "disgraceful scene" on Saturday morning. "Significant damage caused to the kitchen area with further damage done by the fire which was caused. Everyone will be rightly disgusted by this deliberate act of arson.," he said. PSNI Sergeant Michael Hughes appealed for information. Our enquiries are continuing in relation to both of these incident and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed anything suspicious at either the Bishop Street or Foyle Road areas of the city, to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 350 29/02/20. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. A 17-year-old minor was allegedly drugged and gang raped for 7 days in Odishas Keonjhar district, police said on Saturday. The girl who stays under Joda police station area of Keonjhar district was allegedly abducted by a person named Bhutan on February 21. The victims father alleged Bhutan drugged and raped his daughter along with three other accomplices. He looted all the jewellery of my daughter and raped her for the last 7 days. The assailants dumped her near Joda bus stand on Friday, the victims father wrote in his complaint. The girl has been admitted to a private hospital in the area after her condition turned critical. Joda police station inspector Raisen Murmu said it had begun a hunt for all the accused. Last week, minister of state (Home), Dibya Shankar Mishra told the state Assembly that Odisha witnessed a 17.9 per cent rise in rape cases in 2019 as compared to 2018. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A suspect in a series of commercial burglaries dating back to last September has been arrested, the San Francisco Police Department announced Friday. The arrest of 41-year-old Nicholus Summers of San Francisco was made Feb. 6 in the 200 block of Eddy Street. Summers had been identified as the suspect in three cases, starting Sept. 18, 2019 when a business in the 1000 block of Great Highway reported the loss of cash, computers and cellphones in a burglary. The second incident was on Jan. 31, when officers investigated a burglary at a business in the 1200 block of Folsom Street. A large window had been broken to enter the business, but police were told that nothing was missing. On Feb. 2, police were called to the 300 block of Page Street, where a safe that had been forced open was found. The safe had been taken from a business in the 300 block of Hayes Street the night before. "Evidence obtained from each incident led investigators to believe that the same suspect was responsible for all three incidents," police said in a news release, and Summers was identified as the suspect. He has been booked at San Francisco County Jail on three counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of vandalism and one count of grand theft. 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. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was slated to begin flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station this year, faces new questions about safety after a botched test flight in December. On Friday, Boeing revealed that ground controllers lost contact with Starliner 37 times during the mission, and investigators are still working to determine how to correct those issues. The company also confirmed that it had failed to run a full simulation of how the spacecraft's software would run during the two major stretches of the mission from liftoff to docking with the International Space Station and from undocking to landing. Such testing could have potentially detected software problems that caused Starliner to stumble off its path toward the International Space Station, forcing it to make an early landing. Boeing said it had completed "extensive" testing of the spacecraft's software ahead of the December test mission. But those tests only focused on isolated chunks of Starliner's code, John Mulholland, manager of Boeing's Starliner program, said during a briefing about the results of an independent investigation into what went wrong. Mulholland said the software testing team initially believed they were taking the best approach, and he insisted Boeing did not try to take shortcuts. "But obviously we have gaps to fill," Mulholland added. He noted Boeing plans to run more comprehensive software tests going forward and will revise its protocols. Mulholland's comments came after the Orlando Sentinel reported on Wednesday that members of an independent safety advisory panel were critical of Boeing for its failure to conduct a more complete end-to-end vetting of Starlliner's software. NASA announced earlier this month that it would launch a full-scale safety review of the company's work on Starliner. The inquiry is separate from the investigation into the problems that arose during the test mission. The space agency noted that there were "numerous instances where the Boeing software quality processes either should have or could have uncovered the defects." It's not clear whether Boeing will have to redo its uncrewed test flight before allowing astronauts on board. The company has already set aside $410 million to pay for a second test flight in case NASA orders one. Mulholland said that, at this point, Boeing and NASA believe they have identified how to correct and prevent the two major software errors that were identified during the December test flight. But the investigation isn't over: Officials are still working to determine what caused Starliner's communications issues, and they may not have answers until late March, a Boeing spokesperson said. The company previously revealed that Starliner flew through a communications blackout zone that prevented ground controllers from taking control of the spacecraft during crucial moments of the flight test. On Friday, Mulholland revealed Starliner encountered those dead periods dozens of times during flight. Boeing executives previously said those problems could have been caused by interference from cell towers on the ground. It's not yet clear if Starliner's on-board systems could be altered to avoid such interference. Boeing has worked for the past decade to prepare Starliner for crewed missions, ever since NASA retired its space shuttle program and asked the private sector to design spacecraft capable of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station. The space agency allocated $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX in 2014 for that task. Those contracts marked a new way of doing business for NASA: Rather than handling design and testing in house, as the space agency has done with all previous human spaceflight programs, it allowed the companies to design their own testing roadmaps. The space agency is still overseeing the process, and it signed off on Boeing's work before Starliner's December test flight. When asked for comment about the results of Starliner's review that were shared Friday, a NASA spokesperson said the agency would address the investigation at a joint press conference on March 6. NASA initially hoped Boeing's and SpaceX's new vehicles would be up and running by 2017. Meanwhile, the space agency has paid Russia to fly American astronauts to the space station aboard Soyuz spacecraft. SpaceX's Crew Dragon completed its last major testing milestone in January. The company now appears poised to gain approval from NASA to begin flying astronauts in the coming weeks or months. Starliner's December test flight, a mission years in the making, was designed to show that the vehicle can safely dock with the International Space Station. But it quickly took a wrong turn. The vehicle failed to fire its engines at the correct moment, causing it to burn through precious fuel as it attempted to stabilize itself on a wayward course. Officials said the problem prevented Starliner from safely linking up with the space station, and the spacecraft was forced to land in New Mexico days before it was supposed to. NASA and Boeing officials said in the immediate aftermath that Starliner missed its engine burn because of a software error that caused its internal clock to be 11 hours off. At the time, NASA did not rule out allowing Starliner to launch its first-ever crewed mission without repeating the test flight. Boeing and NASA stressed that Starliner managed to demonstrate a safe landing and proved other key elements, such as its life support systems, functioned properly. Then, members of an independent safety advisory panel revealed in early February that Boeing had identified a second, potentially more severe software issue during the mission, though ground controllers were able to correct that error before it impacted Starliner's performance. Boeing confirmed that information during a February 7 press conference. That error could have caused another misfire during the spacecraft's return specifically, when Starliner's crew cabin separated from a cylindrical service module before landing, according to Boeing and NASA officials. They said that the coding error, if left undetected, could have caused the service module to ram into the crew capsule, potentially causing serious damage. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Phyllis Eastcott, a Metis Second World War veteran, is surrounded by her grandchildren after receiving recognition for her service. (Michele LeTourneau/The Brandon Sun) RIVERS Friday was Phyllis Eastcotts day. But, at 98, she also represents the many Metis who never have received the Canadian governments recognition for wartime service. "Shes the 19th," said Metis National Council leader David Chartrand, who presented Eastcott with a $20,000 cheque at the Riverdale Personal Care Home in Rivers Friday morning. More than one million Canadians served in the Second World War. In June 2019, at a nation-to-nation negotiation table, the Metis and the federal government signed the $30-million Metis Veterans Recognition Payment Contribution Agreement. A Government of Canada website states "at least 3,000 First Nations members including 72 women enlisted, as well as an unknown number of Inuit, Metis, and other Indigenous people. The actual numbers were no doubt much higher." Metis National Council leader David Chartrand presented Metis elder Phyllis Eastcott with a $20,000 cheque at the Riverdale Personal Care Home in Rivers Friday morning. (Michele LeTourneau/The Brandon Sun) In 2002, the federal government compensated First Nations veterans with up to $20,000 for benefits they were denied after returning from the war. Benefits non-Indigenous people received at the time included money for clothing, "war service gratuities," and other monies the government calls "a financial head start." Chartrand, who is also president of the Manitoba Metis Federation and the minister of veterans affairs for the national council, has fought for this recognition for more than 20 years. "In Canada, we talk about reconciliation and how it should flow its way out in this country and how it should really clear unjust wrongs of the past. This has been a real wrong in our country. It was intentionally done because of a race of a people," Chartrand said. He also said many of Canadas prime ministers refused to acknowledge the real contribution made by Metis people, until Justin Trudeau became prime minister. "I made a promise to them (veterans) that I would never give up, and I never did. So I went through many different prime ministers in this country, different governments. And I was very fortunate to have Prime Minister Trudeau, who actually believes in reconciliation and walks the talk. And he proved that with this particular file. He made a promise to us," Chartrand said. Most importantly, he added, is the apology. Second World War Metis Veteran Phyllis Eastcott "Because in their heart of hearts, they (veterans) were out there; they were out there to champion and fight for his country, to fight for people who did not know. To go to a foreign land they never went to in their lives. But to find out, at the end of day, how the country would treat them so horrifically So many of them died young, so young. A lot of them died in their 50s or 60s, because they turned to alcohol as an escape route because they could not stand the horrific things they saw," he said. "Canada would not touch them." At the ceremony, Eastcott snoozed through a few speeches, but her character shone through the stories others told of her. Trained at CFB Shilo, Eastcott, then sporting her maiden name Hyde, served as a stenographer, bookkeeper and canteen operator. She also worked with the Canadian Womens Army Corps in Winnipeg, Fort Osborne and other locations in Canada. Its when she worked as a physicians assistant in Portage la Prairie, helping soldiers returning from the war, that she met her husband, Wilton "Slim" Eastcott. The couple settled in Rivers and raised three children: Wilton (George), Leslie, and Richard. George spoke emotionally at the ceremony. He told how his mother came from a family of 13 children, and she was one of five siblings who served. Other family members served, and some never made it home. "Mum grew up in Fisherton, just west of Fisher Branch. In them days, in 1922, if you were married to an Indian woman, you were shunned. So my grandfather always said they were white. My mum probably didnt know she was Metis till after," George said. Phyllis Eastcott, seen here with her 12 siblings, is one of five in her immediate family who served Canada during the Second World War. (Submitted) "My mum presents as white. I present as white." Eastcotts son also spoke of how his parents were foster parents for the Metis Federation. More than 25 children passed through their home, he said. Each one was part of the family. "It didnt matter white, black, green, purple. If you come to our house and it was dinnertime, mum would look around and say, Why dont we put another cup of water in the soup. Thats the way we were. We shared. Thats the way mum worked." In a biography provided by the family, its also noted Phyllis was a champion homemaker. "Her most beloved hobby was sewing and quilting. Her childrens clothing rivalled that of Paris fashion houses and her beloved quilts found their way into homes across Manitoba," according to the written biography. "Later, after her children moved out of the home, Phyllis transformed a main-floor bedroom of their home into a sewing room and spent many years sewing and shipping dresses and quilts to orphanages in developing countries." Royal Canadian Legion #75 president Dave Cluney thanked Eastcott and her family for their service and offered her an apology. He said he learned the previous night that years ago the legion refused the Eastcotts membership. "With your permission and your familys permission, I would like to correct that immediately," Cluney said. "On a personal note, I was raised to believe that veterans are veterans, Canadians are Canadians, people are people. You judge everyone by who they are, not what they are. And if our country thought that way, these sorts of things wouldnt happen." Chartrand said that while its 75 years late, the apology from the federal government matters. "Some (veterans) have shed tears. Were finally giving Phyllis her justice today. Seventy-five years ago, imagine she would have had a head-start in life, what her life would have been. I know that many that I saw, through veterans communities, when they got to head-start. Some became cattle ranchers Im talking non-Indigenous people. They did very well for themselves," he said. And while he doesnt begrudge those who did receive financial benefits to forge their way forward after the war, he wishes the same had been offered to the Metis. "Some lives werent as fruitful as they should have been." mletourneau@brandonsun.com Michele LeTourneau covers indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. Arpico Insurance PLC growing strong in 2020 View(s): Arpico Insurance PLC , a fully owned subsidiary of Richard Pieris & Company PLC with an ambitious plan to be a leading insurance provider in the country, has kick-started this year with six branch openings and achieved highest recorded sales. In the two months alone, the company established its presence in Batticaloa, Kalmunai, Ampara, Hanwella, Baddegama, and Embilipitiya as part of its rigorous branch expansion strategy. In January, the insurance provider recorded the highest ever sales figure for a month excluding its group life revenue, exhibiting over 100 per cent growth in new business for the month in comparison to January last year, the company said in a media release. The company said it continues to strengthen its portfolio and presently offers a range of plans such as endowment, term assurance, education, investment, retirement, group assurance, loan protection, relief amongst others. We are immensely proud of our progress in the recent years to be one of Sri Lankas fastest growing and most trusted insurance companies today backed by the strength and support of our parent group which has an outstanding reputation championing the hearts of the Sri Lankan community for over eight decades. We thank our customers, employees and stakeholders for helping us get this far. We are confident to reach greater heights in the insurance industry, said Harsha De Alwis, acting CEO of Arpico Insurance PLC. Visitors come to Sligo to sample the countys breathtaking scenery such as this view of iconic Ben Bulben from County Sligo Golf Club in Rosses Point Business sentiment in Sligo and across the country has slipped according to an industry survey undertaken by the Irish Hotels Federation ahead of its annual conference. While 40% of hotel and guesthouse owners across the country report an increase in business levels compared to this time last year, a slightly higher number (45%), are reporting a drop. With the survey also highlighting continued concerns around the high cost of doing business, business sentiment, not surprisingly, has slipped for the second year in a row. Just one third are reporting a positive outlook for the year, compared to 40% this time last year. Hoteliers' concerns about the high costs of doing business include what Michael Yates, Chair of the Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, described as 'hidden' costs, which he says aren't readily considered when discussing the challenges facing sector. "Local authority rates, for example, are the single biggest cost that tourism businesses have no control over. Hotels are making a disproportionate contribution to local authority funding with many hoteliers levied rates of up to 3,000 per bedroom while the average local authority rates equate to 1,500 per room." "A shake-up of local government funding is long overdue. We are calling on the incoming government to ensure a fairer distribution of the rates burden right across the country. "Hotels are willing to pay fair and reasonable rates but recent commercial revisions have led to excessive increases in many cases," he said. Higher water charges are another worry raised by members in the survey. Mr Yates said that hoteliers have serious concerns about the approach taken by Irish Water in relation to harmonisation and increases in the overall cost burden on businesses. "These proposals will impact significantly on our sector given the relatively high usage of water by hotels, particularly by those premises with leisure facilities. The proposed increases, in many cases, amount to 30% over three years, which are completely unreasonable and a significant added pressure for a sector that is so price-sensitive." The threat of a disruptive Brexit remains a significant concern for the vast majority of hoteliers. The survey shows that both the British and Northern Ireland markets continue to be challenging for the hotel sector. Amongst those surveyed, over 40% report a fall in business from Northern Ireland with more than 60% seeing a drop from Great Britain. These reductions are being offset to some extent by the performances of the domestic and US markets, which remain buoyant. Home grown business is up year on year for close to half of hoteliers surveyed (46%) while over a quarter are reporting an increase in business levels from the US.. Just over 40% are reporting an increase in forward, or advance, bookings for the remainder of the year, while a similar number are reporting a fall. Conferences and meetings continue to be an important source of business for many hotels around the country. India's Ajeetesh Sandhu (71) and Viraj Madappa (74) slipped to tied 41 and tied 68 respectively in the 101st New Zealand Open here on Saturday. Korean teenager Joohyung Kim sank a 10-footer on Par-r3 18th to keep at least a share of the lead for the third straight day. Kim, who carded 67 shares the lead with Australia's Lucas Herbert. Herbert, 24, who has already won the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour last month, stormed to the top of the leaderboard with three birdies in his final five holes. Kim trailed by a shot till the final birdie as both players are now at 15-under-par 199 at the Millbrook Resort. Herbert made one of the biggest moves of the day, having trailed Kim by six shots when he stepped up to the opening tee. The 2011 New Zealand Open champion Brad Kennedy of Australia closed strongly with back-to-back birdies to trail the pair by two shots in outright third place while American Chan Kim, a former member of the Asian Tour, is tied for fourth with Australia's Nick Flanagan on 202 total. Thailand's Pavit Tangkamolprasert signed for a 70 to stay five shots back of the leaders in tied ninth place with Australia's Ben Eccles and Kieran Muir. Kim said, "Tomorrow is going to be fun to be honest, playing with Lucas is going to be really enjoyable. "Obviously he's a European Tour winner, so it's going to be wherever it goes, whether I win or lose tomorrow, I'm just going to really enjoy myself." Herbert said, "To fight back like I did and make some really good swings sort of 15, 16, 17 and even 18 there to hit it in the middle of the green, I was really proud of that because I think we've got a bit of work to do on the range to get ready for tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) According to the latest reports Coronavirus now affects Mexico with two confirmed cases. Health officials reported that two patients are from Mexico. Neither of the two patients are seriously ill, but still they are isolated. One is isolated in the hospital and one is at a hotel. Hugo Lopez Gatell, the Mexican Assistant Health secretary announced that the Sinola case is still pending but according to the associated press and doctors it is a confirmed case. According to the World Health Organization there are already 54 countries who now have confirmed the novel coronavirus. The reports also showed that the patients are already medically stable and are now put in isolation. The first five family contacts of the patients are also isolated as a precautionary measure. President of Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tried to calm the public by stating that the global information of coronavirus is not terrible and fatal. It can be compared to a regular flu. There also shouldn't be yellow journalism, public exaggeration and there's no need to cause the public fear and worry. The President also characterized coronavirus as less harmful than the flu. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar also stated that the Mexican administration is transparent to the public as well as to the Americans and compared to the confirmed cases in the United States, Mexico had lower cases. The administration is prepared to take action especially when there is change that is going to happen. Azar also added that the Mexican government is taking this situation seriously and is now working with Congress. They are also preparing across the federal, state and the local levels. Compared to America the risk of it is low and won't change any result in their daily lifestyle. He continued that anytime the situation might change, and they want to make sure that they are ready for it. Coronavirus also caused amusement parks, events and travel to be cut. The anxiety that affects the public is now at an all time high. Financial markets are also dragged lower and the outbreak now looks more like a global crisis. Employers let their employees stay at home, rest and take precautionary measures to avoid the virus. Officials also locked down some of the places and establishments, especially schools. The illness also caused a wide-ranging threat in jobs, paychecks and profits. The list of countries who also had their first cases of the virus to nearly 60 are Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Iceland and the Netherlands. As of the latest news in the coronavirus update there are 86,000 confirmed cases with 2,861 deaths worldwide. Updates of the most infections came from the mainland of China. The good thing about the treatment as of now is that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tests and advises people who travelled to certain countries that had an outbreak. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also expanded the testing to countries Iran, Italy, South Korea, Japan and China. COLOR OUT OF SPACE (2020) Rent on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes or Vudu. More than 20 years after the director Richard Stanley was fired from the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau, he returns to narrative filmmaking with this trippy science fiction horror. The movie, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecrafts short story, follows a family that has recently traded the city life for a quiet New England Farm. When the father, Nathan (Nicolas Cage), finally manages to reignite the spark missing from his marriage, a meteorite crashes into his front yard. Its crater unleashes a mysterious energy in the form of a hypnotic, purple hue that goes after the family in bizarre, bloody ways. Jeannette Catsoulis named the film a Critics Pick in her review for The New York Times, writing that lovers of aberrant, gooey B-movies will be all in. PAAVO JARVI AND SOL GABETTA 2 p.m. on medici.tv. The Estonian conductor Paavo Jarvi leads Japans NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta in this live performance from Germany. The program starts with the Emily Dickinson-inspired piece How Slow the Wind, by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, followed by a Schumann Cello Concerto and Bruckners Seventh Symphony. IN SECRET (2014) Stream on Hulu; Rent on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube. Elizabeth Olsen seeks passion in a loveless marriage in this romantic thriller, set in 19th-century Paris. She finds it in her husbands friend, and its all downhill from there. The movie leaves Hulu Saturday. U.S. health officials predict more novel coronavirus infections in next few days LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- California's health officials predicted that more novel coronavirus cases will be confirmed in the coming days after dozens of health workers exposed to the possible first community spread case of COVID-19 in the United States. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's top health official, was quoted Friday by the Sacramento Bee newspaper as saying that he expected that a few of employees from UC Davis Medical Center, where a woman infected by the virus was treated, to test positive. The patient, who lives in a 100,000-population community named Vacaville located between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, had not been exposed to the virus through travel or through any contact with any infected individual, according to the authorities. The woman was admitted to the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, a small hospital near the Vacaville in Solano County, on Feb. 15 with cold or flu symptoms. She was transferred to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento on Feb. 19 due to the seriousness of her condition. Tests taken on Feb. 23 showed that she was suffering from the novel coronavirus. In total, more than 100 employees of three hospitals are believed to have been exposed. In addition to those at the Vacaville hospital and UC Davis Medical Center, another three employees recently were sent home from Kaiser Permanente South medical center in Sacramento. "I expect there will be a few positives, probably asymptomatic," Beilenson said, adding that he based the prediction on early data indicating 80 percent of people infected by the new virus have mild symptoms or none at all. Meanwhile, Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas also expected more cases to emerge. "The best guess is that there are people who are not showing symptoms, but, are, nevertheless, infected. That's a very normal way for diseases to spread," Matyas said. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Matyas noted local authorities changed their approach to the virus from containment to control, saying that "we recognize that if we do have community spread, that it becomes necessary to consider more aggressive protection of our critical resources." That not only means testing and screening, but also being more rigorous at the hospital level, as Matyas said, to "universally assume the possibility" that a patient seeking care and has flu- or cold-like symptoms may carry the virus. Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday donated a batch of equipment worth US$200,000 to the Neonatology Unit at Gabriel Toure Hospital in Bamako, one of the major hospitals in the country, an official source told PANA By Mark Peterson Both Korea and the United States have a history of slavery. They are both very different, and yet, they are both the same. One reason that Parasite "works" in both Korea and in the United States, so much so that it won the highest recognition a film can earn, is that it exposes a nerve that is buried deep in each culture. This awareness of a history of slavery, and the inhumane treatment that, by definition, goes with it, is buried deeply and denied in some, and not buried much at all and near the surface in others. In the United States, cries for reparations are still debated in the political arena each election cycle, and some respond to the cries, and some reject the cries. In Korea, the hierarchy of society and it's exaltation of some, in speech and in social regard, reminds us of a by-gone day when the hierarchy was not just marked with speech levels, but with attire, with housing, with education, with power and position, which indeed were blatant reminders that some people were slaves and some people were owners of slaves. Guilt. All of society feels some guilt for the past practice of slavery and the social and economic conditions of slavery. Perhaps that is why the extreme poverty and the extreme wealth depicted in the masterpiece movie, "Parasite," resonated with the viewer. We cry out, inwardly, this isn't right. This isn't fair. This isn't the way it should be. We learned this a hundred years ago, but we're doing it again today. Slavery isn't overt any more. In America, it was marked mostly by color, by race. Although there were free black men and women, still, black meant slave. Look at another recent movie, "Twelve Years a Slave" about a free and educated black man that is kidnapped and sold off as a slave and his struggle to regain his freedom. Slavery isn't overt in Korea any more. It wasn't the racial divide that marked slavery in Korea. It was worse. It was not overt except for the markers that society established your status was determined by your birth, but it was marked by your education, clothing, housing, and social relationships. People knew you were a slave, and you could only escape that fact by living in a new place where people didn't know you were a slave, and you could pass yourself off as a commoner, or freeman. That's why there were so many runaway slaves at the end of the Joseon period. One's initial encounter with slavery is "long-distance," that is, we look at it somewhat unemotionally, disinterested, distant; like the movie. At first the differences between the "slave" and the "owner" is antiseptic and observed, as from a distance. Yes, here is a poor family trying to get by, and here is a rich family that has everything materially that they could ever want. But the long-distance, disinterested aspect of the viewer changes with the violence that suddenly besets the movie. And the dissonance that was an interesting part of the movie, but in my opinion not critical, suddenly jumps out at you. It's like really learning about slavery. Slavery was not an archaic system of happy owners and happy slaves, singing about picking cotton. It was institutional violence. It was a system of physical subjugation, which at times, if the slave stood up for themself, or was humiliated and told that they smelled, could trigger an uprising and end in bloodshed. Just like in "Parasite." In the movie, who were the parasites? The poor living off of the rich, tricking the rich, conning the rich? I remember interviewing a man years ago in Korea who remembered the days of slavery. He said, "Slavery was not an easy thing. The slaves were constantly tricking and conning you. It was hard to maintain control." In slave societies, it's clear who the parasites are! Not the slaves; the owners! One clever thing about the movie is that as you think about the title, you realize that you start off thinking the poor family were the parasites, but then you think, "no, wait a minute, it's the rich family that are living off the work of the poor." One final observation regarding the movie and slavery: note that Donald Trump decried a foreign film getting the Oscar. And he said what? "Bring back 'Gone with the Wind.'" He might like identifying with Rhett Butler or Scarlett O'Hara. He'll have more of a problem with "Parasite" because he with whom he would identify, would be the rich dad, who didn't like the smell of poor people, but who himself was the worst parasite. I understand Trump hasn't seen the movie, but even without seeing it, his intuition is correct. He wouldn't like it. He'd be happier with "Gone with the Wind." Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 09:40:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Now is the time for all governments to step up and do everything possible to contain COVID-19 while respecting human rights without stigmatization, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a press encounter Friday. "We are seeing cases in a number of new countries, including now also the African continent," he said. "This not a time for panic -- it is time to be prepared -- fully prepared." "We know containment is possible, but the window of opportunity is narrowing," he said. The UN chief appealed for solidarity and full global support with all countries fully assuming their responsibilities. "As they do so, they can count on the support of the United Nations and naturally of the World Health Organization, that is part of our family," he said. The World Health Organization on Friday raised the risk assessment of COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at global level. Open source The International Monetary Fund informed it had made good progress in talks with the Ukrainian authorities and that the discussions would continue in the coming days, Reuters reports. The IMF has given conditional approval for a new loan programmers to Ukraine worth $5.5 billion but its disbursement depends on Kyivs performance on reforms. The IMF also wants parliament to pass a special law on banking. The IMF staff team that visited Kyiv made very good progress in discussions on legislation to support growth and ensure stability, and discussions will continue in the coming days, the statement said. Over the next 20 years, there will be three scenarios of Ukraine's possible development - complete reform, partial reform and rollback of reforms. This forecast was made by Permanent Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Ukraine Gosta Ljungman, Interfax reports. The first scenario of Ukraine's development envisages complete reforming: overcoming the backwardness of the economy, establishing the land sale market without restrictions, GDP growth by 6% annually. This will allow the population to become richer by 60% in 20 years and reach the present level of Poland by 2038. The second option outlines partial reform: maintaining the gap in the judiciary, compared to the EU, the land sale market with restrictions, a 4% growth. In this case, the population will be 20% richer. The third scenario is the rollback of reforms: the absence of a land sale market, growth at a rate of up to 1.5% per year. In this situation, the population will be 20% poorer in 20 years than it is today. According to Ljungman, the scenario of Ukraine's current pace of reform processes is somewhere between the second and the third options. Foundations of Amateur Radio The other day I bumped into a concept that I've heard repeated before. The so-called "impersonal nature" of digital modes. There's this idea that any communication that isn't using voice, is devoid of the human touch. Often this assertion is specifically made in relation to modern digital modes like JT65 and FT8. As an aside, I've never heard it in relation to other digital amateur modes like slow-scan television, RTTY or PSK31. In the early 1900's when amateur radio was beginning to be a thing, the means of communication was Morse Code. With beeps across the globe contacts were made between amateur stations. With every incoming dit and dah, letters were received, words constructed and meaning derived. This is long distance communication in its early stages. Each amateur was said to have a fist, their particular rhythm of touching the key. Across multiple stations it was possible for an experienced operator to distinguish between two amateurs based on how they were sending Morse Code. I can confirm that if you've ever had the privilege of hearing lots of amateurs clamour in a so-called pile-up, you can hear for yourself that different stations sound different, even if they're all sending Morse Code. So on the one hand we have this deeply inhuman means of communications like Morse Code which is by the language we use considered to be made by humans, personalised with a fist. On the other hand we have a deeply technical mode like FT8 which isn't. During the week I was discussing this change of perception during a haircut. I pointed out that this happens everywhere. For example, in the hairdressing profession an electric clipper might have been seen as impersonal when it was invented in 1921. Today it makes quick work of a Number 1 cut. In mobile phone communication an SMS was seen as impersonal with voice preferred, but today the world would look quite different without the 5 billion messaging mobile phone subscribers. In 2013 it was estimated that there were 8 trillion SMS messages, and 10 trillion other smart phone messages. As you might realise, behind each of those messages is a human, well, apart from the SPAM and the computer notifications, but even those are programmed by a human. So what makes the difference between Morse Code and FT8? Why is an SMS impersonal in 1992, but preferred by most today? I'd hazard a guess and state that the experience of the person making the statement has a lot to say about their perception of the nature of the medium. My typing away at a keyboard and seeing words appear on my screen might not appeal to someone who chased a turkey around the yard in search of a quill, but then electricity might also be surprising. It's interesting to me that PSK31, something that's not particularly thought of as being impersonal, was introduced to the amateur radio community in December 1998 by Peter G3PLX. The first Weak Signal modes, commonly known as WSJT modes, were introduced in 2001 by Joe K1JT, only three years later. JT65 came around in 2003. We have this situation where PSK31 is not impersonal, but JT65, which is five years younger, is considered impersonal and the popular mode FT8, which is an extension of JT65 is said to be the end of the hobby. If hyperbole would relate to truth, the end of our hobby in sight, we should all get rid of our radios and hand back our licenses. Perhaps we should take a step back and notice that behind every FT8 station, behind every voice-call, behind every amateur transmitter is at some point a human with a license. If we're splitting hairs, then a local automatic voice repeater must be the height of impersonal. The other thing I'd like to point out is that how you perceive the use of a particular mode is also important. If you think of FT8 as having a personal beacon in your shack that uses your radio and your antenna to measure how well your signal is heard across the globe, you might just start enjoying this so-called impersonal mode. One of my friends, Wally VK6YS, now silent key, told a story where he was driving down the highway to meet his friend. They were chatting away using Morse Code, Wally in his car, the friend in his shack. Once Wally arrived the friend wanted to see how Wally was able to send Morse Code whilst driving and could he please see his Morse key? Wally confessed to having whistled into his microphone to make the contact, since he didn't have a Morse key in his car. According to Wally, his friend was off the air for months in disgust. I should mention that my Number 1 haircut looks great, if only for the fact that it allowed me to spend some quality time discussing and contemplating the nature of the hobby that I love. I'm Onno VK6FLAB This article is the transcript of the weekly 'Foundations of Amateur Radio' podcast, produced by Onno Benschop, VK6FLAB who was licensed as radio amateur in Perth, Western Australia in 2010. For other episodes, visit http://vk6flab.com/. Feel free to get in touch directly via email: cq@vk6flab.com A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday dismissed the U.S. House of Representatives lawsuit that had sought testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn. McGahn had been cited in several portions of the Mueller Report as a witness to obstructive acts by the president. In the 21 decision, authored by Judge Thomas Griffith, the panel determined that the judiciary has no role to play in a political dispute between the House Judiciary Committee and the White House. If that ruling is allowed to stand, it will mean that going forward, disputes between Congress and the White House are to be resolved in favor of the White House. The courts shall remain neutral, even as they decide not to decide this point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When McGahn was subpoenaed in April 2019 by the House Judiciary Committee, President Donald Trump instructed McGahn to refuse on the theory that White House advisers, including former advisers, enjoy absolute testimonial immunity from compelled congressional testimony. McGahn refused to testify. In August the Committee sued McGahn in federal court, arguing that he enjoys no absolute immunity from appearing before the Judiciary Committee. In a 120-page opinion last November, District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson rejected the Justice Departments arguments for sweeping immunity by noting tartly that presidents are not kings. Brown Jackson further held that the DOJs argument that the constitutional system of checks and balances is a zero-sum game in which the Presidents interest in confidentiality invariably outweighs the Legislatures interest in gathering truthful information, such that current and former senior-level presidential aides should be always and forever immune from answering probing questions, is manifestly inconsistent with a governmental scheme that can only function properly if its institutions work together. She wrote that if witnesses connected to the administration wanted to invoke privilege, they still had to show up when called and invoke it, issue by issue. But they were not free to say that the President could assert blanket immunity for everyone, always as he saw fit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, without addressing the scope of the absolute immunity claims, or of the DOJs that Article III precludes a chamber of Congress from ever enforcing its subpoena in civil litigation, Judge Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee, joined by Judge Karen Henderson, a George H.W. Bush appointee, concluded that federal courts in fact have no role to play in disputes between the political branches: The Committees suit asks us to settle a dispute that we have no authority to resolve. The Constitution does not vest federal courts with some amorphous general supervision of the operations of government, he wrote. He added that the Committees dispute with the Executive Branch is unfit for judicial resolution because it has no bearing on the rights of individuals or some entity beyond the federal government. Because, the majority finds, interbranch disputes are deeply political and often quite partisan, it would look bad for the judiciary to involve itself. So the tie goes to the runner, or in this case, the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In any event, writes Griffith, Congress has myriad tools to enforce a subpoena. Congress (or one of its chambers) may hold officers in contempt, withhold appropriations, refuse to confirm the Presidents nominees, harness public opinion, delay or derail the Presidents legislative agenda, or impeach recalcitrant officers, he suggested. Advertisement Advertisement It bears mentioning that throughout the impeachment trial the presidents attorneys insisted that subpoenas for executive branch witnesses should have been handled in court. And the court now claims the disputes are non-justiciable. Despite the fact that the McGahn subpoena issue was theoretically resolved when he failed to testify in connection to the impeachment, House lawyers argued in January that the issue was still live as McGahns testimony was still critical to ongoing inquiry into the presidents conduct, and suggested that further articles of impeachment were being considered. Advertisement Advertisement In a lengthy dissent, Judge Judith Rogers, a Bill Clinton appointee, called the immunity claim unprecedented, warning, The court removes any incentive for the Executive Branch to engage in the negotiation process seeking accommodation, all but assures future Presidential stonewalling of Congress, and further impairs the Houses ability to perform its constitutional duties. Under the guise of staying out of it, the appeals court just blessed the White Houses claim that it is beyond the reach of Congress not just for McGahns subpoena, but for any future such attempts at oversight. As Judge Rogers put it, On the one hand, it is true that the judiciary can disrupt the delicate balance of powers between the Branches when it intervenes in a dispute in which it ought not. On the other hand, it is also true that the judiciary can upset that careful equilibrium when it dismisses a suit that it ought to decide. Advertisement Advertisement By refusing the invitation to check an imperial executive, the panel just established the ongoing reality of an imperial executive. The decision can still be appealed to the full court or the Supreme Court. But barring a reversal, Congress may need to get creative. As an alternative, Judge Griffith suggested Congress order the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest and detain their desired witnesses. The House has reasonably exhibited its desire not to engage in a personal arrest of, or physical confrontation with, an Executive Branch official when judicial process is available, Rogers pointed out. It used to be the point to avoid jailing White House officials, Rogers noted: The infrequency with which Congress has detained an Executive Branch official twice in the countrys history, and not since 1916 attests to the impracticability of that remedy. But were in a new era. If impeachment is better than the courts and that the courts are preferable to impeachment, maybe Congress has no choice but to arrest its way out of this bind. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Today we answer a question from Melsom in Iran. Question: How many ways can we say youre welcome?... How can we reply to them in both formal and informal ways? Answer: Dear Melsom, We thank you for your question! Formal ways to say 'you're welcome' Lets take a look at the formal answers first. These would be ones that you may use with people you do not know very well. They include: youre very welcome and my pleasure. Here is how two co-workers may use them when speaking with each other: Thank you for helping me finish the project. Of course. My pleasure. You may hear, my pleasure at a popular American fast food restaurant. The company might tell workers to answer with my pleasure, when people say thank you to them. This is both a formal and kind way to speak. Informal ways to say 'you're welcome' Now, lets look at less formal ways to say youre welcome. They include: dont mention it, it was nothing, sure thing, anytime, and no problem. For example, suppose your friend helped you fix a problem with your computer. Here is what the two of you might say: Thanks for all your help! No worries! Its not a problem for me. After saying, Youre welcome, you can choose to add some of the other expressions, too. Thanks very much for the ride downtown this morning. Youre Welcome! Dont mention it. It was nothing. It is easy for me to take you; Im happy to help. And that is Ask a Teacher! Im Anne Ball. Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Let us know what you would like to learn. Write to us in the comments section below, we want to hear from you! _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story formal adj. requiring or using serious and proper clothes and manners A member of Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ali Dastak has been confirmed dead days after he was hospitalized for the flu-like virus. Dastak who was elected as the representative for Astana Ashrafieh last week, was among five Iranian MPs who tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus. ISNA reported that the MP died on Saturday morning after being hospitalised due to influenza and chemical injuries dating back to the Iran-Iraq war. Iran's health ministry spokesman, Kianush Jahanpur also disclosed that the virus has killed at least 43 persons in the Islamic Republic which has 593 confirmed cases. Jahanpur said; Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 43 now. The new confirmed infected cases since yesterday is 205 that makes the total number of confirmed infected people 593. 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 Mobile Growth Association and mBolden Honor the Women of the Year at MGS20 MGA also inducts first-ever Hall of Fame members. February 28, 2020, San Francisco?At MGS20, Mobile Growth Association?s (MGA) flagship event held at the Hotel Nikko, the winners of the MGS mBolden Women of the Year Awards were announced. The awards honor exceptional female mobile app marketers for their contributions to the industry. A panel of judges narrowed down the initial submissions made through MobileGrowthSummit.com to three finalists for each category. This year the awards received more than double the number of nominations received last year with over 200 nominations of world-class female professionals from around the globe. Those finalists included: Nancy Peters, Director of Business Development, Chocolate Platform Ngozi Ogbonna, Senior Director, Fairygodboss Ali Cohn, Senior Manager, App Developer Sales, Google Nancy Peters, Director Business Development, Chocolate Platform Michele Webb, VP of US Growth & Programmatic, Headway Tammy Nam, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, PicsArt for Mobile Growth Leader Iris Hu, Marketing Manager, Jump Ramp Games Jessica Osorio, Mobile Growth Lead, Mozilla Paivi Putsepp, Director of UA, Unity Technologies All of the nominees who were not selected by the judges as finalists were then entered into the People?s Choice Awards to be voted on by the community. One of the People?s Choice Award winners is Ashleigh Rankin, Brand Partnerships Performance at Reddit. ?It means the world to me that my colleagues and friends see me as an important figure in the world of mobile,? says Rankin. ?I\-\-ve been working in mobile advertising since the beginning of my career and I have always been passionate about how to reach and delight users on the most personal of devices. To be acknowledged as a leader in the space is truly overwhelming. Ultimately, I wouldn\-\-t be here without my amazing team and the support of my Reddit family, and I\-\-m thankful that I get to be part of a company that I\-\-m so passionate about.? Rising Star Award winner Jessica Osorio, Mobile Growth Lead at Mozilla, was also ecstatic to have been honored at MGS20: \To have my expertise and contribution to the mobile industry, be acknowledged by peers both within and outside of my company is both motivating and validating. I\-\-m driven by passion and curiosity and believe that you get results from what you put in. Every day, I bring relentless energy to my craft, pursuing results and most importantly, to learning. The mobile industry has allowed me to grow and understand something new at the same time. I\-\-ve made so many meaningful connections working alongside so many bright people. Receiving this award motivates me to keep dedicating that energy to my career and it validates the milestones and achievements I\-\-ve attained.\ ?Congratulations to this year?s winners of the MGS mBolden Women of the Year Awards,? says Jen Laloup, CEO of MGA. ?We?re excited to recognize these outstanding professionals for their contributions to the mobile industry and to the larger tech world. It was wonderful to have so many of these groundbreaking women among us at MGS20. We can?t wait to see what they do next!? mBolden?s Co-President, Lara Mehanna, says, ?mBolden is honored to partner with the Mobile Growth Summit to recognize the remarkable achievements of these women in mobile. We congratulate all the winners and thank them for representing the ideals of mBolden by connecting, inspiring, and emboldening women as they progress through their careers. We look forward to seeing what is next for all of them!? The winners of the MGS mBolden Women of the Year Awards Champion of Women Female expert and thought leader in the industry. Can show tangible results, driving growth and/or ROI for her company. Nancy Peters, Director Business Development, Chocolate Platform Ngozi Ogbonna, Senior Director, Fairygodboss Mobile Growth Leader Someone who is a mentor for women and/or spearheaded an initiative to drive diversity and inclusion in the industry. Michele Webb, VP of US Growth & Programmatic, Headway Tammy Nam, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, PicsArt Rising Star Under 6 years of experience within the field and can show tangible results to drive growth and/or ROI for her company. Iris Hu, Marketing Manager, Jump Ramp Games Jessica Osorio, Mobile Growth Lead, Mozilla People?s Choice Award Ashleigh Rankin, Brand Partnerships Performance, Reddit, Inc. Katie Wilson, TapOnIt Founder & CEO Additional People?s Choice Winners will be announced at MGS Canada and MGS Europe To learn more about the winners, keep an eye out on the MGA blog for Q&As with the winners over the coming weeks. And visit the MGA Awards page here: https://www.mobilegrowthsummit.com/awards. First-Ever MGS Hall of Fame Inductees At MGS20, MGA also announced the MGA Hall of Fame sponsored by MoEngage and its very first inductees: Jeet Niyogi, Marketing Director, WSOP Mobile/Social Game, Playtika Christian Calderon, Co-Founder and CEO, Gamejam Niyogi and Calderon were chosen for their overall career excellence and their support of MGA since its inception. Jeet Niyogi is MGA Canada?s chapter president and has helped develop MGS Canada into the largest mobile-only conference in Canada. He spends time mentoring mobile app marketers throughout Canada. Christian Calderon?s has been a mentor and keynote speaker at many MGS events. He is always eager to share his knowledge with the larger community and has been an ardent supporter of MGS since inception. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 14:20:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate John Ratcliffe as director of national defense (DNI), the second time he has tapped the Republican congressman from the state of Texas for the job. Trump made the announcement on Twitter, saying "Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!" Trump first offered the job to Ratcliffe after Dan Coats stepped down from the post in July 2019, but Ratcliffe withdrew himself from consideration as lawmakers from both parties cast doubt on his qualifications, citing the congressman's lack of experience in the intelligence community. Earlier this month, Trump appointed U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as acting DNI, and is due on March 11 to formally pick a candidate for a permanent role in that post, pending approval from the Senate. While saying he looks forward to "receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, stressed the vital nature of the DNI. "The work our Intelligence Community does is vital for ensuring America's safety, security, and success. I've appreciated the dedication and skill the men and women of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have shown over the last several months during a period of transition," Burr said. On side of the Democratic Party, however, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear in a statement that he opposes Ratcliffe's nomination. "Replacing one highly partisan operative with another does nothing to keep our country safe," the New York Democrat said, adding that "neither Acting Director Grenell nor Rep. Ratcliffe comes even close to" qualifying for the job. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat from California, also lashed out at Trump's announcement, saying intelligence "should never be guided by partisanship or politics." "Unfortunately, Congressman Ratcliffe has shown an unacceptable embrace of conspiracy theories and a clear disrespect and distrust of our law enforcement and intelligence patriots that disqualify him from leading America's intelligence community," she added. The DNI is a Cabinet-level official in the U.S. government that serves as the head of the 17-member United States Intelligence Community, a group of separate intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations engaging in intelligence activities that support U.S. foreign policy and national security. On Saturday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar sent a letter to the Principal Secretary to seek information on the funds used by the Mamata Banerjee-led state government for anti-CAA advertisments in the state. Previously as well, the Bengal Court had directed that the state government could not use public funds to advertise messages against CAA, and now in the latest development, the governor's office has asked for information on the amount of public funds used for this purpose. Read: WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Says He Is Not A Critic But An Adviser to Mamata Govt Reacting to this BJP MP Babul Supriyo said, "One has to understand that the governor is the constitutional head of the state. When it comes to public money, he has every right to question the state government because he is the one who is meant to work as per the guidelines of the constitution." Read: Faceoff Between CM Mamata Banerjee And Guv Jagdeep Dhankar On Budget Speech 'Mamata Banerjee may come up with political accusations' "Everyone has a right to protest for or against any decision taken by the government. That is the essence of our federal structure. But if a government spends public money to advertise political agenda then the governor has done the right thing to ask this. However, we may now see Mamata Banerjee coming up with political accusations which will not be correct," he added. Read: West Bengal Becomes Fourth State To Pass Anti-CAA Resolution As Mamata Banerjee Ups Ante It is already known that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been very vocal about her opinion against the contentious law. The Governor and the Chief Minister have been on loggerheads over this on numerous occasions as well. Back in January, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government had passed a resolution against the CAA in the State Assembly. The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Read: Happy That Govt Functionaries Holding Constructive Dialogue With Me: WB Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar Read: WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar says he is not a critic but an adviser to Mamata govt It almost works the same as an ice bath. It gets rid of inflammation in your soft tissue. The real magic is when you get out. When youre inside, all your blood rushes to your core to protect it. While its there, it essentially cleans (the blood), fills it with fresh oxygen and nutrients. So, when you get out of the chamber, and your blood starts flowing back to your extremities, your brain pushes that oxygen-rich blood to help repair issues in your body. A security guard will face court today after he allegedly left another man bruised and with several teeth knocked out during a shopping centre brawl in Cloverdale. Police said the fight broke out between the two men just before 2.45pm on Friday, after the licensed security officer was asked by a store owner to remove the 30-year-old man from the Belmont Forum shopping centre. Police allege during the brawl, which spilled out onto the footpath along Fulham Street, the security guard knocked two of the man's teeth out and left him with "lacerations and bruising". The 30-year-old was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment. The 21-year-old security guard from Bennett Springs has been charged with an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm as well as intent to do grievous bodily harm. By Associated Press HONOLULU: Two sea lions rescued off the coast of California are making their debut at a new home in a Hawaii aquatic park. The sea lions named Niblet and Brawler are 3-year-old females and joined the aquatic attractions at Sea Life Park on Oahu Wednesday, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. They were separately rescued by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, a nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates and releases marine animals back to the wild. After a quarantine and health care they were transferred to the park in Waimanalo, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) from Honolulu. A traditional Hawaiian blessing to welcome them is scheduled for Sunday. Theyre little ambassadors because they have an incredible story to tell, said Sea Life Park curator Jeff Pawloski. The sea lions were rescued during what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration refers to as an unusual mortality event involving a significant number of pups and yearlings that were stranded from 2013 to 2017. The causes of the Southern California stranding event remain unknown, but the NOAA suspects a change in the availability of sea lion prey was a contributing factor. Niblet, the smaller of the sea lions, was first rescued in January 2017 at Huntington Beach, California. The malnourished pup was cared for and released about seven months later, but found again in January 2018 with low weight. Brawler was rescued in May 2017 from Dana Point, California. After rehabilitating her, the center implanted a microchip and released the sea lion in September but found her four days later, nearly lifeless with her eyes nearly glossed over. Scientists determined she is about 70% blind. Niblet and Brawler will be on display at the parks new Sea Lion Nursery Pool. The pair will be part of the parks educational program and given training to provide them basic care, but will not be circus performers, the park said. Hundreds of diehard supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders lined up several hours before the Vermont progressive took the stage at a rally at Springfields MassMutual Center on Friday. Were finally in the top 1%, David Raphael, a Conway, Massachusetts, carpenter on disability after an accident, joked about the super-fans leading the enthusiastic line. Raphael, 56, and a handful of Sanders supporters said they believe the senator is the best bet to face President Donald Trump in November. Several feared Democratic leaders may try to undercut the Democratic socialist ahead of the partys nominating convention in July. I say theyre bought and theyre playing a game, Raphael said. The people are what matters. If they cared about the people, they would realize there are a lot of people who really want change. If they had put up Bernie last time, we wouldnt be dealing with Trump now. I mean, a living wage, for Gods sake? Thats radical? I dont think so." Raphael said he appreciates Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who faces a genuine threat of losing her home state according to the latest polling showing Sanders with an edge. But hes sticking with Sanders because of his unrelenting support for working people. Everybody else flip flops around and its just crazy, he said. Bernies been on message for decades, and its important. When Amazon pays zero taxes, and somebody works 40 hours a week and cant pay the rent, theres something wrong." Samuel Northrup, a 22-year-old marketing associated from Northampton, has been with Bernie since 2015. Hes consistent and at the end of the day, I think he has the best chances to beat Trump, he said. He has the energy and a message that resonates with young voters, working class voters and minorities. I really think Bernie is the one candidate that can pull together that coalition." Northrup argued the Democratic Party should get comfortable with an ongoing wave of progressivism. I dont think politics as usual is going to get it done, he said. We arent living in normal times. I think you need a new approach other than the status quo of, lets all fall in line behind the moderate. Northrup said a key issue for him is health care, and he argued the Medicare for All system proposed by Sanders would save more money than it might cost voters in terms of a small tax increase. Claims that universal health care would cost too much were a scare tactic, Northrup said. We have 28 million people who dont have insurance, so yes it will be more expensive," he said. "But it will save hundreds of millions on administrative costs. Shinah Santiago, a 32-year-old single mom from Westfield, said a better wage and affordable health care were her top issues, and both Sanders and Warren have plans that appeal to her. She added that she would "vote for a Democrat even if Sanders or Warren werent the eventual nominee, saying she definitely didnt want Donald Trump again. Only a few Sanders supporters said they were Bernie or nobody" voters. Several, however, said theyd refuse to vote for the two billionaires in the hunt, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg or activist Tom Steyer. No, Raphael said emphatically. Its the money thing. In addition to Friday nights Springfield stop, Sanders will rally supporters at Boston Common on Saturday afternoon. Sanders has won the last two voting contests in Nevada and New Hampshire, and is making a push to steal Warrens home state, one of 14 Super Tuesday states voting on March 3. Iran's Jailed Christians In 2009 Victor Bet Tamraz received a call at his home from an officer with Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security summoning him to the church he pastored. When he arrived at Tehran Pentecostal Assyrian Church, officers told him: Stop holding services in Farsi or we close the church. Bet Tamraz asked for time to go inside the church to pray. The detail waited outside. Over the years his church more and more had filled with Muslim converts. To end services in Farsi, the most common language spoken in Iran, would end opportunities to serve them. Only ethnic Assyrians could attend services spoken in Syriac, which meant a slow death for the church at the hands of the state. When Bet Tamraz returned, he handed the church keys to the officer in charge. "Thank you very much," he said. "Please close down the church." He later said God made his decision clear in prayer: "Let them close the church because when they close one church, I will open the gates of heaven." In the United States you can be called a quitter for this, even in the church. Handing valuable property to the state? Giving up a vibrant church plant without first launching a prayer chain or an awareness campaign? To be sure, the church closed. But it didn't end trouble for Pastor Bet Tamraz. Tehran's security apparatus never stopped watching him ( see "Shadow groups within shadow groups"). In 2014 officials arrested him during a private Christmas gathering in his home. Plainclothes officers led him to Evin Prison, where he spent 65 days in solitary confinement. When he became sick, prison officials moved him to a room with dozens of Muslim men. Bet Tamraz shared the gospel with them, and some of his fellow prisoners, by their own accounts, became Christians. Bet Tamraz did not go on trial until May 2017. Three months later, Tehran's Revolutionary Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison for "forming a group composed of more than two people with the purpose of disrupting national security." By that time his wife, Shamiram, was imprisoned, along with son Ramiel, who was arrested at a picnic and charged with "acting against national security." His daughter, Dabrina, left the country and received asylum in Europe. "They have been targeted solely for peacefully practicing their Christian faith," Amnesty International emphasized in a 2018 report on the cases. Throughout this ordeal, the Bet Tamraz family has endured by fixing their eyes not on the situation but on what God was doing beyond the situation. The kingdom, they believe, is God's to build, not theirs. But trouble everywhere brings dissent and fear, even inside the Church. At an event sponsored by the Family Research Council in Washington last month, Dabrina told the story of another leading pastor under arrest. Fellow Christians begged him to deny his faith before authorities so he could walk free. "How can I deny my faith when thousands of Christians pray for me?" he responded. "It's for their faith that I have to stand strong, and it's with their prayers that I am able to. My heart is filled with love for Jesus, my mouth cannot proclaim something else." Bet Tamraz and his wife are out of prison on bail, their appeal hearing again postponed on Feb. 24. Ramiel is scheduled for release in March. Dabrina continues as an outspoken advocate for Iran's Christians: "There is a fear broken in their lives as they stand for their faith, and it's with your prayers that they stand." They stand firm, you see, for us. BFD to host fundraiser for fallen Porterville firefighters The Bakersfield Fire Department will hold a fundraiser Tuesday in honor of Ramon Ray Figueroa and Patrick Jones, according to a news release from BFD. The fundraiser will take place at Bakersfield Fire Station 1. It will feature a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. followed by a taco lunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Plates for the fundraiser will be $5, according to the news release. Meals will be served through a downtown drive-through at Station 1 headquarters. Those interested should enter the station off of 22nd Street. ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Kindergarten through 12th grade students from Geneva Academy packed 10,000 meals on Friday for their first-ever Feed the Need service project. Students filled each bag with rice, beans and other non-perishable proteins. Then, the students packed the bags into boxes. Organizers said one bag was equivalent to six meals. They said the boxes will be distributed to five different food pantries in Douglas County. They will also send a few boxes to food pantries overseas. Brian Turner, Geneva Academys headmaster, said they wanted to find a way for the students to give back, but they wanted it to be more unique than most fundraisers. You may be familiar with a lot of fundraisers where students have to sell cookie dough or candy bars or something like that, said Turner. Instead of doing that, theyre doing a service project. One student said his favorite part about packing was working with his classmates. Well, its a lot of fun -- its like a big team, said Oliver Sommer, an eighth grader. Or like a big machine where we get to work together. Turner said the money used to buy all the supplies was fundraised by the students. He said the students asked friends, family and local businesses to sponsor them. The community in Newmarket was this week plunged into mourning following the death of highly respected local businessman Sean Browne. The late Mr Browne, who passed away at his home on Tuesday after a long illness, was the dealer principal at Newmarket Motors and a former treasurer of the Newmarket Community Development Association. A moving statement posted on the Newmarket Motors Facebook page said it was "with great sadness we announce the death of Sean Browne. He is survived by his loving wife Annette, adored children Cathal and Niamh, devoted father Jerry and sister Patricia and all his extended family". The statement described Mr Browne as a "man of great integrity, loyalty and devotion to his family, friends and customers". "It could be said that he had a great 'gra' for life and people," it read. "Sean was passionate about the motor trade and his business...Newmarket Motors. Having worked in the business alongside his father from a young age he quickly became well known and respected as a one of the main motor men in the business, loving the interactions with people and the twists and turns of business," It went on to say that over the years he and his wife has relentlessly driven the business forward and while ill health had taken its toll over the past few years, it did not deter Mr Browne from continuing to work as much as possible. "He was a great community man, loved his home town of Newmarket and all to do with it. He will be missed by many but most of all his family. Thanks to all his loyal and supportive customers, many who became good friends, for their loyalty, business and support over the years. May he rest in peace". On behalf of the members of Newmarket Community Development Association its chair, Ollie Dugdale, offered their condolences to Mr Browne's family. "Sean was a member of our community council for many years and was always so generous with his time to work in the best interests of Newmarket," said Mr Dugdale. He paid his own personal tribute to Mr Browne, saying it he who encouraged Mr Dugdale to become involved with the Development Association back in 2010. "I appreciated his confidence and support at the time and will never forget that," he said. "Newmarket mourns a great family man and community man. His loss will be felt for a very long time and his legacy will live on so much longer. May he rest in peace." Mr Browne will be laid to rest today (Thursday) at Clonfert Cemetery following Requiem Mass at 2pm in St Mary's Church, Newmarket. By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's car exports to Azerbaijan increased in January 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry. The total value of Turkey's car exports to Azerbaijan exceeded $10.8 million in January 2020, which indicates 119.03 percent increase compared to January 2019. The exports of Turkish car industry to Azerbaijan are expected show growth in February 2020 as well. The monetary value of Turkey's car exports to the world market amounted to just over $2.4 billion in January 2020, having grown by 3.2 percent, compared to January 2019. According to the ministry, car exports accounted for 16.38 percent of Turkey's total exports in January 2020. The monetary value of Turkey's total car exports exceeded $30.6 billion in 2019, which accounted for 16.9 percent of the country's total exports. In 2019, car exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan increased by 119.6 percent, compared to 2018, and amounted to over $137.5 million. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media / NEW HAVEN A man who moved to the state pleaded guilty to failing to register as sex offender here, according to federal authorities. Kurtis Gaskins, 46, now of Waterbury, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to violating the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Sheila O'Flanagan, one of the country's best-selling authors, has told An Bord Pleanala that the construction of a new school near her Dublin home will be "catastrophic" for her privacy. Last month, Dublin City Council gave the go-ahead to Bono's old secondary school, Mount Temple School on Malahide Road, Clontarf, for a new three-storey school accommodating 1,000 students. The plan involves the demolition of the existing school. The council gave the go-ahead in spite of opposition from Ms O'Flanagan and other local residents. All members of U2 attended Mount Temple School and the band formed after Larry Mullen Jnr put a notice on the school notice board in September 1976. The development involves the relocation of the school away from its current location and beside houses on Copeland Grove. Now, in an appeal against the council decision to grant permission, award-winning novelist Ms O'Flanagan has told the appeals board that "the loss of privacy to me (and other residents) by placing the school so dramatically close to our homes is catastrophic". The Copeland Grove Residents has also appealed the council decision, while the Department of Education has appealed against conditions attached to the grant of permission. Observed "I am a writer and work from home. I need space and time for reflection, as well as physically writing," Ms O'Flanagan told the appeals board. "I do not want to be observed daily by students as I work. Nor do I want to observe them." She said she will be one of the most affected by the siting of the building and "subjected to a significant loss of privacy both to my home as a residential space and to my home office". Ms O'Flanagan, whose All For You won an Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award, stated that if permission is upheld, the school building will be significantly higher than the houses and students will be able to look down into each home. "Pupils will be able to look directly into both my home office and living area from their classrooms, as well as having an unimpeded view into my bedroom, which I find totally unacceptable," she said. "In granting permission, the very valid concerns of the broader community have not been taken into account by Dublin City Council. "It should not be the case that the very necessary development of the school should impact so catastrophically on the residents who have always supported it. "This seems to be a complete failure by Dublin City Council to consider the quality of life of local residents." A decision by the appeals board is due in June. OCI Vice Chairman and CEO Lee Woo-hyun, left, and Hanwha Solution Chemical Division CEO Lee Koo-yung. By Nam Hyun-woo Chemical and material manufacturers OCI and Hanwha Solution are grappling with the thorny issue of what to do with their solar-grade polysilicon facilities and leftover workforce, having decided to cease production of the material. The two companies decided to discontinue their production of polysilicon after a long period of low returns, but are still faced with the difficult task of selling off the facilities no mean feat during the current, aggravated economic environment and dealing with possible labor disputes following the relocation or dismissal of employees. According to OCI, the firm is in talks with its labor union over the jobs of employees at its polysilicon plants in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, but is yet to draw out a conclusion. "We are in discussion over various options for the employees at the plant, but there is nothing we can speak about at this moment," an OCI official said. OCI shut down three plants in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on Feb. 20. Of them, plant 1, which produces polysilicon for semiconductors, will resume operation on May 1, but plants 2 and 3, which are producing polysilicon for solar cells, will cease operations indefinitely. The decision came after the company's profitability saw a sharp decline, saying in a conference call that there has been "a structural decline in polysilicon prices since 2012" and it is "skeptical about resuming the operation of plants 2 and 3." The company has already calculated plants 2 and 3 as a 750.5 billion won ($617 million) loss in their assets, resulting in an 809.3 billion won net loss in its 2019 yearly earnings. The company said it is currently looking into various options for the facilities at the plants, but did not elaborate further. Hanwha Solution is also deliberating over how to handle their remaining workforce and facilities. "Currently, we are planning to maintain the same workforce and relocate employees to either other divisions within the company or other Hanwha affiliates," a Hanwha Solution official said. "Since our polysilicon plant will shut down by the end of this year, we will thoroughly review possible options until then." Hanwha Solution has approximately 100 employees at its polysilicon plant in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, which will cease production by the end of 2020. Though the company said it will guarantee jobs for the staff at the Yeosu plant, it is yet to decide what to do with the plant facilities. "Though there is not a fixed plan, we are considering using assets sites and some facilities and applying them to other business areas, as well as selling remaining facilities one by one," the Hanwha Solution official said. Industry officials said the selling off the polysilicon facilities as a whole will be difficult for both OCI and Hanwha Solution, citing expensive power costs in Korea. OCI and Hanwha Solution pulled out of the polysilicon business due to unsurmountable competition from Chinese rivals, who benefit from the Chinese governments' indirect support of electricity costs. Power bills account for approximately 45 percent of the cost of producing polysilicon. In a similar case, Woongjin Group put its polysilicon unit Woongjin Polysilicon up for sale in 2012 as the company filed for court receivership. The company had received nearly 1 trillion won in investments, but ended up selling at 32 billion won after eight botched sales attempts in six years. "Because of this, both OCI and Hanwha Solution announced that they will quit the polysilicon businesses, not sell them off," an industry official said. "Since there is no buyer, it is difficult for them to sell off their entire business, so they are likely to sell facilities one by one at very low prices." Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump speak at the CPAC convention in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 28, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Kudlow: What Could Sink the Economy Is Socialism, Not Coronavirus NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Feb. 28 that socialism poses a greater risk to the U.S. economy than the coronavirus, amid ongoing concerns surrounding the outbreak. At this years Conservative Political Action Conference, the largest U.S. gathering of conservatives, Kudlow touted the current state of the economy but noted that uncertainty arising from the outbreak spread fears throughout financial markets, sending stocks lower. At the time of writing, the U.S. stock market had lost nearly 15 percent from record highs reached just nine days ago, while the VIX volatility index had jumped to its highest level since the financial crisis of 2008. Nevertheless, the country is in safe hands, Kudlow said. [The coronavirus] is not going to sink the American economy. What could sink America is socialism coming from our friends on the other side of the aisle, he said. Economists believe that the coronavirus will have a negative short-term effect on the U.S. economy, primarily in the first quarter. But they expect the economy to make up for the losses in the following quarters. Kudlow, in his speech, targeted Democratic candidates who embrace socialism. He said that history has proven that the American free enterprise model will whip socialism. Speaking at the event, President Donald Trumps daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump said that women have been the biggest beneficiary of economic expansion buoyed by Trumps pro-growth policies, including tax reform and deregulation. There are more women working in the labor force than men, she said, adding that of all the new jobs added last year, 72 percent went to women. In December last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed for the first time that there were 109,000 more women working than men. Women occupied 50.04 percent of job positions. Economists predict this trend to continue and gain momentum this year. Ivanka Trump said the continued economic expansion and record jobless rate pulled almost three out of four new workers from the sidelines of the economy into the workforce. According to Kudlow, at least 6 million more Americans could come back to the workforce. Ivanka Trump also touted the Womens Global Development Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative begun by the White House last year. The initiative aims to help women in underdeveloped countries advance in the workplace, succeed as entrepreneurs, and fully and freely participate in the economy. [The president] is taking his economic freedom approach into our foreign policy as well, she said. The W-GDP initiative last year encouraged the governments of Cote dIvoire and Morocco to amend laws, giving women the right to own property and land. The New Milford Senior Citizens Advisory Board will hold its annual open meeting March 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the New Milford Senior Center. The public is invited to attend the meeting at the center located in the Richmond Citizen Center at 40 Main St. Newly-elected Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has promised to be a TD for the 'whole county'. Speaking to this paper last week, the Social Democrats TD is eager to address concerns about the clustering of the county's five TDs in the north Wicklow area and plans to focus on building relationships across the county in the coming weeks. After a mammoth two-day count, Deputy Whitmore secured the county's second seat on the 14th count. Party co-leaders Roisin Shortall and Catherine Murphy and party staff joined Jennifer's family, friends and campaign team at Shoreline Greystones to celebrate her achievement. The response has been 'fantastic,' Jennifer said. 'I haven't even managed to get back to everyone who messaged me. It's been a really great response. Even when I'm out and about, people are coming up to congratulate me and that's really nice.' Describing her first week as a 'very steep learning curve', it included 'looking at all the logistical things, hiring of staff, getting offices organised, even simple things like email addresses and how to get in and out of Leinster House. It was a lot of the nuts and bolts in the first week. I think it will probably take quite a while to find my feet.' Despite this, Deputy Whitmore is clear on her priorities noting there are a 'few major issues that are really topical for Wicklow at the moment' including a lack of school places. She has already met with parents from Colaiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole on the matter. 'That's one issue we're going to have to sort really quickly. We're going to have to look at this as both an interim plan - because school places need to be sorted for September for those children - and, going forward, how we make sure that we're not in this position again? Only a few months before they are due to start school, they don't know what school they are going to. 'I think we really need to examine what's happened and work with the Department [of Education] to make sure this doesn't happen again and all the needs of children all across Wicklow will be met by local schools.' An outgoing member of Wicklow County Council for the Greystones Municipal District, Deputy Whitmore is 'conscious' of the anxiety about the impact of the county's five TDs being based around the north Wicklow area on the rest of the county. 'I'm very conscious and looking at ways that I can get out within the communities across the county in Arklow, Wicklow town and west Wicklow. 'I will be meeting with the community pool group in west Wicklow over the coming weeks as well so it's really starting to build up the relationships with each of the groups in those areas so that they feel that they do have that voice in the Dail. I feel that's going to be really important. 'There's going to be a bit of time while the Government is being formed and I'll use that time to build up those relationships and try to find out what the issues are in all the different areas.' She continued: 'It is really important because it would be an awful shame if people felt they didn't have a TD representing them. I absolutely will be a TD for the whole county. I think it's important that each of us are. But I will be focusing quite a lot on that over the coming weeks and months.' Deputy Whitmore said community facilities and the N81 were high on the agenda of people living in west Wicklow. So too is the issue of public transport, which she wants to work on at a national and a local level. 'I know the NTA is looking at local link services for each county and I want to feed into that to make sure that Wicklow gets the community bus service and routes that I think we need and would make a big difference. 'At the moment, we have a very limited service in Wicklow and I think there's a lot of potential to expand that. Her ideal would be a series of community bus routes which would go round each of the main towns and between villages in the county. 'I think it would make such a difference for our local economy and for elderly people trying to get to the shops, for kids trying to get to school and it would take a lot of the traffic off our roads. I will be engaging with the NTA on that.' Proposed offshore wind farms could bring benefits to Arklow and the county. 'There's huge potential in Arklow to benefit from the plans for the offshore windfarms but I think it's really important that we get in early and make sure that the community benefits and [it's] not just large private organisations see the benefits.' She is clear that the gains from these project should feed into towns like Arklow and Wicklow town and suggests 'apprenticeship programmes set up to facilitate the work on these sites and the jobs come from the local area.' Deputy Whitmore plans to 'keep an eye on those proposals to make sure they fulfil the community needs'. As for a constituency office, Deputy Whitmore says she will take some time to make a decision about its potential location. 'I'm going to look at the best way to set something up and how to be the most effective. I haven't really picked anywhere yet. I'm going to take time in doing that because I want to make sure I get it right. 'It's one of those things that you can't really go back and change so I want to make sure I make the right decision. It will probably take me quite a few weeks to get that sewn up.' While she does not rule out opening a second constituency office in the county, Jennifer strikes a note of caution due to the requirements of 'having the resources to fund it and staff it.' 'There might be other ways of being effective and linking in with the communities, I need to take a look at the different options available and what will give the best result that's also good value for money.' Last Thursday, Jennifer Whitmore attended her first day in the Dail as a Wicklow TD. On a proud day for her family, her husband Tony and their four children watched from the Dail gallery as the names of each of the elected TDs were called out by the Clerk of the Dail. KYODO NEWS - Feb 29, 2020 - 13:58 | All, Coronavirus, World (U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a graphic from a study he says names the United States as the country most prepared to handle a pandemic during a news conference on Feb. 27)[Getty/Kyodo] WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is considering imposing new restrictions on travelers from Japan and South Korea, who are seeing a spread of the coronavirus in their countries, CNN reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report came after President Donald Trump told reporters that the administration is looking at the possibility of imposing travel restrictions to "a few countries that have a little bit disproportionately high number" of virus cases. The president also said that a decision on the issue will be made "very soon," without elaborating. Related coverage: North Korea's Kim oversees military drills amid fears over virus spread Transportation, tourism sectors hit hard by new virus outbreak WHO raises global risk from coronavirus to highest level The State Department last week raised its travel alert to citizens heading to Japan to level 2 on the four-level advisory scale, calling for "increased caution." The alert for South Korea is at level 3, which calls for citizens to "reconsider travel." The United States currently does not allow foreign nationals who have visited mainland China in the past 14 days to enter the country. Concerns are growing that the United States may see a major outbreak of the pneumonia-causing virus, with health authorities recently confirming what could be the first instance of "community spread" of the disease, meaning the illness might have been acquired through an unknown exposure in the community. The case was confirmed on Tuesday in California in a person who reportedly had no travel history to locations known to have the virus or exposure to another known patient with COVID-19, the official name of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Greece reinforced security measures at its sea border with Turkey on Friday, as it tried to stop a new wave of migrants from entering the European Union after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back. Security forces temporarily sealed off the Kastanies border crossing in the northeastern Evros area. Greek police officials said that around 1,200 people gathered on the Turkish side of Kastanies, northwest on Evros region, late Friday and have tried to push through the locked gates several times. Some managed to cut holes in the border fence close to the crossing and attacked police with stones but were repulsed with tear gas and stun grenades. A police officer told The Associated Press that pressure was mounting along the 200-kilometre (125-mile) land border from migrants trying to force their way through, and groups were being constantly repulsed. It's easy to match the overall market return by buying an index fund. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. Investors in Easyknit International Holdings Limited (HKG:1218) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 29%. That's well bellow the market return of -5.2%. Longer term shareholders haven't suffered as badly, since the stock is down a comparatively less painful 5.3% in three years. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 19% in the last 90 days. View our latest analysis for Easyknit International Holdings To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. 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. Unfortunately Easyknit International Holdings reported an EPS drop of 53% for the last year. This fall in the EPS is significantly worse than the 29% the share price fall. It may have been that the weak EPS was not as bad as some had feared. You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). SEHK:1218 Past and Future Earnings, February 28th 2020 Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here. What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)? We've already covered Easyknit International Holdings's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Dividends have been really beneficial for Easyknit International Holdings shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 28%, over the last year, isn't as bad as the share price return. Story continues A Different Perspective We regret to report that Easyknit International Holdings shareholders are down 28% for the year (even including dividends) . Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 5.2%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 2.8% per year over five years. We realise that Buffett has said investors should 'buy when there is blood on the streets', but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Be aware that Easyknit International Holdings is showing 6 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 1 of those can't be ignored... If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). 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. President of the United States Donald Trump is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as with the leaders of China, Britain and France to discuss the issue of arms control, Reuters reported on Saturday citing a high-ranking official in the US administration, Trend reports citing TASS. "The United States will use this opportunity to bring both Russia and China into the international arms control framework and head off a costly arms race," the news agency quoted its unnamed source as saying. The source, who spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity, also said that "The president has made clear that he is ready to meet with any world leader at any time to advance US national security interests." "The United States will work with the other P5 countries to develop and organize such a meeting," the official from the US administration said. The White House has not yet responded to a request from TASS to comment on this information. Funeral services for Mary Jo Packineau, 83, Bismarck/Mandaree, will be held 10 a.m. CST Saturday, Feb. 29, at Living Water Family Worship Church (Black Bear Building) in Mandaree, with Pastor Woodrow Elmore officiating. Senior pallbear is Ted Lone Fight III. The wake will be held 5 p.m. CST Friday at the Living Water Family Worship Church (Black Bear Building), Mandaree. Interment will be in the Congregational Cemetery, Mandaree. Fulkerson-Stevenson Funeral Home of Watford City is caring for the family. We will be gathering at the Fulkerson-Stevenson Funeral Home starting at 3 p.m. Friday. At 4 p.m., we will be leaving for the Living Waters Family Worship Church for the wake at 5 p.m. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.fulkersons.com. Mary Jo passed away on Tuesday morning, Feb. 25, 2020, at her home in Bismarck. Mary Jo Packineau was born July 3, 1936. She was born to Jeannette Smith and Richard Wilson-Packineau. She was given the Hidatsa name Two Calves Naaga Nu Bish. She was a born member of the Prairie Chicken Clan and a child of Low Cap Clan. Her mother passed away while she was an infant. Mary was taken care of by her grandmother, Phoebe Spotted Rabbit. Later, her maternal aunt, Gladys Irwin, cared for her as well as her uncle Alfred Samuel-Smith, who later adopted her. During this time, in her young life she visited her maternal aunts who all had a hand in raising her. Her adopted father made sure she had a proper education. Mary attended Shell Creek, Lucky Mound, Elbowoods and Flandreau Indian School. Mary then continued her higher education at Haskell in Lawrence, Kan. After high school, and several years of courtship with James Gordon Plenty Chief, they were wed on Oct. 26, 1957. From this union were born Theresa Gail, LeAnn Raye, Jeanine, Clarine, and James Gordon Jr. After their children were born, the family moved to Montana where Mary Jo worked as a teacher's aide at the Lame Deer Elementary School. Jimmy acquired a full-time boiler maker's position in Billings, Mont., and they moved there where she kept the family together as a homemaker. In 1970, they attended United Tribes Technical College. Where she was given the opportunity to be on the second annual Powwow committee. After attending United Tribes, they moved on to live and work in Fargo. Here, James Sr. worked as a welder and Mary Jo continued her education in nursing. After a few years, they returned to the Parshall area where Mary Jo was a homemaker and James was a farm welder. In 1974 Mary Jo and James separated and divorced. Mary Jo started a new life in her homelands of Mandaree. She acquired her first job as a single parent at the Mandaree CAP office as a parent-child program worker. She worked with young children in the community until the grant ran out. She then worked as an addiction counselor and encouraged everyone to live in sobriety. She met and began a relationship with Anthony Elwood Hale. On Oct. 26, 1975, they were wed. From this union, Lenora Elda was born in 1979. The following years, she worked as a laborer in construction work until 1986. She was also a truck driver. She had a love for her Hidatsa language and taught that at FBCC. She worked hard at many jobs to provide for her family. After separating, she and her family moved from New Town to Minot. She then relocated to Fargo to care for her daughter, Theresa. She also began care in 1989 for her grandson, Jonah Daniel Plenty Chief. She continued her dedication to Christ and began bible studies and church groups. She lived, worshipped the Lord, and made many life-long friends while in Fargo. In 1993, she moved to Bismarck to attend UTTC and obtained a degree in injury prevention. She stayed on for a full year as a tutor for the older students in the same program. Bismarck became her home. She lived her remainder of her life there. She loved traveling, visiting her friends and family, she enjoyed attending powwows. She loved getting to know her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved seafood, eating at Red Lobster, and Prairie Knights Casino, she also loved bingo! She had a life-long belief in her cultural ways. She spent time helping with community events and donating money to organizations she felt devoted to such as the Wounded Warriors Project, Disabled American Veterans, Women's Abused Resource Center, Parshall Resource Center, Salvation Army Christmas Program/Soup Kitchen, Jimmy Swagert Ministries. In 2013, she reaffirmed her commitment to Anthony Hale Jr. at the Fargo VA while he battled cancer. She had said she always loved and cherished her oldest grandson, TJ; he is a loyal and obedient grandson. Even in disagreement, he always carried out her wishes. Her memory will be cherished, and her teachings will be carried on. Macagidac. Naaga Nubish. Naaga Nubish. Naaga Nubish. Naaga Nubish. Survived by her children, Theresa Plenty Chief, Jeanine Plenty Chief, Clarine Plenty Chief-Linseth (Larry), James Gordon Plenty Chief Jr., and Lenora Sustayta (John). Brother, Willis Packineau. Grandchildren: (Theresa); T.J. Plenty Chief Sr. (Lori), Jonah Plenty Chief, (Clarine); Angelica Linseth, Ashley Linseth, Wesly White Raven, (LeAnn); Rikki Gillette (Bobby), J.C. Gillette (Melanie), (Lenora); Miguel Sustayta, Jacob Sustayta, Catalina Sustayta. Great-grandchildren: (TJ & Lori); Elaine (Skylee), Thomas Jr. (Annie), Sahnish, Dion Bolman, Pierce, Quintin, Alivia Bolman, Javin, Logan, Silas, (Rikki and Bobby); Kylah, Leah, and Samuel, (Angelica); Tianna and Citilai. Great-great grandchildren: Thomas Plenty Chief III, Skylee Steen Jr., Aaliyah Steen, and Mary Jeanette Steen. Preceded in death by: father, Richard Packineau, mother, Jeannette Smith, grandmother, Phoebe Spotted Rabbit, brother, Buster Packineau, sister, Wilma Nash, Daughter, LeAnn Plenty Chief. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use Afghanistan as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. Doha: The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the 11 September, 2001 attacks. Some US troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The US spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by US politicians and the American public. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban harbored bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Pompeo had privately told a conference of US ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because US President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. "Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah," said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the US out of its "endless wars" in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. But US officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The US has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the US has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the US air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day "reduction of violence" period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. "We have seen a significant reduction in violence in Afghanistan over the last days, and therefore we are also very close to the signing of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday in Brussels. He was in Kabul on Saturday for a separate signing ceremony with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defence Secretary Mark Esper. That signing was intended to show continuing NATO and US support for Afghanistan. "The road to peace will be long and hard and there will be setbacks, and there is a risk always for spoilers," Stoltenberg said. "But the thing is, we are committed, the Afghan people are committed to peace, and we will continue to provide support." A flight crew from Cathay Pacific Airways wearing protective masks stand in the international terminal after arriving on a flight from Hong Kong at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 28, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) Greece Confirms 3 New Cases: Coronavirus Updates From Feb. 29 The new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has spread to dozens of countries around the world. Below are news updates from Feb. 29. Click here for March 1 updates. Greece Confirms 3 New Cases, Bringing Total to 7 Greece has confirmed three new cases of coronavirus, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections in the country to seven. The latest cases involve a woman and a man, who are related to previously confirmed cases in Greece, and a man who had recently traveled to Italy, Europes worst-hit country by the virus, the ministry said. All patients are being treated in hospitals in Athens, the Greek capital, and the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Greece confirmed its first case of the virus on Feb. 26. Iraq Reports 5 New Cases Iraq has detected five new cases of coronavirus, four in Baghdad and one in Babel province, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 13. All five had recently returned from visits to neighboring Iran and had been placed in quarantine, the ministry said. On Wednesday Iraq banned public gatherings and barred entry by travelers from Kuwait and Bahrain, prohibiting travel to or from a total of nine countries. Iraq has cultural and religious ties with Iran which is one of the worst-hit countries outside China. All 13 cases of coronavirus detected were linked to Iran, the health ministry said. The first case detected was of an Iranian student who has since been sent back and the other 12 are all Iraqis who had visited Iran. Iraqi students distribute leaflets about coronavirus prevention in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Feb. 25, 2020. (Hussein Faleh/AFP via Getty Images) Brazil Confirms 2nd Case Brazils Health Ministry on Saturday confirmed the countrys second case of the fast-spreading new coronavirus, diagnosed in a 32-year-old patient in Sao Paulo who had recently visited Italy and arrived on Thursday. The man returned to Sao Paulo accompanied by his wife and wore a mask during the flight from Milan, according to additional information on the case released by the ministry after a brief statement earlier. The man exhibited the first symptoms on the day he arrived and sought medical attention on Friday, the statement said. He was in stable condition and was sent home to recover after receiving treatment at the same hospital that handled Brazils first case of the new coronavirus. His wife is asymptomatic, the ministry added. Both are in isolation at home. There was no evidence that the virus was circulating nationwide, the health ministry statement said. Airport Passengers wearing masks as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the Sao Paulo International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Andre Penner/AP Photo) Luxembourg Reports First Case Luxembourg confirmed its first coronavirus case on Saturday, the RTL news outlet reported. The patient was a man in his 40s who had recently traveled to Italy and returned via Belgiums Charleroi airport, Health Minister Paulette Lenert said, according to RTL. First Case of Coronavirus Confirmed in Republic of Ireland Health authorities in the Republic of Ireland on Saturday confirmed the countrys first case of coronavirus and said it was associated with travel from an affected area in northern Italy. The patient, a man in the eastern part of the country, is receiving appropriate medical care, Irelands health department said in a statement. The British region of Northern Ireland, which shares an open border with the Irish republic, confirmed its first and so far only case of the virus on Thursday. This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now. The health service has robust response measures in place, said Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer at the department of health. Health authorities are working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, officials said. The Northern Irish patient who contracted the virus, the first confirmed case on the island, had traveled from Italy via Dublin Airport before returning to Belfast. The number of people infected with coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose to 23 on Saturday, after three more patients tested positive, Britains health department said. Ecuador Confirms its First Case of Coronavirus Ecuador has confirmed the first case of a fast-spreading new coronavirus in the Andean country, its health minister said on Saturday. The patient is an elderly female Ecuadorean residing in Spain, Catalina Andramuno, the health minister, told reporters. The patient arrived in Ecuador on Feb. 14 on a direct flight from Madrid without showing any symptoms, but soon felt ill and went to a hospital where she was diagnosed with the coronavirus. The patient is currently in intensive care at one of the hospitals we had designated to attend to coronavirus, Andramuno said, adding that the government was monitoring people who may have come into contact with the patient. First US Death Confirmed in Washington Washington state health officials said on Feb. 29 that a patient died COVID-19, the first patient to die from the disease in the United States. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. The patient was a man in his 50s who had underlying health conditions, Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health, Seattle & King County, told reporters on a phone call. The patient died in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle. Washingtons governor, Jay Inslee, later declared a statement of emergency, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the outbreak. Duchin announced a possible outbreak at a nursing facility. A healthcare worker has tested positive as well as a longterm resident. Fifty-two others who either live or work at the facility have shown symptoms and will be tested. Read more here about the states first death. Read more here about the possible outbreak at the nursing facility. Coronavirus Hits Chinas Internet Censorship Engine The fast-spreading coronavirus has hit Chinas top internet censorship agency and sickened 10 employees, according to Beijing health officials. It was also an instance of sustained community transmission, meaning people spread the virus to each other while commingling together. The infections started when a sick janitor began coughing on Feb. 18 but had continued to work, according to a Feb. 27 press conference in Beijing on the outbreak. Read more here. US Raises Travel Advisory to Highest Level for Regions in Italy, South Korea The United States is urging Americans to not travel to certain regions in Italy and South Korea due to the coronavirus outbreak. Vice President Mike Pence raised the travel advisory for Lombardy and Veneto in Italy, Italy to Level 4: do not travelthe highest levelduring a press conference on Saturday. This comes after the European country confirmed that almost 900 people have been sickened by the virus. Read more here. People walk along St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy on Feb. 29, 2020. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo) 1,128 Cases, 29 Deaths in Italy Italian tourism officials fear a new virus could do more damage to the industry than the Sept. 11 terror attacks as the number of confirmed cases in the country shot up past the 1,000 mark and deaths climbed to 29. Authorities reported that Italys total confirmed cases grew to 1,128, a 27% increase from 24 hours earlier. The vast majority are in three northern regions, all economically productive and among the most visited in the country : Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. Eight more people infected with the coronavirus died since Friday night, all of them elderly and all in the same three regions, according to civil protection authorities. The increase comes despite strong measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus including isolating 11 towns with a combined population of over 50,000. Health officials cautioned that the impact of the measures adopted a week ago would not result in slowing case numbers until some 14 days the period of incubation had elapsed. The cases we are verifying are likely to have been contracted before we adopted these measures, said Silvio Brusaferro, president of the national health institute. Tourists, some wearing a mask, queue to enter the Louvre museum in Paris, France on Feb. 28, 2020. (Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP Photo) France Bans Gatherings, Frowns on Kissing France is banning all indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people to slow its snowballing spread of coronavirus cases and recommending that people no longer greet each other with kisses. The number of French cases almost doubled, to 100, on Saturday. Of those 86 are hospitalized, two have died and 12 have recovered, said the head of Frances national health service, Jerome Salomon. The cancellation of large gatherings in confined spaces was announced earlier Saturday by Health Minister Olivier Veran after special government meetings that focused on responses to the epidemic. Having previously recommended that people avoid shaking hands, the minister said they should also cut back on la bise, the custom in France and elsewhere in Europe of giving greetings with kisses, or air kisses, on the cheeks. The tightened restrictions on public gatherings had an immediate impact. A major four-day trade show in Cannes for property investors was postponed from March to June. A half-marathon that was scheduled for Sunday in Paris also was cancelled, as was a carnival in the Alpine town of Annecy, Veran announced. He said other outdoor events and gatherings that might lead to a mixing of people from infected areas could also be canceled. Iran Reports 9 New Cases, Death Toll Rises to 43 Deaths in Iran from coronavirus have hit 43, the highest number outside China, and the total number of infected people has risen to 593, an Iranian health official said on Saturday. As several countries in the Middle East reported cases of the coronavirus stemming from Iran, the country at the epicenter of the outbreak in the region. Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 43 the total number of infected people is 593, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, calling on people to stay at home. Irans Health Minister Saeed Namaki warned on Friday of a very difficult week ahead in Iran, which only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19 and where the death rate among confirmed cases has been around 10 percent, compared to around 3 percent elsewhere. Some experts believe Iran is underreporting the true number of cases, similar to China. Tehran has ordered the shutting of schools until Tuesday and the government has extended the closure of universities and a ban on concerts and sports events for a week. Several high-ranking officials, including a vice minister, deputy health minister, and five lawmakers, have tested positive for the coronavirus as outbreak forced Irans clerical rulers to close the parliament and impose internal travel bans. A support operations tent is seen at an earmarked quarantine site for healthy people potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, behind Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, north of Seattle, Washington on Feb. 28, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) New Coronavirus Cases in US Suggest Community Spread New coronavirus cases confirmed in the Pacific Northwest suggest the new virus may be spreading in the community in the United States, officials said. Washington state, Oregon, and California officials confirmed in total four new cases on Friday. Officials do not know where or how three of the patients became infected, making them possible instances of community spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Community spread means that people acquire COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, through an unknown exposure in the community. The first case of unknown origin was confirmed on Feb. 26 in northern California. Three more were reported on Feb. 28. There was no known travel exposure for this individual. So, this is a case of community spread of the disease, much like the case from California earlier this week, Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters on Friday. Read more here. Attendants for the evacuation plane serve passengers before the plane takes off in Wuhan, China on Feb. 5, 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times by David) American Evacuated From China: Angry With Chinese Governments Actions An American evacuated from the epicenter of the new virus said he was upset with what the Chinese government did. David, a pseudonym, told The Epoch Times that he traveled to Wuhan to spend the Lunar New Year with family members. We arrived in Wuhan on Jan. 17 by plane, and started to visit our old friends after taking a short rest, David said. That day, David was told by one of his friends in Wuhan that the coronavirus outbreak was more serious than how the Chinese central government and local government described it. He thus decided to return to the United States as soon as possible. But the earliest available flight tickets were on Feb. 25. The news on local TV channels kept saying that the virus didnt have human-to-human transmission. On the evening of Jan. 22, the Wuhan government organized a large scale Lunar New Year gala, David said. After midnight, it locked down the entire city. The Chinese governments behavior made me speechless. I am extremely angry with them. Read more here. A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) in Venice, Italy, on Feb. 28, 2020. (Claudio Furlan/Lapresse via AP) Italian Hoteliers: US Travel Advisory Final Blow to Tourism A U.S. government advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Italy due to the spread of a new virus is the final blow to the nations tourism industry, the head of Italys hotel federation said Saturday. Late Friday, the U.S. government issued a level three advisorythe second-highest level of warningfor the whole of Italy, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended avoiding nonessential travel. Other major countries have only issued warnings about defined areas of northern Italy where most cases of the new coronavirus have been recorded. Italy currently has confirmed almost 900 cases, by far the highest figure outside Asia. There have been 21 deaths among people with the virus. More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, the second-largest national group behind Germans, according to the most recent statistics. They represent 9 percent of foreign tourists in Italy and are among the biggest spenders at an average of 140 euros a day for a collective total of 5 billion euros a year, the hotel federation Federalberghi said. We had already registered a slowdown of Americans coming to Italy in recent days, Federalberghi President Bernabo Bocca said in a statement. Now the final blow has arrived. With Italy registering the greatest number of infections outside of Asia, the Assoturismo Italian tourism federation has put cancellations in Rome at 90 percent. Venice, which was nearing recovery in the Carnival season following a tourist lull after record flooding in November, saw bookings drop immediately after regional officials canceled the final two days of celebrations this week, unprecedented in modern times. Even before the U.S. advisory, the Italian government late Friday took action to help the tourism industry, delaying deadlines for tax payments and a moratorium on industry mortgages. Bocca called the measures insufficient and asked all levels of government to adopt urgent measures to guarantee cash flow to tourism operators to protect jobs and avoid the collapse of an industry that operates 300,000 businesses and employs 1.5 million people. Australia Puts Iran on Travel Ban, Notes High Death Rate Australias government intends to implement a ban on travelers coming from Iran, according to local reports. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt announced after a National Security Council meeting on Saturday that the new travel restrictions will apply from March 1, and cited a high death rate in Iran for the decision. The ban will stipulate that people cannot travel from Iran to Australia for 14 daysthey will have to spend the time in a third country before being allowed into Australia. The exception is for Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran, but they will still need to isolate themselves for 14 days after arriving in Australia. Australia currently has a total of 25 cases of coronavirus, 15 of which have reportedly recovered, and the rest in stable condition. No deaths have been reported. Iran has an official record of 388 cases of coronavirus and 34 deaths. This is the highest known mortality rate for the coronavirus outbreak outside China if going by official numbers. Read more here. A mask-clad vendor waits for custumers at Tajrish Bazaar in the Iranian capital Tehran on Feb. 29, 2020. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images) South Korea Reports 594 New Cases South Korea on Saturday morning reported 594 new cases of COVID-19 from the previous afternoon, making the report the largest daily rise in cases in the country to date. The countrys Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) also logged three new deaths. The total number of cases in the country is now 2,931. 2 New Cases in Australia The number of confirmed cases in Australia has increased by two to 25 as the World Health Organization raised the risk of the spread of the disease to very high. A 63-year-old woman who recently returned from Iran is in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Meanwhile, a 79-year-old West Australian woman has tested positive. She was the wife of a man previously diagnosed with coronavirus. Her case marks the second confirmed case in Western Australia. The couple were both evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan earlier in February. Read more here. For updates from Feb. 28, click here. Zachary Stieber, Mimi Nguyen Ly, Nicole Hao, Eva Fu, Ivan Pentchoukov, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. UPPER THUMB There is another culprit in the decline of the fish population in the Great Lakes other than commercial fisheries, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is estimated there are about 230,000 double-crested cormorants around the Great Lakes, each eating an estimated 1.3 to 1.6 pounds of fish a day. That equals more than 77 million pounds of fish per year, according to a report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The birds eat minnows, alewives, shad, round gobies, other prey-fish, and they also devour significant numbers of yellow perch, stocked trout, salmon, walleye, pike, and panfish. Around the Great Lakes, prey-fish populations are already greatly reduced, and in Lake Huron they are reduced by 80-90%. Cormorants are uncontrolled and wreaking havoc on our Great Lakes," said Lakon Williams, who manages the Bay Port Fish Company. "Since the Zebra Mussel invasion, the lakes and the water are cleaner than ever." Cormorants are a sight feeder that can see up to 40 feet in the water," she said. "With the water being clearer fish have no where to hide." When going out fishing on Saginaw Bay, it is common to see a black swarm of cormorants gorging themselves. It is a horrific sight to see, these birds need population controls, she added. Double-crested cormorants are an equal opportunity predator. They eat whatever they can catch in their beak. Cormorants have been recorded schooling fish up into shallower water and then they take turns diving to feed. They have been noted to dive up to 150 feet and are routinely diving 30 feet or more to feed in the Great Lakes. MDNR research has established a link between cormorants preying on fish populations and their decline in the Saginaw Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Les Cheneaux perch fishery. Stocking of trout and salmon is impractical when cormorant numbers at stocking sites become excessive, and this continues to happen throughout lakes Michigan and Huron. We desperately need cormorant control again, said Don Kain, who is the lead administrator for the Facebook group Save Our Fish, focusing on environmental issues that affects fisheries. I believe this to be a huge problem. I don't want all cormorants killed, but we clearly need population control. The Lake Huron Citizens Fisheries Committee has been vocal and involved in pushing for cormorant control. A federal judge temporarily shut down the control program in 2016, saying Fish and Wildlife had failed to submit an assessment showing depredation remained necessary. When the ruling came down, residents of coastal communities in the Great Lakes expected the federal agency to quickly do some homework, return to court and prove control is still necessary. So far, that has not happened. Although on November 15, 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, evaluating options for issuing individual depredation permits to provide relief for aquaculture facilities experiencing direct economic losses from cormorants across 37 central and eastern states and the District of Columbia. Balancing the protection of native wildlife with economic and human health needs is fundamental to effective management practices, said U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. Besides eating fish in the Great Lakes, cormorants have targeted fisheries throughout the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates cormorants cause more than $25 million in damage annually within the aquaculture industry. The assessment analyzed options for the issuance of depredation permits for cormorants where there is either significant economic damage to aquaculture facilities, significant damage to native vegetation, significant impact on a threatened or endangered species, or significant human safety risks. And the review did not take into consideration the potential damage to recreational and commercial fishing by cormorants. Since the publication of the environmental assessment, the service engaged stakeholders to assess the biological, social and economic significance of wild fish-cormorant interactions, and to identify a set of management alternatives. When you add up everything that is taking fish out of the Great Lakes combined and it doesnt come close even if you multiply it by three, four or five times, the cormorant population is at a dangerously high level, he said. I have tried to get as much information out to people as I can. People need to understand the damage that is caused by these creatures. Because Michigan hosts about 55% of the populations cormorants breeding pairs, the state can be considered ground zero for the negative effects of cormorants. One species of bird is taking 30 times more than our whole state-licensed commercial industry, Williams pointed out. Everyone that cares about our Great Lakes should be coming together to fix this colossal problem. The latest estimates on fish consumption by the MDNR is that cormorants take more than 77 million pounds of fish per year. So the stocking of trout and salmon isnt even practical when cormorant numbers at stocking sites become so excessive, and cormorant numbers continue to grow throughout the Great Lakes. We clearly need population control," Kain said. "If you know anything about the Great Lakes fisheries, you would know we have a huge issue with the yellow perch population being at a very low level. We can't control what Canada is doing with harvesting large amounts of fish. But I give Canada credit, at least they are addressing the cormorant issue and theyre setting up a plan to control the cormorant population on their side of the lake. While we sit on our hand and wade through miles of red tape, and animal rights activists. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is gathering information to develop rules to expand the management of double-crested cormorants throughout the United States. Public input is being sought through March 9. Electronic comments can be sent to www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS-HQ-MB-2019-0103. Handwritten copy can be submitted by U.S. Mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-MB-2019-0103; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: JAO/1N, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. Email and faxes are not accepted. Comments on the issue will be posted at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. In the meantime, House Bills 4567, 4568, and 4569 passed the House earlier this month, and focus on the proposed banning of perch, walleye, and lake trout fishing for profit and changes to the mesh nets used for catching fish. Williams is concerned about those bills becoming law because it would shutter the doors of fish companies. A new University of Michigan-led study of individually radio-tracked tropical fish in a Bahamian mangrove estuary highlights the importance of highly active individuals in maintaining ecosystem health. The study found that the individual gray and cubera snappers that spent the most time swimming and foraging for food also spread the highest levels of the essential nutrient nitrogen throughout the estuary in their urine. The excretory contributions of the most active individuals nearly doubled the total amount of nitrogen that would otherwise be present in the ecosystem. That extra fertilizer means more plant growth and more food at the base of the food web. "In any population, the behavior of key individuals can have outsized impacts on their ecosystem -- think Steve Jobs," said U-M marine ecologist Jacob Allgeier, assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Quantifying the behavior of key individuals in wild populations is an emerging frontier in ecology, with the potential to upend how we define biodiversity and our attempts to conserve it." Allgeier is the lead author of a paper scheduled for publication Feb. 26 in the journal Science Advances. The paper reports the findings of a study that radio-tracked 33 gray snappers and 25 cuberas in a mangrove-lined estuary on Abaco Island in the Bahamas in 2006 and 2007. In October 2019, Allgeier was awarded an $875,000, five-year grant from the Packard Foundation. Much of that funding will be used for a larger study to radio-track about 500 Abaco Island fish to learn more about their feeding behavior. advertisement The big-picture goal of that research is to understand how an unlikely but renewable source of fertilizer -- fish excretion -- can be used to stimulate fish production and improve food security for people living in tropical ecosystems. In Science Advances, Allgeier and his colleagues report that while the most active snappers had an outsized impact on ecosystem health, they were also the most likely to be caught by anglers, who prize their bold behavior and fight. Gray and cubera snapper support important commercial and subsistence fisheries throughout the Caribbean and are traditionally harvested by spearfishing and angling with hook and line. Spearfishing typically targets fish with large body size, while angling tends to select for bolder or more active individuals. Allgeier and his colleagues used computer models to simulate the harvest of various types of individuals and found that the selective removal of the most active snappers reduced the nitrogen supply in the ecosystem by up to 69%. "Our results challenge the species-centric definition of biodiversity and provide evidence that the role of individuals may need to be further reconciled in how we approach conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem function," Allgeier and his co-authors wrote. advertisement For the study, transmitters were surgically implanted into fish body cavities, and nine receivers were scattered throughout the study site. The researchers used acoustic telemetry data and mathematical models to estimate the amount of nitrogen individual fish supplied and the extent to which they spread the nutrient across the ecosystem. They found that the amount of nitrogen supplied by the two snapper populations -- excreted through their gills as ammonium -- was roughly equivalent to all other nitrogen sources combined. And the most active fish contributed the most nitrogen. "In the mangrove estuaries that we studied, we show that there is roughly double the amount of fertilizer in the ecosystem due to individuals that are disproportionate fertilizers," Allgeier said. "We then show that fishing specifically selects for these extra-important individuals, which in turn has disproportionately negative effects on the ecosystem." In the study of infectious diseases, individuals who demonstrate a high ability to infect others -- think Typhoid Mary -- are called super-spreaders. Before this concept emerged, it had long been assumed that all infected individuals had equal chances of transmitting an infection to others. Similarly, in the management of fish and game populations, it was long assumed that individuals within populations are roughly equivalent and that the loss of any single individual has similar impacts on the ecosystem, Allgeier said. But the diversity among individuals within a single population is now a topic of growing research interest. Allgeier refers to the piscatory overachievers in the Bahamian mangrove estuaries as "disproportionate fertilizers." For simplicity's sake, you can think of them as super-urinators. Over the past decade, Allgeier and his colleagues have glued together thousands of cinder blocks to create 38 artificial reefs in a shallow bay on Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas, where the research is conducted. At the working session (Photo: VNA) Chief representative of the WHO in Vietnam Kidong Park said the control of COVID-19 around the globe is encountering an array of difficulties. He asked Vietnam to share experience in implementing quarantine, prevention, and treatment of the epidemic with the international community. Chief representative of the WHO in Vietnam Kidong Park (Photo: VNA) The WHO highly appreciated the Vietnamese Governments efforts and measures, especially in building scenarios to cope with the epidemic in any circumstances. Meanwhile, Mathew Moore from the USCDC, hailed the Vietnamese Governments quick, firm and effective actions against COVID-19. With the engagement of authorities from central to local levels, Vietnam has recorded only 16 infection cases so far and all have been cured. This showed Vietnams efforts and efficiency, contributing to the global fight against the epidemic, he said. He asked Vietnam to continue sharing information and experience with the international community, including its coronavirus genome. The US will continue to work closely with Vietnamese agencies in responding to epidemics, he said. Mathew Moore from the USCDC (Photo: VNA) For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said Vietnam has worked out measures and learned from experience to make appropriate adjustments during the process of fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. As the epidemic is entering a new period, Vietnam is planning new measures and hopes to get advices from the WHO and the USCDC, he said. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VNA) He also shared Vietnams experience in mobilising and arranging forces to fight against the epidemic. With the spirit of always ready to cope with the worst scenario, Vietnam hopes the WHO and the USCDC will continue accompanying the country in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, he said./. Hong Kongs civil servants will get as much as 5.26% pay raise. Photo: Bloomberg As global governments battle the novel coronavirus outbreak, two governments made opposite decisions on their civil servants pay. Hong Kong lawmakers approved an HK$12.4 billion ($1.59 billion) pay raise for 176,000 civil servants, while Singapores president, cabinet officials and lawmakers agreed to take a one-month pay cut to show solidarity with fellow Singaporeans. The pay raise in Hong Kong was originally proposed in June last year, but a vote was postponed as the pro-democracy camp opposed it, arguing that the police force did not deserve a pay raise in light of its handling of the protests last summer. According to the deal approved by the Legislative Councils Finance Committee, the pay increase for government and police staff of up to 5.26% will be backdated to April 1 last year. For mid- to lower-level civil servants, the pay increase percentage is higher than for senior officials. After the raise, monthly salaries for top officials will range from HK$15,100 to HK$295,200, and other staff will get paid HK$12,900 to HK$135,500. Compared with private sector median monthly pay at $17,500, the vast majority of civil servants are better paid. In addition, public workers enjoy a wide range of benefits, including medical and dental insurance, an education allowance, plus housing and retirement benefits. The new pay raise for civil servants is higher than recent average annual raises in the private sector. In June 2019, average pay raise for Hong Kong employees was 4.1%. Meanwhile, the Singapore government announced Friday that its president, ministers and members of parliament will take a one-month pay cut and senior public service officers will have a half-month salary reduction. The political leadership will do our part to show solidarity with fellow Singaporeans, said Singapores deputy prime minister and finance minister, Heng Swee Keat. He said the government has acted swiftly against the spread of the virus because it had the strong trust of citizens. Singapore is one of the first countries to report infections outside China. It has 96 confirmed cases, but 66 people have recovered. Read more Caixins coverage of the new coronavirus Earlier this week, Singapores sovereign wealth fund, Temasek, also announced a pay freeze for all employees and a pay cut of 5% to 15% for senior management. The head of the fund, Ho Ching, is the wife of Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Hong Kong government workers have also seen pay cuts in the past. During the 2003 recession, the Hong Kong chief executive and major officials voluntarily agreed to a 10% pay cut. During the 2009 financial crisis, the government froze pay for mid- to lower-level staff, while senior officials salaries were cut by 5.38%. Asked Wednesday whether government officials would take the lead in cutting salaries in response to the virus outbreak, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said pay adjustments for government officials would follow existing procedures. Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) Caixin Global has launched Caixin CEIC Mobile, the mobile-only version of its world-class macroeconomic data platform. If youre using the Caixin app, please click here. If you havent downloaded the app, please click here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 19:49:59|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Clashes in Ethiopia's Benishangul Gumuz regional state located in the western part of the country has killed three people, local authorities said on Saturday. In a press statement, Benishangul Gumuz regional state communications affairs office, said clashes in Dangur locality, Metekel zone of the region earlier this week killed three people. The statement further said another seven people were injured and several homes destroyed in the clashes. Ethnic violence between members of various ethnic groups in Benishangul-Gumuz regional state in recent months has left hundreds dead and thousands of others displaced. The clashes are mainly over access to power and land resources. For data on testing at the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory: Please see our daily COVID-19 update . 1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are people without a positive diagnostic test who have COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a laboratory confirmed case. Antibody test results are not included in our data. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly. 2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases. 3This includes cases who test negative and are not epi-linked to a confirmed case. 4Ever hospitalized, if available, as reported to OPERA. OPERA is the state of Oregon's electronic disease surveillance system for COVID-19. Cases are considered hospitalized if they were ever admitted to the hospital for inpatient care during the their COVID-19 illness. Cases who were examined in but not admitted to a hospital may be incorrectly classified as hospitalized until interview and medical record review are complete, leading to fluctuations in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 cases. Click for Notes Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with an overnight arson attack on a centre for people with learning disabilities. Two boys aged 15 and 13 have been arrested following the attack on the Learning Disability Centre at Foyle Road. The centre was broken into last night and a fire was started. It has caused extensive damage to the building which only opened last year. PSNI Sergeant Michael Hughes said: Both males were arrested on suspicion of arson and two counts of burglary. "The males were also arrested in relation to a burglary which occurred at a fast food outlet on the Bishop Street area of Derry/Londonderry sometime between 5:10am and 5:25am this morning. Entry was gained to the premises and it is believed that a sum of money was taken from a till inside the outlet. Damage was caused to the door of the property following the incident. Both are in police custody at this time. Our enquiries are continuing in relation to both of these incident and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed anything suspicious at either the Bishop Street or Foyle Road areas of the city, to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 350 29/02/20. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. A community clean-up at the centre will begin at 10am tomorrow morning. Turkeys neighbors, Greece and Bulgaria, both EU member states, promised not to accept migrants and strengthened their borders after the threats of Ankara Open source Refugees in Turkey headed toward European frontiers after an official said the borders had been thrown open, a response to the escalating war in Syria where 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops. This is reported by Reuters. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as one of the most alarming moments of the nine-year-old Syrian war. Turkeys neighbors Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union member states, vowed not to admit the migrants and reinforced their borders following Ankaras threat to reopen the frontier. It was closed under an accord between Turkey and the European Union that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people crossed into Europe by foot. As news of Thursdays strike emerged, a senior Turkish official told Reuters the government had decided, effective immediately, not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land or sea, and that police and border guards had been stood down. All refugees, including Syrians, are now welcome to cross into the European Union, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Within hours hundreds of migrants, some wearing face masks in an apparent attempt to guard against the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the world, began arriving on the European frontier in the early morning light. Greeces prime minister said no unauthorized crossing would be allowed. His Bulgarian counterpart said the prospect of a new migration crisis was even more of a threat as European countries struggle to respond to the coronavirus. The EU said that Ankara had made no formal announcement of any change in policy at the border. The biggest issue for this Octobers election is how Queensland is going to get beyond our massive, ongoing reliance on coal for energy generation. To be fair to our state leaders, the fact that this is even a state rather than a federal issue is a travesty. Only 10-15 per cent of Queensland's grid power comes from renewables at present. Credit:Bradley Kanaris Queensland has been interconnected into the National Electricity Market since 2001. Its principle of a competitive, nationally regulated market, ideally with a carbon price should be well and truly established. Once the NEM started operating, the states responsibility for energy plummeted. States could choose to stay in the game, as asset owners operating in a competitive market, but they were no longer truly responsible for reliability or price. Victoria got out, privatising its brown-coal generators for a premium price in the Kennett years. New South Wales eliminated state debt when it sold out between 2011 and 2017. Former national security adviser John Bolton responded to criticism about not testifying in either of President Trumps impeachment trials, saying his testimony would have made no difference in the results. The House impeached Trump in December, while the Senate acquitted him in February. Bolton refused to testify during the House impeachment trial, which he described as grossly partisan and impeachment malpractice during Vanderbilt University Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press. The Senate did not call witnesses in their trial. People can argue about what I should have said and what I should have done, Bolton said. I would bet you a dollar right here and now, my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome. Bolton was criticized last November when he began tweeting about the Trump administration he was ousted from, but showed no signs he was planning to testify. CNNs Erin Burnett said at the time that if Bolton wanted to do the right thing and protect American national security instead of getting on a Twitter high horse, he should testify in the impeachment inquiry hearings into Trump. Also Read: John Bolton Sounds Alarm on 'Censorship' of His Upcoming Book: 'I Hope It's Not Suppressed' He was similarly criticized when it was announced he was writing a memoir, as observers thought it was unseemly for him to turn a profit on his account of the presidents behavior rather than give it to the lawmakers investigating him. In another university talk this week, Bolton said he hopes the book, The Room Where It Happened, is not suppressed. 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. Wednesday, Bolton referred to the implied threat of criminal prosecution if what he shares in the book or would have shared in any possible testimony was determined to be classified information, according to the Associated Press. Im not here to speculate on that with the pre-publication review process under way. Laugh all you want. This is the judgment of my counsel, somebody I worked with 35 years ago, 30 years ago at the Department of Justice, he said. Read original story John Bolton Says His Testimony Would Have Made No Difference in Trump Impeachment At TheWrap Nicole Kidman's younger sister Antonia and her family have moved back to Sydney after a decade living in Singapore. And the journalist-turned-lawyer, 49, has reflected on the changes her family face as they settle into life in Sydney. In her column penned for 9Honey, she admitted: 'Being new is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's great because it means starting afresh with a clean slate.' 'Starting afresh': On Friday, Nicole Kidman's (left) sister Antonia (right) reflected on the changes her family face as they start their lives over in Sydney after a decade in Singapore But she added, 'it can also be lonely, frustrating and at times exhausting.' Since relocating, she and her businessman husband Craig Marran have started new jobs and her children have started at their new schools. 'It's been interesting to watch this play out and how we've coped and adapted to this upheaval,' she said. New challenges: Antonia admitted, 'being new is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's great because it means starting afresh with a clean slate. But it can also be lonely, frustrating and at times exhausting'. Pictured: Antonia at State Courts in Singapore Coping and adapting: Since relocating, she and her businessman husband Craig Marran have started new jobs and their children have started at their new schools. Pictured with her family Antonia said that after living aboard from 10 years, she was able to develop an appreciation of the Australian culture, environment and the way of life. In a previous column for the publication, she described moving back to home Sydney as 'bittersweet'. 'Relocating to Sydney after almost a decade in Singapore triggers all sorts of emotions,' she admitted. New career: The move from Singapore to Sydney comes after Antonia graduated with a law degree back in April As 'hard' and 'sad' as their move was, Antonia said she always intended on returning home to Australia at some point, and she felt now was the 'right' time. The move from Singapore to Sydney comes after Antonia graduated with a law degree back in April. Moulin Rouge! Nicole star praised her sister for the academic achievement, writing in an Instagram post last year: 'Studying, raising six kids and starting a new phase in her career, and she's doing it all with grace and humility.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 18:05:49|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un sacked two senior officials for corruption and other acts and made new arrangements to battle COVID-19, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday. In a recent high-level meeting, Ri Man Gon and Pak Thae Dok were dismissed from the posts of vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, KCNA said. The meeting also discussed COVID-19 prevention efforts, including launching a more thorough nationwide awareness campaign, KCNA said. "In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences," Kim said, noting the reliable measures already taken by the party and government. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the DPRK has taken strict measures to prevent the infectious disease from spreading to the country. It has not reported any confirmed cases so far. Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. It has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided. Why Qantas kicked out a millionaire. Source: Getty When 17-year-old businessman Jack Bloomfield was travelling between Brisbane and Sydney on Friday, he stopped at the Qantas lounge, like he has plenty of times before. This time though, Bloomfield, who started three business ventures and has made himself millions since 2014, was kicked out. Ive never had a problem, but this time they actually asked me if I was 17, Bloomfield told Yahoo Finance. I said yes, and then they told me I wasnt allowed in - even though Id been in alone plenty of times before! Bloomfield, who had travelled to Sydney twice already this week, just wanted to take advantage of the quiet area and internet facilities so he could reply to emails. But he was turned away, even though hed purchased the business class ticket for those benefits. While Bloomfield admits not being allowed into the Qantas lounge is a minor issue in the scheme of things, it actually got him thinking about the larger message. What are we actually teaching young people about being entrepreneurial? I mean, we want young teenagers to be business-minded, but were not really sending the message that were taking them seriously, he said. Bloomfields other point was that Qantas lounges only started serving alcohol at 12pm, meaning under 18s could be allowed access in the morning. Bloomfield also suggested Qantas could simply ask for ID at the bar, rather than at the entry desk, or alternatively, charge less for the plane ticket if it means you cant access the lounge. The Qantas lounge policy officially states that individual membership can only be purchased by individuals who are at least 18 years of age, and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Is this the case for all lounges? Not necessarily. Etihad Airlines, for example, allows minors to access lounges in Abu Dhabi. Its official policy states: If your child is flying in Business or First, they may use our lounges in Abu Dhabi only. Story continues Cathay Pacific is another airline that will allow minors to access the lounges, despite also offering liquor. Whats interesting about that policy is minors can enter a Cathay Pacific lounge as a Qantas Platinum member, but cant access a Qantas lounge. The under 18 rule seems to be generally enforced across all Australian airlines, including Virgin Australia. Should kids be allowed to access the lounge alone? Theres plenty of discussion around whether under 18s should be allowed to access the lounge, with strong opinions both ways. On the one hand, the lounge is meant to be a quiet place for business people to take advantage of the facilities available to them, and rowdy children could arguably be quite disruptive. On the other hand, rowdy adults exist too. I actually think all lounge guests should have a file, or a strike count, not just kids. Three strikes, youre out, Gilbert Ott from God Save the Points said. Cathay Pacific has instead introduced a lounge etiquette guide, which in short advises guests to keep their voice down, use headphones, set their phone to vibrate and attend to your children properly. 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. A total of 112 Indian and foreign citizens stranded in Wuhan, Hubei Province, return to New Delhi on board the Indian military transport aircraft C-17. (Source: the official Twitter page of the Chinese Ambassador to India) By Wang Hui According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), India's largest news agency, on February 26, an Indian Air Force transport aircraft C-17 arrived in Wuhan, Hubei Province, carrying 15 tons of medical supplies, including face masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that the supplies sent by India just reflected that India gets united as one with China "at the time of hardship". After unloading, the military aircraft flew back to New Delhi carrying a total of 112 Indians and foreign citizens stranded in Wuhan. It is reported that these people are expected to be quarantined in India for 14 days, just like those on board the last batch of Indian aircraft. As early as February 16, Vikram Misri, Indian Ambassador to China, recorded a video in person expressing his support for the Chinese people and the Chinese government to fight against the outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus, and announced that India is willing to try its best to help the Chinese people at the time of hardship. This is a concrete measure which will fully demonstrate the goodwill, solidarity and friendship of the people and Government of India with the Chinese people, he added. Prior to this, some of the India's actions in epidemic prevention have drawn great concern. For example, as the first confirmed patient appeared in India at the outset of the year, India sent special aircraft to evacuate Indians in Wuhan, ignoring the WHO's suggestion. On January 31, India issued a ban prohibiting the export of personal protective equipment such as masks and protective clothing, resulting in the export failure of materials previously purchased by China from India. In fact, Counselor Ji Rong, Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, said on January 24 that the WHO has repeatedly suggested that the adoption of any travel or trade restriction is not to be supported or even to be opposed, and all parties should follow the rule. It is hoped that the Indian side will treat the epidemic objectively, rationally and calmly, deal with the medical supplies in urgent need by China in a cooperative and constructive attitude, and resume normal personnel and trade exchanges between the two countries as soon as possible. The Lizzie McGuire reboot has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks, since filming on the revivial was halted last month. And now star Hilary Duff is breaking her silence on the creative differences that put the new Disney+ series on hold. Taking to her Instagram on Friday, the 32-year-old star asked Disney to move the show to their other streaming service Hulu all while speaking to her dedication to the role. Lizzie speaks: Hilary Duff asked Disney to move the show to their other streaming service Hulu and spoke of her dedication to the character Fighting to be relatable: '[I] was incredibly excited to launch "Lizzie" on D+ and my passion remains,' she wrote. 'However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans' relationship with LIZZIE who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her' '[I] was incredibly excited to launch "Lizzie" on D+ and my passion remains,' she wrote. 'However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans' relationship with LIZZIE who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her.' From 2001 to 2004, Duff starred in the title role of the show which followed Lizzie, her two best friends Miranda and Gordo (Adam Lamberg who was expected to return), as they navigated middle school tackling bullies, crushes and everyday life. In her post, Duff expressed her desire to keep the same authenticity the series had nearly two decades ago in the reboot. 'I'd be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30 year old's journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating,' the Younger star wrote. BFFs: From 2001 to 2004, Duff starred in the title role of the show which followed Lizzie, her two best friends Miranda and Gordo (Adam Lamberg who was expected to return), as they navigated middle school tackling bullies, crushes and everyday life Adding: 'It's important to me that just as her experiences as a preteen/ teenager navigating life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable.' With a desire to still do the show, through an authentic experience Duff asked the show be moved to Hulu, as the upcoming Disney+ show Love, Victor recently was. 'It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu, if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again,' she said on the post imply captioned 'Lizzie McGuire.' On Tuesday, Duff shared a news clip announcing Love, Simon (a spinoff othe film) was cancelled on Disney+ but will move to Hulu under the new name Love, Victor. The latest: Duff said 'It's important to me that just as her experiences as a preteen/ teenager navigating life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable,' and asked the show be moved to Hulu Along with the clip, the mother-of-two wrote 'Sounds familiar,' hinting at the troubles with her own show. After her simple comments drew attention, the original creator Terri Minsky finally broke her silence after being fired from the reboot in January. Minsky created the original series and was set to serve as show runner on the reboot. 'I am so proud of the two episodes we did,' Minsky told Variety 'Hilary has a grasp of Lizzie McGuire at 30 that needs to be seen. Its a wonderful thing to watch.' Rings a bell: On Tuesday, Duff shared a news clip announcing Love, Simon (a spinoff othe film) was cancelled on Disney+ but will move to Hulu under the new name Love, Victor, Duff said the cancellation for not being 'family friendly' sounded 'familiar' She also hoped the show would be moved to Hulu so along with Duff, their more adult version of Lizzie could be seen on screen. Minsky added: 'I would love the show to exist, but ideally I would love it if it could be given that treatment of going to Hulu and doing the show that we were doing. Thats the part where I am completely in the dark. Its important to me that this show was important to people. I felt like I wanted to do a show that was worthy of that kind of devotion.' No showrunner has been named to replace Minsky yet and Disney has only made a few comments regarding the differences. At the time production was halted in January, and Minsky was fired, the studio said 'We paused production on "Lizzie McGuire" a few weeks ago to allow time for some creative re-development.'' On hold: Just days after teasing the highly-anticipated Lizzie McGuire revival in a Disney Plus trailer, the show was put on hold in January and showrunner and creator Terri Minsky was fired Sentimental: 'Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series,' a Disney spokesperson said Adding: 'Our goal is to resume production and to tell an authentic story that connects to the millions who are emotionally invested in the character, and a new generation of viewers too.' Production has been put on hiatus as the streaming service searches for a new showrunner. The announcement came as Duff honeymooned in Mozambique with her new husband Matthew Koma. The original series ran from 2001 to 2004 with two seasons spanning 64 episodes, following Duff's McGuire as a teenager. The series also starred Adam Lamberg as Gordo, who was also confirmed to return in November, though it isn't known if other series regulars like Lalaine are returning. It also spawned 2003's The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which grossed $55.5 million worldwide from a $17 million budget. New series: The original series ran from 2001 to 2004 with two seasons spanning 64 episodes, following Duff's McGuire as a teenager and the reboot was expected to follow Lizzie in her 30s living in NYC The new series is expected to follow Duff's McGuire as a 30-year-old navigating her life in New York City, though the differences stem over the content of her life. Like the original, the show will also feature an animated version of Lizzie McGuire, who pops up from time to time to reveal what Lizzie is really thinking. Duff first revealed the new series herself while on stage at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California last August. After Public Outcry, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas Is Restoring Funding For Arts Programs Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is rethinking some of his proposed budget cuts. The budget Lucas announced earlier this month included major cuts to arts, tourism and entrepreneurship programs. But in a letter to the city council late Friday afternoon, Lucas said he will restore funding to the Kansas City Film Commission and Children's Mercy Hospital. Actually a wise decision from the newbie Mayor that has earned him a great deal of community support from increasingly active metro communities.And since we're on the topic of trolling and/or civic activism . . .. Here's a glimpse at another Kansas City Internets denizen trying to get the Mayor's attention, posted for Friday night:Developing . . . Strong protests over attempt to remove state bank GMs View(s): Bank unions are vehemently protesting against an alleged attempt by the government to remove the General Managers of two state-owned banks, the Bank of Ceylon and the Peoples Bank without following the proper procedure. K. B. Senarath Bandara, General Manager and CEO of the Bank of Ceylon and G.B.P. Rasitha Gunawardana, CEO/General Manager at the Peoples Bank are to be removed on a cabinet decision, General Secretary of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union, Ranjan Senanayake told the Business Times. The trade unions of the two banks have decided to launch a protest demonstration tomorrow, he said, adding that a special meeting was held on Friday to create awareness on the governments move. This was the first time that two senior bank officials are to be removed by the government violating bank traditions and legal norms, he added. Letters of protests against this decision were sent to the President and the Prime Minister on Friday morning, Mr. Senanayake said. Senior officials of the two banks were unavailable for comments on the purported moves by the government. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:26:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Security Council has reiterated its expectation that one-person, one-vote national elections in Somalia must be held by late 2020 or early 2021, in accordance with the Provisional Federal Constitution of Somalia. In a press release on Friday night, the members of the Security Council said they noted the progress made in the preparations for the holding of national elections in Somalia, and welcomed the role of the Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali Federal Parliament and the National Independent Election Commission (NIEC) in this regard. The council added that the elections have to be "peaceful, transparent, timely, credible and inclusive, allowing as many citizens to vote as possible." According to the release, the members of the Security Council welcomed the enactment of the Electoral Law but noted that essential issues need resolving. They said the issues include the definition of constituencies; allocation of seats to constituencies; how the 30 percent quota of seats for women, to which Somalia has committed, will be implemented; and management of seats for Benadir and Somaliland. In this regard, the members called on the Somali Federal Parliament, in collaboration with NIEC and in consultation with the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States, and other stakeholders, to take urgent action to clarify these issues to enable implementation of the Electoral Law. The members of the Security Council said that the coming weeks and months will be a crucial period for Somalia and noted that they would continue to keep the situation under review and follow the implementation of elections closely. Detailing on the reduction of terror activities in Kashmir and the attempts by Pakistan to push terrorism within the valley, outgoing Chinar Corps Commander, Lt General KJS Dhillon in an elaborate interview to Republic, opined on the changes in the valley since the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, and the subsequent bifurcation of the state into two union territories. In his interview, he said that the biggest challenge and vision for the security forces was to save Kashmiri lives, and heaped praises for the Jammu and Kashmir civil authority for enabling the same. Lt Gen Dhillon said, "After August 5, the biggest challenge was not law and order, the biggest vision for us was saving Kashmiri lives. To that extent, not only the Indian Forces, but a very big role was played by J&K civil authority and the Central government." He elaborated how the security forces and government officials of J&K ensured that hospitals were accessible, medical facilities were stocked, ATMs were dispensing money and groceries were available. In addition, Lt Gen Dhillon asserted that the biggest credit was that not a single Kashmiri life was lost due to bullets. Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon said, "The planning and the coordination and the synergy, which existed which was harnessed and effects of which were put on ground, firstly it ensured that hospitals remained open, pharmacies, medical shops remained open, the ATMs were dispensing money at all times, the students education does not get affected. The mothers could walk up to the grocery shops in the morning, to pick up bread, butter, eggs, milk to feed the children. These were the situations that were there, and in conjunction with the civil administration, we made sure these things were available to the people. As security forces, the biggest credit to all of us is that not a single Kashmiri life has been lost due to bullets of terrorists. Pakistan's role in Kashmir Blaming Pakistan for still attempting to push terrorism to create unrest in the valley, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon said, "The terrorism in Kashmir, the complete unrest in Kashmir, the innocent lives which have been lost to terrorism including the security personnel belonging to Kashmir while fighting terrorism for over 30 years now, all this has originated from Pakistan and Pakistan Army. On the LoC, they indulge in various activities like bat action, ceasefire violation to spurt infiltration of terrorists and the sole aim is to disrupt peace. Notwithstanding all that, on the LoC, Pakistan Army and terrorists are dealt with in a befitting manner," Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon added. "The counter-terrorism operations would not have been successful if civil administration would not have contributed by giving a healing touch providing the necessary infrastructure. Pakistan is not a friend of Kashmir, it's clear from the fact that terrorism has brought so many miseries to people of Kashmir," Lt Gen Dhillon added. Funeral of terrorists Speaking to Republic TV's Zeenat Zeeshan, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon further emphasised on the 'reduction of terror activities, protests, stone-pelting and overall gathering of the crowd' for various reasons. Moreover, claimed that the signs of 'peace, calm and normalcy' are for everyone to see. He said, "This reduction is only part of it. There has been a reduction in protests, stone pelting, and crowds gathering for one reason or another is almost negligible. The posters which used to come up threatening people are to the zero levels. Kashmiri people want peace, they want their kids to have a good career, and they don't want to be tensed that there could be a terrorist attack or searches by security forces. The signs of peace, calm and normalcy are for everyone to see." Anti-terror operations Revealing that Pakistan is still attempting to infiltrate into the valley through various routes, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon also said that the Pakistan Army headed by Gen Qamar Bajwa has been refuging terrorists in their Army post, further guiding them towards the Line of Control (LoC). "The concept is, Pakistan is still infiltrating or attempting to. We had an incident, Pakistani national terrorist was intercepted. They are waiting for the snow to melt. Every day we have skirmishes on the Line of Control where they are attempting to enter. Pakistan Army is actively supporting infiltration. They even house the terrorists and infiltrators in their post and guide them to the LoC, so that is what the Pakistan Army is doing. This trend is going to continue. It is evident in LoC, passes were blocked because of snow, they used an alternate route. But there is nothing to worry about that. We'll look after it," Lt Gen Dhillon added. Ceasefire violations Lauding the security forces for resisting Pakistan's attempts to infiltrate terror and conduct ceasefire violations, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon said, "Pakistan got desperate after August 5, Pakistan's attempt to push in more terrorists to disrupt peace in Kashmir was thwarted befittingly on the LoC. And why they wanted the terrorists to come in post-August 5, was visible when they were killing truck drivers, burning apple crops, killing innocent civilians." "Kashmir is an agrarian society, the whole economy depends mainly on apple crops. They did burn apple crops, that was terrorism at its lowest. It has felt safe and secure after August 5, which is why the recruitment of children in 2019 has reduced by 45% in comparison to 2018. Last six months, the whole of Kashmir is feeling the most peaceful in the last 30 years," he concluded. Australia's wildfires seemed an age ago amid the glitz of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, but Saturday's celebration brought the firefighters who battled them together with climate change activists. Hundreds of thousands of people cheered on over 200 floats as they rolled through the city's gay hub, filled with revellers festooned in everything from feathers to body paint. Firefighters are a common sight in the annual parade, which has been running for over 40 years, but after battling through a "black summer" their presence seemed particularly pointed amid several climate change themed floats. "It makes me feel very proud actually, it's amazing to see the turn-out of the members that are here tonight. There's over 80 of us here today," New South Wales Rural Fire Service volunteer and parade participant Madelyn Schmidt told AFP. The 18-year-old was out at blazes several times during the bushfires which killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the country. Schmidt said she had been taking photos with grateful parade participants all day. From a sustainably constructed puppet personifying the Earth to a planet roasting on a spit, political messages peppered the parade in a reflection of its roots. In 1978 the first march ended when police violently clamped down on a small group of protesters. Now, police march with the parade alongside a casino, a bank and many other corporate sponsors, in one of the city's biggest events. "It has changed a lot over the time but I think it is so important that we get out as a community and show what's important to us," Hoop Force Australia float participant Kelly Jones said. Overflowing with green paper leaves and flowers, her float was jungle-themed and raising money for the Rural Fire Service. With the overall parade theme of "What matters", hundreds of causes were represented in the brightly coloured event. Although its heart is the celebration of LGBTQI+ community, the march has a willingness to fight other battles, Jones said. "It's also for everyone to come out and say we love love. We love what's important to us and it's a way to show that, so I think it's amazing." The US has committed to make an initial reduction in its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 as part of its agreement with the Taliban, but there is no obligation for America to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach an agreement, officials said here on Saturday. As part of its efforts to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and the agreement it signed with the Taliban, the US has committed to make an initial reduction in its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600. The US currently has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. This is the level that General Scotts Miller, Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, had earlier identified as necessary to fulfil his mission. The withdrawal of troops and the agreement itself move in parallel processes, a senior administration official said as the US signed an agreement with the Taliban in Doha in presence of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a host of foreign diplomats including those from India. "Our withdrawal is aligned with this agreement and is conditions-based. If the political settlement fails, if the talks fail, there is nothing that obliges the United States to withdraw troops," said the official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity. "That's not to say that the President doesn't have prerogatives as Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America to make any decision that he feels appropriate as our President, but there is no obligation for the United States to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach agreement or if the Taliban show bad faith in the course of this negotiation," the official said. Responding to questions, the official noted that the withdrawal of troops will not be immediate. The reduction of troops to 8,600 is part of the initial agreement and it will play out over several months. "It doesn't happen immediately. It takes a while to get out. It's not going to happen overnight. But that is the commander on the ground's recommendation, that is the President's intention, and that's in the agreement," said the official. According to another senior administration official, America's commitment to act on the drawdown is tied to the Taliban's action on their commitments in the agreement, which include in detail counter terrorism commitments, because that was US' priority concern, but also includes their engagement in these negotiations. As far as the long-term goal, the President's aspiration remains ultimately to bring a political settlement here, end the war, and end the US military commitment to Afghanistan, the official said. "The President does not seek a permanent commitment of US forces to a war in Afghanistan. There are a lot of ways that we can and will continue to work with the Afghan Government in the aftermath of a political settlement, and there's many venues of cooperation between us and them, but it is the President's ambition to reach a political settlement and have the United States forces leave and end the fight. That is his goal," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of the auto industrys marquee events fell victim to the coronavirus epidemic, with organizers of the Geneva International Motor Show pulling the plug as the outbreak spreads in Europe. The trade fair, which was due to start Monday, has being canceled as a force majeure after the Swiss government barred large gatherings, the organizers said in a statement Friday. The virus reached Switzerland this week and neighboring Italy reported hundreds of cases. Bloomberg News reported earlier the show was called off. The financial consequences for all those involved in the event are significant and will need to be assessed over the coming weeks," the statement said, adding that exhibitors will start dismantling stands and tickets for the event will be refunded. The expo is among the automotive sectors glitziest, with a high proportion of luxury and sports models on display, and organizer Palexpo SA had been pushing ahead with plans. Earlier this week it pledged to step up hygiene and health warnings and urged participants to screen staff for symptoms. The viral outbreak that began in China has spread to 52 countries and territories, with Italian cases centered on northern provinces that border Switzerland. Geneva, home to the World Health Organization, which is fighting the epidemic, is a three-hour drive from Turin, where Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has an operational base. German manufacturers Daimler AG and Audi AG said they supported the decision to cancel the show. The luxury-watch industrys Watches & Wonders Geneva, planned for April, was canceled Thursday, while the rival Baselworld expo was considering whether to go ahead. Together the events are the sectors biggest trade fairs. The motor show joins high-profile casualties of the virus including the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the biggest annual showcase for the telecoms sector, scrapped after a succession of tech giants from Ericsson AB to Sony Corp. to LG Electronics Inc. pulled out citing concerns around the virus. A car show in Beijing scheduled for April has also been postponed, while the Singapore Airshow went ahead earlier this month in front of sparse crowds and with scores of companies steering clear as the virus spread beyond China. Executives from carmakers spanning Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and BMW AG to Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. were due to attend the Geneva show, which spans 10 days and was first staged in 1905. The expo was last canceled during World War II and its aftermath. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. New Delhi, Feb 29 : A move by a far-Left women's rights group, Pinjra Tod, to mobilise locals in northeast Delhi and the near-lynching of Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Sharma by rioters were two critical points that left security forces on the back foot, police sources said on Saturday. They said it all started from February 22 evening when Pinjra Tod members started mobilising locals protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and directed them to gather at Jafrabad metro station. "The anti-CAA protesters came and squatted at Jafrabad metro station on February 22 at 10 p.m. We thought protesters would gather at the old site at Seelampur service lane, which is around a kilometre away," a police source said. The new set of protesters gathered at Jafrabad metro station included around 500 women, small children and 400 men. They came out from congested bylanes and gathered at the metro station. However, the core group consisted of outsiders. The police could not take action to remove them as they were outnumbered. "We had limited women personnel, so we could not act. Besides, there are High Court and Supreme Court orders about the right to protest. However, we did not allow them to set up tents, microphones or a platform at the site," said a source. By February 23 morning, the crowd swelled to around 3,000 people. "We had limited staff even as Pinjra Tod members were mobilising the crowd with locals' support," said the source. Explaining the situation, sources said Delhi's northeast district could be the most congested part in the country. The area around Jafrabad and Maujpur is so congested that around 80,000 people live per sq km. Seeing the rising number of people at Jafrabad metro station, a kilometre away at Maujpur metro station, another community also gathered and started a dharna. They said they would jam the entire stretch of Maujpur. It was here that BJP leader Kapil Mishra came and addressed the crowd and then left. "We tried to reason with them, but they wouldn't listen," said a police source. Image Source: IANS News The template for both the situations -- at Jafrabad and Maujpur -- was the same. At Jafrabad, most of the people in the crowd said that if protesters were allowed at Shaheen Bagh, then they too could protest. "At Maujpur, the crowd asked: why don't you remove Jafrabad protesters?'," said the source. In the evening, stone pelting started on protesters at Maujpur, but the police were able to control it. "At the same time, there was some tension at Chand Bagh. A Deputy Commissioner of Police went there and controlled it. "We made adequate arrangements for Monday February 24: US President Donald Trump was on a visit and was about to arrive that evening. The eastern range officers were exempt from being deployed for security. They had their own problems to deal with," a source said. Though it took time to mobilise the force, adequate number of police personnel and officers were deployed. "Our major concern was to protect Maujpur, as the area is surrounded by a particular community," said a police officer. "It was easy to mobilise people from Jafrabad and Kardampuri in a few minutes." On February 24 around 9 am , a call was received that Chand Bagh rioters were targeting a petrol pump. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Amit Sharma reached Chand Bagh with three companies on February 24 at 9 a.m. after he received a call that a petrol station was targeted. He rushed there, and between 9:30 a.m. and 10 am, he was attacked and Assistant Commissioner of Police Gokulpuri were almost lynched and a Head constable, Ratan Lal, was shot dead -- the bullet passed from his left shoulder, piercing his heart, and got stuck in the right arm. The three-company force which was with the DCP Sharma disappeared after he was attacked. Thereafter, large-scale rioting began. The challenge now was to send all the reserve force to Chand Bagh. The Joint Commissioner of Police heading Eastern Range Alok Kumar was tasked with the job. He made his move on the 66 Feet main Jafrabad Road. He was stuck at Kardampuri where his force came under a fierce attack. Similarly, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Jasmeet Singh was stuck near Maujpur. Then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Joy Tirkey and Joint Commissioner of Police Manish Agarwal were called in. Using a different route -- Usmanpur to Pushta Road -- they reached Chand Bagh and controlled the situation. By 4 p.m, the police managed ro reclaim Wazirabad and 66 Feet Road at Jafrabad. "At many places, both sides were firing at each other using countrymade revolvers. They were also against the police. At some places, policemen came right into the middle," said a police source, adding that the police personnel could not resort to firing because they were attacked from both sides. "We (police), however, carried out limited firing," said another police source, asserting that none of the officers retreated. "We didn't allow any lynching... though covering each point is impossible." At Shiv Vihar, an Additional DCP was with 15 personnel; they could not manage to enter inside the area, but they remained unfazed. They stayed on and contained the riots. "Rioting started at around 20 locations simultaneously and our men stood there to control the rioters. They didn't move back," said a police source. Maximum calls -- 7,500 -- were received from Noor-e-Ilyahi, Brahampuri and Yamuna Vihar. On February 25, the situation remained the same. "We were able to control the situation by late evening. Then we entered the lanes and bylanes and fully took control of the situation," said a police officer. Soon, policemen were seen inside Khajuri Khas, Dayalpur, Karawal Nagar and Jafrabad. Police sources said it was a conscious decision not to resort to firing at rioters even when police teams were trapped. "Our only priority was to contain the riots and bring the situation under control," said a police officer. -- Syndicated from IANS TWO new Green Party TDs who grew up across the street from each other in Limerick are now in the Dail representing constituencies over 200km apart! Brian Leddin and Neasa Hourigan both come from famous Limerick political families, and went to creche together, before making their confirmation and communion at the same time. Having grown up across the North Circular Road from each other, they even attended Salesians School together, before losing touch after Brian left age seven to go to the nearby John F Kennedy National School, as is the case for boys of that age. Neasa moved to the capital aged 18, while Brian remained in Limerick and it was only in 2017 when they both joined the Green Party and met at a conference in Waterford they rekindled their friendship. Brian was elected in Limerick City, Neasa in Dublin Central. Read also: New Green TD Hourigan points out parallels with her constituency and Limerick Brians mother, a former mayor of Limerick, Kathleen recalled: They lived across the road from us. We were obviously great friends with the Hourigans. The two of them went to creche together, they were great buddies when they were young. They got their Holy Communion together. It was a proud moment for both Kathleen and another former Limerick mayor, Neasas father Michael Hourigan as the pair took their seats in Irelands seat of power. Kathleen said: I was delighted, I thought it was great. I was so proud to see him sat on the Dail benches, and going out for the vote. It was great for our family. Brian added: We lived directly across the road. When we were quite small, we'd have been out and out. When I joined the Green Party in 2017, I went to a conference in Waterford. I had not seen Neasa since we were early teenagers. I didn't know at all she was in the Green Party. But she sat down beside me. We realised although we hadn't seen each other in 20 years, that we actually grew up together. Even in 2017, Brian admits he could not have seen himself seeking a council seat, let alone a Dail seat. But just two years later, the pair were elected to local politics on the same day Brian to Limerick City and County Council, and Neasa to Dublin City Council. I was delighted for her. Both of us come from families who were very involved in local politics. When you grow up in families which are politically engaged, you do think about how you can do things better, and have the understanding a lot of people do not have, Brian told the Limerick Leader. The newly elected Green Party TD took the fourth and final seat in the city, while Neasa outpolled Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe to take the second seat in Dublin Central. In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, has issued a decree appointing the Supreme Council of Energy as the entity responsible for trading in petroleum products in the emirate. As per the decree, Dubais Supreme Council of Energy will be responsible for fulfilling the roles and authorities outlined in Federal Law No. 14 of 2017, its bylaws and all other decisions issued thereunder. In particular, the SCE will authorising body for trading petroleum products in Dubai, reported the state news agwency Wam. It is also been authorised to enter into agreements with public and private entities to carry out its responsibilities, it added. Reduction in fuel price was supposed to bring back good luck for Indian airlines. But with the global spread of coronavirus, airlines are being forced to rejig their network, cut flights, and delay launches. For Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture Vistara, the deployment of the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a milestone in its journey. Medium and long-haul international flights mark the second phase of growth for the airline, which has faced severe challenges from low-cost airlines in the domestic market. But Vistara finds itself cornered as Japan, the airlines long-planned maiden destination with Dreamliner, is increasingly feeling the coronavirus heat. Industry executives say that with Japan declaring a state of emergency, bookings may be hit for the carrier though the route launch is more than a month away. It seems a little worrying but by April or May with the sun coming out in full force, I think the situation will improve, an airline executive said. Vistara cancelled 20 flights between Delhi and Bangkok and eight between Delhi and Singapore in March. It will also cancel 26 flights between Mumbai and Singapore. Reduction in fuel price was supposed to bring back good luck for Indian airlines. But with the global spread of coronavirus, airlines are being forced to rejig their network, cut flights, and delay launches. Adding to the worry is a slowdown in the number of tourists coming to India with multiple countries issuing advisories for their citizens after the communal riots in Delhi. International passenger traffic growth in the Indian aviation industry could see an impact of 19.5 to 23.8 per cent, Kinjal Shah, vice president, ICRA, said. This is negative for the Indian aviation industry, which is already reeling from significant passenger traffic slowdown, with the international traffic growth for the first nine months of fiscal 2020 having witnessed a decline of 8.4 per cent, Shah noted. IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India Express are planning to cut the number of flights to Saudi Arabia and Dammam as West Asian countries have come under the grip of the virus. Following Saudi Arabias ban on religious tours, IndiGo and SpiceJet executives said they were exploring where the capacity from the kingdom can be diverted. Saudi Arabia is the second-largest air travel market for Indians in West Asia after the United Arab Emirates, and around 5.9 million passengers flew between the nations in 2019. We may reduce frequencies but will not exit the market completely, said a SpiceJet executive. The airline, which was supposed to launch Delhi- Ras Al Khaimah flight in the first week of March, is likely to defer it. An IndiGo executive also pointed out that the airline was likely to cut a flight per day to rationalise capacity. There are enough places in the domestic routes where the capacity can be redeployed, he said. However, a ban by Dammam on fresh labour visa issue and long stay visa is a big worry for the airline management. IndiGo, which is supposed to launch Dammam as a new destination on March 10, will take a call on it depending on the extent of visa ban. Schools are shut for two weeks in March and hence we see a healthy occupancy to Saudi Arabia during that period. We want clarification from the Saudi government on exactly whos allowed to travel and whos banned. If this stays for long, it will be a big hit, an Air India executive said. The airline has also decided to cut the frequency on Delhi-Seoul route from four daily flights to three. On the communal riots in Delhi, an executive working with a low-cost carrier said, travel is anyway slower in this quarter due to school exams. "However, with many countries issuing advisory we will also see a dip on tourist inflow which consequently will hit leisure travel in domestic routes. The US, France and Russia are among the countries to have issued alert to their citizens on Delhi unrest. According to data from the Bureau of Immigration, arrival of overseas tourists in India and the countrys foreign exchange earnings from them grew at the slowest pace in a decade in 2019. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was Chandran Kavumpuram's life long dream to have a house of his own. A differently-abled man, his hopes were lost when he had to stop selling lottery tickets due to health issues. The sole bread earner for his three-member family residing in Enikkara of Karakulam Panchayat is his wife Omana. Chandran and his family's fortunes changed when they became beneficiaries of the LIFE mission housing scheme. On Saturday morning, the housewarming of Chandran's new house was attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The housewarming is a prelude to the grand declaration of completing 2 lakh houses under the LIFE mission in the state set to be made in the capital on Sunday evening. 2,00,000 houses and a million smiles, that's LIFE mission, Kerala's comprehensive housing scheme. Kerala's quest to become a State with no homeless people has crossed a major milestone. Since we took office, more than 2 lakh houses have been completed.#LIFE #ProgressForAll pic.twitter.com/82P1g2j8l1 Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) February 29, 2020 The CM came to Chandran's new house with a handful of gifts including kitchen utensils and daily use materials, accompanied by Ministers Kadakampally Surendran, AC Moideen and MLA C Divakaran. The people in Enikkara greeted the CM with 'chendamelam'. Chandran, Omana and their daughter Rohini were waiting at the entrance to their house with bated breath. After greeting them, the CM handed over the key of the house to the family. Soon, Rohini stepped in with a lit lamp into their new house. The ministers closely followed along with the family. As the ministers and local leaders sat talking in the living room of the house, milk was being heated in the kitchen, as is done during traditional house warming celebrations. The CM joined them in the kitchen along with other leaders and watched as the pot overflowed with heated milk and then offered the milk to Omana in a steel tawa. The entire village took part in the family's happiness. The CM handed over the gifts to Chandran who was all smiles. "It was my life long dream to have a house. I can only thank everyone for the kindness and fulfilling my family's dream," said Chandran. Karakulam Panchayat president Anila who was with the family throughout the event said, "Chandran's old house was in poor condition and water used to enter the place. He would ask me if he will ever be able to have a secure house. Now he has one." Symphony Holdings Limited (HKG:1223) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that insider Lu Lambert recently bought a whopping HK$83m worth of stock, at a price of HK$0.83. That increased their holding by a full 83%, which arguably implies the sort of confidence required for a shy sweet-natured nerd to ask the most popular kid in the school to go out on a date. View our latest analysis for Symphony Holdings The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Symphony Holdings In fact, the recent purchase by Lu Lambert was the biggest purchase of Symphony Holdings shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. That implies that an insider found the current price of HK$0.91 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. Happily, the Symphony Holdings insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices. Symphony Holdings insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! SEHK:1223 Recent Insider Trading, February 28th 2020 Symphony Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Does Symphony Holdings Boast High Insider Ownership? For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. It's great to see that Symphony Holdings insiders own 58% of the company, worth about HK$1.6b. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders. Story continues So What Does This Data Suggest About Symphony Holdings Insiders? It is good to see recent purchasing. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Along with the high insider ownership, this analysis suggests that insiders are quite bullish about Symphony Holdings. That's what I like to see! I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free. 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. By Margarita Antidze and Jack Stubbs TBILISI/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and the United States joined Georgia on Thursday in blaming Russia for a large-scale cyber attack last year that knocked thousands of Georgian websites offline and disrupted national television broadcasts. Up to 15,000 state, private and media websites were taken out by unknown hackers on Oct. 28, including those belonging to the Georgian president's office and two private television stations. Georgia's Foreign Ministry said it had now concluded the cyberattack, which defaced websites to display an image of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, was planned and carried out by the Russian military. The attack "was intended to harm Georgian citizens and government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the functionality of various organizations, thereby causing anxiety among the general public," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimer Konstantinidi. Russia's Foreign Ministry denied the allegations. "Russia did not plan and is not planning to interfere in Georgia's internal affairs in any way," the RIA news agency cited Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying. Britain and the United States attributed the attack specifically to Unit 74455 of Russia's military intelligence service, commonly known as the GRU. Up to 12 other countries are also expected to issue supporting statements, officials said. Western countries have accused the GRU of orchestrating a spree of destructive cyberattacks in recent years, including hacks that took down parts of the Ukrainian energy grid and crippled businesses worldwide in 2017. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected the accusations but U.S. and British officials say they believe naming and shaming the hackers will help deter Moscow from launching similar attacks in the future. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attack "directly affected the Georgian population, disrupted operations of several thousand Georgian government and privately-run websites and interrupted the broadcast of at least two major television stations." Story continues Britain's foreign minister, Dominic Raab, said: "The GRU's reckless and brazen campaign of cyberattacks against Georgia, a sovereign and independent nation, is totally unacceptable." The attack is the latest alleged attempt by Russia to undermine and destabilize the former Soviet Republic since a short-lived war between the two countries in 2008 over a breakaway Georgian region. Western officials said it was the first significant example of the GRU using hacking to "disrupt or destroy" since two cyberattacks on Ukraine in 2017, and they were worried the digital assault on Georgia would escalate if left unchallenged. "We do not want Georgia to become Russia's next cyber-range," said Paul Chichester, director of operations at Britain's National Cyber Security Center, part of the GCHQ signals intelligence agency. "This attribution today is seeking to send a clear message: we believe this sort of activity is unacceptable." (Additional reporting by Polina Ivanova in MOSCOW and Makini Brice in WASHINGTON; Writing by Jack Stubbs; Editing by John Stonestreet and Helen Popper/Mark Heinrich) You might describe it as a match made in heaven one church is so popular with couples getting married that it has taken on a former hotel manager to specifically look after the matrimonial end of things. This best man at the historic Holy Trinity Church in Adare is John Shovlin, who now has the job of ensuring that everything in the church goes smoothly for couples on their big day. The local parish priest, Monsignor Daniel Neenan, made this unusual move as the villages three hotels, Adare Manor, Dunraven Arms, and The Woodlands, have made Adare the wedding capital of Ireland. Mr Shovlin has plenty of wedding day management experience, having worked as a manager at the Dunraven Arms for 35 years. He said: It works a dream and were the first church in Ireland to offer this level of professional church catering for weddings. Mr Shovlin, 62, a native of Ardara, Co Donegal, said: For years I welcomed couples at the Dunraven Arms for their receptions. Now Im taking charge of the church end of things. I had been looking for something new to do after I finished up at the Dunraven and the parish priest, Mons Dan Neenan, approached me about being administrator for weddings, and this really dovetailed with my years in hotel management. He explained that with 75 weddings booked for the rest of this year, this means that the church has to be constantly prepared for each big day, and for the associated rehearsals. I often step in as the priest for the rehearsal. I ensure everything is spot-on for the big day in the church and choreograph the ceremony, from the moment I welcome the couple and their guests on arrival, said Mr Shovlin. I liaise with the couple, the various professionals they book, such as musicians, florists, video/photographers, and also ensure the necessary paperwork is ready. It takes a huge amount of pressure off the couple. Once the parish office is contacted and a wedding booked, I take over from there. Concern is being raised that the Americas are entering a new phase of the coronavirus outbreak and that Toronto is only weeks away from the point where the illness begins to spread locally. Ontario health officials confirmed three new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, on Saturday, the highest number of positives reported on a single day in the province. The new cases include a 51-year-old woman who travelled to Iran, her 69-year-old husband, and a 34-year-old woman who also travelled to Iran. All are in self-isolation, as are the 34-year-old womans husband and young child. Two of the cases were in Durham Region and the third in York Region. They are the first cases to be reported in both areas. The news came a day after two other positive cases were reported in Ontario one patient had travelled to Iran, the other to Egypt bringing the overall total in the province to 11. Three of those patients have since recovered. The fact that so many cases in Canada and other countries have been linked to Iran signals two important facts, according to Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital. If theyre exporting cases to Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, we know that the burden of illness in Iran is much larger than the numbers reported suggest, said Bogoch, the co-author of a medical paper on the situation in Iran. Bogoch said the rise in the number of countries exporting the virus and the fact that the illness is being spread locally in certain areas of the U.S. means that the Americas are entering a new phase of the outbreak, one in which the number of imported cases will likely climb, and locally acquired cases will begin to appear. He estimated that the first locally transmitted cases could arise within several weeks. This is part of the evolution of the epidemic, he said. The provincial Ministry of Health said on Saturday that Ontario is actively working with city and health officials to plan for the potential of local spread. Toronto medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa said Saturday afternoon that residents should not panic. The best available evidence says that this virus is not airborne; you have to have close contact with the respiratory excretions of an ill person, de Villa told the Star. So, walking through the same Loblaws or Costco is not a significant exposure. Each case is carefully followed up, she said, and those who may have been in contact with a person known to be infected have been notified. She said that the city is preparing for the possibility of local transmission. More testing is being conducted when people present flu-like symptoms in hospitals, or are admitted with respiratory problems. Were asking people to stay up to date because we are regularly updating our information on our website and would really encourage people to rely on Toronto Public Health and other official, credible sources of information, said de Villa. The York Region case involved a patient at Mackenzie Health hospital in Richmond Hill. After arriving in Toronto on Wednesday, the 34-year-old woman who had travelled to Iran went to the hospital the next day with a dry cough, runny nose, shortness of breath and headache. She was wearing a mask on arrival at the hospital, a news release said. Due to the low severity of symptoms and the condition of the patient, the patient was not admitted to hospital, the news release said. The patient is in self-isolation, per protocols, where she remains. She developed symptoms prior to her return and was symptomatic on the flight, York Region said in a news release. The woman flew with her husband to Toronto with a layover in Denmark. She wasnt wearing a mask during her travels back home. York officials urged all passengers who travelled in the business class section of Qatar Airways Flight QR483 and QR163 on Tuesday; who travelled in business class on Air Canada Flight AC883 on Wednesday; or who were sitting on the upper deck of GO bus No. 40 eastbound on Wednesday at about 3:55 p.m. to contact York Region Public Health, because they may have been exposed. These people are asked to call 1-800-361-5653, Monday to Sunday between 8:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., for further assessment. GO Transit posted a tweet Saturday saying that a person travelling on a bus from Pearson airport to Richmond Hill Centre was diagnosed with COVID-19. The transit agency said it was working with public health authorities to identify other passengers on the bus. It was only a matter of time before York saw a case of COVID-19, Dr. Karim Kurji, the regions medical officer of health, told reporters at a news conference. Kurji said public health officials are trying to identify airline passengers who were seated within two rows of the patient. The risk level on the GO bus is lower than on the plane because the period of travel was shorter, and there is a higher degree of ventilation and air movement on a bus. We believe in aggressive contact followup. We have every confidence that well be able to contain the exposure and we have isolated close to 600 individuals since the spread of the virus over the past few months, Kurji said. As of Saturday afternoon, fellow passengers hadnt been contacted as officials did not yet have the flight manifests, Kurji said. The womans husband and toddler are also in self-isolation, which involves separating members of the family: they cannot share the same room, washrooms, utensils or general living space. If they need to be in contact, they must be at least two metres away from each other, said Kurji. Its quite difficult for a toddler who cant see their mom, Kurji said. An internal hospital letter obtained by YorkRegion.com assured MacKenzie Health workers that all protocols had been followed. Because of the protocols in place, there were no staff, patient or visitor exposures related to this case, read the letter written by Dr. Danny Chen, physician lead in infection prevention and control. Staff and patient safety will always remain a priority at MacKenzie Health. In Durham Region, two patients seen at Lakeridge Health Ajax Pickering also tested positive. A 51-year-old woman returned to Toronto from Iran on Feb. 22. Six days later, on Friday, she went to an Ajax clinic while wearing a mask, with symptoms that included a cough, body aches and chill. Her 69-year-old husband, who had a cough but did not travel with his wife to Iran, also tested positive for COVID-19 after bringing her to the clinic. Both husband and wife were discharged and put in self-isolation at home. On Friday, Ontario health officials reported that a man in his 50s who had travelled to Iran had tested positive for the virus in Toronto. Later Friday night, officials reported that a Toronto man in his 80s with a travel history to Egypt had also tested positive. Meanwhile, the British Columbia government has confirmed a case in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the eighth case in the province is a woman in her 60s from Tehran, Iran, who travelled to B.C. to visit family and developed symptoms a few days after arriving. As of Saturday there were a total of 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, plus one presumed positive case in Quebec. Irans Health Ministry said Saturday that there were 593 cases in the country, with 43 deaths. But last week the Star reported that the true number of coronavirus cases in Iran may be upwards of 18,000, according to a preliminary analysis by Canadian researchers. Its a raging epidemic (in Iran) and the Iranian government appears to be in a state of denial, University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman told the Star. Experts have expressed concern that the extent of the outbreak in Iran is under-reported, and that uncontrolled transmission in the country could have profound consequences for limiting the global spread of the disease. More than 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900. With files from Raneem Alozzi, YorkRegion.com and Star wire services SEATTLE - Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, a woman who had recently travelled to South Korea and a high school student with no known exposure to the disease whose school will be closed and sanitized. Neither people were seriously ill, authorities said. The high school student attends Jackson High School in Everett, Washington, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The student had not travelled recently, and authorities were unsure how that person contracted the disease. It is concerning that this individual didnt travel and acquired it in the community, Spitters said. Officials are investigating to determine who the teen may have come into contact with. The teen became ill Monday with symptoms including a fever and body aches, Spitters said. The teen was quarantined at home and doing well, Spitters said. He had stayed home from school and only had contact with a small group of schoolmates. Those kids will be monitored and quarantined, Spitters said. Authorities said Jackson High, located about 22 miles (35 kilometres) north of Seattle, would be closed Monday for cleaning. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who travelled to South Korea earlier this month, authorities said. She and her husband, who currently has no symptoms, are also currently quarantined at home. She had gone to work for one day after returning from South Korea and then stayed home after experiencing a headache, nausea and a sore throat. She never needed medical care and like the vast majority of people is recovering, said health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin with Public Health Seattle & King County. Officials are conducting an investigation at her workplace. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The case was not a person under monitoring or a person under investigation. The individual had neither a history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating, nor is believed to have had a close contact with another confirmed case the two most common sources of exposure, the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Last month Washington state had the first U.S. patient infected with coronavirus. The unidentified man fell sick after returning home from a visit to China and was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 20. He fully recovered. A man wears a mask and goggles as he waits in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of Shincheonji on Feb. 27, 2020. The secretive religious group at the center of Korea's coronavirus outbreak is a sprawling network so wealthy it can mobilize thousands of believers to hold Pyongyang-style mass performances at Seoul's Olympic stadium. AFP The government said Saturday that 42 followers of the controversial Christian religious sect, the Shincheonji Church are presumed to have returned to the country from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, over the past eight months. The Ministry of Justice said it checked the immigration records of around 245,000 Shincheonji followers at the request of the health authorities as the bulk of infections are linked to a branch church of the fringe sect in the southeastern city of Daegu Of the total Shincheonji followers, around 3,600 arrived here from China between July 1, 2019, and Feb. 27, 2020, the ministry said. Among them 42 traveled from the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Award-winning trombonist plays free concert Tuesday Michael Dease The Mike Dease Trio, featuring a two-time Grammy award-winning lead, section and bass trombonist, will perform a free concert at First United Methodist Church at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, as part of Brevard Music Center's free Community Concert Series. Related Stories Lyle Lovett brings Large Band to Brevard Dease was born in the countryside of Augusta, Georgia, and played the saxophone and trumpet before choosing the trombone at age 17. In 2001, Dease moved to New York City to become part of the historic first class of jazz students at The Juilliard School, earning both bachelors and masters degrees. He quickly established a reputation as a brilliant soloist and sideman, and began recording as a leader. Dease's release Decisions (2015 Posi-Tone) showcases his new compositions and a stellar quintet of musicians. Dease released six previous albums as a leader: The Takeover (2005), Clarity (2007), Dease Bones (2008), Grace (2010), Coming Home (2013 D Clef Records) and Relentless, his debut on the Posi-Tone record label. He is also director of the Jazz Institute at Brevard Music Center. He has played with Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Rufus Reid and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band and at Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra,. Mexico's health ministry said the country has confirmed three cases of the coronavirus, becoming the second Latin American nation reached by the global outbreak. The three men -- two in Mexico City and one in the northern state of Sinaloa -- are all believed to have visited northern Italy, the epicentre of the virus in Europe. "Probably all three were infected from the same source. All three are imported cases," Jose Luis Alomia, general director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, said at a press conference Friday. Senior health ministry official Hugo Lopez-Gatell told a separate conference that one of the men, a 35-year-old in the capital, "has a mild, mild illness" with symptoms "similar to that of a cold". "He is a young individual and so he is at very low risk," he said. The patient and five members of his family have been isolated at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Lopez-Gatell added. The second case, a 41-year-old man who returned from Bergamo in Italy, is in isolation at a hotel in Sinaloa after being tested by regional authorities, officials said. A 59-year-old man in Mexico City who also visited northern Italy is the third case but authorities did not say whether he had been hospitalised. Italy has recorded 650 cases of the coronavirus and 17 deaths across cities in the north. In Mexico, two more, suspected cases are under analysis in the central state of Guanajuato and one in northwestern Durango. "It is not a national or health emergency," Lopez-Gatell said, urging Mexicans to remain calm and not panic-buy protective items such as masks. Mexico is the second Latin American nation to confirm coronavirus infections after Brazil said it had a case on Wednesday. More than 50 countries have now reported cases worldwide. The virus has infected more than 85,000 people and over 2,900 have died -- mostly in China where the epidemic started. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a meeting for the second North Korea-U.S. summit at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, in this February 28, 2019, photo. A year has passed since the end of the summit, but the denuclearization talks between the countries are showing few sign of progress. AFP-Yonhap By Jung Da-min A year has passed since U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi in late February 2019. Expectations had been high on the progress of denuclearization talks before their second summit, but the breakdown in negotiations created a deadlock that has lasted one year. North Korea experts say that such a stalemate is likely to continue this year as well, as the United States is gearing up for the presidential election scheduled in November. They state that there is little chance of another summit when Trump is focusing on the presidential race. Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, said both North Korea and the U.S. know that the denuclearization negotiations will be protracted. He said the U.S. government is not in a position where it could present a new calculation North Korea is asking for unless Ppyongyang changes its stance, which is far from Kim's New Year announcement that emphasized self-reliance. Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu is mostly known to the world for his highly prominent role in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa. This role was internationally recognised by the awarding of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize . Tutu continued his activism even after the country's democratic transition in South Africa in the early 1990s. Among other things, he served as chair of the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which sought to deal with the crimes and injustices under apartheid, and to bring about justice, healing and reconciliation in a wounded society. He retired as Archbishop of Cape Town in 1996. In more recent years Tutu has become known for his strong advocacy on issues of sexuality, in particular the rights of lesbian and gay people. For instance, in 2013, he made global headlines with the clear and succinct statement , in typical Tutu fashion, that he: would rather go to hell than to a homophobic heaven. Tutu is by far the most high-profile African, if not global, religious leader to support lesbian and gay rights. This has added to his international reputation as a progressive thinker and activist, especially in the western world. But his stance has been met with suspicion on the African continent itself. A fellow Anglican bishop, Emmanuel Chukwuma from Nigeria, even declared him to be spiritually dead . For distant observers, Tutu's advocacy around sexuality might appear to be a recent phenomenon. For his critics, it might be another illustration of how he has tried to be the darling of white liberal audiences in the Western world. In fact his commitment to defending gay and lesbian rights isn't a recent development; it dates as far back as the 1970s. In addition, it is very much in continuity with his long-standing resistance against apartheid and his relentless defence of black civil rights in South Africa. Common thread Shortly after the end of apartheid in 1994, Tutu wrote that If the church, after the victory over apartheid, is looking for a worthy moral crusade, then this is it: the fight against homophobia and heterosexism. Driving both struggles is Tutu's strong moral and political commitment to defending the human dignity and rights of all people. Theologically, this is rooted in his conviction that every human being is created in the image of God and therefore is worthy of respect. In the 1980s, Tutu and other Christian leaders had used the concept of 'heresy' to denounce apartheid in the strongest theological language. They famously stated that apartheid is a heresy , meaning that it is in conflict with the most fundamental Christian teaching. Tutu also used another strong theological term: blasphemy, meaning an insult of God-self. In 1984, he wrote: Apartheid's most blasphemous aspect is that it can make a child of God doubt that he is a child of God. For that reason alone, it deserves to be condemned as a heresy. More than a decade later, Tutu used very similar words to denounce homophobia and heterosexism. He wrote that it was the ultimate blasphemy to make lesbian and gay people doubt whether they truly were children of God and whether their sexuality was part of how they were created by God. Tutu's equation of black civil rights and lesbian and gay rights is part of a broader South African narrative and dates back to the days of the apartheid struggle. Openly gay anti-apartheid activists, such as Simon Nkoli , had actively participated in the liberation movement, and had successfully intertwined the struggles against racism and homophobia. On the basis of this history, South Africa's Constitution , adopted in 1996, included a non-discrimination clause that lists sexual orientation, alongside race and other characteristics. It was the first country in the world to do so, and Tutu had actively lobbied for it. A decade later, South Africa became the sixth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage . Reverend Mpho Andrea Tutu and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu attend an award gala in New York City. Thos Robinson/Getty Images/Shared Interest Attitudes still need work Arguably, these legal provisions did not automatically translate into a change of social attitudes towards lesbian and gay people at a grassroots level. Homophobia remains widespread in South African society today. Tutu's own church, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, continues to struggle with gay issues. In 2015 his daughter, Mpho Tutu, had to give up her position as an ordained priest after she married a woman . Tutu gave the newly wed couple a blessing anyway. The question of same-sex relationships and the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people continues to be controversial across the world. In this context, Tutu is an influential figure who uses his moral authority to help shape the debates. His equation of racial and sexual equality is particularly important, as it foregrounds how the struggle for justice, equality and human rights are interconnected: we cannot claim rights for one group of people while denying them to others. This article is an abbreviated version of a chapter about Desmond Tutu in the book Reimagining Christianity and Sexuality in Africa, co-authored by Adriaan van Klinken and Ezra Chitando, and to be published with Zed Books in London (2021). Adriaan van Klinken receives funding for research projects from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK, and from the British Academy. By Adriaan van Klinken, Associate Professor of Religion and African Studies, University of Leeds On break from her job as a dock worker at the Port of Oakland last Saturday night, Rasheeda Marsh crashed her Honda into the front of an unattached truck trailer, illegally parked in a left-hand turn lane on Middle Harbor Road. Marsh, a 39-year-old Oakland resident, died at the scene, leaving behind a 4-year-old son and grieving mother, brother and boyfriend. Longshoremen and port workers interviewed by The Chronicle said the accident could have been prevented. They say theyve complained to the port, city and Oakland police for years about illegally parked trucks in the median of the road. Theres definitely safety issues down here, said Craig Lauderdale, a 32-year longshoreman veteran who said hes complained to the port numerous times. There have been complaints, and police have come down here a few times, but you rarely see them. If I parked my car in the median of Broadway itd be towed, so why should it be allowed in the port? At issue is a practice in which truckers over the weekend and to a lesser extent on weeknights illegally park their trucks, trailers and sometimes just an empty trailer chassis in the median of Middle Harbor to reserve a spot in line when the ports west gate opens. Those vehicles and equipment can be hard to see on the long straightaway, often a magnet for illegal street racing that has ended in fatal crashes, though not involving parked trucks. Port spokesman Mike Zampa said its a public road, and its up to Oakland police to enforce traffic regulations. There are occasionally trucks that get into a queue before the gates open, not that frequently, Zampa said. Its not something theyre supposed to do, and when we see it, we report it. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Oakland city records show only one call for service for an abandoned vehicle on Middle Harbor since 2010. The citys Public Works Department handles parking enforcement and Oakland police handle traffic enforcement. An Oakland police spokeswoman said the department has received no complaints from the port about the illegal parking issue. Signs along one shoulder warn truckers of No Idling, while others say No Parking. There are no signs indicating no parking in the turning lane or median, but that is never legal. A traffic fine for impeding a lane of traffic is $63. Less than two years ago, an Oakland police officer was critically injured after slamming his patrol SUV into a parked semi-truck while responding to a call on the same stretch of roadway, early on a Monday before the gates opened to let trucks queued up over the weekend into the port. Officer Jordan Wingate was responding to a report of a suspicious person in August 2018 and traveling eastbound on the 1900 block of Middle Harbor when his vehicle collided with another car and then crashed into a parked semi-truck, officials said at the time. He has not returned to the department and is still recovering from his injuries, police said. You would have thought after what happened two years ago the port wouldve cracked down on it, Lauderdale said. On Monday, trucks continued to park in the turning lane, which extends into a median outlined by double-yellow lines, Lauderdale said. He snapped a photo of three trucks already parked in the spot around 7 p.m., shortly after the port day shift ended. On Tuesday, a reporter and photographer saw a line of trucks on the shoulder with a security guard nearby. About 100 feet east of the port entrance, dozens of memorial candles flickered in the still night air along a fence where Marshs car came to rest Saturday just before midnight. Rest in Love #2482, someone wrote in black marker on Marshs yellow longshoreman safety vest hanging on the cyclone fence. A Tequila bottle, dozens of candles, flower bouquets and stuffed animals marked the spot where she died after ricocheting off the parked truck trailer. Police have not said who parked the container in the turning lane or how Marsh crossed over to hit it as she traveled eastbound. Police have said alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor in the collision, and the incident is still under investigation. A photo of the truck trailer given by a dockworker to Marshs family and shared with The Chronicle shows minor damage to the heavy equipment in the turning lane. Anthony Leviege, Marshs brother who has worked for two decades as a longshoreman at the port, was hanging out with friends in downtown Oakland on Saturday night. A coworker called and said his sister had been in an accident, and Leviege drove to the scene expecting a minor fender bender. When he arrived, he was stopped by crime-scene tape, but could see his sisters car in the distance crashed into a fence. I thought, Oh s, she had an accident! Leviege said, but he still didnt grasp the severity. He walked up to an officer at the scene and told him that was his sister. She didnt make it, the officer told him. Courtesy of Mariela Leviege Its weird, you see people on TV and those people respond in a certain way, everybody breaks down, he said. But he and his mother who came to the scene were more stoic and shocked, he said. His mother, he recalled, leaned over to her son and said, Its just you and me now. 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. Leviege said the truck parking has been an issue for years, and he has contacted an attorney to weigh his options. Its just a dangerous situation. At the end of the day ... at the top of the food chain, its the companies. The truckers just feel they got to be at the front of the line so they dont have to wait four hours for their box, and they get paid by the box, Leviege said. If you got to feed your family by the box, youd break the rules, too. The companies dont make changes until someone dies, he said. Safety cant affect profit, thats the dilemma of capitalism. Tom Villeggiante, a supervisor with International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 91, said the illegally parked trucks have been an issue for years, and the unions have issued complaints. My son works down there, and he says hes almost run into them before, Villeggiante said. If youre not paying attention, you can run into them. Villeggiante said hes heard of desperate truckers pulling out a container, dropping it into the median, immediately returning to the port to pick up a second container and then returning for the parked box later. For Leviege, hes now busy preparing his younger sisters funeral and caring for her toddler son, Lloyd. She was just full of energy, always happy. ... She was very excited to become a longshoreman, Leviege said. She was a beautiful person, a free spirit. It was about a year ago that he helped bring his sister into the port workforce, where she held two jobs to provide for her son. For me, being a longshoreman has been a benefit to me, and I was glad I could help my sister, Leviege said. Now it feels like a curse. Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni With a chance to play a decisive role in the Democratic presidential primary, Texans in the states largest counties swarmed to the polls for early voting in numbers that eclipsed a sky-high showing in 2016 for the party. Yet with President Donald Trump all but certain to win the GOP primary at the top of the ballot, voters in the state still cast even more early votes in the Republican primary than the Democratic contest, 1,085,144 to 1,000,288, as of late Sunday. The nearly 7 percent turnout on the Democratic side for the 15 counties with the most registered voters was above the 5 percent racked up after early voting in the 2016 presidential primary. On the Republican side, the nearly 5 percent turnout in those counties didnt quite reach the 7 percent that it was in 2016. The blockbuster turnout is yet another sign of the growing competitiveness of Texas elections and its emerging role as a battleground state, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. If theres one thing we know in political science, its that competitive elections drive turnout through the roof, and Texas has had more frequent competitive elections in the last couple of cycles than its seen for the past decade, Rottinghaus said. And its not just a crowded Democratic presidential primary thats spurring the outpouring. That boost in turnout among both parties signals that downballot races including the 22nd Congressional District race in Fort Bend County for retiring Rep. Pete Olsons seat and 7th Congressional District race for the seat Rep. Lizzie Fletcher flipped in 2018 are also motivating voters to show up at the polls, Rottinghaus said. In Harris County, about 5.8 percent of registered voters, or 139,533, had cast a ballot in the Democratic primary by the end of early voting, compared with 4.4 percent, or 104,909, in the Republican primary. Thats up from the 4 percent that it was in 2016 for Democrats but missed the mark of more than 6 percent for Republicans that year. In Bexar County, the Democratic primary also was outpacing the Republican contest with 6.9 percent, or 78,206 Democratic votes, over Republicans 3.8 percent turnout, or 43,970 votes by the end of early voting from in-person ballots alone. Those numbers put the county above Democrats 5.6 percent showing in 2016 but well below the Republicans 6.2 percent that year. Know the candidates: San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide; Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide Experts cautioned that early voting data should be taken with a grain of salt for one because the subset of people who vote early arent necessarily representative of the entire state. Texans who vote early tend to be older, economically well-off and better educated and tend to live in urban and suburban areas as opposed to rural ones, according to a 2010 study by Austin Community College. A lot could change by Super Tuesday, March 3 in particular how South Carolinas primary on Saturday might affect undecided Democratic voters in Texas. An untold number of Texans declined to vote early as they held out for those results; others who may not have voted otherwise may be spurred into action by a shift in the race. Lets put it this way: So much happens every day in politics, voters want to wait until the last minute to decide, Rottinghaus said. So we could see turnout bigger on election day because youre going to see more things happen between the end of early voting and election day. Voting has also become more accessible for a wider swath of Texans after four of the top five largest counties in 2019, including Harris and Bexar, moved to allow countywide vote centers, meaning polling places are open to all voters no matter where they live. That switch could also boost turnout. For subscribers: Early voting way up in Texas, compared with four years ago, for Democrats Republican strategist Derek Ryan said the high numbers of voters casting Republican ballots early surprised him, especially with a noncompetitive presidential primary. There isnt really anything necessarily motivating people at the top of the ticket, Ryan said. But turnout right now on the Republican side is above what it was in 2008 and 2012. Its actually closer to what turnout was at this point in 2016 with a contested presidential primary. Ryan said he attributes that to the strength of Trump supporters who are trying to send a message that theyre behind him, as well as the number of competitive congressional races across the state. While Democrats numbers are high, Ryan said he expected to see the presidential race propel even greater turnout, and he noted that they are still nowhere near the explosive turnout of 2008 when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were going head-to-head for the presidential nomination. That year, turnout in the primary was at about 23 percent for Democrats, with 2.8 million casting ballots, compared to about 11 percent for Republicans, or 1.3 million votes. Rottinghaus, however, said that year may not be the best comparison point, considering that an unknown number of Republicans were said to have voted in the Democratic open primary as part of Operation Chaos to hurt Obamas chances. Obama and Clinton were also much different candidates, both very well-known and with strong establishment support, compared with the assortment of candidates available to 2020 voters, he said. Texas Democratic Party spokesman Abhi Rahman said hes over the moon about the way that early voting has gone so far, especially that Democrats are outpacing turnout from 2016 by about 200,000 votes. Weve significantly closed the gap, Rahman said about Democrats share of the vote. We always knew they would outvote us in early vote, but there is essentially no gap this time. Democrats were similarly encouraged in 2018 when they saw big early voting gains; yet, when election day returns were tallied, the highly anticipated blue wave still fell short of turnout on the Republican side. But Rahman said he expects the momentum from early voting to stick this year. The energy we see is up and down the ballot, Rahman said. Its not just the presidential. Texans want to flip Texas blue. Republicans also seem to be highly energized, Republican Party of Texas spokesman Sam Pohl said. Voters are encouraged by the healthy state of the economy and want to show their support for the Republican leadership that made it possible, Pohl said. Were seeing a lot of excitement in the primary, he said. Were seeing good turnout, and were pushing hard to increase that even more, and of course, Republicans turn out in even greater numbers on Election Day. MDMK chief Vaiko on Saturday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take steps to expeditiously bring home 900 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran. Of the 900, 700 hail from Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, Vaiko said in a letter to Jaishankar drawing his attention to the fishermen stuck in Iran. Citing the rising Covid-19 infections in Iran, Vaiko, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said the fishermen have limited food supplies and since all Gulf countries have halted flights, there is no direct flight to India from Iran. He said such a scenario was "causing fear and anxiety among the stranded fishermen and their families living in India. I would request you to kindly intervene immediately and fly them back in a chartered flight or use a shipping vessel to evacuate them." Also read: Coronavirus outbreak: Indian Embassy in Iran to facilitate return of citizens The External Affairs Ministry did a commendable job in evacuating Indians from Wuhan province in China and Yokohama in Japan, he said. "I am sure you would do the right things to similarly help the stranded fishermen." On Friday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had also made a similar appeal to the External Affairs Minister to bring the fishermen home from the Gulf nation. (Image credit: PTI) Also read: Almost 400 Indians stranded in Iran due to coronavirus scare Also read: Iran confirms 34 deaths from coronavirus amid 388 cases Geneva: The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the situation of Muslims in India was discussed in detail by both Indian and European Parliamentarians at a meet on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Veteran Journalist and Member of Parliament MJ Akbar mentioned that the most important characteristic of India is its plurality and the Constitution gives equal rights to everyone irrespective of religion and Muslims are as much part of India as any other citizen from any other religion. Taking a dig at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor he said, Sometimes when you are in opposition you tend to make rhetorical points and Tharoor is far away from reality." Akbar quoted Mahatma Gandhi while concluding his speech, saying: Hindus and Muslims are one. God created them and no one can separate them. Fulvio Martusciello, Member of European Parliament, clarified that with this act several rights including electoral and educational will be given to the innocent people who were facing religious persecution in their native country. Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the Chief Imam of All India Imam Organisation, who is also the first Indian Muslim to come in support of CAA, drew the attention of the Muslim community in India stating, India has the second-largest number of Muslims in the world and provides equal citizenship for everyone, India is a secular democracy." He lashed out at Pakistan stating that it should not interfere with India's internal matter and Muslims in India are safer than they can be anywhere else in the world. He explained that if any Muslim wants he or she can still apply for Indian citizenship provided the provisions of the Citizenship Act of 1955 are fulfilled. Atika Farooqui a journalist covering minority issues in India stated that CAA has no provision whatsoever to take the citizenship of current citizens of India by any means. We, Indians, are just curious and hardworking people with Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Hindu sounding names," she added. Paulo Casaca, Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum and Former Member of European Parliament focused on the role of Europe in this disinformation campaign stating that the institutions of EU are feeding the hatred and chaos. He warned the EU to change its attitude first towards the refugees at its borders before interfering in India. He added that the CAA provides a special fast track procedure to certain groups from certain neighbouring countries. Brian Toll an expert on South Asia from European Commission summarised that the Indian Constitution provides equal opportunity to every citizen irrespective of their religion, creed or caste. India is the only country in the entire world who has accepted people from all cultures, religions etc with open arms and embraced their ethos in its plurality. The CAA grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. Protests have erupted in various parts of the country against the newly amended citizenship law and the proposed NRC. Sandia Resort and Casino delivered a check for $118,645 to the Girl Scouts of the New Mexico Trails this week after a propertywide, monthlong promotion of awarding its guests 23,729 boxes of Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs and the ever popular Thin Mint cookies. Our goal was to combine a very simple promotion with a community organization that touches a great many people, Tam Ho, Sandia director of marketing, said in a statement. In addition, local Girl Scout troops will be selling cookies at Sandias Bien Mur Travel Center and Tiwa 66 Gas Station from 4 to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Annette LeFebre, local Girl Scouts interim CEO, and Katrina Montoya, director of communications and marketing, accepted Sandias check Thursday. Girls Scouts of New Mexico Trails looks forward to a long-term relationship with Sandia Resort and Casino, LeFebre said. We are grateful for their partnership and appreciate their commitment to support the girls of New Mexico. We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com. Enjoy the dry weather while you can. The end of February will not mark the end of potential flooding problems for Alabama, unfortunately. Multiple rounds of rain will be possible next week, and it could add up to 5 inches or more in north and central parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service. Confidence is increasing for a sizable flood threat during the middle part of the week, with only some questions regarding the timing and evolution of the storm system, according to the weather service in Huntsville. And those who miss out on the higher rain totals may not get off easy, either. There will be a possibility of strong storms on Wednesday for some areas in south and central Alabama as well. But first the rain. A cold front is forecast to move into Alabama and stall on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to forecasters, and bring rounds of rain to areas mainly along and north of the Interstate 20 corridor. The rain could begin as soon as Sunday night in north Alabama, according to the weather service, and on Monday in central and south Alabama. The bulk of the rain could come on Tuesday and Wednesday. Areas along and north of the front could see periods of moderate to heavy rain with a few storms thrown in as well, according to the weather service. Areas south of the front, including south Alabama, are expected to get a quarter-inch or less of rain through Monday night. Forecasters are concerned about another threat for flooding in north and north-central Alabama and the weather service in Birmingham said it could become a sizable issue Tuesday night into Wednesday. Strong storms may be possible on Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, with the best chances for those south of where the front ends up possibly along and south of I-20, according to forecasters. The Storm Prediction Center, however, so far does not have a severe weather risk area outlined for Wednesday. Damaging winds and tornadoes look to be the main concerns with any stronger storms that develop, but confidence remains low on how it will play out, with forecast models offering various scenarios on the track of the parent storm system. One thing is more certain: The rain is expected to move out on Thursday and set the stage for a cooler and drier weekend. By Express News Service KASARGOD: A Kasaragod native, who arrived from Libya on Saturday, has been admitted to the isolation ward of the District Hospital in Kanhangad after he showed symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-2019), said district medical officer-in-charge M V Ramdas. The youth complained of cough and throat pain. "While returning to Kasaragod, he came in contact with a person returning from China at the Chennai airport. That is why we took the precaution of shifting him to the isolation ward," Dr Ramdas said. READ| Coronavirus outbreak: How it has impacted the world and what you must do He added that his throat swabs have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha for tests. "He will be in the isolation ward till the results arrive," the official said. Meanwhile, the DMO asked those returning from Iran and Iraq to report to the Department of Health if they show symptoms of the infection such as cough and runny nose. "They should confine themselves to their house and not take part in public functions," he said. Fourteen people have been home quarantined in Kasaragod district. "They are from China, Italy, Malaysia and Singapore," said a health official. He said the number shot up from three on Friday to 14 on Saturday as several people arrived from Italy. Earlier, a patient who was under observation for suspected coronavirus infection at Ernakulam Medical College Hospital died on Friday night. According to the District Medical Officer (DMO), the result of the first sample test was negative and the second report is expected by Saturday evening. 29.02.2020 LISTEN If God were considering whether to destroy your extended family, community, village, town, city or country because of their wickedness, but needed ten righteous people in order to avoid the destruction, would you be one of the ten? The Lord and two angels, all three disguised as humans, set out to investigate some bad reports about Sodom and Gomorrah (See Genesis Chapters 18 and 19). On their way, they passed by the place where Abraham and his wife Sarah lived. When Abraham saw them, he invited them to his home and gave them water and food. On their way out, the Lord decided to reveal His mission to Abraham. The Lord told Abraham The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know (Genesis 18:20-21 NIV). Abraham, perhaps knowing that his nephew Lot and family lived there, or in spite of it, interceded for the people by pleading with the Lord. Abrahams plea was in a form of a bargain. Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare the two cities and their inhabitants from destruction if He found 50 righteous people there. Abrahams must have thought that the population of the two cities was so large that there must have been at least 50 righteous people there. However, to be safe, he bargained and reduced the number to 45, 40, 30, 20, then finally to 10, and each time the Lord agreed not to destroy them if He found that many people there. Abraham did not go below 10, thinking that at least that many people could be found among that population, including his nephew Lot and family. He was wrong. The two angels proceeded to Sodom and Gomorrah. When they arrived at Sodom, Lot was at the gateway to the city. Lot invited them to his house and provided them with food and a place to sleep for the night. Then trouble started outside Lots house. The men of the city heard that two men had come to lodge at Lots house. The men demanded of Lot saying, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. (Genesis 19:5). Lot pleaded with them not to do such a wicked thing and even offered his two daughters to them, but to no avail. The two angels pulled Lot inside and revealed their mission, and asked him to gather his family to flee the destruction that was about to occur. The two cities were destroyed along with the people; only Lot, his wife, and two daughters managed to escape. In the end, the angels had witnessed things by themselves. They could not find ten righteous people to satisfy the bargain Abraham made with the Lord. The righteous can and do make a positive difference. Just as one wicked person may be the cause of calamity that befalls a family, community, village, town, city or country, so can the presence of one righteous person save the day. Would you be counted among ten righteous people if your own familys survival or progress depended on it? How about your community, village, town, city or country? Jesus advises us to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things shall be added unto us (Matthew 6:33). Righteousness begins with our relationship with God. The Bible tells us that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). We cannot practice righteousness in isolation as though the sacrifice of death on the cross by Jesus Christ was in vain. If we do so, it would be like what the Prophet Isaiah said that all our righteousness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Righteousness, then, must be rooted in faith or believe in God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (See Romans 3:22). At least two acts of righteousness were demonstrated in the story. Abraham interceded for others. Christians need to do the same. We should intercede for our families, friends, neighbors, enemies, communities, villages, towns, cities, and countries. We cannot always look the other way and say that it is none of our business when acts of wickedness are being committed by others, because sometimes we could be punished together with those committing the wicked acts. Secondly, Abraham and Lot practiced hospitality by inviting the strangers home and feeding them. Because of fear, we hesitate to welcome strangers, and some of us are even hostile to them. In Hebrews 13:2 NIV, we are told: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Compare Abrahams and Lots willingness to invite the visitors to eat, to how some of us hide our food from even our friends when they show up uninvited, not to talk of strangers, by delaying eating or resuming eating only after they have left. Sometimes, the righteous may save the wicked. Righteousness is not old-fashioned; it is still in vogue. It starts with faith or believe in God through His Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Seek righteousness because God requires us to do so, but beyond that, seek righteousness because it may save ourselves, our families, communities, villages, towns, cities or countries from destruction. Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers. Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana. PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413. Kenya violates the sovereignty and unity of Somalia, Somali ambassador to the UN, Abukar Dahir Osman, told the UN Security Council on Thursday, warning that his country is ready to take all necessary measures to defend itself. Kenya continues to be a destabilizing force in Somalia, he said at the end of a briefing by the Chair of the Somalia sanctions committee. Kenyas interference undermines Somalias sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity, insisted the diplomat, adding that Kenya is encroaching on the border area of Somalia, which undermines our stability. The government of Somalia strongly condemns these violations and will take all necessary measures to defend the unity and sovereignty of the country, he concluded without further details. Thursdays briefing by the Chair of Somalia sanctions committee was the first briefing since the adoption of resolution 2498 on 15 November 2019, by which the Council consolidated and streamlined the provisions of the arms embargo, imposed an lED components ban, and renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts on Somalia until 15 December 2020. Lil Libros, a Latina-led independent press, has signed a deal to publish a childrens cookbook by Marcela Valladolid. Valladolid is a celebrity chef, bestselling author, designer, mother, and businesswoman. She has also hosted two TV series (Mexican Made Easy and Relatos Con Sabor) and cohosted the Emmy-nominated Food Network show The Kitchen, as well as appearing as a celebrity judge for three seasons on Food Networks Best Baker in America. Valladolids fourth adult cookbook, Fiestas: Tidbits, Margaritas & More, was published last year by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Lil Libros is a bilingual childrens book publisher in Los Angeles, started by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein in 2014 with the mission of publishing books that celebrate Latin American culture and important figures in its history. To date, the company has published 23 titles and will release 10 in 2020. PW spoke with Valladolid, Rodriguez, and Stein about the partnership. What does this partnership mean to you? Marcela Valladolid: I am super excited about this partnership! This will be my fifth book, but its my first childrens book, and I hope its the first of many. I love Lil Libros books, and my three- and four-year-olds are obsessed with their books. I completely identify with their stories, and they remind me of my childhood in Tijuana. Im also a bit nervous because I have never done a childrens book, but Im confident that with Patty and Arianas guidance we will publish a great book. Due out in the fall of 2021, this will be more than a cookbook. It will also teach vocabulary, culture, and how food is an avenue for connecting generations and transmitting our cultural heritage. I want children to feel proud of their heritage. Patty Rodriguez: This is an exciting time for Lil Libros. Since we started this company, our dream has always been to create beautiful books for all children, focusing on stories and creators that are constantly being overlooked. Marcela has all the ingredients you want in a storyteller: she is passionate about her art, and her mission is aligned with ours. Ariana Stein: We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Marcela Valladolid to our family. Marcela is an inspiration to many, and we are honored that shes given us the opportunity to publish her first childrens book. This partnership helps us deliver on our promise to bring talented voices to Lil Libros. Marcela, you have published all of your cookbooks with major publishers. Why did you choose a small independent publisher for this book? M.V.: I could have gone to the major houses but felt this was the right fit and the right time for me. And who better for me to partner with than a Latina-led publisher? I love their books, and Im a great admirer of their work and mission, so when Patty approached me, I knew it was right. Whats new for spring and summer from Lil Libros? A.S.: In late March, we are releasing The Solar System with Ellen, a bilingual astronomy board book inspired by Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina to go to space. We are also accepting submissions, because we know our community is full of storytellers and creators. Our doors are wide open. In a heartwarming gesture, a contingent of 50 CRPF personnel donated blood to supplement the bank at the GTB Hospital in New Delhi and help those who were injured in the Delhi riots. Of the 50, 34 have reportedly already donated blood and the remaining officers are on standby. According to PTI, the donation was made in order to supplement the blood bank of the GTB Hospital where fatal and non-fatal casualties of the Delhi riots were being admitted since Monday. Source/IndiaToday At least 34 people have been killed and over 200 injured in the riots in northeast Delhi that began on Monday. Meanwhile, over 1,300 personnel from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF, CISF and ITBP donated blood at a mega blood donation drive organised by the AIIMS. About 500 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 400 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 350 from the Border Security Force (BSF) and 100 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force donated blood at the camp, a senior CAPF official said. Twitter/NewsKarnataka The chiefs of these forces -- CISF Director General Rajesh Ranjan, BSF chief V K Johri and ITBP DG S S Deswal -- led their personnel at the AIIMS blood donation drive, he said. Apart from this have come together to step up donation camps for victims injured in the riots. From Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter, Good Samaritans are using all channels to procure some of the most basic needs for people who have lost homes in the violence. another emergency protest @ Chicago Indian consulate on Friday at 4:30 https://t.co/tZozKxv8hQ (@panipataleka) February 27, 2020 From sanitary pads, diapers, soaps, dupattas, blankets, toothbrush you name it people are sending in Whatsapp forwards and tweeting out locations where you can drop these items for the victims. Facebook image courtesy India Today. IDA bosses have rubbished fears over Longford's ability to attract major multinational companies from overseas after deciding to lease a prime two acre parcel of land for grazing purposes. The State's inward investment agency opened offers this week for expressions of interest into the leasing of two acres of land at Aghafad in Longford town. The proposed arrangement would see the site being leased for a two year period with a one month termination clause inserted should the lands be required by the IDA in the interim. Also read: Showcasing all that Longfords public libraries have to offer In a statement, the State agency insisted there was nothing untoward in leasing out sites for agricultural designs and was not a negative indicator of Longford's appeal to multinational operators. IDA Ireland from time to time lets some of its lands for grazing purposes for fixed amounts of time, read a statement. This does not in any way affect IDAs efforts to market sites to potential investors and this site will continue to be marketed for that purpose. The land is let with a condition that the agreement with the leasee be terminated with one months notice should the lands be required in whole or in part by IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland will continue to market Longford for mobile Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Also read: Almost 6m allocated to fix up roads in Ballymahon MD B ritons who are quarantined in a Tenerife hotel will be allowed to return home to the UK if they test negative for coronavirus, holiday operator Tui said. Holidaymakers at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace had previously been told they would have to remain in isolation at the hotel until March 10, after at least four tourists were diagnosed with Covid-19. But travel group Tui said on Saturday that they are making arrangements for guests who test negative for the virus to travel back to the UK. It comes as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK climbed to 23 on Saturday after the first Brit died of the virus in Japan. Brits have been quarantined in the hotel in Tenerife / AP A Tui spokeswoman said: "We can confirm Tui UK customers staying at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife have received notification from Public Health England that they are free to return home pending a negative Covid-19 test result. "We are in contact with them and are making arrangements for them to travel back to the UK." Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said any individuals who have returned from the coronavirus-hit hotel are advised to self-isolate until March 10. She said: "If they develop symptoms in that time, they should call NHS 111 and they will be tested for Covid-19." The Costa Adeje hotel in tenerife where holidaymakers have been isolated / AFP via Getty Images Spanish authorities have said that the risk of infection for any Brits staying at the hotel is low, according to PHE. One holidaymaker, who preferred not to be named, said that some guests at the four-star hotel had been swabbed on Saturday. They said: "I got a call from a Tui rep saying that we're low risk and they're testing us to try and get us home. "I don't know how long the test results take, there's rumours it's 72 hours but I don't know." Some guests staying at the hotel in the south west of the Spanish island have previously criticised the quarantine measures. Ministries are working to convince Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to amend divestment plans at some large State-owned enterprises (SOEs). The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has proposed the Prime Minister allow it to remain the major shareholder in two SOEs, namely the Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) and Machines and Industrial Equipment Corporation (MIE). Those companies are on the list of SOEs which have to divest in 2017-2020 in accordance with the Prime Ministers Decision 1232 issued in 2017. Under the decision, the MoIT has to sell the entire State stake equal to 88.47 percent of VEAMs charter capital and 99.54 percent of MIEs charter capital. Neither firm has completed its divestment plan. The MoIT wants to keep control of VEAM and MIE after 2020 and remove the two companies from the divestment list. The ministry also hopes it will not have to hand over control of the two companies to the State Capital Investment Company (SCIC) as regulated. However, the ministry has not delivered appropriate explanations as to the reasoning of the proposal. In response, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has said the divestment plans for the two companies must stay on schedule while the PM will decide whether the MoIT remains the largest shareholder in the two businesses. The MoIT is also a major shareholder at the Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage JSC (Sabeco). The ministry holds 36 percent of the brewery company after it sold 53.59 percent of State capital to ThaiBev for 5 billion USD in late 2017. Sabeco will still be transferred to the SCIC as the MoIT failed to withdraw the remaining State capital from the brewer by December 31, 2019. Other ministries have also suggested divestment plans should be changed for some large SOEs. The Ministry of Construction has proposed its holding in the ceramic and tile producer Viglacera remain at 38.58 percent by the end of 2020. The ministry has sold 18.04 percent of the State capital it controls in Viglacera. The construction ministry also wants to keep its stake in the Vietnam Urban and Industrial Zone Development Investment Corporation (IDICO) at 36 percent until the end of the year. It also wants to remain the major shareholder in IDICO instead of giving it up to the SCIC. The Ministry of Health expects it will be allowed to sell only 29 percent of the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Corporation (Vinapharm) instead of 65 percent as regulated./.VNA Investors still keen on SOEs despite land issues Institutional investors are seeking opportunities to buy shares in large-cap State-owned enterprises when they launch IPOs in 2020. All 236 recent evacuees, brought back from the Chinese city of Wuhan, who have been under quarantine at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police -run Chhawla camp in the outskirts of Delhi since Thursday morning and from Japan , who were quarantined on board Diamond Princess cruise ship and kept at Indian Army-run facility in Haryanas Manesar, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The coronavirus disease test reports of 112 evacuees housed at the ITBP Chhawla facility have been found negative The evacuees include 36 foreigners, an ITBP spokesperson said on Saturday. The first round of sample collection to test for COVID-19 took place on Friday, and the swabs were sent to New Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Those under isolation include 76 Indians, and 36 foreign nationals including eight families and five children. The foreigners in isolation belong to Bangladesh (23), China (6), Myanmar (2), Maldives (2), Madagascar (1), South Africa (1) and the United States (1). The medical staff of ITBP are conducting daily checkups, but so far none of the evacuees has shown any symptoms related to COVID-19 infection. The quarantine period is for at least 14 days, and the second sample will be collected on the 14th day of the duration. If the second sample results also return negative, then all 112 persons will be released from the Centre,ITBP said in a statement. Emergency arrangements have also been made at the facility, such as isolation beds and ambulances to move people who may develop COVID-19 symptoms to a hospital. The samples of another set of 124 evacuees (119 Indian and five foreign nationals), brought back in another flight from Japan on Wednesday, where these people had been quarantined on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Yokohama after cases of COVID-19 surfaced on the liner, have also tested negative. The five foreigners retrieved from the ship belong to Nepal (1), Sri Lanka (2), Peru (1), and South Africa (1). The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to yet another fake and mischievous information circulating through the social media concocting or insinuating that Boko Haram Terrorists disguised in United Nations type vehicles and dressing have invaded Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri township in the morning hours of Saturday the 29th of February 2020. To give effect to the wicked lies, pictures and videos of a training session between United Nations Department of Safety and Security Training Drill and selected personnel of Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE were attached to reinforce the mischievous fake news intended to cause panic and unnecessary apprehension. A statement issued Saturday by Colonel Sagir Musa , the Acting Director, Army Public Relations (DAPR) said ",members of the public are please hereby informed that there is no security threat in Maimalari Barracks and/or maiduguri township. The false information should be completely disregarded." "Members of the public are requested to continue with their legitimate routine activities as the troops of Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE are ever determined to protect the lives and properties of all Nigerians especially those living within the theatre of Operation. "The publics are again sensitized to develop the culture of interrogating/verifying information seen on various media platforms to ascertain the genuineness/veracity of the information for the collective interest of the public." Two people charged in the January death of a Bismarck man started planning his demise a month before it happened, a sheriffs deputy testified Friday in describing an apparent love triangle and plans to cash in on a life insurance policy. Earl Howard, 41, and Nikki Entzel, 38, pleaded not guilty to charges filed against them in the death of Chad Entzel, 42. His body was found Jan. 2 after authorities responded to a call of a fire at a northeast Bismarck home. Chad Entzels body was in the early stages of decomposition. An autopsy showed he died of gunshot wounds. Howard is charged with murder, arson, and three counts of conspiracy. The Belwood, Ontario, man has dual U.S. and Canada citizenship. He turned himself in and was arrested Jan. 9 on the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Mich., with Ontario, Canada. Nikki Entzel is charged with three counts of conspiracy. Each faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Nikki Entzel initially told police that she had moved out of the home because of Chad Entzels drinking and abuse and due to the home being cold from a poorly functioning furnace, Burleigh County Deputy Sheriff Brian Thompson testified. She also said that the day of her husband's death, Howard and Chad Entzel struggled when an argument between Chad Entzel and Nikki Entzel escalated. The two men went into the back bedroom, and when Howard came out he said Chad Entzel was dead and that the heater should start a fire, the deputy said. She later told investigators she and Howard saw the furnace issue as an opportunity to carry out their plan, which included starting a fire to cover up his cause of death. They made preparations to carry out their plan while Chad Entzel was out of the home, placing a shotgun and a propane heater in the basement. Later, after they verified that Chad Entzel was asleep, Howard shot him twice, Thompson said. They then placed the propane heater near his bed to start a fire, the deputy said. The two returned to the home several times -- which Thompson said is verified through video and security company event log activity -- in attempts to get a fire going, Thompson testified. Nikki Entzel reported the fire, which Thompson said covered much of the home with soot. Thompson said Nikki Entzels story to investigators changed several times but one piece of information -- that Howard shot Chad Entzel -- never changed. Howard was not willing to answer questions without an attorney present during the investigation, Thompson said. Nikki Entzel took out a $26,000 life insurance policy on Chad Entzel in the days before his death, Thompson said, adding that she tried to collect on the policy soon after he died. Howard and Nikki Entzel were in a romantic relationship, verified by video and photos provided to law enforcement, and may have had plans to move to Texas, the deputy said. Howards attorney, Rick Sand, said in cross-examining Thompson that Nikki Entzel has had issues with truthfulness on a number of things when talking to police. He asked South Central District Judge Douglas Bahr to dismiss the murder charge against Howard, saying theres no physical evidence and very little circumstantial evidence to show he committed murder. The only evidence the state had, he said, came from a co-defendant who had a history of telling lies. Todd Ewell, defense attorney for Nikki Entzel, asked Thompson about cellphone images and statements from others that might have backed up her claims of abuse. Thompson said he didnt think the comments were consistent with what he saw in the photos. If law enforcement did not find evidence of abuse, then they are not looking, Ewell said after the hearing. Bahr found there was probable cause to move the case forward. He scheduled a 10-day trial to start Aug. 10. The two suspects appeared as co-defendants at Friday's preliminary hearing, though Sand indicated he may move to split the case. Howard is being held on $1 million bail. Nikki Entzel is in jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 5 Angry 9 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. North Korean leader calls for stronger efforts to guard against the new coronavirus outbreak that has spread globally. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for stronger efforts to guard against coronavirus, saying there will be serious consequences if the outbreak spreads to the country. North Korea has not reported a single case of COVID-19, which has killed more than 2,800 people and infected over 84,000 people in dozens of countries since it emerged in neighbouring China. During a meeting of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, Kim called for the countrys anti-epidemic headquarters to strengthen screening and to seal off all channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday. In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences, KCNA quoted Kim as saying. Pyongyang has been pushing a tough anti-virus campaign it has described as a matter of national existence. The country has shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilised tens of thousands of health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms. It has also placed hundreds of foreigners in quarantine to prevent an outbreak. Experts say an epidemic in North Korea could be dire because of the countrys chronic lack of medical supplies and poor healthcare infrastructure. Military drills In a separate report, KCNA said Kim, in a rare public outing, supervised a military drill simulating an attack on an island target. The Norths Rodong Sinmun newspaper published photos of Kim watching from an observation post and artillery vehicles firing from a coastal area. The military drill was to judge the mobility and the firepower strike ability on the front line and eastern units and ended to the great satisfaction of Kim, KCNA said on Saturday. The report did not specify when and where the drill took place. Soldiers, who have firmly armed themselves with a-match-for-a-hundred idea of the Party and trained under the simulated conditions of actual battles, reduced a target islet to a sea of flames, KCNA said. Estrada was taken to Franciscan Health hospital in Dyer, Indiana, where he was pronounced dead at 3:38 a.m., the coroners office said. His death was ruled a homicide caused by gunshot wounds. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fulya Ozerkan, Stuart Williams and Shaun Tandon (Agence France-Presse) Istanbul, Turkey/Moscow, Russia/Washington, United States Sat, February 29, 2020 13:09 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20675eca0 2 World Turkey,Russia,TurkeyAttacks,Syria-war,strike,crisis,talks Free The leaders of Russia and Turkey held crisis talks Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an air strike in Syria, as Ankara ramped up pressure on Europe by threatening to flood in migrants. The United States and United Nations urged an end to the Russian-backed Syrian offensive against rebel holdouts, but Turkey appeared intent on easing tensions with Moscow by pinning the blame squarely on President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The flare-up raised fresh concerns for civilians caught up in the escalation of the horrific eight-year civil war, with the UN saying nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced in the bitter cold by the fighting since December. Thirty-three Turkish troops were killed late Thursday in the air strike in the northwestern province of Idlib, in the biggest single loss of life by the Turkish military in years. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone and looked to scale down tensions, with the Kremlin saying the two expressed "serious concern" about the situation. "There is always room for dialogue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said the two leaders spoke of "the necessity to do everything" to implement a 2018 ceasefire that has since collapsed between the two countries in Idlib. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Before the killing of troops, Erdogan spoke of a meeting with Putin on March 5 but said it would also include the leaders of France and Germany. US condemnation US President Donald Trump condemned the attack on Turkish troops in a call with Erdogan and again urged Russia and Syria to halt the Idlib operation, the White House said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the attack "despicable and brazen" and said the US was looking at ways to support Turkey, a NATO ally that has recently drifted from the West. A senior US official, while acknowledging that Turkey had blamed the Assad regime for the strike, said that Russia closely planned all operations with Syria. "Russia is responsible for this offensive -- period," the official said in Washington on condition of anonymity. The idea of the "pathetic, keelhauled, draftee Assad military forces fighting the Turks and some of the opposition forces... is laughable," he said. Turkey said it retaliated by hitting more than 200 regime targets in drone and artillery bombardments. The reprisals killed 45 Syrian soldiers in Idlib, according to a monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There was no confirmation from the Syrian government. Rebel and Turkish fire also killed 10 fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by Iran that is supporting Assad, the Observatory said, adding that Russian strikes killed seven civilians. Adding to the tensions, Moscow said two of its warships were transiting through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul in plain sight of the city. Humanitarian crisis At emergency talks on Friday, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that Moscow was "ready to de-escalate with anyone who wants to" in Idlib. The UN has repeatedly warned that the fighting in Idlib could potentially create the most serious humanitarian crisis since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body was planning to send a humanitarian mission there. Diplomats said the mission to Idlib could start next week and include representatives of major UN agencies. "The most pressing need is an immediate ceasefire before the situation gets entirely out of control," Guterres told reporters. But Russian vetoes, often backed by China, have chronically crippled UN action. Turkey again called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Idlib, where Islamist fighters backed by Ankara pose the biggest obstacle to Assad seizing back control over all of Syria. On Thursday, jihadists and Turkish-backed rebels had re-entered Saraqeb, a key Idlib crossroads town they had lost earlier in February -- reversing one of the main gains of the government's devastating offensive. Gates open to migrants Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun accused Assad on Twitter of "conducting ethnic cleansing" to drive millions out of Idlib, but said Turkey does not have the resources to accept more refugees. Turkey has already taken in around four million Syrians and is wary of more arrivals in the face of growing popular discontent about their presence. In a move seen as putting pressure on the West, Turkey threatened to go back on a deal with the EU and open the way for refugees to go into Europe. "We will no longer keep the doors closed for refugees who want to go to Europe," a Turkish official told AFP. In response, both Bulgaria and Greece said they were tightening border security as groups of migrants moved westwards across Turkey. Greek border guards blocked hundreds of migrants from entering the country at the Kastanies border crossing in the northeast of the country as army trucks loaded with barbed wire raced past. The EU called on Ankara to uphold its side of the 2016 migrant pact, in which the Europeans offered six billion euros in exchange for Turkey stemming the flow of migrants who had triggered a major backlash in the country. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country's borders with Europe are open. Mr Erdogan's announcement delivered on his long-standing threat to let refugees into the continent as thousands of migrants gathered at Turkey's border with Greece. The announcement marks a dramatic departure from current policy and an apparent attempt to pressure Europe. It comes amid a military escalation in Syria's Idlib province that has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians to flee fighting between advancing Syrian government forces backed by Russia and rebel fighters supported by Turkey. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Presidential Press Service/AP) The mass displacement in Idlib has raised the possibility that Turkey might come under growing international pressure to open its now sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to desperate Syrian civilians. "We can't handle a new wave of migration," Mr Erdogan said, in an apparent reference to the growing humanitarian crisis in Idlib. Nearly 950,000 displaced civilians have been pushed towards the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. Mr Erdogan said Turkey would not stand in the way of refugees and migrants already in the country who hope to head to Europe. "We will not close the gates to refugees," he said. "The European Union has to keep its promises. We are not obliged to look after and feed so many refugees." Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. It has since accused the EU of failing to honour the agreement. Mr Erdogan has frequently threatened to "open the gates" and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided. A migrant woman cries upon arrival on the Greek island of Lesbos (AP/Michael Varaklas) Since seizing territory from Kurdish forces in a different part of Syria in October, Mr Erdogan has also suggested resettling at least a million Syrian refugees from Turkey in that region. However, his efforts to secure funding for such a scheme have been rejected by European governments. Aid groups have said it is still too dangerous to return refugees to Syria. Story continues Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many others fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighbouring Greece. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols on Friday night and throughout Saturday, with Greek authorities firing tear gas to repulse the crowd's attempts to push through the border. Greek officials said many migrants threw rocks at police and tear gas was fired towards the Greek border from the Turkish side. Some migrants cut holes in the fence, with a few managing to get through. The vast majority were from Afghanistan and most were men, although there were also some families with young children. They took shelter overnight in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk towards northern cities. Evening Standard Britons who are asymptomatic who return a positive lateral flow test will no longer need to get a confirmatory PCR test, the government has confirmed. It comes after the self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people who have Covid was cut to a week last month in a bid to reduce staff shortages. The UK Health Security Agency said the new testing regimen was temporary and the chances of a false positive result were very low because Covid is so prevalent. coronavirus Open source Ukrainians are advised to abstain from visiingt some regions of France because of the increase in cases of coronavirus infection there. The corresponding message was published in the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. "Due to the increase in the number of cases of respiratory diseases caused by coronavirus in France (COVID-19), the Ukrainian Embassy in France recommends Ukrainian citizens who are in this country or intend to visit it, and those who belong to the most vulnerable category (the elderly and the people with chronic diseases) to follow the recommendations on measures to protect themselves against infection by the disease, in particular - to avoid regions (Oise, Somme, Haute Savoie, Alpes Maritimes), where cases of the disease are recorded, avoid contact with sick people". "Do not attend mass events, use protective masks in crowded places, observe personal hygiene," the report said. As we reported before, not a single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 was recorded in Ukraine. The press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Healthcare reported this on February 29. It is noted that on February 28, the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine received two reports of suspected COVID-19 from Ivano-Frankivsk and Kirovohrad regions (western and central Ukraine, respectively). For the last 17 years, MarketBar has taken up the far end corner of the Ferry Building, serving a weekly crowd of guests looking for al fresco dining. But once April comes around, the familiar space will be vacated by the longstanding seafood restaurant. MarketBar will close on April 22, following a rent increase that arose during a lease negotiation with landlord Hudson Pacific Properties. "Our lease had expired and we had been working for a number of years on an extension [but] we were ultimately not able to come to a resolution with the landlord," Douglas Biederbeck, MarketBar owner, told SFGATE. Biederbeck chose not to share the rent increase but said that MarketBar would not have been profitable with the number Hudson Pacific Properties wanted. He added that once MarketBar closes, it'll close for good. ALSO: More than 400 restaurants closed throughout San Francisco during 2019 "MarketBar will not reopen. Our intention was to create a meeting place for food-oriented people at the Ferry Building," he said. When it opened 17 years ago, MarketBar was one of several restaurants and artisanal shops added to the Ferry Building after a $90 million restoration project that revamped the historic buildings food scene. Upon its completion in March 2003, Hog Island Oyster Co., Slanted Door, Cowgirl Creamery, and Acme Bread opened to the public and continue to operate today. In the last few months, the Ferry Building has had two restaurants by notable chefs shutter. Tanya Holland's brunch spot Brown Sugar Kitchen closed in February, after less than a year at the Ferry Building, and Traci Des Jardins fast-casual Mexican restaurant, Mijita closed after 15 years. Biederbeck predicts more businesses could close as their leases come up for renewal. ALSO: How Berkeleys Acme Bread started a Bay Area bread movement A statement from Hudson Pacific Properties expressed that although they had worked with MarketBar management to reach an agreement, they respected Biederbeck's decision to leave. At this time it's unclear what business may take over MarketBar but Hudson Pacific Properties hinted that it'll most likely be a local business. "We are fortunate to have a list of local merchants that have been waiting for the opportunity to open a Ferry Building location, and we are confident there is significant demand for this space." Biederbeck, who also owns San Francisco restaurants Bix and Florio, said business at MarketBar has kept him busy. He adds that the last 17 years have been wonderful and he hopes customers will come to see them before their final service. -- Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3 India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran represented the country at the signing of the landmark peace deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban in Doha on Saturday. It was for the first time India officially attend an event involving the Taliban. Diplomats from a number of countries including Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia were present during signing of the deal which marks end of the United States' war in Afghanistan since 2001. India was represented at the event by the Ambassador to Qatar, official sources said. The deal allows for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan. India was invited for the signing-in ceremony by the Qatar government. India's presence at the ceremony marks a significant change in its policy as it was for the first time New Delhi sent an official representative to an event involving the Taliban. India has been a key stakeholder in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. In a significant move, India had sent two former diplomats in "non-official" capacity to a conference on Afghan peace process in Moscow in November 2018. The conference organised by Russia was attended by a high-level Taliban delegation, representatives of Afghanistan as well as from several other countries, including the US, Pakistan and China. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese entrepreneurs in Laos capital Vientiane are allegedly importing vehicles from China illegally for car rental and taxi businesses, much to the ire of their Lao competitors, RFA learned Friday. The cars imported from China are mostly luxury vehicles and the businesses are meant to serve Chinese tourists. An official of Vientianes Industry and Trade Department told RFAs Lao Service Thursday many of the imported cars have not been properly registered. There are many cars with Chinese license plates running around, the official said. According to the rules, the vehicles must be registered and have Lao license plates, the official added. According to the official, Lao license plates for rental cars can only be obtained when the owner has a valid business license, suggesting that the owners of the cars with Chinese plates skipped out on registering their businesses. An official from Vientianes transportation department however confirmed to RFA that the Chinese-plated cars were actually legal. The Chinese cars are legally imported from China. They still have Chinese license plates because they are in the process of being registered, said the transportation official. But despite that officials account, the owner of a Lao car rental company told RFA said he believed the opposite. There are many Chinese car rental companies in the city and most of their cars are luxury models illegally imported from China, the owner said. He also said that the Chinese companies only serve Chinese tourists and businesspeople, even illegally selling the cars in Laos. An official from the citys planning and investment department told RFA that the Chinese businesses had a sizable presence in the capital. Right now there are many Chinese car rental operations in the capital. At least 10. Most of their cars are Mercedes Benzes and Toyotas, the official said. A taxi driver said the new Chinese taxis were bad for Lao drivers. The authorities shouldnt allow foreigners to do this kind of business and take away our jobs, but they did, he said. He added that the government should do something to reserve car rental and taxi driving jobs for Laotians. Article 11 of the Lao transport law states that all vehicles belonging to individuals or businesses that providing services in the country must be properly registered with the Lao authorities and having proper license plates. Reported and translated by RFA's Lao Service. Written in English by Eugene Whong. By Sam Richards Bay City News Foundation MARTINEZ -- The city of Martinez doesn't have to redraw its City Council district boundary lines, a Superior Court judge ruled Friday, but warned city lawyers they should be ready to do so quickly -- before the November general election -- should a Malibu attorney and his Martinez clients appeal Friday's ruling and win. Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Charles Treat on Friday told attorneys for the City of Martinez and for residents Felix Sanchez and Nancy Noonan that while the election district map the City Council approved in February 2018 is "absurd" in its design to intentionally give each of the four districts a slice of the downtown area, he also said that doing so was legal at that point, according to state Election Code statute. That specific statute, 21601, was amended in September 2019 by Assembly Bill 849, which strengthens criteria for city and county redistricting and adds protections against gerrymandering. Treat said in court Friday that he was hesitant to go against the City Council's approval of Martinez's election district map in general, and specifically because such map drawing -- Shenkman called it "gerrymandering" -- hadn't been expressly prohibited in the initial version of 21601, before the AB849 modifications. Nevertheless, Treat acknowledged why the Martinez district map would be questioned. The districts give each of the four districts a part of downtown and of the waterfront. That created some anomalies, including two council members living a short distances from one another being in separate districts. "It's about as uncompact and barely contiguous as geographically possible," said Treat, who also said the lines protect incumbents. Martinez was among the first Bay Area cities to change from "at-large" City Council elections, in which residents from all parts of the city voted for all four council members, to a "district" system in which each of the four council members represent a specific district. The change, approved in December 2017, was spurred by a letter from Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman demanding the city make that change or face a lawsuit. He cited the California Voting Rights Act of 2001, which asserts local at-large voting systems are discriminatory if they "impair the ability of a protected class ... to elect candidates of its choice or otherwise influence the outcome of an election." The "protected class" discussed here is Latinos, whom Shenkman said had less voting influence than they would if districts acknowledged Latino neighborhoods, and made it easier for Latino candidates to be elected. But the Sanchez-Noonan lawsuit contends, among other things, that the way Martinez set up its districts "cracks the Latino community, dividing Latino voters nearly equally between each of the four districts." Chris Skinnell, an attorney representing the city, said in court Friday that Martinez leaders were trying to consolidate various "communities of interest," and that making sure each district included some of downtown and the waterfront "was a legitimate thing for them to do." Shenkman's office sent letters to numerous cities, school districts and other governmental agencies across California, seeking changes to district elections and threatening legal action if the changes weren't made. Many Bay Area cities, including Concord, Menlo Park, Fremont, Union City, South San Francisco, Antioch and San Rafael, subsequently made the switch. Usually that came in the form of a City Council resolution, but this coming Tuesday, voters in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara will decide whether to make that change. Among the Bay Area school districts that subsequently made the change to district voting have been Mount Diablo Unified, San Ramon Valley Unified, Antioch Unified, Martinez Unified and Oakley Unified in Costa Contra County; and Dublin Unified, Fremont Unified and New Haven Unified in Alameda County. Martinez, and all cities and agencies with district maps, will have to redraw those maps anyway within the next year or so, based on the results of the 2020 Census. Had Treat ordered the city to do that now, it would have meant three mapping processes for Martinez between 2017 and 2021. Treat advised attorneys representing Martinez that scenario could still unfold, should Shenkman appeal Treat's ruling and win that appeal. Shenkman said Friday he will discuss with his clients a possible appeal. 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. Bible school quarantines students returning from Italy amid coronavirus fears Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Bible school and Christian holiday center in the United Kingdom has quarantined six students and a teacher who returned from a trip to Italy, which is suffering an outbreak of coronavirus. Several schools in the country are closing or sending pupils home over fears of infection. Capernwray Hall in Lancashire said it was nothing more than a precautionary measure as the students and the teacher came back after working with a partner church in Milan, which is 40 miles from the lockdown areas in northern Italy. We are not worried but we wanted to take extra caution and that is why the decision was made, as a cautionary measure not due to concern, Capernwrays managing director, Jonathan Halsey, told Premier. None of the people have had any symptoms of Coronavirus. The returning team was housed in a separate accommodation on the Capernwray campus, about 500 meters away from the main hall. At least 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, have been reported in the U.K., whose Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to 11 locked-down towns at the center of the Italian outbreak. At least eight schools whose students made half-term trips to Italy have closed across the country, from Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, to Harlow in Essex, The Times (of London) reported. An additional 19 schools have also told students and staff who have visited Italy to stay at home. As more than 50 countries have reported cases of coronavirus, the World Health Organization has upgraded the global risk of the outbreak to very high, according to BBC. However, WHO clarified that there was still a chance of containing the virus if its chain of transmission were broken. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has delivered updated test kits to the Center for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in anticipation of more cases. CDC official Dr. Nancy Messonnier said Friday some earlier tests gave inconclusive results but newly manufactured test kits are reliable and available for order from both domestic and international public health partners, according to The Hill. Messonnier also said that a CDC team had gone to California to deal with what could be the first case of community spread in the U.S. She said the CDC will be investigating the patients recent contact. On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said 33 people had tested positive for COVID-19 and the state was monitoring at least 8,400 others. This is a fluid situation right now and I want to emphasize the risk to the American public remains low, Dr. Sonia Y. Angell, California Department of Public Health Director and State Health Officer, said during a press conference, according to CNBC. There have been a limited number of confirmed cases to date. China, where the virus originated, announced last week that more than 500 prisoners in five prisons in three provinces had contracted the virus, which has sickened more than 80,000 people and killed at least 2,000 people, according to the South China Morning Post. Nearly half of the cases were in Rencheng jail in Jining, located in China's eastern province of Shandong. Officials said a prison guard had shown COVID-19 symptoms in early February and that 200 prisoners and seven officers subsequently tested positive for the virus. According to persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, Christian human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang has been incarcerated in the same province, and his wife, Li Wenzu, has not been able to learn about his condition, as her regular visit time on Feb. 13 was canceled due to the ongoing spread of coronavirus. The international evangelical humanitarian agency World Vision is spending millions to provide assistance to nearly 400,000 people in China. Sponsoring over 55,000 children and employing 300 staffers in China, World Vision is one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations operating in the country. After nearly two years of protracted negotiations between the US and Taliban rulers in Doha, Qatar, the United States government and the Afghan Taliban have signed a historic peace agreement today that will reduce the number of US troops in the country and also end the Afghan war betwen the Taliban and the US military that has been going on since 2001. The first phase of the deal included a seven week no fighting scenario which occurred over the last week, and on Saturday, Diplomats from Afghanistan, the US, India, Pakistan and other UN member states have gathered along with Taliban representatives at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, to sign the peace deal. As part of the deal 6400 out of 13,000 US troops will leave Afghanistan in four months time while the Taliban meet certain anti=terrorism conditions, then in 14 months time all US troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan giving the Afghan government, and the Taliban control over their homeland. The agreement was signed in Doha, Qatar, by US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad -- the chief US negotiator in the talks with the Taliban and Afghan's president Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the signing. Speaking at the ceremony, Pompeo said the US "will closely watch the Taliban's compliance with their commitments, and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal to their actions." "This is how will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves for international terrorists," Pompeo said. 'Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan,' the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. 'It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan.' Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan 'to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation.' 'The biggest thing is that we hope the U.S. remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal,' said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban. Late on Friday, US President Trump in a statement said; "Nearly 19 years ago, American service members went to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. In that time, we have made great progress in Afghanistan, but at great cost to our brave service members, to the American taxpayers, and to the people of Afghanistan. "When I ran for office, I promised the American people I would begin to bring our troops home, and seek to end this war. We are making substantial progress on that promise," Trump said. 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 Senator Bernie Sanders, 2020 presidential candidate, speaks during a Get Out The Vote Rally at Finlay Park in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Senator Bernie Sanders has a long road to travel before he becomes the Democratic Partys nominee for president. But hes inching closer with each primary result, and most polls predict a strong showing for the Vermont senator on March 3 (a.k.a. Super Tuesday), when a large number of states hold their primaries. Some people, predictably, are freaking out about the prospect of momentum for Sanders. The primary is so crowded that top candidates, including Sanders, have been unable to open up a gap between them and the rest of the field. Even if he does well on Super Tuesday, its possible that Sanders could reach the convention with a plurality of delegates, rather than an outright majority. In this scenario, Sanders would not be able to claim the nomination on the first ballot, for which voting is restricted to delegates won during the primaries and caucuses. And in this scenario, some centrists see an opportunity. On the second ballot, Democratic superdelegates party members who are permanent delegates and thus not assigned by primaries or caucuses will be allowed to cast a vote, and dozens of them told the New York Times that they are prepared to try to deny Sanders the nomination if convention voting goes to a second round. The tactic carries with it the stench of desperation, and if carried out, superdelegates could mortally wound a party they claim to want to save. The gap between the average Sanders voter and the average party official looks as wide as its ever been. It is unclear if the faction of superdelegates who will vote against Sanders if he has the most delegates are even capable of making good on their threats. They might not have the numbers, and they dont have a consensus alternative, either. The Times interviewed 93 of the partys 771 superdelegates a minority. Of those, 84 agreed that the party should not guarantee Sanders the nomination if he reaches the convention with a plurality. Its possible that the sample of delegates interviewed by the Times is broadly representative, but theres reason to believe it isnt it might be the case that superdelegates most worried about Sanders were also the most likely to agree to be interviewed. Caveats notwithstanding, the Times story still offers material rich with horrifying details to contemplate. Some donors beseeched former representative Steve Israel to help start a PAC that would stop Sanders, but Israel declined. Though the Times spoke to a small fraction of the partys overall superdelegates, the ones it interviewed are prominent, at least by intraparty standards: Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the New York Democratic Party; former Senator Chris Dodd; Representative Don Beyer of Virginia. At some point you could imagine saying, Lets go get Mark Warner, Chris Coons, Nancy Pelosi, Beyer said. Somebody that could win and we could all get behind and celebrate. But when Beyer speaks of we, to whom does he really refer? The idea that a secret Democratic majority thirsts for Nancy Pelosi or Chris Coons to swoop in on a white horse, and repel Trumps Uruk-hai forces, does not pass muster. Probably five voters outside the state of Delaware know who Chris Coons even is, and thats a generous estimate. Pelosi is well known, but higher name recognition does not mean she has a positive reputation among voters. In Pelosis case, the opposite is likely true. She may be popular with mainstream Democratic voters, but among the partys progressives, and the general electorate, her name is nearly as poisonous as Clintons turned out to be in 2016, albeit for different reasons. As for Warner, a senator from Virginia, Democrats may as well nominate Gumby. Nobody outside his state really knows who he is either, and he hails from a tradition of Virginia Democrat that encourages members to strip themselves of personality or overt ideology in order to win office. Not exactly a recipe for getting voters to the polls nationwide. Remember Tim Kaine? Others look to Sherrod Brown for hope a uniquely misguided strategy that would sacrifice a Democratic senator the party probably cannot replace. (Brown dismissed the suggestion on Monday afternoon.) Some apparently prefer Michelle Obama, who has never expressed the remotest interest in running for office. To put matters as simply as possible, these are insane suggestions. Combined, they are the death rattle of a decaying ruling class, the last twitch of a collective political imagination so limited they did not anticipate their demise in time to prevent it. Sanderss status as the front-runner is not secure, that much is true. But he polls well nationally in head-to-head matchups against Trump, and polls well again in most Super Tuesday states. Theres every reason to think hed be a viable candidate in a general election. Hes certainly battle-tested in ways that Chris Coons God help us is not. Moreover, the coalition Sanders is pulling together is one the party cant afford to ignore. An analysis published by FiveThirtyEight on Monday indicates that the Sanders base is multiracial and young. Many also lack a college degree, which suggests though not definitively that Sanders has also earned the support of lower-income, working-class voters. And while voters who identify themselves as very liberal are more likely to support Sanders, he has the potential to expand his base beyond this relatively small voting bloc. His coalition, FiveThirtyEights analysts explained, is not solely age-based or solely ideological; being either young or very liberal makes you likelier to support Sanders, even if youre not both. For worried superdelegates, the makeup of the Sanders coalition represents a problem. If they try to deny him the nomination in July, they risk alienating young voters the future of the party, and a demographic they desperately need to win in November. They also undermine one of the partys central claims to moral superiority. Democrats represent working people; Republicans represent the wealthy. At least, thats what Democrats themselves tend to insist. The claim is based somewhat in truth: Democratic elected officials have expanded Medicaid and raised the minimum wage, after years of sustained lobbying from frustrated grassroots activists. They arent as hostile to the welfare state as the GOP repeatedly shows itself to be, and they are more likely to admit that climate change will disproportionately harm the poor, even if they cant all agree on what exactly they should do about it. Democrats arent going to repeal Obamacare and replace it with high-risk pools that give the sick shoddy health insurance they can barely afford to use; such policies remain the domain of the GOP. But Democratic policies of recent years leave a question unresolved. Has the party really done enough for working people? Sanders says that it hasnt, and is willing to propose radical measures to address this deficiency. (Elizabeth Warren has the same diagnosis, even if her prescriptions are more conservative and put her to the right of a democratic socialists.) To deny Sanders victory if he conjures up a plurality rather than a clear majority is to make Sanderss evaluation of the party its epitaph. Democrats would confirm to the public that the party isnt working for anyone who isnt well-educated and well-off and that they dont really want to change. They would damage not only their credibility but the lives of the nations poor, for whom another Trump term would be catastrophic. When Beyer dreams of last-ditch alternatives to Sanders, he seems to be thinking only of what would mollify other superdelegates, the powerful activists and donors who share his views. The we he references encompasses Chris Dodd, who believes that people are very worried. Its an exclusive club. It has no room for the teachers and nurses and Culinary Union members who coalesced around Sanders. Thus the news that any superdelegate would give the nomination to Michelle Obama over Bernie Sanders, an actual candidate, has diagnostic value. The greatest threat to the partys legitimacy isnt Bernie Sanders, but its own intransigence. Sign Up for the Intelligencer Newsletter Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Terms & Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. For toy makers and publishers alike, the potential impact of the new coronavirus on their respective industries was one of the main topics of conversation at the 117th edition of Toy Fair New York, which ran February 2225 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. The number of attendees, which is generally about 25,000 (final figures werent available at press time), was also expected to be down somewhat, as the U.S. has been denying entry to anyone who has been in China during the previous 14 days. Despite the lack of Chinese visitors, traffic on the show floor did not seem significantly lighter than in a typical year. When the fair opened, the booth displays of the approximately 30 publishers and authors exhibiting their books and sidelines illustrated how the childrens book industry is testing new strategies and tactics. Many of the initiatives reflect growing synergies between books and toys as a means of succeeding in a changing landscape. Phoenix International Publications (PI Kids) devoted half of its booth to its new toy division, announced at Toy Fair last year. It has also been expanding beyond its core interactive sound books into traditional childrens formats such as board books, storybooks, and picture books. Among the new programs PI Kids was highlighting with longtime partner Disney was a line of books under the Disney My First Stories banner, a repackaging of a Hachette series from France. Were not going after new one-off licenses, but were doing more with our big licensors, including Disney, explained PI Kids marketing director Lynn Sikora. PI Kids also showed three coloring and activity titles, its first ever, with longtime partner Baby Einstein. Like PI Kids, Carson Dellosa Education added toys to its display this year, with about half of its booth devoted to a new line of musical instruments under Mattels Fisher-Price license. Its not a flash card or a workbook, but its still education, said William Harris, director of inside sales. The company also introduced a new line of licensed Disney Learning workbooks, flash cards, and other core formats. Fox Chapels Happy Kids imprint, launched in 2018, is making a foray into picture books with artist Jim Shores Magic in the Attic, based on a line of gift figurines from another Toy Fair exhibitor, Enesco. Picture books is a new direction for us, said Michele Sensenig, v-p sales. Another first for Happy Kids is publishing translated books, and at the fair it showed two titles acquired through foreign rights dealsfrom the Czech Republic and Italy. Fox Chapels initial joke books, done with educational activities specialist Kid Scoop, were also on display. Chronicle Books and its siblings Mudpuppy and Galison, as well as Quarto and its SmartLab division, featured 50/50 mixes of books and products in their respective joint booths. To achieve that balance, both Chronicle and Quarto significantly increased the booth space devoted to books compared to previous Toy Fairs. The connection between books and toys carried over into toy company assortments as well, from plush specialist Fiesta to educational toy maker Manhattan Toy, both of which offered board and bath books tied to many of their toys. The books typically have ISBNs but are sold primarily in channels that carry the related toys. Specialty toy company Melissa and Doug highlighted an extensive range of booksit launched a publishing effort in August 2019 after its acquisition of Innovative Kids. Publishers were also connecting with new customers and exploring new distribution channels. First-time exhibitor Kidsbooks sells its titles mainly in school book fairs but participated in the show to expand into the toy and gift markets, according to Lynn Phillips, specialty sales manager. And Happy Foxs new deal with YouTube ukulele influencer Emily Arrow, for a book called Kids Guide to Learning the Ukulele, has gotten the publisher into music stores, thanks to Arrows relationship with instrument maker Kala, which was at the fair and is helping the publisher secure placement. At Toy Fair, return customers come in ready to write orders, said Barbara Peacock, managing director of School Zone. But every year we see quite a few brand-new customers as well. Washington, Feb 29 : US President Donald Trump said that he will again nominate John Ratcliffe for a second time as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Trump made the announcement on Twitter on Friday, saying: "Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent," Xinhua news agency reported. Trump first offered the job to the the Republican Congressman after Dan Coats stepped down from the post in July 2019, but Ratcliffe withdrew himself from consideration as lawmakers from both parties cast doubt on his qualifications, citing his lack of experience in the intelligence community. Earlier this month, Trump appointed US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as acting DNI, and is due on March 11 to formally pick a candidate for a permanent role in that post, pending approval from the Senate. While saying he looks forward to "receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order", Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, stressed the vital nature of the DNI. "The work our Intelligence Community does is vital for ensuring America's safety, security, and success. I've appreciated the dedication and skill the men and women of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have shown over the last several months during a period of transition," Burr said. On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear in a statement that he opposes Ratcliffe's nomination. "Replacing one highly partisan operative with another does nothing to keep our country safe," the New York Democrat said on Friday, adding that "neither Acting Director Grenell nor Rep. Ratcliffe comes even close to" qualifying for the job. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also lashed out at Trump's announcement, saying intelligence "should never be guided by partisanship or politics". "Unfortunately, Congressman Ratcliffe has shown an unacceptable embrace of conspiracy theories and a clear disrespect and distrust of our law enforcement and intelligence patriots that disqualify him from leading America's intelligence community," she added. The DNI is a Cabinet-level official in the government that serves as the head of the 17-member US Intelligence Community, a group of separate intelligence agencies and subordinate organisations engaging in intelligence activities that support American foreign policy and national security. Will Mason plans to turn the former Woodlawn Theatre into a music teaching and performance hub, but the project might be more transformative than just revenue and revitalization. A federal program that gives capital gains tax breaks for investments made in economically distressed areas is funding the project at 5503 1st Avenue North in Woodlawn, a neighborhood just east of downtown Birmingham. There are 158 of these opportunity zones in Alabama and almost 9,000 nationwide. The program was enacted as part of the 2017 tax overhaul. Projects in the Birmingham area include remaking a historic building into apartments, the Carraway redevelopment project, Woodlawn project, and more. Lawmakers and nonprofits are concerned about how opportunity zone projects impact the community theyre part of. With a proposed opportunity zone reporting requirements bill and other efforts to track projects, lawmakers and backers want to ensure these projects help communities, not hurt them. Woodlawn Theatre Mason bought the nearly 100-year-old theatre in Woodlawn after the area was designated an opportunity zone. Mason has big dreams for the space, with his music lesson business operating in one side and a 250-person venue, complete with a bar, on the other. The space will be both a business and provide a community serviceaffordable music lessons. His lesson business, Mason Music, offers lessons for as low as $10 per month through the nonprofit Mason Music Foundation. Its about creative community, revitalizing places and giving hope. Its giving children a pathway they can love for the rest of their life. You cant quantify any of that. When you talk about community revitalization, thats the stuff that makes the difference, said Alex Flaschbart, CEO of Opportunity Alabama. Opportunity Alabama (OPAL) is a nonprofit that connects OZ funds with projects, collects some data about OZ projects in Alabama, and wants to track how the projects impact the community. Flaschbart said he expects the theatre to create about 25 jobs, including two full-time managers. Backers hope the Woodlawn Theatres impact could be more profound than jobs and investment by bringing an accessible music experience and gathering place to the community. Mason says he wants to incorporate community events during the week and hold larger concerts and events on the weekend. Also, hes considering a weekly movie night and open microphone type events where people could see a show and have a drink for $10 to $15. How do I do this so that it's not gentrification? Mason asks. Music is one thing thats really good at bringing people together. The Mason Music Foundation hopes the theatre can be a place where residents can connect. Jeanette Hightower, who operates the nonprofit arm of Mason Music, said she sees the Woodlawn Theatre as a fixture of the neighborhood. My vision is for Mason Music Foundation to be a trusted permanent fixture in the Woodlawn community that serves the families that need it the most. The new amenities will allow us to be more intentional about reaching out to more homes, schools and churches to make our services available to more children and families, Hightower said. Accountability How OZ developments impact surrounding challenged communities are the kinds of questions many want developers to answer. Currently, there are no data reporting requirements for OZ funds and projectsno way to account for one of the goals of the tax break which is eradicating poverty, said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham. She represents Alabamas 7th Congressional district which stretches from the Magic City into Alabamas Black Belt. Sewell wants to ensure congress can hold accountable those who benefit from the tax break. I don't begrudge anyone making a dollar, but I dont want them to do it on the backs of the people I represent. I want it to benefit them, Sewell said. Sewell is co-sponsoring a bill called the Opportunity Zone Accountability and Transparency Act, HR 5011. The bipartisan bill is also co-sponsored by Democrats Rep. Mike Kelly and Rep. Thomas Suozzi of New York, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Earl Blumenaur of Oregon, Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington and Rep. Daniel Kildee of Michigan. The bill will require certain data about opportunity zone investment funds and the projects themselves be reported to the IRS. For example, if a new apartment complex is using OZ funds, the number of housing units and the number of units priced for people making less than 50 percent of the median income must be reported. Some other data that must be reported under the bill include: the number of jobs created, funds that have invested into each qualified opportunity zone, the assets held in opportunity zone funds and more. I think we need to make sure its fulfilling the mission of uplifting the historically underserved, Sewell said. Is it being true to the mission? Is it truly benefiting these communities? To be clear, Sewell says, shes optimistic about how the initiative could better communities, but she wants to make sure the people benefitting from the tax cuts are held accountable. The bill was introduced in November and remains in the House Committee on Ways and Means. OPAL is supportive. Terri Sewell has been an incredible ally for low income communities. We are extremely pleased to see her as a lead sponsor for a reporting requirements bill, Flaschbart. Flaschbart said the bill could help fill the data gaps for opportunity zone usage. We have a more comprehensive ecosystem than other states, but we still dont see everything that happens. Even if we know the lawyers and accountants working on the projects, it doesnt mean they can or should tell us everything, he said. We need (the bill) if we want to make the difference we want to make in Alabama. --- Lets Talk About Opportunity Zones: Join the Center for Public Integrity, the Local Voices Network and Urban Impact for a discussion with Birmingham stakeholders, city officials, and residents involved in local opportunity zone investments. The event is March 3, 6-9 p.m., at the 16th Street Baptist Church, 1530 6th Avenue N. Free; register here. Most health officials and disease specialists say one of the best preventive measures against the coronavirus or any other outbreak is frequent washing of hands, using soap and water to scrub fronts, backs and between fingers for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water arent available, health professionals say, then hand sanitizer can be used, as long as it contains at least 60 percent alcohol and the gel is squirted onto the hands and rubbed briskly all over them for about 20 seconds. In some cases, the demand is outstripping inventory. On Amazon, for instance, a search for popular hand sanitizer brands like Purell, Germ-X or even Amazons private-label brand, Solimo, showed many were unavailable. In some cases, what was available was being sold by third-party sellers at high prices. On Friday morning, a pack of two 12-ounce bottles of Purell could be had from a third-party seller for $49.99. Amazon did not respond to emails seeking comment about its supply of hand sanitizers and how it handles third-party sellers that may be price-gouging customers. Walmarts website also showed many hand sanitizers as out of stock. Those that were available appeared to be from other parties selling them at high prices. The company did not respond to a request for comment. Situated on the edge of our city centre, the Absolute Hotel epitomises the unique embrace you feel as a visitor to Limerick. When the Absolute Hotel opened its doors in 2007, it is fair to say it was a less auspicious time for Limerick. The world was bracing for an economic meltdown for one, and Limerick itself was taking a good look at itself with the need for progress and change pressing. Fast forward a dozen years and the success, ambition and vision of Limerick has been reflected by the hotel along the Abbey river bank. In November of last year the Absolute took the prize for best hospitality and retail business at the Limerick Chamber Regional Business Awards for the second time in four years. It was also a finalist in the Business & Conference Hotel of the Year at the Irish Hotel Awards in 2019. Its no coincidence, then, that many of the blue chip FDI companies that have made their base in the region in the past decade, as well as scores of our local SMEs, have availed themselves of the top class facilities in the Absolute Hotel. The business-friendly atmosphere has been fostered from the early days of the hotel hosting the Limerick open coffee meet-up where all things technology is discussed, as well as Limerick Business Network events. In tandem with that the Absolute has been listed as the number one hotel in Limerick on TripAdvisor since 2016, as well as being ranked in the top 15 in the country - the only Limerick hotel to achieve those heights. This ranking is based on reviews submitted by guests on TripAdvisor in 2018 and 2019, with the top 1% of hotels then being rated. It is this emphasis on the guest experience to which sales and marketing manager Melanie Lennon attributes the hotels success. What makes the hotel great is not tangible but it is the atmosphere that is created by the team of the Absolute Hotel. Friendly, personable and helpful team members are all the things that make a hotel successful and separates us from the competition. The team keep the cogs of the hotel operation going, she says. What guests see and experience on the outside is backed by a team that is hard working yet has a lot of fun and shares a mutual respect that makes the running of a hotel appear seamless. From the moment the guest steps foot in the hotel to the moment they leave, it is clear the building is alive with people. The modern, stylish interior of the Absolute Hotel has complemented this personal touch, and is being continually upgraded and refined. The relaunched Harrys on the River restaurant being the latest example of same. Limerick is now on the edge of a new era of investment and advancement, which the Absolute is all set to embrace. See www.absolutehotel.com call 061 463600 or email info@absolutehotel.com. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday urged NATO allies to lend their support to Turkey, following a Syrian government attack which killed 33 Turkish troops earlier in the week. During emergency talks on Friday held at Turkey's request, NATO called for de-escalation in Idlib, but offered no further assistance. Cavusoglu added he was not requesting support because Turkey was weak, but because "this is why NATO was formed." Turkey has been pouring large amounts of military hardware into Syria to counter a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive that has uprooted nearly a million civilians in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into rebel-held areas of Syria earlier this month. Turkish President Erdogan has given the Syrian government until the end of the month to pull back from areas captured from rebels in Idlib, threatening large-scale military action if it does not. The Voyager of the Seas has been forced to abandon its planned trip through the Pacific Islands after three staff members were diagnosed with influenza and the cruise ship was denied entry to Vanuatu. The ship, which can carry up to 4000 passengers, left Sydney on Tuesday for an 11-day cruise through the South Pacific. Voyager of the Seas, which can carry up to 4000 passengers, left Sydney on Tuesday for an 11-day cruise through the South Pacific. But when three members of staff tested positive for influenza, authorities in Vanuatu decided to refuse entry to the ship which will now modify its course. "Voyager of the Seas will modify its itinerary following a decision by Vanuatu health authorities to deny port entry over concerns that three crew members have tested positive for influenza A," a spokeswoman for the company said on Saturday morning. It's rare to see even a tear-down in San Francisco for under $700,000 these days, so it was a surprise to see a three-bedroom single-family come on the market recently that is both completely renovated and asking $695,000. Listing agent Dan Lyons called the former church at 1043 Palou Ave. in the Bayview "probably the best-priced single-family home in SF." That would likely be true if the home actually went for $695,000, but given that Lyons is anticipating "a few strong offers" after this weekend's final open house, we imagine it will actually go for quite a bit more. Still, finding a recently renovated home for under $1 million is a larger and larger rarity these days, including in the quickly gentrifying Bayview. An 18-year-old girl who was abducted from Amritsars Ranjeet Avenue locality three days ago was found shot dead in an abandoned plot in the city Friday night, police said on Saturday. The victim who belonged to Ajnala town 26 km away, was abducted near Vishal Mega Mart at Ranjeet Avenue on Wednesday afternoon when she was on her way home after attending her training class at a beauty salon, police said. The family members of victim had lodged a complaint at Ranjeet Avenue police station on the day of the incident alleging that she was kidnapped by some unidentified persons. They had also alleged that the abductors had demanded Rs 20 lakh ransom for her release. Station House Officer (SHO) of Ranjeet Avenue police station, Robin Hans, said they had started their investigation soon after the familys complaint. During the investigation, we found her body from an abandoned plot at Loharka road on Friday night, he said. He said the woman had been shot dead. The in-charge of Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) wing of Amritsar police, Inspector Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, said they have also arrested a suspect who had allegedly kidnapped and murdered the girl. He claimed that the body was recovered after the arrest of the accused who was a classmate of the deceased when she was in school. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bahrain on Saturday threatened legal prosecution against travelers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks as confirmed cases across the wider Mideast grew to over 520. The tiny island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia has been hard-hit with cases and shut down flights to halt the spread of the virus, which causes the illness named COVID-19 by experts. All of Bahrain's cases link back to Iran, whose death toll of 34 killed is the worst outside of China, the epicenter of the virus. Iran alone has 388 cases of the virus, including top officials, and experts fear that number may be far greater, something Iranian officials themselves have begun to hint. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. Of those, only 310 citizens had called authorities and undergone testing, the ministry said, raising the possibility of the untested being arrested and charged if they refuse. The ministry "affirmed that the required legal proceedings would be taken against anyone who returned from Iran in February and didn't call to make appointments for the tests," the Interior Ministry said. It highlighted that preventing the outbreak of the infection is the responsibility of individuals and society as a whole. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has engaged in a yearslong crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom since its 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw its majority Shiite population demand greater political freedoms. Militants have launched small, sporadic attacks in the time since which Bahrain security forces blame on Iran, the Mideast's Shiite power. Meanwhile Saturday, Saudi Arabia announced it would bar citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council from Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina over concerns about the virus' spread. The GCC is a six-nation group including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia on Thursday closed off the holy sites to foreign pilgrims over the coronavirus, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan and the annual hajj pilgrimage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On Sunday evening, Om Veer, a resident of north-east Delhis Bhajanpura was sitting outside his shop on Pushta Road when he saw around 10 trucks being parked on the service lane carrying around 70 men with backpacks. All the men were in the 20 to 30 age-group, and they were all outsiders, Veer said. Just 20 minutes later, another truck followed, carrying construction debris and pieces of bricks. Though Veer could not draw a connection between the two immediately, he began getting suspicious when he woke up to the news of violent communal clashes and stone-pelting across north-east Delhi the next morning. These people were not locals. They did not look like labourers. All were young men. Who knows what they were carrying in their backpacks? It could be stones, it could be weapons, Veer said. Even as Uttar Pradesh Police sealed three border roads adjoining north-east Delhi, several residents claim that unruly elements continue to enter areas around Seemapuri, Bhajanpura, Maujpur and Jafrabad using smaller routes. Though three primary entry points -- Laal Bagh, DLF embankment road in Loni, and Tulsi Niketan border in Sahibabad -- are now protected by the police from both sides, there are several internal roads from where cars and two-wheelers can access the Capital. Some of these roads, especially around Bhajanpura and Maujpur, are also wide enough for medium-sized trucks. On Wednesday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in his address at the Delhi assembly, had also put the blame of the violence on outsiders. Delhis people are peace-loving, everyone wants peace and nobody wants riots. We strive to make a better Delhi for our children. Common people of Delhi are not involved in the riots. People from outside Delhi, political elements, and miscreants are responsible for the rioting, Kejriwal said. Even on Friday, residents in Seemapuri claimed that they had seen outsiders being brought into Delhi to insight fresh communal clashes that have already claimed 42 lives. Mohammad Irfan, a resident of Seemapuri, said that he was guarding his colony gates with his neighbours around 2am on Friday when he saw three vehicles, with Haryana registration numbers, come their way. His colony is less than 2km away from UPs Shaheed Nagar, and the route is not secured by any security agency. We could not see how many people there were in these vehicles, but when the residents surrounded them, they quickly turned their vehicles and went away, said Irfan. Thirty two-year-old Neelam Mishra, a resident of Zero Pushta, also bore witness to over a dozen motorcycles zoom through her neighbourhood late Tuesday night. He said that the Hindus and Muslims have lived in this neighbourhood peacefully for generations and any political interference cannot instigate neighbours against each other. Do you think children who have grown up together will murder and set each others houses on fire? These riots were orchestrated and these people were brought from outside. If these people were local people then someone should recognise them here, Mishra said. As these allegations mounted, Delhi traffic police officers said that it is difficult to doubt a heavy vehicle entering the city borders only because it is carrying people, because vehicles carrying labourers from the neighbouring states often go in and out of the city. Accusing police just because some vehicles managed to enter the city is wrong. Many trucks enter Delhi from UP, especially from these borders, carrying men who work in factories or taken as labourers by contractors, a traffic officer from the area said, asking not to be named. MS Randhawa, Delhi Police spokesperson said that the police was alert and was manning each of the riot-hit areas with a close watch. He said that the borders are tightly protected. The situation is getting better but we are looking out for any unruly elements that could disrupt peace, Randhawa said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Police Reward Fund: As FDs soar over Rs. 9bn, officers are short-changed View(s): The Police Reward Fund held fixed deposits worth Rs 9.6bn at the end of 2018 and has invested more than it should while paying out fewer incentives than prescribed, the National Audit Office (NAO) says. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) decreed in 2016 that 70 percent of the Fund must be used annually as normal rewards to incentivise deserving police officers. A further 20 percent goes towards a category called IGPs rewards. Only ten percent of the Fund must be invested. The average paid out as rewards in the three years from 2016 to 2018, however, was just 46 percent. And the percentage investedmainly by way of fixed deposits (FDs) in State banksranged between 37 and 48 percent during the same period. The FDs are maintained at the Peoples Bank, the Bank of Ceylon and the National Savings Bank. In 2015, they amounted to Rs 5.5bn but ballooned in 2018 to Rs 9.8bn. Payment criteria have not been amended to suit modern requirements, the NAO found. There are payment delays while certain police officers did not receive their dues. There are also issues of accounting the income. Income to the Fund from traffic fines improved from four percent in 2015 to 41 percent in 2018. But payment of rewards within the same period ranged from nine to 14 percent. Circulars related to the payment of rewards have not been updated for the past seven years. The NAO especially observed that, compared to the revenue credited to the Fund through the effective service of police officers, the payments were at a very low level. In 2018, for instance, Rs 940mn was deposited into the Fund from traffic revenue but only Rs 169mnor 18 percent of thiswas paid as rewards. The previous year, it was 26 percent but it never rose above 37 percent in five years. There is no consistency in how the rewards are decided, the NAO said. Fixed rates last revised in 2011 are paid as motor traffic incentives and changing rates for normal rewards. And there is no prescribed time period for processing of reward applications. It could take two to five years between when a voucher is prepared by an Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and when it is paid. A police officer who is transferred or retired sometimes does not receive the message of his reward and, therefore, does not collect it. Where an officer conducts a special raid, half his reward is paid before litigation and the rest, after. By December 2018, the value of such unpaid rewards was Rs 75mn. Some arrears were as old as 15 years. When a transfer takes place, they must be notified at their new location to collect the reward. If it is not done, the money returns to Police Headquarters. Rewards payable to the deceased or those who have left the service also goes back to Headquarters. In 2016 alone, Rs 76mn was returned by 37 police divisions owing to delay in preparing and recommending reward applications as well as non-payment. Where would we be without the judgmentalists keeping us up to speed on judgments from God? Usually it's American pastors (and a few of the homegrown variety) arguing that various natural disasters - hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, fire and brimstone - can all be interpreted as judgment from on high on account of things like same sex marriage, anti-gun laws, atheism, materialism, "pleasure seeking" and anything they deem to fall under the general label "wickedness." I often wonder if American pastors (and a few of the homegrown variety) might be some sort of judgment from God on the rest of us for giving them airtime. Needless to say, the global coronavirus epidemic is now also being discussed by some online religious loons as the latest example of the Almighty working in that mysterious way of his to signal displeasure. This we've come to expect. But picking up the baton in the race to suggest global calamity is retribution for human "failings" we now have certain factions in the animal rights lobby. In a television interview the other day, Jane Goodall, the environmentalist much lauded (and rightly so) for her work with chimpanzees, appeared to be arguing that coronavirus was evidence of the natural world exacting revenge upon humankind. Then came a controversial online post from Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) declaring: "Carnivorous is an anagram of coronavirus. Coincidence? We think not." To which some wit replied: "Peta is an anagram for pate. Coincidence? I think not." Peta are very much from the "meat is murder" side of the dining room. But I'm not sure it's terribly ethical of them attributing this new, scary global pandemic to the world's carnivores (still in the majority despite the current popularity of vegan ready meals in M&S). It's a bit more complicated than that. The origins of the virus are being linked to the Wuhan Seafood Market where, despite the name, various exotic meat-based delicacies were also on offer. Including the famous and now infamous bat soup... You and I might recoil a bit at the thought of a bowl of flying rodent broth but in many poorer parts of the world not everybody has always had ready access to prime cuts of sirloin. Down the ages hungry people ate what was available. Many dishes that would raise a western foodie's eyebrow are still traditional fare for millions. Accusing carnivores of causing coronavirus is a bit like saying vegetarians (of which I am one) are responsible for potato blight. There's a fair bit of virtue signalling involved in the current appetite for veganism. But some obviously take it way more seriously than others. Following a recent court action, a gentleman in London was granted the right to have his "ethical veganism" recognised as a protected belief, much the same as a religion. The court was told he refused to take a bus because he was unwilling to sit on leather seats or hold on to a leather strap and was further concerned that the bus might kill a fly on its windscreen. Imagine how horrified he'd be by the windscreen insect cull that is now commonplace round Lough Neagh in the summer months. But at least he sounds like a kind soul. Too many others are too ready to apportion blame to suit their own beliefs at a time when the world needs to be uniting to deal with this scary, new global threat. This was the week when coronavirus finally arrived in Northern Ireland. Health chiefs had warned us it was on its way. Let's hope they now have their act together in order to deal with it. Our thoughts have to be with the first victim - and those who will inevitably follow. And particularly with medical staff and others on the front line battling to contain it. But as for the pastors and Peta pointing the finger over Covid-19 in order to back up their own beliefs - in time of crisis that's in much the same poor taste as Wuhan Market's dodgy soup. And every bit as batty. Trek to work a walk on wildside Statistics out this week show that 'only 11%' of people here walk to work every day. Seriously - that many? With our dodgy pavements, the cruel weather, the many junctions with poor crossings, the drivers scorching past through puddles showering pedestrians with mucky water, walking to work is a Bear Grylls' challenge. Impressive to learn that 11% of workers here are tough and gutsy enough to even try. Rivals talk could benefit Bernie Expand Close Bernie Sanders Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bernie Sanders As Oscar Wilde said, the one thing worse that being talked about is not being talked about. As in life so in the contest to find a Democratic Party candidate to run for the presidency in the upcoming US election. During a televised debate this week every single candidate spoke extensively about Donald Trump. In the next, they all - bar Bernie Sanders - extensively castigated Bernie. Perhaps they're missing the point that being talked about is never a disadvantage in politics. PM Boris needs to take a few notes from Whitney... Expand Close PM Boris Johnston PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PM Boris Johnston A controversial concert featuring a hologram of the late Whitney Houston surrounded by a live band and dancers is now on tour. Further concerts featuring big names who are sadly no longer with us are also planned. Maybe they could do one with a hologram of Boris Johnson? Boris has been a bit out of the picture of late. Until he resurfaced at PM's Questions in the Commons this week there had been some talk about where on earth he'd disappeared to. His absence prompted a meme of the Where's Wally variety. Where's Boris? And he still hasn't actually explained. Asked to account for his failure to show up in areas where many homes and businesses have been devastated by flood (and worse, lives lost) he just went off on a tangent. Jeremy Corbyn, who isn't the sharpest of Commons' performers, dubbed him the Part-Time Prime Minister. Good line. It may stick. Boris seems suddenly to have lost a bit of his fizz. What he needs is a big Whitney-style number to try to justify his reluctance to show in flood ravaged areas. "If I should stay I'll only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know, I'll think of you each step of the way." Mumia Abu-Jamal supporters passed by City Hall on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, as they marched from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office toward the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office in Center City. Read more About 30 supporters of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied Friday outside the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office, decrying a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order that calls for an investigation of whether District Attorney Larry Krasners office has a conflict in its continued prosecution of Abu-Jamals appeals. Pam Africa of MOVE; Johanna Fernandez of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home; and Abu-Jamals brother Keith Cook were among the speakers, who said that documents found in six boxes of files that Krasner stumbled upon in December 2018 in a storage closet of the district attorneys office represent newly discovered evidence that merits a new trial. Fernandez, a professor at Baruch College in New York City, referenced one document in which a key prosecution witness, who identified Abu-Jamal at his 1982 trial as the man who shot Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, sent a letter afterward to the trial prosecutor to find out, he wrote, about the money he presumably thought he would be receiving. Mumia will be free, Fernandez called out. Joseph McGill, the lawyer who prosecuted Abu-Jamal, said in an affidavit signed last year that he never promised anything of value to a witness in exchange for testimony at trial. Carrying signs and a large white Bird of Freedom for Mumia, created from cardboard, fabric, and bamboo, Abu-Jamals supporters walked from the district attorneys office to Attorney General Josh Shapiros Center City office to show their opposition to his offices potentially receiving the case. Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 president John McNesby said in a statement, The only thing missing from todays Free Mumia protest was an accurate and objective look at the facts of this case. The evidence today is as clear as it was nearly 40 years ago, Mumia Abu-Jamal murdered hero Officer Danny Faulkner and was sentenced to life in prison. Enough is enough, end the frivolous appeals to reopen this case. Mondays Supreme Court order followed a petition by Faulkners widow, Maureen, who asked the court to remove the District Attorneys Office and direct the Attorney Generals Office to handle continuing appeals. The court deferred a final ruling on the merits of Faulkners petition, but said it would appoint a special master to investigate whether Krasners office has any conflicts in the case. These days capitalism and democracy seem to mean that it's never too early to take advantage of the misery of others, and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is the latest proof point. On Saturday the Washington Post reported that an agency within the State Department had compiled a report of 2 million tweets, which peddled conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Among the hoaxes compiled in the report and reported by the Post included the suggestion that the virus had been created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or was the result of a bioweapon developed by the Chinese government. In all, these tweets represent about 7% of the total tweets surveyed by the government, according to the Post's reporting. Critically, the report indicated that some of the misinformation spread online appeared to be the result of "inauthentic and coordinated activity," the Post reported the document saying. The report mirrors warnings from cybersecurity firms like Check Point Software, which issued a report tracking the launch of new websites linked to themes around the coronavirus outbreak earlier this month. According to the company's Global Threat Index for January 2020, "cyber-criminals are exploiting interest in the global epidemic to spread malicious activity, with several spam campaigns relating to the outbreak of the virus." The company correlated Google search terms with what it deemed to be "malicious discussions" about the virus, and showed them to be tightly correlated. In one instance, a hacking campaign targeting web users in Japan distributed malicious email attachments by pretending to be a Japanese disability welfare service provider. The email provided misinformation about the spread of the coronavirus in several Japanese cities, and when a user opened an attachment to the email, they downloaded a modular, self-propagating Trojan virus onto their computer. Story continues Email campaigns represent one threat, but another one that the security firm tracked was new websites with domain names linked to the virus. The company already spotted one fake website, "vaccinecovid-19.com". It was first created on February 11, 2020 and registered in Russia. According to Check Point, "the website is insecure, and offers to sell 'the best and fastest test for Coronavirus detection at the fantastic price of 19,000 Russian rubles (about US$300).'" Facebook, Amazon and Twitter have all taken steps to remove misinformation about the novel coronavirus from their platforms including advertisements offering purported cures for the disease. Earlier this month, the big tech companies met with representatives of the World Health Organization to come up with a plan and coordinate on ways to combat misinformation and scams online. Earlier this week, Facebook issued the following statement about its continuing response to misinformation campaigns on the site: The High Court in Kenya has suspended flights from China for ten days over the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. The order was issued by Justice James Makau after three cases were filed on Friday against the Kenyan government. Upon perusal of all petitions and prayers sought, I find that unless a conservatory order is issued, Kenyans will be exposed to the deadly disease, said Justice Makau. He then granted the request and suspended China Southern Airlines flights. According to Reuters, the cases were filed at the High Court by the Law Society of Kenya, two doctors, and a lawyer. The petitioners, who sued Cabinet Secretaries for Health, Transport and Interior, Kenya Airports Authority and the Attorney-General wanted the court to bar travellers from China and other coronavirus hotspots from entering the country. In all the three cases, the petitioners reportedly pointed out that a China Southern Airlines plane landed in Nairobi on Wednesday with 239 passengers contrary to the global travel advisory issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in mitigating risks against the spread of the virus. They also claimed that the landing of the Chinese plane amidst coronavirus fears caused anxiety and psychological trauma among Kenyans. The petitioners then criticised the governments explanation that all the passengers on the Chinese plane were asked to self-quarantine. According to them, the governemt explanation was "reckless". 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 That was the same amount that Bricker who sold her Bricker & Associates operations improvement consulting firm to Boston consulting firm Keane Inc. in 1998 paid for the seven-room condo in late 2013. After buying it, Bricker embarked on a three-year, total renovation of the unit, which is on the fourth floor of an eight-story building designed by Lucien Lagrange and completed in 2003. The condo has 2 baths, hardwood floors in the living room and family room, and a balcony. Distinguished participants, Dear comrades and compatriots, In the jubilant atmosphere of the whole nation rejoicing at the momentous achievements recorded in 2019 and welcoming the Year of the Rat 2020, today in Hanoi - A-Thousand-Year Cultured and Heroic Capital City and The City for Peace we are solemnly celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2020). On behalf of the Party Central Committee, I would like to extend my warmest greetings, most heartfelt regards and best wishes to incumbent and former Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front leaders, veteran revolutionaries, Vietnam Hero mothers, distinguished guests, all comrades and compatriots across the country, and overseas compatriots. Dear comrades and compatriots, The many-thousand-year-long history of our nation has proved that the love for the country, the preservation of the country, the resolute fight against foreign invasion, and the defense of national independence, sovereignty and unification constitute an extremely precious tradition of our people. Building on this tradition, since the mid-19th century when our country was invaded by the French colonialists, never subjugated to slavery, our people had kept rising up in continual and forceful patriotic movements characterized by multiple paths and tendencies, ranging from national salvation paths chosen by scholars to rebellions by peasants and bourgeois-styled revolutionary paths, etc. However, despite their staunchness, wholeheartedness and immense sufferings, all those movements ended in failure due to historical limitations, most notably the lack of a judicious line. A new path was dictated by history. In 1911, the young patriot Nguyen Tat Thanh (our greatly beloved Uncle Ho) set out for a new path to save the country and fight for national independence. Driven by eminent and ardent aspirations, He came to Marxism-Leninism and found in this revolutionary doctrine the right path for national salvation - that of proletarian revolution. Throughout the many years of intensive travels and activities overseas, He persisted in studying, learning and creatively applying Marxism-Leninism and incrementally disseminated it to Vietnam, while strenuously preparing conditions necessary for the establishment of a genuine revolutionary party. Convened in Kowloon, Hong Kong (China) on February 3, 1930 and chaired by Him (alias leader Nguyen Ai Quoc), the communist merger Conference made a decision to merge the then Vietnamese communist organizations into a single political party which was named Communist Party of Vietnam. That was a monumental historic turning-point, putting an end to the protracted crisis in the organization and guidelines of the Vietnamese revolution. That the Communist Party of Vietnam was born resulted from the convergence of Marxism-Leninism on the one hand and the workers and patriotic movements on the other, attesting to the Vietnamese working classs maturity and capacity to shoulder the historic mission of leadership over the revolution. The Partys first Political Platform adopted at this founding Conference identified the fundamental path for the Vietnamese revolution that met the urgent demand of the nation and the impassioned aspiration of the population. Within a mere 15 years since its founding, in flesh-and-blood bond with the population, and enjoying their full support and trust, our Party led the national liberation movement and conducted three revolutionary high-tides: the 1930-1931 high-tide that culminated in the Nghe-Tinh Soviet movement, the 1936-1939 high-tide demanding social welfare and democracy, and the 1939-1945 national liberation revolutionary high- tide, so that in 1945, when the time for the revolution was ripe, the Communist Party of Vietnam led the entire Vietnamese nation to the landslide victory of the August 1945 Revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945 (whose 75th anniversary we are celebrating this year). Hardly had the Democratic Republic of Vietnam been born when the revolution was to face numerous difficulties and challenges, among them simultaneous confrontation with a three-fold enemy, namely hunger, illiteracy and foreign invasions. In such a time of great peril, the Party led our people through the situation which was hung by a hair, unyieldingly safeguarding and building the infantile government, while proactively making all-round preparations to embark upon the war of resistance against the French colonialists. In keeping with the line of an all-people, all-sided, long-term and essentially self-reliant war of resistance, and building on the promoted tradition of all-nation unity and patriotism, our Party led the people to successively defeat all of the enemys aggressive schemes and plans. Of special significance was the triumphant 1953-1954 Winter-Spring Operation, with its culmination being the historic Dien Bien Phu victory that resounded over the five continents and shook the globe, and that drove the French colonialists into signing the Geneva Accords in 1954, thus ending their war of aggression against Vietnam. From 1954 to 1975, our country was divided into two parts. Under the leadership of the Party, the North exerted great efforts to build socialism while devoting all of its energy to fulfilling the duty of a great rear to the great frontline. The people of the South continued their undaunted struggle for national independence and reunification. Imbued with the spirit We would rather sacrifice all than surrendering our country and being enslaved and Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom, following the Partys sound and creative guidelines, and thanks to the entire nations aggregate strength, our armed forces and people successively defeated the American imperialists war strategies, completely liberated the South, and reunified the country on April 30, 1975. This victory will be written in the history of our nation eternally as a most glorious page and an illuminating symbol of an all-winning victory of revolutionary heroism and human wisdom, and go down in world history as a great feat of the 20th century and an event of pivotal international importance and profound epoch-making magnitude (whose 45th anniversary we are celebrating this year). While having to work to urgently address extremely grave war aftermaths, the Vietnamese people continued to confront newly staged wars. Under the Partys leadership, our armed forces and people focused on socio-economic restoration while fighting to defend our borderlines and safeguarding our sacred national independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. All the while, we succeeded in fulfilling internationalist obligations of helping the Cambodian people escape from genocide and revive their nation. In the face of the emerging needs of national development and in a bid to redress the shortcomings caused by the centrally-planned subsidy-based bureaucratic mechanism which resulted in post-war socio-economic crises, and basing itself on reviews of the populations initiatives and innovations in reality, the Party embarked upon phasing in Doi Moi (Renewal) of agriculture and industry, first and foremost of theoretical thinking about socialism, and came to gradually shape the National Doi Moi policy. Having deeply analyzed the countrys situation, and after a practical exploratory and testing process, in the spirit of looking straight into the truth, evaluating correctly the truth, and telling the truth in a black-and-white manner, the 6th National Party Congress in December 1986 charted out the policy of Comprehensive National Doi Moi, marking an important watershed in the transition to socialism in Vietnam. The Doi Moi policys enactment met the demand of historical realities, demonstrating the Partys firm willpower and innovative thinking, and opening up a new period of development for the country. Following the 6th National Congress, the Party step by step improved and concretized the Doi Moi policy the basic and core substance of which was expressed in the Political Platform on National Construction in the Period of Transition to Socialism (the 1991 Platform and the amended 2011 Platform) and other important Party documents adopted by subsequent successive Party Congresses. The 1990s witnessed the Communist Party and people of Vietnam surmounting the challenges arising from the collapse of the real socialism model in the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, remaining unswerving and taking steady and creative steps on the path to socialism in a way suitable to Vietnams specific conditions and characteristics. The Party Central Committee has between the 6th and 12th Tenures adopted a great many resolutions on the fundamental and crucial issues of the Party as well as on the development of the country. These documents have been then institutionalized by the National Assembly into the legal system and laws, hence an increasingly synchronized and appropriate legal foundation for the Doi Moi process. They have been further concretized by the Government into specific mechanisms, policies and solutions in service of the management, governance and administration over national construction and development. In defining and determining the Doi Moi policy, our Party has always firmly grasped and innovatively applied the basic tenets, viewpoints and dialectical materialist methodologies of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought and practical local and foreign experiences, properly tackled such basic relations as those in the development of a socialist-oriented market economy; the building of a socialist law-governed State of the people, by the people and for the people; the close-knit combination between Doi Moi in the economic sphere and Doi Moi in the political sphere, as well as between economic growth and the realization of social progress and equity; the effective combination between socio-economic development and national defense and security, between national construction and national defense, between national independence and autonomy on the one hand and proactive and active international integration on the other, as well as between the Partys leadership, the States governance and the peoples ownership, etc. And all this has been done in a manner free from lopsidedness, extremism, wishfulness or switching from one extreme to another. As reality has shown, Vietnam has after nearly 35 years of Doi Moi transformed itself from being an underdeveloped country with an outdated material-technological base, backward socio-economic infrastructures, and a low level of development into a middle-income developing country, with its culture and society continuously developed, its populations material and spiritual living standards improved, breakthroughs in Party building and the building of political system achieved, its all-nation unity unceasingly consolidated, its political and social situation stabilized, its national defense, security, independence and sovereignty firmly maintained, and its status and prestige in the international arena increasingly elevated. Todays home to a nearly-100 million-strong population with a per capita income of US$2,800, Vietnam has acceded to virtually all international organizations and become an active and responsible participant in the activity of the international community. Elected in a recent United Nations General Assembly session with a record high number of votes, almost unanimously, Vietnam has now been serving for the second time as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. In view of the great achievements attained, we are well-grounded to confirm that never has our country enjoyed such fortunes, potential, status and prestige as they are today. Comrades and compatriots, The rich and vivid reality of the Vietnamese revolution over the past 90 years has demonstrated that the judicious and clear-sighted leadership of the Party is the primary determinant of all victories of the revolution and a great number of extraordinary achievements in Vietnam. In parallel with that, in exercising its leadership over the revolution, our Party has become tempered and increasingly mature, worthy of its role and mission as the leader of the revolution as well as of the peoples trust and expectation. Such a reality affirms this one truth: In Vietnam, there is no other political force than the Communist Party of Vietnam that has adequate mettle, wisdom, experience, prestige and capability to lead the country through all hardships and trials, and bring our nations revolutionary cause from one victory to the other. Also in this process, our Party has accumulated and synthesized many invaluable lessons, and forged the glorious traditions which we are now responsible for preserving and bringing into full play. It is the tradition of infinite loyalty to the national and class interest, and persistence in the goal and ideal of national independence closely linked with socialism based on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought. It is the tradition of solid maintenance of independence and autonomy in guidelines; firm grasp, creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism, and due reference to international experience with a view to working out sound policies and organizing the effective execution of revolutionary tasks. It is the tradition of flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the people, and consistent idea of serving the people as both raison detre and goal in life and work. It is the tradition of unity and unanimity, close-knit organization and discipline, and strictness and transparency based on democratic centralism, self-criticism, criticism and comradeship. It is the tradition of faithful and crystal-clear internationalist solidarity built on lofty principles and goals. Looking back on the 90-year journey of building, combat, and growth of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and at this sacred moment, we express our boundless gratitude to the heavenly merits of President Ho Chi Minh, the genius Leader of our Party and people, the great Teacher of the Vietnamese revolution, Hero of National Liberation, and Man of Culture. He devoted his entire life to our people and country, led our Party and people to resounding victories, and brought glory to our nation, our people, and our Homeland. The more developed our country becomes and the greater our peoples affluence and happiness are, the more evident it demonstrates that President Ho Chi Minhs thought, lifes work, morality and style constitute an invaluable treasure and the guiding torch for our nation to steadily step towards the future. We will forever remain grateful to the tremendous contributions of past leaders and millions of heroes and fallen soldiers, those outstanding men and women who bravely gave their life for the Homelands independence, freedom, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity, for socialism and in the name of lofty internationalist obligations. We express our deep gratitude to veteran revolutionaries, families of fallen soldiers, Vietnam Hero Mothers, wounded and ill veterans, families with meritorious service to the nation, and all compatriots and male and female combatants for their valiant fight and sacrifice, creative work and colossal contributions to our nations glorious revolutionary cause. With all modesty of revolutionaries, we can still say, How great our Party is! How heroic our people are! We will forever engrave in our hearts and be deeply grateful for the valuable support and help that the people of the fraternal socialist countries, progressive forces, and friends all over the world have extended to our past struggle for national liberation and reunification as well as our present cause of national construction and defense. Dear comrades and compatriots, At the moment, our entire Party, people and armed forces are making all-out efforts to implement the Party Platform and State Constitution; push forward in a comprehensive and concerted manner the Doi Moi undertaking, and national industrialization and modernization; develop a socialist-oriented market economy; effectuate openness and international integration; and put into practice the dual strategic task of building and firmly safeguarding the Homeland, for the goal of a prosperous people, a strong, democratic, equitable, and advanced nation. This is an enormous revolutionary undertaking, or in Uncle Hos words, a gigantic struggle, yet full of difficulties and complexities. The international and domestic context has presented us with numerous difficulties and challenges, apart from advantages and opportunities. We are encountering a host of emerging issues and extremely complicated developments to be addressed. All this requires our entire Party, people and armed forces, more than ever, to maximize our patriotic and revolutionary traditions, the sense of unity and responsibility, and endeavor to overcome all difficulties and challenges in order to build ours an ever more prosperous and beautiful Homeland. The resilient and innovative efforts by the entire population as well as by each and every industry, locality and economic sector are of critical importance to our national development. It is imperative for our Party to exert utmost efforts to bolster Party building and rectification, for the Party to be increasingly clean and strong, and to successfully fulfill its responsibility as the vanguard exercising leadership over the revolutionary cause in the new period. Since its 12th National Congress, our Party has devoted significant time and effort to Party building, considering this a key task. More recently, the entire Party has involved in Party building and rectification in line with the Resolutions of the 4th Central Committee Plena (the 11th and 12th Tenures), scoring initial crucial outcome and experience, contributing to preventing and repelling to a certain extent negative practices, while enhancing the Partys leadership capacity and combat capability. However, much remains to be done in Party building, particularly in fighting against the degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle; manifestations of self-evolution and self-transformation; and corruption, wastefulness, red tape, and detachment from the population, etc. Hostile forces are still seeking all means to undermine the revolutionary cause of our people; try to distort and slander our Party and State; directly strike at our Partys ideology, Platform and political guidelines; and incite and sow division within the Party as well as between the Party and State on the one hand and the people on the other, aiming at disintegrating our Party and system from the root and from within. This is extremely insidious and dangerous. Todays general direction in Party building and rectification is to continue to promote the good traditions; firmly preserve and enhance the Partys revolutionary and vanguard nature; build ours a truly clean and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organization, and personnel; innovate its leadership mode; and strengthen the flesh-and-blood bond between the Party and the people to ensure that our Party is adequately capable of leading our country along the line of uninterrupted development. With ours being the party in power, operating in an environment of market economy development, openness and international integration, in which Party cadres and members hold many high responsibility positions and consequently in constant contact with the inducible temptation of money, wealth, power and personal interests, it is all the more necessary for US to attend to firmly upholding the Partys revolutionary and vanguard nature. Without profound awareness of this, and without active and tenacious self-training and learning efforts, Party cadres and members would easily fall victim to degeneration and denaturation. The preservation of the essence of our Party - a Communist Party, a genuine revolutionary party working for the cause of the working class and the nation, in the interest of the people is a basic issue of paramount importance. President Ho Chi Minh once warned, A nation, a party, and an individual with greatness and huge charisma yesterday may not surely enjoy the same affection and commendation from the people today and tomorrow, if their minds and hearts are no longer pure, and if they fall into individualism. The Resolutions on Party building adopted by the 4th Party Central Committee Plena (the 11th and 12th Tenures) affirm the necessity to actively, resolutely and vigorously build and rectify the Party in order to bring about an ever more visible change across the board, prevent and repel ideological degradation, and consolidate the steadfastness in the revolutionary aims and ideals; to strengthen unanimity in willpower and action; to fortify party organization; to forge an ever closer attachment to the people; and to promote the Partys leadership capacity and combat capability. These are considered matters of life and death to our Party and our system. A genuine revolutionary party with sound guidelines, a close-knit organization, and a contingent of party cadres and members, who are clean, exemplary, dedicated, and attached to and supported by the population, enjoys power invincible and uncheckable by any force as it leads the nation forward. Dear comrades and compatriots, This year, we are celebrating the Founding of our Party at a time of great significance: The year 2020 is the concluding year of the 12th Tenure, when party congresses at different levels are held in the run-up to the 13th National Party Congress, anniversaries of various political events of extraordinary importance celebrated, and Vietnams roles as the ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council performed. The international and domestic landscape brings about many opportunities and advantages as well as hardships and challenges, requiring utmost efforts and strong determination from our entire Party, people and armed forces with a view to successfully accomplishing the tasks set for 2020, the core of which includes the fulfillment to the greatest extent of socio-economic development tasks, the betterment of macroeconomic stability, the furtherance of the strategic breakthroughs, the restructuring of the economy in conjunction with the innovation of the growth model, the ensuring of social security and welfare, and the improvement of the people's living standard. National independence, sovereignty and the peaceful and stable environment for national development must be firmly maintained and foreign relations energetically bolstered. Efforts must be focused on successfully organizing Party congresses at various levels in the run-up to the 13th National Party Congress, in association with the continued implementation of the Resolutions of the 4th Party Central Committee Plena (the 11th and 12th Tenures) on Party building; Instructive No. 05 of the Politburo on pressing ahead with the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh Thought, morality and lifestyle so as to foster ever more vigorous development in Party building and rectification. Filled with joy and pride, we strongly believe that the Communist Party of Vietnam will fulfill outstandingly its heavy tasks. Our entire Party, people and armed forces will endeavor with joint efforts and single-mindedness for a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic, prosperous, and strong Vietnam, marching steadily toward socialism. Eternal glory to the cultured and heroic Vietnamese nation! Long live the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam! Long live the Socialist Republic of Vietnam! Great President Ho Chi Minh lives forever in our cause! Thank you sincerely. When Carolina Garcias well began pumping sand and air instead of water in 2016, she didnt know where to turn. The Garcias had been living in Tombstone Territory, a quiet four-street community in Californias San Joaquin Valley, for 10 years. In the middle of the states historic drought, many of the farms surrounding Tombstone Territory had installed new wells and deepened existing ones. Despite being just two miles from the Kings river, Tombstone was drying up. Garcia, her husband and four children spent four days without water that first time. They resolved to lower their water pump. It worked for a few months but then, again, sand and air. When they repaired it again, they were told the new fix would only buy them a couple more years. Sitting at her kitchen table one recent afternoon, Garcia was soft spoken as she remembered the facts of this crisis. But her large dark eyes filled with tears as she recalled the pain of sending her children to school unshowered, begging neighbors to fill jugs of water and going to the bathroom outside. We are still taking care not to use too much water, Garcia said in Spanish. We live with the fear that its going to happen again. The Garcias, like 95% of residents in Californias Central Valley, rely on groundwater for home use. But that resource is growing increasingly scarce, as prolonged drought and a drier climate, coupled with a vast and thirsty agriculture industry, have drained the valleys underground stores. Much of the water that is left is poisoned by farm runoff and by natural toxins in the soil that have mixed with groundwater and surfaced amid extensive drilling and pumping. Today, more than a million Californians do not have clean water to drink at home. At the height of the drought in 2014, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (Sgma), regulating groundwater for the first time in the states history. Sgma was meant to limit industrial use of groundwater while protecting the rights and resources of rural residents who depend on shallow wells. But as the new agencies tasked with managing the water drafted their plans, residents were largely left out. Many of the plans meant to protect groundwater would actually cause residential wells to go dry as the water table continues to drop until Sgmas 2040 sustainability deadline. Story continues Theyre making a decision to let farmers keep pumping at the expense of thousands of families wells going dry, which this whole process was supposed to prevent, said Amanda Monaco, water policy coordinator at the not-for-profit Leadership Counsel. With Sgma not shaping up to be the groundwater fix many clean water advocates had hoped it would be, other projects and state funding appear poised to fill some of the gaps. But the approach is still largely reactive: disadvantaged communities are left to suffer first before help comes. The urgency might not be there for folks in the city, said Monaco. But every single morning, folks in Tombstone Territory wake up fearing theyre going to have to spend another four months without water. Two million residents depend on private wells As many as 2 million rural California residents rely on private domestic well water to drink, cook, bathe and flush toilets. Those wells are an artifact of a time long gone, when groundwater was plentiful and clean, and having ones own access to it meant being self-sufficient. When Ray Canos grandparents built the third house in Tombstone Territory, they looked forward to the day when it would become a part of the nearby town of Sanger. Until then, the house would rely on its own pump to deliver groundwater to the sinks, showers and hoses on the property. Tombstone grew, but Sanger didnt extend its borders, or its municipal water system. Cano, 48, inherited the home and its well and moved in in 1988. At first, being disconnected was fine. The water used to have almost like a sweet taste. It just tasted good, he said. In the years since, he watched neighboring farms switch from grape vineyards to growing almonds and install newer, deeper groundwater pumps. After his well first failed in the spring of 2015, he paid to have it lowered from 60ft to 105ft. Now its sputtering again, pumping air between bursts of water that Cano filters three times before each use. According to the clean water advocacy not-for-profit Community Water Center, nearly 12,000 Californians ran out of water during the 2011-2017 drought. And because individual wells are private property, residents were ineligible for most government aid programs that would have helped repair them. Those who could afford to, like Cano, installed new pumps, dropped their wells or dug whole new ones, at a cost of upwards of $20,000. Landlords, in many cases, passed their costs on to renters. Residents who couldnt afford new wells began to rely on bottled water deliveries arranged and paid for by local aid groups. Years later, many in Tombstone are still surviving on those deliveries. A threat to 8,000 wells When it passed in 2014, Sgma was supposed to protect the rights of domestic well users to access their fair share of Californias groundwater. The law ordered the establishment of management agencies that would oversee the health of the Central Valleys already overdrafted underground resources. The agencies were to monitor the areas water table, plan for groundwater recharging, institute pumping restrictions for agricultural users and protect rural residents. But in over five years of planning since, groundwater sustainability agencies established under the law did not commission analyses of how management strategies might affect those residents, to compare well depths with projected groundwater depths as pumping continues. According to engineering analyses of well data and sustainability plans commissioned by Leadership Counsel, Community Water Center and Self Help, another local advocacy group, and submitted to groundwater sustainability agencies, upwards of 8,000 wells would go dry if the San Joaquin valleys current plans were approved. In essence, the law that was supposed to protect well users could codify their wells going dry. Many agencies still lack accurate data on the most vulnerable groundwater users. The Central Kings management plan, which oversees Tombstone Territory and its surroundings, states that new domestic wells are close to 350ft deep. According to state data, the average domestic well nearby is actually shy of 190 feet. Some of the pumps in Tombstone Territory are still set at just 60ft. In response to advocate concerns, the East Kaweah agency in eastern Tulare county replied that Sgma does not require [agencies] to prevent any wells from going dry. Leadership Counsel and other advocates contend these disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities are a violation of well users civil rights. Many [agencies] have told us they wouldnt actually let it get down that low. But the fact that theyre doing the bare minimum at this point means theyre probably not going to aspire to more, said Monaco. Fears of contamination Angel Hernandez calls places like Tombstone Territory lost communities, hidden communities, forgotten communities left behind without the lifeline of water. Even when those communities can drill deep enough, the water may be too toxic to drink. Hernandez, 46, and his neighbor Isabel Solorio sit on a rural community advisory committee for the groundwater sustainability agency that oversees their community of Lanare, south-west of Fresno. Lanare is home to roughly 550 people who lived for more than a decade with water tainted by dangerous levels of the heavy metal arsenic, which has been tied to cancer, cardiovascular disease and cognitive development problems in children. That arsenic is natural in the clays deep underground, where it has seeped into lower levels of the water table that may have been in the aquifer for tens of thousands of years. The arsenic is getting out of the ground and into peoples water supplies because of the pumping which is precisely what Sgma is supposed to be regulating, said Ryan Jensen at Community Water Center. Almost across the board, [agencies] do not see water quality as being their responsibility. Rural residents across the Central Valley are plagued with a host of water-borne toxins. Aside from arsenic, water across the valley is also tainted with nitrates from fertilizer and animal waste associated with a variety of adverse health impacts; 123 TCP, an ingredient in pesticides which has been linked to cancer; hexachromium six, an industrial chemical linked to cancer and other health problems; and uranium, which like arsenic is leeching into groundwater more extensively because of increased pumping. Sgma tasks agencies with protecting not just the quantity of water in their underground basins but its quality but thats been open to agency interpretation. Failure will be if contaminant levels rise by 15% or more from current levels. Hopefully Sgma isnt going to make it worse, but clearly you can see the priorities in the way these plans were written, said Jensen. Solorio, 53, lives across the street from the Lanare community center and defunct water treatment plant, now also the site of two new deep wells established with $3.8m in state funding. Last year, those wells began pumping clean water through pipes and into homes across long-plagued Lanare the clean water that Solorio, Hernandez and others fought for for years. But in Sgma, they are less hopeful. Their local agency has planned for a recharge basin to benefit three disadvantaged residential communities in the area. But, like in other parts of the valley, the agencys plans will threaten shallow wells. Solorio feels its not enough. Her friend at the end of the block, she says, already has a well running dry. The priority of this new Sgma law is to protect communities too, said Solorio. But this board doesnt want to talk about that. Their purpose is so different. We need long-term solutions Sgmas passage in 2014 may have been inspired by rural communities running dry across the Central Valley, but it wont be the answer for beleaguered residents who have lived without clean water for years. Sgma is incredibly important. The situation was out of control, said Jessi Snyder, community development specialist at nonprofit advocacy organization Self Help. But theres going to be this really challenging period between now, when the plans are finalized, and 20 years from now, when we have to achieve sustainability. A lot of damage can be done in that amount of time, said water activist Lucy Hernandez. While sustainability agencies havent planned to mitigate the impacts of lowered water tables over the next two decades, the passage of a new Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund could bridge some of the gap. Hernandez and other water activists fought for the fund for years before it was finally signed into law in July 2019. Theres been a lot of progress, but we need long term solutions, said Hernandez, 51. Delivering water bottles is not a long term solution. The $1.4bn fund will provide support for much-needed small community system infrastructure and treatment devices, as well as consolidation projects with nearby municipal systems. And for the first time, money will be widely available to help distressed private well owners. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has made clean drinking water a signature issue of his administration and traveled to tiny Tombstone Territory to sign the bill. Both Snyder and Hernandez sit on the funds advisory committee. Both are cautiously optimistic about what it can actually accomplish in the face of such entrenched problems. I want to make sure we get the funding and resources here in our Central Valley, because our people are on the front lines, said Hernandez. We are all very happy to have 10 years of really robust funding, but its not like were going to wake up 10 years from now and itll be done, said Snyder. Its going to continue to be a challenge. Its really daunting. Consolidating water systems Instead of drilling deeper wells and treating the contaminated water pumped into residents homes, more small communities across the Central Valley are hoping to connect to larger nearby municipal systems and take advantage of water economies of scale. Maria Oliveras purple house sits on a quiet street in eastern Tulare county, past miles of winter-ripened citrus, fat and falling off lush, well-irrigated green trees. The water here in unincorporated Tooleville is good enough for the potted plants that crowd her front porch, but it isnt safe to drink. Hexachromium six, and nitrate, said Olivera, 66, who has lived in Tooleville since 1974 and holds a seat on the community water board. Tooleville has two community wells, but only one is in operation. And in the summer theres no pressure. But it hasnt run out completely yet. Itll spit and sputter, though, said her neighbor and fellow board member Benjamin Cuevas, who bought his home in Tooleville less than two years ago without any knowledge of the water quality issues. Olivera and Cuevas, 61, are volunteer utility district managers, collecting monthly bill payments from their 70 neighboring properties in order to keep the tainted water on. They receive some clean bottled water five five-gallon jugs every two weeks from the county. Thats included with the flat $40 a month we pay for the water we cant drink, said Cuevas, smirking. Tooleville is hoping to connect to the nearby town of Exeter, using grants and interest-free loans from the state. But consolidation is still a daunting challenge. Weve been working on trying to consolidate Tooleville with Exeter for 15 years, said Snyder. They thought the deal was finally all but done last summer, but it fell apart at an explosive city council meeting, where the mayor said Exeter cant afford to take on Tooleville. In Exeter, less than a mile up the road, Tooleville is perceived as the ungoverned and undeserving wilds. The crisis has not bred magnanimity. Scarcity has bred contention across the valley. This was once also the case in Porterville and East Porterville, just 18 miles south of Tooleville. East Porterville is widely regarded as the poster child for devastating point well failure and a consolidation success story. In the dry heights of the drought, upwards of 500 shallow domestic wells in the unincorporated, low-income community failed before the city of Porterville finally extended its system to its neighbors in 2016. It was a messy thing. We built the plane in the air, said Snyder, who worked on installing meters for the new water customers. But the city of Porterville stepped up, despite it not having been their idea. Each home that received a water connection had to abandon or destroy its well and sign a document agreeing that Porterville could annex the property into its city limits in the future. In 2016, 756 properties signed up for city water and 341 declined. For rural residents who dont live within a mile or so of a community water system, consolidation is not an option at all. And even for those who do, its not necessarily an attractive one. Low-income residents are faced with potentially larger water bills, and with city control come city codes and regulations. But there may be no other choice, as groundwater levels continue to drop and more wells go dry. I dont want anyone to find theres no value in their home or find it condemned, said Monte Reyes, a Porterville city councilmember and an Eastern Tule groundwater sustainability agency board member. But ultimately, he thinks they wont be forgotten communities. The board on which Reyes sits is a rare groundwater agency with municipal, not just agricultural, representation. He sees the system working, and attitudes shifting at least in his little corner of the Valley. We cant just say stop, and wait and see. Everybody loses if we do that, said Reyes. Transparency and the measurement of every drop is coming. But it is, to be sure, not here yet. ORONOCO When a river runs through your town, it's hard not to think about water. That's where Ryland Eichhorst finds himself these days, trying to make the most of the water that bisects the town, Oronoco, of which he is mayor. Eichhorst has been leading the charge in an effort to develop a regional water trail to attract canoe and kayak enthusiasts to the Zumbro River. "In Oronoco, the thought would be to generate enough foot traffic that wed have that pie or cake place in town," Eichhorst said. "Thats how we can use it as economic development." The plan, which has been preliminarily submitted to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, received a high ranking from the commission, Eichhorst said. The next step is to develop a master plan and seek funding through the commission that will help create easier access to the river, build amenities and get the river designated as a regional water trail. With more than 150 river miles including the South, Middle and North forks of the Zumbro extending from the Mississippi River to towns such as Mantorville, Rochester and Wanamingo, Eichhorst has received support for the plan from 11 cities and four counties. ADVERTISEMENT The trip from Mantorville, for example, is more than 90 river miles, which means towns along the way like Byron, Oronoco, Zumbro Falls, Millville and Kellogg would need everything from drinking water and restroom facilities, camping and picnic shelters, and easy access from the river into the towns. Eichhorst said he started looking into developing a regional park at the sight of the former Lake Shady in 2014, but the commission said the proposal did not have enough of a regional focus. At that point, he started working with the Zumbro Watershed Partnership on a plan to turn the Zumbro into more of a recreational destination, like the Root River around Lanesboro, Preston and Chatfield. While the Root River is something of a destination for canoeing and kayaking, it is not a regional water trail. For those, you'd need to look at examples such as the Red Lake River State Water Trail that flows nearly 200 miles from East Grand Forks to Lower Red Lake. Eichhorst said a team of stakeholders next will divide up the regions of the river to better assess what amenities are in place, what improvements might make the water trail better in terms of access and use, then submit a master plan to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission for funding. That master plan, he said, should be submitted by June 2021 with the hopes of getting funding by the next budget cycle for the commission. The high ranking on the preliminary application, he said, is a good sign he and the other stakeholders are on the right track. "We've been working on this for two or three years now, getting the support," he said. "We need to identify regional places where we get the most bang for our buck. What were trying to do is improve the quality of life for people in Rochester, Oronoco, Zumbro Falls and other places along the river." US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he will meet Taliban leaders in the 'not-too-distant future'. The announcement comes hours after the US and Taliban signed a pact regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Trump, during a press briefing, thanked the United Nations and NATO for their help in Afghanistan. He also threatened to go back with a force if "anything happens". "Everybody's tired of war. Many lives over such a long period of time have been lost. I want to thank our wounded warriors. Despite their wounds, they always said 'I want to go back'," said Trump. "I'll be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future. We had tremendous success in Afghanistan in killing terrorists" but now is the time to bring our people back home," he said. "Now it's time for somebody else to do that work and that's the Taliban" and surrounding countries that can help, said the POTUS, adding that the US troops will be reduced to 8,600 for now. "This was a very spirited agreement." "If bad things happen, we'll go back...with a force that nobody's ever seen," he added. After 18 months of talks and nearly 20 years of war, the Taliban and the United States have signed a deal aimed at paving the way for peace in Afghanistan and the departure of foreign troops. As per a joint declaration between Washington and the Afghan government, the US will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The plan is "subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement". "The United States reaffirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments," the joint declaration read, as reported by Tolo News.As per the declaration, the US will reduce the number of its military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the agreement with Taliban. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Athens says it will push back any undocumented migrants from Turkey as Ankara opens borders for Europe-bound refugees. Lesvos, Greece Greece is bracing itself for what could turn into a flood of refugees and migrants after the Turkish government ordered its coastguard and border police not to prevent people from crossing into Europe. No illegal entries into Greece will be tolerated, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted on Friday after Greek police fired tear gas at about 300 refugees trying to cross the land border at the Evros river. On Saturday, a Greek government spokesperson claimed to have averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our borders. Later on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 18,000 refugees and migrants had gathered on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday. Meanwhile, tensions are exploding at the Greek border, with riot police firing tear gas at groups of arriving refugees, some of whom are allegedly throwing stones and pieces of flaming wood in protest. Greeces land border with Turkey is relatively strong. It is160km (99 miles) long and contains natural defences such as the Evros river and its marshy delta. Greece reinforced it with extra patrols and thermal cameras in recent months. The maritime border is another story. Hundreds of kilometres long, it is patrolled by about 40 Greek coastal patrol vessels and boats, aided by a European Border and Coast Guard force. Greece is in the process of building another 19 vessels but on Friday asked the European Union to provide more assistance. It is physically difficult to intercept refugees at sea and Greeces archipelago presents them with thousands of islands to alight upon. Since 2015, when a million refugees crossed the Aegean into Europe, Greece has found that the only real defence is diplomacy persuading Turkey to put its coastguard vessels back into action to pick up refugees before they reach the Greek-Turkish territorial waterline. Turkey opened the borders after dozens of its soldiers were killed in an air raid in Idlib, Syria, and has since complained that it lacks international support for its military campaign and that it hosts the worlds largest number of refugees. Mitsotakis on Friday said: Greece does not bear any responsibility for the tragic events in Syria and will not suffer the consequences of decisions taken by others, he wrote a reference to Turkeys military support for groups opposed to the Syrian government. Greece also has expectations of Europe. With 1 percent of Europes GDP and 2 percent of its population, it finds itself processing almost 11 percent of EU asylum applications a result of rules requiring asylum seekers to apply in the country they arrived in. So far, the EU has been unable to negotiate a permanent burden-sharing mechanism. Some Greek officials also see the EUs deeper involvement in the Middle East as a prerequisite to resolving its refugee woes. Europe has to decide what to do, because no matter how many people you resettle or save at sea, more people will come, a senior security official in the Greek government told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. Europe has to make serious decisions but right now its politicians seem to have a [particular] narrative that prevents them from doing so, while societies are suffering from information overload and an economic crisis. Arrivals on the islands were not unusual on Friday 151 asylum-seekers on five boats. But that could change very quickly. Mercantile Marine Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis was on Lesbos in a largely symbolic visit to demonstrate solidarity with the east Aegean. We are here with the chief of the coastguard to emphasise our resolve to protect our maritime borders to the highest degree possible, he told Al Jazeera. Right-wing governments refugee policy The eight-month-old right-wing New Democracy government has been frustrated in implementing its harder refugee policy. On January 1, it started implementing a stricter asylum law that aims to speed up processing and increase returns to Turkey but the results have not been spectacular. Returns so far are in the dozens per month. The government has also failed to persuade the five islands with reception centres Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos to allow it to build detention centres that will replace current open camps, increasing total capacity on the islands. Despite the fact that camps on the five islands are currently overflowing with 42,000 asylum-seekers, islanders say that increasing official capacity will lift numbers even further. In recent days, riot police ferried in from Athens clashed with locals on Lesbos and Chios as construction companies attempted to bring in earth-moving machinery to start work on the new camps. The refugee issue is of national importance, said Stefanis. Everyone must help above and beyond political interests and affiliations. CARBONDALE The 24th annual Celebrate Women: Honoring Inclusive Excellence reception and awards ceremony at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on March 5 will offer an opportunity to honor women and support scholarships. Susana Mendoza, who has served as the states comptroller since 2016, will be the special guest speaker for this years event, Votes for Women: A Centennial. Tickets are available now for the event, which will be in Morris Library. Mendoza has served her home state in various roles for two decades. A Chicago native, she is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who relocated the family to the suburbs to escape gang violence. As a youth, the skilled soccer player found herself on a number of all-male traveling teams thanks to her extraordinary talent. Mendoza, who earned all-state and all-Midwest honors for soccer in high school, became the first woman to make the Bolingbrook High School Wall of Fame and attended Truman State University in Missouri on a soccer and academic scholarship. After earning her bachelors degree in business administration in 1994, she returned to Illinois and began working in advertising/public relations, the hospitality industry and Chicagos Department of Planning and Development. She was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2000, becoming the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly, and served six terms. She was elected Chicago city clerk in 2011 and she became comptroller five years later. The festivities celebrate the successes of women at SIU and in the community and raise money to fund scholarships to help other women reach their goals. Additional honors and awards will go to a number of deserving women as the American Association of University Women and the SIU Womens Club will present their annual scholarships. The hour-long reception kicks off at 4:30 p.m. in the librarys rotunda and will include music by harpist Joyce Hesketh along with hors doeuvres and beverages. A benefit silent auction, featuring a wide variety of items, will run from 4:30 to 5:50 p.m. Mendozas presentation and the awards ceremony will follow beginning at 6 p.m. in the John C. Guyon Auditorium. Tickets are available now. The cost is $25 per person or $15 for SIU students with a valid ID. To purchase tickets, contact Martha Ellert at 618-521-0613 or by email at msellert@aol.com. The American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, the Department of Kinesiology, and the Southern Illinois University Womens Club are hosting this years event. Sponsors include the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Idea Creative, Centennial Roots, Ann Johnson, and Cheryl Barnett. Additional sponsors are welcome. For more information, contact Bobbi Knapp, kinesiology associate professor, at bknapp@siu.edu. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Britons quarantined in a hotel in Tenerife who tested negative for coronavirus will be allowed back to return to the UK, tour operator TUI said. Holidaymakers at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace had previously been told they would have to remain in quarantine until March 10, after at least four tourists were diagnosed with coronavirus, as airlines refused to fly them back. But TUI today said on Saturday that they are making arrangements for guests who test negative for the virus to travel home. Britons quarantined in a hotel in Tenerife who tested negative for coronavirus will be allowed back to return to the UK, tour operator TUI said. Pictured: Guests leaving the hotel yesterday But TUI said on Saturday that they are making arrangements for guests who test negative for the virus to travel home (stock image) In a statement today, a spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm TUI UK customers staying at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in Tenerife have received notification from Public Health England that they are free to return home pending a negative Covid-19 test result. 'We are in contact with them and are making arrangements for them to travel back to the UK.' At least 50 Britons were free to head home yesterday despite concerns over the efficiency of their quarantine. Even though they got the go-ahead, many found themselves stranded when airlines refused to fly them home. Yesterday, Jet2 announced that it would not fly any passengers to Britain unless they tested negative for the illness or the two-week incubation period had passed. A Foreign Office source said that despite the drastic measures it would be impossible to stop Britons simply attempting to rebook through a different carrier or head to another of the island's two airports. At least 160 Britons were holed up in the four-star H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel after it was placed on lockdown when four Italians tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. Papers: Staff in protective gear assist guests as they leave the Tenerife hotel yesterday Jet2 confirmed that 100 holidaymakers had booked through their company. A total of 130 guests from 11 countries have been told they can leave the hotel after undergoing screening because they arrived after those who tested positive had been taken to hospital. Around 700 tourists were in the hotel at the time of the outbreak. Those who arrived prior to February 24 have been told they will not be allowed to leave the hotel until March 10. Yesterday some holidaymakers criticised a lack of communication from the Foreign Office [FCO] and said that they had concerns about the spread of the virus. Mother-of-two Lara Pennington said she was told families could leave their rooms if they were wearing masks, washed their hands regularly and did not touch their faces. 'However, we have seen, witnessed, numerous people in the grounds walking round without masks on,' she said. A bystander is pictured next to a security fence near the Palace hotel on February 27. Many families were told they could leave their rooms if they were wearing masks, washed their hands regularly and avoided touching their faces 'I have two very small children, I have my in-laws here and they're in their 70s, one with an underlying heart problem. 'We are not prepared to put them at risk. No special measures have been put in place for my children or for them, and we feel very, very unsafe.' And Jayney Brown, 61, from Wetherby, Yorkshire, told the Mail that 50 British guests were set to leave the hotel yesterday morning. She said that she had been looked after 'extremely well', and was prepared to stay in quarantine until March 10. 'People are being careful with hand sanitizer and we have to wear masks,' she said. 'Many people are doing as normal a lot are around the pool. 'It's actually a little bit more sociable than it would have been. The Brits are sticking together and chatting. The bar is only open for an hour a day so you see the same faces there when it opens. 'Some people, however, are literally staying in their rooms. They are taking it extremely seriously. You only see them on their balconies with their face masks on.' Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: 'Public Health England is working with the FCO and Spanish authorities to identify people who stayed at the Costa Adeje Hotel in Tenerife on or after February 17. 'Individuals who have returned from the Costa Adeje Hotel are advised to self-isolate until March 10. 'If they develop symptoms in that time, they should call NHS 111 and they will be tested for COVID-19.' The Canary Islands authorities last night said just six Britons had left the hotel. Meanwhile TUI yesterday said it had advised all of its customers to stay put. Young Wexford filmmakers hit the road earlier this month to showcase four of their films which were selected for screening at national youth film festivals. The films created by members of The County Wexford Youth Film Project were selected for screenings across the country. County Wexford Youth Film Project Coordinator Therese Dalton said: 'We are thrilled that our short films have received such a positive response. Our young filmmakers have worked extremely hard on their short films and this wonderful response is very encouraging for our young filmmakers. We are very lucky here in Wexford as these workshops are free to teenagers across County Wexford. On travelling to festivals across the country we have discovered this is unique to Wexford.' The workshops are funded by The Arts Department of Wexford County Council and St. Michael's Theatre in New Ross. One of the films selected for multiple screenings is a short documentary called '100 Years of Community Showbiz', and is about St. Michael's Theatre. The filmmakers explored the effect of a community led theatre in a small town. As New Ross celebrated 100 years of the local pantomime, contributors from the stage and backstage were interviewed on the effects the theatre has had on their lives and the community at large. Another short film selected for multiple screenings is 'The chair with no voice' which follows the journey of a chair across New Ross as it struggles to find it's voice and place in the world. Both these films and two others 'Savage Granny', directed by Kerri Cleary and '02/2016' directed by Heather Walsh will be screened as part of The Fresh Film Festival at The Axis Theatre in Dublin on March 11. '100 years of Community Showbiz' and 'The Chair with no voice' will also be screened at The First Cut Film Festival in Youghal in mid-March. Ms Dalton said film workshops are free to attend and are ongoing throughout the year. For information email wexfordyouthfilm@gmail.com. Feeling spooked yet? If so, you belong to a rapidly growing crowd around the world reacting strongly to the coronavirus outbreak. The respiratory illness that began in mainland China has upended global stock markets, supply chains, company earnings and investors' portfolios. It's also sparked panic buying of toilet paper in Hong Kong and driven up online prices of cleaning wipes by more than 200 per cent. China's bigger role in the global economy " it accounted for 4.3 per cent of the world's GDP in 2003 during the Sars outbreak versus 16.5 per cent now " is part of the reason the coronavirus is causing so much turmoil. Global heavy hitters from Apple to Starbucks have raised alarms about the virus' impact on revenue tied to China. Meanwhile, global stocks were on track for their worst week since the financial crisis in 2008. Hong Kong stocks " as well as those on the mainland " fell hard on Friday. That all means that what happens in China doesn't stay in China any more. But the huge amount of time we all spend on smartphones, tablets and desktops gathering the latest scary headlines is also a factor in what happens to stock prices, according to markets data provider Refinitiv, which this week put out a report on fear cycles over time. It found spikes in words like "infectious disease" and specific countries on internet websites and on social media were followed later by drops in stock prices. The coronavirus outbreak is the first "infodemic," its analysts say, because of how much more we are all glued to online news. Reacting strongly to fear signals is hard-wired into humans. Our adrenaline surges. Our heart rates shoot up. Our vision becomes focused. Then our herd mentality kicks in " and we think about what others are thinking. At first, we are cautious. We wait for confirmation before we act. By then, it is too late. Selling has set in " the stocks have tumbled. Story continues "It's irrational and it's fear, but it's important in financial markets because it changes economic behaviour," said behavioural economist Richard Peterson, the CEO of MarketPsych and author of Inside the Investor's Brain: The Power of Mind over Money. "[Markets] ... are driven by information flow and opinion and speculation. That is what we are getting with the virus. The virus is still spreading, so we are not at the bottom yet, necessarily. Once it stabilises a bit, you will see the bottom process." It usually takes about a week for markets to react to news, Peterson told the South China Morning Post. Diseases differ from other market-moving events in that they are entirely based on fear of the damage they cause to such things as travel, workplaces and supply chains, he said. "There is a psychological impact from the uncertainty and future forecasting that is greater versus a tangible news release like a Chinese economic slowdown or bad winter in the US that is quickly stale news. Diseases are prolonged and very speculative," he explained. So can mom and pop investors take advantage of these fear cycles? That's not the best idea, says Peterson, who stresses he is not a stock adviser. Charting moves based on technical analysis is best left to the professionals, he said. Such trading has been likened to trying to catch a falling knife. Some of the information swirling around on the internet isn't even accurate " or is intentionally fabricated. The World Health Organisation's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called on countries to push back against the "infodemic" of such fake news, which he said was equally dangerous. WHO has been working with Google "to make sure people searching for information about the new coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results," he said. Another reason the coronavirus will play out differently than Sars is because markets in 2002-2003 were at a low, unlike recently, notes Stephen Innes, Asia-Pacific market strategist at AxiTrader, an online foreign exchange trading platform. "Will things come back? Yes, for sure. But the fire sale on the equity market is not nearly cheap enough for my tastes. I think once we see a concerted G20 fiscal pump, the first thing to jump into will be growth and tech stocks and then timing the travel ban reversal will be a considerable boon for tourism and luxury. But when that happens is anyone guesses," Innes said. China is not pumping in adequate stimulus, Innes warns. "The biggest threat to the global economy is not just because the disease spreads quickly across countries through networks related to global travel," he added. "But also because any economic shock to China's colossal industrial and consumption engines will spread rapidly to other countries through the increased trade and financial linkages associated with globalisation." "Mainland regulators will not let this virus snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, so I expect them to use everything in their tool kit, including the kitchen sink, to right the economic ship. Hopefully, they don't wait too long as they can't possibly take the chance for this thing to get worse," Innes added. Since Sars, China has transformed into a global powerhouse and become deeply embedded in the world's supply chains. Worldwide economies emerged relatively unscathed from the last epidemic. With China's slice of the world GDP about four times what it was in 2003, the coronavirus poses a huge risk to already slowing global trade as manufacturers from Europe to America depend on Chinese factories that have not yet fully returned to production during the virus. Disruptions have been felt as far away as France, with finance minister Bruno Le Maire saying the epidemic would knock 0.1 points off growth, highlighting the European country's reliance on China. And the country's increased integration with South Korea and Japan " themselves reporting growing numbers of Covid-19 cases " only worsens shock waves being felt worldwide. The three Asian countries contribute about 24 per cent of the world's economy, with a combined yearly trading volume of over US$720 billion, making up one of the most integrated international economic blocs in the world. "If the epidemic spreads in Japan and South Korea, it will bring a second blow to the global industrial chain and impact downstream companies in China," said Song Xuetao, an economist at Tianfeng Securities. Factory shutdowns in China and South Korea have caused a significant decline in shipping, with 46 per cent of scheduled shipments between Asia and northern Europe cancelled, according to ocean freight data firm Alphaliner. Many Chinese manufacturers cannot run at full capacity, with shortages of supplies like masks, and staff unable to return to work. IHS says the lifting of all travel restrictions and full resumption of operations are unlikely unless there are no new cases nationwide for at least two weeks. Meanwhile shipments have stopped coming to China, home to seven of the world's 10 largest container ports including Hong Kong, for fear of contagion. Container throughput in China is estimated to drop by 20 per cent to 30 per cent in February, according to shipping research company Clarksons. Chinese President Xi Jinping said, "priority should be given to ensure leading companies that are important in the global supply chain restore production and supply, maintaining the stability of the supply chain." To be sure, earlier diseases saw drops in stock prices, as well, on fear. Stocks fell during Sars in 2002-2003. The Hang Seng Index, for instance, lost 14.8 per cent to its lowest point on April 25 from its high on January 15 that year. This week, the Hang Seng fell 4.3 per cent. It has fallen 6.5 per cent since January 24, as the coronavirus epidemic escalated over the Lunar New Year holiday. Airlines, property firms, retailers, restaurants, cars, beers and other consumer product stocks have been hit over the past two days in Hong Kong. But since January 24, online health care stocks have advanced, as cities in lockdown relied on their services for supplies. PingAn Good Doctor, China's largest online health care platform, jumped 9 per cent over the period. AliHealth, an online pharmacy backed by Alibaba, the owner of the South China Morning Post, surged 38.8 per cent. The Shanghai Composite Index has declined 3.2 per cent since January 23, the last day of trading before the Lunar New Year holiday. But this week, it fell 5.2 per cent, as fears mount that the virus could turn into a pandemic as cases rise beyond mainland China. A-shares of airline stocks have tumbled since China imposed city lockdowns, while foreign countries also imposed travel and visa restrictions to and from China. Between January 23 and Friday, Air China tumbled 9.6 per cent, China Southern Airlines dropped 10.4 per cent and China Eastern Airlines plunged nearly 11 per cent. Over the same period, medical-related stocks bucked the trend. Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics, China's largest hospital devices maker, surged nearly 27 per cent. Shanghai-listed Zhende Medical, jumped 37.1 per cent. While stocks have fallen in previous disease outbreaks, coronavirus may end up being more pronounced, said behavioural economist Peterson. "The fear and monitoring of the virus is so much more acute than it was in the past, that much more detailed," he said. 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. By Express News Service MALAPPURAM: Now that Saudi Arabia has placed a temporary ban on Umrah pilgrims from many countries including India, the pilgrims in the state are a worried lot. What if their visa period expires before the ban is lifted, many ask.On Thursday, Saudi had issued a notification suspending entry for pilgrims heading to Mecca and Medina for Umrah, as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to wreak havoc across the Middle East. In fact, many pilgrims who reached the airports in the state early in the morning had to return to their homes, after the airlines informed them of the ban. According to the Indian Hajj Umrah Group Association members, no one could give a proper answer regarding the renewal of the visa. Though there are unofficial reports claiming that Saudi might lift the ban in March, no one knows the exact details. The steps to allot a new visa might only be taken after lifting the ban. As of now, we have no official information on how long this might continue, said Binyamin T P, a member of the association. According to the association, a majority of Umrah pilgrims are from Kerala. In fact, thousands of pilgrims from the state have already booked flight tickets to Saudi. Meanwhile, sources with the airlines said they would refund the flight ticket fares of the pilgrims. Boris Johnson has become engaged to girlfriend Carrie Symonds and the couple are expecting their first child, Downing Street announced last night. Mr Johnson put an end to months of speculation in Westminster by declaring that their baby would be born in the 'early summer' and that he would become the first British Prime Minister to marry in office for 200 years. He is believed to have proposed during the couple's romantic break in Mustique over Christmas. Ms Symonds, 31, released an intimate picture also thought to have been taken during the trip on her personal Instagram page of an unshaven Mr Johnson, 55, kissing her cheek, accompanied by a message which made it clear that the couple had been engaged since last year. She wrote: 'I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on here but I wanted my friends to find out from me many of you already know but for my friends that still don't, we got engaged at the end of last year and we've got a baby hatching early summer.' Ms Symonds, 31, released an intimate picture also thought to have been taken during the trip to Mustique Boris Johnson has become engaged to girlfriend Carrie Symonds and the couple are expecting their first child, Downing Street announced last night He is believed to have proposed during the couple's romantic break in Mustique over Christmas (resort pictured) Ms Symonds, who is the first unmarried partner of a Prime Minister to live in Downing Street, added that she felt 'incredibly blessed'. According to one source, the couple had come up with a plan several weeks ago to announce the pregnancy and engagement simultaneously and then 'slip away quietly abroad to marry in private' as soon as his divorce from Marina Wheeler, his wife of nearly three decades and the mother of their four children, was finalised. A No 10 source said: 'Boris and Carrie are both delighted at this news. They have both known for a while but have kept it under wraps until the pregnancy progressed. 'It partly explains why he has been lying low recently although he works flat-out and that won't change. Carrie is thrilled and she will also continue to work on her environmental projects.' The marriage to Ms Symonds will be the third for Mr Johnson, who will be turning 56 as he welcomes his latest offspring. It is the culmination of a whirlwind 18-month relationship for the couple, who were first linked in September 2018 shortly after Mr Johnson had announced the start of divorce proceedings with Marina, his second wife. However, he has known Ms Symonds since she worked on his successful bid to win a second term as London Mayor in 2012. The marriage to Ms Symonds will be the third for Mr Johnson, who will be turning 56 as he welcomes his latest offspring Former Chancellor Sajid Javid, who resigned last month after he was ordered to sack all of his advisers by No 10, wrote on Twitter that it was 'wonderful news' Former Chancellor Sajid Javid, who resigned last month after he was ordered to sack all of his advisers by No 10, wrote on Twitter that it was 'wonderful news', while Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, described it as 'lovely news'. New Tory MP Dehenna Davison, a friend of Ms Symonds, tweeted: 'Huge congratulations to the boss, Boris Johnson, and the wonderful Carrie Symonds though something tells me there's a new boss coming to Number 10!' But Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell who has never married partner Fiona Millar, the mother of his three children struck a sour note by tweeting: 'Sorry but Boris Johnson getting another woman pregnant hardly qualifies as news.' And Labour MP Charlotte Nichols accused Mr Johnson of timing the announcement to distract from bitter rows in the Home Office. Last month, a family court granted Marina Wheeler, a human rights barrister, permission to apply for a decree absolute to end her 27-year marriage to Mr Johnson She tweeted: 'Congratulations to the happy couple notwithstanding, it's truly remarkable that the announcement JUST HAPPENED to be on the day of the unprecedented resignation of top Home Office official Sir Philip Rutnam who will be taking a case of constructive dismissal against the Govt.' Bookmakers put up Charlotte, James and Winston as early favourites for baby names with 'Brexit' at 1000-1. The announcement comes just days after No 10 said that Ms Symonds had hired her own PR supremo. Sarah Vaughan-Brown, ITN's former director of corporate communications, started work last month. Her salary is paid by the Conservative Party. Although the party said that Ms Vaughan-Brown would assist with Ms Symonds's charitable work with the environment, animal cruelty and combating violence against women, it now seems likely that her new role will largely be dominated by protecting the Prime Minister's partner from intrusive interest as she prepares to give birth to her first child. Ms Symonds, a former Conservative Party director of communications and special adviser to John Whittingdale and Sajid Javid when they were Cabinet Ministers, is employed by the Oceana charity. Mr Johnson met his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while they were students at Oxford Lookalike who was last PM to wed Lord Liverpool Boris Johnson will become the first Prime Minister to marry while in office for almost 200 years. Lord Liverpool who bore a striking resemblance to Boris thanks to his mop of blond hair had been PM for a decade when his wife Louisa died. Shortly afterwards, on September 24, 1822, he married Louisa's life-long friend, Lady Mary Chester. He would stay in office for another five years. When Mr Johnson and his wife-to-be Carrie Symonds welcome their baby in the summer, he will become only the third PM in more than 170 years to become a father while in office. David Cameron and Tony Blair both became fathers while serving at No 10. Before them, Lord Russell had the fourth and fifth of his six children at Downing Street. If Miss Symonds, 31, goes into labour on her summer holiday, recent history will repeat itself. Samantha Cameron gave birth early in Cornwall ten years ago. Advertisement Over recent weeks, Downing Street has been bombarded with press inquiries after rumours spread that Ms Symonds was expecting a child, but aides refused to comment until the couple were ready to go public with the news. Last month, a family court granted Ms Wheeler, a human rights barrister, permission to apply for a decree absolute to end her 27-year marriage to Mr Johnson. During the ten-minute hearing, their lawyers and a judge set out how the pair had agreed a private deal to carve up their estimated 6.5 million fortune. Out of deference to Mr Johnson's delicate family situation, Ms Symonds maintained a low profile during the early days of their relationship apart from the night in June last year when police were called in the early hours to the home she was then sharing with Mr Johnson, in Camberwell, South London. The police visit came after a neighbour heard screaming during an apparent row between the couple. They bought a house together in the area the following month. Ms Symonds was pictured outside No 10 welcoming Mr Johnson to Downing Street when he succeeded Theresa May as Tory leader and Prime Minister last July. The last child born to a sitting Prime Minister belonged to David and Samantha Cameron, who welcomed Florence Rose Endellion into their family in August 2010, three months after he moved into No 10. Leo Blair was born to Tony and Cherie Blair in May 2000 three years after Mr Blair took over at No 10, having been conceived, according to Mrs Blair, during a visit to Balmoral, the Queen's residence in Scotland. Mr Johnson met his first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while they were students at Oxford. They married in 1987, but the marriage was annulled in 1993, when Mr Johnson married Ms Wheeler. A spokesman for the couple said: 'The Prime Minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.' Carrie's photo casebook: How romance with Boris blossomed HAVING A BALL: First picture of the pair at the Tory Black and White bash at Londons Natural History Museum in February 2018 when Carrie was the partys communications director. Seven months later their romance was public BATHING SUIT? An overdressed Boris took Carrie to the beach in Positano, Italy, in March last year, just days before a London showdown with Theresa May over her doomed Brexit deal WINGING IT: The couple birdwatching in East Yorkshire, in May last year, just after Boris said he would stand as Tory leader. They had a 7 fish supper that day DRIVING AMBITION: As the Tory leadership battle heated up last May, the couple were pictured together leaving his Oxfordshire home an elegant farmhouse outside Thame, near to his former constituency of Henley-on-Thames MAKING UP: Some said this photo that emerged after police were called to a row at Carries London flat last June was staged SUPPORTIVE: Carrie joins No 10 staff to watch Boriss first speech as Prime Minister last June. The next day he announced in the Commons environmental policies close to her heart IN FOR A PENNE: They go for an Italian meal at regular haunt Mamma Mia in Sheen last July LANDMARK MOMENT: The first official Downing Street picture of the pair together, taken at a reception for hospice staff in August AND DILYN MAKES THREE: The couple welcome the adorable Jack Russell cross a rescue dog into No 10 last September SHOWING A GIRL A GOOD TIME: Boris takes Carrie to Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last September PAYING RESPECTS: Dressed in sombre black and displaying poppies, they attend the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph last November GOOD SPIRITS: Carrie was elegant in a sari as she accompanied Boris to Neasden Temple, once the largest Hindu temple outside India, during Decembers Election fight OXBRIDGE TO UXBRIDGE: Clutching Dilyn tightly, Carrie gives Oxford-educated Boris a proud look as they arrive at the Election count in his West London constituency A NERVOUS WAIT: Concern etched on the faces of the couple and Dilyn as they awaited the Election results in Margaret Thatchers old Downing Street study gave way to pure, unconstrained joy as the exit polls signalled a big Tory majority AND THEN...Boris jumped out of his chair, punched the air with both fists and let out a roar as the news broke WERE HOME: Boris and Carrie enter No 10 on the morning of December 13, after winning a thumping majority of 80 seats Sour Left-wing celebrities and Labour MPs snipe about Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds' baby announcement By Harry Cole and Holly Bancroft for the Mail on Sunday Left-wing celebrities and Labour MPs used social media last night to snipe about the PM's baby announcement. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell helped fuel Twitter outrage by suggesting the announcement was timed to overshadow a political row at the Home Office. He tweeted: 'Sorry but Boris Johnson getting another woman pregnant hardly qualifies as news.' In his diatribe, he added: 'Poor kid is what I think.' He was joined by a string of Labour MPs, who accused Downing Street of using the announcement of the Prime Minister's wedding and new arrival to 'bury bad news'. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell helped fuel Twitter outrage by suggesting the announcement was timed to overshadow a political row at the Home Office Labour MPs used social media last night to snipe about the PM's baby announcement Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols posted: 'Congratulations to the happy couple notwithstanding, it's truly remarkable that the announcement JUST HAPPENED to be on the day of the unprecedented resignation of top Home Office official Sir Philip Rutnam who will be taking a case of constructive dismissal against the Government.' Mr Campbell echoed the theory, tweeting: 'Any journalist or any media outlet that thinks a Boris Johnson baby is a bigger story than Rutnam/Patel is not actually a journalist and does not deserve to be called a media outlet.' Death Of Stalin writer and actor David Schneider told his 443,000 followers: 'Carrie Symonds will always remember that romantic moment when Boris Johnson went down on one knee and said, 'Carrie, will you do me the honour of keeping our vicious campaign against Sir Philip Rutnam off the front pages?' ' SNP MP John Nicolson added: 'Happy news about Boris Johnson's latest child. And a remarkably timed announcement conveniently knocking the Priti Patel bullying story down the running order.' Home Secretary Priti Patel's permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam resigned with an extraordinary blast at his former boss over a 'vicious and orchestrated' campaign against him Labour MP for Vauxhall, Florence Eshalomi, added: 'Very convenient for this news to be announced today.' And BBC Match of the Day star Gary Lineker remarked: 'Liverpool are getting a spanking and someone admits to sleeping with Boris Johnson. Bloody hell, these leap year days are weird.' Comic David Baddiel tweeted: 'Keen to see the moment the first TV interviewer says, 'Congratulations! So how many [children] is that now?' ' And impressionist Rory Bremner made a reference to Brexit by joking: 'Well, THAT withdrawal agreement didn't work.' However, Michael Gove's wife, newspaper columnist Sarah Vine, appealed to Twitter users not to bully Miss Symonds, writing: 'Let's be kind to the pregnant lady, shall we?' How Boris Johnsons engagement to Carrie Symonds is the latest chapter in the Prime Ministers colourful and turbulent love life By Mark Hookam for the Mail on Sunday Boris Johnson's engagement to Carrie Symonds marks the latest chapter in the Prime Minister's colourful and at times jaw-droppingly turbulent love life. The 55-year-old, who is famously tight-lipped about his rollercoaster private life, has been married twice before, has conducted a string of affairs and has an unconfirmed number of children. Boris married his Oxford University sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1987 but they divorced in 1993 after he cheated on her with Marina Wheeler, a high-flying lawyer. Boris was a childhood friend of Marina the daughter of the BBC journalist Charles Wheeler when both were pupils at the European School in Brussels. Boris Johnson married Oxford University sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen (pictured together) in 1987 when they were both aged 23 Together, Boris and Marina (above, in 2008) have four children: Lara Lettice, Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches and Theodore Apollo The pair married in May 1993 just 12 days after his divorce from Allegra was finalised and when Marina was heavily pregnant with their first child. Their 25-year marriage was buffeted by Boris's infidelity. Marina threw Boris out of the marital home in 2004 over his affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt, the daughter of Labour grandee Lord Wyatt. Mr Johnson tried to brush off stories about the affair as an 'inverted pyramid of piffle' but was sacked from his role as a Shadow Minister by then-Tory leader Michael Howard for lying about the relationship. Ms Wyatt said Boris once told her: 'I find it genuinely unreasonable that men should be confined to one woman.' Boris was also rumoured to have been having an affair at the same time with journalist Anna Fazackerley, but this was never officially confirmed. In 2004, Boris's four-year affair with journalist and society author Petronella Wyatt (pictured), the daughter of Labour grandee Lord Wyatt, became public Mr Johnson is said to have fathered a child with art consultant Helen Macintyre (pictured) in 2009. It is understood Miss Wheeler again kicked him out of the family home His reputation as a lothario did not prevent him from sweeping to power as London Mayor in 2008. But any hopes that Marina may have held that high office would calm her husband down were dashed the following year when he is said to have fathered a child with arts consultant Helen Macintyre, causing him to be thrown out of the family home again. Boris and Marina's marriage finally ended last year, and the pair reached a financial agreement last month. After her parents' split, their eldest daughter Lara reportedly told friends at a party that her father was a 'selfish b******'. 'Mum is finished with him. She will never take him back now,' she reportedly said. Despite being repeatedly asked, Boris has steadfastly refused to pin down exactly how many children he has fathered. It is known he has two sons and two daughters with Marina as well as a daughter from his affair with Ms Macintyre. FILE PHOTO: The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York, U.S. By Douglas Busvine BERLIN (Reuters) - Apple has become embroiled in a publishing row in Germany after it tried to halt sales of a book written by a former executive, saying it disclosed secrets about the App Store. 'App Store Confidential', by self-styled German rapper, ski instructor and marketing manager Tom Sadowski, is part autobiography and part self-help guide for Generation Z readers looking to navigate their way into the tech scene. Until late last year, Sadowski was the head of Apple App Store in Germany. After his book was published in Germany this week, Apple wrote to Hamburg publishers Murmann Verlag demanding a halt to sales and a recall of copies already sold, according to extracts of a letter shared with Reuters by Murmann's lawyer Ralph Oliver Graef. "The operation of the App Store encompasses a multitude of business secrets," the iPhone maker said in its letter. Yet, apart from a brief account of a visit by CEO Tim Cook to Berlin and tips on how app developers should pitch their wares to Apple, the book betrays few - if any - details over how the $1.4 trillion U.S. company does business. "Apple is trying to obstruct the publication of a book that addresses its business practices, but is written very sympathetically," Graef said. Murmann said a first print run of 4,000 copies was selling well and, rather than pulling the book, it was rushing out a second print run. "It's No. 2 on the Amazon best-seller list in Germany - everyone is talking about it," said Peter Felixberger, an executive at Murmann. Apple, meanwhile, has not yet sought a court injunction on sales of the book. "It looks like Apple has gone a bit far tactically, building up pressure and issuing threats but then lacking the courage actually to go to court," Graef said. Apple said it had fired Sadowski for writing the book, although Sadowski said he left Apple last November and that his plans to publish the book only became known in December. Story continues PUBLICLY AVAILABLE The 180-page book states at the outset that all the facts it contains are publicly available. It then embarks on a chatty account of how Sadowski landed a job in 2010 at Apple to market its iTunes music service, before moving to become head of the App Store for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a role he held from 2014 until he left the company. Each chapter of Sadowski's book opens with words of wisdom from Apple's late founder, Steve Jobs, while the text is anything but revelatory. One highlight, the account of Cook's visit to a Berlin startup in 2017, contains no details of what was said at the meeting. Sadowski said that a manuscript of his book was submitted to Apple in January. "I really enjoyed working for Apple ... I never had any intention of betraying any secrets or harming Apple, as anyone who has read the book will tell you," Sadowski said in a written reply to a Reuters request for comment. "But I also believe in the freedom of the press and freedom of speech and that every person and every company is equal before the law, and therefore I resist Apple's demands." Graef said powerful companies like Apple ought not to be untouchable and should accept reporting about their business practices, referring to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling dating back to 1882 that no man should be above the law. Apple said in a statement on Thursday that while it promoted a free press and supported authors, it had been left with no alternative but to terminate Sadowski over his first foray into book writing. "All workers should have the reasonable expectation that employment policies will be equally and fairly applied and all companies should have the reasonable expectation that their business practices will be kept confidential," Apple said. It declined further comment on the circumstances of Sadowski's departure. Murmann, a 15-year-old publisher, specialises in issues like the impact of digital technology on society and environmental affairs. (Reporting by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Susan Fenton) By Trend Onshore construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is almost complete, said Luca Schieppati, TAP Managing Director, Trend reports citing TAP AG consortium. He said during the 6th meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku on Feb.28 that reinstatement is substantially complete in Greece and Albania and the pipeline receiving terminal in Italy is more than 80 percent built. With a few months to go until TAP's commercial operation date, were focused on operational readiness and the start of commercial operations, said Schieppati. The managing director went on to add that offshore pipe-laying activities are in full swing. Installation is contingent on the weather, however, we are confident that well be able to finalize works in the next couple of months, he added. TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network. The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016. Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Third case of Coronavirus was confirmed in Georgia - GeorgianJournal More than half of mainland Chinas Covid-19 patients did not have a fever when admitted to hospital, a leading researcher said on Saturday, calling on the Hong Kong government to introduce social distancing measures such as flexible lunch hours when civil servants resume work next week, as the city recorded its 95th infection. Chinese University respiratory medicine expert Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, who co-authored the study, also urged for more tests to be conducted in private and public clinics to enable early detection and isolation of suspected cases after the study findings showed more than 80 per cent of coronavirus inpatients had reduced lymphocyte count in their blood. Hong Kong has been battling the spread of a novel strain of coronavirus, which causes the disease Covid-19. The newest case, announced by the Centre for Health Protection late on Saturday, concerned a 46-year-old woman admitted to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong. She is the daughter-in-law of a 70-year-old woman infected on Thursday after visiting the Fook Wai Ching She Buddhist worship hall. The infection was the 15th related to the North Point venue. As a close contact of a confirmed case, the younger woman had been held at a quarantine centre in Mei Foo since Thursday. She developed sore throat today and her deep throat saliva specimen was tested positive for Covid-19 virus, the centre said in a statement on Saturday. It said the woman was in a stable condition. She had not travelled during the viruss incubation period, and did not visit the worship hall. Her husband and son, who live with her, were also under quarantine. Professor David Hui says it is worrying that some 170,000 civil servants are going back to their offices next week. Photo: Dickson Lee The government has raised its response to the highest level of emergency and implemented a host of measures to contain the outbreak. The measures included asking most of its staff to work from home since January 29 and closing schools for almost two months. But officials announced earlier this week that civil servants would return to offices from next Monday. Story continues The findings show its very easy to miss some infections in the community and we cant just use fever as a marker [for Covid-19] Professor David Hui, respiratory medicine expert, Chinese University The study, the largest of its kind, was co-authored by Hui, Chinas director of the State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Zhong Nanshan, and other mainland specialists. It analysed data of 1,099 Covid-19 patients from 552 hospitals in 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the findings of the study showed the mortality rate was 1.4 per cent among the group of patients with a median age of 47, some 58.1 per cent of them being male. Incubation period of the disease generally ranged between two and seven days, while only 1.9 per cent of the patients had a history of direct contact with wildlife. Hui, who sits on a Covid-19 government advisory panel reporting directly to the city leader, said even though the patients mortality rate was lower than the two to three per cent mortality rate of patients with flu infections, the figure was still significant. The virus is highly contagious, so a 1.4 per cent mortality rate still means a substantial number of deaths. The study revealed an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood of coronavirus infected patients. Photo: Handout The research team found more than half, or 56.2 per cent of patients had no fever at the time of hospital admission, while the figure dropped to 11.3 per cent after hospitalisation. No abnormalities were found in the radiographic or CT lung scans of 17.9 per cent of patients with a non-severe illness and 2.9 per cent of those with a severe exacerbation. The findings show its very easy to miss some infections in the community and we cant just use fever as a marker [for Covid-19], Hui said. Some patients may even have lung scans that look fine on admission and are discharged back into the community, causing the virus to spread. He said flexible work arrangements and social distancing should be maintained to contain the spread of the disease. It worries me that some 170,000 civil servants are going back to their offices next week, travelling on public transport. The public and private sector should let their workers continue to work from home, and wherever impossible, at least let them have flexible lunch hours so they dont all rush to packed restaurants at the same time. Hui said the containment measures adopted in the city had been successful in slowing the rise of local infections, limiting new cases to three to four a day, even as infections climbed sharply in places such as South Korea, Italy, and Iran. But it is not the time to let down our guard. Other clinical characteristics of the pathogen discovered in the study include lymphocytopenia, the condition of having an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood, which was found in 83.2 per cent of the patients on admission. This is because a viral pneumonia will destroy lymphocytes and white blood cells, while a bacterial pneumonia wont, Hui said. And since Hong Kong is most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic right now and not other virus infections such as seasonal influenza, a blood test to check the lymphocyte count in a patient can be an effective way of detection. The city can carry out only 700 to 800 genome tests a day to confirm Covid-19 infections, which takes two to three hours to produce results. Hui believed blood tests should be carried out more often by clinics for patients with minor symptoms, to allow for earlier detection and isolation. At a press conference on Saturday, Dr Sara Ho, the Hospital Authoritys chief manager for patient safety and risk management, did not commit to conducting more blood tests, but said public hospitals were gathering and looking at all kinds of patient data, including lymphocyte count. We are still at the stage of understanding the disease but we will make public our findings when they are ready. More from South China Morning Post: This article Coronavirus: study shows half of patients in mainland China had no fever during hospital admission, as Hong Kong confirms 95th case first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Manama Her Excellency Mrs. Faiqa Bint Saeed Al-Saleh, Minister of Health, confirmed that the Ministry has sent mobile units for examination equipped according to the approved medical standards and subject to the supervision of a specialized medical team to the areas of residence of citizens returning from Iran, whose dates were determined according to the examination schedule, in order to preserve their health and safety and the safety of citizens and residents. She said that the mobile units for the examination will inspect the citizens in their areas of residence, and conduct the necessary checks for them by taking the sample to ensure their safety from the virus. Minister said that the Ministry of Health is confident in their loyal national cadres with the medical staff and highly value their patriotic spirit, which spares no effort to preserve the health and safety of citizens and residents. The Minister indicated that the Ministry of Health is continuing its sincere efforts in combating the Corona Virus (Covid 19), based on what was confirmed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, First Deputy Prime Minister that the Kingdom is strong by joining its children and their class together in facing all Challenges. The Minister explained that in the event of ensuring their safety and not being infected with the virus, they will be given all instructions and awareness instructions and assuring them of the necessity to follow the precautionary measures represented in the home quarantine for a period of 14 days, and they will be given a paid medical leave for a period of 14 days, indicating that there will be a follow-up for them from A medical team accepted to preserve their health and safety. The Minister of Health renews her call to all citizens and residents to adhere to the implementation of all instructions and instructions issued by the Ministry to ensure the safety of all and the need to follow the precautionary measures, and the announced preventive measures in accordance with international standards, and all who visited Iran in February must remain in their residence in Separate room, call 444 to schedule an appointment and follow the instructions that will be given to them by the medical team, with the need to avoid mixing with others. (Photo : Screenshot from: The Guardian Official Website) Read Also: Watch: Expert Says Coronavirus COVID-19 Quarantine Procedures in Diamond Princess are 'Completely Chaotic' Studies have shown that the Diamond Princess cruise ship's quarantine plans had resulted in more Coronavirus patients than ever before. It started with Japan's strategy in battling the virus onboard It has been over two weeks since Diamond Princess was under quarantine ever since a person traveling the cruise ship was tested positive for the virus resulting Japanese authorities to then prohibit the 3,700 passengers that were on board to leave the ship as it reached Yokohama until February 19 as the ship was put into quarantine, and passengers onboard that showed some signs of illness were separated from others. Like any country's priority which is safety of their citizens, the situation that passengers on board the vessel experienced was pretty much chaotic. In the end, a total of 619 passengers had been infected by the coronavirus due to poor choices and strategies made by the authorities, for example, there were reports of infected passengers that were actually sharing rooms with others who were tested negative which greatly put everyone onboard the ship at risk, and it seems that the situation had gone even worse according to a study held at Umea University in Sweden. It has gotten worse there than any major infected areas in China Joacim Rocklov, a professor of epidemiology at the university has stated that "The infection rate onboard the vessel was about four times higher than what can be seen on land in the worst infected areas of China. A probable cause is how close people stay to one another onboard a vessel." Rocklov has also stated that the scenario would have been very different if the Diamond Princess cruise ship had been evacuated immediately upon arrival in Yokohama, and the passengers who were tested positive for the virus had been taken care of. Their calculations have shown that only around 70 passengers would have been infected instead of a massive 619 which the quarantine resulted in. Japanese experts have also claimed that the passengers of Diamond Princess were greatly mistreated and that the whole virus outbreak should have been handled with more care and better strategies form the authorities that were heading and supervising the coronavirus or COVID-19 quarantine operation at the vessel. Read Also: Robocop-like Police System Now in China to Combat COVID-19 Though the precautionary measures of having to quarantine the entire ship were very much understandable, it still made a chaotic mess due to the high risk of transmission on the vessel which now raises eyebrows to if the decision that was made was actually the right call. Though their study also shows that if these measures of isolating carriers have not been implemented, another 2,300 people would have been infected. Read Also: Are Aliens Behind the First US Coronavirus Confirmed Case of Unknown Origin? A Scientist Claim It's Possible! 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A large group of students, human rights activists and diaspora group representatives gathered outside the Indian High Commission here on Saturday for an emergency protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the associated violence in Delhi. The India Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), South Asian Students Against Fascism and South Asia Solidarity Group were among the groups behind the protest. The London protest was called alongside similar demonstrations in around 17 cities across Europe, including Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Geneva, with the central message of: We stand in solidarity with the victims of communal violence in Delhi. If the world does not take note and react urgently, the consequences will be disastrous, SOAS India Society said in a statement. The protesters chanted slogans and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, for alleged gross failure to maintain peace, and the arrest of BJP politicians accused of instigating violence in Delhi. They also called on the UK government to issue a strong condemnation of the Narendra Modi government for the violence on the streets of the Indian capital. The protestors also sought to highlight the many heartening instances of Hindus, Dalits and Sikhs protecting their Muslim neighbours, and Sikh gurdwaras opening their doors for victims fleeing violence in Delhi. Over the past week, parts of the Indian capital have witnessed sectarian violence in reaction to CAA, an act passed by the Indian Parliament last December to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries. Critics fear the act, and a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), would discriminate against the country's Muslims. The government has sought to allay fears by stressing that no Indian Muslim would be impacted by the act and Home Minister Amit Shah has blamed the Opposition for stirring up the violence by spreading misinformation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has made a thinly veiled plea to his 'anointed' successor Rebecca Long Bailey to keep him on after he quits - and make him Shadow Foreign Secretary. The call came in the wake of Ms Long Bailey's promise to offer Mr Corbyn a frontbench job if she wins the Labour leadership contest. Mr Corbyn coupled the job request with a dig at Ms Long Bailey's leadership rival Sir Keir Starmer to come clean about who is funding his campaign. The moves came amid mounting complaints from allies of both Ms Long Bailey and her fellow contender Lisa Nandy that contest favourite Sir Keir was 'going slow' on revealing his main backers until most party members had actually cast their vote. Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has made a thinly veiled plea to his 'anointed' successor Rebecca Long Bailey to keep him on after he quits - and make him Shadow Foreign Secretary Mr Corbyn coupled the job request with a dig at Ms Long Bailey's leadership rival Sir Keir Starmer to come clean about who is funding his campaign (right) More than 500,000 Labour Party members began voting last week to decide who replaces Mr Corbyn. Voting closes on April 2. Mr Corbyn has not publicly endorsed any of the three contenders but has pledged his 'absolute support' for Ms Long Bailey if she replaces him. And in an interview to be published this week, he makes clear to his local newspaper that he would like to become Shadow Foreign Secretary after he quits as leader on April 4. Asked by the Islington Gazette which Shadow Cabinet job he would like, Mr Corbyn replies: 'I think foreign policy actually because I have spent my life on human rights justice and environmental justice issues.' But prominent Corbyn critic, the Labour MP Neil Coyle, said: 'Voters told us to lose Corbyn in December in monumental numbers. Candidates should not be tending Corbyn's ego when voters told him to tend his allotment.' Meanwhile, Sir Keir yesterday pledged that full details of who is contributing to his campaign will be published in line with official rules. More than 200,000 people have been affected by floods that have ravaged Republic of Congo since last year, authorities said Saturday. The government has issued an urgent international appeal after the flooding along the Congo and Ubangi rivers in the country's north, inundating communities and washing away homes and cattle. President Denis Sassou Nguesso has blamed the weather disaster on "climate disruption" and declared "a state of natural disaster and humanitarian emergency". On Saturday the government appealed for further help as the number of people affected by the heavy flooding jumped to 213,000 from an earlier estimate of 170,000. "The challenges are enormous and we are working to provide an effective response. We hope our partners will help us," Christian Aboke-Ndza, cabinet director at the ministry of humanitarian affairs told AFP. Dozens of people were killed after the floods hit in late 2019, while diseases linked to the flooding have also emerged in some badly-hit areas of the country, also known as Congo-Brazzaville. The UN has said more than USD 30.5 million (27.6 million euros) is needed to address the crisis. Some USD 7 million has been secured, said Cyr Modeste Kouame from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Several hundred tonnes of food aid have been distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) in the area along with cash transfers worth around 300,000 euros (USD 330,000). But some warned it was not enough. "Unfortunately, we see today that these efforts are not sufficient," WFP's Congo Brazzaville director Jean-Martin Bauer said. "The scale and severity of the crisis and its duration over time have been underestimated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case on Saturday moved a Delhi court seeking stay on the execution of the death warrants, scheduled for March 3. Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities on the pleas moved of Akshay Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta, directing the officials to file their response by March 2. In his plea moved through his lawyer, Singh claimed that he has filed a fresh mercy petition before the President of India, which is pending. Advocate A P Singh, appearing for Singh, said that his earlier mercy petition that was dismissed by the President did not have complete facts. In his petition, Gupta told the court that he has filed a curative petition before the Supreme Court, which is pending. He said that he also has an option to file a mercy petition. Both the convicts told the court that a number of other petitions are also pending before the Supreme Court and other authorities. The court had on February 17ordered that the four convicts --Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) -- be hanged on March 3after it issued fresh death warrants, observing that deferring the execution any further would be "sacrilegious" to the rights of the victim for expeditious justice. It directed that the four men be hanged by neck on March 3 at 6 am until they are dead. This was for the third time that the death warrants were issued by the court against them. The court had noted that death warrants were earlier issued on January 7 and the execution was later deferred twice, i.e., on January 17 and January 31. "Now deferring it any further would be sacrilegious to the rights of the victim for expeditious justice," it had said. Pawan was the only one among the four convicts who had not yet filed the curative petition -- the last legal remedy available to a person, which is decided in-chamber by judges. He has not filed the mercy plea either. The first date of execution, January 22, was postponed to February 1 by a January 17 court order. Then the trial court, on January 31, stayed, "till further orders" the execution of the four convicts as they had not exhausted all their legal remedies. The court is hearing the applications by Nirbhaya's parents and the Delhi government, seeking fresh death warrants for the convicts after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convicts. The 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' (fearless), was gang-raped and savagely assaulted on the night of December 16, 2012, in a moving bus in south Delhi. She died of her injuries a fortnight later in a Singapore hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 05:53:55|Editor: Wang Yamei Video Player Close Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin makes remarks during a mini concert in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 29, 2020. The Mediterranean Development Initiative (MDI), a non-profit organization in Tunisia, organized the mini concert on Saturday to express solidarity with China in the fight against the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Adele Ezzine/Xinhua) TUNIS, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Mediterranean Development Initiative (MDI), a non-profit organization in Tunisia, organized a mini concert on Saturday to express solidarity with China in the fight against the novel coronavirus. The event took place in the Sadika space, a prestigious cultural space located in the northern suburbs of the capital city of Tunis. The mini concert was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin, as well as Tunisian academics and intellectuals. "Since the spread of the epidemic in China, Tunisian government and Tunisian people from all backgrounds expressed their support to us, which touched us deeply," Wang said. For his part, MDI President Ghazi Ben Ahmed said he was confident in China's ability to combat this new virus. "Everyone admires the courage, selflessness and nationalism of the Chinese people in their fight against COVID-19," Ben Ahmed told Xinhua. The Tunisian artists performed four musical pieces called "Purity" ,"Worry", "Sidi Bou Said" and "Fehri Real's." In order to show solidarity with the Chinese people, people attended the concert attached purple ribbons to a big tree. Prince Narula has been absent for our screen for a long while now and it looks like he will be back soon and this time playing a Sikh man. Prince Narula the actor and reality show star will be channeling his inner Sikh for his next project, as he shared a picture on Instagram where he can be seen wearing Turban and a beard. The model turned actor wrote in the same post that something new is coming and very soon, this will mark the first time Prince will play a Sikh man for the camera, who can dig into his previous experiences to prepare for his next as he played a Punjabi heartthrob in Badho Bahu, where the actor was praised for his charming screen presence and effortless acting. Prince Narula started his career from modeling and then went on to win 4 of the major reality shows of the country winning MTVs Roadies season 12 and Splitsvilla season, while also winning the 9th season of Bigg Boss and Nach Baliye. Apart from acting Prince has also tried his hand in music releasing three tracks Hello Hello, Burnout and Zero Figure Tera. Also Read: Bigg Boss 13: Mahira Sharma reacts on getting blamed for Paras Chhabra-Akanksha Puris breakup, says wrong to blame her for their separation Princes next project seems to be another music video as he tagged White Hill Music in his post the music label that has produced all of his previous songs, Prince has appeared in all three videos of his songs and has collaborated with his wife Yuvika Chaudhary on two of them, which has led to a speculation that his next will feature him romancing with his wife yet again. Yuvika and Prince met while they were contestants in the 9th season of Bigg Boss and have been together ever since and if Princes next song features him romancing his wife it will be a treat for their fans who adored the couple in Nach Baliye 9 where they danced their way to victory. For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App Northern Ireland's business leaders are reviewing their attendance at one of the world's largest property conferences in France next month following the spread of the coronavirus. The decision to reconsider going to MIPIM in Cannes follows on from CBRE, Lloyds Banking Group and EY's move to pull out of the event. The conference, which is attended by around 7,000 delegates from over 100 countries and facilitates lucrative property investments, is expected to welcome members of Belfast City Council, Translink, Belfast Chamber and other Northern Ireland firms. Belfast City Council did not confirm if it would cancel travel plans. "The Belfast at MIPIM Taskforce is monitoring the situation," it said. "We are in regular contact with the conference organisers Reed MIDEM. "At present, they are advising that MIPIM 2020 is proceeding as planned. "We are also in contact with the UK Government and Department of International Trade to seek their advice regards attendance at MIPIM. "We will continue to monitor the situation." Translink said it was keeping its attendance "under review". Business sectors across Northern Ireland have been hit by the spread of the coronavirus. Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey said the global economic impact of the outbreak "has already happened". He said: "The scale and duration is unknown but it is likely to be months as opposed to weeks and it would be optimistic to say it would only last a few months. I get the sense that this is going to be with us for most of 2020. "It's a bit like the Twelfth fortnight, or any holiday period when people down tools, that goes on for an extended period of time." Mr Ramsey said the outbreak could trigger a recession adding: "They say the first recession was born in America, the second was made in China. China is the largest global factory and so many countries and sectors are reliant on it directly or indirectly so what is happening now is a domino effect." Stock markets have also indicated the first move towards a recession, with many tumbling. Asian stock markets plunged further yesterday following on from Wall Street's biggest one-day drop in nine years. Meanwhile Tokyo's benchmark plummeted by 3.7%, and Seoul and Sydney dropped by more than 3%. Hong Kong and Shanghai fell over 2.5%. Yesterday the FTSE 100 share index experienced its biggest one-week fall since the 2008 recession. Mr Ramsey said the impact of a recession from the coronavirus would pale in comparison to the 2008 recession. He said: "This will not be a repeat of 10 years ago. That was a once-in-a-lifetime recession. We have been knocked off course. "It has gone from supply shock and led on to consumer demand. Every sector will be affected but to what extent is unknown because we have never had anything go wrong in China, which, today is the primary driver for global economic growth." Belfast Harbour, which anticipates a knock-on effect from disruption in the supply chain said: "Although Belfast Harbour has no direct sailing connections with China, imports and exports are handled to and from Belfast via the European hub ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. "However, with the impact of coronavirus on Chinese output, its ports and shipping services to and from China, we anticipate that there will be an impact on volumes to and from the region which will feed through in the coming weeks." And while Chinese tourists only account for 1% of visitors here, hoteliers are still feeling the kickback. Janice Gault, NI Hotels Federation CEO, said: "The Chinese market is small and in real terms a new and developing market for hotels in Northern Ireland. "In the short term there have been some tour cancellations from this region. "These are confined to the first quarter of the year and the general consensus, based on market intelligence from China, suggests that this business will be rebooked once issues around coronavirus have been resolved." Six people have been taken to the hospital after a charter bus collided with a highway barrier around 10 a.m. Saturday on the North Loop near Interstate 45, Houston police said. The female driver and five of nine passengers were taken to the hospital for observation only of non-life-threatening injuries, said Houston police spokesman John Cannon. A French couple traveling in Brazil suspected of being infected with coronavirus and hospitalized against their will were released after they tested negative, local authorities said. The tourists in their 50s were hospitalized when they showed flu symptoms in the small coastal town of Paraty, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, on Thursday. The Rio de Janeiro state court had ruled that the local authorities had the right to hold them. "We are relieved to leave," one of the tourists told O Globo newspaper after being discharged, following negative test results Friday. The couple arrived in Rio de Janeiro from Barcelona on February 20, and then traveled Monday to Paraty, site G1 reported, citing city officials. In Brazil, which confirmed its first coronavirus case on Wednesday, the health ministry's current protocol makes hospitalization optional in suspected cases, depending on the patient's condition. Local officials had argued they should remain in hospital for at least 48 hours while awaiting conclusive laboratory results. The French consulate in Rio de Janeiro did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Namita Bajpai By LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that his government was guided by the principle of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and was committed to the progress of all citizens. PM Narendra Modi blesses a differently-abled woman after distributing assistive aids and devices at Parade Ground in Prayagraj on Saturday. (Photo | PTI) We are guided by this mantra and it is our top priority to serve all 130 crore countrymen. It is the duty of my government to ensure justice to 130 crore people of the country and work for them, Modi said at a social justice camp in Prayagraj on Saturday. The PMs comments come in the backdrop of the continuing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the recent riots in Delhi that has claimed more than 40 lives since February 23. Modi had appealed for peace and calm on the third day of the violence but his words on Saturday appeared to be the first outreach after the riots broke out. Distributing a record 55,406 assistive aids and devices worth Rs 19 crore to 26,874 beneficiaries, including 10,406 differently-abled people and 16,468 elderly in Prayagraj, the PM claimed that he was working as their sewak. He claimed that no previous dispensation had paid attention to the plight of the differently-abled, who had to run from pillar to post to get even small help. The distribution of assisting aids and devices in such a large number on a single day went into the Guinness Book as a world record. With a teen vaping epidemic sweeping the nation, area organizations and schools have been doing their part in finding solutions locally. Last fall, Midland High School was the first building to get vape detectors, acting as a pilot for the program. They were installed on the ceilings in the bathrooms and can detect vapor, THC smoke, carbon monoxide, as well as aggressive behavior and tampering. When they're triggered, they send an alert with the time and location to the school's administration. Now, all the secondary schools - middle and high schools - in the district have the vape detectors in the bathrooms and another order has been placed to add more detectors in "high traffic areas" in all the buildings. Assistant Principal at Midland High School Matthew Wenzell said the district has been completely transparent with parents and students about the devices being installed. However, he said, it hasn't been as easy as simply installing detectors, but rather it has been a continually evolving system that is still being worked through by administration, specifically in terms of implementing appropriate punishments. Wenzell said the process of combatting young adult vaping began about three years ago when the administration began to notice vaping inside the schools, and every year the number of students caught vaping increased. "(Vaping) was all over and there wasn't a specific targeted (student) group that you could identify," Wenzell said. "It included everybody in the entire student body - it was not one defined group." And those were just the students who got caught. In addition, Wenzell said staff began to notice students vaping THC products as well, which he said was scary. At first, students who were caught vaping would receive a few days suspension as punishment. The next year, it was more suspension. "We were suspending students the first year for a set amount of time thinking that would have some type of effect on how much -- the volume we were seeing," Wenzell said. "And year two, we stepped up to a higher punishment and that had zero effect on the amount (of vaping) that we were seeing." Administration quickly realized that vaping was an addiction and needed to be treated as such - that out-of-school suspension wasn't working. While the details and implementation are still being worked through, now students caught vaping receive an in-school suspension day for the first offense, in which they will take a six-hour educational, online course about the dangers of vaping. For a second offense, a student will receive a day of in-school suspension and one day of in-service learning provided by the Legacy Center for Community Success and Partners in Change. In addition, the student will receive a civil infraction ticket from the school's resource officer, at the officer's discretion. The third offense, which no student at Midland High has received yet, would be a three-day in-school suspension and a secondary ticket. "We've basically exhausted all of the out-of-school suspensions and we're going to use the time that the students have to kind of educate them and you know, get them in touch with resources that they need so they can get this habit kicked," Wenzell said. So, Wenzell said the detectors are used more of a means of connection in identifying the students who need help, and then connecting them to the appropriate resources. He said they never wanted the detectors to feel like they incited "gotcha" moments. Working alongside administration to combat the issue has been a small committee of student leaders, who call themselves the "Anti-Vape Committee." They are students enrolled in the Midland High student leadership class. "They have been the best resource for the administration for Midland Public Schools by far," Wenzell said. "So, we've met with them, we've got what they think; what their suggestions are; what's going to have a real impact on the students; and how to approach this. And their biggest message was suspensions don't work - our classmates just need some help." Taylor Sanborn, a Midland High junior and one of the five original students in the group, explained the Legacy Center for Community Success approached them in fall 2018 to combat the issue and their efforts have evolved over time. The Legacy Center is a local non-profit organization that tackles substance abuse and prevention. "We felt it was really important to work with local high school students," said Barb Swierzbin, prevention services coordinator at the Legacy Center. "Prevention efforts are always stronger when they're coming from a peer group rather than adults. And as adults, it's difficult to know which methods are going to work better for teens." Sanborn said when they first got started, they issued a student survey to understand the education level on vaping. They also created an anti-vaping campaign that included making educational posters, promo cards, stickers and videos. Since they launched their campaign, the materials have been disseminated to hundreds of students in the county, being used in other schools such as Bullock Creek, Coleman Schools and Meridian Public Schools. The slogan they created was this: "Get your head out of the clouds." Not only has it made a difference in the schools, but the student leaders have gained valuable life skills and personal experiences along the way. They've attended regional conferences, had the opportunity to present their work, and even attended an advocacy day in Lansing where they met with legislators. "It's been one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had as a young adult," Sanborn said. Since launching their campaign and efforts, Sanborn said they've noticed a positive difference in the schools. She said a second survey showed an increase in the knowledge of the risk of vaping among students. "I would say definitely the culture around it is starting to shift," she said. "I mean there's always going to be kids that nay-say and make fun if it but even though there are those people, you're still getting the message out there and that's what we really try and focus on." However, it hasn't been easy being a peer going against the grain. Sanborn said other students have made fun of the campaigns on social media. However, the group quickly learned to focus solely on the positive outcomes of what they were doing. "We've kind of altered our mindsets in a sense because initially it was really hard, but we've been able to overcome that and realize that what we're doing was for a greater purpose," she said. Now, the student committee has begun tackling prevention efforts in the middle schools and revamping their posters and materials. In addition, they plan to attend more advocacy events and keep pushing against the epidemic. To learn more about the Legacy Center for Community Success, visit https://www.tlc4cs.org/. To learn more about how to quit vaping, visit https://mylifemyquit.com/ A person of interest in a Claremont robbery is cooperating with officers, according to a release from the Catawba County Sheriffs Office. Officers initially identified a man as a person of interest in a robbery on Deal Road in Claremont. By Friday afternoon, officers found the man and he was cooperating with the investigation, according to a sheriffs office release. The man was not facing criminal charges, according to the release. The investigation started Friday morning when officers responded to a report of a robbery on Deal Road. A woman told officers she was out at her mailbox when a black man approached her demanding money. He followed her into the house and made away on foot with some money. Capt. Aaron Turk said the man acted as though he was armed but it was not clear if he actually had a weapon. Turk said the womans dog likely scared off the robber. Its not clear if there is any connection between this case and a home invasion and sexual assault that occurred in the town of Catawba earlier this month. A Sharadhaa By Express News Service The demonetisation decision by the Modi government in 2016, still echoes across the country almost four years later. The immense discussions that have surrounded the subject have not escaped the attention of filmmakers, a handful of whom cashed in on the subject Bengali film Shunyota, Tamil film Mersal, Telugu film Jai Lava Kusa are some examples. Now, yet another filmmaker, Radhakrishna Reddy, has attempted capturing the aftermath of demonetisation and its effects on life. The film is mostly woven around three people -- Joseph (Achyuth Kumar), an honest police officer promoted to a higher post, professional thief Kubera (Raj B Shetty) and Raaji (Vasishta Simha), a middle class youth who is in love with a rich girl (Chaitra Rao), whom he sweetly calls Baby. Joseph, the police officer, is known for his loyalty, but circumstances lead him to take advantage of the note ban and he makes use of Kubera and Raaji to make a fast buck. Will his reasoning work out in his benefit? This forms the crux of Mayabazar, which also looks at the flipside of being an honest person.A conversation with a policeman by director Radhakrishna Reddy led to the story of Mayabazar:2016, which is mostly interesting, with technical details given much importance. On the whole, the film has decent performances. The thriller, however, works more as a comedy, and the director has made the effort to add humour to a serious subject. There is also a message -- the temptation for money will force even an honest person to steal, hide, and lie, and this is something very well-portrayed through Achyuth Kumars character. The conversation between the helpless husband and his wife Usha (Sudharani) at the hospital does make you tear up. Raj B Shetty draws equal attention with a neat performance and the two share a good rapport. Vasishtas role as a loverboy works in his favour and he is able to charm the audience, while the presence of Prakash Raj as ACP Ashok and Sadhu Kokila as Corporator Pataki Pandu makes it a thorough entertainer. A couple of medleys by musician Midhun Mukundan are soothing. Special mention to the song - local Mayabazaar--featuring Puneeth Rajkumar and sung by SP Balasubramanyaj individually stands out. Overall, the content and actors go hand in hand through the film. However, there is scope for improvement which needs to be looked into by the director in his future projects. With rumours of the Rs 2,000 note getting banned, Mayabazar:2016 can give a better understanding of the good and bad side of money. Authorities in Romania and Spain have taken action against an Organised Criminal Group (OCG) suspected of human trafficking, pimping and money laundering. In parallel coordinated operations, four suspects have been arrested and six locations searched. Seven victims of Romanian origin were brought to safety, among them two minors. Approximately EUR 58 000 in cash, as well as three properties, two luxury cars and mobile phones and phone cards were seized. The OCG members allegedly collected, transported and housed their victims and forced them into prostitution in Romania and Spain. The members' regular movements made it more difficult for law enforcement and judicial authorities to react accordingly and required constant coordination, with Eurojust playing a key role. A coordination meeting took place at Eurojust in November 2019. The operation was led by the Galati Territorial Office of the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism and the Investigative Court number 14 in Romania, together with the Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Malaga, Spain. It was successfully carried out thanks to cooperation between the Galati County Police Inspectorate in Romania, Galati County Gendarmes Inspectorate, and Romanian National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons, with the support of the Special Operations Brigade of Galati and Spanish Policia Nacional, assisted by the Attache of the Minister of Interior at the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest. Officers of the Policia Nacional attended the investigations in Romania. Photo Policia Nacional (ES), Politia (RO) The family and friends of a man whose body was found in woods over four years ago has this week thanked gardai for their painstaking investigation. Despite many appeals, gardai were finally able to identify the Polish national when two former housemates came forward. A house key found in his pocket was found to be a match for a lock used at the house he had lived in. The family of the deceased man sent a heartfelt letter of gratitude to investigating gardai at Salthill garda station in Galway which was read out on the Crimecall programme on RTE this week. The man's remains had been buried in a grave at a local cemetery with a few gardai as mourners when no next of kin could be found. The deceased man was found in Rusheen Bay Woods, Barna, County Galway on September 27, 2014 by a man walking his dog. His death was treated as a personal tragedy, however as no form of identification was found with the deceased and he had very few items in his possession, it was not possible to establish his identity. Extensive efforts were made by An Garda Siochana to confirm who this man was, including searches of local and international missing persons databases. Fingerprinting and dental examinations were conducted, while a facial reconstruction was also carried out by Dr Christopher Rynn from the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, in Scotland. Numerous media appeals were issued at various stages during the intervening months and years. Among the mans few possessions when located, was a single silver key with EPA inscribed on it, Sterling and Euro currency, as well as a Canadian/USA watch and clothing believed to have been bought in the United States/Canada. It was the key which resulted in the unlocking the mystery surrounding this mans identity. In recent weeks two Polish individuals contacted Gardai after only becoming aware of the previous appeals. They informed Gardai that a Polish man had been living with them in a house in Galway for a brief period in late September 2014 and had advised them to rent his room out after a certain period of time if he did not return. Since that time the men had changed the locks in their home, but had retained the old locking mechanism. Gardai were able to confirm that the key which had been found on the deceased man was a match to this locking mechanism. This led to a definite line of enquiry as to the persons identity, and this past week a DNA comparison was conducted via Interpol in Poland, confirming the man to be a Polish national. Gardai understand that the man travelled to the United States in the early 1990s from Poland and in 2014 travelled to Ireland within weeks of being found in Rusheen Bay Woods. Arising from the lack of a formal identity the State made arrangements for a burial to take place in Bohermore Cemetery, Co Galway. The mans relatives have now been contacted and a file will now be prepared for the County Coroner. Although this mans death was treated as a personal tragedy An Garda Siochana in Salthill did not close the investigation into the identity of this man and this has ensured that his family now have some closure. Superintendent Patrick McHugh said, "Great credit is due to the dedicated Gardai who have been working this case to establish the identity of this man since 2014. "The circumstances of this case are both sad and tragic. "The family and An Garda Siochana are grateful to the individuals who came forward to provide us with the key to solving this matter. "Taking the crucial step of contacting the Gardai has ensured that this mans family are now aware of the whereabouts." Some more people are likely to be arrested before the NIA comes out with a detailed account of the investigations and moves a designated court with the charge-sheet against the accused, the sources said. SRINAGAR: National Investigation Agency (NIA) is learnt to be inching closer towards a breakthrough in the Pulwama terror attack in which more than 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed a year ago. The sources in the NIA said that with more arrests made and raids conducted across the Valley over the past couple of weeks, the agency has accumulated very crucial evidence on when the attack was planned, who were the mastermind and how and who executed it. Some more people are likely to be arrested before the NIA comes out with a detailed account of the investigations and moves a designated court with the charge-sheet against the accused, the sources said. Meanwhile, the NIA on Friday said that it has arrested an operative of Jaish-e-Muhammed for his alleged involvement in the Pulwama attack. The accused has been identified by it as 22-year-old Shakir Bashir Magray, a furniture shop owner and resident of Hajibal village of Pulwama's Kakapora area. The NIA said that he allegedly provided shelter and other logistical assistance to Adil Dar. The NIA said that Magray was introduced to Adil Dar in mid 2018 by Pakistani militant Mohammad Umar Farooq after which he became a full-time Over-Ground Worker (OGW) of the Jaish. On February 14 last year, Adil Ahmed Dar alias Waqas Commando, an alleged Jaish-e-Muhammad cadre, rammed an explosive laden Maruti Eeco into a bus which was part of a convoy of the CRPF at Lethapora in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district, killing and maiming security personnel on board. The unparalleled suicide attack threw up a tough challenge before the security forces containing a three decade old insurgency in J&K. They soon restructured their deployment procedures, bolstered surveillance networks and began to make an all out effort to improve their strategic intelligence gathering capabilities. The agency had on Thursday officially confirmed that significant leads into the Pulwama terror attack investigation have emerged and that a breakthrough in the case is expected shortly. The conference witnessed participation of over 600 delegates, eminent speakers from various parts of India and other countries Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU) hosted an International Conference of Cardiovascular Sciences- 2020 (ICCS-2020) on 22nd February and 23rd February, 2020. Inaugurated by Dr. Randeep Guleria (Director AIIMS), it also saw presence of Prof. Ramesh K. Goyal (Vice-Chancellor DPSRU), Prof. Harvinder Popli (Officiating Registrar DPSRU), Prof. C. C. Kartha (President, IACS India Section), Prof. S. K. Gupta, Dr. N.S. Dhalla, Prof. Raja Babu Panwar (Vice-Chancellor, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Jaipur), and Dr. Mukesh Nandave, Coordinator, ICCS 2020. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Ramesh K. Goyal focused on the need for such conferences to promote the research in cardiovascular sciences. Earlier during the day, IAS Sanjeev Khirwar, Secretary- Health & Family Welfare, Delhi Govt. and MLA Ajay Dutt inaugurated a Mega Health Camp for Free Screening of Lifestyle-related disorders in collaboration with Rotary Club of Delhi Central. While inaugurating the health camp, IAS Khirwar expressed the need for direct connect between hospitals as well as Mohalla Clinic with Pharmacy University. The conference witnessed participation of over 600 delegates, eminent speakers from various parts of India and other countries, clinicians, basic scientists, and young investigators who will have a good opportunity to interact with each other. ICCS 2020 is considered as connect between basic scientists, clinicians including cardiologists and academicians from medical as well as pharmacy colleges. 29.02.2020 LISTEN Jebril Domenico, a youth activist from Somalia has been selected as a Peace Ambassador by Global Peace chain (GPC) a highly global NGO with an aim to give a boost to Social peacebuilding and cultivate the culture of tolerance. Becoming a peace Ambassador is a great honour and I am certain you will represent our country with pride. We know that you will carry out your role with dignity, reads in a letter addressed to Jebril. Global Peace Chain envisions to build resilience, cultivate the culture of tolerance, inclusivity, interfaith harmony,co-existence, love & social peacebuilding across the border through peace camps in educational institutions, interactive sessions, peace talks with society stakeholders, diplomats, ambassadors, influential community groups, UN officials, religious scholars and community-based organization across the globe by engaging Global Peace Ambassadors. Jebril said that his selection as an ambassador of peace was a great honour for him. He vowed to spare no effort in serving the vulnerable segment of society. "I am sure that by involving myself in peacebuilding activities, I can gain knowledge, interact with open-minded people and get inspired to empower others to bring about change." He added. But besides having a great passion for social activism, he established an NGO Council of Brothers in Statehood (CBS) an NGO dedicated to building inclusivity, co-existence, love & social peacebuilding. Iran's Health Ministry says nine people have died from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 43 amid 593 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Islamic republic. Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour gave the new figure on February 29. "We have had 205 new cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours", he said, while urging people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. Iran has the highest death toll outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak. The BBC's Persian service said a count conducted by its unnamed sources in several hospitals suggested at least 210 people had died in the country as of late on February 27. The Health Ministry vehemently denied the report. The rapid spread of the outbreak forced the cancellation of Friday Prayers in many mosques across the country. Asadollah Abbasi, a spokesman of the parliamentary presidium, was quoted as saying on February 29 that five of 100 lawmakers in the Majlis, or parliament, had tested positive for the virus. He said the other lawmakers will also be tested. Iran's government spokesman will hold his weekly news conference online due to the outbreak, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported on February 29. Iran has become the main hot spot of the virus in the Middle East, and the country's officials have been accused of hiding the true scale of the outbreak. Authorities canceled Friday Prayers in Tehran and 22 provincial capitals in response to the looming pandemic, while the Health Ministry advised against all public events, such as weddings or funerals. Schools and universities, along with cultural gathering places such cinemas, theaters, and concert halls, have all been closed. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan said on February 29 it had closed its border with Iran for two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In Bahrain, authorities threatened legal prosecution against travelers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks. The tiny island state off the coast of Saudi Arabia has been hard-hit with cases and shut down some flights to halt the spread of the virus. All of Bahrain's cases link back to Iran. Qatar announced on February 29 its first coronavirus case, a Qatari citizen who was on an earlier evacuation flight from Iran. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced on February 29 it would bar citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states from Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina over concerns about the virus' spread. The council is a six-country group including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Elsewhere, Pakistan confirmed two more cases of coronavirus on February 29, bringing the total number of positive cases to four since February 26, when the first two cases were reported in the country. COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, has infected some 83,000 people in dozens of countries, causing 2,800 deaths. Most of the cases and deaths were reported in China, where the disease emerged in December. The virus has now reached every continent except Antarctica. With reporting by AP, Reuters, dpa, BBC, IRNA and ISNA In The Know by Yahoo Parents and employees at a Tennessee elementary school came together to raise money for a struggling custodian who had walked miles to get to work, WMC reports. Last Wednesday, the staff at Farmington Elementary in Germantown asked Robert Reed, the custodian, to meet them in the schools library. Reed was reportedly about to talk about his responsibilities when Elizabeth Malone, a teacher, surprised him with an announcement. We started a GoFundMe for you 21 hours ago, she said. And weve raised $7000 for you to buy a new truck. Upon receiving the news, Reed immediately dropped to his knees and started crying, according to the station. I love these people up here, he told WMC. I love them! And I couldnt have made it without them. Its a joy to work here. Pure joy. The custodian had previously spent hours trekking to work, the station notes. Lets say I get off at 3 p.m., Reed told WMC. Then I get home around 7 p.m. I stay at Millbranch and Winchester. I have to catch three buses and walk two miles. All the teachers have taken me to the bus stop. They even gave me money when I didnt have any. Im telling you, Farmington is a family here. Malone returned the compliment, claiming that Reeds gift was well-deserved. His work ethic is unbelievable, she told the station. And we want our kids to pick up on that, not only to have a good work ethic, but also if you see someone in need, try to help. Its important to do that. Though the Farmington staff initially set a $10,000 benchmark for the GoFundMe, the campaign has raised well over its target. Since Feb. 18, donors have poured in nearly $50,000 to help Reed get a new truck. Your commitment to excellence is the greatest gift to bestow on our school children, one donor wrote. The best lessons are not always taught in the classroom. Keep smiling Mr. Reed. Hard work does pay off such a good message and example for our young people, another posted. Congratulations Mr. Reed, I hope youll get much enjoyment from your new truck. Story continues More from In The Know: This $8 hack prevents that annoying, post-ponytail hair crease New York City women cant get enough of this bag brand These Disney princess face masks are delightfully creepy The post Custodian in tears following schools heartwarming gesture appeared first on In The Know. Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday held discussions with top party leaders in Karnataka to select the CLP leader and new State Congress president, two posts which have been lying vacant since December 9 last year. Congress Legislature Party Leader Siddaramaiah and state congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao had quit their posts, owning moral responsbility for the party's rout in the December 5 bypolls, when it won only two of the 15 seats. The ruling BJP had won 12 seats and an independent, one. The party has not made it clear whether it has accepted their resignations or not, but Siddaramaiah and Rao are adamant that they would not continue in their posts. "Azad today met senior party leaders like Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara and D K Shivakumar to decide the next Congress state president and the CLP leader," Karnataka Congress general secretary Subhash Agarwal told PTI. The party was also considering the demand to bifurcate the posts of CLP leader and the leader of the opposition in the Assembly, Agarwal added. Congress sources said the high command's 'indecision' to accept the resignations of the two leaders was making potential aspirants unhappy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 130 Fine Gael members voted in favour of the party going into opposition at a sombre post-General Election meeting in Enniscorthy on Wednesday night. During the meeting unsuccessful election candidate Michael D'Arcy Jnr was put forward as a candidate for the Seanad elections. County director of elections Martin Lawlor said: 'It was a big meeting. You'd expect that after a heavy defeat.' He said Mr D'Arcy was unanimously nominated to be considered for a second term as a senator. Addressing the crowd Mr D'Arcy said he was giving a speech he didn't want to be giving, acknowledging that there was a fair tussle for the two seats, one which saw Paul Kehoe elected. He said it was evident even before the election that there was only going to be one Fine Gael seat in the county and that was to be Deputy Kehoe's, adding that the party was now into a process of rebuilding for the new election. Deputy Kehoe said the party had taken a heavy hit nationally, adding that he wasn't going to comment one way or the other as to his preference for the make-up of the next government, adding that his preferred option would for the party to go into opposition. He proposed Mr D'Arcy for the Seanad, adding that he would wholeheartedly work to that end. A vote was taken of party members asking them if they favoured going into opposition and 125 out of 130 people voted for that option. A second vote was taken asking if members favoured a Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green (or another party) coalition, and there was a resounding 124 vote against this proposal. Deputy Kehoe abstained from voting. Mr Lawlor gave a report on the election in question and answer format, outlining how the party got slightly over its quota in terms of votes. With around 17 per cent, it got 4 per cent lower than in 2016 when Fine Gael barely won two seats, Deputy Kehoe clinching victory by 31 votes from Sinn Fein's Johnny Mythen on that occasion. Mr Lawlor said a full review of the election in Co Wexford is being undertaken by the executive committee and when that is finalised another meeting will be arranged. He said the overwhelming message from the electorate was that they wanted change and for Fine Gael to go into opposition. 'Three non Government supporting TDs were elected in Wexford. Three non Government elected TDs were elected in Waterford and two non Government TDs were elected in Kilkenny.' Mr Lawlor said the mood at the meeting was one of acceptance. 'People were realistic. You open the boxes, you count the votes and you see what has happened. You can whinge all you want. Big deal. Move on! Confidence and Supply clearly didn't work.' He said trumpeting the party's Brexit and economic successes was never going to win over voters. 'I felt housing and health we going to be the issues in this campaign and we were not in a position to deliver the results that people expected on housing quickly enough because you don't have enough builders in the country and the planning process takes too long.' He said the local authority lacks the intellectual ability and competence to build houses, adding that housing estates haven't been built in the county since the 1970s. Speaking afterwards Mr Lawlor said as Fine Gael is a weakened party with less county councillors, the likelihood of Mr D'Arcy being elected to one of the 11 Seanad seats, is less than it was in 2011. He said the county was spilt evenly for both Deputy Kehoe and Mr D'Arcy when it came to canvassing, adding that D'Arcy's traditional district was North Wexford, New Ross south of the N25, Wexford, (as he had an office there) and down to Rosslare, with Kehoe having dominion over the old Enniscorthy district, including Taghmon and New Ross town. 'Paul's wife is from Taghmon so he got that area too. Numerically Michael D'Arcy should have been ahead based on a head count as on paper he had a bigger area and a more population.' He said in the last four out of five general elections a non party candidate has been elected in Co Wexford. 'In 2002 you had Liam Twomey. In 2011 and 2016 you had Mick Wallace and in 2020 you have Verona Murphy. 'In terms of councillors you have two non party councillors in New Ross, Enniscorthy and Wexford, two in Rosslare if you include Jim Codd and one in Kilmuckridge. The only district you don't have a non party county councillor is Gorey.' U.S. President Donald Trump during a news conference at the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House February 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Department of Health in Washington State has reported the first death in the U.S. related to the coronavirus. Alex Wong 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 and Europe teams. All times below are in Eastern Standard time. Total confirmed cases: More than 85,000 Total deaths: At least 2,941 7 pm: China reports 573 new coronavirus cases Mainland China reported 573 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Feb. 29, up from 427 on the previous day, the country's health authority said on Sunday.The number of deaths stood at 35, down from 47 on the previous day, bringing the total death toll in mainland China to 2,870. Of the deaths, 34 were in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. The province also saw 570 of the new cases. -- Reuters 6:20 pm: Coronavirus could turn the 2020 presidential campaign upside down Should the virus continue to spread, it may become impossible for the Democratic presidential campaigns to avoid changing their event schedules. As companies cancel events and limit travel in the name of caution, candidates are taking a risk by carrying on as normal. "I think we'll see, pretty soon, decisions by the campaigns to limit rope line and scale back events to small-town halls and use technology like streaming to reach voters," said Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration under Trump. "Even if the risk doesn't merit these steps right now, it's important they consider the examples they set." -- Hirsch 4:46 pm: NCAA faces pressure to hold March Madness without fans The National College Players Association has called on the NCAA to consider holding the March Madness tournament without an audience present to protect athletes and prevent the spread of coronavirus. The association also called on the NCAA to cancel events such as meet-and-greets as well as press events, which put athletes in contact with crowds. -- Kimball 4:40 pm: Mike Bloomberg buys 3-minute primetime ad to address outbreak White House hopeful Mike Bloomberg bought three minutes of network TV time to deliver remarks about the coronavirus outbreak Sunday night as he tries to contrast his leadership style from President Donald Trump's. The former New York mayor's campaign will run a three-minute taped address on CBS and NBC at about 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, it said Saturday. -- Pramuk 4:25 pm: House pushes to vote on funding for coronavirus response next week Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House of Representatives hopes to vote on a funding packing for the response to the coronavirus outbreak next week. "The American people expect a well-coordinated, fully-funded response that appropriately addresses this public health crisis," Pelosi said in a Twitter post. -- Kimball 2:41 pm: 'Our Fed should start being a leader': Trump calls for debt refinancing amid coronavirus fallout President Trump on Saturday also doubled down on his criticism of the Federal Reserve and what he sees as its reluctance to lower interest rates in the midst of coronavirus fears and its potential impact on the American economy. "Our Fed should start being a leader," Trump said. "We should have the lowest interest rates. We don't have the lowest interest rates. Our Fed rate is higher. You look at Germany, you look at Japan, you look at other countries: many of them have negative rates." -- Franck 2:27 pm: Trump considering travel restrictions at US southern border over coronavirus President Trump on Saturday said his administration was considering travel restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, after his administration announced new restrictions on travel to Iran and heightened advisories for areas in South Korea and Italy. Mexico, however, has only reported three confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far, while the U.S. has confirmed 66 cases of the illness. -- Kimball 2:14 pm: US expands Iran travel restrictions over coronavirus, raises advisory for regions in South Korea and Italy President Donald Trump authorized the expansion of travel restrictions against Iran and is now recommending Americans refraining from visiting regions of Italy and South Korea impacted by the infectious coronavirus. Vice President Mike Pence detailed the heightened travel warnings in a press conference from the White House. "First, the president authorized action today to add additional travel restrictions on Iran. Iran is already under a travel ban, but we're are expanding existing travel restrictions to include any foreign national who has visited Iran within the last 14 days," Pence said.-- Franck A health personnel checks the body temperature of a pilgrim returning from Iran via the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan on February 29, 2020. STR 1:13 pm: Washington state confirms first US death from coronavirus The U.S. reported on Saturday its first death from the coronavirus in Washington state. Jamie Nixon, a public information officer with the Washington State Department of Health, said that a patient in the state has died from the infection. A news conference will be held by officials in King County at 4:00 pm EST. The patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, who was tested at the Washington State Public Health Lab, according to U.S. health officials. President Trump during a Saturday press conference incorrectly said the patient was a woman. --Newburger 12:57 pm: Wall Street Journal owner News Corp halts all nonessential business travel News Corp has halted nonessential business travel for its employees as of yesterday due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. "I can confirm that as of yesterday we have made the decision that all News Corp employees should avoid non-essential business travel until further notice," the spokesperson said. -- Newburger 12:06 pm: Trump to hold White House press conference on latest developments President Donald Trump announced he will hold a 1:30 pm ET press conference at the White House on the latest coronavirus developments. -- Kimball 11:15 am: Lebanon reports three new virus cases, bringing total to seven Lebanon's health ministry said on Saturday that three new cases of the virus are confirmed, bringing the country's total to seven, according to state news agency NNA. The people infected had been in contact with other infected people in the country. Lebanon has closed all schools until March 8 to combat the spread of the virus, as well as stopped flights for non-residents from countries where people are infected. The first three cases in the country were connected to passengers who had been on flights from Iran. --Newburger 11:00 am: US FDA to allow some labs to use virus tests prior to review The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new policy Saturday that will allow laboratories to develop diagnostic tests for the coronavirus in order to speed up testing capacity in the U.S. The new policy is for specific labs that develop and begin to use coronavirus diagnostics before the FDA has completed review of their Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) requests, the administration said. "Under this policy, we expect certain laboratories who develop validated tests for coronavirus would begin using them right away prior to FDA review," said Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "We believe this action will support laboratories across the country working on this urgent public health situation." -- Newburger 10:08 am: Automakers 'scrambling' for parts and preparing war rooms as virus spreads 9:45 am: Britain reports number of coronavirus cases has risen to 23 The number of people infected with coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose to 23 on Saturday, after three more people in England tested positive for the virus, Britain's health department announced. Two of the patients recently returned from Italy and the other returned from Asia. A total of 10,483 people have been tested as of Saturday morning, health officials said. -- Newburger 9:26 am: France bans gatherings of more than 5,000; Paris half-marathon cancelled The French government banned public gatherings with more than 5,000 people on Saturday due to the coronavirus outbreak as France reported 16 new cases. "All public gatherings of more than 5,000 people in a confined space are temporarily banned across France," Health Minister Olivier Veran told journalists. He also that the number of confirmed cases had risen to 73 and that there had been no new deaths. The Paris half-marathon scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled as a consequence. Some 44,000 runners were expected to participate in the event. -- Reuters, Kimball 9:00 am: Cases in three U.S. states raise concerns over local, person-to-person spread Confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. in people who had not been overseas or in contact with another infected person has raised concerns over local, 'community-transmitted' spread of the virus in three states: California, Oregon and Washington state. Oregon reported its first case of the virus in an adult who lives in Washington County. Officials said the person has no history of travel to a country where the virus is known to be circulating, and is not believed to have had close contact with other confirmed cases. Washington state reported the case in a high school student from Snohomish County, which is still being investigated. And Santa Clara County health officials in California confirmed the infection in an elderly woman with no travel history or any known contact with a traveler or infected person. There are at least 64 confirmed cases in the U.S., but the three new cases on Friday and one earlier in the week were the first in the country in which the cause of the infection is unknown and could signal that the virus is beginning to spread across the country. -- Newburger 8:00 am: South Korea reports 813 new cases South Korea has the largest coronavirus outbreak outside of China. It reported on Saturday 813 new cases, bringing the country's total infections to 3,150. The country has had a record increase since it confirmed the first patient on Jan. 20. South Korea officials warn that the number of cases is expected to rise as they continue to test people. Most of the cases have come from the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding areas. -- Newburger 5:24 am: Iran cases surge as more officials are infected Samajwadi Party workers waved black clothes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Parade ground in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad on Saturday, police said Allahabad: Samajwadi Party workers waved black clothes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Parade ground in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad on Saturday, police said. "These people present at the programme site took out their black jackets and T-shirts, and waved them like flags," Senior Superintendent of Police Aniruddha Pankaj said. "But the police personnel deployed there immediately overpowered them and took them into custody." They have been identified as Saurabh, Mohit and Jaishankar. They are connected with the Samajwadi Party and active in student politics, the SSP added. Modi addressed a public meeting in Allahabad in the afternoon at a mega camp for distribution of assistive devices among persons with disabilities and senior citizens. In this Feb. 24, 2020 photo, released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, the head of Iran's counter-coronavirus task force, Iraj Harirchi, left, speaks at a press briefing with government spokesmam Ali Rabiei, in Tehran, Iran. AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates _ The head of an Iranian government task force on the coronavirus who had urged the public not to overreact about its spread has tested positive for the illness himself, authorities said Tuesday, as new cases emanating from the country rapidly emerged across the Middle East. Only a day earlier, a coughing and heavily sweating Iraj Harirchi said at a televised news conference in Tehran that ''the situation is almost stable in the country.'' The acknowledgement of Harirchi's illness underscores a growing crisis of confidence felt by many in Iran after nationwide economic protests, a U.S. drone striking killing a top Iranian general and Iran accidentally shooting down a commercial jetliner and insisting for days that it hadn't. Iran on Tuesday also saw a crucial air link cut to the United Arab Emirates, home to the world's busiest airport for international travel in Dubai, as Bahrain announced more confirmed cases of the virus from passengers who transited through the UAE. The number of cases also increased sharply elsewhere in the region. Qatar Airways, one of the Mideast's biggest carriers, also said it was essentially halting operations to Iran and South Korea until further notice. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour confirmed Harirchi had the virus. Harirchi himself posted an online video saying he had it and that he had quarantined himself at home. He promised that authorities would bring the virus under control. ''I wanted to tell you that, rest assured that with efforts of your servants at the Health Ministry ... and backed by you people, the government and all elements of the establishment, we will be victorious in our combat against this virus within the next few weeks,'' Harirchi said. On Monday, however, he had offered a far different assessment while repeatedly wiping his brow while standing beside government spokesman Ali Rabiei. ''Currently the situation is almost stable in the country and we could manage to minimize the problem,'' Harirchi said. He also said that ''quarantines belong to the Stone Age.'' That optimism, while no longer held by Harirchi, also appeared to be undercut by Jahanpour himself on Tuesday. The Health Ministry spokesman suggested it may take at least until Nowruz, the Persian New Year on March 20, for Iran to reach a point where the virus was contained. He added that a more ''pessimistic'' assessment suggested Iran would contain it by late April. ''We don't expect a miracle in the short term,'' Jahanpour said. A prominent pro-reform lawmaker, Mamoud Sadeghi of Tehran, also said in a tweet that he tested positive for the virus. The coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally, causing about 2,700 deaths, mainly in China. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19. Jahanpour on Tuesday said 15 people had died in Iran so far amid 95 confirmed cases. However, experts remain concerned Iran may be underreporting cases and deaths, given the rapid spread from Iran across the Persian Gulf. A hard-line lawmaker in Iran alleged Monday there had been 50 deaths in the Iranian city of Qom alone, which was denied by authorities. ''What do you have to say about those buried in Qom cemetery?'' tweeted lawmaker Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani. ''Practitioners in hospitals write 'respiratory problems' as the cause of death. But you know that they are from those quarantined for corona.'' While Farahani's politics make him eager to undercut moderate President Hassan Rouhani, his earlier warning that Qom's top doctor fighting the coronavirus also had been infected has proven to be true. Rouhani said he opposed closing public and government offices. ''This is one of the plots by the enemy to shut down the country through spreading fear,'' he said in a speech, although he also urged people to avoid crowds, including at major Shiite shrines. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. is ''deeply concerned'' that Iran ''may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak.'' ''All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations,'' he said. The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority said it would halt all flights to and from Iran. The announcement came hours after busy Dubai International Airport said there would be restrictions on flights there. The UAE, home to long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, remains a key international transit route for Iran's 80 million people. ''All passenger and cargo aircraft traveling to and from Iran will be suspended for a period of one week, and could be up for extension,'' the authority said. Passengers on a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Dubai on Tuesday said their flight was delayed some two hours, only to repeatedly circle the UAE city-state, then land and sit for another two hours before authorities agreed to let them off. The passengers, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution, said authorities let them walk off one at a time while being monitored with a thermal scanner. Emirates, the government-owned carrier based in Dubai, flies daily to Tehran. Its low-cost partner airline, FlyDubai, serves several Iranian cities, as does the Sharjah-based low-cost carrier Air Arabia. The announcement came after Bahrain said it would suspend all flights from Dubai and Sharjah, a neighboring UAE emirate home to Air Arabia, for 48 hours. The small island nation off Saudi Arabia announced its first cases of the virus on Monday. By Tuesday, Bahrain said it had 23 confirmed cases. Dubai had been screening passengers on flights from China, where the outbreak began in December. Emirates and Etihad still fly to Beijing as the UAE works to maintain close ties with China. Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman also announced their first cases of the virus Monday and connected them to travel with Iran. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, has reported 13 cases of the virus. Most of those were connected to Chinese travel. Also Tuesday, Kuwait raised the number of its infected cases from five to eight, according to the state-run KUNA news agency. It said the three latest cases involved Kuwaiti citizens just back from Iran. The five previously reported cases were passengers on a flight from the Iranian city of Mashhad, where Iran's government has not yet announced a single case of the virus. Iraq's Health Ministry said four new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in the northern province of Kirkuk. It said the afflicted were members of an Iraqi family who had returned recently from Iran. Iraq announced its first case Monday in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf: an Iranian student who has since returned to Iran. The northern region, which shares a border with Iran, is a hub of economic activity and the primary gateway for the Kurdistan Regional Government to import Iranian goods and fuel, and Kurds in Erbil lined up for gas, fearing shortages. The KRG also suspended working hours across educational institutions for a month. Harirchi, the ailing Iranian official, had the following advice for worried Iranians: ''Take care of yourselves. This virus is a democrat virus! It does not differentiate between the rich and the poor or official and nonofficial and anyone could get it.'' (AP) The leaders of Russia and Turkey held crisis talks Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an air strike in Syria, as Ankara ramped up pressure on Europe by threatening to flood in migrants. The United States and United Nations urged an end to the Russian-backed Syrian offensive against rebel holdouts, but Turkey appeared intent on easing tensions with Moscow by pinning the blame squarely on President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The flare-up raised fresh concerns for civilians caught up in the escalation of the horrific eight-year civil war, with the UN saying nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced in the bitter cold by the fighting since December. Thirty-three Turkish troops were killed late Thursday in the air strike in the northwestern province of Idlib, in the biggest single loss of life by the Turkish military in years. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone and looked to scale down tensions, with the Kremlin saying the two expressed "serious concern" about the situation. "There is always room for dialogue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said the two leaders spoke of "the necessity to do everything" to implement a 2018 ceasefire that has since collapsed between the two countries in Idlib. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Before the killing of troops, Erdogan spoke of a meeting with Putin on March 5 but said it would also include the leaders of France and Germany. - US condemnation - US President Donald Trump condemned the attack on Turkish troops in a call with Erdogan and again urged Russia and Syria to halt the Idlib operation, the White House said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the attack "despicable and brazen" and said the US was looking at ways to support Turkey, a NATO ally that has recently drifted from the West. A senior US official, while acknowledging that Turkey had blamed the Assad regime for the strike, said that Russia closely planned all operations with Syria. "Russia is responsible for this offensive -- period," the official said in Washington on condition of anonymity. The idea of the "pathetic, keelhauled, draftee Assad military forces fighting the Turks and some of the opposition forces... is laughable," he said. Turkey said it retaliated by hitting more than 200 regime targets in drone and artillery bombardments. The reprisals killed 45 Syrian soldiers in Idlib, according to a monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There was no confirmation from the Syrian government. Rebel and Turkish fire also killed 10 fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by Iran that is supporting Assad, the Observatory said, adding that Russian strikes killed seven civilians. Adding to the tensions, Moscow said two of its warships were transiting through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul in plain sight of the city. - Humanitarian crisis - At emergency talks on Friday, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that Moscow was "ready to de-escalate with anyone who wants to" in Idlib. The UN has repeatedly warned that the fighting in Idlib could potentially create the most serious humanitarian crisis since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body was planning to send a humanitarian mission there. Diplomats said the mission to Idlib could start next week and include representatives of major UN agencies. "The most pressing need is an immediate ceasefire before the situation gets entirely out of control," Guterres told reporters. But Russian vetoes, often backed by China, have chronically crippled UN action. Turkey again called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Idlib, where Islamist fighters backed by Ankara pose the biggest obstacle to Assad seizing back control over all of Syria. On Thursday, jihadists and Turkish-backed rebels had re-entered Saraqeb, a key Idlib crossroads town they had lost earlier in February -- reversing one of the main gains of the government's devastating offensive. - Gates open to migrants - Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun accused Assad on Twitter of "conducting ethnic cleansing" to drive millions out of Idlib, but said Turkey does not have the resources to accept more refugees. Turkey has already taken in around four million Syrians and is wary of more arrivals in the face of growing popular discontent about their presence. In a move seen as putting pressure on the West, Turkey threatened to go back on a deal with the EU and open the way for refugees to go into Europe. "We will no longer keep the doors closed for refugees who want to go to Europe," a Turkish official told AFP. In response, both Bulgaria and Greece said they were tightening border security as groups of migrants moved westwards across Turkey. Greek border guards blocked hundreds of migrants from entering the country at the Kastanies border crossing in the northeast of the country as army trucks loaded with barbed wire raced past. The EU called on Ankara to uphold its side of the 2016 migrant pact, in which the Europeans offered six billion euros in exchange for Turkey stemming the flow of migrants who had triggered a major backlash in the country. burs-sct/kaf North Korea has tightened its customs-related quarantine measures amid the cross-border proliferation of the new coronavirus that originated from China, its top trading partner, according to Pyongyang's state newspaper. All goods arriving at North Korea's ports or passing through border bridges should be kept at isolated areas for 10 days without exception, fully disinfected and then delivered in accordance with relevant procedures, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, said in a report. All materials and packaging containers should be disinfected from top to bottom, it added, citing a study on the COVID-19 virus that shows its high survival rates. "Materials being brought from another country could be used as a carrier to spread the virus," the newspaper said. It claimed again that there's still not a single confirmed case of the virus yet in North Korea, which shares a border with China. The reclusive communist North is known for stringent restrictions on information flow and tightly controlled state media. (Yonhap) Schools in Northeast Delhi will remain be closed in till March 7 in view of the violence in the area, the directorate of education, Delhi said on Saturday. According to a circular issued by the DoE, all annual school exam will also be postponed up to March 7 in the North-East district of Delhi. However, the heads and staffs of the schools will attend the school as usual. Due to the prevailing unfavourable conditions in North- East district of Delhi, the situation is not conducive for the conduct of examination in this area. The state of mind of the students may also be tensed and traumatised leading to lack of concentration towards preparation for the ongoing examinations, the circular reads. The competent authority has decided that all government schools, govt aided schools and private recognised schools of the NE district will remain closed for students till March 3. The new date of annual exams for these schools will be announced soon. The annual exams in schools of other districts shall be conducted as per schedule, the circular further states. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping talked over phone with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday night to compare notes on the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further promote bilateral ties. Xi noted that after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Diaz-Canel immediately extended their sympathies to him, and the Cuban president also paid a special visit to the Chinese embassy in Cuba to express support for China. That, said the Chinese president, has fully demonstrated the profound traditional friendship between China and Cuba. In line with the professional guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuba has maintained normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, which means respect and support of China's prevention and control work, Xi said. China, he added, highly appreciates the understanding and support the Cuban side and the Cuban president himself have shown for China's anti-epidemic efforts. Xi stressed that since the outbreak of the epidemic, he has been personally leading the response, and the country, with its people united as one, has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures. China has put forward the principle of early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment for prevention and control, and the principle of pooling together patients, experts and resources for concentrated treatment for treatment efforts, he said. Meanwhile, China has made it a prominent task to improve the admission and cure rates and reduce the infection and mortality rates, added the Chinese president. Thanks to those arduous endeavors, the positive trend in COVID-19 prevention and control is gathering steam, Xi said, stressing that China has full confidence, capacity and certainty to win the battle against the epidemic. In this anti-epidemic fight, he stressed, China has always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely fashion as well as actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so as to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. Meanwhile, China has also taken strong and effective measures to ensure the health and safety of foreign nationals in China, including Cuban citizens, Xi said. The WHO and the international community have spoken highly of China's prevention and control work, he said, adding that China is willing to continue exchanges and cooperation with Cuba in the fields of medicine and epidemic prevention and control. Xi pointed out that the Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in its history, but has never been overwhelmed, and that the impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary and the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged. The Chinese president added that his country has made coordinated efforts to both contain the epidemic and promote economic and social development. While making solid and meticulous efforts in epidemic prevention and control, China has adopted a series of policies and measures to restore orderly production and life and ensure realization of this year's economic and social development goals, he said, reiterating that China has full confidence in it. China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers who can rely on each other in difficult times and are as close as lips and teeth, Xi stressed, adding that bilateral relations have withstood major tests of winds and waves and remained resilient and vibrant. Xi said the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government will, as always, support Cuba's pursuit of a socialist path suitable for its national conditions and its just fight to defend national sovereignty and oppose foreign intervention, and stands ready to continue to provide support and assistance within their capacity for Cuba. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, China is willing to work with Cuba to organize the celebrations, and take that as an opportunity to sum up the successful experience in the development of bilateral ties and lift bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields to new levels from a new historical starting point, Xi said. Diaz-Canel, for his part, said Cuba highly appreciates and firmly supports China's efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic and thanks China for providing help and care for Cuban nationals in China. Facing the severe challenge of the epidemic, China has united its people as one and adopted swift and effective measures, which have gradually achieved positive results, noted the Cuban leader. That, he added, has fully demonstrated China's strong mobilization ability and the great advantages of the socialist system. China's timely and effective response made outstanding contributions to restraining the spread of the epidemic, which has been highly appreciated by the international community, including the United Nations and the WHO, Diaz-Canel noted. He said he is confident that under the strong leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, and with China's great comprehensive national strength and experience accumulated in fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003, China will definitely achieve a resounding victory against COVID-19. Cuba, he added, will stand firmly with China at this difficult time and is willing to provide all possible help for its Chinese brothers at any time. Cuba sincerely thanks China for its long-standing support for Cuba's just cause and its assistance for Cuba's development and construction, Diaz-Canel said. He added that Cuba stands ready to work with China to further consolidate their traditional friendship, and take the opportunity of celebrating the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties to expand and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to push for greater development of their relations for the benefit of both peoples. A panel made up of European and Indian parliamentarians along with religious leaders held a discussion over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the situation of Muslims in India on the side-lines of Human Rights Council in United Nations, Geneva. Veteran journalist & MP MJ Akbar said Indias most important characteristic was its plurality and the Constitution gives equal rights to every citizen irrespective of religion. He added that Muslims are as much part of India as any other citizen from any other religion. Akbar took a dig at Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and said that sometimes when you are in opposition you tend to make rhetorical points and Tharoor is far away from reality. Watch | Plurality of culture most important in India: CAA discussed in Geneva Akbar quoted Mahatma Gandhi to say, Hindus and Muslims are one. God created them and no one can separate them. Fulvio Martusciello, a member of European parliament clarified that CAA will result in several rights including electoral and educational for the innocent people facing religious persecution in their native countries neighbouring India. The Chief Imam of India, Umar Ahmed Ilyasi, who is among the first Indian Muslims to support CAA, said India has the second largest number of Muslims in the world and it is providing equal citizenship for everyone, India is a secular democracy, he said. Ilyasi lashed out at Pakistan and said it shouldnt interfere in New Delhis internal matters and added that the Muslims in India were safer than anywhere else in the world. He said Indian laws allow any Muslim to apply for citizenship under the provisions of the Citizenship Act of 1955. Atika Farooqui, a Journalist covering minority issues in India stated that CAA has no provision to take away citizenship of current citizens of India by any means and said that We, Indians, are just curious and hardworking people with Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Hindu sounding names. Paulo Casaca, Executive Director, South Asia Democratic Forum and Former member of european parliament said there was a disinformation campaign in Europe and added that the EU institutions were feeding hatred and chaos. He said EU must change its attitude towards the refugees at its borders first before interfering in India. Casaca said the CAA provides a special fast track procedure to certain groups from certain neighbouring countries. The discussion panel was moderated by Brian Toll, who is the former Director of the European Commission and the South Asia Expert. Toll said the Indian Constitution provides equal opportunity to every citizen irrespective of their religion, creed or caste. He added that India is only country in entire world to have accepted people from all cultures, religions etc with open arms and embraced their ethos in its plurality. A person was held with methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 97.50 crore in Mizoram on Saturday, police said. The meth tablets, a potent central nervous system stimulant, was seized from a Silchar-bound truck at Vairengte near the Assam border, they said. The driver of the truck, identified as Ramnunmawia of Zokhawthar in Champhai district on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, was arrested, police said. The drugs, worth Rs 97.50 crore in the international market, were packed in 390 polythene bags and were hidden inside a compartment on the floor of the vehicle, they said. Ramnunmawia told police that a man in Champhai district offered him Rs 5,000 to transport the drugs to Silchar. Police said they have filed a case against the accused and further investigations are underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian batsmen showed intent but their reckless shot selection took them only as far as 242 on an eventful opening day of the second Test against New Zealand, here on Saturday. Prithvi Shaw (54) and Cheteshwar Pujara (54) hit contrasting half-centuries to take the fight to the rival camp. However, Hanuma Viharis (55 off 70 balls) dismissal at the stroke of tea tilted the scale in New Zealands favour as they gained a clear upper-hand by stumps. Also Read: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Day 1 Highlights: As it happened Kyle Jamieson (5/45) in an inspired post-tea spell blew away the middle and lower-order to finish with his maiden five-wicket haul in only his second Test. The hosts ended the day at 63 for no loss with both the Toms Latham (27 batting) and Blundell (29 batting) hardly troubled by Indian pacers. The pitch will be best for batting on days two and three which means that for Virat Kohli and his men, the catch-up game starts from the second day itself as ignominy of a 0-2 series loss looms large. On a green-top, three Indian batsmen showed that scoring runs wasnt difficult. Also Read: Tom Latham takes blinder to dismiss Prithvi Shaw in 2nd Test - Watch Shahs lunging drive after his second half-century in Tests and Vihari and Pujaras ill-timed pull shots were a testimony that their dismissals were more about profligacy than New Zealands bowling. Rishabh Pant, who has been preferred over a much-accomplished Wriddhiman Saha, purely on batting skills, played a lazy shot to find his stumps rattled. From 194 for four with a standard first innings total of 350 looking imminent, India lost five wickets for 22 runs in a period of six overs and it could well have a decisive impact in the final outcome of the contest. Jamieson, in his post-tea spell, got rid of Pujara, Pant and Umesh Yadav in quick succession as India lost a golden opportunity to press home the advantage. The 32 boundaries and three sixes with a run-rate of 3.84 in 63 overs will not able to tell the story how Indians fluffed their lines during the day. Also Read: Knocking people out since 2010: Ashwin shares creative CV on Instagram The immensely talented Shaw displayed improved footwork that saw him drive elegantly as the likes of Trent Boult (2/89) and Colin de Grandhomme (0/31) were guilty of over-pitching in trying to get some swing. There were square drives and a few on-drives while he also played and missed a few. He did live dangerously but more importantly had the scoreboard ticking even when Pujara was stuck at the other end. Neil Wagner bowled a bouncer and Shaw hooked him for maximum to reach his half-century. Having added 50 runs with Pujara, the senior partner should have ideally calmed the inexperienced one, who instead of playing for lunch, lunged at a fuller delivery from Jamieson to be brilliantly caught by Latham. Kohlis poor tour just got worse when Tim Southee (2/38) got one to shape in slightly finding him plumb in-front. Ajinkya Rahane jabbed with limited footwork as Pujara looked more assured about his off-stump even as he hit occasional drives but mostly holding one end up. It was young Vihari, who changed the course by counter-attacking the trio of Boult, Southee and Wagner in quick time. Also Read: MSK Prasad reacts on Pandyas impressive return in DY Patil T20 Cup Interestingly, when Pujara was on 49, Vihari was on 13 and by the time he got out for 55, having hit 10 boundaries, Indias number three was on 53. Vihari looked comfortably against Wagner as he played a slash over point to complete his fifty and then another pull-shot off the very next delivery. But Vihari played one shot too many as Wagner bowled a slow bouncer to take him out of equation. Once India came out to bat after tea, Jamieson changed the tactic from bowling fuller to his usual back of the length line that could create disconcerting bounce or the batsmen. Pujara got a good bouncer and there was no balance while going for the pull-shot. Indian innings was in total disarray by then and result was another day where stars promised a lot and delivered too little. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam Sat, February 29, 2020 14:56 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206765b98 1 National coronavirus,COVID-19,Batam,Funeral,Riau-Islands,outbreak,Singaporean Free A Singaporean man who was suspected to have contracted the novel coronavirus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but reportedly died of another illness has been buried in Batam, Riau Islands, after days of uncertainty regarding his funeral. The man, identified as 61-year-old AA, died at BP Batam Hospital, one of Indonesias referral hospitals for the virus, after showing symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, such as fever and shortness of breath. The Batam Health Agency, however, said he had died of another illness rather than COVID-19, because the patients test results for the virus had come back negative. Read also: The test came back negative: Singaporean with coronavirus-like symptoms dies in Batam Ary Ginanjar, a caretaker at the Sambau Public Cemetery in Batam, said he had received a letter from the Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Riau Islands asking the cemetery to dig a grave for AAs burial on Wednesday evening -- four days after AAs death. He described the funeral ceremony as quiet and secretive. The Jakarta Post only confirmed the burial on Friday. The funeral was attended by several police officers, AAs wife and his two daughters, Ary said. He added that AA had been buried in an Islamic way, as his family wanted him to be buried without a coffin. The funeral ceremony took about one hour. The cemetery caretaker went on to say that there was no special treatment during the burial: It was just the usual thing. There was no request to wrap the body with plastic. Read also: Singapore emerges as litmus test for coronavirus containment Batam Health Agency head Didi Kusumajadi said AA had been buried in Batam instead of Singapore due to an administration issue preventing the body from being taken to his home country. Singapore should not refuse their citizen. However, his family also requested for him to be buried here, Didi told the Post on Friday. The agency head dismissed concerns that Singapore had refused to let AAs body be buried there because of the suspected COVID-19 infection. The Consulate of the Republic of Singapore in Batam has tried to facilitate AAs return to Singapore before it was decided to have him buried in Batam. The Singaporean consul general in Batam, Mark Low, declined to comment on the matter. (hol) Cardiff Microwave Roundtable March 7 The schedule of talks for the amateur radio Microwave Roundtable to be held in Cardiff on Saturday March 7 is now available This one day event is a mix of talks, measurements, and socializing about activities in the GHz frequencies. Among the talks is one by Dave Thomas MW0RUH on Cardiff RAYNET's Mesh Network for Emergency Response. The Radio Amateur's Emergency Network (RAYNET) organization in Cardiff has built a mesh network operating on the 2.4 GHz band. This provides a variety of communication and information services with no reliance on the Internet. Dave will talk about the network, services, and users. The full schedule is at https://www.cardiffars.org.uk/events/2020/roundtable/program/ CUARS https://twitter.com/CardiffARS EUGENE, Ore. -- Local universities are changing their study abroad programs as the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world. The University of Oregon said they are asking eight students who are studying in South Korea to return to the United States. This comes nearly a month after the school asked seven students to return who were studying in China. Director of public affairs Kay Jarvis said the administration is taking these steps to keep students safe. "We at the university understand this is unpredictable and it can go any direction, but we are trying to be as prepared as possible," Jarvis said. She said no decision has been made about future study abroad programs for the coming terms, but their incident management team, made up of representatives from 14 university offices, is watching the progress of the virus. Oregon State University is also changing its study abroad programs. The university said they have canceled spring and summer term programs in China. They are closely monitoring the situation in South Korea and are advising students who plan to travel to the country in the summer to make alternate plans just in case the school cancels programs there too. Steve Clark, vice president of university relations and marketing, said his team is monitoring the virus every day. "We're not only mindful of the seriousness of the coronavirus," Clark said. "We are aware of our requirements to act prudently and preventive way." When it comes to people planning vacations abroad, Carolyn Voris from Premier Travel said many of her clients are not canceling their trips but are calling and asking questions about the virus. "We just tell them that we are looking at it one day at a time we're kind of watching what's out there," Voris said. A couple wearing masks in Singapore. (PHOTO: Ore Huiying/Getty Images) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (29 February) confirmed four new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Singapore, bringing the total to 102. Three more patients have been discharged from the hospital. This brings the total of those who have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged to 72, more than half of the total confirmed cases. Case 99, 100, 101, 102: Linked to Wizlearn Technologies All four new cases are linked to the new cluster at Wizlearn Technologies. None of them had recent travel history to mainland China, and South Koreas Daegu city and Cheongdo county. Case 99 is a 27year-old male Singapore citizen who is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). He reported onset of symptoms on 21 February, and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on Tuesday, as well as Pioneer Polyclinic on Friday. As he had been identified as a close contact of Case 93, a 38-year-old male Singapore citizen, he was referred by MOH to NCID on Friday and immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Friday afternoon. Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Jurong West Street 81. Case 100 is a 20-year-old male Malaysian national who is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He reported onset of symptoms on Thursday and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on Friday. As he had also been identified as a close contact of Case 93, he was referred by MOH to NCID on Friday and immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Friday afternoon. Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Holland Avenue. Case 101 is a 61-year-old male Singapore citizen who was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH). He is also linked to Case 93. Case 102 is a 41-year-old female Filipino national who is a Singapore work pass holder, who is Case 101s foreign domestic worker. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Saturday morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NTFGH. Story continues Details on Case 98: 24-year-old PR Case 98 is a 24-year-old male Singapore permanent resident who has no recent travel history to China, Daegu and Cheongdo. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID, and is linked to the cluster at Wizlearn Technologies. He reported onset of symptoms on Thursday and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on the same day where he was conveyed to NCID by ambulance. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Friday morning. Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Jurong West Street 61. 7 in ICU; most remaining cases stable On Friday, MOH said that most of the 30 remaining patients in the hospital are stable or improving. Seven remain in critical condition in the intensive care unit. As of noon, the ministry has identified 3,033 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 269 are currently quarantined, and 2,764 have completed their quarantine. It reiterated its advice for Singaporeans to defer all travel to Hubei province, home to Wuhan where the virus originated, and all non-essential travel to mainland China. In addition, the MOH advised members of the public to avoid non-essential travel to Daegu city and Cheongdo county in South Korea following a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. It also reminded the public to continue to exercise caution when travelling to the rest of South Korea. COVID-19s death toll surpasses SARS epidemic The novel strain belongs to the same family of coronaviruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002-2003 outbreak and also started in China. It likely originated from Wuhans Huanan Seafood Market, where live animals or products such as foxes, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, porcupines, and camel meat are sold. Declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 has spread to 50 territories beyond mainland China. The WHO also said that cases being transmitted by people who have never travelled to China could be the "tip of the iceberg". To date, the virus has left more than 2,900 people in China dead and sickened over 85,000 globally. Over 90 deaths related to the outbreak have been reported outside mainland China. At 3,150 confirmed infections including 17 deaths, South Korea has the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases after mainland China. Italy has the third-highest number with 889 cases, including 21 deaths. Iran has the most deaths outside of China with 43. The global tally also includes cruise ship Diamond Princess, moored off Japan, which accounted for 705 cases, including four related deaths so far. Five Singaporeans who were on board the quarantined cruise ship have been allowed to disembark it last week. Patients suffering from the new strain may exhibit fever and symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as coughing or difficulty in breathing as well as pneumonia-like symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, and headache. However, some who have died from it have not displayed symptoms of fever, according to details released by Chinas National Health Commission, potentially complicating global efforts to check for infected travellers as they arrive at airports and other travel hubs. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: COVID-19: Singapore confirms 2 new cases, total at 98; new cluster of 4 cases COVID-19: NS men can book IPPT again as FCCs resume operations President, political office holders to take 1 month pay cut: DPM Heng COVID-19: How it's spreading in Singapore and the world Public health officials in the three territories say they are working on plans in case the current coronavirus outbreak spreads to the North. "Right now we're in this transition phase where we're looking at pandemic planning, so in the Northwest Territories we are in the planning phase," said Dr. Kami Kandola, the Northwest Territories' chief public health officer. As of Friday, there were 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada plus a presumptive case in Quebec, but no cases in the three territories. While the World Health Organization says the risk of spread and impact of COVID-19 at a global level is "very high," public health officials in the North, and in Canada as whole, still characterize the risk as low. Kandola said the N.W.T. is working on a specific coronavirus plan, which involves detecting cases early and limiting the disease's spread. She said territorial health authorities have boosted their stockpiles of protective gear, such as masks, gowns and gloves. Kate Kyle/CBC Kandola said "it's never a harm" for people to have a backup supply of food and medicine. Smaller communities are easier to protect than larger cities, said Kandola, because there aren't crowds and mass gatherings. Kandola wouldn't say how many people had been tested for coronavirus "I don't want to go into specifics of testing, but when we've tested, the test results resulted in negative," she said. "We're exercising vigilance and always considering [the coronavirus] as part of what we think when people present with flu-like symptoms." 'We don't want people to panic' "We don't want people to panic," said Pat Living, a spokesperson for the Yukon Health and Social Services department. "It's important to remember that COVID-19 is generally a very mild disease." It's important to remember that COVID-19 is generally a very mild disease. - Pat Living, spokesperson for Yukon Health and Social Services Story continues Living said 80 per cent of people who contract the disease recover without needing medical care. Elderly people and those with other illnesses or compromised immune systems are more likely to have more severe cases. The Yukon health department is "keeping up-to-the-minute in information," Living said, and it's "looking ahead to say 'OK, if we did have something, do our health centres have supplies for this long?'" Nunavut improving preparedness While the chance of COVID-19 arriving in Nunavut is low, that territory's chief medical officer said if the disease "continues in this fashion around the world the way it is, then we're probably going to see cases sooner or later." Dr. Michael Patterson said the territory is improving its preparedness for the spread of COVID-19. He said staff are reviewing protocols for viral infections and the health department is working to ensure it has the equipment it needs. "Many of the isolation recommendations and personal protective equipment are similar to many other infections but oftentimes, staff may go months or years without having to use that sort of equipment and those procedures," he said. As far as protective measures in hospitals go, Patterson said COVID-19 requires "less than tuberculosis, in some ways." CBC Patterson said the department is screening for the disease. "There have been a few [patients] where they've been in the right area at the right time and so we've asked people to isolate at home and done some swabs, all of which have been negative so far." Should the disease spread to a small community, Patterson the department may admit people to hospital who don't necessarily need medical care, if they can't isolate themselves at home. Yellowknife pharmacy out of masks Back in Yellowknife, Shoppers Drug Mart says it has run out of face masks, and staff don't know when more will come in. "All over Yellowknife there are no masks available," said pharmacy technician Ishita Shah. "We are getting many patients asking for masks, but everywhere they are out of stock. We've been trying to order for so long." Shah couldn't say whether COVID-19 was a factor in the mask shortage. Kandola said people who are well don't need masks. She said masks are for two kinds of people: those who are sick and waiting in the hospital for care, and health-care providers who are treating sick people. Grocer not worried about food supply Glen Meek, owner of Glen's Your Independent Grocer in downtown Yellowknife, said he's not concerned about running out of food. He said he's probably going to up his stock of non-perishable goods "a little bit." "I'm hoping people don't panic," he said, adding that he gets deliveries six times a week, so the store should be able to accommodate a rush of people looking to stockpile food. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One person is dead in a Saturday morning crash in the citys Central neighborhood. The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. on Carnegie Avenue and East 61st Street near Haus Malts, Cleveland police Sgt. Jarod Schlacht said. Police have not publicly disclosed the name, age or gender of the driver. The driver of the car had to be extricated from the car after the crash, police said. This post will be updated if more information becomes available Saturday. A man has died in Washington state of COVID-19, state health officials said Saturday, marking the first such reported death in the United States. State officials issued a terse release announcing the death, gave no details and scheduled a conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, but gave no other details. State and King County health officials said new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died. They did not say how many new cases there are. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the person who died was a man from Washington state. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, Inslee said. "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming three patients were infected by unknown means. The patients an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington and an employee at a Portland, Oregon-area school hadn't recently travelled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveller or an infected person, authorities said. Earlier US cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to US military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients. The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the US Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits. Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area reported two cases where the source of infection wasn't known. The older woman was hospitalised for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said. This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation, said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. But we don't know to what extent, Cody said. It could be a little, it could be a lot. We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible, she said. Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state. The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have travelled to Solano County, where another woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source. Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said. At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for self-quarantine" after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday. The case highlights the vulnerability of the nation's hospitals to this virus," the union said. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently travelled to South Korea, authorities said. Both patients weren't seriously ill. But health officials aren't taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All lanes of east and west Interstate Highway 80 reopened following a four-vehicle collision that injured three people north of Dixon Friday morning, the California Highway Patrol said. A 40-year-old Hayward man suffered moderate injuries, and a 47-year-old Vacaville man and a 67-year-old Auburn suffered minor injuries in the collisions that started around 10:25 a.m., the CHP said. The Vacaville man, driving a Honda, collided with a Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by a 60-year-old Sacramento man. Both vehicles crashed into the center divider, CHP Officer David Harvey said. The tractor-trailer penetrated the metal center guardrail then collided in the eastbound lane with a Subaru driven by the Hayward man. The collision broke the Subaru onto three pieces, Harvey said. The tractor-trailer then struck an International tractor-trailer driven by the Auburn man, Harvey said. Both eastbound and westbound lanes were blocked by the collisions. All westbound lanes and the No. 1 eastbound lane were reported open again around 12:45 p.m. but the No. 2 and No. 3 eastbound lanes were still blocked, the CHP said. The No. 3 east bound lane was the last to reopen around 4:20 p.m., Harvey said. The collisions caused an estimated 50-gallon diesel spill on the right shoulder of the road but the spill did not require a hazardous materials team to respond, the CHP said. San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto announced Friday he's moving forward with plans to close county jail at the beleaguered Hall of Justice by July 2021. The plan is in accordance with Mayor London Breed's proposed deadline for closing Jail #4, located on the hall's seventh floor at 850 Bryant Street. Back in Oct. 2019, Mayor London Breed unveiled a plan to relocate several city offices and courtrooms, as well as jail inmates from the Hall of Justice to a new consolidated "Justice Campus" within the next two years. The proposed campus, however, wouldn't break ground until 2028. With no other adequate jail to place to the inmates in the meantime, Miyamoto is asking the city to agree on a $50 million capital investment for the renovation of the city's other existing jails. The move would minimize the need to redistribute the jail population to out-of-county locations, he said. But until the city agrees on those investments, Miyamoto is proposing relocating up to 100 inmates from the Hall of Justice jail to Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in the meantime. "We can't wait any longer," Miyamoto said in a statement. "County Jail is seismically unsafe, a danger to justice-involved people, deputies, staff and visitors, with an outdated design that does not support educational and behavioral programs for people in jail," he said. Closing Jail #4 would save the city more than $10 million annually in operating costs, he said. Santa Clara County this week reported its third confirmed case of COVID-19, otherwise known as novel coronavirus, in a county resident described as "an older adult woman" who was first hospitalized with respiratory troubles, public health officials told reporters Friday. This third case has changed the way the county's Public Health Department is handling the spread of the virus, Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health director, said Friday. The county has enlisted and received state and federal help to curb further spread of the disease. "This is the third case to be identified in our county, but it's different from our other two cases in an important way," Cody said Friday. The newly infected woman was not in known contact with any recently travelers or infected persons and did not recently travel herself, health officials said. The woman's physician contacted the Public Health Department Wednesday night to report the patient was showing symptoms of possible coronavirus contamination. The county received specimens to test for the virus Thursday morning and confirmed the results the same day. "This case does signal to us that it's now time to shift how we respond to the novel coronavirus," Cody said. "The public health measures that we've taken so far -- isolation, quarantine, contact tracing and travel restrictions -- have helped to slow the spread of disease, and we will continue to implement them. We will continue to trace close contacts of our cases to try to limit the spread of the virus, but now we need to add other public health tools to the mix." The county currently is working with the state's Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on surveillance, prevention and further studying and testing of the disease. San Francisco city leaders on Friday urged residents and visitors to continue shopping at Chinese-owned business and to reject xenophobia associated with fears of the novel coronavirus. Mayor London Breed; city Supervisor Aaron Peskin; Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco; and Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco toured businesses in the Chinatown district to encourage residents to continue going about their daily lives, and assured them that no cases have been reported in the city so far. Peskin said he wanted to ensure "that our economy remains robust and vital during the time of coronavirus," also known as COVID-19. "We will not tolerate rumors; we will not tolerate xenophobia; we will not tolerate racism in San Francisco. We are all in it together," he said. The renewed plea to support the city's Chinese community comes just three days after Mayor Breed declared a local emergency in the city due to the virus, which broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The virus has sickened 83,652 people worldwide and 2,858 people have died. Only 15 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., the World Health Organization reported Friday. The mayor's declaration is a precautionary measure, and allows the city to mobilize its resources and accelerate emergency planning. A vegetation fire that started Friday morning near the picnic area in the San Bruno Mountain State and County Park in northern San Mateo County near Daly City was contained to 6.1 acres, North County Fire Authority officials said. Crews responding shortly after 10 a.m. to the fire found it burning at a slow speed in heavy brush. Additional companies, including Cal Fire hand crews and a helicopter, were called and were able to limit the blaze. There were no injuries and no structures threatened, officials said. Personnel will monitor the scene overnight and check for hot spots. Santa Clara County and its largest workers union this week reached a new tentative agreement for new contracts, ending months of heated and tense labor negotiations. Service Employees International Union Local 521 and the county spent almost 20 hours negotiating between Wednesday and Thursday this week, according to a statement from the union, and have tentatively resolved ongoing labor disputes that almost put a giant portion of the county's workforce on hold Friday. "We are extremely proud to have stood resilient and united throughout these negotiations," Janet Diaz, SEIU Local 521 Chapter president, said in a statement. "As a result, we have an agreement that will truly help us meet the needs of our families and the community we serve. This agreement allows us to begin to rebuild the long-standing partnership between management and our workforce to ensure Santa Clara County can be the best place to live, work and raise our families." The union had threatened a strike on Friday if labor negotiations were not resolved by Thursday. The county delivered and the union called off the strike. Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez said in an interview Friday that she is "very excited about the tentative agreement, and I hope that it really expresses our highest respect and admiration for the people that work for Santa Clara County, particularly (those) who are part of SEIU." San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin on Friday announced new policies taking effect immediately within his office. Prosecutors will no longer charge people with the possession of contraband resulting from stop-and-frisk style pretextual searches, or make use of status-based sentencing enhancements such as prior strikes or alleged gang affiliation status, except in extraordinary circumstances. Pretextual stops are when an officer uses a minor traffic infraction to pull over and search a motorist. According to Boudin's office, research shows pretextual stops erode trust in communities of color and result in disproportionate arrests and higher convictions. Black drivers in the city are stopped five times more often than white drivers, Boudin's office said, citing a 2020 Racial Identity and Profiling Advisory Board Report. The San Francisco Police Association, however, blasted Boudin for the new policy reform. In a statement, SFPOA President Tony Montoya said, "In his short tenure, Chesa Boudin has demonstrated that he is a clear and present danger to the law abiding residents, businesses and visitors of San Francisco. Get pulled over and have an illegal handgun or AR-15? No problem, Boudin will throw out your case. Have 10 pounds of meth all in small plastic bags ready for sale? No problem, Boudin will throw your case out too." Saturday will be partly cloudy and breezy. Highs will be in the 50s. West winds will be 20 to 30 mph. Saturday night will mostly cloudy before becoming partly cloudy. It will be breezy. Lows will be in the mid 40s. Northwest winds will be 20 to 30 mph. Sunday will be sunny in the morning before becoming partly cloudy. Highs will be in the mid 50s to the lower 60s. North winds will be 10 to 20 mph. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Affle (India) Limited, the leading consumer intelligence technology company, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Spain headquartered Mediasmart, a self-serve mobile programmatic and proximity marketing platform. Mediasmart provides advertisers, trading desks and agencies an integrated mobile advertising platform with unique incremental impact measurability for Proximity and App marketing campaigns. Mediasmarts Proximity marketing solutions allow it to deliver location targeted campaigns with real time footfall tracking and offline attribution. It thus enables advertisers who sell offline to isolate, attribute and measure the incremental impact of proximity driven mobile advertising. It also helps App marketers to measure and grow the incremental ROI metrics for their mobile advertising campaigns. This acquisition carries a great strategic merit as it strengthens Affles CPCU based platform and business model for omnichannel advertisers, and also enables Affle to expand into newer developing markets like Latin America and in Mediasmarts strong hold markets like Europe and US. Commenting on this development, Anuj Khanna Sohum, the Chairman, MD and CEO at Affle said We are excited to announce our 1st acquisition in Europe and welcome the Mediasmart team on-board at Affle. Mediasmart has the perfect team, culture and tech platform for Affle to build greater strategic presence in Europe, US & Latin America. Their proximity marketing programmatic platform strengthens our omnichannel platform to enable marketers to drive incremental online and offline conversions in both developed and emerging markets. Talking about it, Noelia Amoedo, the Chief Executive Officer at Mediasmart commented We are thrilled to join forces with the Affle team to strategically strengthen our complementing platforms and to achieve greater global scale together. Over the last few years we have successfully re-modelled our tech differentiation around incrementality for app marketing and proximity marketing campaigns. I would like to thank our team, customers and partners for their continued support, and we shall look forward to greater collaboration ahead. Joe Biden scrambled to salvage his flagging presidential hopes Friday on the eve of South Carolina's Democratic primary, where nothing less than a decisive victory can help him rebound and challenge frontrunner Bernie Sanders. The former vice president is the firm favourite in the first state in the race with a substantial African-American Democratic electorate -- but trails far behind the surging leftist in nationwide polls. Both candidates will have a better picture of their prospects just days after South Carolina, with 14 states voting on "Super Tuesday" and a third of the delegates who formally choose the Democrat to face President Donald Trump in November up for grabs. Biden, the former frontrunner who failed to notch a win in the first three states, said he hopes South Carolina will propel him into national contention. "I've worked hard to earn these votes, and I think I'll do well," the 77-year-old told CNN early Friday, before heading to a trio of 11th-hour events. "It's been the launching pad for Barack and I believe for me," Biden added, referring to the nation's first black president Barack Obama. Biden leads in state polling, a dozen points ahead of Sanders and 20 points up on billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who is gunning for a third-place finish. Steyer has spent an extraordinary USD 23.6 million on ads in South Carolina, nearly 10 times the number two spender, former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, according to Advertising Analytics. Some polling has been misleading in the early contests. In Iowa for instance, Biden was second in polls before caucus night but finished fourth. Biden and fellow moderates including Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar may well face a Sanders buzz come Super Tuesday, with the 78-year-old self-declared democratic socialist leading in the two biggest prizes including crown jewel California. Sanders is dominating there with 32.5 per cent support, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, with fellow progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren second. Biden is a distant third with just 12.5 per cent, in danger of missing the 15 per cent threshold for earning delegates from the state. Sanders recently eclipsed Biden in Texas, the other big delegate gold mine, and expanded his lead there after a CNN poll showed him ahead of Biden by 26 per cent to 20 per cent. The senator also tops polls in Super Tuesday states Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, his home state of Vermont and Warren's Massachusetts. Some of the races are tight. With several Democratic establishment leaders fretting that Sanders could hold an insurmountable delegate lead after Super Tuesday, some have begun openly sounding the alarm. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, the 2016 vice presidential nominee, endorsed Biden Friday, tweeting that "Joe has exemplary heart, character, and experience" to be commander-in-chief. South Carolina congressman James Clyburn, an influential black lawmaker who has endorsed Biden, warned of "down-ballot carnage" if the Democratic nominee is seen as too radical. With party grandees desperate for a moderate to halt Sanders, the frontrunner punched back to say his campaign is best positioned to win. "One of the things the establishment is doing is, they're saying 'Bernie can't beat Trump,'" Sanders told a crowd in St George, South Carolina. He pointed out that over the country's last 60 head-to-head polls with the incumbent, "we're ahead of Trump in 56 of them". Sanders said his campaign will triumph "because we have an agenda that speaks to the needs of working-class people". Brenda Roi, a voter at a Sanders rally Friday in Columbia, said she ignores the establishment and its "scare tactic" aimed at sinking Sanders. "The establishment is going to say those things because they want to keep things the way they are," the 49-year-old told AFP. "They know full well that he can beat Trump." Rivals have mounted a fusillade of attacks against Sanders. Among them were ads slamming his gun rights voting record, aired by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who skipped the first four states in favour of making a splash on Super Tuesday. The centrist Bloomberg, a billionaire media tycoon, has pumped a record USD 500 million into advertising, leading rivals to accuse him of seeking to "buy" his way into the race. Buttigieg has warned that Sanders would be too "radical" a nominee, while Biden suggested the frontrunner would get trounced by Trump in southern states. "Do you think running as a socialist would help you in Georgia, in North Carolina?" Biden said on CNN. "In South Carolina? In Texas?" Trump was intending to put his own thumb on the scales Friday, scheduling a rally in South Carolina. Sanders labelled the president "pathetic" for campaigning instead of governing during a public health crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) DENVER An elected prosecutor for Colorados northeastern rural plains surrendered to authorities Friday, one day after being indicted on drug charges following an investigation by the states attorney general. Brittny Lewton, 40, was charged with three drug felonies, including conspiracy and possession, as well as official misconduct, a misdemeanor, according to online court records. She turned herself into authorities in Logan County, one of seven counties in the 13th Judicial District where she serves as the district attorney. Online court records did not specify the type of drug or drugs in the indictment, which has not been made public. Lewtons attorney, Stan Garnett, said the charges appear to be based on one incident in July 2019 involving an alleged exchange of prescription medication. Garnett, a former district attorney in Boulder County, said he could not elaborate. Garnett, who served as a mentor to Lewton when she was first elected, said she is well respected by the courts, law enforcement, her employees and residents and he will vigorously defend her. I believe a jury would find her not guilty if we took the case to trial, he said. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in August issued an executive order appointing Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate unspecified potential criminal activity by Lewton. A spokesman for Weiser, Lawrence Pacheco, said he could not comment on the case. According to the biography posted on her offices website, Lewton started working as an intern for the 13th Judicial District before being hired in 2005. Lewton, a Republican, was first elected district district attorney in 2012. She was re-elected by a wide margin in 2016 in the district that includes Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties. Garnett said Lewton would remain in her job as the case proceeds. He expected a judge from outside Lewtons district to oversee the case. The Colorado District Attorneys Council said it had confidence in the justice system and Weisers office to handle the matter with professionalism and integrity and noted that Lewton, like all other defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. WASHINGTON State Sen. Katrina Jackson seems like an unlikely general to lead the anti-abortion movement into a U.S. Supreme Court battle. Throughout her eight years in the state Legislature, the Monroe Democrat has been a leader in the Legislative Women's Caucus and Legislative Black Caucus. She's made impassioned pleas for restoring voting rights to convicted felons. She has sided with gun restrictions. She's joined efforts to abolish the death penalty. And she supports increasing the states minimum wage -- just to name a few of the positions she shares with the more liberal wing of her party. But when it comes to abortion, shes established herself as a leading voice not just on the state level but on a national stage in the fight to bring an end to what she has said she considers "a modern-day genocide." Supreme Court to take up Louisiana abortion law this week; Both sides say it could have national impact WASHINGTON Louisiana is set to play a pivotal role in the future of abortion access in the country, as the U.S. Supreme Court takes up its f Her efforts, championed by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal, have now made it to the U.S. Supreme Court by way of a 2014 law that would require abortion providers in Louisiana have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The court is set to hear oral arguments in the case on Wednesday, with Jackson, the legislation's author, in attendance. For the second year in a row, Jackson was a speaker at the March for Life rally in Washington D.C., one of the largest anti-abortion events each year. Multiple attempts to interview Jackson, 42, were unsuccessful, but those close to her describe her as having a deep commitment to "pro-life" causes. Louisiana politicians including Democrats join Trump at annual March for Life WASHINGTON Louisiana Democratic state Sen. Katrina Jackson and first lady Donna Edwards took the same stage as President Donald Trump and Ho Shes a really courageous and smart woman I just have so much respect for her integrity, said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life. Being a pro-life Democrat can be a terribly lonely road to take shes so steadfast and vocal about it. Former state Rep. Frank Hoffman, a West Monroe Republican who also took charge on several anti-abortion bills while in office, also commended Jackson's steadfast commitment to the issue. Katrina is a very pro-life legislator shes a great person, he said. Were hopeful for a good Supreme Court decision. U.S. Supreme Court set to take up Louisiana abortion law; case has implications nationally WASHINGTON Louisiana is set to play a major role in the abortion debate when the U.S. Supreme Court takes up challenges to a 2014 state law The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Jackson, who often dresses in brightly-colored blazers and sparkling statement necklaces, is known in the Legislature for a near-constant smile and her good-natured ribbing of fellow lawmakers especially ones whose bills she plans to speak against. But she also uses her chops as a lawyer to forge paths for her priorities and Republicans describe her as a tough negotiator. Her fellow Democrats who oppose the tougher abortion restrictions often tip-toe around direct criticism of her role in its passage. This Supreme Court case is just the latest way to try to dismantle Roe v. Wade as the law of the land, said Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, a New Orleans Democrat who is also in the state Senate. Every woman should be able to receive reproductive health care without government interference, and we should be making it easier for women to receive the care they need, not harder. After Jindal signed the 2014 law, the New Orleans Abortion Fund released a statement criticizing both Jindal and Jackson for the "audacity to celebrate its signing." The argument behind the admitting privileges law is that it will make the abortion safer. It passed with bipartisan support the House on an 88-5 vote and the Senate 34-3. During the little debate it received, it was never openly championed as a potential step in taking down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Unlike neighboring Texas, which passed a similar law the year before, the measure didn't prompt raucous protests or 13-hour filibusters. But if the court rules in favor of Jackson's bill, both sides agree it could set off a wave of anti-abortion laws in other states, including changes to waiting periods and how late into a pregnancy it can be terminated. Louisiana currently bans abortions after 20 weeks and requires a 24-hour wait between an initial doctors visit and the procedure. Like Jackson, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, also supports abortion restrictions and campaigned on an anti-abortion platform. In Louisiana, the majority of Democrats who are elected are pro-lifers," Jackson told the 2020 March for Life crowd in January. "Everyday that I walk into the State Capitol, Im greeted by pro-lifers regardless if they are black, white, Republican, Democrat, male or female, because we know in unity we have to fight like weve never fought before. Jackson, who regularly receives positive feedback on her official Facebook page from people who share her views on abortion, spoke of her belief that this decade will mark an end to abortion. During the 2019 legislative session and at Jackson's urging, the Legislature agreed to let voters decide this fall whether abortion should be outlawed in Louisiana if the Supreme Court upends Roe. We will never stop; its just that important, she said at the March for Life. Its the most important thing we could ever fight for in our lives. Taiwan has reported five more additional cases of novel coronavirus on February 29 taking the total tally to 38, according to a statement from the Ministry of Heath and Welfare. According to the reports, the new cases include three medical staff and a cleaner who had previously came in contact with a person before they tested positive for the coronavirus. The four of them showed symptoms like cough, running nose and fever between February 18 to 25, according to the reports. The fifth new case is a woman in her 60s who toured Dubai, Egypt, and UAE from January 29 to February 21 and developed a sore throat and cough on February 20. READ: Taiwan To Evacuate Citizens From Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship In Japan Taiwan has reportedly confirmed the first death on the island from the deadly COVID-19 on February 16, making it the fifth fatality outside mainland China since the global coronavirus pandemic. Health Minister of Taiwan, Chen Shih-Chung, told the media that the 61-year-old man was a taxi driver who was suffering from diabetes and hepatitis B and had eventually contracted the Coronavirus. Chen further added that the deceased had not travelled abroad and was presumably infected via human transmission as he was a cab driver whose clients were mainly from Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. One of the family members of the Taiwanese driver has also tested positive to the COVID-19, confirmed the minister. READ: Taiwan Records Its First Coronavirus Death As Global Toll Passes 1,600 More than 80,000 infected According to media reports, the new coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally since it first broke out in December last year. The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) had earlier said that the virus has already spread to more than 50 countries, including as far as western Europe. As per reports, the coronavirus originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the believed epicentre of the disease. Media reports also stated that animals were being traded illegally in the market from where the disease originated. READ: Taiwan Plans To Spend T$2 Billion To Cushion Its Economy Amid Coronavirus Outbreak READ: Taiwan Celebrates Last Day Of Lunar New Year As Lanterns Light Up The Sky, Watch Video Haiti - Social : For the first time, 3 comunes of the Northeast will have electricity As part of the "Rural Electrification and Empowerment of Women" (ERAF) project funded by Japan, and the joint implementation of this project by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Ministry of Public Works, 79 women and 41 men from 30 Basic Community Organizations (OCB) in the Northeast, of communes of Capotille, Mont-Organise and Vallieres received this week their certificates of participation in a training program in conflict management, communication and accountability, budget management and community project management. Recall that the ERAF project aims to provide access to electricity in remote rural areas of the country. Chosen on the basis of the priorities of the Haitian Government and specific criteria, the communes of Capotille, Vallieres and Mont-Organise will benefit from renewable energy services thanks to the establishment of 3 micro-plants based on photovoltaic solar energy, with in particular 1 micro-electric grid of approximately 10 km of line in each commune, with a total of approximately 2,500 users connected using prepaid smart meters for the 3 communes https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30141-haiti-politic-two-electrification-and-waste-management-projects-funded-by-japan.html "The commune of Vallieres has always been deprived of basic essential services. Many residents of this commune only see a light bulb when they go to the city of Cap-Haitien or Port-au-Prince. I am happy that this electrification project in the area will greatly contribute to sustainable development," rejoiced Castelle Latortue, Mayor of Valliere, who until now has been deprived of electrification as in most rural areas far from the network. Electricity of Haiti (EDH). Dorine Jean Paul, Head of the Resilience Unit at UNDP praised the synergy between the CBOs, local communities and civil society in the North East in the implementation of this project. She said she was reassured that the skills acquired by the 120 members of these OCBs will allow them to better contribute in the creation of economic income and the development of beneficiary communities. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30141-haiti-politic-two-electrification-and-waste-management-projects-funded-by-japan.html HL/ HaitiLibre Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale at Wilma Theater, with (from left) Janelle Heatley, Jaylene Clark Owens, and Hollis Heath. Read more Theres a lot of great things you could do in Philadelphia between now and March 7. One very great thing, not to be missed, is Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale, now through March 7 at the Wilma Theater. Its 70 minutes of passion, joy, tasty dance battles, hand games, and slam-style spoken-word, plus a complex look at gentrification. Jaylene Clark Owens (who plays Bridget and also directs), Hollis Heath (as Toni), and Janelle Heatley (as Shayla) co-created Renaissance with Chyann Sapp. This product of improvisation, storytelling, metaphor, memory, and girlhood dreaming has been on an evolving world tour since 2011. Now it gets a Center City run and deserves some Center City love. These three are irresistible. Bridget, Toni, and Shayla, friends since childhood, sit on a brownstone stoop in Harlem, and a crisis emerges: Shayla is priced out, unable to pay the rent anymore. She is thinking of leaving. The other two cant believe it. In explosions of three-part harmony, complex dance moves, comic vignettes, mimicry, and lightning wordplay, our three explore what they love and what they may be losing. Many in the audience murmured, as if reliving their own childhoods. A killer whales underside is black on the sides, white in the middle, a motif repeated in the spare but effective stage set by Angela Myers. Harlem was tossed to us like a piece of stale bread by whites who stayed away until, drawn to its culture, they are moving in, driving up rents, erecting huge condo towers. In one telling, hilarious vignette, Owens and Heatley play two old Harlem buildings that warn the new tower across the street (played by Heath) that this is our block. Harlem really is getting light, meaning both too white and too apathetic among the black residents. What to do about it? Hold that question. Owens is the shows cohering center. Her stint as a blabby lady on the subway is gut-busting, and her poem of praise to Harlem is a show-stopper. Oh, and she can dance just a little tiny bit. Heath has two of the shows best moments. She plays a grandma from the South, narrating the Great Migration of the 20th century. And she does a devastating turn as a newbie white woman who calls her superintendent well-spoken and thinks the native residents seem not interested in community affairs. Heatley as Shayla is crucial. She asks many of the hardest questions. She objects to the violent imagery of kids games. She warns of the danger in seeing Harlem through the gauzy lens of nostalgia. Heath also has a fine turn as a city councilperson pressured to back a huge redevelopment plan that will gut the neighborhood. Killer Whale joins a fine treasury of recent plays concerning gentrification, including Josh Wilders Salt Pepper Ketchup, Erlina Ortizs MinorityLand, and Tracey Scott Wilsons Buzzer. Theater is the art that has done the most to make this issue live. THEATER REVIEW Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale Through March 7 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. Tickets: $15-$52. Information: 215-546-7824, wilmatheater.org. The French government banned public gatherings with more than 5,000 people on Saturday due to the coronavirus outbreak as France reported 16 new cases, CNBC reports with a reference to Reuters. All public gatherings of more than 5,000 people in a confined space are temporarily banned across France, Health Minister Olivier Veran told journalists. He also that the number of confirmed cases had risen to 73 and that there had been no new deaths. Hostilities between Syria and Turkey has resulted in 33 Turkish soldiers killed in a Syrian air attack in the Idlib province in the north-west. The governor in the southwestern Hatay said on Friday that as the death toll rises, it also increases skirmishes and an impending refugee crisis. This was the most casualties suffered by Turkey in one day, from the time Turkish troops were sent into Idlib in recent weeks. Even with a Syrian offensive that is backed by Russia, to recapture the last opposition bastion, living there are three million people at the mercy of war. A combine bombing and ground attack with ferocity in their conduct, have removed more than one million people as refugees from December wherein most of them are children, not adults. Turkey reciprocated by warning it will strike back at Syrian Targets of the Syrian regime. Escalating conflict and threat of more violent attacks between them and more destruction prompted the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to say hostilities were of concern and a ceasefire should be agreed upon. The UN Secretary-General expressed that increased conflict will add by the hour if no action is taken to resolve their differences. Later, the US State Department related that the Syrian attack is of concern, and said the US will support Turkey as their NATO (North Atlantic treaty Organization) partner and ally. Spokesman of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg sent a press statement that condemned the airstrikes by the Syrian government and their Russian partners who were involved in the air attack. Also read: G20 Summit Tackles Climate Changes as Factor to World's Financial Stability The Hatay governor Rahmi Dogan of the southeastern province of Hatay, when interviewed on TV said that 22 soldiers were slain in the attack. In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with NATO secretary Stoltenberg, which was reported by the state media, no exact details were given of the conversation. Retaliating for the attack at Idlib, the Turks fired artillery barrages that struck Syrian targets back. In a statement from Turkey's communications director Fahrettin Altun, he remarked that identified Syrian government targets are under fire by Turkish air and land support teams. Responding to the Syria government attack on Turkish positions, Altun reaffirmed the shelling by Turkish troops on Syrian targets. Hostilities with Turkish forces has caused severe tension with Russia who is Syria's main ally, with Russia and Turkey who both support anti-government groups in Idlib. Earlier President Erdogan vowed to push back Syria with deadly force, if the Syrian forces were not retreating from the area, from Turkish posts by Februarys end. Turkey is not ready to allow more refugees in, with more than 3.6 million already behind the border which makes it hard to let in more. The 33 Turkish soldiers killed in the Syrian attack is still something to resolve and settle hostilities sooner or it gets worse. Related article: New Delhi Riots: Tension Between Hindus and Muslims Worsen, Death Toll Rising @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dallas, TX, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Pit beans are now available online for barbecue fans and everyday pit masters to enjoy at home. Dickeys offers five different varieties of beans including Original Barbecue Beans, Jalapeno Barbecue Beans, Texas Barbecue Beans, Brown Sugar Hickory Beans and Sweet Molasses Beans. Our focus is to share our great authentic, Texas flavor with folks across the globe and so were excited to offer our down-home, delicious barbecue beans to Dickeys fans everywhere, says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants Inc. Dickeys offers a wide collection of authentic, Texas-style beans, sausages, spices, rubs, sauces and hardwood pellets online for the everyday pit master to enjoy at home. Barbecue fans can also visit athome.dickeys.com to find a variety of recipes including a Barbecue Bloody Mary, Smoked Caramel Pecan French Toast Casserole, Salted Coffee Brisket with Barbecue Onions and more. Visit Athome.Dickeys.com to purchase products and discover exclusive content including recipes, deals and find a participating retailer near you. Find your nearest Dickeys Barbecue Pit location here. Find more information about national and international franchise opportunities here. Follow Dickeys on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickeys App from the Apple App Store or Google Play. About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 79 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked on-site in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why they never say bbq. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded worldwide with 2 international locations in the UAE and operates over 500 locations in 44 states. In 2016, Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and was named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, QSR Magazine, Forbes Magazine and Nations Restaurant News. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. Greer Martin Dickey's Barbecue Pit 972-248-9899 Ext.156 gmartin@dickeys.com In 2011 Chris Meredith was appointed CEO of Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc (LON:AMS). First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. And finally we will reflect on how common stockholders have fared in the last few years, as a secondary measure of performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. Check out our latest analysis for Advanced Medical Solutions Group How Does Chris Meredith's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? According to our data, Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc has a market capitalization of UK538m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK896k over the year to December 2018. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at UK278k. We further remind readers that the CEO may face performance requirements to receive the non-salary part of the total compensation. When we examined a selection of companies with market caps ranging from UK313m to UK1.3b, we found the median CEO total compensation was UK965k. So Chris Meredith is paid around the average of the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance. You can see, below, how CEO compensation at Advanced Medical Solutions Group has changed over time. AIM:AMS CEO Compensation, February 29th 2020 Is Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc Growing? Over the last three years Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc has grown its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 13% per year (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 5.4% over last year. This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently. A good result. It's also good to see modest revenue growth, suggesting the underlying business is healthy. It could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future. Story continues Has Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc Been A Good Investment? Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc has generated a total shareholder return of 18% over three years, so most shareholders would be reasonably content. But they probably don't want to see the CEO paid more than is normal for companies around the same size. In Summary... Chris Meredith is paid around the same as most CEOs of similar size companies. The company is growing EPS but shareholder returns have been sound but not amazing. As a result of these considerations, I would suggest the CEO pay is reasonable. CEO compensation is one thing, but it is also interesting to check if the CEO is buying or selling Advanced Medical Solutions Group (free visualization of insider trades). Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. 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 screen displays Financial Secretary of Hong Kong Paul Chan Mo-po delivering the budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China, 26 February 2020. EPA HONG KONG _ Hong Kong's government is proposing a nearly $1,300 cash handout for each resident over 18 years old to help alleviate hardships brought on by the spreading viral outbreak and prolonged political protests. The subsidy was among a slew of emergency measures in a budget presented to the city's legislature Wednesday by Financial Secretary Paul Chan. ''I consider that, with ample fiscal reserves, the government has to increase public expenditure amid an economic downturn to stimulate the economy and ride out the difficult times with members of the public,'' Chan said. The downturn in tourism and business activity from the virus outbreak has compounded the troubles brought on by months of often violent protests last year. The financial center is deploying its more than 1 trillion Hong Kong dollars ($140 billion) in reserves to help counter the economic contraction and shore up public support for the government. Among other measures, Chan said the government would provide 10,000 Hong Kong dollar ($1,283) subsidies to about 7 million Hong Kong residents over the age of 18, cut the salary tax by 100% up to 20,000 Hong Kong dollars ($2,567), double the monthly allowance for low-income families, cut corporate taxes and electricity rates, and boost funding for the Trade Development Council, the arts, the Tourism Board and for public hospitals. To promote growth of high-tech industries, the government plans to spend 2 billion Hong Kong dollars ($250 million) to convert an old factory in the city's outskirts into a microelectronics center, and to earmark 3 billion Hong Kong dollars ($380 million) to expand the city's Science Park. Overall, the plans add up to about 120 billion Hong Kong dollars ($15.4 billion) in countermeasures. ''Although a record high deficit is envisaged in next year's budget, I believe that only with such a budget can we help our community and local enterprises ride out their difficulties,'' Chan said. Hong Kong's economy is highly dependent on trade and tourism with China, where the new coronavirus first surfaced early this year. The former British colony is a semi-autonomous region of China that enjoys unique civic liberties and has its own economic and legal systems. Public discontent over growing influence from Beijing helped fuel the protests, which were sparked by a now withdrawn proposal to allow Hong Kong citizens to be extradited to stand trial in mainland Chinese courts. But many young Hong Kong residents also have expressed frustration with a lack of job opportunities in the city, a financial center whose economy is dominated by wealthy property tycoons. (AP) Kabul/Doha: The United States signed a historic deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there. While the agreement paves the way for the United States to gradually pull out of its longest war, many expect that talks to come between the multiple Afghan sides will be far more complicated. The deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile travelled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States` commitment to the country. For US President Donald Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring US troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy. "Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan," the US Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. "It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan." Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan "to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation." "The biggest thing is that we hope the US remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group. Mujahid said it was "irritating and provocative" that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand-down. For millions of Afghans, the deal represents some hope for an end to years of bloodshed. "Peace is extremely simple and my country deserves it. Today is the day when maybe we will see a positive change," said Javed Hassan, 38, a school teacher living on the outskirts of Afghan capital, Kabul. Hassan`s children were killed in a bomb blast carried out by the Taliban in 2018. Since then, he has been writing letters to world leaders urging them to end the Afghan war. UNCERTAIN PROSPECTS But prospects for peace remain uncertain given the next step is reaching an agreement with the Afghan government. Senior members of the Afghan government and countries surrounding Afghanistan have been concerned that the United States could abandon Kabul much like it was perceived to have left the region after the Soviet Union exited Afghanistan decades ago. The accord also comes amid a fragile political situation in Afghanistan. The Independent Election Commission said on Feb. 18 that Ghani won a Sept. 28 vote beset by allegations of rigging, technical problems and other irregularities. Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah rejected the results, claimed to be the victor and vowed to name a parallel government. Michael Kugelman, deputy director Asia Program at the Wilson Center, said of Esper`s trip to Kabul that "Washington is essentially trying to show that its full strength is behind this deal and it wants to also indicate to Kabul that it`s fully behind Afghanistan as the peace and reconciliation process moves toward a formal beginning." "(Esper`s trip is) perhaps an indication that the US is ready to essentially accept the new government in Afghanistan," he added. The war, which has killed tens of thousands of people, began when the United States launched attacks on Afghanistan just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by the Afghanistan-based al Qaeda militant group. Washington accused the Taliban of harbouring al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, and with its allies ousted the group from power. But the Taliban has remained a potent force and currently controls about 40% of Afghan territory. TROOP WITHDRAWAL Trump said in a statement on Friday said the deal will pave way for U.S. troop numbers to drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following the deal. Further reductions of Western forces will hinge on the Taliban adhering to a "reduction in violence" pledge, a condition that will be assessed by the United States. Under the deal, the Taliban wants 5,000 fighters to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it is not clear whether the Afghan government will agree. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to hardline Islamist splinter groups will be willing to adhere to the reduction in violence agreement. Some senior commanders of the Taliban in Doha for the signing said they will ensure that the U.S. and Afghan governments accept all the conditions laid down by the group, according to Afghan defence officials. Sources in the Taliban earlier this month said they were prepared to launch a spring offensive and had recruited more than 6,000 fighters and suicide bombers if the agreement collapses. An Oneida County man who left his then 83-year-old mother in the woods for three days in 2014 has been barred from filing lawsuits in federal court. U.S District Court Chief Judge Glenn Suddaby this week permanently enjoined Tomas Zavalidroga, 57, from filing lawsuits in the Northern District of New York. Zavalidroga filed eight lawsuits against dozens of people without an attorney since 2009, court records show. Zavalidroga was arrested in July 2014 after his mother Margaret went missing for three days and nights. The elder Zavalidroga was found missing some clothing and covered in dirt and sticks, police said. According to court papers, she said her son left her in the woods, but stopped back to feed her oatmeal during the time she was missing. Tomas Zavalidroga has sued dozens of people in federal court, often on behalf of his mother, who he claims to represent as an attorney. Hes sued local village and town officials, neighbors, his brothers, police officers, judges, clerks, nurses, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Most of the lawsuits pertain to land disputes and the investigation into his mothers disappearance. The lawsuit against Cuomo was over New Yorks Marriage Equality Act which allowed same-sex couples to marry. Zavalidroga characterized the law as a violation of his and his mothers civil rights, called the legislation the formation of a gay confederacy, and demanded $1 million in damages. In the other lawsuits, he described a "conspiracy by neighbors, land developers and public officials to steal the Zavalidroga homestead on Forward Road in Blossvale. The family owns a large, secluded tract of property there. Zavalidroga in his lawsuits claims his mothers disappearance was the work of organized crime in the area. He says his subsequent false arrests were orchestrated in furtherance of the scheme to deprive him of his property. He also claims steps taken by nurses, social workers, his two brothers and sister-in-law after the mothers disappearance were part of a conspiracy to institutionalize his mother and ostracize him from her. None of the lawsuits have been successful. Local judges have tossed them out and Zavalidrogas appeals have failed. After Zavalidroga filed two lawsuits in 2019, Chief Judge Suddaby attempted to contact him about a potential order preventing him from suing again. Orders since issued to Zavalidroga have been returned because his address has apparently changed. He was last known to be living in Old Forge. Suddaby entered the permanent ban this week. The judges order allows Zavalidroga to file if he can obtain an attorney to represent him. Zavalidroga can also contact the chief judge directly to attempt to get permission to sue. Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government, education and sometimes fun stuff like treasure hunters. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work The death toll in the Jhajjar factory boiler blast rose to six on Saturday with the rescue teams finding two more bodies trapped under the debris. The count of the injured has reached 34. Jhajjar deputy commissioner (DC) Jitender Kumar said efforts were on to pull out the bodies. He added, We are making all efforts to clear the debris in the area. Many of the injured have also been discharged from the hospital. As per officials, as many as 11 factories had collapsed due to the impact of the explosion in the boiler of the chemical factory in Bahadurgarh town. Family members of labourers, however, reached the spot and said that three men were still missing. We suspect that members of our families are still trapped inside the factories. The authorities should use better machines instead of earthmovers to clear the debris, said the angry family members. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased. The Jhajjar district administration has been told to bear the treatment expenditure of the injured. A 40-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Ghaziabad and state disaster response force from Bhondsi are helping the fire department to carry out the rescue operation. Two or three people may still be trapped in the factories and efforts are being made to take them out, said a district official. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Bill Conway previously worked as an assistant Cook County states attorney, served in the Navy and is an adjunct DePaul University professor. Conway, the son of a wealthy Washington insider, is looking to run the entire states attorneys office. Its his first time running for public office, and his campaign mainly has been funded by his father, William Conway, a billionaire co-founder of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group. Since joining the race, Bill Conway has criticized incumbent States Attorney Kim Foxx for her handling of the Jussie Smollett case and her connections to embattled Chicago Ald. Edward Burke. The Irishwoman who was among the first to lift the lid on Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes at the height of his fame has given her reaction in the wake of his conviction. Ex-Miramax employee Laura Madden, from Co Monaghan, was among the first batch of women who went on-the-record in a 2017 newspaper investigation into his sexual offences. Expand Close Film producer Harvey Weinstein. Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackso / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Film producer Harvey Weinstein. Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackso She said that while she was "relieved" by the verdict, she would have liked to have seen a conviction for the more serious charges. On Monday, a New York court convicted the former Hollywood mogul of criminal sexual acts in the first degree and rape in the third degree in what was deemed a partial victory for the worldwide #MeToo movement. "It's a very complicated one. My initial reaction was not utter relief and celebration. I was quite numbed by it. I was quite surprised he was convicted. I thought he was going to get off so it's a relief he has been found guilty of some of the charges," she told the Herald. However, she was "disappointed" he was found not guilty of the most serious crimes of first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault charges - which could have seen him jailed for life. She commended the bravery of women like actress Annabella Sciorra for putting themselves through a public trial. "I had followed the trial quite closely so I felt very, very disappointed for the courage that those women showed; to stand up in a witness box and be cross-examined in such a harsh way," she said. Admiration "Nobody would want to go through that. So I've huge admiration for them all, and I really felt for Annabella. "She was so convincing and so believable so I'm a bit sad that the more serious charges didn't hold. But now that it has percolated a bit [in my mind], I can see it's a major landmark moment; this is a big social victory for women coming forward in the future." Speaking about the #MeToo movement sparked by women speaking out about Weinstein's crimes, she said his conviction is an important moment. "So many women have kept quiet and been silent because they've witnessed that speaking out hasn't helped women to take men down so hopefully, it will give them more courage to come forward and confidence that their voices will be heard." Ms Madden, a mother-of-four now based in Swansea, said she agonised for a long time about whether to go public with her 1991 experience in a Dublin hotel room with Weinstein. She worked with him on Into The West and was left sobbing in a hotel room bathroom after he coerced her into a massage and showering with him. In the end, it was her three teenage daughters who convinced her to speak out. She reported it to the authorities in October 2017. "It took me a set of stages to get to a point where I could say, 'I'm happy to go on the record', and that was pretty much down to my children," she said. "I told them what happened to me and they were shocked and supportive. They told me I had to speak up on behalf of their friends and other young women and, when someone says that to you, you don't really have a choice." However, she said every victim is different and fully understands why some women won't ever speak out. "I had the support. I had months of talking to the journalists who I trusted. They talked me through it and helped me make that decision. It couldn't change what happened to me, but I hoped that I would be heard," she said. Asked how she felt about playing such a vital role in societal change, she said she was proud "because my children are very proud - it's a funny one". "I've had so many messages from women saying they've had similar experiences, but they have never been able to reach back into their past, and now this has given that a collective voice. It helps us all and I feel helped by other people having similar reactions." Speaking about his March 11 sentencing, she said that, personally, she "doesn't have any desire to see him in prison". "I don't need revenge or justice for me, but I do think society needs to see justice being done." Dr. Glen Lowther was working at an institution for adults with intellectual disabilities, seeing hundreds of residents who didnt belong there. They spent years at the old Manitoba School because there was nowhere else for them to go. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dr. Glen Lowther was working at an institution for adults with intellectual disabilities, seeing hundreds of residents who didnt belong there. They spent years at the old Manitoba School because there was nowhere else for them to go. It was the 1960s, and Lowther was medical superintendent of what is now called the Manitoba Developmental Centre in Portage la Prairie. His work there convinced him people with intellectual disabilities including those who might now be labelled as having autism or Down syndrome shouldnt be separated from the wider community. SUPPLIED Glen Lowther, pictured here in 1994, was proud of his Scottish heritage. He moved to Canada in his mid-20s. In the years that followed, the Scottish psychiatrist founded Canadas first community residence for people with mild intellectual disabilities. The group home, Kin Glen, which Lowther named after the Kinsmen Club and himself, was among the first of its kind in North America. It paved the way for the deinstitutionalization of people with developmental disabilities across the country. Lowther died in June 2019 at age 92. He worked until he was 84, with six different retirements demarcating his long career in psychiatry one that he kept finding himself called back to, and one that wasnt always done by the book. Dressed in horn-rimmed glasses, a dark suit, white shirt and slim, striped tie, Lowther was interviewed about the opening of Kin Glen for a CBC documentary by Warner Troyer, filmed roughly 50 years ago. At the time, the idea people with disabilities should be allowed to live somewhere other than with their parents or in an institution was still in its infancy. Opponents were afraid the intellectually disabled would be preyed upon and victimized outside an institution; others didnt want to see group homes built in their backyards. SUPPLIED Glen Harrison Lowther in 1952. Seated at his office desk, immortalized on grainy, sepia-toned film, Lowther spoke authoritatively. He said he believed the community, if given the chance, would take responsibility for and embrace people with intellectual disabilities. "The only reason they are here is because theres nowhere to send them. What we have to do about this is we have to try and develop a very definitely artificial alternative to the emotional support of the parental home," Lowther said in a thick Scottish accent. Its the same calm, lilting tenor of voice his wife of 30 years hasnt been able to erase from their answering-machine greeting in the eight months hes been gone. Hundreds of patients and colleagues over the years knew they could always reach him on his home phone (or on the landline at his cottage at West Hawk Lake, or on his cellphone, or on the pager he kept before cellphones were ubiquitous). "I dont think youll find too many doctors today that give their patients their home phone number," Marj Lowther says. She said Lowther had a "terrible, terrible habit" of ending the calls with an offer of more of his time. "And if that doesnt work," hed say at all hours, "call me back." "Lets put it this way, as his wife, it was not always great, because wed get like 20 calls a night," Marj says. More often than not, he was able to help. Talking to him always seemed to calm people down. "We used to call him silver-tongued," she says. A former patient Lowther diagnosed with bipolar disorder said it helped to know hed always be available. SUPPLIED Glen Lowther and his wife Marj Lowther. "It gave me a safety net, that I knew he had my back; that he was there for me. He was just remarkable," said the woman, who asked her name not be published. "It gave me hope, lots of hope, that this could be beat, this could be managed. And its proven that way." Born in Scotland, Lowther immigrated to Canada in 1952, after graduating medical school and working with the Royal Army Medical Corps. He hadnt considered a career in psychiatry until he learned of a job opening at the Manitoba School, formerly known as the Home for Incurables. Once in the field, he found a lifelong passion that vaulted him to stints working with the provincial government, where he eschewed red tape in favour of what he called "astute budgeting." Lowther found ways to gather enough donations, in addition to his own money, to build a swimming pool and buy a summer cottage for residents at the Manitoba School. Both projects got underway without government approval in the late 1960s or early 70s; Lowther learned to ask forgiveness instead of permission. "He had to face the music of numerous ministers saying, You shouldnt have done that," Marj recalls. "He was kind of a rule-breaker." Lowther later became the attending psychiatrist at the former Misericordia General Hospital in Winnipeg, where he worked with patients he knew were struggling financially. He made house calls, and didnt hesitate to give them bus tickets or fast-food gift cards. "Hed do things that werent really considered by-the-book, nowadays," said Dr. Jim Simm, then a ward nurse who watched Lowther work and wondered how he did it all. Eventually, Lowther inspired Simm to become a psychiatrist, too. "His energy level I met him when he was 65 years old he would work most people under the table and still at the end of the day be able to go out for a scotch," Simm said. "He did so much for people. I guess I wanted to be like him." When he wasnt working, the father of four was often vacationing in Scotland or honouring his roots at the St. Andrews Society of Winnipeg. An amateur poet, he served as a longtime bard of the society and was a past-president. "He was a brilliant raconteur, he really was," says John Perrin, the St. Andrews president when, thanks to a motion seconded by Lowther, the formerly all-male club began allowing women members in 2014. "That was a major milestone for the society. Certainly, later than it should have been, but nevertheless, it was the right decision and he was an instrumental part in bringing that forward," Perrin said. Lowther won many awards and accolades for his contributions to the medical field and Manitobas treatment of people with intellectual disabilities, but he still felt he had more work to do, his wife says. "I think he was pleased to see the progress in each field, but knew that tons more needed to be done," Marj says. "He wanted people who were mentally ill to be as accepted as people who were mentally handicapped, and people who had autism to be as accepted. (He wanted) virtually no marginalization." katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay (Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in a bind. The biggest single-day loss of Turkish troops in decades in an attack over the border in Syrias northwest has dramatically escalated tensions not just with President Bashar al-Assad, whose troops are fighting Turkish-backed rebels in the area, but with Russia. Assad is supported by Vladimir Putin, including militarily. Moscow denied direct involvement in the clash, and Russia seems to be taking a conciliatory tone, but its getting harder for Erdogan and Putin to remain above the fray. The two have an uneasy understanding to try and stay out of each others way in the Middle East and North Africa. The killing of so many of his soldiers means Erdogan cant sit back and do nothing. Already Turkey has stepped up attacks on Syrian positions near the border areas. But equally, he has limited options. He cant afford a direct fight with Russia. NATO and European nations arent keen to be drawn in. And President Donald Trump has signaled other priorities for the U.S. than Syria. That leaves Erdogan with one card to play refugees. Already there are hints he may allow more refugees from Syria across Turkeys borders towards Europe. That prospect will be spurring alarm today in the halls of power in Berlin and Paris. Its the only way Erdogan can expect to get Europe to sit up and listen. Global Headlines In need of a win | Joe Biden is hoping a win in South Carolina tomorrow will propel him to a strong showing in the Super Tuesday contests next week and give momentum to his flagging campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. But even though polls show Biden in front, a knockout win in South Carolina might prove difficult given the rise of Bernie Sanders and the persistent strength of billionaire Tom Steyer. Seeding chaos | As Trump assured Americans the response to the coronavirus was well in hand, signs of disorder were intensifying from Washington to Wall Street. The world economy is heading for its worst performance since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, while Nigerias government confirmed the first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa. Story continues While the outbreak gathers speed in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., theres one place it is seemingly being contained: Singapore. Read more here. Unpredictable choice | Slovakia was a steady member of the European mainstream, before the brazen 2018 contract killing of a reporter investigating politics and organized crime brought down populist leader Robert Fico. Now its heading into its most unpredictable elections in two decades, which could oust the long-dominant political force and boost a far-right party that reveres the fascists who ruled the country during World War II. Fragile hope | The U.S. is ready to take its biggest step toward ending the two-decade war in Afghanistan tomorrow with the signing of a peace deal with the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group. The accord rests on a simple exchange: The U.S. will start withdrawing some of its 13,000 troops in the country in return for a Taliban pledge to cut ties with all terrorists and prevent Afghan territories from becoming militant havens. Bannons plan | As Trump grappled with a public health crisis that could threaten his re-election, his former chief strategist was dining with like-minded Europeans and Latin Americans to plot the next wave of a global surge in right-wing populism. Steve Bannon hosted the dinner Wednesday night for Brexit architect Nigel Farage and others, Jennifer Jacobs exclusively reports.What to Watch Malaysias king confirms no lawmaker has the support of the majority to form the new government, leaving Mahathir Mohamad as interim prime minister as the monarch grapples for a solution to the impasse. Kosovo announced it will gradually lift tariffs on Serbian imports that Western powers have denounced as a barrier to efforts to mend ties, but Trumps envoy to the region criticized the measure as insufficient. Thailands parliament rejected motions of no-confidence in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha and five other ministers in the ruling coalition after a week-long censure debate over the performance of the government. Pop quiz, readers (no cheating!). What was the first Group of Seven nation to sign up to Chinese President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative? Send us your answers and tell us how were doing or what were missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally Vladimir Putin says he is the genuine article and always has been, after he disclosed hed rejected a proposal by officials to allow body doubles to stand in for him. Putin said the idea, which has long been a subject of speculation in Russia, came up in the early years of his presidency, when he visited troops during a bitter war against Islamist separatists that killed thousands in Russias Chechnya region. --With assistance from Kathleen Hunter, Anthony Halpin and Michael Winfrey. To contact the author of this story: Rosalind Mathieson in London at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, Ruth Pollard For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The BJP leaders in Karnataka rallied behind Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal amid a controversy over his remarks that centenarian freedom fighter H S Doresway was a "Pakistani agent." The saffron party leaders have extended support to Yatnal, days after he called Doreswamy a "fake freedom fighter" who behaves like a "Pakistani agent". Yatnal made the comments at a press conference on February 25 while reacting to a query on a public meeting organised by the Congress titled 'Save the Constitution'. "There are many fake freedom fighters. There is one in Bengaluru. Now we have to say what Doreswamy is. Where is that old man? He behaves like a Pakistan agent," Patil had said. "Doreswamy is an elderly person and senior to all. He had participated in various agitations. He should also see what to talk and who will be hurt with those statements. We have all seen what he said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters in Kodagu on Saturday reacting to Yatnal's outburst against Doreswamy. Noting that the statements were made in bitter taste, Kumar said, "If you speak unpleasant, you will hear unpleasant." Bellary City MLA G Somashekara Reddy too backed Yatnal saying that the his statement was appropriate. "There is nothing wrong in his statement. It is absolutey correct. I support him. It is not just okay to be a freedom fighter but he should be a 'Deshbhakt' (patriot) too, who respects the unity and integrity of the nation." On Friday, another BJP Minister K S Eshwarappa slammed Doreswamy alleging that he had visited Amulya Leona's residence and was in good relationship with her family. Amulya had raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans at an anti-CAA event here on February 21, taking everybody present by shock and dismay. "We respect Doreswamy but he dances to the tune of Congress and supports whatever their leaders say," Eshwarappa alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Somali security forces have stormed a camp of a Sufi militia forcing their leaders to surrender after fighting in which 12 people were killed, officials and witnesses said on Saturday. Fighting broke out between the army and the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ) militia on Thursday night in Dhumasareb, the capital of the semi-autonomous Galmudug region, and intensified on Friday. "The Somali forces took full control of the base of the rival militias and the situation is normal now, the leaders of the Sufi militias have surrendered to the force commanders," Abdullahi Ahmed, a Somali army commander told AFP by phone. According to witnesses, most of the Sufi fighters surrendered during heavy fighting in the evening before the Somali security forces managed to make their way into their main base late in the morning. The leader of the Sufi group Sheikh Mohamed Shakir who was leading the fight against the Somali security forces briefed the press after surrendering to the government forces. "We have decided to compromise for the public after learning the situation was getting worse leading to more problems," Shakir said. "The government is responsible for our security and that of the town and the public as we have headed our weapons to them," he said. Earlier this month, the parliament of Galmudug elected Ahmed Abdi Kariye, a former minister backed by the federal government, as president of the region. ASWJ leader Shakir rejected the result and declared himself president. A former Galmudug president, Ahmed Duale, also claimed victory by forming his own parliament. The Sufi group has played a major role in the fight against the radical Shebab Islamists, supported by Al-Qaeda, and has controlled the main cities of Galmudug for the past 10 years. In 2017, Shakir agreed to join the regional administration but later distanced himself from it due to disagreements with its president. He then agreed to a new election before changing his mind and accusing the federal government of manipulating the process to install one if its supporters. Somalia has been plunged into chaos since the fall of the autocrat Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Australian music producer Paul Fisher's model bride's grandmother has tragically died suddenly in Bali hours after the couple's wedding. Chloe Chapman and Fisher exchanged vows last week, in front of family and friends including surfing great Mick Fanning. But the best day of their lives was abruptly overshadowed by sadness when Chloe's grandmother, who had travelled to Indonesia from Australia for the wedding, unexpectedly passed away. Scroll down for video DJ Fisher's bride Chloe Chapman (pictured at their wedding) has announced that her grandmother passed away hours after the ceremony 'The past 24 hours has been the toughest to date and this in itself is the toughest post I've had to write,' Chapman wrote on Instagram on Thursday. 'Grandma travelled from Australia to Bali to watch me, her eldest and first grandchild to walk down the aisle on behalf of her and my Poppa, who was unfit for travel. 'This past week has truly been one of the happiest weeks of her life, spending it with her nearest and dearest, the smile on her face is one I will never forget.. 'Unfortunately yesterday she took a turn and we were unable to get her to the hospital in time before her beautiful body let go.' Chapman accompanied her post with a picture of a ceremony held on a beach in her grandmother's honour and urged people to make the most of time with their loved ones. 'Today, we had a Balinese ceremony to set her spirit free. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've been apart of,' she said. 'This all happened in a matter of only a few hours, life is short and I urge you to tell your loved ones how much you love them because in the blink of an eye they could be gone. Chapman said her grandmother (pictured) had the happiest week of her life leading up to her death as she flew to Bali to watch her eldest grandchild get married The model said she was with her grandmother when she passed away. 'This time has been excruciatingly painful for my family and myself, my sisters and cousin were right there by her side during her last moments.' 'Those moments I will cherish forever. 'Grandma from the bottom of my heart, I love you so, so much, you will be coming home with us so Poppa can say his final goodbye before we lay you to rest with nan. I am forever grateful that you got to see me walk down the isle to marry my soulmate. That in itself is the most special memory I have.' Chapman, a model and swimwear designer, is the founder of Australian brand Aloe Swimwear. Her husband, who goes by the stage name Fisher, is a house and techno producer based in LA. In 2019, he was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance Recording category in 2019 for his hit 'Losing It', which also came in second in Triple J's Hottest 100. The governor of Veneto, one of the regions worst hit by an outbreak in Italy of coronavirus, apologised on Saturday for criticising China over the contagion and saying Chinese people 'eat live mice'. Luca Zaia has pinned the blame on China for the flare-up in Italy, which has led to at least 21 deaths, saying that unlike Italians, the Chinese did not have good standards of hygiene. 'The hygiene that our people, the Venetians and the Italian citizens have, the cultural training we have, is that of taking a shower, of washing, of washing one's hands often,' Zaia said in a Antenna 3-Nord Est TV television interview on Friday. President of Veneto Region Luca Zaia, pictured in 2017, apologised today for saying that Chinese people 'eat live mice' and have worse hygiene standards 'It is a cultural fact that China has paid a big price for this epidemic because we have seen them all eat mice live or things like that.' His words stung the Chinese embassy in Rome. 'At a crucial time like this, when China and Italy stand side-by-side to deal with the epidemic, an Italian politician has spared no slander about the Chinese people. This is a gratuitous attack that leaves us stunned,' it wrote on Facebook. Political opponents of Zaia also denounced his comments, saying they would damage ties between the two countries. Chinese medics are pictured working at a makeshift hospital in Wuhan on February 17 Scientists from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said tests proved humans caught it from animals at the Wuhan market, where customers chose from live animals that were slaughtered in front of them (picture shows skinned chicks at the market) The Veneto governor, who is a member of the rightist League party, said had not meant to cause offence. 'My words came out badly, I agree. If anyone was offended, I am sorry,' he told Corriere della Sera newspaper on Saturday. 'I wanted to say that when it comes to food health and safety, controls change from country to country.' The new coronavirus emerged at the end of 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan where scientists believe it might have passed to humans from animals at a local market where bats, snakes and other wildlife were sold. China temporarily shut down all such markets in January, warning that eating wild animals posed a threat to public health and safety. The total accumulated number of confirmed cases in Italy has risen to almost 900, latest data shows, making it the worst affected country in Europe. In China, the virus has caused nearly 80,000 infections and 2,835 deaths, according to official figures. Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie has recounted his experience when he joined Nollywood in 2005. The veteran actor and son of Pete Edochie said that year, he met a couple of actors and directors who had no respect for the elders in the business. According to him, today, all of them had fizzled out without achieving much while the veterans were still waxing strong. He wrote on his twitter page: When I joined Nollywood in 2005 I met a couple of actors/directors who had no respect for the elders in the business. Today all those guys have fizzled out without achieving much while the veterans are still waxing strong. I hope someone learns from this. Edochie, born on 7 January, 1982 is a Nigerian actor, named after popular Russian actor Yul Brynner. He Joined Nollywood in 2005 in his first film titled The Exquires alongside the Late Justus Esiri and Enebeli Elebuwa. He got his break in 2007 after featuring alongside Genevieve Nnaji and Desmond Elliot in the movie Wind Of Glory. Few would argue that California is a state of great wealth. It is well known that if California were its own country it would have the fifth-largest economy in the entire world, larger than even the United Kingdom. When looking at financial rankings, Business Insider notes that Californias December 2017 average weekly wage of $1,050.53 was the fifth-highest among the states and DC, while its Q3 2017 GDP per capita of $69,589 was the ninth highest. Yet despite an ever-growing economy, funding for California schools, when compared to national rankings, has been in decline since the 1970s. When our schools were top-notch, California was a national leader in school funding. Yet since that time, the state has fallen from its rank towards the top to rank at the bottom. Whats more, California now has the most overcrowded classrooms in the entire country and some of the worst student to counselor and nurse rates in the entire country. Which raises the question: if California is an economic leader not only among states but among the world, if its GDP, GDP per capita, and wages are among the very highest, why is the states nationally ranked education spending among the lowest and getting lower? In the late 1970s, Californians implemented Proposition 13 to protect against increasing housing costs by limiting the property tax rate that homeowners are subject to. However, an unintended consequence of this opened up tax loopholes for corporations to avoid paying their fair share. A handful of the oldest, biggest corporations in California and wealthy investors have overwhelmingly benefitted from loopholes that artificially keep their property tax rates low, resulting in more profits for them and less tax revenue for our schools and local communities, while the rest of us have to cover the difference. Thats why I support the Schools & Communities First initiative, a ballot measure (currently in signature gathering) that would reclaim $12 billion every year for our schools and local communities by closing corporate tax loopholes while protecting all residential property from any increases. As a homeowner, Im all too familiar with property taxes, and I feel that my taxes are fairly reasonable. My tax bill is about the same as my parents bill, despite the fact that their home is worth about five times what my home is worth. I dont need my tax bill to be lower, and I dont think my parents bill should be higher. And anyone who tells you that is what the Schools & Communities First initiative is going to do is selling you some fake news. In fact, the initiative protects residential taxpayers, both buyers and renters, so my parents, and all the other elderly couples on fixed incomes who the current law was designed to protect, will see no increase to their tax bill as a result. Now some might argue that nobody should have to pay a higher tax bill, not even corporations, whose high-priced lawyers and accountants work overtime to create tax shelters for them, who have already received the lions share of the tax relief from President Trump. But those same corporations have already been reaping the windfalls of tax cuts through the years. In fact, according to the California Budget Project, Commercial property owners did receive nearly two-thirds of the tax savings resulting from Proposition 13, reflecting their ownership of a larger share of the states property. So if the law was meant to protect the elderly, why does it seem that, as with the massive tax cuts enacted by our President, the ones reaping the greatest rewards are the corporations? Is that fair share? Now Im sure I could go on, but numbers aside, as a teacher in one of the more affluent counties of the state, I can relate first-hand how all this economic circumlocution has impacted our schools. In short, it has hurt. I was actually pink-slipped at the end of my first year due to budget cuts. Thankfully, a few retirements kept me around. But since then, Ive seen budget disaster after budget disaster and felt the cuts getting deeper and deeper throughout our district. We have lost our librarians, most of our nurses, summer school programs, and some counselors. Schools in our district had to increase class sizes, reduce course offerings, and do more with less every year in each of the dozen years that Ive been teaching. So isnt asking the corporations, the ones who have already reaped windfalls from current tax laws and from the Trump tax cut, to pay their fair share and the same rates as nearly everybody else a fairly reasonable ask? Michael Alger is an English teacher in Napa, California, where he is a Department Leader and a Site Rep for his Union, the Napa Valley Educators Association, a chapter of the California Teachers Association. By Trend The plane of the flight J2-003 of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) that departed from Baku to Ankara at 10:35 (GMT+4) has returned to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Trend reports referring to AZAL on Feb. 29. As reported, the decision was made by the captain of the plane due to the technical problems. The plane landed safely at the Baku airport at 11:05. According to preliminary information, the flight is delayed until 12:30. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A Congress delegation on Saturday visited the violence-affected areas in North-East Delhi to take stock of the situation there and interacted with the victims and their families. The delegation, deputed by Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi comprises of party general secretary Mukul Wasnik, Delhi in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil, Haryana unit chief Kumari Selja, former MP Tariq Anwar and All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev. Speaking about the visit, Wasnik said: "Congress president Sonia Gandhi has sent us here as representative. We will work to bring back peace and brotherhood. It was very unfortunate that Delhi witnessed this violence. Now we need to bring back love and peace. We are here to deliver Sonia Gandhi's message. We are with violence-affected people in their pain." "People said some outsiders came with cloth on their face. So, they could not be identified. In the end, common people suffered losses. Those who have suffered loss should be helped. Everyone believes that peace should be restored. Our leader Sonia Gandhi had said on the first day that now we need to bring peace. So we have come here to talk about peace," Selja told ANI. Sushmita Dev said that the story of violence is horrible. "We are trying to talk to the people who were affected by the violence. We will submit the report to the Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. It will take a lot of time to repair this damage," he said. Anwar demanded the Central and state government to compensate for the losses of the people. "Situation here is very unfortunate. We will try that harmony is restored again. There has been a huge loss of life and property. We demand Central and state governments to compensate for these losses. It is very sad that schools and religious places have been not spared. People have realised now that what has happened is wrong," he said. The committee is soon expected to submit a detailed report to the Congress chief after completing their visits to affected areas. At least 42 people have died while around 200 people sustained serious injuries in the violence that rocked North-East Delhi for four days. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of people who lost their lives in violence. He said that 5 lakh will be provided in cases of permanent incapacitation, Rs 2 lakh for serious injuries and Rs 20,000 for a minor injury. The prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 of the CrPC in the violence-hit north-east Delhi were relaxed for four hours on Saturday in view of the improvement in the situation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A militant was arrested along with three other persons from a hospital here on Saturday, police said. Wakeel Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Bijbehara area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, was arrested from the Bone and Joint Hospital in the city, police sources said. They said Bhat had ostensibly come to the hospital for treatment and two women and a man had accompanied him. Two pistols and a grenade were recovered from the militant's possession, the sources said. The four have been taken into custody and are being questioned, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of bunnies is called a fluffle. A fluffle! And you can find yourself in the middle of one at Bunnies in Baskets. The North Portland nonprofit is staffed entirely by volunteers who take the bunnies to nursing homes, care facilities and schools. You, too, can enjoy bunny love by visiting the Bunnies in Baskets studio at 201 N. Alberta St. I love them, said 13-year-old Cole Macnab, as he cradled a tiny black bunny in his arms. Theyre beautiful. Some of the bunnies wear tiny hats and bows. They nibble on bits of parsley or dried flowers. When happy, they make a soft tooth chattering sound, like a purr. Theyll jump into their plush beds, in anticipation of being cradled by people like a taco. They are almost distressingly adorable. Everything they do is cute, said Meghan Hakala, managing director for Bunnies in Baskets. Friday nights are hoppy hour, where for just $7 (cheaper than most cocktails youll find on Alberta Street) you can spend two hours snuggling people-friendly bunnies. These guys are all super extroverted, very social for bunnies, Hakala said. Not all bunnies are like this. Theres also the $5 Pet-a-Bunny hour on Saturdays, from 2-3 p.m. But if you want to full-on bunny experience, its best not to miss once-a-month Sunday Bunny Tea for $20 per person. First, youre served tea and sweet snacks. Then the tables are cleared and the bunnies come out. Theres a one-to-bun ratio so youre sure to get your fill. Melissa Burt of Vancouver brought her two daughters to Februarys tea, all three of them wearing their finest frilly fascinator headpieces. They desperately want bunnies but theyre a lot of work, so this is a way to get the benefits of bunnies without all the work, Burt said. She Googled place to snuggle bunnies in Portland and wound up here. Most of the bunnies at Bunnies in Baskets are rescues, but the nonprofit itself it not a rescue and does not accept or adopt animals. Bunnies in Baskets was founded in 2009 by Sarah Baran, who started doing therapy outreach with her black Labrador and eventually incorporated her pet rabbit into the work. Today, its grown to include about 20 well-socialized rabbits who live at a special bunny studio space. Hakala got involved two years ago. After she graduated from Portland State University with a degree in community health, she was looking to get experience working with animals. I was really interested in the growing field of human health and pet health and how we use animals for therapy and support, she said. She first tried visiting the Oregon Humane Society, but their volunteer orientation classes were filled up at the time. They had a list of other animal groups that needed volunteers right away, including Bunnies in Baskets. I was like, are you kidding me? This is everything I wanted to do. And bunnies? What? And its been all bunnies all the time, pretty much, she said. They stole my heart and ran away with it. The bunnies outreach work involves visiting people in care facilities and schools, and providing a bit of respite and relaxation for their human companions. Just watching them is very calming for people, Hakala said. Everything they do is cute, so its very distracting for people, especially when we go on visits to people who are in pain. The bunnies bring a little bit of joy and a little bit of something different. What makes a good Bunnies in Baskets rabbit? These are curious creatures who seek out human attention and love a good ear scratch. Theres something about a prey animal letting you into its world, and loving you and trusting you, Hakala said. Its very special. Find out more about Bunnies in Baskets or schedule a visit at bunniesinbaskets.org. This part of The Oregonian/OregonLives ongoing story and video series called Oregon Tails. Read some of our other stories below. -- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com; @editorswindler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. From the depths of the earth to the darkest corners of the ocean, there's still a fascinating well of life left to be discovered on this planet, but we were pretty sure we knew everything about frogs. We don't generally allow actual school kids to stab things with scalpels if there's any possibility of surprise. So imagine researchers' shock at their shock to discover that frogs glow in the dark. Apparently all of them. It's not clear why scientists at St. Cloud State University decided to put some amphibians under various wavelengths of light, but it seems likely that it was the product of an interdepartmental rave in the herpetology lab. This suspicion is not allayed by researcher Jennifer Lamb's report that the results of their first test were met with "a collective 'Woah!'" After observing glowing green light coming from the yellow spots of an Eastern tiger salamander, they tried it with another species. And then another. And then another. By the time the experiment was over (and they had presumably dealt with their hangovers), they couldn't find a single species that didn't glow in the dark. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Of course, scientists have known for years that various ocean animals, from jellyfish to sharks, exhibit what they call "bioluminescence" (that's the word for when your body glows), but they didn't tell me personally about the glowing sharks, which is pretty rude. They also didn't know that land animals could do it even though one trip to Burning Man would have proven it. Their working theory is that the trait evolved in amphibians because, much like the plumage adopted by niche pop culture fans, it helped them recognize each other so they can mate. Continue Reading Below Advertisement In fact, one species, the otherwise plain-looking Rio Cauca caecilian, displayed particularly bright light from its "reproductive cloacal disc." So we will leave you now with this glowing frog dick. Manna is the glowing frog dick of Twitter. NORTH GREENBUSH -- Town police said an arrest was made in a shots-fired case near River Road on Sunday, Feb. 23. North Greenbush and Troy police responded and determined that an argument began among a gathering of people in vehicles and on ATVs. One person pulled a rifle out of a vehicle and shot toward another person. Nobody was struck, and all fled the scene before police arrived, according to Chief David M. Keevern. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.27 By Rufiz Hafizoghlu Trend: Turkmenistan significantly increased car imports from Turkey in January 2020, Trend reported referring to the Turkish Ministry of Trade on February 27. Over the reporting period, Turkmenistan has imported cars in the amount exceeding $2.4 million from Turkey, which is an increase of 80.22 percent compared to January 2019. In January 2020, car exports from Turkey to the world market grew by 3.2 percent compared to the same period in 2019, exceeding $2.4 billion. Car exports accounted for 16.38 percent of Turkey's total exports in January 2020. From January 2019 through January 2020, car exports from Turkey has exceeded $30.6 billion, and amounted to 16.9 percent of total exports during the reported period. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of new COVID-19 infections outside of China is rising, while the turning point of the outbreak in China has not yet arrived. It is too early to relax. The number of new cases outside of China has outnumbered that reported inside China. Many Asian countries including Japan and the Republic of Korea have tightened quarantine measures after sudden increases of new infections were reported. More national governments have said they have plans to implement larger-scale quarantine if things worsen. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on the global community to be on heightened alert. The epidemic situation remains grim and complex. Any lax efforts at this crucial moment will cause huge losses, both for China and the world. While unity and global cooperation are in urgent need to curb the spread of the virus, some U.S. politicians have continued their smear campaign against China. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently accused China and Iran of covering up the severity of the epidemic. His words neglect the basic facts and are unbecoming of a top U.S. diplomat. China's transparency in the epidemic control should not be questioned. It updates the number of new infections, deaths and recoveries on a daily basis. China shared the virus's genetic sequence and other important information with the WHO, a significant move for other countries and multinational agencies to work out solutions for treatment. Pompeo's comment was even contradicted by President Donald Trump who praised China for "working hard and smart" in response to the outbreak. Such a groundless accusation reflects the ideological bias against China held by some U.S. politicians, who are obsessed with a Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset. It undermines their credibility as well as the mutual trust between people of both countries. To prevail over a disease that threatens us all, unity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon. Countries should change their mindset, build up their response capacity, communicate more and learn from each other. The war against the virus is ongoing. U.S. politicians should stop making untenable and irresponsible comments. The Delhi government on Friday granted sanction to the Delhi Police to prosecute former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 sedition case. "We have recieved the sanction from the Delhi government to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others in this case," a senior police officer told IANS. The Delhi Police Special Cell on February 19 wrote to the Delhi Home Secretary requesting 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 therefore 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." A Delhi court had asked the Delhi government to file a status report relating to the issue of pendency of sanction in the JNU sedition case to prosecute student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and others. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purshottam Pathak has also directed Delhi 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 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 at 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 Delhi Police 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. By IANS NEW DELHI: "I told him to come back to the village" were the first few words of 70-year-old Nathu Devi as she stepped out of Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital's mortuary on Saturday after identifying her son's body. Prem Singh went missing on February 25 from the Brij Puri area of northeast Delhi where the riots broke out. A wailing Nathu Devi said: "I always told him to come back and live with me. There is nothing in big cities. But he never agreed. Now they killed my son. I still can't believe he is gone." On around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Singh ventured out to buy milk for his toddler. When he didn't return for a some time, his family started searching for him. A neighbour, who accompanied Devi, her two daughters and daughter-in-law to the hospital, said, "Some neighbours suggested to look for him in the Bhajanpura area. But we couldn't get any trace of him. We filed an FIR at the Dayalpur police station and gave a missing add in the newspaper. The police officer asked us to check at the GTB Hospital. We found him in the mortuary." ALSO READ: Hindu-Muslim amity amid deadly Delhi riots Prem Singh, 27, has left behind three daughters and a 7-month pregnant wife. "All nearby shops were closed. I told him not to go far, kids can do without milk for a day. He went out, never to return," said Singh's sister. Singh came to Delhi from Kasganj in UP in search of a better life. He pulled rickshaw for living. His wife Sunita, 24, told IANS, "I don't know how I will look after the three children and one who is yet to born. He was the only breadwinner. The eldest is 14-yaer-old, and the other two 5 and 2 years old." ALSO READ: Hindu man saves six Muslim neighbours from torched house, struggles with severe burns As many as 41 people died and 200 others were injured in the Delhi riots that shook the northeast Delhi on February 23. Three corpses are yet to be identified at the GTB Hospital's morgue. "We intend to use (the DPA) to acquire anything we need to acquire. We won't use it unnecessarily," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told White House reporters at an off-camera briefing on Friday. Trump has repeatedly complained the Fed has not been aggressive enough in cutting rates. The Trump administration will invoke special powers through a law called the Defense Production Act (DPA) to rapidly expand domestic manufacturing to acquire 300 million N95 protective masks, as well as masks and gloves -- all at an estimated cost of half a billion dollars. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is poised to record its worst weekly slide since the 2008 financial crisis. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell issued a statement while trading was still under way Friday afternoon stating that the central bank will use its tools and "act as appropriate to support the economy." Powell said the "fundamentals of the U.S. economy remain strong," but "the coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity" and the Fed "is closely monitoring developments and their implications for the economic outlook." As U.S. stock indexes continued to plunge Friday, the White House national economic director, Larry Kudlow, told reporters that the country's economy remains fundamentally sound, adding, "I don't think people should panic." Kudlow, who is a member of the administration's newly formed coronavirus task force, said while there is currently no evidence of major supply chain disruptions, "that may be ahead of us." Donald Trump's presidency is facing one of its biggest challenges from the spread of the new coronavirus, which threatens to infect the healthy U.S. economy. Targeting Media, Opposition Earlier in the day, the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, blamed the media for exaggerating the seriousness of the coronavirus. "They think this will bring down the president, that's what this is all about," Mulvaney said at the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., on Friday accused members of the Democratic Party of wanting the coronavirus to kill "millions of people," which he told Fox News Channel is a "new level of sickness" by the opposition politicians. A Democratic congressman, John Garamendi, called Trump Jr's comment "totally outrageous." Appearing on MSNBC, the lawmaker said: "I can assure you that there's not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick." Democratic leaders in Congress have harshly criticized the president's response to the coronavirus outbreak. "For Mick Mulvaney to suggest that Americans turn off their TVs and bury their heads in the sand when they're worried about a global health pandemic is Orwellian, counterproductive, dangerous, and would be repeating China's mistake," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for "a well-coordinated, whole-of-government, fully-funded response" to keep Americans safe from the coronavirus threat. Azar said that the Trump administration is requesting a total of one billion dollars to support development of a COVID-19 vaccine. "The situation demands more support from Congress," he said. Administration officials say they want Trump to be able to sign a supplemental spending bill for funds to combat the coronavirus no later than the week after next. The officials are rejecting criticism they had previously cut funds for the Centers for Disease Control's budget on infectious diseases. The acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, calls such media reporting "flat out inaccurate." COVID-19 Numbers Globally there are more than 83,000 known cases of the viral disease, known as COVID-19, with nearly 2,900 reported deaths. In the United States, there are more than 60 cases, including the first possible transmission of the coronavirus in the community -- a woman in Northern California who is being treated at a hospital in Sacramento. About half of the U.S. cases are passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan. The vessel had previously visited China, the source of the outbreak. Hundreds of U.S. nationals have been repatriated from mainland China on State Department-chartered flights. They were then placed in 14-day quarantines on air bases in California. A whistleblower complaint, according to media reports, alleges federal employees sent to military bases did not follow safety protocols while interacting with those individuals and the government workers subsequently were not tested for COVID-19 before departing the bases and then were sent home on commercial flights. "We are fully investigating the allegations in the complaint," Azar told reporters on Friday. Two Cat Linh-Ha Dong trains leave the station in Hanoi during a trial run in September 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. A Chinese director of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line project, whod gone home for the Lunar New Year celebration, is now quarantined for 14 days after returning to work amid coronavirus epidemic. Tang Hong, director of the Cat Linh - Ha Dong Railway Project, is the only person among more than 100 Chinese experts with the metro line who has been allowed to return to Vietnam because he holds an official passport that makes him eligible for a visa to enter the country. Other Chinese experts have only personal passports, Vu Hong Phuong, deputy director of the project management board, said at a meeting on Friday. The group of Chinese experts from different provinces and cities in China had returned home to celebrate their most important holiday, the Lunar New Year, for which Vietnam had declared a national January 23-29 break. However, after the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, the Chinese government has forbidden its citizens from leaving the country and the Vietnamese government had suspended all flights to and from China, but resumed services with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau early this month. Hong will be quarantined until March 9 in accordance with the Health Ministrys regulations. To remove obstacles and allow the project to proceed, the management board proposed that the Transport Ministry asks the National Steering Committee on Prevention and Combat of Covid-19 to consider granting official visas to the remaining Chinese experts. Work on the line is complete, and it is now awaiting a final test run. The route runs 13 kilometers from Cat Linh in downtown Dong Da District to Yen Nghia in Ha Dong District. Work on the line started in 2011 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2013, but loan disbursement issues with China that were only resolved in December 2017 and other issues stalled it for years. The original cost estimate of $552.86 million has also ballooned to more than $868 million, which includes $670 million in loans from China. Coronavirus tsar Mike Pence is jetting off to Florida for a Republican fundraiser on Friday amid the health crisis that's causing fear among the country. The vice president was announced this week as being the lead person appointed by President Donald Trump to handle the containment of the high-spreading coronavirus in the US, shocking health officials including, reportedly, Trump's own health secretary. Trump's decision comes as the stock market is having its worst week since 2008 and the first known case of the coronavirus in America not linked to travel in China has surfaced. On Thursday, Pence organised a coronavirus task force meeting to discuss the impending pandemic, which the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said is not a matter of if but when. He also visited the Secretary's Operation Centre at Health and Human Services. Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty Amid the health crisis, Pence is choosing to still travel to Florida as a "special guest" for the Republican Party fundraiser, which is set to take place Friday evening. People attending the fundraiser in Longboat Key, Florida, can pay $2,500 to attend, $5,000 to also receive a selfie with the vice president, and $25,000 to dine with the man, according to an invitation obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. The Florida trip was scheduled before Trump announced on Wednesday he would be putting the coronavirus on Pence's plate. Pence's team potentially anticipated the backlash the vice president would receive for attending the fundraiser amid the health crisis. An item on his agenda titled "Florida coronavirus response meeting" was added before he left Washington DC. Katie Miller, the vice president's press secretary, also said Pence would be hosting coronavirus task force meetings on Friday and Saturday in Washington, according to CNN. The decision to nominate Pence to lead the coronavirus response in the US faced backlash, with people bringing up the vice president's previous history when dealing with health crises. When he was governor of Indiana, the state faced an HIV epidemic in 2014. One study in 2018 from the Lancet Medical Journal said the number of those infected by HIV would've been lower had the vice president acted sooner to the public health crisis. There are 60 known cases of the coronavirus currently in the US. None of the cases are based in Florida. Warning: Details in this article are disturbing and may be upsetting to readers A man who kidnapped a child who later gave birth to nine children with him has been sentenced to life in prison. Henri M. Piette repeatedly raped her for nearly two decades. He was sentenced Feb. 20 to life imprisonment for kidnapping and 30 years for traveling with intent to engage in sexual acts with a juvenile. He was found guilty in June. In 1997, Piette kidnapped the then 12-year-old victim from Poteau, Oklahoma, where she had been living with her mother, who had been in a relationship with the defendant, prosecutors said. He controlled the victim by extreme violence, threats of violence, and sexual abuse against her and her children, the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of Oklahoma said in a summary of the case. Testimony revealed Piette moved her and the kids multiple times within the U.S. and Mexico. For 20 years she feared for her and her childrens lives, United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said. She escaped in July 2016 with her children to the U.S. Consular General Offices in Nogales, Mexico. In 2017, police arrested Piette as he tried to reenter the U.S. and extradited him to Oklahoma, The Associated Press reported. Piette will also pay a $50,000 fine and just over $50,000 in restitution to the victim. Frank Reynolds, the former CEO of PixarBio Corporation who was charged by the SEC in a 2018 enforcement action, was sentenced on February 18, 2020 in a parallel criminal action to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. Reynolds was also ordered to pay $280,000 in forfeiture and approximately $7.5 million in restitution, with the exact amount of restitution to be determined at a later date. A federal jury convicted Reynolds on October 28 2019, of securities fraud and of obstructing the SEC's investigation. The two other defendants in the SEC and parallel criminal actions were also sentenced this month. Reynolds's friend M. Jay Herod and PixarBio employee Kenneth Stromsland previously pled guilty in the criminal case to securities fraud and obstructing the SEC's investigation. Herod was sentenced on February 20, 2020, to six months in prison and three years of supervised release with 400 hours of community service per year, and he was ordered to pay forfeiture/restitution of $120,000. Stromsland was sentenced on February 27, 2020 to six months home confinement and three years supervised release with 200 hours of community service per year, and ordered to pay a $60,000 fine and forfeiture of $27,500. The criminal charges against Reynolds arose from the same conduct alleged in the SEC's complaint against PixarBio, Reynolds, Stromsland, and Herod. The SEC's complaint alleged that PixarBio, Reynolds, and Stromsland misled investors with false claims about PixarBio's progress in developing a purported method of delivering non-opiate, post-operative pain medication. The complaint also alleged that Reynolds, Herod, and Stromsland engaged in a fraudulent scheme to acquire and merge PixarBio with a publicly traded company and to secretly manipulate the sales of shares in the new entity. The SEC previously obtained a preliminary injunction to stop the ongoing fraud and freeze assets held by Reynolds and PixarBio. The SEC's civil action against PixarBio, Reynolds, Stromsland, and Herod was stayed pending the resolution of the criminal action and remains pending. Atlanta It has been six years since Jay Leno left "The Tonight Show" as host but, unlike his predecessor Johnny Carson, he has remained super active. CNBC has aired 60 episodes of "Jay Leno's Garage." He still pops up on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" to crack jokes. He was a guest judge on "America's Got Talent." And he continues to do a whopping 210 stand-up tour dates a year, a volume comics half his age would envy. "I love being a comic," the 69-year-old Leno said in a recent interview. "I'm always stunned when people ask me, 'Why don't you retire?' What's more fun than stand-up? I would be doing the same thing at the corner bar telling jokes." Telling jokes to a live audience is like oxygen to him. And he has told tens of thousands of them. That is why he refuses to take millions from the likes of Netflix to do a stand-up special. That means he would have to "retire" that material. And seriously, Leno does not need the money. "I'd rather do 50 shows," he said. "Or 60 shows. I don't want to do just one show for an entire year." He said he was never an actor. He never tried to micro-manage "The Tonight Show." His primary focus was garnering laughs. "I've always been a believer in low self-esteem," Leno said. "I never think I'm the smartest person in the room. I hired experienced people to produce and direct. I let them do their jobs. I'd watch some music act telling our sound guy how it should sound and the lighting guy how it should look. It never looked or sounded as good." Leno's monologue over the years got longer and longer, from six to 14 minutes, as he decided to focus on what the viewers wanted and what he loved. That also meant he needed more writers. Eventually, he'd have two shifts of writers; a day shift and a night shift. He let people choose one or the other and work at home if they needed to. He treated them with respect. As a result, he had very little turnover. And while many people still identify him as a late-night talk show host, he is a stand-up comic first and foremost. "David Letterman was a broadcaster who did comedy," he said. "I am a comedian who did broadcasting. Neither is better or worse. Dave was more comfortable in the broadcast role than I was. I don't think David liked stand-up all that much. I remember he opened for Tony Orlando and hated it." It's hard to believe now, but comics used to open for musical acts like Orlando in the 1960s and 1970s. He remembered opening for Rare Earth in the early 1970s and the microphone wire was inexplicable in the audience. Someone grabbed the wire and pulled his mic off the stage. "I was chasing after the mic and then it was gone," he said. "I was charged $75 for losing that mic!" Another time he recalled opening for James Brown in Greenville, South Carolina. Brown liked to get paid in cash upfront. The promoter, Leno recalled, didn't have the cash in hand but said it was at his home. So Brown, instead of going on stage to start the concert, drove with the promoter to get his money. Leno had to riff an extra hour on stage. "The crowd was yelling, 'Get off the stage (expletive!)'" he said. In 1987, he hosted the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where the comic is supposed to roast the president right in front of said president. One official warned Leno not to be too tough on Ronald Reagan but then Secretary of State George Shultz sidled up to him and told him, "Nail Ronny's (expletive) to the wall." When Leno told him about the other dude's warning, Shultz waved him off, saying "(Expletive) him. He works for me!" Leno said he was still nervous, opening with a joke about Nancy Reagan winning a humanitarian of the year award. "I'm glad she beat out that conniving (expletive) Mother Theresa!" He heard Ronald Reagan guffaw and knew he was going to be OK. He is glad he doesn't have to make jokes every night on TV in today's environment because of Donald Trump. "It's really hard to do a different version of the same joke every night without being condescending," he said. "There's almost no relief. When everything you say is outrageous, nothing is outrageous." Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed this week. Government forces, backed by Russian air power, have waged a major assault to capture the northwest province of Idlib, part of the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey. Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday kept up air strikes on the Idlib city of Saraqeb, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The strategic city sits ... Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said that the raid at Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia's residence is a political vendetta against his government. "The government is not against any investigation into corruption cases but the officials should have informed us before coming out on the streets with armed forces," Baghel told reporters. He was speaking to the reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur after his flight to Delhi got diverted to Jaipur. He was scheduled for a meeting with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. Earlier today, the Chief Minister said that the state Congress Committee will stage a protest outside Income-Tax Department's office on Saturday. This comes after officials of the Income Tax Department conducted a raid at Saumya Chaurasia's residence in Bhilai on Friday. "We met the Governor of the state and put forward our point of view as to how people were not even informed about the I-T raids. They are roaming around in the state with the armed forces from Jagdalpur to Raigarh, creating an atmosphere of fear. State Congress Committee will stage a demonstration outside the I-T office today," Baghel told reporters here. The I-T Department on Thursday conducted raids at 25 premises, including those of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Ajaz Dhebar and senior IAS officers in the state. The officials raided properties of Ajaz Dhebar, his brother Anwar Dhebar and liquor baron Pappu Bhatiya. Searches were also conducted on the premises of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, Vivek Dhand and Anil Tuteja. Dhand is also a former Chief Secretary of the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick says he is prepared to do business with anybody to form a government if it means a full restoration of services to the Louth county hospital. The 33rd Dail sat for the first time last Thursday without being able to elect a Taoiseach, and the following afternoon Fitzpatrick revealed a new technical group, of which he is a member, will meet with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael this week. The chairman of Louth GAA county board is one of nine Independent TDs in the Regional Group, alongside Sean Canney (Galway East), Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway), Michael Lowry (Tipperary), Peadar Toibin (Meath West), Verona Murphy (Wexford), Noel Grealish (Galway West), Cathal Barry (Kildare South) and Matt Shanahan (Waterford). 'There are 21 Independent TDs but since we returned it seemed Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were doing all the talking,' said Fitzpatrick. 'We felt we had no voice, so nine of us got together on Thursday to form a group for speaking time.' A group or party is required to have 5 TDs for speaking time in the Dail, while a group of seven deputies can put questions to the Taoiseach of the day. While Fitzpatrick and other members of the group have stressed it was created for speaking time and Leaders' Questions, he said that after the Regional Group was formed they were approached by Fianna Fail and by Fine Gael and have agreed to meet. 'We are all still individuals,' the Louth TD added of his fellow group members, 'we can still go our own way.' The former soldier in the Irish Army abstained in each of the votes to elect a Taoiseach on Thursday. He explained he is prepared to sit down with all parties should it come to his vote being needed to form the next government. And his price? 'I am looking for the full restoration of services to the Louth county hospital,' he replied unequivocally. 'I have always said 'your health is your wealth' and since I became a TD in 2011 I have been fighting for all services back in the Louth.' He referenced the number of people having to pass 'one of the best hospitals in the country' to get treatment elsewhere. Fitzpatrick continued the Dundalk hospital was one issue he heard most about in the lead-up to the General Election. 'People trusted me with their no. 1 vote. I won't let them down.' By Pete Schroeder WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S.-based banks and brokers are in discussions with federal regulators about allowing staff to work from home and other business continuity arrangements amid the spread of the coronavirus, the head of a top financial trade group said on Thursday. The industry is reviewing and updating contingency plans in order to minimize any potential disruption to the financial markets that could be caused by personnel being unable to work onsite, said Kenneth Bentsen Jr., said chief executive of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). "We are communicating with the government, and obviously we will rely upon the appropriate officials, particularly both our regulatory officials and public health officials, to guide us " he told Reuters on Thursday. "But the firms are also going through what they would do in a pandemic situation that could impact market operations," he said, adding that most firms have playbooks for handling a range of business disruptions, including pandemics. In addition to remote working arrangements, financial firms could potentially move staff to backup locations away from major cities, he said. Several major banks in Hong Kong and Singapore - including HSBC, Morgan Stanley and DBS Bank - have restricted travel to mainland China and are allowing staff to work from home. On Tuesday, Chevron Corp asked about 300 British employees to work from home indefinitely after an employee in its London office reported a flu-like illness. The financial industry is also discussing with regulators rules that may need to be temporarily waived if staff are unable to get to work, since some functions require personnel to be physically onsite. For example, processing trades and monitoring trading communications remain heavily manual processes, he said. The Wall Street planning effort comes amid growing fears that countries are struggling to contain the flu-like virus, prompting governments from Iran to Australia to shut schools, cancel big public events and stock up on medical supplies. Story continues On Thursday, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission told Reuters it is closely monitoring trading as fears of a pandemic pummel markets, sinking global equities, pushing oil futures to their lowest in a year and roiling wheat and corn markets. The Basel Committee of banking regulators, an international regulatory body, said banks and regulators should be ready to share information across borders as it tries to assess the financial stability implications of the outbreak. Federal regulators published guidance in 2007 on how the financial industry should plan for a potential pandemic. That followed a 2007 exercise in which the government and financial industry tested the resilience of banks and other financial firms in the face of a hypothetical flu pandemic. That three-week exercise found that while there would be a significant impact on the financial sector, markets would continue to operate. SIFMA typically coordinates the industry's continuity planning efforts, and carries out regular drills. "Our job is to do as much preparedness as we can ... and to be as resilient as possible," said Bentsen. "That's been up and running for several weeks now, and we're prepared." (Reporting by Pete Schroeder; editing by Michelle Price and Jonathan Oatis) Cathaoirleach Kerry County Council Cllr Niall Kelleher, presenting Vincent OConnor, Listowel, with his award, in recognition of his heroic rescue of John Kelliher(far left) in 1972, at the Kerry County Council Annual Awards on Friday night. Also included is Moira Murrell, Chief Executive of the Council. Photo: Valerie OSullivan Two Listowel men were honoured at Kerry County Council's annual Community Awards night for the young life they saved on the River Feale back in 1972. But their quick and decisive action on the day ultimately meant they would go on to help save countless more lives. For John Kelliher, who they rescued from the Feale, grew up to become a paramedic and fire fighter - a choice of career he thanked his rescuers Vincent O'Connor and Martin Guerin for at Friday's ceremony. Vincent and Martin were two of a number of community heroes from the Listowel municipal district honoured at the ceremony - in what was their second brush with fame over an incident that occurred back in 1972. They were nominated for the award by Listowel Cathaoirleach Jimmy Moloney, receiving it much to John Kelliher's delight. John's hazy memory of the whole thing is eerie: "I remember going under the water but I resurfaced again but for some reason I could not call out for help. I just remember everything was so quiet. The next thing I remembered was waking up in hospital." John B Keane reported on the story for the Limerick Leader at the time under the heading 'Teenage boys rush in where grown men fear to tread', and there is no beating his telling of it. "On Sunday last a group of boys were bathing in the Corporal's [a pool on the Feale near the Kerry plant] when an older boy noticed that a younger boy was missing. The missing boy was John Kelliher...After a search, his body was seen at the bottom of the pool by 14-year old Vincent O'Connor of O'Connell's Avenue," John B wrote, continuing: "Quickly Vincent managed to drag him ashore with the help of other boys, but little John Kelliher was unconscious and seemingly dead. He was blue all over and not breathing. "However, a 13-year old boy, by the name of Martin Guerin of Convent Street, decided to try the kiss of life, which he had seen expertly performed on television. Meanwhile, Doctor Johnny Walsh, who was swimming further up at the opposite side, was being summoned. He swam across at once. When he arrived he found that John Kelliher was breathing, thanks to the kiss-of-life treatment by Martin Guerin." Meanwhile, a group of men who had seen the disaster unfold were upbraided by Dr Walsh for not rushing in, and leaving it to Vincent and Martin. Tragically, one of the youngsters who first noticed John was missing that day - John Walsh of O'Connell's Avenue - would himself drown at that exact same spot just one year later. He was remembered with deep affection by John and Vincent on Friday. Martin Guerin was unable to make the event due to commitments in Dublin. A divided U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a major legal victory on Friday by dismissing a Democratic-led congressional panel's lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena for testimony from former White House Counsel Donald McGahn. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit endorsed the Trump administration's argument that the court had no place in settling the closely watched dispute between the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government. In doing so, it appeared to endorse an expansive view of presidential powers and prerogatives. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel overturned a Nov. 25 ruling by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson that the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's April subpoena to McGahn was lawful. In that ruling, Jackson declared 'no one is above the law.' Friday's decision represented a vindication for the Republican president's sweeping directive that current and former officials defy congressional requests for testimony and documents on impeachment and a broad range of other subjects. The two judges in the majority in the ruling were appointed by Republican presidents. The dissenting judge was appointed by a Democratic president. Legal victory: The 2-1 appeal court ruling that Don McGahn cannot be compelled by the courts to testify was good news for Donald Trump Off the hook - for now: Don McGahn the White House counsel until October 2018 cannot be compelled by the courts to testify, two Republican-nominated judges ruled Blow to Democrats: The subpoena was issued by the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jerry Nadler, before Nancy Pelosi ordered an impeachment inquiry The Judiciary Committee had sought testimony from McGahn, who left his post in October 2018, about Trump's efforts to impede former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that documented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. The administration argued both that senior presidential advisers are 'absolutely immune' from being forced to testify to Congress about official acts and that courts lack jurisdiction to resolve such disputes. McGahn defied the subpoena in May. The committee sued to enforce it in August, a month before the House launched its impeachment inquiry against Trump centering on his request that Ukraine investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden and his son. The Democratic-led House impeached Trump in December. The Republican-led Senate acquitted him this month. The Justice Department, in arguing that federal courts should stay out of disputes between the executive and legislative branches, said Congress has other ways to address an administration's intransigence including withholding funding for the government and the ultimate power of impeachment to remove a president from office. The two judges in the majority in the ruling, Thomas Griffith and Karen Henderson, agreed with that argument, writing, 'Congress will obtain only the concessions it can wrest from the Executive Branch with the ample but imperfect tools at its disposal.' Griffith was appointed by Republican former President George W. Bush, while Henderson was appointed by Republican former President George H.W. Bush. The court did not rule definitively on the Trump administration's absolute immunity claim, but Henderson said in her own separate concurring opinion that the argument 'rests on somewhat shaky legal ground.' The dissenting judge, Judith Rogers, said the decision 'all but assures future Presidential stonewalling of Congress, and further impairs the House's ability to perform its constitutional duties.' Rogers was appointed by Democratic former president Bill Clinton. Over-ruled: Attorney General Bill Barr's Department Of Justice argued that Congress should use two other tools to enforce subpoenas - its power to withhold funding from the executive, and impeachment. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled against it but was overturned on appeal Representatives of the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Department were not immediately available for comment. A report by Mueller, released by the Justice Department in redacted form last April, portrayed McGahn as one of the few individuals close to Trump to challenge the president when he sought to have the special counsel removed. Trump repeatedly instructed McGahn to have Mueller ousted and then asked him to deny having been so instructed when word of the action emerged in news accounts, according to the report. McGahn did not carry out either instruction. House Democratic leaders focused their impeachment inquiry on Trump's actions toward Ukraine, not Mueller's findings. But as the case proceeded lawyers for the Judiciary Committee told the court that McGahn's testimony would be 'vital' to the impeachment proceedings. There are other important legal battles over presidential powers still being waged. Three cases will be argued before the Supreme Court on March 31 focusing on Trump's contention that a House committee and a New York City prosecutor are powerless to enforce subpoenas to obtain his financial records. Another important legal fight was put on hold by a federal judge awaiting the McGahn case's outcome. In that case, the House Ways and Means Committee sued the Treasury Department to force it to hand over years of Trump's individual and business federal tax returns. The Democrats are almost certain to appeal the 2-1 ruling, and can either ask the entire appeals court to hear it, a hearing known as 'en banc,' or take it to the Supreme Court. By Kim Se-jeong Calls are growing for Yoido Full Gospel Church, Gwanglim Methodist Church and other protestant mega-churches to halt all worship services, including those on Sunday, amid growing fears of the spread of COVID-19. Myung Sung and Somang churches canceled all of their services after both members and a pastor were confirmed to have been infected, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Onnuri Church was the first to voluntarily axe services, replacing them with online worship. However, Youngnak Presbyterian Church in Seoul has thus far kept its Sunday worship, claiming that it should continue in a time of crisis. The Full Gospel Church also refused to cancel its Sunday services. Korea is home to a number of protestant mega-churches with more than 10,000 members each. Seoul and Gyeonggi Province alone have at least 20. Some of the most concerned about the continuation of services are those who live near the places of worship. "I am not a member of the church and so it's worrisome to see so many people gathering in a small space nowadays. My neighbor might be a member and I could meet them in an elevator on their way home from the service," a resident who lives near the Full Gospel Church on Yeouido told a local newspaper. The "second-wave" of the coronavirus outbreak here has already seen a religious organization as a hot-bed for the spread of infections. The number of confirmed patients grew exponentially in Daegu because of one infected churchgoer who attended a Shincheonji worship service with thousands of other people. The Catholic Church and Buddhist authorities in Korea have already canceled their major religious activities nationwide. An expert on religions here explained that the reluctance of the Protestant churches to follow suit was probably financially driven. "Protestant churches have no support from other organizations or the government, and rely heavily on membership offerings," said Kim Jip-joong, secretary general of the Religion Transparency Center. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. A detailed analysis report of the Global Geosynthetics Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments. Geosynthetics are polymeric products employed with geotechnical materials for engineering applications. These applications majorly include civil engineering and environmental protection projects. Geosynthetics utilizes durable polymers such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polyester. They possess properties such as stiffness, strength, durability, etc. This polymeric material performs functions such as filtration, reinforcement, separation, drainage, protection, and barrier. Asia Pacific is the leading geography and fastest growing market in terms of demand for geosynthetics. China, Russia, India South Korea and Malaysia are witnessing rapid growth in this region. North America is the second leading geography in the global geosynthetics market. Rise in construction projects, governments interventions, emergence of transportation sector, wide-ranging applications in mining, erosion control and waste management, etc. are the dynamics for the growth of the global geosynthetics market. Browse the complete Global Geosynthetics Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/259-geosynthetics-market-report The major companies in the global geosynthetics market are: NAUE GmbH & Co. KG Propex Global Huifeng Geosynthetics FiberWeb PLC GSE Environmental GEO Synthetics LLC Low & Bonar PLC TenCate Geosynthetics Agru America Tenax Corporation Polymer Group, Inc. Others SEGMENTATIONS IN REPORT: Geosynthetics By Material Types: HDPE Polypropylene Polyester Other Polymeric Alloys Geosynthetics By Products: Geotextiles Geomembranes Geogrids Geofoams Geonets Geocells Geocomposites Geosynthetic Clay Liners Others Geosynthetics By Applications: Road & Pavements Railroad Stabilization Drainage Systems Containment & Waste Water Water Management Mining Soil Reinforcement Erosion Control Others Geosynthetics By Geography: Asia Pacific North America Europe Latin America Middle East And Africa Download Free Sample Report of Global Geosynthetics Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-259 The Global Geosynthetics Market has been exhibited in detail in the following chapters - Chapter 1 Geosynthetics Market Preface Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Geosynthetics Industry Analysis Chapter 4 Geosynthetics Market Value Chain Analysis Chapter 5 Geosynthetics Market Analysis By Material Types Chapter 6 Geosynthetics Market Analysis By Products Chapter 7 Geosynthetics Market Analysis By Applications Chapter 8 Geosynthetics Market Analysis By Geography Chapter 9 Competitive Landscape Of Geosynthetics Companies Chapter 10 Company Profiles Of Geosynthetics Industry Purchase the complete Global Geosynthetics Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-259 Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com: Global Photoresist Chemicals Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 Global Vibration Damping Chemicals Market Research Report - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026 About-Us: DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed. For more details: DecisionDatabases.com E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com Phone: +91 9028057900 Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ CARBONDALE The census isnt terribly exciting on its face, but Southern Illinois civic leaders are asking citizens in the region to rethink this perception. Chris Wallace is Carbondales development services director and has been working over the last year with a team to help get the word out about the forthcoming 2020 census count. He said its a lot more than an anecdotal snapshot of a community. Its actually a pretty serious matter. Wallace said for Carbondale in particular the census count has a direct tie to its home rule status the ability of the city to levy its own taxes. If the citys census count falls below 25,000, Wallace said, a referendum would automatically go onto the following general municipal election in April 2023 asking if the citizens wanted the city to retain its home rule status. Aside from home rule, Wallace said, the census count is a matter of money. For each person counted, Wallace said, there is between $1,000 and $2,000 in combined state and federal funding for programs like public transit and other services. Theres so much at stake, Wallace said. Our biggest hope is we can get the response rate up, he said, pointing to a 67% response rate during a previous count. That means getting the word out, often and loudly. Thats where Carl Flowers and his team with the Carbondale NAACP chapter come in. Flowers said his group received grant money from the Illinois Secretary of State to help get the word out to difficult-to-count populations. He said the poor, persons and color and immigrant communities are their core target across five counties: Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Pulaski and Alexander. At this juncture, and for nearly the past year, Flowers said the goal has simply been education. Flowers said for persons of color from his generation, which saw the Civil Rights Movement firsthand, the idea of being fully counted has particular resonance. Growing up, the history of enslaved persons counting only as three-fifths of a person was still in the minds of many in his community. So, for this group, he said stressing this complete count can be effective. But, he said, he also ties the census directly to the communities they are reaching out to. An accurate count can mean increased funding for schools for their children. For people of color, your being counted does make a difference, he said. He said that if people dont take the time to answer the census questions, they dont have a lot of room to complain about poor schools, hospitals and other community services. Your voice makes a difference, here, he said. But, its not an easy battle to fight. He said some people of color can have a mistrust of the federal government. Flowers and Wallace both said the recently nixed citizenship question is still having an impact on the willingness of some to participate. I think just the fact that was thrown (out) there scared a lot of people, Wallace said. The citizenship question was blocked from being put on the census questionnaire. In fact, the governments census website said no answer provided to a census-taker can be used against a person. The law prevents the Census Bureau from sharing your information with law enforcement, a Q&A on the census website says. Flowers said the NAACPs outreach efforts have focused a lot on connecting with community leaders, namely ministers. He said specifically in the African American and Hispanic communities, church leaders have a lot of influence. He said they are trying to get their message into the pulpit on Sundays. There is still time to get the word out, though. On March 25, there will be a census kickoff event at the Carbondale Middle School, where community members can come and learn about the census. Just before this, cards will have gone in the mail, informing residents of the three ways to be counted: through a paper form, online and even over the phone. For those that dont do it on their own, there will also be door-to-door visits from census counters. Flowers said he understands that with all the troubles some may be facing in their community, answering personal questions for the feds may seem last on the list of important issues. But Flowers said its still important, and he and his team are just trying to reach them where they are. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A woman who had sex with an El Paso County sheriffs deputy after her arrest for drunken driving on Christmas Eve 2018 was super drunk when the deputy took her to a hospital for a blood test, a medical worker said. A UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central employee who drew her blood told police the woman behaved erratically and that he could easily see her being manipulated into something, according to the Colorado Springs police report obtained recently by The Gazette. The workers observations are among new details that potentially corroborate the womans claim, in a federal lawsuit, that then-Deputy David Kwiecien coerced her into sex while she was still gravely intoxicated, which the lawsuit characterized as rape. Under Colorado law, having sex with someone who is unconscious, asleep or otherwise unable to consent is considered sexual assault, a felony that can result in lengthy prison sentence, even a life term. Kwiecien, 45, a three-year veteran of the Sheriffs Office, was fired in April for the sexual encounter but wasnt charged with a sex crime. An investigation has determined that the conduct occurred when the woman was no longer in custody and had returned to her home, and, while (Kwieciens) actions were highly inappropriate and unprofessional, they do not rise to the level of criminal charges under Colorado law, the 4th Judicial District Attorneys Office said in a June statement. However, in their statement, prosecutors didnt disclose that the womans blood-alcohol content was .287%, more than three times the legal limit for drivers, raising questions whether she was capable of granting consent under Colorado law. Kwiecien declined to comment when reached by phone on Friday, implying he was following an attorneys advice. Under questioning by police, he acknowledged that the woman, while still at the hospital, said she "would do anything" to get out of a DUI, the report said. But he said he believed she had largely sobered up during her time there. According to the 243-page police report, the womans blood was tested at roughly 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and the sex occurred about four hours later. A persons blood-alcohol content decreases about .015% every hour as the body metabolizes alcohol, medical experts say. Four hours after testing a BAC level of .287% would bring a slight decrease to about .227%, still nearly three times the legal limit for driving. But experts also say there are many factors that contribute to a persons tolerance including age, weight, gender, medications and a history of substance abuse. While those factors play a large role, a person with a BAC of .227% would generally exhibit strong signs of impaired judgment, slowed reaction time and a loss of physical coordination, said Amanda Smith, director of the Substance Use Disorders division at Aspen Pointe. However, someone who frequently uses alcohol may build up a tolerance that can create the illusion that you are not impaired, Smith added in an email. The womans son told police that when he picked her up at the hospital and took her home she was on her way to being blackout or pass-out drunk. Kwiecien was still in uniform when he visited the woman shortly after her return home, saying he needed more information for his report. The then-deputy returned at 2 a.m., after his shift was done. He left less than an hour later, after they had sex. The report includes text messages showing that Kwiecien pursued sex from the woman for several days afterward, even after she joked about her DUI ticket getting lost and requested his help with a potential jail term. In each case, Kwiecien declined to intervene or otherwise sidestepped her requests. But in follow-up messages, the deputy renewed his overtures, including asking her if she wanted to be FWBs, or friends with benefits, a common term for casual sex partners. In comments to a Gazette reporter in January, District Attorney Dan May suggested the womans text messages with Kwiecien had factored into the decision not to charge him. Asked if its possible for someone to engage in consensual sex with a BAC of .287%, May responded: How much of the facts do you know? Are you aware of the communications, and the form of the communications? May said he wouldnt elaborate before he checked what was in the public sphere. May offered to conduct a more formal interview at a later date, but rescinded the offer through his spokeswoman, who referred a reporter back to the written statement from June. A jury convicted the woman of drunken driving in December. Details of her sentence werent immediately available. She has a previous drunken-driving conviction dating to 2010. Her lawsuit, filed in December in U.S. District Court in Denver, blamed a loophole in the Sheriffs Offices policy prohibiting sex between deputies and jail inmates, and between employees and prospective employees. It allegedly was silent about people who were arrested and released from custody. Claiming her memory of the night was spotty, she said she didnt remember letting Kwiecien into her house, or getting undressed. Kwiecien later told her she was naked when she opened the door to greet him. She claimed she was in and out of consciousness during the sex, and that she vaguely remembered Kwiecien getting dressed afterward, when he asked her if she even knew his name. She didnt remember the traffic stop, or meeting Kwiecien, and said that she was still intoxicated when she woke up the next morning. She told investigators that "she wished she could forget all of the little bits and pieces she did remember, and that may make life easier." "I can't remember most of it," she said. During a recorded phone call arranged by police investigators, Kwiecien apologized for his conduct but denied that he had preyed on her. I actually didnt think you were that drunk, he said. Kwiecien also told the woman during the recorded call that he should have waited, and that it had been a real long time since anyone showed interest in me." It was a moment of weakness on my behalf, he added. Detectives who interviewed Kwiecien asked him why he turned off his body-worn camera during the initial stop at the woman's home, and why he muted it several times at the hospital. Kwiecien responded that he does have a bad habit of muting the camera, saying, I know I do that sometimes. Under questioning by police, Kwiecien said that the woman was flirting at the hospital and that she told him she "would do anything" to get out of a DUI. He said he believed she had largely sobered up at the hospital, however, and that he suspected her of being a functional alcoholic when he saw the blood results in January. Kwiecien described their sexual encounter as makeup sex, saying it was when people were mad but they still had sex. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Benny Gantz were wrapping up another bitter election campaign on Saturday, before voters cast their ballots for the third time in 12 months. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, has been charged on several counts of corruption but is battling fiercely to maintain his grip on power. After inconclusive elections in April and September, latest opinion polls put the two opponents neck and neck in a gruelling political triathlon. According to the projections, Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance would each win 33 seats in the 120-member Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Monday's polls. That result would be almost identical to the previous round, after which each leader tried and failed to form a government. In previously unannounced television interviews aired separately Saturday evening, Gantz and Netanyahu ripped into each another. Netanyahu told private Channel 12 that his opponent, a decorated former head of Israel's armed forces, was "not fit to be prime minister" of Israel. "He is weak, he's not a leader," the incumbent said. The same interviewer earlier asked Gantz if he would join a coalition under Netanyahu if the third round also failed to produce a clear winner. "There is no situation in which I will sit under Netanyahu as prime minister when he has three charges against him," Gantz replied. The opinion polls show that even with their respective allies -- the right and Jewish Orthodox parties for Netanyahu and the centre-left for Gantz -- neither side could gather the 61 seats necessary to form a viable coalition. Later Saturday, the leaders were to speak at final pre-election rallies, both in the Tel Aviv area. Judging from a barrage of social media messages, their central goal will be to get their voters out. With a country largely jaded by three general elections in less than a year along with municipal polls in between, voter turnout is the great unknown. In Israel's last general election in September, turnout was 1.5 percentage points higher than in April, largely due to an unexpected surge in Arab votes. - Coronavirus casts shadow - Israeli Arab parties, united in the Joint List alliance, garnered 13 Knesset seats, making them the third-largest grouping, after Blue and White's 33 and Likud's 32. This time around they hope to do better still, due to Arab voters' opposition to US President Donald Trump's controversial Middle East peace plan, which is supported by both Netanyahu and Gantz. "We want the fall of Netanyahu because he is the greatest inciter against Arab citizens and the godfather of the 'Deal of the Century'," Joint List leader Ayman Odeh said, using a common nickname for the Trump plan. The plan endorses the Jewish state's major priorities at the expense of the Palestinians, who gave no input to the Trump initiative and rejected it immediately. There is another new element in this third round -- the novel coronavirus. Over the past 10 days, electioneering has shared media headlines with the global COVID-19 epidemic which has reached Israel with six officially confirmed cases of infection. Israeli authorities have set up a call centre to screen potential cases and reassure the public, and Israel has entry to foreign travellers from various countries, most recently Italy. Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan has warned against potential attempts to spread false rumours about the outbreak in order to diminish voter turnout. - Netanyahu trial - On the boulevards of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, posters from the Netanyahu camp urge his supporters to come out on polling day to support their leader, whose graft trial opens on March 17 in Jerusalem. In November, the 70-year-old, who has spent 14 years as prime minister, became the only head of government in the history of Israel to be indicted while in office. He is charged with corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust. But if, with his allies, he can win a majority of seats in parliament, Netanyahu will be able to appear before the courts in a position of strength and keep his job as prime minister, at least until justice has run its course with all appeals exhausted. If he cannot control 61 seats, he will find himself embroiled in frenzied horse-trading to try to stay on at the head of a coalition at the very moment when his trial for corruption begins. Carter Lake residents are being advised to use bottled water because of concerns of bacterial contamination. City officials said Friday that a problem with the water supply system could lead to high manganese levels. Manganese in drinking water can pose serious health concerns, officials said. The system has since been repaired, repressurized and bacteria samples were collected, according to an advisory posted to the citys Facebook page. The city is working with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to resolve the situation. The city said it will have test results on the water and expects to lift the advisory today. Well have the test results (today) and will push it out with the same email I did (Friday), Carter Lake City Clerk Jackie Carl said, mentioning an email list that goes to residents and local media. Updates on the advisory will also be posted to the citys Facebook page. This advisory is a precaution until bacterial sample results are available, the advisory said. You will be notified when the results are available and the advisory is lifted. Water may be used for bathing, but bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth and food preparation until further notice, the city said. Residents should not boil, freeze or filter the water. Excessive boiling can make the manganese more concentrated. For more information, contact Johnathan McDonald at 402-669-8373. Stewart with the BH News Service contributed from Omaha. A marine engineer gave evidence yesterday to the trial of a father-of-two accused of drugging and dumping his wife off a holiday cruiser. The engineer, from the Manor House Marina and Cottages Ltd, said he had only filled out the "boat acceptance certificate" the following morning - after hearing that 35-year-old Lu Na McKinney had drowned on Fermanagh's Lower Lough Erne. He admitted ticking the boat's safety check list to show it had four life jackets - only two life jackets were on board. Stephen McKinney's Dungannon Crown Court trial has already heard claims that Lu Na's death in the early hours of April 13, 2017, was "no tragic accident". The 43-year-old, originally from Strabane, but who lived with his wife and children in Flaxfield, Convoy, Co Donegal, and now has an address in Castletown Square, Fintona, Co Tyrone, denies murdering his wife. Under cross-examination by defence QC Martin O'Rourke, the engineer, who accepted he held no qualifications to give tuition on handling cruisers, said that Mr McKinney should have had the form and to tick off each item on the check list as he was instructed on it. Telling the court he "thought it was my fault something had happened", he initially got the check list to see if there was "anything I could have done better ... a girl had just died". And the more he "thought about it", he realised there were only two life jackets on-board the cruiser, but that he had "advised Stephen" to go and collect two more, for the children, from the marina reception, and thought they had done so. Although the engineer accepted he had ticked the box showing the boat had four life jackets, he denied "falsifying" the document, and claimed, "this was just me being stupid", and that the form had "nothing to do with the woman's death". "It was just my own stupidity I was doing it," said the engineer, who accepted that it was his responsibility to ensure there was an adequate number of jackets on-board, and that he had dated the form April 12, when the McKinney family took out the cruiser. Although at one stage he said he had filled out the form after "panicking", he later added it had no legal status, and "was worth nothing" because it was not signed. However, he denied creating the form as part of "a cover-up" and only after police came looking for it as part of their investigation. Earlier in his evidence, he told prosecution QC Richard Weir that he had advised Mr McKinney not to moor overnight on an island as it would be harder to reach them in an emergency or if the boat broke down. He also said he had told him to avoid the west jetty on Devenish Island as there was a mucky path to the historic site and that there would be more shelter on the east side of the island. Asked about his capabilities in handling the cruiser, the engineer said that Mr McKinney had been "okay driving the boat". He also told the jury that while demonstrating the workings of the boat, Mrs McKinney paid little interest and sat reading a newspaper. He said the following morning when he went to collect the cruiser from Devenish, it would not start, and had to be towed back to the marina. However, once back at the Manor House, "it was a relatively minor repair" to get it working again. The trial continues on Monday. Over 60 percent of Houston Democrats said they would oppose the Green New Deal if it means layoffs in the oil and gas industry, according to a new University of Houston poll. The poll published this week asked Texas Democrats whether they would support the legislation given its potential effects, including the elimination of oil and gas drilling in the U.S. by 2035. While 58.9 percent of Houston Democrats said they would still support the deal if it eliminated oil and gas drilling in Texas, when asked about job losses that support fell to 37.2 percent. Overall, 52.2 percent of Texas Democrats said they would oppose the deal if it meant a loss of oil and gas jobs. Voters from the Houston area were less likely to name climate change as a top priority than those from elsewhere in the state, and perhaps not surprisingly, they were less likely to favor the Green New Deal if it results in widespread layoffs in the energy industry, said Mark Jones, a political scientist with the Baker Institute at Rice University and a senior research associate at the University of Houston. For subscribers: Fracking bans, Medicare for All: Could Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren really win in Texas? The poll was conducted for the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs through an online survey of 1,352 likely Texas Democrat primary voters and has a margin of error of 2.75 percentage points. Houston is home to 125,000 employees working directly in oil and gas production, according to the Texas Oil & Gas Association. Texas Democrats in Congress have declined to join their more progressive colleagues on proposals like the Green New Deal. Most recently, U.S. Reps. Lizzie Fletcher of Houston and Henry Cuellar of Laredo slammed a proposal to ban hydraulic fracking. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, another Houston Democrat, said in a statement to Hearst Newspapers that she is open to greater regulation of oil and gas production techniques such as fracking. However I am cognizant that fracking, and the shale gas that it has produced, have played a critical role in reducing coal use from 50% of our electricity mix to less than 25% today, she said. I want to make sure that any action in this area doesnt slow the elimination of coal use in this country. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, held a telephone conversation on Friday night to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further deepen bilateral ties. Xi said the COVID-19 outbreak is a major public health emergency that features the fastest speed of transmission, the most extensive range of infection and the highest level of containment difficulty in the country since the founding of the People's Republic of China. "Since the outbreak of the epidemic, I have been personally commanding the work and making arrangements. The whole country has become a nation of one mind sharing the same boat, and has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures," said Xi, adding that the positive trend in preventing and controlling the epidemic is gaining momentum thanks to the hard work. "We have full confidence, capacity and certainty to win the battle against the epidemic," he added. In this anti-epidemic fight, he stressed, China has always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely fashion as well as actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so as to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. The WHO and the international community have spoken highly of China's prevention and control work, he said, adding that the governments and people of many countries, including Chile, have offered China strong support in various ways, for which China is sincerely grateful. Xi pointed out that the Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in its history, but has never been overwhelmed, and that the impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary and generally manageable, and the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged. While making unrelenting, solid and meticulous efforts in epidemic prevention and control, China will roll out a series of policies and measures to gradually restore orderly production and life and ensure realization of this year's economic and social development goals, he added. With China and Chile being comprehensive strategic partners, their relationship has long been taking the lead in China-Latin America relations, Xi said, recalling that Pinera's China visit last year bore rich fruit. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, Xi urged the two sides to take it as an opportunity to maintain close high-level exchanges and ensure the success of celebration events. He also called on the two sides to expand cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, technological innovation and infrastructure construction by promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. At the same time, the two sides should work together to firmly safeguard multilateralism, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and tackle such global challenges as climate change, he added. In so doing, Xi said, the two countries can carry forward their friendship, ensure a sound development of bilateral cooperation and bring more benefits to both peoples. Pinera, on behalf of the Chilean government and people, extended sincere sympathies to the Chinese people over the COVID-19 outbreak and offered firm support to the Chinese people for their united efforts in fighting the epidemic. He said that under the strong command of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, the Chinese side has taken very effective measures to deal with the epidemic, whose spread has been gradually put under control. Noting that China is a great country that has gone through numerous hardships and difficulties, Pinera said he believes that under the strong leadership of Xi, China will surely achieve a complete victory over the epidemic at an early date. The Chilean side stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese side to jointly tackle the challenge of infectious diseases and safeguard global public health security, he added. Chile, he said, has always regarded its relations with China as a foreign policy priority, and is willing to take the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties as an opportunity to join hands with China to further bolster collaboration in various fields, promote Belt and Road cooperation, safeguard multilateralism, and strengthen coordination in international affairs, so as to lift Chile-China relations to a new level. Thousands rallied in central Moscow on Saturday to call on President Vladimir Putin not to stay in power indefinitely, in the first major protest by the Russian opposition since the Kremlin chief announced controversial plans to change the constitution. The rally marked five years since the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, but its organisers also want the event to send a message to Putin after he proposed major constitutional changes. Organisers, including the country's most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny, called for a mass turnout to show Putin that he must not consider staying in power by any means when his current mandate ends in 2024. Moscow authorities gave permission to the rally -- after a succession of demonstrations urging fair elections last summer were roughly dispersed -- and the street was packed by a flow of protesters, an AFP correspondent said. "The Putin regime is a threat to humankind," said the slogan on one placard next to a portrait of Nemtsov. "Putin's policies are based on total lies," said another, quoting the liberal politician who was on assassinated in central Moscow on February 27, 2015. "Russia without Putin!" the crowds chanted repeatedly as they began marching. The White Counter monitor which counts attendance at protests said 22,300 people took part in the march. The interior ministry said 8,000 took part. Putin, who has dominated Russia for two decades, in January unleashed a political storm, proposing an overhaul of the constitution, the first changes to the basic law since 1993. Analysts see the plan as beginning preparations for succession when Putin's fourth presidential term ends in 2024, while the opposition says the Kremlin strongman wants to remain leader for life. "I think that this is a crime, that it is mocking the constitution," said Semyon Pevzner, a pensioner aged 75. "The only aim is to stay in power by any means possible." Putin first came to power as prime minister in 1999 under Boris Yeltsin before becoming president in 2000. He served the maximum two consecutive terms between 2000 and 2008 before a four-year stint as prime minister. He returned to the Kremlin in 2012 for a newly-expanded six-year mandate and was re-elected in 2018. But opponents fear he could remain Russia's number one even if the job of president nominally goes to someone else in 2024. Kseniya Telmanova, a 21-year-old student, reflected that Putin had been president for her whole life, except her first few months. "Probably those were the best months of my life," she said, laughing. "The leaders should fear the fact they can lose power." Russia is planning to hold a referendum on the constitutional amendments on April 22. According to the Levada Center, an independent pollster, a quarter of Russians will back the constitutional proposals, while 56 percent said they were still not sure why the changes were needed. Forty-four per cent also said Putin should quit power in 2024, while 45 per cent said he should stay. Around 2,000 people gathered for a similar demonstration in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg on Saturday, clutching flowers, portraits of Nemtsov and banners reading "They feared you Boris". "This is basically the only chance we have to go out and say that we are against what is going on in the country and against this police state," said Galina Zuiko, 55. Nemtsov -- one of Putin's most vocal critics and a former deputy prime minister in the Yeltsin government -- was shot and killed on a Moscow bridge near the Kremlin. In 2017, a court found a former security force officer from Chechnya guilty of his murder and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Four other men were found guilty of involvement in the killing. But Nemtsov's family and allies insist the authorities have failed to bring the masterminds to justice. "We have not seen any major progress" in the probe, Navalny said in brief comments to pro-opposition channel TV Rain. "We will continue to turn out (every year) until this case is solved." Protesters also urged authorities to release Russia's political prisoners, with a group of women holding a banner reading: "Mothers against political repression. Freedom to our children." A number of people were jailed after tens of thousands rallied in Moscow last summer to demand fair elections, in the biggest upsurge of protests in the country for more than half a decade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As per the agreement, 94.78% shares are to be transferred on or before 31 March 2020 and the balance 5.22% shares to be transferred on or before 31 March 2021. In a BSE filing after market hours yesterday 28 February 2020, Affle (India) said Affle International, a wholly owned Singapore subsidiary of the company has entered into 3 definitive Share Purchase Agreements to acquire Mediasmart Mobile S.L., and Affle MEA FZ-LLC, a step down subsidiary of the company has entered into an Assets Purchase Agreement to acquire all Tech IP assets of Mediasmart Mobile S.L. The agreements envisages acquisition of net assets of Mediasmart Mobile S.L. as on 1 January 2020. Mediasmart is a mobile advertising technology company. It provides a self-serve mobile programmatic platform with unique incremental impact measurability for Proximity and App marketing campaigns. As per the agreement, 94.78% shares are to be transferred on or before 31 March 2020 and the balance 5.22% shares to be transferred on or before 31 March 2021. A total consideration of Euro 5.12 million including contingent consideration will be paid for the acquisition of 100% shares and economic rights of employees (subject to certain performance conditions over 4 years period and also subject to certain closing adjustments). The total consideration also includes the payments to employees (other than economic rights of employees) amounting up to Euro 0.62 million, to be paid over a period of 4 years. The share price fell 13.80% to close at Rs 1794.60 yesterday, 28 February 2020. Affle is a global technology company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagement, acquisitions and transactions through relevant mobile advertising. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ST. PAUL The fate of the Minnesota House-passed insulin affordability bill remains uncertain as legislators head into their fourth week of the legislative session. The Democratic-led House passed its House File 3100 on Wednesday, Feb. 26, which establishes both emergency and long-term sources for low-income Minnesotans with diabetes to obtain their insulin. The price of insulin has reportedly tripled over the last decade, despite little change in the drug's makeup. But the bill didn't get through the House without fierce opposition from Republican legislators, who argued that the bill's fees on insulin manufacturers are punitive. Democrats, on the other hand, say manufacturers who profit off of the life-saving drug should have a hand in the solution. Now, after Democrats' 75-52 victory, the fate of the bill is uncertain as it moves on to the Republican-majority Senate. Senate Republican leadership have not said anything publicly about their plans moving forward since HF 3100 passed Wednesday, and as of Friday afternoon, no hearings are scheduled for it next week. The Senate has its own version of an insulin bill, which requires manufacturers to donate insulin to diabetics in need. The House bill, in contrast, requires manufacturers to pay a fee to fund an emergency supply program. ADVERTISEMENT Senate Majority Leader Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, said in the initial days of session that he "see(s) light at the end of the tunnel," and expects a deal to be struck soon. Following Wednesday's high-intensity debate, primary author Rep. Michael Howard, D-Richfield, told Forum News Service that the fact that HF 3100 was the first bill passed this year indicates that the House is treating the issue with urgency. He hopes that the House's action and mounting public pressure push the Senate to act quickly, as well. "My hope is that they'll move forward with some urgency, as well so (...) we pass this in a matter of weeks and not let this get drug out all session," Howard said. "People have waited long enough." Gov. Tim Walz a supporter of House Democrats' version since before session began in a tweet Wednesday night urged senators to take up the bill quickly. He indicated that if passed by the Senate, he is "ready to sign it into law." From his conversations with senators, Howard said Wednesday night that he believes the Senate version is "still taking shape." Sen. Scott Jensen, R-Chaska, is leading the Senate version, which has received several committee hearings . Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Saturday appointed senior IPS officer Parambir Singh as the new Mumbai Police Commissioner. Incumbent Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve retired from the service on Saturday. Mr Singh, who was heading Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), had given a clean chit to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in connection with an irrigation scam in December last year during the short-lived second Phadnavis government. Appointment of Singh was announced a day after the state home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh ruled out granting third extension to Barve. In his career, Singh had served as DCP in several important zones in the financial capital of the country. BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who is facing flak for allegedly making provocative statements before communal riots broke out in northeast Delhi, and families of some of the victims of the violence participated in a "march against jihadi terrorism" taken out in Connaught Place on Saturday during which some people raised slogans of 'shoot the traitors'. Mishra did not join the sloganeering or address the gathering during the 'peace march' organised by NGO Delhi Peace Forum from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street police station. At Jantar Mantar, slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' were raised as hundreds of people gathered holding the tricolour. Some of the victims and families of those who lost their lives in the violence in northeast Delhi narrated their ordeal. When the march passed through Connaught Place, slogans of 'shoot the traitors' were raised. The organisers paid tributes to Head Constable Ratan Lal and IB staffer Ankit Sharma, who were killed during the violence that has claimed 42 lives till now. Suresh Kumar said his brother Dinesh Kumar Khatik was shot when he had gone to see whether shops were open on February 25. "He was shot near Shiv Vihar puliya where petrol bombs were also used. I found him at GTB Hospital where he was on ventilator support. The next day he succumbed to injuries. He is survived by two children, a one-year-old and a seven-year-old," he said. Alok Tiwari was shot in the head while he was returning home on Tuesday from the Karawal Nagar factory where he worked, his brother-in-law Sumit said. "His fault was that he had just stopped to see whether he could buy fruits for children. My sister got to know that he had been attacked and with the help of neighbours he was taken to hospital where he succumbed to injuries the next day. "He leaves behind a four-year-old son and a nine-year-old daughter. The children keep asking about their father but we do not know how to face them," he said. Other speakers at the event alleged that the communal violence was "well-planned" and was aimed to "target the Hindus". Lt General Kohli, one of the speakers, said, "This is being done to discredit police and down their morale. We have made police punching bags. We have to be alert citizens and expose those amid us who are responsible for such attacks." BJP leader Mishra did not address the gathering though he earlier posted a tweet asking the people to join the protest at Jantar Mantar. He also posted videos of the march and said: "No matter how much falsehood you spread, the people know the truth". Facing allegations of making provocative speeches, Mishra has maintained that he did nothing wrong and had only demanded that the roads be cleared of anti-CAA protesters. Lt Gen Vijay Chaturvedi also termed the violence as a "well-planned" conspiracy and said those who were involved were well-trained and equipped to use molotov cocktails. "This was specially carried out during US President Donald Trump's visit," he said. Earlier in the day, pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) sloganeering and incendiary chants of "shoot the traitors" were made inside a train on Delhi Metro's Blue Line and also at the Rajiv Chowk metro station here on Saturday by a group of young men. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for the security of the Delhi Metro, said it had detained six people and handed them over to the Delhi Police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union on Saturday slammed the Arvind Kejriwal government for its move to give sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar, the former president of the students' body, and nine others in connection with a four-year-old sedition case. The sanction was granted by the Delhi government on February 20. It refuted the BJP's allegation of blocking the proceedings in the matter, saying the Delhi government "as a matter of policy and as a matter of principle, does not and has not intervened in any of such cases". In a tweet, the JNUSU said, "The JNUSU condemns AAP. To sell out for short-term political gains is extremely shameful. of cowardice does not last. We will be here long after this mass hysteria, justifying bigotry, that is being fuelled by shrewd politicians for electoral gains, ends." The Delhi Police had last year filed a charge sheet at a city court against Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans at an event in February 2016. It also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya with allegedly raising anti-India slogans during the event to commemorate the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. The prosecution sanction was granted nearly a year after a city court asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take a decision within a reasonable timeframe and noted that the delay was leading to violation of the due process of law. The left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA) termed the sanction "unfortunate and condemnable", and alleged the sedition charges were based on "pure political motives". Music composer Vishal Dadlani, who has been a supporter of the AAP, was also not happy with the development. "AAP started out as people criticising a government that was wrong. Most AAP supporters are still those people, and still do exactly the same. Some of us, at great risk. We also despise the political tradition of trading right and wrong for votes/image/gain. This is plain wrong," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The spread of coronavirus continues worldwide, with the latest figures revealing 83,000 cases reported, with some 2,800 deaths. Reports of the first positive case in Northern Ireland brings home the enormity of it all The spread of coronavirus continues worldwide, with the latest figures revealing 83,000 cases reported, with some 2,800 deaths. Reports of the first positive case in Northern Ireland brings home the enormity of it all. So far the authorities have reacted swiftly to deal with the case of a woman who flew into Dublin with a child from northern Italy and travelled to Belfast. She took steps to inform health experts and is now being treated in isolation at home following tests in hospital. Anyone in close contact with the woman has been contacted and Health Minister Robin Swann has placed the current situation in perspective by revealing that 93 tests here have been completed, with one presumed positive. People are still worried and these concerns are cascading. Ski school trips and sporting events, including the Ireland v Italy Six Nations rugby match in Dublin, have been called off and some people are cancelling holidays. There is great concern economically, with fears that this outbreak may have as major an effect on the economy as the 2008 financial crash. Business people here are worrying if they should curtail plans for going abroad and overseas colleagues are facing the same choice. All of which does little to help imports and exports. It is vital to give the public as much information as possible at the right time, without creating panic. The Church of Ireland and Catholic Church here have issued guidelines about holding church services in a way that can minimise the risk. Other organisations could learn from this and everyone should think of every way possible to combat this threat. However, every effort should be made to prevent a pandemic of panic. People can, in vital ways, help themselves by obeying the advice of experts in such basic things as proper hand-washing. Vigilance and common sense are vitally important in these challenging times. BILL ZUCK suspects he will never get a job at the Connecticut Office of Tourism. You can reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com. By PTI AURANGABAD: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Saturday urged the Uddhav Thackeray-led government to rename Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar by removing all technical hurdles coming in the way. He was talking to reporters here after holding meetings for the April 20 local body elections. "We are descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj, and not Aurangzeb. Therefore, Aurangabad should be renamed as Sambhajinagar by resolving all the technical issues attached to it," Patil said. Notably, it was the Shiv Sena, which had first made the demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar decades ago. A proposal to this effect had been passed in the general body meeting of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in June 1995, which was challenged by a Congress corporator in the high court and later in the Supreme Court. Patil criticised the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on the law and order situation in the state. "The condition is getting worse day by day. No one wanted to head the Home Ministry and finally the portfolio went to NCP's Anil Deshmukh. We had urged Uddhav Thackeray to keep that ministry with him, but he didn't listen," the former minister added. On the state government's loan waiver scheme, he said, "The government has cited the model code of conduct for gram panchayat polls as the reason for not releasing the next list of names for loan waiver beneficiaries. If that is the case, then the government should withdraw all the decisions it had taken this week. Joe Coulombe, who founded Trader Joes, the popular grocery known for its kitschy vibe and beloved private label wine dubbed "Two-Buck Chuck,'' died late Friday at his Pasadena, California home. He was 89. Coulombes son, also named Joe, said in a statement his father died following a long illness. Born on June 3, 1930, Coulombe was raised on an avocado ranch in Del Mar, California, near San Diego. He served a year in the Air Force and got a bachelors degree in economics, followed by an MBA from Stanford University in 1954. Coulombe met his wife, Alice Steere, at a party while in college. They married in 1952, when they were both in graduate school, and went on to have three children. Trader Joe's founder Joe Coulombe died Feb. 28 at his Pasadena, California home. Save better, spend better: All the money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here Most popular grocery stores: Trader Joe's and Publix are some of the nation's most popular grocery chains First convenience, then groceries In 1958, Coulombe went to work for Rexall Drugs, where he was tasked with creating a group of convenience stores similar to 7-Eleven. He worked without pay in a grocery store to better understand the business. The new chain was called Pronto Markets, and when Rexall eventually decided to shut it down, Coulombe bought the locations and ran the stores himself. But in 1967, 7-Eleven was opening more locations in California. Rather than taking them on, Coulombe decided to launch a new, vastly different chain. He started Trader Joes with a store in Pasadena, California. Trader Joe's carved out a unique persona The grocery chain was quirky from the beginning. Coulombe based the stores nautical decor on a book hed read called White Shadows in the South Seas, as well as his experience visiting the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland, according to the company's website. Employees were dubbed captains and first mates who wore Hawaiian-themed shirts. The stores were unique in other ways. His mother-in-law and father-in-law had been academics who enjoyed dining on fresh seafood and quality, yet affordable wines. Trader Joe's would cater to those with similar, sophisticated tastes who were also on a budget. Story continues Trader Joe's became known for a selective array of premium foods available at low prices. Coulombe sampled and chose everything his stores sold and invited employees and customers to tastings. In 1972, Trader Joe's also introduced its own private label products, starting with granola and later incorporating items ranging from coffee to apple juice to heat-and-serve entrees. Coulombe would use images from 19th-century advertisements for the labels and named the items himself. Coulombe sold Trader Joes to the German grocery retailer Aldi Nord in 1979. He retired from the company nine years later. Trader Joe's stayed true to its roots as it grew Since then, the chain has grown from 19 stores, all based in California, to more than 500 locations in 42 states as well as Washington, D.C. Even as it expanded, Trader Joes has stayed rooted in the same environmentally friendly, offbeat hallmarks that have made it one of the most popular groceries in the U.S. In 2002, it introduced the Charles Shaw label to its wine selection. The award-winning wine became a beloved pop culture fixture known as Two-Buck Chuck because it was so affordable. Trader Joes was also ahead of the curve in ensuring its private-label offerings didnt contain artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, a standard Coulombe established starting in the 1970s. In 2007, the company said it would cut out artificial trans fats as well. In April 2019, Consumer Reports named Trader Joe's the best grocery store based on customer satisfaction. A busy retirement Coulombe anchored a "Food and Wine Minute'' that aired on local radio in Los Angeles where he spoke about his visits to the world's wine regions and gave tidbits of food trivia. He ended his segments by saying This is Joe Coulombe of Trader Joes. In retirement, Coulombe and his wife also supported a variety of cultural institutions, including the Los Angeles Opera. Coulombe is survived by his wife, their three children, their spouses and six grandchildren. Contributing: Kelly Tyko Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Coulombe: Trader Joe's founder dies at 89 Watertown, NY (13601) Today Some mixed winter precipitation possible early. Light snow this evening, tapering to a few snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%.. Tonight Some mixed winter precipitation possible early. Light snow this evening, tapering to a few snow showers late. Low near 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%. Kaduna State has constituted an Emergency Operational Centre (EOC), following the announcement of the first case of coronavirus (COVID -19) in Lagos last Thursday. A press statement issued by the Ministry for Health on Friday, stated that committee will be chaired by a commisoner, Amina Baloni, adding that it was set up to respond quickly, in the event of an outbreak of the disease.. The statement further reiterated that the general public should observe preventive measures as advised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). According to the release, people should regularly and thoroughly wash hands with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitisers, maintain at least three to five feet distance between individuals and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. In addition, the general public is also advised to follow good respiratory hygiene by covering the mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue paper, or cough and sneeze into the sleeve at the bent elbow. The ministry further said that such handkerchiefs or tissue papers should be disposed off immediately after use. The statement also advised patients who have a history of travel to China, Italy and other countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19, to self-isolate for two weeks and report any symptoms of fever, cough, sneezing and difficulty in breathing to medical personnel. Above all, residents of Kaduna State are encouraged to remain calm while people with such symptoms are to seek medical attention as the State Government is pooling all resources together to ensure readiness to contain the disease in the event of an outbreak, the commissioner assured. Scott Heins / Getty Images SOUTHBURY The Pomperaug District Department of Health is advising residents on how to keep healthy as the coronavirus spreads globally. There have been no cases of the new, deadly disease reported in Connecticut. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has severely hurt Vietnam Airlines, with 40% of its aircraft lying idle, senior executives salaries being cut by 40% and some representative offices being closed, stated general director Duong Tri Thanh. A Vietnam Airlines aircraft gains altitude. The Covid-19 outbreak has significantly affected national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines - PHOTO: VIETNAM AIRLINES At a meeting on February 28 of the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises on the impact of the deadly virus on local production and business activities, Thanh said this was an unprecedented situation for the aviation sector and is getting worse, Dan Tri news site reported. Flights to China have been suspended. Meanwhile, South Korea and Japan, where the virus is raging, are Vietnam Airlines most important markets in northeast Asia. The airline has also faced multiple difficulties in operating flights to Europe. On February 24, the air carrier repatriated most of its staff in South Korea. The number of employees working at its representative office in this country has been kept to a minimum. Vietnam Airlines has reduced the frequency of its daily flights to Seoul and Busan from six to four and used Airbus 321 aircraft instead of Boeing 787s and Airbus 350s. Thanh pointed out that the epidemic has pulled back the growth of the local aviation sector by three to four years. The airline had worked with a European partner to lease 10 aircraft, but the partner last week canceled the deal as the number of air passengers in Europe has also fallen due to the outbreak in Europe, Thanh noted. The air carrier has asked its foreign pilots to take time off without pay for two weeks. Besides senior executives who have been subject to a 40% salary reduction, other leaders of the airline will see their salaries drop by 20%-30%. In addition, the carrier has plans to let their staff take time off on rotation to reduce its operating costs. CAAV proposes removing limit on Bamboo Airways fleet The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed removing the size limit on Bamboo Airways fleet as the restriction is not included in any prevailing aviation regulations. In a recent letter sent to the Ministry of Transport, CAAV urged the ministry to send the proposal to the prime minister, the local media reported. Under prevailing aviation regulations, including the Civil Aviation Law and the Governments Decrees 92 and 89, airlines are not restricted from developing their fleets. Fleets can be developed based on business strategies and market demand, provided that the airlines meet certain requirements. Bamboo Airways can expand its fleet to more than 30 aircraft, and the specific number will be considered on the basis of safety, security and infrastructure. Other air carriers, such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Jetstar Pacific, are permitted to operate with an unrestricted number of aircraft. Bamboo Airways set a target to hold 30% of the local aviation market and expand its flight network to 85 routes this year, including 60 domestic routes and 25 international ones. To meet the target, the airline will increase its fleet to 30 planes this quarter and 50 at the end of this year. As of February, Vietnam had 235 planes, up three over January and 48 over the same period last year. Of the total, Vietnam Airlines owned 106 aircraft; Vietjet Air, 75; Bamboo Airways, 22; and Jetstar Pacific, 18. SGT Vietnam Airlines offers discounted tickets on several int'l routes Vietnam Airlines is offering passengers tickets priced from zero dollars on routes between HCM City and Kuala Lumpur/Singapore (equivalent to $66 and $88, respectively, with taxes and fees included) until the end of next month. Vijay Varma Says Tiger Shroff Didn't Seek Heaters Or Blankets Even After Shooting Shirtless In Icy Serbia Like A 'Shaolin Master' Investigation has proved that some women in Gombe State boil used sanitary pads and drink it to get high. Gombe State command of... Investigation has proved that some women in Gombe State boil used sanitary pads and drink it to get high. Gombe State command of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, disclosed this during a sensitization program in Bajoga area of the state. The commander in charge of the Funakaye command of the agency, Muhammad Alkali, said the sensitisation campaign was to enlighten the people on the fight against illicit drugs abuse. Lamenting, Alkali urged the society to help the agency in the fight against the use of illicit drugs. She said It has come to our notice that mostly female addicts have devised means of getting high without consuming constitutionally known substances. Nowadays, they now boil used sanitary pads mixed with other substance mostly waste then filter the water before drinking. This is very bad for humans, our society really needs the help of all and sundry in this fight as NDLEA cannot do it alone, Alkali lamented. By the beginning of March, 1925, the people of Syracuse could have been forgiven if they were a little tired of Mother Nature. It was as if the city had been cursed. One of the worst snowstorms in the citys history had paralyzed the city beginning on January 29, dropping in some places three feet of snow and forcing people into the streets to shovel out if they wanted to get anywhere. A mild stretch in February had brought only more hardships when many places in Onondaga County were crippled by floods. Scores of families are temporarily homeless, hundreds of acres of land is still inundated, thousands of dollars worth of property has been damaged or destroyed, the Syracuse Herald reported on Feb. 12, 1925, and inconvenience and even suffering has been carried into many widely-separated communities. And then, at 9:22 on the evening of February 28, the earth moved in Syracuse for 32 terrifying seconds. The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake of 1925 was centered near Quebec Province of Canada, along the St. Lawrence River. It was measured at 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale, forerunner of the Richter Scale, and was felt as far south as Virginia and as far west as the Mississippi River. A child checks out damage from the Feb. 28, 1925, Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake. Photo was taken in Shawinigan, Quebec. In Syracuse, it was called the most severe quake in the citys history, and although there was little damage reported, it did give people in town a good jolt. Hundreds of men and women fled from their homes, audiences rushed excitedly out of theaters, hotel patrons sought refuge in the streets and occupants of downtown office buildings stormed stairways and elevators in fear of general building collapse, the Herald reported. Pictures and knick-knacks were thrown from tables and shelves, dishes broke, and plaster cracked. At the Citizens Club, games of billiards were interrupted by the balls rolling out of control. The clocks stopped on the fifth floor of the Herald building and at the City Bank Building, workers on the seventh floor were attacked by nausea and dizziness as a result of the heaving of the structure. At Syracuses main hospitals, patients awoke in terror, many believing they were about to suffer a fainting spell. Interns on duty hurried through the corridors and tried to keep the excited patients in their beds. A potentially scary situation happened at the Kernan Theater on Oswego Street, where a motion picture was being shown. When the quake started, a woman shouted Fire! sending hundreds of people stampeding for the exits. There were no injuries. The earthquake was big news in the March 1, 1925 Herald despite little damage and no injuries. In the days before 24-hour news websites and social media, there was little idea of what was happening, but people still wanted to know what was going on. The people of 1925 could not look at their cell phones, so they called their local newspaper offices: An avalanche of telephone calls without precedent in the history of Syracuse, totally swamped the switchboard at the Syracuse Herald office as countless thousands made frantic attempts to learn the cause of the earth tremors last night. For more than two hours telephone communication was almost impossible, but operators bravely attempted to cope with the deluge. Besides wanting to know what was happening, many wanted to tell their story. Charles Kalietsky, living on the sixth floor of the James Apartments, said the building swayed violently. Mary Murphy, of West Belden Avenue, was using her sewing machine at the time, until the quake caused it to roll away. Thurston Bjornsson, of 1246 South State Street, said his home rocked for several seconds and reported that six valuable china dishes fell from his china closet and smashed on the floor. I was in the kitchen when I noticed the stove begin to shake and I felt the house tremble, Mrs. Hymie Hayman of 514 Madison Street told a reporter. My husband, sitting in a chair, was shimmying. I looked at him, and he looked at me, and then I went ran of the house to see what I could see. While its people were scared by the earthquake, the citys infrastructure held up remarkably well. The only notable damage was a broken window at the F.W. Woolworths store and the steeple at St. Patricks Roman Catholic Church on Lowell Avenue and Schuyler Street, which been weakened and ripped loose from some of its supports by the earth movement. The following mornings Sunday services were interrupted by Superintendent Wellington Taber, Bureau of Buildings, who ordered the congregation to the parish school shortly after communion. Rev. John Koslor, insisted on finishing the service at the altar alone, assisted by two acolytes. The people of Syracuse hat much to contend with in February 1925. Blizzards, floods, earthquakes and giant sewer rats which attacked your legs. ATTACK OF SEWER RATS Enduring blizzards, floods and earthquakes, the people of Syracuse must have thought that the city was cursed during the first two months of 1925. As if those things were not enough, there were reports of giant sewer rats attacking unsuspecting businessmen at night, adding to the sense that the city was going through something like the plagues from the Bible. On Feb. 28, 1925, the same day as the earthquake, the Herald had the following on the front page, right below the quake story. A cat-size sewer rat is at large in the vicinity of Union Avenue and Townsend Street, according to J.M. Schneider, 613 East Willow Street, who says he was attacked by the rodent early Friday morning. Schneiders story comes on the heels of numerous complaints of sewer rate being driven to the surface by the recent floods. Mr. Schneider says: I was on my way home from work about 3:30 oclock Friday morning when I heard something following a short distance behind me. Turning I thought it was a stray cat and continued towards my home. As I reached Union Avenue and Townsend Street the animal clutched the leg of my trousers. I shook it off and when it lunged at me again, I kicked it into the streets. As the rays of the streetlight shined on the animal I was satisfied it was a large rat, almost the size of a cat. Turning I ran into the house. READ MORE 1925: Killer snowstorm paralyzed Syracuse with 27.5 inches of snow in 24 hours 1920: After 41 years of service, 79-year-old Syracuse letter carrier calls in sick 1955: Fire destroys the Alhambra, the roller skating rink that was once the cultural center of Syracuse This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958. 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. BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping talked over phone with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday night to compare notes on the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further promote bilateral ties. Xi noted that after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Diaz-Canel immediately extended their sympathies to him, and the Cuban president also paid a special visit to the Chinese embassy in Cuba to express support for China. That, said the Chinese president, has fully demonstrated the profound traditional friendship between China and Cuba. In line with the professional guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuba has maintained normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, which means respect and support of China's prevention and control work, Xi said. China, he added, highly appreciates the understanding and support the Cuban side and the Cuban president himself have shown for China's anti-epidemic efforts. Xi stressed that since the outbreak of the epidemic, he has been personally leading the response, and the country, with its people united as one, has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures. China has put forward the principle of early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment for prevention and control, and the principle of pooling together patients, experts and resources for concentrated treatment for treatment efforts, he said. Meanwhile, China has made it a prominent task to improve the admission and cure rates and reduce the infection and mortality rates, added the Chinese president. Thanks to those arduous endeavors, the positive trend in COVID-19 prevention and control is gathering steam, Xi said, stressing that China has full confidence, capacity and certainty to win the battle against the epidemic. In this anti-epidemic fight, he stressed, China has always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely fashion as well as actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so as to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. Meanwhile, China has also taken strong and effective measures to ensure the health and safety of foreign nationals in China, including Cuban citizens, Xi said. The WHO and the international community have spoken highly of China's prevention and control work, he said, adding that China is willing to continue exchanges and cooperation with Cuba in the fields of medicine and epidemic prevention and control. Xi pointed out that the Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in its history, but has never been overwhelmed, and that the impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary and the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged. The Chinese president added that his country has made coordinated efforts to both contain the epidemic and promote economic and social development. While making solid and meticulous efforts in epidemic prevention and control, China has adopted a series of policies and measures to restore orderly production and life and ensure realization of this year's economic and social development goals, he said, reiterating that China has full confidence in it. China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers who can rely on each other in difficult times and are as close as lips and teeth, Xi stressed, adding that bilateral relations have withstood major tests of winds and waves and remained resilient and vibrant. Xi said the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government will, as always, support Cuba's pursuit of a socialist path suitable for its national conditions and its just fight to defend national sovereignty and oppose foreign intervention, and stands ready to continue to provide support and assistance within their capacity for Cuba. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, China is willing to work with Cuba to organize the celebrations, and take that as an opportunity to sum up the successful experience in the development of bilateral ties and lift bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields to new levels from a new historical starting point, Xi said. Diaz-Canel, for his part, said Cuba highly appreciates and firmly supports China's efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic and thanks China for providing help and care for Cuban nationals in China. Facing the severe challenge of the epidemic, China has united its people as one and adopted swift and effective measures, which have gradually achieved positive results, noted the Cuban leader. That, he added, has fully demonstrated China's strong mobilization ability and the great advantages of the socialist system. China's timely and effective response made outstanding contributions to restraining the spread of the epidemic, which has been highly appreciated by the international community, including the United Nations and the WHO, Diaz-Canel noted. He said he is confident that under the strong leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, and with China's great comprehensive national strength and experience accumulated in fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003, China will definitely achieve a resounding victory against COVID-19. Cuba, he added, will stand firmly with China at this difficult time and is willing to provide all possible help for its Chinese brothers at any time. Cuba sincerely thanks China for its long-standing support for Cuba's just cause and its assistance for Cuba's development and construction, Diaz-Canel said. He added that Cuba stands ready to work with China to further consolidate their traditional friendship, and take the opportunity of celebrating the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties to expand and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to push for greater development of their relations for the benefit of both peoples. OTTAWA Peter MacKays ability to unify a fractured country will be tested Monday, as the Conservative leadership candidate holds a public rally in Winnipeg. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Peter MacKays ability to unify a fractured country will be tested Monday, as the Conservative leadership candidate holds a public rally in Winnipeg. "I want to make sure that whoever we choose as leader is going to work at unifying our great nation," said Tory MP James Bezan (SelkirkInterlakeEastman), who is leading MacKays campaign in Manitoba. The presumed frontrunner in Junes race to replace Andrew Scheer is running on a campaign that has been light on policy, while leaning into the need to unite Canadians. Bezan said he agrees with MacKays general standpoints, such as sticking up to despotic regimes, boosting military spending and cutting taxes. Hes chosen the Nova Scotia-born lawyer over Ontario MP Erin OToole, whom he endorsed in the last leadership race in 2017. "When it comes down to putting together a united Conservative party, with an ability to win right across the country, Peter MacKay is the only one in the slate who can do it, in my opinion," Bezan said. "I was courted by just about everybody that was throwing their hat in the ring." The Conservatives are still smarting from last Octobers election, where the Trudeau Liberals prevailed over unearthed blackface photos, the SNC-Lavalin affair, and the uptick of the Bloc Quebecois. Peter MacKay addresses the crowd at a federal Conservative leadership forum in Halifax, N.S. (Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press files) Polls suggest Scheers social conservative views alienated the Tories from the vote-rich suburbs of cities such as Toronto, despite sweeping most of the Prairies. To take government, the next Conservative leader will need to appeal to urban Canadians while not isolating the partys rural Prairie base, pundits say. Thats vexing the party itself, with four Alberta MPs issuing a so-called "Buffalo Declaration" a week ago, asking for that province to have more powers. Many Tories, such as Bezan, argue MPs should instead debate those ideas in private. Bezan said MacKay is uniquely positioned to unify the country, after helping create the modern Conservative Party through the merger of his Progressive Conservative Party of Canada with the Reform movement. "He is talking about the big blue tent," Bezan said. MP Marty Morantz (CharleswoodSt. JamesAssiniboiaHeadingley) revealed Friday hes also backing MacKay. Manitobas five remaining Tory MPs said they hadnt endorsed anyone yet (including Candice Bergen, who is unlikely to do so, as House leaders generally steer clear of endorsements). Polls suggest Conservative leader Andrew Scheer's views alienated the Tories from some voters in the last federal election. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files) Bezan said MacKays Manitoba campaign is also being organized by former MPs Shelley Glover and Lawrence Toet. His Manitoba fundraising chairman, David Schioler, said MacKay can connect to the average person, despite having held the roles of justice, defence and foreign-affairs minister during his first 1997-2015 stint in Parliament. "He's really appealing to Canadians, because he's very much one of us," said Schioler, a software executive and former head of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba. "He's good at explaining things and holding his ground, and I think he'll be an excellent leader for our country." 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. MacKays campaign so far has been overshadowed by gaffes, such as a tweet mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus spending on yoga, which MacKay later disavowed. He also walked back a statement hailing people who take it upon themselves to clear Indigenous protest blockades. Bezan said he wasnt worried the online imbroglio will distract from MacKays campaign. "I don't think that there's anything there that we need to apologize for," Bezan said. MacKay made a quieter visit to Winnipeg in November, and his campaign says hes also been to Alberta and British Columbia since announcing his bid for Tory leadership. MacKays looming visit is aimed at showing off a groundswell of support in the city. It takes place Monday at the Canad Inns Polo Park, 7-9 p.m. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Frankenmuth Credit Union Foundation for Our Communities donated $25,000 as Volunteer Sponsor of the Year 2020 for Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity. The Volunteer Sponsorship for 2020 from Frankenmuth Credit Union Foundation for Our Communities will provide the support for volunteers in the form of liability insurance, insurance for volunteer-friendly projects, t-shirts, hospitality (occasionally, since most food is donated), personal protective equipment, set-up of volunteer-friendly projects, volunteer training, volunteer rewards, other consumable supplies, supervision of volunteer projects, etc. New Delhi, Feb 29 : One of the convicts in Nirbhaya rape case has filed another mercy petition before the President of India claiming that the previous grant for mercy did not have complete facts. Akshay filed the plea on February 25. "Now it has reached the President Secretariat," advocate A.P. Singh told media persons on Saturday. "This convict is not the only person being punished, his entire family has suffered greatly as a result of the criminal proceedings," the plea stated. Akshay, along with three others, is scheduled to be hanged on March 3 at 6 a.m. President Ram Nath Kovind had dismissed his petition on February 5. Pawan Kumar is the only convict who is yet to file the mercy petition before the President. On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang raped and brutally murdered in a moving bus in south Delhi. She died after a fortnight. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text In a historic signing ceremony with the top U.S. diplomat and the Taliban's co-founder, the U.S. and the militant group agreed to begin to end America's longest war. The deal will commit the U.S. to begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, in exchange for the Taliban sitting down to peace negotiations with other Afghans and severing ties with terror groups like al-Qaida -- which the Taliban harbored ahead of the Sept. 11 attacks, prompting a U.S. invasion and over 18 years of war. While many of the steps in the deal are conditioned on actions from both sides, there are some immediate impacts as the ink dries in Doha, Qatar, where chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad, his deputy Molly Phee and their team have spent over a year and a half negotiating with the Taliban's representatives. US signs historic deal with Taliban, triggering troop withdrawal from Afghanistan The text of the agreement was released Saturday, although there are annexes that will not be made public, according to two senior U.S. administration officials, who said they do not include any U.S. commitments, only enforcement mechanisms. A weeklong deal to reduce violence will continue, the officials said, as the U.S. immediately draws down its approximately 13,000 troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 and closes five military bases within 135 days. U.S. officials, including Gen. Scott Miller, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, have said that new number is still sufficient to carry out their mission. PHOTO: In this handout photo taken and released by Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence office on Feb. 26, 2020, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Austin Scott Miller shakes hands with a young boy, in the city of Kabul. (AFP PHOTO / Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence) There will also be an immediate release of prisoners, with the U.S. committing to facilitate the release of as many as 5,000 Taliban fighters held by the government and up to 1,000 people from "the other side" held by the militant group, all before March 10. Three months after that, all remaining prisoners are supposed to be released, with Taliban fighters committing to abide by the new agreement. Any withdrawal of U.S. forces beyond 8,600, however, is contingent on the Taliban meeting its commitments, according to the deal, but it sets out a timeline for a full U.S. and NATO withdrawal within 14 months. That includes not just U.S. service members, but any contractors, trainers and non-diplomatic civilian personnel. Story continues It is "an aspirational timeline for withdrawal that is entirely conditions-based, and it will depend on their performance as we judge their performance," a senior administration official said of the Taliban. MORE: US, Taliban deal 'historic opportunity,' but women's rights up to Afghans: Pompeo Explicitly, withdrawal is tied to the Taliban meeting its counterterrorism commitments, where the group agrees "to prevent any group or individual, including al-Qaida, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies." That means not giving them safe haven on Afghan soil, legal status like asylum or documentation such as visas or passports. While the deal outlines that the Taliban must "instruct" its members "not to cooperate" with groups like al-Qaida that threaten the U.S., the Taliban do not outright repudiate al-Qaida in the agreement. "People are concerned about the historic relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaida. We think this is a decisive and historic first step in terms of their public acknowledgement that they are breaking ties with al-Qaida," the senior administration official told ABC News. PHOTO: In this June 16, 2018 photo, Taliban fighters ride in their vehicle in Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Many Afghans view Saturday's expected U.S.-Taliban peace deal with a heavy dose of well-earned skepticism. (Rahmat Gul/AP, File) There will be verification mechanisms in place to ensure that happens, the official added, including "our military and other asset presence on the ground," but those aren't detailed in the agreement that was released. Instead, the U.S. commits to removing sanctions on and rescinding rewards for the capture of Taliban leaders by August 27 -- and to lobbying at the United Nations Security Council to remove U.N. sanctions by May 29. MORE: Top US commander: Political talks with Taliban 'absolutely' key part of any endgame in Afghanistan war It's not explicit in the agreement, but the senior officials said any further U.S. troop reduction is also tied to the Taliban's behavior in Afghan peace negotiations, although it is not dependent on any particular outcome of that process. "If the political settlement fails, if the talks fail, there is nothing that obliges the United States to withdraw troops," said a second senior administration official, before adding that President Donald Trump still has the "prerogatives as commander-in-chief" to withdraw U.S. forces as he sees fit. PHOTO: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jason N. Bobo helps secure a helicopter landing zone as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares to land Southeastern Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2019. (Alejandro Licea/U.S. Army) Aiming for March 10, per the agreement, those peace negotiations will bring together the Taliban and representatives of Afghanistan, including government officials, civil society leaders and women, the senior officials said, to determine the future Afghan government and a "road map" for the country. But government officials will attend in a "private" capacity, as the Taliban still refuses to recognize the government or the constitution -- a concession that has angered many Afghan officials. Esper was in Kabul to sign a joint declaration with President Ashraf Ghani and his rival and chief executive Abdullah Abdullah to reassert U.S. support for the Afghan government and commit Ghani, Abdullah, their supporters and others to backing the next steps. Expected to take place in Oslo, Norway, the negotiations will be facilitated by the U.S., along with the United Nations, Norway, Germany, Indonesia and Uzbekistan, among others, the first senior official said. The agreement requests that the U.S. ask the U.N. Security Council to endorse the deal, too. MORE: Agreement to reduce violence in Afghanistan set to begin, leading to US-Taliban deal Both senior officials cautioned those talks could be delayed, especially as post-election squabbling between Ghani and Abdullah continues. Khalilzad will return to Kabul after the signing ceremony to push them to select an inclusive delegation to the negotiations, but it may prove difficult as Abdullah continues to claim to have won the presidency, five months after the votes were cast and 11 days after Ghani was declared the winner despite concerns over the count. The signing ceremony Saturday came only after a weeklong truce to reduce violence across the country was deemed successful. The Taliban agreed not to undertake major attacks, while the U.S. and Afghan security forces pledged to hold any airstrikes or raids on Taliban facilities, according to the second senior official, who said the reduction showed the Taliban had "both the commitment and the capability to enforce" that kind of truce. PHOTO: Youth release balloons and pigeons as they celebrate the reduction in violence, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2020. (Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images) With the deal signed, there will be a further reduction of violence, the first senior official said, that is supposed to last as the Afghan peace negotiations take place. That is not mentioned in the deal, but it does call for a "permanent and comprehensive ceasefire" to be an agenda of Afghan negotiations, down to the dates and "modalities." Both senior administration officials said the U.S. will push the parties to reach a ceasefire as quickly as possible -- and for the protection of women's and minorities' rights, which critics say should have been a precondition all along. MORE: Afghan female leaders urge Trump administration to stand up for their rights in Taliban peace talks But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday, "Our mission set there has been much broader than that," later adding, "the Afghans will drive the solution," including on women's rights. Senior officials have said the U.S. will use its financial assistance as leverage to ensure those protections make it into the new government. After almost two decades of fighting, the agreement opens the door to the U.S. and the Taliban working together, saying they will "seek positive relations with each other and expect" after Afghan negotiations, to create a "new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government" -- a possibly transformative new chapter for Afghanistan. What's inside the US deal with the Taliban to end war and bring home troops originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Indias out of pocket expenditure (OOP) constitutes more than 60% of all health expenses India has made significant strides in healthcare over the last few decades, with key indicators of health outcomes showing marked improvement. Various government initiatives have mobilized communities on health, and large scale health financing initiatives have enabled access to the private sector for all sections of the population. However, Indias out of pocket expenditure (OOP) constitutes more than 60% of all health expenses which is a major drawback in a country like India where a large segment of the population is economically backward. To bring clarity on the matter, Goa Institute of Management (GIM) organized a conference on the theme - Accelerating and Sustaining Investments for Financing Indias Healthcare Needs where thought leaders representing Government, Industry and Academia deliberated on the opportunities and challenges. Speaking at the event said the Chief Guest Shri Vishwajit P. Rane, Honble Minister of Health, Government of Goa, Goa has been the first in many healthcare initiatives and is successfully implementing the DDSSY programme. There are challengers but there have also been learnings. And I welcome suggestions and learnings where we can improve. I request GIM to suggest solutions to us from time to time and be a knowledge partner to the Health Department. We look towards GIM to offer us researched suggestions, solutions and guidance He added, NITI Ayog has offered a good framework to work within for state governments. Collaborations between the public and private entities can assist a great deal. Private medical collages can collaborate with district hospitals which will be excellent. We are also looking towards the possibility of creating efficient home care for the elderly where a community work force can be trained to offer care and support to the elderly at the local panchayat level. The elderly are often neglected and it is our responsibility to take care of them. Mr. Alok Kumar, Advisor, NITI Ayog, Government of India said, Healthcare is not a T20 match. The solutions may take some time. There are drastic differences in the health systems across states within our country. We have a highly fragmented healthcare system. Therefore, for us to believe that an identical approach will work across the country is an ambitious thought. State governments need to be more proactive on finding solutions to the healthcare needs prevalent in the state and cannot expect strategy to be outsourced to the centre. Secondly we need to elevate the approach from being schematic to be systemic. There needs to be a certain elevation from being mere schemes to creating effective systems. Thirdly the roles within the health ministry ecosystem need to be clearly defined Hon Brig. Dr. Arvind Lal (Padma Shri), Chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Lal PathLabs stressed that greated investment in healthcare is the need of the hour. The government has made significant strides in the healthcare space. To see greater improvements, the government needs to immediately increase the financial allocation for the dispensing of healthcare from a mere 1% out of a total of 3.9% of GDP to 2.5% of GDP. A good starting point would be to spend an extra 0.5% of GDP every year on healthcare for the next three years. Unfortunately, in the latest budget, the allocation is up only 7% against last years budgeted estimate and we may miss the target of the earlier stated aim of the Union Government of spending 2.5% of GDP by 2025. Dr. Kheya Furtado, Assistant Professor of Goa Institute of Management presented findings from a WHO funded study conducted for the National Health Authority, Government of India on Strategic purchasing in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana through the Trust and Insurance model. She emphasized that claim audits need to be facilitated by tools such as STGs and long- term capacities need to be built and retained in the public Trusts for management of claims. As scheme utilization increases, costs are likely to change, especially in Insurance model States due to the sharing of financial losses that may lead to larger premiums charged to States by Insurance companies. Contract terms with insurance companies must be closely monitored and address these potential changes. Differential pricing may be developed to incentivize larger hospitals to participate in the scheme. Incentives based on hospital infrastructure, location etc. may also be developed in addition to the base rate, to address supply side constraints. R Chandrashekhar, Chairman, Centre for The Digital Future, Former Secretary Electronics & IT, GOI Former Chairman Telecom Commission and Secretary, Department of Telecom, GOI, Former President, NASSCOM in his address stressed on the need to focus on the goal which is to deliver value to society and aim for significant improvements over aiming for perfection. Integrating innovation, value addition and regulation within a technology driven atmosphere is key to the success of implementing a process he said. Dr. Ajit Parulekar, Director Goa Institute of Management said We run several cutting edge programmes and GIMs Healthcare Programme is the finest in the country. This second edition of the conference is furthering GIMs objective of being a management thought-promoter and providing a platform for meaningful discussions in the healthcare domain. Over 170 delegates from across the country, consisting of doctors, healthcare managers, academicians, researchers and students attended the event. A teenager is fighting for his life after being stabbed during an early-morning attack in south west London. Police were called at 3.40am on Saturday to reports of an incident in Wood Street, Kingston. Officers found a man, believed to be aged 19, with stab wounds. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition. His next-of-kin are aware. Two men, aged 20 and 18, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The 20-year-old has been taken to hospital after suffering injuries during the incident. His condition is not thought to be serious, police said. A crime scene remains in place. Officers will be on patrol in Kingston town centre throughout the day. President Moon Jae-in visits the National Assembly on Feb. 28. Yonhap By Do Je-hae President Moon Jae-in made a rare visit to the National Assembly, Friday, to seek bipartisan support in dealing with the national health emergency unleashed by COVID-19. During the visit, Moon meet with the leaders of the major parties including Lee Hae-chan, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK); and those from the main opposition United Future Party comprising Hwang Kyo-ahn, chairman of the former Liberty Korea Party; Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jeung; and You Sung-yop, co-chairman of the Party for People's Livelihoods. Moon also met with National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang before joining a roundtable with the leaders. Previously, Moon has invited party leaders to Cheong Wa Dae for consultations on state affairs. The President's visit to the National Assembly is seen as reflecting his determination to underline the importance of non-partisan support for his administration's struggle to control the epidemic. Moon has called on parliamentary support for a supplementary budget to cope with the economic fallout of the new coronavirus During the talks with the party leaders, the President highlighted his concerns for the economy, which has been hit hard by the virus as it has dampened commercial activity and consumption. President Moon Jae-in, left, and National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang greet each other wearing masks at the National Assembly on Feb. 28. Yonhap Veterans of America's longest war are finding themselves torn as the US signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan. For many, the US is long overdue in withdrawing its forces after more than 18 years of fighting. Others question the trustworthiness of the Taliban, whose hard-line government the US-led forces overthrew in 2001. Skeptics worry the Taliban's re-integration could cause Afghanistan to backslide on such issues as human rights. If they sign a peace treaty and Afghanistan goes back to the Taliban or Sharia law, then it's all been for nothing, said former Army Staff Sgt. Will Blackburn of Hinesville, Georgia. Though doubtful the Taliban will abide by the peace deal, Backburn said he's ready for hostilities to end. He first deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 with an infantry unit of the Army's 10th Mountain Division. A decade later, his son headed overseas for the same fight. Anything that would get us out of that country, I will support fully, said Blackburn, 58, who left the Army in 2010. Other Afghanistan veterans interviewed by The Associated Press said that, while the peace deal may not be perfect, it's time to end the war that began weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. The toll has been heavy. More than 2,300 US service members have been killed and more than 20,600 others wounded in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001. Former Sgt. Michael Carrasquillo served as an infantrymen in the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade when his unit was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005. Shot five times while dragging a wounded comrade to safety, Carrasquillo spent the next two years in the hospital and underwent dozens of surgeries. Peace in any way, shape or form is a good thing, said Carraquillo, 36, of Monrovia, Maryland, who leads a support group for wounded veterans through the Wounded Warrior Project. We don't want more guys to die or to get injured. The peace plan calls for the Trump administration to initially draw down US troop levels in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600. A timetable for a complete US withdrawal hasn't been verified. In return, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country to stage attacks on the US or its allies. The Taliban and representatives from Kabul must negotiate a framework for a postwar Afghanistan. I know the Taliban, and I never thought they could be trustworthy, said Cmdr. Tom Porter of the US Navy Reserve, who oversaw media operations in Afghanistan during the US-led troop surge that began in 2010. I know they have a different view of time and history than we do. Porter said he's concerned the Taliban could abide by the accord long enough to see American forces leave, then try to wrest control of Afghanistan under an assumption the US won't be willing to return for another fight. If you're the Taliban, people have come and gone and invaded that place for thousands of years, said Porter, head of government affairs in Washington for the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Ghenghis Khan has come and gone. They've got a long view of things. Former Army Capt. Emily Miller's job focused on communicating with Afghan women and children on deployments in 2011 and 2012 to assist US special operations forces. She said protecting women's rights and human rights overall needs to be a priority. Overall, Miller said, she's thrilled to see a chance for Afghanistan to break from its long history of perpetual war. There is this new generation and I think it's really time to unlock that hope and optimism of Afghans that are really open to peace, she said. What's the alternative to peace? This endless cycle of violence doesn't really lead anywhere. At Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, Army Staff Sgt. Phillip Wright thinks of himself as one of the older guys at age 33. He deployed to Kabul in 2010 with a field artillery unit to help train Afghanistan's army. Nowadays, Wright works alongside many young American soldiers who've never been overseas. He thinks it's time for Afghanistan's military to stand on its own after years of US mentoring. We were able to train an army for another country. So I do believe there has been a lot of good that's come out of it, he said. There's no hesitation from Chris Collins, a former Army Reservist, when asked if it's time for a US exit. It's not worth one more American life, said Collins, 38. "Enough is enough. Collins' unit from Missouri deployed to neighbouring Uzbekistan in 2004 to run a supply warehouse for US forces in Afghanistan. Returning as a civilian contractor five years later, he concluded little had changed. Let's go home, said Collins, now training to be a nurse. We can't stay there forever. They don't want us there. It's no different today than it was 18 years ago, essentially. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Conservation efforts in NSW to stop more species becoming extinct in the wake of this season's unparalleled bushfires require more than half a billion dollars over the coming four years. Emergency intervention to save as many as 30 endangered species alone needs $15 million this year and $35 million in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal years, according to a spreadsheet circulating among state government agencies and obtained by the Sun-Herald. A burnt area of the Styx River State Forest in northern NSW. Logging has resumed in the area despite most of the region being burnt. The leaked requests come as Forestry Corporation resumed logging in unburnt refuges in the Styx River State Forest despite risks to species including nationally endangered Hastings River mice. Funds needed for all conservation recovery over the four years total $513.46 million, with more than $155 million requested for the rest of this fiscal year and a similar amount for next year. President Donald Trump called on Republicans to take part in South Carolinas Democratic primary and vote for the candidate who would be easiest to beat but still has a real shot at the nomination. After polling the audience via cheers and clapping, Trump determined that the one who fit the bill was Sen. Bernie Sanders. During his rally in South Carolina on Friday, Trump first expressed hope that this is OK from a campaign finance standpoint. He even asked South Carolina Sens. Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham for some legal advice: Are we allowed to tell them who we would like them to vote for? It seems Trump decided that hed be in the clear if he conducted it as a poll. Who would be the best candidate for us? he asked, having made clear he was looking to identify the weakest contender in the Democratic field. South Carolina has an open primary system where members of any party can participate in the Democratic primary and some are urging conservatives to take part in the vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump quickly started discarding candidates. We wont include Steyer cause hes a loser, hes out, Trump said, referring to billionaire Tom Steyer. He then proceeded to disqualify Michael Bloomberg. Mini Mike is gone, I think hes gone, he doesnt have a chance so lets forget it, he said. Trump also disqualified Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. Pocahontas, we can forget about her, Trump said of Warren. How about Klobuchar? Not gonna happen. That means were really down to two candidatessleepy Joe Biden or crazy Bernie. Trump made sure the crowd understood that the question was who the hell is easier to beat. After a poll and a recount, Trump declared Sanders the winner. Advertisement A 44-year-old Italian who tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus in Lagos on Friday was angry and attempted to escape from the isolation center where he was being quarantined. According to Punch, a high ranking health worker, at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos (formerly, Infectious Diseases Hospital), said the patient had complained of excessive heat and mosquitoes at the isolation center. The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Thursday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot. There is nothing there (inside the isolation ward) aside from bed and hospital locker. He almost ran away and is still threatening to do that, The Punch quoted the health worker. The worker who was reported to have spoken under the condition of anonymity described the isolation facility as very poor quality and added that the authorities have not matched words with action. However, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, had said on Friday that the state government had built a facility to handle the situation, adding that the patient was getting better. But the source, who emerged from the Out-Patient Department of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, alleged that the level of preparedness in Lagos State for infectious diseases such as coronavirus and Lassa fever is zero. The source revealed that the isolation area was a room in one of the wards and that it was quickly vacated to accommodate the Italian. The source alleged, The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to coronavirus is kept. There is no single equipment inside that place. It is just like any other regular hospital room with a bed. That building you see that is being repainted is the original place meant to quarantine coronavirus patients. As you can see, the place is not ready. The state government is just renovating it, despite the fact that the virus started spreading since December 2019. It is really sad that a country like Nigeria is never ready to medically contain infectious disease outbreak. This is why most health workers leave because they are predisposed to the danger of infection. Meanwhile, the Medical Director of the Mainland Hospital, Dr. Abimbola Bowale, has assured that the patient is stable and responding to treatment. He said the patient, who was admitted and quarantined on Thursday, is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed and quarantined in accordance with health safety standard. We are doing trace-monitoring, and, for now, we cannot say how many people he must have come in contact with. We are on top of the situation and all necessary precautions are being put in place, he added. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates As the government of India continues to airlift its citizens from coronavirus-hit countries, around 350 Kashmiri students stranded in Iran are awaiting evacuation. These students were scheduled to fly to Kashmir for annual holidays but were stranded in Iran after airlines cancelled their flights from Tehran, where around three dozen people have died due to the outbreak of the COVID-19. Most of these stranded students, who are studying Medicine in Tehran, are making frantic calls to their parents to help them in getting evacuated from Iran which has recorded the highest number of deaths outside of China. My son, who is doing MBBS in Iran, desperately wants to return, but there is no option for him to as airlines have cancelled their flights to Tehran. We feel helpless and hopeless as no one from the government is coming forward to rescue the stranded students, said father of one of the stranded students. However, a top official of Jammu and Kashmir government told DH that they were in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs to evacuate Kashmiri students stranded in Iran. We have been given assurance by the Ministry that they will take a call on their evacuation soon, he said. Thousands of students and pilgrims from Kashmir visit Iran every year and a good number among them have arrived home during the last few weeks. However, according to a health official, none of them has been quarantined so far which poses the risk of coronavirus in Kashmir. Recently over 100 people, mostly students, arrived in Kashmir from China with 34 evacuated from the epicentre of COVID-19 -Wuhan. They were quarantined and samples of some of them with fever and respiratory ailments were taken. One of the students who was evacuated from Wuhan on February 1 has developed some symptoms. He has been shifted to SKIMS Soura from home quarantine and his samples have been taken and sent for testing, the official said. On February 26, the government of India issued a travel advisory asking people to avoid non-essential travel to Iran, North Korea and Italy where coronavirus deaths were reported recently. People with travel history of Iran, North Korea and Italy since February 10 have been asked for 14 days quarantine. Globally, at least 80,000 people have been diagnosed with the illness with over 2,800 deaths reported, so far, mostly in China. In an unprecedented move that is likely to have massive repercussions the world over, Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on all umrah (minor haj) pilgrims to keep the county safe from coronavirus. An accountability court has again granted an exemption to former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance in the court on medical grounds in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Advocate Amjad Pervez, the counsel, told the court that Sharif was still under treatment in London and the doctors had not allowed him to travel, reported The Dawn. The court allowed the application and adjourned the hearing till March 30. Yousaf Abbas, a co-suspect and Sharif's nephew, who was released on bail by the Lahore High Court also appeared before the court. Sharif was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on October 11, 2019, and was produced before an accountability court in Lahore. On October 29 last year, the Islamabad High Court granted bail for eight weeks to Sharif, who was convicted and disqualified in corruption cases, on medical grounds. Sharif left Pakistan for London on November 19, 2019, for his medical treatment there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Addressing a rally in South Carolina, US President Donald Trump on Saturday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him a 'great guy' who is loved by his countrymen. Terming his recent visit to India "worthwhile", Trump also quipped that he will never be excited again about crowds after having addressed over 1 lakh spectators in Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium earlier this week. "I was with the Prime Minister of India, Modi. Great guy, loved by the people of India. And we had an amazing thing. And I went in, and here's the problem. This is a big crowd. And normally I like talking about my crowds because I get the crowds like nobody, but I just got back from 140 or 50 or 60,000 people and now I'm coming here," Trump said. "I may never be excited again about a crowd after going to India. Think of this, they have 1.5 billion people. We have 350, so we're doing pretty well, I'll tell you what, but I love this crowd, and I love that crowd too. Tell you they have a great love for ... They have a great love. They have a great leader, and they have a great love for the people of this country. That was really a worthwhile trip," he added. Donald Trump, accompanied by wife Melania and a high-level delegation, visited India earlier this week. During their 36-hour visit, Trump and the first lady attended various events and visited two cities - Ahmedabad and Agra - besides the national capital of India. Upon their arrival at Ahmedabad airport on Monday, the US first couple was accorded a warm welcome by Prime Minister Modi and thousands of people who had lined up on the streets of the city. Later, the US President addressed the 'Namaste Trump' event at Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium along with Modi, where both the leaders had hailed the growing ties between the two countries. From Ahmedabad, the couple had flown to Agra in Uttar Pradesh to visit the Taj Mahal where the two, holding hands, took a stroll on the lawns. They also posed for a picture at the famed Diana's bench. In the last leg of their visit, Trump and Melania visited New Delhi. The US President received a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday morning. Following this he sat down with Prime Minister Modi for delegation-level talks during which three agreements were finalised. The couple wrapped up their visit by attending a banquet hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Army has claimed that it gave a befitting reply to the Pakistan Army who had resorted to tremendous firing between 12 noon to 2 pm on Saturday (February 29, 2020) at Pallanwala in Akhnoor sector at Jammu and Kashmir. It has also claimed that several bunkers on the Pakistan side have been destroyed in the counter firing by India. The army reports news of injuries to at least three Pakistani soldiers posted at Deva sector in Pakistan. On Friday, many launch pads at PoK's Tarkundi was destroyed by the Indian Army. Mohammad Saeed a soldier of the 792 Mujahid battalion was reportedly killed in the firing. Fears are rising of a suspected coronavirus outbreak at the Iranian prison where Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been held since 2018. There are unconfirmed reports that at least three prisoners may have contracted the COVID-19 infection in Evin Prison. Melbourne University academic Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert is being held in Iran. Dr Moore-Gilbert was working as a lecturer and researcher for University of Melbourne's Asia Institute specialising in Middle East politics before she was imprisoned in October 2018. She has been sentenced to 10 years' jail at the facility on the outskirts of Tehran which is used to house the country's political prisoners. Ayodhya, Feb 29 : Chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee Nripendra Mishra will reach Ayodhya on Saturday and will meet Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the Ram temple trust. Mishra will also meet other members of the Ram temple trust to initiate the process for preparing a blueprint for construction of the temple. This will be his first visit to Ayodhya after being appointed chairman of the temple construction committee. Mishra will also discuss the agenda for the March 3-4 meet of the temple trust which includes shifting of the Ram Lalla idol, alternative arrangement for the worship and other arrangements before the start of the construction work. Earlier on Friday, Mishra met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow and discussed the modalities of the Ram temple construction. Mishra's meeting with the Chief Minister was described as a courtesy call by a senior government official, who said the meeting lasted for nearly half an hour. According to sources, Mishra will also be meeting a few leaders of the RSS and the trust secretary Champat Rai here at Ayodhya on Saturday. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Illinois has long been the state that always offers a surprise. Anyone whos lived in the state more than five years has felt it directly. Theres a point where the state pulls back something thats been promised. Cities experience it, businesses experience it, non-profit enterprises experience it, taxpayers experience it. One of the recent recipients of this most frequent of state gifts was the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and funding for officer training. A state law change in money allocation left the board about $5 million than it had last year. A bill to address the shortage is in progress. In the meantime, nine new Decatur police officers needed to be trained at the cost of in excess of $6,000 per officer. Just as a car needs immediate repairs or something in the home has to be fixed now or cost more later, the city needed to take care of its officers fees. The surprise was a quick cost of $56,736 to the city, an amount the council OKd to spend on Monday. You can imagine that scenario playing out in municipalities all over the state. So while Illinois seems to benefit the taxpayers on one front, funding still socks the taxpayers in the pocket. The shortage is because of a drop in collected traffic fines. A law last year allowed judges to waive traffic fines in court, and the Sheriffs Association and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police cited that law in accounting for the drop, and theyve asked the General Assembly to replace the funding. Obviously, we want our officers trained as well as they can be, and they must meet legal requirements in training. The larger issue is the shell game regularly played with funding in Springfield, all under the heading of efficiency. Its just a fancy name for a game state officials have been playing far too long. And the losers this time around were places all over the state who were unexpectedly shorted of funds. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 9 On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism at the international level, historical discussions once again flared up on the interpretation and assessment of the role of some problematic participants of the Second World War. This kind of discussions often transpose into the political dimension, Daily News Hungary writes in the article 75th anniversary of VE: The monument to Garegin Nzdeh as a test for Nikol Pashinyan. Thus, in November, the third committee of the UN General Assembly on social and humanitarian issues adopted by a majority vote a draft resolution on combatting the glorification of Nazism. The WWII, having claimed the lives of tens of millions of people all around the world, to this day continues to keep old wounds alive. For instance, Ukraine and Poland have been quarreling for many years because of the ambiguous personality of the Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera. Likewise, today the issue of assessing the personality of the Armenian nationalist Garegin Nzdeh is also becoming increasingly relevant. Notably, the problem of the glorification of Nzdeh was raised for the first time at the international level by the President of Azerbaijan, and today it is in the spotlight of attention within the world Jewish community. President Aliyev discussed this issue during his meeting with Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The leading media organizations of Russia, the country which, for understandable historical reasons, is especially sensitive to the glorification of accomplices to fascism, also picked up the topic. The President of Azerbaijan indeed took quite a balanced position during the meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Ashgabat on October 11, 2019. The glorification of Nzdeh began during the reign of the previous administrations of Armenia. As a matter of fact, the previous leaders of Armenia, namely Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan, repeatedly expressed their sympathies for the philosphy of Tseghakronism founded by Garegin Nzdeh, an ideology that incorporated the fascist ideas characteristic of Europe during the 1930s. The proximity between Hitlers racial ideology and Nzdehs philosophical writings has been mentioned in papers and articles of many European experts, including Volker Jacoby and Thomas de Waal. One of the latest critical articles in relation to tolerance for Nzdehs ideological legacy was written in Germany, by a German linguist, Matthias Wolf. In his article dated November 13, 2019, he talks about a monument to Garegin Nzdeh in the old Bulgarian capital, Pliska. In fact, the initiative of establishing a monument to Garegin Nzdeh in Bulgaria, which is mentioned by Wolf, can be considered as a precarious move from different points of view. It is not about the national movement of the Armenian diaspora, which sought to to perpetuate Nzdehs actions in the public, but about the initiative to build the monument in the territory of a private ownership, in the so-called Cyrillic courtyard in Pliska. Many experts questioned whether the character of Nzdeh is suitable for the Cyrillic courtyard. Nzdehs works were mostly written in Armenian, and Cyrillic is by no means an Armenian alphabet. Armenians have their own very interesting graphic signs, and they are proud of it. However, they do not even have an indirect relationship to the Cyrillic alphabet. Besides, while different nations can be proud of numerous merits and achievements of their heroes, Armenian heroes, such as Nzdeh, Andranik or Dro Kananian, unfortunately, have too much human blood on their conscience, especially relating to the period of 1920s. Indeed, Nzdeh closely cooperated with the Nazis during the entire period of the WWII. Along the way, Wolf did not miss the fact of the attacks by the Armenian armed forces on the Azerbaijani civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh at the beginning of the 20th century. Wolf refers to Garegin Nzdeh as the inspirer and leader of the pogroms against the Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh in the years 1918-1920. While talking about the aspirations of the current leadership of Armenia to perpetuate Nzdehs image, Wolf characterizes this fact as a demonstration of power in a foreign territory, as well as the shameful abuse of tolerance, hospitality and solidarity of the peoples of other countries. He recalls that the worshipping of Nazi personalities and symbols has long been the subject of criticism of various UN resolutions. Despite the facts provided above, there is an opinion in the expert community that the attitude to Garegin Nzdehs personality can be a turning point for the current authorities of Armenia. This may be a decent chance for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to abandon the position of radical nationalism promoted by his predecessors and establish himself as a democrat in the modern history of Armenia. Of course, achieving this goal will require the political will from the national leader, who is not afraid to disassociate himself from decades of nationalism. Nikol Pashinyans turn in this direction could also be applied in the process of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In contrast, adherence to Nzdehs philosophy of Tseghakronism will not allow Pashinyan to prepare the Armenian society for the compromises, so necessary for Armenia to get out of the conflict with the Republic of Azerbaijan. Smara (refugee camps), 29 February 2020 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, reiterated Thursday his call on the United Nations and the Security Council to "assume full responsibility" to enable the Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination at a time when the UN has still not appointed a new Personal Envoy for Western Sahara. The President of the Republic reiterated, in his official speech during the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the proclamation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in the province of Smara in the Saharawi refugee camps, that "the Popular Front for the Liberation of Segia El Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario) could not be involved in any effort that does not fully respect the sacred rights of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, like all colonial peoples and countries." "The Saharawi people are determined to defend their legitimate rights by all means guaranteed by international legitimacy," said Ghali calling on the international community to "assume its responsibilities" in the face of the ongoing provocations by the Moroccan occupier that could lead, he said, to "a military confrontation". The SG of the Polisario Front also seized the opportunity to call "once again" on the United Nations and the Security Council in particular to "assume full responsibility" to end to all these practices, including the flagrant and continuous violation by Morocco of the ceasefire and the Military Agreement No. 1. He further urged the UN to "exert the necessary pressure to immediately apply the Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations," with the independence of the colonised countries at the top of the agenda, and to allow MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum on Self-Determination in Western Sahara) to "accomplish its tasks.." "It is high time to wind up suffering of the Saharawi people who have shown great patience and perseverance," said the President of the Saharawi Republic in the same respect. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS As precautionary measures, significant increase in verification of citizens at border crossing it Vadym Prystaiko, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine President's press service The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine excludes the possibility of a decision by the authorities to close the borders in connection with the epidemic of coronavirus in the world. Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko stated this on the channel "Ukraine 24", as the Korrespondent reports. "Basically, we do not consider such an option (border closure - 112 International), like all other countries of the world do. For example, some of them are trying to take measures in certain regions and certain cities, but we do not plan to close the borders," Prystaiko said. At the same time, significant strengthening of the border control is provided. The Foreign Minister recalled that tens of thousands of people have already been checked by Ukrainian border guards. As we reported before, in Italy, the coronavirus epidemic claimed the lives of 21 citizens, while 821 people were infected. Emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli announced this in Rome. By Trend The Azerbaijani and Turkmen permanent missions representative offices to the UN Office in Geneva held a round table on the Transport and Connectivity Potential of the Caspian Sea region: Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan the shortest route topic, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry February 28. The event was held in Switzerland as part of the 82nd session of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The round table was attended by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Valizade, Chinas Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva Chen Xu, Deputy Head of Office of International Affairs of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission Stefano Paci and heads of diplomatic missions of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan. Executive Secretary of UNECE Olga Algayerova, Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union Umberto de Pretto, Committee Chairman of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) Tadeusz Szozda delivered speeches at the event. One of the main goals of the event was the presentation of transport capabilities of the Caspian region, the report said. Caspian-littoral states have been recently initiating a number of large international projects, including the Lapis Lazuli transport corridor along Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor. The agreement on transit and transport cooperation Lapis Lazuli between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan was signed on Nov. 15, 2017 at the ministerial meeting of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Ashgabat. According to the Lapis Lazuli project, railways and highways should connect the Afghan Turgundi city of Herat province with Ashgabat, then with the Caspian Turkmenbashi port. The corridor will extended to Baku, then through Tbilisi to Ankara with links to Poti and Batumi cities, then from Ankara to Istanbul. The project budget, which aims to facilitate transit logistics and simplify customs procedures, is estimated at $2 billion. Colin Dickey at The Believer: Mercer has long since been placed in the upper ranks of the great palindromists. Over the years he submitted hundreds of palindromes to the British periodical Notes and Queries, including Now, Ned, I am a maiden won, Nurse, I spy gypsiesrun!, and Did Hannah say as Hannah did? But outside the world of word game enthusiasts (a.k.a. logologists), he is largely unknown. This despite being the author of a seven-word, mostly inaccurate synopsis of a complex engineering feat that became one of the most widely known palindromes in English. A man, a plan, a canal, Panama works well as a palindrome because its not only the same letters read backward and forward, but it also makes sense, which is more than many palindromes do. Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas is a terrific palindrome, but what does it mean? more here. Newsfrom Japan Tokyo, Feb. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday that "sufficient results" should be produced from a state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping planned for early April. While noting that there is no change in Xi's planned Japan visit at the moment, Abe told a news conference that Japan and China will "keep in close contact (on the presidential visit) in light of the need for achieving sufficient results." Abe apparently indicated a view that there could be a possibility of Xi's visit being postponed depending on the extent of the impact the outbreak of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus would have. The Japanese government has so far reiterated that it will steadily make preparations for Xi's visit. At a meeting in Tokyo on Friday with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and the country's top foreign policy chief, Abe said that detailed preparations need to be made to welcome Xi as a state guest. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] A large Turkish military convoy was seen entering Syria on Saturday through the northwestern Bab el-Hawa border crossing. The convoy, en route towards Jabal al-Zawiya, included armoured vehicles, tanks and bulldozers. It comes as tensions have ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. Turkey has been pouring large amounts of material into Syria to counter a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive that has uprooted nearly a million civilians in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since the country began sending further reinforcements into rebel-held areas of Syria earlier this month. Turkey's defense ministry said late on Friday that one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling. It was the latest fatality after a deadly airstrike that killed 33 Turkish troops earlier this week. Turkish President Erdogan has given the Syrian government until the end of the month to pull back from areas captured from rebels in Idlib, threatening large-scale military action if it does not. WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Big U.S. banks have been rolling out contingency plans to respond to the global Covid 19 coronavirus outbreak - requiring some staff to work from home, implementing travel restrictions, and talking to regulators about potential stresses. The preparations come amid growing fears that the fast-spreading virus which has infected around 83,000 people in more than 50 countries could lead to a global recession. Stock markets have plunged, with the S&P 500 .SPX index dropping 11.5% this week, the worst showing since the 2008 financial crisis. Banks are not the only companies affected by the spread of the disease, but their position as market intermediaries and custodians of critical infrastructure has put the health of their employees, operations, and balance sheets in the spotlight. On Friday, U.S. presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the five largest U.S. banks asking how they are preparing to mitigate the risks of the outbreak. As a globally systemic important bank, your institution and the customers it serves could be impacted either directly through exposures to areas where the virus has spread or indirectly through a change in market conditions, she wrote. Financial firms started dusting off long-standing contingency playbooks several weeks ago when the virus was spreading through China, two industry officials told. Big U.S. banks are in daily contact with federal, state and local regulators on a range of issues, sources said, but lately coronavirus preparations have taken center stage. Discussions have centered on how to keep markets, transactions and other banking functions operating smoothly, as well as handling employee quarantines. One major bank brought an epidemiologist into its regular risk management gathering on Friday morning, a person who attended the meeting told. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), the largest U.S. bank by assets, told employees on Thursday that it was restricting all but essential international work travel due to the continued spread of the virus. Citigroup Inc (C.N) has restricted business travel in all Asian countries and Italy, and has asked employees who have visited affected areas to work from home for 14 days, a person familiar with the matter said. The bank has also imposed short-term restrictions on large meetings that require international travel. Earlier this week, Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) asked attendees of several conferences they are hosting in the coming weeks to disclose if they or people they have close contact with have travelled to mainland China, South Korea, parts of Italy and Japan. Goldman Sachs asked them to skip the conferences if so. In Goldmans New York headquarters, signs posted at check-in ask guests who recently travelled to China or had close contact with someone who did to reschedule their meetings. Several major banks in Hong Kong and Singapore, including HSBC Group Plc (HSBA.L), Morgan Stanley, and DBS Bank, have also restricted travel and are allowing staff to work from home. Citi has imposed tighter restrictions in affected countries, including temperature checks and home-working, the person familiar with the matter said. Many are also preparing workforces to work from home and dishing out hygiene advice, urging staff to frequently wash their hands and use antiseptic wipes, sources said. Long Prepared Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on in New York, Wall Street has developed extensive contingency plans for dealing with large scale disruptions, including pandemics. They most recent situation was during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Kenneth Bentsen Jr., chief executive of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, which leads industry continuity planning, told on Thursday. If an outbreak of coronavirus hits New York, markets would likely continue to function even if the floor of the New York Stock Exchange had to close. Stock exchanges have said they have contingency plans. Financial firms have back-up facilities in U.S. cities including Dallas, Tampa, Chicago, and Phoenix from which they can continue trading and perform other vital functions, although U.S. banks have yet to activate them, two sources said. Some banks in Asia are already using secondary sites, they said. Lenders are also considering splitting up critical teams into rotating shifts and physically distancing staff from one another, the official said. Its something the industry regularly plans for, said Bentsen. Were as prepared as we need to be. A two-thirds majority: Magic wand or crown of thorns? By Gamini Weerakoon Doublespeak View(s): View(s): Most Lankas political leaders, yearn for a two-thirds majority in parliament. They probably recall JRJs description of the potential constitutional power he wielded with his 5/6th majority such as making a man a woman and vice-versa. But constitutional sex changes and many other powers that a two-thirds majority vests with an executive president apart, it burdens the holder of the office with an impossible load which an electorate expects him to carry. This burden, of course, is of their own makingrash, reckless and knowingly impossible promises madecollectively called the party mandatewhich they presented to seduce voters. Winning an election convincingly even when a two-thirds majority is not required may cause problems because of false notions entertained by voters on powers bestowed on the winner on his election. Gotabaya Rajapaksa polled 52.25 percent of the total number of votes in his convincing victory in November last year, but some voters are of the opinion that he should have got cracking on the job from Day One on his own even though he needs parliamentary sanctions for many such actions. The 100th Day of his presidency is now over and farmers are demanding from him the free fertiliser promised. Apart from free fertiliser, there is no fertiliser in the market, they say while Rajapaksas Pohottuwa party supporters are saying that the UNP-led regime had not paid fertiliser companies for massive amounts of fertiliser supplied to the government. Passing the buck to their predecessors for their impotencehowever genuine the excuse may beis laughed out of court as old hat. Rajapaksas can blame Chandrika, Chandrika will say it was the work of the UNPPremadasa and JR and they said it was the fault of Mrs. B and N M Perera and so on till the time of Independence. Gotabaya Rajapaksa wants a two-thirds majority to bring alive his Vistas of Splendour and Prosperitythe title of his manifesto. A vision for a resurgent and prosperous country, the manifesto says is a result of a series of discourses, interactions conducted in 25,000 villages throughout the country during the past one year. Requirements of housing, electricity, drinking water, access roads and irrigation facilities in every village have been identified. Specialist Committees consisting of 540 persons covering 28 subject areas considered all these proposals and prepared this document, states the manifesto. And to implement these proposals he needs the Pohottuwa (Flower Bud) Party to win two-thirds of the seats in parliament. What he has not said loud and clear is that he needs, moneyhard currency-to pay off a multibillion dollar debt before or while he embarks on his Visions or Splendour and Prosperity. With enough votes in parliament and overhyped Pohottuwa legislators, they can pass laws even to build Sigiriya type palaces on the mountains of the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon but to build even concrete Premadasa models houses back at home billions of rupees are called for. Gotabaya doesnt even have the rupees. Where is the money to come from? Xi Jingping once he gets rid of the CORVID-19 virus may oblige. But he is obsessed with building a string of pearls round Indias sea routes in the Indian Ocean and will want more pearls from LankaTrinco, Colombo North Dockyard, Colombo City in addition to Hambantota and Mattala that China has already built. Maybe, they will leave Sooriyawewa playgrounds for Namal and his brothers to play. No more gifts such as the BMICH and Nelum Pokuna will be forthcoming. China gave up ping pong diplomacy quite a while ago. The new Lanka Pearls searched for will naturally annoy New Delhi, our Big Brother who has always considered Sri Lanka his backyard that no one else can enter. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in his recent visit to India said that while China is our friend India is our relation and followed it up with request for a three-year moratorium on loans taken from India. Nothing has been heard from New Delhi about that slender Sri Lankan touch for the Indian purse but Narendra Modi is having severe setbacks with its fastest growing economy in the world dropping from a growth rate of 6 percent to around four percent. Some Indian economic analysts have postulated that earlier calculations were based on wrong assumptions. Indians and Sri Lankans claim endearing relationships to each other at opportune times for each side. Right now Sri Lankans want to warm the relationship. Five years ago, the Rajapaksas were furious, claiming a coup was staged by Indian intelligence that ousted them from power. All that bad blood has been lost in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean in the past five years, Rajapaksas will hoping. But relations between the big brother and small brother could sour if Sino-Lanka relations warm up. Other political leaders in the forthcoming parliamentary fray too will hope for a two-thirds majority. The UNP is still the biggest and oldest political party in the country despite the internal political strife. There is Sajith Premadasa threatening to lead a new coalition. But if Sajith scores a victory with a two-thirds majority he will be in the same boat as Gotabaya having gone on a bidding spree trying to out beat his rival during the presidential election campaign. Anything you can do I can do better was the Premadasa refrain in the campaign. For example when Gotabaya promised free fertiliser for paddy farmers Sajith promised the same for farmers of all varieties of crops: vegetables, fruits and even some unmentionables for women. But how will Sajith be able to keep to the promises he made during the presidential election campaign? Where will he find the hard currency? Sajith the home grown politician will find a home grown solution it being that that the interest shown by the big powers and regional ones are not inspired by the Rajapaksas or Wickremesinghe but because of Sri Lanka and what it is worth for. What of Ranil Wickremasinghe, the UNP leader? He, too, will be contesting the parliamentary election. Remember he always polled the highest number of votes whether his party won or lost. Ranil seems not to be worried about winning a two-thirds majority. He probably has one already and that is why he is hinting at a national government with the Pohottuwa. But will that National Unity government last long? Wouldnt the SLFPers who joined the Pohottuwa say: We did not break up our party to unite again with the UNP? Besides would those fiery extremist Sinhala Buddhists, the anti-Ranil pro-nurses leaders who are forever threatening to stage hunger strikes move into action once again? A leading intellectual from a new think tank, Atharamaga, summarised: A two-thirds majority without money to keep to the pledges made will only lead to you being lambasted by your own supporters. So why not go for a bare majority and tell the critics its their fault for not producing a two-thirds majority? Quite a Mallung no? Gridlocked I say, said an Atharamaga think-tanker. Much more than that. Its No Hellung Pol Mallung added another think-tanker from Jampacked Maga. (The writer is a former editor of the Island ) Dealing a significant blow to a signature Trump administration immigration policy, a federal appeals court ruled Friday that the government can no longer make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through the US immigration courts. The same court, based in San Francisco, decided to keep another major change on hold, one that denies asylum to anyone who enters the US illegally from Mexico. The twin setbacks for the Trump administration may prove temporary if it appeals to the US Supreme Court, which has consistently sided with the president on immigration and border security policies. The Remain in Mexico policy, known officially as Migrant Protection Protocols, took effect in January 2019 in San Diego and gradually spread across the border. Nearly 60,000 people have been sent back to wait for hearings, and officials believe it is a big reason why illegal border crossings plummeted about 80% from a 13-year high in May. Reaction to the decision was swift among immigration lawyers and advocates who have spent months fighting with the administration over a program they see as a humanitarian disaster, subjecting hundreds of migrants to violence, kidnapping and extortion in dangerous Mexican border cities. Hundreds more have been living in squalid encampments just across the border, as they wait for their next court date. Advocates planned to have immigrants immediately cross the border and present the court decision to border authorities on Friday. Lawyers were hoping to get their clients before US immigration court judges. The Justice Department sharply criticized the ruling, saying the 9th US Circuit Courts decision not only ignores the Constitutional authority of Congress and the Administration for a policy in effect for over a year, but also extends relief beyond the parties before the Court. In the decision, the judges acknowledged the controversy that has engulfed federal courtrooms over the issue of nationwide injunctions in recent weeks. The Trump administration has been widely critical of nationwide injunctions, saying a few liberal areas should not be making policy for the entire country. Judge William Fletcher, writing the majority opinion, sided with the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups who argued the policy violates international treaty obligations against sending people back to a country where they are likely to be persecuted or tortured on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity, political beliefs or membership in a particular social group. The question before the judges was whether to let the policies take effect during legal challenges. Fletcher agreed the government set the bar too high for asylum seekers to persuade officers that they should be exempt from the policy and didnt provide enough time for them to prepare for interviews or consult lawyers. The judges said the government also erred by requiring asylum seekers to express fear of returning to Mexico to be considered for an exemption, instead of asking them unprompted. Fletcher quoted at length asylum seekers who reported being assaulted and victimized in Mexico, saying it was enough indeed, far more than enough to undercut the governments arguments. Fletcher was joined by Judge Richard Paez, both appointees of President Bill Clinton. Judge Ferdinand Fernandez, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, dissented. The court forcefully rejected the Trump administrations assertion that it could strand asylum seekers in Mexico and subject them to grave danger, said ACLU attorney Judy Rabinovitz. Its time for the administration to follow the law and stop putting asylum seekers in harms way. The rulings impact will be at least partially blunted by the expansion of other policies that were introduced in response to unprecedented surge of asylum seeking families that peaked last year, many of them from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. In November, the administration began sending asylum-seekers from Honduras and El Salvador to Guatemala, denying them a chance in the United States and instead inviting them to apply in the strife-torn Central American nation. Similar agreements with Honduras and El Salvador are set to take effect soon. Under another new policy, Mexicans and Central Americans who fail an initial screening are rapidly deported without leaving Border Patrol stations, which gained notoriety last year for Homeland Security internal watchdog reports of squalid conditions in some Texas locations. The screening interview is designed to take place in one day and any appeals to an immigration judge within 10 days. Asylum-seekers are given up to 90 minutes to contact a lawyer. Those policies for rapid deportations were introduced in October in El Paso, Texas, and extended across the border by this month. The other measure with far-reaching consequences denies asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the US border with Mexico without seeking protection there first. That policy took effect in September and is being challenged in a separate lawsuit. Supporters of the Remain in Mexico policy note it has prevented asylum seekers from being released in the United States with notices to appear in court, which they consider a major incentive for people to come. The policy was introduced at the border crossing in San Diego and initially focused on Central Americans. By November, it had reached all major crossing corridors, the last one being Arizona. Asylum-seekers from more than 40 nations had been sent back, with Hondurans accounting for more than one of three, according to Syracuse Universitys Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse. Guatemalans were second, followed by Cubans and Salvadorans. Mexicans are exempt under the policy, as are unaccompanied children. Asylum has been granted in less than 1% of the roughly 35,000 cases that have been decided. Only 5% are represented by attorneys, many of whom are reluctant to visit clients in Mexico. Ola Jordan has become mother to a baby girl. The ex-Strictly Come Dancing professional, 37, became pregnant with her first child after undergoing a tough process of IVF. She told her fans the news on Twitter, posting a picture of her babys hand. Shes here and she is perfect. #Mummy, she wrote. Husband James, 41, showed off the newborns feet and wrote: Im the happiest man in the world #daddy. The married couple were trying for a baby, before undergoing the treatment, for nearly three years. Im the happiest man in the world #daddy pic.twitter.com/ss0SSqJlw5 James Jordan (@The_JamesJordan) February 29, 2020 Ola previously told Hello! magazine: When we had the scan it was funny because the baby was dancing. Im not sure if it was a cha-cha or a jive, but it was definitely dancing. And former Strictly pro and Dancing On Ice winner James had said: Im so glad I get to see her become a mum because its all shes ever really wanted. Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial insight, gathered from around the web: The Christian startup life Tech entrepreneurs in the Midwest are hustling to transform cities into tech hubs with a Christian twist, said Kathryn Joyce at Wired. In Cincinnati, a small group of entrepreneurs started a lecture series at the fast-growing Crossroads Church about the "travails of startup life." The informal talks turned into workshops, the workshops became a business accelerator, and the accelerator spawned a venture capital firm, Ocean Capital. Now Ocean offers seed investments of $50,000 for company founders, as well as "personal and spiritual mentoring." The aim is to "instill the notion of Christian leadership" and help new companies "build into their DNA a healthier sense of balance." One goal: to teach founders that it's possible to start a tech company without "putting your life on hold for five to 10 years, and ruining your marriage and friendships." Face-to-face with the taxman The IRS is coming knocking more often this year, said Andrew Keshner at MarketWatch quite literally. As part of an effort to narrow the $441 billion gap between taxes owed and taxes paid, the agency expects to make "at least 800 face-to-face visits" beginning this month, with thousands more later in the year. IRS audits have been sliding for years, from a rate of 1.1 percent of individual tax returns in 2011 to 0.45 percent last year. The expected home visits will be focused primarily on "taxpayers who make at least $100,000 a year" who have not filed their taxes in a least a year. If the IRS does show up, a tax attorney recommends asking representatives to leave their contact information, and "then have a lawyer or accountant discuss the matter with the tax authority directly." 'Kiddie Tax' revision goes awry Eliminated just in 2017, the complex "Kiddie Tax" is back, said Laura Saunders at The Wall Street Journal. First introduced in 1986, the rule set the tax rate on most children's income at the parents' rate. The 2017 tax overhaul got rid of the complex calculations the old Kiddie Tax required and made children's income subject to fixed trust tax rates. That minor revision proved disastrous for Gold Star families, parents with children receiving military survivors' benefits. For instance, "one widow of a Navy officer had a top rate of 12 percent on her income of less than $55,000, while her 6-year-old son had a top rate of 37 percent on his survivor's benefit of about $29,000." The previous rules will be reinstated for 2020. This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, try the magazine for a month here. More stories from theweek.com Coronavirus might be the end of international travel as we know it It's 2020 and women are exhausted If democratic socialism is so bad, why is Norway so great? KYODO NEWS - Feb 29, 2020 - 23:30 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak: As of 11:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29 (Japan time) The World Health Organization on Friday raised its global risk assessment over the new coronavirus stemming from China to the highest level List of major facilities, events affected by coronavirus in Japan [Getty/Kyodo] As of midnight, Friday, Feb. 28 (Japan time) Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan: Married At First Sight's Cyrell Paule and Love Island's Eden Dally welcomed their first child, son Boston Eden, on February 9. And on Saturday, the proud mother cradled the newborn in a promotional post for a skincare brand. Sharing an adorable photo to Instagram, the 30-year-old told her 247,000 fans how Eco Tan's 'Glory Oil' reduced the appearance of her stretch marks. Mummy's little influencer! Married At First Sight's Cyrell Paule, 30, (picured) cradled her newborn son Boston in a promotional post for a beauty brand, on Instagram on Sunday 'Love my Glory Oil by @ecotan... I have been using this now for the last couple of months,' Cyrell began her post. 'Mainly focusing on my stretch marks that I obtained from pregnancy... it's helped reduced the marks in just a short period.' The former reality star-turned-influencer included a promotional code for her followers to 'receive 25 per cent off site-wide'. Cyrell's caption ran alongside a precious photo of herself cradling Boston while soaking up the sun at a Sydney park. Product: Cyrell told her fans how Eco Tan's 'Glory Oil' reduced the appearance of her stretch marks. She included a promotional code for her followers to 'receive 25 per cent off site-wide' Baby joy: Cyrell and her partner Eden Dally (pictured), 27, welcomed Boston on February 9. They announced the birth on Tuesday, after weeks of being unable to decide on a name She sported a casual black ensemble and allowed her dark locks to flow freely, while little Boston looked cute as a button in a white onesie. Cyrell held onto a bottle of the Glory Oil with its application stick, and gazed adoringly at Boston. The brunette beauty and her partner Eden, 27, announced the birth of Boston on Tuesday, after weeks of being unable to decide on a name. Reality TV debut: The couple met in March 2019 after Cyrell's 'marriage' to Nic Jovanovic (pictured) on MAFS ended when they decided they were better off just being friends Cyrell told New Idea that they originally liked the name Cruze, but Cyrell's sister named her own child that. The couple met in March 2019 after Cyrell's 'marriage' to Nic Jovanovic on MAFS ended when they decided they were better off just being friends. Cyrell and Eden began dating officially within a matter of weeks, and she later moved into his $2.9million home in Sydney's Drummoyne. They announced they were expecting their first child together in August. Wonderful Drogheda features on RTE 1 this Friday in the first episode of Fleadh Cheoil. (8.30pm). The show features the best of Irish traditional music from Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2019. John Creedon and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh return to the helm for Drogheda's second and final year hosting the event, with music from Oisin Mac Diarmada and friends, Francis Gaffney and John Carty, Sibeal Ni Chasaide and the O'Gorman family. The presenters will also be chatting to people attending the event, which saw 750,000 take to the streets of the town for a week. The show will run for 30 minutes and is the first in a series of programmes on the week long celebration. It will be repeated on Saturday at 4.15pm. Drogheda's hosting of the event in 2019 was deemed the biggest in its history. It hit record numbers in 2018 when 500,000 attended, but that was surpassed in August last year. The show will give people the opportunity to relive a magical week. Its an old fashioned idea planning for the worst and hoping for the best. When a Covid-19 case appeared in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, I created a shared online document for my family: prepper list. We added everything we thought wed need if the virus hit California: medicines, canned vegetables, rice. But we kept realizing there were random things we hadnt thought about: cat food, toilet paper, coffee. The prepper list started as a whimsical thought experiment, but today I checked off the final items. Then I started texting my neighbors and friends about pooling our resources. When I showed a friend my cabinets full of prepper supplies, she looked at me quizzically and asked, So you went to Trader Joes? Yes, it may look like a little cozy shopping, but the raw psychological reality is that everyone I know is vacillating between freak-out and denial. One night, my friends and I talked about plague news in such grisly detail that one of us had to declare a moratorium because he was getting too upset. So we watched three episodes of Brooklyn 99 instead of figuring out whether we had enough medical supplies to survive two weeks of mandatory lockdown. This isnt some meme-corroded, cynical response. Were coping the same way people did in previous plaguey times. News blackouts during the 1918 Spanish flu prevented people from understanding how deadly it was. And even afterward, when it was known that it had claimed 50 million to 100 million lives, only a few people wrote documentary accounts of the pandemic Katherine Anne Porter explored it in fiction with her novel Pale Horse, Pale Rider. It was as if an entire generation just wanted to forget. Only in the 1970s did Alfred Crosby write a history of the devastating disease in a book called, tellingly, Americas Forgotten Pandemic. Back in the late 1340s, the English poet and essayist Geoffrey Chaucer survived the first wave of the Black Death that killed off 50 percent of Londons population. He grew up in a world forever changed by a pandemic, and yet he mentions the plague only once in his enormous body of work. My point is that people have been trying to forget about pandemics for almost a millennium the urge to hide from the truth and binge watch comedy (or write The Canterbury Tales) is strong. As a science journalist, Ive been following news of this outbreak carefully and warning my friends of its coming. I thought I was ready. After all, my family still has boxes of N95 masks left over from two years ago, when San Franciscans dealt with heavy smoke from the California wildfires. But what Ive realized over the past few days is that Im ready for a world-ending disaster and thats very different from being ready to survive in a world thats damaged but still going. Roman Polanski won France's Cesar Award for best directing for his film 'An Officer and a Spy', prompting a walkout by several women in the audience in protest at honouring a man facing rape accusations. The ceremony took place in Paris on Friday amid protests by women's rights activists as director Roman Polanski was awarded, in his absence, the best director award for his latest film. Polanski decided to skip the Cesar awards ceremony because of protests by women's groups denouncing the 12 nominations 'An Officer and a Spy' received after a French woman brought a new rape accusation against him. At the announcement of Polanski's award as best director, some boos emerged from the public, composed of film teams and cinema professionals. Actress Adele Haenel, who recently denounced alleged sexual assault by another French director in the early 2000s when she was 15, got up and walked out of the room, followed by a few others. Actress Adele Haenel, who recently denounced alleged sexual assault by another French director in the early 2000s when she was 15, got up and walked out of the room, followed by a few others Feminist activists gather next to the Cesar Film Awards Ceremony to protest against the nominations of Roman Polanski's film 'An officer and a spy' Polanski said the ceremony was turning into a 'public lynching' and that he decided not to attend the ceremony to protect his colleagues and his wife and children Claire Denis (right) accepted the award on behalf of Mr Polanski who did not attend the event 'Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims. It means raping women isn't that bad,' Haenel told the New York Times earlier this week. The film's cast and production team, including best actor nominee Jean Dujardin, also declined to attend the ceremony. Dujardin posted a message on Instagram that said, 'By making this film, I believed and I still believe I made more good than harm.' Polanski's film won two other awards for best costume design and best adaptation. No one came on stage to accept the trophies awarded to 'An Officer and a Spy.' The show's host, comedian Florence Foresti, left Polanski's film out of her opening remarks when she mentioned the ones with multiple nominations. Instead, Foresti referred to the 86-year-old director as 'Atchoum,' French for the Sneezy character in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.' 'I decided that Atchoum would not be big enough to overshadow the French cinema,' she said. A l'annonce du Cesar de la Meilleure Realisation pour Roman Polanski ("J'accuse"), Adele Haenel quitte la salle. Le meilleur des #Cesar2020 > https://t.co/ipnVwouBeV pic.twitter.com/7xa0CTbU3H CANAL+ (@canalplus) February 28, 2020 Actress Adele Haenel pictured storming out of the awards as Roman Polanski is named best director for his film 'An Officer and a Spy' Other attendees walk out of the awards ceremony as best director is announced Ms Haenel pictured before she stormed out of the awards ceremony at Salle Pleyel, Paris The Cesar for best film has been awarded to 'Les Miserables,' Ladj Ly's Oscar candidate, about tensions between police and minorities in a poor Paris suburb. The film won the Jury Price in Cannes Film Festival last year. The entire male-dominated leadership of the Cesar stepped down recently amid disagreement over its decision-making structure and how to deal with the Polanski problem. A few hundred protesters brandishing signs with phrases such as 'Victims, we believe you' and 'No to impunity' assembled outside the Salle Pleyel hall before the ceremony started. The group chanted, 'We are here, we are here, even if Polanski doesn't want to, we are here.' 'By supporting the aggressors, by celebrating the aggressors, one does not allow the victims to speak out. Their word is denied,' Celine Piques of women's activist group Osez le Feminisme said Feminist activists hold signs during a demonstration outside the Salle Pleyel in Paris as guests arrive for the 45th edition of the Cesar Film Awards ceremony on February 28 Protesters pictured holding a banner saying: 'Polanski: Cesar's best rapist 2020 award' Demonstrators hold up anti-Polanski signs and pictures of a woman at the venue last night Protesters holding up anti-Polanski signs gather next to the venue in Paris, France Banners saying justice and attacking Polanski are held up by protesters in Paris last night In a statement this week, the Paris-based Polanski said the ceremony was turning into a 'public lynching' and that he decided not to attend the ceremony to protect his colleagues and his wife and children. Polanski is still wanted in the United States decades after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor but fled the country on the eve of sentencing. Last year, a woman came forward to accuse Polanski of raping her in 1975 in his Swiss chalet when she was 18. Polanski denied it, and the allegations are too old for an investigation. But the accusation put the director under fresh scrutiny in France, where he has long been revered as one of the country's premier filmmakers despite the outstanding rape charge in the U.S. Other accusations have also emerged. 'Is it normal for a man to rape and then 30 years later to be a star in popular cultures? No, it's not normal, and a rapist should be in prison,' another Osez le Feminisme activist, Fabienne El Khouri, said. 'An Officer and a Spy' is about the anti-Semitic persecution of French army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus and his wrongful treason conviction in the 1890s. It is among the best film nominees. Polanski has nominations for best adaptation and best director. by Dave Kluge | Lakers Correspondent | Sat, Feb 29th 12:26pm EST Kent Bazemore registered 13 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two steals, and a block over 29 minutes in Friday's 104-101 win over the Grizzlies. Fantasy Impact: Over 16 games with the Kings, Bazemore is averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 assists, and 0.4 blocks over 22.1 minutes. Even though his minutes have been cut from his time in Portland, Sacramento seems to be a better fit as he is scoring more on a better clip and playing in meaningful minutes down the stretch. He's a good pickup in deep leagues but with Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and Bogdan Bogdanovic all playing similar roles for the Kings his lack of opportunity will limit his ceiling. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Albuquerque dropped precipitously on an annual list that ranks the top cities in the nation for job, wage and tech-sector growth. The Milken Institute, a California-based nonprofit think tank, released its most recent report on the best-performing cities in the country earlier this week. In it, Albuquerque ranked 161st overall out of 200 large cities, down from 125th last year. The decline was the 14th-largest of any city on the list. Kevin Klowden, who oversaw the study for the Milken Institute, said Albuquerques ranking suffered from stagnant wages and relatively slow high-tech industry growth over the past several years. What happens is that you wind up in a situation where even if a city is adding jobs, its not doing it in a way thats lending itself to a healthy enough economy, Klowden said. The report, which Milken has produced annually since 2002, evaluates large and small cities across nine individual metrics, tracking job growth, wage growth and the concentration of tech-sector jobs in a city. Klowden said the report is designed to provide a snapshot showing how dynamic and resilient each citys economy is. Michael Lin, one of the studys authors, said Albuquerque has historically fared relatively well in categories focusing on the concentration of tech workers in the city, due in part to the presence of Sandia National Laboratories there. However, the report showed that Albuquerque has seen relatively little high-tech Gross Domestic Product growth over the past several years, which Lin attributed in part to a relative lack of industry diversity within the tech sector. If you look at San Francisco or San Jose, they have something more than national defense, Lin said. Albuquerque has also suffered from poor wage growth, according to the report, despite a significant decline in its unemployment rate in recent years. Albuquerque ranked 177th in wage growth from 2017 through 2018, and 167th in wage growth over the past five years. This is a trend thats been going on for a while, Klowden said. Lin added that the slow wage growth may be due to Albuquerques high number of government jobs, which he said tend to have more steady wages than private-sector jobs. The slow wage growth extended to New Mexicos other metro areas, according to the report. Among small metros, Santa Fe ranked 166th and Farmington placed 196th on the list of 200 small cities. While Klowden said he was encouraged by Farmingtons relatively strong recent job growth in 2018 and 2019, he added both cities were hurt by stagnant wages. The state is being left behind in wage growth, Klowden said. The only city to rise in the rankings was Las Cruces, which jumped from 173 last year to 102 in this report. The southern New Mexico city posted strong tech growth in 2019, which Klowden credited to a growing defense and aerospace industry anchored in part by new jobs at nearby Spaceport America. Image of the coronavirus. (Photo by HANDOUT/National Institutes of Health/AFP via Getty Images) The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre was informed of the confirmed case of Covid-19 on Saturday. The patient, a male in the eastern part of the country, is currently receiving "appropriate medical care". The case is associated with travel from an affected area in northern Italy, rather than contact with another confirmed case in Northern Ireland. The man came forward himself with symptoms. Tests confirmed he had the virus only hours before the announcement was made and authorities then began the process of tracing those he may have come into contact with. It is understood health officials are attempting to trace those who may have come into contact with the man. Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, said: This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now. Public health protocols have been in place since January and are operating effectively. The health service is well used to managing infectious diseases and has robust response measures in place. Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann said: We will continue to co-operate on contact tracing and other vital steps as we work relentlessly to mitigate the spread of COViD 19. Earlier today, the First Minister, deputy First Minister, Taoiseach, Minister Harris and myself spoke together by teleconference. We underlined our commitment to continued cooperation between respective Departments and public health organisations on both sides of the border. I also spoke with Minister Harris again this evening." Positive test results had been anticipated on both sides of the border and we have repeatedly made clear it was a question of when not if Robin Swann At a hastily convened press conference on Saturday night, Dr Holohan said the likelihood of more cases of Covid-19 happening in Ireland was "moderate to high." He said the man, who is the first case in the Republic, had returned to Ireland from northern Italy. He praised the man for following the official advice of coming forward when he noticed he had symptoms. He refused to inform the small number of journalists of any personal details relating to the man or his movements. He declined to say if he was on the same flight from Italy as the woman who flew into Dublin and was diagnosed in Northern Ireland. Dr Holohan said it was vital that anyone who has been to affected areas and who has symptoms has confidence that their privacy will be tightly safeguarded by health authorities. Unless people are assured of privacy, they will not come forward to be tested, he said. He refused to say if a second airline cabin crew would need to go into isolation the same way as the original crew on the woman's flight. In an earlier statement, Dr John Cuddihy, Director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said: "The HSE is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. It is important to note that the risk of transmission through casual contact is low." Minister Harris said: "This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this since January. "I would strongly encourage people to follow the guidance and advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, led by the Chief Medical Officer." Over 100 tests have been carried out on people in the Republic so far. It is the second case of coronavirus on the island of Ireland, after the first case in Northern Ireland was confirmed earlier this week. The woman had arrived at Dublin Airport from northern Italy before travelling to Belfast by train. It is understood she has been treated at home. People who sat within two rows of the person on the plane from northern Italy to Dublin were contacted. Read More The woman followed advice in reporting concerns to a GP and "self-isolated" at home whilst awaiting Symptoms of the coronavirus include a cough, shortness of breath, fever and breathing difficulties. The number of people sickened by the virus climbed to more than 85,000 globally on Saturday and there were more than 2,850 deaths, most of them in China. Schools and universities will stay closed for a second consecutive week in three northern Italian regions in an effort to contain Europe's worst outbreak of coronavirus. Italy's neighbours are also taking measures to contain the spread of the virus. France on Saturday put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people, while Switzerland on Friday banned events expected to draw more than 1,000. That they are still roaring and soaring should be no surprise. That's just how they are built. TESLA may have been born in the mid 80s eruption of leather, spandex, and big hair, but this band has never been about those things. Hardly. Their bluesy, soulful sound is strongly embedded in the roots of organic, authentic, 1970s rock and roll. The same roots that produced bands like The Allman Brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Aerosmith. The ground started shaking up in Sacramento, CA, in 1984; gold country that would soon be producing some platinum. They started out as City Kidd, until someone suggested they change their name in honor of eccentric inventor Nikola TESLA, who pioneered all things electrical - and who, like any revolutionary rock and roll band, made magic working with the basic forces of nature. A blizzard of industry showcase gigs and TESLA quickly scored a deal with Geffen. Their 1986 debut album, Mechanical Resonance, would eventually go platinum, nestled comfortably in the Top 40, and produce the iconic hard rock hits, "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi." Today, Mechanical Resonance lives on as one of the most successful and acclaimed debuts of the era. But it was the follow up that truly pushed things over the edge and started to solidify the legacy of the band. 1989's The Great Radio Controversy brought in many new legions of fans, thanks to a potent one-two sonic punch. The first single, "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)," scored huge with hard rock audiences, while the poignant ballad, "Love Song," provided a softer counterpoint. This helped push the album into the Top 20 and double-platinum sales figures. All of a sudden, TESLA, who cut their teeth opening some of the biggest tours of the 80s from Def Leppard to David Lee Roth, had earned full headlining status, and the brakes were off. In 1990, TESLA helped reshape the face of modern hard rock music by stripping down to the Five Man Acoustical Jam, a loose, informal collection of their biggest hits peppered with rock and roll classics by the Beatles, Stones, and others. Not only did the format reveal just how sturdy and rock solid the band's catalog was, it also inspired every major band after them to perform similar acoustic, storytelling shows, going back to the basics. TESLA's daring experiment also produced their biggest hit single, a cover of Five Man Electrical Band's "Signs." Another platinum album, Psychotic Supper, was released in 1991 and as the early 90s gave way to Seattle's grunge wave, TESLA, unlike many other bands of their era, managed to keep pushing forward thanks to loyal fans and their ever-present unpretentious approach to craft. After a worldwide arena tour as headliners, they released Bust a Nut in 1994. Then, internal band conflicts shut everything down until 2000. After a four year break, they exploded back onto the scene with a sold out hometown show at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. TESLA was back, on their own terms. They started their own label and released their own music. The fans had never gone away, and TESLA was still selling hundreds of thousands of albums. Only now, they were in full command of their own destiny, in all its rugged, ragged glory. For the last 18 years, they have continued to release new original music, live sets, and more. They are as productive as they have ever been. 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of one of TESLA's most iconic albums, Five Man Acoustical Jam. The upcoming 2020 tour will feature performances of the most seminal tracks from this ground-breaking acoustic record. TESLA also visited the legendary London recording studio Abbey Road in June 2019 where they performed, recorded, and filmed a semi-acoustic set that will become their next live album, Five Man London Jam. The new record honors songs from the original live album combined with the wealth of hit songs they've crafted over their 30-year legacy. TESLA has endured many of the same taste-changing challenges that affected many in the post-grunge world, but through it all, their blue-collar work ethic and dedication to the faithful fan base has helped them not just survive, but thrive. "That's TESLA? I know that song. I love that song." You hear it every day. Younger audiences follow the band because they know the music is real. Older audiences love that a band styled on the classic 1970s model can still kick ass all over the world. TESLA is a band for the ages. All ages. They were never a flavor of the month. TESLA's legacy is alive and well as they continue to record and sellout venues all over the world. As comfortable, rugged, and dependable as your favorite pair of boots, they endure. TESLA is a celebration of the greatest spirits of rock and roll. Readers with a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy might remember the famous travel guide came with DON'T PANIC helpfully printed on its cover. With financial markets across the world seeing dramatic falls as a result of coronavirus, investors would do well to adopt the same motto. In the early days of the virus, the markets reacted and then seemed to steady themselves, leading to a belief that this was a temporary blip and things would soon return to normal. Market panic: Markets took fright last week as the virus continued to spread around the world But markets once again took fright last week as the virus continued to spread around the world from Italy to Brazil and equities across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US all plunged. Companies such as easyJet, British Airways and TUI all suffered huge share price falls while others forecast profit warnings as a result of the negative impact of coronavirus on retail sales, supply chains and manufacturing leading to fears that dividends will be slashed further down the line. With some financial experts predicting that coronavirus, combined with political tensions and troubled trade talks, could drive us towards a global recession, should investors remain calm? Why are markets so jittery? With the slowing down of reports of new cases in China, it seemed markets were relaxed about coronavirus and had stabilised after the initial reaction. But last week, it emerged that there were now more coronavirus cases outside China than inside, and every continent on Earth bar Antarctica was affected by the disease. Companies started reporting the impact of coronavirus on their businesses with tech giant Apple leading the way, warning that it was going to miss revenue targets and a global shortage of iPhones was likely due to its Chinese factories being shut. Impact: Luxury goods company Burberry, which has a big Chinese fan base, announced that coronavirus was having a 'material negative effect' on business Travel companies were the next to be hit. EasyJet shares dropped more than a quarter of their value in less than a week as holidaymakers and business travellers postponed their trips, wiping 1.5billion off its value, while shares in British Airways' parent company IAG also fell sharply as did stocks in Ryan-air, TUI and Jet2. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says: 'The travel sector could bear the brunt of the coronavirus impact, as people stay at home rather than taking on a perceived greater risk of infection by going on holiday.' He adds: 'We're not that far away from a busy period for the travel sector as a large number of people like to go away at Easter time. Travel companies will be praying the virus is contained as quickly as possible.' Leisure companies such as P&O Cruises owner Carnival, Wynn Resorts and Disney also saw significant share price falls, but other sectors are far from immune. Luxury goods company Burberry, which has a big Chinese fan base, announced that coronavirus was having a 'material negative effect' on business, with many of its stores in China closed, while LVMH and L'Oreal have also taken a hit. The world's largest drinks maker AB InBev said its first-quarter profits were going to be down by 10 per cent after the virus hit beer sales during Chinese New Year, while UK drinks producer Diageo, which makes Guinness, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Tanqueray, said its profits were going to be down between 140million and 200million as bars and restaurants across China were forced to close. Aston Martin was hoping to turn the troubled company around thanks to strong Chinese demand which is now in doubt, while clothing retailer Primark, owned by Associated British Foods, is having to put contingency plans in place so its manufacturing network is not affected. Hotel companies such as Marriott and Intercontinental Group are also likely to be affected. Should investors run for the hills? If you sell now, you will be crystallising any potential losses. If you hold on for the long term though, the market should recover. It will require nerves of steel but try not to get caught up in the panic. Emma Wall, of Hargreaves Lansdown, says: 'Coronavirus is impacting markets and will continue to do so. Stay calm: If you hold on for the long term though, the market should recover That does not necessarily mean long-term investors should be overly concerned. Timing the market is notoriously difficult and even professionals get it wrong. Trading on news events can often lead to bad outcomes panic selling often locks in losses and jumping back into the market is hard to do.' If you are investing into an Isa or pension, with a long-term view of ten years of more, the best course is to stick with it, says Wall. She adds: 'Within four years of the global financial crisis in 2008, both the FTSE 100 Index and the S&P 500 Index had shrugged off the losses.' Is it time to snap up some bargains? It might be tempting to pick up some so-called bargains as shares fall in value but with such a roller-coaster ride, it's difficult to call the bottom of the market. Professional traders live by their wits and need an iron nerve to play the markets. So retail investors should keep a cooler head and invest for the long term. Demand: Reckitt Benckiser has said demand for its brands Dettol and Lysol has shot up, particularly in China Jason Hollands, of wealth manager Tilney, says: 'Sharp slides in markets ultimately reward long-term investors who are prepared to go against the herd and invest new money at lower stock prices than they may have paid just weeks earlier.' He adds: 'This does not mean investors should throw caution to the wind and aggressively pile in, as markets may worsen before improving, but there is a case for steadily feeding new cash in to the market over the coming weeks and months.' If you haven't been put off by recent market volatility, defensive stocks such as utilities, healthcare and drinks manufacturing could prove attractive although they are not immune from share price corrections. Reckitt Benckiser has said demand for its brands Dettol and Lysol has shot up, particularly in China, where it has outstripped supply. But the company's shares still fell back. Hollands remains bullish, saying: 'UK equities continue to offer relatively better value than other developed markets and provide the support of attractive dividends. 'My top picks for UK equity funds include Liontrust Special Situations and Evenlode Income, both of which have strategies that avoid exposure to sectors and businesses that are highly sensitive to the economic cycle. 'In the case of Liontrust Special Situations, this has historically proven a resilient performer in tough market conditions, a vindication of a focus on companies with robust earnings and high barriers to competition.' Funds focused on capital preservation or investing in a range of assets can add diversification to an equity portfolio. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Feb. 28 that they would file a complaint against Lee Man-hee, the owner of Shincheonji Church, if he does not voluntarily undergo an examination for the Covid-19. "The first thing Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a question and answer after a daily news briefing was that he would come out early to undergo an examination and take the lead in taking the lead in order to get all the Shinchun officials tested and if not, he will file a complaint," Yoo Yeon-sik, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's cultural director, said. "We are considering whether to file a complaint." Park, who appeared on MBC's "100 Minutes Debate" on the 27th, said, "he are not in a situation where he is in hiding," and said, "he should apologize to the public." With the spread of Covid-19 increasing the blame for Lee Man-hee, who has disappeared from the scene, is unlikely to be able to hide as the Seoul Metropolitan Government has shown willingness to file a complaint. Mayor Yoo, meanwhile, said that the company is also considering canceling a license to set up a division in Shinchonji. "On November 30, 2011, a corporation was applied for the Eternal Korean Evangelical Presbyterian Church and was authorized to establish a corporation that day," he said. "The representative was changed to Lee Man-hee in April 2012. "In July 2012, the name was changed to 'New Sky New Site Evidence Memorial Church'," he said. "We are currently checking to see if there are any facts that are equivalent to the cancellation of the corporation. We are going to take the cancellation process as soon as it is confirmed," he said. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Xuan Dung praised that Vietnam-Cuba ties is an exemplary relationship which symbolises brotherhood, comradeship and international solidarity. The special ties, founded by Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro Ruz, have been nurtured and consolidated by leaders of the two countries for the past 60 years, he stressed. The Vietnamese diplomat expressed his thanks to the Cuban Party, Government and people for their valuable support, solidarity and fraternity with Vietnam during the countrys past struggle for national independence as well as during its present cause of Doi Moi (Reform) and national construction. He reaffirmed the strong support of the Party, Government and people of Vietnam for Cubas revolution and socio-economic model update. He also rejoiced at the robust development in the bilateral ties, expressing his hope that the Vietnamese and Cuban Embassies in Argentina will continue tighten their cooperation and mutual support, contributing to the solidarity between the two peoples. For his part, Cuban Ambassador Orestes Pedro Pablo Prada highlighted the model relationship between Vietnam and Cuba, which has been tested over the decades. The ambassador said Vietnam and Cuba will continue to stand side by side with each other in the path of socialism building despite the changes of the era, calling for younger generations of the two nations to promote the bilateral solidarity and friendship. Staff members of the two embassies brought to the exchange traditional art performances, such as Cuban salsa and bamboo pole dancing of Vietnam, as well as delicious dishes of the two countries. A former employee filed a $1.7 million lawsuit against Bank of America for wrongful termination on Thursday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for speaking out against high-pressure sales expectations that created a hostile work environment for employees and encouraged illegal and unethical sales practices. Heather Bryant was fired in November 2019 for behavioral reasons but Bryant disputes those claims, arguing she was the victim of gender discrimination and a hostile work environment. Weve just received this complaint and based on an initial review we disagree with the claims being made, said Bill Halldin, a spokesperson for Bank of America. We will respond to these claims in a court filing in the coming weeks. Bank of America is widely recognized as an excellent place to work and we have no tolerance of inappropriate behavior of any kind. Bryant describes a management culture that led by fear as part of a targeted effort to inflate credit card sales and make management look good. The lawsuit alleges managers bullied and threatened employees to such a degree that they feared for their jobs, creating an atmosphere that tacitly encouraged unlawful or unethical sales. The lawsuit describes Bryant as a top-performing employee who worked at Bank of America for 21 years, eventually becoming one of the highest female earners at the company. Bryant said she was employed as a market leader overseeing sales staff in the Portland metro area when she was fired. Starting in the summer of 2018, Bryant experienced a steadily deteriorating work environment in which threats, intimidation, yelling, condescending comments specifically geared toward women, as well as abusive treatment and remarks were routine, according to the suit. The suit alleges other female employees experienced similar abusive conduct and when it was reported Bank of America failed to address it. Bryant was also increasingly concerned about the stringent emphasis on credit card sales. According to the lawsuit, some managers were consistently exerting extreme pressure on employees to push consumers into unnecessary credit cards and emphasizing credit card sales as the most important employee metrics. According to Bryant, executives began meeting with market leaders for 30 minute phone calls that were like a firing squad for insults, where they were asked about credit card sales and lower performing branches and were berated. In the lawsuit, Bryant says she was told by management the calls were meant to be painful. Bryant also says that management began emailing employees for daily reports on their credit card sales and used threatening tactics, such as writing them up for low sales, to exert pressure on employees to sell more credit cards out of fear for their jobs. Concerned that Bank of America had gone down the path of Wells Fargo, Bryant confronted management in September 2019 to express her concerns that these practices were illegal and not in consumers best interests. Within weeks, Bryant said, she was fired. She has pursued a lawsuit and is requesting a jury trial. I remember throwing up in shock after hearing some details of how Cornelia was treated without the rule of law, without transparency first in a maximum-security women's prison in Brisbane and then in South Australia's Baxter detention centre. Without a lawyer, judge, jury or advocate. Without even her name. Cornelia ended up in detention due to a mental illness. She has no recollection of her six months in the Brisbane jail and her four months in Baxter, near Port Augusta, much of that time (more than five weeks) spent in solitary confinement. Cornelia Rau at a press conference in Adelaide in 2005 (right) and before her detention. Credit:David Mariuz Revisiting all this 15 years later brings back strong emotions. As do the baffling physical conditions, including psoriasis of the scalp and eyebrows. For Cornelia, who remains the focus here, it has caused irreversible neurological damage. Some sort of damage, emotional or physical, is not unexpected when he hear the horrendous stories of those who have suffered Australia's cruel and inhumane punishment of anyone who arrives by boat. Even our refugee advocates all have some form of PTSD. One phrase all the experts I have talked to, who specialise in law, medicine and human rights, used was this: it was necessary for all of us to "bear witness". There are atrocities being committed in our names. We are not stupid as a society. So when we elect governments, we must by our indifference be complicit in the bullying and ill-treatment of others, as long as we can stick our heads in the sand. Sorry. That is not good enough. It's irresponsible. While Cate Blanchett and Matchbox Productions tried for seven years to steer Stateless to air, a chorus of naysayers put obstacle after obstacle in the way. For many politicians, the fear of a small rump of shrill reptiles in my industry initially prevented people funding Stateless via grants from a shrinking arts purse. Until the sheer passion of the team involved cut through with even the most hard-hearted of investors. Still, it was touch and go. The key motivation for writing this piece is to shield both Cornelia and my parents from undue attention. And to the person who sent a creepy, unstamped envelope with a handwritten card threatening my then eight-year-old daughter with kidnapping to our suburban letterbox: you're a coward and a bully. The debate over detention has been characterised by a shortlist of lack: Trust. Integrity. Authenticity. Truth. Decency. Civilised discourse. The simple instinct that says love is better than a gun or a barbed-wire fence. On the eve of Stateless going to air, it is important to add a word of caution. There are two clauses in the 1944 Journalist Code of Ethics which I'm quoting now to tell a particular cohort of "commentators" including social media users and bloggers who think they're exempt from defamation law to back off my sister. One: never exploit a person's vulnerability or ignorance of media practice. Two: respect private grief and personal privacy. Journalists have the right to resist compulsion to intrude. Translation: don't do death knocks and don't "follow orders". Ethics count more. To a particular cohort of commentators including social media users and bloggers back off my sister. Melbourne-based barrister Julian Burnside put it best to me, commenting on the Palmer report into Cornelia's case and other detention issues: "[People's health and rights] are not an abstract concern. "The Immigration Department exercises awesome power. It can (and does) detain people indefinitely without the intervention of a court. It can (and does) effectively isolate detainees from proper medical or legal help. It can (and does) deport people from Australia. "Its exercise of these powers is often misguided, wilful or capricious. Don't believe this? Watch Stateless." Following this story as objectively as possible, I have met some extraordinary people from all walks of life who form part of Australia's own underground railroad. Who believe in empathy over "lawyers, guns and money". And some of them are lawyers! But if Cate can stick her head up, so can we all. As does Julian and so many unsung heroes. It may be called soft power, but politicians and military thugs from Russia to North Korea fear it. A collective voice is stronger than you think. Stateless starts on the ABC on March 1. CORNELIA RAU: A REFLECTIVE SUMMARY by Mick Palmer Whenever I reflect on the Cornelia Rau inquiry, conducted nearly 15 years ago, a number of issues always bubble quickly to the surface of my mind. They surface not only because of their crucial importance but because, sadly, of their ongoing relevance to public life and bureaucratic process. If we are to adequately protect human rights and individual liberty we must ensure government policies which potentially impact on rights and freedoms are accompanied by review and accountability provisions sufficient to provide the public with confidence that the powers are being exercised fairly, justly and with integrity. Otherwise good and decent people, under pressure, will sometimes make very indecent decisions. A bad decision once made is frequently defended. But in government policy the ends must never be allowed to justify the means. If that happens, the pain will always outweigh the gain. The surest way to undermine strong government policy is to unlawfully or improperly apply it. The Trump administrations agreement with the Taliban to wind down hostilities in Afghanistan after 18 years of warfare is being sharply criticized by hawks, including Trumps former national security adviser, John Bolton. Signing this agreement with Taliban is an unacceptable risk to America's civilian population, Bolton tweeted on Saturday. This is an Obama-style deal. Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists, and to America's enemies generally. Bolton was fired as national security adviser by the president this past September after the two butted heads over key foreign policy issues like Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. John Bolton (left), President Trump's former national security adviser, slammed his former boss (right) for signing an 'Obama-style deal' with the Taliban Legitimizing Taliban sends the wrong signal to ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists, and to America's enemies generally,' Bolton tweeted on Saturday Bolton on Saturday also tweeted his support for a letter written by House Rep. Liz Cheney and 22 other Republican members of Congress questioning the deal A former member of the George W. Bush administration, Bolton has been an enthusiastic supporter of US military interventions like the invasion of Iraq. Trump, on the other hand, has expressed wariness about getting America involved in foreign conflicts. The deal which Bolton criticized was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. Under the agreement, the US will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks. If the Taliban meet their commitments, all US troops would leave in 14 months. The deal potentially helps President Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its 'endless wars.' Bolton on Saturday also tweeted his support for a letter written by House Rep. Liz Cheney and 22 other Republican members of Congress questioning the deal. The letter, which was addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, detailed serious concerns about the agreement with the Taliban. The lawmakers wrote that they were seeking assurances that you will not place the security of the American people into the hands of the Taliban, and undermine our ally, the current government of Afghanistan. Cheney (seen above in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is the No. 3 House Republican. An ardent hawk, Cheney organized the letter sent to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo The lawmakers wrote that they were seeking assurances that you will not place the security of the American people into the hands of the Taliban, and undermine our ally, the current government of Afghanistan. President Trump has taken crucial action to keep our nation safe, including eliminating the world's most dangerous terrorists and destroying the ISIS caliphate. He knows a bad deal when he sees one, the Republicans wrote in the letter, which says at the bottom that a copy was also sent to Trump. We urge you not to commit America to a dangerous deal with the Taliban that would abandon the President's track record of strengthening America and putting our security and interests first, the lawmakers added. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is the No. 3 House Republican. An ardent hawk, Cheney organized the letter sent to Esper and Pompeo. Speaking from Qatar, Pompeo said the US is 'realistic' about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is 'seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.' Speaking after the signing ceremony, Pompeo said he was still angry about the September 11, 2001, attacks that were planned by al-Qaeda under Taliban protection in Afghanistan. Pompeo said the US will not 'squander' what its soldiers 'have won through blood, sweat and tears.' He said the US will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban do not comply with the agreement. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile traveled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. For Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring US troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy. 'Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan,' the US Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. 'It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan.' Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan 'to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation.' 'The biggest thing is that we hope the US remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal,' said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group. Though the US are planning to withdraw, there are still more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign the US-Taliban peace agreement during a ceremony in the Qatari capital Doha today US envoy Khalilzad (left) and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar shake hands after signing the peace agreement US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, both gave remarks Officials mingle after the agreement signing between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar on Saturday Germany has the next largest contingent after the US, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. Sources told the MailOnline there will be no immediate change to British military presence in the country. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. Mujahid said it was 'irritating and provocative' that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand-down. For millions of Afghans, the deal represents some hope for an end to years of bloodshed. 'Peace is extremely simple and my country deserves it. Today is the day when maybe we will see a positive change,' said Javed Hassan, 38, a school teacher living on the outskirts of Afghan capital, Kabul. Hassan's children were killed in a bomb blast carried out by the Taliban in 2018. Since then, he has been writing letters to world leaders urging them to end the Afghan war. Afghans in Kabul watch a live TV broadcast at a restaurant during the signing ceremony between the U.S. and the Taliban U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (second from left), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani (center), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (center right) and Taliban co-founder and deputy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) are seen during signing ceremony of peace agreement between US and Taliban US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani attend the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha today Members of the Taliban delegation gather ahead of an agreement signing between them and U.S. officials in Doha today Members of the Taliban delegation pray ahead of an agreement signing between them and US officials in Doha today Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as ambassador to Pakistan during the Taliban's rule, speaks to the media in Doha, Qatar today President George W. Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Some US troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The US spent more than $750billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by US politicians and the American public. Ahead of the peace deal this week, Pompeo privately told a conference of US ambassadors at the State Department that he was going only because Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members meanwhile held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. 'Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah,' said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the US out of its 'endless wars' in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha today. Washington and the Taliban are set to sign a landmark deal in Doha that would see them agree to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its 'endless wars' in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts Fighting group: This was the Taliban shortly before the 9/11 attacks. The group seized power and became the Afghan government by 1996, before the US led invasion which toppled them in the wake of the atrocities which hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93 Is this the future? General Austin Miller, the most senior US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, walked the streets of Kabul without body armor this week and posed for selfies as the 'reduction in violence' took hold US troops are to be withdrawn to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following Saturday's signing. Further drawdowns are to depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, compliance that will be assessed by the United States. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. But US officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand with their weapons in Ahmad Aba district on the outskirts of Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, on July 18, 2017 In this file photo, an Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Goble, a U.S. Special Forces soldier who died in Afghanistan in December 2019 In this file photo taken on September 12, 2006 US soldiers salute during a ceremony at Bagram air base north of Kabul The US has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the US has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the US air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day 'reduction of violence' period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. 'We have seen a significant reduction in violence in Afghanistan over the last days, and therefore we are also very close to the signing of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban,' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday in Brussels. He will be in Kabul later Saturday for a separate signing ceremony with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Esper. That signing is intended to show continuing NATO and US support for Afghanistan. 'The road to peace will be long and hard and there will be setbacks, and there is a risk always for spoilers,' Stoltenberg said. 'But the thing is, we are committed, the Afghan people are committed to peace, and we will continue to provide support.' Hyderabad: Keeping in view the elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporations scheduled in December 2020, the TRS is said to have decided to make the states annual Budget city-centric. In recent review meetings with officials and also during the Cabinet meeting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekar Rao indicated that more funds were required to the develop Hyderabad as a world class city. The government indicated its mind on concentrating on Hyderabad by issuing an order on Friday to accord sanction for constructing 38 foot overbridges. Officials are expecting the release of more funds to the city. The Opposition Congress and BJP are targeting the ruling party with regard to non-completion of double bedroom houses in the GHMC limits. The TRS leadership had promised during the previous GHMC elections that it would not seek votes if it failed to complete and hand over the 2BHK houses. Sources in the TRS disclosed that to counter the Oppositions criticism, the party had decided to allocate more funds to complete the construction of house before the end of October, thereby removing the main plank of the Opposition attack. Sources said that in view of reports that the Aam Aadmi Party is planning to enter Telangana state through the GHMC elections and promising Delhi-model free sops, the TRS is also aiming at announcing several schemes for the citys denizens. The deal signing came after a seven-day "reduction in violence" in which U.S., Afghan and Taliban forces pledged not to carry out offensive operations. The agreement does not specify whether that commitment would continue. Instead, it notes that a cease-fire would need to be agreed upon in intra-Afghan talks that are expected to start in 10 days. Six days after violence broke out in North-East Delhi, the life is getting normal in Brijpuri New Mustafabad, for which they are thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. Speaking to ANI, Suresh Chawla, a Brijpuri resident and Chawla Store owner, said on Saturday: "We have got this peace because of NSA Ajit Doval. It is because of the NSA's visit to these areas and deployment of forces that peace has been established here." Recounting the happenings of the past few days, a teary-eyed Chawla said that thousands of rioters were in front of his house carrying weapons and petrol bombs and he was helpless. His son and 200-300 people of the neighborhood including Hindus and Muslims together tried their best to keep the rioters away. The Chawla Store is right next to Arun Model Senior Secondary School, which, like his house, was also set ablaze by the rioters. Suresh Chawla's wife Shashi Chawla thanked Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah wholeheartedly. "It is because of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah that today we are breathing in peace. Shah Ji has deployed forces here due to which we feel very relaxed," she said. Shashi, however, added that a little bit of fear and restlessness is still there in the minds of all the people in her family despite the comfort because of the deployment of security forces. The relatives of the Chawla family, who came to meet them, also said that they were more relaxed after forces being deployed in the area. At least 42 people including a Delhi Police Head Constable and an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer were killed while around 200 people sustained serious injuries in the violence in northeast Delhi. Two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) have been constituted under the Delhi Police's Crime Branch to investigate the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tehran [Iran], Feb 29 (ANI): Amid increasing number of coronavirus cases in Iran, India's Ambassador to the country, Gaddam Dharmendra, on Saturday said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of those Indians who wish to go back to New Delhi. "In view of coronavirus, working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions are underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements," the ambassador said. According to the authorities, the coronavirus has claimed 26 lives in Iran, with its vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar becoming the latest top official to be infected. The country on Thursday reported 106 new cases, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus to 245. According to the latest data, at least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide. First detected in China's Wuhan city, the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, has spread to more than 45 other countries including India, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Russia and Spain. (ANI) Ahead of the Ligue 1 clash against Dijon FCO, Paris Saint Germain (PSG) manager Thomas Tuchel said his club is very strong at home and they want to win in front of their fans. "We recorded a big win over them in the Coupe de France, but we lost against them in Ligue 1. The first half in the Cup game was very tight. They defend very well and are very good on the counterattack," the club's official website quoted Tuchel as saying. "They like to look long and contest in the air and then look for the second ball. They are also dangerous from throw-ins. We have to be focused. We are very strong at home and we want to win in front of our fans," he added. After the Dijon FCO clash, PSH will take on Lyon in Coupe de France semi-finals and then Strasbourg in the Ligue. The Strasbourg match will be followed by a game against Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League. Tuchel said they have great games coming up and want to win every game. "We have some great games coming up. The players want to win every game between now and Borussia Dortmund. They are ready to take on their responsibilities and that means win these upcoming matches before we focus on the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund," he said. PSG will take on Dijon FCO today at Parc des Princes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A New Zealand business delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday and discussed ways to strengthen trade, commerce, tourism and cultural relations between the two countries. Earlier in the day, Peters, who is on a four-day visit to India, participated in the opening bell of the daily trading session at the Bombay Stock Exchange. Upon his arrival in New Delhi on Tuesday, Peters visited the Rajghat and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. He, along with Trade Minister David Parker, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.The delegation also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 1K Shares Share Coronavirus, a.k.a. COVID-19, is lurking on the edges of the United States. What it will do here has yet to be seen. I was initially very concerned since I work on the front lines in community emergency medicine. For the last week or so, I have felt a little better after reading several articles. I suspect it will not have a high lethality among otherwise healthy individuals. But Im no virologist and time will tell. I do have a couple of observations. First, we are already working with a shortage of physicians. We dont have enough primary care physicians or specialists. Until Medicare (which funds residency training) agrees to increase the number of physicians trained after medical school, we will continue to have a shortage. Sadly, we have a fair number of young physicians who invest money and time in medical school but who cant find residency slots. (We refer to them as graduate physicians, and we should find ways to use them as we use NP and PA practitioners. They have more didactic and clinical education on graduation than new NP and PA graduates have.) This matters not only because we already have too few physicians, but because an epidemic could leave us short of more physicians, who become afflicted with the disease. Reports out of the PRC suggest that it has been hard on physicians, who are not only getting infected and sometimes dying, but also completely exhausted from their work. (Additionally rendering them more susceptible to infection.) Another issue we have is that for a physician to work in a hospital (to be credentialed) can take months. Having done some credentialing lately for a new job, I can attest. A physician has mounds of paperwork to fill out and has to send copies of every kind of certification and verification imaginable, even if theyre already on file from a previous period of employment. Said physician may have to get a new state license, which is often as daunting (or more so) than what hospitals require. Further, he or she must send drivers licenses, passports, reports of previous lawsuits (already available online), references, sometimes fingerprints, and even explanations of more than one month without consistent work in medicine. While that may seem like a good idea to some, it can make it very difficult to move physicians to new locations in a pinch. Or in an epidemic. We need a better way to do this in times of crisis, and I suggest that there should be a central emergency credentialing system maintained by each state, which could be agreed upon and shared. Thus, if (for example) all the physicians in a small hospital in Alabama were stricken ill, physicians from Pennsylvania could be allowed to come and work, and this could be accomplished with a click and a file transfer. States are already working on interstate licensing; thats great. We also need inter-hospital credentialing, so that physicians who have the time off, or who are semi-retired (or fully retired) can get into the fray. As an aside, we should develop a better, more uniform way to use those graduate physicians I mentioned above who would be more than willing to fill in and learn, and get paid, in times of crisis. Second, hospitals during flu season are already at capacity. If we have a Coronavirus outbreak, patients from primary care offices, clinics, and urgent care facilities, as well as self-triaged concerned citizens, will show up in hospital emergency departments in large numbers, potentially serving as hubs for spread of infection. The answer to every question in an office or clinic, on a phone-triage line or telemedicine site simply cant be just go to the ER, because the ER will be beyond capacity. (As will the inpatient side of the hospital.) Furthermore, what might be a simple head cold could well become worse if exposed to the sicker patients in the ER waiting room and treatment areas. This might require some modification of EMTALA, the anti-dumping law that mandates that everyone be seen regardless of ability to pay. Not in order to extract money but in order to sometimes say you arent dangerously ill, we dont have time or space to see you, go home and avoid crowds, and come back if youre worse. Finally, we need to support Americas small and medium hospitals outside urban areas. They could serve as a relief in times of great national distress. Rest assured, in a pandemic the big hospital teaching centers will be full and more than full. Strategically, America needs the option of vibrant, well-staffed smaller hospitals in suburban and rural communities. Not only for epidemics but for natural disasters, terrorism or open warfare. (No, Im not paranoid. Peace and safety are rarities in history.) I pray COVID-19 dies a rapid death. But if it doesnt, we have work to do. We just dont have the staff or capacity well need in case it continues its inaugural journey around the world. Edwin Leap is an emergency physician who blogs at edwinleap.com and is the author of the Practice Test and Life in Emergistan. Image credit: Shutterstock.com ROSEBURG, Ore. -- A Roseburg church group is trying to promote diversity by hosting a Hispanic heritage night on Friday. Organizers said the idea is to expose more people in the area to the Hispanic culture. They also wanted to make sure the Hispanic community knows they have a safe space in Douglas County. Julia Martinez-Masner, an organizer, said shes looking forward to educating others about her culture. As a Hispanic and Latino, our priorities are our family. We have this connection where no one is ever alone," Martinez-Masner said. Organizers said they were expecting to see more than 200 people at the event. There was to be traditional Mexican food, performances and exhibits for guests to walk through. The event was held at the Church of Latter-Day Saints on W. Bertha Avenue. North Dakota's schools superintendent has been cited for care required and fined $30 but could face more serious consequences following her arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, 50, was stopped late Wednesday by a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper who said she was driving erratically on Interstate 94. She has 14 days in which to pay the fine or request a hearing on the care required citation. The larger issue is that Baesler refused to submit to blood and breath testing, according to the patrol. That starts a complicated process with both administrative and criminal components, according to Fargo attorney Mark Friese, an expert on DUI law. On the administrative side, the state Department of Transportation will revoke Baesler's driving privileges for 180 days. She could request a hearing and try to prevail. She also could cure her test-taking refusal by agreeing to plead guilty in court to DUI. The department would then only suspend her license, for 91 days. On the criminal side, she's likely to be charged with DUI and with "DUI refusal." "It is still unclear (in North Dakota law) whether DUI refusal is a separate crime, or whether DUI refusal is an alternative way to commit the offense of DUI," Friese said. "The law is quite ambiguous on this point." A conviction of either carries with it the potential for a criminal record, jail time, probation, a chemical dependency evaluation and treatment, fines and court costs. A driver can be convicted of DUI even without chemical test evidence, according to Friese and Highway Patrol Sgt. Wade Kadrmas. Friese said the "vast majority" of people in Baesler's position plead guilty in criminal court, notify the transportation department that they have done so, and thus turn their driver's license revocation into a suspension. Baesler issued a statement Thursday morning saying she had "made a serious mistake" and that she was "going to learn from this, seek help, and focus on my well-being and health. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday on how she plans to proceed. It's not Baesler's first brush with law enforcement while in public office. She was arrested in 2015 after a domestic assault incident at her home in Mandan. She was accused of simple assault, a charge that was later dropped for lack of evidence. Before she became state schools superintendent, Baesler pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft in 1997 in Mandan municipal court. She received a deferred imposition of sentence and was ordered to pay $100. Her spokesman has said she was grocery shopping with her three young children and placed a bag of macadamia nuts in her purse and forgot to pay for them. Baesler was first elected in 2012 and reelected in 2016. She has said she plans to seek a third term and the Republican Party's letter of support this year. The state superintendent is a nonpartisan official, but political parties issues letters of support for candidates. Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com Love 6 Funny 10 Wow 7 Sad 13 Angry 98 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BLAKE NICHOLSON News Editor Follow BLAKE NICHOLSON Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 09:42:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The eighth China-Japan high-level political dialogue was co-chaired in Tokyo on Friday by Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and head of Japan's national security council Shigeru Kitamura. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Japan and agreed to take the implementation of important consensus as an opportunity to make use of the China-Japan high-level political dialogue mechanism, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen communication and coordination, further consolidate the improving momentum in bilateral relations and promote China-Japan relations in a new era onto a new level. Yang said that under the personal command and deployment of Xi, the prevention and control of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China has made initial achievements, while the positive momentum is expanding, and the economic and social development is accelerating the recovery. Yang said that China will coordinate on the prevention and control of the epidemic with economic and social development, ensuring the fulfillment of the major goals set for this year to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and win the decisive battle against poverty. Yang pointed out that in the face of the epidemic, China and Japan have assisted each other in overcoming difficulties together. He said he believes that after the test of the epidemic, the friendship between China and Japan will increasingly become the aspiration and action of the two peoples. He said the fight against the disease is vital to the safety of all peoples. It is of vital importance to strengthen global public health security governance and enhance international coordination and cooperation. Yang said solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in face of the epidemic. China is ready to maintain close communication with relevant countries including Japan, the World Health Organization and the international community to share experience in epidemic prevention, coordinate prevention and control measures and better safeguard the health and well-being of all. Kitamura spoke highly of China's resolute and powerful measures to combat the epidemic and the remarkable results achieved, saying that China's experience in fighting the epidemic has served as a positive example for Japan. He said that Japan is ready to strengthen information sharing, experience sharing and technical cooperation with China in the field of public health security and jointly safeguard international public health security. The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and third-party markets cooperation, and create favorable business environments for each other's companies to invest and operate. The Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo has hit back at critics, saying he worries not if he is removed from office. Mr. Domelevo had said public discussions of the work of the Audit Service must be based on principle and not personalities. The Auditor-General has come under intense political scrutiny for some of his works; on Kroll and Associates and on GETFund particularly. However addressing the 3rd Regional Auditors Biannual Conference in Ho, Daniel Yao Domelevo admonished all auditors to be steadfast and resolute in their service to the country irrespective of the backlash. Once you do good in society, society will not like you. Especially in our country Ghana, we have lived with the wrongdoing to the point where we have accepted it as a norm. We will continue doing our work and I will like to say have courage. You need courage to discharge your work. Be courageous. Nobody will kill you. The only thing that will happen is that you will lose your job and it is not the end of life. You may be transferred but that is not the end of life. Some people will say we will remove him like how we removed Charlotte Osei. Who says I care? I do not care so if today I have been told I have been removed that is it. Life does not end here. I tell my children they should not worry, at worst my father has a lot of farmlands. I will go and farm and feed this country so please be courageous and do your work for God and country. Domelevos woes Already Mr. Osafo Maafo and four other officials from the Ministry of Finance have initiated a court action against Mr. Domelevo to clear their names in relation to what was said to be breaches of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) that resulted in their payment of US$1 million to a private firm, Kroll and Associates. Mr. Maafo in a statement said he was resorting to the courts because the evidence available shows clearly that the Auditor-General erred in law and professional procedures in the exercise of his powers regarding his audit on payments to Kroll and Associates Limited. The Auditor-General has also been the subject of verbal attack since an audit report into the operation of the GETFund became public, with some persons mentioned in the report accusing him of being malicious and targeting them. Stop attacking Domelevo The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu in response however condemned persons attacking the Auditor General over his professional work. In an exclusive interview with Citi News' Umaru Sanda Amadu, Martin Amidu said the citizenry especially politicians must learn to separate the institution in question from the person of its head since doing otherwise amounts to intimidation. In this country, the political divide is both fighting anti-corruption agencies when they [the institutions] are doing their professional workYou can't fight corruption by politicizing it. For instance the Audit Service, there is a provision for a surcharge. If the Auditor-General through the report of his staff cannot disagree with them and therefore supports their conclusions and surcharges you, the law provides an avenue [so] you can challenge it. Why personalize it to the Auditor General? That is intimidation so it makes the Auditor General incapable of performing the anti-corruption duty It creates a problem for the fight against corruption. It is inconsistent with our avowed pronouncements as a nation that we intend to fight corruption because intimidating the head of an anti-corruption agency is a non-starter, the Special Prosecutor said. citinewsroom Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Bharat Book Bureau Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Direct Carrier Billing Platform Market By Content (Application & Game, Video & Audio, and Others) and Operating System (Android, iOS, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2026 under Software Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports. The Direct Carrier Billing Platform Market was valued at $55.56 million in 2018 and is expected to reach $172.35 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 14.7% from 2019-2026. Direct Carrier Billing is a type of online payment that allows consumers to charge the cost of a purchase to their phone bill. It is a mobile payment technology that enables consumers to make transactions by charging the amount to their monthly mobile bill. Direct carrier billing enables operator to act as a distributor of digital services and collects additional revenue through services sales and partnerships, by providing a single interface for value added services, over-the-top and other digital services in the market. In addition, Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) platform acts as an intermediary between content providers and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the market. The platform connects merchants with the billing, identity, and sales systems of mobile network operators. (DCB) platform that serves as an alternative payment method for companies selling digital content. The increase in demand for games, video-on-demand, audio, voice calling, such as Skype and WeChat, eBooks, podcasts, and other content is driving the market growth. In addition, over-the-top (OTT) streaming media services provider such as Netflix, Spotify, Sony, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and other players are significantly adopting direct carrier billing platforms and have integrated these into their payment offerings. This attracts the customer, which in turn fuels the market growth. Furthermore, rise in popularity of mobile gaming and in-app game items purchases via direct carrier billing payment method, further drive the market growth. Request a free sample copy of Direct Carrier Billing Platform Market Report @ https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/sample/reports/1976417 However, complexity issues while maintaining direct carrier billing functionality, become a major problem due to settlement involved between the multiple parties and the frauds in the DCB chain. In addition, variable levels of commitment from carriers, multiple revenue shares in the value chain, and other regulations, are some of the factors that limit the market growth. Conversely, due to an increased use of subscription-based digital contents, direct carrier billing platform providers can enhance simpler and convenient payment process, expand cloud computing infrastructure, and high-speed internet services to benefit digital content publishers and mobile network operators, becoming a major opportunity for platform providers in the market. In addition, acceleration of existing products and services, providing streamlined customer experience by collaborating with trending content providers, is one of the lucrative opportunities for direct carrier billing platform providers to sustain in the market. The direct carrier billing platform market is segmented based on content, operating system, and region. On the basis of content, it is segmented into application & game, video & audio, and others. By operating system, it is segmented into android, iOS and others. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS - The study provides an in-depth analysis of the direct carrier billing platform market along with the current trends and future estimations to elucidate the imminent investment pockets. - Comprehensive analysis of the factors that drive and restrict the market growth is provided in the report. - Comprehensive quantitative analysis of the industry from 2019 to 2026 is provided to enable the stakeholders to capitalize on the prevailing market opportunities. - Extensive analysis of the key segments of the industry helps in understanding the content, and operating system across the globe. - Key market players and their strategies have been analyzed to understand the competitive outlook of the market. KEY MARKET SEGMENTS By Content Applications & Games Video & Audio Others By Operating System Android iOS Others By Region - North America U.S. Canada Mexico - Europe Germany France UK Rest of Europe - Asia-Pacific Australia Japan India China Rest of Asia-Pacific - LAMEA Latin America Middle East Africa KEY PLAYERS PROFILED Bango, plc. Boku, Inc. DIMOCO Fortumo Centili Comviva NTT DOCOMO Singtel Mobiyo Digital Turbine Inc. Browse our full report with Table of Content : https://www.bharatbook.com/marketreports/direct-carrier-billing-platform-market-by-content-application-game-video-audio-and-others-and-operating-system-/1976417 About Bharat Book Bureau: Bharat Book is Your One-Stop-Shop with an exhaustive coverage of 12,00,000 reports and insights that includes latest Market Study, Market Trends & Analysis, Forecasts Customized Intelligence, Newsletters and Online Databases. Overall a comprehensive coverage of major industries with a further segmentation of 100+ subsectors. Contact us at: Bharat Book Bureau Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773 Email: poonam@bharatbook.com Website: www.bharatbook.com Follow us on : Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:24:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Sanna Kamal RAMALLAH, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian experts believed that the U.S. Mideast peace plan perpetuate Palestinian economy's dependence on Israel and will not ensure Palestinian prosperity. Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) in Ramallah presented a research paper on Tuesday titled "The American-Israeli Vision to End the Palestinian Issue, Economic Dimensions and Possible Effects of Implementation," considering the U.S. plan as "a recipe for destroying the Palestinian economy by cutting and fragmenting Palestinian geography." The U.S. plan focuses on "absolute Israeli control over the movement of the Palestinian people and goods, the annexation of Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, settlements, the theft of Palestinian groundwater, as well as the control of the Palestinian airspace and the communications section," according to the research paper. U.S. President Donald Trump announced his Mideast peace plan in January, saying that it is a big chance for Palestinians to double their gross domestic product, reduce unemployment and poverty, and create millions of jobs over ten years. During the last three decades, official data indicate that the Palestinian economy doubles every ten years, the research paper said, adding that U.S. claims about prosperity are not true. The U.S. plan "is based on destroying the Palestinian economy and damaging all aspects of domestic production because there is no possibility to manage the economy of a state under occupation," Rajaa al-Khaldy, director of Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), told Xinhua. In fact, U.S. Mideast plan leads to the weakening of the Palestinian economy and forcing it to be a vassal of the Israeli economy by perpetuating the restrictions imposed by Israel on the Palestinian economy, al-Khaldy said. He added that the inevitable result of implementing the Mideast plan is the destruction of the Palestinian economy and the reduction of the investment in Palestine. Meanwhile, Former Palestinian Economy Minister Maher Al-Masry said that the plan "tries to delude us to a state that does not exist and will never exist." Al-Masry added that the U.S. plan "does not only perpetuate the existing restrictions imposed by the occupation on the Palestinian economy but also added new restrictions." "All of this is for the benefit of the Israeli economy, not for the Palestinian," he said. On the other hand, Palestinian economists described the carrot of economic prosperity, suggested by the U.S. plan, as unrealistic. For his part, Palestinian businessman Samir Haleilah told Xinhua that the U.S. plan included the deployment of about 105 additional military checkpoints in the Palestinian territories to prevent any geographic contiguity of the Palestinian economy. Haleilah added that "the U.S. Mideast plan could only create one thing, that is keeping the Palestinian people in need of humanitarian aid forever and not to enable it to build a free and capable economy." He stressed that any real prosperity of the Palestinian economy is required to be linked to the expansion and development of Palestinian natural resources. On Jan. 28, Trump revealed the controversial peace plan, which calls for a two-state solution but recognizes "Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital." The U.S. plan was immediately rejected by Palestine and the Arab world as well as other countries around the world. The Arab foreign ministers unanimously agreed to boycott the U.S. plan and not to cooperate "in any way" with Washington in its implementation. NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. Larry Kudlow, the presidents chief economic adviser, stood in the White House briefing room on Friday urging the public and the plunging financial markets not to panic over the coronavirus outbreak, while Vice President Mike Pence spread a similar message to officials and residents at an event in Florida. Later, as the authorities revealed a second person in California had been found to be infected with the coronavirus without having any known risk factors, President Trump suggested the panic over the issue was being manufactured by his enemies. In South Carolina on Friday night at his latest freestyle Keep America Great rally, the president accused Democrats of treating alarm over the coronavirus as their new hoax, and said the news media was in hysteria mode over his administrations handling of the outbreak, continuing an attempt to shift blame for a public health crisis onto his political adversaries. Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, Mr. Trump told a crowd of supporters, who roared in response. They cant even count their votes in Iowa. I'm showing my age here, but for my money, Candyman was easily the scariest movie I could imagine while browsing the shelves of my local video store back in the '90s. A mysterious supernatural slasher killer with a hook, who appears if you look in the mirror and say his name five times? Utterly nightmarishbut that didn't stop me from immediately going home and doing it anyway. For months afterwards I cursed my hubris while I struggled to get to sleep, convinced the Candyman was maybe just held up on the way to my house in rural Scotland, biding his time to strike at a moment I wasn't ready. A lot of horror movies require some kind of transgression before the bloody mayhem starts, but there was something even more deliberately sinister about Candyman's method: literally daring you to summon him and knowing it would be too hard for a lot of people to resist. It looks like Jordan Peele is the latest to face the mirror and recite that infamous incantation: The trailer for the new Candyman, which the Oscar-winning Get Out director produced, dropped on Thursday morning and it already looks like a worthy follow-up to the timeless original. There's a lot to love with what Peele and director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, Top Boy) have done to update the legend for a new generation here: The legend of Candyman has always been rooted in racial issues and inner-city inequality, and nothing says 2020 more than adding rampant gentrification into the mix. In fact, DaCosta explicitly called out gentrification as a main theme of the movie during a presentation of its trailer on Wednesday morning, teasing "What we do in our film is talk about the ghosts that have been left behind because of gentrification, and in particular, CabriniGreen. And thats how we find our way into our reimagining of Candyman. Its a hell of a reimagining and one that toes the line between effectively spooky and outright ridiculous, as any Candyman film should. Jordan Peele pulls out another horror-fied version of a hit '90s song (this time its Say My Name by Destinys Child, fittingly) to score the bloody action, in which teen girls and yuppie art critics are disposed of by the iconic killer, who may or may not be played by the same person? Its still unclear at this point. What is clear is 2020s Candyman will not shy away from the gruesome. DaCosta is a gore fan, and shes out for blood: Jordans really brilliant at not showing everything, and my instinct is to do the exact opposite," she said yesterday. "But theres... a good amount of things you dont want to see, that I make you look at. Story continues Its not all new, though: this looks like a direct sequel to the 1992 film, with most signs pointing to Watchmens own Doctor Manhattan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, as a grown-up version of Anthony McCoy, who was terrorized by the Candyman in the original movie as a child. Early rumors initially suggested Abdul-Mateen II would be taking up the title role, rankling long-time fans and eliciting a classy response from the Candyman actor Tony Todd before those rumors were debunked, though Todd's involvement still remains mysterious and unconfirmed. There's definitely a hint of the deep-voiced original Candyman near the end of the trailer, but audio filters make it all but impossible to confirm the speaker's identity. When pressed on Todd's possible involvement in the film yesterday, DaCosta masterfully deflected: "I really love Tony Todd, hes iconic. And I will say what weve done with this film is is great. And Tonys great. Jordans great. I dont want to give anything away." As is now tradition with a lot of modern horror, it also looks like Candyman will be bypassing the less-than-well-received sequels that followed in 1995 and 1999, instead creating a new trajectory from the first film to this one. Depending on how you want to view it, this could be Candyman, Candyman 2, or even Candyman 4. Though that's still nowhere near as complicated as the upcoming Halloween Kills, which is technically the third Halloween 2 but also Halloween 3 but also Halloween 12. Long story short: best not to think about it too hard. Candyman will be released by MGM and Peele's Monkeypaw Productions on June 12. Try to say his name a maximum of four times until then, lest you miss it. Get Out Jordan Peele on a Real Horror Story: Being Black in America The Key & Peele star makes his directorial debut with Get Out, a horror flick where the monster is racism. GQ talks to Peele about the film's inspirations (Rosemary's Baby, among others), its reception in Trump's America, and Tyra Banks's phobia of dolphins. Originally Appeared on GQ The bodies of the father-son duo who had been missing from the Nethravati bridge here since February 16 have been found washed ashore at Mattu beach at Katapady in Udupi district, police said. It was a case of suicide. The bodies, in a decomposed state, were identified by relatives who were informed by the police on Friday. Mumbai-based hotelier Gopalakrishna Rai (45), a native of Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district, and his six- year-old son Aneesh Rai had gone missing from their house since the early hours of February 16. Their car was later found abandoned near the Nethravati bridge and a note was recovered from the vehicle, saying they were jumping into the river. Police had made intensive search operations in the river for five days which yielded no result. Rais family had come from Mumbai to attend a religious ceremony and the two had left the place early in the morning when the function was still on. Rais wife Ashwini did not accompany them. The bodies are now kept at the Ajjarkad government hospital mortuary, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Only nine players make up the O'Neill St. Mary's girls basketball roster in 2021-22 and three of those nine are sophomores. All three started last year as freshmen, all three are averaging in double figures this year and all three have led the Cardinals to an 8-2 start. Google, Microsoft accelerate shifting production to Vietnam, illustration photo Google and Microsoft are accelerating efforts to shift production from China to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, amid the worsening novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak, the Nikkei Asian Review reported. Google is set to begin production of its Pixel 4A with its partners in northern Vietnam as soon as April. The company also plans to manufacture its next-generation smartphone, the Pixel 5, as it is expected to be called, in the second half of this year directly from Vietnam, two people with direct knowledge told Nikkei. Meanwhile, Microsoft is scheduled to start producing its Surface line, including notebook and desktop computers, in northern Vietnam in the second quarter of this year at the earliest, another two sources familiar with the matter said. Most if not all Google smartphones and Microsoft-built computers have been made in China so far. The US-China trade war, along with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, caused many industries to consider the risks of overreliance on China for manufacturing. "The unexpected coronavirus hit will definitely push electronics builders to further seek production capacity outside their most cost-effective production base of China," Nikkei quoted a supply chain executive as saying. Microsoft declined to comment. Google did not respond to Nikkei's request for comment as of publication. Shilajit Mitra By Express News Service From a strictly visual standpoint, Thappad is Anubhav Sinhas prettiest film. The murk and mist of Article 15 has been replaced by the soft hues of upscale Delhi and Noida. Light jazz plays over the opening sequence. City streets, too, are filmed with an inviting, unthreatening glow. Yet thrumming through it all is a tale of irremissible violence, a darkness reinforced and not softened by the surface beauty. This is the story of Vikram (Pavail Gulati) and Amrita (Taapsee Pannu). At a party, the husband slaps his wife. It brings their marriage crumbling down, though almost everyone is convinced it was a one-off, and that Amrita is being unreasonable in leaving Vikram. Legal options can get messy, a lawyer tells her, Perhaps thats why we lie to ourselves. But its already messed up, argues back Amrita, whose refusal to see her husbands violence in isolation is tied up with her own sense of self-worth. Had the film sped its way till this point, it would still have delivered its message. But Anubhav, working with co-writer Mrunmayee Lagoo, probes beyond the obvious. Much of the first hour is dedicated to meticulous table-setting. The circularity of Amritas life wake up early, brew tea, check on mother-in-law is painstakingly outlined. Shes the demure, ideal housewife, relegated to everyday chores and readying her husband for work. Shes often on the business end of his temper, picking up blame for the faulty printer or slow Wi-Fi. On the face of it, its a functional, mutually-respectful relationship. Yet lurking within this contract are vast chasms of disparity a fact not so much overstated as brought alive with sharp editing. The bitter unspooling of one marriage affects several others. This is where Thappad truly acquires its bite. As an examination of domestic violence in urban India, the film does not limit its purview to one couple. Instead, it indicts everyone, from the well-meaning families to the friends and allies who wilfully turn a blind eye. Both sets of parents are brought to task, including the mothers, whose affectionate natures hide deep-rooted notions of patriarchy and self-sacrifice. As Vikram and Amrita come undone, they become a looking glass for all the other characters, and, by extension, the audience itself. The pick of these parts is Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, as the frisky housemaid whos frequently abused at home. The film uses her casual hilarity to reveal the permanence of domestic assault, and how gender justice systems in India are still closed-off to the underclass. (This feeling is further complicated by the memory of Soni, Geetikas debut film about female solidarity and strength that casts a long and obvious shadow on Thappad.) In an equally noteworthy turn, Dia Mirza plays Amritas quiet, concerned neighbour. Her bruised incandescence lends a rare warmth to the film and theres a flickering exchange between her and Vikram thats alone worth the ticket price. Taapsee is at her best fusing fortitude with doubt. She unfurls the timidity of her character without making her sympathetic. Amritas indignation is rooted in a personal quest; with each curveball thrown at her, she emerges from it a little more self-reliant, a little more clear. Its a robust coming-of-age drama operating within the confines of a separation story, followed up till the end by Taapsee. Pavails performance, by contrast, is reliably static: just the right mix of viciousness and immaturity to keep the film in gear. Film: Thappad Director: Anubhav Sinha Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Dia Mirza Producer: Bhushan Kumar, Anubhav Sinha Rating: 4/5 Nicki Minaj's former stage manager De'Von Pickett (left) in an Instagram photo with friend Eric Parker (right). He was stabbed outside a Stenton Avenue bar in February 2015. Read more A Philadelphia jury on Friday returned a third-degree murder conviction against the man who fatally stabbed the stage manager for the rap superstar Nicki Minaj and wounded another man outside a Germantown bar in 2015. The verdict against Khaliyfa Neely, 38, of Germantown, came after a nine-day trial in Common Pleas Court and a mistrial last year, when a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on any charges in the killing of DeVon Andre Pickett. Neely, who has been jailed without bail since his 2017 arrest, is to be sentenced April 24 for third-degree murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, and possession of an instrument of crime. The murder charge carries a maximum 20-to-40-year sentence. On Feb. 18, 2015, Pickett, 29, was killed and his friend Eric Reese, now 31, was stabbed four times after a fight with Neely and Pierce Boykin, now 36, outside Che Bar & Grill, 6364 Stenton Ave. The violence erupted over a woman in whom both Neely and Reese had romantic interest, according to trial testimony. Pickett and Reese were in town from New York with other members of Minajs band to rehearse for her European tour. Minaj was not at the bar when the incident happened. Initially, Boykin, of East Mount Airy, was charged with committing the murder, but the District Attorneys Office dropped that charge and recharged him with aggravated assault after gathering more evidence that pointed to Neely as the killer, said Assistant District Attorney Adam Geer, who tried the case with Assistant DA Ed Jaramillo. Im really appreciative that the jury took the time and approached a really difficult case with an open mind, and looked at all the facts and agreed that the defendant was responsible, Geer said. He added that the verdict further distances Boykin from the murder charge he once wrongly faced. In 2016, Boykin pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 23 months in jail. He was expected to testify against Neely this week but could not be found, Geer said. Of Pickett, Geer said: It became clear to us that he was a special presence and a special person to his group of friends. He was always joking and making sure everyone was having a good time. We just hope this helps his family begin to heal. Attorney Anthony Petrone, who represented Neely, told the jury that the fight started when Reese hurled rude comments. The stabbings were committed by Boykin, not Neely, Petrone said. In 1924, the Grant Park Municipal Stadium opened and one year later was renamed Soldier Field at the request of the Chicago Gold Star Mothers. The stadium has hosted rodeos, music festivals, prep football games, the first Special Olympics and more before becoming the home of the Chicago Bears in 1971. It went through a major redesign in 2003. The United States has signed a deal with the Taliban, paving the way to end a nearly two-decade-long war. On Saturday, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban founder and negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barada, met in Doha, Qatar, to seal a deal which binds the U.S. to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban to discuss peace negotiations and cutting ties from terrorist groups, according to the New York Times. The war in Afghanistan, which lasted over 18 years, took off after the U.S. invaded the country in response to the Taliban-backed terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. RELATED: U.S. Air Force Plane Crashes in Taliban Territory of Afghanistan: Reports Under the agreement, the U.S. is expected to reduce its troops down from the current 13,000 to 8,600 and to close five military bases within the next 135 days, officials said, according to ABC News. Prisoners are also obligated to be released and by March 10, the U.S. is committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban troops while the other side is expected to let go of 1,000 people, the agreement stated. John Moore/Getty Images However, a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan which is expected to be completed in 14 months is contingent upon the Talibans full commitment to its peace negotiations. According to NBC News, after signing the agreement, several people in the room erupted in cheers, some shouting God is Great and members of the Taliban were seen leaving the ceremony smiling. The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans to determine, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in Doha for the signing. The U.S.-Taliban deal creates the conditions for Afghans to do just that. RELATED: Mark Hamill Among Those Calling Out Trump for Saying Obama Would Start Iran War to Get Re-Elected According to the Times, the war in Afghanistan cost nearly $2 trillion and there have been more than 3,500 American fatalities and tens of thousands of Afghani deaths. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home, President Donald Trump said Friday, ahead of the agreement, the Times reported. These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm. During a press conference to address coronavirus concerns on Saturday, Trump spoke of the long war, telling reporters at the White House: Its been a hard journey for everybody. If bad things happen, well go back. More Latinos open and own small businesses in the United States than any other demographic according to a recent study from Stanford University. The spiking number of Latinos in the United States has helped the U.S. economy. They are now one of the biggest contributors to the economic growth of the country. In a recent study released by Standford University, it was found out that the number of Latinos who own businesses has grown by 34 percent over the past 10 years. Latino small businesses are now the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States and this is despite the battle of Latinos toward systematic racism that sometimes led to lower incomes and loan rates, according to the Pew Research Center. The Stanford study found that Latino-owned businesses have greatly boosted the U.S. economy. It is estimated that Latinos have contributed around $500 billion to the economy by virtue of annual sales. This means that Latinos are becoming the United States' most prolific economic force. The Stanford study also echoed a 2019 report to the U.S. Congress which revealed that around 60 million Latinos living in the country have accounted for $2.3 trillion in the economy since 2017. This means that the total accumulated contribution of Latinos since 2017 is the eighth-largest economy in the world if it was ranked. The expected growth of Latinos in the United States of around 30 percent this year simply means that their economic contribution will likely to grow as well. The spiking number of Latinos who owned small businesses in the country also helped to reduce unemployment in the country. According to a 2019 report by the Standford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI), it was revealed that Latino-owned businesses have employed more than three million people. This means Latino-owned small businesses did not only help the U.S. economy in terms of revenues, but also helped the country in reducing the unemployment rate. Moreover, in a published article in USA Today, it was found that Latinos who owned businesses in the country tend to be younger than non-Latino business owners. Around 33 percent of Latino entrepreneurs in the country age not more than 45 years old. Statistically, it is estimated that in every 100,000 Latino adults in the United States since 2018, around 510 became entrepreneurs every month. Likewise, Latinos are now represented in all major industry sectors, manufacturing, education, health services, finance, and more. In the 2019 report by Standford, it was stipulated that Latinos most of the time get their loans from local banks that helped them to establish their small businesses rather than from national banks. However, local banks in the country have slowly disappeared. In data provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that there were around 8,080 FDIC-insured community banks in December 2001 but out this there were only 5,406 that remained in 2018. This affected Latinos and put them out in the old but they continue to thrive. The culture of Latino in valuing families has greatly contributed also in the retention of Latino-owed small businesses because if there are no local banks available for a business loan, they turn to their family and friends to borrow some amount to start their business. Latino-owned businesses are very significant in the United States. Jus in Salinas alone, Latinos owned restaurants, grocery stores, showrooms, barbershop, and more. In data provided by the Monterey County Workforce Development Board from the 2012 American Community Survey, it was found out that more than 30 percent of all businesses in Monterey County are owned by Hispanics and Latinos. In the wake of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, the authorities of El Salvador have imposed a ban on the entry of citizens from Iran. President Nayib Bukele, in a tweet, said: "The migration service was ordered to ban the entry of citizens from Iran, including transit passengers." Earlier, El Salvador had banned the entry of Italians and South Koreans due to the virus outbreak, reported Sputnik. At least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide. Coronavirus has spread to more than 45 other countries including the US, UK, Singapore, Italy, France, Russia, Spain, and India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Details added (first version posted on 15:28) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 Trend: Azerbaijans state border service has closed the border with Iran for two weeks, Trend reports citing the state border service. While considering WHO recommendations and the experience of other countries, a decision was made to temporarily close the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran from 16:00 (GMT+4) for two weeks in connection with the risk of spreading of coronavirus on the basis of a restrictive regime, Trend reports referring to the Cabinet of Ministers on Feb. 29. The created situation was discussed with the Iranian relevant state structures and Iran was informed about Azerbaijans decision. The necessary corridor will be ensured by using the appropriate regime for the departure of Iranian citizens from Azerbaijan to Iran and the entry of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. In cases of need, visas will be issued for Iranian citizens on a humanitarian basis. Azerbaijan continues contacts and cooperation with WHO, friendly countries and partner countries in connection with the risk of coronavirus. Watch Snob Explains Why Picking a Watch You Like as a Gift Is a Mistake Watch Snob on Going Big With the Cartier Tank Cartier Watches My wife has hinted that she would like a Cartier watch as an anniversary gift. She has a preference for larger watches and I was thinking about getting her a Tank Solo XL which is marketed as a mens watch at 41mm diameter. To be honest Im also tempted by the automatic movement I dont understand why similar quartz models for both men and women cost the same. Should I get the 41mm or is that too large? Also am I missing a trick with the quartz/automatic pricing at Cartier? Hello sir. Im not entirely sure I follow your question about similar quartz models for both men and women costing the same. It seems to me that it would naturally follow that with similar, or even possibly identical movements, in similar models, you would expect to pay about the same the pricing of watches partly has to do with the movement, with mechanical timepieces almost always commanding a premium over quartz as mechanical movements are more expensive to produce. RELATED: Watch Snob Last Time: GMTs and Trying Not to Be Rolex As far as the size of the watch is concerned, in this case I would be guided by your wifes preferences (the same goes for automatic vs. quartz). Some people prefer a more traditionally sized so-called ladies watch but as I stagger around this benighted planet of ours, I notice that a number of women prefer larger watches as they make a more direct style statement. I myself, an aging gent with little to recommend me from a style perspective, happen to think the Tank is a happier thing to wear in a smaller size but if the lady wants a bolder look, why not? Youll both be happier. Finding the Right Dealer I am a beginner watch collector. I own a Rolex , Tag Hauer and Breitling. However I have a friend that has a huge collection, I mean huge. He buys one or two per year. He told me he goes to a dealer that sells a lot of watches [and who] has all of the top brands. He also has a lot that are new but they are not the latest models. Maybe two or three years old but still new so he gets them at a great price. Like a end of the year car that didnt sell. I always ask him about the dealers but he won't tell me. Its the one thing he has over me. So my question is where can I find watch dealers like this? My dear sir, your friend didnt find his obliging retailer, he cultivated a relationship with him. You mention that you are a novice collector and that he is an experienced one, with a huge collection as well. What this means, of course, is that he has invested heavily in building his collection and very likely spent a good deal of not only time, but also money, cultivating a relationship with his retailer. It would be the gesture of an altruistic gentleman for him, having devoted so much time, energy, and effort to building this relationship, for him to allow you to drink from the same well, but this would not be a realistic expectation of human nature. RELATED: The 7 Best Pre-Owned Rolex Watches You Can Buy At Walmart Retailers very naturally give preferential treatment to their best customers. This naturally is a source of frustration to someone in your position, especially if you want to acquire an in-demand piece associated with a long waiting list, but you cant blame retailers for being pragmatic in this respect certainly, the best ones love watches passionately and share that with their customers but they also have a business to run, and not showing due deference to those who support them the most is cutting their own throat. I suggest that rather than hope for your friend to unbend, you put your energy into building a mutually respectful and beneficial relationship with a retailer you might be in a position to benefit materially from the effort sooner than you think. Buying Advice I am, I must confess, a novice in the world of watches. Having grown up working class with a father whose favorite timepiece was an antique Favre-Leuba, I garnered an appreciation for swiss watchmaking without having the ability to buy at the very top-end of that industry. Having built a career of my own, I am now in a position to buy the watches I previously coveted (albeit with some effort in saving up for it). In the first instance, I bought a Rolex Datejust which, though I appreciate is somewhat run of the mill, is in my opinion probably the leading marque watch of our time capable of being worn everyday and still drawing attention of others. I followed this up with the JLC Master Calendar. I am now looking to buy another watch, and this time have a hankering for something more extravagant. I have read with interest your suggestion that making watches in steel is a current fad which may come to an end. My first, more philosophical question is whether a watch's worth should be in its making or in the materials used to make it. By that I mean, should one pay several thousands for a watch because of its unique and fascinating watch movement, the stature and history of the watchmaker or because the movement is encased in platinum or gold? For someone like me, with a genuine fascination in what is inside the case, the trend towards steel has opened up a world I would not otherwise be able to access. For the avoidance of doubt, I am not a banker's son and have never (regrettably) rented a Lambo. My second question is watch specific. You have never expressed an opinion on the watches of Jacob & Co and I would love to hear your thoughts. At the top end, the watches are extraordinarily fascinating and luxurious. At the other end, (referring back to my point above) I think the five time zone has some very interesting technology. My problem with that watch, which is of interest to me, is ruined by being a bit too blingy. Last question: do you have any other suggestions for a casual, unique watch akin to the Five Time Zone which would be considered a statement watch without being "in-your-face"? Well, three interesting queries. As to whether or not one should value case material over the movement, or vice versa, this is a highly personal matter and one is not wrong to value one over the other. You have actually already made your decision, it seems to me, and if you find that a watch with a superlative movement is not affordable in gold or platinum, but is so in steel, and there is no loss to you in enjoyment because of a less precious case material, no one can call you wrong (well, they can but they would be mistaken in doing so). To your second question, I find Jacob & Co rather weirdly fascinating. There are certainly some pieces in his collections that do not especially appeal to me (the Epics are epically forgettable, at least if your tastes correlate at all to mine, though I suppose someone must be buying them if he keeps making them). Where his work is most interesting is in the domain of high complications, in my view. I dont necessarily find things like the Astronomia Tourbillon much to my taste either, but it is also a kind of watchmaking that very few if any other brands can afford to do or are interested in doing exceedingly exotic watchmaking fantasies that are really all about seeing just how far the possibilities of mechanical watchmaking can be pushed. Now I have just said that I find some of his work more stimulating than others and I am compelled to reply to your third query, by saying that the Five Time Zone watches are to me completely uninteresting. I suppose with a revolver to my temple, I would also be compelled to admit that they are icons of watch design of some sort, but I find them horrendously dated at this point and I do not think the design has aged especially well. If Jacob ever reads this, which I sincerely doubt, he would probably reply that he is as they say, laughing all the way to the bank which would be perfectly fair. As you can imagine, since I dont care for the Five Time Zone watch, I am not the person to ask for some less in your face equivalent either. The whole point of the Five Time Zone watch is to be in your face, and anything that is not, is another kind of watchmaking entirely. Send the Watch Snob your questions at [email protected] or ask him a question on the @AskMen Instagram with the #AskMenWatchSnob hashtag. You Might Also Dig: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, is sorely testing the patience of the NATO alliance following his demand for an emergency summit to discuss the recent escalation of tensions in Syria. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters in Parliament. Credit:AP Ankara made the request after 33 of its soldiers were killed in north-west Syria by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, Syria's President, this week. The request was made under Article 4 of NATO's Washington Treaty, which stipulates that any ally can request consultations when they believe their territorial integrity, security or political independence is threatened. It is only the sixth time in the alliance's 71-year-old history that such a request has been made, which is one step short of Article 5, which deems that an attack on any one member of the 29-strong alliance is treated as an attack on all NATO member states. SCHENECTADY - The three Ellis Hospital employees and a nursing student injured in an incident Thursday involving a patient were treated and sent home for further recovery, the hospital said Friday. Though details of the police investigation were not immediately available, the Daily Gazette reported the alleged attacker used medical scissors to attack the nurses and he was charged with felonies. The newspaper, citing police, reported injuries to the back, neck and ear of the victims. This was an unfortunate and frightening incident for our team members, and Ellis Medicine commends them for their professionalism in the face of danger, and for their compassion for the patient, Ellis officials said in a statement Friday. Counselors are available for those involved should they wish the service. In a statement about the stabbings, the union representing nurses faults hospital security. Denise DAvella, an Ellis critical care nurse, said in the New York State Nurses Association statement that security is more concerned about where we park and whether our union rep is in the building, than with the safety of our staff. When theres a violent incident, security is nowhere to be found. Registered nurse Sarah Cornett, membership chair of Bellevue Womans Center Executive Committee, questioned why the patient, who has a history of felony convictions and was well-known to hospital staff, was placed in an open patient unit. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. NYSNA Nurses at Ellis Hospital and Bellevue Womans Center are in contract talks and share the same management. No one wants a violent incident like this to happen. Its another thing to put safety policies and procedures in place to actively prevent incidents like this from happening. That is what nurses need and what management has refused to address at the bargaining table, Cornett said in the statement. Ellis said it is unfortunate the union would issue a press release exploiting the incident as a bargaining tool in contract negotiations rather than give their members the credit they deserve for professionalism and excellence in patient care. It said it will work with authorities to investigate and continue to take appropriate measures to protect patients and staff. The health and wellbeing of both our patients and staff is of utmost importance to Ellis Medicine, and we do all we can to ensure their safety at all times, its statement said. Johnny Depp's fans are not stopping as they help the actor prove his innocence even despite proof of a possible violence. Depp attended the pre-trial meeting at the London's High Court as part of the lawsuit he and his pal, Paul Bettany, filed against The Sun's Executive Director. The legal battle rooted in the article of the publication accusing the former "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor of beating his wife, Amber Heard. The barrister for The Sun, Adam Wolanski QC, and its plaintiff, executive director Dan Wootton, also joined the trial. To respond to Depp's legal action, they presented text messages the actor sent to Bettany, which showed an alleged "altercation" with Heard on a plane in May 2014. The Sun's team also unveiled a series of alarming text messages from Depp where he wrote, "I will f*** her burnt corpse afterward to make sure she is dead." Because of this bombshell revelations, netizens shared their mixed reactions on Twitter. However, Depp's fans stepped up to defend the actor from the allegations. Fans Cheered Depp As soon as the trial ended, people flocked Twitter and backed the actor once again. "He wasn't 'threatening,' he was venting to his friend," one netizen wrote. "Anyone here who claims they haven't vented some pretty harsh things privately is a liar. And probably for much less than being abused by a narcissistic pos like Scamber," another one said. "He also said he could never hurt her. As most people venting anger never do anything either. Hypocrites." Meanwhile, most Twitter users also challenged The Sun to sue Heard for misleading them. The "Aquaman" actress allegedly published and made fabricated situations in the past. For instance, Heard heavily damaged her ex-husband's reputation right after she published an article in The Washington Post. Although the 33-year-old actress did not mention his name on the said op-ed, Depp knew that she was referring to him, which caused him to suffer financial losses and even lost his role on the "Pirates of the Caribbean." Bettany Defended Depp, Got Mocked In Return Bettany and Depp started to become friends when they worked together in the 2010 film "The Tourist," "Transcendence," and "Mortdecai" in 2015. Aside from their current battle together, Bettany also safeguarded his pal in the past. When the "Avengers Age of Ultron" actor learned that Heard claimed that Depp was abusive and violent, he stood up with him and even called him the "sweetest, kindest, gentlest man" on Twitter. Bettany received criticisms for his tweet, with people saying that he and Depp were liars since they were convinced that Heard was telling the truth. Critics also called them out before quickly judging the "Lone Ranger" star. However, he was not the only one to do the same thing for Depp. Even Lawrence M. Krauss supported Depp and Bettany's words by replying to the tweet, "As another friend of Johnny's I wanted to thank you for your brave and true statement. I couldn't agree more. Thank you." With all these people defending Depp, his case becomes much more controversial and intriguing. SAN DIEGO, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 26, 2020, 4S Ranch residents Albert Bates and Bridget Denihan filed a lawsuit against Poway Unified School District in San Diego Superior Court alleging that the District failed to properly allocate a $27.7 million state reimbursement. The suit alleges that the District applied for a state grant under the Leroy F. Green Facilities Act of 1998 to fund construction of its K-8 school, Design 39 Campus, in Del Sur. While the application was pending, the District funded the construction with Mello-Roos tax dollars and completed the project in 2014. In 2019, the state approved the grant request in its entirety. Thereafter, the District's Board of Education adopted a resolution that allocated 75% of the state reimbursement towards unspecified "high priority capital projects." California law permits state funds to be utilized for high priority capital projects only when a school district achieves "savings" by its "efficient and prudent expenditure" of the state funds. The suit alleges that the District achieved no such savings and was therefore required to use the $27.7 million to retire local bonds. Bates and Denihan pay thousands of dollars each year in Mello-Roos special taxes, which are used to service local bonds. Bates says, "Mello-Roos taxpayers have paid more than their fair share. It's only right that the District alleviate their burden by paying down the bonds." The suit does not seek any refunds or damages for individual taxpayers, but rather, requests that a judge declare the allocation illegal. Mr. Bates and Ms. Denihan are represented by Eric J. Benink, Esq. of Benink & Slavens, LLP, a San Diego law firm with extensive experience representing taxpayers challenging local government fees and taxes. Mr. Benink may be contacted at (619) 369-5252 or [email protected]slavens.com. SOURCE Benink & Slavens, LLP Coronation Street star Rula Lenska says the ITV soap needs more of its trademark comedy after a string of sad plots. Recent storylines have seen Sinead Osbourne die of cervical cancer, Shona Ramsey shot and left in a coma, Yasmeen Nazir in an abusive relationship, and a new villain, Ray Crosby, prowling the cobbles. Miss Lenska, who plays hairdresser Claudia Colby, says her co-star Maureen Lipman hopes to pitch her own funny ideas to the shows bosses. Rula Lenska, who plays Ken Barlow's girlfriend Claudia Colby, said 'the storylines have been incredibly dramatic and sad' on Coronation Street recently Its one of the things that were really working towards, she told Womans Weekly magazine. Maureen is a brilliant writer as well as an actress and shes put forward all sorts of very funny ideas. Recently, the storylines have been incredibly dramatic and sad, so I think we need a little bit of humour now. Miss Lenska, 72, who found fame in the 1976 TV series Rock Follies, joined the soap in 2009, left in 2011, then rejoined in 2018, when she had her own comical plot in a hairdressing feud with rival Audrey Roberts. Recent storylines have seen Sinead Osbourne (pictured) die of cervical cancer and Shona Ramsey shot and left in a coma Her character is dating Ken Barlow, the shows only surviving original character. She said she never imagined joining the long-running soap as she isnt the least bit northern. She previously praised writers for the way they have tackled sensitive storylines including David Platts rape and Aidan Connors suicide. She said: What Ive heard talking to the other members of the cast whove been involved in the suicide and the male rape theres enormous amount of public interest and interaction so this is a series incomparable to any other soap in my opinion. Gunmen killed nine soldiers and officers in an attack on a police station and military unit in northeastern Burkina Faso on Saturday, security sources said, in the latest deadly assault in a country battling an Islamist insurgency. Several dozen heavily armed men carried out simultaneous attacks on the army detachment and police station in the town of Sebba in Yagha province, a security source said. The "large-scale terrorist attack unfortunately resulted" in the deaths of nine people, the source told AFP. Another security source said that the victims were mostly police officers, and the attack was "aimed in particular at the police station". The source added that the attack caused "significant material damage" and the attackers took weapons with them during their withdrawal. Burkina Faso, which shares a border with Mali and Niger, is caught up in an Islamist insurgency in which increasingly frequent attacks have claimed more than 800 lives and displaced over 800,000 people since 2015. An armed group attacked Sebba, near the Niger border, on February 10, killing one resident and abducting seven from the home of a pastor. Five of the abductees, including the pastor, were found dead three days later, while two women survived, according to the regional governor. One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso's armed forces are weak, struggling with poor equipment and lack of training and funding. According to UN figures, jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left nearly 4,000 people dead last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Allegations on YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) obstructing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu's tour in Visakhapatnam are false, said party leader TJR Sudhakar Babu here on Saturday. MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu also rubbished the allegations that the party had brought people from outside to attack Chandrababu Naidu in Visakhapatnam. "It is not correct to blame the YSRCP leaders when it was Chandrababu Naidu who did real estate business in the name of development of the capital. While the government organisations purchase land at Rs 4 crores per acre, the companies which bribed Naidu got land for Rs 1.5 lakh per acre," said Sudhakar Babu while addressing media here. He also alleged that the TDP chief is using such tactics to gain sympathy. "The TDP leaders are lying that YSRCP leaders attacked Naidu. It was the general people who obstructed Naidu's tour in the North Andhra region," he said. Earlier today, a TDP delegation met Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan at Raj Bhavan to complain against the state government for obstructing TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's in Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts. While speaking to media, TDP leader Varla Ramaiah said that they have complained to the Governor over the "adamant attitude" of YSRCP government. "Police gave permission for N Chandrababu Naidu's tour in Visakhapatnam district but two ministers - Botsa Satyanarayana and M Srinivas Rao - gave a call to block Chandrababu Naidu," he said. Speaking to ANI he said, "N Chandrababu Naidu obtained the permission from the police before visiting Visakhapatnam but when he came out, he was obstructed by some of the members YSRCP. The police miserably failed in keeping law and order." "The police should have prevented the YSRCP workers, instead they arrested N Chandrababu Naidu and confined him to the airport," he said. "Today we have complained to the Governor and presented a memorandum explaining everything. He said he will take appropriate action in this regard," he added. "The YSRCP-led government in its pursuit of revenge and paranoid is sabotaging democratic norms by using sheer force to suppress any rightful dissent," the memorandum read. On February 27, TDP chief Naidu was taken into preventive detention by police at the Visakhapatnam airport and later sent back to Vijayawada. Naidu was on a two-day visit to Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Afrobarometer survey by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) indicates that 85% of Ghanaians perceive judges and magistrates as corrupt people. According to the report, more than eight in 10 Ghanaians say at least some judges and magistrates are corrupt, including 40% who say almost all court officials are corrupt. Fewer than half of the respondents say they somewhat trust the courts. While most Ghanaians endorse the legitimacy of the courts, they also see court officials as corrupt and untrustworthy and believe people are treated unequally under the law. The findings show that among those who had contact with the justice system during the previous year, many rate the system as high on corruption and low on fairness and transparency. The survey also said the courts are biased and tend to favour the rich. Click here to read the full report. Similar report Last year, an afrobarometer report released by the CDD disclosed that among key public officials in Ghana, the police, judges and magistrates, Members of Parliament, civil servants, and tax officials were most widely perceived as corrupt . The report also indicated that government is rather performing poorly to fight the canker. In the same report, it revealed that the government's anti-corruption efforts have declined sharply since 2017 after more than doubling three years ago. About Afrobarometer Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 35 countries in Africa. Six rounds of surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2015, and Round 7 surveys (2016/2018) are currently underway. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent's choice with nationally representative samples. The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), interviewed 2,400 adult Ghanaians between September 9 and 25, 2017. A sample of this size yields results with a margin of error of +/-2% at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys have been conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2014. citinewsroom The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. NASA is preparing to send a new rover to Mars for a human exploration mission of the Red Planet. Voice of America reporter Veronica Villafane saw the space vehicle up close and spoke with members of the mission. Relatives of Mohammed Aamir and Hashim, who were killed in the recent communal riots in the capital, cry during their funeral procession at Old Mustafabad in northeast Delhi on Saturday. (PTI) New Delhi: The eerie silence in violence-hit Old Mustafabad was shattered by wails, as the bodies of riot victims, released by the authorities, began arriving Saturday morning. Fear still stalks nearby Shiv Vihar, now destroyed, whose mostly Muslim residents have taken refuge in nearby Chaman Park, fearing another attack. As a brittle peace settles in northeast Delhi, officials have started assessing the damage for compensation. The bodies of brothers Aamir (27) and Hashim (17) were fished out of the nearby nala where other bodies were found. Some with bullet marks, some with severed limbs, and some torn in two. Death did not come easy; it was brutal. The locality mourned the deaths even as some kept their fingers crossed that their missing loved ones would turn up. The violence continued even after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval toured the riot hit area - twice. He (Doval) said nothing will happen, but that night petrol bombs were hurled at our homes, bullets fired and acid thrown, Asif said. Nadeem said over 400 calls were made to the police control room in one hour, but the cops refused to come. 'You wanted azadi, now take azadi was how they responded, said Nadeem. His neighbour Ram Singh (name changed) arranged safe passage for over 200 trapped Muslims. They were outsiders but also local boys involved in arson, loot and violence. I could never think that our own boys will kill, said Ram Singh, breaking down as he narrated the horrific three days. He blamed right wing groups. Shiv Vihars gali no. 7 suffered the brunt. It is a mix of Hindu and Muslims who lived in harmony for years. While Hindu houses were also destroyed, others were surprisingly spared. The houses with Jai Shri Ram scrawled were untouched. But I will help my Muslim neighbours restart their life when they return, said Vishal. His property was unt-ouched while the mosque next door was burnt. Women are traumatised, claiming there were acid attacks and rapes. One girl was gang-raped and is missing, claimed Nazma (name changed) as she showed the photograph of an acid attack victim. Amid a pall of gloom there was a ray of hope. A nine-month pregnant woman who rioters kicked in the belly delivered a baby boy in Al-Hind Hospital. As Hershey prepares for a major expansion of Hersheypark, the other Hershey attractions are getting some updates of their own. Hersheys Chocolate World visitor center is home of several chocolate-themed attractions, a gift shop and famed free ride, which explains some of the history of the company and ends with a free piece of chocolate. It also has a food hall where visitors can order meals, and should their application to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board be approved alcoholic beverages. The status for the application is currently listed as Pending on the PLCBs website. The addition to Chocolate Worlds menu would be in addition to the offerings at Chocolatetown, which will open this summer. The adjacent Chocolatetown attraction includes plans the Chocolatier Restaurant, Patio + Bar, among other dining and retail establishments. READ MORE: Hersheypark announces restaurants and stores coming to the Chocolatetown expansion Representatives from Chocolate World did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the application for Chocolate Worlds liquor license. For more info on Hersheys Chocolate World, visit the Chocolate World website. It's been a sad week for China Everbright Greentech Limited (HKG:1257), who've watched their investment drop 13% to HK$3.77 in the week since the company reported its full-year result. It was a workmanlike result, with revenues of HK$9.3b coming in 2.0% ahead of expectations, and statutory earnings per share of HK$0.78, in line with analyst appraisals. Analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. We thought readers would find it interesting to see analysts' latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year. View our latest analysis for China Everbright Greentech SEHK:1257 Past and Future Earnings, February 28th 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from China Everbright Greentech's nine analysts is for revenues of HK$10.9b in 2020, which would reflect a meaningful 17% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to expand 16% to HK$0.91. In the lead-up to this report, analysts had been modelling revenues of HK$11.0b and earnings per share (EPS) of HK$0.94 in 2020. So it looks like there's been a small decline in overall sentiment after the recent results - there's been no major change to revenue estimates, but analysts did make a minor downgrade to their earnings per share forecasts. It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target fell 13% to HK$6.19, with analysts clearly linking lower forecast earnings to the performance of the stock price. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. The most optimistic China Everbright Greentech analyst has a price target of HK$8.30 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at HK$3.50. This is a fairly broad spread of estimates, suggesting that analysts are forecasting a wide range of possible outcomes for the business. Story continues It can be useful to take a broader overview by seeing how analyst forecasts compare, both to the China Everbright Greentech's past performance and to peers in the same market. It's pretty clear that analysts expect China Everbright Greentech's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 17%, compared to a historical growth rate of 35% over the past five years. Juxtapose this against the other companies in the market with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenues (in aggregate) 3.3% next year. Even after the forecast slowdown in growth, it seems obvious that analysts still thinkChina Everbright Greentech will grow faster than the wider market. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Happily, there were no major changes to revenue forecasts, with analysts still expecting the business to grow faster than the wider market. The consensus price target fell measurably, with analysts seemingly not reassured by the latest results, leading to a lower estimate of China Everbright Greentech's future valuation. With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have forecasts for China Everbright Greentech going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. You can also view our analysis of China Everbright Greentech's balance sheet, and whether we think China Everbright Greentech is carrying too much debt, for free on our platform here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. The Democrats' 2020 nominating fight turned to South Carolina on Saturday for the first-in-the-South primary, with Joe Biden confident that his popularity with black voters will seal him a victory and help blunt some of front-runner Bernie Sanders' momentum. The primary stands as the first marker on a critical four-day stretch that will help determine whether the party rallies behind Sanders or embraces a longer and uglier slog that could carry on until the national convention. 'Only two things are going to happen: either Bernie or brokered,' said James Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist. Carville is uncomfortable with a Sanders nomination but fears that a brokered convention - in which party bosses or delegates in floor fights and negotiations decide the nominee after no candidate amasses enough delegates in the primary - would inflict serious damage on the party, as well. Former Vice President Joe Biden (seen above campaigning in Sumter, South Carolina, on Friday) is confident of a much-needed victory in Saturday's Democratic primary in The Palmetto State 'It's just hard for me to see beyond the two options,' he said. In Saturday's primary, Biden and his establishment allies hope to slow Sanders' rise - and change the trajectory of the race - with a convincing victory demonstrating his strength among African Americans. But just three days later, Sanders believes he's positioned to seize a major delegate advantage when 14 states and one United States territory vote on 'Super Tuesday.' After two consecutive victories and a tie for the lead in Iowa, the 78-year-old Vermont senator's confidence is surging. Sanders will spend the lead-up to Super Tuesday campaigning in the home states of two major Democratic rivals, betting he can score a double knockout blow - or at least limit the size of their victories. In a power play, Sanders will host a midday rally Saturday in downtown Boston, campaigning in the heart of progressive ally Elizabeth Warren's political turf. And on the eve of Super Tuesday, Sanders will host a concert in Minnesota, where home-state Senator Amy Klobuchar is looking for her first win. Senior adviser Jeff Weaver said Sanders is aggressively hunting for delegates, noting that their campaign's experience during the 2016 primary against Hillary Clinton taught them that any candidate who finishes Super Tuesday with a significant delegate advantage will be difficult to catch. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont (seen above at a rally in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Friday) is looking to cement his front runner status with a win in South Carolina 'I'm confident we're going to do very, very well across the country,' Weaver said of the coming four days. He also sought to downplay the importance of South Carolina, where 'Biden is expected to win.' 'Expectations can be broken,' Weaver added. 'But for the vice president, he needs an extraordinarily large win in South Carolina in order to convince folks he's going to be able to go the distance.' At a rally in North Charleston on Friday, Trump asked the crowd whether Biden or Sanders would be the better Democratic opponent for him. 'I think Bernie's easier to beat,' Trump said. The audience seemed to agree, cheering the mention of Sanders and booing the mention of Biden. Some state GOP leaders have even urged Republican voters to participate in Saturday's Democratic primary and vote for Sanders. Yet the Democrats' 2020 primary election is far from a two-person race. In South Carolina, billionaire activist Tom Steyer has spent more than $19million on television advertising - more than all the other candidates combined - in his quest for his first top finish in four contests. Senator Elizabeth Warren (seen above in Graniteville, South Carolina, on Friday) faces an uphill battle in South Carolina as well as Super Tuesday states Not ceding anything, Pete Buttigieg is fighting to prove he can build a multiracial coalition. And with the help of super PACs, Warren and Klobuchar have vowed to keep pushing forward no matter how they finish on Saturday. New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg is not competing in South Carolina, yet he has shattered spending records after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Super Tuesday advertising backed by a horde of paid staff in virtually every state in the nation. He could emerge as the strongest Sanders alternative in the coming days, or he could unintentionally help Sanders by splitting up the anti-Sanders vote. Still, Saturday marks Biden's last, best chance to shine. The former vice president's campaign began the week cautiously optimistic, even as he predicted victory and began lashing out at Sanders more aggressively. 'This nation isn't looking for a revolution like some folks are talking about,' Biden said Friday in Sumter, slapping at Sanders' signature call to action. 'They're looking for progress. They're looking for results.' After a solid debate performance on Tuesday, the 77-year-old Democrat was more buoyant on the campaign trail and his aides grew more confident backed by new support from elected officials. Biden has racked up far more endorsements than his rivals have throughout the year, and he added another big name from a Super Tuesday state, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, on Friday. Tom Steyer, the California billionaire activist, has amassed considerable support in South Carolina, according to polls That came two days after he earned the endorsement of South Carolina Representative James Clyburn. Summing up the mood, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders shifted away from calling South Carolina Biden's 'firewall' and instead called it a 'springboard,' on par with how the state boosted the presidential aspirations of Barack Obama in 2008 and Clinton in 2016. Indeed, South Carolina represents much more than the fourth state on the Democrats' monthslong primary calendar. It serves as the first major test of the candidates' strength with African American voters, who will play a critical role in both the general election and the rest of the primary season. Roughly 3 in 10 people of voting age in South Carolina are black, according to census data. 'South Carolina speaks in a way that these other states have not been able to in terms of who is voting and the diversity of our vote,' said James Smith, South Carolina's 2018 Democratic nominee for governor. In the short term, Super Tuesday features a handful of Southern states, like Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina, where the African American vote will be decisive. And longer term, the ultimate Democratic nominee will struggle to defeat Trump unless he or she generates more enthusiasm among black voters than Clinton did four years ago. While voting technology was a concern in two of the last three primary contests, South Carolina uses a wide array of voting technology that presents unique challenges. Saturday's election in South Carolina marks the first statewide test of its new fleet of electronic voting machines, a $50million upgrade from an old and vulnerable system that lacked any paper record of individual votes. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is seen above during a campaign event in Nashville on Friday The new machines produce a paper record that can be verified by the voter and checked after the election to detect any malfunction or manipulation. Meanwhile, some leading Democrats in South Carolina were concerned that the intensity of the anti-Sanders movement within their own party would undermine their quest to deny Trump a second term. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a South Carolina state representative and president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, warned Democrats who vehemently oppose Sanders to 'stop being stupid.' While she's on Steyer's payroll, she said she would 'of course' support Sanders if he emerged as the nominee. 'As a black woman, I can't afford for white folks' resentment to determine who the next president is or is not going to be,' she said. 'Their resentment doesn't translate to the struggle and the hell that communities of color will continue to face - and worse - if Trump is reelected.' Recent polling suggests Mr. Biden is well-positioned to win on Saturday, which would give his campaign a much-needed boost going into Super Tuesday. A surprise win for Mr. Sanders would generate even more momentum for his campaign and likely end Mr. Bidens long and distinguished career in politics. Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Matthew Continetti writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Michelle Cottle examines two primary contests that will shake the parties well beyond the states in play. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden landed the most coveted endorsement of the South Carolina primary: Representative James Clyburn, the House majority whip and a fixture in state politics since the 1970s. Mr. Bidens path to victory is to leverage Mr. Clyburns late endorsement into big margins with black voters and moderate whites in the congressmans sprawling House district, which stretches from Columbia to Charleston and touches many Democratic counties in the state. Mr. Bidens ability to consolidate support from second-tier candidates could also be critical in a close election. Mr. Biden also has connections to state legislators and local officials that go back decades, and his campaign operation will lean on them to activate their organizations on Primary Day. Another powerful motivator is his status as the loyal vice president to the countrys first black president it is raised repeatedly in focus groups and everyday conversations. Tom Steyer hardly registers in most national polls, but his record-setting spending in South Carolina, which includes around $22 million in television ads as well as an ambitious $125 billion program for historically black colleges and universities, have made him a factor. In this last week before the primary, he has the largest TV buy in all four in-state markets and all three adjacent markets. Hes unlikely to win the primary, but hes a potential spoiler, siphoning votes from Mr. Biden. Mr. Sanderss path is more complicated but still viable. South Carolina exit polls showed him winning only 14 percent of black voters in 2016, but his coalition is more diverse this cycle. Some of his best 2016 counties Greenville, Spartanburg, Oconee, Pickens were all in the Upstate, where there is a higher percentage of white voters, transplants and college students. Mr. Sanders will count on them again, along with new voters and voters under 30. If hes able to win counties outside of this base, or significantly expand the electorate, it will help quiet establishment critics and allay fears about his general-election viability. A 36-year-old man, who returned to Keralas Cochin from Malaysia with symptoms of flu and breathlessness, died on Saturday, a day after he tested negative for the deadly coronavirus, doctors said. The man had landed at the international airport in Cochin on Thursday night and was rushed to the isolation ward at the Government Medical College Hospital. He had been working in Malaysia for the last three years. According to doctors, the man died of pneumonia and chest congestion as they were waiting for the test result of his second sample from a laboratory. In the preliminary investigation, we found he developed acute pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome. We also understood that he was diabetic. Blood sugar can flare up when there is an acute infection, said Dr Ganesh Mohanan, a senior doctor of the Government Medical College Hospital. We suspect he died of pneumonia and diabetic ketoacidosis wherein the body cannot produce insulin, Dr Mohanan said. His samples had tested negative at the Virology Institute in Alappuzha for H1NI and COVID-19. His second sample was resent to ensure he was not infected by coronavirus, doctors said. His admission at the hospital had triggered panic. Ernakulam district collector S Suhas had called an emergency meeting on Friday after he was admitted to the isolation ward. He had also visited the isolation ward and took stock of the situation. All the three 2019-COVID cases in India reported so far were among students from Kerala who returned from Chinas Wuhan, which is the epicentre of the outbreak. After the third case was reported, the state declared a medical calamity last month and put restrictions on large gatherings and excursions. It had pressed the emergency button on February 3 after the third patient was detected in Kasaragod in north Kerala. Kerala later withdrew the calamity warning after it successfully restricted the virus to the three students. Having learnt a lesson from the Nipah outbreak two years ago, the state was in battle mode since the first case cropped up on January 30 enhancing surveillance and isolation mechanisms well. All three students were later discharged from the hospital. Council workers try to keep flood waters at bay in Athlone. Pic: PA Ireland is set to be battered by heavy rainfall and wind speeds of up to 150kph after a status red wind warning was issued for two counties. Dublin and the other counties will be subject to a status orange wind warning until at least this evening. However, the worst of the weather is set to hit Galway and Clare on the west coast and Met Eireann yesterday issued a status red wind warning - the highest possible - for both counties from 1pm to 4pm today. Threat This means there is a possible threat to life as a result of Storm Jorge - named by the Spanish Met Office - with gusts as high as 140 to 150kph likely in some coastal parts of the west coast. The orange warning is in place from 6am today until 3am tomorrow for counties along the western seaboard. It will expire at 7pm today for the rest of the country. There are now mounting fears that heavy rainfall - combined with snow melt on higher ground - could significantly worsen existing flooding in south Leinster, Connacht and Munster. Storm Jorge hits as landowners and householders along the Shannon basin and in other low-lying areas are already battling floods following an estimated 50pc higher level of rainfall over the past three months than a decade ago. Homes across Westmeath, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are now under siege from flood waters - with fears mounting the flood risk will increase still further. Storm Jorge will sweep across Ireland today with a status yellow rainfall warning in place for Munster, Connacht and Donegal. Met Eireann's Linda Hughes warned that some places, particularly along coastal areas, could witness quite severe winds at the height of Storm Jorge. In parts, these winds could gust to more than 150kph. The storm will bring rainfall of around 20mm to 30mm for most areas. However, parts of Kerry and Clare could witness more than 50mm of rainfall - potentially having a significant impact on flooding. Outages The ESB has repair crews on standby for storm-related power outages but stressed that personnel can only deploy when it is safe to do so. Irish Water Safety (IWS) and the Coast Guard have urged people to comply with weather alerts and to avoid exposed coastal areas. IWS also warned that the heavy rainfall has resulted in many waterways becoming raging torrents and urged people to exercise care. Inner Richmond, Potrero Hill, SoMa Inside the new Clayroom space at 375 9th St. | Photo: Neil Gershgorn/Clayroom Potrero Hill's pottery studio, Clayroom, is expanding South of Market and its new spot will include woodworking in addition to clay. Company co-owner Neil Gershgorn told Hoodline that while he could not claim total originality in combining woodwork with pottery, he still hopes the new studio (375 9th St.) will offer a unique spin. Its more experimental than our Potrero space, said Gershgorn, referring to the studio at 1431 17th St. that he co-owns with Ryan McCullen and Kevin Waller. With two different mediums, Gershgorn said he's interested in how the "blend of those communities come together, and how that ultimately translates in terms of art." Clayroom equipment and space under construction at 375 9th St. | Photo: Neil Gershgorn/Clayroom Pottery studios have been trending in San Francisco of late, with new ones debuting regularly around the city. Asked about the artform's popularity, Gershgorn pointed toward the third place concept used in the creation of Starbucks coffee shops. Essentially, he said, people need another spot to go thats not home or work. What youre seeing in SF, the third place for people here is climbing studios and pottery studios. Its areas where people can connect, Gershgorn said. People long for this. The "double whammy" of both community connection and instruction is fantastic," he said. Ive seen friendships develop between students, between members, and so forth. As for woodworking, Gershgorn said he first fell in love with it as a child, at summer camp, and is excited to bring it to more people. Wheel work at Clayroom's Potrero location. | Photo: Kathy L./Yelp The new Clayroom studio will offer 20 wheels for throwing clay, and 10 lathes. Dan Kay and Patrick Anderson will serve as instructors and craft the curriculum for the classes, which run $305 for a six-week course. For more experienced potters, membership runs $525 quarterly, or $925 semi-annually. The price tag is high because "you have to pay employees here, and rent is not cheap, Gershgorn said. But he makes a strong effort to provide venues for members to sell their wares and recoup the cost, as well as offer items they've made to benefit charities like the AIDS Lifecycle and Rocket Dog Rescue. Story continues Inside the new Clayroom space at 375 9th St. | Photo: Neil Gershgorn/Clayroom Theres a lot of work that went into creating this space and building this out, Gershgorn said. Its a celebration. Clayroom will host a preview night next Saturday, March 7, at 7 p.m., to show off the facilities and demonstrate the equipment. Clayroom's official opening day is set for Monday, March 9. More information on classes is available at the studio's website. QUEENSBURY A county judge has ruled that a Queensbury man whose gun was confiscated last year in what was Warren Countys first case under the states red flag law will not be barred from possessing firearms. Warren County Judge John Hall ruled that authorities did not prove that Mario J. Hepp made direct threats, so Hall declined to issue a permanent order to bar Hepp from possessing firearms. Hepps pistol permit was suspended and a handgun seized last October after the state Attorney Generals Office asked the Warren County Sheriffs Office to take action under the newly enacted red flag law. Law enforcement can move to confiscate guns after receiving a complaint that a gun owner has acted in a way that makes them appear to be a threat to themselves or others. The request to review Hepp was made because the state agency received complaints about his correspondence with elected officials and state officials, mainly in the New York City area. Warren County Judge John Hall issued an order Oct. 2 temporarily revoking Hepps handgun permit and directing any guns he owned be seized, pending a formal hearing to consider permanent revocation. That hearing was held in January, and Hall ruled in Hepps favor on Thursday. Hall found that no criminal charges were filed against Hepp and there was insufficient proof he wrote the letters that were attributed to him. None of these letters contained any direct threats of violence, Hall wrote. Hepps lawyer, Joel Abelove, said his client was very happy with the ruling. He said there did not appear to be any mechanism in the law for the Sheriffs Office or Attorney Generals Office to appeal the decision. Police said the court action occurred after Hepp recently drew the attention of an investigator assigned to a public official protection unit in New York City with repeated handwritten letters that threatened violence against liberals, minorities and gays, authorities said. In a phone interview when the case was filed, Hepp told The Post-Star that he did not threaten anyone. I expressed myself. They took it as violent, he said. Im an upstanding citizen. Ive never been in any trouble in my life. Police said Hepp was cooperative and surrendered the lone handgun he has on his state permit without any argument when his permit was suspended in October. Court records show the Sheriffs Office has filed two cases under the red flag law, which took effect last August. The other was filed against a man who had made threats to harm himself, and is still pending. Don Lehman covers police and court matters, Warren County government and the outdoors. He can be reached at 518-742-3224 or dlehman@poststar.com Love 22 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 11 The courtroom often pits adversaries against each other, and that was the case in the recent Jeremy Christian trial in downtown Portland. The competing principles in conflict? Fair trial vs. free press. A defendant has a right to a fair trial. The media have a First Amendment right to report freely. While those rights are not inherently adversarial, they can come into conflict during high profile cases that attract extra media attention. That was the case in the trial of Jeremy Christian, who was convicted in the killings of two men on a MAX train. The crime drew national attention, and Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht knew the trial would be packed with reporters and photographers. Well in advance, she prepared an order outlining rules about coverage inside the courthouse. While the government cannot tell the media what to report and what not to report, courts can place restrictions on the use of things such as cellphones and laptops inside the courtroom. For the privilege of using a cellphone, which typically is forbidden, the media is restricted in how they can use phones and the cameras in the phones. Albrecht also took the extra and welcome step of inviting interested journalists to meetings ahead of the trial to go over the rules and to answer questions. These were well attended by print, radio and television reporters and editors who had a chance to ask questions about where to put their equipment and where to station microphones and cameras. A judge focuses on ensuring a fair trial, avoiding a mistrial and making the right decisions so an appeals court doesnt undo everything years later. The defense and prosecutors similarly are focused on their jobs. While philosophically the media may agree they play a role in ensuring a fair trial, that rarely is front of mind for most journalists in their day to day work. We want information, we want lots of it, and fast. We also want access, which helps provide thorough and accurate coverage, as well as compelling images. We are vigilant and outspoken if we think something is happening in secret that should be in the view of the public. And we are vigorously independent, chafing at any attempt to control or shape our journalism. Despite all of the advance work on the Christian trial, not everything went smoothly, as is often the case when events unfold in real time and the stakes are so high. The judge told the media she was very concerned about seating a jury. In fact, a much larger than usual pool of potential jurors was called to the courthouse for the trial. Albrecht said she didnt want the questioning of jurors to be reported by the media. We couldnt agree to that, and voir dire, which was held in open court, was reported on. Over our objection, the judge also did not allow The Oregonian/OregonLives reporter to sit through jury orientation, although she did release a copy of the questionnaire prospective jurors were asked to fill out. We believed the orientation should be public. Because the requests dealt with the process of jury selection, my initial inclination was to protect juror privacy and shield jurors from invasive scrutiny, Albrecht told me. Jurors are asked to relinquish their work and personal lives for weeks at a time and endure highly emotional testimony and exhibits. It is imperative that they be able to do the important work of deciding a case without fear of recourse or reprisal. Jurors, typically addressed by name, were instead referred to by letters and numbers. This was done both to protect jurors from possible intimidation and also for their privacy. We did not object. Journalists sometimes organize themselves into a pool, where one reporter stands in for all. We understood a pool reporter and photographer would be able to watch the jurors visit a MAX light rail train similar to the one where the attack occurred. On the morning of the visit, we were told no media would be allowed. The Oregonian/OregonLives attorney filed a letter of objection with the judges clerk but it was too late. The visit occurred outside of the medias presence. (We later were told that TriMet, not the judge, had said no media could attend the visit on its property.) Albrecht noted that media requests often arise in the moment, unlike other decisions before the court. They are not raised in advance and there is usually no hearing, no authorities provided, and no briefing of the issues. Some of the requests affected the rights of the parties and there simply was not sufficient time to allow the parties to weigh in and for me to make a ruling, she said. The biggest conflict occurred when Albrecht directed the media to not report on a witness testimony if, at days end, she had not finished. The judges decision was intended to ensure reporting about a witness testimony would occur only after the witness had finished, in order to avoid witness tampering or intimidation. This seemed to The Oregonian/OregonLive to be an unconstitutional muzzling of the press. Any person in the courtroom that day could walk out and tweet, update Facebook or text their friends but the press could not report? Charles Hinkle, the attorney who has represented us on First Amendment issues for many years, drew up a motion and headed over to the courthouse. For many years, I have been a member of the Bar-Press-Broadcasters Council, a volunteer group of lawyers, media, judges and other interested parties. The council is independent and helps work through these inevitable conflicts that arise during police investigations and court trials. Albrecht also has been a member of the council, and she took many steps to communicate with reporters and to be accessible when questions arose. I can only imagine how difficult it is for a judge on a high-profile case with intense scrutiny, a volatile defendant and so much at stake (my sister, Leslie Bottomly, also is a Multnomah County judge). These conflicts are difficult in the best of times, but journalists are loath to intervene on the morning of a stressful day in court. Yet the principle of a free press is fundamental for us, and we cannot sit by quietly and accept limits on our reporting of events that occurred in public view. Judges can and do govern when and whether we can send information out of the courtroom on our laptops or phones. Thats the price we pay for being allowed to use phones and laptops, which by rule typically cannot be used in courtrooms. Those rules are intended to limit disruption, ensure fair trials and protect jurors and witnesses. As Albrecht told me, The Oregon Supreme Court has said judges have broad latitude to control their courtrooms, including taking steps necessary to protect the rights of participants in judicial proceedings. But judges cannot limit what we report once we leave the courthouse. We did not have to file our motion because, ultimately, Albrecht agreed with us after she was able to research the matter. Its an important guarantee, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and at the end of the day, it is the reader who benefits. Therese Bottomly is editor and vice president of content for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at tbottomly@oregonian.com or 503-221-8434. A tri-state church in Cincinnati reportedly announced that it is paying off the medical debt of more than 45,000 families worth $46.5 million. Crossroads church would take care of the debts for the people in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana as per reports. According to the reports, the church collaborated with the RIP Medical Debt, a medical debt relief non-profit based out of New York who would hand the people update about the debt relief in bright yellow envelopes. It is by far the largest amount of debt eliminated in the non-profit organizations history. According to the media reports, Pastor Tome told his congregation that it was the Churchs once in a lifetime opportunity to multiply their impact. He said that the significance of the churches was best when they were a real blessing to the community. He further emphasized that the masses were not there just for the Sunday meeting but much beyond. Read: Vatican Task Force Offers Help To Church On Abuse Prevention Read: Biden Campaigns At Church In South Carolina Pastor Tome further informed the crowd that they would get a letter that would read congratulations the debt has been paid off and God hadnt forgotten about them. The pastor also read one of the letters received by a family after their debt was taken care of by the church. Enclosed in bright yellow envelope The content of the letter was read by the pastor which were on the lines that the family received the letter in their mail enclosed in a bright yellow envelope. They tried to throw it away, confirmed media reports. However, when they read that their medical debt was paid off, they were shocked and decided to read further. The reports suggested that the family then got emotional since they had been struggling with their credits and appreciated the gesture so much. The crossroads church has reportedly pulled out 41,233 households in Ohio from mounting debt of approximately $42.8 million. It has also abolished $1.9 million debt for 2,974 households in Kentucky, 503 Tennessee households for $1.5 million and 136 households in Indiana got a relieved of $200,000 debt, as per reports. Read: NZ Vs Ind: BCCI's Witty Take On Lush Green Christchurch Pitch Amuses Twitterati Read: Gunmen Kill 24 In Attack Near Church In Burkina Faso T he US and the Taliban have signed a historic peace agreement aimed at ending 18 years of conflict in Afghanistan. American troops will begin withdrawing from the region in a bid to end the country's longest war with its once sworn enemy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met a 31-strong Taliban delegation as they shared a stage in Qatar's capital Doha on Saturday. Mr Pompeo called it "a momentous day", as he issued a list of instructions to the Taliban to ensure the deal's success. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani before the peace signing ceremony / AP The agreement, signed by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, confirms the complete withdrawal of US and NATO troops within 14 months. The US has also agreed to cease using force against Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs. It has also committed to seeking annual funds to train, advise and equip Afghan security forces. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign the peace agreement / AFP via Getty Images Afghanistan's president Ashraf Ghani addressed a parallel ceremony in Kabul saying his country's people were "looking forward to a permanent peace." "Today can be the moment of overcoming the past," he said as he called for a moment of silence "in honour of our mutual fallen heroes". President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. Some US troops currently serving there had not been born when the World Trade Centre was attacked. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the US tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The chilling figures that reveal the horrifying extent of September 11 attacks Referring to this, Mr Ghani continued: "The tragedy of 9/11 brought us together. Mutual sacrifice created human bonds between us. Mutual interest, your security and our freedom, sustains our relationship in mutual respect, which has made us partners." "Nato and US partners have spared neither blood nor treasure for attaining the goals of the partnership," he added. "We ask you to thank the veterans, especially the gold star families, for their service. "Our sacrifice has been immense... children, youth in their prime, and men and women in all ages in all walks of life, whose lives have been taken away by senseless acts of violence in terror and public spaces." "We have the political will and the capacity to make peace because of the resilience of our society, the dynamism of our economy and the capability of our state." Ashraf Ghani (center), US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (right), and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) hold a joint news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul / AP The number of armed forces will drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the four to five months following Saturday's signing. However, the withdrawal of all remaining forces will depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, assessed by Washington. The signing could help President Donald Trump fulfil a key campaign promise to extract America from its "endless wars". America has spent more than 750 billion dollars on the prologued conflict, and on all sides the war has cost tens of thousands of lives. Members of the US Navy carry a comrade wounded by an explosion in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan on October 2, 2010 / REUTERS Welcoming the deal, the Foreign Office in London said: Thanks to the efforts of UK and coalition forces, Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for international terrorists and Britains streets are safer. But all sides recognise that only a political solution can ensure stability and build a lasting peace in Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: These agreements mark a significant moment in the pursuit of peace in Afghanistan. The current reduction in violence is welcome and I hope it will be maintained, but meaningful negotiations between the Afghan leadership and the Taliban are the real prize and I hope this opportunity will be seized. NEW DELHI: While Delhi is slowly limping back to normalcy, the families of those who lost their lives after clashes broke out between pro and anti-CAA protesters in the northeast Delhi, killing several people and leaving hundreds of others injured, are facing police apathy, lack of coordination and delay in getting the bodies of their loved ones outside the mortuary of the government hospitals. Many such families, which lost their loved one, narrated their woes outside the GTB Hospital mortuary to reporters. Grieving relatives, who lost their loved ones in a communal riot in northeast Delhi, said the least the authorities could do is be "sympathetic" to them. The family of one Ashfaq Hussain had been waiting at the hospital since Wednesday to get his body. Hussain, who had got married on February 14, was killed during the violence that erupted in northeast Delhi earlier this week. "They (the hospital authorities) have not even kept the bodies in a freezer. The bodies have started decomposing and smell is emanating from them," said Hussain's brother. Another relative of Hussain said,"The authorities are not doing anything. If the GTB Hospital doesn't have facilities for conducting autopsy of many bodies in a day, they should have sent the bodies to other hospitals." The violence that unfolded in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar areas of northeast Delhi earlier this week have claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured while also unleashing large scale mob-led destruction of properties. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas severely affected by the riots. The family of Dilbar Singh Negi had come from Uttarakhand to claim his body and said they were made to run for paperwork in a city which they are not familiar with. "We are from Uttarakhand and we do not know which police station is located where. We were asked to go to Gokalpuri police station to complete the formalities, where we were made to sit the whole day. We have already experienced a tragedy but things like these are more hurting us," said a family member of Negi. Many other families said the Delhi Police could have set up a help desk for families. "There are many families who come here everyday and go back dejected. Many of them are uneducated and do not even have relevant documents and face trouble in paperwork. We are trying to assist them," said Mumtaz, a lawyer from Krishna Nagar, who has been helping families outside the hospital's mortuary. Nasir, brother of Aamir and Hashim, who were killed during the riots, said the family is waiting for the bodies for burial. "The autopsy has not been conducted yet. I have learnt that the autopsy will be conducted tomorrow," he said. A family member of a deceased, requesting anonymity, said, "We have heard from other persons too and even experienced ourselves that when we call up the investigating officer of our case for some paperwork, he says he was unwell. Even other families experienced similar things where the IO in case says he was either in the court or posted in the riot-hit area." President Trump has made no secret of his aversion to foreign military entanglements, and he pledged to get the troops out. Its an election year, but the politics of the moment should not obscure the fact that ending American involvement in the war is the right thing to do. And, unlike the precipitous withdrawal of American troops from northern Syria, this pullout catches no one by surprise. By November, the number of American troops remaining in Afghanistan should be well down from the current 12,000 or so, and the Taliban will most likely still be abiding by the deal to make sure the staged withdrawal continues until all the foreign troops are gone. Though not involved in the talks, the Afghan government has been aware of the negotiations, and, under the agreement, the Americans will continue funding and supporting the Afghan military. That the military is in shambles after 18 years of American tutelage, and that the government of Afghanistan is deeply corrupt and bitterly contested since a disputed election, only underscore that brute military force by an outside power is helpless against deep-seated ethnic and ideological divisions. And propping up an Afghan government was not the reason the United States went to war there. The reason was the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the pressure to go after those responsible for so horrific an outrage. Afghanistan, much of it controlled by the staunchly Islamist Taliban, had provided sanctuary for Osama bin Laden, and so that is where American troops headed to wage President George W. Bushs war on terrorism and to seek retribution. But the mission soon became fuzzy. By the time Bin Laden was hunted down in May 2011 in Pakistan, and not in the Tora Bora caves of Afghanistan where Al Qaeda and Taliban had their strongholds Al Qaeda was already a much weaker force, and the Taliban had been long driven from power. Yet American and allied forces remained. The full futility of that effort was revealed in documents obtained by The Washington Post late last year from an investigation by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. They showed how for years, even as American government officials were claiming successes in building a democratic government in Afghanistan, the military and civilian officials on the ground acknowledged the obvious that it was an extraordinarily expensive roughly $2 trillion over 18 years and pointless exercise. Their unvarnished pronouncements, withheld from the public, were devastating: I have no visibility into who the bad guys are, wrote Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense when the war began, in 2003. Twelve years and many billions of dollars later, Gen. Douglas Lute, an Army general who served in the Bush and Obama administrations, told the inspector general, We didnt know what we were doing. National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) and Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma (Photo: VNA) She said recent high-level visits and meetings on the sidelines of multilateral forums have reflected political trust between the two nations. The Vietnamese legislature always treasures developing ties with the Indian counterpart bilaterally and multilaterally, she said. The host also asked for the ambassadors support to effectively realise the cooperation agreement signed in 2016 during her India visit. She suggested enhancing joint work to step up the effective implementation of signed agreements, as well as facilitating exchanges and all-level visits by friendship parliamentarians groups and parliamentarians. NA Chairwoman Ngan wished that India would continue providing preferential credit packages and non-refundable aid for quick-impact projects and the second stage of the software park in Da Nang, contributing to Vietnams socio-economic development. Speaking highly of the close liaison at regional and global forums and Indias stance on the East Sea issue, the top lawmaker wished that the Indian government would continue supporting Vietnam and ASEANs stance on the issue. Verma, for his part, said Vietnam and India share common values about regional and global issues. He lauded Vietnam as the most important partner in Indias Act East policy and Indo-Pacific Vision, and hoped that visits by the two countries leaders will continue creating a new driving force for bilateral ties. The guest vowed to do his best to realise signed agreements and fulfill his assigned tasks in Vietnam. 28.02.2020 LISTEN The maiden edition of what will be an annual Hi-Life Music Festival will be staged on Ghana's Independence Day 6th March to create a tourist season while celebrating authentic Ghanaian music. The concert, which is the first of its kind Dubbed, Gh Agoogo, will be staged in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashantis by Agoogo Production in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA). In addition to the partnership with GTA, the organisers have secured endorsement from the government. The festival has been branded as a tourism project with the university students, youth, and the Diaspora community as the main target market. Though the emphasis of the festival is to promote Ghanaian hi-life music and culture, organizers also intend to put on one big stage for the festival, great and legendary Ghanaian hi-life musician who will significantly contribute to opening the floodgates to tourism arts, and culture, because of the diverse, non-traditional, and international audience that they attract. "As part of the bigger plan, which is to promote Ghanaian hi-life music and culture, we intend to put on one big stage for the festival, great and legendary Ghanaian hi-life musician who will significantly contribute to opening the floodgates to tourism arts, and culture, because of the diverse, non-traditional, and international audience that they attract," the organisers stated. According to Gh Agoogo Production, the objectives of the festival is to rekindle the love for Ghanaian Hi-Life Music, establish an Awards Scheme for Hi-Life Music in Ghana, and also improve tourism through Music. The music festival that will be staged on Independence day will serve as its official launch before subsequent shows will be held in other regions throughout the year. Later July 1, a big concert will be held in the United Kingdom (UK) for those living in the diaspora. Agoogo Production has confirmed that the first show will be free to build great patronage and establish the course of the music festival. The organizers, however, hope that with the nature of programs lined up and the improvement envisaged for subsequent years, they will leverage on massive sponsorship from corporate Ghana and well-wishers of the course to pull off such a great event. More About HiLife Music Festival The organisers stressed that veteran Hi-life musicians such as Nana Ampadu, Amakye Dede, Pat Thomas, Dady Lumber, Adene Best, Kaakyire Appiah, Akosua Agyapong, Dada KD, Paa Solo, Lucky Mensah, Nana Acheampong, Oheneba Kissi, Alibaba Forster, Ofori Amponsah, Rex Omar, Kwabena KWABENA, J A Adofo, Akwaboah Jnr, Besa Sermons and George Darko will be scheduled to perform at the festival. "It will be the first time that Ghanaian Hi-Life music festival, as well as travel and tourism will be uniquely packaged and marketed locally and internationally to be such a huge success on such a platform that it will set the standard and the model for even more annual music festivals worldwide to generate billions of dollars in foreign exchange through tourism for the country. "This maiden edition of the festival will be used to launch the first ever Gh Hi-Life Music Awards an experience that seeks to honour our very own without any adulteration to the craft and strictly designed to push and promote Hi-Life Music in Ghana," the organisers stated. According to the organisers, GH Agoogo will showcase a wide variety of food from many Ghanaian restaurants. Other Gh Agoogo attractions include shopping vendors, fireworks (including "The Big Bang" on opening night), family activities, live band music, Poetry and comedy, launch of the GH Hi-Life Music Awareds, and many more to come. A group of students on Saturday protested against the presence of Marathi actor and theatre personality Sharad Ponkshe at an event on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar in Pune's Fergusson College, police said. These students alleged Ponkshe was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. One of the organisers Ranjit Natu said Ponkshe was the chief guest at the event being held at the college amphitheatre to distribute prizes for the elocution competition on 'Mi Savarkar' (I am Savarkar). Ponkshe, also a writer, had played the eponymous lead in the controversial play 'Mi Nathuram Godse Boltoy', based on the assassination of Gandhiji. However, another set of students arrived at the scene and shouted slogans in support of Ponkshe, leading to tension in the campus for some time before it was defused by police personnel deployed there, said an official. Police later detained a student for trying to barge inside the amphitheatre to throw ink on Ponkshe, an organiser said. Police also detained some students for raising slogans against Ponkshe. "The programme is currently underway in the presence of Ponkshe. There is police deployment to ensure no untoward incident takes place," the Deccan Gymkhana police station official added. Ponkshe also conducts lectures on the ideals of Savarkar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ABC News After weeks of health experts urging Americans to upgrade their masks to protect against the omicron COVID-19 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it was planning to update its mask guidance to "best reflect the multiple options available to people and the different levels of protection they provide." The move by the CDC would be the first significant update to its mask guidance since last July when it urged all Americans to return to wearing masks, after the delta variant proved so transmissible that research found even vaccinated people could transmit the virus. While vaccinated people are considered infectious for a shorter period of time than someone who is unvaccinated, and they are considerably less likely to end up hospitalized, the CDC urged everyone to return to masking indoors to prevent community cases from rising. The agreement signed in Doha is supposed to bring to an end the longest war in Americas history and the decades of bloodshed in which Afghans have fought each other and foreign forces. There is the flickering hope of violence ending among the people in the country, but also the understanding that this does not mean that everlasting peace is about to break out. The simple fact is that Afghanistan is no longer an arena just between the Taliban and Afghan government and its western allies. Isis and al-Qaeda have arrived in recent years, while historical proxy groups of the Pakistani military like the Haqqani network continue to be active. Isis and al-Qaeda, whose presence grew after the tide turned against them in Syria and Iraq, are not going to lay down their arms because of a deal between the Taliban and the Americans. If anything, they will present themselves even more as the true jihadis against foreign occupiers. And they are likely to be able to draw from the pool of Taliban fighters who are unhappy with the decision of their leaders to take the path of negotiation. Nevertheless, the signing of the deal is a landmark event which may yield real benefit. That is certainly the desire, I found, among Afghans when I returned to the country to cover the presidential elections at the end of last year. This wish to end the strife was expressed not just by the public, but government officials, and also some members of the Taliban. The next stage of the talks will be between the Taliban and the Afghan government who were absent from the meetings in Qatar, something which understandably led to criticism. There have been claims that the countrys elected representatives were being sidelined and concern that they will, at the end, be presented with a fait accompli by the US. The intra-Afghan talks have been symbolically as well as strategically important. The Taliban has, in the past, refused to hold formal talks with the Afghan government due to their official stance that the administration in Kabul were simply western puppets. There have, however, been unofficial overtures and the identity of the Taliban signatory to the Doha deal is interesting in the context of these past efforts. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been down the path of seeking an end to violence before. Ten years ago he tried to hold ceasefire talks with the government of Hamid Karzai. But he had done so without the knowledge of the Pakistans military and intelligence service, ISI. They found out, he was arrested and spent the next eight years in a Pakistani jail. The fact that Mullah Baradar was released to take part in the talks, supposedly after American pressure, and has credibility in Kabul should, in theory, help the talks with the Afghan government make progress. There is apprehension among many Afghans that the Taliban will show its true colours if it becomes part of a power-sharing government, seeking to bring back the harsh, fundamentalist doctrine of its previous rule, jeopardising womens rights and civil liberties. But senior figures who were prominent in the time of Mullah Omars regime and retain contact with the current Taliban leadership claim important changes have taken place in the groups position. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, who was the sole international face of the Taliban regime at the time of 9/11, has been among a group of elders who had been going to Doha to discuss strategy with the Taliban team. He told me in Kabul: I dont think the Taliban would try to impose the type of rules from the time when I was in the government. Then the system was spiritual rather than political, there was little written down. Dont forget that was a wartime government. But the Taliban has said at the [Doha] meetings it would not make the same mistakes as it made then. Syed Mohammad Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander who was preparing to travel to Doha from Afghanistan to speak to Taliban officials, said a theocratic state will be established after an agreement. Lets not forget that the Qatar talks were started at the request of the Americans. They didnt want to face the same consequence the Russians ended up facing, they did not want to be humiliated. There will be elections after the agreement, but the Taliban will at the end want a government like in Iran, they will have Islamic scholars who will monitor the work of the government, itll be watched over by a strong shura [a consultative council], he said. Recommended I fled the Taliban and was welcomed to the UK with open arms Another commander, Maulvi Manzoor, who had returned to Afghanistan after surviving an assassination attempt in Pakistan, warned while speaking from Kandahar: There are a lot among the Taliban who do not believe in the talks and want to continue fighting. This is a problem that needs to be solved, otherwise they can easily join up with other groups who dont want peace. What will the Americans do about that? Under the agreement the US and its Nato allies will cut troop numbers to 8,600 over the next 135 days. This is expected to include 200 of the 1,100-strong UK contingent currently in the country. Five bases will be closed. All American-led foreign troops will leave the country within 14 months if the Taliban adheres to the agreed conditions. The US wants to keep intelligence units in the country, but this may not be feasible if the Talibs form a future government. But disengaging from Afghanistan is not easy, as the west found to its cost and at great cost to the Afghans. The US, UK and their allies armed and trained Afghan Mujahedin to fight Russians and its allied Kabul government and then abandoned the country to lawlessness, Islamist extremism and plotting of terror attacks including 9/11. When the Taliban fell following the American-British invasion, Tony Blair declared: This time we will not walk away. But the British and American forces were soon moved to Iraq and the Taliban moved back in from its Pakistani haven to take advantage of the security vacuum. Another large scale deployment, by the US-led Isaf (International Security Assistance Force) followed in 2006 to counter the insurgents taking over swathes of territory. That mission ended seven years ago with the withdrawal of most of the troops. Now another countdown has begun: whether it is the final one remains to be seen. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani attend the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha on February 29, 2020. - Washington and the Taliban are set to sign a landmark deal in Doha that would see them agree to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees. A peace deal was signed in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday, which aims to kick-start U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. U.S. and Taliban negotiators signed the agreement at approximately 4 p.m. local time which will allow a reduction in American troops and targets a permanent cease-fire. Afghans are eagerly anticipating that it will end the war, America's longest ever, which began more than 18 years ago when President George W. Bush ordered bombings in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. U.S. troops will be reduced to 8,600 from about 13,000 within 135 days following the signing, which took place at the Sheraton hotel with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in attendance. Further drawdowns will depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, but the aim is for a complete withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in 14 months, a joint statement read. Pompeo addressed an audience at the ceremony in Doha, saying the agreement will mean nothing if concrete actions are not taken on commitments and promises. U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, not Pompeo, signed the peace deal alongside the Taliban's chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. It comes after more than a year of on-off formal talks. President Donald Trump, facing elections this year and keen to fulfill promises of troop withdrawals from the Middle East, said Friday that "we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home" if the Taliban and Afghan governments met their commitments. The Taliban has promised not to let extremists use Afghanistan soil to attack U.S. or allied troops. Qatar has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state media reported on February 29, after a 36-year-old Qatari woman who was evacuated to Doha from Iran tested positive. Qatar on February 27 repatriated a number of its citizens from Iran -- which is battling the worst outbreak outside China -- and confined them to a 14-day period of quarantine, the government said. The health ministry said the infected patient had been admitted to hospital. "This had been expected because of the virus's spread across the region and other countries, alongside the exponential increase in the number of cases," the health ministry said according to the Qatar News Agency. Iran on Saturday reported nine new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 205 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 43 dead and 593 infected. 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 Gulf countries have announced a raft of measures to cut links with Iran to prevent the coronavirus spreading, after infections emerged among people returning from pilgrimages to the Islamic republic. Saudi Arabia on Friday barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Qatar, from entering two of Islam's holiest cities amid fears over coronavirus. The Gulf tally stands at 45 cases of coronavirus in Kuwait, 38 in Bahrain, six in Oman and two more in the United Arab Emirates for a total of 21. On Saturday the UAE also announced it was suspending nursery school classes, and limiting activities at other schools. Authorities said that two planes will also be sent to Iran to collect Emiratis and other Gulf citizens trapped there after air routes were closed. Cyclists taking part in the UAE Tour are awaiting the results of coronavirus tests from their hotel lockdown, after the event was abandoned Thursday when two staff from an Italian team tested positive. The race organisers said in a tweet Saturday that 167 of those quarantined had received negative results on coronavirus tests, but it did not say whether they were cyclists or staff members, nor how many others were awaiting results. From the floor of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., Congressman Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) recognized Dr. Mohammad Khalid and referred to him as a man who truly embodies the American dream. He came from Pakistan and settled on Staten Island where he opened his dental practice, worked hard for to provide for his children and family, and both of his children are successful attorneys, said Rose, in praising the community leader. He added: Dr. Khalid considers it his moral and ethical duty to help others. And he shows that every single day, not just in his professional life, but through his passion for community service. He is a cultural ambassador on Staten Island. He serves as president of the Iron Hills Civic Association and as president of the Pakistani Civic Association." Rose explained the way in which Dr. Khalid stepped to the plate after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Dr. Khalid and the Pakistani Civic Association worked to bring Staten Islanders together," Rose said. "Now doing this for 15 years theyve serve meals and share their culture all for the betterment of our community. Im proud to represent such a diverse and inclusive community full of leaders like Dr. Khalid who exemplify hard work and great determination that make this country so great. In speaking of the distinction, Dr. Khalid, chief of dental services at Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center & Home since 2014 and a dentist whos been in private practice on Staten Island for 41 years, stated: It is a great honor in my life that I was recognized in the United States by Congressman Max Rose. I thank the members of the Iron Hills Civic Association and the Pakistani Civic Association for their trust and confidence in me to represent communities. He further explained: We will continue doing good things for Staten Island as Staten Island is our home where we all live and care for one another. It certainly is a dream come true for an immigrant from Pakistan to be recognized by the United States Congress. May God bless our great country, the United States of America. Dr. Khalid embarked on his career in medicine following his parents dream and came to view his profession as a God-given gift. He earned a bachelor of dental surgery degree and did a general dentistry internship at Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, Pakistan. He completed his doctor of dental surgery degree in the New York University Foreign Dental Program. In addition to his professional commitments, Dr. Khalid is deeply engaged in community affairs. Besides leading the Iron Hills Civic Association and the Pakistani Civic Association, he is a member of Community Board 2 and previously served as a member of the citys Charter Review Commission and the Civilian Complaint Review Board. He also has been a member of a number of civic, cultural, business and dental organizations. Dr. Khalid takes pride in working for the New York City Health & Hospitals Corp., an organization who honored him as an outstanding doctor in October of last year. He counts as a great accomplishment his appointment as dental chief at Sea View, which is very challenging with patient needs more complex and compromising than patients in private practice. COLUMBIA, S.C. The Democrats 2020 primary season enters a critical four-day stretch that will help determine whether the party rallies behind Bernie Sanders or embraces a longer and uglier slog that could carry on until the national convention. This marks a dangerous moment for a political party desperate to replace President Donald Trump but deeply conflicted over whether Sanders, the undisputed Democratic front-runner and a self-described democratic socialist, is too extreme to defeat the Republican president. Only two things are going to happen: either Bernie or brokered, said James Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist. Carville is uncomfortable with a Sanders nomination but fears that a brokered convention in which party bosses or delegates in floor fights and negotiations decide the nominee after no candidate amasses enough delegates in the primary would inflict serious damage on the party, as well. Its just hard for me to see beyond the two options, he said. South Carolinas primary on Saturday stands as the first marker on the four-day crossroads. Joe Biden and his establishment allies hope to slow Sanders momentum and change the trajectory of the race with a convincing victory demonstrating his strength among African Americans. But just three days later, Sanders believes hes positioned to seize a major delegate advantage when 14 states and one U.S. territory vote on Super Tuesday. After two consecutive victories and a tie for the lead in Iowa, the 78-year-old Vermont senators confidence is surging. Sanders will spend the lead-up time to Super Tuesday campaigning in the home states of two major Democratic rivals, betting he can score a double knockout blow or at least limit the size of their victories. In a power play, Sanders will host a midday rally Saturday in downtown Boston, campaigning in the heart of progressive ally Elizabeth Warrens political turf. And on the eve of Super Tuesday, Sanders will host a concert in Minnesota, where home-state Sen. Amy Klobuchar is looking for her first win. Senior adviser Jeff Weaver said Sanders is aggressively hunting for delegates, noting that their campaigns experience during the 2016 primary against Hillary Clinton taught them that any candidate who finishes Super Tuesday with a significant delegate advantage will be difficult to catch. Im confident were going to do very, very well across the country, Weaver said of the coming four days. He also sought to downplay the importance of South Carolinas first-in-the-South primary, where Biden is expected to win. Expectations can be broken, Weaver added. But for the vice president, he needs an extraordinarily large win in South Carolina in order to convince folks hes going to be able to go the distance. At a rally in North Charleston on Friday, Trump asked the crowd whether Biden or Sanders would be the best Democratic opponent for him. I think Bernies easier to beat, Trump said. The audience seemed to agree, cheering the mention of Sanders and booing the mention of Biden. Some state GOP leaders have even urged Republican voters to participate in Saturdays Democratic primary and vote for Sanders. Yet the Democrats 2020 primary election is far from a two-person race. In South Carolina, billionaire activist Tom Steyer has spent more than $19 million on television advertising more than all the other candidates combined in his quest for his first top finish in four contests. Not ceding anything, Pete Buttigieg is fighting to prove he can build a multiracial coalition. And with the help of super PACs, Warren and Klobuchar have vowed to keep pushing forward no matter how they finish on Saturday. New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg is not competing in South Carolina, yet he has shattered spending records after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Super Tuesday advertising backed by a horde of paid staff in virtually every state in the nation. He could emerge as the strongest Sanders alternative in the coming days, or he could unintentionally help Sanders by splitting up the anti-Sanders vote. Still, Saturday marks Bidens last, best chance to shine. The former vice presidents campaign began the week cautiously optimistic, even as he predicted victory and began lashing out at Sanders more aggressively. This nation isnt looking for a revolution like some folks are talking about, Biden said Friday in Sumter, slapping at Sanders signature call to action. Theyre looking for progress. Theyre looking for results. After a solid debate performance on Tuesday, the 77-year-old Democrat was more buoyant on the campaign trail and his aides grew more confident backed by new support from elected officials. Biden has racked up far more endorsements than his rivals have throughout the year, and he added another big name from a Super Tuesday state, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, on Friday. Thats just two days after he earned the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. Summing up the mood, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders shifted away from calling South Carolina Bidens firewall and instead called it a springboard, on par with how the state boosted the presidential aspirations of Barack Obama in 2008 and Clinton in 2016. Indeed, South Carolina represents much more than the fourth state on the Democrats monthslong primary calendar. It serves as the first major test of the candidates strength with African American voters, who will play a critical role in both the general election and the rest of the primary season. Roughly 3 in 10 people of voting age in South Carolina are black, according to census data. South Carolina speaks in a way that these other states have not been able to in terms of who is voting and the diversity of our vote, said James Smith, South Carolinas 2018 Democratic nominee for governor. In the short term, Super Tuesday features a handful of Southern states, like Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina, where the African American vote will be decisive. And longer term, the ultimate Democratic nominee will struggle to defeat Trump unless he or she generates more enthusiasm among black voters than Clinton did four years ago. While voting technology was a concern in two of the last three primary contests, South Carolina uses a wide array of voting technology that presents unique challenges. Saturdays election in South Carolina marks the first statewide test of the states new fleet of electronic voting machines, a $50 million upgrade from an old and vulnerable system that lacked any paper record of individual votes. The new machines produce a paper record that can be verified by the voter and checked after the election to detect any malfunction or manipulation. Meanwhile, some leading Democrats in South Carolina were concerned that the intensity of the anti-Sanders movement within their own party would undermine their quest to deny Trump a second term. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a South Carolina state representative and president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, warned Democrats who vehemently oppose Sanders to stop being stupid. While shes on Steyers payroll, she said she would of course support Sanders if he emerged as the nominee. As a black woman, I cant afford for white folks resentment to determine who the next president is or is not going to be, she said. Their resentment doesnt translate to the struggle and the hell that communities of color will continue to face and worse if Trump is reelected. ___ Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Washington and Thomas Beaumont in Charleston, S.C., contributed to this report. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Sanders is in Minnesota on Monday, not Friday. Washington, Feb 29 : U. President Donald Trump spoke to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the phone over the escalating tense situation in northwest Syria, said the White House. In the call on Friday, Trump voiced Washington's support for Ankara's "efforts to de-escalate the situation in northwest Syria and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe", Xinhua news agency quoted the White House as saying in a statement. Trump and Erdogan also called for Syria, Russia and Iran to halt their offensive before more civilian deaths, according to the statement. A total of 33 Turkish soldiers were reportedly killed in air strikes occurring in Idlib on Thursday, a heavy loss for Ankara following days of clashes between Turkey-backed forces and Russia-backed Syrian government troops and escalating tension between Turkey and Russia. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib "before the situation gets entirely out of control". NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday urged de-escalation in Syria and highlighted the organization's solidarity with Ankara. The skyline of Manhattan wasn't lit up in pink (as far as I know), but Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) celebrated the Senate's failure to pass two pro-life bills this week. Neither the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act nor the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act received the 60 votes necessary to be advanced. The former would have mandated that babies surviving failed abortion attempts receive the "same claim to the protection of the law that would arise for any newborn," while the latter would have banned most abortions after 20 weeks, as that is the age at which most specialists believe the unborn child can feel pain. The bill contained exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother. Gillibrand, speaking of the bills, told MSNBC: "This is part of President Trump and Mitch McConnell's all-out assault on women. They're trying to harm women. They're trying to take away their civil rights, their human rights, their ability to make the most important, intimate decisions of their lives. They're taking away their religious freedom. They're taking away their moral freedom." No, Sen. Gillibrand, they are not aborting women, nor harming them in any way. They are trying to stem your party's all-out assault on babies. I think deep down you know this, and that's why you try so hard if pathetically to refute it. They are not taking away women's civil rights. You are not being enslaved or segregated. That is an insult to those who were. They are protecting the human rights of as yet unborn children. Many crimes are "intimate." Is the fact that rape isn't legal taking away men's ability to make the "most important, intimate decisions of their lives"? Is it taking away their "moral freedom"? You literally can't be any more wrong, misguided, and hypocritical than this. Sen. Gillibrand, words are like genders: try as you might, you can't simply make them mean whatever you want them to. Sadly, Gillibrand wasn't done. She added, "These two measures that we're voting on literally change the landscape of how we treat a baby who was born[.]" Yes, by allowing them to live. She noted that "parents want to be able to have those final moments with their child." Indeed. Instead of seeing them grow up. She finished by stating, "It is a horrible, horrible choice by Mitch McConnell to force these votes and we've voted on these measures before and they've lost. I think this is just a political ploy to satisfy those who are attending the CPAC conference." No, Sen. Gillibrand, the "horrible, horrible" choices were made by the parents, and your support for abortion is, in part, a political ploy to satisfy those women who don't wish to be burdened by the consequences of their decision to be "intimate." Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently berated her fellow Congress members during a House oversight hearing on religious freedom. Upset that those less "woke" than herself don't sufficiently share her radically "progressive" beliefs about medical care; abortion; LGBT issues; and, well, pretty much everything else, the well known biblical scholar lashed out. She said, "Sometimes, especially this body, I feel as though if Christ himself walked through these doors and said what he said thousands of years ago, that we should love our neighbor and our enemy, that we should welcome the stranger, fight for the least of us...he would be maligned as a radical and rejected from these doors." In high dudgeon now, she added that she was "tired of communities of faith being weaponized and being mischaracterized because the only time religious freedom is invoked is in the name of bigotry and discrimination. I'm tired of it." Yes, Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, I'm sure if Jesus were among us today, He would be performing abortions Himself. I mean, who could be more pro-abortion than the Son of God, right? What was that about "fighting for the least of us"? Incredible. If we don't wake up soon, it will be too late. It is not "climate change" we have to worry about (the dumbest phrase in recorded history), but our diminishing ability to separate good from evil, effective policies from disastrous ones, and truth from b-------. Neither tolerance nor intolerance is a virtue. Neither is always good or always bad. We have become preposterously tolerant of everything from inanity to evil, and increasingly intolerant of standards, decency, and traditional morality. Image credit: Phil Roeder via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. From lead in the water in schools and daycares to the powers of public heath officials, weve selected the best long reads of the week from thestar.com. Want to dive into more long features? Sign up for the Weekend Long Reads newsletter to get them delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday morning. 1. A third of Ontario schools, daycares have dangerous levels of lead in the water. Search our database to see the test results In the past three years, more than a third of schools and daycares that tested for lead 36 per cent had at least one exceedance of Health Canadas guideline of 5 parts per billion (ppb). More than half of public schools that tested in that time 54 per cent registered at least one exceedance. 2. Lives saved, lives lost, and a memory he can never shake: 40 years as a paramedic on the streets of Toronto As he heads into retirement, Greg Carter reflected on what its like to spend a working life racing towards human suffering in a career that ended in a most humane way; a final shift during which he, in Gordie Howe-like fashion, rode with his two sons who followed in his footsteps as Toronto paramedics. 3. How far can Ontarios health authorities go to stop coronavirus? (The answer is further than you may think) Can officials here go full Hubei, shutting down schools and transit, even sealing off whole neighbourhoods or cities? The Health Protection and Promotion Act gives Ontarios medical officers broad powers to restrict the mobility and actions of people, or groups, to quell public health threats. In short, the powers in that act are extraordinary University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman said. There is very little that you could not do in the name of public health, he added. 4. This ice doctor is reviving the frozen science behind Canadas secret weapon from WWII Professor Arno Pronk is teaching the University of Alberta students to build ice beams. The scientist behind the latest pass at a kind of ice-based construction that dates back to a wild chapter in Canadas wartime history sees great potential for reinforced ice known as pykrete as a tool for construction in climates ranging from the Arctic to Mars. 5. The cost of flying could go up by at least 30 per cent this year and get more crowded. Blame the 737 Max How long will higher fares last? In the short term, the obvious culprit in more expensive flights is the worldwide grounding last March of the Boeing 737 Max, which removed an estimated 41 million seats from the air, writes David Olive. 6. This 27-year-old project manager makes $70,000 and lives at home but her commute takes up to two hours and shes $18,000 in debt. Can she save up enough to move out? Because her commute is so expensive it includes spending more than $150 on her Presto pass, $120 for parking and $416 for car insurance, gas and maintenance each month Samantha tries her best to save money by eating food at home. 7. 500 coronavirus tests in 5 weeks: How Ontarios public health lab figures out who is infected Scientists at the PHO lab have processed nearly 500 potential cases, with increasing speed preliminary results are now available in just six hours. 8. Whats driving talented workers out of Toronto? Five young people on why they left the city Toronto is my favourite city in the world, but after having sent out hundreds of applications to jobs I was qualified for without receiving even a single callback, I reached out to contacts I had made during a previous internship in L.A., and was able to score an interview on the very first job I applied for, says Ryan Radersma. 9. Inside this Aurora home is a nuclear bunker meant for Toronto politicians in the 60s The property had a long list of things that would scare away most prospective home buyers: galvanized piping, a pending heritage designation and a leaky old nuclear bunker in the basement. But this Aurora couple couldnt keep away. The coronavirus-hit China, which is grappling to contain the outbreak amidst rising death toll and number of infected cases, has sent a group of experts to Iran to help combat the spread of the disease in the country that has witnessed 34 deaths due to COVID-19, the Chinese foreign ministry said. The Iran health ministry on Friday confirmed 34 deaths due to the deadly disease and 388 confirmed cases of the virus in the country. According to media reports, the country has the highest number of death toll outside China, the epicentre of the virus. The Chinese experts are on their way to Iran, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday. The coronavirus disease is enemy of all. "We must fight together," Hua was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily. During his telephonic conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will continue to provide assistance within its capabilities to Iran in curbing the epidemic and treating the sick, the report said. China has already donated a batch of nucleic acid detection kits and medical supplies to Iran to help fight the disease. In China, 47 more people succumbed to the virus, taking the death toll in the country to 2,835, while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 79,251, Chinese health officials said on Saturday. The novel coronavirus emerged in China in early December and is traced to a market in Hubei's capital Wuhan that sold wild animals. Meanwhile, the WHO on Friday revised the risk assessment of the COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at global level, as an increasing number of cases in more countries were reported over the last few days. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday handpicked Param Bir Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, as the new police commissioner of Mumbai. Singh, who was director general (DG) of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), will replace Sanjay Barve who retired on Saturday. Barve was given two extensions of three months each. The state home department issued an order, which also announced that Bipin K Singh, additional director general (ADG) of ACB, will take over as acting DG till further notice. Singhs name was finalised for the Mumbai police chiefs job after a high-level meeting between Thackeray, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday evening. Besides the six DG-rank officers, names of a few others of the rank of ADG, too, were considered for the post. ADGs Rashmi Shukla, Sadanand Date, K Venkatesham were among the contenders. A senior home department official, on condition of anonymity, said NCP, which has the home portfolio, was in favour of Singh, while Thackeray was considering other names. Ultimately, Singh was picked, said the official. Before heading the ACB, Singh was additional director general of police (law and order) in the Maharashtra police. He was also the Thane police commissioner; additional commissioner in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS); deputy commissioner of police (DCP) in several zones in Mumbai; and superintendent of police (SP) in Chandrapur and Bhandara districts. As Thane police chief, Singh was involved in cracking high-profile cases such as the arrest of Dawood Ibrahims brother, Iqbal Kaskar, in an extortion case; Mira Road call center case; Ephedrine drug haul case; and call data records (CDR) case, among others. Singh, however, had courted controversy last year, after he held a press conference on August 31 at the state police headquarters on the arrest of activists with alleged Maoists links. In the conference, Singh had read out letters allegedly written by these activists, who were arrested in June. Later, the Bombay high court had slammed Singh for reading out the letters, which may be used as evidence. Singh was also in the news last December when he filed an affidavit before high court, giving a clean chit to NCP leader Ajit Pawar in the irrigation scam case. Meanwhile, a home department official said a reshuffle of top brass of the state and city police is expected in the next few weeks. It was not the way Christian Redl's latest deep-diving record attempt was meant to end: being hauled to the surface of Austria's frozen Weissensee lake after losing consciousness in the icy waters. Redl -- dubbed "the iceman" -- had suffered a blackout, something he sees as par for the course in his quest to break the record for the deepest dive under ice. "For me, it's not risky or dangerous. It just happened," the 43-year-old told AFP matter-of-factly after his unsuccessful record attempt last Friday. The Austrian, who has had similar blackouts before, is part of a small group of freedivers in the world specialising in diving under ice. His aim was to dive 71 metres (233 feet) deep into the Weissensee -- itself covered in 30 centimetres (12 inches) of ice -- braving the two degree Celsius (35.6 degree Fahrenheit) water wearing just a wetsuit and fins. But exerting himself excessively on the way up resulted in a lack of oxygen to the brain, which caused a blackout. He was dragged up by one of his six safety divers and pulled onto the ice where a waiting medical team sprung into action with an oxygen mask. - Drowned corpse roles - It is the latest chapter in a life dominated by a passion for diving that began at the age of six when Redl's uncle gave him fins and a mask as a present. They were put to use snorkelling on a Vienna lake, before he started scuba diving aged 10. Seven years later he saw "The Big Blue", French director Luc Besson's film about the friendship and rivalry between two freedivers. "This movie changed my life completely because my biggest dream was to become like Jean Reno in this movie, a world record holder," Redl says. But work commitments meant he only had the winter months to attempt records, which led to him to specialise in ice diving, earning him his "iceman" moniker. At 30 he quit his job as an investment banker to become a professional freediver, supporting himself with teaching and occasional acting work. His ability to hold his breath under water for up to six minutes has given him a somewhat macabre niche of drowned corpse roles. His first record came in 2003, a 90-metre horizontal distance dive under ice. In preparation for his latest attempt, perhaps surprisingly Redl only did one practice dive on the Weissensee itself, otherwise sticking to an indoor pool on the outskirts of Vienna. "I do everything with my mental strength so I really don't care about the cold," he told AFP before the attempt on Friday. New Zealand freediver and rival Ant Williams, the holder of the record Redl wanted to clinch, understands the challenges only too well. "The water is not only freezing cold, it is pitch black and foreboding," he told AFP by email. "It is far more intimidating and uncomfortable than normal diving," Williams said, adding that he regards his Austrian rival as "talented" and "more than capable of pushing the record deeper". - ' You will die' - As for his hardest dive to date, Redl says that came on Nepal's Gokyo lake at an altitude of 5,160 metres, requiring him to undertake six months of training to deal with the lack of oxygen. "The first 10 doctors said 'it is impossible, you will die'," Redl said. "The 11th one said 'yes, you will die, but it's a cool project'. So I concentrated on the second part of this sentence." Ernest Turnschek, who owns a diving school at Weissensee and has known Redl for more than 20 years, says an increasing number of "hard core" divers have been coming to the lake to try their hand at ice diving. When he first considered teaching ice diving 30 years ago, many found it laughable. "Now everyone is talking about it... They are fascinated by the hues under the water," Turnschek says. Redl also waxes lyrical about his chosen sport. "The most incredible thing is when you swim back to the surface and you take the first breath, it's like you are reborn. This is really amazing," he says. The urge to go ever deeper, to stay underwater for longer is "like you're addicted". But Redl admits that the sport is not getting any easier for him. "I feel as I get older and older that I need much more training than nine years ago, when I achieved the record the first time" -- back then the dive was 61 metres. Nevertheless, Redl has said he may not be able to resist another attempt to re-conquer the record. US Democratic presidential contenders blasted the Republican Trump administrations handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the eve of South Carolinas fourth-in-the-nation nominating contest on Saturday. Sumter: US Democratic presidential contenders blasted the Republican Trump administrations handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the eve of South Carolinas fourth-in-the-nation nominating contest on Saturday. Former Vice President Joe Biden is banking on the southern state to breathe new life into his struggling campaign and make him the top moderate alternative to national front-runner Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. Heres what is happening on Friday: Coronavirus criticism Biden, US Senator Sanders and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined the chorus of prominent Democrats criticizing the administration response to the virus, whose rapid spread reached six new countries and sent global stock markets tumbling again on Friday. At a campaign event in Sumter, South Carolina, Biden accused President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who is overseeing the government response to the outbreak, of misleading the American public about the virus threat. Trump and Pence decided that the public health experts cannot inform the public on their own whats going on, Biden said. Now the president wont let other people tell the truth. Sanders slammed Trump for holding a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday night rather than remaining in Washington to address the situation. Why is he here? Hes here to try and disrupt the Democratic primary, Sanders said at an event in St George. How pathetic and how petty can you be? Bloomberg focused on the coronavirus in campaign speeches on Thursday and Friday and pointed to the sharp drop in stock market prices on Friday as a sign of concern about Trumps competence. The stock market has plunged partly out of fear (about the virus) but also because investors have no confidence that this president is capable of managing the crisis, Bloomberg told a rally in Memphis, Tennessee. Bloomberg, a late entrant in the race for the White House, has not competed in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, and is pinning his hopes on Super Tuesday nominating contests next week in Tennessee and 13 other states. On Thursday, he campaigned in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Trump defended his handling of the threat on Twitter on Thursday evening, writing that the administrations actions put us way ahead in our battle with coronavirus. So, the Coronavirus, which started in China and spread to various countries throughout the world, but very slowly in the U.S. because President Trump closed our border, and ended flights, VERY EARLY, is now being blamed, by the Do Nothing Democrats, to be the fault of Trump. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020 Earlier in the week, he called the risk from the virus very low in the United States. At present, there are 62 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States, including people repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan, U.S. officials said. Counting on South Carolina Biden continued to show signs of growing strength ahead of Saturdays primary. His campaign celebrated a $1.2 million one-day online fundraising haul, the most contributed by small-dollar internet donors since his campaign launch last year when similar contributions added up to more than $6 million. A Monmouth University poll released on Thursday showed Biden with large support from black South Carolina voters, who make up about 60 percent of the states Democratic electorate. He was buoyed as well by an endorsement from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who was the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee under Hillary Clinton. Virginia votes on Tuesday. In Sumter, undecided voter Marybeth Berry, 44, told Biden that she sees a fire in some of his rivals and asked what drives him. Because you see Bernie, you see Elizabeth Warren, you see that fire. Thats what Im looking for, said Berry, a theatre professor at the University of South Carolina Lancaster. Biden looked Berry in the eyes and said: The fact that Im not screaming like Bernie and waving my arms or like Elizabeth, its not lack of fire. He said decency and honour drive him and that he hates to see the abuse of power against vulnerable people. And Im glad you asked me the question because its making me mad even answering it, he said. Berry said she thought Bidens answer was very, very good and powerful, and that she was leaning towards him after hearing him speak, but added she was also considering Sanders. Her husband, Christopher, an Army veteran who met Biden when he served in Iraq, was already convinced. He voted for Trump in 2016 but is supporting Biden this time. Biden had poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire and finished a distant second place in Nevada. Warren calls for Super PAC disclosure At a canvassing kickoff event in Greenville, an animated Warren fired up a crowd of supporters and volunteers, telling them that our democracy, our world, hangs in the balance in 2020. Im Elizabeth Warren, and Im the woman whos going to beat Donald Trump, she said, repeating a line she has recently begun delivering at campaign events. Her campaign also called on a new pro-Warren Super PAC to disclose its donors before Super Tuesday. The Massachusetts senator has been criticized for not disavowing the effort given her longstanding criticism of such groups. The Persist PAC announced it would spend $9 million to air television advertisements ahead of the Super Tuesday contests. The ads will run in some of the most expensive media markets in California, Texas and Massachusetts. The new buy is in addition to more than $3 million the group previously spent in California and seven other Super Tuesday states. Super PACS may raise and spend unlimited sums of money to support candidates as long as they do not coordinate directly with those candidates campaigns. All general election debates will begin at 8 p.m. Central Standard Time and last 90 minutes without commercial interruption. Read more here. Kolkata: A Polish student at Jadavpur University (JU) in Kolkata has been asked to leave India in a notice sent to him by the Union home ministry. Some students and teachers at JU said Kamil Siedcynski may have been expelled due to his presence at a rally organised in the city by intellectuals, artists and students against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December. Siedcynski avoided the media and didnt share the contents of the notice. A student of comparative literature, he is yet to complete the final semester of his Masters degree. Having studied Bengali literature at Visva Bharati, a central university, Siedcynski can speak the language fluently and has translated Polish works into Bengali. JU teachers who did not wish to be named said Siedcynski attended the rally organised at Ramlila Maidan with his friends on December 19. He was served a notice by the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata about a week ago, said Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of the JU TeachersA association. Kamil has appealed to the FRRO to reconsider its decision, saying he was a merely an onlooker, Roy added. JU vice-chancellor Suranjan Das was away in Delhi. Till Friday evening, when I left my office, I had not received any official information about this from the student or the FFRO. Siedcynski is the second foreign student in West Bengal to be asked to leave India by the FRRO. Afsara Anika Meem, a first-year Bangladeshi undergraduate student at the Visva Bharati fine arts department, had been served a similar notice for engaging in anti-government activities earlier this week. She had posted photos of an anti-CAA agitation on her social media page, which she later deactivated. Kamil was possibly curious to see the rally. Kamil has never been seen at any agitation on or off campus. Being a foreigner, he drew the attention of some local television channels that covered the rally. Since he speaks Bengali, a journalist even spoke to him and the short footage was aired, said a JU professor who did not want to be identified. Teachers said Siedcynski was first summoned by the FRRO, but he could not respond because he was visiting Visva Bharati. After returning to the city, he went to the FRRO, where the notice to leave the country was given to him. Being a Saturday, the Polish consulate in Kolkata and the FRRO office were closed and no official could be contacted. Lawyer and former Kolkata mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said, This is madness. How can a student from a foreign country be asked to leave just because he wanted to witness a rally. The student has the right to move court and if he wants I will defend him. Two other foreign nationals in the country were asked to leave the country on similar grounds in December. Jakob Lindenthal, a 24-year-old German exchange student pursuing a Masters degree in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, was ordered to leave after he took part in protests against the CAA in Chennai. Janne Mette-Johannson, a Norwegian woman, was asked to leave after she participated in an anti-CAA protest in Kerala. She had been in India on a tourist visa. The CAA was passed in December to fast-track the grant of Indian citizenship to non-Muslims who entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before 2015. A heard of elephants in South Africa might face slaughter after two rogue tuskers reportedly killed a conservationist who was trying to shepherd them back to a reserve. According to international media reports, Reserve of Mawana head Beyers Coetzee was trampled and gored to death while trying to guide 31 elephants back to safety after they had strayed off. Now, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which is a local governmental organisation, is deciding whether to shoot dead all the strong elephant herd. While speaking to an international media outlet, reserve employee Thobani Masondi said that he was by Coetzee's side when he died. He said that he was leading and Coetzee was close by and had been setting off the crackers even though he was told that it is making the tuskers angry. It was moments after, that the elephants came out of the bush from 15 metres and there was nothing anyone could do to help him. READ: Bengal Forest Dept Begins Vaccinating Rhinos & Captive Elephants After Deaths Of 5 Rhinos The wildlife's spokesperson, Musa Mntambo reportedly said that they were investigating the circumstances of the death of Coetzee, however, he further added, they have not yet decided the fate of the herd. While speaking to the media outlet, he said that the organisation is in the business of conserving animals and the decision to destroy any animal is taken with a heavy heart. He, however, also mentioned that the two tuskers, who were responsible for the death, are certainly likely to be shot dead. READ: 246 Elephants Have Died In Odisha Since 2016: Minister Human-wildlife conflict Elephants have always been a threat to human life in South Africa. Recently, the country also auctioned six licenses to hunt a total of 60 elephants. According to international media reports, the country legalized hunting of elephants as 'there are too many of them' and the recent allowance on hunting is in a bid to 'end human-wildlife conflict'. The elephant population in Africa is also on a decline, however, countries like Zimbabwe and Botswana face 'overpopulation' due to which the country legalised the killing of elephants. South Africa reportedly also has reconsidered conservation laws to try and balance the need to protect sought-after species such as elephants, rhinos and buffalo from poaching while managing danger they pose as they encroach on areas of human habitation. READ: 'Innocently Funny': Elephants Eat Sugarcane From Truck, Netizens In Awe READ: 60 Elephants To Be Killed As Botswana Legalises Hunting Of Tuskers 3 1 of 3 Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 RIDGEFIELD A Danbury man was arrested Monday after police say they caught him with items stolen from unoccupied vehicles in town. Officers responded to a complaint on Sarah Bishop Road around 6:40 a.m. Monday, and were told that a white male [had been] knocking on doors and acting strangely, police said. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Prayagraj and Chitrakoot districts of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (February 29, 2020) to launch several programmes on social empowerment, infrastructure and farmers welfare. "I am eagerly looking forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow. There will be programmes in Prayagraj and Chitrakoot which would focus on empowerment of Divyangjan, infrastructure, farmer welfare and more," the Prime Minister said in a tweet on Friday. PM Modi further informed that the programme for social empowerment of differently-abled citizens and senior citizens will be one of the biggest programmes in this regard. PM Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate a Samajik Adhikarita Shivir in Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) which is a mega distribution camp, the biggest ever of its kind meant to provide assistance through assistive aids and devices to ''senior citizens'', particularly those from BPL families under the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana and 'Divyangjans' under the Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing/fitting of aids/appliances scheme of the government. PM Modi will then announce the setting up of 10,000 Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) across the country. The FPOs are meant to bring benefits of economies of scale to the small, marginal and landless farmers in the country, by improving their access to technology, quality inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as ensuring requisite financing and marketing facilities. After attending the event, PM Modi will head to Chitrakoot where he will attend the one-year celebrations of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which was launched last year form Gorakhpur. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in view of the ongoing anti-CAA protests that are taking place in Roshan Bagh in Prayagraj. The district authorities had announced a restriction on use of drone cameras in the city. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot later today. "Next-gen Infrastructure for a better tomorrow! Delighted to be laying the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state," he tweeted. The Bundelkhand expressway will connect Chitrakoot with 6 other districts in Uttar Pradesh -- Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah The expressway will extend from Chitrakoot's Bharatkoop to Etawah's Kudrail village. A four-lane 296 km-long expressway will be linked to Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Etawah. It could also be built into a 6-lane expressway in the future. The proposed budget to build the expressway is around Rs 15,000 crore.PM Modi will then address a public meeting in Chitrakoot. New Delhi: Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case convict, Akshay Thakur filed a fresh curative petition on Saturday (February 29,2020) seeking a stay on the execution of the death warrants, scheduled for March 3. The fresh petition claims that the earlier petition was incomplete. Lawyer of the convict AP Singh said that Akshay filed the plea on February 25 which reached the President Secretariat on Saturday. Meanwhile, one out of the four convicts Pawan Gupta filed a curative petition on Friday (February 28, 2020) in the Supreme Court seeking direction to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. Pawan Kumar is the only convict who is yet to receive the President's decision, which is the final legal remedy available for the death sentence. On February 5, Akshay Thakur's mercy petition was rejected by President Ram Nath Kovind. So far, mercy petitions of Vinay Sharma and Mukesh Singh have also been rejected by the President. After the convict's filed petition, Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities directing the officials to file a report in their response by March 2, 2020. The court had on February 17 had ordered that all the four convicts - Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31) - be hanged on March 3. A 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped and murdered on a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later Six people, including a juvenile, were arrested for the crime. The juvenile was released after serving a three-year term at a juvenile home, one convict allegedly committed suicide in jail while four others - Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh were sentenced to death. The Italian infected with coronavirus arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday but the disease was not detected at the Lagos international airport, his port of entry, because it was still at the incubation stage, Nigerias health minister, Osagie Ehanire, has said. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Lagos and federal governments, early Friday, confirmed the coronavirus case, the first in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr Ehanire explained that the Italian was able to get into the country without being detected at the airport because he was asymptomatic (disease was still at the incubation stage) at the time of entry. So, it is not that it is a failure of screening. The screening went very well. The information I have this very morning is that he is stable, so all people will not be equally severe. This implies that the disease can be missed in a person who is yet to have symptoms and that is why WHO and the government have been advising that people who have had contacts with infected persons should be quarantined for at least 14 days. Mr Ehanire, at a press briefing in Abuja, said they are opting for 14 days self-quarantine because much information about the nature and pattern of the disease is still unknown. He also said health agencies in Nigeria have begun contact tracing of those who might have been in contact with the Italian. He said the Italian showed no symptoms of the disease until Wednesday which was why he presented himself to the hospital. He has since been isolated and treatment has also commenced, the minister said. Mr Ehanire said Nigeria is taking the contact tracing for people who have been in contact with the unnamed Italian seriously and would be contacting those in the same flight as the Italian. We have started working to identify all the contacts made by the patient since he entered Nigeria, even those with him on the aircraft. We are working to find out where this gentleman was, where he sat, those who sat around him and set up a monitoring team for all the passengers and crew members of that flight in order to get information and monitor their state of health. We will advise anyone who has any symptoms to report and be monitored and be checked, he said. Outbreak As of Friday afternoon, there have been more than 83,000 global cases, with infections in every continent except Antarctica. The disease which was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China has killed at least 2,800 people worldwide, the vast majority in mainland China. READ ALSO: Outside China, health experts have raised concerns about the spread of the virus in three countries, South Korea, Iran and Italy. The virus has since spread rapidly from these three countries to places where it was formerly not available. At least 11 European countries and Nigeria now have confirmed cases of coronavirus, many of which have been traced to Italy. So far, South Korea has the biggest outbreak outside China, with 2,337 cases. The health minister advised that to contain an outbreak in the country, Nigerians should avoid crowded gathering, wash their hands and use hand sanitizers when needed. He also cautioned people to stay about a metre away from people coughing, sneezing or feeling feverish Treatment Mr Ehanire said Nigeria will be able to provide early diagnosis and treatment to confirmed patients as it is already putting in place mechanisms to do so. He said China has shared its treatment procedures with Nigeria to assist the countrys response to the treatment of the new coronavirus. China knows more about the disease and they have made some successful treatments. Advertisements They have shared the treatment procedures with Nigeria and this will assist in the treatment of confirmed cases, he said. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe After flipping a longtime GOP seat in 2018, freshman Representative Katie Hill looked like a Democratic juggernaut. But just 10 months into her first term in Congress, conservative websites published intimate photos of Hill without her consent, and she faced a House ethics investigation into allegations of an affair with a congressional staffer, which Hill denied. As abruptly as she'd become a fundraising magnet and darling of House leadership, Hill left public office. Hill's departure amid what she called "a horrible smear campaign" opened the floodgates for over a dozen other candidates vying to represent parts of North L.A. County, including Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Lancaster, along with a slice of eastern Ventura County. For years, the GOP could count on this suburban and rural area as a bulwark against an increasingly blue metro Los Angeles. The district includes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where one can visit a hologram of the 40th U.S. president, a replica of the Oval Office and a decommissioned Air Force One. But in 2018, Republican efforts to hold on to the party's last significant chunk of L.A. County failed to take off. The 25th was one of seven California GOP seats captured by Democrats in the blue wave. 2020 hopefuls include the famous and infamous: former Congressman Steve Knight, who lost to Hill in 2018, wants the seat back. Local Assemblywoman Christy Smith announced her candidacy the day after Hill said she would resign. Other candidates include firebrand progressive media personality Cenk Uyger of "The Young Turks" show. A former Navy fighter pilot and defense contractor executive, Mike Garcia, has been campaigning since he launched an effort to unseat Hill last spring. Even George Padapoulous, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is making a run. As the demographics here grow younger and more diverse, Democratic activists see the district as safely in the blue column. But Republicans are out to prove them wrong. A few extra wrinkles await voters here: on top of tackling an array of L.A. County election changes, the 25th District has both a special election and the regular congressional primary to decide on. One vote will help send two candidates to the general election in November; the other will pick someone to fill the last six months of Katie Hill's term. If no one gets over 50% of the vote in the March 3 special election, there will be a runoff May 12. Here are the top four candidates in terms of fundraising and polling: GOP congressional candidate Mike Garcia speaks at a CA-25 forum at the Republican Values Center on Feb. 8, 2020 (Libby Denkmann/LAist) REPUBLICAN UPSTART: MIKE GARCIA Garcia's campaign logo brings to mind the movie "Top Gun" -- which can't hurt in a district that includes Edwards Air Force Base and numerous jobs supported by the defense industry. "I absolutely do believe a Republican and a good conservative can win back the district," said Garcia, speaking outside his Simi Valley office in a storefront a few doors down from Office Depot. He added voters "just need to be inspired." The L.A. and Ventura County Republican parties have endorsed Garcia, who believes voters will credit President Trump and the GOP with positive economic indicators -- like low unemployment, record stock market highs and a steadily expanding GDP. "Whether you like the style or not, this president is absolutely knocking it out of the park. And results matter," he said. Among Garcia's goals is to replace Obamacare -- he would like to see health insurance markets opened up across state lines -- but he said members of Congress have to come up with a better plan before ditching the current system. "You have to have a plan in place before you repeal it," he said. Former Congressman Steve Knight spoke during a CA-25 candidate forum at the Republican Values Center Feb. 8, 2020. (Libby Denkmann/LAist) LOOKING FOR A COMEBACK: STEVE KNIGHT In this race, Garcia's not alone in tying himself to Trump. "When I was in Congress I voted with the president's policies 99% of the time," said ex-Congressman Knight during a forum at the Republican Values Center in Simi Valley earlier this month. Knight said he's taken issue with some of the president's comments, including mocking the late Senator John McCain, but is fully onboard with Trump's policy agenda. Limited available polling so far shows Knight beating the first-time candidate Garcia for a spot in the general election. Knight, an Army veteran and former LAPD officer, represented the district for two terms. He was unavailable for an interview for this story. Photo from the Christy Smith for Congress Flickr page. (Christy Smith For Congress Flickr ) DEMOCRATS' CHOICE: CHRISTY SMITH Whoever prevails on the right will likely face Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith in November. She styles herself as a no-nonsense member of the state Legislature. "I'm a candidate who is actually far more interested in doing the work than the politics part," she said. "I appreciate your interview today...but if I could do the job without this part I'd be more than happy to do it." Smith began her career as an analyst in the U.S. Department of Education. She served nine years on the Newhall school board before flipping a Republican state Assembly seat, the 38th, in 2018. The same Democratic groups that carried Katie Hill to victory in the midterms are now backing Smith, as are most local elected Democrats. In her congressional campaign, Smith is following a playbook that worked for moderate Democrats in suburban districts across the country in 2018: focusing on kitchen-table basics that reach across party lines, like protecting the environment and access to health care. "We do need a public option that allows people to buy in at a price level they can afford," Smith said. But with Bernie Sanders and progressives in the driver's seat nationally, some Democratic candidates say it's not enough to play it safe. CA-25 congressional candidate Cenk Uygur poses for a selfie at a Democratic candidate forum at Transplants Brewery in Palmdale, Jan. 9, 2020. (Libby Denkmann/LAist) THE FIREBRAND PROGRESSIVE: CENK UYGUR "We are not here to compromise with Republicans. We are here to defeat them!" Cenk Uygur roared from the stage at a candidate forum at Transplants Brewery in Palmdale in January. Uygur is the longtime host of internet talk show "The Young Turks" and co-founder of a progressive PAC called Justice Democrats. He's a staunch advocate of Medicare for All, which would end private health insurance in favor of a government-run system. Uygur joined the race, he said, to shake up the establishment and reduce corporate money's influence on politics. "Unfortunately the people in power are old and pretty much corrupt," he said. Fans of Uygur's flamethrower style have helped buoy his fundraising. But thus far, the rabble rouser hasn't gained enough traction in polling to make it into the top two candidates who will compete in the general election. And some of his history has come back to haunt him: comments he made about women early in his career caused Bernie Sanders to rescind an endorsement. "Nineteen years ago when I was trying to be a politically incorrect Republican, I did say bad things. I hated the things that I said," Uygur said. "I deleted that 15 years ago. The reason was because that wasn't me." THE BIG PICTURE: DO REPUBLICANS HAVE A SHOT? Hanging over everything in the 25th is a critical question: Was Katie Hill's victory in 2018 a fluke, or has this once solidly red district changed for the foreseeable future? That key question came up at the Simi Valley Republican forum, where some candidates diminished Hill's win. Garcia, the newcomer, said an aggressive campaign could bring the seat home to the GOP. He took a jab at Hill, saying she "was electable because of her charisma, because of her hard work, but obviously there was (sic) no qualifications underneath." The event moderator took a more personal swipe: "I heard she likes parties, but anyway, that's in the past," the moderator interjected as people in the crowd, some sporting red "Make America Great Again" hats, laughed along. But Steve Knight, the former Congressman who lost to Hill by almost 9 points in 2018's Blue Wave election, quickly switched to a serious tone. "I wouldn't laugh at that," Knight said. "She got elected right here in this district, and we've got to be aware of things like that." Knight also said he's watched California Republicans lose ground over the years -- a GOP candidate hasn't won a statewide office since 2006. He said the party has to find a way to reach out to new and independent voters to avoid more electoral disappointment in 2020. "Something's happening here in California. They're electing Democrats way more than they're electing Republicans," he said. "We've got to figure that out. We've got to do better." Demographics and voter registration trends are moving against the GOP's favor in the 25th district, however. Last month, The Cook Political Report moved the seat from its "Lean Democratic" column to "Likely Democratic." Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. The coronavirus outbreak's impact on the world economy grew more alarming on Saturday, even after President Donald Trump denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a hoax" cooked up by his political enemies. China's manufacturing plunged in February by an even wider margin than expected after efforts to contain the virus outbreak shut down much of the world's second-largest economy, an official survey showed. The survey, coming as global stock markets fall sharply on fears that the virus will spread abroad, adds to mounting evidence of the vast cost of the disease that emerged in central China in December and its economic impact worldwide. The monthly purchasing managers' index issued by the Chinese statistics agency and an industry group fell to 35.7 from January's 50 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate activity contracting. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a 270 billion yen (USD 2.5 billion) emergency economic package to help fight the virus as he sought the public's support for his government's fight against the outbreak. Abe said at a conference that Japan is at critical juncture to determine whether the country can keep the outbreak under control ahead of the Tokyo summer Olympics. Abe, whose announcement this past week of a plan to close all schools for more than a month through the end of the Japanese academic year sparked public criticism, said the emergency package includes financial support for parents and their employers affected by the school closures. Frankly speaking, this battle cannot be won solely by the efforts of the government, Abe said Saturday. We cannot do it without understanding and cooperation from every one of you, including medical institutions, families, companies and local governments. Iran is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands of people getting tested for the virus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again Saturday, an official said, underscoring the fear both at home and abroad over the outbreak in the Islamic Republic. The virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes have killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in Iran, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. The new toll represents a jump of 205 cases a 150 per cent increase from the 388 reported the day before. Earlier Saturday, Bahrain threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the virus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks. Saudi Arabia said it would bar citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council from Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina over concerns about the virus' spread. The GCC is a six-nation group including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia closed off the holy sites to foreign pilgrims over the coronavirus, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan and the annual hajj pilgrimage. Despite anxieties about a wider outbreak in the U.S., Trump has defended measures taken and lashed out Friday at Democrats who have questioned his handling of the threat, calling their criticism a new hoax intended to undermine his leadership. Shortly before Trump began to speak, health officials confirmed a second case of coronavirus in the US in a person who didn't travel internationally or have close contact with anyone who had the virus. The list of countries touched by the virus has climbed to nearly 60. More than 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900. Even in isolated, sanctions-hit North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger anti-virus efforts to guard against COVID-19, saying there will be serious consequences if the illness spreads to the country. China has seen a slowdown in new infections and on Saturday morning reported 427 new cases over the past 24 hours along with 47 additional deaths. The city at the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, accounted for the bulk of both. The ruling party is striving to restore public and business confidence and avert a deeper economic downturn and politically risky job losses after weeks of disruptions due to the viral outbreak. South Korea, the second hardest hit country, reported 813 new cases on Saturday the highest daily jump since confirming its first patient in late January and raising its total to 3,150. Streets were deserted in the city of Sapporo on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where a state of emergency was issued until mid-March. Seventy cases the largest from a single prefecture in Japan have been detected in the island prefecture. The archbishop of Paris asked all of the French capital's parish priests to change the way they administer communion to counter the spread of the coronavirus. Bishop Michel Aupetit instructed that priests no longer put the sacramental bread in the mouths of worshippers celebrating communion and instead place it in their hands. He also asked that worshippers not drink wine directly from a shared chalice, and that sacramental bread instead be dipped in wine. The bishop's instructions were listed in a statement Saturday from the Paris diocese. It said a Paris priest tested positive for the virus on Friday after returning from Italy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Notwithstanding the widespread criticism of the amended Citizenship Act, it will feature prominently in the BJPs campaign in West Bengal where Assembly polls are lined up early next year. Union home minister Amit Shah will address a massive rally on the CAA at Kolkatas Shaheed Maidan on Sunday, which will also be a message to the party leaders in the state who had aired divergent views on the legislation. Amid speculation that the BJPs West Bengal unit is divided over the CAA, party president J.P. Nadda and Mr Shah will also be meeting party leaders, including state unit office-bearers, and ask them not to express divergent views and confuse the cad-re. A section within the BJPs state unit is of the view that the polarising nature of the CAA and the partys hardcore Hindutva stand could hurt the partys poll prospects as the voters will not agree to it despite the ruling TMCs misgovernance. The BJP leadership will also launch the par-tys campaign for the upcoming civic polls with the tagline Ar Noy Annayay (no more injustice), and ask the people to oust the ruling Trinamul Congress. Trinamul president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already made it clear that its government is against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens. After the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, West Bengal was one of the key states on its radar. The party claims it has nearly one crore members in the state, which the saffron party has never ruled. The BJPs best performance in Bengal was in the Lok Sabha polls last year, when it won 18 seats out of the total 42 and increased its vote share to 40.5 per cent. The TMC's seat tally decreased from 34 to 22. Election to the 294-member State Assembly is scheduled to be held in April-May next year. The BJP has six MLAs and has set a target of winnnig 250. VANCOUVERWhen Linda Silas saw the news about a COVID-19 scare aboard a WestJet flight Thursday, her eyes were drawn to a particular element in the images: What were the employees paramedics, flight attendants, pilots wearing? The gowns, gloves and, most importantly, special N-95 respirator masks the paramedics were wearing when they took a person suspected of having COVID-19 off the plane were all part of occupational health and safety standards set by the paramedics employer, she said. Silas, who is the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, said she just cant accept that the Public Health Agency of Canadas national standard for health-care workers isnt as high. This week, the federal agency doubled down, saying their position not recommending N-95s was made in part to preserve supply of the specialized masks. But Silas said health-care workers cant wait any longer for protection that could prevent the spread of a deadly virus to them and patients alike. And a former senior adviser to the investigation into the SARS crisis said heads should roll at the agency for placing the blame on the availability of the masks. Were talking about prevention and already the federal government is putting an obstacle to protect health-care workers, Silas said in an interview. PHAC has always worked very well to protect the public but has failed to protect health-care workers. She sent a letter Friday to all nurses unions across the country urging them to ask their employers to adopt the use of N-95 masks despite PHACs stance. For the last month, Silas has been in a fight with the Public Health Agency of Canada to make their guidelines equivalent to those set by the province of Ontario, the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S., as well as comparable agencies in the U.K. and the European Union. All those agencies are recommending the use of N-95 respirator masks for all health-care staff working with a potential COVID-19 patient. The special masks protect the wearer from breathing in airborne particles that could contain the virus, which regular surgical masks do not do. Scientists have not yet been able to conclude whether COVID-19 spreads in an airborne way, so using the N-95s around suspected COVID-19 patients is done according to the precautionary principle in other words, err on the side of caution until you know for sure. The nurses havent been the lone voice on the subject. Mario Possamai, who was a senior adviser to Ontarios SARS commission responsible for occupational health and safety, sent the Minister of Health a letter asking why the agencys standard for N-95 masks was lower than the the American CDCs. Possamai said he never received a response. And as he watches the virus spread globally, hes getting more and more concerned that Canada is setting itself up to repeat the mistakes of SARS. Were talking about life and death here. And were talking about making sure they feel protected and that we have their backs, he said. These were lessons from SARS and Im beside myself that we havent learned these lessons yet. The SARS Commission concluded that approaches to occupational health and safety including the use of N-95 masks could have played a key role in preventing SARS from becoming a public health crisis in British Columbia the way it did in Ontario. Dr. Howard Njoo, Canadas Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, said the PHAC is concerned about inappropriate use of N-95 respirators. One of the issues that all of us are very concerned about is if we do have inappropriate use of these higher level protection N-95 respirators and a burn rate that exceeds supply, well run out, he said, speaking to reporters Thursday. And then when we do have those high-risk procedures such as bronchoscopies, different types of procedures in hospitals, we wont have enough. Possamai said hes appalled Canada could have concerns over supply of the masks 17 years after SARS. If now theyre saying their concern is over lack of supplies this shows an appalling lack of competence. Heads should roll, he said. Theyve known since SARS that the supplies of Personal Protective Equipment were going to be used in great amounts during a large outbreak. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 10:33:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGSHA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- As the weather turns warmer after the Spring Festival, Li Xinbing, general manager of the Changde Hongfuyuan Agricultural Development Co. Ltd. in central China's Hunan Province, is starting to get worried about his company's over 66 hectares of vegetables. Located in Shimeitang Township, Dingcheng District of the city of Changde, the company runs a vegetable planting base for Hong Kong and Macao. At present, it is the golden time for spring plowing and sowing. There are still vegetables such as garlic sprouts, coriander and celery in the fields that need to be plucked. "There is no time to wait for the out-of-town workers to pluck these vegetables," Li said adding that since most of the workers were from the mountainous provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan, they were stranded at home and could not return to their posts due to the outbreak of the epidemic. As a labor-intensive agricultural production enterprise, if the company is short of labor, not only will the farming season be missed, but the vegetables will get rotten in the fields, resulting in great economic losses. As the situation became grimmer, Li asked the township government for help. An idea of "sharing farmers," which can solve the company's problem while helping the local farmers find jobs, gave Li hope. After investigations, Li Yueping, an official of the town, has helped introduce more than 20 local villagers to work on the company's vegetable bases. These villagers can be called share-farmers as they have not been employed by the company but worked for it temporarily under the special situation of the epidemic. Eight villagers who had been working in local cooperatives joined the plucking work at the vegetable bases due to the delayed opening of their cooperatives. Another 13 villagers whose enterprises in other places have not resumed work also undertook the work of plucking vegetables, which earn them more than 3,000 yuan (428.2 U.S. dollars) per person each month. Li Xinbing said these local labor forces could come help for about three months, which solves the urgent need of the company. "Previously, we were worried about our income. Now we can work, and we feel quite relieved," said a villager who works at the vegetable base. Not far away in Xiejiapu Township, the "shared agricultural machinery" of the Jiufa Agricultural Machinery Service Company is plowing the rice fields. Recently, Jiufa launched the online service of renting "shared agricultural machinery," and communicated with farmers who need to rent over the phone, WeChat and other non-contact approaches. After checking the basic information of the farmers who apply to rent, the agricultural machinery will be transported by flatbed truck to the designated location, and the fee will be deducted when they finish the farm work. "Seeds and fertilizer were ready for use, as we prepared last year, but I cannot go out to rent farm machinery because of the epidemic," said Luo Ming, a villager from Xiachenwan village in the town, who was worried about his 200 hectares of unplowed early-season rice fields. Deciding to give it a chance, Luo Ming found the "shared agricultural machinery" program online and submitted his ID information and driving license to apply. After paying a deposit of 20,000 yuan through WeChat, he received the agricultural machinery the next day. According to the company, they now have 48 "shared agriculture machinery" and already signed lease agreements with more than 30 local households who own large-scale agricultural industries. The "non-contact" renting method not only helps the farmers rent agricultural machinery in a timely manner during the spring farming season but also reduces the risk of epidemic transmission caused by crowd gathering. Under heavy pressure from teachers and parents, a media adviser to the Islamic Republic Health Minister said in a tweet on Wednesday, February 26, all schools across Iran would be closed for a week. "As the head of Iran's counter-coronavirus task force, the Health Minister, Saeed Namaki, has announced the closure of all schools and educational centers across the country," Alireza Vahabzadeh said, adding, "The counter-coronavirus task force has passed a resolution for closing down all educational centers in Iran. However, the resolution needs the endorsement of the President of the Islamic Republic Hassan Rouhani." Meanwhile, parents in Iran have already decided to keep away their children from educational centers, practically closing schools and kindergartens. Parents and teachers have long been insisting that all educational entities should be closed until the end of the next Iranian new year (beginning March 21) holidays that traditionally ends on April 3. The Health Minister, Saeed Namaki, has announced that universities would also be closed for a week, provided they carry on their services online. Based on the latest official data, at least 19 Iranians have fallen victim to the outbreak of Covid-19, and more than 139 are officially diagnosed with the virus. However, many people believe the real numbers are much higher, Nevertheless, President Rouhani reiterated on Wednesday, February 26, that coronavirus should not become an "enemy weapon" that prevents business in Iran. "Corona should not be turned into a weapon of our enemies for shutting down work and production in the country," Rouhani reiterated. Speaking to his cabinet on Wednesday, Rouhani also asserted, "We should not allow America to add a new virus, named disruption of social activities and immense fear, on top of coronavirus. This is a conspiracy that we are witnessing, and you also can see it in foreign propaganda." He vehemently insisted that no city or district in Iran would be quarantined. However, the swift outbreak of the virus in Iran has raised grave concerns among virologists and infectious disease experts that Covid-19 is spreading too quickly and maybe past the point of containment. All About Buddhism: From patchwork to nanoparticles: The journey of the cloth I was recently asked why there are so many different colours of Buddhist robes in Thailand and Asia? It seems like a simple question, but in reality, the answers are complicated and sometimes even contradict each other. All-About-BuddhismLife By Jason Jellison Saturday 29 February 2020, 10:30AM Saffron clad Monks awaiting alms. Photo: Escrituras-Eremitas Some 2,600 years ago, Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist religion and Buddhist monks take a vow of extreme poverty. They forsake all of their worldly possessions including modern clothing. Back then, their only possessions generally were two robes, a walking stick, simple medical supplies and an alms bowl. Originally, robes were made from unwanted fabric which the general public had thrown away. Buddhists would forage for fabric; even from piles of trash. Then, the contaminated cloth would be carefully dissected away and the leftover product would be a mishmash of unpredictable fabrics. These peculiar tapestries were then boiled in a brew of various tree barks, vegetable particulates, flowers and ancient herbs. The boiling created one uniform, comfortable sheet. Then, turmeric, cumin and saffron were added to dye the robes with their distinctive Saffron (orange) colour, which we still commonly see in Thailand today. Traditionally, Siamese Buddhist monks wore a three-piece Saffron robe and the ancient Order of Siamese Buddhist Nuns wore a five-piece robe. Ancient texts record that the pattern for the Saffron robe was inspired by a conversation with Buddha. One day, Buddha instructed the disciple to go out into the fields of ancient India and to outline a standard robe design which was based upon the swaying rice paddies of the time. This resulted in a sectional pattern, and this general pattern still underlines many Buddhist robes throughout the world; albeit with some substantial regional differences. However, weaving a robe was no easy affair in ancient times. Robes were constructed one at a time, and significant craftsmanship and attention to detail were required. Due to their large size, these robes also had to be constructed on a special wooden board called a kathina. Buddhist monks and nuns were frequently forbidden from asking relatives or friends to sew them a robe. Instead, the Kathina Holiday was declared as a four-week holiday in which robes could be gifted by the greater community. Although forest monks often made their own robes, it was not uncommon in urban temples for the community to arrive en masse, whereupon the Senior Abbot would collect all of the robes that well-wishers had painstakingly constructed. He would generally dispense them based upon a combination of need and seniority. However, young men who were not yet Monks wore plain white clothes prior to their ordination. In Thailand today, these white clothes sometimes bear the addition of gold striping because, for some Thais, the golden colour symbolises prosperity and health. As Buddhism spread throughout Asia and entered into new lands, the most traditional robes were not always sufficiently warm as cold weather protection was not necessary for the sub-tropical climate of Thailand. Additionally, ancient Chinese culture considered it rude to expose a shoulder, so the Indian style was discontinued due to local sensitivities. Even today many Thai monks also cover their shoulders when outside their temple. Some Southeast Asian dyes were very expensive in East Asia. As a result, Tibet used red dye. Meanwhile, yellow was a very auspicious colour in ancient China, so this colour started to appear in some Chinese robes. Northeastern Asian robes frequently infused Taoist patterns. Buddhism spread through most of Asia, so robes changed due to dyes, climates, preexisting Taoist and Shinto influence, as well as the fact that some Monks lived in agrarian Monasteries, and therefore did not collect morning alms. Robe colour also started to change due to theological and political disagreements and sadly, this discord continues today. Many people do not understand that the ancient rules in Buddhas time were actually not written down until several centuries later. Previously, Monastic rules were passed down orally, and this passage of time causes problems today. First, the Pali texts which still survive were not written down until long after Buddha had passed away, which increases the chances of variation. Worse still, we no longer have all of the original Indian texts. Many records largely survived in ancient Chinese translations, and some fragmented Pali records rediscovered by 19th Century British Colonialist scholars in India. Six major translations of the Monastic Code were ferried by Monks into China, and it was these second-hand texts which survived intact as Buddhism declined in India. Two of the Chinese records documenting robe colours directly contradict one another. While fundamentalists may hate to admit it, our records outlining life in the time of the Buddha really do leave room for interpretation and question. Regardless, ancient texts conflict on many issues, so many powerful groups started interpreting the rules differently. So, China attempted to create a uniform Monastic Code in the 7th century and had surprisingly good luck. Siam also attempted to organize uniform Buddhist practices in the 18th and 19th centuries but was not as successful as China. Siam had several Supreme Patriarchs who commanded large numbers of regional Monks, but Siam eventually reduced this into one appointed Supreme Patriarch. Bangkoks elites of the time were concerned about regionalism and desired central authority. In 1833, King Mongkut created the Thammayut Order of Buddhists which eliminated certain folk practices and legends. King Chulalongkorn centralized Buddhism in 1902 in ways which were inspired by Japanese reforms a few years earlier. The Sangha Act of 1902 had a great interest in recently rediscovered Pali manuscripts and less interest in regional Siamese practices & manuscripts. However, formal historical preservation for the non-Pali documents was called for in a 1907 address. However, only 10% of Thailands Buddhists became Thammayut. Much of the other 90% largely belong to a large denomination which is called Maha Nikaya, and there are many regional Buddhist traditions in Thailand, as well as a small number of Mahayana Buddhists. Additionally, there are a few rogue Buddhist leaders with unique ideas. These Buddhist preachers are sometimes controversial, and some have recently tried to modernize Buddhism; meeting fierce resistance from Thai fundamentalists who insist on only one form of Thai Buddhism. In 2014, the Dhammayutti denomination asked every Monk in Thailand to wear the Saffron robe, but Thailands Forest Monks still wear brown robes (because their robes have historically been dyed from Thai jackfruit trees). Some forest Monks still make their own robes by hand in traditional Thai ways.but, the times they are a-changing. In modern Bangkok, citizens have a plastic waste crisis and one local Thai Temple has transformed crisis into opportunity. In Samut Prakan (near Bangkok), the Wat Chak Daeng Temple has invented their own process of grinding used plastic water bottles down into a fine powder which is then mulled into a zinc-oxide, plasticized, artificial fabric. The Nanoparticles are then added as a permanent fabric softener deodorizer. Volunteers then make merit by sowing traditional robes out of this space-age new material. So, over 2,600 years, Buddhism has travelled all around the world. There are many denominations, many different people, as well as many competing ideas. Yet, despite all of our human faults-and-failings, the result is a dazzling explosion of beautiful colours. All About Buddhism is a monthly column in The Phuket News where I take readers on my exotic journey into Thai Buddhism and debunk a number of myths about Buddhism. If you have any specific queries, or ideas for articles, please let us know. Email editor1@classactmedia.co.th, and we will do our best to accommodate your interests. BJP President JP Nadda on Friday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for US President Donald Trump's recent standalone visit to India, claiming that it was a result of Modi's 'vibrant leadership', which has shown its influence worldwide. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown his influence and that of the country's worldwide. America's President does a standalone visit. Now, the American President comes only to visit India and that too on the invitation of Modi ji," said Nadda at a public meeting at Jhandutta in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district. "It was probably for the first time in history that a US President came to India on the request of an Indian Prime Minister and even travelled non-stop, around 8,000 km, to India," he said. The BJP chief praised Trump and Modi for their speeches at Gujarat's Motera Stadium and said the camaraderie between the two leaders reflects India's commanding position in the world under the "vibrant and strong" leadership of Modi. During Trump's visit, India and US further strengthened their defence cooperation, giving a nod to an agreement under which India will get USD 3 billion of advanced military equipment including Apache and MH-60 Romeo helicopters. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A n east London man has been jailed for stabbing an emergency services worker in the heart. Mohammed Alinoor Uddin, 36, of Tower Hamlets, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to wounding with intent and battery of an emergency worker. The violent incident took place on October 12 last year, when the victim, a 34-year-old man, attempted to break up a fight between Uddin and another man on Turner Street, Whitechapel. He was stabbed during the altercation which was witnessed by off-duty officer, Pc Matt Evans. Pc Evans, from West Midlands police, was walking down the road and ran to help, which caused Uddin to flee. The officer then chased him across the road and forced him to the ground. Uddin bit him as he struggled to grab the knife out of his hand, but he managed to restrain him until reinforcements arrived at the scene. The victims injury was initially so serious that doctors were forced to operate in the reception area of a nearby hospital. He subsequently required ongoing medical treatment but has since made a full recovery, Scotland Yard confirmed. Detective Constable Gavin Markey, who led the investigation, said: This was a brutal attack and it is only by sheer luck that the victim was in the grounds of the hospital and able to receive immediate medical treatment. SALT LAKE CITY - A California man convicted of mail fraud who escaped from a Utah jail by posing as a fellow inmate whose time had come to be released was captured in Idaho Friday, authorities said. Kaleb Wiewandt was arrested on Interstate 84 southeast of Mountain Home, Idaho, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release. Law enforcement had been tracking the vehicle in which Wiewandt was a passenger and he surrendered without incident when they made the traffic stop. Wiewandt, 40, was allowed to leave a county jail in Ogden, Utah, on Tuesday because staff thought he was a fellow inmate who was supposed to be freed that night, authorities said. I hope his four-day vacation was worth it because I suspect he wont see the light of day for quite some time, said Matthew D. Harris, U.S. marshal in Utah. Authorities say Wiewandt received help from Matthew Belnap, the inmate he posed as to plot his escape. On Monday, Belnap had helped Wiewandt shave his head to look like him and he also gave Wiewandt his identification card, authorities said. Wiewandt recited Belnaps date of birth and Social Security number to jail staff before he was released. Belnap, 36, has been charged with obstruction of justice for his role in the escape. His motive was unknown. Wiewandt, of Orange County, California, had been in the jail since December, one month after he was arrested in California for having escaped a halfway house for parolees in Utah in September 2018, court documents show. He was the halfway house as part of his supervised released after he pleaded guilty in 2015 to mail and wire fraud in a federal court in Arizona. He acknowledged taking part in a scheme to steal stamps from post offices over two years in which he and others stole $1.2 million in stamps and sold them for nearly half of that value, court documents show. He was sentenced in 2016 to four years and three months in prison, and three years supervised release. Weber County sheriffs officials have launched an investigation to assess what went wrong and how they can prevent it from happening again, including the possible addition of a biometric fingerprint scanner. Benjamin Haynes: Thank you all joining us for this briefing. Were joined today by the director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, Dr. Nancy Messonnier. At this time Ii will turn the call over. Dr. Nancy Messonnier: Good afternoon, thank you for joining us today. Since I last briefed you, there has been one new case of COVID-19 detected through the U.S. public health system. As has been widely reported, at this time we dont know how or where this person became infected. This brings the number of confirmed cases of person-to-person spread in the United States to 3. We also have confirmed 2 more people who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 among U.S. citizens repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. That brings the total number of people with COVID-19 to 44 among this group of people. Id like to share with you some additional information about the U.S. case CDC confirmed on Wednesday. CDC officials first heard from public health colleagues in California about this patient last Sunday, February 23rd. California reported a severely ill person who had not recently traveled abroad or had contact with a known case of COVID-19. CDC recommended testing for COVID-19 that day. We received samples on February 25th and confirmed the results with public health officials in California the day they were finalized, on February 26th. As I said, the patients exposure is unknown. Its possible this could be the first instance of community spread meaning the illness was acquired through an unknown exposure in the community. Its also possible, however, that a thorough investigation may show that the patient had exposure through contact to a returned traveler who was infected. CDC has sent a team to support the California Department of Health and the local health departments in investigating this case. We are working hard to find and identify how the patient was exposed as well as tracing back people who were exposed or might have been exposed to this patient. Like you, we are thinking about the wellbeing of this patient, this family, and this community. People who were exposed to this person during their infection are at some level of risk depending on their exposure. Based on what we know about how this virus behaves, we expect that we will find additional people who have had contact with this patient, especially those who have had close, prolonged contact. This of course includes family members and potentially among healthcare workers who cared for the patient. There has been some confusion about whether this person met CDCs criteria for testing of COVID-19. Let me comment briefly on how we have set our PUI criteria, which has been evolving as all of our guidance has to meet the needs of this rapidly evolving situation. You can look for these updates online at www.cdc.gov/covid19. CDCs definition of a person under investigation, or PUI, from the beginning has been broad, for travelers especially, because this was a disease that was being introduced from another part of the world. We have been looking for people with fever, cough, or trouble breathing. Fever and cough are pretty broad parameters, especially during flu season, and weve had to rule out many people who had other respiratory illnesses. At this point in our investigation, we are most focused on symptomatic people who are closely linked to confirmed cases or had travel history. But our criteria also allows for clinical discretion. As public health professionals, we know that there is no substitute for the astute clinician on the frontlines of patient care. Our clinical team working with state and local health departments to assess PUIs has not said no to any request for testing. So, on the topic of PUIs, I want to say that as weve been watching the increased spread of this virus across the world, we have been working with our partners on an updated PUI definition. That was posted online yesterday. The updated PUI definition takes into account the new geographic spread of the virus and includes a list of affected areas with widespread or sustained community spread. This list is dynamic and will change as our travel guidance is revised. I would now like to share an update on our progress to get all state and local public health labs the capacity to test for this virus. That is CDCs role in testing for this illness. As Ive said before, this has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked. We have been working simultaneously on a couple of possible solutions and Im happy to say today that both have delivered. Right now, labs can start testing with existing CDC test kits. States that were able to validate their kits should continue to test in this manner. States that were able to validate only the two components specific to novel coronavirus can test using only these two using revised instructions developed at CDC. We have established that the third component, which was the cause of the inconclusive results, can be excluded from testing without affecting accuracy. We have been working with FDA and they agree with our approach. While were working to amend the existing EUA, we have discretionary authority from FDA to proceed in this manner. This will increase testing capacity at state and local health departments. All positive test results will continue to be confirmed by CDC for some time. Additionally, CDC has manufactured brand new test kits that will only include the two components that are specific to novel coronavirus. Those test kits are at the International Reagent Resource, where orders can be placed. We are working as quickly as we can to get CDC test kits to state and local public health authorities. However, during any infectious disease response there is a great need for test manufacturers to rapidly make testing available in clinics, in hospitals, and at the bedside. This is part of a huge effort within the US government led by HHS. States will now start testing for this virus. You may start hearing from states directly. As always, their case counts will be the most up-to-date. CDC will continue to report case counts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Our priority continues to be getting accurate diagnostic capacityand doing so quicklybecause we know public health surveillance is critical to our fight against this novel coronavirus. To date, our strategies have been largely successful. As a result, we have very few cases in the United States. And while we may be confronting the first instance of community spread, we are working very hard with our state and local public health partners to find out more. I want to recognize that people are concerned about this situation. We appreciate that Americans are taking this threat seriously and continuing to seek information about how to be prepared. As always, President Trumps and our number one priority is the health and safety of the American people. Our mission includes providing you with clear information that allows you to make decisions about how best to protect yourself and your family. While the immediate risk to the general American public remains low, and the U.S. government is doing everything we can to keep it low. CDC is constantly monitoring what is happening abroad. Our guidelines and advice are likely to be interim and subject to change as we learn more. We will continue to keep you updated. I would be happy to take questions now. Haynes: Were ready to open up for questions. Operator: If you would like to ask a question please press star 1. Record your name, if you would like to withdraw your question, press star 2. Please wait a moment while we way for questions to queue. Our first question comes from Helen Branswell, your line is now open. Helen Branswell: Now that test kits state and local labs can test more broadly, how soon will you be able to get the surveillance project that you were talking about earlier with the six cities up and running? Dr. Messonnier: Thank you for that question. It is increasingly important to be able to do not just surveillance focused on the PUIs, but broader community level surveillance. And were moving rapidly to go from those six sights to national surveillance. We expect the first site to do testing by next week and we hope to be able to rapidly move from six to all 50 states. This is part of a layered approach with that first component that youre talking about but multiple other systems that were modifying. we can modify them to be able to also test for this coronavirus. Haynes: Next question, please. Operator: Our next question comes from Rob Stein at NPR. Rob Stein: Could you be a little more specific on the testing? How many states are testing now? How many states do you think will be testing lets say next week, and sort of what is the timeline that youre projecting for that? Dr. Messonnier: Im not going to give a specific number because throughout the day today we expect additional states to stand up and we expect that to be happening for the next week. Our goal is to have every state and local health department online doing their own testing by the end of next weekend and doing everything we can to continue that. Haynes: Next question, please? Operator: Our next question comes from Elizabeth Cohen at CNN, your line is open. Elizabeth Cohen: Thank you for taking my question. When the CDC and the local state departments have been doing contact tracing, are they tracing contacts while they were symptomatic, or only while they were asymptomatic but presumably infected? And has that been the system the entire time or is that a new policy or was that the old policy? Dr. Messonnier: Because there have been such a small number of cases in the United States, CDC has been able to supplement the activities of the state and local health departments, to be very aggressive in our contact tracing, that is true from the first case and it remains true now. We have been broad in terms of our evaluations of the potential contacts of cases, and I remind you that so far before this most recent case all but two of our cases were travelers, and the two cases we had that were person to person spread were quite close contacts of cases, they were spouses. While we have been aggressive and broad where we have found those cases were actually in very close contacts. Reporter Issam Ahmed at AFP: Hi, thank you for this. About what you were saying about the California patient, it seems to be at odds with what Representative Berra (?) said in Congress yesterday, he said the patient was brought in on the 19th of February, and it wasnt until five days and doctors immediately asked for a test, and it wasnt until Sunday the 23rd that federal authorities agreed to do that test. I was wondering if you could speak to that? And another question is that given the US situation with its public health system with 27.5 million people uninsured, do you think that this could be a problem if it takes root in this community and spread and people will be reluctant to approach their health care providers because of the cost involved? Thank you. Dr. Messonnier: According to CDC records, the first call we got about this patient was on Sunday, February 23rd. The second question is we need to remember that right now the case count in the United States is really low and that is a reflection of the aggressive containment efforts of the US government. There is certainly the possibility of additional cases. We will continue to work aggressively to try to keep that number low. The spread we hope will be limited, and any disease in the U.S. will be mild, our focus on public health is on those issues. Haynes: Next question, please? Operator: Our next question comes from Craig at KNX CBS. Your line is now open. Reporter: You talk about the case count being low, how do we reconcile that with the fact that here in California the most populous state, the governor yesterday said only a couple hundred testing kits. The case count will be low because it sounds like there is not enough tests that could reflect it. It seems like the issue the math on that seems to be a low count. Dr. Messonnier: Yes, thank you for the opportunity to talk about that. We need to remember that this situation is taken place rapidly. By far the majority of cases have been in California. A few weeks ago we found an increase in cases around the world. And again this week we have seen an increase in cases globally. Because of the aggressive U.S. efforts at our border strategy the number of cases have been low. And we have been able to focus our efforts on travelers and their close contact based on our evaluation of who is at highest risk. We will continue to modify our approach. In terms of diagnostic testing, additional labs are coming on-line and additional test kits are on their way now. Operator: Our next question comes from Michelle Cortez, at Bloomberg News, your line is now open. Michelle Cortez: I think what a lot of us are grappling with a little bit is the idea that China has been able to do tens of thousands of tests. Korea has been able to do thousands of tests. And here in the US, in our local we have done about 500 in our local patients and then plus another 2,000 patients or so that have been repatriated we just dont have the numbers they do. Can you explain that to us how others aer able to do thousands and thousands of tests, that we have not been able to do that yet? Dr. Messonnier: I think there are two answers to that question. One is that the epidemiological situation in China and other countries is really different from the U.S. We acted incredibly quickly before most other countries. Aggressively controlled our borders and we were able to slow the spread into the United States. That was an intentional US strategy with the goal of allowing us to control our efforts, so we have focused surveillance for those at highest risk. And again, that is why the number of patients that were identified as PUIs in the US has been smaller. I guess i would also direct you back, the CDC role was in rapidly developing a diagnostic and focusing on the front line on getting that out to the public. But our solution, a larger part of the any such infectious disease is getting the test kit out more broadly to the hospitals, and to the HHS and to the front lines, and that is part of a U.S. government strategy that is a huge priority with HHS leadership right now. CDC has always had the capacity to test from the time rapidly when the sequence was available and that is two labs at the CDC doing the testing, and we have been testing aggressively the patients that state health departments have referred to us. Reporter Mike Stobbe, AP: Hi, thank you for taking my call. You mentioned is there are two new cases from the Diamond Princess, can you tell us about them and where they are and can you tell us more about the testing, why was three needed in the first place and was there problems with one of the other two? I heard reports that might have been the case. And finally in the change of the testing criteria, are there potential downsides to that? Thank you. Dr. Messonnier: First question, those are two additional cases among the U.S. are repatriated, that can be available on our website. In terms of three to two, please remember that our laboratories developed this test kit before there were US cases. We developed it based on the posted genetic sequencing, and it was this test kit that allowed us, to identify the first cases in the United States. As more cases have been identified and more cases have been available it is clear that two of the three reactions, we actually are appropriately sensitive and specific in identifying cases. That is why after being able to share that data with FDA, they agreed and there is a new protocol, and thats what were talking about when were talking about the change from three to two. In terms of we signed that that is what were talking about. In terms of test criteria, I think youre referring to the PUI definition. What I would say about that is that the situation has evolved and it continues to evolve very quickly and therefore we need to continue to evolve our PUI definition. This is not something that we take lightly. We take ramifications from this. That is why any such decision involves not just CDC, but all of our local and state health departments and partners who have a stake in this, and well see the impact of it. It was certainly not a decision we made without a lot of consultation. Our goal is and remains to do everything we can to help the American people. Haynes: We have time for two more questions, please. Operator: Okay, next we have a question from Laura Johnson at CBN News. Laura Johnson: I was wondering what is your reaction to the fact that the new cases in China have been lower if many days in a row and the death rate outside of China is lower than inside of China, and what is your opinion of the anti-viral medication remdesivir as a possible treatment and also the possibility of immune-therapy drugs as possible treatments. Thank you. Dr. Messonnier: Thank you, I think it is really good news that the case counts in China are decreasing. Were watching that closely and we hope that is a trend that continues both for the good of the citizens in China who have been through quite an outbreak, and also in the hopes that it will help us learn what we can better do in the United States to continue to control it right here. In terms of the case fatality ratio, I think there is a whole bunch of data from China and from other countries around the world on the ratios, and there is a variety of mathematical models that are looking at that data, and hoping that it will and working together to better understand it and use it to better analyze what we might expect elsewhere including in the United States. What I can say is that in the U.S. our cases have been doing very well. We will continue to do everything we can. They have a product that has been used in some of these cases. It is something that NIH has been going for and those questions are better answered by NIH. Haynes: Last question, please. Operator: Our last question comes from Roni Rabin from New York Times. Roni Rabin: If states are able to do these testing, they still need to have a confirmatory test by the CDC, does that mean there is a 48-hour delay for the patient getting that information? And can you comment on the whistleblower report and tell us what kind of precautions were taken and was CDC involved in the visits to Travis Air Force Base. I also want to know how often youll hold these briefings, Can you give us a regular schedule? Dr. Messonnier: Thank you for actually allowing me to sort of speak specifically about this issue. Which is that there are procedures that were working through with the states and FDA in terms of confirmatory testing. More important than the confirmatory language, is what is actionable from a public health perspective at a state and local health department. So it is possible, for example, that there might be presumptive positives that are waiting confirmation, but others which state and local health departments will be able to take action and that is what is most important and were working through those labels now and well have more information as we figure out that piece. In terms of the whistle-blower investigation, let me say that CDC takes the health and safety of our employees very seriously. Were aware of the HHS whistle-blower complaint, but I defer any other questions on this matter to HHS. And in terms of the telebriefings, we will continue to routinely provide information when we can. Haynes: Thank you all for joining us from todays briefing, please check the CDC.gov/COVID19 website. If you have more questions please call the media line 404-639-3286 or e-mail media @cdc.gov. Thank you. The Mi 10 was released last week and fans may have been put off by its nigh-US$600 starting price tag. Here, we have a closer look at how much it may have cost Xiaomi to build the Mi 10, with the goal of ascertaining just how fair the phone's price tag actually is. 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 Xiaomi recently released the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. The latter is, perhaps, Xiaomi's most ambitious mainstream device yet, with the regular Mi 10 sharing plenty of attributes. That ambition is reflected in the phones' price tags, toothe Pro model starting at over US$700, making it Xiaomi's most expensive flagship ever. The regular Mi 10 is the real subject of discussion, however, and a report by TechInsights claims the Mi 10 5G costs Xiaomi an estimated US$440 to make, per unit. Sadly, the website's "high-level breakdown of the different cost categories" doesn't appear to be available to the public at the moment. We do know a couple of things from other sources, though. According to Ice Universe, the Mi 10's curved display costs a massive US$90. The source tweet also claims that regular flat displays cost about US$30. Ice Universe's figure appears to be consistent with estimated display prices for the Galaxy S10+. The Mi 10's display isn't made by Samsung, apparently; with the company opting for a panel made by TCL instead. We're not sure why Xiaomi would choose to pay US$60 more for a curved display, especially since most people seem to prefer flat displays. Samsung, the pioneers of curved displays, looks to be moving back towards flat displays, even. That makes the new Snapdragon 865 twice as expensive as its predecessor. It should be no surprise, then, that Snapdragon 865-powered flagships are going to be more expensive than last year's phones. The Mi 10 is a great example of that. Lastly, the 108 MP ISOCELL Bright HMX on the Mi 10 is said to cost about US$50, almost four times the price of 48 MP sensors like the IMX586 on last year's Mi 9 (US$13). While the Mi 10 appears to be pricey, some context is needed. Just accounting for the costs of the SoC, display, and main camera sensor, the phone already costs an extra US$150 over its predecessor, the Mi 9. (Natural News) The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in Wuhan, China has now infected more than 70,000 people worldwide. While the earliest reports suggested that the virus mode of transmission was from animals to humans, human-to-human transmission has now been confirmed by official reports. According to the World Health Organization, previous outbreaks due to other coronavirus strains also involved human-to-human transmission. This occurred either through respiratory droplets, physical contact with infected individuals and formites (infected objects). However, a new report suggests that theres another way COVID-19 can spread: via infected feces. This virus has many routes of transmission, which can partially explain its strong transmission and fast transmission speed, wrote the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) in a report published online last February 15. Coronavirus strain isolated from a stool specimen Recently, the China CDC reported the isolation of a 2019-nCoV strain from a stool specimen submitted by a COVID-19 (the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2) patient. This was done in the Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) Laboratory of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention in China. The COVID-19 patient experienced the onset of severe pneumonia on January 16, and the stool sample was taken 15 days after the onset. After isolating the virus, the researchers used Vero cells considered the most suitable system for primary isolation and cultivation of viruses to culture the strain and grow virus stocks for sequence analysis. The full-length genomic sequence of the isolated strain showed a 99.98 percent similarity to that of the first isolated novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from Wuhan. The report further stated that the viral particles in the Vero cells had a similar morphology to coronaviruses. These findings confirm that the stools of COVID-19 patients contain live viruses, which opens the possibility of disease transmission via the fecal-oral route. The China CDC warns that infected stool samples can contaminate hands, food, water and other commonly handled objects, and that contact with any of these, once contaminated, can lead to infection. (Related: Shocking new study says coronavirus infections double every 2.4 days.) More evidence of the presence of coronavirus in biological samples from infected patients On February 17, just two days after the China CDC released its report, a study involving patients in a local hospital in Wuhan was published in the journal Emerging Microbes and Infections. In it, researchers reported the presence of the 2019-nCoV in the blood samples, anal swabs and oral swabs of COVID-19 patients. They also found that in the later stages of infection, the virus is more likely to be detected in the patients stools than in their saliva, as evidenced by the greater number of anal swab positives versus oral swab positives. These results suggest that COVID-19 patients may harbor the virus in their intestines and can potentially shed the virus through respiratory droplets, body fluids or fecal matter. How to avoid infection via infected feces In 2003, fecal transmission of SARS, a virus that belongs to the same family as the 2019-nCoV, caused hundreds in Hong Kong to get sick. Air from contaminated bathrooms spread the infection not just in neighboring apartment units, but also in adjacent buildings. This shows that the fecal transmission route is highly transmissible. To avoid infection due to fecal spread, the China CDC recommends frequent hand washing with soap and water, and disinfecting the surfaces of objects in households, toilets, public places and public transport vehicles. The agency also urges people to maintain personal hygiene, avoid eating raw food and to boil water before drinking. In heavily affected areas, the China CDC suggests implementing separate meal systems and advises hospitals to constantly disinfect not just the environment of patients, but also their wastes, to prevent fecal contamination of food and water. Sources include: WHO.int LiveScience.com Weekly.ChinaCDC.cn TAndFOnline.com ScienceAlert.com A good amount of traditions has long dominated the practice of herbal medicine in the Euro-American world but what is clear is herbs are natural to the African communities. At the time of writing this article, globally 85,681 persons are confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) carriers, and 2, 900 are confirmed dead. As many Individuals struggle with anxiety as it relates to Coronavirus, at this time there is no conventional medical treatment for this contagious disease which was first detected in China in November of 2019. And there is no known herbal cure for Coronavirus but what is important to know is the preventative, comforting and supportive elements that are in many vegetables and herbs. In the last 24 hours, within Africa, and in the Nigeria social media especially, people are looking, pursuing and hunting for Garlic (Allium sativum), a species in the onion family that was first discovered in Egypt, Asia and Iran. Now that many Nigerians are drastically looking for this herb but finding it scarce there are common herbs that are of cultural heritage to us and almost within everyones sight. They include but not limited to Vernonia amygdaline, Allium cepa, saccharum officinarum, Phyllanthus amarus and their efficacy or use in strengthening the immune system, whether it's emotional, spiritual, mental aspects is well known. But most of all, these vegetables, some of them already in ones kitchen are importantly known to result in healthy immune functioning. This virus, which is seasonal in nature, like other viruses usually spread between people by airborne respiratory droplets resulting in symptoms which could include runny nose, sore throat, fever, cough, fever, headache, muscle ache, weight loss, fatigue, and even death. The above-named herbs or plants which I suggest you google, research and discover their common availabilities are not known to cure Coronavirus. Generally, since they nutritionally offer a unique preventive and therapeutic approach as well as support for our soul, spirit, emotions, thinking and most of all for our body and physical health, then Coronavirus is in trouble in Africa. Now look around your kitchen, and coronate or clothe yourself against COVID-19. Coronavirus, your father, we demand to be fully cleared from you, as a health horror, and leave our coasts and surroundings now, we already have too much we are dealing with politically, economically and in terms of national security. Prof John egbeazien oshodi, is an American based Forensic/clinical Psychologist. Founder of psychoafricalysis or psychoafricalytic psychology. A woman in protective gear rides a shared bicycle past a mural in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Hubei province, China, Feb. 28, 2020. Reuters By Hakim Djaballah NORTHAMPTON Safe Passage Inc. is one of five recipients of state grant money meant to promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault among youths. The agency was awarded $190,000 for its partnership with Easthampton High School and Community Action Pioneer Valleys Generation Q Youth Program serving LGBTQ students. Laura Penny-Edwards, director of community engagement for Safe Passage, said the program is designed to address all aspects of youths relationships, family as well as dating. We are addressing the prevention of domestic violence in youth relationships in all aspects of their lives as well as reducing violence in their intimate relationships, she said. Marianne Winters, executive director of Safe Passage, said the grant program was very competitive. I am proud that two Western Mass. programs out of five were chosen, she said. This is first-time funding for programs of this model. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced the grants, which total nearly $1 million, on Friday at the Elizabeth Freeman Center in Pittsfield. The awards will continue the work started last year with the launch of RESPECTfully, the states first prevention and awareness campaign in more than 20 years, to promote positive, supportive relationships among youth in the Commonwealth, Polito said in a statement. The Freeman Center received a grant of $189,928 for a planned program in partnership with Taconic High School and 18-Degrees Live Out Loud Youth Project. The centers executive director, Janis Broderick, said the program under development is designed to give students a role in the planning to make it fresh and contemporary. We are working with an underserved and vulnerable population, she said, so we felt it is best to work with the students to address their specific needs. I think the state is looking for real innovation in addressing youth relationships. The Boston Public Health Commission received $189,594 to foster partnerships with the New Mission High School, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, Elizabeth Stone House, Emerge, Boston GLASS and the state Department of Youth Services for programs serving middle and high school black and LatinX youth as well as LGBTQ youth of color. Also in Boston, Triangle Inc.s Impact: Ability Program was awarded $160,478 to partner with the Henderson Inclusion School, Community Academy of Science and Health, Boston Medical Centers Domestic Violence program and the state Disabled Persons Protection Commissions Sexual Assault Response Unit to serve Boston youth with significant intellectual disabilities, most of whom are black or Latinx and low-income. An estimated 20% to 30% of the population is also homeless and/or immigrants. Family and Community Resources Inc., of Brockton, was awarded $190,000 to develop a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, Cape Verdean Women United, Alternative High School, Brockton High Schools Project Grads program for teen parent, and Brockton middle schools to serve African-American, Cape Verdean and Haitian youth. FBI searching for suspect in KCMO bank robbery KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The search is on for a suspect wanted in a bank robbery Friday morning. An FBI spokesperson said agents are investigating after the suspect robbed the U.S. Bank branch at 8701 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Kansas City, Missouri. The lone suspect entered the bank around 9 a.m. The disguise is clever in this age of surveillance wherein police are forced to share images that don't reveal much but a bit pinkish hue of the suspected crook. Checkit: Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Steph Ryans new country property is stunning, a rural idyll with sweeping views across rolling paddocks in a quiet pocket just outside of Avenel, right at the heart of the National Party's seat of Euroa. But the prospects of the party Ryan is expected to lead in coming years are not so pretty, with the Nationals struggling to maintain the position they have enjoyed for a century as the dominant force in regional Australian politics. When Ryan was elected to the Victorian Parliament aged just 28, she was hailed as a breath of fresh air for the Nationals and their blokey, old-fashioned image. It was 2014 and Victoria's Coalition government had just been booted out after only one term. In that election, the Nationals lost two seats, went backwards in their primary vote and suffered swings in almost all their electorates. The only comfort for the party was the emergence of two young, talented women: Ryan in Euroa and Emma Kealy in Lowan. Six years on, things are looking even more dire for the junior Coalition partner but Ryan, now the Nationals state deputy leader, is determined to help reverse the slump. Advertisement The party is still wrestling with exactly how they can rebuild their brand and reconnect with their electorates. Victoria's Nationals are facing challenges on several fronts: the changing demographics of country Victoria, rural independents who have found a formula for unpicking the partys decades-old grip on seats, the difficulty of staying relevant in growing regional cities and the instability dogging their federal colleagues, who risk being seen as climate change dinosaurs. We need to make a pitch back to a lot of those regional cities like Bendigo and Ballarat - we need to demonstrate to those cities that we are the party that stands for people outside of Melbourne, Ryan says. At the very heart of what we have stood for is equity, not just in the investment that occurs in infrastructure and services in country Victoria but equity in decision-making. Steph Ryan is keen to put distance between Victoria's Nationals and their federal colleagues. Credit:Jason South Its about a core group of people in the inner city not dictating to country Victoria how we should live our lives ... which is what is happening at the moment with the Andrews government. This is what spurs 33-year-old Ryan on, one of the fundamental reasons she got into politics. Advertisement The daughter of third-generation dairy farmers, Ryan and her three siblings grew up in northern Victoria where she was highly attuned to the impact of a changing climate, government policy and what she sees as the unfair treatment of country folk. Ryan was in her late teens when the Millennium drought decimated Australia and the livelihoods of farmers. As that drought continued to bite, her family made the tough decision to sell their cattle in 2004. So in 2007, when the Bracks-Brumby Labor government announced the North-South pipeline to take water from northern Victoria and pump it to Melbourne, Ryan was livid. I was so mad that Melbourne had so much rainfall within its own catchment that it wasnt using, and the government was just taking the easy option of taking water away from people who needed it for production, Ryan says. When Steph Ryan was elected to the Victorian Parliament, aged just 28, she was hailed as a breath of fresh air for the Nationals. Credit:Jason South That was the thing that motivated me to step across the line and get involved in politics. Water has always been the driving factor through my entire political career. I never expected that one day I would help the portfolio, and I would have the opportunity to help set the agenda. The 2007 decision was again the city dictating to the country. Advertisement We are at a winery in the sleepy town of Avenel, about five minutes from the 48-hectare property where she is building a house with her husband, former City of Yarra Labor councillor Simon Huggins. She is relaxed in a pair of jeans and white shirt as we chat about Ryans formative years (growing up on a Holstein stud farm), the issues that drive her and keep her awake at night (water), the perceived lack of diversity within the party (a lazy stereotype), the impact climate change has had on the Nationals (enormous), and the book shes currently reading (Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe). Ryan is cognisant of the reputational damage the federal partys stance - and internal bickering - on climate change is having on the Victorian brand. And she calmly stresses, multiple times, what many Australians have been shouting from the rooftops. Rural and regional Victoria is on the front line of seeing the impacts of climate change, and our communities are really mindful of what that means for us in the future, she says. Loading The motion we passed at last years state conference was basically acknowledging the impacts of climate change on our communities and calling for policy development around that, which were engaged in doing and will do over the next couple of years to make sure that we do have a platform to take to the next state election, because it is a pressing issue for our communities on a whole range of fronts. Her comments are in marked contrast to her federal colleagues whove questioned the science, called for more coal-fired power stations to open, urged Australians to respect Gods plan for climate change and scoffed at cutting carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Advertisement The junior Coalition partner is facing an existential crisis: are they the agrarian party, or the "blue-collar in rural mining communities" party? Its a dilemma the party is grappling with federally as it seeks to bridge the divide between the more conservative coal-dependent central Queensland and the relatively progressive, agriculture-dependent Victorians. It has become a headache for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who faces a backbench revolt from his LNP and Nationals colleagues over climate and energy policy. Its also become a massive headache for Victorian Nationals, desperate to distance themselves from the party in Canberra. I think a lot of those Queensland MPs are representing the views of their constituency, like we are representing the views of ours. So theres naturally quite a gap, Ryan says. Instability is never good and its frustrating at a Victorian level when we are very cohesive and very centrist in our views. Its about a core group of people in the inner city not dictating to country Victoria how we should live our lives. Steph Ryan But to attribute the Nationals' flailing primary vote in Victoria - it was 4.77 per cent at the last state election, the lowest in the partys 100-year history - on internal ructions paints a simplistic picture, rural independents say. When independent Suzanna Sheed won Shepparton - a jewel in the Nats crown - in the 2014 election, the party was blindsided. Sheed capitalised on the sitting MPs retirement, the citys disenchantment with the Nationals and an overwhelming sense that the electorate had been overlooked. Advertisement Never Rarely Sometimes Always continues to impress the audience and critics at film festivals. The story is centered on a seventeen years old girl, Autumn, who is bullied in school and has to face a really complicated situation: an unwanted, and clearly, unexpected pregnancy. To deal with this situation, Autumn and her cousin Skylar start a journey to New York, that gets more complicated and exhausting than they would have expected. The movie is directed by It Felt Like Loves Eliza Hittman, and the cast includes Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten, Sidney Flanigan, and Talia Ryder. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is not an easy movie to watch, and it shouldnt be. The power of this narrative lies in its capability of pushing its message straightforwardly to the viewer. The complexity and the consequences of such a complicated choice, as the one which Autumn is facing, is presented in a consistent way, and in a delicate manner. The audience can empathize with the protagonist, even if she doesnt have inspiring dialogues or gripping confrontations. Hittman is focused more on the body language, on the sad looks, on the unsaid. Discussing the movie during the Berlinale Press Conference, the director stated that Never Rarely Sometimes Always is all about what women experience in their daily lives, especially how they are often confronted with some form of harassment, which is part of our patriarchal society. The most effective and powerful scene is connected with the title Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and a real-life counselor, who the director met during her research process, before starting shooting. Its a scene that is structured and created to be the story's climax and spoke to me personally. Autumn is forced to open up and reveal her grief, her suffering. She is forced to confront her emotions. All the obstacles, problems, and traumas transformed Autumn in a tough and silent character, who is sharing more with what she can not express, than the other way around. I would point out that this is what the movie is aiming for: an emotional connection with an apparently restrained character. Probably in search of an essential sense of authenticity, in its depiction of women's struggle when they need to defend their right to have or not have a baby, Never Rarely Sometimes Always also wants you to feel what the main character is feeling, and it marvelous does that. The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Russia's hybrid military forces on February 28 mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action. Read alsoUkrainian officer posts update on enemy death toll in Donbas on Feb 26 "The Russian Federation's armed forces violated the ceasefire eight times on February 28. One Ukrainian soldier was 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 29. The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. In addition, the enemy employed sniper fire. Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Vodiane, Pyshchevyk, Lebedynske, Novotroyitske, Novotoshkivske, and Orikhove. "Since Saturday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the town of Krasnohorivka and the villages of Nevelske and Travneve, using 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms," the update said. No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops Saturday morning. America does not have a Royal Family, but it does have a First Family. And whether or not they enjoy the spotlight, the Trump, Obama and Bush offspring often become as recognisable as their parents. Former First Children Malia and Sasha Obama have grown up in the limelight, while other older first children have capitalised on the First Family status to build careers of their own. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's Children Malia Obama Getty Images Parents: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama Malia Obama is one of the coolest First Children on the list. Malia, who is currently studying at Harvard University, once worked as a production assistant on Halle Berrys show Extant alongside executive producer Steven Spielberg. Berry was asked about the experience on Watch What Happens Live and told host Andy Cohen that she was fantastic. She continued, She was amazing. She is such a smart, beautiful young woman... Everybody couldnt really see her as a PA. Although she tried and tried to be one, we just couldnt really see her as one, but to her credit, she tried very hard to be one. Getty Images She is reportedly dating a British law student called Rory Farquharson who she met at university. She is believed to have spent a part of her Christmas holidays with him. However, comedian Pete Holmes had an awkward run in with the presidents daughter as he told her off at his gig without realising who she was. Speaking to Conan OBrien, he said he told off two girls who were whispering throughout his comedy show - an act he called worse than heckling. Getty Images I tell a joke and theyre whispering and laughing and giggling, he said. I just go, Whats going on? I can see you. Please stop. He explained that eventually they pushed Petey too far as they didnt stop, so he then told them to please shut the f**k up and jokingly wrapped them in a curtain. Although he thought it would get jokes from the crowd, he said the room was dead silent and turned on him before he eventually realised afterwards who they were. I shouldve been shot, Holmes recounted. Sasha Obama Getty Images Parents: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama Sasha is the Obamas youngest daughter and they saw her off to university last year. In a 2019 interview, Michelle sat down with First Child Jenna Bush Hager to talk about what it was like dropping off Sasha at college. (Both she and Barack have asked for Sashas university not to be revealed to respect her privacy.) Getty Images Michelle explained to Jenna that there were tears when they dropped her off, leaving them with an empty nest. She also shared a picture of Sasha and Malia on Thanksgiving, which showed that Sasha is taller than her mother now. Bill and Hillary Clinton's Children Chelsea Clinton Getty Images As the daughter of one of the most notable political couples in history, there was a lot of pressure on Chelsea Clinton to succeed - and she did. The 39 year old would go on to study history at Stanford University before moving onto Oxford University, where she did an MA in International Relations. She eventually married investment banker Marc Mezvinsky in a $3 million dollar interfaith wedding, which saw her parents and the likes of Madeleine Allbright, Warren Buffett and Ted Danson attend. Wearing a Vera Wang wedding gown, her father Bill walked her down the aisle and there was a reported $11k wedding cake. Since then, shes had three children and become a New York Times Bestselling author. Getty Images She and her mother Hillary regularly publish books together, including the She Persisted childrens book series which highlights the accomplishments of women throughout history and The Book of Gutsy Women. She previously worked on her mothers election campaign and remains a staunch Democrat, retweeting statements critical of President Donald Trumps approach to healthcare among other political issues. George W. Bushs Children Jenna Bush Hager Jenna Bush Hager with George W. Bush on her wedding day / Getty Images Parents: George W. Bush and Laura Bush Jenna Bush Hager isnt as famous as her presidential father, but she's pretty well known as a daytime television star. She currently features on Today with Hoda & Jenna on NBC, co-hosting alongside Hoda Kotb. On top of her TV work, shes also Editor-at-Large of Southern Living and runs a book club called Read With Jenna. Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Hager / Getty Images She is married to Henry Hager, who she met in 2004 when Hager worked on George W. Bushs re-election campaign. Hager proposed to her in 2007 during a sunrise hike in Acadia National Park and they were married in 2008 on Hagers 30th birthday. They tied the knot at the presidents ranch in Crawford, Texas, and Bush said that his daughter had married a really good guy. She is due to release a book dedicated to her late grandparents called Everything Beautiful In Its Time, which she said on Instagram includes the wisdom that her grandfather President George H.W. Bush passed on to me, which I think of daily in raising my own kids. Last year, she also joined former First Lady Michelle Obama on a trip to Vietnam to promote girls education. She and her sister Barbara are twins. Barbara Bush Getty Images Parents: George W. Bush and Barbara Bush Named after her mother, Barbara leads a quieter life than her sister Jenna. The Yale University graduate co-founded a nonprofit called Global Health Corps, which helps train people to become young leaders in their community with a special focus on health equity. Focusing on the United States and countries in Africa including Rwanda and Malawi, she stepped down as CEO but still serves as a board member. Barbara Bush and Craig Coyne / Getty Images She married screenwriter Craig Coyne last year, throwing a small 20-guest wedding in Maine which her grandfather George H.W. Bush was able to attend before he passed away. They later threw a larger Texan wedding on her fathers ranch, which saw her sister Jenna serve as matron of honour as guests including Prabal Gurung attended. Like Clinton, she wore a Vera Wang dress as well as a bracelet which her grandfather gave to her grandmother. And as for the current First Children... Donald Trumps Children Donald Trump Jr. Getty Images Parents: Donald Trump and Ivana Trump Donald Trump Jr. is the presidents oldest child and is the executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, after joining the business back in 2010. The Wharton School of Business graduate is one of his fathers most fervent supporters, with Trump Jr. seen at many of his fathers rallies and posting numerous pro-Trump pictures and memes on his personal Instagram. He was born in 1977 and spent many summers with his grandparents in Czechoslovakia. He was married to model Vanessa Haydon for twelve years and had five children with her, however they later divorced in 2018. He has since started dating Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host. Like his dad, hes inherited his flair for the dramatic and has amassed a number of controversies as a result. For example he posted an anti-refugee tweet which divided many on Twitter, saying, If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That's our Syrian refugee problem. Make America great again." He also drew ire for tweeting the name of the alleged whistleblower, whose report kickstarted an impeachment trial based on claims that President Donald Trump had pressured Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden and his son by withholding foreign aid. Getty Images He and his younger brother, Eric Jr., have been at the centre of controversy for their love of hunting and have in the past gone on hunting trips abroad together. Photos of the pair showing off their dead animal trophies - including a deceased leopard, a strung up crocodile and in Donald Trump Jrs case the mutilated tail of an elephant - periodically surface online and have drawn criticism from many including Mia Farrow, who tagged their father in a tweet and wrote, Tell your sons that animal cruelty is now a crime. They later released a joint statement saying they were avid outdoorsmen and were brought up hunting and fishing with our grandfather who taught us that nothing should ever be taken for granted or wasted. They continued, We have the utmost respect for nature and have always hunted in accordance with local laws and regulations. In addition, all meat was donated to local villagers who were incredibly grateful. Donald Trump Jr. additionally tweeted, "I AM A HUNTER I don't hide from that." Ivanka Trump Reuters Parents: Donald Trump and Ivana Trump Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are heavily involved in President Donald Trumps White House administration. Ivanka, who is referred to as Advisor to the President on a US Aid website, is regularly seen on the campaign trail and caucuses supporting her father - including notably hugging him after he was acquitted. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/19/ivanka-trump-talk-womens-economic-empowerment-concordia-summit/2378180001/ She leads an initiative in the White House called the WGDP, which is described as the first whole-of-government effort to advance womens economic empowerment. She is known to be fashionable and has an expensive wardrobe which regularly tips into the four figure price range for single items. Mr Trump hugs his daughter Ivanka (AFP via Getty Images) / AFP via Getty Images Ivanka made headlines last year when a clip from G20 went viral, where she was seen trying to involve herself in a conversation between Theresa May, Justin Trudeau, President Emmanuel Macron and International Monetary Fund leader Christine Lagard. It was an awkward moment, which appeared to show Ivanka being snubbed by the leaders. Prior to the White House, she worked as a model, launched a fashion line (which has since folded) and worked in the family business. She is also sisters-in-law with model Karlie Kloss, who married her husbands brother Josh Kushner, and visited her in Wyoming ahead of Kloss and Kushners wedding last year. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner / Getty Images In an interview with Barbara Walters, Donald Trump Jr., Eric and Tiffany told her that Ivanka is the presidents favourite child. Eric Trump Getty Images Parents: Donald Trump and Ivana Trump Eric is the Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation and according to the Trumps official website, he is responsible for all aspects of management and operation of the global real estate empire including new project acquisition, development and construction. He also has led major projects for the Trump Organisation including redeveloping a Miami property, acquiring Trump International Ireland and a 200million renovation of the Trump Turnberry property in Scotland. Donald Trump Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump / Getty Images Eric has also worked with his father on his former reality show The Apprentice, which he starred on as a guest judge from time to time. He is married to Trump campaign adviser Lara Trump, who formerly worked as a TV producer for CBS, and they have two children: Carolina Dorothy Trump and Eric L. Trump. Eric and Lara Trump / Getty Images He studied at Georgetown University, where he studied finance and management. He was also a member of the Delta Sigma Pi fraternity. Tiffany Trump Parents: Donald Trump and Marla Maples Unlike her older brothers and sisters, Tiffany Trump is still currently a student. Although shes been seen more frequently at political events and caucuses, she is still finishing up at Georgetown Law School where shes also president of the Cyberlaw Society. Previously, she studied Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is Donald Trumps only daughter with model Marla Maples, who he divorced in 1997 before her sixth birthday. Tiffany grew up with Maples in California and remains very close to her, with Maples featuring frequently on her Instagram. According to The Washingtonian, her father named her in reference to one of his business deals - as Trump purchased the $5 million air rights above Tiffany & Co which allowed him to build Trump Tower. Speaking to the New York Times twenty minutes after Tiffany was born, Trump said, But Ive also always loved the name. Although it isnt entirely clear what Tiffany is going to do once she finishes university, her brother Donald Trump Jr. said at an opening of a Vancouver Trump property in 2017 that she was soon to be within the organisation. Her brother, Eric, called her an amazing person with an incredible work ethic. She is currently dating Michael Boulos, a Nigerian-Lebanese heir to a company called Boulos Enterprises, and even brought him to the State of the Union with her. She has a Manhattan apartment which features a Swarovski crystal portrait of herself, which is made up of 150,000 crystals. Speaking on the Oprah Winfrey show, Tiffany said, I like being Tiffany, not just necessarily, like, Tiffany Trump. Barron Trump Getty Images Parents: Donald Trump and Melania Trump Not much is known about Barron, though every now and again his parents will share an interesting tidbit about him. For example, his mother Melania revealed that she calls the 13 year old little Donald and said, He is a very strong-minded, very special, smart boy. He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants. Sometimes I call him little Donald. He is a mixture of us in looks, but his personality is why I call him Little Donald. Barron is bilingual and speaks both English and Slovenian. Although he may be Little Donald, he certainly isnt little anymore as he now towers over both of his parents - which prompted Twitter users to rally for him to be drafted to the NBA. He also appears to be close to his nieces and nephews, as his half-sister Ivanka called him a baby whisperer. She shared a video of Barron playing peekaboo with one of her children over the presidents head, as his mother Melania watched on fondly. (AFP via Getty Images) / AFP via Getty Images Sensitive subject: experts are concerned that the intense media coverage over Caroline Flacks death could lead to a rise in suicides Until two weeks ago, I had never heard of Caroline Flack. I don't watch Love Island or read any celebrity news. She took her own life on February 15 and, since then, there has been relentless daily coverage. So now, even without wanting to, I know about her love life, her mental health problems, her family, her childhood and her court appearances, which are nobody's business except hers, her family's and her boyfriend's. Her vulnerable personality has been mentioned and her family have released Instagram posts composed by her, but left unposted before her tragic death. Her life and death are now an open book. Some comments have been vitriolic, some lionising. All have been extremely disconcerting. There have been calls for a law in her name to ban trolling on social media. The complexity of achieving this has been lost in the torrent of emotion, but it did not stop almost three-quarters of a million people signing the petition. The irony is that the social media and gossip magazines that promoted her celebrity status are now being condemned for their role in bringing about her death. There is a further problem that those who are writing about Flack appear to have forgotten that the frenetic focus on the suicide of a high-profile individual may itself trigger other suicides. The history of this dates back to German literature and to a character called Werther. A classic by Goethe, called The Sorrows of Young Werther, captured the idea of suicide contagion. Werther shot himself with a pistol after his love for a girl was met with rejection. After the publication of the book in 1774 many young men imitated this behaviour. The term 'copycat suicide' emanated from this novel. Far from being fanciful, or outdated, the 'Werther effect' is now supported by a large body of research. A simple case study carried out by Paul Yip, a suicidologist, considered the impact of the death of a famous pop star in April 2003 on the suicide rate in Taiwan. There was extensive media coverage of the death and the president attended the funeral. The upshot was a significant increase in deaths by the same method. Further data-based studies of the 'contagion effect' show that there may be clusters of suicide in schools or in the same locality after a high-profile suicide. It is likely that Caroline Flack, a celebrity, will have been a role model to millions of young women seeking fame. Amazingly, a survey of high school teens in the US found that 54% wanted to be famous, with 1% wanting office work and 4% hoping to become teachers. Suicide is a legitimate issue for public discussion, but there should also be moderation. We have to blend freedom of speech with a healthy discussion around the problem and its prevention. Evidence has emerged that for individuals in crisis, the manner of reporting may have an influence. The more information about the victim that is made public, the more likely are individuals to identify the resemblance between their plight and that of the suicide victim. Adulation of the person who has died may stimulate suicidal thoughts and fantasies of realising their fame in those lacking self-worth and seeking admiration. Guidelines on reporting have been drawn up for the media and these have two objectives. One is to avoid idealising suicide or the victim, as positive or courageous; the other is focused on minimising the distress of the family in the manner of reporting. The media guidelines point out that mentioning suicide in the headline, providing step-by-step details of the manner of death and the content of the suicide note may increase the risk. Editors are clearly enthused by stories that sell their papers and magazines. But there are ongoing worries that the style and volume of coverage of Caroline Flack's death are paving the way for a spike in deaths by suicide. Patricia Casey is a consultant psychiatrist. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact the Samaritans on 084 5790 9090 or Lifeline 0808 808 8000 SLPI-UNESCO workshop addresses challenges faced by women in media View(s): The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in collaboration with the UNESCO New Delhi office held a two-day workshop, Women in Media and Safety with the aim of promoting the safety of women journalists in the country. Held on February 26 and 27 at Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo, the workshop was designed to build the capacity of women journalists working in the field while also focussing on other key aspects of safety like harassment in the workplace and online safety. The event was inaugurated by a panel comprising Director and UNESCO Representative, New Delhi Eric Falt, Chairperson Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) Kumar Nadesan, Secretary General, Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO Dr P. N. Meegaswatte, and senior journalist activist Seetha Ranjani. Speaking at the inauguration SLPI CEO Kumar Lopez said the workshop was designed to understand the key challenges faced by women media practitioners in their line of duty as well and to adopt a solution-based approach towards strengthening press freedom and gender representation in the newsroom. Mr Nadesan in his address explained the current Sri Lankan media landscape. Though the situation has bettered in the last one decade, we need to follow closely. Not just women, male journalists are also at risk. It concerns us all, he said pointing out to global statistics where 19 per cent of journalists killed worldwide in the last three-four years, have been women. While emphasising the United Nations resolve to promote gender equality and strengthen freedom of expression, Mr Falt said that UNESCO, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5eliminating violence against women journalistsis committed towards building capacity of women media practitioners. At UNESCO, we believe that gender equality in the media sector is a critical precondition for press freedom. This workshop is a testimony of our commitment to promote capacity development of women journalists who are at the centre of our development narrative, he said. Dr Meegaswatte, in his address, highlighted the struggles and needs of women in the field of journalism. In Sri Lanka, despite a significant increase in the number of women working in the media, especially in the English language media, women journalists continue to struggle in environments that are either unsafe or not conducive for women media professionals. There is a special need to support women journalists psychological needs due to the fact that trauma and gender dimensions of journalists safety has been largely ignored in many initiatives in post-war Sri Lanka, he added. Ms Ranjani, who has decades of experience working with the media, delivered the keynote address. She shared her personal experience as a journalist and expressed the hardships she and her contemporaries had undergone during and post-war era. There is a serious need of studies and data to give us a clear picture of where we stand in terms of safety and media freedom. We need to fight challenges like surveillance together, she said. The workshop addressed the current media climate in the country and its impact on women in the profession, work ethics, legal framework for womens employment and safety. It also looked at issues of trauma and stress management along with digital safety and security. An investment of over 660,000 in Enniscrone has the potential to transform the popular west Sligo village. That was the key message from a well-attended public meeting last Tuesday in the Ocean Sands Hotel to discuss initial plans on how the money - which has been allocated for the square - will be utilised. Over 50 locals were in the crowd as Local Enterprise Office Executive Planner Ray O'Grady, along with architect Vincent Coleman outlined the current plans for the centre of the village which will benefit from 500,000 from Failte Ireland and a further 160,000 from Sligo County Council under the proposals. It is planned that a plaza-type centre-of-town will emerge once work in completed, but the exercise of holding a public meeting was to gauge opinion and ideas on the best way forward. The square in Enniscrone is on the Main Street at the junction with the Cliff Road. The area is a hive of activity in the summer months, with pubs, restaurants, shops, hotels and the beach all in close proximity. "Very happy with the turn out and the response was generally positive so the whole meeting went well as far as I'm concerned," Ray O'Grady said afterwards. "It's a really good juncture for Enniscrone, we have three major projects happening in the next year to 18 months here so it could be a new juncture where we actually come up with some transformative projects for the town, so it's a really good time." It is a period of significant progress for Enniscrone. Along with the investment of 660000 for the town centre, there are also plans in the pipeline for an extended footpath towards the Pier, while there are hopes to upgrade the area to the western end of the beach including the iconic old Cliff Bathouse, the promenade and the old Amusement arcade pavilion. The meeting heard of an intention to bring Enniscrone to a standard where it is one of the premier destinations along the Wild Atlantic Way. It is understood that the seaside resort is second only to Sligo town in terms of tourism importance to the county. Architect Vincent Coleman, who was charged with designing a sample of how the square in the village may look once work is complete, addressed the meeting and used a powerpoint presentation to portray how the square may look once the construction process is complete, based on initial plans. It is envisaged at present that the centre of the town will have paving along the main street and on a small portion at the start of the Cliff Road. The meeting heard that a similar material to that used in other towns, such as on Pearse Street in nearby Ballina, could also fit the requirement for Enniscrone. The project and design process, Mr Coleman advised, also had to be mindful that traffic would continue to pass through the village, so the square would become an outdoor urban pedestrian area with traffic passing through. Paving of the area, using cobbles or material to that effect, would go right up to the wall of the existing premises in the centre of the village, such as Gilroy's Pub and The Pilot Bar. The cobbles used would be as "pedestrian friendly as possible". The impact of traffic, road signage and seating would all be considered further on in the process, Mr Coleman concluded. The meeting also heard concerns from the floor in relation to other aspects of the village, including the entrance to Enniscrone from the Easkey side which needs improvement according to some of those in attendance. It was also stated that a one-way traffic system around the village is an 'active consideration' and plans in this regard are underway. The Cliff Road has been under a one-way system since 2015 and this initiative was described as a success by local councillor Joe Queenan. Cllr Queenan added: "I would welcome the funding, it's a vote of confidence in Enniscrone. Hopefully the teething problems can be solved and early in 2021 this can be done." Welcoming the investment, local community council chairperson David Tuffy stressed the need for agreement amongst locals to ensure this funding does not slip away. "We need consensus. This is a lot of money and we can't afford to let it go. It can't be diverted elsewhere." In terms of a start date for construction, it is anticipated that work could begin before the end of the year, but Ray O'Grady concluded that such a timeframe is subject to a number of variables. "We have a Part 8 process to go through in terms of planning and then we've to go through the procurement process so that can take varying amounts of time depending on the intricacies of the process. "But, I would hope that we would be under construction with this particular project towards the end of the year or at the start of 2021." FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2016, file photo, a chinook salmon, below, and a steelhead, above, move through the fish ladder at the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River in Washington state. A long-awaited federal report out Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, rejected the idea of removing four hydroelectric dams on a major Pacific Northwest river in a last-ditch effort to save more than a dozen species of threatened or endangered salmon, saying such a dramatic approach would destabilize the power grid, increase overall greenhouse emissions and more than double the risk of regional power outages. (Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review via AP, File) Ontario has confirmed another case of the novel coronavirus in Toronto late Friday evening, bringing the provinces total to eight individuals, three of which have already been resolved. In a statement, Ontarios chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams, said the individual in question is a man in his 80s with a travel history to Egypt. He arrived in the city on Feb. 20, and presented himself to the Scarborough Health Networks General Hospital. As per established infection prevention and control protocols, the patient was cared for at the hospital using all appropriate precautions, including being isolated as he was tested for COVID-19, the statement read. The man was discharged home the same day feeling well and, per protocols, went into self-isolation where he remains. The statement confirmed that the man wore a mask throughout his travels, and that public health officials are actively engaged in contact tracing and case management. As of Feb. 28, there are 15 other confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada seven in British Columbia, seven in Ontario, and one in Quebec. More than 2,800 people have died of the coronavirus, the vast majority in China. Convicts Akshay Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta on Saturday moved a Delhi court seeking a stay on the execution of death warrants against all four, scheduled for March 3, in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities on the plea of Singh, directing them to file their response by March 2. In his plea moved through his lawyer, Singh claimed that he has filed a fresh mercy petition before the President of India, which is pending. Advocate A P Singh, appearing for Singh, said that his earlier mercy petition that was dismissed by the President did not have complete facts. Gupta, in his plea, contended that his curative petition has been pending in the Supreme Court. The four convicts -- Singh, Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar -- are scheduled to be hanged at 6 AM on March 3. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) When you ingest a drug--whether over-the-counter Tylenol or medication prescribed by a doctor--your liver is your body's first responder. And just like other first responders, sometimes the liver gets hurt. Doctors used to make patients with drug-induced liver injury stop taking all their medications until the liver healed, but this could be dangerous. Now, researchers report in two recent papers that people with diabetes, hypertension and depression might be able to continue taking life saving medications even while they heal from drug-induced liver injuries. Drug-induced liver injury, when a person accidentally harms their liver by taking medications prescribed by a doctor (or occasionally over the counter drugs), affects about 40,000 people in the US every year, and almost 1 million people globally. "Doctors give patients drugs to treat diseases. No one wants their liver damaged, but it happens all the time," says UConn pharmacologist and toxicologist Xiaobo Zhong. When a person takes a medication by mouth, it goes into their stomach and then to the intestines, where it is absorbed into the blood. This blood, in turn, passes first through the liver before reaching the rest of the body. The liver has enzymes that break down medicines. But different people naturally have more or less of these enzymes. Sometimes, what could be a safe and effective dose in one person is too much for someone else who has different enzyme levels. This is why some individuals are more vulnerable to liver damage, even when taking drugs just as a doctor prescribed. There is no standard guidance for doctors when a patient gets drug-induced liver damage. Often times they tell the person to stop taking all medications immediately and wait for their liver to recover. But that can take weeks or months. "But if patients have chronic conditions such diabetes, hypertension, or depression, their conditions can run out of control," if they stop taking the medications, Zhong says. And that can be life threatening. Zhong, together with UConn toxicologist Jose Manautou, graduate student Yifan Bao, and colleagues at University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, and Zengzhou University in Henan, China, tested whether mice whose livers had been damaged by acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) had lower levels of drug metabolizing enzymes, called cytochrome P450 enzymes. They published their results on February 24 in Drug Metabolism and Disposition. "Accidental drug-induced liver damage from acetominophen misuse is more common than people think, despite the efforts by the Food and Drug Administration to inform the public of this potential danger," says Manautou. Acetominophen toxicity involves certain P450 enzymes that the liver uses to process many other medicines, including those for diabetes, hypertension and depression. Levels of P450 enzymes vary a lot from person to person. The team recently published another paper looking at P450 enzymes, this one in Molecular Pharmacology with graduate student Liming Chen as lead author. That paper found that the way a cell regulates specific P450 enzymes made mice more or less susceptible to liver damage from acetaminophen. In the more recent paper in Drug Metabolism and Disposition, the team shows that levels of some P450 enzymes drop when the liver is damaged. That leaves people more susceptible to harms from drugs broken down by these enzymes. Now the researchers are investigating whether mice with drug-induced liver damage can safely take medications for diabetes, hypertension and depression. It looks like they can, as long as the doses are much smaller than normal. Because the damaged liver does not break down the medications as efficiently, they are just as effective at these lower doses. The team still has to test whether these results hold in humans. They are currently looking to collaborate with local emergency room doctors who see many patients with drug-induced liver damage to better understand how their studies in rodents translate to humans. ### The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It also received support from the Institute for Systems Genomics at UConn and from the China Scholarship Council. By Trend Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in February once again visited Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, Azerbaijani hostages captured by Armenian armed forces on occupied Azerbaijani territories, Head of the Public Relations Department of ICRC Azerbaijan Office Ilaha Huseynova said, Trend reports February 28. "We keep visiting them on a regular basis," said the spokesperson of ICRC Azerbaijan Office."According to its mandate, the ICRC visits detained individuals to monitor treatment and conditions of detention and help to ensure that the detainees are able to maintain contact with their families." During an operation in July 2014 in Shaplar village of Azerbaijani Kalbajar district occupied by Armenia, the Armenian special forces killed an Azerbaijani Hasan Hasanov, and took hostage two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A "criminal case" was initiated against them. Afterwards, a "court" sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years in prison. 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. March 31 deadline for this years NIC applications View(s): All schools should send in students applications for the issue of National Identity Cards by the end of March 2020, the Registrar of Persons said last week. The Registrar of Persons Commissioner General Mr. P. Viyani Gunathilake said the department had sent out a communique to all schools and pirivenas urging them to apply for NICs for Ordinary Level students sitting for the exams this December. All school principals had been requested to send in applications duly filled and signed by March 31 2020, Mr Gunatilake said. The department plans to issue the NICs by September 2020. Early applications will make our work easy, the Commissioner General said. He also said schools principals need to be attentive when application forms are filled. They should read the instructions properly and re-check if student signatures and school seals are in place. He said necessary documents, including the birth certificates, had to be attached to the forms as well. The department had already received around 10% of applications from schools. Last year the number of student applications received amounted to around 350,000. (cc) The coronavirus pounded the European Union this week with the biggest test of its political, economic and social fabric since the refugee crisis of five years ago. The ripples from the European migrant crisis of 2015 continue until today with its dual shock to the EU's unity and domestic politics. It triggered a wave of populism and nationalism, the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU, and Germany's political fragmentation behind the weakening of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Most dramatically, the Turkish government this week backed off from its commitment made in 2016, in return for 6 billion euros in EU funds, to prevent Syrian refugees from entering Europe. That followed a Thursday airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian forces in Syria's Idlib province, killing at least 33 Turkish troops. Even as Turkey ordered police, coast guard and border security officials to allow would-be refugees to pass into the EU, Bulgaria responded by sending an extra 1,000 troops to the frontier with Turkey and Greek police launched smoke grenades at one crossing to dissuade migrants. Containing pathogens is a much different business than managing waves of refugees. However, what unites the two issues is how dramatically the European Union's response will shape public attitudes about the institution's relevance, responsiveness, and effectiveness at a crucial historic moment. The impact of coronavirus on Europe's future has the potential to be even more significant than the migrant crisis, particularly as it unfolds in almost biblical fashion atop a plague of other European maladies. They include, but by no means are limited to: economic slowdown and possible recession (made more likely by coronavirus), the rise of populism and nationalism (stoked as well by the virus), disagreements about how to handle trade talks with a departing United Kingdom (which start Monday), internecine fights over the European budget, and ongoing German leadership crisis and French social upheaval. The coronavirus morphed this past week into an increasingly global phenomenon that experts agree can no longer be contained. The hit to stock markets was $6 trillion, the biggest weekly fall since the 2008 financial crisis. By Friday, the WHO reported more than 78,000 cases and more than 2,790 deaths ion China and 70 deaths in 52 other countries. In Europe, what began as northern Italian phenomenon where there have been more than 800 infections has now reached Spain, Greece, Croatia, France, the UK, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, North Macedonia, and San Marino. Italians have cancelled their carnival celebration in Venice and Milan Fashion Week. European hotels in Austria, France, and the Spanish Canary Islands have been locked down in quarantine. A migrant worker was stabbed to death in the busy Iewduh market here on Saturday, taking the toll in clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups in Meghalaya to two, police said. Seven persons were injured in the knife attack in the heart of the city and two of them suffered stab wounds, Superintendent of Police Claudia Lyngwa told PTI. Those behind the attack are yet to be identified, she said. In another mob attack, a migrant labourer was seriously injured after being thrashed at Sohra market in Sohra Civil Subdivision, the officer said, adding that he has been shifted to the Civil Hospital in Shillong for treatment. The number of those injured in the clashes has gone up to 16, she said. On Friday, a tribal was killed as clashes broke out between the Khasi Students' Union members and non-tribals during a rally held in the Ichamati area of East Khasi Hills district close to the Indo-Bangladesh border. The clashes during the rally, organised against the Citizenship Amendment Act and demanding implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime, led to tensions in parts of the state, forcing the government to clamp curfew in two police station areas in Shillong, and mobile internet and SMS restrictions in six districts. The curfew was eased during the day, even as mobile internet restrictions continued. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma reviewed the law and order situation in the state and appealed for peace. "A magisterial inquiry has been set up. We have ensured that enough manpower is put in place in the affected areas," the chief minister said. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the man killed in Friday's clash. Officials said that authorities are mulling imposing a night curfew in Shillong from 10 pm in view of the prevailing situation. Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy has appealed to people to maintain and not pay attention to rumours. "I appeal to all citizens in Meghalaya, tribal or non-tribal, keep calm. Don't spread rumours and don't listen to rumours. The chief minister has spoken to me. He assured me he is taking all necessary steps. The prime requirement now is to maintain law and order," the governor said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain will be on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand from Friday to discuss his country's ongoing and future collaborative projects in the state. According to a statement by the French embassy, Lenain will call on Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to discuss ongoing and future collaborative French projects. He will then join the chief minister in the launch of 'Child-friendly and Commuter-centric Dehradun' plan, the statement said. "This smart city sustainable mobility plan has been selected under CITIIS (City Investments To Innovate Integrate and Sustain), a programme that receives funding and technical expertise from the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU)," it said. Lenain will also meet Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who will deliver the keynote address for the event. The trip will also be an opportunity for Lenain to meet Acharya Balkrishna, CEO of Patanjali, during his visit to Haridwar on Friday, before proceeding to Rishikesh, the statement said. PTI UZM CK When China shared the novel coronavirus genome with the World Health Organisation in the early weeks of the outbreak, the health agency hailed it as a "remarkable achievement". Understanding the virus's genetic sequence is essential for developing accurate diagnostics and vaccines as well as determining how the virus is changing. But in recent weeks, questions have been raised in various quarters about how well and how quickly China is sharing this information with the wider world. The questions surfaced in public earlier this month with two prominent scientists affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wu Chung-I and Pu Muming, leading a call for China's researchers to publish genetic data as soon as possible. In a letter to China's National Science Review journal, Wu and Pu questioned why there was what they described as a gap in the data, with only older sequences available to researchers as of February 10. They warned that holding back data could slow down understanding of changes in the transmission patterns as the virus mutates. "If we can get the virus genome data as quickly as possible, the epidemic situation can be judged more accurately ... by comparing the differences in the evolutionary dynamics of the [current virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome]," China Science Daily quoted Wu as saying. Those questions were compounded by the closure for "rectification" on January 12 of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre laboratory that published the world's first genome sequence of the coronavirus. The closure came a day after its team published the information. Nevertheless, when it comes to sharing genetic data for global research, international researchers have defended the information coming out of China in the middle of a public health crisis. They said that while it was important to have as much data as possible, it played less of a role in the short term if the virus was not changing, as appears to be the case in China. Story continues Gavin Smith, a professor in the programme of emerging infectious diseases at Singapore's Duke-NUS Medical School, said there could be an "overestimation" of the role of the genetic sequence in immediate public health responses to outbreaks. "You want to get those first genomes out when something happens, but after that [if] there's not a lot of variability, then maybe that's not the priority any more," Smith said, noting that in a public health crisis there are other higher concerns that could slow down the release of new data. "Where it is useful is for things like vaccines, diagnostics and molecular epidemiology." Researchers said that as the crisis appeared to be on the brink of becoming a pandemic, attention now needed to be on keeping an eye out for variations in the virus in different parts of the world rather than just in China. "Given the spread of the virus and the relatively good control that mainland China has right now over the situation, I think it would actually be more important to get a lot of sequence information from Iran and Italy ... and the cases seeded [from those countries]," said Florian Krammer, a professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Australian virologist Ian Mackay agreed. "As other countries undergo explosive outbreaks or we suddenly find outbreaks that may have been percolating unknown for weeks, it is important to take stock of these genomes," he said. But like Smith, Mackay said that so far the genetic change did not appear to be a driving factor in this outbreak. "It is important to keep tabs on a newly circulating virus, although so far this one hasn't thrown up concerning novelties in terms of genetic change, as it's passed from person to person," he said. Roy Hall, a professor of microbiology at the University of Queensland, said it was important to have information from all places with an outbreak. "We still don't know what this virus is going to do ... any pattern in any outbreak cluster that can be correlated with a change in the way the virus is behaving can be very useful," Hall said. "Having that information from the earliest cases in China to most recent human to human cases in other countries, epidemiologists can pick up a pattern of change." Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020. 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. Children in New Jersey generally are better off than they were six years ago, new data shows: Fewer are living in poverty. Fewer live with families receiving benefits such as food stamps. And fewer are testing positive for high levels of lead in their blood. At the same time, however, teens are more likely to catch an STD and fewer mothers are getting prenatal care. While many of those figures are reason for optimism, advocates and officials on Friday warned that the publicly funded programs to aid children and families could be at risk if all New Jerseyans arent counted in the upcoming 2020 Census. The nonprofit Advocates for Children of New Jersey, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, released on Friday a county-by-county breakdown of several key statistics on families and children in the state. At Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford, advocates and officials stressed that the Census will help determine how more than $22 billion is spent in New Jersey each year. Food stamps alone costs $1.2 billion. In 2018, 353,883 children benefited from that federal nutrition program. Its interesting that were doing Kids Count and Census today because theyre related, said Cecilia Zalkind, the president and CEO of Advocates for Children, adding that much of the data used in the Kids Count report came from Census figures. Money depends on the Census. The critical programs that we rely on to support children and families have state funding, yes, but many of them come from federal policy and depend on federal funding. Some key findings in the Kids Count report include: A 16% drop in the number of children living below the $25,465 poverty line. In 2014, 315,563 children lived in poverty, while in 2018 only 264,253 were in poverty. Warren County saw the steepest drop in child poverty, a decrease of 49%. Hunterdon County, meanwhile, saw its child poverty level rise by 3%. A rise in median family incomes and a decline in unemployment. Median family incomes in New Jersey rose 16% between 2014 and 2018, from $89,020 to $103,429. Similarly, unemployment fell by 40% in that time period. In 2014, unemployment was at 6.8%, and in 2018 it was at 4.1%. Median family incomes rose sharpest in Union County, an increase of 38%. In Salem County, median family incomes fell by 11%. Fewer families using public benefits like food stamps and monthly welfare checks. In 2018, 60% fewer families used welfare than in 2014. And 15% fewer families used food stamps than in 2014. In Essex County, 67% fewer families used welfare. Every other county declined by at least 50%. In Sussex County, 29% fewer children used food stamps, while only 3% fewer children used that program in Cape May County. Fewer children with high levels of lead in their blood. In 2013, 3.4% of New Jersey children under age 6 had levels of lead higher than 5 micrograms per deciliter. In 2017, 2.8% of children under 6 tested at that level. Hunterdon County saw the steepest drop in blood lead levels, a decrease of 63%. Mercer County saw the smallest drop, a decrease of only 4%. The data wasnt all good news. More teenagers are catching sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Fewer women are receiving early prenatal care. And more children under 19 are without health insurance. The transmission of STDs rose 20% from 2014 to 2018 in teenagers ages 15 to 19. Salem County saw a 96% increase in STD rates in that time period while Warren County saw STD rates drop by 8%. New Jersey, though, isnt an outlier. STD rates are up across the country. From 2013 to 2017, fewer women 74.7% down from 79% received early prenatal care, which studies have shown improves the health of both the mother and the child. In Mercer County, 18% fewer women received prenatal care between 2013 and 2017, while 21% more women received that care in Warren County. And between 2017 and 2018, 1,500 fewer children under 19 had health insurance. In Passaic and Essex Counties, 6.9% of children dont have health insurance. In Somerset County, only 0.7% of children dont have insurance. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, highlighted some of the poverty in his South Jersey district as evidence that accurate Census counts are essential for the state and counties to receive the necessary funding. Two of the states poorest cities Salem City and Bridgeton are in his district. Its pretty simple," he said. "Funding helps improve all those areas. Sweeney used the Bridgeton school district as an example of why having accurate counts of residents is vital. He said because the school district was able to accurately count the number of residents living within its boundaries, the district was allocated an extra $8.2 million this budget cycle. Pam Ryan, an assistant coordinator for Women, Infants and Children at Gateway Community Action Partnership, said Fridays event gave her a sense of urgency to make sure all the families she helps serve are counted by the Census. The people she sees who use the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program for low-income families program often use other federal programs as well. Cheeka Wu, a volunteer with Immigrants and Minorities Unified Services Association, said she is going to ensure that the families she works with fill out the 2020 Census so that funding to the programs they rely on isnt cut. But, she said, convincing immigrants to fill out forms like the Census is difficult. Its hard to count that population, because a lot of people, they dont know English, they dont know the law and theyre afraid, she said. At Fridays event, Regi Dorsey, the outreach specialist with Advocates for Children, urged the crowd to repeat after him: Dont forget the baby. Advocates for Children, he said, is putting a special emphasis this year on ensuring that children 5 and younger are counted in the Census. If a child is born on or before April 1 of this year, they should be counted in the Census, experts stressed. If a mother fills out the Census in March and gives birth April 1, she can go back and fill out the Census again to ensure her child is counted. That helps ensure federal funding for programs to aid mothers and babies stays intact for the next 10 years. Ten years is a long time," Dorsey said. "A 2-year-old child missed in 2020 wont have another chance at being counted until they are 12. Its so important to keep that in mind. J. Dale Shoemaker is a reporter on the data & investigations team. He can be reached at jshoemaker@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JDale_Shoemaker. In a guarded reaction to the peace deal between the US and the Taliban, India on Saturday said its consistent policy has been to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and ensure end of terrorism. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India will continue to extend all support to the Afghanistan as a contiguous neighbour, in a clear reference that the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir belongs to India. After months of negotiations, the US and Taliban signed a landmark peace deal in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday, effectively drawing curtains to the United States' 18-year war in Afghanistan since 2001. India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran was among a host of diplomats present at the ceremony where the deal was inked. "India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled process," the MEA spokesperson said. He was responding to signing of the US-Taliban deal in Doha and issuance of a joint declaration between the Afghan and US governments in Kabul. India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan as it has already spent around USD 2 billion in reconstruction of war-ravaged country. "As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected," Kumar said. Days before finalisation of the peace deal, India conveyed to the US that pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror networks operating from its soil must be kept up though Islamabad's cooperation for peace in Afghanistan is crucial. On Friday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla travelled to Kabul on a two-day visit during which he conveyed to Afghan leadership India's support for an independent, sovereign, democratic and inclusive Afghanistan. He also conveyed to Afghanistan that sustainable peace in the country requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism, in a veiled reference to Pakistan's support to terror groups in the war-ravaged country. The foreign secretary held talks with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh and National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib. He also met former president Hamid Karzai, acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haroon Chakhansur and acting Finance Minister Abdul Zadran. Separately, he interacted with a cross-section of Afghan leaders including politician, civil rights activists and academicians. On the peace deal, the MEA spokesperson said India has noted that entire political spectrum in Afghanistan has welcomed it. "We note that the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan, including the government, the democratic polity and civil society, has welcomed the opportunity and hope for peace and stability generated by these agreements," Kumar said. In his meetings with the Afghan leadership, the foreign secretary reiterated India's commitment to enhance political, economic and development partnership between the two neighbours, the MEA said in a statement. It said Shringla reiterated India's consistent support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic and inclusive Afghanistan in which interests of all sections of Afghan society are preserved. The foreign secretary also conveyed India's support for enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. "He underscored that sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism," the MEA said. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) They've both starred on different seasons of the controversial reality TV experiment Married At First Sight. Natasha Spencer and Ryan Gallagher appeared to get into a heated discussion at the Boohoo and Afterpay Mardi Gras party in Sydney on Saturday. Despite seeming amicable earlier in the night, the two reality stars were spotted appearing to have an angry exchange. Issues? Natasha Spencer (left) and Ryan Gallagher (right) appeared to get into a heated discussion at the Boohoo and Afterpay Mardi Gras party in Sydney on Saturday Natasha, 26, clutched onto a rainbow pride fan as she thrust her hand out, pointing as she articulated her point. The 31-year-old Ryan scrunched his face in response, and seemed to look frustrated and annoyed. While the pair appeared at odds as the party raged on, they had previously seemed to have a lot in common as they chatted away at the start of the night. The reality stars looked immersed as they conversed intimately at the party, standing close together. Close? While the pair appeared at odds as the party raged on, they had previously seemed to have a lot in common as they chatted away at the start of the night Natasha was truly glittering in a bedazzled, multi-coloured sequin mini-dress that clung to her trim figure. The one-shoulder frock featured a dramatic flared sleeve, and she styled the ensemble with nude pumps and glittering dangle earrings. The brunette beauty's long locks flowed down behind her as she posed in front of a grassy photo wall at the shindig. Glowing! Natasha, 26, was truly glittering in a bedazzled, multi-coloured sequin mini-dress that clung to her trim figure Flowing! The brunette beauty's long locks flowed down behind her as she posed in front of a grassy photo wall at the shindig Rugged! I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia star Ryan (pictured) looked ready to head back to the jungle in a sleeveless khaki shirt that highlighted his collection of arm tattoos For makeup, the financial analyst's eyes popped with a dazzling gold eye shadow and false lashes, and she paired the metallic shade with a nude pink lip. I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia star Ryan looked ready to head back to the jungle in a sleeveless khaki shirt that highlighted his collection of arm tattoos. Pairing the ensemble with distressed black denim jeans, the 31-year-old's casual look was a stark contrast to Natasha's glittering appearance. On his own! Ryan recently made a romantic connection with Georgie Shore star Charlotte Crosby (right) while the pair were on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia together, however the couple split earlier this month Both reality stars have had their fair share on drama while on Married At First Sight. Ryan was caught up in the 2018 season's cheating scandal, after his on-screen 'wife' left him for another man. He recently made a romantic connection with Georgie Shore star Charlotte Crosby while the pair were in the South African jungle on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! together, however the couple split earlier this month. Meanwhile, Natasha and her MAFS 'groom' Mikey Pembroke are on the skids, after after Nastaha was caught joking that 'husband' only lasted ten seconds in bed. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has finally opened up his take on Amotekun, a southwest security initiative the regions governors put together in response to rising insecurity in Nigeria. While expressing concern, the former president commended the governors by contrasting their pro-active response to President Muhammadu Buharis reactive approach. What these Governors have shown was that they were concerned and they cared. I would not know if any of them was shocked but most of them took steps as they deemed fit to enhance the security of life and property for their citizens and to augment the failing and inadequate security provided at the national level, he said in his speech on Saturday at the 1st Memorial Lecture for the late founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Frederick Fasehun. Buhari weeks ago said he was shocked at the rising rates on insecurity in the northwestformerly thought stable compared to the northeast where Boko Haram is raging. Obasanjo, a critic of Buharis, there is no doubt that the national security architecture, apparatus, system and arrangements in Nigeria today have failed to measure up to the needs of the citizens in different parts of the country. He however noted how welcome the Amotekun intervention has been. From my personal observation as I talked to people and people across the board talked to me, nothing has united the people of South West like Amotekun since independence except independence itself. Not even the civil war was such a unifier, he said. Still knocking Buhri and his government, Obasanjo cited hoe ethnic and religious bodies have been worried about the government inaction. It is instructive to note that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of Sultan of Sokoto, became extremely worried about the level of insecurity in the country and then called on President Buhari to declare a state of emergency for security in the country, he said. The Northern Elders Forum has spoken out on the pervasive insecurity in the nation. The Governor of Borno, Babagana Umara Zulum, has pointed out that in his eight months in office, Auno, a community in his State, has been attacked six times. He piled up these instances to highlight the disconnect and distrust going on in the C-in-C office. There has been embarrassing paralysis and katakata in the present nations security house as if we have nobody in charge. If it had happened before, it was not so brazenly in the public domain. He advised the southwestern initiative be refined and improved upon to serve as adequate complement and enhancer of present, disappointing and inadequate, national security architecture and provision. PV: 0 SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin on Friday announced new policies taking effect immediately within his office. Prosecutors will no longer charge people with the possession of contraband resulting from stop-and-frisk style pretextual searches, or make use of status-based sentencing enhancements such as prior strikes or alleged gang affiliation status, except in extraordinary circumstances. "Pretextual stops and sentencing enhancements based on who you know rather than what you did are relics of the tough-on-crime era that failed to make us safer," Boudin said in a statement. "Instead, they led to mass incarceration, targeted innocent black and brown drivers, and increased recidivism. They stand in the way of fairness and justice," he said. Pretextual stops are when an officer uses a minor traffic infraction to pull over and search a motorist. According to Boudin's office, research shows pretextual stops erode trust in communities of color and result in disproportionate arrests and higher convictions. Black drivers in the city are stopped five times more often than white drivers, Boudin's office said, citing a 2020 Racial Identity and Profiling Advisory Board Report. The report also concluded drugs were only found in 1.3 percent of traffic stops, and firearms or ammunition were seized in just 0.6 percent of the stops. Supervisor Shamann Walton applauded Boudin's decision. "Pretextual stops, just like stop-and-frisk, overwhelmingly target communities of color. These policies, along with gang enhancements and other status enhancements, have contributed to abhorrent racial disparities in this city's criminal justice system, resulted in excessive sentences, and have not made us any safer. The constitutionality of these stops has always been in question and it is time to end them," he said. The new policy reforms were among many new, evidence-based public safety policies intended to reduce racial disparities in the city's criminal justice system. Their implementation makes the city the first country to implement such policy directives, Boudin's office said. The San Francisco Police Association, however, blasted Boudin for the new policy reform. In a statement, SFPOA President Tony Montoya said, "In his short tenure, Chesa Boudin has demonstrated that he is a clear and present danger to the law abiding residents, businesses and visitors of San Francisco. Get pulled over and have an illegal handgun or AR-15? No problem, Boudin will throw out your case. Have 10 pounds of meth all in small plastic bags ready for sale? No problem, Boudin will throw your case out too. It's unconscionable that Boudin would let someone with an illegal gun go free, only to allow them the opportunity to arm themselves again. Chesa Boudin is emboldening criminals and we are all going to pay a steep price for his absurd policies." 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. Fairfax, Virginia, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Army is revamping its approach to networking, and its scientists are working on a multitude of complementary technologies and capabilities that will empower future Army networks. According to an article in the March issue of SIGNAL Magazine, researchers at the Combat Capabilities Development Commands (CCDCs) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are pursuing the state of the art while keeping an eye on capabilities emerging from the commercial sector. The commands laboratory established a cross-functional team in networks and command, control, communications and intelligence to help field new capabilities to the warfighter quickly and effectively. This effort encompasses requirements that are based not only on the threat but also on acquisition approaches. Brian Rivera, chief of the CCDC ARL Network Science Division, says the Armys network modernization effort springs from a widespread recognition that the services current network is insufficient to meet the challenges erupting around the globe. The Army is transitioning into a force designed for conflict with a near-peer adversary, and its network must be expeditionary, mobile and hardened to work in an active electronic warfare environment, he states. Any work upgrading networks must be evolutionary, and the ARLs efforts in this arena are no exception, Rivera allows. The goal is to roll out capability sets more frequently rather than wait to assemble the ideal network. The ARLs research tends to be for the longer term2030 or 2035, although the lab is aiming to transition capabilities earlier if possible. By then, soldiers should have hybrid networks that are predictive and proactive, and warfighters would be able to manage their connectivity with more control. Because of these advances, the Army will be able to introduce more autonomous systems, Rivera predicts. The service will need fewer soldiers to provide hands-on network management, and network automation will allow robots to operate much faster than the human decision cycle. While the Army is marching forward with these technologies, it also is revisiting established capabilities it used in the past. Another SIGNAL Magazine March article, titled Army Reintegrating Electronic Warfare Into Force, describes how the service will take several steps this year toward reintroducing cutting-edge electronic warfare (EW) systems to counter near-peer competitors. In late 2018, Col. Kevin E. Finch, USA, project manager for EW and cyber, and the Rapid Capabilities Office quickly fielded prototypical EW technologies to Army forces in Europe. This year, the team plans to head back to Europe to upgrade those capabilities. As you give soldiers capability, they get very vocal on what they want. So, we took the feedback they gave us on the first round, and were going back in the second quarter of this year to field phase two capabilities to European units, Col. Finch reports. In the third quarter of the current fiscal year, the team will begin fielding equipment to other units under another operational needs statement. In addition, next month, the project manager could award the first round of other transaction authority contracts for prototypes of the Terrestrial Layer SystemLarge, which the colonel describes as the first integrated ground signals intelligence, EW and cyber platform that will be in the Brigade Combat Team formation. Were actually looking at proposals right now as we speak. If the schedule holds true, based on funding availability, were looking at first units equipped in the first quarter of 2022, he says. Thats always subject to Congress providing funds. Thats the one thing we really cant affect from our foxhole, but its hard to bend metal without money. The Armys ongoing effort to modernize its networks and integrate new technology into its operations will be among the topics discussed at the 2020 AFCEA Army Signal Conference, which takes place March 24-27 in Springfield, Virginia. Data: The Ammunition of the Future Fight is the theme of the event in which service leaders, including Lt. Gen. Stephen G. Fogarty, USA, commanding general, U.S. Army Cyber Command, will explore cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, networks and cloud computing as they relate to data. ### AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry and academia. Join online. Chicago: Philanthropist Bill Gates on Friday urged wealthy nations to help low and middle-income countries strengthen their health systems in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, which Gates said has started to behave like a "once-in-a-century" pathogen. "By helping countries in Africa and South Asia get ready now, we can save lives and also slow the global circulation of this virus," Gates, the former chairman and chief executive of Microsoft Corp, wrote in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine. The novel coronavirus that first emerged in China and has now spread to 46 countries is much harder to stop than similar viruses that caused the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Gates wrote. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already pledged $100 million to fight the outbreak. Gates' plea was echoed on Friday by the World Health Organization, which said the risk was very high that the virus would spread and have a global impact. The WHO implored governments to swing into action to contain the virus before it becomes widespread. Such actions could slow the virus, giving nations more time to prepare, officials said. "Health systems around the world are just not ready," Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the WHO emergencies program, told a news briefing. Gates said the world needs to invest in disease surveillance and better technology to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines and drugs. Besides technical solutions, Gates called for better diplomatic efforts to drive international collaboration and data sharing, and increased government spending on drugs and vaccines that would give private companies incentives to take up such efforts. Their relationship has gone from strength to strength since first going public in early 2018. And Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton looked every bit the Hollywood power couple when they sauntered through the streets of Paris on Saturday. The Oscar winning actor, 38, was sartorially in sync with his girlfriend, 26, in an all black ensemble and dark sunglasses. Chic: Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton looked every bit Hollywood power couple when they sauntered through the streets of Paris on Saturday Lucy cut a casual figure that contrasted with her many glamorous outfits worn during a hectic Paris Fashion week. She looked sensational in an oversized loose fit black coat and lace up boots. Both actors carried a chic black handbag with their belongings in. Lucy finished off the look by styling her platinum blonde tresses in a simple top knot and left her fringe to frame her pretty features. Romantic stroll: The Oscar winning actor, 38,matched his girlfriend in an all black ensemble and dark sunglasses The Politician star complemented her porcelain complexion with a light dusting of make-up and could not keep the smile off her face. The pair were seen at various red carpet events throughout 2018 but their rumoured romance was not confirmed until April, when Us Weekly revealed that they were in fact dating. The outlet's source said: 'They met while filming Bohemian Rhapsody in London. He is so into her. He goes and visits her in London all the time.' Matching: The Politician star complemented her porcelain complexion with a light dusting of make-up and could not keep the smile of her face Rami finally publicly addressed their relationship in January 2019 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He was accepting his Breakthrough Performance Award and said on stage: 'Thank you, Lucy Boynton. 'You have been my ally, my confidant, my love. Thank you so much.' FRANKFORT N.Y.- Frankfort Police and Emergency crews were called to a two-car accident in the Town of Frankfort Friday. It happened shortly after 5:00pm on Bleecker Street near Dyke Road. Part of Bleecker Street was shut down for a short time, but has since reopened to traffic in that area. No word yet on what caused the accident, or if anyone was hurt. NEWSChannel 2 has reached out to Frankfort Police for more information and we are waiting to hear back. A dog is not just for Christmas. Chocolate is not just for Easter. Low-alcohol beer is not just for Dry January at least, that appears to be the case when it comes to sales trends. Rewind to a decade ago, many pubs, bars and supermarkets would have few option available when it came to zero per cent beer. Mainly a Becks Blue or the infamous Kaliber. It was an incredibly niche market. Today, it is one of the fastest growing areas in the drinks industry, albeit from a low base. There was a 41 per cent surge in supermarket sales last year, Kantar figures show. It has been a similar story in each of the last five years. Cheers! More drinkers are turning to low-alcohol offerings to cut down on their booze consumption And it's not just beer. Non-alcoholic spirits sales were up 88 per cent and cider 30 per cent last year, again, from low levels. During January, non-alcoholic beer sales were up 37 per cent compared to a year ago, indicating the trend is likely to only grow in 2020. But it's not just a desire for healthy living that is driving sales, there is a widely-held view amongst those who like to drink decent beer that low alcohol beers have got infinitely better. On a trip to East Anglian brewery Adnams, I found out how it is taking the area incredibly seriously. Meanwhile, I also spoke to an entrepreneur who set up a business specialising in zero per cent booze online to discover why sales are surging. Investing in making better beer has paid off There's no doubt about the rise of zero per cent beer in recent years. Most are actually 0.5 per cent beers, but this level of alcohol is so low that they are impossible to get drunk on. You see far more options on supermarket shelves and when you ask a member of bar staff for their low alcohol options, you're (largely) no longer met with a look of bewilderment. One part of this has been breweries' new willingness to get involved with the sector and not only that, take a key beer and make an alternative version of it. That's what Adnams has done with its best-selling Ghost Ship. Nearly two years ago, it launched a version of it at 0.5 per cent. It was willing to back a like-for-like alternative, rather than launch a new name. Adnams took its best-selling Ghost Ship and launched a 0.5 per cent version On a snowy day in Southwold, I met its beer wizard Fergus Fitzgerald. As head brewer, ultimately the buck fell on him if the low-alcohol version didn't work out. There was a need for a low alcohol pale ale that tasted like a normal beer Fergus Fitzgerald, Adnams 'There was a belief that there was a need for a low alcohol pale ale that tasted like a normal beer,' he says. But how do you do that? There are a number of different ways in which alcohol can be extracted from beer, he explains including boiling it out, which can damage flavour. Adnams opted for a pricier option. It headed to Germany to test a batch of Ghost Ship using specialist de-alcoholising equipment. This removes the alcohol by pushing the beer under high pressure through some selective membranes. This results in only water and alcohol passing through the membrane, leaving the beer without alcohol behind. It is done at low temperatures to keep the flavours and aromas of the fermentation and the hop character as fresh as possible. The batch was successful in Germany, so Adnams invested in the machinery itself back home. It was installed with the idea of being to double in production within a few years if need be, but just six months later, the machinery was upscaled to keep up with demand. Fergus takes me from the start to finish of the process and as we cross the road from one building to another, he points to the road. 'The beer passes underneath,' he explains. 'When the place was modernised in the 2000s, the owners made a conscious decision to keep making beer in the town, rather than move production elsewhere.' Adnams has installed start-of-the-art German machinery to make its Ghost Ship 0.5 The beer industry is in a chicken and egg scenario While taste testing both versions of Ghost Ship at Adnams-owned Swan hotel next door, Fergus says the industry is in a chicken and egg phase. 'The more people that buy zero per cent beer, the more breweries will invest and the beer will get better,' he says. 'Ghost Ship 0.5% will get even better over time. At the moment, it is the product we are receiving the most amount of positive feedback from our customers on, especially the older demographic.' He says some of the reasons are health linked. 'We can't, as a brewer, say that beer has health benefits,' he adds. 'But this low alcohol version has far fewer calories, but still has vitamins and nutrients.' Many people who have turned to it have done so to live more healthily, or potentially stop hangovers effecting things such as exercise. Others - perhaps the older generation - maybe are cutting down on alcohol to help with weight. Fergus tells me of one lady who has been buying it for her husband, who hasn't realised yet that it is alcohol-free. He believes many more are blending their drinking now. That is, having a few alcoholic versions and then turning to low-alcohol versions, rather than continuing with the hard stuff or having to consume fizzy drinks. Tapped: The two experts I spoke to believe that low-alcohol beers need to get on tap before they go fully mainstream Get it on tap and then it becomes mainstream Recently, Scottish brewery Brewdog, which has enjoyed huge success with its 0.5 per cent Nanny State beer, launched a non-alcoholic bar in Old Street, London. Although that is extreme, Fergus says that a key shift will be when more pubs have a low-alcoholic version on tap at the bar. 'Much of the time, drinkers will look along the bar to see what it is on tap. Having a 0.5 per cent version there will result in more people willing to give it a go and hopefully stick with it.' Ghost Ship 0.5% can be bought on tap, but only currently at around 150 places across the country. It can also be bought in bottles and cans. 'In Spain, low alcoholic beer sales are around 18 per cent,' he says. Consumer Trends This is Money assistant editor and consumer journalist, Lee Boyce, writes his Consumer Trends column every Saturday. It ranges from food and drink and retail, to financial services and travel. Have an idea or suggestion? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk 'In Germany, it is around 8 per cent. In Britain, it is under 1 per cent. I do believe that figure will grow.' Adnams is no stranger to low alcohol beer. It launched Sole Star in 2011 at 2.7 per cent. It reduced this to 0.9 per cent a few years ago. This will be moved lower still to 0.5 per cent in the coming months. '0.9 is a no man's land,' Fergus accepts. It indicates the shift in consumer sentiment to low-alcohol versions. 'I think zero per cent was always seen as a distress purchase, but that's changing rapidly.' The distress purchase line makes sense. It has always be seen as almost a punishment to drink low-alcohol beer. Now, it appears people are buying it for flavour and taste. It can also help the wallet. Low-alcohol beer should be cheaper than alcoholic alternatives. There is beer duty to pay on anything over 1.2 per cent in strength. However, Fergus says it might not be that differently priced in pubs, because of the overheads. In supermarkets, you should see a big difference. For instance, I regularly buy the Estrella version in upmarket Wholefoods. But, where it was - until recently - 79p a bottle, it has been upped to 1.19. Another sign popularity is rising. It's not healthy millennials its the over-45s While many may think the 0 per cent beer trend is being driven by millennials, or the generation below who are going out less, obsessed with keeping fit and chiselled and so drink less, it actually appears to be driven by the over-45s. Aster Mason, consumer analyst at Kantar, says: 'Low/no alcohol beer is thriving and sales have continued rising during the past year thanks to the growing range of products available to shoppers. There's no reason to think that growth will slow down as manufacturers continue to invest heavily in new product development and more choices appear on the supermarket shelf. Aster Mason - Kantar 'We hear a lot about young people drinking less than older generations but, while that might be the case, it's people over the age of 45 who are driving the performance of low/no alcohol accounting for three quarters of spend. 'There's no reason to think that growth will slow down as manufacturers continue to invest heavily in new product development and more choices appear on the supermarket shelf. 'This year I expect to see more low/no alcohol beers available in cans rather than bottles as craft beer brands in particular promote it as a premium option. 'If low/no alcohol beer brands are looking over their shoulder I'd suggest it should be towards spirits a small number of shoppers have recently started opting for 0 per cent gin instead of their favourite alcohol-free beer.' I launched Dry Drinker because society is changing Stuart Elkington started a specialist online shop, Dry Drinker, in late 2016. The website launched with nine products. He now has more than 250 as the business continues to grow. Since launching, the business has doubled in customers each year. He told me he had his lightbulb moment in Spain, seeing a 0 per cent beer on tap and wondering why this wasn't the norm in Britain, he saw a gap in the market. Stuart - who previously worked for Greene King - says he has seen some unpredictable ways the business has grown. This includes supplying television shows who need realistic looking booze, without stars getting hammered, and big distribution firms who throw staff parties, but need them to be sober affairs. He again says that he thinks more are mixing their drinking habits - having a blend of low-alcohol beer and the real stuff, and that this is where ultimately the sector will grow. He also believes that the social fabric is changing - you are less likely to be challenged if you want a low-alcohol alternative. Stuart goes around the world hunting out the best in zero per cent booze and tastes everything that he potentially lists on the website. He believes that companies like Adnams launching an alternative version of an established drink and a giant like Heineken throwing the weight behind it will see sales rise further. He hammers home the fact that the quality has increased substantially in recent times and that for the doubters, they should try a mixed box of 12 or 24 to find their perfect drop. Variety: A number of breweries are getting involved in low-alcohol beer, from hipster favourite Mikkeller to historic brand Samuel Smith A view of UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California, where a Solano County, California resident, who is the first confirmed case of the Coronavirus COVID-19 that was community acquired has been held in isolation. AFP Photo Los Angeles: US health officials reported Friday a fourth case of novel coronavirus of unknown origin, indicating the disease was spreading in the country. The latest case is a boy under 18 in Washington State who tested presumptive positive, local authorities said without releasing further details about the patient. He is currently in home isolation in Snohomish County. The high school he attends will be shut until March 3 while it is deep cleaned, the Washington State Department of Health said. In neighbouring Oregon, authorities said Friday an adult who had had contact with people at an elementary school had been hospitalized and was also considered presumptive positive. We've been expecting this and we're prepared for it, Oregon's Health Authority director Patrick Allen told reporters. Earlier Friday, Californian health authorities said an older woman was confirmed infected with unknown origin -- the second such case in the northern part of the state. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear, said Sara Cody, director of public health for Santa Clara County. What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't know to what degree, she added. The two cases in California are close to Silicon Valley, where tech giants like Apple, Google and Tesla are based. Travel advisory issued The United States on Friday warned against non-essential travel to Italy, a top destination for US tourists, over the growing coronavirus epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers avoid all non-essential travel to Italy. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas, it said in a statement. The State Department raised its travel advice a notch for Italy to reconsider travel, pointing to a sustained community spread of the virus there. Italy has reported 650 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths -- the most in Europe from the epidemic that originated in China, which is by far the most affected country. Italy has urged tourists not to stay away, even as nearly a dozen cities in the north are under lockdown. San Francisco has been abuzz with filming for "Project Ice Cream," a code name that quickly melted away to reveal itself as the latest "Matrix" sequel. The sets are closed to bystanders, but to make sure people don't freak out over explosions and simulated gunfire outside their windows, the SF Film Commission makes the schedule public. We've compiled all of the announced filming locations and other hangout spots for cast members on the map above, complete with a key that shows the most notable events in filming. Highlights so far have included stuntmen jumping from rooftops, low-flying helicopters, motorcycle rides through the streets, and Keanu Reeves's daily routine, which ranges from staying at the Omni Hotel to sipping coffee at Grasslands. New York City wept when ex-New York City Transit President Andy Byford announced that he was stepping down from the position. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the search for his replacement, but his are big shoes to fill. Byford laid the groundwork to transform the subway system through his Fast Forward plan, and significantly improved on-time performance. While the agency conducts its search, MTA Chairman Pat Foye has tapped MTA board member Sarah Feinberg to fill the role on an interim basis, who will step away from the board when she starts on March 9. Feinberg worked in the Obama administration before Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed her to the MTA board last year. She spent two years running the Federal Railroad Administration and worked as the chief of staff for the federal Department of Transportation before that. Feinberg spoke with City & State about her priorities, her support for an increased police presence in the subway and her fears about biking in the city. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Whats it like to take the reins from Andy Byford, New York Citys Train Daddy? I just feel lucky to have gotten to work with him over the last year, but also gotten to work with the transit team and observe and applaud them for the improvements they made over the last years. This is probably the best job in transportation in the country. Its so exciting, its so challenging, its so hard, but its so worthwhile. How long do you think it will take to find a permanent replacement, and are you being considered to be that person? I dont think we know how long the interim lasts. Im planning for at least several months. I have a small child and this job is 24/7, 365, so given how these jobs tend to go, my sense is that it would not be a tenable job for my young family. If it is tenable, I would certainly consider it. What are your plans, your top priorities, for however long you serve in this role? Obviously, one of the top priorities is to help recruit a world-class leader who will run the system permanently. But other top priorities: the workforce here has made unbelievable progress over the last few years. Job number one is to continue that progress and even improve upon it if I can. I talked a lot about the safety and security of the system. I think we need to improve that. People will know that I've been a strong proponent of putting more police in the system. Crime has ticked up in the system in a way that makes me uncomfortable, and I think that makes others uncomfortable. And ADA compliance and improving system in terms of accessibility is going to be a really big priority for me too. It's something that's close to my heart and something I spent a lot of time on long before (I joined) the MTA. Any specifics you can offer on improving safety and ADA compliance? Weve made some good gains on ADA compliance in the last several years, and obviously the plan for 70 stations is a huge step in the right direction. But we still really have a long way to go. Part of the problem is the length of time that it takes to make a station accessible, the amount of money it costs. Im not the first person to come up with the idea that it should maybe take less time to make a station accessible and less money to make a station accessible, but hopefully thats a place where a fresh set of eyes might help a little bit. The 500 new officers at $250 million caused a lot of backlash among transit and criminal justice advocates. It surprised me a little bit, to be honest. I think the onus is on us to do a better job communicating about it. It's hard when the agency is the size that it is, the board is the size that it is. Would you be willing to listen to suggestions from criminal justice advocates on alternative ways to address subway crime, like attempting to address underlying societal issues? Ive said from the beginning, and its actually been my position throughout my time in public service, is Ill meet with anyone, Ill take a call from anyone. I share my email address. I have an open-door policy. I do not think that I have the market cornered on good ideas. I dont think people I agree with necessarily have the market cornered on good ideas. I am, of course, happy to have those conversations. I do think we have to come up with a resolution that weve got a bunch of folks who are using our system to commit crimes. That doesnt mean there isnt a backstory to that human being. But I think its really important that we end up in a place where were improving safety. What would you say to the concerns over reports that Gov. Cuomo micromanaged Byford to the point of resignation, and suggestions that you as the governors MTA board appointee would not be sufficiently independent? Honestly, I think a lot of this is people searching for a problem where there isnt one. Number one, anyone who's running something like the largest transit system in North America, you do have a level of independence because you have to make decisions in real time and people execute them. I don't have any sense that anyone's micromanaging someone who is managing a 51,000-person workforce with a multibillion-dollar budget, and whos making real-time decisions about how the system is working. I'm originally from Charleston, West Virginia. The current governor of West Virginia is a Republican governor, who's in the middle of a lawsuit because he basically doesn't show up to work. And I frequently use him as an example of why the opposite is so important and is such a blessing for people like me and for people who care about transportation. To have a hands-on governor that's on your side is a dream come true for someone who is in my line of work. I have a very good relationship with the governor. I find the fact that he is focused on transportation infrastructure issues to be a huge blessing in the work that I do. But the governor is not a transit expert. You are, and thats why youve been appointed, so is it important to remain independent, to a degree, from the governor? I started the last question by saying I think anyone in the role is independent. I dont feel like the last person in this role was particularly micromanaged. I dont expect myself to be micromanaged. That said, Im going to double down saying that its important that a governor be hands on. How do you get to work every day? I usually take the subway. Sometimes I walk. Every now and then Ill take a bus. But right now Im, oh gosh, about a 95% subway person. When its really good weather, Im more like 60% subway, 40% walking. Ever take CitiBike? You know, I dont. And thats probably just the scaredy cat in me. I have never had strong enough nerve to bicycle in New York City. I would be comfortable on truly protected bike lanes, like on the West Side Highway. My husband does sometimes and it makes me nervous. Ive spent too many years in transportation policy, the thing that makes me nervous is there are so many drivers that are on their phones. So are you a supporter of safe street initiatives? Oh my God, yes. Theres not too much you can do in a place like New York City. Byford has been dubbed Train Daddy. Are you expecting any new nicknames? Are you now Train Mom? I will let New Yorkers call me whatever they want, as long as they keep using our system and continue to have patience with us while we do our best to improve it. Correction: Due to a transcription error, City & State initially ommited several words from the answer to the last question. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Some attempt to cut through a barbed wire fence while others hunt for wood and rocks to throw at police. The thousands of migrants at the Kastanies border town between Turkey and Greece are desperate to reach Europe and furious with Greeks who "won't open the gates". Hundreds of Greek soldiers and armed police have fired tear gas in an attempt to hold back what they fear could become a flood of people trying to cross the border. The standoff follows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to allow refugees to cross into Europe from Turkey which he says cannot handle new waves of people fleeing Syria. It already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. A few kilometres from the tense scenes at Kastanies, hundreds of migrants made it into northern Greece, crossing the Evros River which runs along the frontier for 200 kilometres (125 miles). "Are we in Greece?" asks a young Afghan man walking towards the town of Orestiada in search of a taxi or a train to Athens. - Loudspeaker warnings - Since Erdogan's unwelcome announcement, armed security forces have patrolled the Greek shores of the Evros -- which has become a common crossing point -- using loudspeakers to warn anyone within earshot not to enter Greek territory. Drones also monitor migrant movements. But the border area is vast and hard to cover for the surveillance teams. "Evros river has a huge length and there are some convenient passages," to cross over, explains Christos Metios, regional governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. "The Greek forces are making efforts, but some migrants can slip through," he told Skai TV. Border guards union chief Panayiotis Harelas showed journalists a number of Turkish tear gas canisters that he said had been thrown at the Greek forces by migrants. Some 136 migrants were arrested, according to Greek authorities. Most of those picked up were young men "mainly from Afghanistan" who were carrying no luggage, a policeman in the area told AFP. - 'Walking for days' - On minor roads straddling the border, groups of refugees walk without stopping to rest. Some have lost their shoes in the river. They are covered in mud and exhausted as they suffer in the cold and rain, hoping to reach Greece's second city Thessaloniki, which is three hours trudge away, or the capital Athens, where they would seek to contact UN representatives for aid. "We have been walking for four days," Shadi, a 36-year-old from Iran, tells AFP wearily. "I want to reach Albania and from there to go to Europe," he adds as he walks near the village of Neo Cheimonio, about five kilometres west of the Turkish border. Travelling with a group of Afghan and African men, they have no more than the drenched clothes they stand up in. In the Greek village of Marassia, near the river, cafe owner Popi Katrivezi has never seen anything like it. "We are used to such situations these last years but never anything like what has happened since Friday. It seems like thousands are coming in from Turkey," she told AFP. Just a few metres away, some Afghan families, including five children, have found shelter in a chapel. Worn out and hungry they beg for food and water. - 'New life in Europe' - At Pazarkule, on the Turkish side of the border, some 4,000 migrants have massed behind the fence, according to Greek police. Twenty-four hours earlier there were 1,200. They are mainly Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis. Some climb trees to get a better look at what's ahead of them, others throw chunks of concrete over to the Greek side. Some of the migrants who have used up the last of their money to get here. "We have nothing left, I have no more money. With what I had left, I paid a taxi 1,000 liras (150 euros) to come here from Istanbul. That's why we're outside and we have to warm up by burning wood," Celal, a 20 year-old Afghan man told AFP. "If they do not open (the border) we will try to cross by illegal means. It's out of question for us to go back to Istanbul," Syrian refugee Ahmad Barhoum said. Others will wait for Europe's decision. aWe are now sitting at the border but the Greeks refuse to let us in so we are waiting for a decision by the European unionas boss Angela Merkel," an Egyptian refugee who asked not to be named said. "I hope that they will end up letting us in so we can have a new life in Europe worthy of human beings," he added. A woman wearing a protective face mask in Urayasu, Japan, on Friday. Gibraltar has said it stopped several Japanese tourists entering the territory (REUTERS/Issei Kato) The UK territory of Gibraltar has started banning people entering from coronavirus-hit countries. In a document sent to the Japanese embassy in London and seen by Yahoo News UK, Gibraltar said it may deny entry to people who have visited any of 16 dangerous countries which have been hit by coronavirus. It said nearly all people who have been to parts of the Canary Islands have been banned. It added several Japanese tourists have also been denied entry. It comes as the first British death from coronavirus a man on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan was confirmed on Friday. A file image of the border between Spain and Gibraltar (AP/Javier Fergo) Gibraltar, in southern Spain, is one of 14 British Overseas Territories. It is self-governing apart from foreign policy and defence, which is controlled by the UK. Its coronavirus policy is a marked contrast to the UK, which has not enforced any entry bans. Read more: Two new coronavirus cases confirmed in England and first in Wales brings UK total to 19 Anyone who has been to one of the 16 listed countries or regions must declare this when attempting to enter Gibraltar, the document said. The list of at-risk areas where people must declare they have visited are China, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Iran, northern Italy (the area above the line connecting Pisa, Florence and Rimini), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Tenerife (which is part of the Canary Islands). Coronavirus: The confirmed cases around the world The document said: It is stipulated that entry may be denied, and several Japanese tourists who have recently attempted to travel to Gibraltar have been denied entry by an official of the authority at a screening gate to enter Gibraltar. According to the coronavirus emergency response regulations, the travel restriction measures are effective until 11 March, but depending on the future situation, the number of countries listed on the above dangerous countries list may increase. Since the possibility of extending the validity period cannot be ruled out, it is recommended that those planning to travel to Gibraltar gather the latest information from the press release on the Gibraltar Authority website. Yahoo News UK has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment. By Trend A hotline has been created for Azerbaijani citizens wishing to return from Iran, Trend reports on February 29 referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Hot lines have been created in the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz for the return of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. Azerbaijani citizens willing to return from Iran should contact the diplomatic missions via the following hot lines: Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran Phone: (+98 910) 559 56 10 (+9821) 22 55 82 99 (+9821) 22 55 42 55 Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz ???: (+98 902) 095 13 83 (+98413) 333 48 02/04 While considering WHO recommendations and the experience of other countries, a decision was made to temporarily close the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran from 16:00 (GMT+4) for two weeks in connection with the risk of spreading of coronavirus on the basis of a restrictive regime. This measure was discussed with the Iranian relevant state structures and Iran was informed about Azerbaijans decision. The necessary corridor will be ensured by using the appropriate regime for the departure of Iranian citizens from Azerbaijan to Iran and the entry of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. Authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, home to a large number of Vietnamese brides married to South Korean husbands, are enacting different strict measures to fight against the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including quarantining people returning from South Korea. The COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 85,000 people and killed more than 2,900 globally, according to the South China Morning Post. South Korea has confirmed 16 deaths from over 2,900 infections so far, becoming the biggest cluster of infections outside China. About 1,024 women in Can Tho, the Mekong Deltas largest city, are married to South Korean men, while around 116 others are migrant workers in the East Asian country, according to unofficial data from local authorities. According to Vo Kim Thoa, deputy chairwoman of the Women's Association of Can Tho City, the association is currently working with a partner in South Korea to confirm the whereabouts of the Vietnamese brides. After finding out whether they have returned to Vietnam, we will proceed with quarantine measures, Thoa said. Can Tho has established a quarantine camp that can accommodate up to 300 people at a military school to receive Vietnamese citizens returning from China and other COVID-19-affected countries and territories. A number of people coming back from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, which account for the majority of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, are currently isolated at the military camp, according to Colonel Trinh Hoai Van, deputy commander of Can Tho Citys Military Command. Cao Minh Chu, director of the local Department of Health, affirmed that 100 percent of passengers arriving at Can Tho International Airport are now required to declare their medical conditions. The municipal health department has also employed more medical personnel and installed body thermometers at the airport for health monitoring. The citys authorities are planning to measure the body temperature of visitors boarding domestic flights in the upcoming time. Likewise, the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang has set up five quarantine sites that can house about 700 people. Hau Giang already announced a hotline for any returnee from areas with reported COVID-19 infections. The province is supervising local families whose members are married to foreigners to advise them to notify local authorities when such members return from abroad. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police, which has been probing into the alleged irregularities in Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board examination, has claimed to have cracked the modus operandi of the accused. The investigating team has so far arrested five persons including APSSB undersecretary Kapter Ringu and two data-entry operators of the board. They were arrested after a suspicious optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet of a candidate was widely circulated on social media for which the board came under public criticism. Several candidates, who appeared in the examination, had alleged that Senia Bagang, the examinee whose OMR sheet went viral, had submitted the blank answer sheet, though he was shortlisted for the skill test. The investigation has revealed that Mongam Basar, one of the accused in the case, received money from Bagang and some other candidates at the behest of the then under secretary Ringu. "Mongam received money from the candidates and passed it on to Kapter Ringu in lieu of getting them selected in the exam," SIC (vigilance) SP M Harsha Vardhan claimed in a statement. Ringu also received money directly from other candidates, he said. "After the examination was conducted on February 2, the trunks containing the used OMR sheets and other materials were brought to the strong room in the APSSB's office. Ringu, aided by data entry operator Khem Raj, went about tampering the OMR sheets," the SP said. Vardhan also claimed that another data entry operator Tame Tania helped Ringu tampering with the CCTV footages after the issue of malpractice came to light. "We have also found that the two arrested data entry operators had also appeared in the exam and qualified for the skill test," he said. The SIC is trying to find out the number of candidates who paid money to Ringu and Mongam and the investigation is still on to figure out various other aspects of the case, he said. "Senia Bagang, one of the candidates arrested in the case, has recently been granted bail by the court as she has a 5-month-old baby. Tame Tania was granted bail by the court on medical ground," the SP said. Ringu, Mongam and Khem Raj have been in police custody, Vardhan added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The good news is you would only need one hand to count the number of roaches city officials cited one local eatery over this week. The bad news, well, roaches. City health inspectors counted four live roaches scurrying around a wall at a Thai restaurant on the Far West Side this week. They also noticed employees at the same establishment chewing on food in the kitchen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says that electing Mike Bloomberg will lead to a candidate worse than Trump in the future: Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has warned that electing former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg as president would set the stage for a candidate even worse than Donald Trump in the future. Ms Ocasio-Cortez is fully against nominating Mr Bloomberg as candidate for the 2020 election. Speaking on The Breakfast Club on radio station Power 105.1 AM on Tuesday, she said: We obviously have to beat Trump. But if we beat Trump and go back to the same policies that we had before, a worse Trump is going to come. A Trump thats more sophisticated, whose fascism is less obvious, is going to come and things could get even worse. Ms Ocasio-Cortez has thrown her support behind Senator Bernie Sanders, having spoken at campaign rallies and acted as a surrogate in Iowa when he was held up in Washington for the Senate impeachment trial. Adding that Mr Bloombergs record shows the kind of president he would be, she cites his controversial stop and frisk policy and his remarks about how the ending of redlining contributed to the global financial crisis in 2008, as examples. She said: A lot of people dont know Bloomberg. Were here in New York City. We lived under his tenure as mayor. We know exactly what he did. This is part of what hes doing when he comes in, swoops in super late in the game with billions of dollars at his disposal and is able to kind of shower the airwaves with his cash. She added that despite apologies for the stop and frisk policy, Mr Bloomberg has not done enough to redeem himself in the eyes of minority voters. I think that redemption in politics is an acceptable thing, but you have to earn it, she said. It needs to be proven through years of work and evolution for the right thing. This is what happened with Bloomberg. He was down with stop and frisk. He fought for it in the courts, the courts overturned it as unconstitutional. He still fought it, defended it after him being mayor and then five minutes before he runs for president, he says: OK, maybe this wasnt the right policy.' Story continues Since entering the race in November, Mr Bloomberg has bombarded media markets across the country with a $400m advertising blitz. This earned him a place in the last two Democratic primary debates. Mr Bloomberg is currently polling at 15.7 per cent nationally, behind vice president Joe Biden (16.3 per cent) and Mr Sanders (27.7 per cent). Read more Colbert's brutal takedown of Bloomberg leaves his own audience wincing Michael Bloomberg accused of paying people to cheer for him at debate Bloomberg was skewered by Warren in the South Carolina debate Former CNBC anchor to challenge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's seat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set to endorse Bernie Sanders for president Haiti - Social : ONA-POLIS a new social insurance for police officers Friday was held a high level meeting between Chesnel Pierre, the Director General of the National Office of Old Age Insurance (ONA) accompanied by some executives of the Institution and a delegation of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) composed of senior officers and members of the Office of the Director General, Rameau Normil, around the development and implementation of the new ONA-POLIS product. ONA-POLIS is one of the solutions recommended by the Head of State, with a view to upgrading social and insurance benefits and improving the living conditions of the police offciers. It is an old-age insurance cover on the basis of voluntary insurance which will allow insured police officers to enjoy the same rights and privileges as ONA insureds, while enjoying the insurance and civil pension. Participants reviewed the voluntary police registration process, the benefits, prestations and services offered by the ONA to its policyholders. Emphasis has also been placed on the preferential rates that will be granted to police officers considering their role in society and taking into account the recommendations of President Moise. Chesnel Pierre also discussed the possibility of Mixed Voluntary Insurance, under which the police or any other PNH employee can choose and decide to voluntarily insure themselves with the ONA by paying personally and monthly 6% of their salary. The counterpart of the 6% would be paid by the Haitian State, through the Ministry of the Economy. The registration process is scheduled to start on March 3, 2020 and will close on April 24, 2020. For their part, the representatives of the PNH welcomed this initiative and were optimistic about its viability, based on exchanges and concerns shared with ONA executives to fully understand the functioning of ONA-POLIS and advantages that will benefit the police. A memorandum of understanding between the ONA, the Ministries of Finance, Social Affairs, Justice and Public Security, and the PNH is already under study with a view to providing a legal framework for this new product. HL/ HaitiLibre Seoul, Feb 29 : Over 70 countries are imposing entry restrictions and stricter quarantine procedures for travellers from South Korea over coronavirus concerns, foreign ministry data showed on Saturday, as the virus is spreading fast in the country with infection cases reaching 3,150. Malaysia and Lebanon were the latest to enforce the measure. Kyrgyzstan will begin to impose entry bans from Sunday, stepping up their restrictions from tougher quarantine procedures, Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday. Thirty seven countries, eight Chinese provinces, and the Chinese city of Shanghai have tougher quarantine processes, most of which require a 14-day mandatory isolation and close monitoring. Several Eastern European countries have joined the move, including Latvia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Many of these countries have added China, Japan, Singapore and Italy -- where major outbreaks of the virus have occurred -- on their quarantine lists. South Korea has issued an advisory asking its citizens to reconsider or delay any planned trip to countries that have imposed entry restrictions, citing the inconvenience or safety issues that may occur. Early Saturday, Seoul issued a "navy" travel alert, the lowest on a four-level scale, for all of Japan, advising its citizens to take precautions. The Fukushima region is currently under a higher alert following the 2011 nuclear disaster. Japan has reported at least 900 infection cases from the coronavirus, most of which come from the quarantined cruise ship in Yokohama. On Saturday, South Korea identified another sharpest daily spike of the new coronavirus, with 813 additional cases bringing total infections in the country to 3,150. A U.S. Army officer walks across a riverbed while out on patrol in southern Pashmul, Afghanistan, in 2012. Millions of Afghans are anticipating that America's longest war fought in their country will end on Saturday as U.S. and Taliban negotiators are expected to sign a deal to allow a U.S. troop reduction and a permanent ceasefire. If the U.S.-Taliban agreement gets signed, then Afghanistan, which has been at war since American bombings began in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, will witness the potential end of violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. A 31-member Taliban delegation arrived in Qatar on Saturday to oversee the signing of the troop withdrawal deal, said officials of the hardline Islamist group, adding that their political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will sign the agreement on their behalf. The signing ceremony between the warring sides is set to take place at the Sheraton hotel in Qatar's capital of Doha. Photographs from the venue showed a large banner stating "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan" placed in a conference room adjoining the hotel. Security has been tightened outside the hotel as hotel guests, journalists and government officials thronged the lobby. Security experts said the deal is a foreign policy gamble for U.S. President Donald Trump and would give the Taliban international legitimacy. But for millions of Afghans it opens a possibility to end the ongoing struggle of coping with fear, anxiety and violence. "Peace is extremely simple and my country deserves it. Today is the day when maybe we will see a positive change," said Javed Hassan, 38, a school teacher living on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul. Hassan's children were killed in a bomb blast carried out by the Taliban in 2018. Since then, he has been writing letters to world leaders urging them to end the Afghan war that has dominated the landscape of the land-locked country. Saturday's deal could be the first step towards resetting Afghanistan's future as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to witness the signing of the agreement and prepare the ground for a political settlement between the warring sides. America's top diplomat will stand with political leaders of the Taliban, Afghanistan's former rulers who sheltered Osama bin Laden and his militant network until 2001 as he plotted and conducted the 9/11 attacks. A statement from Trump on Friday said Pompeo would be present for the signing of the deal that will pave way for U.S. troop numbers to drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following the deal. Further reductions of western forces will hinge on the Taliban adhering to a "reduction in violence" pledge, a condition that will be assessed by the United States. But prospects for war-torn Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the deal, the Taliban wants 5,000 fighters to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not clear whether the Afghan government will agree. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to hardline Islamist splinter groups will be willing to adhere to the reduction in violence agreement. Some senior commanders of the Taliban who arrived in Doha for the signing ceremony said they will ensure that the U.S. and Afghan governments accept all the conditions laid down by the group that controls about 40% of Afghanistan, according to Afghan defense officials. Sources in the Taliban earlier this month said they were prepared to launch a spring offensive and had recruited more than 6,000 fighters and suicide bombers if the agreement collapses. She never fails to put on a stunning display on the BBC dance show. But Oti Mabuse may have pulled off her most fabulous look yet as she put on a busty display in a purple sequinned co-ord during Saturday's The Greatest Dancer semi-final. The thrilling episode also saw acts Hannah and Brothers of Dance eliminated from the show, just one week before the grand final. Stunning: Oti Mabuse may have pulled off her most fabulous look yet as she put on a busty display during Saturday's The Greatest Dancer semi-final The professional dancer, 29, wowed in a cleavage-baring purple sequinned co-ord as she wowed with an amazing opening number alongside fellow dance captains Cheryl, Todrick Hall and Matthew Morrison. Oti donned a sizzling long-sleeved bustier top which allowed her to flash a hint of her toned midriff. She teamed it with a matching pair of wide-legged glittery trousers and pointed heels in a similar hue. And it appears that Oti's look wowed fans at home too as they took to Twitter to comment. So close: The thrilling episode also saw acts Hannah (pictured) and Brothers of Dance eliminated from the show, just one week before the grand final Out: Brothers of Dance were commiserated by their dance captain Cheryl and host Alesha '@OtiMabuse looks stunning @GreatDancerTV' remarked one viewer. A second gushed: 'Cheryl is on screen, but can't take my eyes off @OtiMabuse. She's just that level of hot. #GreatestDancer.' With a third agreeing: 'oti looks unreal every single week, god is a woman.' Oti's co-star Cheryl also dressed to impress in a quirky green patterned jumper and matching cargo trousers. Wow: The professional dancer, 29, wowed in a cleavage-baring purple sequinned co-ord as she wowed with an amazing opening number alongside fellow dance captains Cheryl, Todrick Hall and Matthew Morrison Showstopping: Oti donned a sizzling long-sleeved bustier top which allowed her to flash a hint of her toned midriff Meanwhile, Hannah and Brothers of Dance lost their place on the show after facing stiff competition. The acts received the lowest amount of viewers votes are putting their all into their performance, with this week's themes chosen by their dance captain's. Speaking following her exit, Hannah, who performed a dance inspired by the ocean, said: 'I feel so privileged to have had this experience, it's been the time of my life. Oti appreciation: It appears that Oti's look wowed fans at home too as they took to Twitter to comment Looking good: Oti's co-star Cheryl also dressed to impress in a quirky green patterned jumper and matching cargo trousers I just really want to say thank you to Matthew for giving me this incredible opportunity, I feel so so grateful.' While Cheryl said to her act Brothers of Dance: 'I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I adore you all, I got to know you all as people, I loved being your dance captain.' She added of the boys, who performed a military style routine: 'I've never known anyone work so hard, push themselves so hard... just thank you.' Talent: Hannah performed a stunning Ocean-inspired number Grateful: Speaking following her exit, Hannah, who performed a dance inspired by the ocean, said: 'I feel so privileged to have had this experience, it's been the time of my life' Standing to attention: Brothers of Dance performed a dazzling military style routine So proud: While Cheryl said to her act Brothers of Dance: 'I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I adore you all, I got to know you all as people, I loved being your dance captain' Their elimination meant that Dancepoint, Lily & Joseph, Michael & Jowita and Harrison Vaughan all made it through to next week's final. Dancepoint wowed with an incredible Hollywood glamour dance chosen by Todrick, with the group dancing to Get Happy by Judy Garland. While Lily & Joseph dressed as a princess and a pirate for their childhood dreams inspired number. Oh so glam: Dancepoint wowed with an incredible Hollywood glamour dance chosen by Todrick, with the group dancing to Get Happy by Judy Garland Lovely: While Lily & Joseph dressed as a princess and a pirate for their childhood dreams inspired number He's still standing: And Harrison channeled Elton John for his routine, thrilling with jumps, spins and a flip off the piano And Harrison channeled Elton John for his routine, thrilling with jumps, spins and a flip off the piano. But it was Michael & Jowita who were the stand-out performers on the night, blowing everyone away with their incredible routine inspired by the hit 80s film Dirty Dancing. Their thrilling routine was so good that their dance captain Oti was left in tears, with Cheryl running to comfort her. Time of their life: But it was Michael & Jowita who were the stand-out performers on the night, blowing everyone away with their incredible routine inspired by the hit 80s film Dirty Dancing Emotional: Their thrilling routine was so good that their dance captain Oti was left in tears, with Cheryl running to comfort her Matthew branded them 'stars' and said he thought they could win the show, while Cheryl called their performance 'absolutely breath-taking'. While Oti added: 'I think you are world class, the dream team... you are getting better each week, I'm so proud to be your dance captain, thank you.' And it appeared the audience agreed as they awarded them a whopping 96.5%. The Greatest Dancer final airs Saturday 7th March at 6.30pm on BBC One. Thrilled: Oti added: 'I think you are world class, the dream team... you are getting better each week, I'm so proud to be your dance captain, thank you' John and Corinne Upsher are not going to take the chance the coronavirus will leave them short of household essentials. The couple trundle out of a Flemington supermarket on Saturday morning with two shopping trolleys filled to the brim with canned vegetables, toilet paper, pasta and olive oil. Their second freezer is already chock-full of meat. John, 82, and Corinne, 78, Upsher have doubled up on some of their shopping in preparation for the arrival of coronavirus. Pictured here in Flemington. Credit:Picture: Jason South. A retired microbiologist, Mr Upsher said he and his wife were taking a pragmatic view of the potential pandemic. If Victorians are told to reduce exposure to other people, he said, the couple would now only have to leave home for the weekly fresh produce shop. Many people would regard "preppers" as paranoid but there are health experts who quietly urge people to sensibly stock up on food over the next few weeks and supermarkets report a lift in sales of non-perishable goods. An award ceremony that is considered as Frances equivalent to the Oscars prompted walkouts after Roman Polanski was named Best Director. The filmmaker was convicted of statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977, and the Cesar Awards made headlines earlier this year after nominating his latest film An Officer and a Spy 12 times. Polanski also faces other accusations of sexual assault, including the alleged rape of Valentine Monnier in 1975 when she was 18 years old. Following the announcement that he had won, actor Adele Haenel stood up and left the room, reportedly shouting the word shame as she did so. Celine Sciamma, who directed Haenel in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, followed suit alongside the ceremonys host, Florence Foresti, who refused to return to the stage after Polanski had won. 19 films that should never have won Oscars Show all 19 1 /19 19 films that should never have won Oscars 19 films that should never have won Oscars A Beautiful Mind (2001) A Beautiful Mind is one of the mustier Best Pictures winners of the century so far. While its win was a coup for DreamWorks the film was the studio's third victor in a row it was far from a deserving recipient, especially considering Ron Howard won Best Director over Robert Altman and David Lynch for Gosford Park and Mulholland Drive, respectively. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Chariots of Fire (1981) While Chariots of Fire is precisely the type of film the Academy usually takes under its wing, the fact it won was a big surprise, considering everybody present had expected Reds to win the top prize. The Warren Beatty film would have been a far worthier winner, too. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Cold Mountain (2003) Cold Mountain lucked out by being nominated in what was a particularly weak year for Best Supporting Actress. Renee Zellweger recovered from failing to win for Chicago the previous year and, in doing so, earnt the unremarkable drama its "Oscar-winning" tag. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Crash (2004) Viewers of the Oscars have grown used to unexpected victories, but none was more ill-judged than when Paul Haggis' drama Crash beat Brokeback Mountain to Best Picture. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Dances with Wolves (1990) It's quite soul-destroying to think that Dances with Wolves scooped a total of seven Oscars in the same year that Goodfellas was nominated. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars The Danish Girl (2015) Alicia Vikander's performance in The Danish Girl is by no means weak, but it was nothing on Rooney Mara's affecting turn in Todd Haynes' film Carol. Had Tom Hooper not won five years before for The King's Speech, it seems unlikely that the drama would have picked up any nominations. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars The English Patient (1996) Put simply, The English Patient isn't a very good film. Of the nine (nine!) Oscars it won, Juliette Binoche's trophy for Best Supporting Actress was perhaps the most surprising. The French star herself could barely contain her shock. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Gladiator (2000) This will most likely be this list's most controversial placement, but let's be honest: Gladiator is not the fantastic film it's regularly hailed as. Ridley Scott's overlong historical drama boasts plenty of swords-and-sandal bravado, but not much else. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Going My Way (1944) The musical Going My Way may have been the biggest cinematic hit of its year, but it certainly wasn't better that classic noir Double Indemnity, which it beat to win Best Picture. In fact, it's nowhere near director Leo McCarey's greatest film (he won six years previous for the Awful Truth and would be nominated again for The Bells of St Mary's two years later). Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Grand Hotel (1932) There's a reason why Grand Hotel is the only film to ever win Best Picture without receiving a nomination in any other category. An entertaining film, sure, but nothing more. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 19 films that should never have won Oscars The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) It's ironic that a film with the word "greatest" in its title has gone down as one of the worst winners in Oscars history. A prime example of when the Academy voted for spectacle over quality. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Green Book (2018) To those who don't care about awards ceremonies, Green Book is a crowdpleaser that boasts decent performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. To everyone else, it's the damp squib that somehow came out of nowhere to snatch Best Picture from under Roma's nose. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars The Imitation Game (2014) The Imitation Game won Best Adapted Screenplay, which begs the question: what the hell was this distinctly average film doing having any nominations at all? Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars The Iron Lady (2011) Meryl Streep has won enough Oscars for the world to know she's evidently one of the finest actors who'll ever live. Her win for The Iron Lady, though, was one Oscar too many. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Life is Beautiful (1998) The year of 1999 marked one of the most remarkable Oscar ceremonies in history for the sole reason that the majority of its winners were terrible choices. Right up there was Roberto Benigni, who beat Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan) and Edward Norton (American History X) to win Best Actor for, of all things, Life is Beautiful. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars The Pianist (2002) It might finally be accepted that disgraced film director Roman Polanski shouldn't be handed accolades, but back in 2003, this was still what the Oscars were doing. He won Best Director for The Pianist, an award the French-Polish filmmaker could have done without. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars A Place in the Sun A Place in the Sun is a fine little film, but fine little films shouldn't be winning Oscars especially when they see off competition from more deserving opposition. In this case, director George Stevens beat John Huston (The African Queen), William Wyler (Detective Story) and Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire) to the Director prize. Paramount Pictures 19 films that should never have won Oscars Shakespeare in Love You have to hand it to Shakespeare in Love, it played the Oscars campaign trail perfectly, overtaking war favourites Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line to win the evening's biggest prize. This doesn't mean its success has gone down as anything more than evidence of poor judgement from the Academy. Rex Features 19 films that should never have won Oscars Slumdog Millionaire It's often good to hold your hands up and admit that a film is nowhere near as good as you recall. Sadly, Slumdog Millionaire is one of those. While its win no doubt put smiles on the faces of commuters reading the morning papers the next day, the shine has worn off its success in recent years. The rightful winner The Dark Knight wasn't even nominated for Best Picture. Rex Features Foresti later posted a story to her Instagram account of a blank screen with the word disgusted. Ahead of the ceremony, protesters gathered outside the Parisian venue Salle Pleyel, with Frances culture minister, Franck Riester, saying it would be symbolically bad for Polanski to win Best Director. Polanski did not attend the event. The film controversially won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in September 2019. Last year, Haenel came forward with her own experience of alleged sexual misconduct, accusing director Christophe Ruggia of sexually harassing her between the ages of 12 and 15. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The coronavirus called Covid-19 has spread beyond its origin in Wuhan, China, and has arrived on U.S. shores. Im a law professor, not an epidemiologist, so my thoughts immediately turned to how the law would shape Americas collective response to a broader pandemic and what the governments power will mean for individual rights under the Constitution. Its a question that could soon become an urgent one I recently interviewed Marc Lipsitch, the brilliant epidemiologist who runs the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health, for my podcast. Lipsitch told me, very calmly, that based on past pandemics and current information, 40-70% of adults in the world are likely to catch the virus in the absence of strong countermeasures. Between one and two percent of those could die. Those are frightening numbers. A pandemic of this scale, and the efforts taken to contain it, would likely result in fierce debates over civil liberties as well as legal action. Theres already been one lawsuit, and there will probably be more. (After all, its the American Way.) In China, where the government isnt burdened by a constitutional tradition that protects civil liberties or an independent judiciary that engages in oversight of the executive branch, the government seems to have been able to order people to stay home and get them to listen. But would U.S. residents do the same? Weve already seen one court case about Covid-19 in California. When the federal government, working in conjunction with state public health officials, decided to quarantine Americans whod been infected with Covid-19 overseas in a disused mental health facility in Costa Mesa, California, local officials went to federal court to try to stop it. Think of it as the ultimate NIMBY suit. The relevant legal framework doesnt provide a very strong basis for the city to block the plan. Its a general principle of local government law that cities are creatures of the state government and subordinate to it. So long as the state of California says it is on board with the plan and agrees with the federal government, the city is basically certain to lose. The same would be true with any other cities or towns looking to defy state and federal officials. Story continues Thats in part because the president clearly has the power to declare a national health emergency and start ordering quarantines. This power comes from Congress, and is conferred on the president by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. As the name suggests, this is the same law that lets the president declare disaster relief emergencies. President Donald Trump invoked this power in late January, when he declared a public health emergency and ordered the quarantine of Americans returning from areas of China where Covid-19 had already spread. Quarantines can also be authorized by the surgeon general, who is specifically given that power by federal law. But that doesnt mean states have to obey. As law professor Michael Dorf pointed out in a constitutional overview of the issue he wrote in 2014, the federal government cannot officially commandeer state officials to follow its directives if they dont want to cooperate. If a state wanted to refuse to cooperate with the federal government, they could conceivably present a more convincing case than the Costa Mesa plaintiffs. Nevertheless, in the real world of an actual pandemic, it seems very probable that states will cooperate with the federal government and even put their public health and police officials under federal direction something theyre allowed to do. As for any individual people who might go to court to challenge a quarantine order, they would be almost sure to lose. The high point of government authority is in responding to an immediate threat to citizens life and limb. By definition, a quarantine limits the freedom of movement of people who are completely innocent of any wrongdoing to serve the overall good of avoiding more infections. Supreme Court doctrine directs that essentially all our individual liberties can be suspended if the government has a compelling interest to do so and if its measures are narrowly tailored to achieving that end. Slowing a pandemic is a textbook example of a compelling state interest; and quarantine is presumably the narrowest available method to do so in the middle of an outbreak. Where things could get more complicated is if the government directs much or all of the population in a given area to shelter in place including people who do not have the disease. If this were a mere advisory, individuals could violate it without being subject to legal sanctions. But that might not make people stay put, at least not in every case. What if the U.S. government, or state governments, issue shelter-in-place orders that last weeks at a time? That possibility is presumably one of the reasons that the government websites are already telling us to stockpile two weeks worth of food. Such orders arent exactly the same as quarantining the sick but they arent that different either, if they are aimed at preventing people from getting sick. If days or weeks pass and Covid-19 hasnt hit an area where people have been staying home, most would likely feel a powerful impulse to get out of the house and start moving around again. The question would then arise of what powers the government has to restrict our movements. If some noninfected people are arrested for leaving their homes, I would expect the courts to get involved again and the outcomes to be uncertain. To contact the author of this story: Noah Feldman at nfeldman7@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sarah Green Carmichael at sgreencarmic@bloomberg.net This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners. Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the podcast Deep Background. He is a professor of law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in northwest Syria "before the situation gets entirely out of control." Speaking after dozens of Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike, Guterres described the escalation as "one of the most alarming moments" of the war. "In all my contacts with those involved, I have had one simple message: step back from the edge of further escalation," he told reporters in New York. ( The month of February which got off to a shaky start especially after Budget 2020 and the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). On the domestic front, bears took control of D-Street weighed down by rising concerns of a slowdown in growth, and muted earnings growth for December quarter; while on the global front, rising concerns of coronavirus (COVID-19) ignited risk-off sentiment. The S&P BSE Sensex plunged 5.96 percent while the Nifty50 was down 6.21 percent in the month of February making it one of the worst monthly fall since September 2018, data showed. Nearly 400 companies out of the top 500 companies recorded negative returns in February in the S&P BSE 500 index but 25 of them bucked the trend as they rose 10-60 percent in the same period. Stocks which rallied in double digits at a time when Sensex broke below 39,000 and Nifty50 gave up 11,300 levels. These includes names such as Bajaj Electricals, Swan Energy, V-Mart, Suzlon Energy, Max Financial Services, Trent, Abbott India, and Shilpa Medicare among others. Only a handful of stocks in the S&P BSE Small-cap index gave positive returns in the month of February. The index plunged 6.5 percent in the month. Stocks that gave double-digit returns and bucked the trend include Deepak Nitrite, Bajaj Electricals, V-Mart, Metropolis Healthcare, La Opala, Eveready Industries, Navin Fluorine, and Unitech among others. Some of the small and mid-cap stocks bucked the trend when most of the investors or traders were running for cover. Sentiment on D-Street turned south especially in the past six trading sessions on fears that COVID-19 may turn out to be a bigger threat than what was forecasted, experts suggested. From risk-on sentiment, it quickly turned into a risk-off sentiment as benchmark indices closed lower by about 7 percent on a weekly basis. The market closed out one of the worst weeks in the last decade. "The large fall was in the backdrop of COVID-19 infections cropping up in Europe, the Americas and the World Health Organisations' (WHO) warnings of a global pandemic. This fear combined with the fact that markets had already run-up, has also triggered a 'risk-off' attitude amongst foreign institutional investors (FIIs) who have emerged as net sellers this month," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services told Moneycontrol. "This downtrend was not just limited to Indian markets, but was in sync with global markets as a whole, capping one of the worst weekly sessions for stock markets in recent years," he said. Where is the market headed? The COVID-19 overhang is likely to remain in the first week of March as well as worries of the disease becoming a pandemic from an epidemic is causing concern of global recession, said experts. The overall global equity markets will continue to have an eye on further development on COVID-19 where if we get any signs of relief then the market is due for a pullback. "It is difficult to predict the extent and impact of COVID-19, therefore, it is becoming a black swan event for the market and the market does not like uncertainty. Technically, Nifty has a sacrosanct support zone of 11,200-11,100 which coincides with the beginning point of corporate tax cut rally," Amit Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, TradingBells told Moneycontrol. "There is a good chance that the market may stabilise here and witness a pullback rally next week towards 200-DMA of 11,687 and above 200-DMA of 11,687, we can expect further upside where 11,900-12,000 area," he said. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Just as things are settling down in the national capital after days of communal violence, a group of people raised provocative slogans calling to gun down "traitors' at Delhi's Rajiv Chowk metro station today. In a widely-circulated video from the Rajiv Chowk metro station, a group, wearing white t-shirts and orange headgear, can be seen and heard chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro sa***n ko". "Goli Maaro" is spreading The hate slogan is so normalized that Sanghis were shouting it at Rajiv Chowk Metro station Hate begets Hate Violence begets Violence All Indians must take a stand now. Stop this descending spiral, else it will destroy India.pic.twitter.com/5rQ7KepjsP Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) February 29, 2020 The slogan has been used by miscreants and some leaders calling to identify and gun down "anti-nationals. The Delhi Police have arrested six people in connection with the incident. Few people seen raising incendiary slogan, calling to gun down traitors, at one of the busiest metro stations in Delhi. Rajiv Chowk metro station, a group, wearing white t-shirts and orange head gear, can be seen and heard chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro sa***n ko". Chetan Singh (@ChetanNature) February 29, 2020 While some commuters joined the CAA supporters in their sloganeering, others were quick to get their cameras out to make videos. Many at the station were seemingly taken aback by the spontaneity and the unusual choice of venue. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited or DMRC said the metro staff and the security personnel posted at the station "immediately handed them over to the Delhi Metro Rail Police for further necessary action". The incident took place at around 10:52 am, Delhi Metro officials said in their statement. Wikipedia Under Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002, any kind of demonstration or nuisance is prohibited in Delhi metro premises. Any passenger indulging in such an act is liable to be removed from the Metro premises, according to the Act. "On February 29, at about 10:25 hours, six youths were seen shouting slogans at Rajiv Chowk metro station, Delhi. They were immediately intercepted by CISF personnel & thereafter handed over to Delhi Metro Rail Police officials for further action. Metro Rail operation remained," the CISF said in a statement. A senior CISF official said the youths were raising pro-CAA slogans. ANKARA, TurkeyTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his countrys borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols throughout the night and into Saturday, with some cutting holes in the fence only to be turned back by tear gas and stun grenades. Greek authorities also fired tear gas to repulse attempts by the crowd to push through the border. The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was seen in Greece as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries. It comes as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey. We will not close the gates to refugees, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. The European Union has to keep its promises. If Erdogan really has opened the border, it would be a dramatic departure from Turkeys current policy. Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid. It has since protested that the EU has failed to honor the agreement. Erdogan was speaking for the first time since 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in northwest Syria on Thursday, the largest single loss of life for Turkish forces since their country became involved in Syria in 2016. The Turkish troop deaths led officials to declare Turkey would not impede refugees seeking to enter Europe. Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighboring Greece. On Saturday, small groups managed to get across into Greece clandestinely. The vast majority were from Afghanistan, and most were men, although there were also some families with young children. They took shelter during the night in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk toward northern Greece. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided, particularly at times of tension with European countries. Thursdays deaths were the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces. The development has raised the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. Syrian government forces have been on a weekslong offensive into Idlib province, the countrys last rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-controlled areas of Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaeda-linked militants. The Idlib offensive has pushed nearly 950,000 displaced civilians toward the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. We learnt the border was open and we headed there. But we saw it was closed, and we found a hole in the fence and went through it, said Ali Nikad, a 17-year-old Iranian who made it into Greece overnight with a group of friends. Nikad said he had spent two months in Turkey but couldnt make ends meet, and was hoping to find his uncle who was already in Greece. Many of those who made it across the land border were seen being arrested and driven away in white vans. A police officer told The Associated Press there was pressure along the 200-kilometer (125-mile) land border from migrants trying to force their way through overnight, and groups were being constantly repulsed. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the record. Others were making their way to Greek islands in dinghies from the nearby Turkish coast. Greece and Bulgaria increased security at their borders with Turkey. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened an emergency meeting of top cabinet, military, and coast guard officials Saturday morning on the issue. In Syria, Turkeys Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling, the latest fatality after the deadly airstrike that killed 33 earlier this week. The announcement late Friday also said Turkish forces hit Syrian government targets and a number of Syrian troops were neutralized. It remained unclear whether Syrian or Russian jets carried out the airstrike, but Russia denied its aircraft were responsible. Erdogan had given the Syrian government until the end of the month to pull back from areas captured in Idlib, threatening large-scale military action if they didnt. But any large scale Turkish military action risks more loss of life among Turkish soldiers. He had kept unusually silent since the 33 deaths. NATO envoys held emergency talks Friday at the request of Turkey, a NATO member. While urging deescalation in Idlib, NATO offered no further assistance. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone Friday and discussed implementing agreements in Idlib, the Kremlin said. Fahrettin Altun, Erdogans director of communications, said they had agreed to meet as soon as possible. Erdogan also spoke with other world leaders, including President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib. He warned that without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour, and as always, civilians are paying the gravest price. By Andrew Wilks and Costas Kantouris UPDATE: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school A Lake Oswego elementary school employee contracted Oregons first apparent case of coronavirus, causing the closure of the 430-student school as health officials try to figure out how many people may have been exposed. The employee lives in Washington County and is isolated at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro in what state health officials described Friday as another case of an unexplained transmission of the disease. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE The patient hadnt been under monitoring for coronavirus symptoms and doesnt appear to have traveled to any of the countries with outbreaks or have associated with anyone who did, Oregon Health Authority officials said. That means the person could have caught the disease from someone in the community. The state did not disclose the persons age, gender or condition, citing privacy reasons. Health officials didnt indicate how widespread any exposure might be but noted that the person first showed symptoms nine days ago. Our first concern is for this individual, to make sure theyre being cared for and is able to recover, said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. Our next priority is finding out who this individual had contact with and make sure they know about their risks. The person works at Forest Hills Elementary School, now closed through Wednesday for a deep cleaning, school district spokeswoman Mary Kay Larson said. The school has 25 teachers and serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. All activities are canceled districtwide through the weekend, according to an email sent to district staff. Health officials will talk to Forest Hills employees and let families know their children could have been exposed. Its not clear who had contact with the infected person and who may need to be educated on what symptoms to watch out for, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, a family physician and lead health officer for the tri-county region. She didnt say exactly how they would contact Forest Hills families and staff. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the states health officer, said no one is ready to jump to sweeping school closures yet, but those are tools in the toolbox if necessary. The reason were trying to identify who this person was in contact with is to try and draw a tight circle, he said. If we do notice a spread in the community, its certainly something we would consider on a case-by-case basis, he said. All schools in Lake Oswego except Forest Hills are expected to open Monday, district officials said. Coronavirus is most dangerous for old people and those with underlying conditions. The vast majority of cases are mild. The virus is thought to be spread from person to person when in close contact within about 6 feet through droplets emitted when a person coughs or sneezes. It may also be possible to catch the virus by touching a surface that has the virus and then touching the mouth, nose or eyes. The person who tested positive for coronavirus first had symptoms Feb. 19, the state health authority said in a statement. A sample was collected and sent to a laboratory Friday in Hillsboro, which used a test kit provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oregon officials need the CDC to confirm the results of the test, which Allen said should happen in a matter of days. In the meantime, he called the case presumptive. Gov. Kate Brown encouraged people to continue to go about their daily lives and wash their hands, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and stay home if sick. Brown said she learned of the case around 3 p.m. Friday, hours after she had announced that she had created a special group of state department heads to respond to any coronavirus cases in Oregon. State officials also said that another person is under investigation for a potential case of COVID-19, as the disease is called, because they developed symptoms while under monitoring. This person isnt connected to the presumptive case. Federal health officials have said that the spread of the epidemic across the United States is all but inevitable. Most of the more than 60 confirmed cases in the U.S. are tied to people who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan or people who otherwise traveled abroad. Although there are only a handful of confirmed cases that have no known origin, the CDC said the public should expect more. California has at least two possible cases of coronavirus linked neither to travel nor contact with sick people. If health officials dont know how someone became ill, that means there could be other sick people they dont know about. As of Feb. 25, Oregon was monitoring 76 people who had traveled to China within the prior 14 days. Oregon counties had already finished monitoring 178 people. Before now, the state said it had tested two Oregonians for coronavirus because they developed symptoms while under monitoring but were not infected. Oregons top health official told lawmakers Friday, before the announcement of the Oregon coronavirus case, that there is currently little risk to Oregonians of catching the virus. More than 80,000 people worldwide have been infected with the virus and about 3,000 have died most of them in China, where the epidemic started. There are at least 62 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S., with more presumptive cases announced Friday including two in Washington and one in California in addition to Oregons. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school Lake Oswego School District officials hold news conference Coronavirus in Oregon: Some are calm, some definitely not Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Jayati Ramakrishnan of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A people smuggler who tried to sneak in three Vietnamese nationals into the U.K. has been jailed for three years. Photo by Pixabay. A British court on Friday jailed for three years a people smuggler who tried to sneak in three Vietnamese nationals by cramming them into the roof box of his car. Pictures released by the U.K. interior ministry showed the three, including a 15-year-old girl, being helped out of the white container box strapped to the top of the mans black sedan. The interior ministry said the three were discovered last October by the U.K. Border Force during a routine check of Rooneys car in a British-control zone near the northern French port of Calais. Irishman Robert Rooney pleaded guilty to violating U.K. immigration law and was sentenced by the Canterbury Crown Court in Englands southeast. Britains immigration enforcement authority deputy chief Dave Fairclough said Rooney "went abroad on the pretense of going for a fishing trip and to meet his brother. "In fact his motive was much more sinister. This was a determined effort to go and meet with people smugglers based in Calais. He had an arrangement with them to collect the three clandestine migrants," he told the BBC. The incident occurred less than three weeks before 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a refrigerated trailer that was left abandoned near a warehouse east of London. Montana Brown is leaving the UK behind and moving to Los Angeles to kick start her acting career after being signed by a top agent. The Love Island star, 24, hopes to pursue her dream of becoming an actress by moving stateside following her 2017 appearance on the ITV2 dating show. According to her Instagram page Montana is currently spending time in LA at the Mammoth film festival, however it is unclear when she will move there for good. Bright lights: Montana Brown is leaving the UK behind and moving to Los Angeles to kick start her acting career after being signed by a top agent Speaking on the red carpet at the film event in California for new film Phobias, Montana said that she had signed to a major talent agency in city. She attended the premiere alongside the likes of actor Ed Westwick and producer Mickey Gooch, who she has been working closely with on her new career. He is a major player in LA and previously dated Hollywood star Rebel Wilson and they are still close friends and he was at Cannes film festival with her last year. At the festival, Montana kept it casual in a cream shearling jacket, paired with brown Gucci trousers, a black hooded jacket and Balenciaga trainers. Dreams: The Love Island star, 24, hopes to pursue her dream of becoming an actress by moving stateside following her 2017 appearance on the ITV2 dating show (pictured at the time) Exciting! Speaking on the red carpet at the Phobias film premiere in California, Montana said that she had signed to a major talent agency in city (pictured with Mickey Gooch and Mariano Di Vaio) Casual: At the festival, Montana kept it casual in a cream shearling jacket, paired with brown Gucci trousers, a black hooded jacket and Balenciaga trainers The news comes after Montana revealed she is terrified more Love Island stars will take their own lives as she admits all her friends from the show suffer with anxiety or depression. Montana was heartbroken when TV presenter Caroline Flack tragically passed away this month less than a year after they attended the funeral of friend Mike Thalassitis together. But Montana, who rose to fame on Love Island in 2017, says she fears Caroline's death won't be the last and she feels 'helpless' knowing that 'people are suffering' when all she wants are for her friends to be happy. Red carpet ready: He is a major player in LA and previously dated Hollywood star Rebel Wilson and they are still close friends and he was at Cannes film festival with her last year Pose! Montana, Mickey and their pals posed up a storm in front of the cameras 'Helpless': The news comes after Montana revealed she is terrified more Love Island stars will take their own lives as she admits all her friends from the show suffer with anxiety or depression (pictured discussing Mike's death on This Morning in 2019) In an emotional interview with MailOnline, stunned Montana said: 'Caroline was at Mike's funeral literally not even a year ago. She was so shocked by that and now look what's happened. It's heart-breaking. 'I just hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. But I don't think Caroline will be the last person to do this if I'm honest and that is what's really sad. 'For me, and I think I can speak for a lot of Love Islanders, you feel like "Oh my God, who else is unhappy?" I need to speak to everyone. You feel this pressure because you don't want your friends to be unhappy, what can I do? 'It's really sad': The reality star was heartbroken when Caroline Flack (pictured in 2018) tragically passed away this month less than a year after they attended the funeral of Mike Thalassitis together 'It's helplessness because you know people are suffering and that's a categorical fact. Every single person that I'm friends with from Love Island suffers from anxiety or depression or something to do with mental health. It's actually terrifying.' Montana does not blame ITV2 show Love Island for the sad loss of her friend Mike and former contestant Sophie Gradon, who took her life in 2018. She believes stars of the series struggle to cope with the onslaught of destructive social media trolls that message in their thousands to 'kill yourself' and 'throw acid in your face,' resulting in 'insane paranoia' for the person on the receiving end. Heartache: Mike and Caroline have been two of the show's tragedies (pictured after the series wrapped in 2017) 'It's terrifying': Montana fears Caroline's death won't be the last and she feels 'helpless' knowing that 'people are suffering' (Montana pictured with Mike in January 2019) 'I think it's not necessarily to do with the show there are really amazing positives that come out of the show it's more the social media side of things,' she said. 'People are so judgmental. You have to live your mistakes publicly every time you make a mistake. 'It's not just you and your friends and your parents but you're dealing with a barrage of trolls telling you to kill yourself and telling you you're worthless and no one likes you, that they're going to throw acid in your face and you're like what? 'You get insanely paranoid about things. It's heart-breaking.' Devastating: Caroline joined Montana and hundreds of other friends and family to pay their respects at Mike's funeral last March The threat of legal action is hanging over some of Britain's biggest housebuilders after the competition regulator vowed to crack down on toxic leasehold homes. A Competition and Markets Authority investigation found evidence that many families were 'misled' by firms selling leasehold homes on new estates. This meant that buyers were paying for the right to live in their property for a set period, instead of owning it outright. A Competition and Markets Authority investigation found evidence that many families were 'misled' by firms selling leasehold homes on new estates Crucially, it is alleged many did not realise this was what they were signing up to. In as many as 100,000 cases the terms of leasehold contracts contained such high fees, including costly ground rents, that it was virtually impossible to sell on the homes. The watchdog will order companies caught up in the scandal to compensate victims of any unfair business practices and sign legally binding agreements to change their policies. Any which don't will be threatened with court action. The CMA did not name any companies but a number of building groups that have been connected to the scandal were tracking lower. These included Taylor Wimpey (down 1.5 per cent, or 3.1p, to 202.2p), Persimmon (down 1.5 per cent, or 44p, to 2839p), Bellway (down 2.6 per cent, or 98p, to 3723p), and Barratt Developments (down 1.5 per cent, or 11.6p, to 757.2p). Stock Watch - Benchmark Holdings A fall in demand for fish food has widened losses at AIM-listed animal health specialist firm Benchmark Holdings. Revenues fell by more than a quarter to 11.4million in the first quarter to December 31 as its advanced nutrition business slumped. It also makes medicines, such as sea lice treatments, and is breeding disease-resistant shrimp. Yesterday, the companys shares were down by 11.1 per cent, or 4.25p, to 34p. Their losses came as London's two premier indexes once again closed in the red. The FTSE 100 was down 3.2 per cent, or 215.79 points, to 6580.61 by the close a fall of more than 11 per cent this week as fears spread about the impact coronavirus would have on the global economy. This wiped almost 207billion off the value of Britain's 100 biggest firms, including 54.2billion yesterday. The FTSE 250, which is swayed more by events at home than abroad, fell 2.3 per cent, or 452.53 points, to 19330.92, as Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the virus could weigh on UK growth within the next few months. Aston Martin Lagonda tumbled a further 5 per cent, or 17.8p, to 338p, to another record low, as the Geneva Motor Show was cancelled because of the virus. Aston, which put out dire annual results on Thursday, was due to relaunch its Vantage car at the event. And oil companies were pummelled as Brent crude flirted with going below the psychologically important $50 a barrel mark. The oil price was down more than 3 per cent at $50.50 shortly after UK markets closed. Royal Dutch Shell fell 4 per cent, or 68.8p, to 1663.6p, BP was down 4.4 per cent, or 18p, at 396.15p, and Premier Oil dipped 8.4 per cent, or 7.14p, to 77.64p. Amid the wider market turmoil, Premier Inn owner Whitbread failed to raise traders' interest after it bought 19 hotels in Germany for an undisclosed sum. The company, whose shares dropped 4.4 per cent, or 180p, to 3894p, is more exposed to the travel and tourism sector since it sold Costa Coffee to Coca-Cola for 3.9billion in 2018. Elsewhere, struggling Yorkshire potash miner Sirius Minerals plunged 11.3 per cent, or 0.57p, to 4.44p as the deadline closed for investors to submit their proxy votes in a crunch ballot next week. Shareholders are deciding whether to allow FTSE 100-listed mining group Anglo American down 3.2 per cent, or 59p, to 1791.8p to buy it for 5.5p a share, valuing it at 405million. Its stock closed 20 per cent lower than Anglo's offer. It comes after several key investors, including Jupiter Asset Management and hedge fund Odey Asset Management, have joined retail investors in agitating for a higher offer. Defence group Meggitt fell 2.5 per cent, or 13.6p, to 542p, despite clinching a 57million contract with US group Bell Textron to supply components for helicopters. President Donald Trump speaks as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health as Anthony Fauci (L), Vice President Mike Pence (2L), and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield (R) look on during a press conference on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak at the White House in Washington on Feb. 29, 2020. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP) US Expands Iran Travel Restrictions Due to Coronavirus Outbreak The United States has expanded travel restrictions on Iran to bar entry to foreign nationals who have recently visited the Middle Eastern nation, Vice President Mike Pence announced on Feb. 29. President Donald Trump also authorized the State Department to raise the advisory levels for certain areas in South Korea and Italy to Level 4, the highest level of travel risk assessment. The advisory calls on Americans to not travel to the two nations. Trump also said hes considering closing the U.S. border with Mexico to guard against the spread of the virus. Trump and Pence spoke at the White House on Feb. 29 shortly after news of the first coronavirus death in the United States was confirmed by officials in Washington state. The patient was a man in his 50s at high medical risk. Pence, who Trump assigned to lead the nations response to the virus, met with officials at the White House on Feb. 29 for more than two hours. Pence said officials presented Trump with a range of options. The vice president said the risk to Americans from coronavirus remains low, in part because the Trump administration took unprecedented action at the early stages of the outbreak, including imposing travel restrictions on China. We want to lower the amount of travel to and from the most impacted areas, said Alex Azar, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. This is a basic containment strategy. Trump cautioned the media and politicians to not incite a panic due to the outbreak. The outbreak of the new virus in Iran has been dramaticthe head of Irans task force to stop the illness, known as COVID-19, was seen coughing, sweating, and wheezing during televised interviews before acknowledging he was infected. Then, days later, a visibly pale official sat only feet away from President Hassan Rouhani and other top leaders before she too reportedly came down with the virus. On Feb. 28, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour again reported a spike in cases, saying there were now 388 confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran and 34 deaths. In brief remarks from Tehran, he cautioned the number of cases would likely jump again as Iran now has 15 laboratories testing samples. South Korea, the second hardest-hit country after China, reported 813 new cases Feb. 29the highest daily jump since confirming its first patient in late January and raising its total to 3,150. The United States has stockpiled 43 million medical masks, Pence said. Trump said he will meet March 2 with representatives of pharmaceutical companies to discuss the development of a vaccine. At least two companies are already working on a vaccine. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker addressing newsmen on Friday According to a report by Daily Trust, the Ogun state government has said that the whole facility of Larfarge Africa Plc, ement factory in Ewekoro, Ogun State has been quarantined following the confirmation of the first case of coronavirus in Nigeria. The government said the victim, an Italian who is a consultant to Larfarge Africa Plc, had visited the cement factory on Tuesday. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker who disclosed this on Friday while addressing journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, said the victim had developed fever and was treated at the clinic located in Lafarge facility before he was rushed to Lagos on Wednesday when the case grew worse. The Commissioner who was flanked by the Special Adviser Public Communication, Remmy Hazzan, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin and top officials from the Ministry of Health during the briefing, said a team of epidemiologists have commenced line listing to detect all contacts the victim made during his stay in the state. The Commissioner hinted that the victim made three contacts before his arrival in Ogun on Tuesday. Coker, however, said it would be premature to put number to the contacts he made in Ogun since the case was just confirmed on Friday. Coker vowed that every single contact with the victim would be identified. She said In the last 12 hours, the first case of COVID 19 (Coronavirus) has been identified in Nigeria and the individual visited Ogun State. The said individual is from Italy, a consultant to the Lafarge, Ewekoro factory. He arrived Nigeria on Monday, 24 of February at about 9:00pm. Before arriving in Ogun State, he had made contact with three people, spent the night in Lagos and arrived on Tuesday morning in Ogun State. He stayed at a guest house and at about 4-5pm on Wednesday, he developed body ache and fever. The staff clinic of Lafarge were very sensitive to the case. They responded speedily and contacted Lagos, they had a high index of suspicion and once they contacted Lagos, the protocol kicked in and the individual was transferred to Lagos in a closed ambulance according to protocol. He was transferred to the infectious disease centre in Yaba, Lagos where tests were conducted and a definite confirmation came out earlier this morning hence, the press release nationally and from Lagos. However, my colleague, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos contacted me very early this morning to alert us about the situation. My message to the people of Ogun State is, there is no cause for concern. The epidemiologists in Ogun State being supported by both Federal and Lagos governments are line listing every contact that this individual has had which means we are going to phone them, get in touch with them, quarantine them and monitor their temperature for two weeks. Also, Im urging us that individually we have to be responsible for our health. Every single one of us has to have good respiratory hygiene which means that if we have a cough or we have a cold, we have to cover our mouths with tussles or handkerchiefs and dispose them responsibly. Dont leave them on surfaces because the virus could still be in those things, use them and dispose them immediately, dont put them back in your pockets, she said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the world body is currently preparing a humanitarian mission to be sent to the Syrian province of Idlib, Sputnik reports. "There is a preparation of a humanitarian mission exactly for this purpose," Guterres said when asked whether the United Nations plans to send its representatives to Idlib. Greek police fired teargas to push back hundreds of stone-throwing migrants trying to cross over the border from Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Union's doorstep. Greece, which has tense relations with Turkey, accused Ankara of sending the migrants to the border post in an organised "onslaught" and said it would keep them out. The EU said it was actively supporting Greece - and its neighbour Bulgaria, which also shares a border with Turkey - in protecting the bloc's borders, but also sought to appease Ankara. The crisis is the first big policy test for Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was elected in July and promised a tougher stance on immigration. Turkey said on Thursday it would no longer contain hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers after an air strike on Idlib in neighboring Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers. Convoys of people appeared heading towards the land and sea borders of Greece, which was a primary gateway for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers into Europe in 2015 and 2016. "They (the migrants) didn't come here on their own. They are being sent away and being used by (our) neighbour, Turkey," Greek Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis told reporters. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas, referring to the build-up of migrants which started on Friday, said: "Greece yesterday faced an organised, mass and illegal attempt to violate its borders and it withstood this attempt." Turkey hit back at the Greek accusations. "Look who's lecturing us on international law! Theyre shamelessly throwing tear gas bombs on thousands of innocents piled at their gates," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted, along with pictures of hundreds sitting outside the Greek border post. "We don't have an obligation to stop people leaving our country but Greece has the duty to treat them as human beings!" The EU statement expressed condolences with Turkey over the deadly Idlib strike and said the bloc was ready to step up humanitarian support. "The EU is actively engaged to uphold the EU-Turkey (migration pact) and to support Greece and Bulgaria to protect the EU's external borders," said European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs the 27 national leaders of the bloc. 'Titanic Effort' Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday some 18,000 migrants had crossed from Turkey into Europe. Speaking in Istanbul, he did not provide evidence for the number but said it would rise. Bulgaria said it had seen no migrant inflows. A Reuters witness said there were about 500 people between the Greek and Turkish border posts, and beyond that on the Turkish side, at the Pazarkule border gate, hundreds more. Overnight, demonstrators hurled flaming pieces of wood at police, amateur footage filmed by a policeman on the scene, which was seen by Reuters, showed. Police fired teargas to keep people back. An estimated 3,000 people had gathered on the Turkish side of the border at Kastanies, a Greek government official said. Kastanies is just over 900 km (550 miles) north-east of Athens. "We are making a titanic effort to keep our borders closed to such migration flows," said Panagiotis Harelas, head of border guards in the area, showing empty tear gas canisters that were hurled from the Turkish side. They had Turkish writing on them. River Border Nearly 1 million refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to Greece's islands in 2015, but that route all but closed after the EU-Turkey pact in March 2016. Greece shares a long river border with Turkey, and is a known route for asylum seekers. Reuters video showed tens of people at a time climbing, and some throwing their bags over a three-metre (10-foot) fence covered with barbed wire along the Greek border in Turkey's western Edirne province. A group of Afghans with children waded across fast-moving waters of the Evros river and took refuge in a chapel. They crossed into Greece on Friday morning. "Today is good," Shir Agha, 30, said in broken English. Their shoes were caked in mud. Temperatures were close to freezing. Greece had already said it would tighten border controls to prevent coronavirus reaching its Aegean islands, where thousands of migrants are living in poor conditions. A Syrian man, who did not give his name, said they had been in the border area for two days. "We have no food, look at these kids," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: An entrance of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) head office on Yeouido, Seoul, is closed, Friday. The office was shut down after an employee was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. More than 800 employees were told by the company to work from home, with the office expected to be opened again next week. Yonhap CNN is in hot water with supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders after a host seemingly compared the front runner to the coronavirus that has killed just under 3,000 people across the globe. Michael Smerconish opened his Saturday morning segment of 'Smercornish' by comparing the Vermont senator to the global pandemic that has devastated financial markets across the world. As Smerconish opened his show, CNN's chryon asked: 'Can either Coronavirus or Bernie Sanders be stopped?' Michael Smerconish opened his Saturday morning segment of 'Smercornish' by comparing the Vermont senator to the global pandemic that has devastated financial markets across the world Many took to social media to slam Smerconish and CNN, noting that the network decided to get rid the chryon when sharing the host's segment on Twitter Smerconish spoke about the South Carolina primaries, Trump and the deadly virus as the chryon remained on the screen. Many took to social media to slam Smerconish and CNN, noting that the network decided to get rid the chryon when sharing the host's segment on Twitter. #FireSmerconish even started trending as various users demanded action be taken against the host. 'Here is @cnn's @smerconish casually linking Corona Virus and @BernieSanders in the same sentence. Unreal,' said journalist Jordan Chariton. 'Here is @cnn's @smerconish casually linking Corona Virus and @BernieSanders in the same sentence. Unreal,' said journalist Jordan Chariton The sentiment was shared by activist Tarek El-Messidi, who said: 'Shame on you @CNN and @smerconish for your lead story's headline, comparing @BernieSanders to the Coronavirus' Journalist Glenn Greenwald said: 'Seems very reasonable and not at all offensive to compare - one could even say "equate" - the first plausible Jewish candidate for the US Presidency to a fatal virus currently infecting much of the world' 'Donald Trump: Coronavirus is a hoax. CNN: US: *attends GOTV event to get away from CNN*,' shared People for Bernie The sentiment was shared by activist Tarek El-Messidi, who said: 'Shame on you @CNN and @smerconish for your lead story's headline, comparing @BernieSanders to the Coronavirus.' Journalist Glenn Greenwald said: 'Seems very reasonable and not at all offensive to compare - one could even say "equate" - the first plausible Jewish candidate for the US Presidency to a fatal virus currently infecting much of the world.' 'Donald Trump: Coronavirus is a hoax. CNN: US: *attends GOTV event to get away from CNN*,' shared People for Bernie. Last week MSNBC's Chris Matthews was in hot water for comparing the candidate's Nevada victory in the primaries to when Nazi Germany defeated France in WWII. Many slammed the controversial hosts for the offensive remarks, noting that Sanders lost family in the Holocaust. As many as 359 students were caught cheating in high school and intermediate exams in Uttar Pradesh while over 4 lakh students have left their Board examinations. "4,49,093 students have left high school and intermediate exams. 359 students were caught cheating in the exams," a statement from the Board of High School and Intermediate Uttar Pradesh said on Saturday. Earlier FIRs were registered against 133 people and schools were being identified by the Department of Secondary where the sanctity of the examination is being affected, said Principal Secretary, Secondary Education, Aradhana Shukla. In this regard, the action is being taken against 29 schools to withdraw their recognition for not conducting examinations peacefully. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Michelle Nichols (Reuters) Washington, United States Sat, February 29, 2020 10:47 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20675572b 2 World UN,UN-Secretary-General,Antonio-Guterres,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recommended that ministers and diplomats skip a meeting in New York next month of the Commission on the Status of Women due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. More than 7,000 people usually attend the annual meeting, officials said, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is due to be held from March 9 to 20. However, in a letter to UN member states from the chair of the commission, Armenias UN Ambassador Mher Margaryan said Guterres had recommended that member states "shorten and scale down the session" and cancel dozens of side events. "He also strongly recommended that capital-based representatives refrain from traveling to headquarters for the session," Margaryan wrote. The bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women proposed that member states agree to Guterres recommendations at a meeting on Monday. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres made the recommendations given the "fast-evolving situation" with the coronavirus and the need to "balance the UNs critical work and public health concerns. "The advice given by the secretary-general is based on inputs from the Senior Emergency Policy Team and very close consultations between the UN Medical Services and the World Health Organization, Dujarric said. The flu-like virus that emerged from central China late last year has spread to about 60 countries, infected more than 85,000 people and killed almost 3,000, mostly in China. Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Bamako, the Malian capital, will from March 9-13 host the 15th meeting of lawyers of French-speaking Africa on the themes: 'Techniques of drafting investment contracts' and 'The practice of mediation by the notary', PANA learned on Saturday from the organizers Comedy courtesy of Marc Maron, the return of Better Call Saul and Ozark, a new fashion series, true-crime documentary series, and a brand new fantasy series - March is strong for streaming... Better Call Saul: Season 5, Netflix Expand Close Heading for the darkside: Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Heading for the darkside: Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul The first episode landed on Netflix on Monday and, as usual, you will have to wait a full week for each delicious new instalment. It has taken five seasons but Jimmy finally changes his name to Saul Goodman and embarks down that fateful path to the dark side. The move initially garners him a new batch of clients while the long-suffering Kim wrestles with a moral dilemma. Read More MARCH 6 Ugly Delicious: Season 2, Netflix Chef David Chang returns for a second series of this hugely engaging foodie travel show which sees him travelling the world with an eclectic bunch of chefs, activists and artists. Among the guests this season are Aziz Ansari and Padma Lakshmi, Danny McBride and Bill Simmons. MARCH 8 The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway, Sky Crime/NOW TV Expand Close The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway Video of the Day This new six part true crime series charts the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway on a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005. Her body has never been found and this documentary series follows her father Dave and a private investigator as they tirelessly work to piece together the truth. MARCH 10 Mrs Fletcher, Sky Comedy/NOW TV A hit for HBO, Mrs Fletcher stars the wonderful Kathryn Hahn as the mother of a college freshman son, Brendan (Jackson White). As he heads off for this next chapter in his life both he and his mother embrace their newfound freedom in several ways - including via watching porn - with mixed results. Marc Maron: End Times Fun, Netflix A welcome new stand-up special from comedian Marc Maron who is best known as the man behind the WTF with Marc Maron podcast and, since 2017, a cast member of Netflix hit Glow. It comes a long seven years after his last Netflix special, Thinky Pain. MARCH 11 Dirty Money: Season 2, Netflix Alex Gibney's critically lauded documentary about corruption and scandal in the world of business returns for a second series, this time delving into Jared Kusher's property empire, the Wells Fargo banking scandal and Malaysia's 1MDB corruption case. MARCH 12 Breeders, Sky One/NOW TV Expand Close Martin Freeman in Breeders / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Martin Freeman in Breeders Sky's new series about the trials and tribulations of parenting stars Martin Freeman as a dad of two who, alongside his wife Ally (Daisy Haggard), is struggling with the trials and tribulations of parenthood. The opening episode sees him battling frustration and anger as his kids 'refuse to go the f*** to sleep'. We've all been there. MARCH 13 Lost Girls, Netflix Inspired by real events, this Netflix flick charts Mari Gilbert's (Amy Ryan) quest to find her missing daughter Shannan who disappeared in a gated Long Island community, and the wave of unsolved murders of sex workers she uncovers in the process. From Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus and also starring Gabriel Byrne. The Lion King, Sky Cinema Premiere/NOW TV Jon Favreau directs this visually stunning live action/CGI adaptation of the Disney classic with voices by Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, Beyonce, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogan and Chiwetel Ejiofor. MARCH 16 Westworld season 3 Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and Black Swan's Vincent Cassel join the cast for the highly-anticipated third series where they will join Dolores and Bernard outside of the park. The series will be aired in Ireland on the same day as the US and streams from March 16 on NOW TV.. MARCH 20 The Letter for the King, Netflix Another month, another fantasy epic. Based on the 60s novel of the same name by Dutch author Tonke Dragt, the six-part series charts the journey of a teenage knight-in-training (Amir Wilson) as he strives to deliver a secret letter to the king before the world is plunged into darkness. Feel Good Mae Martin stars as herself, a Canadian comedian living in London, in this 'semi-autobiographical' tale which sees her navigating a new relationship while recovering from addiction and trying to get her career off the ground. Blow the Man Down, Amazon Prime Written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, this Amazon original stars Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe as sisters who are grieving the loss of their mother when they have a somewhat gruesome run in with a dangerous man. In an effort to hide their crime they're forced to tread deeper into the underbelly of the Maine fishing village in which they live. Also starring June Squibb and Margo Martindale. MARCH 25 Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, Netflix Documentary revealing how Jened, a camp "for the handicapped" in the Catskills in the early 1970s, provided something of a Utopia for teenagers with disabilities at a time when their lives were marked by isolation, discrimination and institutionalisation. From Jened they moved to Berkley, California where they fought for their rights and ignited change. Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. MARCH 26 Unorthodox, Netflix A new Netflix original four-part mini-series about a young woman (Shira Haas) who flees to Berlin from an arranged marriage in New York. It is inspired by Deborah Feldman's best-selling memoir and also stars Jeff Wilbusch and Amit Rahav. Directed by Maria Schrader. MARCH 27 Ozark: Season 3, Netflix Expand Close Ozark / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ozark Having landed two Emmys for its last run (Julia Garner won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series while Jason Bateman earned Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series), Ozark is back for a third season of an expected five. Bateman directs the first two episodes which are expected to pick up where the second season left off - on Marty's big casino boat where he's laundering cash for the Mexican drug cartel. Making The Cut, Amazon Prime Fashion fans will rejoice as Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn reunite for a new series, which goes one further than Bravo's Project Runway by making limited editions of each week's winning design available to buy on the Amazon 'Making the Cut' store. The series will run for ten episodes (two new episodes will land each week) and will pit entrepreneurs and designers against each other ahead of the finale on April 24. The winner will receive $1m to invest in their brand (and a create a line available on, you've guessed it, Amazon). Among the judges will be Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Joseph Altuzarra, Carine Roitfeld and Chiara Ferragni. A transfer order of 31 Mumbai police officers that was issued by outgoing commissioner Sanjay Barve on February 27 was stayed on Saturday, the day he retired. Joint commissioner of police (administration) Naval Bajaj put on hold his former bosss order and a wireless message was circulated across all units of the force, asking them to not relieve the officers for new postings. Hindustan Times has a copy of the order issued by Bajaj on Saturday. Mumbai Police officials, on condition of anonymity, said Bajaj had issued the order after consulting the new police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who took charge on Saturday. The 31 officers included four assistant commissioner-rank officers and seven senior police inspectors. Mumbai Police officials, who did not wish to be named, said many of these officers, who were to be transferred, were unhappy about Barves way of functioning. During his year-long tenure, he abruptly suspended and transferred many police officers, said the official. Last year, Barve had come down heavily on the economic offences wing (EOW) officers and had transferred those close to the departments chief to side branches. Barve had also courted controversy by issuing show-cause notices to a dozen police officers who had shown interest in moving to the states Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and had written to director general of police (DGP) Subodh Jaisawal. Barve had claimed that by approaching the DGP directly, these officers had bypassed him and violated protocol. When Hindustan Times contacted Bajaj, he refused to comment. Barve, too, did not respond to queries. Les parlementaires seront de retour a lAssemblee Nationale pour la 8e seance de lannee 2020 avec la motion de Tania Diolle sur le Discours-Programme 2020-2024. 2. Papers 3. Motion The Honourable Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity That all the business on todays Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of paragraph (2) of Standing Order 10. 4. Statements by Ministers 5. Motion The Honourable Fourth Member for Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes (Mrs M. A. T. Diolle) That an Address be presented to the President of the Republic of Mauritius in the following terms We, the Members of the Mauritius National Assembly, here assembled, beg leave to offer our thanks to the President of the Republic of Mauritius for the Presentation of the Government Programme 2020-2024 on the occasion of the Opening of the First Session of the Seventh National Assembly. (Resumption of Debate) Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Ecuador has confirmed the first case of a fast-spreading new coronavirus in the Andean country, its health minister said on Saturday, Reuters reports. The patient is an elderly female Ecuadorean residing in Spain, Catalina Andramuno, the health minister, told reporters. The patient arrived in Ecuador on Feb. 14 on a direct flight from Madrid without showing any symptoms, but soon felt ill and went to a hospital where she was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Oregon reported its first coronavirus case on Friday. Heres the latest news: Coronavirus in Oregon: A Lake Oswego elementary school employee contracted Oregons first apparent case of coronavirus, causing the closure of the 430-student school as health officials try to figure out how many people may have been exposed. Parents, read this: Kids in the Portland metro area who feel sick should stay home until theyve been well for at least 24 hours, the regions top health official said Friday after Oregon announced its first presumptive case of the new coronavirus. Closures and cancellations: News of the diagnosis spread quickly across the metro area, canceling numerous activities for school-age children in its wake. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Coronavirus in Washington state: Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, a woman who had recently traveled to South Korea and a high school student whose school will be closed and sanitized. Explaining it to kids: Need to talk to kids about coronavirus? Heres a handy comic packed with a lot of good information. (Wouldnt be a bad idea for adults to read it, too.) Were ready: The new coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the world, and federal officials said this week the disease is bound to proliferate in the United States, as well. Oregon officials say theyre ready. Wash. Your. Hands: Washing your hands sounds easy enough. But chances are you may not be doing it properly. Here are the CDCs recommended five steps for properly washing your hands. Virus spreads to Mexico: Mexico now has two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus. Officials said neither patient is seriously ill; one is in isolation at a hospital, the other is isolated at a hotel. Both men had traveled to the northern Italian region where there has been an outbreak and had returned to Mexico between last Friday and Saturday. Take precautions: With words like quarantine, outbreak and isolation being thrown around, its important to educate yourself about the virus and how it could impact you emotionally, physically and financially. Heres what you need to know and do. Testing is ramping up: Federal health officials said Friday theyre scrambling to get coronavirus testing up and running in every state, as President Donald Trumps chief economic adviser urged Americans not to overreact to plunging financial markets. Now in Nigeria: Nigerian authorities on Friday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa as the outbreak spread to a region with some of the worlds weakest health systems. Virus infects economy: The coronavirus outbreaks impact on the world economy grew more alarming on Saturday, after President Donald Trump denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a hoax" cooked up by his political enemies. -- The Oregonian/OregonLive London, Feb 29 : Late UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had named some of her outfits after other world leaders, including Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former US President Ronald Reagan, newly released documents have revealed. The incident is detailed in the latest release from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, which is overseeing the gradual publication of the former leader's private files, the BBC said in a report on Saturday. Files have revealed that Thatcher, the UK's first female Prime Minister, named more outfits after Gorbachev, the eighth and last leader of the erstwhile Soviet Union, than any other leader, followed by Reagan. An entry from her private diary records that she wore her "Pink Chanel Gorbachev" during a visit to the Granada Television Studios in Manchester in January 1990. Eight months before, she had worn the same dress when she hosted Gorbachev in London. Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, said that "only certain men" received the accolade of having an outfit named after them. He noted, for example, that Thatcher chose to name a dress she wore when she met French President Francois Mitterrand after Waddesdon Manor, the Buckingham country house where the meeting took place. When she met President George H.W. Bush in 1990, she was recorded as wearing her "Black Dull Suit". The former Prime Minister's christening of her wardrobe was not limited to foreign leaders she admired, the BBC report said. BBC broadcaster Terry Wogan, who interviewed Thatcher in January 1990, had several outfits named after him including a "Wogan Long" and a "Wogan Short". Another entry from 1990 details that she wore her "Wogan Burgundy" to the Bank of England. Washingtons agreement with the Taliban (the organization banned in Russia) in the framework of which the US is significantly reducing its contingent in Afghanistan, is a part of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, the head of the international committee of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said. The United States and the Afghan radical movement have signed a peace agreement in Qatar, and if that helps to solve many of Afghanistans problems, we will be happy, the senator added. China has slaughtered thousands of its citizens to harvest organs such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, eyes and even skin for sale and to transplant into sick patients in hundreds of hospitals across the country. A landmark international investigation, published in full today, will accuse the Beijing government of covering up crimes against humanity that have been routinely carried out against religious minorities. The inquiry says the organised butchery of living people to sell body parts can be compared to the worst atrocities committed in conflicts of the 20th Century such as the Nazi gassing of Jews and Khmer Rouge massacres in Cambodia. Witnesses spoke of forced organ harvesting going back decades. One former medical intern told the tribunal of a soldier who was tied up and shot but not killed, so that his kidney and eyeballs could be extracted while he was alive [File photo] Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, a prominent war crimes prosecutor who led the probe, told The Mail on Sunday that there was such clear evidence of systemic and widespread organ harvesting that international bodies should investigate if China is guilty of genocide. There is a systematic programme to kill people. They have willing doctors, an enormous medical infrastructure, and it is by all accounts a very lucrative business, he said. Our Government should accept it is going on and take appropriate action. If you had clear evidence of crimes against humanity being committed closer to home in Europe, not only would the Government act but the public would demand they act. It should not matter this is on the other side of the world. Beijing has admitted after first denying regular use of executed prisoners for organ donation but strongly rejects allegations that it targets followers of Falun Gong, a banned spiritual group branded an evil cult by Communist Party chiefs. The Chinese government insists it has instigated a voluntary system of organ donation since 2015 but this claim is undermined by substantial evidence gathered by the inquiry and analysis of unbelievable official data by medical experts. Among those who spoke to the inquiry was Enver Tohti, a former Chinese doctor who is now an Uber driver in London after fleeing here in 1999. He told The Mail on Sunday that he was an oncologist in a hospital for railway workers when his chief surgeon asked if he would like to see something wild, ordering him to prepare a surgical team and instruments for the following day An article in a Chinese medical journal even discusses the need to anaesthetise a donor in a heart-lung transplant operation, a procedure that would obviously lead to their death. There are growing fears that Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang who are being rounded up in vast numbers and imprisoned in re-education camps are also being used for supply of body parts after evidence that many have been forced to undergo medical tests. Signs were also spotted recently at airports in western China home to Uighur and other Muslim minority groups being terrorised by the state for special passengers directed through a human organ transport channel. One was written in English as well as Chinese, which indicates it was to guide foreign visitors. Investigations into transplant tourism by a Japanese journalist uncovered prices of $200,000 (156,000) for a kidney and $300,000 (234,000) for a liver in 2013. The China Tribunal was set up to focus attention on horrors taking place in the hospitals of the worlds most populous nation. It believes they have carried out up to 90,000 organ transplant operations a year far more than any other country. The British Government, like most other Western nations and international bodies, claims there is insufficient evidence to back claims of systematic organ harvesting. Yet one article published last year in a respected journal of medical ethics recorded that Chinese officials had admitted that only 130 of the 120,000 organ transplants between 1977 and 2009 came from voluntary donors. The China Tribunal was initiated by the International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse in China, a group of academics, doctors, ethicists and lawyers. Panel members included Professor Martin Elliott, former medical director of Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Prof Arthur Waldron, a leading US historian and Asia expert. Its 556-page judgment admits it is difficult to get evidence but concludes very many people have died indescribably hideous deaths due to extreme wickedness that beyond reasonable doubt constitute crimes against humanity. Witnesses spoke of forced organ harvesting going back decades. One former medical intern told the tribunal of a soldier who was tied up and shot but not killed, so that his kidney and eyeballs could be extracted while he was alive. The report highlights evidence from Wang Gouqi, a burns specialist, who told a US congressional committee in 2001 that he removed skin and corneas from 100 executed prisoners and some victims of intentionally botched executions. Gouqi said he learned the skills in a Beijing army hospital. When the corpses of executed prisoners arrived in the autopsy room, doctors rushed to strip off the skin since it could generate significant income, charged by the square centimetre. The report contains transcripts of taped conversations from investigators with a campaign group that called 80 different hospitals. Fifteen said they used Falun Gong donors and 14 more admitted using live organs. Demonstrators are pictured above in New York Among those who spoke to the inquiry was Enver Tohti, a former Chinese doctor who is now an Uber driver in London after fleeing here in 1999. He told The Mail on Sunday that he was an oncologist in a hospital for railway workers when his chief surgeon asked if he would like to see something wild, ordering him to prepare a surgical team and instruments for the following day. The next morning, they drove to execution grounds on the fringe of Urumqi, where his boss told him to wait for gunshots. After hearing gunfire, they drove as instructed around a hillock where they saw about ten dead prisoners on the ground. They had been shot in the head so their foreheads were blown away. But there was one civilian in his 30s with hair, not a shaved head, who had been shot in the chest. I was told to remove his liver and two kidneys. I assumed he was still alive because when I cut into him, blood came out so his heart must have been pumping. The body also reacted when I sliced in. We had been taught that eliminating enemies of the state was our duty, so if he was sentenced to death he was an enemy of our state. But now I feel that I killed someone. That man died because of my actions when I removed his organs. Mr Tohti also said he examined three Uighur teenage boys who had gone missing, then returned with big U-shaped surgical scars consistent with kidney removal. Scans confirmed each had lost a kidney. Most of the atrocities have been carried out on Falun Gong followers. Communist Party leaders launched a campaign in 1999 to eradicate the sect, a form of Buddhist meditation that attracted tens of millions of members. They often exercise their bodies, so their bodies are very good, one prison doctor told a jailed Falun Gong follower, adding that if he crossed the Communist Party, your heart, liver, spleen and lungs will be taken. Fiona Bruce MP, chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, said she would seek a meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab following the China Tribunals judgment Another who gave evidence to the inquiry was Yin Liping, 51. She said she was sent three times to forced labour camps before escaping China in 2013. She was frequently tortured, imprisoned in solitary confinement and subjected to regular death threats as a Falun Gong member. While held in a camp in Liaoning province, she was taken to a hospital where guards held her down as blood was extracted, before she was dragged off for ultrasound and brain activity tests. I was very scared, she said. Another witness, a medical engineer jailed in 2016, said that after a few months in prison he was taken by guards to its hospital. I was forced to put my arm through a hole in a window. The nurse then wrapped a rubber band around my arm and put a needle into my vein and took two glass tubes of blood. He said only Falun Gong followers were given blood tests. I was very afraid that I would be killed for my organs. I lived in fear that I would be killed until my release. The inquiry heard similar stories from Uighurs. One woman said she was hooded, stripped and forced to have medical tests, then taken to a hospital for examination. Many women were taken from cells and they did not come back, she said. Omir Bekali, a Uighur arrested in March 2017, told of having blood tests followed by organ scans while hooded and handcuffed. When I heard them speaking about my examination, I was terrified they might open me alive to remove some of my organs to sell them. It was a very traumatic experience, he said. Another witness forced to undergo similar tests in detention claimed the families of executed Uighurs were banned from seeing bodies or cleaning corpses, in keeping with their burial customs. He suspected this was due to removal of their organs. The Mail on Sunday has seen footage reportedly shot in a Xinjiang hospital last summer showing huge numbers crammed inside and long queues outside. A Uighur activist said it followed a sinister order for everyone in one city to undergo medical tests. He claimed that organs harvested from the countrys Muslim minorities were viewed as halal because they were removed from people who had avoided pork and alcohol. Saudi Arabian transplant doctors have admitted some patients buy organs on the Chinese market. The report contains transcripts of taped conversations from investigators with a campaign group that called 80 different hospitals. Fifteen said they used Falun Gong donors and 14 more admitted using live organs. Zhu Jiaxin, head of a security agency in Mudanjiang, was recorded boasting in June 2016 about his role in organ harvesting: After slaughtering and opening up the belly, you just carve out the organs and sell them. He brags that his nickname is The Butcher, saying: It is nothing just like slaughtering pigs. The tribunal details extensive torture, including rape and sexual abuse. Several witnesses mention the Tiger Chair, which locks a prisoner by the arms and legs before a helmet is placed on their head to deliver powerful electric shocks. Its judgment concludes with certainty that Christians and Tibetan Buddhists have been jailed and tortured in similar ways but finds insufficient evidence that they have been killed for their organs. One damning finding is the availability of organ transplants on demand a stark contrast to Western nations such as Britain, where sick patients can wait for years before a suitable body part becomes available. There are growing fears that Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang who are being rounded up in vast numbers and imprisoned in re-education camps are also being used for supply of body parts after evidence that many have been forced to undergo medical tests Jacob Lavee, one of Israels top heart transplant surgeons, told me that in 2005 he learned a patient was travelling to China for a new heart the first such case he had come across. The operation was fixed for two weeks ahead yet this organ must be moved within four hours of a donors death for successful transplant. The only way this could happen was if someone was being executed, he said. After seeing several more patients following suit, he and other doctors persuaded the Israeli parliament to ban the purchase, funding and sale of organs. More than 40 British MPs backed a motion for a similar measure. Last year, Prof Lavee and two fellow experts published a paper in a medical journal that concluded China was engaged in systematic falsification of official data, which shows transplant cases more than doubling over the past five years. They found contradictory and implausible figures that included mis-classification of non-voluntary donors as voluntary along with willing donations incentivised by large cash payments. Prof Lavee has no doubt the majority of the 712 transplant hospitals in China used organs from unethical sources such as prisoners held on religious grounds. He said: Chinese physicians are not only involved in mass murder and crimes against humanity but the international community and World Health Organisation for some reason shut their eyes against these crimes. Fiona Bruce MP, chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, said she would seek a meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab following the China Tribunals judgment. This is a deeply concerning issue that merits more serious scrutiny by our Government and the international community, she said. The cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined for over two weeks resulting in more coronavirus infected passengers than if they would have disembarked immediately, revealed a study conducted at Umea University in Sweden. "The infection rate onboard the vessel was about four times higher than what can be seen on land in the worst infected areas of China. A probable cause is how close people stay to one another onboard a vessel," says Joacim Rocklov, Professor of epidemiology at Umea University and principal author of the article. After a person travelling on the cruise ship Diamond Princess disembarked in Hong Kong and was tested positive for the coronavirus, Japanese authorities decided to disallow the 3,700 passengers on board to leave the ship when it reached Yokohama. The ship was hence put in quarantine until 19 February. Passengers who showed signs of illness were separated from other passengers on board. When the quarantine in Yokohama was removed and passengers could finally disembark, a total of 619 passengers had been infected by the coronavirus. "If the ship had been immediately evacuated upon arrival in Yokohama, and the passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus and potential others in the risk zone had been taken care of, the scenario would have looked quite different. Our calculations show that only around 70 passengers would have been infected. A number that greatly falls short of the over 600 passengers the quarantine resulted in. The precautionary measure of putting the entire ship under quarantine was understandable, but due to the high risk of transmission on the ship, the decision is now questionable," says Joacim Rocklov. At the same time, the study also shows that if the precautionary measures of isolating potential carriers had not been carried out on board, another 2,300 people would have been infected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Newser) A federal appeals court decided Friday that House Democrats can't force former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before them. The panel's 2-1 vote provides President Trump a victory in his effort to keep top advisers from testifying before Congress, as he did during the impeachment hearings, Politico reports. Justice Department lawyers had said the Constitution is clear that the courts have no place in disagreements between the other two branches of government. "We agree and dismiss this case," the court wrote. A lower court had upheld a House Judiciary Committee subpoena in November, per the Washington Post. In that case, a district judge had disagreed with White House lawyers who argued that McGahn and other top presidential aides are "absolutely immune from compelled congressional testimony." story continues below "The Committees suit asks us to settle a dispute that we have no authority to resolve," the opinion issued Friday said. The dissenting judge said the ruling could make it possible for presidents to block attempts at oversight at will, per ABC. "The court removes any incentive for the Executive Branch to engage in the negotiation process seeking accommodation, all but assures future Presidential stonewalling of Congress, and further impairs the Houses ability to perform its constitutional duties," the judge wrote. (Read more Don McGahn stories.) STAMFORD A Greenwich businessman and city yacht club member turned himself in Thursday night after he became aware that police had an arrest warrant in his name for making an unwanted advance by allegedly feeling the breasts of a club bartender in November, police said. Kenneth Thron, 68, of Cognewaugh Road, was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and released after posting a $25,000 court appearance bond. Ken is obviously concerned about the charge and being prosecuted under these circumstances, said Throns defense attorney Philip Russell. He fully cooperated with the police investigation and will abide by any outcome. Hes built a solid reputation in this community over many years. According to a five-page arrest affidavit, on Dec. 11 the club employee, whos name was withheld by police to protect her identity, filed a complaint saying she was assaulted by Thron on the night of Nov. 25. The woman said she was working as a waitress and bartender at the Ponus Yacht Club when the incident took place. When police contacted the club located on Bateman Way, the club manager told them that the club already was conducting its own investigation and that there was video of the incident. Police said the video shows the woman getting cornered in the rest room hallway by Thron. The suspects hands go up toward the victims torso, and the victim starts to try to physically evade the suspect. As the suspect turns to his right it can be seen that his right hand is in the area of the victims breasts, says the affidavit written by Sgt. Sean Boeger. From the perspective of the cameras view it is not clear whether the suspects hands are in direct contact with the womans breasts, the affidavit adds. The woman told police that on that night she was locking the clubs banquet room when Thron came up behind her and put both hands on her breasts when she turned around to face him. The woman told police Thron told her he wanted to have sex with her, police said. She told him to get his hands off of her and pushed him away ending the assault, the affidavit states. When Thron made a voluntary statement to investigators at police headquarters he denied touching the womans breasts, and said the video showed him trying to hug the woman in an effort to comfort her regarding recent personal troubles she had confided in him, police said. Boeger, however, wrote that the video did not square with Throns explanation. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com The Taliban governed Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, imposing strict Islamic sharia law before being ousted and launching an insurgency. Here is some background on the movement: The Taliban originated among young Afghans who studied in Sunni Islamic schools called madrassas in Pakistan after fleeing Afghanistan during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. They take their name from talib, the Arabic word for student. In the early 1990s, with Afghanistan in the chaos and corruption of civil war, the Taliban was formed in the southern province of Kandahar under the leadership of one-eyed warrior-cleric Mullah Omar. Omar, who led them until his death in 2013, was from a stronghold of the powerful Pashtun ethnic group from which come most Taliban fighters. Haibatullah Akhundzada is now the top leader, while Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar heads the political wing. Promising to restore order and justice, the Taliban rose dramatically. They drew substantial support from Pakistan and initially had the tacit approval of the United States. In October 1994, they seized the city of Kandahar, almost without a fight. Equipped with tanks, heavy weapons and the cash to buy the support of local commanders, they steadily moved north, before capturing the capital Kabul on September 27, 1996. President Burhanuddin Rabbani had already fled. Taliban fighters dragged former communist president Mohammed Najibullah from a United Nations office where he had been sheltering and hanged him in a public street after torturing him. The Taliban government imposed the strictest interpretations of sharia, or Islamic laws, establishing religious police for the suppression of "vice". Music, television and pastimes such as kite-flying were banned. Girls' schools were closed, while women were prevented from working and forced to wear an all-covering burkha in public. Taliban courts handed out extreme punishments including chopping off the hands of thieves and stoning to death women accused of adultery. By 1998, they had control of 80 percent of the country, but were only recognised as the legal government by Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In March 2001 they blew up 1,500-year-old giant statues of the Buddha in the central Bamiyan valley. Mullah Omar was based mostly in Kandahar where he lived in a house reportedly built for him by Osama bin Laden. The Taliban allowed Afghanistan to become a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda, which set up training camps. The September 11, 2001 attacks that killed 3,000 people in the US were immediately blamed on Al-Qaeda. Accusing the Taliban of refusing to hand over Bin Laden, the US and allies launched air strikes on Afghanistan in October. By early December the Taliban government had fallen, its leaders fleeing to their strongholds in the south and east, or back across the border into Pakistan's tribal zone. At first written off as a spent force, the Taliban rebuilt and re-emerged to lead an insurgency against the new Western-backed government. Making heavy use of improvised bombings and suicide attacks, they labelled as "crusaders" the tens of thousands of foreign troops who deployed into the country as part of a US-dominated NATO force. The NATO combat mission ended in December 2014 and the bulk of Western forces withdrew. In July 2015 Pakistan hosted the first direct talks between Afghan and Taliban leaders, with support from China and the US, but they collapsed after Mullah Omar's death was revealed. The rival Islamic State jihadist group emerged in Afghanistan in 2015, launching its own series of devastating attacks, mainly on Kabul. A UN tally found that 2018 was the deadliest year on record for Afghans, with at least 3,804 civilian deaths -- including 927 children. Direct talks between the US and the Taliban started that same year, with the effort led by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, a previous ambassador to Afghanistan. Following more than a year of on and off talks, the two sides appear to make a breakthrough -- with the Taliban, US, and Afghan forces agreeing to a week-long partial truce that starts on February 22, 2020. The United States signs a historic deal with the Taliban in Doha on February 29, laying out a timetable for a full American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months. The agreement is set to lead to dialogue between the Taliban and the Kabul government that could potentially pave the way to an end to the 18-year conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Its frustrating when Microsoft refuses to acknowledge a widespread bug in one of its mainstream patches. This month we're looking at a major bug that's drawn a tiny mention on a Microsoft Answers Forum post and that's it. Such is the state of Windows transparency these days. On the plus side, though, we have enough experience with the bug to be able to recognize and fix it should you be so unlucky as to encounter it. Other than that one glaring (if infrequent) bug, there are some minor problems, but, on the whole, now would be a good time to get your system updated. Heres how. Make a full backup Make a full system image backup before you install the latest patches. Theres a non-zero chance that the patches even the latest, greatest patches of patches of patches will hose your machine. Best to have a backup that you can reinstall even if your machine refuses to boot. This, in addition to the usual need for System Restore points. There are plenty of full-image backup products, including at least two good free ones: Macrium Reflect Free and EaseUS Todo Backup. Running Win10? Im moving to version 1909 and suggest you do, too. If youre running Win10 version 1803, 1809, Server 1809, Server 2019 or any earlier version of Windows 10, I urge you to upgrade to Win10 version 1903 or 1909. (You can find your version by typing winver in the Search box in the lower left corner and pressing Enter.) There are detailed instructions for making the move in the article "Why and how Im moving Win10 production machines to version 1903." Win10 1903 is far from perfect, but it seems to be relatively stable at this point. The one huge advantage to version 1903: It lets everybody pause updates with a few simple clicks. That feature has my vote for the most important (perhaps the only important) upgrade to Win10 in the past four years. It looks like Microsoft has finally fixed the glaring bug in Win10 version 1909 the one that made File Explorers Search box completely useless. We saw a minor improvement in the January cumulative update, but the February cumulative update, KB 4532693, seems to fix the problem completely. Of course, theres been no acknowledgment or even a description from Microsoft, but as best I can tell File Explorer Search is working now. Yes, the bugs been in there since 1909 shipped. At any rate, Im moving my production machines to 1909. Moving from Win10 version 1903 to 1909 is quite easy. After making a full backup, click Start > Settings (the gear icon) > Update & Security. If you dont see the Download and install link shown in the screenshot, click Check for updates and it should appear. Woody Leonhard/IDG Click on the link marked Download and install and wait. When you reboot, Win10 will be on version 1909, build 18363.657. Thats the build of 1909 that corresponds to the February cumulative update. It does not include the optional, non-security, C/D Week patch KB 4535996, which you dont want. Install the Win10 February Cumulative Update If you just moved to Win10 version 1909, per the preceding section, you already have the February Cumulative Update, KB 4532693. Breathe easy. If youre staying with Win10 version 1903, I certainly sympathize. If you were already running Win10 version 1909, I admire your bravery. To get the February Cumulative Update installed, click Start > Settings > Update & Security. If you see a Resume updates box (screenshot), click on it. Woody Leonhard/IDG Thats all you need to do. Windows, in its infinite wisdom, will install the February Cumulative Update at its own pace. If you dont see a Resume updates box, you already have the February Cumulative update and all is right in this, the best of all possible worlds. When your machine comes back up for air, dont panic if your desktop doesnt look right, or you cant log in to your usual account. You got bit by the temporary profile bug, which weve known about and complained about for weeks. We have three separate threads on AskWoody about solving the problem [1, 2, 3] and if you need additional help, you can always post a question. (Thx, @PKCano.) Note: According to a report on the GratisSoftwareSite.nl site,the "optional, non-security, C/D Week" patch for Win10 version 1903 and 1909, KB 4535996, has the same profile-eating bug as its predecessor. Caveat updator. If you see an offer that says Optional updates available, just ignore it. You arent being paid enough to beta test Microsofts next set of patches. While youre mucking about in Windows Update, it wouldnt hurt to Pause updates, to take you out of the direct line of fire the next time Microsoft releases a buggy bunch of patches. Click Start > Settings > Update & Security. Click Pause updates for 7 days. Next, click on the newly revealed link, which says Pause updates for 7 more days, four more times. That pauses all updates for 35 days, until early April. With a little luck thatll be long enough for Microsoft to fix any bugs it introduces in March. We'll have new observations and suggestions as the month winds on. Patch Win7, Win8.1, or associated servers If youve paid for Win7 Extended Security Updates and youre having trouble getting them installed, Microsoft has a new article called Troubleshoot issues in Extended Security Updates that may be of help. Were also fielding questions on AskWoody. If you haven't paid for Extended Security Updates but want to keep WIn7 protected, 0patch has started publishing patches that cover some of the security holes plugged by the paid Extended Security Updates. Windows 8.1 continues to be the most stable version of Windows around. To get this months puny Monthly Rollup installed, follow AKB 2000004: How to apply the Win7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups. You should have one Windows patch, dated Feb. 11 (the Patch Tuesday patch). After youve installed the latest Monthly Rollup, if youre intent on minimizing Microsofts snooping, run through the steps in AKB 2000007: Turning off the worst Win7 and 8.1 snooping. If you want to thoroughly cut out the telemetry, see @abbodi86s detailed instructions in AKB 2000012: How To Neutralize Telemetry and Sustain Windows 7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollup Model. Thanks to the dozens of volunteers on AskWoody.com who contribute mightily, especially @sb, @PKCano, @abbodi86 and many others. Weve moved to MS-DEFCON 3 on the AskWoody Lounge. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment I was one of George Klopfers patients, the abortionist that kept 2,411 babies in his garage. I was taken to him because I was a little girl impregnated by a rapist. It was suggested that abortion would fix my trauma. That day forever changed me and my family. I have always said that my rape was worse than my abortion. What happened behind those doors traumatized and left me in the pit of hell trying to claw my way out. I tried to forget what happened and I never wanted to talk about it again, but it only bubbled out in very destructive ways. I was running as fast as I could to get away from it and one night, after a heavy night of drinking, I had nothing left but to cry out to God for help. That night He met me with a love I had never felt before and He began restoring all that had been taken from me. I would begin my healing process and I would see Him apply a healing balm on my wounds time after time. I slowly became transparent in sharing my story but never wanted to talk about my abortion. It was so painful I wanted to forget it. Even as a 13-year-old girl who was raped, I was given a mother's heart and there was a giant hole left after my abortion. Eventually I would begin sharing my story after seeing the movie Unplanned. I was invited to see the movie but I had no idea what it was about. As I sat in the theater it was like watching my life unfold before my very eyes. It was during that movie that I heard the Holy Spirit say, now is the time to tell the rest of your story. I began sharing my abortion story and I was met with so much love. One of the first places I shared my story was with my local Right to Life. I asked them if there was an abortion clinic in the area so I can go and love on abortion-minded women from the sidewalks. I wanted to share my story so they would never have to experience what I did. It was during that time that Whole Womens Health in South Bend Indiana opened without a license. I knew I needed to go. It was on the clinic sidewalks that God laid it on my heart to hold a memorial service for post-abortive mothers and fathers. So I began preparing a memorial service for Sept 14, 2019. The day before I had spent preparing and I was busy with the details and that had kept me off social media until right before I was headed to bed. Thats when I saw the story of George Klopfer, the man who did my abortion. He had died earlier in the month. His wife began cleaning out the garage and found that he had kept over 2,000 babies in their home. I crawled into bed that evening and wept and began praying. My first question to God was, Is my daughter Elliana Grace one of the babies? And why was this happening? The Holy Spirit reminded me that my daughter was with Jesus and so were all the babies. He had them all and they were safe and then I was reminded this was why He had laid the memorial service on my heart. He knew many people would be hurting when they heard the news. We held the memorial service the next day and it was beautiful but the news of the babies would reopen the wounds of so many mothers and fathers not only in our community but around the country. I would begin getting message after message of mothers who wondered if their babies were found in Klopfers garage. The stories I would hear were stories of mothers and fathers who never wanted to go to the clinic but were forced, or if they had made the choice to go, they deeply regretted it. Like myself, many of us wanted to forget the terror that happened behind those doors. Hearing that this man kept 2,411 babies, ripped open deep wounds of how abortion damages many. If you could hear the stories, it would bust your heart into a million pieces. This weekend I was able to speak at the official memorial service for the 2,411 babies. The same Right To Life that I reached out to share my story held a beautiful memorial service for the babies. People have asked me what this service meant to me. For me, it was another layer of healing. It is a place for mothers and fathers to go and mourn the loss of their children. To begin a healing process and find their voice to share their stories to end abortion. So many of us were lied to. As a 13-year-old little girl who didnt even understand abortion, I remembered them telling me it was a clump of cells, while others said it was a blob of tissue or a grain of rice. We now know that was a lie. These were our children and a loss of a child, no matter how they are lost, is still a loss. We still need to grieve and we still need to heal. As much as it hurts to know the abortionist kept our children in his garage, we move forward by going to post abortive retreats such as Deeper Still, Rachels Vineyard, and Forgiven and Set and Free. Im so thankful for the women who asked me to attend a post abortive retreat. I honestly thought I was okay. I had done a ton of healing, but I always tell people, Im not going to ask you to do anything that Im not willing to do myself. Beautiful things happened that weekend and beautiful things happened at the next retreat I attended as well. Im sure God will meet me at the next one with His love and grace once again. On this healing journey, God has showed up many times, just like He did when He laid it on my heart to plan a service for post abortive mothers and fathers. I didnt know what was about to happen when He asked me to begin sharing my story, but He did. He knew there would be hurting mothers and fathers. He knew healing would need to take place. For anyone who is struggling after an abortion, you can reach out to me on my Facebook page @Serena Dyksen - She Found His Grace. You may also visit the burial site of the 2411 babies at South Lawn Cemetery 61430 US 31, South Bend In 46614. Im so thankful for the many people who made this burial possible and have spent countless hours praying for the mothers and fathers who are grieving. May we never be silent and may this move us forward to give the voiceless a voice. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 10:00:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, 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, capital of China, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) "The whole country has become a nation of one mind sharing the same boat, and has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures," said Xi, adding that the positive trend in preventing and controlling the epidemic is gaining momentum thanks to the hard work. BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, held a telephone conversation on Friday night to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further deepen bilateral ties. Xi said the COVID-19 outbreak is a major public health emergency that features the fastest speed of transmission, the most extensive range of infection and the highest level of containment difficulty in the country since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, 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, capital of China, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) "Since the outbreak of the epidemic, I have been personally commanding the work and making arrangements. The whole country has become a nation of one mind sharing the same boat, and has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures," said Xi, adding that the positive trend in preventing and controlling the epidemic is gaining momentum thanks to the hard work. "We have full confidence, capacity and certainty to win the battle against the epidemic," he added. In this anti-epidemic fight, he stressed, China has always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely fashion as well as actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so as to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (C) speaks at a daily briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) The WHO and the international community have spoken highly of China's prevention and control work, he said, adding that the governments and people of many countries, including Chile, have offered China strong support in various ways, for which China is sincerely grateful. Xi pointed out that the Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in its history, but has never been overwhelmed, and that the impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary and generally manageable, and the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged. While making unrelenting, solid and meticulous efforts in epidemic prevention and control, China will roll out a series of policies and measures to gradually restore orderly production and life and ensure realization of this year's economic and social development goals, he added. With China and Chile being comprehensive strategic partners, their relationship has long been taking the lead in China-Latin America relations, Xi said, recalling that Pinera's China visit last year bore rich fruit. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, Xi urged the two sides to take it as an opportunity to maintain close high-level exchanges and ensure the success of celebration events. He also called on the two sides to expand cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, technological innovation and infrastructure construction by promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. At the same time, the two sides should work together to firmly safeguard multilateralism, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and tackle such global challenges as climate change, he added. In so doing, Xi said, the two countries can carry forward their friendship, ensure a sound development of bilateral cooperation and bring more benefits to both peoples. Head nurse Sun Chun (C) takes care of a COVID-19 patient at an ICU ward of the First Hospital of Wuhan City in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) Pinera, on behalf of the Chilean government and people, extended sincere sympathies to the Chinese people over the COVID-19 outbreak and offered firm support to the Chinese people for their united efforts in fighting the epidemic. He said that under the strong command of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, the Chinese side has taken very effective measures to deal with the epidemic, whose spread has been gradually put under control. Noting that China is a great country that has gone through numerous hardships and difficulties, Pinera said he believes that under the strong leadership of Xi, China will surely achieve a complete victory over the epidemic at an early date. The Chilean side stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese side to jointly tackle the challenge of infectious diseases and safeguard global public health security, he added. Chile, he said, has always regarded its relations with China as a foreign policy priority, and is willing to take the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties as an opportunity to join hands with China to further bolster collaboration in various fields, promote Belt and Road cooperation, safeguard multilateralism, and strengthen coordination in international affairs, so as to lift Chile-China relations to a new level. Matthew 6:24, KJV No man can serve two masters: for either, he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. Matthew 6:24, KJV Can you say with confidence that you are a no compromised Christian? In 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV), it says, Examine yourselves whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye, not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? We need to examine ourselves, to see if we are standing in the faith of Jesus. The apostle Paul said that we should test our own faith. Today, churches are full of professing Christians who think it is OK to keep one foot in the world, and one foot in the church, while enjoying the sinful pleasures of this world. As long as Ive got Jesus is the quote you may keep hearing people say. But are you sure you have Jesus? Does your life reflect Jesus? Is it very easy to become discouraged by the things we see in this world? The worlds system has turned away from God completely, with one foot in the church and the other in the world, and people rejoice at this. The true body of Christ, Christians, are seen as problematic; they are persecuted daily throughout the world, and we are told, Be not discouraged and be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33, KJV) In 2 Timothy 3:1, Paul begins by saying, But understand this, or it can be translated, But realize this. There are some things we must realize about the church, and if we dont, we may become disillusioned or even fall away. The truth is, many have fallen away from the church because they didnt recognize the state or condition of the times. I believe that is why many do not and will not take a stand against sin. All Christians are soldiers of Jesus Christ; they fight under His banner, in His cause, and against His enemies, for He is the captain of our salvation. (Hebrews 2:10) The soldiers of Jesus Christ must approve themselves good soldiers, faithful to their captain, resolute in His cause and must not give over fighting till they are made more than conquerors, through Him that loved them. In 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (NET), Paul says, But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. All the attacks which the powers of darkness have made upon the doctrine of Christ cannot shake it, it stands firm, and weathers all the storms which have been raised against it. The Lord knows those that are His and those that are not. Keep the faith, keep praying, hold to the truth and be not conformed to this world, in Jesus Name, Amen. Dr. Jacqueline L. Nophlin, pastor Household Of Faith Community Church, 412 Oakview Ave., Bristol Virginia, can be reached at rev_nophlin@yahoo.com. Delhi riots: Massive stockpiling of arms caught cops off guard India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 29: Massive stock-piling of arms and mobilisation of mobs is what led to the Delhi violence. The police were caught off guard at such mobilisation and in several instances were outnumbered. Last Saturday there was palpable tension in Northeast Delhi. There were Intelligence Bureau reports about a possible flare up. However for the Delhi Police it was a catch 22 situation and its 73 reserve battalions were all over the city owing to the visit by US President Donald Trump. The two special commissioners Satish Golcha and Praveer Ranjan were at northeast Delhi and the instruction was clear to the force- 'do not let the two groups clash.' Further the Delhi Police had very little back up at these areas as the reserve forces were spread out across Delhi on security duty for the Trump visit. Northeast Delhi violence: Death toll mounts to 42 Following the riots the Intelligence Bureau conducted a detailed assessment of the situation prior to the riot breaking out. The report seen by OneIndia says that the police were clearly short-staffed and caught off guard. In no time they were dealing with a mob of 20,000 which turned violent, the assessment also says. The mob then broke into smaller groups and dispersed to the other areas. The mobs then assembled in the narrow lanes and then the riot took place in full swing. The intensity of the riot was the highest on Monday, the report also said. The Intelligence had conveyed that it had picked up information that there would be attempts made to embarrass the government during the Trump visit on February 24 and 25. This assessment was made on the basis of the tension that prevailed in northeast Delhi. Tempers also had flayed up after Kapil Mishra visited the area and demanded that the protesters be removed within three days or his group would do it. On the other hand, the assessment done by the police says that the violence began when supporters of the Bhim Army pelted stones at those backing the new law. The assessment by the police which has been shared with the two Special Investigation Teams formed on Thursday state that stones were first pelted at 4.42 pm. This led to those backing the citizenship law chasing the Bhim Army supporters. Following this the Bhim Army members asked the anti citizenship law protesters to gather in Kardampuri and Jafrabad. The police have also learnt that the mob was mobilised by the chief of the Bhim Army's Delhi unit, Himanshu Valmiki. Once the mob was mobilised, there were frequent incidents of stone pelting. The Bhim Army had brought several persons including women to Jafrabad on Saturday itself to protest against the new law. Delhi violence: Distress calls unanswered for 48-72 hours, police absent, report reveals Meanwhile, top Delhi police source confirmed that criminals had supplied the arms. The death toll currently stands at 42 and 29 bodies have been identified. Of the 38, one of them had died to burn injuries, the hospital authorities said. Further it was also found that 82 had bullet injuries. The source quoted above said that nearly 300 used cartridges have been recovered from the scene of violence. It has been learnt that petty criminals from the district had stocked weapons. Country made pistols, bullets were stocked and were handed out to the rioters at the time of the violence the police also learnt. The police say that it was a well planned operation. The petty criminals were told to source the weapons and stock them. The number of cartridges found at the scene is alarming. This clearly indicates that the rioters had no intention of protesting, but getting on to the streets and killing, the police also said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 7:34 [IST] Pope Francis canceled official engagements for the third day in a row Saturday as he battled an apparent cold. The 83-year-old pope, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has never canceled so many official audiences or events in his seven-year papacy. Francis is, however, continuing to work from his residence at the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel and is receiving people in private, the Vatican press office said. On Saturday, those private meetings were with the head of the Vatican's bishops' office, Francis' ambassadors to Lebanon and France and a Ukrainian archbishop. Canceled were his two planned official audiences formal affairs in the Apostolic Palace where Francis would have delivered a speech and greeted a great number of people at the end. Those were to include an audience with an international bioethics organization and with members of the scandal-marred Legion of Christ religious order. On Sunday, Francis is expected to leave the Vatican with top Holy See bureaucrats for a week of spiritual exercises in the Roman countryside, an annual retreat that the pope attends at the start of each Lent. Francis last appeared in public on Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and blowing his nose during an Ash Wednesday Mass. The following day, he canceled a Mass across town with Roman priests and on Friday, skipped an audience with participants of a Vatican conference on artificial intelligence. The Vatican has stressed that Francis has celebrated Mass each morning and greeted attendees at the end, and then proceeded to continue working from home. The Vatican hasn't revealed the nature of Francis' illness, saying only he has a "slight indisposition." Francis' illness, though, has come amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has sickened more than 800 people, most in northern Italy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities say a Connecticut man was drunk when he lost control of his car and struck two Massachusetts State Police cruisers on Interstate 91 in Chicopee Saturday. State police said the driver in the crash, identified as 29-year-old Ryan Churilo of East Windsor, Connecticut, had a bottle of white wine in his vehicle at the time of the crash. Two troopers were outside their cruisers on I-91 northbound in Chicopee during a drug investigation when a 2020 Subaru Forester struck the two cruisers. The crash was just after midnight. The troopers, who were investigating occupants of a car that one of them had stopped a short time earlier, were on foot and not injured, state police said. The state police K-9, Kyber, was in one of the cruisers and was taken to an area veterinary hospital to be evaluated. Churilo was driving on I-91 northbound when he lost control of his SUV, state police said. He first struck a vehicle in the middle lane. Churilos SUV then rolled over and careened toward to the two state police Ford Explorer Interceptors that were in the breakdown lane. The SUV first struck the left driver and passenger doors of the state police K-9 cruiser, then continued to roll approximately 20 more feet, where it crashed into the rear of, and came to rest up against, the patrol troopers cruiser, state police said. The two men stopped by troopers during the drug investigation were sitting inside the rear of the patrol cruiser at the time of the crash. Troopers checked on Churilo and the two men inside the state police cruiser after the crash. None of the men were injured. The state police K-9 was distressed by the impact of the crash and was evaluated at an area veterinary hospital. The dog was not injured. Authorities said the car involved in the initial crash never stopped. Police were unable to find the vehicle. As more troopers responded to the scene, investigators spoke with Churilo. Troopers could smell alcohol coming from Churilos breath and asked him to submit to standardized field sobriety tests. Churilo partially completed the field sobriety tests before refusing to finish them, state police said. Troopers located an empty bottle of white wine on the ground outside Churilos rolled over vehicle, and another partially-consumed bottle of white (wine) inside the car. Churilo was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving. He was taken to the Springfield barracks, where he refused to take a breath-alcohol test, authorities said. Churilos license was suspended after he refused to take the breath-alcohol test. He posted $500 cash bail and was released after a family member picked him up. He will be arraigned in Springfield District Court as early as next week. One of the men who were under investigation and part of the initial motor vehicle stop had three outstanding arrest warrants and was also in possession of cocaine, state police said. The cocaine was inside a folded dollar bill. Felix J. Escobar, 41, of Springfield, was arrested on the warrants and cocaine possession. He was also cited for a seatbelt violation. Authorities said Escobar was taken to the Hampden County Jail and House of Correction after a medical evaluation. Escobar was inside a car stopped for a marked lanes violation on I-91 around 12:02 a.m. Saturday. The driver of the Mazda, a 42-year-old man from Springfield, was issued a citation for the marked lanes violation. Troopers said Escobar first gave authorities a fake name. The state police K-9 had been called to the scene to search the Mazda. The crash scene was cleared by 2:29 a.m. Across the last week, Delhi has seen a terrifying rise in violence, resulting in the deaths of 42 people and nearly 200 injured. In a show of massive compassion towards the victims, a 50-strong contingent of CRPF personnel made their way to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in North East Delhi, where they volunteered to donate blood to the hospitals blood banks in order to facilitate better treatment for the victims. India Today Of the 50, 34 have reportedly already donated blood and the remaining officers are on standby. According to GTB Hospital Medical Director Dr. Sunil Kumar, the medical institution has received and treated 215 riot victims since February 24. However, at the moment, only 51 patients are receiving treatment in various departments at GTB Hospital. Meanwhile, over 1,300 personnel from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) such as the CRPF, BSF, CISF and ITBP donated blood at a mega blood donation drive organised by the AIIMS. About 500 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 400 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 350 from the Border Security Force (BSF) and 100 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force donated blood at the camp, a senior CAPF official said. All of this has happened in the wake of a BSF Jawans house being burnt down by arsonists. My Report: BSF Jawans house burnt down in the #DelhiRiots His family was told Well give you citizenship, as rioters pelted stones & set the house on fire BSF Jawan tells family Have faith in govt. Stay calm, well get justice. Full report soon.pic.twitter.com/zZuxdOYfKK Zeba Warsi (@Zebaism) February 28, 2020 "The condition of almost all of these patients (except one) is stable. Further, nine patients have died at GTB Hospital during their treatment so far. Twenty-five riot victims have been brought dead so far in GTB Hospital since February 24," continued Dr. Kumar. India Today At least 38 people, including a police head constable, have died, while around 200 people have been injured in the violence which erupted on February 23. The violence reached its peak as news channels focused on coverage of US President Donald Trump, who visited India between the February 24 and 25. Several voices on social media rose to support the CRPFs efforts: Delhi violence: Men who guard also donate blood. On Tuesday, about 50 jawans of CRPF reached GTB hospital in Delhi. The purpose was to supplement the blood bank lest it ran out of blood that was required to treat the victims of the recent disturbances in the capital. pic.twitter.com/1y1huc11Y2 kamaljit sandhu (@kamaljitsandhu) February 27, 2020 Delhi violence: Men who guard also donate blood. On Tuesday, about 50 jawans of CRPF reached GTB hospital in Delhi. The purpose was to supplement the blood bank lest it ran out of blood that was required to treat the victims of the recent disturbances in the capital. pic.twitter.com/1y1huc11Y2 kamaljit sandhu (@kamaljitsandhu) February 27, 2020 Delhi violence: Men who guard also donate blood. On Tuesday, about 50 jawans of CRPF reached GTB hospital in Delhi. The purpose was to supplement the blood bank lest it ran out of blood that was required to treat the victims of the recent disturbances in the capital. pic.twitter.com/1y1huc11Y2 kamaljit sandhu (@kamaljitsandhu) February 27, 2020 However, a few felt that the jawans should have directly prevented the violence from happening instead: Delhi violence: Men who guard also donate blood. On Tuesday, about 50 jawans of CRPF reached GTB hospital in Delhi. The purpose was to supplement the blood bank lest it ran out of blood that was required to treat the victims of the recent disturbances in the capital. pic.twitter.com/1y1huc11Y2 kamaljit sandhu (@kamaljitsandhu) February 27, 2020 The first person to die from the new coronavirus in the United States was a patient in Washington state, public health officials announced Saturday. The patient, identified only as a man in his 50s with chronic underlying health conditions, marked the first death from the coronavirus that has infected 68 people in the United States and more than 85,000 globally. More than 2,900 people have died, with most in China. The patient had no history of contact with anyone with coronavirus. He died at Evergreen Health Hospital in Kirkland, near Seattle. In a Saturday briefing, Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that including the person who died, there were now six reported cases in the state. That includes four in King County, which includes Seattle, and two in adjacent Snohomish County. Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, said two of the cases are connected to the long-term nursing facility Life Care in Kirkland, where a health care worker in her 40s was described as being in good condition, and a patient in her 70s was in serious condition. Twenty-seven residents and 25 staff members at the facility already have shown coronavirus symptoms, Duchin said. Public health officials are investigating these cases and working to monitor roughly 108 residents and 180 staff members for possible infection. As of Saturday, Duchin said, officials had not discovered any link between the man who died and the long-term health facility. In San Franciscos Chinatown, hundreds of adults and teenagers marched from Portsmouth Square to Union Square to protest xenophobia and racism against the Chinese and Chinese American communities. Marchers carried red signs bearing the phrases, Reject fear and racism and Time for science, not rumors while marching through Chinatown. Carson Ma, 14, gripped a sign declaring Time for facts, not fear and said that some students at his San Francisco school have been claiming all Asians have coronavirus. He said he hopes Saturdays protest persuades people to stop harboring racist feelings based on misinformation. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. I feel sad at how theyre being racist against Chinese people, Ma said. Im here because Im Chinese. I just want to tell them that not all Asians have coronavirus. President Trump joined CDC officials Saturday in a White House news conference to discuss the Washington death and to announce new travel restrictions on Iran, South Korea and Italy. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the groups of people who are most at risk are elderly or those with chronic lung disease, heart disease or diabetes. The majority of those infected are doing quite well, he said. But officials may see an otherwise healthy 25-year-old person who becomes seriously ill. Lauren Hernandez and Roland Li are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com, roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LaurenPorFavor, @rolandlisf She split from her fiance of 11 years Jesse Metcalfe last month, after he was caught getting close to two different women. And Cara Santana seems to be floating on air, as she headed out in Los Angeles on Friday. The American actress, 35, kept a sly smile as she headed to her car in a perfect business casual look. Happy girl: Cara Santana seems to be floating on air, as she headed out in Los Angeles on Friday Cara paired a long, oversized black blazer with medium wash straight jeans that had large rips at the knees and frayed hems. She added to the look with bright white sneakers and a high neck white top. The actress left her raven locks down in loose curls, and covered her eyes with large and dark sunglasses. Outfit: Cara paired a long, oversized black blazer with medium wash straight jeans that had large rips at the knees and frayed hems, with a white high-neck top and white sneakers Big glasses: The actress left her raven locks down in loose curls, and covered her eyes with large and dark sunglasses For accessories she opted to hold a medium sized black handbag off her arm. Her afternoon outing comes just the day after she stunned on the red carpet at the Women's Cancer Research Fund's event, An Unforgettable Evening, at the Beverly Wiltshire hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday. She glowed in a stunning one shoulder yellow gown as she arrived at the event, complete with a very sexy thigh-split. Benevolent: Cara Santana turned up to show her support at the Women's Cancer Research Fund's event, at the Beverly Wiltshire hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday Cara paired the look with a dainty barely there heel and a drop diamante earring. Slicking back her long brunette tresses to showcase her clear complexion the designer and actress looked full of confidence as she posed for the cameras. Opting for a natural make up look the actress stuck to earthy-toned eye shadow and completed the look with a mauve lip. Moving on: Last month, the Beverly Hills Chihuahua star ended her lengthy relationship with John Tucker Must Die actor Jesse Metcalfe She split from her beau of 11 -years and fiance of four, Jesse Metcalfe last month. Their engagement quickly came to an end after he was spotted getting close with two women last weekend. The couple was last seen together earlier this month. According to a source for People on Wednesday, Cara had no idea that their relationship was rocky as they said: 'She was wearing her ring yesterday. 'She had no idea things werent fine until she saw the photos online today. I promise they never broke up until today.' The insider also went as far as branding Jesse a 'cheater.' Working her angles: The star paired the look with a dainty barely there heel and a drop diamante earring Cara's friends have been sticking by her side through the tough time. With some friends being spotted bringing her flowers and her BFF Olivia Culpo taking to social media with hits at Metcalfe. Olivia shared a photo of Rachel McAdams as Regina George in Mean Girls in an Instagram Story post which read, 'Don't cheat... Nobody likes a cheater'. It was then followed by a still of Macaulay Culkin holding a BB gun as Home Alone's Kevin McCallister. Tagging Cara in the post, Olivia captioned it: 'When somebody upsets my best friend.' Over the shoulder: The actress showed off her toned body with the backless number Meanwhile, fans have been commenting on the similarity between recent events and Jesse's 2006 romantic comedy, John Tucker Must Die. In the film, three popular girls from different cliques - played by Ashanti, Sophia Bush and Arielle Kebbel - team up to exact revenge on their love rat boyfriend after discovering they're all dating him at once. The trio rope in new girl Kate (Brittany Snow) to play the Lotahario at his own game and make him fall in love with her - only to break his heart. One fan joked, 'Plot twist its actually publicity for John Tucker Must Die sequel', while another posted, 'Dude theres going to be a sequel to John Tucker Must Die!!!!' Not great: Cara Santana was 'completely blindsided' by reports that her fiance, Jesse Metcalfe, stepped out with multiple women in January (pictured in January) A cruise ship turned away from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after a crew member tested positive for flu has docked in Mexico and passengers will be allowed to disembark as long as "health standards" are met, the country's president said Thursday. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters that the Meraviglia, which has been anchored off Cozumel island in the Caribbean since Wednesday, "is being allowed to dock" and those aboard may be allowed off. "We cannot act inhumanely. Imagine the desperation," he said, referring to the 6,000 people aboard. The operator, MSC Cruises, lashed out at authorities for refusing to allow it to dock at its previous destinations for "acting out of fears" over the new coronavirus. A crew member was being treated for seasonal flu. Carlos Joaquin, governor of Quintana Roo state which includes Cozumel, said the passengers and crew would be examined by doctors "who will verify the health issues on board." "If there is a risk to health there will be no authorization for disembarkation," he added. Quintana Roo Health Secretary Alejandra Aguirre said two people -- a 27-year-old Filipino crew member and a 13-year-old French girl -- had shown signs of a respiratory infection that was unrelated to the new coronavirus which countries around the world are battling to contain. "There are no coronavirus cases aboard the cruise ship," she said, adding that tests were being conducted to find out the nature of the respiratory infection. A final diagnosis was expected at 10:00 pm (0400 GMT) after which the port's captain will have the final say on whether or not the passengers can disembark, Aguirre said. - Rejected by Jamaica, Caymans - A handful of people wearing masks took part in a protest at the dock on Wednesday, one man shouting: "We don't want the virus in Cozumel." Coronavirus has hit more than 45 countries and killed more than 2,700 people of the 81,000 infected, the vast majority in China. The first case of coronavirus recorded in Latin America was confirmed in Brazil on Wednesday. Mexico's health ministry said it was analyzing a possible case in Mexico City. The Cayman Islands and Jamaica had refused to allow the ship to dock over the coronavirus fears. The cruise firm said it was "extremely disappointed" that Jamaican authorities delayed a decision to give the ship clearance despite having been provided with medical records. It said Grand Cayman authorities had also turned the Meraviglia away "without even reviewing the ship's medical records." "In both instances, the ship was effectively turned away simply based on fears," MSC said. "No other cases of type A influenza have been reported on board MSC Meraviglia. Moreover, no cases of COVID-19 virus have been reported on board MSC Meraviglia or any other ship in MSC Cruises' fleet," added the company, referring to the new coronavirus. The situation recalled the US cruise ship Westerdam, which was at sea for two weeks after it was rejected by five countries over fears its passengers could be carrying the new coronavirus. It was finally allowed to dock in Cambodia. In this April 25, 2016 file photo, ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak waves to supporters from his room at the Maadi Military Hospital, where he is hospitalized, as they celebrate Sinai Liberation Day that marks the final withdrawal of all Israeli military forces from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in 1982, in Cairo, Egypt. AP CAIRO - Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled for 30 years until he was ousted in a popular uprising against corruption and autocracy, died on Tuesday at the age of 91. A partner of the West in fighting Islamists, Mubarak presided over an era of stagnation and repression at home and was an early victim of the "Arab Spring" revolutions that swept the region. He died in intensive care a few weeks after undergoing surgery. Egypt's presidency and armed forces mourned him as a hero for his role in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and the former air force officer will be given a military funeral. Three days of public mourning were declared and state television played clips of Mubarak with a black ribbon at the corner of the screen. Mubarak, who was arrested two months after being forced out by the protesters who crammed into Cairo's Tahrir Square in 2011, spent several years in jail and military hospitals. He was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to murder 239 demonstrators during the 18-day revolt, but was freed in 2017 after being cleared of the charges. He was however convicted in 2015 along with his two sons of diverting public funds to upgrade family properties. They were sentenced to three years in jail. Egyptians, who often complained about corruption, oppression and unemployment under Mubarak, had mixed feelings about their former leader as news of his death spread. "We had good and bad memories," said Sherin Saad, a woman in her 30s, who criticized graft and the privatisation of public firms, which his critics say enriched the elite. Atef Bayoumi, walking on the Nile Corniche in central Cairo, said: "He was a patriot. Regardless of the final events, he surely did good things for the country." In contrast, Gamal Eid, a prominent human rights activist, said on Twitter: "My condolences to all tyrants, they lost one today!" There was no immediate reaction from Western capitals, which had valued Mubarak for preserving a peace treaty with Israel signed by his predecessor Anwar al-Sadat. "On behalf of Israel's citizens and government, I wish to express my deepest sorrow over the passing of President Hosni Mubarak," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "President Mubarak, a personal friend of mine, was a leader who led his nation to peace and security." The United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter that the Arab world had lost a statesman who took significant national and historic positions. Mubarak did not leave the country after his overthrow, unlike Tunisia's Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled with his family to Saudi Arabia after being ousted in the first Arab Spring protests. In contrast, the Mubarak family has stayed in Egypt since 2011 but kept a low profile. Mubarak had always maintained his innocence and said history would judge him a patriot who served his country selflessly, but for many Egyptians his time in power was a period of autocracy and crony capitalism. His successor, Mohamed Mursi, lasted only a year in office, however, after mass protests in 2013 led to his overthrow by then defence chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is now president. Mubarak-era figures, meanwhile, are gradually being cleared of charges, and laws limiting political freedoms have raised fears among activists that the old regime is back. Many Egyptians have credited Sisi for restoring stability, but activists say his relentless crackdown on dissent is worse than anything under Mubarak. Announcing Mubarak's death, Egyptian TV criticised him for economic mismanagement. New cities he had created in the desert lacked a "comprehensive vision" while he had spent billions on new roads which the government later had to repair. Timothy Kaldas, non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said that the coverage was seeking to highlight corruption under Mubarak to curb nostalgia for his time in power. (Reuters) Advertisement Soaked, woke and angry though they might have been, the younger residents of Bristol were in carnival mood as the Greta Thunberg phenomenon descended yesterday. Britains greenest city (Bristol has just announced both an ecological emergency and a ban on diesel cars) was both thrilled and honoured to welcome the pint-sized Pied Piper of eco-activism to its heart. Schools and colleges across the city emptied with or without official permission to pay homage to the Swedish teenager. The crowd went bonkers, giving her a proper A-list, rock star welcome. Among a tearful few Gretas most ardent devotees this was nothing short of a Second Coming. The climate campaigner is circled left And she did not disappoint, delivering a passionate denunciation of world leaders who sweep their mess under the rug and ask children to clean up for them before leading a chaotic but good-natured march through torrential rain across the city. The atmosphere was closer to Glastonbury-meets-royal visit than a normal demonstration as tens of thousands gathered on Bristols College Green, treading the grass into a quagmire. It was certainly the first demo I have ever attended where the organisers tried to get the crowd going with a nursery rhyme heads, shoulders, knees and toes. But then the area immediately in front of the makeshift stage had been reserved for children of primary school age and their parents. Britains greenest city (Bristol has just announced both an ecological emergency and a ban on diesel cars) was both thrilled and honoured to welcome the pint-sized Pied Piper of eco-activism to its heart Behind them, separated by a steel crowd barrier, stood thousands of teenagers and students at least 20,000 of them plus plenty of grown-ups. The police had warned of inadequate safety precautions and the risk of injury. This had infuriated the organisers, a vocal teenage outfit called Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate who accused the police of patronising them. Having pooh-poohed the concerns of the police, the organisers looked somewhat shame-faced as they had to make repeated pleas over the public address system for urgent first aid in sections of the crowd (fortunately, there were no serious incidents). Most were in high spirits hardly surprising given that most of this crowd were missing school of some sort in order to catch a glimpse of a global celebrity. The atmosphere was closer to Glastonbury-meets-royal visit than a normal demonstration as tens of thousands gathered on Bristols College Green, treading the grass into a quagmire In the two years since she started her school strike to draw attention to the plight of the planet, Greta Thunberg has had two Nobel nominations, been lauded by world leaders and has just had a new species (a Borneo snail) named after her. Some of the multitude were here with permission, like the children from Dolphin Primary School in Montpelier, Bristol. They had been allowed out on the proviso that they had to be in school by lunch. The children feel very strongly about climate change, said Sarah Eaves, a school parent and one of the chaperones for around 25 very excited youngsters, many of whom had made their own banners. Other schools had warned that any no-shows would go down as an unauthorised absence, though no one seemed unduly worried. After several speeches from local activists, the crowd began a chant of Greta! Greta! as word spread that the star turn had arrived (via train and electric car). Unlike the previous speakers, hers was a modest entrance. Looking much younger than her 17 years, she walked nonchalantly, almost shyly, up the steps in her oversized yellow anorak, white woolly hat, grey tracksuit bottoms and grey boots. The crowd went bonkers, giving her a proper A-list, rock star welcome. Among a tearful few Gretas most ardent devotees this was nothing short of a Second Coming. Soaked, woke and angry though they might have been, the younger residents of Bristol were in carnival mood as the Greta Thunberg phenomenon descended yesterday. Demonstrators are pictured above during the march She didnt talk for long no more than five minutes of familiar rhetoric but it was impressive, nonetheless. Im so happy to be here in Bristol with all of you, she began, evincing little to suggest it. Her tone ranged from the despairing to the severe but always clear and forceful, with only an occasional glance down at the script she had prepared on her mobile phone. This is an emergency. People are already suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate and environmental emergency. But it will get worse. And still, this emergency is being completely ignored by the politicians, the media and those in power. Basically, nothing is being done to halt this crisis despite all the beautiful words and promises by our elected officials. So what did you do during this crucial time, what will you do right now? You could barely hear a boot squelch. The crowd were listening in total silence until her call to arms. Well, I will not stand aside and watch, I will not be silent while the world is on fire. World leaders are behaving like children so it falls on us to be the adults in the room. The only specific detail was her praise for local activists who have just fought a successful campaign to block the expansion of Bristol Airport. There was, though, no mention of the mega-polluters such as China (which is building 15 brand new airports every year). Greta went on: Activism works. So Im telling you to act. We are being betrayed by those in power and they are failing us but we will not back down. And if you feel threatened by that, then I have some very bad news for you. We will not be silenced because we are the change and change is coming whether you like it or not. Thank you and lets march. And with that, they did. Office workers leaned out of their windows. Shops emptied as the public turned out to look at this curious spectacle. Accompanied by salsa drummers, Greta and her team of acolytes led the way, holding a green banner emblazoned with her Swedish battlecry Skolstrejk for Klimatet (School Strike for Climate). It was certainly the first demo I have ever attended where the organisers tried to get the crowd going with a nursery rhyme heads, shoulders, knees and toes. But then the area immediately in front of the makeshift stage had been reserved for children of primary school age and their parents People clambered on top of walls and railings yelling and waving. Greta! I love you! shrieked a chap dressed as Superman, from the top of a bus shelter. Not a flicker of reaction from beneath the yellow hood at the front of the march. Most of the passers-by were glad to see her, though not all. Whats all this about? asked Luke, Alex and Brendan, a trio of builders on a day off. I explained it was Greta Thunberg and a climate change demo. Never heard of her, they shrugged. Its all a load of b*******, added Luke. Retired factory worker John Lawrence, 73, had been waiting for hours at a suspended bus stop. I dont mind her coming but I wish they wouldnt mess everything up for everyone else, he said. By now social media was in full madhouse mode as Gretas fanbase raged against those demanding to know why 20,000 West Country children were being allowed to bunk off school. Here on the streets, she had thousands singing and dancing in her wake. Yet through it all, aside from an occasional wave or half-smile, Greta appeared to be blissfully detached from this circus. As she reached the Hippodrome, she was whisked off by car electric, of course while the herd marched back to College Green. After yesterdays vast crowds and dreadful weather, it is now College Brown. In what amounts to a plea of "guilty" to the charge of being full of crap and criticizing President Trump no matter what he does, Senator Chuck Schumer has deleted his February 5 tweet reading: "The premature travel ban to and from China by the current administration is just an excuse to further his ongoing war against immigrants. There must be a check and Balance on these restrictions." Bruce Carroll spotted the deletion and rescued it from Orwell's Memory Hole (hat tip: Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit): Update: Scott Johnson of Powerline cautions: My apologies to readers. The allegedly deleted Schumer tweet does not appear in Pro Publica's authoritative list of deleted Schumer tweets. I regret not verifying the authenticity of the deleted tweet before posting this. I'm declaring it a hoax. I plead in mitigation that I trusted Glenn! I share Scott's apology to readers and to Schumer if this is a hoax. I am not sure that I share his level of trust in Pro Publica, and do not know how to discover if the tweet was in fact deleted. In case the tweet existed and was deleted, the rest of my original blog post continues below: I hope that President Trump ruthlessly mocks Schumer for this. If Schumer had an honest bone in his body, he would acknowledge that Trump did the right thing and that he was wrong to criticize him. Schumer and all Americans should be grateful that President Trump took quick and effective action that has so far limited the impact on us of the epidemic. Had he followed Schumer's advice, the epidemic would have spread here, as it has in Italy. The stealthy deletion is a low and slow softball right across home plate for Trump to knock out of the park with scathing derision at his next rally. And it is fodder for internet video commercials illustrating why nobody should trust what the Democrats say about the epidemic. Schumer also once again, in typical Democrat fashion, falsely accuses the president of being anti-immigrant because he is antiillegal immigration. It is an absurd and malicious charge, especially considering that President Trump has married two immigrants. My sense is that with their knee-jerk and often hysterical denunciations of President Trump, the media and other Democrats have become background white noise for Americans not afflicted with TDS. Who would bother taking their criticism seriously when Schumer proves that that they don't care about anything substantive and will just criticize everything Trump does? A cabinet sub-committee headed by Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday held a meeting with senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi to discuss the issue of Maratha reservation ahead of the Supreme Court hearing over it on March 17. Rohatgi, former Attorney General of India, and other senior counsels are representing the Maharashtra government in the case before the apex court. Chavan said the sub-committee took stock of the preparation to ensure the reservation given to the community remains intact. "We have formed a team of good and senior advocates, including Rohatgi, and others. We held a meeting to ensure the preparation is good and the law holds its ground before the SC. We are sure the government's position is strong," Chavan, a Congress leader, told reporters after the meeting. Another state minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said that through the meeting the government is ensuring that there remains no loophole when hearings take place in the apex court. The Maharashtra legislature had on November 29, 2018 passed a bill granting 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community under the socially and educationally backward category (SEBC). The bill was approved and signed by the Maharashtra governor a day later. The Bombay High Court in June 2019 had upheld the constitutional validity of reservation in government jobs and education. The court, which was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging Maharashtra government's decision granting 16 per cent reservation, though had said that the quota percentage be reduced from 16 per cent to 12 per cent and 13 per cent in education and jobs respectively (as was recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission). The government's decision to give quota was later challenged before the Supreme Court. Regarding End the devastation and make utility public (Open Forum, Feb. 28): I hope the powers that be read and digest state Sen. Scott Wieners piece. The root problem is that the utility has been trying to please its stockholders instead of its ratepayers. I agree completely that this utility should be transferred to a public benefit corporation and that its workers must keep their jobs, union contracts, wages, benefits and pensions. As Wiener says, the public model is best because it guarantees the highest level of transparency and accountability. It would comply with the Brown Act and maintain elected boards, open meetings and open records. End the ongoing devastation. Judith Kirk, Redwood City Pences track record Regarding Pence to lead task force on response to outbreak (Feb. 27): Seriously? Mike Pence is an anti-science climate change denier who has worked to end the Affordable Care Act. In Indiana, his anti-LGBTQ beliefs led him to preside over a totally avoidable spread in HIV infections because of his opposition to needle exchanges. But of course, in Trump World, these credentials make the hapless vice president the perfect choice to lead the response to the spread of the coronavirus. John Brooks, Fairfax Darth Vader McConnell Regarding Senates Grim Reaper killing Democrats bills (Feb. 27): While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likes to refer to her counterpart in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, as the Grim Reaper for his ability to kill all Democratic-sponsored bills when they get to his chamber, the members of my Star Wars-obsessed household like to refer to this man who has blocked everything from a hearing on a Supreme Court nominee by former President Barack Obama to bills on gun control and equality for LGBTQ Americans as Kentuckys Darth Vader. Zachary Caldwell, Palo Alto Deteriorating climate Californians have seen our fair share of climate change red flags. On Feb. 27, the temperature hit a high of 79 degrees. We have been plagued with fires and signs of sea levels rising this past century. This isnt just one countrys issue; it is a world issue, because now one of the most untouched continents, Antarctica, has hit a record-high temperature. We have to do something about the climate we are destroying. Countries must lower their greenhouse gas emissions, and we must all work to stop the expansion of the hole we have created in our ozone. We are all depriving life of a future when we dont work to make changes in our lives to help improve our climate. We must work not only for our future but also for now. We are seeing the effects of our deteriorating climate, and we must do something so that we are no longer getting hotter and hotter summers and a longer and longer fire season. Emily Gelke, Santa Clara Consider other options Regarding California wants to take over PG&E? Learn from Long Islands mistake (Open Forum, Feb. 19): Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and its defenders pose misleading questions about a state takeover of the bankrupt utility while refusing to consider any other alternatives, including local or state public control. Los Angeles, Sacramento, Palo Alto and other cities have benefited for decades from cheaper, more reliable public power. Tom Dalzell, who leads PG&Es largest labor union, claims PG&E has been a source of strength and stability for California. That will come as a surprise to Californians who have spent three decades bearing the devastating consequences of this twice-bankrupted and systematically mismanaged utility. Dalzells preference seems clear: We believe in the status quo, he told the New York Times on Feb. 18. I ask you to listen to the words of U.S. District Judge William Alsup during a hearing on PG&Es malfeasance: I am going to do everything I can to protect this state from more death and destruction from this convicted felon. California and San Francisco should heed the words of the judge. The time has come for serious consideration of other options including cheaper, more reliable public power that includes good careers for electrical workers. How many more decades do we have to suffer before we make change? Susan Leal, former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager and city and county of San Francisco treasurer The post mortem of a 25-year-old Dalit man, who allegedly died in police custody here on Thursday, has not been conducted so far as the victim's family are adamant with their various demands. Apart from a compensation of Rs 1 crore, strict action against the accused policemen and a government job for one of the family members, the family members are now also demanding a CBI probe into the matter. Besides a magisterial inquest, a probe by the Jodhpur CID-CB's Additional Superintendent of police too is already being conducted in the matter. Senior district administration and police officials have held negotiations with the family members but the impasse continued on Saturday. The family members along with relatives and locals are staging a dharna outside the mortuary of the district hospital since Thursday. "We have assured them that the compensation under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be given to them but they are adamant for extra compensation," District Collector Ansh Deep said. Deep said the district police have also offered to give their one-day salary to the victim's family. "The negotiations with the family members are going on," he added. Congress MLA Mewaram Jain also went to the dharna site to hold negotiation with the family members on Saturday but the deadlock is continuing. Jeetu Khateek (25) was picked up by Barmer Sadar police on Wednesday and he allegedly died in custody on Thursday. The police had detained him on suspicion that he was involved in a theft case but no case was lodged against him. Khateek's family has alleged that he was beaten to death by policemen in the police station and his brother has lodged a case of murder against the SHO and other policemen. Sadar SHO Deep Singh has been suspended and remaining staff of the police station have been shunted to Police Lines for the alleged custodial death while Barmer SP Sharad Chowdhary and Circle Officer Vijay Singh were put under awaiting posting orders after it became clear that there was no case against Khateek, who was kept under illegal detention. The body is still in the mortuary of the district hospital and an autopsy has not been done. "Efforts are on to pacify the family members," a police official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 05:16:32|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Marwa Yahya CAIRO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- "My target is to help the children with cancer to recover from the fears of the disease and the discrimination from the others," said Sameh Sallam, a barber in his 40s who gives free wigs for kids with cancers. Sallam, owner of FaceSalon in Haram district in southern Cairo, said "children who experience hair loss don't fully understand what's going on," adding many children see a wig as another accessory, which helps them look and feel good. Known as the "barber of happiness," Sallam told Xinhua that "the new wig boosts the morale of the children who lost their hair after undergoing chemotherapy." He pointed out that working for 15 years as a male barber made it "easy to know the small details about making a healthy wig for sick kids." "A wig means a lot for a child in chemotherapy because it gives them confidence and happiness, and protects them from social annoy," he added. Carrying a scissor and a comb, Sallam was cutting some yellow hair of a wig for a six-year-old girl who kept smiling while playing with her new hair. He said "seeing happiness in the children eyes motivated me to continue." Since his activity initiated 18 months ago, the barber has helped more than 170 children with free wigs. At the beginning, each wig cost him 4,000 Egyptian pounds (abou 256 U.S. dollars) that was expensive for using natural hair with some medical specification. But now after using thermal fiber or good quality synthetic hair that could be washed easily, the price of one wig is only 500 Egyptian pounds. Mariam, a 10-year-old girl with alopecia, used to wear a bandana and refused to go to school because of her conditions. After receiving a wig from Sallam, Mariam now is going out for the school play. "She has returned to a normal life," he added. "Hair loss is a sign that they have cancer. When they look into the mirror, it reminds them that they're sick," he said, noting that now they can see themselves again just like before they started their treatment. The barber said he is cooperating with two hospitals for cancer in Egypt to help the kids who need wigs. "Not all families can accept that until they saw other kids wearing the wigs and becoming happy and confident," Sallam said. He publicizes his initiative via his Facebook page while urging some private organizations and businessmen to donate for making free wigs not only for kids but also for old people suffering cancers. "I can teach the young people how to make a wig and provide them with the tools until they master it," he added, saying this could also create job opportunities for workers in the field. In his visit on Wednesday to Children's Cancer Hospital Foundation (CCHF), Sallam donated wigs for 10 cases. He reiterated that there is no child now in the CCHF who doesn't know about wigs. "I contact the hospital every month to list the kids who will lose their hair soon, and I prepare the wigs for them before they got their hair shaved." Sallam's father assists him in buying the materials and making the wigs, which can buy him time to keep in touch with the doctors of the sick children. "It is also essential to consult the doctors about which type of hair is suitable for the patients according to their health condition," he emphasized. "I could never forget the moment when the first boy got a wig from me," Sallam said. "He jumped in my salon and said now he got his hair back." Donald Trump. Reuters President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US is ordering many supplies to prepare for a possible outbreak of coronavirus within the country's borders. Among those supplies, he said, are "a lot of different elements of medical." It's unclear what the president meant by "elements of medical." His statements came as the White House weathers a firestorm over its conflicting messages about the severity of the coronavirus threat and its attempts to muzzle public health officials from giving more information to the public about the disease. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. President Donald Trump is on top of handling the US's response to a potential pandemic as the deadly coronavirus sweeps the globe. "We're order a lot of supplies," Trump told reporters on Friday. "We're ordering a lot of, uh, elements that, frankly, we wouldn't be ordering unless it was something like this. But we're ordering a lot of different elements of medical." It's unclear what the president meant by "elements of medical." The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has reached 2,858, with more than 83,000 people infected, as of Thursday night. China has seen a drop-off in its rate of new cases, but the virus seems to be gaining momentum in other parts of the world. As of Thursday, the coronavirus had spread to every province and region in China as well as at least 51 other countries. At least 64 people have died outside of mainland China. Public health officials in the US warned this week that the disease's outbreak within the country is more or less inevitable. "It's not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country anymore but a question of when this will happen," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a press call on Tuesday. "We are asking the American public to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad." Story continues Messonnier also said the agency was "preparing as if we are going to see community spread in the near term," adding that the outbreak could soon lead to a "disruption to everyday life." But the president has downplayed the risk and released conflicting messages about the severity of the global outbreak. The New York Times also reported that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on allergy and infectious diseases, told associates that the White House had barred him from discussing anything about the virus until getting further clearance. And he was also reportedly asked to cancel a series of scheduled Sunday show appearances this week. During a two-day trip to India earlier this week, Trump said China, which is at the epicenter of the outbreak, has things under control. On Wednesday, Trump announced that he was putting Vice President Mike Pence, a hardline loyalist with a spotty record of handling health crises, in charge of the White House task force to respond to the coronavirus, known as the COVID-19 virus. On Thursday, during a meeting with African-American leaders at the White House, Trump acknowledged that "we have a situation with the virus," but added that "we've done a great job" addressing it and that "the press won't give us credit for it." "What happened over the last couple of weeks with this and it just you know, this is life," Trump said as medical professional and science experts continued sounding the alarm about a potential coronavirus epidemic in the US. The president also downplayed the threat of the virus because there aren't as many cases of the disease in the US as there in China. "We have 15 people instead of thousands of people," he said. "Okay? It could have been thousands of people. But we do things. And it would be really nice if we could be recognized by the press fairly." He went on to say that the virus is "going to disappear" one day "like a miracle." But he later appeared to contradict himself, saying, "And from our shores, we, you know, it could get worse before it gets better." "We'll see what happens," he added. "Nobody really knows." Read the original article on Business Insider Q: Im writing this letter with a tired and heavy heart. I am confused as to why I cannot even pretend to agree politically with my Republican family members anymore. Over the decades, I have always reviled what tasted unpalatable in their views of the world B A: I do not write about politics in this column for several obvious and important reasons, mainly the God Squad mission statement that Father Tom Hartman and I wrote in 1987, which kept us loving and focused for almost 30 years. What we believed most of all was this: We know enough about how we are different but not enough yet about how we are all the same. What applies to religion also applies to politics. Dear B, no amount of family love should coerce you into agreeing with family members who believe things that you believe are injurious to our republic and our planet. However, as the God Squad mission statement urges you to remember, there are beliefs that link you to them because these beliefs are in their hearts as deeply as they are in yours. They want your family to love each other and they want America to prosper and they want clean air and water and they want health care for all the sick among us. They just have a different path up the same mountain. That is the metaphor Father Tom and I used to describe religious differences. We are all climbers up the same mountain on different paths and we have much to learn from every climber. The ancient rabbis who came before me (well, I am in the ancient column in some lists of rabbis made by my students) taught, Who is wise? One who learns from every person. Consider your Republican family members not just misguided bigots (as Republican family members on the other side may consider you), but rather try to see them as your teachers of some truth that you have missed along the way. I would advise them the same thing, if they wrote to me complaining about you. Finally, my advice to America in this upcoming mudslinging political season that is now beginning in earnest is to look up. This is the story that explains what I mean: The Israelites who walked through the Red Sea in the Exodus from Egypt almost immediately began complaining to Moses on the other side about not having enough water and meat. The rabbis asked how it was possible for those who had seen the greatest miracles to so quickly lose faith? Their answer was that many of them did not see the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea at all. How was this possible? They answered that the reason many missed the miracle was that they never looked up, and so all they saw was mud. The problem of the Exodus is also the problem of modern politics. America is a miracle of human freedom. It has muddy problems, but it is still a miracle. I pray intensely that our political contenders and all of us who must reject or affirm them look up. Without losing sight of the mud that sucks us down, the problems we must still solve together, may they remember always to look up and speak of the wondrous miracle of a land granting freedom to so many for so long. If the ancient Israelites could have missed the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, we surely can commit ourselves not to miss the opportunity to hold dear the miracle of America that we can all see if we just look up. Dear B, you are not pretending with your family. You are just looking up. The mail bag: Q: My local paper, the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., publishes three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The God Squad is printed in the Sunday issue, along with the color comics, including the Friday and Saturday ones. Your columns are one week late relative to the topic, especially when tied to a particular holiday. I asked the editor and she told me that it is a production matter that cannot be changed. Say it isnt so. Thanks in advance for the time and effort. B from somewhere near Harrisburg A: Sadly, dear B, it is so. Sometimes I write about holidays late to get the full feeling of what they mean (English translation: I was lazy and late) and sometimes (usually) I write about them early but the local papers around the country that carry my column publish them late for some mysterious reasons over which I have no control. Heres a fix. Clip my holiday columns, put them in a drawer, and dont read them now. Then next year take them out and read them a week early. Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including Religion for Dummies, co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. The office of local attorney Silverio Martinez was allegedly raided by federal agents on Friday afternoon. Citizen journalist Priscilla La Gordiloca Villarreal posted on her Facebook page Friday night a statement allegedly from Martinez. It read as follows: Today the police searched my office based on false reports and flat out lies from a disgruntled ex employee. I have now personally experienced overzealous law enforcement and prosecution from young officers wanting to make a name for themselves. Sadly, justice or truth is no longer the goal - its bagging the biggest fish. I wouldnt doubt theyll even try to indict! Oh well. . . I guess thats what happens when you win too much. I now realize how important it is to always have the BEST legal representation!! #laredodefender #smlawfirm Martinezs office is located at 1414 Victoria St. According to the State Bar of Texas, his practice areas include, Criminal, Litigation: Commercial, Litigation: Personal Injury, Real Estate, Mediation. Martinezs advertised website, smlawfirm.net, was not operational as of Friday night. A side event titled "Progress of Human Rights in China" is held on the sidelines of the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) GENEVA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A group of scholars from the China Society for Human Rights Studies on Thursday shared their views on issues related to human rights protection on the sidelines of the ongoing 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council here. At a side event titled "Progress of Human Rights in China," they introduced the country's human right protection system, the history, culture and religions of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as well as China's efforts to protect human rights in the fight against the novel coronavirus. In China, the system to protect human rights under the rule of laws has become more stronger and mature and people's human rights have been better guaranteed, Lu Zhian, executive deputy director of the Human Rights Research Center of Fudan University, told the audience. He said that ensuring social equality and justice and people's rights is a significant advantage of China's state system and governance system. Thus, to adhere to and advance the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and modernize China's governance system and capacity for governance means to improve its human rights protection and safeguard people's rights in a more comprehensive and effective way. Dr. Mahemuti Abuduwaili, an Uygur historian from the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, said he has witnessed the historic changes in Xinjiang since the reform and opening up, calling on people in the region to keep pace with the time and be more open and inclusive to learn and understand other cultures in China as well as the world. Liu Zhengjiang, director of the Chinese Language Institute of the Xinjiang University, shared his opinions with his own experience that the ethnic education in Xinjiang, including the Uygur language study, is a result of adapting to Xinjiang's bilingual society and the implementation of Chinese ethnic policies in the region. "Due to that, the ethnic education in Xinjiang has developed rapidly, the educational fairness has been ensured and the quality of ethnic education has been improved," he said. As for the violence and terrorism in the region, Zheng Liang, a professor from the Guangzhou-based Jinan University, highlighted the big threat posed by the terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement, saying that the group's ideological system was under the influence of al-Qaida. Some countries are indifferent to its harms, and sometimes even take double standards to measure the Chinese government's actions against it, Zheng said, adding that "this does not help global counter-terrorism cooperation and will harm the interests of the international community as a whole in the long run." Meanwhile, Xu Yao, a researcher of the Human Rights Research Center of the Nankai University, briefed the audience on China's human rights protection in the process of COVID-19 prevention and control. Xu described the epidemic prevention and control "a big human rights challenge," however, he said that China has taken a batch of systematic and comprehensive measures to contain the spread of the disease as soon as possible. These measures have effectively guaranteed patients' rights to medical treatments and safeguarded their privacy, and ensured the population's rights to receive public health services and learn information about the epidemic prevention and control. Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Earlier this month, H&M launched a collection in collaboration with iconic costume designer Ruth Carter, known for her work in historic black films like *Black Panther, Do The Right Thing, and Malcolm X. The collection which features clothing like graphic tees, sweatpants and a cool bucket hat was created to inspire and spread a message of self-confidence and individuality and, to celebrate this capsule, H&M curated a 'Ruthless' neighborhood block party in Atlanta. Last week, hundreds of creatives gathered at Georgias Freight Depot to experience the collection and Ruths legacy first hand. Only you couldnt tell it was a freight depot because H&M transformed it into a mini-museum celebrating Ruth. The location had stations dedicated to influential black films she has worked on throughout her career from a built-in brownstone paying homage to her work on Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing to an installation featuring the Black Panther costumes she designed. ruthless block party Angela Pham/BFA.com Ruth is an artist herself, so it was only right that art was present during the celebration. I feel like I have explored many layers of myself as a woman and as an artist, Ruth said during a live podcast with Tracy G. Some of the most breathtaking art experienced at the block party was a huge portrait mural of Ruth drawn and painted by Brandon Sadler, the Atlanta artist behind Shuris lab in Black Panther. The foundation for my work is essentially storytelling, transformation, and identity, Brandon told Teen Vogue, and this was displayed through his artwork of Ruth. [Ruth] has been a cornerstone in so many staples of not only Black culture and artistry but also in the story of world culture. Participating in this event, brought into focus for me, some of the things I've been able to touch so far in my career." H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com Another artist at the gathering was Ashlee Haze, a poet and spoken word artist, also from Atlanta. Haze performed throughout the block party and told Teen Vogue, I've learned that there is nothing more magical than a black woman who does what she was purposed to do. I've learned that to set a standard of excellence for yourself and your work is to teach others how to treat you. H&M showed its commitment to black artists in a city where the black population is not only prominent but embedded in its culture. Story continues Celebrities like Atlantas own K Camp also attended the event to show their support for Ruth. K Camp himself is having a huge moment as his song "Lottery" takes over the world thanks to the viral Renegade dance started by 14-year-old TikToker Jalaiah Harmon. Ive always known I had influence in my career and what Im speaking is real, K Camp told Teen Vogue. He referred to Ruth at the GOAT a.k.a. greatest of all time and wasn't shy to express his amazement at her work in Black Panther. Those are crazy fits she put together on Black Panther, he gushed. H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com The entire block party was an experience of black culture. From the art to the installations to the people in the room, it not only celebrated Ruth Carters collaboration with H&M but of all the work she has done in her career. Ruth is a living legend and H&M fully displayed what her legacy looks like. It was truly one of the best ways the brand could have shown love to the culture through film, art, and fashion for Black History Month. H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com H&MS A RUTHLESS BLOCK PARTY Angela Pham/BFA.com Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation after a USA TODAY report showed an accredited college apparently had no faculty or students. The college investigated by USA TODAY, Reagan National University, was approved by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools. It has a history of approving several for-profit universities that suddenly closed, such as ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges in the mid-2010s. The accreditor still operates mainly because it was saved by the Education Department in 2018 under Secretary Betsy DeVos. On Thursday, DeVos told a congressional committee she was "troubled" by USA TODAY's report and she has launched an investigation as a result. "I was not happy to read that," DeVos said of the USA TODAY story. "We have an investigation launched, and we're on it." President Donald Trump is shown with his secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, in this file photo. When colleges close: Thousands can be left without a degree. How to keep it from happening to you It wasn't immediately clear what that investigation would entail or how long it would take. DeVos did not specify whether the investigation was into accreditor ACICS specifically, Reagan National University, or both. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., had questioned DeVos about accreditor ACICS Thursday during a House appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Department of Education's 2021 budget request. An investigation by USA TODAY and the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, found no evidence of students, faculty members or classrooms at Reagan National University early this year, even though it was accredited by ACICS. Attempts to interview anyone associated with the university were unsuccessful. And a reporter who visited the college's listed addresses in Sioux Falls found only locked doors or empty rooms. After reporters started asking questions, Reagan National University withdrew from accreditation. The college's web address, www.rnu.edu, takes users to a page that says the site is down for maintenance. A look at what used to be the homepage for Reagan National University, which listed its address in Sioux Falls, S.D. The web page prominently features the university's accreditation by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools. The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools first approved Reagan in 2017 and told USA TODAY the university had met its standards. In 2019, the agency raised concerns about the percentage of Reagan students who were getting jobs zero, according to an ACICS letter. The college was given more time to comply, and the school eventually was taken off notice. Story continues ACICS again raised concerns in December over a variety of areas at Reagan, including course catalog language, inadequate staffing and insufficient resources for some classes. The agency told USA TODAY it stood by its accrediting practices and vetting. At one Sioux Falls address listed for Reagan National University, a plaque reads "Si Tanka University." Reagan's operators changed the university's name from Si Tanka to Reagan in 2017. The suite was nearly empty on Jan. 29. The accreditor did not immediately respond Thursday to USA TODAY's request for comment. ACICS has a complicated history of its own. Under President Barack Obama, the Education Department moved to strip the agency of its accrediting power in 2016. After a federal court decision, DeVos and President Donald Trump's administration reinstated the accrediting agency in 2018. But as recently as November, the department had questioned the agencys financial health and its vetting process. DeVos has made it one of her priorities to roll back some of the federal regulations around accreditation. Her argument: Fewer regulations could allow colleges to create new training programs quickly to fill holes in the workforce. But critics say cutting back the rules would make it easier for shoddy or predatory institutions to take advantage of students. A worthless degree?: Betsy DeVos wants to change rules for which colleges stay open, close Erin Richards contributed to this report. Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Accreditation: DeVos orders probe after college evidently w/o faculty Anthony Fauci is one of the top US experts on infectious diseases. Now that President Trump has made Vice President Pence the US' coronavirus czar, Fauci has to run interviews by Pence's office for clearance. Some of Fauci's statements about the virus have been at odds with claims from President Trump. US public-health experts and politicians have been angry that Fauci appeared to be sidelined. One said his silence "is a threat to public health and safety." Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He's tackled the AIDS, Zika, and Ebola epidemics. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Anthony Fauci has guided the US through the AIDS, Zika, and Ebola epidemics. He's been the director of the US' National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, advising six presidents. George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008. Fauci is now helping to lead the response to the new coronavirus outbreak. But after President Donald Trump made Vice President Mike Pence the US' coronavirus czar, Fauci and other top health officials were reportedly told "not to say anything else without clearance" from the White House, according to The New York Times. Fauci told Politico Friday that he has not been muzzled, but that he does have to clear interviews with Pence's office. Some of Fauci's comments about the coronavirus have contradicted Trump's. Whereas Trump said the US "will essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner," Fauci has estimated that we're between a year and a year-and-a-half away from a coronavirus vaccine. Trump also expressed optimism that COVID-19 the disease the virus causes will disappear, but Fauci has suggested the world is on the brink of a pandemic. "You don't want to go to war with a president," Fauci told Politico, adding, "but you got to walk the fine balance of making sure you continue to tell the truth." Story continues US health experts and politicians were angry about the possibility that the White House would restrict Fauci's speech, the Times reported. "Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama trusted Tony Fauci to be their top adviser on infectious disease, and the nation's most trusted communicator to the public," Ronald Klain, who led the Obama administration's response to the 2014 Ebola crisis, tweeted on Thursday. He added, "If Trump is changing that, it is a threat to public health and safety." Here are some of Fauci's biggest accolades and achievements. Fauci joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an autoimmune-disease researcher after getting his doctorate from Cornell University. anthony fauci AIDS HIV Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty He's spent more than half his life working in the public-health sector. Fauci took over the top position at NIAID in 1984. The institute has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and manages the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, measles, and tuberculosis in the US. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies about the measles outbreak in the United States before a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington February 3, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Bourg Jim Bourg/Reuters NIAID also supports research on autoimmune disorders like asthma and allergies and handles oversight of emerging diseases such as Ebola and Zika. When Fauci took over NIAID, the world was in the throes of the HIV/AIDS crisis. He was one of the leading architects of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a program credited with saving millions of lives. U.S. President Barack Obama (R) tours the Vaccine Research Center with Dr. Nancy Sullivan (L), U.S. Secretary of HHS Sylvia Burwell (2nd L), and Dr. Anthony Fauci (2nd R) to talk about Ebola, during a visit to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in this file photo dated December 2, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing Larry Downing/Reuters Fauci's research has been pivotal in understanding how HIV destroys the body's immune system. He played a critical role in developing treatments that enable HIV-positive people to live long and active lives. George W. Bush awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom the highest honor given to a civilian in 2008 because of his role in creating the PEPFAR program. anthony fauci wins a medal Karen Bleier/Getty Fauci has also won the Presidential National Medal of Science and been given 45 honorary doctoral degrees from universities in the US and abroad. He won the Robert Koch Gold Medallion, an international award for "accumulated excellence in biomedical research" in 2013. President George H. W. Bush asked Fauci to be head of the NIH in 1989, but Fauci refused, saying that his work at NIAID was more important. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is pictured at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. November 22, 2016 in this still image from video. REUTERS/Gershon Peaks/RVN Gershon Peaks/RVN/Reuters As a researcher, Fauci has been the author, co-author, or editor of more than 1,300 scientific publications. Fauci was the 41st-most cited researcher of all time based on Google Scholar citations, according to a 2019 analysis. anthony fauci nih Anthony Fauci delivers remarks at the Economic Club of Washington, January 29, 2016. Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS He ranks eighth out of more than 2.2 million immunology authors in terms of his citation counts in the last 40 years. Fauci also worked on the response to the anthrax threat in the US following the September 11 attacks. anthony fauci coronavirus Anthony Fauci during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC, January 28, 2020. Amanda Voisard/Reuters After 9/11, the US prepared for a potential biological attack as deadly anthrax packages flooded the offices of government workers and members of the media. Fauci kickstarted a NIAID research program to work on treatments and vaccines for infectious agents that could be used by bioterrorists. His expertise and experience were also critical during the Ebola outbreak between 2014 and 2016, and the Zika outbreak that started soon thereafter. (L-R) Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Center for Disease Control Director Dr. Thomas Frieden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the U.S. government response to the Ebola outbreak in Washington November 12, 2014. REUTERS/Gary Cameron Gary Cameron/Reuters Fauci assisted with the creation of public policy around Ebola, and he worked to reassure Americans of their safety. Ned Price, a top National Security Council aide under the Obama administration, tweeted Thursday: "During the Ebola outbreak, we couldn't get enough of NIH's Dr. Fauci because no one knew more or could deliver it with more authority or experience. Muzzling Dr. Fauci is an effort to muzzle fact and science when it's needed most." Fauci told Smithsonian Magazine in 2016 that we've learned the same lesson during every infectious-disease outbreak: "You've got to be prepared. You have to have good surveillance. You have to have good diagnostics." fauci nih zika Anthony Fauci speaks to the media about the Zika virus in Washington, August 11, 2016. Joshua Roberts/REUTERS He added: "You have to be able to move quickly. And we've shown that when you do that, you get good results." Fauci has approached the new coronavirus outbreak in the same way. Fauci's work has saved the lives of millions of men, women, and children across the world, according to the American Academy of Achievement. FILE PHOTO: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director doctor Anthony Fauci speaks about the public health response to the outbreak of the coronavirus during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Amanda Voisard./File Photo Amanda Voisard/Reuters The Academy cited Fauci's legacy of leadership in public health and research into HIV/AIDS therapies. Fauci told Politico that he has no plans to retire, despite being 79. That's because he has yet to succeed in developing an HIV vaccine. Read the original article on Business Insider The personal office of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan has been hit with bombshell claims of assault, sexual harassment, racism and transphobia. On Friday, Business Insider published an explosive report detailing misconduct allegations made by employees of the family office - West Street - against one another, dating back three years to 2017. West Street provides and employs 'personal aides, assistants, nannies, chefs, drivers, medics, and security guards' for the Chan-Zuckerbergs - one of the richest and most powerful families on the planet. A former 26-year-old assistant alleges that she was assaulted by one of Zuckerberg's top aides whilst in Hawaii for a work trip in December 2017. The assistant and the alleged perpetrator - who managed Zuckerberg's $100 million property in Hawaii - were drinking before they an argument erupted between the pair. According to a police report, the assistant blacked out and woke up in pain with a lump on her neck. She called police, who responded to the incident. Zuckerberg's aide strenuously denied assaulting the assistant. While a police report was written, no charges were filed. West Street reportedly hired a law firm to conduct an outside investigation, which found 'there was no basis to conclude that the injury was caused by a co-worker'. The personal office of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan has been hit with bombshell claims of assault, sexual harassment, racism and transphobia. The powerful couple is pictured in 2019 Zuckerberg and Chan are notoriously private, and only share curated clips and images of their family life. However, Business Insider alleges their family office has been roiled by various serious allegations of misconduct. The couple and their children are pictured in a 2019 snap None of the misconduct allegations outlined in Business Insider's report have been taken to court, and a family office spokesperson has furiously denied the claims. 'Sadly, these anonymous allegations are a collection of unfounded rumors, exaggerations, and half-truths which unfairly malign several of our valued employees,' spokesperson Ben LaBolt stated Friday. 'We believe that these allegations have been advanced by a small group of disgruntled former employees who are attempting to defame the family office after the family office refused their demands for multi-million dollar payments following their separation of employment.' There has been no accusations of misconduct leveled at either Mark Zuckerberg or his wife personally. Zuckerberg and Chan bought a 700-acre property on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii for $100million in 2014. The former manager of the property is alleged to have assaulted a Zuckerberg family office staffer at the estate in December 2017 The report is more bad publicity for the Zuckerberg, who has faced professional criticism over Facebook's failure to fact check political ads and adequately address privacy concerns Meanwhile, the Business Insider report alleges multiple incidents of sexual misconduct carried out by West Street employees against colleagues or contract workers. One female security staffer claims she was sexually harassed by another female staffer who 'asked her to bend over so she could see her buttocks'. Elsewhere, two sources told Business Insider that, in 2018, a female contract worker claimed to have been sexually harassed by a West Street medical staffer while staying at one of the Zuckerberg-Chan residences. The accusations add to claims made last year about former West Street security chief, Liam Booth, who was later fired by Zuckerberg. Booth, a former Secret Service agent who worked under Obama, was accused of making shocking racist comments such as 'white lives matter more than black lives'. He is also alleged to ave made a derogatory comment about Priscilla Chan's driving, and making homophobic comments about a gay West Street employee. Additionally, Booth allegedly referred to a transgender staffer in the family office as 'it', after refusing to use their preferred pronouns. Several current employees of West Street told Business Insider that there is 'a culture of distrust' in the workplace, and they wonder whether the organization has the capacity to 'adequately address serious workplace issues'. Further, they alleged Zuckerberg and Chan's efforts to personally address complaints have been 'furtive and peremptory'. The couple allegedly appear more concerned with their 'obsessive privacy and lavish lifestyle [rather] than operating a professional work environment'. The report is more bad publicity for the Zuckerberg, who has faced professional criticism over Facebook's failure to fact check political ads and adequately address privacy concerns. Amid calls by world governments, the United Nations and the NATO alliance for a de-escalation of the spiraling tensions in Syrias northern Idlib province, there is a mounting threat of an all-out military confrontation between Turkey and Russia triggering a potentially catastrophic world war. In the wake of Thursdays strike on a Turkish position that claimed the lives of some three dozen soldiers (according to one account the dead may number as many as 50) and retaliatory attacks against Syrian Arab Army units, the explanations given by Ankara and Moscow for the violence remain sharply at odds, as Turkey and Russia pursue diametrically opposed aims in Syria. Turkeys Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, third right, attends a funeral ceremony for Halil Ibrahim Akkaya, one of Turkish soldiers killed in Syria, in Bahce, Osmaniye, Turkey, February 28, 2020 [Credit: AP Photo] In an unmistakable sign of the continuing war threat, the Russian Navy announced its redeployment of two warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Friday to join a similarly armed frigate already sent there. The three warships will be operating off the Syrian coast, posing a direct threat to the roughly 10,000 Turkish troops that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has deployed in Idlib. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone on Friday. According a to Kremlin readout of the conversation, both expressed serious concern over the escalating conflict in Idlib and agreed on the importance of more effective coordination between the defense ministries of Russia and Turkey. A Kremlin spokesman also reported that the two presidents will meet next week in Moscow in an attempt to defuse the crisis. But the accounts given by their respective defense ministries as to the cause of Thursdays strike on the Turkish troops were wildly at odds. While both sides agreed that the strike was carried out by Syrian, rather than Russian, forces, Turkey blamed it on an airstrike (with Russia responsible for most aerial bombings in Idlib, Moscow insisted that its warplanes were not flying in the area), while Russia said that the troops were killed by a Syrian artillery barrage. That both sides blamed the deaths on Syria was indicative of their desire to avoid a direct Russian-Turkish confrontation. Turkey insisted that it had informed the Russian military as to the location of its troops and said that Moscow was responsible for passing this information on to Syrian government forces. I want to state that during this attack, there were no armed groups around our military units, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Friday. Russias Defense Ministry, however, issued a statement charging that the Turkish troops were in the battle formations of terrorist groups and had been sent into an area where they should not have been, without any warning to the Russian military. The attack took place in the context of a bitter battle between the Syrian Arab Army and Turkish-backed militias for control of the strategic town of Saraqeb, which sits astride a major highway connecting Syrias capital of Damascus with its second city, Aleppo. While Syrian government forces had captured the town earlier this week, the so-called rebels managed to overrun it again. Ankara and Moscow have each accused the other of violating the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement reached in 2018 to impose a demilitarized zone in Idlib in which a cease-fire would take effect and from which radicalas opposed to moderaterebels would be excluded, along with all heavy weapons, rocket systems and mortars. Turkey has accused the Syrian government and its principal allies, Russia and Iran, of violating the accord by launching an offensive to retake control of large swathes of Idlib. Russia has charged that Turkey has failed to separate radicals from moderates, while providing military support to the rebels, including the use of weaponized drones and artillery fire. The main rebel force fighting force in Idlib is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a United Nations-designated terrorist front led by the former Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda. The former top US diplomat in charge of the anti-ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) campaign, Brett McGurk, described Idlib province as the largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 9/11 and a huge problem. Russia, for its part, fears that Al Qaeda-linked forces concentrated in Idlib will be redeployed to the Caucasus in a bid to sow terrorism and carve up its territory. Turkish Defense Minister Akar claimed on Friday that Turkeys retaliation for the attack on its troops in Idlib had neutralized over 300 Syrian soldiers, while destroying dozens of Syrian helicopters, tanks and howitzers. A Syrian government spokesman issued a statement Friday stating that the Turkish claims were exaggerated and an attempt to raise the collapsing morale of terrorists. Both NATO and the United Nations Security Council met on Friday to discuss the confrontation in Idlib. The NATO meeting was convened at Turkeys request. The response from NATO was one of declarations of condolences and solidarity, but indicated no substantive support for Turkeys operation in Syria. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement condemning indiscriminate airstrikes by Syrian regime and Russian forces, while urging a de-escalation by all parties of this dangerous situation. The US NATO ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison, while proclaiming that everything is on the table in relation to Syria, also pointedly stated, I hope that President Erdogan will see that we are the ally of their past and their future. And they need to drop the S-400. This was a reference to Ankaras $2.5 billion deal to buy Russian S-400 air-defense systems, which prompted charges from the US and other NATO members that Turkey was swinging out of the alliances orbit and into that of Moscow. The Erdogan government has acknowledged that Washington has rebuffed its request to send Patriot missile batteries to counter Russias control of Syrias airspace. Two days before the strike on the Turkish troops, both US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley testified before congressional committees that Washington had no intention of reengaging in the civil war in Syria. After withdrawing forces from the Syrian-Turkish border last year, the US military has kept 500 troops in the northeastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, ostensibly to secure control of the countrys oil fields and deny the Damascus government access to their strategic resources. In a blatant attempt to blackmail the European NATO powers into backing Ankaras aims in Syria, Turkish government officials indicated that Ankara would no longer block some 3.5 million refugees from leaving the country for Europe. State media broadcast videos of refugees taking to boats on the Aegean Sea and marching to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Greek police fired deterrent tear gas at hundreds of refugees who entered the demarcation zone between Greece and Turkey Friday, while Bulgaria announced that it was sending 1,000 troops to the border. At a United Nations Security Council session convened at the request of Great Britain and the other NATO powers for the purpose of declaring solidarity with Turkey and condemning Syria and Russia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the potential dramatic impacts of further direct military confrontations in Idlib. He called upon all sides to step back from the edge of further escalation. He told the Council that the risk of fighting spiraling out of control, taking into account the volume of the forces that are in Idlib, and around Idlib, is something that cannot be taken lightly. Earlier in the day, the European Unions foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, issued a similar warning that the clashes in Syria could quickly escalate into a major open international military confrontation. The Erdogan governments military intervention in Syria is deeply unpopular in the Turkish working class. The government resorted to a temporary shutdown of social media late Thursday in an attempt to prevent antiwar sentiments from being shared. The prospect of an escalating conflict with Russia also roiled Turkish markets, with the Borsa Istanbul 100 Index plummeting by 10 percent at the open Friday, while the value of the Turkish lira dropped for a fifth day running. Turkeys economic recovery from a recent recession has been tied in part to deals with Russia, including last months inauguration of the TurkStream pipeline bringing Russian gas to Turkey and Europe. The potential for the Syrian conflict to erupt into a world catastrophic war are far greater than governments or the corporate media care to acknowledge. Last week, the Russian news website gazeta.ru posted a column by its main military analyst, Col. Mikhail Khodarenok (ret.), who stated that while Russias backing down to Turkey would spell a political-military fiasco, Turkey enjoyed an overwhelming superiority in personnel and military hardware on the ground in Idlib. His conclusion: the only way for Russia to prevail would be the threat or use of tactical nuclear weapons. The immense tensions concentrated in Idlib are a product of the escalating drive toward war on a global scale, which has its roots in the insoluble crisis of world capitalism and, in particular, the attempts by US imperialism to reverse its declining hegemony by means of military force. The threat of this conflict erupting into a world war between nuclear armed powers can be countered only by building an international antiwar movement based upon the working class in the Middle East and around the world. The endangered pangolin species remain under threat in China despite a clampdown on eating wild animals amid the coronavirus outbreak, campaigners have warned. Consumption of the animal has been made illegal in a country where pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, as authorities work to contain the spread of the deadly virus believed to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan. The Chinese pangolin which is considered critically endangered has been included in the ban on eating all wildlife. However, campaigners have warned that the consumption of the scaly mammals is not the main threat to the species. Dr Teresa Telecky, vice president of wildlife for animal welfare NGO Humane Society International, told The Independent: While pangolins are consumed for their meat as a delicacy, their scales are consumed as medicine. Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Show all 8 1 /8 Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A pangolin in Indonesia When they feel threatened, pangolins curl up into a defensive ball. Their scales are made from keratin (the same material as rhino horns and human nails) AFP/Getty Images Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Rescued baby pangolin When in this position the pangolin is too big for a lion or hyena to get its mouth arnd get a grip - and the scales are too tough to penetrate Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' The ground pangolin The name pangoling comes from the Malayan dialect word for 'pengguling' meaning 'something that rolls up Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A hand-reared baby pangolin Pangolins are also nocturnal and are only active for between four and eight hours each night, hunting for ant nests and termite mounds REX/Maria Diekmann Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A baby pangolin clinging to its mother Pangolin have no teeth but their claws are hard enough to dig through concrete. They also have a long, pencil-thin tongue that can probe into a nest for 16 inches REUTERS Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' The Malaysian pangolin Pangolins are either ground-dwelling (and spend most of their time in burrows) or arboreal (and hang out in nests in trees AFP/Getty Images Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A long-tailed pangolin Unfortunately, the pangolin's defensive curl is no help with human predators, who simply pick up the animal without any fuss REX Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A rescued pangolin Of the eight pangolin species, three are in danger - the ground, Chinese, and Sunda pangolins REUTERS She said: While the new ban should stop the eating of pangolins, it will not stop the farming and trade of pangolin scales, which is the main threat to the eight species of pangolins. Dr Telecky said it was unclear how the consumption ban would affect the animals, whose population is decreasing across China, according to the IUCN. Chinese researchers have linked pangolins to the spread of the new coronavirus, which has infected nearly 80,000 people to date. However, their claim has been challenged by other scientists across the globe. Recommended China bans eating wild animals including pangolin in coronavirus blitz Pangolins are a protected species in China, and laws already restricted their trade before the new ban on the trade of all wild animals for consumption. However, they remain in high demand across the country, where they are traded on the black market. China announced a clampdown on its citizens eating wild animals including badgers, turtles and pangolins last week, as the country battles its coronavirus outbreak. Dr Telecky from HSI said: We welcome Chinas ban on consumption of wild animals as food as it will save hundreds of thousands of animals each year from cruel treatment in this trade, assuming the ban is strongly implemented and enforced." Additional reporting by Reuters FITCHBURG, Mass., Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- What: Standout to keep safe nurse-staffing levels in place at the Leominster campus of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Clinton Hospital (Leominster Hospital) Who: U.S. Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts; RNs from Leominster Hospital, as well as their families and friends When: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 4 p.m. Where: The intersection of South Street and Electric Avenue in Fitchburg, Mass. U.S. Sen. Edward Markey will join the Leominster Hospital RNs at their March 3 standout in Fitchburg, which will take place at 4 p.m. at the intersection of South Street and Electric Avenue. The nurses have been holding daily standouts throughout the Twin Cities for the last four weeks in order to draw public attention to their ongoing efforts to keep safe nurse-staffing levels in place at "the hospital on the hill." "We are honored to have Sen. Markey join in our standout," said Natalie M. Pereira, a Leominster Hospital RN and chairperson of its MNA bargaining unit. "He's been committed to serving the people of the commonwealth for his entire career. Having him support us in our fight to protect our patients is just another example of that commitment." In late 2019, and as part of the nurses' current contract talks, hospital management made several ill-conceived proposals that stand to harm patient safety. These proposals would dangerously increase the number of patients each RN must care for at one time, while also eliminating important patient-care resources that both patients and nurses have come to depend on. (Full details on management's dangerous proposals to cut nurse staffing levels and resources are available here.) All of management's proposals slash away at important staffing improvements that the nurses fought for and that management agreed to contractually just five years ago. In response, the Leominster RNs have been holding numerous public standouts at various locations and times across the Twin Cities over the last four weeks, and the public reaction in support of their efforts has been overwhelming. More recently, they launched a public petition campaign that has garnered just as much attention (accessible both https://secure.everyaction.com/x9TcfS7-YkWCgGP40_iHQA2 and www.massnurses.org/LeominsterRNs). "We thank Sen. Markey for his willingness to help us in our fight to keep our patients safe," added Pereira. "His support is invaluable, and it matters to the communities we serve." MassNurses.org Facebook.com/MassNurses Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association Related Links http://www.massnurses.org President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday emphasised on starting University Social Responsibility (USR) in universities on the line of industries Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the maiden convocation of Central University Jharkhand (CUJ). Addressing the convocation at CUJs newly constructed campus at Ranchis Cheri-Manatu, President Kovind said, At a governors meeting in June 2018, I had raised the point of starting USR and requested the universities to launch it. Detailing about USR, the President said under the programme, students should visit villages and stay there for at least one night to understand their lifestyle. They could contribute in improving their quality of life. The students should discuss about sanitation, literacy, immunization and nutrition with the villagers. They should also inform them about various state as well as Centre sponsored schemes to the villagers, President said. I am happy to know that CUJ has taken initiative to adopt five villages and students of this university has taken responsibility to distribute education materials to village children and educate them, he said. Speaking on the tribal culture, the President said, The youths could learn the art of living with nature and keeping the healthy tradition alive from the tribals. Highlighting importance of education, the President said, Even though purpose of education has changed in the modern age, I still believe that the purpose of education is to be a good human being first. If you are good human being, you could be a good doctor, engineer or leader. In social life, you could be a good husband, good father. If you are a daughter, you could be good wife and good mother-in-law. He said, I have been attending convocations of various universities. I have found number of girls are high in terms of receiving gold medals. Even in CUG, out of total 96 gold medals, 64 medals went to girls. While girls are shining in every field, their participation in the field of science and technology is still less, he said. CUJ vice-chancellor Nand Kumar Yadav Indu said degree certificates were given to 634 students, including 96 gold medals, of 22 departments. Sixty four gold medals were distributed among girls, while 32 to boys. However, there were 10 lucky students, who received gold medals from the hands of the President. Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu and CUJ chancellor justice (retired) VN Khare were also present at the convocation. The President also inaugurated newly academic building of 42 rooms including classrooms and laboratories. The CUJ started in Ranchi in 2009 at a temporary campus, located at Brambe in 25 acres of land. Currently over 2,200 students are enrolled under 22 departments of the university. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sanjoy Dey Sanjoy Dey is principal correspondent in Jharkhand and writes on government, urban development, forest and environment, tourism, rural development and agriculture. He likes to write human interest stories. ...view detail Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh on Saturday termed the delay in the presentation of budget by finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal in Vidhan Sabha as unprecedented. It for the first time in the history of independent India that the House had to be adjourned because of non-arrival of finance minister on time, said Rana KP while talking to mediapersons in Rupnagar. He declined to comment on the question regarding what action would be taken by him in this regard. On Friday, Manpreet Badal got late in reaching the Vidhan Sabha as the passage to his house was blocked by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and families of farmers who had committed suicide. Also, the speaker called for plastic-free Hola Mohalla to be held at Kiratpur Sahib and Anandpur Sahib from March 5 to 10. He appealed to the organisers of langars (community kitchens) not to use plastic plates, glasses or other material so as to prevent pollution. He called upon all the political parties and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to join hands for ensuring plastic-free Hola Mohalla adding that the district administration will launch an awareness campaign in this regard. Arcoma AB (STO:ARCOMA), which is in the medical equipment business, and is based in Sweden, received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the OM over the last few months, increasing to kr22.90 at one point, and dropping to the lows of kr17.80. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Arcoma's current trading price of kr17.80 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Arcomas outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. View our latest analysis for Arcoma What's the opportunity in Arcoma? The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Arcomas ratio of 44.32x is trading slightly above its industry peers ratio of 40.77x, which means if you buy Arcoma today, youd be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe Arcoma should be trading in this range, then there isnt really any room for the share price grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. Is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since Arcomas share price is quite volatile, we could potentially see it sink lower (or rise higher) in the future, giving us another chance to buy. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market. Can we expect growth from Arcoma? OM:ARCOMA Past and Future Earnings, February 29th 2020 Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. Arcomas earnings over the next few years are expected to double, indicating a very optimistic future ahead. This should lead to stronger cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? ARCOMAs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at ARCOMA? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on ARCOMA, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for ARCOMA, which means its worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Arcoma. You can find everything you need to know about Arcoma in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Arcoma, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. A 26-year-old undertrial allegedly attacked a few members of the police escort party after they did not allow him to have home-cooked food brought by his family members at a court in Mumbai, an official said on Saturday. The accused, Mohammad Sohal Shaukat Ali, attacked the policemen inside a police van near a petrol pump in Naupada area of Thane, when he was being brought back to the Thane Central Jail after his appearance in Dindoshi court. "Ali was taken to the court along with 11 other undertrials for a court hearing on Friday. After the hearing got over, one of Ali's relatives tried to give him home-cooked food outside the court. However, the escort party did not allow him to have it," Thane police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said. "Ali got annoyed over this and started abusing the policemen. When he was being taken to the jail in a police van, he started arguing with the members of the escort party. He spit on one policeman and manhandled another one. He also bit the finger of another policeman," she added. Later, he also banged his own head on the window grill of the van and suffered injuries. He was then rushed to the civil hospital for medical examination. As he was out of danger, Ali was taken to the jail later, Narkar said. A case has been registered against Ali at Naupada Police Station under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant in the discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) has been registered against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A married man allegedly took his 4-foot, special needs girlfriend to the Nevada desert under the premise of doing an S&M photo shoot where he instead bound her to a signpost as he watched her die of asphyxiation, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. John Chapman, 40, is to be formally charged with kidnapping, resulting in the death of Jaime Rae Feden, 33, whose naked body was found tied to the signpost on October 5. Chapman, who was initially arrested a month after the discovery of the 75-pound woman's remains in the desert outside Las Vegas, allegedly admitted he killed Feden for her money, the complaint says. John Chapman, 40, is to be formally charged with kidnapping, resulting in the death of Jaime Rae Feden, 33, his special needs girlfriend Feden, who was only 4-foot tall, and weighed 75-pounds, was found dead in the desert outside Las Vegas He is to be formally charged next month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. If convicted, he faces life in prison. Chapman had been living in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with a wife he married almost a year before he was arrested. His wife Maureen claimed she did not know he was dating Feden - who had VATER syndrome, a series of birth defects that affect several parts of the body and caused her short height - until he called from the police department and confessed to her. Authorities said he drove Feden, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship, from Bethel Park to Las Vegas, in mid-September. He had taken her on a vacation and to go house hunting. 'However, Chapman had planned to kill (Feden) before they left Pennsylvania and he had a kill kit ready before their departure for Nevada,' according to a court affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent Jesse Laramee. Sometime around September 25th, 'Chapman convinced (Feden) to drive into the desert under the pretext of participating in an S&M (sadomasochistic/bondage) themed photo shoot' in Lincoln, County, Nevada, Laramee wrote in the affidavit. Feden was born with VATER syndrome, a series of birth defects that affect several parts of the body and caused her short height 'Chapman stated he bound (Feden's) hands and feet with plastic zip ties and affixed her to a signpost. He then applied duct tape to her mouth and then to her nose until such time she was unable to breathe. He then watched (Feden) die from asphyxiation.' After the killing, the FBI said, Chapman returned to Pennsylvania, lived at Feden's house and used her Facebook Messenger to pose as her to ward away family and friends who might grow suspicious. Police went to do a wellness check on the woman at her home in Bethel Park, after she had not been seen since September 15. Chapman's wife Maureen said she was in disbelief when she got the call from her husband confessing he had murdered the woman. The shocking news led her to question their entire relationship and his 'double life', like claims he was visiting family and lying about his job. Chapman's wife Maureen said she was in disbelief when she got the call from her husband confessing he had murdered the woman The shocking news about Chapman's double life led his wife Maureen, she says, to question their entire relationship Chapman reportedly told Maureen: 'I killed her because I had to.' Maureen said Chapman told her he was taking her truck for a work trip in Las Vegas after visiting his relatives in Bethel Park. The truck is now considered key evidence. Chapman's Facebook page has no mention of a relationship and at one point claimed he was single. His bio, which has been scrubbed, had read: 'I'm a 39 year old single guy from Pennsylvania. I've lived here most of my life. I'm always trying to meet new and interesting people.' Any romantic relationship to Maureen is obscured further when he commented 'Lookin good sis' under his wife's latest profile picture and listed her as his 'sister'. The state agency tasked with investigating allegations of misconduct by members of the judiciary should not be undermined by high stakes political games. The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct needs to operate with political independence. It must be allowed to do its job without having its governor-appointed members and staff worrying about the fallout from investigations and findings. There has been much turmoil at this state agency over the last year, but things may finally be settling down. The commission had been without a permanent director since the fall. Late last week, Jacqueline Habersham, who has been working for the commission for 19 years and been serving as the interim director, was officially named as the head of the agency. It has been troubling to see politics taking center stage at the Commission on Judicial Conduct. It has hampered the agencys work and fueled staff turnover. For the agency to get back on track, Habersham needs the latitude necessary to carry out the duties of her job without fear of retribution for stepping on political toes. Problems at the agency began about a year ago in connection with the commissions findings in the case of McLennan County Pct. 1 Place 1 Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensleys. The commission sanctioned the Waco justice of the peace for conducting heterosexual marriage ceremonies, but refusing to do same-sex weddings due to her Christian religious beliefs. The commission was right to do this. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled same-sex marriage is legal. That action led to political influence. Two commissioners who were awaiting Senate confirmation of their appointments were called in to multiple meetings with Gov. Greg Abbotts staff. Their names were withdrawn from the confirmation list. One of the appointees, Amy Suhl, blamed the withdrawal of her name from the confirmation list on the commissions findings in the Hensley case. She also told Texas Lawyer she and fellow appointee Maricela Alvarado heard their names were withdrawn because Abbott wanted appointees to serve the governor, not themselves. The loss of the two commissioners was not the only fallout. The agencys director, Eric Vinson, resigned in August after an informal proceeding in the Hensley case. His exit was followed by the resignation of Commission Chairwoman Catherine Wylie. In an unusual legal move, Hensley chose not to appeal the commissions ruling through normal channels. Instead she filed a lawsuit against the commission in state court alleging the agency and staff are violating her religious freedom under Texas law. But the drama in this case does not end there. The Texas Attorney Generals Office has declined to defend the commission in court, and the agency has had to take steps to hire outside legal counsel. Authorized by voters in 1965 through a constitutional amendment, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigates allegations of misconduct or disability made against Texas judges. In recent years, with the political sweeps bringing a fresh crop of judges to the bench each election cycle, the commissions role has become even more important. In 2019, the annual investigation caseload for the commission was up 79 percent over fiscal 2015 according to the agencys most recent annual report. We are aware of at least two Bexar County judges who have had complaints filed against them in the last year. This agency needs to be allowed to do its work unhampered from political influence. The integrity of the Texas judicial system rides on it. Before Sonia Sotomayor, the wise Latina as she once referred to herself, was nominated by President Barack Hussein Obama in May 2009 and confirmed as Supreme Court justice that August, her legal expertise and judgment were being questioned by those noting her high reversal rate by the court she was being elevated to: Three of the five majority opinions written by Judge Sotomayor for the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and reviewed by the Supreme Court were reversed, providing a potent line of attack raised by opponents Tuesday after President Obama announced he will nominate the 54-year-old Hispanic woman to the high court. Her high reversal rate alone should be enough for us to pause and take a good look at her record. Frankly, it is the Senates duty to do so, said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. Well, the Senate gave her a pass, with Sen. Lindsey Graham, who mentions it frequently, being the sole Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee voting to advance her nomination to the full Senate for a vote. Not giving her a pass these days is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has noted the double standard and bad law she applied in criticizing colleagues Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh for essentially being Trump judges by fighting the incessant lower court injunctions applied nationally to block President Trumps policies and what the American people elected him to do, as reported in Texas Lawyer magazine : Sen. Ted Cruz used Tuesdays Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on universal injunctions to criticize Justice Sonia Sotomayor for her dissent, accusing a handful of judges as acting as part of the resistance movement against the Trump administration in blocking its policies. He compared her opinion, which he noted no other justices signed onto, to an arsonist complaining about the noise from the fire trucks. Sotomayor last week chided the Trump administration for repeatedly coming to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking stays on district court injunctions. It is hard to say what is more troubling: that the government would seek this extraordinary relief seemingly as a matter of course, or that the court would grant it, she wrote. Restraining activist judges who apply ideology over law on a scope outside the jurisdiction of the cases at hand is not extraordinary relief. It is welcome relief and reflects President Trumps reshaping of the federal courts, a work in process, and restoring them to their originalist origins and interpretations, written in an era when the Constitution meant what the Founders wrote in the context of their times, not what a wise Latina in touch with her life experience and feelings might say it means, colored by the passions of the day. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump judge according to Sotomayor, condemned activist judges exceeding the scope of their legal authority in a January concurrence. Gorsuch scolded lower courts that have routinely issued blanket injunctions against the Trump administration, rather than limiting themselves to the parties before them: But when a court goes further than that, ordering the government to take (or not take) some action with respect to those who are strangers to the suit, it is hard to see how the court could still be acting in the judicial role of resolving cases and controversies. Injunctions like these thus raise serious questions about the scope of courts' equitable powers under Article III. Sotomayor is the legacy of the post-Bork era when Democrats realized that they could bypass the cumbersome legislative process still tied to that inconvenient consent of the people" thing by concentrating on the courts and populating it with judges who believed in the living constitution, which was to be interpreted in the context of the times inflamed by public passions and the liberal cause du jour. Original intent was an anachronism. Sotomayor had no problem when Obama lectured the Supreme Court on its "wrong decision" in Citizens United vs. FEC during the 2010 State of the Union. Sotomayor sat quietly through Obamas State of the Union address when Obama sharply attacked Supreme Court justices sitting in the audience for their ruling in the Citizens United case, which allowed unlimited political campaign contributions by unions and corporations. President Obama falsely claimed in this speech that the Citizens United ruling allowed massive political contributions by foreign corporations. It did no such thing. As the justices sat in the House chamber listening to his speech, Obama embarrassed the court directly and fiercely. Not a peep from Sotomayor. Only Justice Samuel Alito quietly mouthed to himself Not true, as Obama railed against foreign campaign contributions. Sotomayor has said nothing about Obamas remarks in the years since. With a Senate cowered by political considerations and the passions of the moment, we got Anthony Kennedys America, a land of weather-vane SCOTUS decisions and coat-hangers continuing to be beaten into scalpels. Thanks to President Trump, who realized the Supreme Court was and still is a political arena, at least for those who confirm SCOTUS picks, the appointments of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have shifted SCOTUS back in an originalist direction. Are they Trump justices per se? Perhaps not, but they share his views on the role and limitations of the Supreme Court. It took Cruz just two minutes during the hearing to reduce Sotomayors protest to a pile of politically motivated babble: If you look at the facts of whats happening with nationwide injunctions, I think it will explain why the DOJ has had to ask the Supreme Court to intervene over and over and over again. Nearly one-third of the nationwide injunctions issued against the Trump Administration have come from courts in the state of California. Two-thirds of the states, their district courts have issued a total of zero nationwide injunctions. So you have a handful of courts that are driving this problem. Cruz then offered Sotomayor the facts showing how judges have been enlisted in the anti-Trump resistance to thwart the will of the American people: In the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, district courts issued a total of 12 universal injunctions against the Bush administration, he said. "In the eight years of the Obama administration, district courts issued 19 universal injunctions against the Obama administration. In just three years of the Trump administration, we have already had 55 national universal injunctions issued against the federal government." That breaks down to 1.5 injunctions per year under Bush, 2.4 injunctions per year under Obama and 18.3 injunctions per year. And liberals like Sotomayor like to lecture us on disparate outcomes. Hows that, Justice Sotomayor, for equal treatment under the law? One suspects that Sotomayors angst goes beyond just injunction relief, but rather that her eyes, like those of other members of the resistance, are on the November 3 election. She knows that Trump is reshaping the courts from a liberal activist bludgeon to an originalist protector of the Constitution and the law: The good news in the last three years is that, according to the Washington Post, one out of every four U.S. circuit court judges is a Trump nominee. Thirteen district court judges are Trump nominees. And two Supreme Court Justices are Trump nominees. Thats total of 187 U.S. judges. And with one year left in his first term, that number is sure to climb. If the President wins re-election, which is more likely than not, and Republicans can keep their Senate majority, another 200+ judges could be replaced with Trump nominees and hopefully, one of those will be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This would be the dream scenario and if it ever came to pass, its impact would be felt for years to come. That is what Sotomayor really finds troubling. And there is no court injunction that will prevent the American people from making it so. Daniel John Sobieski is a former editorial writer for Investors Business Daily and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications. Los Angeles, Feb 29 : Actor Daniel Craig has one regret from his shooting experience of the new James Bond film, "No Time To Die". He wasn't allowed to drive the iconic 007 ride, Aston Martin DB5, during high-speed chase scenes owing to safety concerns. The 51-year-old told Top Gear Magazine that he couldn't drive and act at the same time, as it was seen to be too dangerous. So, stunt driver Mark Higgins took his place during high-speed chase scenes in the film, reports dailymail.co.uk. "You know we fake it, don't you? We're not allowed to do that anymore, although I do go driving. I was allowed to donut the DB5 in Matera, which was great," Craig explained. Higgins spoke with Esquire about getting behind the wheel for Craig's final Bond film, and revealed that everything "done is for real". "I think a lot of these films are going away from CGI and trying to make it as real as possible," Higgins said. He added: "The environment we were driving in was very, very restricted and very, very tight. So it's a difficult place to work in." Higgins went on to add that while Craig "enjoys driving when he can", he was happy to take a step back and let the professionals do the work. "He's a fantastic actor, so thankfully he lets me do the driving and I let him do the acting! So, we've got a bit of a deal," Higgins joked. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text EVANSTON (WNE) U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced last week that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $7.2 million in airport safety and infrastructure grants to 10 airports in Wyoming. This investment in Wyomings airports is part of a $520.5 million national investment in Americas airports that was announced recently by Secretary Chao. The airports receiving Airport Improvement Program grants in Wyoming include: Evanston-Uinta County Burns Field $317,429 to fund rebuilding an apron. Casper/Natrona County International Airport two separate grants, one for $253,911 to fund renovating and expanding a snow removal equipment building and another for $850,000 to fund the purchase of snow removal equipment. Yellowstone Regional Airport $1,441,029 to fund building an access road and building/ improving a parking lot. Dixon Airport $183,000 to fund runway repairs. Jackson Hole Airport $2,764,003 to fund repairing an access road. Pine Bluffs Municipal Airport $181,865 to fund construction of a terminal building and building/improving a hanger. Powell Municipal Airport $621,390 to fund building a taxiway. Riverton Regional Airport two separate grants, one for $150,000 to purchase or repair an emergency generator and a second for $200,000 to fund repairing a taxiway. Hot Springs County Airport $169,386 to fund a new airport master plan or study. Worland Municipal Airport $155,867 to fund widening a taxiway. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Nearly two decades after the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan post-9/11, and after an interminable war costing over $ 2 trillion, theres hardly anything historic about a possible peace deal that may be signed in Doha this coming Saturday between Washington and the Taliban. We should start by stressing three points. 1- The Taliban wanted all US troops out. Washington refused. 2- The possible deal only reduces US troops from 13,000 to 8,600. Thats the same number already deployed before the Trump administration. 3- The reduction will only happen a year and a half from now assuming whats being described as a truce holds. So there would be no misunderstanding, Taliban Deputy Leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, in an op-ed certainly read by everyone inside the Beltway, detailed their straightforward red line: total US withdrawal. And Haqqani is adamant: theres no peace deal if US troops stay. Still, a deal looms. How come? Simple: enter a series of secret annexes. The top US negotiator, the seemingly eternal Zalmay Khalilzad, a remnant of the Clinton and Bush eras, has spent months codifying these annexes as confirmed by a source in Kabul currently not in government but familiar with the negotiations. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Lets break them down to four points. 1- US counter-terror forces would be allowed to stay. Even if approved by the Taliban leadership, this would be anathema to the masses of Taliban fighters. 2- The Taliban would have to denounce terrorism and violent extremism. Thats rhetorical, not a problem. 3- There will be a scheme to monitor the so-called truce while different warring Afghan factions discuss the future, what the US State Dept. describes as intra-Afghan negotiations. Culturally, as well see later, Afghans of different ethnic backgrounds will have a tremendously hard time monitoring their own warring. 4- The CIA would be allowed to do business in Taliban-controlled areas. Thats an even more hardcore anathema. Everyone familiar with post-9/11 Afghanistan knows that the prime reason for CIA business is the heroin rat line that finances Langleys black ops, as I exposed in 2017. Otherwise, everything about this historic deal remains quite vague. Even Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was forced to admit the war in Afghanistan is still in a state of strategic stalemate. As for the far from strategic financial disaster, one just needs to peruse the latest SIGAR report. SIGAR stands for Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. In fact virtually nothing in Afghanistan has been reconstructed. No real deal without Iran The intra-Afghan mess starts with the fact that Ashraf Ghani eventually was declared the winner of the presidential elections held in September last year. But virtually no one recognizes him. The Taliban dont talk to Ghani. Only to some people that are part of the government in Kabul. And they describe these talks at best as between ordinary Afghans. Everyone familiar with Taliban strategy knows US/NATO troops will never be allowed to stay. What could happen is the Taliban allowing some sort of face-saving contingent to remain for a few months, and then a very small contingent stays to protect the US embassy in Kabul. Washington will obviously reject this possibility. The alleged truce will be broken. Trump, pressured by the Pentagon, will send more troops. And the infernal spiral will be back on track. Another major hole in the possible deal is that the Americans completely ignored Iran in their negotiations in Doha. Thats patently absurd. Teheran is a key strategic partner to its neighbor Kabul. Apart from the millenary historical/cultural/social connections, there are at least 3.5 million Afghan refugees in Iran. Post 9-11, Tehran slowly but surely started cultivating relations with the Taliban but not at a military/weaponizing level, according to Iranian diplomats. In Beirut last September, and then in Nur-Sultan in November, I was provided a clear picture of where discussions about Afghanistan stand. The Russian connection to the Taliban goes through Tehran. Taliban leaders have frequent contacts with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Only last year, Russia held two conferences in Moscow between Taliban political leaders and mujahideen. The Russians were engaged into bringing Uzbeks into the negotiations. At the same time, some Taliban leaders met with Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives four times in Tehran, in secret. The gist of all these discussions was to find a conflict resolution outside of Western patterns, according to an Iranian diplomat. They were aiming at some sort of federalism: the Taliban plus the mujahideen in charge of the administration of some vilayets. The bottom line is that Iran has better connections in Afghanistan than Russia and China. And this all plays within the much larger scope of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The Russia-China strategic partnership wants an Afghan solution coming from inside the SCO, of which both Iran and Afghanistan are observers. Iran may become a full SCO member if it holds on to the nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, until October thus still not subjected to UN sanctions. All these actors want US troops out for good. So the solution always points towards a decentralized federation. According to an Afghan diplomat, the Taliban seem ready to share power with the Northern Alliance. The spanner in the works is the Hezb-e-Islami, with one Jome Khan Hamdard, a commander allied with notorious mujahid Gulbudiin Hekmatyar, based in Mazar-i-Sharif and supported by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, more interested in restarting a civil war. Understanding Pashtunistan Heres a blast from the past, reliving the context of the Taliban visit to Houston, and showing how things have not changed much since the first Clinton administration. Its always a matter of the Taliban getting their cut at the time related to Pipelineistan business, now to their reaffirmation of what can be described as Pashtunistan. Not every Pashtun is a Taliban, but the overwhelming majority of Taliban are Pashtuns. The Washington establishment never did their know your enemy homework, trying to understand how Pashtuns from extremely diverse groups are linked by a common system of values establishing their ethnic foundation and necessary social rules. Thats the essence of their code of conduct the fascinating, complex Pashtunwali. Although it incorporates numerous Islamic elements, Pashtunwali is in total contradiction with Islamic law on many points. Islam did introduce key moral elements to Pashtun society. But there are also juridical norms, imposed by a hereditary nobility, that support the whole edifice and that came from the Turko-Mongols. Pashtuns a tribal society have a deep aversion to the Western concept of the state. Central power can only expect to neutralize them with to put it bluntly bribes. Thats what passes as a sort of system of government in Afghanistan. Which brings the question of how much and with what the US is now bribing the Taliban. Afghan political life, in practice, works out from actors that are factions, sub-tribes, Islamic coalitions or regional groups. Since 1996, and up to 9/11, the Taliban incarnated the legitimate return of Pashtuns as the dominant element in Afghanistan. Thats why they instituted an emirate and not a republic, more appropriate for a Muslim community ruled only by religious legislation. The diffidence towards cities, particularly Kabul, also expresses the sentiment of Pashtun superiority over other Afghan ethnic groups. The Taliban do represent a process of overcoming tribal identity and the affirmation of Pashtunistan. The Beltway never understood this powerful dynamic and thats one of the key reasons for the American debacle. Lapis Lazuli corridor Afghanistan is at the center of the new American strategy for Central Asia, as in expand and maintain support for stability in Afghanistan coupled with an emphasis to encourage connectivity between Central Asia and Afghanistan. In practice, the Trump administration wants the five Central Asian stans to bet on integration projects such as the CASA-1000 electricity project and the Lapis Lazuli trade corridor, which is in fact a reboot of the Ancient Silk Road, connecting Afghanistan to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia before crossing the Black Sea to Turkey and then all the way to the EU. But the thing is Lapis Lazuli is already bound to integrate with Turkeys Middle Corridor, which is part of the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative, as well as with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Plus, also part of Belt and Road. Beijing planned this integration way before Washington. The Trump administration is just stressing the obvious: a peaceful Afghanistan is essential for the integration process. Andrew Korybko correctly argues that Russia and China could make more progress on building the Golden Ring between themselves, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey by that time, thus embracing Central Asia with potentially limitless opportunities that far surpass those that the US is offering or encircling the region from a zero-sum American strategic perspective and forcing it out. The late Zbigniew Grand Chessboard Brzezinskis wishful thinking Eurasian Balkans scenario may be dead, but the myriad US divide-and-rule gambits imposed on the heartland have now mutated into hybrid war explicitly directed against China, Russia and Iran the three major nodes of Eurasia integration. And that means that as far as realpolitik Afghanistan is concerned, with or without a deal, the US military have no intention to go anywhere. They want to stay whatever it takes. Afghanistan is a priceless Greater Middle East base to deploy hybrid war techniques. Pashtuns are certainly getting the message from key Shanghai Cooperation Organization players. The question is how they plan to run rings around Team Trump. Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times. His latest book is 2030. Follow him on Facebook. San Francisco has a major drug problem. Its sidewalks host open drug use, an endless rain of discarded syringes and an estimated population of 24,500 intravenous drug users. Fatal heroin and fentanyl overdoses more than doubled last year over the year before. Changing this gritty reality will take a range of answers, including drug treatment, police action to curb sales and court-sanctioned alternatives. One more idea should be in this mix: supervised indoor injection sites, long talked about but never fully realized. Safe injection sites give addicts a place to shoot up a strange-sounding idea born of real-world sense. Drug users would be offered counseling and advice at the facilities. Trained medical workers would stand by to counter overdoses. The space would be cleaner and safer than life on the curb. And an ignored problem would get official recognition and care. These arguments havent convinced federal officials, held back by the old notion that injection sites encourage drug use. In fact, they dont, judging by experience in Europe and Canada, where government-sponsored facilities already host addicts. And the payoff has been fewer deaths, less disease and crime, and an opportunity to overcome addiction. No city needs the help more than this one. San Franciscos leaders have argued for injection sites for several years, even setting up a mock site two years ago at the Tenderloins Glide church. But legal impediments remained. Now a renewed push is gathering strength. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Matt Haney, whose central city district is ground zero for street drug abuse, are pushing city departments to prepare for the facilities while the Legislature considers AB362, a measure that would allow San Francisco to issue safe injection permits. The citys reached this tipping point before, but then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill. This time around, supporters believe Gov. Gavin Newsom wont be as hesitant. Legal objections faded this week when a federal judge ruled that a proposed injection site in Philadelphia is designed to save lives, not induce illegal drug use. A pilot plan similar to San Franciscos is moving forward there. Leaving addicts untended on the street is inhumane and cruel. Legislators and the governor should back San Franciscos efforts to stem the scourge of drug addiction with a carefully monitored indoor injection site. 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. There may be a ton of rich celebrities all around the world, but no A-lister does extravagance better that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, better known as Kimye. The couple doesnt have a problem spending big bucks on lavish items and are always buying things that they dont necessarily need but most definitely want. Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West | ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images With a combined net worth of $600 million, the pair continues to out-do themselves with their over-the-top purchases. From opulent gifts to customized furniture, here are all of the insanely expensive items Kimye has spent their money on over the years. The couple dropped millions for their three mansions For some people, it takes years for them to pay off their dream home, but for Kardashian and West, they bought all three of their lavish mansions right on the spot. The first home the couple ever bought together was their Bel-Air mansion back in 2013. According to People, the pair purchased the six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home for $11 million and did some major renovations to it over the years. While it was a great starter home, Kimye sold the mansion for 17.8 million in 2017. A year after purchasing their Bel-Air home, the Wests bought their Hidden Hills mansion for $20 million and have been living there ever since. And if two mansions werent enough, the couple recently bought another huge home this time in Cody, Wyoming for $14 million. The pair purchased the 4,500-acre ranch in September 2019. To round out their real estate empire, Kardashian and West just bought a $6.3 million plot of land in Palm Springs, where they could possibly build another massive mansion to add to their collection of lavish homes. They spent $30,000 on a custom bathroom sink In April 2019, Kardashian West took to her Instagram Stories to show off the ultra-unique feature inside her Hidden Hills mansion. While giving a tour of her massive master bathroom during her Vogue 73 Questions video, fans were left unsettled after seeing that her bathroom sink appeared to have faucets but no basin. After receiving a ton of questions surrounding this great mystery, Kardashian explained to fans that the sink is a custom piece that has a slight slope instead of a basin which makes it look cool but still operates the same as a regular sink. Now youre probably wondering how much a customized piece such as this one cost the famous couple? According to Yahoo Finance, this sink has an estimated cost of $30,000, which seems like mere chump change for the couple. They once paid $750,000 for gold-plated toilet seats While this has yet to be confirmed or denied, it was previously reported that Kimye bought gold-plated toilet seats for their Bel Air mansion. Though we dont really know anyone who would want a gold-encrusted toilet, it seems like Kardashian and West thought that they deserved to sit upon, uh, throne, made of nothing but the best material. Kardashian pays $168,880 per month for her glam squad Since she is in the spotlight 24/7, Kardashian West needs to look her best at all times. Which is why she has a hardworking glam squad who makes her look her absolute best day in and day out. From hairstylists to teeth whitening experts, the reality star only uses the best people in the business to get her looking as flawless as she does. But having a whole team fawning over her daily comes at a hefty price. In 2018, iHeart Radio reported that Kardashians beauty expenses cost roughly $168,880 per month, which, for an average person, wouldnt even be able to be budgeted into their monthly bills. The famous pairs purchased many expensive gifts for their four children Now that Kardashian and West are the proud parents of four young children, they continue to do everything they can to make sure their kids are happy even if that means spoiling their little ones to the best of their abilities. Over the years, Kimye has bought their kids some pretty expensive presents, and though they only believe in purchasing nothing but the best, some of the gifts were way over the top. From buying their daughter North $50,000 Lorraine Schwartz half-carat diamond studs when she was only 16-months to giving daughter Chicago a $550,000 nursey, the Wests dont even look at price tags when it comes to their kids. Kardashian and West buy each other lavish gifts Since tying the knot in Florance, Italy, back in 2012, Kardashian and West have gone above and beyond to prove their love for one another. One of the ways theyve done so is by showering each other with opulent gifts that not only proved to be expensive but have shown the other just how strong their love is. Over the years, West has dished out quite a lot of money for his leading lady and continues to gift her items that cost nothing less than a few thousand. From custom Hermes Birkin handbags to a $227,300 neon-green SUV that matched her frozen yellow hairdo, West has gone above and beyond to put a smile on his wifes face. As for Kardashian, shes given her husband quite the gifts throughout their eight-year marriage. From shelling out $440,000 to rent out an entire island for the rappers 40th birthday to gifting him a $750,000 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, the reality star doesnt mind opening up her wallet for the man who holds the key to her heart. Thanks to Kardashian and West, we now know that love has no price tag. By Trend The Report on War crimes in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenias responsibility prepared by the eminent international lawyer Malcolm Shaw and Naomi Hart was circulated as the document of the UN General Assembly and of the Security Council, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. The report examines the war crimes committed by Armenia in the territories of Azerbaijan currently under occupation and the responsibility of the Republic of Armenia in this regard, besides the theoretical overview of the relevant legal norms, the report contains convincing evidences and factual information of violation of these norms by Armenia. The report refers to the documents of international organizations, decisions of European Court of Human Rights, investigations of non-governmental organizations, information of mass media, independent sources such as analysis by individual authors, as well as the documents and materials of relevant state agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The report is divided into two sections. The first part consists of the factual and historical background, a general overview of international humanitarian law and an analysis of the responsibility of Armenia. The second part consists of analysis of the war crimes examined in the following order. First, war crimes relating to civilian deaths and injuries; also war crimes related to civilian property, mistreatment of detainees and prisoners of war, as well as war crimes relating to the taking hostages, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement and changing the character of the occupied territories, war crimes relating to destruction of cultural heritage and damage to the natural environment. While referring to the UN Security Council resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993) the report stresses an unambiguous support of the UN Security Council to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan, highlighting that Nagorno-Karabakh region is an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan and demanding immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and providing conditions for the return of the displaced persons to their homes. The report underlines that Armenia while ignoring these demands, not only continues to maintain the territories of Azerbaijan under occupation, but also in violation of norms of international law, carries out different types of illegal activities in these territories. So, the document provides analysis of the illegal activities run in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan in violation of international law. In this regard, the distribution of the report on Illegal activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2016 and a joint report of the Azercosmos OJSC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs entitled Illegal activities in the territories of Azerbaijan under Armenias occupation: evidence from satellite imagery of 2019 within the UN is noted in the report. The report also provides legal opinion for the illegal economic and other activities run by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, legal arguments of the illegality of actions of Armenia and Armenias international responsibility. The report together with the letter from the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the UN addressed to the Secretary General was published as official document of the UN General Assembly and Security Council on 7 February 2020. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Sri Lankan government has decided not sign the MCC agreement with the US without Parliamentary approval after a special panel appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa found the deal could open the island nation to security threats and undermine its sovereignty. Under the agreement, the MCC, a bilateral United States foreign aid agency which partners with developing countries, would grant Sri Lanka USD 480 million to upgrade its transportation infrastructure and improve land management system. The special panel, in its interim report to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said, "There were clauses and conditions that would negatively affect national goals/objectives, sovereignty as well as the national security along with sections and provisions that would be unfavourable for the constitution of Sri Lanka and the legal frame work of the country." The government, citing the committee recommendations, said it was important to obtain public and parliamentary approvals before the agreement could be signed. The government's Information Department said further discussions with the US government were planned for changes to the agreement. Before the presidential election in 2019, the then Maithripala Sirisena government had approved the draft of the MCC agreement. The agreement allotted funds for agriculture, irrigation, anti-corruption units, education, energy and power, finance and enterprise development, health, land rights and access to land, transportation infrastructure water supply and sanitation. However the then Opposition dubbed it as a sellout of Sri Lanka's sovereignty to the US. After assuming office in November last, President Rajapaksa appointed a panel of academics to review the agreement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has temporarily put a hold on its decision to close the filing of nominations by aspiring national executives and flagbearship positions of the party. It follows a lawsuit brought against the party to discontinue with the process. Reasons The acting General Secretary of the party, Mr James Kwabena Bomfeh Jr., who is also the Director of Elections, confirmed the temporary halt to the process in an interview yesterday when the Daily Graphic did a follow up to proceedings at the partys headquarters. He, however, declined to give further details of the suit and the person who brought the suit, as well as the reason or reasons for the suit. Summons Mr Bomfeh Jnr said the party received the suit last Thursday, explaining that the partys leadership was in a crunch meeting to get some legal advice on the matter. The programme (filing of forms) cannot come on because there is a court summons. Im not able to give details because we are still in a meeting on the matter, he said. When asked who served the summons and for what reason, Mr Bomfeh Jnr said, the most important thing is that there is a court summons served on the party. He, however, clarified that the suit was not an injunction and pointed out that Legal matters have political twists. He said once the party finished its meeting, it would outline the way forward in order not to disrupt the partys calendar and activities. Background The CPP Central Committee recently postponed the National Delegate Congress from March 8 to March 27 and 28 at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The party opened nomination from February 6, 2020 and was expected to have ended. Congress The CPP National Delegates Congress is slated for Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. Nominations, which was opened from February 6, 2020, is expected to end on Friday, February 28, 2020. The National Delegates Congress shall elect the National Chairperson, National Vice-Chairpersons, the General Secretary, the National Treasurer, the National Organiser and the National Womens Organiser. Source: Graphic.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of making cities in the state active even during night, the state government has zeroed in on Thiruvananthapuram and Mayor K Sreekumar has asked the public to respond with suggestions on his Facebook page. Over 500 responses were received and they will be compiled by the corporation before submitting it for council approval. Addressing media persons on Friday, the mayor said that the city will become the first in the state to implement the project successfully and the works for the same will start as early as March. He also said that many other promises made in the 100-day plan of the mayor are now being implemented. LIFE Mission The mayor also spoke about the corporations achievements in the LIFE Mission housing scheme. A total of 3,672 people were unable to complete their houses under the previous housing schemes and they were able to do so with funds from the first phase of LIFE Mission. A total of 4,836 people with land were also given houses as part of the second phase of the project. We were able to complete the maximum number of houses in the state. In Life Mission, the central government allowance is `1.5 lakh and the state allowance is `50,000. The city corporation contributes `2 lakh for each house, thus taking the amount to `4 lakh. In the third phase of LIFE, we have 18,018 beneficiaries, said the mayor. Biometric punching and cameras To improve its working environment and productivity, the city corporation office will now be under camera surveillance. Biometric punching has also been implemented. In the main office, there are 10 punching machines and apart from this all the 11 zonal offices and 15 health circle offices also have punching machines. The trial has already begun. There are 440 workers in the city corporations main office. Among them, 437 are already part of the punching system. Biometric data of three more employees remains to be collected due to health issues. A total of 140 cameras have been set up in the main office while 52 cameras were set up in the circle/ zonal offices. Cell gets 276 complaints In the mayors complaint resolution cell, a total of 276 complaints have been received so far as many as 148 complaints were solved while 128 are in the process of being solved. Most of the complaints are from the health sector, about hotels and other such issues. We also receive engineering-related complaints like those related to permits and construction. In fact, 156 complaints are related to health, said the Mayor. The United States has signed a historic agreement with the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to the countrys 18-year conflict. The agreement signed in Doha in Qatar on February 29 lays out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in return for various security commitments from the insurgents and a pledge to hold talks with the government in Kabul. U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the deal and said he would meet soon with Taliban leaders. According to a joint declaration published by the U.S. and Afghan governments on February 29, the United States and NATO would withdraw all troops in Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upheld the commitments made in the agreement. The deal was signed by U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, leader of the political wing of the group. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Taliban leaders attended the signing ceremony. Representatives from over two dozen countries and international organizations, among them the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Turkey, were also present at the event. "We are just at the beginning," Pompeo said ahead of the signing. "A significant reduction in violence will create conditions for peace, and the absence of it the conditions for failure," he added. Pompeo said that Afghans need to live in peace and prosperity with respect for the rights of women, while the United States must be assured there will not be a terrorist threat from the country. Speaking in Kabul, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the United States would not hesitate to nullify the deal if the Taliban did not uphold its end. "If the Taliban upholds the agreement the United States will begin a conditions-based, and I repeat a conditions-based, reduction in forces," Esper said, calling this a "pivotal moment in the peace process." Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a joint statement committing the Afghan government to support the U.S.-Taliban deal, which is viewed with skepticism by many war-weary Afghans. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the agreement as a "first step to lasting peace." "The way to peace is long and hard. We have to be prepared for setbacks, spoilers, there is no easy way to peace but this is an important first step," the former Norwegian prime minister told reporters in Kabul. The European Union welcomed the peace agreement by the Taliban and the United States and the joint Afghan-U.S. joint declaration as "important first steps" toward a lasting resolution of the country's decades-long conflict. "The current opportunity to move towards peace should not be missed," EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell says in a statement, adding that negotiations talks should start "without delay" and include all political factions and groups of society. "The conflict needs a political solution in which human rights, including women's rights, are respected and common grievances are addressed," the statement said. Under the agreement, the United States would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. NATO pledged to adjust the coalition troop levels in the first phase too, bringing down NATO's numbers to about 12,000 from roughly 16,000 troops at present. The signing comes after a week in which both U.S.-led forces and the Taliban committed to a reduction in violence. The Taliban has so far refused to talk directly to the Afghan government, calling it a puppet of the West. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban could still prove difficult, with many in Kabul doubting the extremists' sincerity or their ability to control all of the group's militants. At a press conference at the White House later on February 29, Trump said he will "be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-so-distant future." Trump also said he thought negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government would be successful because "everyone is tired of war." Robert Malley, president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, welcomed the deal. "No agreement is perfect, and the U.S.-Taliban deal is no exception. But it represents the most hopeful step to end a war that has lasted two decades and taken countless American and especially Afghan lives. It ought to be celebrated, bolstered and built upon to reach a genuine intra-Afghan peace." A U.S.-led coalition of forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to drive the Taliban from power after the group refused to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Since then, about 2,400 U.S. soldiers have been killed in fighting, along with tens of thousands of Afghan soldiers, extremist fighters, and civilians. Trump campaigned on a pledge of pulling U.S. forces out of "endless wars." On February 28, he urged the warring sides to seize the opportunity to make peace. "Soon, at my direction, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan," Trump said in a statement. "If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said. "These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from Al-Qaeda, [Islamic State], and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm," Trump said. He added, however, that "ultimately it will be up to the people of Afghanistan to work out their future." "We, therefore, urge the Afghan people to seize this opportunity for peace and a new future for their country," he added. In September 2019, Trump suddenly called off a planned signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David, Maryland, after a series of Taliban attacks. But talks eventually resumed, led by U.S. special envoy Khalilzad, in Qatar, where the Taliban has a representative office. With reporting by RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal, AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, The New York Times, and the BBC WASHINGTON - I take a seat at Cafe Milano in Georgetown and hear, "No, no." I look up. "Mr. Tavlarides prefers that seat," the host says. I duly slide into the next chair. The host is referring to Christopher Tavlarides, the entrepreneur I'm meeting for dinner to discuss two political ventures - Prytany and Crowdpac - that Tavlarides and his partners hope to turn into utilities for political activism. The goal is to empower small donors by making it easier to bundle contributions. "We want to be the Venmo of politics," he said, referring to the app-based payment system that also enables people to exchange cash. "Every millennial is executing their life on their iPhone. Why should politics be any different?" Tavlarides, a 51-year-old Washingtonian and self-made networker, honed his people skills in the congregation at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. He is the fifth and youngest child of its popular dean, the late John Tavlarides. He is a graduate of St. John's College High School in Washington D.C., whose ample collection of success stories includes Monumental Sports & Entertainment's vice chairman, Raul Fernandez; Under Armour founder Kevin Plank; and the late James M. Kimsey, an early investor in AOL. Tavlarides' flagship business is Capital Outdoor, a privately held, $35 million-a-year billboard company that displays roadside advertisements for consumer products and services in 22 markets across the United States. "We find niches," he said of the business, which he owns with a cousin, John Polis. "We fill vacuums." He and Polis also produce small-budget documentaries - ranging from $600,000 to $1 million - through a partnership called Sophia Entertainment, named for their Greek Orthodox church. Tavlarides has invested in a number of start-ups over the years, including ventures involved in restaurant apps and brain-injury software. "We take big swings at risky opportunities," Tavlarides said. At the moment, the swing is at political fundraising, which is dominated by relatively few givers, Tavlarides told me. Of the 1.5 million people who donated more than $200 to candidates for federal office, only 92,000 reached the $2,800 maximum that an individual is allowed to give a candidate during an election cycle. "Those 92,000 are commanding all the attention of the politicians," Tavlarides said. "Small donors are marginalized." Crowdpac is a highly partisan, left-leaning, five-year-old site that allows donors to contribute to a specific candidate or to efforts to defeat one; it even allows for "rage donations." It also includes some constructive political commentary from candidates seeking local, state or federal office. "People can yell and scream as much as they like, just like Twitter," said Tavlarides, an independent voter from Washington. He and his team purchased the site last year from some Silicon Valley bigwigs for an undisclosed amount. Prytany - named for the presidential office of Greece's Athenian senate - is a nonpartisan site that Tavlarides said is designed for political discourse and fundraising. It went online in March 2018 and has 5,000 subscribers. "The endgame is for Prytany to be a social media network for politics," he said. "We will invest more in Prytany over the coming weeks." Prytany transfers money electronically from the contributor to the candidate or political action committee. It serves only federal candidates. Tavlarides and his partners have invested more than $1.5 million in Prytany and Crowdpac. Both are profitable and approved by the Federal Election Commission. Tavlarides said he and his partners collect a 3% fee on every donation that passes through either site. The sites, so far, have raised $16 million from small and big donors, many of whom are giving for the first time. Most of that money has been raised by Crowdpac. Donors can use a credit card or electronic check to create an account on either site. Then the money goes to the designated candidate or cause. The platforms collectively have 1 million accounts, the vast majority of which are on Crowdpac. There are hundreds of candidates on the two sites, including Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., who this year is running for Senate. "We allow anybody from the comfort of their couch to get online and test the waters to run for office or build coalitions," he said. "From our sites, you create a group and then go out on social media like Facebook and Twitter, and recruit people to form larger groups to influence policy." Tavlarides is betting that the timing is right because of the passion around the 2020 presidential election and because of the focus on sites like Twitter and Facebook as vehicles for political influence and misinformation. "Those sites were not built for politics," he said. "We are." He said his platforms have safeguards and user agreements against misuse and hate language "that basically say, 'If it will get you suspended in high school it will get you suspended from our sites.'" "We are so concerned about bots and fake accounts and narratives we have added two features no one has done on social media platforms," he said. "Currently on Prytany and soon to be added to Crowdpac are ID scan and Social Security verification." The idea was hatched one Saturday afternoon in spring 2018 at Tavlarides's Georgetown home. Tavlarides, Polis and their friend Royal Kastens, a former Senate staffer to Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, both Massachusetts Democrats, were getting bombarded on their smartphones by requests for political campaign contributions. "They were very aggressive solicitations," Tavlarides said. "It was laughable." "We realized in that moment that there are no platforms to get more people politically engaged," he said. "It's the same people at all the fundraisers. They hired attorneys and met with the FEC to get its approval. They hired 10 employees who work remotely, primarily technologists and graphics experts. It's unclear whether Prytany and Crowdpac can achieve Tavlarides's goals of disrupting the political fundraising game and getting more people involved in politics before they step into the voting booth. But Tavlarides said he is accustomed to making bets. "I have been working for myself for three decades, and I am comfortable with the risk that comes with that," he said. He worked his way through George Washington University, graduating in 1990. Capital Outdoor grew out of a door-to-door slog of selling advertising to Washington's old-time restaurants, including the legendary Duke Zeibert's and Blackie's House of Beef in the city's West End. The company now sells billboard space from Weehawken, New Jersey, to West Hollywood, showcasing big ads for Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and other major consumer brands. "What we are doing with outdoor billboards and my films is the same thing we are doing with Prytany and Crowdpac," Tavlarides said. "We are monetizing eyeballs." The only way to expand the number of people who have a seat at the political table is to make them heard. "Money makes them heard," he said. "It's not unlike being a regular at your favorite restaurant. You get noticed. But if the owner doesn't know you, you get the crappy table at the back of the room." Bengaluru, Feb 29 : The Karnataka Congress here on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi in instigating riots. Stating that the BJP and the AAP are hand in glove and playing the hide & seek game to fool people, the party asked why hadn't cops booked Tahir Hussain and Kapil Mishra? "What's stopping them from taking action against these motormouths, mainly responsible for instigating violence?" tweeted the Congress. It was referring to AAP leader Hussain and BJP member Mishra for their alleged involvement in the riots. Though 123 FIRs had been filed by the Delhi Police, but the BJP leaders who made provocative speeches were not included in them, the Congress said. "Is this impartial? Who is the Delhi Police working for? 42 dead, 200 injured. Incompetence of the police shows up, which will be road-blocks to justice. Crime scene not sanitised. Yet to make seizure list. No conclusive evidence of gun use," Congress said. According to the Congress, complicity between the AAP and the BJP political elements has been exposed through these riots, with the victims being let down by the police and the judicial delay. It also raised the issue of bail to Pulwama attack accused Yusuf Chopan. In the blast, 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed. "The NIA failed to file charge-sheet. How can a Jaish terrorist get bail? Either the government is incompetent or guilty of lying. Home Minister Amit Shah and the NIA chief should resign immediately," Congress said. On the markets crash, the Congress said the Narendra Modi government was not prepared to handle it. "Tumbling of markets in one week shows how unprepared the Modi government is when it comes to handling small concerns. The Sensex sank wiping out Rs 5 lakh crore hard-earned money." The country had moved from the extreme confidence in markets to the extreme panic, the Congress said calling it an economic collapse. "The third quarter GDP growth dipped to 7-year low of 4.7 per cent, with continuing slump in manufacturing and fresh challenges arising out of coronavirus outbreak stifling global growth. Going by the government's failed record in handling eventualities, is Modi prepared to handle bigger challenges" it said. Castigating the Gujarat model of governance, the party said 3.8 lakh children in the state were malnourished, rising by 2.4 lakh since July 2019. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston Dateline Will Baby Victoria Get Justice? -- Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss what could be called the fighting between the people who want to find out the truth and a handful of people who want to suppress the truth. More than nine months after the sexual assault of a less-than-3-year-old girl [dubbed by the media as] Victoria, a case that upset and angered the entire country, the truth still hasnt been established. Last Thursday, President [U Win Myint] instructed that legal action be taken against government officials who did not fulfill their duties in that case. Before that, the President had urged the relevant organizations to discover the truth. We will discuss why the truth still hasnt been discovered, whether the President will be able to save Victoria, and whether the rule of law will go from bad to worse in Myanmar. Legal advisor U Khin Maung Myint and steering committee member of the Gender Equality Network Ma Yee Mon Oo join me to discuss this. Im The Irrawaddy English editor Kyaw Zwa Moe. The President has given instructions regarding the case and called for the truth to be established. He repeated it last Thursday. He gave the instructions mainly to the Supreme Court of the Union, Home Affairs Ministry and Union Attorney-Generals Office. Firstly, he called for discovering the truth, and taking action against the government officials who did not fulfill their duties. U Khin Maung Myint, how much do you expect will come from this? What has gone wrong in this case? Khin Maung Myint: The case was badly handled from the start. Once the police receive a complaint from the aggrieved party in a criminal case, they have to conduct an investigation and build the case in order to bring it to the court. Based on the case built by the police, law offices at different levels review it and prosecute it on behalf of the government. So, the government is the plaintiff. The case was bungled and the perpetrator could not be held accountable. Victoria is the aggrieved party. But the prosecutor in fact is the government. Because this is a criminal case. The perpetrator could not be identified in a case in which the government is the prosecutor. We are blaming the police currently. But the Union Attorney-General is assigned according to Section 12 of the Attorney-General of the Union Law to review cases put together by the police if he assumes the cases are weak. He is assigned to review, instruct and supervise in that regard, and explain to the Parliament in unusual cases. KZM:Over the past nine months, he didnt do anything in that regard in Parliament. KMM:Again, according to Section 36 of the law, law offices at different levels are authorized to review the cases they believe are flawed. They have the authority to order re-investigations. Cases should be only brought to court after they are properly built, along with evidence and testimonies. While legal experts, the media and even the ordinary citizens were raising doubts that Ko Aung Gyi is the perpetrator, police brought the case against him. As all had expected, he was discharged due to a lack of evidence. The case has technically been closed, as the Advocate-General of Mandalay Region did not accept the proposal to change the criminal charge. The aggrieved party doesnt need to open the case again. She has filed a complaint with the police. Police and law offices at different levels are to be blamed for not being able to identify the perpetrator. The aggrieved party doesnt need to file another complaint. To answer your question about what we can expect, we should measure this based on the extent to which police and law offices at different levels will follow the instruction of the President. So far, we havent heard that a new case will be opened and other suspects will be identified. However, we legal experts and people expect that the truth will be established. KZM:What you said suggests the police and the Union Attorney-Generals Office have failed to perform their duties. KMM:Since Ko Aung Gyi was discharged, they have told the public nothing. They have not submitted any plan to the President, who gave instructions. So, we can conclude that they have done nothing so far. KZM:Ko Aung Gyi was released, and we are in a state of confusion about the case. As a person who is working for womens and childrens affairs, what else would you like to point out? Yee Mon Oo:Ive been monitoring the case, the sexual assault against a girl. So, weve been watching what actions were being taken. We have seen many suspicious things since the case was reported. It has even made people think that legal officials have something to protect, other than the aggrieved party. We didnt see any noticeable work done by them for Victoria. What shocked me most was when the Myanmar Police Force revealed the identity of the victim and personal information about her parents. So, I found the procedures of the Myanmar Police Force extremely suspicious. They are protecting one side rather than the aggrieved party. It is understood that the identities of victims of sexual abuse, young or old, should not be revealed. The Myanmar Police Force had no reason not to know that. So, I guess they deliberately revealed it. Again, when I see a lot of confusion, procedural irregularities, and the failure to protect the victim in a case that happened in the center of Naypyitaw, which is the administrative capital, I feel very depressed and concerned. There may be many more cases of sexual abuse in conflict zones like Kachin and Rakhine states. And there are ongoing conflicts. I doubt that justice will be served for victims of sexual assaults and rapes committed by those who are associated with those in power. Two female Kachin teachers were raped and killed five years ago. But no one has been held accountable for this so far. It has been nine months since the Victoria case began. We are still in a state of confusion. And relevant authorities failed to work in a transparent manner. I heard that punitive action will be taken against the police officers who revealed the identity of Victoria. But we were not informed in a transparent manner what action had been taken against them, if any. KZM:We have not yet been told anything about it. That they revealed the victims identity was quite provocative. Police Brigadier-General Soe Naing Oo of the CID [Criminal Investigation Department], Police Colonel Min Han and Police Colonel Tha Tun were at the press conference. They revealed the identity of Victoria and the personal information of her parents. Police posted the information about the victims parents on their Facebook page. The post was however removed later. Police officers said it just slipped out. How does one respond? Needless to say, people were angry about that. KMM: Frankly speaking, it is against the Child Rights Law enacted in July 2019. The law prohibits the identification of a minor involved in a legal case, whether its before a [regular] court or a juvenile court. And the law also prescribes penalties for violations of this. KZM:What are the penalties? KMM: Four months in prison plus a fine. Whether they revealed the identities intentionally or unintentionally, the head of their organization must take action against them, showing responsibility and accountability. Punitive action must be taken against them. Now, [lawyer] U Thein Than Oo and others are taking steps to sue the police officers. My question is, will action be taken only when the aggrieved party files a complaint? KZM:And finally, the President has to intervene. KMM:Right. There is a law in place: why havent the police chief and the home affairs minister taken action against those who violate that law? Deputy police chief [Police Major General] Aung Naing Thu spoke out against the existing law at a press conference about an important witness, teacher Hnin Nu Lwin, at the presidential residence. According to Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, police are authorized to require anyone who is believed to have information about a crime to appear as a witness. And Section 161 requires them to answer all the questions other than those that could expose them to a criminal charge or to a penalty or forfeiture. And Section 163 says police shall not prevent any person from making any statement which he may be disposed to make of his own free will. The deputy police chief said that as [Hnin Nu Lwin] is a human witness, she may or may not testify. This has impacted so much on the trial. Teacher Hnin Nu Lwin is an important witness; she was the first to find out Victoria was sexually assaulted, and she was the one who washed Victorias private parts. The victim testified that two boys [committed the offense against] her in a hall, and that the teacher had scolded them. Despite this, Hnin Nu Lwin denied at the court having any knowledge about the incident. My question is whether or not the Myanmar Police Force is familiar with the procedures and relevant laws. And at the court, it was discovered with the assistance of technicians that the CCTV records were changed or replaced. But police did not do anything to find out who changed the CCTV records and why, and who ordered that the records be changed. KZM:Normally, police chiefs have to order an investigation in such cases. KMM: Yes, they have to and the court has to take action for falsifying evidence under Section 193 of the Penal Code. Falsifying evidence is a crime, but the court did not open a case regarding that. Taking a look at the course of this case, one accident is not unusual, but there are many accidents in this case, and I am suspicious there are deliberate efforts in the case to suppress the truth. From a legal point of view, this suspicion is quite strong. KZM: Regarding Police Maj-Gen Aung Naing Thu, how do you interpret his action regarding witness Ma Hnin Nu Lwindid he neglect his duty, or did he attempt a cover-up? KMM:From what he said that day, I would say he failed to perform his duty and also attempted a cover-up. It is unlikely that he as the deputy police chief has no knowledge about sections 160, 161 and 163 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. [His] work is primarily based on the Code of Criminal Procedure and the police manual. Despite this, he covered up for teacher Hnin Nu Lwin. We need to find out why he said what he did at the press conference. In consequence, at the court, Hnin Nu Lwin did not give a detailed account of what happened. After the case was opened, it was not immediately handled by the CID. Before that, the police and the court to which the complaint was filed investigated the case for nearly a month. We dont know what they asked and what Hnin Nu Lwin said during that interrogation, and if there is any difference between what she told the police at first, what she told the CID later, and what she said when she testified in court. And police did not compare her accounts according to Section 162 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This point should be noted. KZM: People say that there is a cover-up in the case overall. Which points are implausible to womens affairs organizations and the public? What do you say? YMO:As we have monitored the case, we have seen many irregularities. I must say, they are trying to hide something, rather than there being shortcomings in the procedures. Lets take Ko Aung Gyi. It was not that he was officially named as the suspect and revealed to the media from the very beginning. It emerged as a rumor when an alleged police official wrote a post on social media that the school driver was the perpetrator. Only after that did police officially name him as the suspect. So, we assume there is a cover-up. Again, it appears that women and girls are being used to provoke the public. Looking at the root causes of conflicts in Myanmar, you can see that many originate from sexual violence against women and girls and subsequent rumors. It seems that what the officials, especially police, say at press conferences is provocative rather than informative. They revealed the identity of Victoria and posted it online. I am suspicious that they intentionally did it in order to provoke the public. We should take considerable caution. People are quite angry now. They could take to the streets at any time. We are concerned that some organizations might manipulate such protests for their own interests. KZM:Your organization engages with lawmakers and government officials. Has your organization discussed or provided recommendations to them regarding the Victoria case? YMO:Yes, we have. When we met with MPs, we mainly discussed the Law on Prevention of Violence Against Women. Under this law, we will see improved prospects for taking action against offenders. The case of Victoria highlights the fact that a law on prevention of violence against women is urgently needed. Violence against women including Victoria and women who were burned to death proves that [passage of] the draft law on prevention of violence against women recently published is desperately needed. We are pushing for it. KZM:Saya, earlier I mentioned some of the irregularities in the case. For example, some lawyers were intimidated and some lawyers were even charged. KMM:Yes, some lawyers were charged. KZM:Were you intimidated during your handling of the case? Did you encounter any other irregularities? KMM:I was never intimidated personally. I was closely watching the case from the beginning and I said what I needed to. There were irregularities. Normally, victims file criminal cases as plaintiffs. As the plaintiffs are not well versed in the law, they hire lawyers to represent them in courts. In the case of Victoria, advocate Daw Ywet Nu Aung represented Victoria and her family as the plaintiff lawyer. In criminal cases in which the state acts as the prosecutor, different legal offices at different levels represent victims as prosecutors. In the case of Victoria, a district level legal officer [a prosecutor] represented the victim in accordance with the provision of the Union Attorney-General Law. However, plaintiffs lawyers are required to cooperate with the state prosecutors. If a plaintiffs lawyer asks to questioning suspects in court, it is necessary for state prosecutors to allow the plaintiff lawyer to question suspects. What was unusual at the beginning of the case was that the state prosecutors said they would not accept the cooperation of Daw Ywet Nu Aung and a dispute broke out. The prosecutors and the plaintiff lawyer were divided. The prosecutors who represent Victoria on behalf of the state did not accept the cooperation of plaintiff lawyer Daw Ywet Nu Aung. It was an irregularity. KZM:To put it simply, state prosecutors, who are under the Office of the Union Attorney-General and on behalf of the state, did not accept the cooperation. Then, are they, as the president said, guilty of failing to perform their duties? KMM:Definitely. When we represent someone at the court as lawyers, we may be either on the side of the plaintiffs or the defendants. When we represent plaintiffs, we have to do so under the supervision of state prosecutors. However, we have the right to submit and ask questions under their supervision. In this case, Daw Ywet Nu Aung had to face difficulties. State prosecutors did not have as much access to information about the case as Daw Ywet Nu Aung, who was closer to the victims family. By refusing the cooperation of the plaintiff lawyer, the prosecutors could not ask the necessary questions. I have seen this. KZM:State prosecutors said they could not cooperate with the plaintiff lawyer officially. This was also reported by the media. Now, have they changed their attitude? Can they cooperate with the plaintiff lawyer? KMM:This has not changed. The state prosecutors and the plaintiff lawyer have not had a chance to cooperate. It is unusual. What concerns us is that if state prosecutors mandated under the Union Attorney-General Law refuse to cooperate with plaintiff lawyers, there will be more challenges for the plaintiff lawyers, and for justice. KZM:We are highlighting the case to point out that the judicial system of the country is biased. The law is biased. The President himself frequently says that. The law is biased. In this case, the President was offended. Ma Yee Mon, whom would you like to appeal to for justice in the case? YMO:If the truth cannot be revealed in this notorious case, in which a young girl was raped in the capital Naypyitaw, there will be more violent crimes against women across the entire country later. If the people lose trust in the Myanmar Police Force, they will resort to any available means to respond to crimes against them instead of solving crimes according to the law. The situation will get worse and crime will be rampant. It is necessary for the President, the State Counselor and relevant ministries to understand and respond to the situation. If the rule of law is to be restored in Myanmar, the government must urgently seek justice in Victorias case. I would like to urge the President, the State Counselor, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Union Attorney-General to seek justice in the case with sincerity. The case poses an important challenge to the rule of law not only for Victoria but also for the entire country. The rule of law in our country will be jeopardized. It is an urgent task and I urge the authorities to carry it out immediately. KZM: Saya, it has been nine months since the trial started. You said a competent police superintendent could investigate the case within one month. How long will it take to find justice in this case? KMM:Actually, we have been dissatisfied with this case since the beginning. It is a case a seasoned police superintendent could investigate within one month. There is no reason for complications in the case. Why did the Criminal Investigation Department handle the case without sound reasons? Why did evidence disappear? Why did the path of the case get farther away from the truth? Why was Ko Aung Gyi accused of the crime without sound evidence? Once Ko Aung Gyi was accused of the crime, we lost many things. First of all, Ko Aung Gyi was detained after being wrongly accused. On the other hand, the real culprits had the chance to escape. Moreover, during the nine months of the trial, opportunities emerged to destroy evidence. This is very bad. It is in the nature of crime that the faster the investigation starts, the better it is for justice; the slower the investigation, the harder it is to reveal the truth. It seems to me that charging Ko Aung Gyi without sound evidence was a fabrication [intended] to obstruct justice. And then Ko Aung Gyi was acquitted because there was no sound evidence against him. Is that the end of the case? The Myanmar Police Force know better than most that rape is becoming rampant in Myanmar. The number of rapes has increased since 2016-2017. It has reached the red-alert level. Looking at the details, 66 to 70 percent of rapes involve juveniles and the disabled. This is very dangerous. How did a notorious case in which the entire country demanded justice end that waywith the charging of Ko Aung Gyi without sound evidence? KZM: As you said, it is very damaging for the family of Victoria and the people calling for justice. Although you said the faster, the better, it has been nine month since the trial started. Is the prospect for justice slipping away for Victoria and her family? KMM: It is in the nature of the law and of crime, that there is no crime that cannot be exposed, though it may be difficult. However, it is necessary for law enforcement to exert appropriate efforts and to have the sincere intention to expose the truth. You asked us to whom we would appeal to seek justice. I would like to point out accountability, rather than appeal to anyone. It is the responsibility of the Police Force and the Office of the Union Attorney-General to protect the public from danger. They are required to charge criminals on behalf of the government. It is the responsibility of the charging bodies to expose criminals. The judicial system is biased in two ways. If a person who does not commit a crime is wrongly sentenced, the system is biased. What is more dangerous is that a person who has committed a crime cannot be punished effectively in court. It is very dangerous for the entire society. If we get nowhere in this case, more and more rapes targeting juveniles and the disabled will be committed. KZM: The president has ordered three organizations including the Union Supreme Court, the Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Union Attorney-Generals Office to seek justice in the case. He has given four instructions including seeking justice, ensuring accountability, upholding the law and reporting the real situation of the rule of law. However, we have not seen any progress in any of them. KMM:Its entirely unsatisfactory. For example, when a victim recognizes the offenders in a crime, the suspects must be shown to the victim in accordance with the rules and regulations. As far as we know, DNA from eight people was tested in this case. The victim said two brothers committed the crime. When the suspects were shown to the victim, why did they show Ko Aung Gyi alone, and other people who had similar body sizes to him, leaving out other suspects whose DNA was tested? The victim said two brothers committed the crime. Why were the two juvenile suspects not included among the suspects shown to the victim? It can be said that this not only breached the rules and regulations but also obstructed justice. KZM:Are the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Office of the Union Attorney General mainly responsible for conduct DNA tests on the eight suspects? KMM:First of all, the police officer who supervised the showing of the suspects to the victim was responsible. If he fails to do so, his superior officers will have to supervise him. Even if his superiors fail to do so, the Office of the Union Attorney-General is responsible for saying that other suspects must be shown to the victim, and to investigate the case again. The Office of the Union Attorney-General was required to ask why Ko Aung Gyi alone was shown to the victim without other suspects. There were many causes for dissatisfaction. Although it seemed to be coincidence, there were a lot of causes for sorrow. For example, Ko Aung Gyi was acquitted in the case. According to Crime Management Practice, two children referred to by the Media as Ko Ko and Nyi Nyi had to be questioned at the next hearing, as the court failed to make a decision. The two children never appeared in court. Victoria said the suspects were Ko Ko and Nyi Nyi and she correctly pointed them out in photographs. The case was closed without questioning the two juvenile suspects. Although each individual [fault] in the process could be seen as a normal weaknesses, looking at the case as a whole, including the [loss] of CCTV records, raises the question why an ordinary case like this involved so many irregularities. It is necessary for us to expose whether the case is simple or not. KZM:As you said, the judiciary is biased. I dont know whether it is upside down. There is no reason not to reveal the truth in the case. I hope that it is possible to seek justice, although it has been nine months since the investigation started. Otherwise, it is very worrisome for our country as both of you said. The government and the President are offended. Thanks for your contributions. You may also like these stories Is Myanmars Ruling NLD Pushing Hard Enough on Constitutional Amendment? Myanmars Lawyers Made Feeble Case at ICJ: Legal Expert We were doing sprints, resistance sprints, and there could have been a lot of things, Grandal said. Could have been dehydration or just trying to go too hard. We cant really pinpoint what it was. All we can do now is just get stronger so it doesnt happen again. The Asahi Shimbun via Getty NATIONAL HARBOR, MarylandFacing growing concern over the spread of coronavirus globally, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have ginned up a communications strategy that leans heavily on blaming Democrats and the media for hyping those fears. According to three sources who have independently discussed the crisis with him in the last three weeks, Trump has appeared preoccupied with his theory that liberals and the press were attempting to use coronavirus to make him look bad prior to the November election. He made a joke about how he could invent a cure for the coronavirus tomorrow, and [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi would still find ways to criticize him for it, said one individual who spoke to Trump in the past week on the matter. Trump has hardly kept those beliefs private, even as he has attempted to portray himself as soberly on top of the emergency response to the outbreak. On Thursday, he took to Twitter to chastise Do Nothing Democrats for insisting that the coronavirus was the fault of Trump. On Friday evening, near the start of the presidents speech at a South Carolina rally, he revved up the crowd by trashing news organizations and Democratic figures for being critical of his coronavirus response. He presided over a chorus of lusty boos for the horrible liberals and rowdy cheers for the great things Trump has done. Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirustheyre politicizing it, Trump said on stage. Hows President Trump doing? Not good, not good, [theyll say]. He also accused CNN and others in the media of going into full-blown hysteria mode to try to hurt him politically. And he brazenly went after Democratic lawmakers for their immigration stances, suggesting that their more open policies would lead to more infection being imported into the United States. Border security is also health security, he said. Throughout Trumpworld and the administration, those talking points have been pushed as a primary message point for surrogates to emphasize. According to a person familiar with the strategy, the White House has encouraged members of the presidents coronavirus task force to denounce Democrats for attempting to politicize the crisis during media appearances this week. Story continues Unfortunately what we are seeing is a political effort by the Left and some in the media to distract and disturb the American people with fearful rhetoric and palace intrigue, White House spokesman Judd Deere told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. The United States economy is the strongest in the world thanks to the leadership and policies of President Trump. The virus remains low risk domestically because of the containment actions taken by this administration since the first of the year. Congressman Threatens to Beat Up Trump Jr. for Claiming Democrats Want Coronavirus Pandemic On Thursday, the Republican National Committee blasted out a message to surrogates and allies promoting a Fox clip of GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel declaring that Democrats are politicizing this, and accused them of wanting porous borders. Meanwhile, she said, Trump is taking this by the horns like he always does. Hes going to make sure the American people are safe. That same day, the Trump White House sent out a talking-points memo to its own media surrogates about how while the President is leading aggressive response and preparation efforts, many in the media remain focused on attacking him at every turn. Blinded by their bias and ignorant to the irony, the [New York] Times is accusing the President of having a credibility problem on this issuewhile publishing politically-motivated disinformation blaming the President for a virus, the email, a copy of which was reviewed by The Daily Beast, stated. By Friday, Mick Mulvaney, Trumps White House chief of staff, was telling the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the presidents enemies in the press think this [virus panic] will bring down the president, thats what this is all about. The same day, Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son and one of the countrys most prominent MAGA evangelists, went so far as to allege that Democrats appeared to want the virus to kill millions of people, if only so they could have a shot at gleefully halting his fathers streak of winning. Trump and his allies almost always prefer to go on the offensive when facing scrutiny over their performance. And that appears to be no different when the challenge they are confronting is in the form of a potential global pandemic. Though past administrations leaned on medical professionals to do much of the public-facing communications around outbreaks, the Trump White House has sought to streamline operations under the politicos. The Coronavirus Stock Market Rollercoaster Isnt Stopping Anytime Soon According to one national security official, the White House had decided this week to run all communications through Vice President Mike Pences office because it became clear that the members of the task force were beginning to sound as if they were not on the same page. That process has been streamlined now, with a particular focus on scheduling media appearances for members of the team in between briefings that include all members of the force. The increased message discipline appears to be having the desired effect. On Friday, growing concerns about both coronavirus and its political impact hung over the conservative activists gathered at CPAC, held just outside Washington, D.C. Conservative playwright Phelim McAleer, who met with Trump for 45 minutes on Thursday at the White House, complained from CPACs main stage that he had seen a tweet offering to pay someone with coronavirus to come to CPAC and infect attendees. Several people at the network-heavy conference were offering elbow bumps instead of handshakes, including Sinclair host Eric Bolling. Let me give you some arm here, no coronas, Bolling said, proffering his elbow. While Bolling took issue with a New York Times column that had become a hot topic at CPAC on Thursdaywhich proposed dubbing the coronavirus Trumpvirusother attendees echoed Trump Jr.s sentiments that Democrats are hoping for coronavirus to spread. Fringe right-wing internet personality Ann Vandersteel told The Daily Beast that Democrats are looking to create fear porn around the coronavirus. They want to see this market tank, because they want to see this negatively impact the president, Vandersteel said. And Grizzly Joe, a pro-Trump Twitter personality with a ZZ Top beard, an American flag shirt, and wraparound sunglasses who opened CPACs Thursday session with the Pledge of Allegiance, speculated that Democrats are rooting for coronavirus to spread to hurt Trumps re-election chances. Im sure a number of them do, and you know, its unfortunate, he said. Trevor Noah Terrified by Trumps Coronavirus Response: Were Definitely All Going to Die Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. On a recent morning at his home in Los Angeles, Hector Tobar, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and expert chronicler of the Latino experience, sat down with a bowl of oatmeal hed whipped up for breakfast after dropping his daughter off at school. He wants to talk about the day he encountered the strange, true story of Joe Sanderson, a 20th-century thrill seeker and failed novelist from Urbana, Ill., who is the subject of Tobars epic new novel, The Last Great Road Bum, due out in June from MCD. Sanderson traveled the world in the 1960s and 70s, then became a guerilla fighter in the Salvadoran Civil War. So what drew Tobar to a man who is a relative unknown? I want people to think of Joe Sanderson as one of the great American adventurers of his timeas someone whos as worthy of being remembered as Jack Kerouac, he says. Tobar has written two other novels, The Tattooed Soldier and The Barbarian Nurseries, and two nonfiction works: Translation Nation, in which the author chronicles his own family history and travels across the United States to gather stories about the Latino experience, and Deep Down Dark, an account of the 2010 mining disaster in Copiapo, Chile. Before he wrote Deep Down Dark, which spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, he was already thinking about Sanderson, whom he calls an American Che Guevara, whom he learned about while working in Mexico. In 2008, Tobar was working as the Mexico City bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times when a research assistant told him about a war diary written by an American that was sitting in an archive in San Salvador, El Salvador. The diary belonged to Sanderson, who dropped out of college and spent his life traveling the worldAfrica, Asia, Europein search of adventure and material to write the next great American novel. Sandersons relentless quest for big experiences brought him to El Salvador in 1979, where he joined up with guerillas who opposed the U.S.-backed military junta and became a fighter (code name: Lucas). He died in battle in 1982 at age 39. His diary and other papers, which were found stashed in his backpack, became part of the revolution archive at the Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen in San Salvador. Joes story was begging to be written, Tobar says. Initially, though, he didnt know how to approach his subject. It would take years, and multiple stalled nonfiction book proposals, for him to find the answer. In the meantime, he gathered the material hed later weave into his novel. Tobar spoke with former rebels whod fought alongside Sanderson. I heard stories of Joe winning a shooting contest, he says, noting that Sanderson was known to be a great marksman, and of Joe teaching rebels how to swim. And Tobar tracked down Sandersons brother, Steve Sanderson, in the States, who gave him access to letters Sanderson wrote to their mother. Steve also shared his brothers fiction, which Tobarwho is currently a writing professor at the University of California, Irvineadmits isnt good. Im a generous grader, Tobar says, so Id probably give him a B. Despite the grade, Tobar, who briefly put aside newspaper work in the 1990s to get his MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Irvine, identified with Sandersons dream to write fiction. I would definitely choose fiction writing over nonfiction if I had to, he says. It was the success of Deep Down Dark that motivated Tobar to write Sandersons story as a novel. According to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Tobars books have been translated into 15 languages and have sold approximately 250,000 copies in North America across all formats, with Deep Down Dark accounting for about half of those sales. But after Deep Down Dark, he hit a crossroads. I realized if I wrote another book of nonfiction I would never write another novel again, Tobar says. There was a voice in my head saying, Nonfiction is all Im going to be known for. So he revisited Sandersons story and began to see him as a man who was trying to live his life like a character in a novel that he never succeeded in writing. Tobar got swept up in the idea and wrote the book the real Joe Sanderson couldnt. Its a novel, but it sits next to Into the Wild and other great nonfiction books, says Tobars editor Sean McDonald of The Last Great Road Bum. The way it pulls together the strands of Hectors writing career is thrilling. The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Tobar was born in L.A. in 1963. He spoke Spanish growing up and is firmly entwined with his roots. Hes been married for 26 years and has three kids and what he describes as a poorly behaved but loyal dog. Hes friendly and open but says hes a loner. Its taken me time to overcome a lot of the insecurities that led me to become a writer, Tobar says. I was an only child. I was always seeking my fathers approval. I always wanted to be an A student. And so becoming a writer was a way to show the world how special I am. Jay Mandel, Tobars agent at William Morris Endeavor, calls him a Swiss Army knife of a writer. He adds that Tobar is both deeply American and deeply Central American, and that this offers him a unique perspective as a storyteller. Tobars powers are on full display in his latest, which uses the treasure trove of letters and diaries Sanderson left behind to create a story of love, war, and art that spans cultures. Tobar admits he got some weird looks when he started telling people that his latest protagonist is a white guy. Some people were disappointed that a Latino writer would choose to write a novel from the perspective of a white male, he says. But he relishes defying expectations. Its important to think about working across, and imagining across, ethnic lines. If we as writers of color only think of ourselves as writing inside this channel of, say, Latino history, then we... well, I am depriving myself of a deeper understanding of the full truth of the country in which I live. Tobars next projects include a survey of Latino life in the Trump age and a trilogy of novels about L.A. As the conversation winds down and his dog lets out an impatient bark, Tobar tells the story of the time his immigrant father built a fence around the house where Tobar and his family currently live. His father blew out his car engine hauling wood and had bloody hands every day as he hammered away. But he stubbornly worked at this fence and finished it, Tobar says. And its beautiful. How he worked on that... Thats the way I write. Tobar nods as he reflects on the 11 yearsresearch and allit took to complete The Last Great Road Bum. I put everything into that book, he says. I fought for every sentence. I left it all on the page. Elaine Szewczyks writing has appeared in McSweeneys and other publications. Shes the author of the novel Im with Stupid. We are telling you when and why the flags for the United States of America or Arizona are flown at half-staff. We'll also toss in those notice Guys with straight and short hair that doesnt have a lot of volume might take the advice of Mens Health fashion director Ted Stafford, who recommends this Fellow Styling Cream which he recently switched to after using a different cream from Kiehls. He likes that it adds moisture to his drier hair but doesnt create a wet look. Pastes and gels tend to make my dry, straight hair very stiff, Stafford told us, noting that, compared to other styling creams Ive tried, this has more hold and shapes my hair better without making it stiff. He adds that the product leaves him with hair that feels healthy and moisturized, and that, when I use it, my hair has more overall volume, shape, and control. The scent doesnt hurt either, according to Stafford, who describes it as fresh and invigorating. Prince Charles' infamous affair with Camilla Parker Bowles became one of the most-talked royal infidelities in history. However, the Duke of Cornwall seemed to have had another mistress aside from her. The unfaithful story of Prince Charles became too shameful that even Princess Diana herself outed the truth about his ties with Camilla -- the heir to the throne's true love throughout his life. The infidelity also became the cause of the downfall of the Prince and Princess of Wales' marriage. However, as it turns out, Prince Charles has dated another woman while he was with Camilla. Who Was the Other Woman? In 2017, the Town & Country magazine revealed that Prince Charles allegedly spent time with numerous women in the past, though the Palace strongly denied it. One of the said women included Dale "Kanga" Tryon, a "close friend" of the prince. Kanga allegedly became Camilla's rival in winning Prince Charles' affections at one point. Although she was married to the Prince of Wales' close friend, Lord Anthony Tryon, the public knew that they were having a long-time affair after Prince Charles referred to her as the "the only woman who ever understood him." "That was never substantiated, and Tryon was careful to publicly deny any saucy rumors, especially considering his romance with Camilla played out around the same time," reporter Michelle Mulligan wrote in Town & Country. Another writer Christopher Wilson added fuel to the reports in his article for the Daily Mail in October 2008. Wilson wrote that most people thought that the battle for Prince Charles' heart was only between Camilla and Princess Diana. However, he revealed that Kanga once became as important as Camilla to the Prince of Wales. The writer later on compared Kanga and Camilla and said: "Both bore sons whose godfather he became. Both named them Charles. And in the end, both hated the other with a loathing." When Did it Start? Revealing the history, Wilson reported that the royal family warmly welcomed the secret mistress and Lord Tryon when they got invited to visit Balmoral. Queen Elizabeth II also spent some time alone with Kanga during their stay. In return, Lord Tyron invited Prince Charles in Iceland where they visited the 3rd Baron Tryon's fishing lodge. The said stay caused the heir to the throne to fall in love with Kanga, most especially when he got miles away from Camilla. Meanwhile, Kanga, though she was a married woman, allegedly enjoyed the "high status" she had after she became Charles' mistress. However, the two appeared to drift over time. In July 1997, the Prince of Wales revealed through a statement that he was still in touch with her "once or twice" a year, but they no longer shared the same closeness they had before. Three months after Princess Diana's tragic death in Paris, Kanga got admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in Westminster after she suffered from complications due to severe bedsores. The Australian eventually died from septicemia, a severe bloodstream infection, in November 1997. The intra-Afghan peace talks, involving representatives from the Afghan government, the Taliban and various other groups, will be held in Norway's capital Oslo by March 10, officials here said on Saturday, as the United States signed a landmark agreement with the Taliban in Doha to bring peace in the war-torn country. IMAGE: Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, centre, prays before a joint news conference in Kabul, on Saturday. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters This will be probably for the first time since the 9/11 attacks that the representative of a duly elected Afghan government and the Taliban would be meeting face-to-face for peace talks. "The parties will be meeting in Oslo. That negotiation will kick off as soon as each of the various components of that can get their negotiators to Oslo. We certainly expect it to be in the first half of March. "It may take a week, a week and a half, for all the parties to travel there," a senior administration official told reporters in Washington, DC. Throughout this period, the reduction in violence remains in place, so it will give the US a good opportunity to test the durability of the reduction in violence and also perhaps set a better stage for it to move towards a permanent ceasefire once all the parties are at the table, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The parties at the table will be the Afghan government and the Opposition; it will be the Taliban; it will be Afghan civil society, and especially women's groups will all be parties for this negotiation at the table. "The United States will be present, but this will be an intra-Afghan negotiation," said the official. As part of the agreement, the US has established a communications channel, which is currently based in Doha, where it will continue its role of mediating between the Taliban and the Afghan government. That communications channel is responsible for supporting the implementation of the agreement, another senior administration official said. "Obviously, we would be present in intra-Afghan negotiations," the official said, adding that in Oslo, several other countries have expressed their intention to play a helpful role. "There'll be other governments who will be supporting and facilitating the talks, so it would be, for example, us, the United States; Indonesia is likely to play a role, Germany is likely to play a role, Uzbekistan is interested in playing a role. "So different types of partners that can help the parties," the second official said. The United Nations would also be playing a role. "So they're working out the design of how to do that most effectively, so I think that I would come back to you on how that develops," said the official. According to the official, upon reaching Oslo, there will be commitments that the parties will be making that will further reduce the level of violence. "Our aspiration is very early on, once we have all the parties at the table, to reach a real ceasefire, which will require a lot more effort and will require all voices in Afghanistan to be represented at the table, because everyone will need to be committed to that for it to hold," said the official. Responding to a question, the official said that it is 'genuinely hard to predict' how this is going to unfold, given the complexity of the situation and the various positions of the parties. "Ideally, what would happen is that they would come to an early conclusion on an approach," the official noted. They need to identify the many difficult types of issues. For example, security forces, how do they begin consolidation; reconciliation, how do they do that; sort of what their governance structure should be, the official said. "They don't have to actually agree to all those things, but they have to identify what are the things they have to tackle to set up a political roadmap for the country, and maybe put some timeline against it. "So that would be an initial agreement, and then they would subsequently execute," the official said. "What we want to see is progress by all parties. So the non-Talib Afghans as well the Taliban to seriously start working this out. And again, our expectation is that it won't be easy, but possibly they can move more quickly on just identifying selecting the universe of tasks that they have to tackle," the official observed. More than 18-year-long Afghan war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Some 2.5 million Afghans are registered as refugees abroad and another two million are displaced within their country. The war has cost the US taxpayer more than $1 trillion in military and rebuilding costs since the US-led invasion of 2001. More than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade, according to the United Nations. On Sunday March 1st, some 8 million people will vote, not only for MPs, but also in a referendum on a series of constitutional reforms proposed by President Alpha Conde. Critics fear those reforms would pave the way for Conde to stay in power for a third term. In an interview he granted France 24 on February, Alpha Conde said he wants to let his party decide whether he should run again. Undeterred by the protests led by the NFDC, the ruling party has been out campaigning, leaving observers wondering if a democratic change of power is possible. Google appears to be testing a new feature that allows users of its Google or Nest Home speakers to broadcast directly to a single speaker. Thats based on recent reports citing the appearance of the feature for some Reddit users. Google doesnt appear to have any new branding for the feature. Since it actually seems to work almost identically to the current command for broadcasting, most users should find it to be decidedly intuitive. Thats worked by waking a smart speaker with the Ok, Google or Hey Google wake word. Then, users simply need to say broadcast, followed immediately by the message. Conversely, users can accomplish the same from a smartphone on the same network as the speakers. Advertisement Now, users are noting that they can tweak the command slightly. Users need to follow up on the broadcast command with the word to and then the name of a specific speaker. The words that are spoken after that only play over the individual speaker thats been chosen. Thats as opposed to playing on every network-connected Google or Nest smart speaker. Why is broadcasting to a single Nest or Google Home speaker a big deal? The reason this is a big deal for fans of Googles brand of AI assistant is going to vary from person to person. But the most obvious of those is that this feature has already been available for users of the competitions devices. Amazons Alexa platform has had similar device-to-device intercom features since at least 2017, for instance. Thats a fairly big discrepancy since single speaker broadcast features have been lacking over that period from Google and Nest Home speakers. Especially since multi-device broadcasting has been around on Googles devices for around the same timeframe. Advertisement For others, its going to be a big deal because it makes communicating from one room or area of the house to another easier. As noted above, in its previous iteration, Home-branded gadgets only allowed multi-device broadcasting. But its actually worse than that since any broadcast would send out to every connected speaker. So everybody within a given home would hear the message rather than a select group. That becomes a problem when messages are meant to be more private or when turning on every speaker would be disruptive. With the new feature in place, those issues should be addressed. This is just one of many small changes the company has made to improve the overall user experience. Advertisement This seems to be a fairly limited test run A quick test of the new feature has shown that it isnt landing everywhere just yet. It appears to only be available in US English, for starters. But it also hasnt worked for either the source or Android Headlines just yet. Thats using the same version number cited by Redditors. The implication of that is that Google may be rolling the update out slowly. Conversely, it may be the case that this simply wont arrive for every user with this version number. Instead, Google may only be testing the feature in a limited capacity for now. The goal would be to sort out any bugs that crop up. Specifically, it may be intended to eliminate problems with the AI recognizing the difference between the old and newly-added commands. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 09:27:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said the Libyan Coast Guard has rescued 1,944 migrants off Libyan coast so far in 2020. "As of 28 February 2020, 1,944 refugees and migrants have been registered as rescued/intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and disembarked in Libya," the UNHCR said. There are more than 48,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya currently, it said. Amid the state of insecurity and chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled late leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has become a preferred point of departure for many illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores. Shelters in Libya are currently overcrowded with thousands of immigrants rescued at sea or arrested by the Libyan authorities, despite international calls to close them. President Donald Trump said Saturday he'll address the nation about the coronavirus threat. Trump tweeted that he'll discuss the latest developments at a White House news conference at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The president addressed the nation from the White House earlier this week. On Wednesday, Trump declared that a widespread U.S. outbreak of the respiratory virus isn't inevitable, even as top health authorities at his side warned Americans that more infections are coming. Since Trump spoke Wednesday, the government has announced at least four individuals with coronavirus who were diagnosed without the usual risk factors of having traveled abroad or being exposed to another patient. At Wednesday's news conference, Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the administration's response. Pence on Thursday named the State Department's global health doctor to coordinate the coronavirus response. This will end, Trump said of the outbreak. You don't want to see panic because there's no reason to be panicked. But standing next to him, the very health officials Trump praised for fighting the new coronavirus stressed that schools, businesses and individuals need to get ready. We do expect more cases, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 81,000 cases of coronavirus, an illness characterized by fever and coughing and in serious cases shortness of breath or pneumonia, have occurred since the new virus emerged in China. As of early Saturday, there were at least 67 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. Trump credited border restrictions that have blocked people coming into the U.S. from China for keeping infections low. But now countries around the world from South Korea and Japan to Italy and Iran are experiencing growing numbers of cases. Asked if it was time to either lift the China restrictions or take steps for travelers from elsewhere, he said: At a right time we may do that. Right now it's not the time. A key question is whether the Trump administration is spending enough money to get the country prepared especially as the CDC has struggled to expand the number of states that can test people for the virus. Other key concerns are stockpiling masks and other protective equipment for health workers, and developing a vaccine or treatment. Health officials have exhausted an initial $105 million in emergency funding and have been looking elsewhere for dollars. Earlier this week, Trump requested $2.5 billion from Congress to fight the virus. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York countered with a proposal for $8.5 billion. Trump told reporters he was open to spending whatever's appropriate. Trump compared the new virus repeatedly to the flu, which kills tens of thousands of people each year. The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,700 people most in China and none in the U.S. but scientists still don't understand who's most at risk or what the death rate is. Without a vaccine, the CDC's Schuchat advised people to follow simple, but important precautions: Wash your hands, cover your coughs and stay home when you're sick. Earlier this week, another CDC official, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, told Americans to get ready for some of the same steps as occurred during the 2009 flu pandemic, such as school closings. It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," she said. The National Institutes of Health's top infectious disease official cautioned a vaccine won't be ready for widespread use for a year or more. The most discussed topics on cancer include breast cancer, oral cancer, prostate cancer and blood cancer Cancer cases in India have doubled in recent years. According to reports, Indias cancer incidence was estimated at 1.15 million new patients in 2018 and is predicted to almost double by 2040. Karnataka is in the top five states in India, when it comes to reporting new cancer cases every year. For every one lakh men and women, there are 113.4 and 139.1 cancer cases diagnosed respectively. This average is greater than that of New Delhi and Mumbai. Practo insights corroborate this fact where the increase in the number of online consultations and appointment bookings with Oncologists in Bangalore is almost double that of Delhi NCR and Mumbai. The appointment bookings for Oncologists in Bangalore grew by 44% in the last year while Mumbai and Delhi NCR saw an increase of 23% and 19% respectively. Additionally, there has been a 95% increase in the number of people searching about cancer on Practo as compared to last year. Our insights indicate that theres an increased awareness among people regarding cancer and the need for timely medical assistance from a qualified specialist. Oral cancer emerged as one of the most discussed cancer-related topics last year, according to the latest Practo Insights report. Oral cancer is a major public health problem in India where it ranks among the top three types of cancers in the country. It accounts for over 30% of all cancers reported in the country. India has one third of oral cancer cases in the world. The types of queries that came in with respect to oral cancer were on smoking and tobacco chewing. Practo Insights: Practo receives an average of 25000 cancer related queries every month Online consultations with Oncologists witnessed a 44% increase 70% of these requests came from men Majority of the queries came from people aged between 21-40 In-clinic appointments for oncologists grew by 108% The most discussed topics on cancer are breast cancer, oral cancer, prostate cancer and blood cancer Bangalore, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Chennai and Kolkata are the cities where search for Oral cancer is higher than the others The type of queries that came in for oral cancer were Can smoking cause oral cancer, Can ulcers in the mouth cause oral cancer, early signs and symptoms of oral cancer, and Does tobacco chewing cause oral cancer The top cities W.R.T online queries and in-clinic consultations are Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai (in that order) In Bangalore, oral cancer was the most-searched cancer related topics while breast cancer, Oesophageal cancer, lung cancer and blood cancer topped the search results for cancer queries in Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai respectively Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, "Digital is helping healthcare get to grips with patients' evolving expectations and experience. It empowers patients to be in control of their health and caregivers to deliver better quality care. Reports indicate that India is likely to register over 17 lakh new cancer cases and eight lakh deaths by 2020. It's important to tap into technology, esp. for early detection and access to high quality care, that are critical in oncology care. With Digital, there's more awareness and access to qualified specialists and facility to consult remotely, which serves as a lifeline, particularly to patients in rural and underserved areas. As the country's leading digital healthcare platform, we are committed to bringing digital healthcare's convenience to a billion Indians." Dr Sandeep Nayak, Director, Department of Surgical Oncology, Fortis Cancer Institute, Bangalore, said, It is true that the incidence of cancer is increasing. The increase is due to multiple factors. One of the important reasons is the increase in our aging population as life expectancy has increased. Today people have better awareness of cancer, so they get diagnosed earlier. People are seeking online opinions as well as look for information online for the same from platforms like Practo for reliable content. This has resulted in tremendous demand for online information. It is the responsibility of the medical fraternity to provide the right content online to help people. We need to strongly believe in the World Health Organisation theme of cancer day that is 'I Can, We Can', which indicates that every small contribution that we all make towards cancer awareness is valuable. Dr Dhruv Kacker, Cofounder, Aaroogya (MDS, Prosthodontist) - We, at Aaroogya are solving the problem of late detection of Cancer of Breast, Oral and Cervical of women by prevention and early detection. And, the most important element of prevention is self awareness which is reaching a vast audience and making them understand the need for proper medical examinations. Our outreach is multiplied by partnering with digital healthcare platforms like Practo which acts two ways - Digital mode to create awareness, and give proper medical solutions with relevant doctors by analysing the trends of Cancers across geography and timeline. We have reached around 51000 women across India and we believe that platforms like Practo will have the ability to help us extend our reach multifold in the coming years. THERE ARE two types of temples a servant of Christ is required to build the temple of man and the temple of God. When a pastor acquires a parcel of land and puts up a building for church meetings, he has built the temple of man. However, when a pastor is used to save a sinner from sin, guides him or her to be indwelled by the Spirit of God, feeds the believer with the undiluted Word of Christ to grow up spiritually to conform to the image of Christ and become a useful vessel in the hands of God, then he has actually built the temple of God. In fact, a beautiful church building is good for men and women, but a beautiful spirit of a Christian, who is full of the Word and Spirit, is a precious temple of God. On the last day, Jesus Christ will not say to a pastor, Good and faithful servant because he built a powerful church building, but because he won a soul, fed him or her with the undiluted Word of Christ, equipped them to conform to the image of Christ and finally presented them perfect to Him (Colossians 1: 28). A person can be a pastor to people, and not be a pastor of Jesus Christ. A peoples pastor often focuses on his congregation and draws inspiration from them. Such a pastor often preaches and teaches about things that please people and gives prayer points that please them. But true pastors preach and teach for a cause, not for applause. A pastor of Christ Jesus is first a servant of Christ, and he humbly acknowledges this fact. In Romans 1: 1, the apostle Paul wrote, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle of God Thus a servant of Christ focuses on Jesus Christ. He follows Christ, and learns from Him. He has the mind of Christ so he preaches and teaches things that excite Christ Jesus. And he offers prayers, according to the will of God, and for the glory of Christ Jesus. God knows pastors who are His. Therefore, let every pastor who is a servant of Christ depart from deception, manipulation and tricks. A pastor who considers himself as a servant is humble and faithful. Paul, again, wrote, This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. A servant of Christ is a slave of Christ so he upholds the Lordship and divinity of Christ Jesus with utmost reverence and honour. He is aware that he must decrease while Christ the Lord increases; he refuses to take the place, dignity and honour due the name of Christ. And such a pastor ministers with Christ in mind; he is Christ-conscious and gospel-focused. Knowing how to preach, pray or prophesy does not necessarily make any person a true servant of Jesus Christ. Many can do all these things and still be charlatans. But evidently being called, prepared, anointed and sent by Christ Jesus with a clear message to preach and teach the way the Lord Himself and the early apostles ministered to glorify God the Father makes a person a servant of Christ Jesus. A house is good, but Jesus did not die so that believers can have houses. A car is good, but Jesus did not die so that believers can have cars. An academic degree is good, but Jesus did not die so that we can have university degrees. Jesus Christ died so that believers may have eternal life. Jesus Christ did not die because people are poor and have no money to provide for their needs. But He died because people have sinned and fallen short of the glory. He died to heal man of the disease of the soul sin. And He died to restore the broken relationship between God and man. Brethren, may God open our eyes to set our priorities right. May we look unto Calvary and receive revelation of the purpose of Christs suffering and death. Looking unto Jesus is tantamount to looking unto the Way to heaven. And looking unto the Way to heaven is the same as looking unto the Day of Judgment. And looking to the Day of Judgment is hoping to receive eternal salvation or condemnation. Clericals do not necessarily make someone a servant of Jesus Christ. Vestments or priestly garments do not necessarily make someone a servant of Christ either. Seminaries or Bible Colleges are good, but they do not necessarily make someone a genuine minister of the gospel. In fact, men may train, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who makes apostles, bishops, teachers, prophets and evangelists and sets them in the church. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (Acts 20: 28). The Holy Spirit who makes overseers is the Spirit of Christ. Jesus Christ tells His ministers, You did not choose me, but I chose and appointed you (John 15: 16). And Paul confirms this saying, I thankJesus Christ our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service (1 Timothy 1: 12). The greatest servant of Christ is not necessarily the apostle, prophet, bishop or those with big titles, but the one who is humble like a child (Matthew 18: 1- 4). And the secret to receiving more anointing is not in titles or sophisticated priestly garments, but being humble (James 4: 6). To be humble is to refrain from thinking you are better than others, cast down your crown or empty yourself of your title, position or credentials and take on the form of servant to serve others. [email protected] By James Quansah They have just enjoyed a romantic trip to Paris Fashion Week. And Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz looked loved-up as they stepped out in matching outfits in Los Angeles on Friday. The aspiring photographer, 20, and his actress girlfriend, 25, wore white shirts and jeans as they strolled hand-in-hand in the sun. Smitten: Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz looked loved-up as they stepped out in matching outfits in Los Angeles on Friday Nicola flashed a glimpse of her taut abs in a tiny white tee, paired with flared jeans and platform boots. Her tresses were styled in soft waves and she went make-up free for her outing. Brooklyn flashed his tattooed arms in a white t-shirt, matching his look with box fresh trainers. Nicola's breakthrough role as an actress came in the 2010 film The Last Airbender and she is also known for starring as Bradley Martin in the series Bates Motel. Matching: The aspiring photographer, 20, and his actress girlfriend, 25, wore white shirts and jeans as they strolled hand-in-hand in the sun Refreshed: Nicola flashed a glimpse of her taut abs in a tiny white tee, paired with flared jeans and platform boots Besotted: Brooklyn shared a snap of themselves cuddling up on the sofa and captioned it 'love u' (sic) Cosy display: The pair packed on the PDA in a series of polaroid snaps as they sat on a plane The pair have been heavily documenting their blossoming romance on social media, with Brooklyn calling Nicola the 'love of my life.' Brooklyn had been linked to a string of women over the past few months, before meeting Nicola, following his split from model Hana Cross, including Canadian actress Natalie Ganzhorn, 21, and brunette actress Phoebe Torrance, 25. Most recently it was claimed he and Lottie Moss had a 'secret fling' before he started dating his now ex-girlfriend Hana. Earlier this month, American actress Nicola declared that she and Brooklyn will be together 'forever' as she stressed the strength of their relationship alongside a steamy photograph shared to Instagram. On Monday, the eldest son of Victoria and David Beckham posted a black and white snap of himself and his new actress girlfriend cosied up together, which he captioned: 'Me and u xx,' with Nicola adding 'Forever' in a comment beneath. The Central Regional Office of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) increased its revenue target from GH415,633.00 in the year 2018 to GH456,725.00 last year. It represented a 10 percent increase in revenue over the period, making it one of the best performing periods for the Scheme since its inception. Additionally, the number of active members have also increased from 894,148 in the year 2018 to 1,025,228 last year representing 87per cent of the Region's total population of 2,563,228. Mr Isaac Fenu, the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of Health, NHIA disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast on Thursday. The NHIA remained committed to its objective of securing the implementation of a national health insurance policy that ensures access to basic healthcare services to all residents, he indicated. It was the expectation of the Authority that by 2030, the electronic renewal would help it achieve universal health coverage for the country without fail. The Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer attributed the giant gains to the introduction of electronic renewal system, which began last year. It was fast, easy, convenient and saves time. The digitised system had also enhanced the Authority's operations, improved accessibility, reduced the stress subscribers went through with the manual system and effectively improved on the schemes financial management. "There are no more long queues at the various district offices thereby creating enough space for staff to offer excellent client services delivery to people at all times. Mr Fenu mentioned poor network services in some communities as one major challenge facing the digitised system but assured that they were working with all stakeholders to get all challenges rectified. He expressed satisfaction with the success chalked up by the Authority in the Region and challenged all staff to be creative, innovative and dedicated to their work to enable them to achieve their annual targets. 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 India played an intrinsic role in the country's liberation, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem London: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited for the centenary celebrations of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka next month because India played an intrinsic role in the country's liberation, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem. The envoy said the celebrations on 17 March, which coincide with the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujib, referred to as "Bangabandhu" or the father of the Bengali Nation, will kick off a year-long series of events in Bangladesh as well as the UK. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited to the centenary, which also has intrinsic links with Bangabandhu's homecoming in 1971," Tasneem told PTI in an interview. "The roadmap of that journey is that he first stopped in London, where he was officially recognised as the president of the independent state of Bangladesh and had bilateral meetings at 10 Downing Street. Then he was flown to Delhi, where he held a public gathering with (then Indian prime minister) Indira Gandhi," she recalled. The diplomat traced the active role played by Gandhi at the time alongside the then UK prime minister, Edward Heath, to seek Sheikh Mujib's release from Karachi Jail in Pakistan. "They collectively played a very proactive role in the release of Bangabandhu and to ensure that he was not harmed in any way. So, at the very genesis of Bangladesh, the relationships were clear and the Bangladesh-India ties remain as strong till date, as do the UK-Bangladesh ties," she said. In reference to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed by the Indian Parliament in December last year to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, the envoy said the implication of the law was "hurtful" to Bangladesh. "The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said it is an internal matter of India but also quite unnecessary. Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh have done very well for themselves, especially in the financial sphere, as they have a particular skill with mathematics and accounts," she said. Amid a recent unrest over the contentious law in Delhi, there have been some calls for Bangladesh to withdraw Modi's invite to the centenary celebrations in Dhaka next month, a demand rejected by the Bangladeshi government. PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating AVX Corporation ("AVX") (NYSE: AVX) on behalf of the company's shareholders. The investigation seeks to determine whether AVX's officers and directors violated the securities laws or breached their fiduciary duties to the company's shareholders in connection with recent corporate actions. Xperi shareholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.) at (484) 258 1585, or online at http://kaskelalaw.com/case/avx-corporation/, for additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options. Kaskela Law LLC represents shareholders in state and federal actions throughout the country. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com. This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. SOURCE Kaskela Law LLC Related Links kaskelalaw.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 11:09:04|Editor: ZD Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Mahathir Mohamad, who resigned earlier this week as Malaysia's Prime Minister, reemerged as a candidate for the post on Saturday after receiving support from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. In response to the statement that he had supported Muhyiddin Yassin, a former Deputy Prime Minister and the president of Mahathir's own Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) party, Mahathir said he did not sign any statutory declaration in support of any individual. Mahathir said he had a meeting with the PH coalition Saturday morning, and now is confident that he has the numbers needed to garner majority support in the lower house of parliament. "I am therefore prepared to stand as prospective candidate for Prime Minister," he said in a statement. Mahathir led PH to power after winning the general election in 2018. But his abrupt resignation and the pulling out of his PPBM party from the PH earlier this week cost the coalition its parliamentary majority. PH, which has proposed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as candidate for the premiership after Mahathir's resignation, said in a statement on Saturday that they are now giving the full support for Mahathir to be the Prime Minister. Democratic primary voters surged to the polls in Harris County on Friday, surpassing turnout from 2016 but falling well short of their record-setting performance in 2008. Republican primary voters, meanwhile, turned out in larger-than-expected numbers thanks to a handful of high-profile congressional and legislative contests. The result also could signal early enthusiasm among GOP voters for President Donald Trumps re-election, experts and political strategists said. A total of 139,533 Democratic primary voters returned mail ballots and voted in person across the 11-day early voting period that ended Friday. Though turnout did not match the roughly 177,000 early votes from Harris Countys 2008 Democratic primary, it easily outstripped 2016, when turnout reached 85,793. The turnout has been healthy but not historic, especially compared to 2008 when the numbers were massive, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Thats a good sign for Democrats, but it doesnt signal tremendous growth in the Democratic electorate. The fluid state of the Democratic presidential primary may have dampened early voting turnout, with some voters awaiting results from Saturdays South Carolina contest. The candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden is said to hinge on a strong showing there, while other lower-performing candidates could drop out between South Carolina and Super Tuesday, when Texas and 13 other states will hold their primaries. The Republican primary, meanwhile, totaled 104,909 early and mail ballots a massive uptick from the 2018 midterm cycle, but well below the roughly 131,000 who turned out early for the 2016 Republican contest. Though Trump does not face a viable primary challenge this year, he has driven large turnout in the Iowa and New Hampshire Republican primaries as voters looked to show early support for his re-election bid. Republicans also are being galvanized by the early momentum of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, whos a self-avowed democratic socialist, and the popularity of his policies with some down-ballot candidates, Republican political consultant Jessica Colon said. The burden is on the Democrats to harness the enthusiasm in this election cycle, and theyre not really proving they have a lot of enthusiasm for the candidates at the top of the ballot, Colon said, arguing the Democratic candidates for president and U.S. Senate in Texas are too extreme and divisive. Though political observers are eager for signals about how the general election will play out, primary turnout generally does not predict how the parties will perform in November, Democratic strategist Keir Murray said. In 2016, he noted, Harris County Republicans crushed Democrats in turnout during the primary then fell victim to a blue wave during the general in November. Primary turnout can signal whether a partys voters are enthusiastic early in the election cycle, but it is not a reliable predictor of how voters will behave months from now, Rottinghaus said. Its worth reading into with skeptical eyes, he said. It can tell us how juiced up the base is to vote, but beyond that, a lot of things will happen between now and November. Through Thursday, the makeup of the Democratic and Republican primaries in Harris County largely mirrored prior election cycles: Democratic voters were far younger and more ethnically diverse than their Republican counterparts, according to data from Murray. Women outnumbered men in the Democratic primary, 57 percent to 43 percent, falling generally in line with prior cycles. And just 15 percent and 4 percent of Democratic and Republican primary voters were under age 35, respectively. Weve seen a lot of talk about an increase in youth voters, but theres not a tremendous amount of evidence for that so far, Murray said. In the Republican primary, its the usual suspects old, white, habitual voters. In Harris County, 89 percent of Republican primary voters were white and 59 percent were 65 or older, according to Murrays data. About 42 percent of Democratic primary voters were white, while 36 percent were African American, compared with just 1 percent in the Republican primary. Meanwhile, 5.5 percent of Democratic primary voters in Harris County had voted in prior Republican primaries but never in a Democratic contest until this year, according to data from Republican strategist Derek Ryan, suggesting some Republicans are crossing over to vote in the Democratic primary. Democrats appeared to be drawing more new voters to the fold: 27 percent of Democratic primary voters had not voted in any of the last three primaries, compared with 14 percent of those in the Republican contest. jasper.scherer@chron.com Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - In a statement published on Saturday, the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) of Mauritania denounced "arbitrary arrests and detentions without reason" having touched the defenders of human rights "in the exercise of their right to freedom of expression and assembly " in recent years The new study by Datar Cancer Genetics has used a revolutionary new method that detects clusters of tumor cells circulating in the bloodstream and helps in early detection of cancer A new study by scientists from India, USA, and UK has presented clinical evidence for an innovative test that can detect clusters of cancer cells in the blood of asymptomatic individuals as a non-invasive screening and diagnostic test. The test could make cancer screening easier, efficient and affordable, and can potentially be a breakthrough in cancer detection and diagnosis. The test will soon be available commercially. Commenting on the study, principal author Dr. Dadasaheb Akolkar, who is the Research Director at Datar Cancer Genetics, said, "This is the first study of its kind to investigate the prevalence of circulating tumor emboli or C-ETACs (Circulating Ensembles of Tumor Associated Cells), in a population size cohort of over 16,000 participants, to establish a definitive new systemic hallmark of cancer. The technique we have used is a breakthrough innovation. When clusters of cells break off from an early stage tumor and enter the bloodstream we can efficiently and accurately isolate a few hundred malignant cells from more than 100 million cells, from just 10 ml of blood. While almost all the cancer samples had these cell clusters, they were seen in very few of the samples which were apparently without cancer." Speaking on the breakthrough study and technique, Mr. Rajan Datar, Chairman and Managing Director, Datar Cancer Genetics, said, "Cancer is rapidly becoming a civilizational challenge. Importantly, cancer deaths are mainly due to late detection. We believe that this innovative blood based test is a breakthrough in cancer screening and will impact outcomes by easy, patient-friendly detection and diagnosis in apparently healthy people who may have a silent malignancy in their bodies! It has the potential to eliminate the need for invasive biopsies and the risks associated with it. In the near future, a simple, inexpensive blood test that could be all that is required to reliably detect and diagnose cancer, even before any symptoms are seen." The study involved 16,134 participants, including 5,509 patients with cancer (TrueBlood study) and 10,625 individuals with no symptoms (RESOLUTE study) and the test has shown an accuracy of more than 94%. The C-ETACs were seen in 89.8% of cancer cases and in only 3% of apparently healthy, asymptomatic individuals who had no abnormal ndings in presently used screening tests. The study was the largest of its kind in the world. Datar Cancer Genetics also presented further data at several leading international conferences including AACR, ASCO and ESMO Early detection of cancer is crucial but challenging, because of the lack of efficient and reliable screening methods. Most of the commercially available cancer-screening tests are invasive and expensive. Also, currently available cancer screening techniques such as mammograms and low-dose CT scans (LDCT) carry radiation risks, colonoscopies are invasive, blood based markers are non-specific and tissue biopsies for diagnosis have the same risks as general surgical procedures. MUMBAI: Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau chief and senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh was on Saturday (February 29, 2020) appointed as the next Mumbai Police Commissioner. He succeeded Sanjay Barve who retired today Speculations about Singh started after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced that incumbent Sanjay Barve will not get a third extension. Deshmukh made the brief announcement to the media on Friday evening. However, the minister did not indicate the name of the next city police chief then. Barve, an IPS officer of 1987 batch was appointed to the coveted post on February 28 last year. Later, he was given two extensions of three-months each by the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress` Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which took over in November, was not inclined to grant a third extension to Barve. Several names of senior IPS officers were doing the rounds for the top post of the 156-year-old Mumbai Police Commissionerate but Singh was finally chosen for the coveted job. Param Bir Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer, was appointed Director General of the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau in March, 2019. Prior to that, Singh was posted as Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) in the state police. As ADG (Law and Order), Singh had made headlines when he, along with Pune Police, held a press conference on August 31 last year on the arrest of activists with alleged Maoists links. Singh has held important posts like that of Thane Police Commissioner, DCP in several important zones in Mumbai, and also Superintendent of Police in districts like Chandrapur and Bhandara. Nirbhaya case convict Akshay Thakur filed a fresh mercy petition to the President via Delhi court stating he wants to live more. Reports said after Akshay's request March 3 hanging may get postponed. One of four convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case, Akshay Thakur on Saturday has filed a fresh mercy petition to the President Ramnath Kovind. Reports said following his plea, the March 3 hanging may get postponed as his case is still pending. In the fresh mercy petition to the President, Akshay Thakurs lawyer said that earlier they did not have all the facts, but now have an iron fist. Akshays fresh petition for mercy in a Delhi court came 3 days ahead of the scheduled hangging, is also seen as a deliberate move to halt the execution. Earlier, Akshay had filed a mercy petition on February 1 in front of President Ram Nath Kovind, which was rejected on February 5. Also read: Coronavirus in India: How to make hand sanitizers at home? Also read: Coronavirus in India: KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan says players, spectators health first A day ago, another convict, Pawan Gupta too requested the Supreme Court to change his death sentence to life imprisonment asserting that he wants to live more. Rest 3 convicts- Mukesh Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Sharma as well as Akshay Kumar had earlier filed the curative petition, which were previously been dismissed by the President. The Apex Court had also junked Mukesh Kumar Singh and Vinay Kumar Sharmas pleas challenging the rejection of mercy petitions. For all the latest National News, download NewsX App New York U.S. regulators have proposed fining the four major U.S. phone companies more than $200 million combined for improperly disclosing customers' real-time location to other companies. The proposed fines by the Federal Communications Commission amounted to $91 million for T-Mobile, $57 million for AT&T, $48 million for Verizon and $12 million for Sprint. The amounts vary based on how long each company sold the user data and how many companies and organizations it sold the data to. The phone companies can object, and the amounts could change. Critics said the FCC took too long, and the proposed fines were too low. "Instead of meetings its obligation to come down hard on the wireless carriers that are guilty in this case, the FCC dragged its feet and issued penalties that let these companies off easy," said Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat. Lisa Hayes of the advocacy group Center for Democracy & Technology said the FCC's "weak enforcement response" demonstrate why the U.S. needs a comprehensive privacy law. Location data makes it possible to identify the whereabouts of nearly any phone in the U.S. within seconds. According to published reports, phone companies were selling access to such data to little-known companies such as LocationSmart and Zumigo. These data brokers then sold the information to other "location-based" services, like prison-communications company Securus. The FCC said the phone companies failed to ask customers for consent for what companies like Securus were doing, or make sure that those companies were getting an OK from customers. The FCC action deals with phone companies' practice of providing data to third parties with whom users have no direct contact. It's unrelated to users sharing locations directly with apps and other services. Federal law requires that telecommunications companies protect the confidentiality of some customer data, including location information. The FCC said that those companies must try to protect against unauthorized attempts to gain access to this data and that they or those acting on their behalf must get consent from customers before using it. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The FCC opened its investigation after a 2018 report showed Securus allowing such abuses as letting a sheriff track a judge and others, thanks to information that ultimately came from data broker LocationSmart. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile pledged to stop providing information on U.S. phone owners' locations to LocationSmart, Zumigo and other data brokers later that year. But Congress questioned in early 2019 why sharing by some carriers seemed to have continued, as detailed in a Motherboard report about bounty hunters gaining access to the data in January 2019. AT&T and T-Mobile said then that they would stop selling all location data from mobile phones to brokers by March 2019. T-Mobile says it took "quick action" after it learned its location-data program was being abused and ended the program in February 2019. The company said it plans to dispute the FCC's conclusions and fines. The other phone companies didn't immediately return calls for comment. Exhibition Images The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is pleased to welcome a new exhibition in the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street), NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (1967-1999) beginning February 29 through May 24 in the Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North. This landmark retrospective is the first in the U.S. dedicated to the work of Belkis Ayon, the late Cuban visual artist and printmaker who mined the founding myth of the Afro-Cuban fraternal society of Abukua to create an independent and powerful visual iconography. The exhibitions 47 prints encompass a wide range of the artists graphic production including her signature collography technique, a printing process combining materials of various textures and absorbencies. The exhibition is curated by Cristina Vives and organized by the Belkis Ayon Estate, Havana, Cuba, with the Chicago Cultural Center. Exhibition tour management is by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, California. Free Public Programs Friday, February 28, 58pm Opening Preview for NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (19671999) Saturday, February 29 11amNoon Curator Tricia Van Eck leads a tour of In Flux: Chicago Artists and Immigration Exhibit Hall, 4th Floor North Noon1pm Curator Cristina Vives and artist Jacqueline Maggi lead a tour of NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (19671999) Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North 13pm Artist Luis A. Sahagun and curator Teresa Silva lead a Totemic Doll-Making Workshop in conjunction with Luis A. Sahagun: Both Eagle and Serpent Learning Lab and Michigan Avenue Galleries, 1st Floor East Sunday, March 13, 5:306:30pm Belkis Ayon Gallery Talk with Honey Pot Performance Honey Pot Performance members Meida McNeal, Jo de Presser, and Jennifer Ligaya considers the themes found in the exhibition NKAME: A Retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayon (19671999). This gallery talk will reveal their thoughts about the exhibition as the Chicago ensemble expands their approaches of making performance, building community and creating support structures for artists. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is pleased to open several exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center and in Millennium Park. Admission to the Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park is free. For complete details, visit chicagoculturalcenter.org and millenniumpark.org. Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St. All exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street, are presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Gallery and building hours are MondayFriday, 10am7pm, and SaturdaySunday, 10am5pm; closed holidays. Admission is FREE. For information, visit chicagoculturalcenter.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ChiCulturCenter. Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is dedicated to enriching Chicagos artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicagos non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the Citys future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the Citys cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. # # # Mantener una buena calificacion crediticia es importante porque atrae mas inversion y permite, ademas, que los sectores publico y privado accedan a mejores condiciones de financiamiento. Esto impulsa proyectos de inversion que mejoran la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. 6/7 (CNN) Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will lose their Canadian security when they step back as senior members of the royal family next month, the country's government has said. Canadian police have been assisting with the pair's security arrangements over the past few months, while they have spent time in the country. But once they begin the new chapter of their lives on March 31 those arrangements will end, according to a statement issued by the Canadian Office of the Minister of Public Safety. "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex choosing to re-locate to Canada on a part-time basis presented our government with a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances," the agency said in a statement. "The (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) has been engaged with officials in the UK from the very beginning regarding security considerations. As the Duke and Duchess are currently recognized as Internationally Protected Persons, Canada has an obligation to provide security assistance on an as needed basis. "At the request of the Metropolitan Police, the RCMP has been providing assistance to the Met since the arrival of the Duke and Duchess to Canada intermittently since November 2019. The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status," the statement said. A royal source told CNN they don't comment on security matters. The couple plan to split their time between Canada and the UK when they complete the complex process of extracting themselves from the British institution. Meghan lived in Canada while filming the TV series "Suits," which she left before marrying Harry in 2018. The decision by the pair to step back as senior royals led to a series of crisis talks within the royal family. It was eventually agreed that they would begin a 12-month transition period on March 31 as they settle into their new lives. Harry is currently back in the UK, carrying out his final public engagements as a royal. Meghan is due to join him in the coming days. This story was first published on CNN.com "Harry and Meghan to lose their Canadian security" Homebuyers were out in force this weekend with Melbourne's auction market facing its biggest test of the year so far. With a staggering 1376 auctions listed across town, it marks the first Super Saturday of 2020. The auction of 63 St David Street, Thornbury. Saturday 29 February, 2020. For Domain story on super Saturday of auctions.A Credit:Stephen McKenzie The strong results come on the back of gaining momentum in the property market, despite coronavirus-induced shockwaves sent through the Australian sharemarket this week. It was a Cinderella story for a restored Victorian home at 63 St David Street, Thornbury. Vendors Ben and Alexa Clark purchased the four-bedder in 2016 and gradually transformed it from dilapidated to dazzling. Their contemporary rear addition included an architect-designed cantilever overlooking an inground pool. Scientists convened on an unfinished underground power plant in Elma, Washington to test a group of autonomous military robots in a simulated disaster scenario. The scientists werent taking part in an experiment but a competition sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as part of its efforts to develop a range of autonomous robots to fill a variety of military roles. The winning team came from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a 60 person crew that oversaw a group of 12 robots they'd programmed through an initiative called Collaborative SubTerranean Autonomous Robots (CoSTAR). Scroll down for video The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency hosted a competition for autonomous search and rescue robots it hopes will eventually be of use in military operations The goal is to develop software for our robots that lets them decide how to proceed as they face new surprises, JPLs Ali Agha said. These robots are highly autonomous and for the most part make decisions without human intervention. CoSTARs robots autonomously explored the underground plant, which had been designed to simulate an urban disaster environment with a carbon dioxide leak and warm air vent. The robot group included Spot, the famous four-legged product of Boston Dynamics that was loosely modeled after a dog, as well as flying drones and a group of rolling robots in spherical metal frames. The robots were tasked with tracking down 20 unique targets, including a warm mannequin simulating a disaster survivor, and a lost cell phone, which they located by tracing its Wi-Fi signal. The team had one human overseer, who received a live video feed from the robots as well as a digital map they generated as they explored the plant, according to a post on the JPL blog. The robots were programmed to drop wireless repeater devices to help them maintain contact with their human overseer as they delved further into the facility. These courses are very, very challenging, and most of the difficulty lies in communicating with the robots after they've gone out of range, Agha said. That's critical for NASA: We want to send robots into caves on the Moon or Mars, where they have to explore on their own. While the robots operated independently, a human overseer was able to follow their progress through a live video feed and digital map the robots created as they explored the environment Each team used a mix of different robots to help navigate all of the environmental challenges posed by the power plant, including stairs, cluttered furniture, and dangerous gas leaks The robots navigated an underground power plant in search of human survivors, symbolized by warm mannequins, as well as key items like a lost cell phone, which they traced through its Wi-Fi signal The robots were programmed to drop small wireless repeated devices to ensure they maintained contact with their human overseer as they delved deeper into the plant The winning team came from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who will continue to compete in two additional rounds, one this August, and a final round in 2021, after which an overall winner will receive a $2million prize The Elma competition was the second of four total rounds, the next of which take place in August, when the robots will be set loose in a natural cave environment. The final round will take place in 2021 in a blended environment of tunnels, urban structures, and caves. The winning team for the entire challenge will be awarded $2million. US President Donald Trump speaks during a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, on January 9, 2020. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Friday that Democrats are using the virulent coronavirus as a "hoax" to damage him and his administration. "The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," he said from a campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. "One of my people came up to me and said 'Mr. President they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn't work out too well.' They couldn't do it. They tried the impeachment hoax that was on a perfect conversation," he continued. "This is their new hoax," he said, referring to the coronavirus. The disease, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now killed more than 2,800 people worldwide and infected more than 80,000. The latest reports from the World Health Organization show the pace of new cases in China slowing, but jumping in South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Iran. In the U.S., the Santa Clara Public Health Department announced a third case of coronavirus in the county Friday evening. The announcement brings the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in California to 10 and the total number of cases in the U.S. to 63, most of which were passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship and evacuees from Wuhan. "We are magnificently organized with the best professionals in the world," Trump said of the administration's preparations to help contain the spread of the virus. "We have to take it very, very seriously ... We are preparing for the worst," he continued. "My administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to prevent the spread of this illness in the United States. We are ready. We are ready. Totally ready." In other headlines, a Google employee tested positive for the coronavirus, the company said Friday. New Zealand and Nigeria reported overnight their first coronavirus cases. A New Jersey resident suspected of having the coronavirus is being tested while kept in isolation at a local hospital. The patient, whose identity and gender are unknown, is being held in quarantine at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel. Please rest assured that our health care team is taking every precaution in caring for this isolated patient and determining an accurate diagnosis, Dr. Jerry M. Zuckerman, the vice president of Infection Prevention and Control for Hackensack Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center, said in an email to clinicians on Friday. Led by our Infection Prevention team, they are working with New Jerseys Department of Health in accordance with protocols provided by the US Centers for Disease Control In the email which was obtained by Asbury Park Press, Zuckerman said that the patient has been placed in isolation. The patient, whose identity and gender are unknown, is being held in quarantine at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, New Jersey The hospital has taken precautionary measures, including the use of personal protective equipment by staff as well as visitor restrictions, according to Zuckerman. We continue to screen patients with appropriate symptoms for travel history to China, Italy, Iran, Japan, and South Korea, Zuckerman said. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. New Jersey authorities say that at least 22 residents of Monmouth and Ocean Counties have been quarantined at their homes after they returned from trips to countries that have been affected by the outbreak. Authorities say that the measures are purely precautionary as none of the people in quarantine have shown any symptoms as of Wednesday. So far, nearly 86,000 people in at least 53 countries have been infected with coronavirus. Of those who have been infected, a reported 2,933 have died - most of them in China. In recent days, the number of new infections outside of China has outpaced those within the country. The rapid spread has sent global financial markets spiraling. As of early Saturday morning, there were at least 67 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States. As of early Saturday morning, there were at least 67 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States. The image above from the National Institutes of Health shows SARS-CoV-2, or 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19, which is responsible for the current outbreak A majority of those cases were Americans who were on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship that sailed in the waters off the Far East, including Japan and Hong Kong. At least five people who contracted coronavirus on the ship died and hundreds more were infected. The State Department arranged for two planes to evacuate Americans who were quarantined on the ship and return them to the US. Upon their return, they were placed in quarantine at military bases. New Jersey and Connecticut received approval from the federal government to administer a test for the virus, thus eliminating the need to send samples out of state. Officials in Connecticut now say that the approval means that patients can know if theyve been infected within 24 to 48 hours. We recently got a little good news, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said. We are now allowed to test, at least in our laboratory in Rocky Hill, our own public health center. Thats a positive development, but we need more resources from our federal government. Now CBI vs CBI plays out in court India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 29: A Delhi court was told that there were "clinching evidence" against former CBI special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case in which he was recently given a clean chit. Special CBI judge Sanjeev Aggarwal was told by Ajay Kumar Bassi, the former investigating officer in the case, that the current IO, Satish Dagar, was trying to "save" Asthana and other public servants. The court had on February 12 expressed displeasure over the Central Bureau of Investigation's investigation into the case and it had asked why the accused with bigger roles were roaming free while the probe agency had arrested its own deputy superintendent of police. Rakesh Asthana bribery case: Delhi High Court raps CBI for delay Asthana and DSP Devender Kumar, who was arrested in 2018 and later got bail, were named in column 12 of the charge sheet in the case since there was not enough evidence to make them accused. The CBI had registered the case against Asthana on the basis of a complaint from Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Sana, facing probe in a 2017 case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 8:05 [IST] Berlin ITB travel fair cancelled over coronavirus fears: organisers GERMANY: Organisers of the ITB travel trade fair in Berlin, billed as the worlds biggest, said Friday they were cancelling next weeks event in the German capital over coronavirus fears. tourismeconomicsCoronavirusCOVID-19 By AFP Saturday 29 February 2020, 09:25AM People arrive at the venue for ITB Berlin. Photo: AFP "With more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries, ITB Berlin is of great importance for the global tourism industry," said Christian Goeke, chairman of organisers Messe Berlin. "We take our responsibility for the security and the health of our guests, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we have to look at the necessary cancellation of the ITB Berlin 2020." The fair was due to open next Wednesday (March 4), but concerns grew over the viability of hosting huge numbers of visitors as Germany recorded a jump in the number of infected residents. With confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Europes biggest economy rising above 60, more than 1,000 people were in quarantine in Germanys most populous state Friday. The district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia said it had to take the step of keeping around 1,000 on their homes as an infected couple had participated in carnival celebrations in mid-February. Schools and kindergartens were also shut in the district until Monday as the number of cases linked to the cluster reached 20. Separately, accountancy giant Ernst & Young told its 1,400 employees at its Duesseldorf office and another 110 in Essen to work from home after one worker reportedly contracted the virus. In Hamburg, dozens of parents and children who were in contact with an infected paediatrician at a university clinic have also been ordered to stay home for 14 days. With cases now detected across several further German states including Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria, Health Minister Jens Spahn said this week that Europes biggest country was "at the beginning of a coronavirus epidemic". The government has ordered local authorities in the countrys 16 states to update their pandemic readiness plans. It also from Thursday began requiring travellers arriving from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy to provide contact details in case their movements had to be traced over possible infections. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 18:47:53|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed Friday urged San Franciscans to show greater support and confidence in Chinatown businesses negatively impacted by growing fears of COVID-19. Along with elected California state and city officials, Breed toured to San Francisco Chinatown to back the businesses in the historical area of the city as more people declined to visit and dine at Chinatown shops and restaurants over circulating fears about the novel coronavirus disease. Breed on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the city to boost preparedness for possible COVID-19 spread as more cases of the infections were reported worldwide. The declaration dealt an extra blow to businesses in Chinatown, which had already experienced a declining number of customers. "This (declaration) is really about preparedness ...It's really about giving us the tools in the city to make decisions fast and to set up so that we are prepared," Breed told reporters. "We know that this had an impact on our tourism industry, on our Chinese community. And we want to do everything we can to help address that," said Breed. She reiterated that there have been no COVID-19 cases in San Francisco, although there was plenty of xenophobia in the city. San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin also said the declaration of a local emergency is aimed at unleashing "all resources to make sure people are safe and healthy and that our economy remains vibrant." Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the United States has a total of 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with three cases of infection from an unknown origin. There are also 47 infected people who evacuated from either Wuhan, China, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. A potential tragedy was averted in Enniscorthy last week when a woman, who apparently intended jumping into the river Slaney, was prevented from doing so by members of the public and people involved in searching the river for a man missing for over a week. Rescue crews were on the river as part of the search for local missing man, Bernard 'Bunny' Kirwan, who has been missing since the early hours of Sunday, February 16, when the incident occurred on Thursday. The woman appeared to be intent on entering the water near the new bridge but was prevented from doing after a number of people came to her aid. The woman's predicament was brought to the attention of rescue personnel who were in the vicinity and a number of other people who were in the area also came to the women's assistance and prevented her from entering the water. Meanwhile the search for Mr Kirwan is ongoing and over the weekend members of the volunteer Irish Underwater Search & Rescue Unit assisted members of Slaney Search & Rescue (SSR) who have been carrying out extensive searches of the river Slaney since Mr Kirwan went missing. The coast guard helicopter along with the members of the garda sub-aqua unit have also helped with the search operation throughout the last week. In addition to the river searches have also been conducted along the river bank. Speaking to this newspaper Shane O'Connor, from SSR, said: 'We had a second side scan sonar on site over the weekend but unfortunately we had no result.' The work of the search teams involved has been hampered because of the excessive flow in the river as a result of recent bad weather and visibility in the water is also very poor. 'The current is flowing faster beneath the surface as it is above,' said Mr O'Connor. 'We have five boats on the water over the weekend and during the week we have had two or three boats on the water each day,' he added. In addition to using their side scan sonar the SSR divers have also been in the water carrying out searches, however, conditions throughout the week have been precarious and made the search difficult and dangerous. The crews have searched the river as far as Killurin to-date and Mr O'Connor said the SSR crew will continue with their search. He also praised local businesses and individual people who have assisted the crews on the water over the past week by donating food and also fuel vouchers for their boats. 'They have all been a great support to the crews on the water and everyone involved in the search really does appreciate it,' said Mr O'Connor. Workers man the Medical Health and Coordination Center at the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento, California on Feb. 27, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Second US Coronavirus Case of Unknown Origin The second case of the new coronavirus of unknown origin in both California as well as the United States was flagged on Friday in Californias Santa Clara County. It marks the 63rd case in the United States, Californias 10th case, and the 3rd case in the county. The case involves an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who did not have any recent travel history or known contact with a traveler or infected person, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. The woman was hospitalized for respiratory illness, but later her doctor requested testing for the novel coronavirus. She is now under isolation at home. Santa Clara County Public Health Department said that [n]ow is the time to prepare for the possibility of widespread community transmission. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear, said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, per the release. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease. The California Department of Public Health announced that CDC test kits used to detect COVID-19 had arrived in the state, and the CDC committed to send more kits to California to enable more than 1,000 tests. The first case of unknown origin in the United States was noted earlier this week. The California Department of Public Health said that the individual is a woman in Solano County, who is receiving medical care at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento County. The woman had no known contact with other known infected people and no recent travel history. This would be the first known instance of person-to-person transmission in the general public in the United States, the California Department of Public Health said. The patient is notable because they might be the first person to be infected through community spread inside the United States, according to the CDC. The case prompted Solano County to declare a local emergency, which gives officials more power to deal with the potential spread of the virus. Counties in California and New York have begun declaring local emergencies. The department noted that other person-to-person transmissions in the United States came from known sources and involved cases in Chicago, Illinois, and San Benito County, California. Both cases were after close, prolonged interaction with a family member who returned from Wuhan, China, and had tested positive for COVID-19, the department said. The United States also saw two other new coronavirus cases confirmed earlier on Friday, and one more case confirmed late Friday, all of which originated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, earlier this month. This brings the total tally in the United States to 64. Of the 64 cases, 45 involve those who came from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Three cases of coronavirus were in those who were evacuated from Wuhan to the United States. The remaining 16 cases were detected in six U.S. statesArizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsinwith the 15th and 16th cases, both in California, currently marked as from an unknown origin. Also on Friday, the federal government informed California that it does not need to use the Fairview Development Center site to isolate people from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, given the imminent end of the isolation for those passengers and the small number of persons who ended up testing positive for COVID-19. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the coronavirus risk to the United States is low and placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of a coronavirus task force. The risk to the American people remains very low, Trump said in a press conference at the White House. President Donald Trump holds a press conference with health officials and cabinet members about the coronavirus in the White House on Feb. 26, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) The vaccine is coming along well, and we think this is something that we can do fairly quickly, the president said. Of the 15 people [to have contracted the virus] eight of them have returned to their homes, to stay at their homes until theyre fully recovered. One is in the hospital. And five have fully recovered. And one we think is in pretty good shape, Trump also said at the time. In almost all cases, theyre getting better, the president said. We took in some from Japan because theyre American citizens. Theyre in quarantine, and theyre getting better, too, Trump said, adding that they were repatriated because we felt that we had an obligation to do that. Zachary Stieber and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. This week's 'Rewind' takes a slightly different approach and as the title suggests Robert Smith has assembled a few short stories about some interesting happenings from days gone by. Hope you enjoy! LOGGING, LUMBERING AND HARNESS RACING Last year when my birthday rolled around I got a rather interesting card from our youngest daughter and her family. It didn't contain a dollar bill like in the old days but it was special. As most people know, birthday cards have fallen in popularity in recent years as new forms of digital communication take over. Also unfortunately people don't always pay too much attention to an "old fashioned" card when they do get one. They just gloss over it, set it aside and move on with the day. Well the one I got last year had some thought behind it. My family have heard me talk enough about spending all my time as a youngster around my father's sawmill and logging operation to know that I would appreciate this one. From this old photo taken at Ewen, Michigan in 1893 stems a question. I am aware that several people well known in harness racing circles over the years have also been involved in lumbering and logging. If you can think of any of them please send along their names as part of this week's trivia. Timber! Note - I do know that around 1970 there was a horse named The Logger. The old mill as I remember it so well. The old mill as I remember it so well. THE WINNINGEST HORSE FROM 1970 - Fifty Years Ago In days gone by we didn't have the technology to collect statistics and facts the way we do today. Data such as results, averages, earnings and so on were all kept manually and many were not available for publication until the year was completed. Early in any given new year a lot of facts and figures were published once the "gatherers" were certain they had everything tabulated. At that time people who were interested in such things had a lot of good reading as they pored over the mountain of statistics (nothing like what we have today) and compared them with previous years. One category that seemed to always draw a lot of interest was when the name of the horse who had won the most races was announced. In 1970 that honour went to a Maritime owned horse named Thinks Dream. This year the seven-year-old gelding owned by Helen Louise O'Brien of Lower Sackville, N.S. was what you might call "busy" as he started in 101 heats and his win total of 24 topped all horses competing during the 1970 season. He also had 26 second-place finishes and was third 21 times for a 70 percent top-three finish rate. Six of the 10 leaders in the pacing division were from Maritime Canada while another was owned in Quebec. The seven-year-old trotting mare Fresh Yankee, the Harness Horse of the Year owned by Duncan MacDonald of Sydney, N.S., finished third in wins for trotters with 20 victories as well as being North America's top money-winning trotter. Thinks Dream and his connections appear in the Exhibition Park winner's circle following a victory in a two-mile event during the 1971 season. From left is Doug Colwell, E.P.R. Gen. Mgr.; Helen Louise O'Brien, owner; and driver Laurie O'Brien. (Sorry but the other fellow just behind the horse was not named in the photo). This horse made a lot of trips to the winner's circle in 1970. My thanks to Jerry McCabe for supplying this photo and related info. Thinks Dream and his connections appear in the Exhibition Park winner's circle following a victory in a two-mile event during the 1971 season. From left is Doug Colwell, E.P.R. Gen. Mgr.; Helen Louise O'Brien, owner; and driver Laurie O'Brien. (Sorry but the other fellow just behind the horse was not named in the photo). This horse made a lot of trips to the winner's circle in 1970. My thanks to Jerry McCabe for supplying this photo and related info. ALMOST ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Thanks to old photographs we are able to travel back in time and recapture the glory days that once existed in the sport of harness racing. Prior to the race day described below a group photograph of the drivers and caretakers was shot in the stable area at the famous Maine track Bass Park named after its original owner. A sign advertising Chesterfield cigarettes as well as posters for upcoming area race days are seen in the background (Photo courtesy of Northeast News) Prior to the race day described below a group photograph of the drivers and caretakers was shot in the stable area at the famous Maine track Bass Park named after its original owner. A sign advertising Chesterfield cigarettes as well as posters for upcoming area race days are seen in the background (Photo courtesy of Northeast News) On September 26, 1923 a world record was set at Bass Park in Bangor, Maine for the fastest four-heat race over a half-mile track. It was reported by The Horse Review as "the greatest day in Maines history for speed revels" when Margaret Dillon 1:58 3/4, Sir Roch 1:59 3/4 and Single G 1:58 1/2 came to the Queen City. It was the first time that three 2:00 pacers had ever appeared together on a Maine track. A crowd estimated at 20,000 gathered at Bass Park for the occasion. Gates opened at 7:00 a.m. and 1,200 extra bleacher seats went on sale at 8:00 a.m. Single Gs driver, Ed Allen stated to a reporter from the Bangor Daily Commercial that the track was very fast and one of the best he had ever driven on. Single G's owner, William B. Barefoot, explained to the same reporter that his famous pacer, now 13 years old, got his name when one of his grooms pointed out the white "G" on the horse's forehead. After a mighty struggle which saw the track record lowered in consecutive heats by Margaret Dillon in 2:04 1/2 and then by Sir Roch in 2:04 1/4, Single G won the last two heats in 2:05 1/2 and 2:05 3/4 to win the race. Single G raced for three more years, returning to Maine in 1925 to defeat the great John R. Braden in a match race at Presque Isle. The memory of "the horse that time forgot" is kept alive by the Single G Memorial Association located in Cambridge City, Indiana. A racing scene from around 1915 at Bass Park in Bangor Maine. Take note of the elaborate judge's stand which includes several levels. Because of its location, the State of Maine was on the itinerary of many Canadian horse people who lived in the eastern part of the country. A racing scene from around 1915 at Bass Park in Bangor Maine. Take note of the elaborate judge's stand which includes several levels. Because of its location, the State of Maine was on the itinerary of many Canadian horse people who lived in the eastern part of the country. MATTS SCOOTER FALLS TO CONCUSSION Nov. 13, 1988 - It was Sunday the 13th, not Friday the 13th, but the great Matts Scooter closed out his career and the 1988 season on a "sour" note. The $25,000 Mohawk Invitation was billed as the final career start for the fastest Standardbred of all time by virtue of his 1:48.2 time trial at the Red Mile in September that year. While it was intended to be a glorious send off for Matts Scooter it didn't quite end that way. Concussion, a three-year-old son of Storm Damage driven by Steve Condren, turned out to be the spoiler as he left quickly and then yielded the lead to driver Mike LaChance. Concussion stalked Matts Scooter into the final strides finally overtaking him with a winning time of 1:56.1. Third in the contest was Cimmaron for Randy Waples. Most observers were overwhelmed by the outcome, somewhat convinced that it was more a case of a fresh horse catching a horse that had campaigned tough all year. Co-owner Charles Juravinski said after the race "I'm shocked, I'm totally deflated." An omen of doom for Matts Scooter preceded the race. Prior to the evening's races starting driver Mike Lachance's driving silks were stolen out of his car. On this night Lachance had to borrow the red, white and black colours of local trainer Butch Elliot who joked "My colours will never go that fast." Note - This event turned out to not be his final race as Matts Scooter returned for a four-year-old campaign in 1989 and was then retired to stud duty A WILLING PAIR This little tale has absolutely nothing to do with harness racing but it is I think a great picture for anyone who has even the slightest interest in horses in general. It portrays a way of life that once existed when horses were the main source of power on farms and for that matter in much of industry and commerce. To me the sight of a team of horses plowing a field conjures up a beautiful image and portrays much more than I can write. I am reminded of a story that concerned an elderly gentleman who once lived in the area where I grew up. I did not ever meet him but his story I remember and many of his descendants I knew very well. Old "John" was a serious farmer, a true steward of his land. One day he was out in the field plowing and the going was slow. He inched across the field, stopping regularly to rest his horses and also used the pause to have a few puffs on his pipe and just generally gather his thoughts. His team was poorly matched, one a tall black horse who walked smartly and held his head up high. The other was brown and much smaller, carrying his head down and was always trailing his mate. On this day a city dwelling relative had decided to pay a visit to his uncle's farm. Noticing that Uncle John was plowing in a field adjacent to the road, he parked his car and watched as the old gent and his team approached. Unwise to the ways of farming and knowing little about horses, he searched his mind for something meaningful to start the conversation. "You sure have nice team of horses, Uncle John." Following a rather lengthy pause which made him wonder if he had said the right thing came the following reply. "Yes, about the best thing I can say about them is that they are a willing pair; one horse is willing to do all the work, and the other is willing to let him." Quote For The Week: Sign outside a hearing aid clinic: "If you can't hear, please come in here." Who Is It? Can you correctly identify this young fellow from days gone by? Clue - he has barely changed. Who Else Is It? Can you put a name on this driver from 50 years ago. Also any other familiar faces you might spot? (Abahazy Photo Collection) Be sure to stay tuned during the coming week to see the correct answers and don't forget the Trivia question. Kabul, Feb 29 : The US and its Nato allies will withdraw all their troops from Afghanistan in 14 months if the Taliban uphold their commitments under a deal to be signed shortly, officials say. The announcement came in a joint US-Afghan declaration issued here on Saturday ahead of the agreement to be signed in Qatar later in the day, which is aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict, BBC reported. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are to follow. "The coalition will complete the withdrawal of their remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months following the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement... subject to the Taliban's fulfilment of its commitments," the statement released by the US and Afghan governments said. The US invaded the country weeks after the September 2001 attacks by the Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda group. More than 2,400 US troops have been killed during the conflict. About 12,000 are still stationed in the country. President Trump has promised to put an end to the conflict. KHN Midwest editor and correspondent Laura Ungar appeared on "CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin" to discuss Vice President Mike Pence's appointment to lead the nation's response to the novel coronavirus in light of how he handled a 2015 HIV outbreak when he was governor of Indiana. She also spoke on Los Angeles radio station KCRW's "Press Play with Madeleine Brand" about Pence's role during the HIV outbreak and what it may mean for the current coronavirus response. As a reporter for The (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal and USA TODAY, Ungar followed the Indiana HIV outbreak since it began. She recently revisited the town of Austin, Indiana, the center of the public health disaster, for KHN. She reported that while three-quarters of the outbreak patients there had controlled their HIV so well that it's undetectable, much of the rest of the country fails to apply the lessons learned. The United States has postponed a meeting of leaders of southeast Asian nations that was set for Las Vegas in mid-March due to the spread of the Coronavirus, a senior Trump administration official said on Friday. President Donald Trump had invited the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to meet in the US this year after he skipped their annual meeting last year, which was held in Thailand. Trump sent national security adviser Robert O'Brien to the meeting in his place. A senior Trump administration official said the US had consulted with its ASEAN partners before it made the difficult decision to postpone the Las Vegas meeting. Trump would have been expected to attend. The administration official said the US values its relationships with the nations of the region, and "looks forward to future meetings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House had yet to announce the postponement. The decision was first reported Friday by Reuters. ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, they make up a fast-growing regional market of nearly 650 million people. Bad weather foiled the planned launch of Astra's Rocket 3.0 from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska on Feb. 29, 2020. Update: DARPA announced on Sunday (March 1) that the next available launch window opens Monday (March 2) at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT). Mother Nature has interfered again with a potentially prize-winning launch. Spaceflight startup Astra had aimed to launch its first-ever orbital mission today (Feb. 29), from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska's Kodiak Island. But bad weather specifically, strong winds and thick clouds has pushed the attempt back at least another day. The liftoff is part of the $12 million DARPA Launch Challenge, which seeks to spur the development of private American rockets that can carry small military satellites to orbit cheaply and on short turnarounds. (DARPA is short for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.) Related: The history of rockets If Astra's first flight, which is carrying four small payloads, succeeds, the company will get $2 million. Acing a second launch in short order, from a different pad at the Kodiak complex, will bring in an additional $10 million. The contest rules give Astra 14 days to launch mission number one, as counted from the opening of a DARPA-declared window on Feb. 17. Today was day number 13, which means that tomorrow (March 1) could technically be Astra's last chance to get off the ground. But DARPA may give Astra a fair bit of extra time to compensate for the weather, which has not cooperated much of the time. Just four of the 13 days to date have been "green" from a weather perspective, meaning environmental conditions presented no problems, Todd Master, the DARPA program manager for the competition, said during a webcast update today. The other days were either marginal or "red" a trend that's likely to continue tomorrow (March 1). "Tomorrows looking like a red day," Master said. "We're going to get through todays operation, see how that goes, and then assess from there." The operation he referred to was a portion of the regular launch-day countdown work with Astra's 38-foot-tall (11.6 meters) Rocket 3.0, which the mission team wants to perform to iron out some kinks identified during a "wet dress rehearsal" yesterday (Feb. 28). The competition rules call for Astra to get mission number two up by March 18. But that date also assumes no weather-delay compensation. The DARPA Launch Challenge was announced in 2018, and 18 companies initially expressed interest in competing, Master has said. Three advanced to become "full participants" Astra, Virgin Orbit and Vector Launch. But Virgin Orbit and Vector Launch dropped out, leaving California-based Astra as the sole competitor. Astra was founded in 2016 but stayed in stealth mode until earlier this month. The Bay Area company attempted two suborbital test missions in 2018 but has not yet launched an orbital flight. You can learn more about the DARPA Launch Challenge at DARPA's website for the project here. Mike Wall is the author of " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook . Professing Christian Madison Prewett saving herself for marriage, walks away on 'The Bachelor' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Luke Parker, who was outspoken about his Christian faith and call for sexual purity on last years The Bachelorette, defended Madison Prewett after she stood by her purity convictions on The Bachelor this week. My face when the fantasy suite situation is too familiar (emoticon). With that being said I havent been watching this season but I got the lowdown and I am proud of @madiprew for standing firm in her convictions. Keep doing you girl! Parker said on Instagram. Prewett, 23, was seen on this weeks episode of The Bachelor, telling Peter Weber that she would not be able to continue their relationship if he slept with other women on the show. The Alabama native has been open about her Christian faith throughout the show. Im not in any way trying to come across as judgmental but at the same time, those are my expectations that I have in life, she told Weber on the Fantasy Suite episode. In a week from now, if youre down on one knee and six days before that you slept with somebody else, I just cant wrap my mind around that. I dont want to feel like a bad person for the standards that I have. Im so proud of who I am and the choices that Ive made and the standards that I have, she said on her date. And its been so freakin hard in this because Ive had to look past a lot of things no, Im not OK with a guy to be kissing other women but Ive fought and Ive gotten here. Ive sacrificed a lot and Ive compromised a lot. But one thing she was not willing to compromise was sexual purity. Prewett had already been honest with Weber earlier regarding her convictions and being uncomfortable with him being intimate with other women on the show. My faith is literally everything to me and I have saved myself for marriage. I cant keep moving forward and continuing this relationship if I dont get the clarity and peace and confidence that I need, she said. In no way do I want to give you an ultimatum. But for me, actions speak louder than words. When Weber, 28, admitted that he had been intimate with one or more of the other women, Prewett excused herself and walked away. In an interview with People, Weber said he said he wished they had the conversation sooner but doesnt fault her at all for what she told me because I was very clear with all the women from the very first night to please share whats ever on your heart. He also didnt consider Prewetts words an ultimatum, noting, She simply felt I needed to know what she was feeling and I could see how uncomfortable it was for her to have that conversation with me. But at the end of the day, Im a hypocrite if I tried to say that that wasnt right for her to do that. While the episode ends with Weber apologizing and asking her to stay, that was not the case for Parker when he was honest about his standards in last years Bachelorette. Also during the fantasy suites episode, Parker, a professing Christian, told the bachelorette, Hannah Brown, that he would not be able to stay if she had slept with other men. Brown, also a professing Christian, responded angrily and criticized Parker for judging her. She admitted to having physical relations with some of the contestants, said Jesus still loves her, and then sent Parker home. The episode sparked discussions online about Christians and premarital sex. In Person of Interest, we talk to the people catching our eye right now about what theyre doing, eating, reading, and loving. Next up is Dana Frank, owner of beloved Portland natural wine spot Bar Norman and founder of The Wild Bunch wine fair. I met Dana Frank across an endless bounty of flaky khachapuri at Pheasants Tears Winery in Sighnaghi, Georgia. We belonged to a sundry crew of wine directors, writers, and enthusiasts that had flown across the globe to dive into the rich viniculture of the country that produced the worlds first vintage over 8,000 years ago. In between long-winded toasts and generous refills of amber wine, Franks jovial, inquisitive nature fostered the kind of open conversation typically reserved for ones inner circle. By the end of the supra, a traditional Georgian feast, wed gone from virtual strangers to fast friends. Turns out, Frank has a penchant for making people feel at ease around wine: As the owner of the natural wine bar Bar Norman in Portland, OR, and prominent feature in the citys burgeoning wine scene, she does so on a daily basis. The former wine director of Ava Genes, Frank co-authored the cookbook Wine Food and owns Bow & Arrow with her husband, winemaker Scott Frank, in the Willamette Valley. Their eight-year-old Orly cant legally partake in the family business just yet, but shell definitely talk your ear off about the next vintage of her imaginary cuvee. But wine didnt always permeate every aspect of Franks life. Upon returning to the U.S., Frank made her way into restaurants. It wasnt until she started working front-of-house at Merenda in Bend, OR that her attention turned to wine. I hadnt really thought a whole lot about wine, then I stumbled into this progressive program run by young, interesting peoplethe antithesis of what I understood wine to be, she says, I found it to be completely engrossing: No matter how hard I tried, I could never learn everything there was to know. Story continues These days, Frank is most often spotted at Bar Norman, enthusiastically greeting regulars, writing out the days by-the-glass menu (which often reaches 30+ wines) in chalk, and replenishing the eclectic assortment of to-go bottles as music blasts through the hi-fi speakers. Named for her grandfather, Bar Norman was born out of a desire to create a space that champions inclusivity over correctness: When I started working in wine, it was about learning as much as possible, getting really nerdy and talking wine like everyone else, Frank says, Now, Im in a totally different place: I want to make the conversation that surrounds wine less intimidating, more fun, and easier to understand. To that end, the bars calendar is packed with community-centric events that frequently have educational or activist slants. On any given night, there could be a skin contact-themed dance party, a Hummus Hang pop-up, or a cookbook launch for Alison Romans Nothing Fancy. During a recent Trash the Tariffs fete, the local wine industry gathered in solidarity to sign letters to local congresspeople to protest Trumps proposed 100% tax on European wine imports. Frank may have set the stage, but only so that she could invite everyone to join her on it. Right now, Frank is putting the finishing touches on Portlands inaugural natural wine fair and food market, The Wild Bunch, happening this Sunday, March 1st. We caught up with her about her love of Nigerian music, taking a leap of faith on Bar Norman, and why shes feeling more empowered now than ever before. The Wild Bunch was created tocelebrate winemakers, importers, and artisans from around the world in Portland. Even though were in the middle of wine country, Portland has been focused on beer and cocktails for so long and been relatively disconnected from wine culture. We wouldnt be where we are in Oregon without the history of wine in Europe. We want people to be able to discover wines that would otherwise take them months or years to try if they were buying full bottles. Its for anyone thats interested in wine, especially natural wine, and likes to have a good time. Also, who doesnt like a party? Wine has the power tohelp us understand the world better. Its a way to connect with other people and places throughout history as part of our everyday lives. I decided to open Bar Norman because... I thought that if I didnt do it, someone else was going to do it. Up until this point, I had never had much of an entrepreneurial spirit. I was always very afraid of failure and rejection. Before I was about to open the bar, all of those lingering doubts disappeared and I felt like I had to do it. Right before we openedmy sister Linsey gave me a framed copy of The Man in the Arena by Teddy Roosevelt, which hangs next to my mirror. I look at it every morning to remind me that there are going to be critics and people that dont agree with the choices that I've made, but at the end of the day the only person I have to answer to is myself: If Im not trying and not failing then what am I doing? One of my greatest pleasures is growing up with my daughter Orly. Im learning to be a better person by way of raising her. Im nourished bythe people in my life, both my family at home and my family at Bar Norman. I feel so grateful to work with the people that I do everyday and share that space with them. Im grateful to work with people that are so goodgood at their jobs, sure, but just good people. My connection between wine and music...is through my husband Scott because hes the reason that my life is full of good music. Theres no day without music anymore; its constantly playing in the house, in the car, and in the bar all of the time. I have a deep love of Ethiopian and Nigerian music, as well as R&Bmostly whatever Scott is listening to, Im listening to. I actually appreciate the times that are quiet because theyre so few and few between. Im inspired bythe next generation of womxn in their teens, 20s, and 30s who are pushing against the patriarchy, knowing its the only way forward. Certainly I have bold, outspoken colleagues my age and older (and thank god for them!), but I'm from a generation of industry professionals that was accustomed to being bossed around by men. Now, I'm feeling more empowered to stand up for myself and other womxn around me. I don't want to ever feel like I can't speak my mind. Been there, done that. I started running on a whim. I had always thought I didnt like running, but I knew that I needed something to get me moving again after having my daughter and I couldnt figure out how to fit anything else in. Running was simply a matter of putting on shoes and going out the door. Going out for a two or three hour run was the only time I had to myself; I wasnt getting that space in any other way in my life. Cooking is how...I feel connected to the world. Its similar to the way I feel about wine. I focus most of the food that I make from places like the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Europe. I like to buy a cookbook or come back from a trip and delve deeply into that food culture. Im looking forward tothe rest of my 40s. I am really loving and reveling in my life as it is right now. I feel like every year gets better because I'm learning so much about myself. Im in my 16th year of working in wine, Bar Norman is well into its second year, and I run a couple of different wine businesses. Im a mom and a wife. Right now, my focus is on... mentoring. Ive been so fortunate to have incredible mentors in my career and its time to start giving some of that back. My goal is to help my vibrant, energetic staff, who have many more hours in their days than I do, find their own way in the world. Originally Appeared on Bon Appetit The Delhi government has given a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and two others in connection with a 2016 sedition case, sources said on Friday. The Delhi government has given a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a four-year-old sedition case, as the ruling AAP denied the persistent BJP charge of blocking the proceedings in the matter. AAP MLA and spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the Law Department of the Delhi government has given its opinion on this matter to the Home Department after due diligence. The sanction was granted by the Delhi government on 20 February, he said. On 14 January, the police had filed a charge sheet against Kanhaiya and others, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya. The police had said they were leading a procession and had supported the seditious slogans allegedly raised on the campus during an event on 9 February, 2016. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari welcomed the development, but said the Kejriwal government perhaps gave the approval in view of the "current political situation". The BJP has been alleging the AAP government was stonewalling the proceedings in the case by not granting its approval to prosecute Kanhaiya and others. However, Chadha said in a statement on Friday, "The Delhi government, as a matter of policy and as a matter of principle, does not and has not intervened in any of such cases. Our government has not stopped prosecution in any case, whatsoever, in the last five years." Calling it a "purely a procedural matter", he said the "judiciary and judiciary alone" should decide on the merits of each case. "It is not for governments to decide on the merits of such cases," he added. He further said that the Delhi government has not stopped prosecution in any case, including those pertaining to its own MLAs and party leaders. "Our MLAs fought these in the courts, in most cases our MLAs were declared innocent while some cases are still pending in court. Even when it came to elected representatives of the ruling party, that is the Aam Aadmi Party, the government of Delhi did not intervene in the process of law," the statement said. "It is only fair for the permanent executive as well as political executive to not intervene in the process of law and let the Judiciary perform its independent function," it added. Reacting to the development, Kanhaiya tweeted, "Fast-track court and quick action is required in the sedition case so that the country gets to know how the sedition law was misused in this entire case for political benefits." "Thank you to Delhi government for giving permission for the sedition case," he wrote on the microblogging site while urging the Delhi Police and government officials to take this case seriously and ensure justice. Umar Khalid also tweeted his and Anirban Bhattacharya's joint statement. "The news of the Delhi government granting sanction to sedition case against us doesn't trouble us at all. We are confident of our innocence, have full faith in the judiciary and have ourselves been demanding the case against us to be tried in the courts. "The ensuing trial will vindicate us and prove that the media trial at the behest of the ruling regime was false, malicious and politically motivated. We have lived under the shadow of these false charges for far too long. Finally, 'sab doodh ka doodh aur paani ka paani hoga' (everything will become clear) !" he said in a series of tweets. "And as we will defend ourselves in the court, we will expose the lies of the ruling regime and its fake claims of being nationalist," the statement added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi Police wrote a letter to the Delhi home secretary requesting him to expeditiously give clearance to prosecute the former students. In the letter, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Pramod Kushwah said, "It is requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction under Section 196 CrPC as required for the offence under Chapter VI of the IPC, that is, Section 124A IPC." In the charge sheet filed in a court in January, the Delhi Police had said that Kanhaiya, Khalid and Bhattacharya led a procession and raised anti-national slogans at an event in the university campus on 9 February, 2016. The police said there was video footage wherein Kanhaiya is "seen" leading the students who were raising "anti-national slogans" and that he had been identified by the witnesses in the videos. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 19 February had said he will ask the department concerned to take an "expeditious decision" on the granting sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya and others in the sedition case. With inputs from agencies A variety to choose from stir fry. If any of the options do not suit you, there is always create your own. I made my own chicken stir fry with egg noodles, nuts, and bell peppers. It tasted pretty good. Almost like it was made just for me. On February 29, 2020, New York City witnessed the successful grand opening of Go Stir Fry (@gostirfry). The restaurant is located at 319 6th Ave, a prime location, next to a list of famous universities including New York University, Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology. Its the perfect place for college students to quickly grab something nutritious and delicious in between classes. Go Stir Fry combines the fast-paced lifestyle of NYC residents with the affordability that doesnt skimp on fresh ingredients. Go Stir Fry dedicates itself in delivering quality food for its customers without breaking the bank. The restaurant is able to crank out fresh customized stir fry bowls in a timely manner by cooking its meals on a grill top in less than 30 seconds. However, stir fry isnt the only thing offered to customers. The menu is a combination of Asian stir-fry dishes and fast-casual healthy food like fresh acai bowls, appetizers, and bubble tea. Go Stir Fry also partners with Utepia, a bubble tea shop in Manhattans Chinatown that provides various options of milk tea and fresh tea. Now, you can easily get Utepia bubble tea to pair with your stir fry bowl at Go Stir Fry. The restaurant prides itself on making sure theres always something for everyone. The menu options are designed for customers to enjoy their own creations, freshly made. A variety to choose from stir fry. If any of the options do not suit you, there is always create your own. I made my own chicken stir fry with egg noodles, nuts, and bell peppers. It tasted pretty good. Almost like it was made just for me. -Zerlina L., a customer of Go Stir Fry. Go Stir Fry is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and 11:00 am to 12:00 am on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is available for dine-in, take-out, delivery, and catering. About Go Stir Fry: Go Stir Fry (@gostirfry) is an Asian restaurant that is redefining fast food culture with its popular custom stir fry bowls. It is dedicated to connecting Asian and American cultures by providing Asian cuisine to the American market. You can find Go Stir Fry at 319 6th Ave, New York. The AXA Sydney Harbour Concours dElegance, the Southern Hemispheres most distinguished luxury motoring event and a showcase of some of the rarest and most valuable cars on the planet, is set to return for its second year next week, March 5th 7th. Still in its infancy compared to its related shows in Europe and America, Sydneys offering will host guests and official partners in the grounds of Swifts, which is often referred to as the grandest house remaining in Sydney, in Darling Point. A combination of past and present automobiles, a selection of fine wines set amongst a stunning harbourside backdrop ensures the Concours dElegance will be a social event not to be missed. If you like your cars to be both historic and iconic, then youll be jaw-droppingly amazed by the selection on offer at this years show. Some of the cars you can lay your eyes on will include a rare 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London-To-Edinburgh. Only 118 were ever built, one of which was sold at Bonhams auction house in 2017 for A$1.5 million. While a 1987 Porsche 959, which when launched, took the crown for being the worlds fastest street-legal production car, will surely attract the crowds. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Motor & Co (@motor_and_co) on Mar 8, 2019 at 5:40pm PST Other motors will include a 1950 Bristol 402, of which only 21 were ever made; a 1954 Muntz Jet; and a 1964 Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta Lusso. Other brands at the event include some of the finest names in automobile history, such as Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Lancia, Lotus, and Brabham, to name a few. Its not just four-wheeled vehicles that will take the spotlight, though, as both two-wheelers and those more at home on the water will also be on display. Guests of the event can expect to be treated to Pommery Champagne and La Chappelle Gordonne rose cuvee throughout the weekend, while German watchmaker A. Lange & Sohne will be showing how it puts together its elegant timepieces. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Motor & Co (@motor_and_co) on Mar 8, 2019 at 9:00pm PST Andrew Bagley, Chief Honorary Judge and Chairman of Salon Prive, one of the longest automotive events on the Concours calendar and held at Blenheim Palace in the UK, will be in attendance to hand out awards at the Black Tie Gala Awards Dinner at The Royal Automobile Club of Australia. Sydney Harbour Concours dElegance is an invitation only motoring event of international sophistication which DMarge is proud to be a media partner of. For enquiries and tickets drop by their website. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The coronavirus outbreak in Japan has led the operator of Tokyo Disney Resort to close the theme park from Saturday. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will remain shut until March 15. In an announcement on Friday, Oriental Land explained the decision was made to prevent the spread of infection. It cited the Japanese government's call for businesses to cancel or postpone events that draw a crowd for the next couple of weeks. The company said its plan to reopen the parks on March 16 could depend on developments in the interim. - NHK Rarely has a Wexford accent sounded so intimidating as when it's being bellowed from the face of Drill Sergeant Robert Stafford into the face of some plucky recruit on one of RTE's newest hit shows 'Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week'. While the Wexford man cuts an intimidating figure as he puts the recruits through their paces, when speaking away from the show he's extremely friendly and calm; carrying the air of a man who's rarely flustered even in the face of the most dangerous of situations. Having spent over 22 years with the Defence Forces, Robert became one of the country's foremost soldiers, serving in the elite Army Ranger Wing which took him to war-zones in the likes of Kosovo, the Lebanon, East Timor, Liberia and Chad - 'all of the normal holiday destinations,' he laughs. He's also served as advanced security personnel for U2, travelling the world with the band and keeping them safe. Growing up in Avondale Drive, Robert went to school in Kennedy Park before moving onto the Vocational College. It was always one vocation in particular that interested him though. 'Yeah, it was something I always wanted to do,' he says of his interest in the Defence Forces. 'I applied a few times from an early age, but I didn't get it until I was 21 and then I was basically with the defence forces for 22 years. I was based in Dublin first before I moved onto the Special Forces.' The idea behind the RTE show is to put fitness fanatics and ordinary members of the public through a sample of the training required to become a member of the Army Special Forces. Over a ten day period, recruits are subjected to mentally and physically draining exercises, pushing themselves to the very limit. While Robert says the show provides a good snapshot of what it's like, nothing compares to the real deal. 'If you don't find it tough there's either something wrong with you or the course,' he laughs. 'The real course takes place over a month and it's very intense. You're operating on very little sleep; you're constantly on your toes and you never know what's coming next. You have two weeks of tests and then you're basically marched off up into the hills with your gear on your back for another two weeks. Then there's another six months of training if you make it to that point.' The next step saw Robert train in advanced weapons, anti-terror and hostage situations. 'The hostage situations can be tough,' he recalled. 'Basically you're put into a room and you have to make split second decisions on which you're constantly assessed. It's very tough, but it needs to be because if you're in that situation, then there's somebody's life hanging in the balance. You just get used to dealing with the stress and each step further you take, you grow in confidence. The whole point of it though is to test you to your limits, and that's the kind of thing that we're trying to do on the show.' While people are always cynical of the hidden secrets of TV, Robert is adamant that with 'Ultimate Hell Week', what you see is what you get. 'Obviously it looks very gritty,' he says. 'There's no acting though. The cameras roll and we just keep going. There are no high fives at the end of a scene or anything like that. There are only six shows, so there's a huge amount of editing involved. It's actually very difficult to make the decision to leave some of the stuff out.' Having made it into the elite Army Ranger Wing, Robert went on to serve in some of the most volatile areas in the world. As well as being trained in all manner of counter terror manoeuvres, he is also proficient in areas such as jungle warfare and has trained alongside Europe's top defence forces. Finding himself in all manner of difficult situations over the years, his experiences in Africa have stuck with him the most. 'I suppose Africa was the biggest wake up call,' he says. 'It's a different life in these places. You go from the life we're used to in Ireland to a situation that's really survival of the fittest. You're in places where they've had ethnic cleansing; entire villages wiped out. People are living in mud huts. There's no power, there's no water in the wells.' Add into this the constant impending danger of being drawn into a gun battle and it's understandable how such experiences can change a man. 'Oh you are on edge from the moment you arrive in these places,' Robert confirms. 'You constantly have your weapon on you at all times. You even sleep with your weapon on you in bed. There's always someone on guard and keeping an eye out.' 'It does take a little while to adjust then when you come home,' he concedes. 'I suppose your family adjusts and they get into their own habits and then you kind of come back and disrupt the whole thing. It doesn't take too long to get back to normal though.' Nowadays, Robert is mostly involved in private security work along with his fellow instructors Ray Goggins, Ger Reidy and Alan O'Brien. Arising casually in conversation, Robert says that it was while they were on tour with U2 that the offer of the RTE show came up. 'Yeah I went to work for U2 for three years,' he says, as an aside. 'I was with them for the Joshua Tree Tour, and the Innocence and Experience Tour. It's nearly as much work as being in the unit to be honest! Basically I go ahead of the band and make sure everything is in place security and logistics wise and then I'd be with the band providing security too. I'm a big fan of the band and it's amazing to see the whole operation behind the scenes.' When the idea for 'Ultimate Hell Week' was floated, Robert and his three colleagues were the first names on the list. 'It almost ended up like we were interviewing them,' he said. 'We had a lot to think about in terms of putting our past careers on the line. Thankfully, it's turned out really well though and the feedback has been really positive.' While everyone on the show is in some way fit, it's not always the biggest or strongest that prevail. 'It's not really physical, it's mental,' said Robert. 'You could have the biggest guy there with the muscles and everything, but once he gets half way up that mountain he could say "no more". It's more about your head and how much you want it than the physical challenge. This year we started with 28, which was more than the first series. We're not really kicking them off the course as such. They just find their own level and they'll drop out themselves until you get the numbers you need.' The second series of the show started last week and runs for six weeks. While the level of pressure placed upon the recruits is not to everyone's taste, Robert says that the feedback for the show has been unanimously positive. 'It's been brilliant,' he said. 'The feedback has been really positive. When it went out last year, there were people coming up and shaking my hand and saying they really enjoyed it and stuff. Most importantly, the military and the Irish Army were really happy with it.' Robert won't be around to accept the plaudits as this series airs. He and his team are headed for New York to carry out some contract work for an e-commerce firm. While he has been to some extraordinary places and done some extraordinary things, it's very much just part and parcel of life for the Wexford man. 'I suppose it's only when you sit down and talk about it, you realise you've done some interesting things,' he laughs. 'I keep forgetting half the stuff I've done!' 'Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week' airs Mondays at 9.35 p.m. on RTE2 and is available to watch back on the RTE player. Stefan Schauble, a television journalist and moderator, and his fiance Vanessa Augustin, attended Shen Yun on Feb. 26, 2020, at the Musical Theater, in Basel, Switzerland. (The Epoch Times) BASEL, SwitzerlandStefan Schauble, a television journalist and moderator, and his fiance Vanessa Augustin, an artist, attended the second Shen Yun performance at the Musical Theater Basel, Switzerland, on Feb. 26, 2020, as a celebratory present for their engagement. Both had attended other shows at the Musical Theater, in Basel, but were truly looking forward to being in the audience, after having done some research concerning the Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company. The New York-based company is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company. With classical Chinese dance and other one-of-a-kind features like the unique orchestra and patented backdrop, Shen Yun seeks to take audiences on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. According to the website, Shen Yun translates to the beauty of divine beings dancing. Shen Yun Is Precious and Spirited During intermission, Schauble spoke highly of what he had seen performed on stage. What I have seen so far is very interestinga fantastic and totally artistic performancejust super, he said. When he spoke of the artistic effort, he pointed to the dancers ability to express what was in their hearts. However, we cannot forget the music, which highlighted the dancers movements. Everything is pleasing to the eye, and ear, he added. Schauble explained that he was amazed to see so many different dance elements. All that makes me truly believe that it was something from China, and not from the Western world. Augustin joined into the conversation and said, This show is precious, and what is so amazing is that there is much spirit in the performance. There are so many words to describe the performance. In her mind, she could have filled an entire page with what is in her heart. It is the perfect way of celebrating my engagement, she said. A Valuable Artistic Experience at Shen Yun Augustin, an artist herself, was amazed to learn from the artistry of the production. The colors are truly beautiful, and of a combination, I would never have tried in my paintings in the past. But, now, seeing the scenes on stage, I realize that the colors are well matched. For her, learning something new, getting different ideas, made it well worth attending the Shen Yun performance. On first glance, said Augustin, I realized that I would have never attempted any combination of the colors that were shown on stage. But, now, after seeing the stage setting, I decided to give it a try when attempting a painting on my canvas. This has opened a total new world for me, she said. Before leaving to see the second half of the performance, both emphasized that they immersed themselves into the performance, and said that the show was simply unforgettable. With reporting by Heide B. Malhotra. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. ST. PAUL After over four hours of floor debate, the Minnesota House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 27, advanced a pair of gun control proposals for the second year in a row. The first of the package, House File 8, passed the House 69-61 and would boost background check requirements before sales and transfers of guns, with some exceptions. The second, often dubbed the "red-flag" bill, passed 68-62 and would allow law enforcement to confiscate firearms if someone poses a danger to themselves or others. Thursday's tally wasn't a surprise as Democrats have pushed the measures since winning the House's majority in November 2018 an electoral victory they say was largely driven by voters' eagerness for action on guns. The House passed the same two bills last year as part of a public safety omnibus, but they were not taken up by the Republican-majority Senate. This year, the bills again face an immediate wall in the Senate. Advocates and opponents for the bills on Thursday crowded the House galleries and held up signs outside the doors of the House chamber as lawmakers walked in. A sea of protesters in orange T-shirts chanted, "What do we want? Background checks. When do we want them? Now." Democrats have called the issue an urgent public health crisis, citing everyday gun violence as well as mass shootings like those at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., or at a concert on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. Rep. Ruth Richardson, D-Mendota Heights, the primary author of HF 9, encouraged her colleagues to "be proactive" on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT "Twenty years ago when Connecticut passed this law, they passed it after tragedy. When Indiana passed their red flag law, it was after tragedy. Florida's was after tragedy," she said on the floor. "Lets not wait for another tragedy." Republicans, on the other hand, say bills like HF 8 and 9 won't prevent senseless gun violence. Minority Leader Rep. Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, argued that people who want to do harm will break the law to obtain guns anyway, and all that HF 8 and 9 would do is penalize law-abiding gun owners. Instead, Daudt accused Democrats of using the bills as "a talking point for an election." "Democrats, you are failing the people in your cities who are worried about violent gun crime and that will be in your hands," he said. Those for and against the bills have bemoaned the heated partisan divide on guns, with supporters saying that lives are at stake, and detractors saying Constitutional rights are both should be nonpartisan issues, they have argued. At Democrats' Thursday news conference prior to floor session, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley, accused Republicans of being "beholden to the NRA and the extreme gun lobby," rather than Minnesotans, who he said favor bills like HF 8 and 9. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said the bills could prevent guns from getting into the streets, capable of getting into the wrong hands. "What we really have and I'll call it out is a tyranny of some small special interests who are really muzzling the voices of Minnesotans," Choi said. Rep. Marion O'Neill, R-Maple Lake, retorted to Choi's claim that her constituents "would disagree strongly." ADVERTISEMENT "This is not a small interest group," O'Neill said at Republican legislators' afternoon news conference. "Every single gun-owner in the state of Minnesota is worried about this." The bills now move on to the Senate. Republican leaders have previously said the bills wouldn't pass there. They have suggested the Legislature instead focus on proposals to increase penalties for those who transfer firearms to someone who has broken the law, and require courts to set compliance hearings to ensure firearms are removed from those who violate abuse, assault and harassment laws. Dana Ferguson contributed to this report. Ogun State Government has on Friday quarantined twenty-eight people believed to have come in contact with an Italian man who tested positive of coronavirus. KanyiDaily had reported that an Italian man was on Thursday, February, 27, 2020, confirmed as the first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria. The Italian man was said to had visited Lafarge Africa Plc, a cement manufacturing company in Ewekoro, Ogun state, where he had contact with several Lafarge employees. After two days business trip to Ogun, the man fell ill and was taken to Lagos State on the third day where he was diagnosed with coronavirus. While addressing newsmen on the update of the Coronavirus incident in Ogun, Governor Dapo Abiodun disclosed that his government has since shut down the cement factory in Ewekoro and quarantined several employees of Lafarge to avoid a spread of the deadly virus. The particular company in question has been practically shut down and they have set up two isolation centres within the premises. They have identified all those that have been in contact with this index, totalling about 28. All those 28 people have been quarantined. In its earlier statement, Lafarge said the Italian, whose name was not given, works as a consultant that provides services to the cement company. Meanwhile, a Nigerian striker in Italy, Paul Akpan Udoh, has become the first footballer to be infected with the deadly coronavirus. A federal appeals court has suspended an order that would block an immigration policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while a court processes their claims. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request on Friday from the Trump administration to pause its ruling from earlier in the day. The panel ordered the government to file written arguments by the end of Monday, and ordered the plaintiffs to file their response by the end of Tuesday. The pause will allow the government to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the issue. It also means that the immigration policy is allowed to proceed temporarily. The appeals court ruled 2-1 earlier in the day to temporarily block the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a key policy under the Trump administration; the blocknow suspendedwas intended to remain in place while the case plays out in the courts. The MPP, more commonly known as the Remain in Mexico policy, was enacted in January 2019 as an attempt to curb the flow of illegal immigration and prevent fraudulent or nonmeritorious cases. The policy sends migrants back to Mexico while they wait for a court to process their claims, rather than just being released directly into the United States to live for years until their court cases are complete. The program has been a pivotal factor in the dramatic drop in illegal crossings over the past several months. The majority ruled earlier on Friday that the MPP is invalid in its entirety because it was inconsistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), while adding that the challengers have shown a likelihood of success on their claim that the MPP does not comply with our treaty-based obligations to not force refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution. The majority also ruled that the immigration policy is likely to cause irreparable harm to the challengers of the policy. Uncontested evidence in the record establishes that non-Mexicans returned to Mexico under the MPP risk substantial harm, even death, while they await adjudication of their applications for asylum, Judge William Fletcher, a Clinton appointee, wrote in the majority opinion (pdf). Responding to the ruling that was issued earlier on Friday, the Justice Department said that at least 25,000 migrants sent back through the program are currently waiting in Mexico and that halting the immigration policy could prompt a rush on the southern border and would thereby pose massive and irreparable national security and public safety concerns. The Courts reinstatement of the injunction causes the United States public and the government significant and irreparable harmsto border security, public safety, public health, and diplomatic relations, Justice Department attorneys wrote. Janita Kan, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. From The Epoch Times They trickled into the small conference room until almost every seat was filled to hear a presentation entitled The United States Constitution, The First Amendment and Religious Freedom. The speaker was Roy Moore. It took place on a sunny February afternoon at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence as part of the day-long Conservative Leadership Council. The group was older, all white and appeared to not consider Moore to be a political pariah. Moore spoke for almost an hour, quoting passages from the Declaration of Independence and expounding about how the creation of the United States cannot be separated from a worship and reverence for God. His audience's interest never seemed to wane and some studiously took notes. I think I have a lot of support out there, Moore said in a recent interview with AL.com. When I go around, people come up to me, take pictures with me, want to talk to me. (Im) going to restaurants across the state, its not just in my hometown. Its all across the state. A lot of people do know me, they know what I stand for. Indeed, after his presentation, some in the audience made a point to smile, shake his hand and pose for pictures. The nightmare of the 2017 special Senate election, the residual of which Moore is still living, seemed far away at that instant. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a workshop on God and the U.S. Constitution in Florence on Feb. 15, 2020. In 2017, Republicans responded when Moore declared himself a candidate for U.S. Senate. Three years later, leading up to Tuesday's Super Tuesday primaries, they have not and Moore the Republican nominee in that 2017 special election is almost a forgotten candidate. His campaign has little momentum and even less money while polling has consistently put him a distant fourth in the GOP race. It's a long way from the heady days of the autumn of 2017 before it became the fall of 2017. Moore won the plurality of votes in the Republican primary, then defeated Luther Strange by 10 percentage points in the runoff. What happened next could fill volumes of political and historical retrospectives, studying and analyzing the tactics and the maneuvers that culminated with Democrat Doug Jones' stunning victory in deeply Republican Alabama. Moore has said in court filings, in interviews and on the campaign stump that the election was stolen from him, pointing to a then-unknown misinformation campaign that essentially used Alabamas special Senate race as a lab for political shenanigans designed to tilt the election in favor of, in this case, Jones. It even had a spy novel name Project Birmingham. Then there were the allegations first reported by The Washington Post 32 days before the general election against Jones where Moore was accused of sexual misconduct by a woman, Leigh Corfman of Gadsden, who claimed that when she was 14 and Moore was 32, he made unwanted sexual advances toward her. These days, those allegations -- which Moore has repeatedly denied -- still linger in a 2-year-old lawsuit that is yet to even have a trial date set, not to mention the handful of lawsuits that Moore has filed in defense of himself. And much to Moores aggravation, Corfman has yet to sit for a deposition in the defamation lawsuit she brought against him. "No. I don't find that at all," Moore said when asked if the allegations from Corfman and other women were dragging down his current campaign. "Most people in Alabama see through that. They've seen it in (the nomination of Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett) Kavanaugh. They've seen it in others. Where are (the accusers)? We spent a year trying to get one in a deposition and then others, I haven't been able to depose because the case has been put on administrative hold." Could that be true? Could it be that the allegations are not the cloud over Moore's campaign? Moore said the allegations were part of the misinformation campaign against him. Then as a damaged candidate, Moore watched as Richard Shelby, Alabamas senior senator, announced he would write in a candidate at the polls rather than vote for Moore. The result was that 22,852 write-in votes were cast. And Moore lost to Jones by 21,924 votes. "The most important thing is, he lost to Doug Jones," said Michael Hoyt, the chairman of the Baldwin County GOP. "Regardless of the other circumstances, to come in with the albatross hanging around your neck that I'm the guy that turned over a Republican Senate seat for the first time in a couple of decades to a Democrat, you're going to start at the bottom and I dont think you're going to get a whole lot higher than that." Baldwin County, of course, perhaps highlighted Moores 2017 campaign. Two rallies were held on Mobiles Eastern Shore near Fairhope to bolster support for Moore, both attended by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. On the eve of the runoff against Strange, Moore appeared on stage wearing a Stetson hat and briefly waved a pistol before the crowd. Roy Moore waves a pistol at a U.S. Senate campaign rally in Baldwin County in 2017. Bannon appeared at another rally in December before the election against Jones. To Hoyt, though, it didnt help enough. "Lots and lots and lots of Republicans stayed home (on election day)," he said. "That's just clear in the sheer numbers. They stayed home. They didn't go out and vote for Doug Jones." For comparison, Gov. Kay Ivey received 57 percent more votes in her win over Democrat Walt Maddox a year later than Moore did in his off-year election against Jones. "When Republicans get out, when they are excited about the candidate and get out and vote, Republicans are going to win," Hoyt said. For now, polling suggests Republicans are more excited about candidates other than Moore. A poll commissioned by Alabama Daily News conducted in early February had Moore with 5 percent of the vote. As frontrunners Jeff Sessions, Tommy Tuberville and Bradley Byrne fight for the two spots in the expected GOP runoff, nobody mentions Moore. "When I started this campaign, I had every expectation to win," Moore said. "And have worked toward that end." Money woes have made that difficult. According to Federal Election Commission filings, Moore has reported raising only $144,946. That puts him seventh among GOP candidates and sixth-place Stanley Adair has raised almost twice as much money. Arnold Mooney, in fifth place for fundraising, has raised more than $915,000. Moore also said he has spent $400,000 so far defending himself in the Corfman lawsuit. Fundraising has never been Moores forte and he said the candidates with the most money are funneled funds from special interest groups and lobbyists in Washington. And Moore said those groups arent interested in him winning. "I still have support out there," Moore said. "I just haven't been able to assemble that support as well as I did in 2017." Part of what little money Moore does have has been invested in a billboard campaign throughout the state. "Still Standing," the billboards proclaim. In the end, it comes down to Moore once being on the brink of winning the Senate seat in 2017 and running for re-election this year as the incumbent. Instead, he's polling at 5 percent. "I've always exceeded the polling data," Moore said. And later, Moore said, "I'm not concerned that I won't exceed that polling data that they show. I will. How much, I cannot tell." Still, unless he exceeds polling data beyond everyone's imagination, it appears this chapter for Moore is nearing a close. Was it the loss to Jones three years ago that sabotaged Moore in 2020, as Hoyt said, or was it the sexual misconduct allegations or was it simply that voters moved on? "That's what they are trying to do," Moore said specifically of the allegations trying to still hurt him politically. "I dont think it's doing that. I think people see through it. Time will tell." Regardless of the reason, though, that much is true. Time will tell. AL.com reporter John Sharp contributed to this report. In Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World, Financial Times columnist Camilla Cavendish looks at how different countries are responding to dramatic demographic shifts. While we wait to see whether lifespans jump to 150, some other changes have already crept up on us. At 19, my goddaughter ought to be emerging from adolescence into adulthood. But shes just started university, is racking up debt and expects to be living with her parents for years to come. So many people are now in this situation, some experts argue that the stage of adolescence should last until 24. Thats the average age at which children now move out of the family home in the U.K., France, Germany and Australia. The Australian professor Susan Sawyer has argued that adolescence should be extended in both directions: starting at 10, to reflect the fact that puberty is now starting at that tender age in some girls, and lasting until 24. Extended parental involvement through this later period can be highly beneficial, the psychologist Laurence Steinberg has argued, because we now know that the brain continues to mature into the twenties. If adolescence now lasts for 14 years, what happens to the subsequent stages of life? They are also lengthening. We saw in the last chapter that people are having children later. Beyond that, mature independent adulthood is lasting longer, too. Middle age Last winter, a doctor friend of mine was in charge of the influenza vaccinations for the over-65s at his local clinic. A crowd of grey-haired strangers walked in. Theyd never come to see him before, because there was nothing wrong with them. These people are part of a growing group who are defying all the labels. They dont see themselves as old, dont act old and wont buy products marketed at the old either. In England, the proportion of over-65s with any kind of impairment has been falling for two decades. In America, three-quarters of people under 75 have no problems with hearing or vision, no difficulty walking, and no form of cognitive impairment. These are fully fledged citizens with plenty left to offer, not retirees on their way out. Step up a generation, to those aged between 75 and 84, and half still have none of those disabilities. That doesnt mean that older people dont forget their keys, or lose concentration. But it does mean that some of our fears are overdone. In surveys, most people say they think that everyone will get dementia (or Alzheimers, a form of dementia) if they live long enough. But only one in six people over 80 have dementia: many never get it. And in Denmark, Sweden, the U.K. and U.S., the risk of getting dementia is a fifth lower than it was 20 years ago. In 2000, the average age for receiving a diagnosis of dementia in the U.S. was 80.7; by 2012, it had crept up to 82.4, even though doctors had got better at spotting it. Experts are not sure why the incidence of dementia is dropping but the Framingham Heart Study, which has tracked 5,000 people over 60, suggests that rates of dementia have mirrored improvements in heart health. In the U.K., dementia rates have fallen faster for men than for women, which may be because men previously smoked more. There will still be news headlines about dementia being on the rise but whats growing is the total number of older people, not our own individual risk. The Young-Old The Japanese, whose society is now the oldest on the planet, caught up with the reality of Extra Time long ago. The group who are still hale and hearty and rushing around after grandchildren they call the Young-Old. Those who are frail and in need of support they call Old-Old. The Young-Old are very active and healthy and productive totally different from 30 years ago, says Professor Takao Suzuki, professor of Gerontology at Tokyos J.F. Oberlin University. Walking speeds are much faster, for example. The World Health Organization defines old as 65, but as gerontologists and geriatricians, our main concern is with the Old-Old, who are very different from a health standpoint. Sketching energetically on his whiteboard, Professor Suzuki is, endearingly but disconcertingly, wearing a thin black cowboy tie over his pristine white shirt. He draws a matrix showing the Young-Old starting at 60, and Old-Old from 75 but says the start date of becoming Old-Old can be much later than that. Professor Suzuki attributes Japans uniquely long life expectancy to good medical care, prosperity and improved nutrition after the Second World War, when people could afford to eat far more protein, mostly fish. Consumption of carbohydrates, fat and sugar has barely changed, he says, as fast-food outlets are still relatively few. Unlike western experts, he worries more about under-nourished widows than obesity. (Some widows were not eligible for their husbands full pension, he says, and have trouble getting to the shops to buy groceries.) As old as you feel Spring Chicken, a British start-up which sells home gadgets to the elderly, conducted a survey which asked: What age do you feel on the outside, and on the inside? Most people between 50 and 90 reported feeling a few years younger than their actual age on the outside, but considerably younger on the inside. The older the respondents, the bigger the gap. Eighty-year-olds in the survey reported that they felt about 50 years old on the inside. Are they delusional, or might they just be on to something? People will say things like, I still feel 30, its just my knees are letting me down, says Anna James, who founded the business after a fruitless and frustrating search for gadgets to help her father, who is 74 and has Parkinsons. Her father now works in her business and tests out products, yet even he refuses to see himself as needing help. In 2017, James realized her father was getting to the point where he was going to need an electric wheelchair, but he wouldnt consider it. Youve got to battle with the psyche, she says. So she asked him to test out electric wheelchairs and write a blog about his favourite model. Eventually, the time came. Could I borrow that wheelchair for a few weeks? he asked. He took it on a cruise with my mother, she says, and ended up selling one to another guest on board! This was a man who was still young and dynamic inside and able to make a sale. Excerpt from Extra Time by Camilla Cavendish (HarperCollins, $22.99 CAD) Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:21:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close LONDON, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- England has confirmed three more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in Britain to 23, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty said Saturday. Two of the patients had recently returned from Italy and the other was back from Asia, Whitty said. "All three are being investigated and contact tracing has begun," he said. The cases are from Gloucestershire in southwestern England, Hertfordshire in southern England, and Berkshire in southeastern England respectively, British media reported. The latest cases came as British health officials were tracing anyone who has been in contact with the patient in Surrey diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, who became the first to catch the virus within Britain. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee on Monday in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a downgrade of the Britain's economic growth prospects. South Korea urged citizens on Saturday to stay indoors as it warned of a critical moment in its battle on the coronavirus after recording the biggest daily jump in infections, with 594 new cases taking the tally to 2,931. South Korea is grappling with the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, as a new death took the toll to 17, amid a record daily increase in infections since the country confirmed its first patient on Jan. 20. We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend, Vice health minister Kim Kang-lip told a briefing. It was a critical moment in reining in the spread of the virus, he said, adding, Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimise contact with other people. As many as 476 of the new cases were from southeastern Daegu city, the site of a church at the centre of the outbreak, and 60 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. Health authorities have run tests on more than 210,000 members and 65,000 trainees of the church linked to a majority of cases after a 61-year-old woman known as Patient 31 attended religious services there before testing positive. More than 88% have been checked, and about 3,300 have shown symptoms such as fever, Kim added. Some provincial officials want to press criminal charges against the church, saying it refused to release a complete list of members, although the church denied the accusation, and urged an end to slander and oppression of its followers. Kim said the government was working with the municipal authorities to check if the church provided an incomplete list. A court rejected a plan by conservative groups critical of President Moon Jae-in for a massive weekend rally in downtown Seoul, citing health concerns. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has fuelled fears of a pandemic, with six countries reporting their first cases this week as the World Health Organization raised its global risk alert to very high. In China, it has killed more than 2,800 people and infected about 79,000 after it emerged late last year in the central city of Wuhan. A man is in critical condition after he shot himself while being chased by police responding to a call that a woman was in danger Friday afternoon on the South Side, according to authorities. Officer Douglas Greene, a San Antonio Police Department spokesman, said police received the call from concerned family members about 2:30 p.m. The family told police she was in a dating relationship with the man, who is in his 20s. Relatives tracked her phone to the South Side about 4 p.m. and sent the location to police, Greene said. RELATED: 'I want to hold him so badly': Boy, 8, in coma after drive-by An officer found her driving a vehicle with the man in the passenger seat in the 200 block of East Southcross. We just happened to have a police officer in the area that saw the car, he said. When the officer pulled over the vehicle, the man jumped out and fled. He was hopping fences to evade police until he reached the backyard of a home in the 300 block of Kendalia Avenue, Greene said. He then pulled out a handgun and shot himself in the upper body, police said. The man was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, Greene said. No officers were injured in the incident, he added. The man has at least one felony warrant for his arrest, Greene said. Detectives are still working to determine what charges the man will face in Fridays incident. Police said the woman is now safe with police. The family did the right thing. They had an inkling that something was wrong, and they called SAPD to at least do a check on them, Greene said. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter of @sharonkgilbert) Chinese scientists have implemented the usage of smart helmets for the Chinese police and authorities to combat the spread of the coronavirus and keep their people safe. Read More About: Warning! Thermometer Guns Create More Problems Than Solutions in Spreading Coronavirus What Made it Possible? Shenzen-based Kuang-Chi Technology introduced smart helmets that are usable by the police force of China. It will make sure to quickly scan body temperatures in crowds that help deter and detect the spread of the virus. Kuang-Chi Technology is known for its metamaterials that are used for more than just space communications and wireless technologies, as proven by the use of the high-end helmets that the police are using right now. How Does it Work? Besides detecting the body temperatures of individuals in large crowds, they can also scan QR codes and amazingly have facial recognition software up to five meters away. It is also equipped with 5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technology, which is really advanced if you think about it. The base helmet N901 is also attached with AR glasses, which make it an imposing sight, to say the least. Read More About: U.S. Responds to Alarming Level of Coronavirus Cases By Rolling Out Influenza Surveillance System in 5 Cities When Was it Built? It was introduced way back in November last year but is now being used en masse in Shanghai and other Chinese cities. The concept is now a reality because of the outbreak of the coronavirus or COVID-19, as it is widely known in the world. China was quick to support all designs that can prevent the spread of the virus, and this is just one of those things. What Other Inventions and Innovations Await to Combat COVID-19? There are several Chinese companies as well that are developing solutions to combat COVID-19 for smart temperature screenings, but with less looking Robocop-like inspiration. The National AI champions Baidu and Megvii have both went out to showcase their fever detection systems that show promise as well. It's currently being used in Beijing's subway system. DJI recently improved the accuracy and precision of their already existing thermal-imaging drones when it comes to measuring temperature by conveniently adding a simple cotton swab to their design. Doctor Dr. Eliezer Be'eri, made "CoughSync" which was originally made for to help treat physically challenged and disabled children, adolescents and young adults, it connects to the ventilator and works with it in synchronicity. The ventilator can help a patient breathe, and the suction sucks the air out rapidly, just like the patient coughed. So it brings out the secretion out without the ventilator ever being disconnected. It also assists the limitation of the spread of the virus by not having medical staff be in contact with the infected to decrease the infection. Lastly, the device can make ventilation more effective so the patients can be weaned off ventilators faster. A video on how the CoughSync Works: It is still unclear when the virus can be contained because of the recent news about the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19 in Europe. One thing is for sure, the scientific community, as well as the best minds in the world, all pool up their knowledge and resources to combat this sickness, just like the Robocop-like helmets used right now in China. Read More About: Think the Coronavirus is Dangerous? How About Smartphones? No? Think Again. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New Delhi: Security personnel patrol on a street following clashes over the amended citizenship law, at Mustafabad in Northeast Delhi. (Photo Courtesy-PTI) A Fact-finding report by a Civil Rights group based on eyewitness accounts from riot-hit north-east Delhi on Friday said that, police personnel were missing when people needed them. The report, 'Let Us Heal Our Dilli', was released after a four-member team including Farah Naqvi, Sarojini N, Navsharan Singh, Naveen Chander visited some of the violence-hit areas like Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Chaman Park, Shiv Vihar, Main Mustafabad, including Bhagirathi Vihar and Brijpuri. According to the report, residents of the affected areas did not get any help from police during emergencies. They are also upset with the Delhi government for not standing with the victims and the Centre for delayed deployment of security forces. In Mustafabad, people said the central government was busy with the visit of US President Donald Trump instead of ensuring early deployment of Army or police in the affected areas which would have saved lives and protected their properties. The four-member team's visit was intended to give a sense of the man-made tragedy, report added. The visit also sought to understand what survivors need most urgently so that collective pressure can be put on the government and administration, and also civil society and citizens across all divides could be mobilised to reach out and help the affected people. The death toll is far less, but the targeting is truly frightening - where one shop is burnt, but the two adjacent shops on either side are not. Roadside mazars are burnt, masjids in the interiors are burnt, it added. A Delhi spokesperson said that the death toll in Delhi's communal violence rose to 42 on Friday as the situation showed some signs of returning to normalcy and clouds of smoke cleared to reveal the extent of the damage from the worst riots in the city in over three decades. A total of 148 FIRs have been registered and 630 people have been either arrested or detained so far in connection with the communal violence. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and General Director of Aeon Mall Vietnam Iwamura Yasutsugu (Photo: VNA) Receiving General Director of the Japanese-invested Aeon Mall Vietnam Iwamura Yasutsugu in Hanoi, the government leader reiterated that Vietnam takes the successes of the foreign investors as its own. Vietnam hopes to expand its cooperation with the Aeon group, PM Phuc stressed, expressing his expectation that Vietnam can push up the direct export of its commodities through the group. The leader asked the Japanese official and the group to continue broadening investment and business in Vietnam, and to open more establishments in the countrys other localities. He also asked Aeon to raise Vietnams export revenue to top its current 500 million USD. For his part, the Japanese official expressed his thanks to Vietnam for its support to the groups operation in the country. Aeons decision to broaden its investment and business in Vietnam is of great importance, he said, affirming that the group will further boost operation in the time to come. He also briefed his host on Aeons investment projects in Vietnam. By 2025, the group will operate 25 trade centres in Vietnam with a combined investment of 2 billion USD, and it will bring Vietnams export revenue to 1 billion USD in 2025 from the current 500 million USD as the country boasts many products suitable to making the goal achievable, the official added. Simon Grandison, 39, fly-tipped mattresses, a door and a gas canister (Picture: SWNS) A fly-tipper has been fined 1,580 after he was caught on CCTV dumping waste next to public bins. Simon Grandison, 39, left mattresses, a door and a gas canister directly next to the bins in Birmingham. A camera captured him making six illegal trips to the area behind Churchill Parade in Birchfield Road, Aston, in four days. Grandison, who lived just a few minutes away from the flats, repeatedly dumped waste at the location between April and May last year. Read more: Speeding motorist killed girl, 8, while she was crossing road with her grandmother Simon Grandison was fined 1,500 (Picture: SWNS) On April 29, he dumped mattresses, a gas canister and a door before driving off in an uninsured car. A week later on May 6, he discarded pieces of wood and board, in addition to three full bin bags of rubbish. On May 9, he left more pieces of wood along with eight full bin bags and a builders sack of waste followed by more rubbish on May 13. Grandison was ordered to pay 1,580 and given six points on his drivers licence after he admitted six fly-tipping offences at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday. Read more: M25 shut after woman is killed in suspected hit and run He made six illegal trips to the area in Birmingham in four days (Picture: SWNS) After the case, councillor John OShea, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Parks at Birmingham City Council, said: Whether it is one bag of rubbish, building waste or the contents of a house clearance, any fly-tipping in this city is completely unacceptable and a criminal offence. The council will not tolerate this as it knows the top priority for the people of this city is clean streets. When cases are reported we investigate and, when evidence is available, we prosecute. This case sends out a clear message that we do investigate fly-tipping and we will prosecute whenever we have evidence. If you fly-tip and are caught, the consequences mean it is simply not worth the risk. Welsh Government wants councils to use factory-made modular housing to increase supply of social housing This article is old - Published: Saturday, Feb 29th, 2020 Factory-made modular housing could be used in Wales to quickly increase the number of high-quality social and affordable homes being built in the county. Housing Minister, Julie James has announced a new Welsh Government strategy which aims to kick-start the modern methods of construction industry. The Welsh Government wants councils to build more council homes at scale and at pace, however they face the same capacity constraints faced by traditional house builders. To deliver more homes quickly, councils will be encouraged to use modern methods of construction (MMC), which will help them build better quality homes faster than traditional methods allow, in order to meet the growing need for affordable housing across the country. MMC includes various construction methods from new materials and technologies, to off-site manufacturing, which either replace or complement traditional methods of construction. MMC opportunities will also bring significant new benefits to the Welsh economy. To back Welsh business, Ministers plan to help this next generation of homes to be built utilising national assets such as Welsh steel and Welsh timber. There will also be a focus on using the emerging MMC industry in Wales to pursue Welsh social and ethical ambitions, including developing skills and market-leading technical expertise in communities hardest hit by the decline of traditional industries. Investment will also help firms invest in locally sourced labour. 20m is being made available for MMC businesses, who in partnership with Welsh social landlords, want to build the next generation of social housing. This investment is designed to help and encourage the market, especially SMEs, to develop off-site manufacture (OSM) solutions such as supply chains, factories, skills development centres, that meet the needs of the next generation of social housing in Wales. A further 25m is being made available for round 4 of the Welsh Governments Innovative Housing Programme, which will focus on innovative housing delivered through MMC. The strategy supports the Welsh Governments ambitions to reduce carbon emissions from the housing sector. It also supports move to a circular economy, as building with MMC could reduce construction waste by as much as 70-90%. Housing Minister, Julie James said: Building more social and affordable homes is a key priority for the Welsh Government. Over the last 4 years, this Welsh Government has invested 2 billion in new housing across Wales, as part of our ambition to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2021. But we want to build more. And we want to build better. The significant investment were making in the modular housing industry will enable us to do that. Gone are the days of MMCs association with poor quality, temporary, pre-fabricated housing; MMC now produces high quality, desirable and energy efficient affordable homes that tenants can be proud of. We have certainly moved from Pre-Fab to Ab-Fab! Developing the MMC industry in Wales presents us with a great opportunity to not only build beautiful new social housing, but also kick-start a new industry that will become increasingly important for our economy. Flintshire Councils Local Development Plan (LDP) was approved last year, it earmarks land where up to 7000 new homes could be built in the county. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police arrested a man in connection to a robbery at a TD Bank branch in Port Richmond Center Wednesday, an NYPD spokesperson told the Advance. Francis Grady, 40, of the 600 block of Cary Ave., of West Brighton was arrested on Friday at 11:20 a.m., the spokesperson said. Grady is facing robbery charges. It is not clear if Grady had retained a lawyer as of Saturday afternoon. Police were able to track the West Brighton man after receiving a tip, a source with knowledge of the investigation said. Police said Grady allegedly is the man who entered the TD Bank located at 1600 Forest Ave. on Wednesday at about 3:34 p.m., handed a demand note to a teller and fled the scene with $500. Grady was previously arrested in 2015 for criminal trespassing and charged in a separate incident for burglary according to the NYPD and Advance records. In that case, Grady was caught on video as he broke into a house on Seguine Loop, in Aug. 2015, court papers alleged. He stole two laptops, which he later admitted to selling to his dealer at Victory Boulevard and Bay Street, near Tompkinsville Park, in exchange for heroin, a law enforcement source said. He had initially told police that he was visiting a nearby friend but later, when asked where he was going, admitted to a detective, I was going to detox, the source said Staten Island has seen a spike in robberies and attempted robberies at financial institutions over the past five weeks. Currently, there are four unsolved bank robberies and one unsolved attempted robbery. INSIDE THE WAVE On Jan. 21 just before 2 p.m., a man with his face covered went through the drive-thru at Santander Bank, located at 1850 Victory Blvd. in Castleton Corners, and sent a note through the pneumatic tubing system demanding money, police said. The man allegedly wrote in the note that he had previously placed a bomb at the ATM located inside the building and that if he drives off with no bills, he will set it off in 15 seconds, according to police. The man did not receive any money and fled the scene driving a red Ford truck. Police released images of the vehicle later that week. No arrests have been made in connection to this incident. BANK ROBBERY IN GRASMERE Only four days after the first attempted robbery, on Jan. 25, a man wearing a camouflage jacket entered a Santander Bank located at 1320 Hylan Blvd. in Grasmere, approached a teller and passed a note demanding cash, police said. The man was able to walk away with $600 before fleeing the bank, according to police. On Feb. 3, police arrested Ivo Bogdamovic, 49, of 1st Place, Brooklyn, in connection to the heist and charged him with robbery. BIZARRE INCIDENT AT 2 BANKS, INSTAGRAM VIDEO On Jan. 30 a man entered a Northfield Bank at 519 Forest Ave. in West Brighton at around 1:30 p.m., announced it was a robbery and left without any money, police said. After only eight minutes, the same man entered the Victory State Bank located at 755 Forest Ave. and, after a brief conversation with a female employee screamed it was a robbery, according to police. I just want yall to know its a mother f-----g robbery, he shouts in a selfie-style video he allegedly posted on social media. Everybody put your hands on the floor. Get your hands on the f-----g ground right now. The video shows and police confirmed that nobody reacted to the man, who walked out of the bank. Police arrested Augustin Nadreau, 25, of the 100 block of Treadwell Avenue, in connection to both incidents. NYPD LINKS 4 ROBBERIES; RELEASES IMAGES OF MAN SOUGHT The NYPD has linked a fourth bank robbery to a Staten Island pattern and released a new photo of a man sought for questioning in connection with those heists. The most recent incident occurred Thursday, when a man entered a TD Bank at 1818 Victory Blvd. in Castleton Corners at around 1:40 p.m., passed a note demanding money and fled the scene with $100, according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. 4 NYPD seeks same man for questioning in four separate bank robberies Police initially described the alleged robber as a white male in his 50s, standing about 5 feet, 8 inches. In that incident, he wore a medical mask, police said. The NYPD released a new surveillance image of the man sought, taken from TD Bank. Detectives have linked the incident to three previous bank robberies on Staten Island, the NYPD statement said. The first robbery in the pattern occurred on Jan. 29 at approximately 11:30 a.m. when an unknown man entered a Northfield Bank branch, located at 1481 Forest Ave. in Port Richmond, and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, according to police. In that incident, the man walked away with approximately $2,000, police said. Three days later, on Feb. 1, a man entered a Richmond County Savings Bank in Sunnyside, and handed a note demanding money, according to police. The man received over $7,000, police said. In the third incident, on Feb. 10, a man entered a Chase Bank located at 666 Forest Ave. in West Brighton at approximately 1:35 p.m., and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, according to police. The teller complied and the individual fled the scene with approximately $7,500, according to the NYPD statement. Police had previously released photos of the man sought, taken from the Chase Bank incident. Overall, the man received approximately $16,600, police said. Vice President Mike Pence appeared on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's show on Friday to 'give the American people the facts' about the coronavirus, days after Limbaugh pushed a wild conspiracy theory that the deadly disease was created by 'Chinese Communists'. President Donald Trump appointed Pence on Wednesday to lead the country's response to the coronavirus but immediately faced criticism for not choosing a medical professional, especially following Pence's response to the AIDS crisis in his home state Indiana. Pence has since convened a meeting of the task force, which is composed of some of the nation's top public health officials, telling them that his office would have control over the messaging. He appeared on Limbaugh's show to discuss the government's response claiming that the coronavirus was Trump's 'highest priority' just a day before the first U.S. fatality was confirmed. During the interview Limbaugh did not mention his conspiracy theories and Pence did not bring them up. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Mike Pence claimed he would only 'give the American people the facts' on Limbaugh's show In previous days, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh had pushed conspiracy theories about the coronavirus that claimed it was part o fa 'leftist agenda' to get rid of Trump 'President Trump has no higher priority than the health of the American people,' Pence said, in an interview that failed to address the previous claims pushed by Limbaugh, 69, that the coronavirus is being 'weaponized' by the Chinese government to damage the US economy. 'We're going to follow the facts, we're going to follow the science, we're going to tune out the politics, and keep reaching out to people across the spectrum,' Pence said. 'And I have to tell you, my conversations with many of the officials that I mentioned to you in the Democratic Party, I get that sense I think this is a real moment where we have an opportunity to really come together and work this issue on behalf of the American people. And that's going to continue to be our focus.' 'I'm for you guys, I want you to succeed because this needs success. I mean, this problem needs to be dealt with successfully, hopefully as apolitically as possible,' Limbaugh answered. 'The virus doesn't know whether it's infecting a Republican or a Democrat, a woman, a man, anything. And until we get a better handle on it, we want competent people working on this.' US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a press conference on the coronavirus confirming the first American person died of the disease in Washington state on Saturday On Saturday, Pence appeared at a press conference alongside President Trump to confirm that the first U.S. patient had died from the coronavirus. Pence again commended Trump's response to the outbreak in setting up the task force and said that the number of cases in the country were low as a result. He also announced that the U.S. travel advisory has been brought up to level four as Americans are warned not to travel to the areas most affected by the virus. In Friday's interview with Limbaugh, Pence claimed that the task force was going to 'let the health care experts lead' in its reponse to the outbreak. 'What we want to make sure is happening is that with so many different agencies involved, that we're providing that information in a consistent and a systematic way,' Pence added, addressing the alleged command that all messaging is passed through his office. 'We're going to give the American people the facts. We're going to follow what the scientific community is recommending on this. And we're going to let the health care experts lead.' Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, pictured, claims that that the coronavirus in a Chinese 'weapon' against Trump and is part of the 'leftist agenda' he refused to believe Earlier in the week, Limbaugh had claimed the coronavirus is being 'weaponized' by the Chinese government to damage the US economy and bring down Donald Trump but is 'no worse than the common cold'. The conservative radio host said the deadly virus was created in a Chinese government laboratory and was being used to 'scare people in business' and crash the stock market. Limbaugh said on his podcast show: 'It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump. 'I want to tell you the truth about the coronavirus, the coronavirus is the common cold, folks.' He added: 'I'm not trying to get you to let your guard down. Nobody wants to get any of this stuff. I mean, you never, I hate getting the common cold. 'You don't want to get the flu. It's miserable. 'But we're not talking about something here that's gonna wipe out your town or your city if it finds its way there. 'I'm telling you, the ChiComs are trying to weaponize this thing. The ChiComs obviously in their lab are doing something here with the coronavirus, and it got out.' President Donald Trump, center, speaks to members of the media to address the nation about the coronavirus threat and the first American fatality confirmed on Saturday in Washington On Saturday, Trump said that the American public had no reason to panic despite the first confirmed death from the coronavirus in the country. At a White House press conference, President Donald Trump said that the deceased patient was a woman in her 50s with a high medical risk. No further information about the patient's travel and medical history was immediately available and the details released by Trump were not confirmed. Speaking to the nation, Trump expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and addressed the outbreak, urging calm even as he said the virus spread seems inevitable. 'Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover,' he said. 'Healthy people if you're healthy, you'll probably go through a process and you'll be fine.' Trump urged politicians and the media not to sensationalize the outbreak and provoke panic. 'There's no reason to panic at all,' he said. Voters across the state have been slow to return their mail ballots, which could translate into a historic bottleneck at the polls Tuesday as Californians wait until the last minute to cast their ballots in the Democratic presidential primary. The return rate is especially bad among the states millions of no-party-preference voters, many of whom are apparently confused about what they need to do to cast a ballot in the Democratic primary. Only about 12% of the 4.1 million vote-by-mail independents have returned their ballots and fewer than 1 in 10 requested the crossover Democratic ballot, said Paul Mitchell of the nonpartisan Political Data Inc., which provides information on voting and ballots to campaigns across the state. As many as 40% of no-party-preference voters who returned their mail ballots early didnt vote in the Democratic presidential primary, many because they didnt know how to get that ballot, he added. But changes in the way much of California votes, along with a hard-fought Democratic presidential primary, affect all voters in the state, not just independents. A new election system that automatically sent mail ballots to more than three-quarters of the states voters, and the prospect of Democratic voters still undecided about whom to support, are getting the blame for the delay. More than 16 million ballots were mailed to voters earlier this month, but as of Friday morning, only about 2.9 million, or 18%, had been returned. It was 26% in 2016. With 20.4 million registered voters, that leaves election officials looking at a flood of ballots that could land Tuesday. Its going to be a very busy election day, said John Arntz, San Franciscos elections director. That wont make it any easier for California to get its results out. Mail ballots dropped off at the polls on election day arent counted immediately, and any votes that arrive in the mail by the Friday after the election are included in the tally. The result is a vote count that can take days or even weeks to complete. For a number of counties, including big ones like Los Angeles and Orange, this will be their first election under the states Voters Choice Act, a system in which voters automatically receive their ballots in the mail. That change apparently is causing some problems, said Mitchell. Voters who are getting a mail ballot for the first time have been slow to return them, he said. Most people have a type of internal clock about when they vote, and its hard to change that. But a look at the voters who arent returning their ballots also suggests its no accident that the mail ballots are slow to arrive, Mitchell added. It appears that older Democratic voters, who are typically highly likely to vote, are holding on to their ballots, he said. While Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the polls in California and the nation, there are seven other high-profile Democrats on Tuesdays presidential ballot. With the South Carolina primary on Saturday, California voters who are not enthusiastic about Sanders may want to see who comes out on top there before making their choices. Plenty of pundits have been advising voters to hold off on returning their ballots until election day. Californians who made their choices as soon as their ballots landed in the first week of February may have found themselves voting for businessman Andrew Yang, who dropped out of the race on Feb. 11. In 2016, it was a binary choice for Democrats; they didnt have to think past Sanders or (Hillary) Clinton, Mitchell said. But now its harder. The complicated rules about just who can vote in what primary also could result in lines at the polling places. Only registered Republicans are allowed to cast ballots in the GOP primary. But the Democratic primary is open to voters who arent members of another political party. Theres a hitch, however: Those independents have to ask for that Democratic ballot. Despite emails and postcards to voters from Secretary of State Alex Padilla and county registrars across the state warning of those rules, fewer than 10% of independent voters requested Democratic mail ballots. A study by Mitchell and Capitol Weekly found that two-thirds of all independents and more than 80% of those most likely to cast ballots wanted to vote in the Democratic primary. But many of them didnt know how to get that ballot or even if they were eligible to vote for the Democratic candidates, Mitchell said. The burden is on the voter, he added. Although the deadline has passed for receiving a mail ballot, independent voters can still get a Democratic ballot by showing up at a polling place and asking for one. But that means more people crowding into the polls and taking more time to get the right ballot, slowing the voting process. In San Francisco, a lot of the early voting is by people requesting a crossover ballot, said Arntz, the city elections chief. In Los Angeles, reports indicate as many as half of the people showing up at voting centers are independents looking for Democratic ballots. The turnout for Californias 2018 midterm elections was the highest in decades for a nonpresidential election, and theres no sign voters enthusiasm has diminished. The slow early-vote returns may just be a glitch or an aberration ahead of an election day flood. At this point, it appears the turnout is slower than expected, said Mark Church, San Mateo Countys registrar. However, what we have experienced in previous (all-mail ballot) elections is a huge influx of returned ballots ... starting on the last Friday before the election. But the state is venturing into unknown territory with this election. The new, earlier primary date, the increase in counties that vote by mail, the growing number of independent voters and the presence of a hot, state presidential primary race on the Saturday before Californians cast their ballots can all affect turnout. There are so many moving pieces, it makes reading the tea leaves really hazardous, Mitchell said. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth After three more dead bodies were recovered on Friday from drains in northeast Delhi where riots broke out on Monday and Tuesday, Delhi Police have roped in civic agencies to check the worst --- finding more bodies in the drains of north east Delhi. Over the last three days, police have found bodies of six persons, who died in the rioting, in the clogged drains of north east Delhi. One of the bodies was that of intelligence bureau officer, Ankit Sharma. Sharmas body was the first to be found in a drain on Wednesday. Residents of Chand Bagh and Gokalpuri area through which the drain passes and the bodies were found said that in most cases, the victims were first murdered and their bodies thrown in the drain. The city police have roped in divers and experts from civic agencies. They are scanning the waters of the drain for more bodies. Police said the drains here are full of debris and garbage. Officers said they need to check the bottom of the drains to see if more people were killed and thrown into the drains. Delhi fire service have also been informed as the IB officials body was pulled out from the drain with the help of fire officers. Locals are fear that more bodies can be fished out from drains that run parallel to almost every riot-affected area site. Locals said there are four major open drains in the riot-affected parts of northeast Delhi where miscreants may have dumped bodies, east civic body officials said. These belong to both the Delhi governments Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) and the BJP-ruled east municipality. The most dangerous, where most bodies have been found we believe, is the Biharipur drain which originates near the Bhagirath Vihar Water Treatment Plant (WTP), goes around Chand Bagh, and falls into the huge Drain Number 1. This is about 4 km in length and belongs to I&FC, said a senior EDMC official who declined to be named. The other super drain in the area, which belongs to I&FC, is Drain Number 1 that comes from Saboli in Uttar Pradesh, runs along Road No. 66 in Jafrabad, and goes to Noida (UP). Two smaller drains here, which belong to us (EDMC), are Gokulpur Drain and Babarpur Drain, he said. Officials said they believe the bodies may not have floated to the Uttar Pradesh because of the heavy siltation and lack of turbulent flow. On Friday evening, while Delhi police officers were conducting flag marches in the bylanes of north east Delhi to restore peace, a group of divers along with police were returning from one the drains after a search operation. Their search will again resume on Saturday. They do not want to come across any more dead body in the bottom of the drain. Kabul: The United States signed a historic deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there. While the agreement paves the way for the United States to gradually pull out of its longest war, many expect that talks to come between the multiple Afghan sides will be far more complicated. US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader sign a peace agreement. Credit: The deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile travelled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. How was it for you? This last month of love? I sat on my soapbox in Sherwood Forest and asked the squirrels gathering around me. The one that appeared to be sweeping the forest floors in search of nuts, with a dark ring of fur round his neck that could have been a muffler, and whiskers like a little black tache, nodded vigorously. It had been a good month hed felt the love. Four thousand, five hundred and fifty miles away in Delhi, so had chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. His incumbent party had swept the Delhi state elections, winning 62 seats to the ruling partys paltry eight. Analysts explained that it was a vote for status quo, for efficiency, or a slap in the face ofthe rampaging BJP. But Id like to think it was a vote for solidarity. For love. Delhi = Love?? Pull the other one! Thats not an emotion we associate with our cut-throat capital, accounting for 40 per cent of rapes and 33 per cent of all crimes against women in India. As a 21-year-old working in television there, Id been molested, swindled, stalked, and nearly killed (with a karai honest). Twenty years later, in 2016, I returned to Delhi to further disasters when the hotel fried my electronic devices to a crisp, barring me from both my money and contacts. When they failed to compensate or help, I turned to the peeps whod invited me over, to find them as perverse. Youre calling me at seven in the morning? Jaante hain main kaun hoon?one huffed. Panic-stricken, I began to call one barely known Facebook friend after another to see who might assist. Before long I had a host of offers from unexpected quarters of their company, cars and phones! If the kindness of strangers saved my bacon, it was also this generosity that led Delhiites in their thousands to turn out in support of the protesting women of tenacious Shaheen Bagh, and JNU and Jamia students, under attack from right-wing goons. With love so unexpectedly given precedence, it was no wonder that Delhi went on to democratically sweep out hate. A college in Kutch too was painting the town red. Not with satin hearts and red velvet cupcakes, but with blood. The principal of this Hindu sectarian institution, which prohibited menstruating women from participating in regular activities, suspected a large percentage of her students of lying to her so they could study unhindered (the gall! the depravity!). She ordered 68 of them to strip to prove their period-free status. The students complained and the enforcers were arrested. Briefly. That might make educational institutions think twice before humiliating harmlessly ovulating students again, but will it make even a dent on the taboo around menstruation? Not while godmen like Swami Krushnaswarup get away with decreeing that menstruating women who cook will be reborn as dogs, and the men who eat their cooking, as bullocks. The word you want is the British pillock, Dasji; many muck heaps worse than a harmless bovine, and the perfect name for brain-dead bigots like you. Talking of British pillocks, BoJo lulled Brit-Indians into thinking they were feeling the lurrvvve when he scooped Narayana Murthys son-in-law Rishi Sunak into the blubbery bearhug of his Cabinet. Especially chuffed that hed replaced Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer, it only dawned on desis later that Rishi is as much of a privileged-and-not-parting-with-it toff as farcically malevolent Jacob Rees-Mogg. With his pots of money and perfect coiffure, I cannot see Rishi generously doling out love. Nor government largesse to the 15 million living in poverty in the UK. But he might win Hair of The Year yet and make us proud. Nor will I hear a word against Pakistanis. Especially the kind that glower at you from behind the steering wheel till you bring up biryani. Subcontinental taxi drivers, with whom I have a heart-to-heart on every trip out of the Sherwoods, are my Best Ever Friends (not counting squirrels). What on earth is going on in your country? they cry. Hah! What about yours? I reply. And we both guffaw. Of course, if British Indians were celebrating the appointment of an apparently normal desi to the Cabinet, they were right, as the other two are Priti Patel and Cruella, sorry, Suella Braverman. Priti hates the marginalised, the sick and the poor, and in pole position to help them all in shiny new Brexit Britain, she delights in making their lives a misery instead. From one brown gal to another, Priti, Im not gonna beseech you to look into your heart, because you dont have one. Yet, look into your past and see if you cant find people who were ostracised when they first arrived, but through industry and the occasional opportunity sparked by the kindness of strangers, worked their way to where YOU are now. Remember, pretty please, and consider paying it forward. So, if in these weeks of love, you didnt feel it in the air, if your town was painted the wrong sorta red, have I got the month for you! For this is the month of warlike Mars, for the Ides of March, when the self-serving get their comeuppance. Cook up revenge all this month with a, er, vengeance, and dont wait to serve it cold. Fan the flames of your rage at the fundamentalists, the brutish politicians and their circles of greed. Then burrrrn em with your democratic rights. Speak up. March. Vote. Do as Delhi did. You may never hear me say that again! P.S. As it turns out, you really wont hear that from me again. Two days after I submitted my paean to Delhis love and kindness, it has descended into a hell of rioting and murder, and its worst self. Its true self? Prove us wrong, Delhi. Rise again. Shreya Sen-Handley is the author of the recently published Strange: Stories, the award-winning Memoirs of My Body, and a forthcoming book of travel misadventures ALTON During February, more than 260 students from Roxana South Primary School engaged in interactive oral health education sessions and received free non-invasive screenings from dental students at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SDM) in Alton. The SIU SDM annually welcomes kindergarten and second grade students from local classrooms in celebration of National Childrens Dental Health Month. We want to make a positive impression on children and establish a dental home for them early to promote prevention over intervention, said SIU SDMs Katie Kosten, DMD, assistant professor and director of community dentistry. We use National Childrens Dental Health Month as an opportunity to educate kids on basic oral principles and identify any issues with their teeth that parents need to be aware of. Third-year SDM students led interactive education activities that included practicing brushing and flossing on friendly animal characters, creating an alginate hand mold, identifying good and bad foods for teeth, and spinning a colorful question and answer wheel. Fourth-year dental students practiced their clinical skills, built rapport with patients and served the community in a meaningful way by offering free dental screenings. The aspiring dentists conducted screenings for those students with signed consent forms, under the supervision of a licensed dental faculty. Screenings offer an important, non-invasive check of the teeth for the benefit of the students and their guardians. What I love most about dentistry is the teaching aspect, said Lexi Nash, a third-year student from Lebanon. Its important to work with children and give them a positive dental experience. Its one of the most rewarding feelings when you take a child, who was timid and shy, and offer interaction and fun that makes them excited to be your friend and show you their teeth. Even for students who do not plan to pursue pediatric dentistry, the opportunity to develop their clinical and interpersonal skills with children is beneficial for their career. Working with children has expanded my experience as a clinician, said Michelle Hickey, a fourth-year dental student from Lyle. For kids, you have to explain things in an understandable and catchy way, since they want to know exactly what youre doing and why youre doing it. Its important to develop those communication skills, because they can apply in any dental practice. The SIU School of Dental Medicine students manage about 35,000 patient visits each year at its patient clinics in Alton and East St. Louis. I recently spent a morning reading through old letters and newspaper clippings in the E. Cora Hind collection at the University of Manitoba archives. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion I recently spent a morning reading through old letters and newspaper clippings in the E. Cora Hind collection at the University of Manitoba archives. Hind, the agricultural editor of the predecessor to todays Winnipeg Free Press, was a media celebrity in her day. J.W. Dafoe hired her in 1901, years after she was initially rebuffed because she was a woman, and she became an agricultural commentator of world renown. Her crop forecasts moved markets and her arrival in a foreign country was news. She also campaigned for womens rights, temperance and the Port of Churchill. Hind died in 1942. Newspaper writing in days of old was a lot more colourful than the journalistic style of today, so Hinds view on certain matters was clearly evident. This headline in the Jan. 10, 1939, caught my eye: "Hogs in Trouble: Beware of the British housewife, for she wants her bacon lean." She admonished farmers who continued to ship overweight hogs to market despite the imposition of penalties designed to discourage the practice. "Producers may say if I think it pays me better to put my cheap feed into more pounds of hog at a lower price, that is my business. To a certain extent it is, and again, it is not. No man liveth to himself exclusively in the hog business any more than in any other. A certain percentage of Canadas hogs must be marketed abroad, especially in Great Britain. The market for heavy bacon in Britain is very, very limited," Hind wrote. "You may be feeding hogs in northern Saskatchewan and say Ill feed my hogs how I like. Quite so, but unless you have a local market that will consume all you and your like-minded neighbours produce, you will have to sell them somewhere outside. "Now who really establishes the demand, and therefore the price of bacon in Britain? Put it down in your memories and dont forget it when you feed your hogs it is the British housewife. "The other item well to remember is that if you do not send the lady what she wants, Denmark will be most happy to oblige "When Canadian bacon is discounted 13 shillings a hundredweight (112 lbs.) nearly $3 because it is too heavy for ready sale, it is well for the western producer to sit up and take notice for fear, not of the packers and their penalties, but for fear of jeopardizing the reputation of Canadian bacon with that extremely astute person, the British housewife a word to the wise." If Hind were alive today, shed likely be delivering the same advice on a modern take of the same dilemma farmers use of the herbicide glyphosate to help dry down their crops before harvest. The Western Producer reported recently that breakfast cereal-maker Kelloggs has quietly served notice that it wont buy cereals that have been treated with pre-harvest glyphosate by 2025, which has led to commentary from farm leaders about how wrong the company is to cater to unscientific whims of consumer activists. After all, regulators have ruled that the product is safe and loss of this harvest tool limits farmers options. 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. However, for a processor like Kelloggs, it has nothing to do with scientific validity and everything to do with liability. There are thousands of lawsuits claiming glyphosate causes cancer before the courts right now and so far, the courts have sided 3-0 with those claims. Felipe Gomez Fajardo, president of Mexico-based Grupo Vita, the worlds second-largest oat processor, delivered a similar message to farmers attending the recent CropConnect 2020 conference in Winnipeg. His customers are demanding oats that are free of glyphosate, gluten and increasingly, produced organically. Its not negotiable. Bill Campbell, a Minto, Man., farmer and president of Keystone Agricultural Producers concedes customers call the shots, but says losing pre-harvest glyphosate will hit farmers bottom lines. "The customer is always right, but are they willing to pay for the emotional attachment to that aspect of it when science has proven it to be safe?" he asks, already knowing the answer. As Cora Hind might say, Canadas reputation is on the line. Laura Rance is vice-president of content for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com Unfortunately for some shareholders, the Kip McGrath Education Centres (ASX:KME) share price has dived 40% in the last thirty days. Even longer term holders have taken a real hit with the stock declining 6.2% in the last year. All else being equal, a share price drop should make a stock more attractive to potential investors. In the long term, share prices tend to follow earnings per share, but in the short term prices bounce around in response to short term factors (which are not always obvious). So, on certain occasions, long term focussed investors try to take advantage of pessimistic expectations to buy shares at a better price. One way to gauge market expectations of a stock is to look at its Price to Earnings Ratio (PE Ratio). Investors have optimistic expectations of companies with higher P/E ratios, compared to companies with lower P/E ratios. Check out our latest analysis for Kip McGrath Education Centres How Does Kip McGrath Education Centres's P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers? Kip McGrath Education Centres's P/E of 16.04 indicates relatively low sentiment towards the stock. If you look at the image below, you can see Kip McGrath Education Centres has a lower P/E than the average (23.5) in the consumer services industry classification. ASX:KME Price Estimation Relative to Market, February 28th 2020 This suggests that market participants think Kip McGrath Education Centres will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. And in that case, the P/E ratio itself will drop rather quickly. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings. Story continues Kip McGrath Education Centres saw earnings per share decrease by 1.3% last year. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 19%. Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits Don't forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. Thus, the metric does not reflect cash or debt held by the company. 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 expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio. How Does Kip McGrath Education Centres's Debt Impact Its P/E Ratio? The extra options and safety that comes with Kip McGrath Education Centres's AU$3.9m net cash position means that it deserves a higher P/E than it would if it had a lot of net debt. The Verdict On Kip McGrath Education Centres's P/E Ratio Kip McGrath Education Centres has a P/E of 16.0. That's below the average in the AU market, which is 18.0. Falling earnings per share are likely to be keeping potential buyers away, but the net cash position means the company has time to improve: if so, the low P/E could be an opportunity. Given Kip McGrath Education Centres's P/E ratio has declined from 26.8 to 16.0 in the last month, we know for sure that the market is significantly less confident about the business today, than it was back then. For those who don't like to trade against momentum, that could be a warning sign, but a contrarian investor might want to take a closer look. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If the reality for a company is not as bad as the P/E ratio indicates, then the share price should increase as the market realizes this. Although we don't have analyst forecasts you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow. You might be able to find a better buy than Kip McGrath Education Centres. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). 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. New Delhi, Feb 29 : A Delhi court on Saturday issued notice to the Tihar Central Jail authorities on a petition that sought a stay on the execution of four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya rape and murder case. The four convicts moved the application to seek a stay on their hanging scheduled for March 3 on the ground that a fresh mercy and curative petition filed by two of them is pending. "This hon'ble court (should) stay the execution of the petitioners until determination of their mercy petition...," the petition read. The matter is listed for hearing at 10 a.m. on March 2. The court asked the jail authorities to submit a report on their petition. During the hearing on Saturday, advocate AP Singh told the court that Akshay Kumar Singh had filed a fresh mercy petition as the facts in the previous one were not complete. Another convict Pawan Gupta has filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court. Out of all the convicts, he has not yet availed the remedy of filing a mercy plea. The mercy petitions of three convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh -- have already been rejected by President Ram Nath Kovind. The case pertains to the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman, dubbed later as Nirbhaya, in the national capital in December 2012. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Conakry, Guinea (PANA) Guinean President Alpha Conde on Friday announced a "slight postponement" of the double referendum and parliamentary election, due on Sunday but boycotted by several opposition parties Tang Hong, director of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro project, has been placed in quarantine in accordance with prevailing regulations amid the new coronavirus outbreak after he returned to Vietnam from China for work. A train of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro project in Hanoi. Tang Hong, director of the project, has been placed in quarantine after he returned to Vietnam from China for work - PHOTO: VNA He is the only Chinese expert involved in the China-funded project to return to Vietnam and is now being quarantined, said Vu Hong Phuong, deputy director of the Railway Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport. As Hong has an official passport, he was granted a visa to enter Vietnam, while other Chinese experts associated with the project only hold ordinary passports, Phuong added. Hong will complete the mandatory quarantine period on March 9 before he resumes work, Phuong added. The Chinese government has restricted its citizens from traveling to other countries in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, which emerged in this country in December. Therefore, Chinese experts of the metro project have not been able to get back to Vietnam for work. Accordingly, the Railway Project Management Unit petitioned the transport ministry to request the national steering committee for coronavirus infection prevention and control to consider the issuance of visas to Chinese experts working on the project. As for the execution of the project, Transport Minister Nguyen Van The ordered that every effort be made to assist the project. The Hanoi side has made hotel accommodation arrangements for the quarantined Chinese experts. An adequate amount of equipment needed for online work was set up there as well, according to the minister. Last month, over 100 Chinese experts and employees working on the project had reportedly returned to China to celebrate the Lunar New Year. They were originally expected to come back on February 1 and start operating the metro system on a trial basis for 20 days. However, their return was rescheduled due to the epidemic. SGT Vietnamese returning from S.Koreas virus-hit areas subject to mandatory quarantine Vietnamese citizens who return from South Koreas coronavirus-stricken areas will be isolated and monitored for 14 days starting at 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The head of the State Dumas Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky, said that the Kyiv authorities, refusing to officially celebrate May 9, accept the historical lies and betray the memory of their ancestors. His comments came after Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadim Pristayko had said that Kyiv is not going to arrange celebrations in honor of Victory Day. He also emphasized that the Ukrainian authorities are depriving the veterans of the Great Victory Day. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 07:36:44|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to share its experience with the European Union (EU) to jointly fight COVID-19, according to a press release published by the Chinese Mission to the EU on Friday. The pledge was made by the Chinese side on Wednesday, when Chinese and EU health experts held a second video conference on the response to the epidemic, said the press release. The conference brought together officials and experts from the National Health Commission of China, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The two sides updated each other on the recent developments in relation to COVID-19 and had a detailed exchange of views about specific response measures. "China follows the development of the outbreak in European countries and stands ready to share its experience with the EU to jointly tackle the challenge," said the press release. The EU side briefed on the recent development related to the outbreak in Europe and the measures taken by the EU to coordinate and support the response efforts of its member states. The EU expressed thanks to China for the timely briefing and noted WHO's recognition of China's response measures. The EU also expressed readiness to maintain close communication with China and draw upon China's good practices and experience. According to the Chinese Mission, the first conference between the two sides was held on Feb. 12. Indian type 2 diabetes (T2D) market, similar to other major markets, is mature and crowded with both expensive branded therapies and inexpensive generics Novartis has recently sold its anti-diabetic drug vildagliptin (branded as Zomelis, Vysov and Vysov M) to Ahmedabad-based Eris Lifesciences and Mumbai-based pharmaceutical major Cipla Ltd, in India. The orally active, potent and selective dipeptidyl peptidase -4 (DPP-4) inhibitors patent has expired in India leading to increased affordability of vildagliptin. Product acquisition and increased affordability of vildagliptin will provide a competitive advantage to both the companies in a market crowded with several players, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. According to GlobalDatas upcoming report, Type 2 Diabetes Global Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2028, the Indian type 2 diabetes (T2D) market, similar to other major markets, is mature and crowded with both expensive branded therapies and inexpensive generics. With an estimated diagnosed prevalent T2D population of about 90 million by 2028, approximately 80% of which are treated using anti-diabetics, India has a burgeoning T2D market with a robust and competitive pipeline. The main drivers of market growth will be the dramatic increase in disease prevalence, and physicians' efforts to delay disease progression and reduce the costly burden of diabetic complications through the use of combination therapies and novel branded drugs. Prashant Khadayate, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, says: The Indian diabetes market is highly competitive and price sensitive. Companies are always on the lookout for ways to differentiate themselves in this crowded market. Vildagliptin has shown good traction in the Indian market and patent expiry of vildaglitpin in the Indian market will increase the affordability and will lead to easier access. Earlier, Zomelis was sold in India by Abbott under a license from Novartis. On the other hand, Cipla was co-marketing vildagliptin in agreement with Novartis under brand names Vysov and Vysov M (vildagliptin and metformin). As per Q2 FY20 results, Eris Lifesciences was ranked third in terms of the number of prescriptions within the Indian diabetology segment. In FY19, the companys overall leading brand Glimisave (glimepiride) generated sales of INR2,212m (US $32.5m*). Tendia (tenegliptin) and Cyblex (gliclazide) are the other leading diabetic brands of Eris Lifesciences which generated sales of INR598m (US$8.8m*) and INR396m (US$5.8m*), respectively. In contrast, Cipla views diabetes as a main therapeutic area of focus, due to the large market opportunity in India. In the past, the company has collaborated with Eli Lilly to market and distribute Basaglar (insulin glargine), with Janssen to market canagliflozin under brand name Prominad and with Mannkind USA to market inhaled insulin Afrezza, which is in clinical development. Cipla will be responsible to get the regulatory approval for Afrezza in India. Khadayate concludes: Eris Lifesciences has already emerged as one of the key players in the diabetes market through its leading brands. Sales from its diabetes portfolio makes up approximately 25% of total company sales, as witnessed in FY19, whereas Ciplas diabetes portfolio accounted for only 2% of total company sales in FY18-19. However, both companies continue to be committed to bringing effective and life-changing anti-diabetic drugs to an ever-growing diabetic population in India. in India and innovator vildagliptin brands acquisition will provide a competitive edge over the vildagliptin generics. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on February 29. 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. In The Know by Yahoo A moms Facebook post praising another womans parenting tactics is sparking a massive debate about disciplining young kids. The now-viral photo, shared by Texas mom Molly Wooden, was taken inside the bathroom of a Hobby Lobby in the town of Killeen. In the image, the other woman, who remains unidentified, can be seen standing over her son while he does push-ups as a punishment for back talk. It was a disciplinary move that Wooden said she fully supported. We need more parents like you, who arent afraid to parent their own children because of what someone else might think, Wooden wrote in her post. He said, Mama, this is the bathroom floor, grossssss. She said, Maybe you shouldnt have been acting obnoxious. (They have soap for a reason). Wooden continued her post by writing that the mom had found her social media and thanked her for sharing the post. Were hoping to grab coffee sometime while supervising push-ups that is, Wooden wrote. The post has been shared more than 36,000 times since it was posted on Feb. 22, and Wooden has continued to publicly praise the mom in her photo, telling ABC News she felt compelled to share a show of strong parenting. However, Facebook commenters were somewhat more divided on the situation. Some criticized the moms actions including her choice to make her son touch the bathroom floor, and the way she was carrying her other child under her arm. This is just weird. This sounds like military-style punishment and not to mention thats absolutely disgusting making your kid lay on the floor of a bathroom like that, one user wrote. This is a disgrace, another added. Many were extremely supportive of the move though, noting that the mother was avoiding both physical and verbal punishment while teaching her son that his actions have consequences. Much more prefer this type of punishment than verbal or physical. [But] I hope they all washed their hands, one person wrote. Absolutely love parents who teach their children respect, boundaries and consequences, another added. Story continues That is actually a good idea keep calm and do push-ups lol, another wrote. Wooden told ABC News that she believed the post would receive a supportive reaction online, but she never thought it would go viral. I knew many of my family members on social media would approve of her tactics so I decided to post it, not realizing just how many times it would be shared, she said. The mom added that the push-up punishment perfectly fits her own parenting style, which is, parent first, friend later. When youve asked your child for something, like the simple request to behave or to clean up after playing, and its not being fulfilled whatever consequence youve stated for their lack of actions must be followed through firmly, she said. You cant back down. The post This moms photo is sparking a debate about discipline appeared first on In The Know. More to read: 4 Fenty Beauty products to add to your makeup bag This matcha face mask magically melts from a powder to a cream Allbirds are the super comfy, sustainable shoes of your dreams On the eve of the South Carolina primary, and with three days remaining before the Super Tuesday primaries in 14 states, the Democratic Party establishment and its media allies are stepping up their attacks on the campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner for the partys presidential nomination. On Thursday, Democratic members of the House of Representatives went to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee for a briefing on their role as superdelegates to the partys nominating convention, set for July in Milwaukee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed the meeting was purely technical, but she emphasized that whoever won the nomination, House candidates would not be bound to support their political platform. Its not unusual for the party platform or the candidates for president to have their own agenda that they would put forth. And its not unusual for the House of Representatives to have its agenda as well, she said. We have to win in certain particular areas we are district by district. There has been increasing commentary in the media and from leading Democrats about the possibility of a brokered convention if Sanders wins more delegates than any other candidate but falls short of an absolute majority of 1,991 elected delegates on the first ballot at the convention. Under party rules, the 776 unelected superdelegates cannot vote on that first ballot, but do have voting rights on any subsequent ballot. The total required for victory will rise to 2,376 on the second ballot, raising the prospect of delegates supporting non-Sanders candidates joining forces with the superdelegates to push through an alternative nominee. According to Wikipedia, the superdelegates include: 30 distinguished party leaders (DPL), consisting of current and former presidents, current and former vice-presidents, former congressional leaders, and former DNC chairs 236 Democratic members of the House of Representatives, including non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and territories such as Guam and the Virgin Islands 48 members of the United States Senate, including 45 Democrats, two independents who caucus with the Democrats (one of them Sanders) and a Washington DC shadow senator 28 Democratic governors (including territorial governors and the mayor of Washington DC) 438 members of the Democratic National Committee and the chairs and vice-chairs of the 50 state Democratic parties (with 434 votes). An article published in the New York Times Friday, under the headline Key Democrats Willing to Open Party to Bruises to Stop Sanders, is based on interviews with 93 of these superdelegates, a substantial proportion. It reports that the vast majority are so opposed to Sanders that they are willing to risk intraparty damage to stop his nomination at the national convention in July if they get the chance. Only nine of the 93 interviewed are supporting Sanders for the nomination. Only eight of the 236 Democratic members of the House support Sanders, and only one other senator does, his colleague from Vermont, Patrick Leahy. Former Vice President Joe Biden, by contrast, has the support of 50 members of the House, while nearly two dozen support billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Among those quoted opposing Sanders claim that he should become the nominee if he wins the most delegates, even if he falls short of an absolute majority, are former Vice President Walter Mondale, representatives Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Veronica Escobar of Texas, and Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York State Democratic Party. Bernie wants to redefine the rules and just say he just needs a plurality, Jacobs told the Times. I dont think we buy that. I dont think the mainstream of the Democratic Party buys that. If he doesnt have a majority, it stands to reason that he may not become the nominee. People are worried, former Senator Christopher Dodd, a former chairman of the DNC, told the Times. How you can spend four or five months hoping you dont have to put a bumper sticker from that guy on your car. The article reported numerous phone calls to Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who decided last year not to enter the presidential contest, urging him to make himself available for a draft in the event of a deadlocked nominating convention. Brown did not rule out the idea in a statement given to the Cleveland-area media on Thursday. The discussion of a brokered convention is based upon projections that Sanders will win a huge number of delegates but slightly less than an absolute majority on March 3, dubbed Super Tuesday because there are primaries in 14 states. Democratic Party rules provide for proportional representation for any candidate winning more than 15 percent of the vote either statewide, in a congressional district, or in Texas, in a state senate district. While Biden remains in the lead in South Carolina according to polls ahead of tomorrows balloting, that state accounts for only 54 delegates, which are likely to be split between Biden, Sanders and billionaire Tom Steyer, who has poured $20 million into television and internet advertising in the state. A defeat for Biden would effectively end his campaign. Three days later, about 1,350 delegates will be selected in the Super Tuesday primaries. Polls suggest that Sanders is likely to win the most votes in at least nine of the 14 states, including the two largest overall, California and Texas, as well as in Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, Colorado, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts, which could give him more than 600 of the delegates chosen that day. The remaining 750 delegates could be split among as many as seven rivals: Biden, Bloomberg, Steyer, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. According to polls, Klobuchar is currently leading in her home state of Minnesota, while Biden leads in Oklahoma. Warren runs no better than second anywhere, including her home state, Massachusetts, where Sanders held an eight-point lead in the most recent poll. There is no recent polling in Alabama, Arkansas or Tennessee, where Bloomberg is advertising heavily while Sanders has an organized network of supporters and Biden has the backing of local Democratic Party officeholders and officials. The disparity in resources among the campaigns is strikingly demonstrated in the advertising totals for the 14 Super Tuesday states. According to one tabulation, Bloomberg has spent $218 million in the 14 states, including $78 million in California and $53 million in Texas. Steyer has spent $41 million, including $33 million in California and $5 million in Texas. Sanders has spent $15.5 million, including $7 million in California and $3.8 million in Texas. The other candidates have spent far less: Klobuchar$4.5 million, Warren$3.6 million, Buttigieg$2.6 million (but only $25,000 in the final week), and Biden$625,000, including a derisory $4,000 on internet advertising directed at California, his only media purchase in the largest state. NBC News reported that Biden has 500 staff in place in the 14 Super Tuesday states, compared to 1,300 for Warren, 1,000 for Sanders and 950 for Bloomberg. Without a sharp shift in the expected vote results, Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Gabbard are likely to leave the race soon, while Warren would be under heavy pressure to do so if she loses her home state of Massachusetts to Sanders. Only the two billionaires have the resources to continue indefinitely, although it is not clear where Steyer would win even one delegate on Super Tuesday. The media coverage of the crisis of the Democratic Party establishment is premised on the claim that Sanders as the nominee, because of his identification as a socialist, would prove deeply unpopular and would lose badly to Trump, dragging down Democratic congressional and Senate candidates with him. Sanders argues that only he can bring more workers and young people to the polls and channel growing popular opposition to the economic and political system back behind the Democratic Party. Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne was compelled to admit that young people, both in college and in the work force, were moving sharply to the left. And it may come as a surprise, he wrote, but Sanderss embrace of democratic socialism is actually helping him solidify this bloc in the primaries. There are good reasons why young Americans have a far more favorable view of socialism and a more skeptical view of capitalism than their elders. Those under 35 came of age in the wake of the economic systems near implosion in the Great Recession, and capitalism simply doesnt look as good to them in 2020 as it did to the younger generation of, say, 1998. The real goal of the Democratic Party establishment and its media allies is to suppress this leftward movement among workers and youth by any means necessary, including by embracing the most blatantly anti-democratic methods, such as a rigged party convention. A national standard for organic production will be introduced into parliament on Tuesday, March 3, setting mandatory requirements producers must meet to be certified organic. Agriculture and Food Safety Minister Damien OConnor announced the Organic Products Bill to guests from the industry at the Coastal Kiwis Orchards in Opotiki last Thursday. Its important consumers trust what they are buying is organic, says Damien. Consumers have voiced their concerns about questionable and confusing organic product claims. National standards will give consumers confidence in organic products. Out of the top 25 organic markets in the world, only New Zealand and one other country have standards that are voluntary, not mandatory. We need to strike a balance between providing certainty that businesses are meeting the new organic standards and keeping costs reasonable. We also need to ensure New Zealands regime is similar enough to our trading partners to keep, and grow, our international market access. Coastal Kiwis Orchards owners Mark and Catriona White say organic producers have been pushing for the change for years. We have been in organics for 13 years, and the need for regulations has probably been discussed amongst those in the industry for that entire time, says Mark. It has taken a lot of people and hard work to get to this point, so its exciting for many of us. It will be great for us to have assurance and clarity, and to be on par with other fair trading nations. The details of the organics standard will be drafted by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) after consulting with people in the industry during the next few months. Damien says current certification agencies will continue to have a role in ensuring the standards are met, however, relevant government Ministry, such as MPI for food and drink products, will have the final sign-off. Once in place, any business claiming to be organic who has not been certified can be fined under the commerce act for false advertising. Submissions will open in upcoming weeks. BOGOTA, Colombia Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have cast doubt on a claim that Bolivian officials engaged in fraud to help Evo Morales, the longtime president, win re-election. The researchers, while not definitively ruling out the possibility of any fraud, waded into a fierce domestic and international debate over Mr. Moraless legitimacy. The countrys first Indigenous president, he was a historic but contentious figure, forced out in November after violent protests and accusations that his allies had rigged the election. The statistical evidence does not support the claim of fraud, the researchers, John Curiel and Jack R. Williams, wrote in The Washington Post. Their work was commissioned by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a liberal research group based in Washington. Mr. Curiel and Mr. Williams, from M.I.T.s Election Data and Science Lab, said they were contracted to conduct an independent analysis. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Recipients of the 2020 Farm Press-Cotton Foundation High Cotton Awards and regions they represent are: Larry Ford, Greenwood, Fla., Southeast; Matt/Kelly Griggs, Humboldt, Tenn., Mid-South; Dan Smith, Lockney, Texas, Southwest; and Greg Wuertz, Coolidge, Ariz., West. These cotton producers and their families were honored here today at the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis. The High Cotton Awards were begun by Farm Press Publications and the National Cotton Council in 1994 to demonstrate that cotton growers and their families are concerned about the environment and are the true stewards of their land, water, and air. The program, which now has recognized more than 100 of this nations cotton producers, is supported by a Farm Press grant to The Cotton Foundation. The 2020 awards recipients farm in distinctly different regions under a range of environmental challenges and regulations. They also vary somewhat in their production practices and management philosophies, but they all share a common goal of farming sustainably and passing the land onto the next generation. Ford, for example, places an intense focus on irrigation because he farms in a watershed and spring basis under strict water-use restrictions. He uses soil tensiometers, which deliver data to his phone to help schedule irrigation, in most fields. He also uses variable rate technology, which conserves water and reduces irrigation costs. Wuertz also places an emphasis on conserving water using subsurface drip where possible and only flood irrigating fields that have been laser leveled. He rotates his cotton with wheat or alfalfa and runs minimum tillage equipment to oxygenate the soil and enhance decomposition. He also tries to eliminate early insecticide sprays to promote beneficial insect populations. The Griggs place great importance on preserving soil, which they consider the most important resource in their family operation. They credit no-till for maintaining their soil but use cover crops and a strict crop rotation program to restore the soil. Smith, who has been transitioning from conventional till to no-till since 1995 says he is now sold on no-till which saves wear on his equipment and reduces his fuel costs. The youth must join the "new India" bandwagon as co-travellers in re-establishing the pristine glory of the country by leveraging contemporary technologies for prosperity of all, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. The Minority Affairs Minister made the comments at the convocation of Apeejay School of Management here on Friday. "The youth join the bandwagon of new India as co-travellers in re-establishing the pristine glory of the country by revitalizing the heritage and leveraging contemporary technologies for prosperity of all," Naqvi told the graduating students. At the convocation ceremony, a total of 315 graduating students received Post Graduate Diploma in Management. Besides, 11 students received medals for their outstanding academic performance. "The graduating students must seek help both in their personal and professional lives, form their own opinion, develop capability of looking at original sources of information, work on strengths rather than covering weaknesses and take responsibility of life-long learning in order to accomplish lasting success, prosperity and happiness," said Aditya Berlia, Co-founder, Apeejay Stya University and Member of the Board of Governors, Apeejay School of Management. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) (Bloomberg) -- The next showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may need to wait until after the virus scare. The U.S. said Thursday that it would postpone joint military exercises planned for the coming weeks, as its ally South Korea copes with one of the worlds worst coronavirus outbreaks. The decision removes for now a looming friction point with North Korea, which has denounced the exercises as rehearsal for an invasion and a main factor of screwing up tensions. Meanwhile, North Korea has turned inward since neighboring China sounded the alarm about the new virus strain last month, shutting its borders and trumpeting its prevention campaigns in state media. Moves to provoke the U.S. havent materialized since Kim told ruling party leaders on New Years Eve that he was no longer bound by a freeze on tests of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. The virus likely has delayed Pyongyangs implementation of its U.S. policy, said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based analyst for NK News who focuses on North Korean state media. North Korea has focused on domestic issues after Kim Jong Uns party plenum speech. After mid-January, the coronavirus has been added to its list of domestic priorities. This year was expected to bring a return to tensions on the Korean Peninsula after Kim spent much of last year threatening to take a new path in nuclear talks with the U.S. in 2020 if Trump didnt make a more appealing offer. The two leaders have made little progress since Trump walked out of their second formal summit last year in Hanoi. Pressure has piled on Trump in recent days as markets have plummeted on fears the virus will slow the economy, while a whistle-blower cited by the New York Times and Washington Post accused the Department of Health and Human Services of a failure to protect its employees responsible for managing the coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 82,000 and killed more than 2,800 worldwide, is particularly concerning to impoverished North Korea, which lacks the public health infrastructure of its more developed neighbors. While the country has yet to report any confirmed cases, the border closures have cut off a vital source of cash needed to soften the blow of international sanctions. Story continues As the novel coronavirus infection is hard to curb once it has spread, all the regions and units in the DPRK are intensifying their anti-epidemic work against its making inroads into the country with each passing day, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a Feb. 21 news report, referring to the countrys formal name. The outbreak also poses risks to the allies, with South Korean cases surging to 1,700 in little more than a week. President Moon Jae-in -- a longtime advocate for greater North Korea ties -- is rushing to get the disease under control before April parliamentary elections that will shape the remainder of his single, five-year term. Some 28,500 American troops are based on the peninsula and at last one U.S. solider has already tested positive for the virus. U.S. Forces Korea raised its risk level to high Thursday, restricting service members from attending non-essential, off-base activities and social events that have more than 20 people in attendance. Military officials said the request to delay the exercise was initially made by South Korea and the U.S. accepted it. Coronavirus is a very serious thing, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. We in the U.S. military and we in the Department of Defense are taking all kinds of appropriate precautions. In a separate move, U.S. Forces Korea said Friday it notified thousands of South Korean workers at American military bases that they would be furloughed from April 1 unless Seoul and Washington could reach a new financing deal. Even before the virus erupted, tensions flared between the long-standing allies over a Trump demand for a five-fold increase in what South Korea pays to host U.S. troops Still, its unclear how long the virus will keep tensions at bay. North Korea typically tapers down on its missile testing during its bitter winter and could resume provocations once the weather warms. The decision to suspend the exercise probably was purely based on a public health perspective, said Kim Ki-jung, a professor of political science and international studies at Yonsei University who also had advised former South Korean presidents and the foreign ministry on North Korea issues. But it brings an incidental effect of deescalating tensions. (Adds notice sent to workers on U.S. bases of furlough) To contact the reporter on this story: Kanga Kong in Seoul at kkong50@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. ALBANY New York state will begin using its own tests for coronavirus, after getting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a statement from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Wadsworth Lab in Albany will begin the testing immediately. "When I spoke to Vice President (Mike) Pence, I urged him to approve New York State's coronavirus test we just received word that our test has been approved by the FDA, Cuomo said in the statement. "This approval will expedite wait time and improve New York's ability to more effectively manage the coronavirus situation as it unfolds," Cuomo said said. Before, all the tests were being sent to Washington to the Centers of Disease Control, and results would come back in a couple of days, Cuomo told reporters Saturday. The CDC was having an issue dealing with the volume they were getting from all over the country, Cuomo said. Here in New York we have the capacity to run our own tests and we have the sophistication in terms of research facilities, so we had been asking CDC let us run our own tests in New York. Itll take a burden off the CDC, and it will give us answers faster. Outside China, there are now 4,351 cases in 49 countries, and 67 deaths, the World Health Organization reported Friday. Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Nigeria have all reported their first cases. All these cases have links to Italy. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Previous Reporting: Reducing travel's risks in the wake of coronavirus Skidmore students studying abroad impacted by coronavirus concerns Trump, Cuomo ramp up coronavirus responses WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Friday it was sharply cutting flights to Japan and South Korea, as travelers worried about the coronavirus outbreak slash ticket purchases for those destinations. It also canceled its investor day that had been due to be held on March 5. With investors firmly focused on how the company is managing the near-term impact of the coronavirus, United said it was not "practical to expect that it can have a productive conversation focused on its long-term strategy next week." The event will be rescheduled for September. Chicago-based United already withdrew its 2020 guidance this week due to uncertainty over the duration and spread of the virus. It warned that near-term demand to China has almost disappeared, with demand for the rest of its trans-Pacific routes down by 75%. As a result, the company is temporarily reducing flights from the U.S. mainland to Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and Seoul and extending the suspension of U.S. flights to mainland China and Hong Kong through April 30, it said on Friday. The airline is cutting about two thirds of its flights to Seoul, nearly a third of flights to Japan and 40% of flights to Singapore. It is also flying smaller planes on some routes. Among U.S. airlines, United has the biggest international exposure, drawing about 40% of its revenues from overseas flights. Earlier this week, Delta cut South Korea flights in half, citing the outbreak. United shares fell 5.2% on Friday, amid a widespread global share rout, and are down 21% over the last week. (Reporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru, David Shepardson in Washington and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by David Gregorio and Rosalba O'Brien) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 07:53:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zhang Jun (C, front), Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 28, 2020. Zhang Jun on Friday urged the parties concerned to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy on Friday urged the parties concerned to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations. Speaking at an emergency Security Council Meeting on Syria, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that China has been following very closely the developments in Idlib, the Idlib problem is rooted in the control of Idlib by terrorist forces. Noting that the parties concerned should continue to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations, he said Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity must be upheld in the process. He added the Security Council must act in an impartial, objective and comprehensive manner to create enabling conditions for a political settlement for the Syrian issue. Eradicating the forces of terror is a necessary requirement for the restoration of peace and stability in Syria and the region, said the Chinese envoy, adding that the listed terrorist groups should be resolutely combated in accordance with relevant Council resolutions and international law, and the safe haven established by terrorist forces in Syria should be removed. "At the same time, the counter-terrorism operations should be cautious, not to harm civilians," Zhang said. "Weapons seized in the course of counter-terrorism operations should be investigated for their origins, and the channels for supplying weapons to terrorist organizations should be cut off." He also stressed that measures should be taken to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from fleeing to other countries or regions to continue their terrorist activities. Amid the carnage on world markets caused by fears surrounding the coronavirus health catastrophe, not all shares were deeply in the red. On a day when the FTSE 100 dropped 3.2 per cent and shares of Willie Walsh's International Airlines Group plummeted 8.4 per cent, stock in Britain's aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce was the great exception, rising by 3.2 per cent. Airlines are in the front line, so the fall in shares of BA's parent company was not surprising in spite of operating profits of 2.7billion in 2019. Taking off: On a day when the FTSE 100 dropped 3.2 per cent, stock in Britain's aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce was the great exception, rising by 3.2 per cent What made the performance of Rolls remarkable is that it has considerable operations in China and its chief executive, Warren East, estimates that there could be a 2.5 per cent impact on the engineer's revenues in February alone. In spite of this setback and the changes made in working procedures in Singapore to cut down the risk of infection, East is in a chipper mood. He is starting to see an end to the problems of the Trent 1000 engine, fitted on many of the world's long-haul carriers, which required nine fixes to make them more durable. Eight faults have been resolved and the ninth will be tested this spring. Insurance which Rolls has against claims from customers came good, with a payout of 170million making a dent in the overall 2.4billion cost of the fix spread over several years. What is really pleasing for Rolls stakeholders is that simplification of the group is paying off, with free cash flow of 911million way above expectations. On land, Rolls is making progress in developing small nuclear reactors, based around submarine power systems, which could generate power for e-fuels for aircraft. There is also the potential for this to be the replacement technology on sites of retired UK nuclear plants such as Hartlepool. Backing research and development eventually could have a big pay-off. CBI shunned Normal expectations would be for a Tory government to reach out to business. Boris Johnson's administration is different. I am told that the main representative organisation, the CBI, is not welcome in Downing Street. It has never been forgiven for an unwavering 'Remain' stance before and since the June 2016 referendum. One narrative is that the CBI is not very representative of anyone, in that even though big business beasts pay its fees, the tendency is to send executives way down the pecking order to gatherings and dinners, and for chief executives to give it a wide berth. It is not that Johnson lacks interest in enterprise. He is inspired by tech and innovation and plans to supercharge the R&D budget to 0.7 per cent of output, or 18billion, by midway through this Parliament. He is hyperbolic in his praise, talking vaguely of a place in Oxfordshire which could soon be 'the hottest place in the atmosphere', and is more than willing to open his doors to AI, robotic and biotech entrepreneurs. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) no longer enjoys much support since it parted company with its Brexit-supporting director-general John Longworth during the referendum campaign. There is a desire to find the right business interlocutor, but the best-known groups are in the naughty chair and this is a Government that doesn't forgive and forget. One possibility might be the former Engineering Employers' Federation, renamed Make UK, which is perceived as closer to the manufacturing heartlands than the CBI. But for the moment, the only close engagement is idiosyncratic. Barclays escape Failure of the Serious Fraud Office case against three Barclays executives Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris, and Richard Boath will be seen as a humiliation for the agency, which is believed to have spent as much as 32million on the prosecution. It is a bit alarming that it took the jury only six hours to come back after hearing evidence of great complexity. Juries have spent more time on an open-and-shut case of GBH following a road-rage incident. It was in the public interest to pursue bad bankers with a role in the financial crash. The SFO head Lisa Osofsky, who learnt her trade in the hard knocks city of Chicago, had no other choice. If nothing else, this costly exercise demonstrates that Britain's fraud laws need a wholesale overhaul. The recent riots in Delhi have been described as one of the worst the country has seen in decades. Nearly 42 people have been reported dead with more than 200 injured since the unrest began on Sunday in largely Muslim-populated areas in northeast Delhi. Amid the chaos and unrest, a Sikh father-son duo went out of their way to help dozens of Muslims stuck in an area during the clashes. Source/Huffpost As reported by the HuffPost, the man named the Mohinder Singh and his son Inderjit Singh used a Bullet motorcycle and scooty to transport somewhere between 60 to 80 of their Muslim neighbours to a safe location. As soon as they sensed the situation was getting out of control in the Hindu-dominated neighbourhood of Gokalpuri in northeast Delhi, they started moving their terrified neighbours in batches. I did not see Hindu or Muslim, said Singh, who runs an electronics store and is a father to two children told the HuffPost. I just saw people. I saw little children. I felt like they were my children and that nothing should happen to them. We did this because we all should act humanely and help those in need. What more can I say? he said. In just under an hour the duo made more than 20 trips to help transport the Muslims stuck in riots and moved them to a safer locality. For some of the boys, they tied Sikh turbans to conceal the fact that they were Muslim. Twitter For those unaware, Gokalpuri saw some of the worst violence in the three days of rioting, which has left almost 40 people dead. Head constable Ratan Lal died of a bullet injury that he sustained there. Muslim shops, houses and a mosque were torched and looted in the area. Singh told reporters that it all It started with people chanting Jai Shri Ram, and raising slogans in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling for traitors to be shot. Things soon spiralled out of control and Muslims in the locality feared they wouldn't be able to escape the Hindu mob that patrolled the streets in their locality while chanting slogans and setting everything on fire. That's when Mohinder Singh and his son stepped in to save the terrified Muslims. The two initially considered getting a car from their home, but time was running out and they used the two-wheelers instead. PTI For Singh who has lived through the 1984 riot, this incident was a bitter deja vu of what happened decades ago and this time he was determined to do the right thing and keep humanity above the petty religious conflicts. "We did this to honour humanity and our 10 gurus whose central message is that we should act for everyone to prosper," Singh was quoted as saying. It's instances of people like Mohinder Singh opening their hearts for others that give us hope and faith in these difficult times. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 06:44:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran has adopted a series of measures to fight against the COVID-19, as the virus has killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in the country as of Saturday. Iranian medical officials announced on Saturday that they will ban the people suspicious of infection from moving out of the Qom city. The deputy chief of Qom Medical University said that from Sunday their staff will monitor people's health condition at the exits of Qom with special equipment, and people diagnosed as suspicious of carrying the virus will be under quarantine. In cities and provinces seriously hit by coronavirus, the educational centers have been shut down until the next notice. Iran's parliament announced on Friday that it will stop working temporarily. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have warned people to avoid attending gatherings and unnecessary public activities. Iran's Friday prayer ceremony was cancelled on Feb. 28 and sport events were held without spectators. Besides, Tehran announced earlier that public transportation in the capital city would be sterilized to reduce the risks of infection. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that the world should address the outbreak of the coronavirus as the illness has turned to be a global issue. "All countries will consequently have no choice other than to share their experience and resources to counter this issue," he added. The Iranian president noted that "we look forward to expanding bilateral and regional medical cooperation with all countries in the region over the issue." MONROVIA, Calif., Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trader Joe's pays homage to their founder Joe Coulombe, who passed away in Pasadena Friday, February 28th, at the age of 89. Joe was an extraordinarily smart and accomplished entrepreneur who built a company that introduced something welcomingly different in the grocery retail space. Joe opened the first Trader Joe's store in 1967 in Pasadena, California. Notably thrifty and insightful, Joe went against conventional industry norms at the time, moving away from national brands and introducing Trader Joe's private label in 1972. Dan Bane, CEO of Trader Joe's said, "Joe was the perfect person at the right time for Trader Joe's. He was a brilliant thinker with a mesmerizing personality that simply galvanized all with whom he worked. He was not only our founder, he was our first spokesperson. He starred in captivating radio ads for years, always signing off with his unique, 'thanks for listening.' Joe developed a cadre of leaders that carried on his vision and helped shape Trader Joe's in the early years." Joe's curiosity, philanthropic generosity, and irreverent sense of humor were woven into the fabric of the culture that defines Trader Joe's stores. Joe retired in 1988, but that culture carried on and is evident in Trader Joe's stores today. Joe has said he always believed that it is the people that set Trader Joe's apart, and we acknowledge that started with Joe. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Coulombe family and loved ones. SOURCE Trader Joe's Related Links http://www.traderjoes.com US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has refused to deny a conspiracy theory that the severity of the coronavirus outbreak is a "hoax", after the White House tried to paint coverage of the disease's spread as a conspiracy to undermine Donald Trump. The president accused his opponents and the media of politicising the virus, adding, This is their new hoax, following the investigation over Russian interference in his election and his impeachment. Challenged to dismiss the suggestions of a ruse, Mr Pompeo repeatedly refused to do so, saying: The State Department is doing everything it can to protect American citizens around the world. "Im not going to comment on what others are saying ... Im just telling you what the secretary of state is doing. Mr Trump and his allies have been accused of increasingly trying to manage the public health crisis to benefit the presidents public image. Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Show all 154 1 /154 Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Paramedics wearing personal protective equipment carry patient on a stretcher on to an ambulance in North Point district in Hong Kong, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker wearing protective gear takes a rest as he waits for ambulances carrying patients infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at an entrance of a hospital in Daegu, South Korea YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective face masks shop at a supermarket in Casalpusterlengo, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A trolley bus is disinfected amid fears over the spread of the novel coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant as a precaution against the COVID-19 coronavirus in a local market in Daegu, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective facemask walks outside a nearly empty shopping mall at lunch time in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing protective facemask and gloves puts a drawing made by a girl living in the area asking residents to wear protective gear, next to a quarantine notice for people who have travelled and a notice asking people to register outside a residential compound in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman is taken into an ambulance amid a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulances and health workers are seen outside the Padua's hospital, northern Italy EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers in coaches leave MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire after being repatriated to the UK from a cruise ship hit by the coronavirus in Yokohama, Japan and head to Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People rest in a temporary hospital situated in the Tazihu Gymnasium in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buddhist monks wearing protective face masks pray during a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia REUTERS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient infecting with a new coronavirus to a hospital in Chuncheon, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Soldiers in hazmat suits sanitize cargo from a China Airlines plane at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, Taiwan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Barricades are seen to block the entrance a the gate of a local mall in a nearly empty area in Beijing, China Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor wearing a protective facemask waits for customers at a shop in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The body temperature of an Iraqi child returning from Iran is measured upon her arrival at the Najaf International Airport AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers hand out free facemasks at a shopping district in Quezon city, Metro Manila, Philippines Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers wearing protective gears carry a patient suspected of contracting the new coronavirus toward an ambulance at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, South Korea AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker disinfects a shop at a market in Shanghai AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A restaurant worker wearing protective clothing as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus passing a bag of food to a customer on the street outside their restaurant in Beijing AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A recovered patient is discharged from Leishenshan Hospital, the newly-built makeshift hospital for novel coronavirus patients, in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a factory with sanitising equipment in Huzhou, China China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to a patient inside an isolated ward of Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A drone operated by the Suwon municipal government flies around Changyong Middle School spraying disinfectant, in Suwon, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers transfer medical waste at Leishenshan Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a protective mask rides a bicycle with his children in Guangzhou, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a railway station as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Changsha, Hunan province, China cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman repatriated from Wuhan carries a child as she walks upon her arrival at the Van Don airport in Vietnam's Quang Ninh province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff checking the body temperature of a patient who has displayed mild symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A medical worker in protective suit transports oxygen tanks at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Boys wearing protection masks, gloves and modified water bottles sit on a cart at the airport arrival terminal in Guangzhou EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Employees work on a production line manufacturing protective suits at a clothing factory in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province cnsphoto via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits move a patient at an isolated ward of a hospital in Caidian district following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in protective clothing, including face mask and gloves, carries a bucket as he works inside of The County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, southern England, after it closed for "urgent operational health and safety reasons", following reports a member of staff was infected with the strain of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers of the ecology and environment bureau collect samples from the sewage system of a hospital in Xinle, Hebei province China Daily via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man in protective clothing cleaning the County Oak Medical Centre GP practice The British government warned the outbreak of novel coronavirus was a "serious and imminent threat" and reported four new cases that brought the total recorded in the country to eight. Two hospitals The Royal Free and Guys and St Thomas', have both been designated as "isolation" facilities, with both currently housing Britons who have returned from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to the newly completed Huoshenshan temporary field Hospital in Wuhan. The global coronavirus death toll rose again with Hong Kong announcing its first death from the outbreak on 4 February EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff wait as coaches carrying Coronavirus evacuees arrive at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, in Milton Keynes, after being repatriated to the UK from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan PA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A crew member of the cruise ship Diamond Princess talks to a worker wearing protective gear standing near the vessel, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Doctors scan a patient's lungs at Huoshenshan temporary hospital built for patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Wuhan Xinhua News Agency/AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People wearing protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesians who arrived from Wuhan are sprayed with antiseptic at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam. People evacuated from the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, were transported to a quarantine zone on a remote island at the edge of the South China Sea, shortly after landing Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman wears a protective mask as she shops in a market in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members hugging each other in an isolation ward at a hospital in Zouping in China's easter Shandong province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A portrait of Dr Li Wenliang is left at Li's hospital in Wuhan. He is regarded a whistleblower on the outbreak and died of the coronavirus which triggered wide-spread mourning on Chinese media Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear enter the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where people tested positive for coronavirus, after the ship arrived at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Firefighters and personnel from the health ministry participate in a drill to prepare for the potential arrival of passengers infected with the coronavirus at the Viru Viru International Airport, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Scientists are at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against the new Sars-like coronavirus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers in protective suits attend to patients at the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital to receive patients with mild symptoms caused by the virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A girl wears a mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man is transferred from the World Dream cruise ship to an ambulance at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong as health officials conduct inspections AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers from a disinfection service company enter Lotte Department Store in central Seoul, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man who arrived from Hubei province talks with police at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor holds a handheld digital thermometer near health officials preparing a health check for arriving passengers from China at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A resident walks across an empty track in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A scientific staff member works in a secure laboratory, researching the coronavirus, at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members preparing equipment to meet passengers of a military plane, which evacuated citizens of Russia and ex-Soviet countries from China's Wuhan province Vsluh.ru via Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff wearing protective suits as they prepare to disinfect a Vietnam Airlines plane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi Vietnam Airlines/AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A South Korean person, who was evacuated from Wuhan, arrives at the National Medical Center after showing suspected symptoms of novel coronavirus, in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Officers in protective gear escort a person (under the blue sheet) who was on board cruise ship Diamond Princess and was tested positive for coronavirus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor being disinfected by his colleague at a quarantine zone in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Buses carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan, arrive at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Indonesian health officials conduct an exercise drill in transporting a patient requiring isolation at the Belawan port in Medan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, designated by the African Union as one of the two reference centres in Africa for the detection of the new coronavirus that appeared in China, is hosting experts from 15 countries on the continent this weekend to prepare them to deal with the disease AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A government worker disinfects a co-worker after visiting a quarantined woman's home in Qingdao EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An aerial view of the deserted roads and bridges in Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical workers hold a strike outside the Hospital Authority as they demand for Hong Kong to close its border with China to reduce the coronavirus spreading Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person has their tempriture checked in Qingdao, China EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Malaysian nationals being directed from a bus by health officials in protective suits as they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, after being evacuated from Wuhan Malaysia's Ministry of Health/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People hoping to buy face masks crowd outside a medical supply shop that was raided by police for allegedly hoarding and overpricing the masks, as public fear over China's Wuhan Coronavirus grow in Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has been heavily criticized after failing to immediately implement travel restrictions from China, the source of a deadly coronavirus that has now killed hundreds and infected thousands more Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Residents wearing masks and raincoats volunteer to take temperature of passengers following the outbreak of a new coronavirus at a bus stop at Tin Shui Wai, a border town in Hong Kong Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Italian citizens repatriated from Wuhan going though a health control zone after landing at the Mario De Bernardi military airport in Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, prior to be placed in quarantine Italian Defence Ministry/AFP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers arrange beds in a 2,000-bed mobile hospital, set up in an exhibition center, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A doctor checks conditions of occupants in a hotel accommodating isolated people in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus which began in the city of Wuhan, arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital. The Chinese army deployed medical specialists to the epicentre of the spiralling viral outbreak that has killed and spread around the world AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A baby wearing a protective face mask is pushed by a woman as they arrive from Shenzhen to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station in Beijing Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A young child wears a protective mask and is covered in plastic while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared the coronavirus a public health emergency of international concern Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance crews arrive at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, as it prepares for a return flight from Wuhan, China. Eighty-three Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan are being flown back to the UK Tom Maddick / SWNS Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A woman carries a baby wearing a protective mask as they exit the arrival hall at Hong Kong High Speed Rail Station Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Camp beds at a Medical Assessment Center set up at the airport in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on the eve of the arrival of German citizens evacuated from Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Funeral parlour staff members in protective suits help a colleague with disinfection after they transferred a body at a hospital in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Muslims wearing masks pray for the victims of coronavirus at a mosque in Ahmedabad, India Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical officials waiting for people who wants to check the novel coronavirus at Myeongdong shopping district Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children wear plastic bottles as makeshift homemade protection and protective masks while waiting to check in to a flight at Beijing Capital Airport Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A patient assisted by medical staff gets off an ambulance in Wuhan AFP/Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus People line up to buy face masks from a medical supply company in Nanning, southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Countries began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by a new virus that has now infected more people in China than were sickened in the country by SARS Chinatopix via AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Millions spent their normally festive Lunar New Year holiday under lockdown Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Children with face masks wash their hands before prayer at Erawan shrine in Bangkok. Thailand has detected eight Coronavirus cases so far AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An Indonesian health officer points at the screen of a thermal scanner for passengers China confirmed that the deadly Wuhan coronavirus virus can be transmitted between humans AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Hospital workers wearing protective eyewear and masks examine an Indonesian student who returned from China in quarantine at a hospital in Banda Aceh AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Ambulance staff dispose of an outfit at the hospital in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A person checks the temperature of a passenger to help stop the spread of a deadly virus as he arrives at the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International airport in Palembang AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Nepali students, wearing face masks, attend a class at Matribhumi School in Bhaktapur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Two Buddhist monks wear face masks while walking along a street in Yangon AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting a residential area in Ruichang, part of Jiujiang in China's central Jiangxi province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers are seen at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020. - China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken thousands of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) HECTOR RETAMAL AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Vapor blurs the goggles of an ambulance driver while they work, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Yangzhou AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff getting on an ambulance in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A vendor of traditional masks wears a facial mask at his shop in Thamel EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An airport official checks the temperature of a passenger upon his arrival at the Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An ambulance driver talking with medical staff in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team leave the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market The new coronavirus appears to have its origins in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a popular transport hub AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers produce protective suits at a factory in Nantong AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers scanned by thermal imaging for body temperature as they go through health measures and procedures after they landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Thai royal guard wears a mask while on duty at the Grand Palace in Bangkok EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wearing a face mask rides a nearly empty subway train in Beijing AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A shopper wearing goggles with a face mask and gloves uses a self checkout machine at a supermarket in Wuhan AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Italian Red Cross putting on protective gear, getting ready to give health checks to passengers that landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport on a southern airlines flight from Wuhan Aeroporto Di Roma/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of the Hong Kong government's Civil Aid Service gestures at the entrance to the Lady MacLehose Holiday Village which is being used as one of two quarantine centres for people who have been in close proximity with suspected cases of a SARS-type virus. Hong Kong will turn two holiday camps, including a former military barracks, into quarantine zones for people who may have come into contact with carriers of the Wuhan virus, officials announced AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff wearing protective suits at the Zhongnan hospital in Wuhan STR/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A Malaysia Health official checks passengers going through a thermal scanner upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Staff disinfecting Yingtan North Railway Station, China China banned trains and planes from leaving the major city at the centre of a virus outbreak on January 23, seeking to seal off its 11 million people to contain the contagious disease that has claimed lives and spread to other countries AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A passenger walks past a quarantine control station at Narita airport, Japan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Patients queue up to seek treatment in Wuhan Tongji Hospital Fever Clinic, in Wuhan EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Quarantine workers spray disinfectant at Incheon International Airport, South Korea EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A member of staff checks the temperature of a guest entering the casino of the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau, after it reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital Little is known about the new disease which, if confirmed, would be only the seventh coronavirus known to science that can infect humans Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of the Three Gorges Medical Laboratory offering free masks to the public in Yichang, China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Gabriel Leung, right, chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Members of staff of the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conducting searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine officer at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, uses an electronic thermometer to check the temperature of passengers arriving by plane from Wuhan The virus causes symptoms of viral pneumonia, and has already led to several deaths EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A screen shows cancelled flights at Tianhe airport in Wuhan AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff transfer patients to Jinyintan hospital EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials hand out information about the current coronavirus at Kuala Lumpur International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A store owner argues with security guards as he attempts to enter the closed Huanan wholesale seafood market AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Workers producing facemasks at a factory in Handan, China's northern Hebei province AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff and security personnel stop patients' family members from being too close to the Jinyintan hospital Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus maya-goodfellowAn airport staff member uses a temperature gun to check people leaving Wuhan Tianhe International Airport AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A rescue worker walks past a notice about new coronavirus that has broken out in China Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Medical staff members carry a patient into the Jinyintan hospital AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A staff member checks body temperature of a child after a train from Wuhan arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station in Hangzhou AFP via Getty Images Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A quarantine station measures passenger body temperatures at Narita Airport JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers walk past a poster alerting on coronavirus screening ahead upon their arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus An employee sprays disinfectant on a train, as a precaution against coronavirus, at Suseo Station in Seoul EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Kazakh sanitary-epidemiological service worker uses a thermal scanner to detect travellers from China who may have symptoms possibly connected with the previously unknown coronavirus, at Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Pharmacist Liu Zhuzhen stands near a sign reading "face masks are sold out" at her pharmacy in Shanghai AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus The Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, EPA Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A worker in a protective suit at the closed seafood market in Wuhan Reuters Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of a high speed train station in Hong Kong AP Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A notice for passengers from Wuhan Getty Coronavirus: Cases soar of deadly new flu-like virus A man wears a mask while riding on mobike past the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market Getty More than 85,000 people worldwide in nearly 60 countries have come down with the virus, leading to around 2,900 deaths. Sixty-five cases of the virus have been reported in the US. During a hearing of the house foreign affairs committee, Mr Pompeo dismissed the questioning, from Ted Lieu, as a gotcha moment, adding: Its not useful. Asked again, Mr Pompeo said: Were taking it seriously. Recommended Republicans block plans to protect elections from foreign interference The exchange followed comments by acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who played down the disease and accused the press of focusing on coronavirus because they thought it would bring down the president. Mr Lieu later tweeted to the president: The 63 Americans with #coronavirus and the families of the over 2,800 dead globally because of coronavirus would disagree with you that its a 'new hoax'. This is not about you. Its a public health crisis. He also accused Mr Pompeo of being too scared to even say coronavirus was not a hoax. But the secretary of state posted that he was deeply concerned by its spread in Iran and the public health risk to the Iranian people and their neighbours. The US offers our humanitarian assistance to the people of Iran to help unmet needs in their response efforts, he added. Defending his administrations handling of the outbreak, Mr Trump claimed the White House was magnificently organised in fighting it. The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the global spread of the pathogen to very high. Cleaners scrub and sterilise the floors of Mecca's Grand Mosque after fears of coronavirus led Saudi Arabia to suspend pilgrim visas, but worshippers appear unfazed -- confident of God's protection. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, on Thursday suspended entry by foreigners for the year-round "umrah" pilgrimage, an unprecedented move that has left tens of thousands in limbo. It has also sparked uncertainty over the annual hajj pilgrimage scheduled for July. But Nadia Bettam, a 50-year-old Algerian donning a veil to perform umrah for the first time, counted herself fortunate as she arrived in Mecca five days before Riyadh's abrupt decision. "I have no fear. We are in the hands of God," said Bettam, 50, wearing a face mask and accompanied by her sister Fatima. "What matters for us is worship, but we are taking precautions." Saudi Arabia has so far reported no coronavirus cases but there are mounting concerns over a spike in infections across the Middle East. On Friday it specifically barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering Mecca and Medina amid fears over the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The GCC states are comprised of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar. GCC citizens can normally enter the kingdom with their national identity document, whereas citizens of other countries require a visa. - The rest is in God's hands - The Grand Mosque was packed with worshippers like Bettam on Friday, underscoring how faith often trumps health concerns and the challenge of disease control. Floors of the Grand Mosque are washed four times a day and 13,500 carpets in areas designated for prayer are regularly cleaned, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Grand Mosque official Jaber Wadani said the "best cleaning and sterilisation methods" were in use, with all carpets scrubbed and perfumed daily. Story continues AFP saw cleaning crews wearing green face masks sterilising doors with disinfectants including chlorine. Face masks are useful in guarding against infections, said Robina Mahmoud, leading a group of 105 pilgrims from the Netherlands. Her group was also taking precautions such as regularly washing their hands. "This will definitely protect us, but the rest is in God's hands," she said. - 'Counting losses' - Inside the mosque, the area surrounding the Kaaba -- a cube structure that is the focal point of Islam -- was packed with tens of thousands of worshippers, most of them wearing masks. Muslims around the world pray in the direction of the Kaaba, which is draped in a gold-embroidered black cloth. Three pharmacies around the Grand Mosque said they had run out of masks. "The demand for masks in the last two days is unprecedented," a Syrian doctor told AFP. "I have sold 200 boxes in three days, which used to be our monthly stock." But other traders reported losses following the decision to suspend umrah visas. "Whole groups (of pilgrims) have cancelled their (hotel) reservations," said Mahfouz, an Egyptian who works as an independent travel agent. "I am still counting my losses." The pilgrimage forms a crucial source of revenue for the government, which hopes to welcome 30 million religious visitors annually to the kingdom by 2030. Alongside Thursday's pilgrimage curb, it has also temporarily suspended electronic tourist visas for people arriving from seven countries, including China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Kazakhstan, according to the SPA. It added that tourist visa holders will not be allowed to visit Mecca and Medina, another holy city. Authorities insist the suspensions are temporary, but it was unclear when they will be lifted. "We receive hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every month from different countries around the world," a Saudi official told AFP. "If (coronavirus) arrives here and spreads, it will be a global epidemic. The safety of people is more important than performing umrah." But many pilgrims appeared defiant. "How can we be afraid if we are in the house of God?" said 21-year-old Turkish student Hossam Aldin. "Even if I got the infection, it would be good to die as a martyr here." Egypt said it looks forward to Ethiopia and Sudan taking the lead of approving the agreement and signing it as soon as possible after Cairo initialed the deal as a "sign of commitment". The United States said it would remain engaged in talks with Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan until a final agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is signed after Washington has failed to seal signatures from the three countries this week, US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said. Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan were expected to sign a final deal on the disputed dam this week, however Addis Ababa said it would not take part in what was due to be the final round of talks to resolve the years-long crisis. According to a statement by the US Treasury, Mnuchin participated in separate bilateral meetings with the foreign affairs and water resources ministers of Egypt and Sudan. The ministers provided their comments on the agreement, which the US described as one that addresses all issues in a balanced and equitable manner, taking into account the interests of the three countries. Last year, the US Treasury intervened to facilitate talks between Egypt and Sudan as talks on the dam ended in deadlock. The three countries agreed to entrust the US with preparing an agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD based on provisions proposed by the legal and technical teams of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and with the technical input of the World Bank. Mnuchin said he is looking forward to Ethiopia finalising its national consultations as soon as possible to provide for the signing of the agreement at the earliest possible time, after Egypt initialed the agreement as a sign of commitment. Consistent with the principles set out in the DOP, and in particular the principles of not causing significant harm to downstream countries, final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement, Mnuchin stressed. Ethiopia hopes the massive $4.8 billion megaproject on the Blue Nile, which has been under construction since 2011, will allow it to become Africas largest power exporter. Cairo fears the dam will diminish its water supply from the Nile, on which it relies for the vast majority of its fresh water. The statement also noted the concern of downstream countries Egypt and Sudan due to unfinished work on the safe operation of the GERD, and the need to implement all necessary safety measures in accordance with international standards before filling begins. Egypt said it looks forward to Ethiopia and Sudan taking the lead of approving the agreement and signing it as soon as possible, describing the deal as one that is fair, balanced, and achieves the three countries' interests. Cairo reaffirmed its appreciation to the role carried out by the US and its keenness on a final deal, regreting Ethiopias unjustified absence from the meeting at a critical stage. Sudan reaffirmed its commitment to the negotiation process to reach a comprehensive agreement to fill and operate GERD, reserving the common interests of the three countries. It stressed the necessity of reaching a comprehensive agreement that includes a safe functioning by the dam before the beginning of the first filling. Ethiopia said it noted with "disappointment" the US statement, stressing that it will commence first filling of the GERD in parallel with the construction of the dam in accordance with the principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation and the causing of no significant harm as provided for under the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP)." Addis Ababa added that it doesnt accept the "characterisation" that negotiations on the Guidelines and Rules on the First Filling and Annual Operation of the GERD are completed. The 'text' reportedly initialed by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Washington DC is not the outcome of the negotiation or the technical and legal discussion of the three countries, it said. However, Ethiopia affirmed its committed to continue its engagement with Egypt and Sudan to address the outstanding issues and finalize the Guidelines and Rules on the first filling and annual operation of the GERD. Its unclear whether further talks would be scheduled between the three countries. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi, Feb 29 : India's celebrated top cops endorse the common view that Delhi Police were mute spectators to the violence which led to bloody communal riots in the national capital during US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to India earlier this week. Former Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma said, "Had I been the Commissioner, at any cost I would not have allowed the rioters to take the law into their hands, no matter if I was transferred or terminated by the government." On Delhi Police' utter failure to control the riots, former Border Security Force (BSF) DGP Prakash Singh said, "The disgrace brought to the uniform by (Delhi Police Commissioner) Amulya Patnaik is unpardonable. I really feel pity for him." Regarding the alleged delayed response time of the police in reaching the scenes of riots, former Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh said, "Delhi Police acted like a rainbow. It appeared after the storm (riots) passed away." On Amulya Patnaik's leadership role which is under heavy criticism, Vikram Singh quipped, "When Napoleon marched along with his force, he always marched ahead of the infantry. Here Patnaik and his key officials were missing (from the spot)." On failing to take tough action against the rioters in the first 48 hours after the riots broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told IANS, "Seeing all sorts of weapons used in the violence, it appears to me that these riots were pre-planned. However, the police, despite having a robust security apparatus, was not at all prepared to take on the rioters. Yeh police ki nalayki hai." When celebrated IPS officer B.S. Bedi (87), the former police chief of Jammu and Kashmir, was asked how a demonstration over CAA turned into ugly riots in the national capital, the octogenarian cop said, "A stitch in time saves nine. Had the police sorted out the Jafrabad controversy in time (relating to protest), the situation would not have slipped out of Patnaik's control. It looks as if the police could not assess the scale of violence, and its intelligence seems to have failed." On asked about political pressure and interference in police work, Bedi said that it is a misnomer. "In any given law and order situation, the boss is the Commissioner, not the Minister. Political bosses never interfere in such grim situations," he said. While speaking with former Delhi Police Commissioner T.R. Kakkar, IANS posed a question to him, "If you were the Commissioner, what action would you have taken in the given situation?" "I would have taken the toughest action in the initial hours of the violence. Minimum use of force and inadequate deployment of jawans led to total chaos. The image of the police has taken a beating in the eyes of the world, as all bad things happened in the capital when the US President was on a state visit. The weapons and petrol bombs recovered from certain premises reveal that the violence was planned. The Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor reacted late." When asked was the prolonged protest at Shaheen Bagh for weeks one of the reasons behind the simmering communal tension in the national capital, Ajai Raj Sharma said, "Had I been in place of the present Commissioner (Amulya Patnaik), I would have shifted the protesters to the adjoining park. The loose rope given to the protesters by the cops to block a busy road for such a long period was a wrong decision." Prakash Singh and Vikram Singh also agreed that the police did not take the road blockade in Shaheen Bagh seriously, which subsequently became an Achilles heel for the administration. (Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@ians.in) Fans of a big brown Newfoundland have watched over the years as hes transformed from a hulking and fearful dog who lurked around the edges of a Grand Rapids suburb for months, to a happy and playful boy who lived with a rescue group before finally being ready for a foster home, then a forever home. Shaggy fans are mourning his loss this weekend. Nearly 5 years after his Cascade Township rescue, Shaggy died this week after being diagnosed with cancer. He was about 6 years old. Fridays announcement by The Devoted Barn in Holly brought Shaggys supporters together online in their memories of the dog whose story of trust and rehabilitation impacted so many people. Melissa Zudweg Borden, founder of The Devoted Barn, shared on Facebook a final tribute to the big lug she called her Shag Man." Almost to the day 5 years ago I made you a promise, to keep you safe and to give you the perfect environment to become the dog I knew you could be. I only asked that you help me educate the world about dogs like you. To prove that you can become an amazing house dog if given the chance. To show the world that feral dogs deserve that chance at a life free of fear and on a couch. "And Shag, you held up your end. Over the past 5 years you took thousands of people on your journey. You let me know just like you did when you were on the run when it was time for the next step. And the step after that. " We all cheered you on from that first car ride home from Grand Rapids to the next when we took you to your first foster home and than when you took the car ride to your forever home. And today we cried when you took your last car ride. Melissa Borden, owner of The Devoted Barn in Newport, feeds peanut butter to Shaggy in this 2015 photo. Borden and her team of staff and volunteers run the animal rescue facility, which also includes a sanctuary farm. They specialize in taking in animals from cruelty, neglect and hoarding cases, providing medical attention and rehabilitation. Their goal is to the help the animals heal in a safe place before they are transitioned into foster care or an adoptive home, depending on each animals circumstance. They also have a large feral dog program, which Shaggy was part of for a long time after his rescue in 2015. Shaggy in 2015, when he would get very close to people and their homes, but not trust them enough to stay with them. For more than six months before his 2015 capture, Shaggy had roamed neighborhoods around Cascade Township. Hed get near other dogs, even laying down in the snow and napping with them, but hed never let residents there get a leash on him or take him inside. He got tantalizingly close a few times, coming right up to peoples doors before darting away again. Residents were worried about how hed survive. The Newfoundlands hide-and-seek routine made national headlines. Borden was tapped for her expertise. She helped capture Shaggy - named for his unkempt appearance - in a Cascade neighborhood in March 2015 after working with neighbors there for months, and Kent County Animal Control. Shaggy bonded with Borden, her young daughter, barn staff and volunteers. For years theyve been his cheerleaders and his biggest fans. Shaggys first months at The Devoted Barn were spent learning the basics of trust with humans and other dogs. His cherry eye was surgically repaired. He was brushed out, bathed and groomed. He soon became an ambassador for the rescue group, showing how feral dogs can make big strides. In 2018, he moved to a foster home, then later an adoptive home. As he made each move, Devoted Barn fans who follow the rescue group on its social media pages cheered on Shaggys progress. His journey became a portal for others to learn of the rescue work and follow other animals stories as they, too, progressed to new homes. Peanut butter is a great motivator at The Devoted Barn. Here, Shaggy and his other feral dog friends approached a staff member for a treat. People were saddened earlier this week when Borden told people that Shaggy was being rushed to the vet for internal bleeding. He had been diagnosed with an enlarged and irregular spleen and bloodwork showed he had cancer. Plans were made for surgery, but he died on Friday. In Bordens good-bye tribute, she promised to continue helping dogs like Shaggy flourish. As tough as some days are, and as many times as I think this fight is too hard. I promise you I will never stop giving feral dogs like you that perfect environment to flourish just like you did. Im so so sorry that cancer overtook your body, you deserved many more years in your home. Run free big guy. To learn more about The Devoted Barn, check their website. Just wanted to give a quick update on Shaggy. We are on the way to Blue Pearl. Shaggy has a mass on his spleen, he is... Posted by The Devoted Barn on Friday, February 28, 2020 Well my Shag man, Where do I begin? Almost to the day 5 years ago I made you a promise, to keep you safe and to give you... Posted by The Devoted Barn on Friday, February 28, 2020 READ MORE Shaggy the wandering Newfoundland moves to foster home 3 years after capture Shaggy the wandering Newfoundland celebrates 2 years at feral rescue A 22-year-old grocery store employee just won the biggest jackpot in Quebec's history after he purchased a ticket from the store where he works. Gregory Mathieu, a bagger at the IGA Extra in the Saint-Romuald district of Levis, Quebec City, showed up to the lotto office in Quebec, Canada, on Wednesday with the winning ticket, Corporate Director of Public Affairs at LotoQuebec Patrice Lavoie told CNN. "LotoQuebec celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year," Lavoie said. "We are thrilled to, at the same time, give our biggest jackpot yet." Eight others won $1 million in the same draw as Mathieu, the lottery's website said. The young man said he plans to share the winnings with his closest relatives. "There will be eight winners from the same family," Lavoie said. "He shared it with seven family members." The lottery plans to hold a press conference on Friday to introduce the winner and have his photo taken holding a giant check. Because, is it really official if you haven't done that? With the latest outbreak, no company is immune. The latest coronavirus report comes from Google, as a Zurich employee is now confirmed as coronavirus-positive. Google employee confirmed as coronavirus-positive The employee, who still remains unknown publicly, traveled to Googles Zurich office in Switzerland. At the time the employee was in the office, he or she did not have any symptoms of coronavirus. We can confirm that one employee from our Zurich office has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. They were in the Zurich office for a limited time, before they had any symptoms. We have taken and will continue to take all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyones health and safety, Google said in an email to its international employees on Friday. Advertisement In response to the new coronavirus confirmation, Google is restricting travel of its employees to Iran, Italy (where two regions are seeing outbreak growth), and soon, South Korea and Japan. The search engine giant says that its also canceling its Google News Initiative Global Summit because of the disease spread. Samsung reported a coronavirus case in its Gumi complex phone factory last week. Though the floor where the infected employee worked was scheduled to close until February 25th, Samsung reopened the floor and sanitized to prevent the spread of the disease. What is coronavirus? Some ask the question, What is coronavirus? Coronavirus, labeled COVID-19, is a sickness that works something akin to the flu or influenza. Coronavirus patients exhibit many of the same symptoms as flu patients: coughing, sneezing, headache, and so on. In many cases, though, coronavirus patients are not exhibiting symptoms, which means it is a deadly infectious disease. Silent spreading, the spread of the virus while patients exhibit no symptoms, explains much of the spread of the disease across the globe currently. Advertisement The disease has a 0.5% mortality rate, killing mostly elderly and patients with compromised immune systems (such as those who have medical conditions for which theyre taking medication). It has the potential to kill babies as well as children and adults. In one mysterious case this week, a 3-week old baby recovered from coronavirus after being born to an infected patient in Wuhan, China. Doctors now think that coronavirus can be passed from mother to child in-vitro. How it all fell apart: where did coronavirus begin? This current coronavirus outbreak started in the Chinese province of Wuhan. Some say it spread from animals to humans in a live animal market. The rumor has little substantiation at this point. A doctor in Wuhan reported the potential danger to Chinese authorities, who forced him to recant the statement and tried to keep it quiet. A few weeks later, the outbreak could not be contained, and Beijing reported it to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Advertisement Since then, the largest outbreak is contained to China, where some 70,000+ individuals have been infected with coronavirus. Over 80,000 individuals worldwide are now confirmed to carry the disease. 60 cases of coronavirus are now in the US. There are now over 2,800 deaths worldwide from the sickness. Chinas Beijing has released a Coronavirus Close Contact Detector app. The app allows individuals to input their government ID number and see if theyve come in contact with infected individuals. Though many say the new app infringes on privacy, it is being used for the greater cause of preventing the growth of this disease. New coronavirus cases this week New cases have appeared in the US, UK, and Nigeria that make the disease one not to be taken lightly. This week, a case of coronavirus was confirmed in California. The individual there has not been in contact with sick individuals. Overnight, three new cases of coronavirus appeared in the UK and one in Nigeria. One of the UK confirmations comes from Wales. Wales is now one of the new appearances of coronavirus, as it was previously restricted to England. In Nigeria, an employee started showing symptoms after reporting for work. The Nigerian employee traveled from his home in Italy. Italy, it may be recalled, is seeing outbreak in two cities there. Advertisement While the World Health Organization has yet to call coronavirus a pandemic, the agency says that the current coronavirus outbreak does have pandemic potential. A vaccine is being developed for coronavirus, though With the Google employee confirmed as a coronavirus patient, what can others do to stay safe? With the spread of coronavirus to the US, US officials are telling all 50 states to prepare for a possible national outbreak. So, in such a situation, what can one do to stay safe? A few tips can help. First, one must be sure to wash his or her hands as much as possible. If one is traveling, he or she should do this a lot. Touching doors, handles, rails, and other public objects and items can spread to an individual. Using hand sanitizer while traveling is a good idea, as it could prevent the spread of the disease to others. Advertisement Avoid close-up encounters with those who are coughing or sneezing. This is a good practice to avoid getting colds, sinus infections, and even the flu. And yet, it still applies for coronavirus. Getting in someones face with symptoms is an easy way to become infected. Medical professionals are currently advising world citizens to avoid buying up facial masks. Those masks serve to prevent the spread of coronavirus from infected individuals. If non-infected individuals buy up all the facial masks, how will infected individuals be able to prevent spreading their sickness? Though individuals should avoid buying up facial masks, it may not hurt to use one when out in public places such as an airport. Google is telling its Bay Area employees to wash their hands and cover their mouths. These tips apply to those who are mostly stay-at-home crowds as well. If youre traveling or intend to, avoid traveling to places where the disease has spread (Italy, South Korea, Iran, etc.). Work from home as much as possible. Stay informed. That was part of the advice Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen offered at Fridays press conference announcing the first presumed COVID-19 coronavirus case in the state. Allen, it seemed, has learned from history. With Americans increasingly nervous about what to expect from the novel coronavirus pandemic, public-health experts and historians have pointed to the worldwide 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak as an example of what not to do. The response from many governments as that pandemic quickly spread: silence. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was among the world leaders who made no statement about the Spanish flu in the fall of 1918. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE The main reason for the dearth of information: The world was at war. Governments were wary of giving any appearance of weakness -- the outbreak took off in army camps -- and so lied about the pandemics impact on their countries or even denied its existence. The results were devastating. The Spanish flu killed more than 50 million people -- at a time when the worlds population was around 1.8 billion. This death toll included more than 675,000 Americans. The U.S. governments early response to the pandemic was to declare the Spanish flu an ordinary influenza by another name, The Washington Post pointed out this week. It was, of course, an extraordinary influenza, one that was unusually hard on young adults. But the American press accepted the governments initial wartime spin and insisted there was little to worry about. Which was why Philadelphia went ahead with a parade celebrating the war effort. Some 200,000 people turned out for the event on Sept. 28, 1918, waving at and cheering for newly arrived sailors marching in the event. The flu outbreak hit the City of Brotherly Love a couple of days later, ultimately killing some 12,000 people in about six weeks. Other municipalities learned from this disaster, recognizing that knowledge was power -- for those trying to avoid getting sick. In October, Portlands mayor, George Baker, put restrictions on store hours and closed schools, churches and public places of meetings. Three months later, Rose City business leaders weighed a redoubled quarantine of all influenza cases and even sealing off the city completely for 30 days. They allowed reporters to be in the room for their deliberations. And at the end of January 1919, Oregon state public-health officials showed just how much they valued the free flow of information. They ordered seven prominent physicians of Portland to be arrested for failing to report influenza cases in the city. Those facing arrest included Capt. Frederick C. Vogt, head of the medical corps at the Vancouver Barracks. On the same day that The Oregonian reported the planned arrests of the doctors, local officials announced that it appeared Multnomah County had turned the corner on the flu outbreak, noting that 11 deaths had been reported the previous day but there had been only 64 new cases of influenza. Around 3,500 Oregonians died from the Spanish flu during the 1918-19 pandemic. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 23:58:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- A court in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, has sentenced a man to four months in detention for illegally hunting and trading wild yellow weasels and squirrels. The court held the public trial online Thursday with representatives from the procuratorate, the city's detention center and the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Environmental Sciences attending via teleconference. Although weasels and squirrels are not on the list for rare animal protection, hunting wild animals in nature reserves is prohibited in China. Police across China have tightened up law enforcement against wild animal poaching during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Gusu District People's Court in Suzhou heard that the man used clips to trap yellow weasels and squirrels near the Taihu Lake. Police arrested him on Feb. 4 and seized 10 dead yellow weasels and five red-bellied squirrels at his home. Dr. Yang Guodong, a trial support expert from the environmental sciences academy, said the wild animals may carry viruses and parasites, which bear risks of transmitting diseases from animals to humans. "Hunting, transporting, processing and eating wild animals could cause and spread the virus and incur ecological imbalance," he said. Parts of Meghalaya remained tense after two were left dead and ten others injured in clashes between two groups in the past 24 hours over the Citizenship Amendment Act. Parts of Meghalaya remained tense after two were left dead and ten others injured in clashes between two groups in the past 24 hours over the Citizenship Amendment Act. Fresh clashes were reported Saturday morning after the 10-hour curfew was lifted in Shillong, causing the curfew to be reimposed in parts of the town. The curfew was lifted at 8 am , and between 11:30 am and noon, clashes occurred in Bara Bazar area, a commercial centre where people from all communities gather for trade, said Shillong SP Claudia Lyngwa. Some were assaulted by unknown miscreants. Six were injured, one person succumbed to his injuries, two or three were seriously injured, and rushed to hospital. They are now out of danger. Immediately after, curfew was clamped in the two areas under Sadar PS and Lumdiengjri PS. In view of the prevailing situation, however, curfew has been reimposed in entire Shillong city for 11 hours, from 9 pm to 8 am. Security has been tightened across the state with two companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) being deployed, and additional companies are scheduled to arrive, police said. Mobile internet services were suspended for 48 hours in six districts: East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills, South West Khasi Hills, East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills district. On Friday, a Khasi Students Union (KSU) leader died in clashes that erupted during an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Inner Line Permit (ILP) implementation awareness rally in Ichamati. Curfew was imposed in Shillong, Sohra and Ichamati under East Khasi Hills district. According to police, eight have been arrested from Ichamati in connection with the violence that killed one and injured several others. The deceased was identified as Lurshai Hynniewta, a member of KSU Sohra circle. Sources said he will be laid to rest on Sunday. While Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has appealed for calm, a review meeting on law and order situation was convened by Meghalaya home minister Lahkmen Rymbui on Saturday with the Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills district, top police officials and headmen of different localities. Senior Congress legislator Ampareen Lyngdoh said the government should also convene an all-party meeting to discuss the prevailing situation. Meanwhile, the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) along with other civil society organisations has condemned the attack on KSU members in Ichamati, and have appealed for peace. The KSU, which is a part of the North East Students Organisation (NESO) had earlier announced of intensifying protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The influential Khasi students body had also expressed their disappointment over the unsatisfactory approach by the state government on the issue of ILP implementation in the state. Much of Meghalaya that comes under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution has been exempted from the ambit of CAA. However, a resolution was passed in the Meghalaya Assembly in December for implementation of the ILP system. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma earlier said his government would continue to engage with the Centre unless and until complete exemption and protection is provided to the people of the state. OTTAWA Manitoba chiefs want to accept Cubas offer of providing doctors to improve health access on reserves. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitoba chiefs want to accept Cubas offer of providing doctors to improve health access on reserves. "(Cubas) doctors perform very well on very limited amount of resources," Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs Organization told the Free Press from Havana. "In comparison, First Nations have been in the same situation." Barring any bureaucratic hurdles, a doctor paid by Cuba could arrive this year at Gambler First Nation, which sits near the point Highway 16 crosses into Saskatchewan. SUPPLIED Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs Organization with Cuban doctors who are in training for international deployments in Havana, Cuba. Daniels is aware some might object to Canadians offering help from a communist country. "We just want to be focused on our health outcomes; we don't want to get into the governance of any other country," he said Friday. The SCO, which represents 34 First Nations in Manitoba, has been meeting with senior Cuban officials and touring medical facilities. Its the SCOs first major step in "health transformation," an effort multiple First Nations organizations are taking to get more control over health care. Why does Cuba send its doctors abroad? OTTAWA Cuba has long sent its doctors and nurses to developing countries, as a means of boosting its image, including the ability of a communist country to provide quality care for cheap. Generally, the host country pays the doctors room and board, while the Cuban state continues to pay their regular salary, as well as a stipend in local currency. click to read more OTTAWA Cuba has long sent its doctors and nurses to developing countries, as a means of boosting its image, including the ability of a communist country to provide quality care for cheap. Generally, the host country pays the doctors room and board, while the Cuban state continues to pay their regular salary, as well as a stipend in local currency. The country says its Integrated Health Program has sent more than 600,000 staff abroad since 1960. As of 2015, there were 50,000 specialists, more than half of them doctors, working in 67 countries, according to state statistics. The American government has been critical of the scheme, saying it undermines local medical systems. USAID, in particular, claims participating doctors are underpaid and posted to dangerous locations. The Cuban government has rejected those charges, and argues it is supporting vulnerable people in countries destabilized by colonialism. Some of the doctors working abroad have used the opportunity to claim asylum. Dylan Robertson Close Currently, the federal department Indigenous Services Canada runs nursing stations on reserves, and pays to fly and bus patients needing surgeries to places such as Winnipeg. The SCO is among First Nations groups that are trying to gradually take over how health services are offered, so they can employ more locals and offer care more culturally appropriate. For example: involving family members more in rehabilitation and treatment. The World Health Organization had hailed Cubas medical system for its effectiveness in treating patients, and resolving medical issues early on. "What we're looking for is best practices around the world, and looking for a way in which we can get a really good return on our investment," said Daniels, who was joined this week by First Nations officials from Manitoba and Alberta. He was impressed by the Caribbean nation's emphasis on prevention. He said the holistic approach to health care is more akin to First Nations traditions than Manitobas current system. SUPPLIED Cuba's national Public Health Minister, Jose Angel Portal Miranda, (left) with Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs Organizationin Havana, Wednesday. Daniels was joined by a chief from northern Manitoba, as well as the chairperson of the organization that co-ordinates health care between officials from reserves, the province and Ottawa. Currently, there are talks to bring one doctor to the Gambler reserve, and possibly others. Daniels didnt anticipate difficulties in securing permission for Cuban doctors to enter Canada. "What we need is Canada to recognize First Nations sovereignty and jurisdiction," he said. The SCO mentioned the trip to federal officials ahead of time, and Daniels said he met with the Canadian ambassador in Cuba. The office of ISC Minister Marc Miller said it would look over any formal request, but generally supports Indigenous self-determination. First Nations often face discrimination in Manitoba's health-care system, Daniels said, and they want to feel empowered instead of being seen as a burden. "In Canada, we're the original owners of the land, and we're in the most marginalized situation and that is because of government policy. So we have to look at where does it work, for health," he said. "We have an impending crisis when it comes to health care in Manitoba overall." dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca A woman labourer was killed and two others were injured when a boiler of a factory exploded in neighbouring Shamli district, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday at Humrajpur village in Kandhla, they said. According to Station House Officer (SHO) Karmvir Singh, a woman identified as Sharmila was killed while Sangita and Manzur were injured in the explosion at the tyre-melting factory. The injured were sent to hospital and police are investigating the incident, the SHO said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three drug peddlers were arrested while transporting around 120 kg of marijuana on Friday near Pedda Amberpet under Hayathnagar Police Station limits. According to Mahesh Bhagwat, CP, Rachakonda, the sleuths of Special Operations Team (SOT), LB Nagar Zone along with Hayathnagar Police nabbed three persons identified as Gandi Kota Kumar, Nune Vijender and Keshamoni Rajesh Goud. The trio was caught while they were transporting the contraband from Ashvaraopet and Bhadrachalam agency area of Badradri Kothagudem District in order to transport the same to Mumbai. Police have seized assets worth Rs 24,00,000 from the men, which includes the contraband, two cars, Rs 1,200 in cash and five mobile phones. A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and the accused have been remanded to judicial custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited for the centenary celebrations of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka next month because India played an intrinsic role in the country's liberation, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem. The envoy said the celebrations on March 17, which coincide with the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujib -- referred to as "Bangabandhu" or the father of the Bengali Nation -- will kick off a year-long series of events in Bangladesh as well as the UK. "Prime Minister Modi is among the special guests invited to the centenary, which also has intrinsic links with Bangabandhu's homecoming in 1971," Tasneem told PTI in an interview. "The roadmap of that journey is that he first stopped in London, where he was officially recognised as the president of the independent state of Bangladesh and had bilateral meetings at 10 Downing Street. Then he was flown to Delhi, where he held a public gathering with (then Indian prime minister) Indira Gandhi," she recalled. The diplomat traced the active role played by Gandhi at the time alongside the then UK prime minister, Edward Heath, to seek Sheikh Mujib's release from Karachi Jail in Pakistan. "They collectively played a very proactive role in the release of Bangabandhu and to ensure that he was not harmed in any way. So, at the very genesis of Bangladesh, the relationships were clear and the Bangladesh-India ties remain as strong till date, as do the UK-Bangladesh ties," she said. In reference to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was passed by the Indian Parliament in December last year to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, the envoy said the implication of the law was "hurtful" to Bangladesh. "The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said it is an internal matter of India but also quite unnecessary. Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh have done very well for themselves, especially in the financial sphere, as they have a particular skill with mathematics and accounts," she said. Amid a recent unrest over the contentious law in Delhi, there have been some calls for Bangladesh to withdraw Modi's invite to the centenary celebrations in Dhaka next month, a demand rejected by the Bangladeshi government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Employees in scrubs talk next to the ambulance entrance at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington state, on Jan. 21, 2020. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters) Washington State Confirms First US Coronavirus Death Washington state health officials said on Feb. 29 that one person has died from the coronavirus, the first patient to die from the disease in the United States. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. President Donald Trump said during a briefing at the White House that the person who died of the virus was in their late 50s and a medically high-risk patient. The Epoch Times later confirmed with a Washington State Department of Health that the patient was a man. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), confirmed during the White House press conference that the person had no history of travel to other affected countries and no known contacts with infected individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a press release that it erroneously misidentified the patient as a woman in a briefing with the president. Several of the officials at the White House briefing offered condolences to the persons family. News of the first fatality arrived one day after health officials in California, Oregon, and Washington state confirmed that three patients were infected by unknown means. If confirmed by the CDC, along with a similar case of unknown origin announced on Feb. 26 in California, that would bring to four the number of diagnosed individuals in the United States with no history of travel to a country where the virus is circulating and no close contact with an infected person. Taken together, the four cases are a sign that the virus is now spreading within at least four separate locations on the West Coast, spanning nearly 900 miles from Californias Silicon Valley region in Santa Clara County north, to the Puget Sound near Seattle. Health authorities say it means the respiratory disease is no longer an imported phenomenon but has taken up residence in the United States. What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still dont know to what degree, said Dr. Sara Cody, chief public health officer for Santa Clara County, speaking of the newly diagnosed case there, the latest of three in her county and the 10th detected in California. This case does signal to us that it is now time to shift how we respond, she told a news conference on Feb. 28. Two of the illnesses prompted schools to close in Washington and Oregon. The latest patients were diagnosed based on results obtained in their respective states from CDC-supplied test kits and are considered presumptive positive cases pending CDC confirmatory testing, the U.S. agency said. Even as confirmation was pending there, local authorities were already working to trace close contacts the patients had with others in a bid to curb transmission. Until this week, the CDC had counted just 15 confirmed cases in six states as having been detected through the U.S. public health system since Jan. 21, none fatal. Most were contracted by individuals while traveling in China. Only two person-to-person transmissions were documented among them, both between married couples. An additional 47 cases have been confirmed among people recently repatriated, either from the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Japan or from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the supposed epicenter of the outbreak, according to the CDC. Health officials said the advent of locally transmitted infections means authorities need to expand their focus from detecting a relatively limited number of cases, identifying close contacts and isolating them, to one that also emphasizes greater prevention among the public at large. In particular, individuals should be more vigilant about basic hygiene measures, such as washing hands often, avoiding touching their faces, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home from school or work whenever ill, Cody said. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. This article has been updated with a statement from Washington state officials about the gender of the coronavirus patient who died. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Every parent dreads the question: What is the Trinity? How do we explain the fact that our God is three and yet one? The concept violates logic. This issue is especially relevant when interacting with the Muslim world. Islamic faith is insistent on the unity and singularity of God. The central affirmation of Islam is this statement: there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. To this way of thinking, Christians are tri-theists and thus idolaters. How can we explain our trinitarian theology to Muslims, or even to ourselves? And why does it all matter to our lives today? What is the Trinity? It has been said that if the mind were simple enough for us to understand it, we would be too simple to understand it. Likewise, if God were simple enough for my finite, fallen mind to understand him, he would not be God. How does a mother explain marriage to her five-year-old daughter? How does a mathematician explain calculus to his third-grade son? Yet we try. We sing as though we understood the words, Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty . . . God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. I speak the same words over new believers which were recited over me in the baptismal waters and over other Christians for twenty centuries: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Why? What is the Trinity? And why is understanding it so essential? A brief history of God The first biblical reference to God starts the mystery: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The Hebrew term here translated God is Elohim. The im is how the Hebrew language makes a word plural, like putting s on the end of a word in English. Thus one could translate the word as Gods (though some Hebrew scholars believe that the plurality points more to Gods majesty than his number). However, the following Hebrew verb created requires a singular noun, indicating that its subject is one rather than many. So, in God created we have our start into the mystery that is the nature of God. From the earliest of times, the Jewish tradition has affirmed that the Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema, which is recited in daily Jewish spirituality). Such monotheism was a radical departure from the polytheism of ancient cultures. But the experience of the first Christians made simple monotheism problematic, for they knew Jesus Christ to be Lord and God (cf. John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13). They also experienced the Holy Spirit as divine (Genesis 1:2; cf. Acts 5:2, 4; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). But these three were independent (at Jesus baptism the Father spoke and the Spirit descended; Matthew 3:16-17). There is no indication that apostolic Christians struggled with the logic of their experience of God. Paul could pray for the Corinthians, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). They knew God to be one, but they experienced him as three persons. This logical contradiction did not trouble them, for they were more pragmatic than speculative. They needed no words such as Trinity or theological formulations to explain their faith. But matters would quickly change. The problem of God As Christianity spread beyond its Jewish roots, it encountered a worldview steeped in logic and rationalism. Aristotle had taught the Western world that non-contradiction is the test for all truth. Something cannot be one and three at the same time. So how can the Christian doctrine of God be reasonable? The earliest answers to the question resolved the logical tension but created problems greater than the one they solved. Some made the Son and the Spirit less divine than the Father, an approach known as subordinationism. By this formulation, Jesus is not Lord and the Holy Spirit who makes us Christians (cf. Romans 8:9) is not fully God. Others taught that God shifts from being Father (Old Testament) to Son (Gospels) to Spirit (Acts to Revelation), an approach known as modalism. This strategy cannot explain the baptism of Jesus, the work of the Son (John 1:3-4) and the Spirit (Genesis 1:2) in creation, or the presence of the Spirit throughout the Old Testament (cf. Psalm 51:11). Dynamic monarchians taught that divine power descended upon Jesus so that he was not himself divine. At the Councils of Nicaea (AD 325) and Constantinople (AD 381), the orthodox Church declared all such formulations to be heretical and affirmed that the Son and Spirit are of the same essence as the Father. God in three Persons catches the sense of their approach. From then to now, believers have sought to understand this paradox better. Some suggest that God is like water, capable of being solid ice, liquid, or steam (but not at the same time). Perhaps he is like a three-sided pyramid seen from above (but the three sides do not work independently as did the Trinity at Jesus baptism). Maybe he is like an egg: yoke, sac, shell (but the three do not retain the same essence). Perhaps he is like a woman who is mother to her children, wife to her husband, and daughter to her parents (but she cannot act in three independent ways at the same time). All analogies eventually break down, as they should. As we noted earlier, if we can understand fully the essence of God, he would not be God. Commitment to a God whose essence transcends our logical comprehension is a problem for some in our rationalistic culture. We like our faith to make sense. We may not understand why a ship floats or an airplane stays in the air, but we know that someone does. Wed have a hard time taking medicine no one understands, expecting effects no one can explain. But wed best get used to it. The more we learn about the universe, the more incomprehensible it becomes. Physicians do not understand how the mind works, or even if there is such a thing as the mind. We assume the category of time, but none of us can define it without contradiction. So it is with the major doctrines of Christian faith. Is God three or one? Is Jesus fully God or fully human? Does God know the future or do we have freedom? Is the Bible divinely inspired or humanly written? The answer to each question is the same: yes. The divinity of Jesus Muslims, Jews, and Christians hold in common our belief that there is a God of the universe. When we speak of the Father, we are on a familiar footing with other monotheistic faiths. But when we elevate the Son and the Spirit to divine status, we create the kind of tension that leads to confusion and rejection. So lets take a moment to examine the divinity of the Second and Third members of the Godhead. Jesus is Lord is the central affirmation of the Christian faith. Its Greek original is found scrawled on walls in the Roman catacombs and at the heart of the most ancient formulations of faith. When the Empire forced Christians to say Caesar is Lord or die, believers by the multiplied thousands chose to die. If presented the same option, we should make the same choice. Why? Did Jesus claim to be God? In recent years it has become popular to claim that Jesus of Nazareth saw himself only as a religious teacher and that the church deified him over the centuries. Not according to the eyewitnesses. When Jesus stood on trial for his life, the high priest challenged him: I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 26:63). His answer sealed his fate: Yes, it is as you say (v. 64). Earlier he told his opponents, Before Abraham was born, I am! (John 8:58). He clearly claimed to be God. And his first followers accepted his claim to be true. Peter and the other apostles refused to stop preaching that Jesus is Lord, even when threatened with their lives (cf. Acts 5:29-32). Each but John was martyred for his faith in Christ, and John was exiled to the prison island of Patmos for preaching the Lordship of Jesus. Billions of people across twenty centuries have accepted their truth claims and followed their Lord as God. How do we know he was right? Here is the rope from which Christianity swings: If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:13-15). Before Easter, the disciples assumed their leader was dead and gone. After that day, they were transfused with divine courage and set about winning the world to Jesus. The resurrection was the basis for their commitment to Christ as Lord. It is ours as well. We know Jesus existed and was crucified at the hands of Pontius Pilate. We know that the first Christians believed him to be raised from the dead (cf. the letter of Pliny the Younger, the descriptions of Josephus). But believing doesnt make it so. Is there objective evidence for their faith in a risen Savior? David Hume was an eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher, known today as the Father of Skepticism. He made it his lifes work to debunk assumptions which he considered to be unprovable, among them the veracity of miracles. He argued for six criteria by which we should judge those who claim to have witnessed a miracle: they should be numerous, intelligent, educated, of unquestioned integrity, willing to undergo severe loss if proven wrong, and their claims should be capable of easy validation (An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding). Each is appropriate for determining the truthfulness of a witness. How do the eyewitnesses of the risen Christ fare by such standards? They were numerous: over five hundred saw the resurrected Lord (1 Corinthians 15:6). They were intelligent and welleducated, as the literature they produced makes clear (the Acts 4:13 claim that they were unschooled, ordinary men meant only that they had not attended rabbinic schools). Paul was, in fact, trained by Gamaliel, the finest scholar in Judaism (Acts 22:3). They were men and women of unquestioned integrity, clearly willing to undergo severe loss, as proven by their martyrdoms. And their claims were easily validated, as witnessed by the empty tomb (cf. Acts 26:26, this thing was not done in a corner). So the witnesses were credible. What of the objective evidence for their claims? It is a fact of history that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried and that on the third day his tomb was found empty. Skeptics have struggled to explain the empty tomb ever since. Three strategies center on theft. The first was to claim that while the guards slept, the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15). How would sleeping guards know the identity of such thieves? How could the disciples convince five hundred people that the corpse was alive? And why would these disciples then die for what they knew to be a lie? A second approach claims that the women stole the body. How would they overpower the guards? How would they make a corpse look alive? Why would they suffer and die for such fabrication? A third explanation is that the authorities stole the body. When the misguided disciples found an empty tomb, they announced a risen Lord. But why would the authorities steal the body they had positioned guards to watch? And when the Christians began preaching the resurrection, wouldnt they quickly produce the corpse? A fourth approach is the wrong tomb theory: the grief-stricken women and apostles went to the wrong tomb, found it empty, and began announcing Easter. But the women saw where he was buried (Matthew 27:61); Joseph of Arimathea would have corrected the error (Matthew 27:57-61); and the authorities would have gone to the correct tomb and produced the corpse. A fifth strategy is the swoon theory: Jesus did not actually die on the cross. He or his followers bribed the medical examiner to pronounce him dead, then he revived in the tomb and appeared to be resurrected. But how could he survive burial clothes which cut off all air? How could he shove aside the stone and overpower the guards? How could he appear through walls (John 20:19, 26) and ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9)? There is only one reasonable explanation for the empty tomb, the changed lives of the disciples, and the overnight explosion of the Christian movement upon the world stage: Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He is therefore the person he claimed to be: our Lord and God. Trusting him is not a leap into the dark, but into the light. When you jump, crucified hands will catch you and never let you go (John 10:28). The divinity of the Holy Spirit One of my pet peeves in Dallas is the fact that turn signals are apparently signs of weakness. I sometimes think Im the only person in Dallas County who signals when shifting lanes; people stare at me as though Im from another planet while wondering what that blinking light at the back of my car is about. One of my theological pet peeves is the fact that so many Christians refer to the Holy Spirit as it. He is the third member of the Trinity, as fully divine as the Father and the Son. He is a person, deserving of our respect and gratitude. He is no more an it than you are. The Holy Spirit has all the distinctive characteristics of personality: knowledge (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and feeling or emotion (Romans 15:30). He performs acts which only a person can perform: he searches (1 Corinthians 2:10), speaks (Revelation 2:7), cries (Galatians 4:6), prays (Romans 8:26), testifies (John 15:26), teaches (John 14:26), leads (Romans 8;24), and commands (Acts 16:6, 7). He is treated as only a person can be treated: he is grieved and rebelled against (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30), insulted (Hebrews 10:29), and blasphemed (Matthew 12:31, 32). The Holy Spirit is given each of the four distinctly divine attributes: eternity (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10), omniscience (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11), and omnipotence (Luke 1:35). He performs each of the three distinctly divine works: creation (Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30; Genesis 1:1-3), impartation of life (John 6:63; Genesis 2:7), and authorship of prophecy (2 Peter 1:21). Exodus 16:7 says that the people grumbled against God; Hebrews 3:7 quotes the Holy Spirits statement that such complaints were made against him. The name of the Holy Spirit is coupled with that of God (1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3, 4). And yet the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son (Luke 3:21, 22; Matthew 28:19; John 16:7). He is sent by the Father in the name of the Son (John 14:26; 15:26), speaks only what he hears from the Father (John 16:13), and seeks only to glorify God (John 16:14). In every sense, the Holy Spirit is God. We can solve the problem of the Trinity by devaluing the Son and the Spirit, but we lose far more than we gain. We forfeit the divine Savior whose death paid for our sins, and the divine Person who brings salvation to our souls. I would rather live with the mystery of Gods nature than give up the relationship with him which that nature makes possible. The ministry of the Holy Spirit Now lets move more specifically to the question of sanctification, the work of spiritual growth which the Holy Spirit authors in our lives. The Spirit shows us our guilt as sinners, convicting us of righteousness and judgment (John 16:8; Acts 2:36, 37). He imparts spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1; Titus 3:5; John 3:3-5). Now he indwells the believer (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) and sets us free for God (Romans 8:2). He forms Christ within us (Ephesians 3:14-19), bringing forth the Christ-like graces of character (Galatians 5:22-23). He guides us into the life of Gods children (Romans 8:14) and bears witness to our status with our Father (Romans 8:15, 16). The Spirit teaches us (John 14:26), reveals the deep things of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:9-13), interprets his own revelation (1 Corinthians 2:14), and enables us to communicate truth to others (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). The Spirit guides us in prayer (Jude 20; Ephesians 6:18), inspires and guides our thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:18-20), and inspires our worship (Philippians 3:3). He infills the believer (Ephesians 5:18), sends us into definite vocations (Acts 13:2-4), and guides us in daily life (Acts 8:27-29; 16:6, 7). From this brief survey, is it clear that we cannot progress in the spiritual life without the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity who dwells in all believers and empowers our growth and maturity in the faith. We must be yielded to his leading and empowering every day or we cannot grow closer to our Lord. Time spent each morning in prayer and Bible study is crucial; time through the day to connect with God in prayer is vital. We each need a spiritual inventory every week, whereby we ask the Spirit to show us anything wrong between us and our Fatherwe write down what comes to mind, confess it, and throw the paper away. In the words of evangelist Gypsy Smith, we draw a circle around ourselves and pray until everything inside that circle is right with God. We need periodic times of solitude, where we listen to the Spirits voice. Find a place where you can be alone and undistracted. Meditate on a single verse or passage of Scripture, placing yourself in the text. Feel, smell. hear and taste the story. Ask the Spirit to show you the truth from that passage which you most need to hear, and he will. Meditate on Gods creation. The hour I spent with a leaf was memorable to my soul. I had just begun my ministry in Midland and had no idea how to move forward in Gods plan. Examining a leaf in my hand, I became impressed with its intricate design. The more I studied, the more amazed I became. Then the Spirit spoke to my spirit: If I can design a leaf, I can design your life and work. And he did. Meditate on a current or global event. Pray about it, asking God to reveal his truth through this matter to you. Trust him to use his world and his word in your life. Listen until you have heard him speak. And you will. Doc Severinson was the trumpet player and bandleader for Johnny Carsons Tonight Show. As a trumpet player myself, I followed Severinsons career with interest. Once I was privileged to attend a workshop and concert he staged. During the conversation following the performance, someone asked him about his practice habits. Severinson replied, If I dont practice one day, I know it. Two days, my band knows it. Three days, the world knows it. The same is true of my soul, and perhaps yours as well. Conclusion Weve discussed briefly the trinitarian nature of God, the divinity of the Son and the Spirit, and the work of the Spirit in our lives. The practical outcome of such a hurried survey is simply this: we are each to give ourselves every day to the Spirit. We are to yield the morning as it begins and the day before it starts. We are to seek his wisdom and direction for every step and every decision. We are to be led by his grace in every moment. And as we practice his presence in our lives, we experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us all (John 10:10). One of my favorite stories concerns a father who arrived home after work and was greeted by his two small daughters. The older girl got to him just as he stepped onto the sidewalk leading from the driveway, with a hedge on either side. She threw her arms around her fathers legs. The younger sister then arrived. Her older sister was in front of her, hedges on both sides, and she couldnt get to her father. Her big sister taunted her, Ha, ha, ha, Ive got all of Daddy there is. The wise father then reached over his older daughter, picked up the younger sister, and held her in his arms. The younger girl then said to the older, Ha, ha, ha, Daddys got all of me there is. You have all of the Father there is. Does he have all of you today? Originally posted at denisonforum.org State authorities reported discovering an estimated 280 pounds of marijuana last week after pulling over a minivan on Interstate 81, according to recently filed search warrants. Four days later, another traffic stop, also on I-81, led to investigators finding what was described as an estimated 16 pounds of marijuana. Both stops happened on the stretch of interstate running through Botetourt County. The minivan was pulled over Feb. 21 and a search initiated after a narcotics detection dog alerted, according to a search warrant filed by the Virginia State Police. The other vehicle, a Ford Escape, was stopped Tuesday and a search was prompted by the odor of marijuana, authorities wrote in another search warrant application. A state police spokeswoman said Friday no other information was immediately available for release about the incidents. The minivan, a Toyota Sienna, was registered to a person named Cuong Tran, according to the warrants. Court records list a 26-year-old man, Cuong Tiettan Tran of Georgia, as having been arrested on Feb. 21 and charged with transporting more than 5 pounds of marijuana into the state and with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute or manufacture. A bond hearing in his case had been set for next week but was listed as continued late Friday. The Ford Escape was registered to a person named Lamont McCoy, according to the warrants. A 30-year-old man from Maryland, Lamont Wesley McCoy, is listed in court records as having been arrested on Feb. 25 and charged with transporting more than 5 pounds of marijuana into the state and with distribution of marijuana or possession with intent to distribute. His next court appearance was tentatively set for May. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Friday said that a detailed report on assault of Dalit men in Nagaur has been submitted to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. Calling the assault on Dalit community an "unfortunate incident", Pilot told media here: "After the Nagaur incident, an investigation team from the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) was sent to the spot and a report was prepared on the basis of what had happened. I have submitted that report to Sonia Gandhi." He said it is his government's responsibility to take strict action against such incidents. "The government is taking action to prevent incidents of Dalit oppression. But in such cases, responsibility should also be fixed so as to send a message to the general public that the accused in such incidents will not be spared," he stressed. On Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said that seven people have been arrested in connection with the "horrific incident" in Nagaur, where two Dalit men were tortured for alleged theft."In the horrific incident in Nagaur, immediate and effective action has been taken and seven accused have been arrested so far. Nobody will be spared. The culprits will be punished according to the law and we will ensure that the victims get justice," Gehlot had tweeted.According to reports, the incident took place on February 15 after which a few videos had gone viral. The victims registered an FIR on February 19. Pilot, who arrived in Jodhpur on Friday to attend the wedding reception of the nephew of Rajasthan State Congress Committee Secretary Karan Singh Uchiyarda, also questioned the Delhi violence and called it a "complete intelligence failure". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Massachusetts biotechnology firm, Moderna, Inc. has developed a potential coronavirus vaccine and shipped its first sample vials to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for human testing. The experimental vaccine will be tested on 20 to 25 healthy volunteers by April to test if it is safe and if it produces a response in the immune system against COVID-19 infection. In a statement by Moderna, Inc., the firm announced that they developed a potential coronavirus vaccine named mRNA-1273 and sample vials have been shipped to the NIAID for human testing. The vaccine developed maximizes messenger RNA molecules that bring instructions to reprogram cells in the body to function differently and beneficially. In the company's announcement, Moderna's chief technical operations and quality officer Juan Andres emphasized that the collaboration of Moderna, NIAID and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) has allowed the company to deliver a clinical batch of potential vaccine in 42 days from sequence identification. Such accomplishment, he revealed would not be possible without the Moderna's manufacturing site in Norwood which uses leading-edge technology that allows them to conduct flexible operations and meet high-quality standards for clinical-grade material. Also read: Coronavirus Risky for Elders, More Fatal in Men than Women Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of NIAID revealed that this is the first time that a phase one trial is conducted within three months of developing a sequence. Previous outbreaks, Fauci pointed out, such as SARS and influenza, affected the globe for 11 to 20 months before human testing of its vaccines. The coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine, on the other hand, took only four months since the disease outbreak to be developed and tested. Human Testing by April The NIAID will begin a clinical trial on 20 to 25 healthy volunteers by the end of April to assess if the doses are safe, and if the vaccine can induce an immune response against the novel virus, NIAID director Anthony Fauci explained. The expected release of results of human testing will be done by July or August. Fauci admits that it is still uncertain if Moderna batch will work as the genetic technology firm has yet to yield an approved vaccine for humans. Should the first clinical trial yield positive results, the vaccine will be available next year, taking into consideration additional studies and regulatory clearance, the NIAID Director said. The announcement of the potential vaccine is a positive development as the confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US have reached 60 and top officials of the Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) warned about a potential community spread of coronavirus in the country. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said it is not an issue if it will happen anymore, but rather an issue of when this may happen and how many of us will have a severe illness. There are no available vaccines and no specific medicines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat novel coronavirus yet. A recent study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2% of those infected with the virus have died. Fauci warns that a similar incidence may happen in the US because of the lack of antiviral drugs. Related article: Coronavirus Effects: How COVID-19 Harms Different Body Organs Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) A few airlines have called off flights to South Korea following the Philippine government's move to ban travel for tourists to the East Asian country over the spike of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases there. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia have cancelled some flights to and from South Korean cities such as Incheon, Busan and Seoul. Cebu Pacific said the cancellations begin from March 3 to April 30. Passengers may rebook to February 29, March 1 and March 2 depending on the availability of seats. They also have the option to refund the tickets or store the ticket's value in a "Travel Fund," the airline advised. On the other hand, PAL will cut flights from March 1 to March 31. However, it said that it will retain some flights to and from South Korea. PAL passengers may rebook, reroute or refund their tickets before March 28, PAL said. Meanwhile, AirAsia customers may change their travel date within 30 calendar days from their original flight schedule or get a refund. Here is the list of cancelled flights: CEBU PACIFIC 5J 188/ 5J 187 Manila-Incheon-Manila 5J 128 / 5J 129 Cebu-Incheon-Cebu 5J 180 / 5J 181 Kalibo-Incheon-Kalibo PAL March 2 to March 30: PR 418 Manila - Busan (Mo/Th/Fr) PR 419 Busan - Manila (Mo/Th/Fr) March 1 to March 31: PR 468 Manila - Seoul (daily) PR 469 Seoul - Manila (daily) March 8 to March 29: PR 418 Manila - Busan (We/Su) PR 419 Busan - Manila (We/Su) March 12 to 31: PR 466 Manila - Seoul (only on Mo/Tu/Th/Fr/Sa) PR 467 Seoul - Manila (only on Mo/Tu/Th/Fr/Sa) AIRASIA March 3 to March 28 Z2 7046 Cebu - Seoul-Incheon (only on Tu/Th/Su) Z2 7047 Seoul-Incheon - Cebu (only on Tu/Th/Su) March 4 to March 28 Z2 888 Manila - Seoul-Incheon (daily) Z2 889 Seoul-Incheon - Manila (daily) Z2 38 Kalibo - Seoul-Incheon (only on We/Th/Su) Z2 39 Seoul-Incheon - Kalibo (only on We/Th/Su) March 7 to March 28 Z2 58 Kalibo - Busan (only on Sa) Z2 59 Busan - Kalibo (only on Sa) Authorities banned travel to South Korea, except those who are permanent residents, students who will fly to study and overseas Filipino workers. Meanwhile, those coming from North Gyeongsang Province or Gyeong buk, including Daegu and Cheongdo County are not allowed to enter the Philippines. However, Filipinos and their foreign spouses and children, holders of permanent resident and diplomatic visas are exempted from this restriction. South Korea tallied 4,812 cases of COVID-19 with 19 deaths as of March 3. Accra, Ghana, 28 February 2020 An MoU was signed between the Government of Ghana and the Swiss Federal Council in Bern today to strengthen the mode of cooperation between the two countries under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on climate actions. The bilateral agreement will facilitate Ghanas National Clean Energy Access Programme (NCEP), which will enable the country to receive international financial support to implement projects to fulfill its climate commitments. Although discussions around Article 6 was stalled at COP25 in Madrid, Switzerland and Ghana are responding to the need to implement enhanced climate actions, by moving ahead with an agenda to engage in cooperative approaches, to compliment Ghanas Nationally Determined Contributions to address climate change. The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) of Ghana, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng noted: this is an important moment for the Government of Ghana. This cooperation with Switzerland could open the door to a number of projects that will receive financial support from Switzerland and catalyze private investment into emission reduction activities. ...Whether these projects are keeping the lights on in schools through new distributed solar systems or reducing demand for fuel-wood for cooking systems, the investments and development impacts they will bring are needed, and will allow Ghana to achieve its national development plans. The MoU between Switzerland and Ghana is incredibly unique and in fact only the second of such dialogues taking place globally, with Peru being the first country to have one. Through a close partnership with the Government of Ghana and institutional expertise on carbon market mechanisms, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was able to support and facilitate the dialogue between Switzerland and Ghana and will continue offering this support as the cooperation progresses. Ms. Gita Welch, acting Resident Representative of UNDP in Ghana stated, UNDP has worked hard over the last year with our government partners in Ghana, particularly at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Environmental Protection Agency, to set the parameters of what this cooperation under Article 6 will look like. It is pleasing to see this work crystalised through the signing of this MoU, and we look forward to the months ahead and the eventual signing of a bilateral agreement. We will also work around the possibilities of supporting quick implementation. NCEPs overall goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by expanding energy access through distributed energy systems to residential houses and small and medium sized businesses. The actions being discussed under the agreement could see the installation of solar PV systems for commercial consumers, solar lanterns, solar home systems and provision of improved cooking systems nation-wide. About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. Kindly visit www.gh.undp.org for further information on UNDP Ghana. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Australia has increased by two to 25 as the World Heath Organisation raised the risk of the spread of the disease to 'very high'. A 79-year-old west Australian woman has tested positive after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. A 63-year-old woman who has recently returned from Iran is in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Hers is the first coronavirus case in Australia with no links to China, which is a worrying development because that means the virus is now spreading in overseas communities outside of the virus epicentre. Coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people globally and can cause severe lung damage and trigger multiple organ failure According to the Australian health department there are 84,117 cases world wide and 2872 reported deaths. 'The continuing increase in the number of cases and number of affected countries over the last few days are clearly of concern,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesushe said in Geneva. He said that 24 Covid-19 cases have now been exported from Italy - the worst-hit country in Europe - to 14 countries and that 97 cases have been exported from Iran to 11 countries. The UN health agency had previously labelled the global risk as 'high' but still short of calling it a pandemic. The Australian government is already putting in place plans to tackle a pandemic. In particular, it is looking at how aged care facilities could be locked down in the case of a coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says while some countries such as Japan are looking at closing schools, there is no need to do that in Australia based on current medical advice. However, the virus known as COVID-19 affects the elderly more. 'The bigger impact would be in things like aged care facilities, the ability to lock those down, and to have the right care and support to those who are working in those places,' Mr Morrison said on Friday. Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured) Health ministers who met in Melbourne on Friday agreed the Commonwealth would take the lead on an aged care advanced planning process. 'Those who are elderly or those who have difficulties with their immune system are most at risk and that is why they are absolute top priority,' federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said. Aged care providers received a letter this week from Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy outlining the need for them to have emergency plans in place. 'While the number of cases of COVID-19 is currently small in Australia, it is possible that this situation could change and services need to plan and be prepared for this,' he wrote. Federal opposition frontbencher Jason Clare said the government is doing the right thing even though the WHO has yet to declare a pandemic. 'They have followed the advice of the chief medical officer ... they have followed the advice of the experts,' Mr Clare told ABC television on Saturday. Officials with the Lake Oswego School District are expected to hold a news conference at noon Saturday after an employee at Forest Hills Elementary School was diagnosed as Oregons first presumptive case of coronavirus. 12:30 p.m. Lake Oswego School District Superintendent Dr. Lora de la Cruz said that district officials would be working with state agencies to formulate a plan to discuss coronavirus with parents, teachers and students. Mary Kay Larson, communications director for the district, said she had received many calls from concerned parents. 12:25 p.m. De la Cruz said that any staff members who felt ill were being asked to stay home and that the district would have an adequate number of substitutes to cover any staffing shortages. De la Cruz said that, despite the fact that Forest Hills Elementary School would be closed until March 4, they likely would not have to add any additional school days to the end of the year. She said the district had been planning for the possibility of a coronavirus diagnosis in the school district. When de la Cruz was notified by the Oregon Health Authority that one of her employees had been diagnosed with the illness, it was a somber moment. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE 12:20 p.m. Asked if the community could help, de la Cruz said the person who was diagnosed with coronavirus was being well cared for and their identity would not be released for privacy reasons. She declined to comment on whether the district had seen an elevated level of absences. Dr. Sara Present, deputy health officer for the tri-county region, said that school closures can be incredibly impactful for families and officials are asking businesses to work with their employees to accommodate child care. Dr. Sara Present, deputy health officer for the tri-county region, said theyre still learning about the virus, but respiratory issues are still more likely to be common cold or influenza pic.twitter.com/r2BxVWRlcH J. Ramakrishnan (@JRamakrishnanOR) February 29, 2020 12:15 p.m. Lora de la Cruz said there is no reason to believe that any other schools in the district have been effected and no other closures are expected at this time. De la Cruz said an industrial cleaning crew was at the school on Saturday, evaluating the site and that cleaning could being as soon as this weekend. 12:05 p.m. De la Cruz said that the last the time the infected employee was in the school was Feb. 19. Using that date, officials decided to close the school until March 4 to allow for a deep cleaning of the school, for employees to rest and remain healthy and for the recommended 14-day period to elapse. The closure was done out of an abundance of caution, she said. Dr. Lora De La Cruz, superintendent of LOSD, said they were advised that they didnt have to close Forest Hills but did so out of an abundance of caution pic.twitter.com/Vd4WKTlDbr J. Ramakrishnan (@JRamakrishnanOR) February 29, 2020 The affected employee is not thought to have had extensive contact with students. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school Coronavirus in Oregon: Some are calm, some definitely not Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Washington coronavirus: Governor declares state of emergency -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 @sfkale Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. It was Blue Peters golden era, when star presenters jetted off to far-flung locations to give youngsters a glimpse of the wider world. Peter Purves now blames those jaunts for the skin cancer he has spent six years battling. The veteran television host, a member of the clean-cut presenting team which helped draw millions of young viewers during the BBC shows heyday, has revealed his fight against an aggressive form of the disease. The 81-year-old said it was the result of travel to exotic destinations such as Ivory Coast and Ethiopia in an era when warnings about sun damage were rare. After being diagnosed with melanoma in 2014, he got the all-clear eight months ago. Peter Purves with John Noakes and Valerie Singleton in Mexico in 1970 He told The Mail on Sunday: I travelled to 27 countries with Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s. We were going to places like Morocco on safari in a Land Rover, to where David Lean filmed Lawrence Of Arabia, very remote. I went to the Ivory Coast, to Ethiopia and Mexico at a time when very few people travelled. We had medical checks at the BBC before we went and we were given salt and malaria tablets so none of us suffered from the local diseases. But I would put oil on my skin and fried myself, which is probably why I eventually ended up with melanoma. I either fried it or I didnt protect my skin at all. It was just stupid. The doctors asked me what my background was. I told them and they just nodded. I hadnt even heard of skin cancer back then. It takes time and eventually it shows itself. The disease can result from DNA damage caused by the suns UV rays. It may occur in the first few years after exposure, but cases can also develop from sun damage that happened decades earlier. Peter Purves in Ethiopia for the 'Stampede Appeal' in 1973 to raise funds for drought and famine victims Melanoma kills about 2,500 Britons every year. Speaking about his diagnosis, father-of-two Purves said: It was a bit of a shock. They cut it out and got rid of it. They knew the cancer was moving to the lymph nodes so they took them out too. The NHS handled it the right way. I had lymphoma afterwards because of having the lymph nodes removed. That caused problems for a few months. My wife was very worried and Im sure my children and my sister were. We all were, but I came through it. Youre vulnerable, but I think Im in reasonably good nick for an old un. He added: I had a brilliant surgeon. He did a brilliant job. I cant praise the medical staff enough. They were fantastic. Despite his health scare, Purves said he has no plans to retire from a career that began in 1965 when he co-starred opposite Bill Hartnell in Doctor Who Despite his health scare, Purves said he has no plans to retire from a career that began in 1965 when he co-starred opposite Bill Hartnell in Doctor Who. Two years later he became a regular on Blue Peter, working with John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Lesley Judd. He stayed with the show until 1978. A lifetime animal-lover, Purves also spent 41 years as the voice of Crufts before Channel 4 unceremoniously axed him in December, a decision he criticised as ageism. Now cancer-free, he has been asked by the Kennel Club to return to Crufts this week to present the Best In Show award. Im delighted because I love being at Crufts and meeting everyone, he said. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Three Florida Department of Health labs are now able to test for the new coronavirus, cutting wait times significantly for results, state officials said Saturday. State health officials said in an email that labs in Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami can conduct the tests, which previously had to be sent to federal labs. The upshot is the results should be available 24 to 48 hours instead of three to five days, officials said. The most important thing is it will bring down the average testing time, said Deputy Health Secretary Shamarial Roberson in a telephone interview. It helps address this in a more efficient time. Florida officials had been awaiting approval for one component of the test from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Roberson said. That approval came Friday. The announcement comes a day after health officials and Gov. Ron DeSantis said no cases of the virus, also known as covid-19, have been reported in Florida, but four people who may have been exposed in China and have exhibited possible symptoms are awaiting test results. Another 15 similar people tested negative. In addition, more than 150 Floridians who have returned from China but have not shown symptoms are being monitored until the diseases two-week incubation period passes and asked not to have contact with others, the officials said. The development on the state lab testing was first reported by the Miami Herald. Florida had been waiting for federal officials to allow them to do their own lab testing. It comes as the first reported U.S. death from the virus was reported in Washington state. President Donald Trump said at a White House news conference Saturday that 22 people in the U.S. have been stricken by the new coronavirus, including the just-reported death and four are deemed very ill, and that additional cases are likely. The U.S. has a total of about 60 confirmed cases. Trumps number seems to exclude cases of Americans repatriated from China or evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The U.S. is banning travel to Iran in response to the outbreak of the virus and elevating travel warnings to regions of Italy and South Korea. Trump said the U.S. is also considering restricting travel from Mexico across the southern border. File photo According to The Nation, the Katsina state Government through its Ministry of Health Friday declared that it is on the highest state of alert to curtail the spread of the dreaded Corona Virus following news report that Nigeria has recorded its first case of the virus in Lagos State on Thursday February 27 The Executive Director, State Primary Health Care Development Agency, PHCDA, Dr Shamsudeen Yahaya told The Nation exclusive yesterday in Katsina, that the State Ministry of Health together with SPHCA are aware of the confirmation case of Corona Virus in Nigeria and have already activated the Emergency Operation Centre, EOC, and have remained on the highest alert level He said we continue to sensitize the general public about Covid -19; this will include symptoms and how to prevent the spread also the engagement of Traditional and Religious Leaders to sensitize the public. He further disclosed that the agency have already embarked on the production of Information, education and communication materials on Corona Virus, the training of Health Care workers and as well as Disease Surveillance and Notification officers. 5.2k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump was caught off guard by the first US coronavirus death, so he opened his press conference babbling about Afghanistan. Trump said in part: Theyre incredible people, incredible spirit. Id go to Walter Reed and see them so often and the spirit; they wanted to go back. Despite their wounds, they always said I want to go back. Wounded warriors are incredible people. I guess most of all I want to thank all of the people in the United States for having spent so much in terms of blood, in terms of treasure and treasury, the money that has been spent, the lives that have been lost, and we just signed an agreement that puts us in a position to get it done, bring us down to in the vicinity of 8,000 troops. The United Nations was informed of everything, and NATO has been great. Video: Trump sounds out of it as he keeps babbling about Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/qL0TP2D32K Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 29, 2020 When Trump got around to mentioning the coronavirus, he tried to minimize the risk and the news. Trump even tried to blame the patient who died for being high risk: Trump tries to minimize the first US coronavirus death by calling the woman a high-risk medical patient. pic.twitter.com/covMRJInmw Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 29, 2020 The whole point of the press conference was to minimize the coronavirus and deal with the political fallout of the administrations incompetence. Trump held a press conference to minimize the US coronavirus outbreak, and it has been a total disaster. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook Is This A Repeat of February 2018 Stock Market Crash? Back in early 2018, after a dramatic rally in early January 2018, the US stock market collapsed suddenly and violently falling nearly 12% in a matter of just 9 trading days. Our researchers asked the question, is the current collapse similar to this type of move and could we expect a sudden market bottom to setup? Although there are similarities between the setups of these two events, our researchers believe there are two unique differences between the selloff in 2018 and the current selloff. Well attempt to cover these components and setups in detail. Make sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals newsletter before closing this page so you dont miss our next special report! First, the similarities: _ The contraction in market price just before the end of the year in 2017 was indicative of a market that had rallied to extended valuation levels, then stalled in December as the year-end selling took over. _ The renewed rally in early January was a process of capital re-engaging in the market as future expectations continued to drive and exuberant investor confidence in the markets. These two similarities between 2018 and 2020 seem fundamental. Yet, there are differences that may drive a further price contraction event beyond what we saw in 2018. _ The US/China trade deal disrupted market fundamentals over the past 6+ months and established a more diminished function of global economics as the trade tensions continued _ The foreign market capital shift process, where foreign capital poured into the US stock market over the past 12+ months and supported the US Dollar was a process of avoiding foreign market risks. This process trapped a large portion of foreign capital in the US markets prior to the 2020 collapse. _ Global geopolitical functions are far more fragile than they were in 2018. After BREXIT was completed and prior to the signing of the US/China trade deal, a number of concerns existed throughout the world and are still valid. _ The Wuhan Corona Virus has changed what global investors expect and how both supply and demand economic functions are being addressed world-wide. The potential of an early price bottom setting up after this 2020 price collapse is very real. Yet, the ultimate bottom in the markets may be much lower than the 11% or 12% price decline that happened in 2018. The scale and scope of the Corona Virus event, should it continue beyond April 2020 (and possibility well into June or July 2020), could extend the price decline even further. Ultimately, this extended risk function may push the US and global markets to deeper lows before a bottom sets up yet the outcome may be very similar. After the double bottom in 2018 setup, a slow and stead price advance continued until the SPY price rallied to new highs in September 2018. A very similar type of price activity may take place in 2020 after the ultimate bottom in price sets up. Our researchers believe the ultimate bottom in the SPY will likely happen near $251 near the middle of the 2018 price range. Ideally, the event that takes place to create this price decline will likely happen in a waterfall event structure. This means we may see a series of 3 to 9+ day selloffs culminating in a major market bottom near $251. If our research team is correct in this analysis, a bottom will likely form in the SPY and near $251 to $265 where and extended bottom pattern may setup. We may see a double-bottom type of pattern as we saw in 2018. Ultimately, we believe the bottom will setup sometime in mid-2020 and the remainder of the year will continue to support an extended price rally into the end of 2020. Are we looking at a similar type of price event like we saw in early 2018? Ideally, yes. Although, we believe this downside price move will be deeper in terms of the total price decline (likely 18% to 25%) and will end when price valuation levels reach a point where global investors feel opportunity exists beyond risk. Right now, we believe an incredible opportunity for skilled investors is present and that incredible market sector price rotations are taking place. We believe the devaluation process will move the markets lower by at least 15% to 20% or more. That suggests the bottom in the SPY is likely near $251 before we see any real opportunity for price to form a support base and begin to rally higher. As a technical analysis and trader since 1997, I have been through a few bull/bear market cycles. I believe I have a good pulse on the market and timing key turning points for both short-term swing trading and long-term investment capital. The opportunities are massive/life-changing if handled properly. I urge you visit my ETF Wealth Building Newsletter and if you like what I offer, join me with the 1-year subscription to lock in the lowest rate possible and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial market and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis. Join Now and Get a Free 1oz Silver Bar! Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Two maps showing how the pollution above Beijing and Shanghai has cleared (Picture: Nasa/European Space Agency) Satellite images from Nasa show pollution over China has cleared due to the coronavirus epidemic closing factories and keeping people inside their homes. The Chinese government has operated strict curfews and isolation policies to curtail the spread of the deadly virus that has killed more than 2,850 people globally. This has partly led to a decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels over the past eight weeks, according to Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA). Fei Liu, Air Quality Researcher at Nasas Goddard Space Flight Center, said: This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event. Read more: British man who was on Diamond Princess cruise ship dies of coronavirus A map showing how Wuhan has changed since January (Picture: Nasa/European Space Agency) Nasa and the ESA used pollution monitoring satellites to analyse the changes and then released two maps to show the differences. The first map shows how Beijing and Shanghai was covered with large clouds of gas for most of January. In the second map from February, this drastically changed after the air cleared when coronavirus epicentre Wuhan and other areas were put in lockdown. Read more: Experts condemn 'incredibly irresponsible' reports of dog contracting coronavirus A man walks on an empty street in Wuhan (Picture: Getty) A man wears protective clothing as he rides a motorbike on an empty street in Wuhan (Picture: Getty) The levels of nitrogen dioxide, which is emitted by cars and factories, initially started to drop in Wuhan when roads and businesses were shut. The drop in nitrogen dioxide was also helped by new environmental regulations and the Lunar New Year holiday when people were off work. Read more: UK territory of Gibraltar bans people entering from coronavirus-hit areas Meanwhile, a further three patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 23. Two of the patients had recently travelled back from Italy while the other had returned from Asia, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said. The three cases one in Gloucestershire, one in Hertfordshire and another in Berkshire are being investigated and any individuals who had contact with the patients are now being traced. More than 10,000 people in the UK had been tested for the virus, also known as Covid-19 with 23 confirmed as positive. The number of people sickened by the virus climbed to more than 85,000 globally on Saturday. This isnt to say that Pence is the best person for the job, plainly. But the White House may be the least relevant component of our present defenses against this bug. Far more important are the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where scientists are working overtime to develop more -effective tests and a vaccine. Clinical trials are underway on a vaccine, but were a year away from an inoculation for the general public, according to Francis Collins, head of NIH. WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump`s quest for a second term received a boost on Saturday from a deal with the Taliban for a troop pullout from Afghanistan, but it could take time - possibly years - before all US forces come home from America`s longest war. The fruit of more than a year of on-and-off talks, the agreement, signed in Doha on Saturday, lets Trump claim a major foreign policy success, a prize that has eluded him on North Korea, Venezuela, Iran and other priorities. The accord, however, faces numerous potential obstacles, such as sabotage by spoilers like dissident Taliban commanders. And while the Republican president or a successful Democratic challenger in the November 3 US election could order a total pullout before peace is secured, that would risk a Taliban takeover and a resurgence of al Qaeda Islamist militants that could require a new US intervention. "A complete withdrawal of US forces raises the possibility that Afghanistan will become another safe haven for terrorist organizations under a Taliban government," said Seth Jones, a former adviser to US special forces in Afghanistan with the Center for Strategic and International Studies thinktank. "The Taliban continue to have a close relationship with al Qaeda." The accord signed in Qatar calls for a long-planned initial drawdown to 8,600 U.S. troops from some 13,000 within 135 days. But it ties further decreases to the Taliban doing things they may find difficult, especially cutting decades-old ties with al Qaeda and other militant groups so deep they include inter-marriages. "Our commitment to act on the drawdown is tied to Taliban action on their commitments in the agreement, which include in detail the counter-terrorism commitments," said a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We will be the ones who look at what the Taliban do and determine whether or not they`re meeting their commitments." US officials also stressed that the pace of the drawdown depends on progress in so-called intra-Afghan peace talks due to follow Saturday`s signing. "The core trade, if you will, is action on CT (counter-terrorism) for drawdown," said the administration official. "But the agreement also calls on them (the Taliban) to enter into negotiations, be serious about those negotiations," including seeking an early "comprehensive and permanent ceasefire." U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in Kabul on Saturday that the United States would remain committed to Afghan security forces and while the signing of the historic accord was a good step, the road ahead would not be easy. "This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning. The road ahead will not be easy. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require patience and compromise among all parties," Esper said while standing next to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "If the Taliban uphold the agreement, the United States will begin a conditions-based, and I repeat conditions-based, reduction in forces," Esper said. He added if the Taliban did not live up to commitments, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement. In Doha, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Taliban must keep its promise to cut ties with Al Qaeda and keep fighting Islamic State. He also called on the group to embrace progress achieved by women and girls since 2001. Some experts warn that the peace negotiations due to open in Oslo by March 10 could drag on for years because of the Afghan parties` profound ideological and political differences. Even before getting to talks with the Taliban, the country`s two main political rivals, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, must settle a long-running dispute over which officials, opposition members and civil society activists to name to negotiate with the insurgents. That process was further complicated last month when both Ghani and Abdullah claimed to have won a disputed Sept. 28 election. AL QAEDA`S "SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY" The requirement that the Taliban cut ties with al Qaeda may be one of the agreement`s hardest provisions to implement and - for US intelligence - verify. Al Qaeda plotted the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people under the protection of Taliban rulers who were ousted by the subsequent US-led invasion. Al Qaeda members have married into Taliban families, trained their fighters and enjoy protection under Pashtun tribal code, experts say. A United Nations report in January said al Qaeda representatives have been shuttling between various factions of the Taliban and field commanders, urging them to reject negotiations with the Afghan government and promising to increase financial support. "If a peace agreement is reached, al Qaeda intends to develop a new narrative to justify continuing armed conflict in Afghanistan," said the report, which estimated there are up to 600 al Qaeda fighters there. The accord applies only to Taliban-held territory and not sanctuaries the insurgents have enjoyed for decades in neighbouring Pakistan, where their leaders are believed to maintain ties with al Qaeda and other militants. A British government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, doubted the Taliban would completely break with al Qaeda. "The Taliban basically just want the U.S. out and promise things that don`t come to fruition to get that," the British source said. "I would be amazed if they disassociated themselves absolutely and honourably. I would be quite amazed." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 20:42:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Dancers of a local ballet troupe demonstrate movements during an open course on live stream, in east China's Shanghai, Feb. 29, 2020. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the art group has canceled its on-site open course and moved it online. (Xinhua/Ren Long) ONTARIO, Calif.Pleasure products manufacturer CalExotics is asking for help and offering a reward following a break-in at the company. Sometime after business hours on Feb. 26, individuals entered the building and took a substantial amount of high-end products, as well as a truck with the license plate number 31268W2. We are taking this situation very seriously and offering a $10,000 reward for the return of our merchandise, CalExotics CEO and founder Susan Colvin said in a letters to customers and more. We are also offering a $25,000 reward for the return of our merchandise, vehicle and direct information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this crime. Remember, if you are offered products to sell from an unknown dealer, or the price seems too good to be true, this could be stolen merchandise., she aded. Please contact us immediately. Anyone with information on the break-in can contact CalExotics CFO Don Ma at (909) 465-4951. By Eli Walsh Bay City News Service BERKELEY - Five years ago, Summer and Ryan Erickson were watching the 2016 Academy Awards from a hospital room at Sutter Health's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, just hours before their twin boys were delivered three months premature. "I remember looking at Leonardo DiCaprio in his tux and all the glitz and glamour of that evening and I was like 'he is having a very different evening than we are right now'," Summer Erickson said. Miles and Walter were born 11 minutes apart on two different days -- Miles at 11:58 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2016, and Walter at 12:09 a.m. on Feb. 29. They were 14 weeks premature and both weighed just over 2 pounds. On Friday, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center held a birthday party for the twins, reuniting them with doctors and nurses who cared for them for 69 days in the facility's neonatal intensive care unit. The 4-year-old boys, in matching outfits, enjoyed the frog-themed birthday party, complete with photos of their time in the NICU and large slices of chocolate birthday cake. Both received frog stuffed animals as presents and swiped frosting off the cake as their parents chatted with the nurses and hospital officials they got to know so well in 2016. Summer, 42, and Ryan, 37, said they're planning an extravagant party this weekend to celebrate the twins' birthdays together. Summer Erickson estimated they've received about 180 "yes" RSVP responses for the party. "It's like we're throwing a wedding," she said. Sutter Health clinical nurse specialist Alison Brooks said the hospital wanted to honor Summer Erickson and have a party, adding, "it's also very sweet that the boys come back to where they started." Summer Erickson said her pregnancy started to complicate around the halfway point and she started visiting the hospital every week or two to ensure the babies' health wasn't compromised. She began to feel contractions just after the 25th week and planned to visit the hospital again, expecting the doctors at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center to reassure her that the twins were in good health as they had during her previous visits. "We just kind of thought we'd go on our merry way and I come in and they said, 'well you're going to be here until you deliver'," she said. In addition to the twins' premature birth, Walter was in the breech position, necessitating an emergency cesarean section. Miles, by contrast, "came flying into the world," Summer said. After spending so much time in the intensive care unit, Summer Erickson called the hospital's staff her family and repeatedly expressed how grateful she and Ryan feel for their care and support. "We're grateful for (our doctors and nurses) every single day," Alta Bates Summit Medical Center interim CEO David Clark said. "And I know they've touched your lives." Babies born at 25 weeks can face myriad complications, both short- and long-term, Brooks said, including cerebral bleeding, difficulty walking and reading properly, a higher risk of infection, heart problems and intestinal rupture. However, Miles and Walter have avoided any health complications since their birth and are now "healthy, happy little boys," Brooks said. In the future, the Ericksons plan to throw birthdays for Miles and Walter on Feb. 28 in non-leap years and "throw a bomb party" for them every four years. The pregnancy's turbulence surprised Summer Erickson in particular because of how easy the birth of the couple's first son, now 8-year-old Bruce, transpired. "I couldn't wait to be pregnant again, like, literally could not wait," she said. "It was the smoothest, easiest, I felt amazing." Since 2020 is the first leap year since Walter and Miles' births, Summer said Bruce will occasionally tell Walter he's "zero" rather than four. "It's kind of hard to grasp," she said. Ultimately, after spending so long in the hospital and receiving "one piece of fortune after another," Summer said, the couple brought Miles and Walter home in May 2016. "We went home, the day before Mother's Day," Summer said, watching Miles and Walter cut their birthday cake. "Amazing Mother's Day." 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 US Navy said Thursday that a Chinese military warship fired a military-grade laser at US Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft last week while it was flying over the Pacific Ocean, an action that the US Navy called "unsafe and unprofessional." In another statement, the use of military lasers was hostile to aircrew and sailors that affects ship and aircraft systems. Lasers that are aggressively pointed at aircraft cockpits could blind pilots while in flight. These non-lethal weapons are dangerous even at a great distance. American defense officials informed CNN that formal diplomatic protests called Demarche will be issued to the Chinese for their aggressive conduct. This is only one of the many incidents that come with the so-called "legal claims" that major areas in the South China Sea belong to China allegedly. The Pentagon said that China is a threat to regional security in the region and a massive threat to peace. Chinese military buildup is an expense at creating armed bases is all about dominance in the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper made this statement about China's occupation in the SCS,"Over time, we have watched them seize and militarize islands in the South China Sea, and rapidly modernize their armed forces while seeking to use emerging technologies to alter the landscape of power and reshape the world in their favor ... and often at the expense of others." Similar diplomatic grievances were issues on several occasions before, this incident with the same use of lasers against military personnel on US aircraft. Also read: U.S. Administration Limits China's Access to Chip Technology One such incident occurred in 2018 where the US and China have military bases in the East African nation of Djibouti. There had been similar circumstances in which the Chinese intentionally causing harm to the pilots flying a US C-130J plane. Malicious Chinese activity in Djibouti is done by using a laser to interfere with American aircraft in their base that has injured American flyers as a result. The U.S. reported their diplomatic protest against Beijing, reported by two military officials to CNN. Concerns raise for the safety of U.S. pilots who were ordered to fly with caution near certain areas in Djibouti. However, lasers pointed with ill intent on American airplanes during the last few weeks. Intentionally aiming a laser at a C-130, resulted in two eye injuries to the planes' crew when they were assaulted with military-grade lasers which come from the Chinese airbase. Two U.S. military officials are very concerned that by maliciously targeting pilots is a cause for a major accident. Lasers that are graded for full-bore military use are also called Dazzlers which projects a laser light that has significant range, meant to disorient pilots in conflict. Though many of the incidents involving the US forces are not a hostile encounter, it was the Chinese who pointed the lasers intentionally. Such actions might lead to untoward consequences related to safety. Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White related that diplomatic protests are in progress asks the Chinese to have an enquiry over their conduct. She added that use of such weapons is dangerous to American airmen. With more incidents like this will frequently happen, some action needs to be taken. If any Chinese warship aimed the laser at US aircraft, this will be dealt with. Related article: China Makes Unmanned Robot Warships While U.S. Navy Plans Two Drone Ships @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. On the second day of his Kabul visit, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met former Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Saturday and conveyed to him India's strong commitment for peace and stability in Afghanistan as well as its views on the peace deal between the Taliban and the US. Shringla travelled to Kabul on Friday, and met the top Afghan leadership including President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh, National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib and acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Haroon Chakhansuri. In the meetings, the foreign secretary conveyed to the Afghan leaders India's support to government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace and stability through an inclusive and Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled initiative. About Shringla's talks with Karzai, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted that a wide range of issues figured in the meeting. Recalling Karzai's visit to India in January this year, the foreign secretary appreciated his contributions to strategic partnership between India-Afghanistan, Kumar said. The MEA spokesperson said Karzai thanked the foreign secretary for India's development partnership with Afghanistan. "They also discussed the ongoing peace process and developments in Afghanistan," he added. Shringla dashed off to Kabul a day ahead of the signing of the much talked about peace deal between the US and the Taliban in Doha. The deal provides for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan nearly 18 years after their deployment in the country. India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran was to attend the signing ceremony where the US and Taliban will ink the peace deal. It will be for the first time India will officially attend an event involving the Taliban. India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan as it has already spent around USD 2 billion in reconstruction of the war-ravaged country. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. Ahead of peace deal, India conveyed to the US that pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror networks operating from its soil must be kept up though Islamabad's cooperation for peace in Afghanistan is crucial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The eighth edition of Research Methods in Social Work has received a William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award, and the first edition of Women Leading Change in Academia: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper has received a Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA). Research Methods in Social Work, authored by Dr. David Royse, is one of seven textbooks to earn the McGuffey Longevity Award, which recognizes textbooks and learning materials whose excellence has been demonstrated over time. The award bears the name of William Holmes McGuffey, whose influential primers helped bring the United States out of frontier literacy and were in print from 1836 - 1921. To be nominated, a work must be in print for 15 years and still be selling. The 2020 TAA judges shared the following about Research Methods in Social Work: "Research Methods in Social Work is just the textbook many of us who teach research methods to undergraduate Social Work majors have been waiting for. It will make students happy because it presents difficult (and often greatly-feared!) content in a simple, understandable, and engaging way. It will make instructors happy because students will actually read it. Royse utilizes a creative, engaging approach to demystify what some consider intimidating subject matter. The hands-on, user-friendly approach rivals more formal styles used in other methodology textbooks." Authors write because they must, said Dr. Royse. It always feels like time to celebrate when someone else likes a concept and then a draftand particularly when the constructed paragraphs and pages and chapters blossom into a beautiful book that others want to have their own students read. Thank you, Cognella! Women Leading Change in Academia, edited by Dr. Callie Rennison and Dr. Amy Bonomi, is one of eight textbooks honored with Most Promising New Textbook Awards, which recognize excellence in first edition textbooks and learning materials with regard to pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance and design. The 2020 TAA judges shared the following about Women Leading Change in Academia: "Women Leading Change in Academia: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper is an important new textbook charged with tackling a significant problem in higher education in the U.S. The wisdom and advice in this book come from women who have been working in academia for decades, and whose thoughts, explanations, and shared experiences will no doubt enlighten and educate any reader. It demonstrates top notch writing from an impressive group of women who share their experiences in academia in an engaging manner, giving students the opportunity to learn from their personal successes and challenges." This award is meaningful because it honors all of the strong women who work every day and rise in academia, whether students, staff or faculty, said Dr. Rennison. The award is also meaningful because it acknowledges the incredible authors who contributed to this one-of-a-kind volume. We are all leaders who, in spite of structural impediments and cultural biases, are succeeding. My ultimate hope is that academia does the work needed to embrace and honor diversity. We wont stop fighting until this happens. Further, the award sheds light on a well-known, yet under-discussed problem facing women in higher education: the reality of the double bind and its effects on womens leadership pathways, shared Dr. Bonomi. More importantly, the award gives homage to the complex intersectional spaces that women leaders are embracing in their efforts to disrupt power structures, depart and advance from the status quo, and create equitable and inviting scholarship, learning, and practice communities to maximize the impact of higher education. The awards will be presented at TAAs 33rd Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in San Diego, CA, Friday, June 12, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel. These authors are so very deserving of recognition by TAA, said Kassie Graves, Vice President of Editorial at Cognella Academic Publishing and acquisitions editor for both books. David Royses text has made research more accessible for almost three decades, and Callie Rennison and Amy Bonomis book inspires critical conversation and action on timely issues regarding gender and the academy. We couldnt be prouder of what these authors have achieved and how theyve contributed to their respective fields. Read the blog post by TAA to peruse the full list of 2020 Textbook Award winners: https://blog.taaonline.net/2020/02/taa-announces-2020-textbook-award-winners/ In 2019, the Cognella textbook Gateway to Music: An Introduction to American Vernacular, Western Art, and World Musical Traditions by Jocelyn Nelson was the recipient of a Most Promising New Textbook Award from TAA. View the full list of 2019 winners on the TAA blog: https://blog.taaonline.net/2019/02/taa-announces-2019-textbook-award-winners/ About Cognella Cognella is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella Academic Publishing, Cognella Custom, and Cognella Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella Press. Learn more at http://www.cognella.com. About the Textbook & Academic Authors Association The Textbook & Authors Association (TAA) provides a wide range of professional development resources, events, and networking opportunities for textbook authors and authors of scholarly journal articles and books. http://www.TAAonline.net For media inquiries please contact: Natalie Piccotti Director of Marketing, Cognella, Inc. 858-552-1120 x532 The pace of American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is conditions-based and will depend on how well the Taliban comply with the commitments they have made, the White House said on Saturday after the US and the militant group signed a landmark peace deal in Doha. As part of its efforts to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan, the US signed the historic deal with the Taliban in presence of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. An agreement has been reached with the Taliban that secures important commitments that are necessary to finally end the conflict in Afghanistan. While work remains, this progress provides a historic opportunity for peace, the White House said in a statement. "The pace of removal for American troops stationed in Afghanistan is conditions-based and will depend on how well the Taliban comply with the commitments they have made," it said. "Through our negotiations, America has secured strong commitments from the Taliban to permanently sever their ties to international terrorists. As the agreement is implemented, we will be watching closely and making determinations about compliance based on our own judgment and the safety of our personnel," the White House said. The US will begin reducing the number of troops, while sustaining a counterterrorism force to continue dismantling terrorist groups that seek to attack America, the White House said. As per the released text of the agreement, the US is committed to withdraw from Afghanistan all its military forces, its allies, and coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel within 14 months following announcement of the deal. As part of this, the US committed that it and its coalition partners within 135 days of the agreement will reduce the number of US forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and proportionally bring reduction in the number of its allies and coalition forces. The United States, its allies, and the coalition will withdraw all their forces from five military bases, it said. The US also agreed to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, whereas the latter will release 1,000 prisoners by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations. The rest of the prisoners will be released over the next three months. In its statement, the White House said that President Donald Trump was fulfilling his promise to bring "our troops home from endless wars overseas by working toward peace in Afghanistan". Following a successful 7-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan, the US is taking decisive steps towards a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, it said, adding that the US and Afghan governments will be issuing a joint declaration reaffirming our strong partnership, including their continued support for Afghan security forces. "An agreement has been reached with the Taliban that secures important commitments that are necessary to finally end the conflict in Afghanistan. While work remains, this progress provides a historic opportunity for peace," it said. Asserting that the administration will ensure that Afghan soil can never again be used to threaten American lives, the White House said it will always do what is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the American people. Observing that this is a historic opportunity to forge lasting peace in Afghanistan, it said ultimately, it is the people of Afghanistan who must come together to achieve lasting peace for their future. "For its part, the government of Afghanistan has committed to establishing an inclusive national team to participate in intra-Afghan negotiations," it said. "The Taliban have committed to enter negotiations with the Afghan government, its political leaders, and Afghan civil society, including women. Based on these announcements, we call on all sides to continue to reduce violence in Afghanistan as all sides come together to write a roadmap for their country's future," it said. In the meantime, the US will continue working with allies and partners to monitor the situation and preserve the gains of the last 19 years, the White House said. The 18-year-long Afghan war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Some 2.5 million Afghans are registered as refugees abroad and another two million are displaced within their country. The war has cost the US taxpayer more than USD 1 trillion in military and rebuilding costs since the US-led invasion of 2001. More than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade, according to the United Nations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Sat, February 29, 2020 14:14 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067642e3 1 Business Philippines,DefenseMinistry,Pindad,Anoa,vehicle,weapon,medium-tank Free The Philippine National Defense Department has expressed interest in buying combat vehicles from Indonesias state-owned weapons manufacturer PT Pindad. "If our end user is interested, we will get [the combat vehicles] from Pindad and other [Indonesian] industries," the department's undersecretary for finance and material, Raymundo Elefante Elefante, said during a visit to Pindads factory in Bandung, West Java, on Friday. The visit was a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries on logistics and the defense industry. The undersecretary expressed particular interest in Pindad's armored personnel carriers (APC), such as the Anoa and Komodo, as well as in the Harimau medium battle tank recently developed by the weapons manufacturer. Elefante, however, admitted that the 30-ton medium tank might not be suitable for the country. "Our bridges can't hold vehicles of such weight." He went on to say that other vehicles manufactured by Pindad had the potential to complement the country's defense systems. Read also: Indonesia grows muscles as arms manufacturer Pindad president director Abraham Mose said the Philippine representatives could observe the production process at the factory directly, thanks to the MoU. "The government-to-government MoU also allow Philippine representatives to make direct appointments or bidding for Pindad's products," he said. Manila had ordered two strategic sealift vessels from state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, as well as two NC-2121 medium cargo aircraft from state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia. "We have a deal with the Indonesian government to buy military equipment we'll use, while at the same time, we will work to develop our defense industry with other suppliers from Indonesia," Elefante said. Defense Ministry Director General for Defense Potential Bondan Tiara Sofyan, who accompanied Elefante on his visit to Bandung, said the government would support Indonesia's strategic defense industries. We will seize every opportunity. Hopefully, such an MoU for logistics and defense cooperation can support Indonesias defense industries to export their products, especially to the Philippines," said Bondan. (dpk) By West Kentucky Star Staff Feb. 29, 2020 | 08:02 AM Once every four years, February gets an extra day. We call it Leap Day, and "Leap Day babies" get to celebrate their real birthday. But many people aren't aware of why February 29th is necessary.A year is defined as the time it takes the earth to circle around the sun. We need Leap Days because it takes the Earth slightly longer than 365 days to make the circuit. It actually takes 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds.So without Leap Years, we'd be off by about six hours every year. That doesn't sound like much, but over 100 years, it adds up to nearly 25 whole days.Leap Day was tacked on to February because centuries ago, that was the final month of the ancient Roman calendar, which saw March and spring as the beginning of each year.(In addition to Leap Days and Leap Years, there's also a Leap Second. The last one was added on December 31st, 2016, and the next one might be added on December 31st of this year.)Less than 0.07% of the world's population is estimated to have been born on February 29th . That means among America's population of more than 320 million, only about 205,000 people have a birthday today. (Or about 4.8 million people in the whole world.) Dinah Shore is among history's more well-know leap babies.Some unique traditions involve Leap Day. In fifth-century Ireland, legend has it that St. Patrick blessed a law that every February 29th, women were allowed to propose marriage, and men who said no had to pay a fine.An American offshoot of the role-reversing tradition is Sadie Hawkins Day, created in the 1930s by cartoonist Al Capp in his strip "Lil' Abner." Sadie Hawkins Day was when the unmarried women could chase, catch and marry the men of Dogpatch. The concept was adapted in real life as Sadie Hawkins dances where women invited the man of her choice, instead of waiting to be invited. Many schools eventually adopted Leap Day as the day that the dance was held.The comic strip was discontinued in 1978, but Sadie Hawkins dances still take place in many locations in the U.S. and Canada. Democratic Party media are claiming that last night in South Carolina, President Trump said that the coronavirus epidemic is a hoax. Politico headlines: The Telegraph, by no means Britains most left-wing newspaper, headlines: The talking point has been taken up by numerous other Democrats: Did Trump actually say the corona virus is a hoax? Of course not. The claim is idiotic. If the president thought the virus is a hoax, why did he do a press conference on it last week, along with various medical personnel? And why did he ban travel to China at the beginning of the outbreak? This is what Trump actually said in South Carolina, according to the New York Post: President Trump jeered Democrats Friday night for criticizing his response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, saying that it was a new hoax after a failed attempt to remove him from office over Ukraine. They tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia that didnt work out too well, Trump told a cheering crowd in South Carolina. They tried the impeachment hoax. That was a perfect conversation. And this is the new hoax, Trump declared. *** Lets get this right: A virus starts in China, makes its way into various countries all around the world, doesnt spread widely at all in the United States because of the early actions that myself and my administration took against a lot of other wishes. And the Democrats single talking point and you see it is that its Donald Trumps fault, he said. The hoax, obviously, is the Democrats unfounded criticism of the Trump administration. Never in American history have we seen such nakedly dishonest criticism of anyone in public life. The US and the Taliban (the organization banned in Russia) have signed an agreement aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict, BBC News reports. The US and its Nato allies have agreed to withdraw all their troops from the country within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Taliban leaders attended the signing ceremony in Doha in Qatar. Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to follow. Under the agreement signed in Doha, the militants also agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control, BBC News informs. See Full Image Gallery >> LEVI, Finland Utter darkness. It is around 6 p.m. in the Arctic Circle and blowing fat tufts of snow. The LED headlamps on the Porsche Carrera 4S barely pierce the icy path, a steeply pitched logging road. Yet Im full-blast on the gas, eyes straining, realizing just in time that a closing-radius switchback turn is fast approaching. Pointing the nose to the outside of the turn, I cram hard on the brake, wrench the steering wheel left and feel the rear wheels break away. The car goes sideways, and now Im steering while looking out the side window. Get back on the gas and straighten your hands on the wheel, I urge myself, as the Porsche slides through the darkness. Im too wide, and the rear three-quarters of the 911 crashes into a soft snowbank. I add more throttle and the all-wheel-drive system scrabbles through the powder, freeing the car, undamaged. I exhale forcefully. Ive been driving on iced-over forest roads for about seven hours today, and my dopamine receptors need a break. The school that rules Every manufacturer seems to offer an ice-driving experience these days. The majority take place on frozen lakes or flat expanses in the mountains. Weve taken part in a number of them over the years, including Porsches Camp4 in Canada, and theyre generally both a good time and an excellent way to hone car control. But the Porsche Ice Experience near Levi, Finland, is the ice experience to rule them all. It may in fact be the ultimate example of any of the global Porsche customer experiences on offer, eclipsing even a three-day race school in 911 Cup cars I attended at Barber Motorsports in Alabama. The top-tier Ice Force Pro program gives participants a full three days of driving, starting each day in the Arctic darkness around 9 a.m. and ending after 6 p.m., some three hours after the sun has fallen below the horizon. Daytime may be scant, but drive time is not. None of the drivers in our five-person run group is sharing a car, and we get more than 20 hours of actual seat time. Imagine doing that on an tarmac racetrack. Story continues The 7,290 euro price (~$8,000) includes everything except travel. Having a car to yourself is an additional 5,500 euro (~$6,050). Worth it, in my estimation if youre flying all the way to very remote Finland, the extra hours of drive time lead to a superior level of muscle memory. What you'll drive Which brings us to the cars. The new-generation AWD 911 4S is the mainstay, fitted with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 tires and 4-mm studs. We also get a four-hour stint in naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive 911 GT3s, again with 4-mm studs. More novel is a chance to send the brand new, all-electric Taycan spinning around the ice, an electric whine in your ears and crazy amounts of torque looking for grip. (The Taycans get only 1.5-mm studs, requiring more gentle applications of throttle.) Most incredible of all is the time spent with the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, a genuine race car. Its toothy 5-mm studs translate to great grip and the ability to drive it like a hybrid of traditional racing lines and rally-style flicks. The cars have full race cages and five-point harnesses. Its the only car in which a helmet is required, as is a HANS device. Far more than a frozen lake Lest you think that all the driving is done on flat, featureless, frozen lakes, imagine a massive drifting campus transported to the Planet Hoth, and youre getting there. Its hard to even describe the size of the damn place. There are 76 acres spread across a pristine, snow-skimmed forest. Secreted within that landscape are 41 separate driving courses, each plated with carefully cultivated ice. Many of these are rally-style stages, some miles long. The forest roads are narrow, wending through the trees and over hills and crests, demanding that you navigate through off-camber twists and fast straights. Its an adrenalized way to focus on driving skills and negotiate the different drive systems among cars. Mistakes send you into (thankfully soft) snow walls. Get it really wrong and a Cayman is always on hand to tow you out, after having to awkwardly announce your mistake to the rest of your driving group via radio. (Spin-spin-spin!) Learning new behavior Piloting the 4S may be best described as an intellectual exercise. You want to get around U-shaped corners in a manner that puts the nose pointing toward the exit. That means getting the car turned early by inducing significant sideways action. Pitch the car hard, under braking, and then open your hands to neutral and get back on the throttle. Those last two points are utterly counterintuitive, and can mean your brain is often arguing with your primal instincts (which are telling you to counter-steer, stop the slide, and get off the gas). Once you get it right consistently, you can pretty much keep the 4S sideways for as long as you like by working the throttle. The GT3, conversely, is utterly intuitive to anyone with sufficient rear-wheel-drive experience. It only takes a quick twist of wheel and a sharp shot of throttle to get the car sideways. The side-to-side weight loads and unloads beautifully, leading to dramatic and incredibly fun pendulum turns. My active brain shut off, allowing for quick hands and relaxed shoulders. The steering is tactile, the brakes ideal, the weight perfect. Heaven is something like the GT3 on ice in a beautiful forest, me thinks. My time in the Taycan is short, and somewhat frustrating. Its a far heavier car than, say, the Cayman Clubsport, and Porsche purposely put smaller studs on the tires to reduce grip. Otherwise, the instructors said, it is just too fast on the ice. It goes sideways easily, and one gets the sense of the low center of gravity the batteries sit below the floorboards and of the vast and instant reservoirs of torque. Its a monster on tarmac, but not ideal on ice. Which brings me to the 718 Cayman GT4, probably the best example of this most maximum of Porsche experiences. The sun has only recently risen, and we are piloting our race cars on a medium-length, very-tight track. The snowbanks are tall, and the straights long enough to get a heady amount of speed. I dont think Ive driven anything so directed and delightful on slippery surfaces. The car blurs down a straight, shedding snow under its tires. But with the longer spikes, you can wait until the last moment to brake, the pedal underneath your foot solid and stiff. Then you twist the wheel in a sudden way that youd never attempt at this speed on asphalt, and the world blurs into white as the deftly balanced mid-engine machine pivots, sluices through a corner completely sideways, leaving the nose pointing down the next straight. Power on. The noise is racecar rattle and stressed six-cylinder boxer behind my head, and the sound of tires scraping on ice. It is the sound of crazy freedom in a faraway place. Of the chance to do really crazy things in high-dollar Porsches. Of the ice experience thats a snowpile above the rest. DOHA, Qatar The United States signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday that sets the stage to end Americas longest war the nearly two-decade-old conflict in Afghanistan that began after the Sept. 11 attacks, killed tens of thousands of people, vexed three White House administrations and left mistrust and uncertainty on all sides. The agreement lays out a timetable for the final withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan, the impoverished Central Asian country once unfamiliar to many Americans that now symbolizes endless conflict, foreign entanglements and an incubator of terrorist plots. The war in Afghanistan in some ways echoes the American experience in Vietnam. In both, a superpower bet heavily on brute strength and the lives of its young, then walked away with seemingly little to show. American efforts to instill a democratic system in the country, and to improve opportunities for women and minorities, are at risk if the Taliban, which banned girls from schools and women from public life, become dominant again. Corruption is still rampant, the countrys institutions are feeble, and the economy is heavily dependent on American and other international aid. A patient infected with COVID-19 in Washington state has died, becoming the first person to die of the new virus in the United States. The King County patient is believed to have contracted the virus from community spread rather than travel, officials said. The man who died was in his 50s and had underlying health conditions, according to health officials in Washington state. There was a bit of confusion on that end because President Donald Trump had said in a news briefing Saturday that the person was a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s. Trump characterized har as a wonderful woman. Earlier, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee had referred to the patient as male. It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, Inslee said. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus. Inslee declared a state of emergency Saturday and directed agencies to use all resources necessary to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is a sad day as we learn a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts to keep Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed. Full statement: https://t.co/F3xn4afjG5 pic.twitter.com/yTG6omGcLI Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) February 29, 2020 Amid the increase in cases, the U.S. banned travel to Iran, extending the existing travel ban to any foreign nationals who had been in that country over the past 14 days. The State Department also increased travel warnings and is recommending Americans not travel to parts of Italy and South Korea. Vice President Mike Pence announced the new measures alongside Trump, who said his administration was considering additional travel restrictions, including possibly closing the U.S. border with Mexico. Were thinking about all borders, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Trump said there are 22 people in the United States infected by the new coronavirus, including at least four who dont have any history of travel or known contacts with anyone who has traveled that would tie them to the virus. These four cases include, a woman in Oregon, a high school student in Washington state, an older woman in Santa Clara County, California, and another woman in Solano County. Advertisement The number of confirmed cases around the world crossed the 85,000-mark Saturday. More than 79,000 of the total were in mainland China. A total of 2,941 deaths were reported, including 43 in Iran, 29 in Italy, and 16 in South Korea. The largest outbreak outside China is in South Korea, which reported 813 new cases Saturday to bring its total to 3,150. In Iran, five members of Parliament tested positive, showing how the virus is spreading among the countrys politicians. Tehran has reported over the past week that seven of its government officials, including one of its vice presidents, tested positive for the virus. THOSE who want to secure their drivers license at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) may soon have the option to take the exam in Cebuano. Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade issued a department order to LTO to make the drivers licensure exam available in English, Tagalog or the language common to the region. The order is expected to take effect on Sunday, March 1, 2020. In his Department Order 2020-003 issued on Feb. 14, Tugade directed the LTO to conduct drivers license examinations in English, or other regional language at the option of the examinee. The directive complies with Article 14, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, which provides that for purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein. In the interest of justice and for the effective enforcement of land transportation laws, the DOTr recognizes the need to afford examinees the opportunity to fully comprehend the Drivers License Examination, Tugade said in his order. Directors of LTOs regional offices have 30 days or a month to provide a translation of the exam in their respective regional languages from the effectivity of the order. The drivers license examination will be easily understood by those who will take it if it is in the regional language, LTO 7 Director Victor Caindec said in Cebuano. / HBL / JKV The Victorian Nationals have split from their federal colleagues over the flashpoint issue of climate change, with the state branchs deputy leader saying Australias emissions reduction targets are not ambitious enough. Victorian Nationals deputy Steph Ryan also wants her warring federal counterparts to end their infighting, saying the instability at the top of the Nationals is deeply frustrating. Nationals deputy leader Steph Ryan says Australia's emissions reduction targets are not "ambitious enough". Credit:Jason South Ms Ryan is opposed to building new coal-fired power stations, unlike sections of her party in Queensland and NSW which are clamouring for new coal-burning energy generation. But she says the market, not governments, should dictate when the nations ageing coal-fuelled power stations should close. Hilary Duff has unleashed a war on Disney for a good cause. The actress broke her silence on the issues with the Lizzie McGuire revival that halted production after only producing two episodes. After the star of the series seemingly shaded executives, Duff posted a more extensive response explaining the struggles in continuing the show. Fans are now worried that she reboot will be canceled altogether. Hilary Duff | Sarah Morris/Getty Images Why did they stop production? At the beginning of this year, news broke that the Lizzie McGuire revival had halted production after only two episodes. At the same time, it was announced that the series creator Terri Minsky was always stepping down as showrunner. Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series. After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show, a Disney spokesperson told Deadline in a statement in January. There were no further statements made by Disney or anyone involved in the series. Production for the show stopped as Duff took time off for her honeymoon. Another Disney+ series moves to Hulu Everything in the Lizzie McGuire universe was quite, until this week. Disney+ announced that the Love, Simon spin-off produced for the streaming service would be moving to Hulu. The 10-episode show would make the change because the themes that Love, Victor would tackle were not family-friendly. Disney+ has a very specific demographic that they want to target for the digital platform and executives believed the series was better suited for their sister streamer. Duff was one of many that reacted to the news and made her reaction public on her Instagram Stories. Sounds familiar, she wrote along with a screenshot of the article she read. Series creator reacts to frenzy When the frenzy around the future of the Lizzie McGuire series started, Minsky broke her silence. She explained what led to her exit from the show and what she wished Disney+ would do with the series. I am so proud of the two episodes we did, Minsky told Variety. Hilary has a grasp of Lizzie McGuire at 30 that needs to be seen. Its a wonderful thing to watch. I would love the show to exist, but ideally, I would love it if it could be given that treatment of going to Hulu and doing the show that we were doing. Thats the part where I am completely in the dark. Its important to me that this show was important to people. I felt like I wanted to do a show that was worthy of that kind of devotion. Hilary Duff makes petition Following fan reactions, Duff took to Instagram once again to address the controversy around Lizzie McGuire. Was incredibly excited to launch Lizzie on Disney+ and my passion remains, she wrote in an Instagram post. However, I feel a huge responsibility to honor the fans relationship with Lizzie who, like me, grew up seeing themselves in her. Duff openly asked Disney to allow the fictional character to be a grown woman and not be stuck in the past. Id be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30-year-olds journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating, Duff continued. Its important to me that just as her experiences as a pre-teen/teenager navigating life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable. The former Disney Channel star made the petition to allow Lizzie to live on Hulu just like Love, Victor. It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu, if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again, Duff ended. Is Lizzie McGuire canceled? With all the polemic around Lizzie McGuire fans feel that Disney might just pull the plug of the series and wont be able to see the show anymore. However, after Duffs first message on Instagram, a spokesperson for the company said they were still working on the series. We paused production on Lizzie McGuire a few weeks ago to allow time for some creative re-development, the spokesperson told Variety. Our goal is to resume production and to tell an authentic story that connects to the millions who are emotionally invested in the character, and a new generation of viewers too. As of now it is not known if Disney will move the show to Hulu or keep it PG for Disney+ viewers. New York, Feb 28 The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Behati Prinsloo, Model and Global Ambassador for Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, announced today that they will team up to light New York Citys iconic Empire State Building in celebration of World Wildlife Day 2020. The Empire State Building lighting is one of the global events leading to this years UN World Wildlife Day (3 March) celebrated under the theme 'Sustaining all life on Earth'. The year 2020, known as the biodiversity super year, marks a critical turning point in global action to conserve nature and the planets biological diversity. This years World Wildlife Day celebrations will focus on wildlife as a component of biodiversity in its many beautiful and varied forms, raise awareness of the multitude of benefits of wildlife to people, the threats it is facing, and the urgent need for private and public sector commitments. Behati Prinsloo will flip the switch to turn the Empire State Buildings lights blue (representing SDG 14: Life below Water) and green (representing SDG 15: Life on Land). The buildings mast will be lit gold, representing the plains of Africa, and it will feature an image of a running rhino, as a symbol of the many majestic species that face critical threats. The lights will continue to be visible to the general public on March 2nd from sunset till 2:00 am 3rd March. Wildlife is under immense threat, even in my homeland, Namibia, where rhinos are being senselessly poached. We human beings are doing this to them, yet we have the power to prevent this ancient, noble species from going extinct. Immediate action is needed to conserve wildlife so that our children can grow up with a sense of wonder and appreciation of our rich and diverse planet, noted Behati Prinsloo. CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero said: Wild fauna and flora are part of our everyday lives and valuable for humankind in so many different ways, whether you live next to Gorongosa National Park or in Manhattan. Raising awareness of their value and the threats they face, and pushing for transformative actions in order to conserve them for future generations are the imperative tasks facing governments, civil society, industry and all citizens of the world. Powerful symbolic gestures such as the lighting of an iconic building like the Empire State can galvanize the public and draw their attention to these critical issues. We thank the managers of the Empire State Building for offering such a powerful symbol to celebrate UN World Wildlife Day 2020, and we are most grateful for the important advocacy work of Ms. Prinsloo and the support of our partners at UNDP." The CITES Secretariat is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the global facilitator for the celebration of the World Wildlife Day each year in collaboration with organizations in the United Nations system. As noted by Midori Paxton, Head of Biodiversity for the United Nations Development Programme: Biodiversity underpins all life on Earth. By investing in wildlife conservation and biodiversity, we can realize benefits across all facets of our lives from human health and livelihoods, to climate adaptation, as well as peace and security. We hope that the Empire State Buildings lights will inspire all New Yorkers, and the world, to celebrate wildlife and to help conserve all species for a more sustainable, prosperous future. For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact: CITES Secretariat: Yuan Liu, +41 22 917 8130, yuan.liu@un.org, United Nations Development Programme, Sangita Khadka, +212 906 5043, sangita.khadka@undp.org Empire State Building: Alison McCaffery, UEG / Alison.McCaffery@uegworldwide.com 212-601-9375 About the United Nations World Wildlife Day On 20 December 2013, the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the worlds wild fauna and flora. The date is the day of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. World Wildlife Day has quickly become the most prominent global annual event dedicated to wildlife. It is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the various challenges faced by these species. The day also reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts. About CITES With 183 Parties (182 countries + the European Union), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) remains one of the world's most powerful tools for wildlife conservation through the regulation of trade. Thousands of species are internationally traded and used by people in their daily lives for food, health care, housing, tourist souvenirs, cosmetics or fashion. CITES regulates international trade in over 36,000 species of plants and animals, including their products and derivatives, to ensure their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment. The CITES permit system seeks to ensure that international trade in listed species is sustainable, legal and traceable. CITES was signed in Washington D.C. on 3 March 1973 and entered into force on 1 July 1975. About UNDP UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. About Behati Prinsloo With over a decade of experience, Behati Prinsloo is one of the most recognizable names in modeling. At the age of 16, the Namibian born beauty was discovered while on vacation in Cape Town and since then her incredible spirit and personality have shaped her into a fashion icon. Passionate about the play in many of Africa, Behati has used her platform to raise funds for a variety of charities and endeavors on the continent. Most recently, she joined forces with Save The Rhino Trust Namibia to raise awareness for rhino conservation. As part of her alliance with the organization, she launched a global campaign and ventured to her home country of Namibia last year, entrenching herself in its movement to protect the critically endangered black rhino species and preserve the population. About the Empire State Building Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna top), the Empire State Building, owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., is the Worlds Most Famous Building. With new investments in energy efficiency, infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world. The Empire State Building was named the worlds most popular travel destination in a study conducted by Uber and was named Americas favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. For more information on the Empire State Building, please visit www.empirestatebuilding.com, www.facebook.com/empirestatebuilding, @EmpireStateBldg, www.instagram.com/empirestatebldg, http://weibo.com/empirestatebuilding, www.youtube.com/esbnyc or www.pinterest.com/empirestatebldg/. About Empire State Realty Trust Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT), a leading real estate investment trust (REIT), owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the World's Most Famous Building. Headquartered in New York, New York, the Company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of December 31, 2019, consisting of 9.4 million rentable square feet in 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; and approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio. The husband of jailed British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe believes his wife has contracted coronavirus and has slammed the prison's 'refusal to test her'. Richard Ratcliffe says that mother-of-one Nazanin, 41, has repeatedly asked prison guards at Evin jail in Tehran to test her for the killer super virus. She told her family in a phone call: 'For a long time this has not felt like a normal cold. These symptoms have lasted almost a week. 'I know I need to get medicine to get better. This does not go magically.' The British Foreign Office has now called on the Iranian regime to 'immediately allow' health professionals into the prison to assess dual nationals. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured) has repeatedly asked prison guards at Evin jail in Tehran to test her for coronavirus, her husband Richard said Although there are currently no confirmed cases at the prison, Covid-19 has spread rapidly across Iran, with at least 43 dead amid 593 patients identified. In an update issued through the Free Nazanin Campaign, Mr Ratcliffe said his wife had seen 'no improvement', and called on the Government for help. He also called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'to take charge' and ensure that British-Iranian dual nationals held in Evin are 'diplomatically protected'. Following reports of conditions at the prison yesterday, Mr Ratcliffe said a new batch of disinfectants, gloves, and masks were made available to the ward. 'We are concerned by the prison authorities' refusal to test her and the wider suppression of coronavirus inside the Iranian prison system,' he said. In an update issued through the Free Nazanin Campaign today, Mr Ratcliffe (pictured) said his wife had seen 'no improvement' and called on the Government for help A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are urgently seeking information from the Iranian authorities on reports that coronavirus is spreading in Evin prison, including to British-Iranian dual nationals. 'We call on the Iranian Government to immediately allow health professionals into Evin prison to assess the situation of British-Iranian dual nationals there.' Writing for the i newspaper, Mr Ratcliffe said: 'On Monday we heard reports of cases, on Tuesday of a ward evacuated as a quarantine area. 'By Wednesday there were rumours of prisoners losing their life, as there had been in other prisons across the country. By Thursday, the judiciary was announcing plans to send eligible prisoners home temporarily.' He also called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'to take charge' and ensure that British-Iranian dual nationals held in Evin are 'diplomatically protected' (pictured with daughter Gabriella) Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Government was not convinced by the hardline regime's denials that the global pandemic was affecting inmates at its punishing Evin penitentiary Mr Radcliffe also described Iran's initial response to the virus as a 'bravado' and 'a refusal to acknowledge the extent of the problem'. Last week, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he would 'not always take as authoritative' official Iranian denials of any outbreak of coronavirus at the prison. Commons Leader Mr Rees-Mogg told the House: 'It is a particular concern that the coronavirus has been rumoured - but I emphasise rumoured and not confirmed - to be in the prison in Evin where Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is. 'The UK Ambassador to Iran has raised this with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we're in contact with our international partners on this issue. 'The Iranian authorities have denied this at the moment, but I must confess I for one would not always take as authoritative denials issued by the Iranian Government.' He added: 'The [UK] Government is trying to do what it can in this very serious issue.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport while travelling to show her young daughter, Gabriella, to her parents in April 2016. She was sentenced to five years in prison over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the regime. She was later afforded diplomatic protection by the British Government, which argues that she is innocent and that her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law. Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government looks pensioners in the country as an asset and not a liability as he inaugurated the maiden 'Pension Adalat' and the National Pension System awareness and grievance redressal programme here. The programme was conducted by the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Singh also launched "Do You Know" Twitter Series on Family Pension, along with a booklet highlighting case studies with interpretation of pension rules. "The retired population is increasing in the country and it is in national interest to channelise their energies in a positive manner as this government takes them as an asset and not as a liability. There should be a smooth transition from their active life to retired life," the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office said. Singh said this is the first time that Pension Adalat is being conducted outside Delhi as the government wants to reach every part of the country to get the pensioner's grievances redressed in real-time as aspired by the prime minister. He said the pension adalats will help in on-the-spot redressal of pensioners' grievances which has given the "right of ease of living" to the pensioners. Singh also said Modi has directed that pensioners be provided a hassle-free administrative system to resolve their grievances. He said the grievance redressal system was "quite neglected" before 2014 but the day the present government has taken to power, it has "completely changed". "The grievances have increased manifold from two lakhs to 20 lakhs which is an evidence that the people have a complete faith in the present government. The present government has a grievance redressal rate from 95 per cent to 100 per cent per week and the pension Adalat started a few years ago is proof of it," he said. The minister also said a number of reforms have been undertaken by the government to facilitate the pensioners. He said one of the main initiatives taken was to fix the minimum pension at Rs 1,000. Other initiatives such as Bhavishya, Sankalp, Jeevan Pramaan-digital life certificates, doing away with the obsolete laws and self-attestation, among others have also been taken, he added. Singh said that a real-time portal, a dash board for the security personnel and a toll free number started by the government is proof that the present government is serious towards the welfare of the employees -- serving, retiring and retired. Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, Kshatrapati Shivaji, in his address, said the aim of the department is to provide a social security and a distinguished social life to the pensioners post-retirement. The pension adalats are being convened with the objective of bringing on a common table the aggrieved pensioner, the concerned department, the bank or CGHS representative, wherever relevant, so that such cases can be settled across the table within the framework of extant rules, he said. In the Pension Adalat, 342 cases pertaining to the Central government pensioners of various departments and ministries were discussed and subsequently 289 such cases were settled on the spot. The 53 pending cases were asked to be processed and settled within 15 days by the concerned departments, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that the Bundelkhand Expressway is going to benefit the farmers of the region. "A defence corridor is being made and Bundelkhand is going to be connected to it. Chitrakoot Dham is going to be benefited by the Bundelkhand expressway. The expressway is going to boost the profits of the farmers of Bundelkhand," Yogi said in a speech while addressing a gathering here. "I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for enabling the supply of potable water to every home in Bundelkhand, a scheme he initiated last year. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, 2.5 crore farmers of Uttar Pradesh have benefited from it," he added. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway here at Chitrakoot. The 296-kilometre long Expressway will provide a four-lane access-controlled route in Uttar Pradesh. It will be supplementing the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by the Government of India in February 2018. The state government is constructing the Bundelkhand Expressway which will pass through the districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur, and Jalaun. This expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to Delhi through the Agra-Lucknow expressway and Yamuna expressway as well as play a vital role in the development of Bundelkhand region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jerry Costello II will take on the role after serving as the director of law enforcement for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources since May 2019. Prior to this position, Costello was a state representative for the 116th district from 2011 to 2019. During his time in the House, Costello chaired the Agriculture and Conservation Committee, and served on the Pritzker-Stratton Agriculture Transition Committee. The ruling deals the Trump administration a major setback, even if it proves temporary. A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through US immigration courts. The same court decided to keep another major change on hold, one that denies asylum to anyone who enters the US irregularly from Mexico. A three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the two policies that are central to President Donald Trumps asylum crackdown, dealing the administration a major setback, even if it proves temporary. The question before the judges was whether to let the policies take effect during legal challenges. The Trump administration has made asylum an increasingly remote possibility at a time when claims have soared. By 2017, the US had become the worlds top destination for people seeking asylum. The Remain in Mexico policy, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), took effect in January 2019 and nearly 60,000 people have been sent back to wait for hearings. The court declared the policy invalid, but acknowledged the ruling only applied to California and Arizona, the only border states in their jurisdiction. The other measure with far-reaching consequences denies asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the US border with Mexico without seeking protection there first. That policy took effect in September and is being challenged in a separate lawsuit. Justice Department lawyers asserted that Trump was within his rights to impose the policies without Congresss approval and that they would help deter asylum claims that lack merit. Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argued that the administration violated US law and obligations to international treaties by turning back people who will likely be persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality or political beliefs. BREAKING major wins vs. forced return to Mexico policy (MPP) and Asylum Ban I at Ninth Circuit. Injunction halting MPP is BACK IN EFFECT pic.twitter.com/MnBGFmgJLd Omar C. Jadwat (@OmarJadwat) February 28, 2020 Judges William Fletcher and Richard Paez, who were both appointed by President Bill Clinton, sharply questioned government lawyers on Remain in Mexico during arguments October 1. They voted to block it. Judge Ferdinand Fernandez, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, dissented. Supporters of the Remain in Mexico policy note it has prevented asylum seekers from being released in the United States with notices to appear in court, which they consider a major incentive for people to come. Its expansion coincided with a sharp drop in Border Patrol arrests from a 13-year high in May. The Homeland Security Department called it an indispensable tool in an October 28 report. Opponents say it has exposed asylum seekers to extreme danger in violent Mexican border cities while they wait for US court hearings. Human Rights First, an advocacy group that has criticised the policy, said in January that there were more than 800 public reports of rape, kidnapping, torture, and other violent crimes against asylum seekers who have been sent back to Mexico. The policy was introduced at the border crossing in San Diego in January and initially focused on asylum seekers from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. It expanded to crossings in Calexico, California, and the Texas cities of El Paso, Eagle Pass, Laredo, Brownsville, and included more people from Spanish-speaking countries. The administration on November 22 began busing asylum seekers who crossed the border in Arizona from Tucson to El Paso, Texas, to be returned from Mexico from there, extending the policy across every major corridor for irregular border crossings. With my good friend and fearless colleague @LuisYGuerra walking a copy of the #MPPinjunction over to Mexican immigration officials in Nuevo Laredo to make sure no one is accepted for return in Laredo, TX today. #RestoreAsylumNOW #DueProcess4all #AsylumIsaHumanRight pic.twitter.com/cwJR4bARwG Lindsay Toczylowski (@L_Toczylowski) February 28, 2020 In Laredo and Brownsville, asylum seekers appear for hearings in tents on US Customs and Border Protection property, connected by video to judges in other locations. Mexicans are exempt, as are unaccompanied children. The asylum ban on anyone who crosses the border irregularly from Mexico also drew pointed questions from the judges during arguments. They asked whether the policy violated US law that says it does not matter how people enter the country. The US Supreme Court declined to lift a ruling blocking the ban following an extraordinary spat last year between Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts. The president denounced the judge who ruled against the ban as an Obama judge. Roberts said there was no such thing in a strongly worded statement defending judicial independence. Trump stood behind his comments. The woman who alleges she was flown to London to have sex with Prince Andrew as a teenager has praised the 'bravery' of a former police officer who raised questions about the Duke's 'alibi'. In an emotional tweet, Virginia Roberts thanked the highly respected ex-Royal protection officer for speaking to The Mail on Sunday last week. His claim that the Duke of York may have returned to Buckingham Palace in the early hours of March 11, 2001 contradicts Andrew's account of being 'at home' all evening after taking his daughter Beatrice to Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey. In a tweet, Miss Roberts, 36, wrote: 'Thank you to the brave officer coming forward with his memory of events. Every single shred of evidence helps put pressure on the authorities to do the right thing.' The apparently dismissive comment to his friend who had asked how Andrew was coping with the scandal appears to question the mental health and credibility of Ms Roberts (pictured) The former officer recalled how the Duke arrived by car at the front of the Palace in the middle of the night and he shouted at guards because they did not open the gates quickly enough. He believes it could have been the same night that Miss Roberts alleges she had sex with the Duke at the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell after she was trafficked to London on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet. The account has heaped pressure on the Metropolitan Police to disclose any information it holds on Andrew's whereabouts on March 10 or 11, 2001. The unnamed ex-officer has applied to see his shift roster to confirm his account. The individual, who had an exemplary 23-year career in the Met, said he received messages of support from former colleagues last week. Ms Roberts claims that she was flown to London by Epstein in March 2001 when she was 17 and coerced into having sex with the Duke (pictured together with Ghislaine Maxwell) He explained that he had felt a 'moral obligation' to step forward because Miss Roberts was a victim of sex trafficking. 'These are crimes that cause very real pain and humiliation on the victims, ruins lives and, as we now see, the wounds never heal,' he said. 'It was this one occasion at the Palace with Prince Andrew that stuck in my mind, because it was so unusual and now I realise it may be important to the case.' As the US and the Taliban signed a landmark peace deal, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday welcomed efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan, stressing the importance of sustaining the nationwide reduction in violence, for the benefit of all Afghans. The US and the Taliban signed the landmark peace in Doha on Saturday to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America's longest war. The Secretary-General welcomes efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan. Today's events in Doha and Kabul mark important developments in this regard, a statement issued by Guterres' spokesperson said. The UN Chief expressed his appreciation to the State of Qatar for hosting the talks between the United States and the Taliban. The Secretary-General stresses the importance of sustaining the nationwide reduction in violence, for the benefit of all Afghans. He encourages continued efforts by all parties to create an enabling environment for the intra-Afghan negotiations and a comprehensive peace process, the statement said. Guterres also expressed hope that the deeply held aspirations of the Afghan people for peace will be realised, through an inclusive Afghan-led process with the meaningful participation of women and youth. He reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the people and Government of Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chennai, Feb 29 : Several fire tenders were battling to control the fire that broke out at a chemical godown, here on Saturday, said a fire service personnel. No casualties have been reported. According to officials, 15 fire tenders and several water tankers of Metro Water have been pressed in to douse the fire. Several commercial vehicles parked were damaged, said the police and the fire service personnel. After local residents complained of eye irritation as thick smoke billowed from the godown, they were shifted away. Chennai Commissioner of Police A.K. Viswnathan visited the spot and supervised the operations. New-Domains for Collaboration Tools Posted by Publisher Telecommunication Collaboration tools enable teams to work together despite different countries and time zones. Examples of such tools are: -slack.com -bitrix24 -Dropbox business -Monday.com -Trello -Samepage -G suite Github.com and related sites can be seen as collaboration tools for developers. It is typical for such pages that the user receives a subpage in the form \portal.com/user\ or \user.portal.com\. Some collaboration tools offer to create websites or news for the public. These pages then have a URL such as www.portal/user/news.html. Customers and/or employees of many companies either use these colloboration tools available on the market, e.g. slack.com or special collaboration tools from your own company. Customers and/or employees have to remember long URLs such as www.tool.com / For such cases, Google now offers the new domains as a solution. You register a new domain such as employee.new or workgroup.new and redirects the new domain to tool.com/user244/index.html. To strive for a high ranking in search engines for such a page is lost love effort. The rule will be that search engines don\-\-t list such pages at all. It is advisable to register your own new domain for the bottom of the portals and then redirect to the bottom. This increases the chances of the entire content also appearing in search engines. The new domain is a secure namespace, which means that https is required for all websites under .new. You can also buy a new domain and park the new domain, but it only works in a browser with SSL encryption. The new domain is as Google explains a \top-level domain that is HSTS-preloaded. The HSTS preload list is a list of websites which modern browsers will only load over an encrypted connection\. The uncomplicated creation of a secure namespace through .new is the reason why the new domain is useful for such teamwork projects more than other domain endings. When working on projects, confidential information is often used and it is advisable to protect it using SSL encryption. Hans-Peter Oswald http://www.domainregistry.de/new-domain.html (English) http://www.domainregistry.de/newdomains.html (German) Abdruck und Veroeffentlichung honorarfrei! Der Text kann veraendert werden. Secura GmbH ist ein von ICANN akkreditierter Registrar fur Top Level Domains. Secura kann generische Domains registrieren, also z.B..com, .net etc. und daruber hinaus fast alle aktiven Lander-Domains registrieren. 2018 landete Secura beim Industriepreis unter den Besten. Secura gewann 2016 den \Ai Intellectual Property Award 2016\ als \Best International Domain Registration Firm Germany\. Beim \Innovationspreis-IT der Initiative Mittelstand 2016\ wurde Secura als Innovator qualifiziert und wurde beim \Innovationspreis-IT der Initiative Mittelstand 2016\ im Bereich e-commerce auch als einer der Besten ausgezeichnet. Beim Innovationspreis-IT der Initiative Mittelstand 2012 und beim Industriepreis 2012 landete Secura GmbH unter den Besten. Beim HOSTING & SERVICE PROVIDER AWARD 2012 verfehlte Secura nur knapp die Gewinner-Nominierung. Seit 2013 ist Secura auch bei den Neuen Top Level Domains sehr aktiv. Secura meldet Marken fur die Sunrise Period als Official Agent des Trade Mark Clearinghouse an. ICANN-Registrar Secura GmbH Frohnhofweg 18 D-50858 Koeln Germany Phone: +49 221 2571213 Fax: +49 221 9252272 secura@domainregistry.de http://www.domainregistry.de http://www.com-domains.com Carla Simons and 9-month-old Paxton, who she provides daycare for, enjoy a visit with members of the Richmond Police Department. Shimla/UNI: With detection of first case of Coronavirus in Nepal, Himachal Pradesh Health authorities released a new advisory on Saturday directing surveillance on entry of all Nepali nationals in the state since February 10. State Surveillance Officer of Communicable Diseases Program Dr. Sonam Negi told UNI that after inclusion of Nepal in the list, surveillance has been extended to 12 countries where outbreak of Coronavirus was detected. He said all people entering India from China, Singapore, Thailand, Hongkong, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Italy and Nepal since February 10 were being kept under surveillance. He said that the nodal surveillance officers were asked to scan the arrival of all the people who came from these countries from Feb 10. Since a number of Nepalese enter the state by road after crossing free border with Nepal, special surveillance has been ordered on all border in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, he said. PASCAGOULA, Miss., Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday visited the companys Ingalls Shipbuilding division. During his visit, Gilday toured the shipyard facility and received an overview of infrastructure improvements as well as an update on shipbuilding programs. Adm. Gildays visit today gave us the opportunity to show him in great detail the magnificent shipbuilding facility improvements weve made at Ingalls over the past few years, Ingalls President Brian Cuccias said. Along with Mississippis two U.S. Senators, Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, the CNO got a firsthand look at all four classes of ships we are building for the Navy and Coast Guard. Visits like this give our outstanding team of shipbuilders the opportunity to show off their craftsmanship and commitment to our Navy. Ingalls currently has 10 Navy ships, and three Coast Guard cutters in various stages of production. Adm. Gilday, who was sworn in as the Nations 32nd chief of naval operations in August 2019, also met with crewmembers of ships currently under construction or modernization at Ingalls. To build the most ready and lethal fleet we can, were working side by side with Congress and industry, Gilday said. Todays visit is an important opportunity to see our sailors and the work being done here at HIIs shipyard. Photos accompanying this release are available at: https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file/cno-gilday-visits-ingalls Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned systems, defense and federal solutions, nuclear and environmental services, and fleet sustainment. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: Story continues HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries Contact: Teckie Hinkebein Teckie.Hinkebein@hii-co.com (228) 935-1323 Parliament could be suspended under secret plans to combat a 'worst-case' coronavirus crisis, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Boris Johnson and his Cabinet would use emergency powers to battle a pandemic while MPs and peers were told to stay at home. The startling plans are understood to be part of confidential discussions between No 10 and the Commons authorities. One MP last night expressed fears that such a scenario would leave the Prime Minister in almost 'martial-law' style control of the country, prepared to run the country from a 'war bunker'. But a Cabinet Minister privately warned it would be madness for MPs to continue to meet in such circumstances, describing them as potential 'virus super-spreaders' as they travelled to and from their constituencies. Boris Johnson (pictured) and his Cabinet would use emergency powers to battle a pandemic while MPs and peers were told to stay at home The plans to shut down Parliament emerged as the Government vowed that 'everything possible' was being done to tackle the virus, including plans to use troops to cordon-off affected areas if necessary. Under a virus 'battle plan' and other proposals unveiled last night, Ministers will: Consider asking retired GPs to help with diagnosis and treatment, despite fears many of these doctors will be in the elderly age bracket and at higher risk from the virus; Look in future at encouraging more home-working and discouraging unnecessary travel to help stop the outbreak spreading; Publish an updated anti-virus UK-wide action plan in co-ordination with the devolved nations; Set up a cross-government 'war room' of scientists and communication experts; Outline an 'enhanced' government approach to pandemic preparation and produce a new information campaign to be led by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The Prime Minister yesterday spoke to Mr Hancock and the Chief Medical Officer ahead of further talks today and a full emergency Cobra meeting tomorrow, to be chaired by Mr Johnson. He stressed the vital importance of people washing their hands properly, saying that although coronavirus may very well be a challenge, 'I have no doubt with the help of the NHS and its incomparable staff, this country will get through it - and beat it.' No 10 also suspended its boycott of the BBC's Today programme on Radio 4, with Health Minister Edward Argar giving an inter- view yesterday. The flurry of activity comes after ex-Chancellor George Osborne called for the Government to be on a 'war footing' over the virus crisis and after Labour accused Mr Johnson of responding like a 'part-time Prime Minister'. One MP last night expressed fears such a scenario would leave the Prime Minister in almost 'martial-law' style control of the country, prepared to run the country from a 'war bunker' Separately, it has emerged that soldiers could be used to cordon off areas affected by coronavirus and to transport dead bodies. And under plans being discussed by top brass, large military camps in rural areas such as RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire could be used as quarantine areas for victims of the illness. The MoS can reveal that top medical officers met at Army headquarters in Andover, Hampshire, on Friday to discuss options for the Ministry of Defence to present to Downing Street as part of emergency anti-coronavirus planning. The options could see the Armed Forces providing additional ambulances and body temperature scanning machines which could be used at airports and ports in order to identify passengers carrying the virus. The Royal Army Medical Corps, which is responsible for maintaining the health of servicemen and women, and Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps could also provide hundreds of highly trained personnel to assist NHS staff across the country. Many of these men and women gathered vital experience of treating victims of infectious diseases when they were deployed to Sierra Leone in 2014-15 during the deadly Ebola outbreak which cost an estimated 15,000 lives in that country. Tory sources have dismissed suggestions that suspending Parliament would revive the row over Mr Johnson's controversial unlawful prorogation of Parliament last year, pointing out that any such move would be in the context of a national health emergency. Under secret contingency plans first revealed by this paper in 2018, the Commons would move to Milton Keynes if an emergency meant the Palace of Westminster became unusable. But one Minister last night said a virus pandemic would potentially mean the Commons would not be able to meet in any location, even temporarily. He added that the Civil Contingencies Act already gave the Government 'sweeping powers' in such a crisis. A Commons source stressed that shutting down Parliament was very much a 'last-resort measure', even in a full-scale pandemic crisis. As the number of coronavirus cases in Britain rose to 23 last night, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran pleaded yesterday for workers who have to 'self-isolate' to be offered full pay. She urged Health Secretary Mr Hancock to intervene, saying that workers forced to take time off would otherwise lose out, as statutory sick pay 'only kicks in after three days off'. The Chattanooga Airport Board on Friday unanimously approved the awarding of $25 million to Hoar Construction in order to design and build a new four-level parking garage for the airport. While the current lot can house around 500 vehicles, the proposed parking garage will almost double the amount of spaces available. If all goes well, the project could be finished by next year. Its going to take four to five months for design and to get the permitting. From there, its approximately one year for construction, said project leader Will Gaither. If it were started right now, it would be finished in the summer of 2021. The net total of spaces will be in the neighborhood of about 800. Now that is inclusive of the rental car parking spaces, said Mr. Gaither. But I believe the net overall public spaces will be just shy of 600 spaces. Even though were going to be building the garage over 400 or 500 spaces, when we open the garage, its a 1,300 stall garage, 300 of which are in the bottom level. While the company wishes to be as discreet as possible during construction, Mr. Gaither did admit that there would be some disruptions and inconveniences to travelers. However, he said the company would do everything possible to keep these to a minimum. Our intention is to minimize the impact to the current parking lot, said Mr. Gaither. Unfortunately, just the footprint of a large garage like that is going to take over a good portion of the parking stalls. But our plan minimizes impact to the number of stalls and keeps as many parking spaces open as possible during construction. Mr. Gaither stressed an improved passenger experience when coming up with a design for the parking garage. When asked about what that meant, he spoke about the ease with which travelers would be able to get from their cars to the airport. Its going to be more convenient than it is right now, said Mr. Gaither. The design weve put in place minimizes your walking distance. It brings you to an elevator bank that will carry you from the level you parked on and straight down. And when you walk out of the elevator, youre going to be directly across from baggage claim and the main terminal entrance. The design-build team also includes local architectural firm MBI Companies, American Structural Concrete, International Parking Design and Culp & Tanner Structural Engineers. "We were very impressed by the amount of research and planning the team did to understand the parking needs of our travelers," said Terry Hart, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Airport. "We are confident they share our vision for our parking facility that will provide unparalleled convenience for the thousands of passengers who choose to fly in and out of Chattanooga each year." "Our team very much appreciates this opportunity to design and build an innovative, functional and attractive parking solution for the Chattanooga Airport," said Mr. Gaither. "We are grateful to contribute to the Chattanooga Airport's growing success through this partnership." The parking garage is one of multiple projects in direct response to unprecedented growth over the past years and projected to continue. In 2019, 554,050 passengers boarded flights at the Chattanooga Airport, resulting in a record-breaking 10 percent increase over 2018. In addition to parking improvements, the airport is planning the largest expansion to the passenger terminal since its opening in 1991. Design of the expanded terminal is expected to begin in 2020. Hoar Construction, established in 1940, is a leading national and local provider of construction management, general contracting, pre-construction, design/build and program management services. With a construction volume of approximately $1 billion, the firm provides services to institutional, healthcare, commercial, industrial, hospitality, and retail clients. Hoar Constructions staff of 600 full-time employees work from offices in Nashville, Birmingham, Houston, Orlando, and Washington, D.C. and from project sites across the country. MBI Companies Inc. (MBI), founded in 1990, is a full service architectural and engineering design firm. With more than 90 employees among offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Orlando, MBI maintains licensing in all 50 states. MBI has designed more than $6 billion in construction projects over the last 30 years counting among their clients City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County Schools, Erlanger, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Chattanooga State, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pilot Oil, HGTV/Scripps Network, Provision Healthcare, University of Tennessee Medical Center, as well as dozens of city and county governmental entities. The United States on Friday warned against non-essential travel to Italy, a top destination for US tourists, over the growing coronavirus epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommends that travellers avoid all non-essential travel to Italy. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas", it said in a statement. The State Department raised its travel advice a notch for Italy to "reconsider travel", pointing to a "sustained community spread" of the virus there. Italy has reported 650 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths -- the most in Europe from the epidemic that originated in China, which is by far the most affected country. Italy has urged tourists not to stay away, even as nearly a dozen cities in the north are under a lockdown. More than 5.6 million Americans visited Italy in 2018, the second highest of all nationalities after Germans, according to Italian statistics. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad (L), and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shake hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Hussein Sayed/AP Photo) US, Taliban Sign Deal Aimed at Ending War in Afghanistan All US troops will be withdrawn in 14 months if the Taliban meets its commitments The United States signed a peace agreement (pdf) with Taliban militants on Feb. 29, aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return home from Americas longest war. As part of the deal, the United States would withdraw 4,400 of 13,000 troops in the next three to four months, with the remainder exiting in 14 months. In exchange, the Taliban committed to preventing terrorists from using Afghanistan as a staging ground for attacks. The United States invaded Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Within months, U.S. troops defeated the Taliban and forced the al-Qaeda terrorist group to flee to Pakistan. But the war continued as the United States sought to stabilize the country before withdrawing its forces. The Taliban currently hold sway over half the country. The war has claimed the lives of 2,440 American soldiers and cost taxpayers $750 billion. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the signing ceremony in Qatar. U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the historic agreement. The Taliban terrorist group harbored the al-Qaeda terrorists who plotted and executed the hijackings of four airliners that crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing 2,977 people. Pompeo told reporters after the ceremony that the United States is realistic about the peace agreement and is seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation. He said Washington wont squander what its soldiers have won through blood, sweat, and tears and will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban dont live up to their side of the deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani before a peace signing ceremony between the U.S. and the Taliban in Doha on Feb. 29, 2020. (Giuseppe Cacace/Pool photo via AP) Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar, in which they waved the terrorist groups black-and-white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. President Donald Trump ran for office on a promise to get the United States out of its endless wars in the Middle East. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy Khalilzad. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails. It isnt clear what will become of minute gains made in womens rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of sharia (Islamic law). The United States has a contingent of 8,000 troops serving under the NATO banner and a separate force of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counterterrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces. The total NATO deployment consists of 16,500 soldiers; troops from Germany and Britain make up the next largest contingents with 1,300 and 1,100 troops, respectively. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing to training and supporting Afghan forces. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the United States has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as the ISIS terrorist group. In 2019, the U.S. Air Force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day reduction of violence period, a prerequisite to the signing of the peace deal. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was in Kabul on Feb. 29 for a separate signing ceremony with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. That signing was intended to show continuing NATO and U.S. support for Afghanistan. The road to peace will be long and hard and there will be setbacks, and there is a risk always for spoilers, Stoltenberg said. But the thing is, we are committed, the Afghan people are committed to peace, and we will continue to provide support. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Looking for information on coronavirus? Here are several online resources that offer everything from tips on preparing for a potential outbreak, to information on how to prevent spread. The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with world public health. They have both up-to-date situation reports on cases around the globe, plus a list of widely circulating coronavirus myths. Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. They currently have studies on coronavirus, including a report on 72,000 cases from China's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California Department of Public Health The CDPH is the state department responsible for public health in California and enforces some of the laws In the California Health and Safety Codes. Updates on the latest cases in California and what the state is doing to protect the public as well as answers to commonly asked questions about the virus are available here and information on state guidance on preparedness for schools is available here. County Public Health Departments Alameda County Contra Costa County Marin County Napa County San Francisco County San Mateo County Santa Clara County Solano County Sonoma County News Outlets These are a few of the news sites working hard to cover the coronavirus: The New York Times, Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. SFGATE is a free news service and has a new page dedicated to coronavirus updates. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The CDC is is the leading national public health institute of the United States and has a wealth of information including virus facts that cover symptoms and what to do if you're sick, tips on preventing spread, answers to commonly asked questions and updates on cases in the United States (Note: This page may not be up-to-date with all patients in the country with positive tests.) MedlinePlus MedlinePlus provides health information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. U.S. Food and Drug Administration The FDA is a federal agency responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of everything from medications to vaccines. The agency has updates on conavirus' impact on the medical supply chain, as well as updates on medical countermeasures, vaccines and therapies. U.S. Department of State The State Department responsible for carrying out U.S. foreign policy and international relations has a list of the latest travel advisories. American Red Cross The American Red Cross a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States currently has a template for creating a family disaster plan for any emergency. Federal Emergency Management Agency Part of the United States Department of Homeland Security, FEMA offers an online tool called Ready Kids to help parents and teachers educate children ages eight through twelve about emergencies and how they can help get their family prepared. U.K.'s National Health System General information on the virus from the publicly funded healthcare system of the United Kingdom can be found here. Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. More than 50,000 employees at American Airlines will put on new uniforms next week, three years after a botched attempt that had employees complaining of rashes, irritation and headaches. Its the first time since Americans merger with U.S. Airways in 2013 that customer-facing employees are all wearing the same uniforms, except for about a year starting in 2016 when employees had uniforms from supplier Twin Hill. More than 5,000 flight attendants complained that the Twin Hill uniforms gave them rashes, hives and headaches, and American eventually dropped the supplier. American issued about 1.5 million pieces of the Twin Hill apparel. There were flight attendants that couldnt come to work because they were having problems with uniforms other flight attendants were wearing, said Lori Bassani, national president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents about 24,500 workers at American Airlines. It covered all demographics. It wasnt just people of one age or in one area. The new ones are supplied by Lands End, a popular apparel retailer based in Wisconsin. It beat out 20 other suppliers for the contract after input from unions representing uniform-wearing employees. But in a strange twist, Lands End was sued by Delta flight attendants who said its uniforms made them sick. Last month, Delta decided it would look for new uniforms. About half of all American Airlines employees are required to wear the new Lands End uniforms, including flight attendants, customer service and gate agents as well as workers in the carriers airport lounges. This time around, American Airlines has gone to great extent to make sure the new uniforms dont cause any issues, including offering different materials and opting for a strict international code to make sure they work with all workers, said American spokeswoman Lindsey Martin. American will cover the cost for the first set of uniforms. The cost for replacements depends on which union contract workers are covered under. Everything has been tested right down to the zippers, Martin said. American picked Lands End in 2018 after more than 4,500 flight attendants logged complaints about the Twin Hill uniforms that they said caused breathing trouble and skin irritations. Since then, American employees have been wearing their old uniforms or they have been allowed to buy clothes from retailers. Weve been a scrappy bunch, going out there and finding items that look similar that we can wear to work, Bassani said. The lawsuit brought by flight attendants and other Delta Air Lines workers said chemical finishes Lands End put in the new Delta uniforms were responsible for rashes, vertigo, respiratory issues, anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches. These uniforms are high stretch, wrinkle and stain-resistant, waterproof, anti-static, and deodorizing. Lands End used various chemical additives and finishes to achieve these characteristics, the lawsuit said. The combination of these additives and finishes has an allergic and sensitizing effect on the human body, even if those several additives and finishes are relatively safe in their individual respective quantities. The lawsuit was dropped when Delta decided to pick new uniforms. Deltas uniforms dont have the same strict standards as the ones American bought, but Delta decided to go with the certification as it looks for a new uniform option. Americans new apparel goes public Monday, Martin said. Employees have been testing out uniforms privately since October. One thing that could help is that American is offering materials such as a wool blend, microfiber and even a cotton option. The new clothing drops the traditional American Airlines grey for a more colorful aviation blue color palette and employees can wear scarves and other complimenting pieces with the hue determined by what job they work. American Airlines pilots have been wearing their new uniforms for about a year, made by a supplier called M&H. Kyle Arnold of The Dallas Morning News wrote this story. 2020 The Dallas Morning News Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. As the new coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, it is having an effect on the publishing business. That began with the postponement of the Bologna Book Fair, and now, some American publishers, agents, and service companies are canceling plans to attend the London Book Fair, which is set to run March 10-12. Among the Big Five houses, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan's U.S. trade division have confirmed they will not be sending U.S. employees to the fair. And Hachette Book Group, which at first said its rights team had canceled its trip, said its publishing and sales employees had decided to skip the fair. "After much consideration, and out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, Simon & Schuster has decided it will not be attending the London Book Fair," an S&S spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson noted that staff who were scheduled to attend the fair "are looking at alternate means to conduct meetings with their contacts in the international publishing community." HC said over the weekend that it had instituted a policy to limit non-essential air travel for its staff and in doing so said its U.S. employees, as well as other staff located outside of the U.K., would not be attending LBF. In addition, HC said it was canceling its pre-fair party planned for March 9, and is "currently reviewing its presence at the fair and the attendance of its U.K. teams." One of the largest non-publisher LBF attendees, Ingram Content Group, has also said it will not be attending the event. Citing concern for Ingram's employees, Phil Olilla, Ingram's chief content officer, said the company has curtailed all travel which means the company will not be attending LBF. Another large non-publishing company that regularly attends book conferences, OverDrive, will not be making the trip either, as the company has canceled all international travel. Amazon has also instituted a company-wide ban and Amazon Publishing announced Monday morning that it has "taken the decision to withdraw from participating in the London Book Fair 2020," adding that the Amazon London Book Fair party planned for March 11 has been canceled. A handful of U.S. literary agencies have also decided to avoid LBF this year. Fletcher & Co. and Levine Greenberg have canceled plans to go to LBF, and several other agencies said that will make a decision about attending the fair early next week. Publishers and agents contacted by PW were saying similar things: they were less concerned about catching the virus than they were about being quarantined during a return trip to the U.S. Publishers and agents were also saying that, as the number of cancellations from editors and agents in other countries grows, the number of meetings they have set up is being reduced. One major publisher who is still planning to attend is Penguin Random House, although there are a few caveats. A spokesperson said PRH still plans to load up its booth next week. But, she added, the company has told all U.S. employees, as well as any other employees who need to travel internationally, "if they prefer not to travel to London, the company is fully supportive of that decision." This story has been updated with further information. The Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Saturday expressed resentment over the "arbitrary decision" of scrapping the recruitment exercise of 250 probationary officers and 1,200 banking associates and demanded immediate revocation of the order. Citing various "legal infirmities", the Union Territory administration had on Thursday scrapped the recruitment process of the probationary officers and banking associates, which had started in 2018, and announced fresh recruitment process on fast-track basis through the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). Reacting to the development, Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said the the government 's decision is arbitrary and without any justification. "The government has woken up after two years of the recruitment exercise by a premier recruitment agency for banks. Around 1.5 lakhs candidates applied and appeared for the 1200 banking associates posts and 250 PO posts," he said. He said the government could have procured the fresh result sheet from the recruiting agency and gone ahead with the further process of declaring the result of banking associates while conducting interviews for POs posts, instead of scrapping the entire process without any justified reason. "There should be transparency in every action of the government, as there is large-scale resentment against the decision. The youths of J&K are deprived of the internet facilities and access to various kinds of knowledge based data for the past eight months and if the entire process is now made open for all candidates from the rest of the country, the youths of J&K shall suffer," he said. He also criticized the withdrawal of the recruitment process for class IV posts from various districts, whereas the thousands of candidates appeared twice for the interview. "Some of these candidates had even approached the high court too and the matter is sub-judice but the government has resorted to this action as most of the candidates have become over-aged for no fault on their part," the Congress leader said. Sharma said it appears that the present dispensation is under pressure to pile up the figures of vacancies, by scraping the selection processes of these posts, in view of the opposition pressure to fulfil the promised 50,000 jobs as announced by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik. Expressing concern over the repeated "anti-youth" action of the government, Sharma asked the government to reconsider and revoke the decisions and complete the ongoing selection process for JK Bank and Class IV posts without further delay. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The current tenor in American national life is deeply unsettled and increasingly violent. Violent language online stokes plans for some individuals to commit acts of violence, and too often those acts of violence carry an anti-Semitic edge. A string of attacks in late 2019 left the Jewish Community in the New York area particularly unsettled. In April 2019, a gunman opened fire at the Chabad of Poway, California. That violence followed on the heels of the October 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh shooting not only killed eleven but served as an inspiration for the gunman in Dayton, Ohio, in August 2019. Meanwhile, charges of anti-Semitism are hurled across partisan lines to tar opponents, even as some political statements do indeed carry anti-Semitic tones. Faced with these problems, the United States needs to be building its opposition to both creeping anti-Semitism and the sidelining of religious minorities. To the nations credit, its first President, George Washington, has already laid down a clear marker and an antidote to anti-Semitism. Washington made a powerful statement of welcome for all religious minorities, but he directed it to Americas early Jewish residents. His 1790 Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island is protected as a national treasure by the Touro Synagogue, the letters recipient. In the letter, Washington did two important things. First, he defined the value of full religious liberty for all groups. Second, he extended a hand of welcome by building a bridge between communities with biblical language. Washington wrote the letter in response to an address from the synagogues warden, Moses Seixas, and in fact echoed several important phrases by way of endorsement. Most notably, the line Washington used to describe American governmental policy which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance came originally from Seixass address. Washington elaborated that the only expectation for welcome was that those who would live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. Washington emphasized the value of religious liberty, even as he drew an important distinction between liberty and toleration. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship, he insisted. That liberty of conscience would be protected by the First Amendment, which was then on its way to ratification. Further, Washington observed, It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. In some colonial societies, religious minorities had been tolerated undisturbed but clearly identified as second-class in their civil status. Washington rejected that. Instead, the nation would stand for full religious liberty for all religious groups a liberty rooted in natural rights that the Declaration of Independence had declared came from a Creator. Washington foresaw the creation of a truly American way of religious liberty. Further, he built bridges to the Hebrew congregation by drawing on biblical language. Now, Washingtons biblical references are sometimes elusive as the scholar Daniel Dreisbach has observed he rarely highlighted them, provided references to passages, or set them off with quotation marks. Still, a close reading of the Letter demonstrates at least three biblical allusions. First, Washington addressed the recipients of the letter as the Children of the Stock of Abraham a phrase that echoed Seixas and which was derived from Acts 13:26. Second, Washington wished them good relations with all other American citizens, while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. This, one of Washingtons favorite biblical passages, captured the peacefulness of individual labor and rest in a free and well-ordered state. Washington drew on this vision of liberty repeatedly, as he quoted the words from the Hebrew prophet Micah. Finally, Washington closed with a grace note, as he offered the prayer, May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy. Here, his invocation of God drew upon the Apostle Paul, who declared Blessed be Godthe Father of mercies in II Corinthians 1:3. Thus, although Washington and the synagogue divided over sacred texts, they were bound together by reverence for divine revelation and the power of those words for religion and life. In these ways, Washington articulated a bedrock principle for the new nation. Religious liberty would be protected for all. In his day and ours, this has to extend to those we disagree with, find baffling or distasteful. By learning from the exchange of Seixas and Washington, the country can continue to build a religiously pluralist society built upon principle which will continue to give to bigotry no sanction. Balearic health chiefs have confirmed that the second case of coronavirus in Majorca is that of a Palma woman who travelled to Bergamo in Italy to visit her family. The patient has not been identified but it has been revealed that she has a five-year-old son who has apparently shown signs of also carrying the virus and 19-year-old pregnant daughter. She has not shown any signs of being infected but is under observation as a precaution. By Tim Reid and Simon Lewis LAS VEGAS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The Democratic presidential contenders begin a frantic dash for votes on Thursday after a fiery debate featuring a volley of attacks on big-spending billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who was making his debut on the national debate stage. With two days to go before the presidential caucuses in Nevada and contests looming in 14 states on Super Tuesday on March 3, including California, Utah and Colorado, the candidates will scatter across those four states for rallies and get-out-the vote events. The intensity of the unsettled Democratic race was evident in Wednesday's debate, which featured repeated attacks on Bloomberg for his record on race, history of sexist comments and use of his fortune to push his way up the polls. The former New York City mayor, who has been rising fast in polls since he joined the race in November, seemed uncomfortable and hesitant at times in his first debate. He defended his record and argued he had the best chance of beating Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Rivals Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg all leaped at the chance to go after the media mogul, who has surged in polls by spending hundreds of millions of dollars out of his own pocket on an advertising blitz. They criticized Bloomberg, who has been accused over the years of sexist comments, for his treatment of women as well as his support while mayor of "stop-and-frisk" police policies that ensnared disproportionate numbers of blacks and Latinos. The candidates also accused Bloomberg of trying to buy his way into the White House and said his record as mayor and businessman was not good enough to beat Trump. "Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another," said Warren, a senator from Massachusetts who had her most aggressive debate. Nevada's caucuses are the third contest in the state-by-state race to find a challenger to Trump. South Carolina holds its primary on Feb. 29. Story continues Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has a town hall meeting and a fundraiser scheduled in Los Angeles, and Bloomberg has a morning event in Utah. Warren and Biden will have a town hall that airs on CNN on Thursday night from Las Vegas. Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, has a campaign event in Colorado. Bloomberg entered the race in November and is skipping the early voting states in February. Trump delivered his judgment on Bloomberg's performance with a tweet late on Wednesday: "He was stumbling, bumbling and grossly incompetent. If this doesnat knock him out of the race, nothing will." (Reporting by Tim Reid and Simon Lewis in Nevada, Ginger Gibson and John Whitesides in Washington; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Aiming to make Mumbai free of single-use plastic by May 1 this year in line with Maharashtra government's announcement for the state, the BMC on Saturday said it will take strict action against those using such plastic. In a statement, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation urged citizens, traders and hawkers to not use the prohibited plastic. Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray had, on Friday, announced in the Legislative Council that the state will be made free of single-use plastic items by May 1 this year. The BMC said it had seized 86,000 kg plastic and recovered Rs 4.65 crore in fines since June 2018. The civic body's statement said Rs 5000 will be the fine if one is found using the prohibited plastic for the first time, while it will be Rs 10,000 if one is caught for a second time. Anyone caught for a third time will have to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 and can also be jailed for three months, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joseph Wu, Taiwan's foreign minister, on Saturday accused China of reportedly waging a cyber 'war' on Taiwan in order to disrupt its fight against the Coronavirus. The minister has accused Beijing of using fake news to spread disinformation on the island that China claims as its own. Battle against the spread of Fake News According to reports, the recent Coronavirus outbreak has put pressure on already strained ties between Taipei and Beijing. Recently Beijing had blocked Taiwan's attempts at participating at the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has further deteriorated ties between the two nations. As per reports, China sees Taiwan just as one of its provinces and believes that it does not have the right to join the WHO as an independent member. Taiwan has also called China 'vile' for not allowing the dissemination of real-time information about the virus from the WHO to Taiwan. China claims that Taiwan receives all the information that it requires. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Taiwan Confirms 38 More Cases Of Epidemic Read: Caregiver For Infected Person Is 32nd Coronavirus Case In Taiwan #PRC officials say they care about our health as if we're blood relatives. But while #Taiwan is dealing with #COVID19 originating from #Wuhan, their cyber warriors are waging war to disrupt our efforts. So this is epidemic fighting with Chinese characteristics. I'm speechless. JW pic.twitter.com/mOsZMNpEOe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) February 29, 2020 According to reports, the fake news that China has tried to spread include things like claims that Taiwan is hiding the true number of infected people on the island and that it is much more than the official figure and that the members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party have received a priority on face masks. The Taiwanese government was quick to refute these claims made by what they say is fake news. Taiwan has reportedly announced that it will punish those that spread fake information and has previously also claimed that China intentionally uses fake news in an attempt to undermine Tawan's democracy. On February 29, Taiwan reported five new Coronavirus cases bringing the total number of infected on the island to 39. Read: Dispute Leaves Taiwanese Stuck In Locked-down Chinese Cities Read: Taiwan To Evacuate Citizens From Coronavirus-hit Cruise Ship In Japan (With Agency Inputs) In Russia, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree last week dismissing Vladislav Surkov as his adviser. Given the power he wielded, and his improbable rise, this news has become one of the most talked-about things in Russia. It's not exactly a transparent place, so what has resulted are various theories regarding the reasons for this decision and its potential consequences. Most theories are built around the Ukrainian invasion issue, which has been supervised by Surkov's team for a long time. However, supervising does not mean that Surkov singlehandedly devised and implemented the foreign policy strategy in this direction. Ukraine has a special civilizational, religious, political, and economic value to Russia from the standpoint of its long-term geopolitical interests. And the country's foundation is laid by one person only: Vladimir Putin. He perceives Ukraine (as well as Belarus) as an integral continuation of Russian statehood. For the Russian president, Ukrainians do not have any serious differences with the Russians. It is this pan-Russian or neo-pan-Slavic concept that underlies, deeply, the Russian policy toward Kiev. Any supervisor is just a manager who is responsible for developing certain tactical programs to implement this strategy, nothing more. That includes Surkov. Vladislav Surkov has always occupied a special position in the post-Soviet Russia's management system. He stood at the origins of its formation and modernization. It was he who assembled the modern ideological framework of Putin's Russia using certain conservative, liberal, and centrist details. It became the foundation of the state system functioning. Surkov laid the principles of sovereign democracy in it (which are opposed to the Western model) as well as the idea of national interests' predominance over personal ones, and of total sovereignty that implies the independence of decision-making without regard to the West and East. This system was built to complete a very specific mission: to return superpower status to Russia, the historical successor of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Not surprisingly, in his latest article called "The Long-Lasting State of Putin," Surkov emphasized that the current stage (of Putin's Russia) is the continuation of the past models that had been developed at different times by Ivan III, Peter the Great, and Vladimir Lenin. To deal with this mission successfully, Moscow needed to maintain its influence on the post-Soviet republics. For a long time, the strategy of holding these countries included only providing money flows and using technical and resource leverage (weapons, oil, and gas). Over time, it became apparent that the tactics did not work: corrupt elites in these countries just got richer at the expense of the Russian budget while new generations no longer felt like part of the Russian world and sympathized with the European and American models of state-building. Given these conditions, Russia, which is historically not inclined to form and use soft power, had to urgently switch to crisis management in the post-Soviet space. To save its influence in that geopolitical zone, Moscow needed to find other political instruments and tools because hard power had led to negative results. Vladislav Surkov was one of the few officials whom Putin could entrust with the management of the Ukrainian issue that had caused tension in U.S.-Russian and European-Russian relations. At the same time, Surkov also oversaw the Kremlin's relations with the internationally unrecognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia and, more importantly, he was engaged in the formation of the ideological security concept. In fact, his article became the first signal of upcoming domestic political transformations. It emphasized that the vectors of the country's further development would be based on ideas that were laid down in the era of Putin's rule. Given the importance of the ideology's institutionalization, Surkov's dismissal seems logical. Russia is traditionally a country where people engaged in ideology should be in the shadows. Being architects of the state brain, they need special conditions, and the key one is their complete abstraction from everyday internal and external problems. In this sense, the Ukrainian issue is one of the most stressful directions that requires constant concentration. It is obvious that Surkov was constrained by significant bureaucratic barriers in his former status. So the political decision was made to resign. One should not forget that the next supervisor of Ukraine will be forced to rely on the long-term programs that were devised during Surkov's period. Considering how much time and resources were invested in creating the current configuration of influence on Kiev through the unrecognized DPR and LPR, it would be naive to believe that the Kremlin is dissatisfied with the previous management and is striving for radical changes. Surkov completed his part of the work by creating red lines of Russian interests. Today, Putin wants him to bring the ideological design of the new system to the logical end. When the Russian president leaves office, this system will be at the core of the country's governance. Image credit: Kremlin.ru via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Does our states school accountability system reflect Texans values? Every year around this time, schools across Texas shift their focus to test preparation and performance. But do parents, taxpayers and others believe this is what our schools should be doing? A new poll by the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation found while much of the conversation between state lawmakers and the Texas Education Agency regarding school quality is focused on test performance, this may not be what Texans actually value most when it comes to public education. When Texans are asked about the outcomes they want from schools, being prepared for tests is one of the least important indicators of school quality. What Texans really want schools to do is provide soft skills and preparation for career and college. In fact, the poll found only 37 percent of Texans express confidence that state standardized tests (commonly known as STAAR) effectively measure how well students are learning. Only 6 percent are very confident. This lack of confidence is backed up by research showing that poverty is highly correlated with state test outcomes. In addition, numerous readability studies done on the states STAAR tests would also indicate it is not a true measure of student learning and progress. Given the information that school ratings are largely based on standardized test scores, 50 percent of Texans say they are not confident that these A-F grades accurately represent school quality. It should be noted that at the elementary and middle school levels, the STAAR is the only measure used to calculate a schools letter grade. Interestingly, the poll also found that despite their lack of confidence, many see value in the idea of A-F ratings. As educators, we see the many ways students demonstrate learning in our schools well beyond a once-a-year test. For instance, other important factors, like the use of project-based instruction, the number of students taking advanced courses, and the variety of and success in extracurricular activities, should be considered. These other metrics of school quality cannot be measured on a multiple-choice test. A simple letter grade can tell us some of whats happening in our public schools, but it can also mask specific areas for improvement and obscure the great things happening on our campuses. Just because some aspects of a high-quality school experience cant be easily measured with a test does not render them invalid. This poll confirms Texans appreciate and expect a well-rounded education for their children. I believe our schools are providing this, and its time our system valued and reflected these same priorities. Brian Woods is the superintendent of Northside Independent School District. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-29 16:00:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 334 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 InMotion Hosting's Second Acquisition Announcement of WordCamp MiamiVIRGINIA BEACH, VA / ACCESSWIRE / February 29, 2020 / Web Ventures, a member of the InMotion Hosting family, announced today at WordCamp Miami that it has acquired Sprout Invoices, a popular WordPress invoice plugin.This is the second acquisition Web Ventures is announcing at WordCamp Miami, following the weForms press release yesterday."Bringing Sprout Invoices into the InMotion Family was a no-brainer," Web Ventures President Sunil Saxena said. "Dan Cameron did a fantastic job creating a product that improves the lives and success of its customers, proven by his industry-leading customer retention rates. His vision of making invoicing fast, easy, and fully customizable is exactly the kind of value we aim to bring to customers' lives, and we're excited to bring this to a much wider audience of small businesses." Designed to give WordPress site owners an easy way to invoice and get paid, Sprout Invoices allows users to create fully customizable estimates and invoices, establish payment scheduling and terms for clients, and improve business workflow with automated tasks."Since starting Sprout Invoices more than five years ago, my mission has been to provide the best solution for WordPress site owners to invoice and easily get paid," Dan Cameron, Creator of Sprout Invoices said. "I'm excited for InMotion to continue this mission, provide superior support, and strengthen the product." Mike Demopoulos of Web Ventures will be on-site at WordCamp Miami to answer any questions regarding this acquisition.ContactMike DemopoulosWeb Ventures Lead Hand Shakermikedemo@ webventures.io (757) 416-6574About Web VenturesWeb Ventures is the Acquisitions and Investment arm of the InMotion Hosting family. Having recently acquired W3 Total Cache, Elegant Marketplace, and weForms, Web Ventures plans to continue investing in WordPress companies for the foreseeable future, with multiple additional announcements expected at WordCamp Europe in Porto, Portugal in the first half of 2020.Additional LinksWeb Ventures Official WebsiteSprout Invoices Official WebsiteSOURCE: Web Ventures, A Division of InMotion Hosting By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The COVID-19 test result of a Keralite who was quarantined on his return from Malaysia has turned negative. He was admitted to the isolation ward of Kalamassery Medical College Hospital. He tested negative for the virus by the NIV, Health Minister KK Shailaja said on Friday. The health department has included 17 more persons in the observation list. Emergency meeting District collector S Suhas on Friday convened an emergency meeting with the authorities. Suhas also reviewed whether the hospital was capable of taking precautionary measures and handling emergency situations. Advertisement Incredible satellite images show how pollution has significantly cleared over China as the coronavirus outbreak keeps people indoors and factories are forced to close. NASA and the European Space Agency have used pollution monitoring satellites to track the decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels over the past two months. The difference in concentration of nitrogen dioxide is revealed in two maps released by the space agencies. Slide me NASA and the European Space Agency have used pollution monitoring satellites to track the decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels over the past two months The first shows large concentrations of the gas over Beijing and Shanghai in the first three weeks of January before the quarantine was in place. A second map in the last three weeks of February reveals a startling difference with almost no nitrogen dioxide visible after China imposed a lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in the Hubei province in a bid to control the spread of the virus. Scientists first noticed the difference around Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, after Chinese authorities shut down transport in and out of the city as well as shutting down businesses to quarantine the outbreak. Six additional maps focusing on Wuhan reveal the concentration of nitrogen dioxide over three periods including before Lunar New Year, during celebrations and after the festivities in 2019 and 2020 Nitrogen dioxide is a noxious gas which is released during fuel combustion and emitted by cars, power plants and industrial facilities. It forms when fossil fuels such as coal, gas or diesel are burned at high temperatures and can cause a range of harmful effects on the lungs including increased inflammation of the airways and a greater risk of asthma attacks. Air quality researcher at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center Fei Liu said: 'This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.' The drop in nitrogen dioxide also coincided with Lunar New Year celebrations across China where businesses close from the last week of January into early February to celebrate the festival. But Ms Liu added how the reduction rate is more significant this year because it has lasted longer and there has not been an increase in nitrogen dioxide after the Lunar New Year. Six additional maps focusing on Wuhan reveal the concentration of nitrogen dioxide over three periods including before Lunar New Year, during celebrations and after the festivities in 2019 and 2020. While there is a drastic decrease in the levels of nitrogen dioxide in the 12 months, NASA scientist Barry Lefer added how new environmental regulations enforced by Chinese authorities over the past few years have contributed, according to Fox News. Outgoing Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve was given a farewell by his colleagues at Naigaon police station here on Saturday. The 1987-batch IPS officer, who had taken charge as the commissioner on February 28 last year, had got two extensions, first in August and then in November. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had on Friday clarified that Barve would not be given another extension and his successor would be appointed soon. During the farewell parade, Barve and DCP Akhilesh Singh, went around the police grounds in an open jeep and he individually met every official. "Today, the Mumbai police is well equipped, strong and capable of dealing with any challenge. In my tenure, I have witnessed elections, protests against CAA, NRC and other challenges, but officials of the Mumbai police have handled them well," Barve said. Senior policemen, including joint, additional and deputy commissioners, apart from senior inspectors of all police stations were present on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commenting on assent given by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government for trial in the 2016 sedition case involving former JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Raghav Chadha on Friday said that the Delhi government has not halted the prosecution sanction of anybody in the last five years. The case to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others had been pending for the government's sanction for over a year. "Law department of Delhi government, after conducting due diligence, has given its opinion to the Delhi government's Home Department and given clearance. Delhi government has not stopped any prosecution sanction of anybody in the last five years," Chadha told ANI. He said it is the not the government but the judiciary that should be deciding on the merit of such matters. "We fundamentally believe that the government is not the agency or the authority that should be deciding on the merits of these matters. It is the court and the function of the judiciary to ultimately decide on these matters," he said. Chadha's statement came after the Delhi government on Friday gave the go-ahead to prosecute Kumar and two others involved in the JNU sedition case. Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi Police wrote a letter to Delhi Home Secretary requesting him to expeditiously give clearance to prosecute Kumar in the case. In the letter, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Pramod Kushwah said, "It is requested to expedite the process to accord prosecution sanction under Section 196 CrPC as required for the offence under Chapter VI of the IPC, that is, Section 124A IPC." In the chargesheet filed in the court in January this year, the Delhi Police had said that Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, led a procession and raised anti- slogans at an event in the university campus on February 9, 2016. It said that there were video footages wherein Kanhaiya Kumar is "seen" leading the students who were raising "anti- slogans" and that he had been identified by the witnesses in the videos. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON -- Against a background of intimidation and harassment of opposition parties, human rights activists, and independent journalists, voters go to the polls on March 1 in Tajikistans parliamentary elections. Seven parties are registered to compete, but the result seems preordained -- President Emomali Rahmons party, the Peoples Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT), will win the most seats. But there are some interesting side stories in this campaign, such as the notable absence of the Islamic Renaissance Party, once the second largest party in the country, but now banned and declared an extremist group. In a vivid example of the servility that characterizes the other parties ostensibly contesting the polls, all but the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDPT) heeded the ruling partys guidance to avoid an RFE/RL Tajik Service-sponsored pre-election debate on February 19. The Service instead conducted a failed debate between the SDPT representative and an empty chair. Some analysts are looking closely to see if there are any clues in these parliamentary elections as to what might happen later this year when Tajikistan holds a presidential poll. Incumbent Rahmon, in power since 1992 and currently 67 years old, will seek reelection -- or possibly opt to hand over the title of president to a hand-picked successor. LISTEN: Majlis Podcast -- Looking For Clues In Tajikistans Parliamentary Elections RFE/RLs Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, has been providing audiences in Tajikistan with comprehensive multimedia coverage of the campaign in both the Tajik and Russian languages. RFE/RL experts are available for comment before, during and after the polls: SIROJIDDIN TOLIBOV , RFE/RL Tajik Service Managing Editor (English and Tajik) tolibovs@rferl.org -- phone: +420.776.062.920 , (English and Tajik) tolibovs@rferl.org -- phone: +420.776.062.920 ZARANGEZ NAVRUZSHOEVA, RFE/RL Tajik Service Acting Bureau Chief (English and Tajik) navruzshoevaz@rferl.org -- phone: +992.918.69.15.97 (English and Tajik) navruzshoevaz@rferl.org -- phone: +992.918.69.15.97 MUHAMMADVAFO RAHMATOV, RFE/RL Tajik Service Web Editor (English and Tajik) rahmatovm@rferl.org -- phone: +992.919.29.30.52 ----- Find RFE/RL Experts at https://pressroom.rferl.org/experts To schedule an interview with any of RFE/RL's experts, contact Muhammad Tahir (tahirm@rferl.org; +1.202.740.0603) or Joanna Levison (levisonj@rferl.org; +420.221.122.080) in Prague. Follow the latest developments on RFERL.org. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, makes a keynote address to launch the private finance agenda for the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at Guildhall in London (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Britain should prepare for an economic hit as fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak deepens. The central bank had already detected a tightening in supply chains that could imply a downgrade but it was too early to tell how badly Britain would be affected, Carney told Sky News in an interview http://bit.ly/3ceClpZ. Carney said the central bank would expect world growth to be lower than it otherwise would be, and that has a knock-on effect on the United Kingdom, according to Sky News. "We're not picking that up yet at all in the European and UK economic indicators, but if the world is slower than the UK, a very open economy, will have an impact," Carney told Sky News. The BoE was constantly monitoring UK banks to ensure they remain in good health so there is no risk of a financial crisis, Carney said in the Sky News interview. The British region of Northern Ireland on Thursday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the United Kingdom to 16. (Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Lincoln Feast.) Keisha Payson This was the result of a ten-year effort involving several campus projects, she says, including the implementation of numerous energy efficiency measures as well as behavioral changes among faculty, staff, and students. Green Buildings Take, for example, a number of Bowdoins most recent and current building projects, says Payson. A new student apartment complex on Park Row meets passive house standards, while the Roux Center for the Environment was awarded LEED Platinum status when it opened in the fall of 2018. Another major project is the ongoing expansion of the Schiller Coastal Studies Center in Harpswell, which also meets passive house standards with super insulation, triple-pane windows, and efficient air-exchange systems for heating and cooling. Payson also highlights a new technology being used by Bowdoin in the construction of the Mills Hall and Center for Arctic Studies buildings, on which work is due to begin this spring. This will be the first large-scale commercial project in Maine to utilize a pioneering wood product called cross-laminated timber (CLT), also known as mass timber, as the superstructure of a building, she explains. Traditional building materials like steel and concrete have significant carbon footprints, often referred to as embodied carbon, whereas the CLT material will actually be storing the carbon sequestered by the trees they are made of for decades, if not centuries, to come. And speaking of trees, while construction of Mills Hall and the new Center for Arctic Studies will require the removal of fifty-four pine trees, many of which are in poor health, the College will plant at least sixty-eight new trees adjacent to the buildings once construction is complete. These new trees will be a variety of species, as recommended by the Colleges landscape architects. Through our portfolio managers, Bowdoin has a wide variety of investments that either directly or indirectly address climate change... Chief Investment Officer Paula Volent. Bowdoins sustainability efforts were recognized in May 2019 with a Gold certification by STARS (the Sustainability Tracking and Assessment & Rating System) and are also reflected in The Princeton Reviews recent Top 50 Green Colleges list, where Bowdoin came in at number seven nationally, making it the highest ranked NESCAC school. Open source In Ukraine, not a single laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 was recorded so far. The press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Healthcare reported this on February 29. It is noted that on February 28, the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine received two reports of suspected COVID-19 - from Ivano-Frankivsk and Kirovohrad regions (western and central Ukraine, respectively). "In both cases, people returned from Italy and got acute respiratory infections. Preliminary results of the study of the samples taken from the sick people provided a negative result for influenza viruses. Samples for further research were sent to the virological reference laboratory," the report said. As we reported before, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine excludes the possibility of a decision by the authorities to close the borders in connection with the epidemic of coronavirus in the world. Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko stated this in an interview with "Ukraine 24" TV channel. In Italy, the coronavirus epidemic claimed the lives of 21 citizens, while 821 people were infected. Emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli announced this in Rome. This Assange Trial Is A Self-Contradictory Kafkaesque Nightmare February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The first week of the Julian Assange extradition trial has concluded, to be resumed on May 18th. If you havent been following the proceedings closely, let me sum up what you missed: The prosecution is working to extradite Assange to the US under a US-UK extradition treaty, a treaty whose contents the prosecution now says we should ignore because they explicitly forbid political extraditions. The prosecution says it doesnt matter anyway because Assange is not a political actor, yet in 2010 the US government thats trying to extradite him labeled him a political actor in those exact words. Assanges trial is taking place in a maximum security prison for dangerous violent offenders because thats where hes being jailed for no stated reason and despite having no history of violence, which means hes kept separate from the courtroom in a sound-resistant safety enclosure where he cant hear or participate in his own trial. The magistrate judging the case says he cant be allowed out of the enclosure since hes considered dangerous, because hes been arbitrarily placed in a prison for dangerous violent offenders. The magistrate keeps telling Assange to stop speaking up during his trial and to speak through his lawyers, yet hes being actively prevented from communicating with his lawyers. Make sense? No? Not even a tiny bit? Oh. Okay. Let me explain. A British human rights and law reform organisation found that keeping a defendant locked in a sound-resistant glass cage apart from the courtroom, as they're doing to Assange currently, necessarily breaches their right to a fair trial. https://t.co/FG61rIu1ur Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) February 27, 2020 Its common in British courtrooms to have something called a dock, a place where defendants sit separately from court proceedings. Not all UK courtrooms have docks, and not all docks are the secure glass cabinet type which Assange is kept in; they can also be open wooden enclosures. Because Assange is being kept without explanation in a maximum security prison normally reserved the most dangerous violent offenders and terrorism convicts, his trial is taking place in a cage that is very much the secure type (so much so that hes been complaining that he cant hear the proceedings in his own trial through the bulletproof glass), and there is an expectation that he remain there. The magistrate has ruled that this nonviolent offender shall be kept in his sound-resistant enclosure throughout the duration of his trial, bizarrely asserting that Assange poses a danger to the public. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Former UK ambassador and longtime Assange supporter Craig Murray was at court all four days of the trial, and he described the situation as follows (Edward Fitzgerald is Assanges defense attorney, Vanessa Baraitser is the magistrate) : On return, Edward Fitzgerald made a formal application for Julian to be allowed to sit beside his lawyers in the court. Julian was a gentle, intellectual man and not a terrorist. Baraitser replied that releasing Assange from the dock into the body of the court would mean he was released from custody. To achieve that would require an application for bail. Again, the prosecution counsel James Lewis intervened on the side of the defence to try to make Julians treatment less extreme. He was not, he suggested diffidently, quite sure that it was correct that it required bail for Julian to be in the body of the court, or that being in the body of the court accompanied by security officers meant that a prisoner was no longer in custody. Prisoners, even the most dangerous of terrorists, gave evidence from the witness box in the body of the court nest to the lawyers and magistrate. In the High Court prisoners frequently sat with their lawyers in extradition hearings, in extreme cases of violent criminals handcuffed to a security officer. Baraitser replied that Assange might pose a danger to the public. It was a question of health and safety. Ah yes, yes Im sure everyone at the courtroom is very concerned that the emaciated computer nerd might at any moment go full beast mode and start throwing them all across the room. Sure thing, Vanessa. So to recap, Assange has been placed in a prison for dangerous offenders for no reason, and hes designated too dangerous to participate in his own trial because hes in a prison for dangerous offenders. Both the defense and the prosecution agree that this is absurd, yet the supposedly impartial judge ruled against them both. Does that make sense to you? No? Good. Means youre sane. Your Man in the Public Gallery The Assange Hearing Day 3 - In yesterday's proceedings in court, the prosecution adopted arguments so stark and apparently unreasonable I have been fretting on how to write them up in a way that does not seem like https://t.co/Fd56lIUVcM Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) February 27, 2020 In the same report Murray also says Assange was forbidden from passing notes to his lawyers, yet when he tried to speak up during his trial to get someones attention Baraitser told him he may only speak through his lawyers. Even when they let him, Shadowproofs Kevin Gosztola also reports that the defense has complained that they cant even see when he wishes to communicate something with them, because his dock is behind them in the courtroom. Bridges for Media Freedom reports the following: Assange then stood up in the dock and said, The problem is Im not able to get representation. Judge Baraitser then told him to keep quiet and speak through his lawyers. He replied, Thats the problem, I cant. Assange has also complained that even when he is both able and permitted to speak to his lawyers during the trial, hes unable to do so in private, saying, I cannot communicate with my lawyers or ask them for clarifications without the other side seeing and The other side has about 100 times more contact with their lawyers per day. I am as much a participant in these proceedings as a spectator at Wimbledon, a frustrated Assange complained at one point. So Assange may only speak through his lawyers, but also hes been presented with many obstacles to speaking with his lawyers. Perfectly normal stuff in a perfectly normal trial being treated in a perfectly normal way by a perfectly normal empire. Its pretty clear by the way Baraitser is even more biased against Assange than the actual prosecutors that she made up her mind how shes going to rule long before the trial even began. This is made all the more shady by the fact that there are apparently no photographs of this public official anywhere online, and indeed no documentation of her existence outside of the court. Ms Baraitser is not fond of photography she appears to be the only public figure in Western Europe with no photo on the internet, wrote Murray after noting her anger at someone photographing the courtroom. Indeed the average proprietor of a rural car wash has left more evidence of their existence and life history on the internet than Vanessa Baraitser. Which is no crime on her part, but I suspect the expunging is not achieved without considerable effort. Somebody suggested to me she might be a hologram, but I think not. Holograms have more empathy. This by itself is weird. How is someone with no public face ruling on an extradition trial of such immense historical significance? How is a public official allowed to make a decision which will affect every member of the public in one way or another, yet the public is not allowed to know anything about her or what she even looks like? That, in my opinion, is weird and creepy. Its interesting. I have done some research. Baraister does not exist outside of court. Nothing. https://t.co/R0YksHkfbR Matt Kennard (@DCKennard) February 27, 2020 Then theres the prosecution. Theyre trying to argue that the US-UK extradition treaty which expressly forbids extradition for political offenses is void and inapplicable to this case because of another law called the Extradition Act which is written differently, despite the fact that the extradition treaty formed the basis for Assanges extradition request in the first place. Were in a pretty strange Alice in Wonderland world where the treaty that controls and gives rise to the request, supposedly has nothing to do with the legality of it, its very strange, Fitzgerald said at one point, adding: it is generally accepted worldwide that people should not be extradited for a non-violent offense of a political nature. The prosecution also attempted to argue that even if the exemptions in the extradition treaty did apply, it wouldnt matter because Assange is not accused of anything that could be called a political offense. They said the defense must equate what Mr Assange is alleged to have done against whether or not the only purpose was to change the government in America or induce America to change its policy, both of which we say its not. The defense correctly countered that not only was WikiLeaks trying to affect US government behavior, but that they actually succeeded in doing so. Not only that, but the US government has itself accused Assange of being a political actor who is trying to change Americas behavior. Hes not a journalist. Hes not a whistleblower. He is a political actor. He has a political agenda, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said of Assange in 2010 after WikiLeaks began exposing US war crimes. He is trying to undermine the international system that enables us to cooperate and collaborate with other governments and to work in in multilateral settings and on a bilateral basis to help solve regional and international issues. In other words, Assange is a political actor who is deliberately trying to interfere with the US government agenda of world domination. Defence counsel notes "We're in a pretty strange Alice in Wonderland world where the treaty that controls & gives rise to request supposedly has nothing to do with the legality of it, its very strange."#AssangeHearing #NoExtradition #FreeAssange pic.twitter.com/re0YhGQsfz PamelaDrew (@PamelaDrew) February 27, 2020 The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word Kafkaesque as of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings, especially: having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality. Kafkas work is characterized by nightmarish settings in which characters are crushed by nonsensical, blind authority, says Merriam-Webster. Thus, the word Kafkaesque is often applied to bizarre and impersonal administrative situations where the individual feels powerless to understand or control what is happening. I generally try to avoid words that not everyone will understand in my writings, especially in my headlines, but, you know, damn. Thats the most perfect definition of this ridiculous bootlicking bureaucratic nightmare maze that you could possibly come up with. We can expect more of this when the trial resumes in May, and, to be clear, this is the more just and equitable half of the fight. If Assange is successfully extradited to the United States as the mysterious Vanessa Baraitser seems primed to allow, he will face a rigged trial after he and his legal team were spied on by US intelligence agencies when preparing his defense. He and his legal team will be completely silenced from commentary on the trial, and hell disappear into a black hole of Special Administrative Measures where he wont be heard from again. The time to speak up for Assange and the future of press freedoms is now. Not when hes extradited. Not after his fake trial and draconian sentencing. Now. Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. https://caitlinjohnstone.com Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday threatened to let thousands of refugees cross into Europe and warned Damascus would "pay a price" after dozens of Turkish troops were killed inside Syria. Around 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said as several thousand migrants were in skirmishes with Greek police firing tear gas across the frontier. The escalating tensions between Turkey and Russia, who back opposing forces in the Syria conflict, after an air strike killed the Turkish troops sparked fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe. Erdogan said he would let refugees travel to Europe from NATO-member Turkey. "What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We will not close those doors.... Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises." He was referring to a 2016 deal with the European Union to stop refugee flows in exchange for billions of euros in aid. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. - Thousands to spend 'cold night' at border - Erdogan's comments were his first since 34 Turkish troops were killed since Thursday in northern Syria's Idlib region, where Moscow-backed Syrian regime forces are battling to retake the last rebel enclave. Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said nearly 50,000 migrants had left Turkey for Europe via the western province of Edirne, bordering Greece, in comments published in the official Anadolu news agency. But the IOM said its staff had observed "at least 13,000 people gathered along the 212-kilometre (130-mile) long border. "Thousands of migrants, including families with young children, are passing a cold night along the border between Turkey and Greece," it said. There were skirmishes on the Turkish-Greek border at Pazarkule Saturday, as Greek police fired tear gas to push back thousands of migrants who hurled rocks at them, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. "Look who's lecturing us on international law!" Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted. "They're shamelessly throwing tear gas bombs on thousands of innocents piled at their gates." - Unimpeded flow - In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed "concern" on the unimpeded flow of migrants from Turkey to the bloc's external borders in Greece and Bulgaria. "Our top priority at this stage is to ensure that Greece and Bulgaria have our full support," she tweeted. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. "We averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our land borders," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said after the meeting. A Greek police source said migrants had started fires and opened holes in border fences. Police and soldiers patrolled the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and issued loudspeaker warnings not to enter Greek territory. The Greek coast guard said that from early Friday to early Saturday 180 migrants reached the islands of Lesbos and Samos, crossing the eastern Aegean from the Turkish coast. One rubber dinghy arrived early Saturday in Lesbos carrying 27 African migrants, many of them women, who wept and prayed on their knees, said an AFP reporter. The UN says nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced by the fighting in northwest Syria since December, forced to flee in the bitter cold. - Fresh strikes in Syria - Turkey said its forces had destroyed a "chemical warfare facility," just south of Aleppo. Syria's state media denied the attack and the existence of such a facility. Turkish drone strikes killed 26 Syrian soldiers on Saturday, an independent war monitor said, after Erdogan threatened the regime would "pay a price" for its aggression. The Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes "targeted positions of the regime forces in the Idlib and Aleppo countryside". The killing of Turkish troops by President Bashar al-Assad's forces -- backed by Russian air power -- has sent tensions between Ankara and Moscow soaring. On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. He may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. But the Turkish leader remained critical on Saturday. "I asked Mr Putin: 'What's your business there?'," Erdogan said. "If you establish a base, do so but get out of our way and leave us face to face with the regime." French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russia and Turkey to establish a "lasting ceasefire" in the Idlib region, after separate phone calls with the two countries' leaders, a statement from his office said. Seeking support from Europe after the Idlib casualties, Erdogan told Macron that Ankara wanted to see "clear and concrete support" from NATO "not only in words but in deeds", according to the Turkish presidency. Erdogan also warned the humanitarian crisis would "deepen unless the regime's attacks are stopped in Syria." burs-fo/tom Migrants faced tear gas during clashes with Greek police on the Turkey-Greece border Erdogan said 18,000 migrants have amassed on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday Migrants, police clash on Turkey-Greece border. Locator. Migrants were also arriving on Greek islands from Turkey The Turkish military has been reinforcing its observation posts in Idlib as tensions escalate Tiffany Rodriguez and her husband are raising four children, along with three nieces and nephews, ages 3 to 16. She doesnt hesitate to text or call to alert the school before drop-off if her nephew is having a rough morning. They are always on top of it, getting back to me if he still has a bad day, texting me, calling me or letting him call me, she said. They are respectful and kind and they love the kids. Advertisement Carrie Symonds' gushing announcement tonight that she is engaged to Boris Johnson and 'hatching' a baby caps a remarkable rise for the former Tory staffer from PM's mistress to fully fledged First lady. Ms Symonds, 31, worked for the Tory party from 2009, before hitting the headlines when her affair with Mr Johnson came to light. That revelation, from September 2018, came during Mr Johnson's second marriage to Marina Wheeler, the mother of four of his children, causing it to break down. During Ms Symonds and Mr Johnson's turbulent relationship, she has been credited with transforming his public image, with the PM swapping his previously unruly, slap-dash outfits to a noticeably more polished look, with neatly cropped hair and a significantly slimmer waistline. Ms Symonds' image has also noticeably changed, her outfits and Instagram posts becoming more conservative as her relationship with Mr Johnson grew more serious. But it's not all been plain sailing, with the couple having a well-publicised plate-smashing row recorded by neighbours who claimed she yelled 'get off me' and 'get out of my flat' while he stayed at her flat in Camberwell, south London last year. Ms Symonds has been dubbed the 'Duchess of Downing Street', a reference to the similarity of her fashion to Kate Middleton, as well as a nod to her growing power behind the scenes at Number 10. With the engagement and the news of a baby on the way, Ms Symonds could now have an even greater impact on policy than he she has already had. A passionate conservationist, she had a direct impact on government policy after a badger cull in Derbyshire was called off, a move that saved thousands of the animals. Badgers are culled across Europe over fears they are spreading bovine tuberculosis among cattle - but a licence for a cull across Derbyshire was refused after a 'direct intervention from the Prime Minister', according to the chief executive of the Badger Trust. It came after the government already granted licenses for thousands of badgers to be culled all over the country. Ms Symonds has also hired a former ITN communications chief Sarah Vaughan-Brown, 45, as her personal adviser. Insiders say Ms Vaughan-Brown, who also handled PR for the Trinity Mirror newspaper group in the past, will be helping Ms Symonds with her growing charity interests. Ms Symonds has been credited with transforming his public image, with the PM swapping his previously unruly, slap-dash outfits to a noticeably more polished look, with neatly cropped hair and a significantly slimmer waistline Her own image has also noticeably changed, her outfits and Instagram posts becoming more conservative as her relationship with Mr Johnson grew more serious Carrie Symonds on a night out - her image has considerably changed since she started publicly dating Prime Minister Boris Johnson Boris Johnson's girlfriend Carrie Symonds stood outside Number 10 as her partner gave his first speech in Downing Street after the election victory Her association with Mr Johnson dates back to 2012, when Ms Symonds worked on the now-PM's successful second London mayoral campaign. Ms Symonds has ties to several other Tory figures, campaigning for Zac Goldsmith during the General Election and she is also thought to be a friend of ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid. She joined the Tory party media machine in 2009, first as a press adviser, then head of broadcast at Conservative campaign headquarters ahead of the 2015 general election, before becoming communications chief in 2017. However, she was forced to quit just months after being accused of abusing her expenses to the tune of thousands of pounds. Ms Symonds was asked to leave her 80,000-a-year after party chiefs said her performance was poor, having previously challenged her over taxi expenses. She declined to comment on the claims, which a close friend dismissed as nonsense and a bid to smear her by opponents of Brexit. Ms Symonds was the product of an affair between her father, Matthew, a founder of the Independent, and of newspaper lawyer Josephine McAfee while they were both were married to other people. Her mother raised her in a three-bed townhouse in East Sheen, South West London, while her father provided financial assistance, though he is not thought to have played a big role in his life. Carrie Symonds in a play when she was a student at Warwick University. Last year, pictures emerged of a scantily-clad Ms Symonds appearing in an occult-inspired play during her studies A smiling Ms Symonds enjoying a holiday in 2015. Her degree led her to consider a career as an actress, appearing in amateur shows and even trying for a part in Atonement, the 2007 film starring Keira Knightley Ms Symonds, pictured before her relationship with Boris Johnson came to light, could now have an even greater impact on policy than he she has already had Ms Symonds was educated at the 20,000-a-year Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith, west London, which counts Nigella Lawson as a former pupil. She then went on to study theatre studies and history of art, graduating with a first from Warwick University. Last year, pictures emerged of a scantily-clad Ms Symonds appearing in an occult-inspired play at university. Her degree led her to consider a career as an actress, appearing in amateur shows and even trying for a part in Atonement, the 2007 film starring Keira Knightley. After that proved unsuccessful, she turned her attention to politics, joining the Conservatives as a press officer. This led to her working with Mr Goldsmith and on her future husband Mr Johnson's campaigns. She also became a special adviser to John Whittingdale at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport before working for Sajid Javid. In June 2017, at the age of 29, that she was made the Tory communications chief, before leaving her post, with her subsequent relationship with Mr Johnson elevating her publicly profile even higher. She has largely kept out of the public eye since Mr Johnson became prime minister in July - standing out of sight during the Tory campaign launch and not accompanying him on his tour of the UK. Boris Johnson and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby in early summer, a spokesman for the government has announced. She also shared the news on her Instagram page Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds holding hands in the Sussex countryside shortly after reports they had a blazing row at her flat However, she entered Downing St with the PM shortly after his resounding election victory. The couple chose the larger four-bedroom flat at No 11 Downing Street instead of the smaller two-bedroom official residence at No 10. She is the first unmarried partner of a sitting PM to live in Downing Street. The couple had been living together at Ms Symonds's flat in Camberwell, south London, until the well-publicised row recorded by neighbours in June 2019. They now live in a flat above Number 11 Downing Street and adopted a Jack Russell-cross puppy called Dilyn. In December, Mr Johnson's sister Rachel Johnson said she has yet to meet Ms Symonds. But their father Stanley, who appeared alongside Ms Johnson on ITV's Good Morning Britain, said he has met Ms Symonds, adding: 'The Johnsons are united in this.' A proud Ms Symonds looks on with pet dog Dilyn shortly after Boris Johnson's resounding general election victory in December Ms Symonds and Mr Johnson kiss after a speech, in a rare display of emotion for the usually low-key couple Mr Johnson is kissed by his partner Ms Symonds after delivering his speech during the Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Convention Centre last year Back in January last year, Ms Symonds was joined by Stanley Johnson at an event in London opposing Japan's plans to resume commercial whaling. The pair were spotted smiling and chatting together after they both addressed the crowd. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson's turbulent marriage to Ms Wheeler, during which they had four children, ended after 25 years together in September 2018. In 2004 he was sacked from the Tory front-bench over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt and the Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while mayor of London in 2009. Claims that Mr Johnson squeezed the thigh of journalist Charlotte Edwardes, at a private lunch at The Spectator magazine's HQ shortly after he became editor in 1999, overshadowed his first Conservative Party conference as PM. But in a public display of affection, Mr Johnson kissed Ms Symonds after his speech to party members at the event. Mr Johnson greeted Cabinet ministers before embracing his girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek and then walking out of the hall holding her hand. Meanwhile, allegations about Mr Johnson's relationship with American entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, and whether she enjoyed preferential treatment while he was London mayor, also dominated the headlines in September. Mr Johnson has insisted Ms Edwardes's allegations are not true and has denied any impropriety in relation to the claims about Ms Arcuri. There has been an overwhelming amount of interest in the more than 130 dogs and cats that were found in a suspected puppy mill at a Scotch Plains home about two weeks ago, but the potential adoptees may have to wait. The animals were transferred to 13 local shelters after they were discovered by authorities. Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue Director Jackie Hastings says their facility received a long-haired Chihuahua and her three pups, but they wont be ready for adoption until April since theyre still nursing. Those dogs are being fostered, and the shelter is covering the costs associated with food and other supplies in the meantime. Shes received more than 100 inquiries about the animals from Scotch Plains, but there are also other dogs at the facility that are also looking for forever homes. Theres plenty of other dogs that need homes that have similar backgrounds, said Hastings, adding that information about other dogs at the facility is available online. No one answered the phone Friday morning at Brendans Meadows Rescue in Mountainside, but the voicemail has been changed to address the number of calls theyve received inquiring about the animals from Scotch Plains. The animals are still being evaluated and will not be ready for adoption for a couple of weeks, the message said, although its unclear when the voicemail was created. The shelter asked for people to be patient, especially since the facility is run by volunteers. We do have a lot of inquiries on them, the message said. We appreciate everyone wanting to help and save them so please be patient while we figure out their health situation. The shelter instructed callers interested in adopting one of the animals from Scotch Plains to fill out an application on its website. Volunteer Jill Colandrea holds two Chihuahua's as the Plainfield Area Humane Society received 36 dogs and six cats taken from a home in Scotch Plains. All the animals will be eligible for adoption. The society is in Plainfield, February, 18, 2020 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for The Union County Prosecutors Office and Scotch Plains police have said 132 animals were crammed into cages and left in unsanitary conditions at a home on Terrill Road and Laurie Court in Scotch Plains. Dominick Ciabattari, 60, now faces 10 fourth-degree charges and four disorderly persons offenses. Some of the animals found in the home were pregnant or were diagnosed with severe dental injuries, while others were suffering from dehydration, infection or ocular discharge, authorities said. Authorities were still reviewing veterinary records from the animals about two days after police discovered the pets in order to uncover more details for their investigation. Golden Retriever, one of the 36 dogs and six cats taken from a home in Scotch Plains and currently at the Plainfield Area Humane Society. All the animals will be eligible for adoption. The society is in Plainfield, February, 18, 2020 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for The 132 animals that were found ranged in age and included approximately two dozen cats, 71 Chihuahuas, 18 golden retrievers, 17 Pomeranians and 3 Pekingese dogs. Below is a list of the shelters where the animals were taken: Two Chihuahua's at the Plainfield Area Humane Society received 36 dogs and six cats taken from a home in Scotch Plains. All the animals will be eligible for adoption. The society is in Plainfield, February, 18, 2020 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico. BOISE, Idaho A federal judge has cancelled more than $125 million in oil and gas leases on public lands that are home to the declining bird species greater sage grouse, in a ruling that said the Trump administration illegally curtailed public comment. The ruling doesnt prevent the administration from selling the leases at a later date. But opponents hope the delay can help them make the case that drilling should not be allowed in areas with sage grouse. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Bushs order out of Boise, Idaho, covers leases issued by the federal Bureau of Land Management in 2018 on more than 1,300 square miles (3,400 square kilometers) in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said millions of dollars that the state received from the sales already has been incorporated into its budget. He said the cancellation was unworkable and urged the administration to challenge the order. The case is part of a broader effort by environmentalists challenging the administrations oil and gas leasing practices within the habitat of the ground-dwelling greater sage grouse. The birds that range across 11 Western states have suffered sharp population declines in recent decades because of development, disease, drought and wildfires. Future leases in greater sage-grouse habitat must allow a 30-day public comment and administrative protest period, Bush ordered. The Trump administration had reduced the protest period to just 10 days, which critics said gave them too little time to meaningfully react to proposed sales. The ruling means any future sales on more than 100,000 square miles (270,000 square kilometers) of sage grouse habitat also would require the longer public comment period, said Talasi Brooks with the Western Watersheds Project, one of the groups that challenged the lease sales with a federal lawsuit. Its a real win for public process and transparency in federal decision making, Brooks said. It could change the outcome potentially. The government could say after hearing public comment, This is potentially important habitat. The state of Wyoming, the oil industry and the federal government had argued against cancelling the leases outright because of the huge amount of money at stake. They wanted Bush to merely suspend them or say that no drilling could occur pending more public comment. Cancelling the leases would require BLM (Bureau of Land Management) to refund over $125 million worth of revenues to the purchasers, attorneys for Wyoming and the Western Energy Alliance said in a joint court filing. About half of lease sale proceeds are distributed to the states where the sales occur. That includes more than $44 million received by Wyoming, the attorneys said. The remedy issued by the Idaho judge is extreme, impractical and unworkable, Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement. Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said the shortening of the public comment period was a policy decision that should have been left to the administration not a regulatory move that called for court intervention. Bush said he had considered the undeniably significant economic effects of voiding the lease sales. But he said allowing the leases to stand would provide incentive for the government to approve potentially illegal projects out of the hope that they would be too massive to unwind. BLM spokesman Derrick Henry said in response to the ruling that the agency supports common-sense adjustments to rules that govern leasing as a way to get rid of burdensome regulations. Agency officials did not respond to questions about how money from the lease sales could be recovered from the states. A U.S. Justice Department spokesman said the government was reviewing the ruling and declined to say if an appeal was planned. Under former President Barack Obama, the Interior Department delayed many lease sales for years because of sage grouse worries. In 2015, it adopted a set of wide-ranging plans meant to protect the best grouse habitat and keep the bird off the endangered species list. Under Trump, the agency has placed a greater priority on energy development, including directives that rolled back or eased restrictions imposed by the Obama administration. A Sunrise reporter was harassed and 'inappropriately touched' by a 13-year-old boy on her way to work. Bianca Stone, a mother of two, said the teenager made the unwanted advance on her as she walked to a live cross location in the Brisbane CBD at 4am on Monday. 'I was approached, harassed and inappropriately touched by a teen. Tonight the offender was caught. Hes 14 and apologetic,' Ms Stone wrote on Twitter on Friday. 'I really hope he learns from this. Thank you Queensland Police -excellent work.' Queensland Police confirmed the incident happened but said the offender was actually 13 and the issue was being resolved under the Youth Justice Act. Bianca Stone, a mother of two, said the teenager made the unwanted advance on her as she walked to a live cross location in the Brisbane CBD at 4am on Monday Ms Stone revealed that she was approached by the teen on Twitter on Friday Ms Stone received an outpouring of support from concerned followers on Twitter. Fellow Sunrise reporter Jess Milward wrote: 'This is great news. You dont deserve that. No one deserves that. Im glad hell be dealt with.' Replying to comments, Ms Stone explained she was 50 metres from her cameraman so he couldn't do anything. 'I could see him but he couldnt hear me. Ive never been worried before but Ill be more aware now... It wasnt what I needed ahead of the Dreamworld Inquest,' she wrote. Ms Stone hopes the offending teen will be on the 'straight and narrow' now that the has been caught by police. 'Hopefully this young fella got a fright from police and changes his ways.. the QPS did an incredible job to track him down,' she wrote. Ms Stone hopes the offending teen will be on the 'straight and narrow' now that the has been caught by police Ms Stone's incident comes after another Channel 7 reporter was also harassed in the Brisbane CBD last week. Jessica Mumme was reporting outside of the Supreme Court in Brisbane on February 21 when a stranger made an extremely crude comment. Ms Mumme slammed the man for his rude behaviour in a tweet later that day. 'Someone said f**k her up the p**** in the middle of my live cross this afternoon. Straight into my ear as I was talking about a murder verdict,' she wrote. I'm not much of a whinger on here. But this is the exact kind of behaviour that needs to change.' The stranger can then be heard yelling out the vulgar phrase during the cross but is not pictured as overlay footage was being played. WAILUKU, Hawaii - County officials in Maui are considering a ban on all short-term vacation rentals to combat illegal rental operations on the island. The Maui County Planning Department has scheduled a public information meeting on the issue to solicit community feedback, Maui News reported Friday. The meeting is scheduled for March 6 at the Department of Planning building in Wailuku. No bill or rule change is expected to be proposed, Department Director Michele McLean said, adding that the meeting is just to collect input on a potential ban. Residents, property owners and others in the community can make statements and ask questions at the meeting, but it is not a formal proceeding with three-minute public testimonies. The meeting announcement comes after the Maui County Council decided earlier this month to ban short-term rentals on Molokai, McLean said. The councils action on Molokai was some of what prompted it, and also there were a few reasons, she said. One is that these have contributed to higher property values, which makes the cost of living here more expensive for everybody else. The original intent of the short-term rental home ordinance, which passed in 2012, was to get all of the operations into compliance, but theres still a lot of illegals out there, so it hasnt succeeded in what its original objective was, McLean added. It could take a few years for the county to phase out short-term rentals, because permits would likely stay valid until they expire, county officials said. Bed-and-breakfasts would still be allowed, though the county would consider modifying what these establishments are so more operations would be eligible for a permit, officials said. It is certainly possible that people who were absolutely determined to do short-term rentals may do it anyway, McLean said, but there are now higher fines for illegal rentals, which were enacted in December. It costs property owners $20,000 initially for operating an illegal rental, and $10,000 every day after. A MAN prosecuted by gardai for drink driving on April Fools Day said he was just warming his car engine because it was a frosty night, Newcastle West Court heard. Mykolas Antanaitis, aged 59, of Old Christ Street, Abbeyfeale, pleaded not guilty to drink driving at Old Church Street, Abbeyfeale. His solicitor said he lived right across the road, had his slippers on, a short sleeved T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. On April 1, 2018, Garda Enda Moroney said he was in a patrol car driving down Old Church Street in Abbeyfeale. I observed a white Citroen van attempting to reverse and then drive forward. It was a no entry zone. When I spoke to him I noticed a strong smell of intoxicating liquor coming from his breath, said Garda Moronoey. Mr Antanaitis failed a roadside breath test, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving at 8.20pm and conveyed to Newcastle West garda station. Garda Moroney said they used a Lithuanian intrerpreter on the phone to explain what was happening to the defendant. Garda Moroney said the intoxilyzer machine basically didnt work. Mr Antanaitis was returned to the public office at 9.47pm and a doctor was called for. At 10.44pm the doctor came and took a urine sample which showed 270mgs of alcohol and 100mls of urine. Michael ODonnell, solicitor for Mr Antanaitis, asked Garda Moroney if he remembered what the weather was like. Garda Moroney said he had no recollection. Mr ODonnell said it was a cold night about minus one or two. Mr ODonnell asked the garda if he recalled what Mr Antanaitis was wearing. Garda Moroney said no. Mr ODonnell said his client had his slippers on, a short sleeved T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. Mr ODonnell put it to Garda Moroney that Mr Antanaitis lived across the road. Garda Moroney agreed. My client will say he was not driving. He will say it was a frosty, cold night and he was starting the engine to warm it up so it would work in the morning. He was worried it wouldnt start, said Mr ODonnell. Garda Moroney said Mr Antanaitis was driving towards him. Read also: Limerick man chased after car with slash hook in his hand The solicitor said his client has practically no English. After the intoxilyzer failed, Mr ODonnell said an interpreter was not used to inform Mr Antanaitis what was happening next and he was left sitting there with no explanation. Garda Moroney said his role in proceedings had concluded at this point. The next person to give evidence was Garda Senan Dormer, the member in charge on the night. He said Mr Antanaitis had broken English but he understood when Garda Dormer told him the doctor was coming. Garda Dormer said Mr Antanaitis told him he had drank some spirits and answered other questions. Garda Dormer said Mr Antanaitis was wearing a dressing gown as well as a T-shirt, tracksuit bottoms and slippers. Mr ODonnell asked if he had any money on his person. Garda Dormer said no, just a set of car keys. Mr ODonnell asked Judge Mary Cashin for the matter to be struck out due to unlawful detention. He said no interpreter was used to inform Mr Antanaitis that a doctor was coming. It should have been translated to him. The interpreter had been used previously, said Mr ODonnell. Inspector Andrew Lacey said there was no issue of unlawful detention because Mr Antanaitis was informed a doctor was coming and while he did have broken English he did give information to Garda Dormer. Judge Cashin didnt hold for Mr ODonnell. Mr Antanaitis took the stand and with the assistance of an interpreter gave evidence. Mr ODonnell asked him was it his intention to go somewhere? No, just to heat up the car because if I didnt I wouldnt be able to start it in the morning, said Mr Antanaitis, who added that he was wearing a T-Shirt, tracksuit pants and slippers on the very cold night. He denied reversing or driving the car. Insp Lacey asked Mr Antanaitis what time he was going to work at? 7.30am, he said. It is 11 hours before you were going anywhere. Was it not a bit early to warm up the engine? asked Insp Lacey. Mr Antanaitis said: I dont know. Im used to it. Insp Lacey put it to him that Garda Moroney said he was driving. No, said Mr Antanaitis. Judge Cashin asked him what time he started drinking at? Around 4pm or 5pm. I had two or three glasses of red wine, said Mr Antanaitis. In summing up, Mr ODonnell said there was a conflict between the garda and his client. My client was wearing a T-shirt, tracksuits bottoms and slippers. He had no money. He says he was warming up his car, said Mr ODonnell, who asked for the charge to be struck out as there must be a doubt. Insp Lacey said Garda Moroney gave clear evidence that he saw the defendant driving backwards and forwards. In her determination, Judge Cashin did mention Mr Antanaitis attire on the night and the fact he had no money on his person. I accept Garda Moroneys evidence. The defendant admitted to drinking on the day. I am satisfied it is safe to convict, said Judge Cashin. Mr ODonnell said his client was labourer and a hard-working man, Judge Cashin imposed a three year driving ban and a fine of 350. Recognisance was fixed in the event of an appeal. NEW DELHI: Passengers travelling onboard GoAir's Ahmedabad to Jaipur flight were taken by surprise when they spotted a pigeon flying inside the aircraft on Saturday (February 29, 2020). The pigeon was seen inside the airplane as it was preparing for take-off, which was eventually delayed for about 30 minutes. The entire incident was caught on camera as the video went viral on social media. A Twitter user, Rakesh Bhagat, shared a video about the incident and wrote, ''This is literally "bird flying" in the giant bird!!!! Flight from Ahmedabad to Jaipur..held up for 30 mins!! This is literally "bird flying" in the giant bird!!!! Flight from Ahmedabad to Jaipur..held up for 30 mins!!#GoAir "pigeon" on board!!! pic.twitter.com/M0khjmKFSK Rakesh Bhagat (@RakeshB36568801) February 29, 2020 Another Twitter user, Prashant, also shared the 30-second clip on Twitter and mentioned that the flight was delayed by thirty minutes because of the chaos. He wrote, Ek kabootar plane ke andar..ahmedabad-jaipur go air flight delayed for 30 min due to pigeon flew from luggage storage. Within an hour of being shared online, the videos garnered thousands of views. In the videos, a pigeon can be seen flying from one of the end plane to the other as crew members and passengers tried to duck and avoid it. Some, even tried to catch the bird but failed to do so. Excited passengers got up from their seats to witness the scenario while someone suggested the crew to open the backdoor of the plane so that the pigeon could fly out. Israel is only weeks away from developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to its science and technology minister. The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday that Minister Ofir Akunis said in a press release that the vaccine could be available to patients within 90 days. Akunis credited MIGAL (the Galilee Research Institute) for the breakthrough. "I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat," he said. Israel got a jump on the coronavirus crisis because researchers had already created a vaccine against avian coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), which affects poultry, according to the Jewish Press. The IBV vaccine has already passed clinical trials at Israel's Veterinary Institute. By "pure luck," the MIGAL team selected a poultry coronavirus to test their new vaccine technology, which doesn't target any specific virus, according to Dr. Chen Katz, biotechnology group leader at MIGAL. Katz told the Press and Post that after the current COVID-19 virus broke out in China, the researchers studied the new virus and realized it was genetically similar to IBV and that the infection mechanism was the same. They now are confident they can adjust the system to combat COVID-19. "In a few weeks, if it all works, we would have a vaccine to prevent coronavirus," Katz said. The new vaccine, which would be orally administered, faces pre-clinical trials and clinical trials before mass production begins. But MIGAL thinks development could be fast-tracked to receive safety approval in 90 days. Akunis reportedly has ordered his ministrys director-general to accelerate the process. ALSO: UC Davis student shows signs of coronavirus, 2 others isolated The World Health Organization reported 11 days ago that the earliest that a COVID-19 vaccine could be expected was in 18 months. If the Israeli researchers are successful in developing their vaccine, they would shave more than a year off that estimate. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate The Government of Ireland has brought an Irish flavour to Mumbai with a hospitality master class for students who wish to study hospitality in the country. The master class was part of a fair organised by in Ireland for students who are aspiring to study in Ireland and wish to know more about the country. "During the session we covered fundamental skills and key advance techniques of making macaroons and jelly fillings. Culinary skills such as decorating and presenting desserts, key elements of chocolate designing and piping techniques were demonstrated to the students," said Catherine O' Mahony, Lecturer Tourism and Hospitality, Cork Institute of Technology. Representatives from Institute of Technology and Shannon College of Hotel Management led the master class on "Plated Dessert: Chocolate Techniques" and "How to be Internationally Employable" with an objective to showcase the growth opportunities that Ireland provides in the said sector. The ' in Ireland' fairs are being held in Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai from February 22 to March 1. Enterprise Ireland which manages the ' in Ireland' national brand under the authority of the Minister for Education and Skills is responsible for the promotion of Irish higher education Institutions overseas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Officials at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are appealing to the public for help in identifying a man under its care since Monday. The hospital is circulating photos of the man, who was brought by ambulance from the area of Sixth and Minna streets. He is described as about 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and in his early 30s. Anyone with information about his identity is asked to contact the hospital at (628) 206-8063 or email Brent Andrew at brent.Andrew@sfdph.org. 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. Showing support for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a father in Kannauj has printed a slogan backing the recently enacted legislation on his daughter's marriage invitation card. Manoj Dwivedi, local resident of Sikar has also printed a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the wedding card. "We support CAA and NRC," the slogan printed on the wedding card read. This is not the first time this method has been used to show support, as a Rajasthan groom had also printed similar slogan and the photo of PM Modi on his marriage invite, for the ceremony scheduled in February. A couple in Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh who tied the knot on January 18, had also extended their support for the CAA in the same manner. Several protests had erupted across the country after the implementation of CAA, which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and 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.) Delhi gang rape and murder case convicts Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta on Satruday moved a petition before a local Delhi court seeking their execution -scheduled for March 3-- is stayed for a third time. The court will hear the plea on Monday, a day before the execution. The plea was moved by Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta, who have been sentenced to death by hanging along with two others, and it says since Thakur has moved a fresh mercy petition before the president and Gupta has filed a curative petition before the Supreme court, their execution cant be carried out. Thakur said his fresh mercy petition carries new facts about his financial status. Also Watch | Not Vinay, AP Singh is mentally unfit: Delhi gang-rape victims mother Pawan Gupta had filed a curative petition on Friday pleading that his death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. He is the last convict to have filed a curative petition in the December 16 gangrape and murder case. SC had rejected curative petitions of the other three convicts in the past. The court will hear the plea to stay the execution on Monday, a day before the scheduled hanging. The convicts have been accused along with their counsels of adopting delaying tactics in order to frustrate the law. Pawan Gupta had earlier refused to file either a curative petition or a mercy petition and even refused to use the services of a court-appointed counsel, but later sprang a surprise with his counsel AP Singh filing the plea. Gupta didnt take the legal recourse left to him despite a seven-day deadline granted by the Delhi High Court for convicts to exhaust all their legal options. The hanging has already been deferred twice- first on January 22 and then on February 1-- in light of mercy petitions and appeals by one or the other convict. A third death warrant was issued on February 17 to hang the four convicts- Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta and Akshay Thakur at 6am on March 3. All the convicts were sentenced to death by a Delhi court in 2013 after they were found guilty of brutally raping and murdering a 23-year-old paramedic student on a moving bus on December 16, 2012 in Delhi. A liquor store in India is usually off-limits for women. The question 'log kya kahenge' haunts women the moment they even think of stepping into a liquor shop. Of course, the bucketload of judgement and the prying eyes of the shopkeeper himself are added bonuses. *smh* Liquor stores across the country may have moved from shady corners to upscale malls, but its still not the most comfortable space for a woman to browse through aisles looking for that perfect drink. Raised eyebrows are the norm in most liquor stores when it comes to women stepping into them. Source/TOI To see a woman asking a bottle of whiskey off the counter is a big shocker for people at the store. But it's 2020 for crying out loud and it's time to make peace with the fact that women also drink! It seems like the government in Madhya Pradesh is paving the way forward for this progressive outlook. For the first time, the state is set to introduce women-friendly liquor shops in some cities to make women have a comfortable time liquor shopping, reports TOI. Facebook The report states that two stores dedicated to women will be opened in Bhopal and Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur will have one women-friendly theka each. Special care will be taken to ensure that these outlets are stocked up with high-end foreign liquor brands that are loved by women. The local brands that are not registered with the state wont find a place in the store. No additional duty would be claimed on these foreign liquor brands as they will be brought after paying the duty from other countries. These shops would open markets for the sale of expensive liquor in the state, a government official told TOI. The shops would have foreign liquor brands that were previously never sold in the state. In order to generate revenue, and apart from this, the state will organise wine festivals in cities like Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior. Migrants on Saturday tore at the barbed wire marking the border between Turkey and Greece in Pazarkule, attempting to cross into Europe after Turkey signalled that it would let migrants leave. Video broadcast by the Turkish DHA news agency shows some migrants trying to climb through a hole in the fence to reach Greece. Turkey hosts some 3.6 million Syrians and under a 2016 deal with the EU agreed to step up efforts to halt the flow of refugees to Europe. Since then, Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to open the gates, playing on European nervousness about a new surge. DHA reported that some 300 Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Moroccans and Pakistanis were gathering at the border with Greece, while others massed at beaches facing Greek islands off Turkey's western coast. This comes as NATO on Friday called on Syria and Russia to halt their airstrikes following the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in northeastern Syria. The European Union warned that the fighting in northern Syria could degenerate into open war and that it stood ready to protect its security interests. Greece and neighboring Bulgaria bolstered border security. Ukraine's budget falls short of US$1 bln in excise payments because of shadow fuel market 23:58, 28.02.20 2118 The Accounting Chamber makes every effort so that the state receives taxes in full. Express News Service By GUWAHATI: A college teacher in Assams Barak valley was arrested by the police for his controversial comments pertaining to Delhi riots and Hindutva on the social media. Souradeep Sengupta, a guest lecturer of Gurucharan College, Silchar in Cachar district, was arrested from his residence on Friday night based on an FIR lodged by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He was booked under various Sections of IPC and Information Technology Act. Earlier, sensing trouble, Sengupta had deleted the derogatory posts and also tendered an apology. Trouble for him started mounting after an individual had used screenshots of the offensive posts and accused Sengupta of insulting the followers of Sanatan Dharma. Among others, the teacher had accused the BJP and the RSS of trying to recreate Godhra in Delhi. He had also made offensive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A cousin of the teacher said, When we hoped the matter would be a closed chapter since he had already deleted his posts and apologised for unintentionally hurting religious sentiments, some 50 members of the ABVP lodged a protest demonstration at his house and later, filed an FIR with the police. The ABVP has submitted a memorandum to the principal of the college demanding Senguptas sacking. The teachers family said he had already offered to resign. We got two stage stars to battle it out in a baking special as part of our new five-part series WOSA Cookin', which runs this week ahead of the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards Concert on Sunday. Presented by YouTube star Sophie Lee and WhatsOnStage Awards and theatre producer Paul Taylor-Mills, in every episode, two performers will be going head-to-head to prove their culinary skills with a variety of challenges. There are tickets left for the Concert, which takes place at 7pm on 1 March 2020, with audience members able to get a first look at special performances from award-nominated shows as well as never-before-heard numbers. In today's episode, Awards presenter and RuPaul's Drag Race star Vinegar Strokes goes up against & Juliet leading man Jordan Luke Gage! Watch the other episodes here: In last four cases, deaths occurred among three people over 80; another one was 70 Open source In Italy, the coronavirus epidemic claimed the lives of 21 citizens, while another 821 people were infected. Emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli announced this in Rome, ANSA reports. "In Italy, approximately 21 people died from the coronavirus; that's four more than on Thursday, and 821 people are already infected with this virus," Borrelli said on Friday. According to him, in the last four cases, deaths occurred among three people over 80; another one was 70. The Italian High Institute of Healthcare will determine if coronavirus was the cause of their death. As we reported before, a Ukrainian woman who was returned from Italy with suspected coronavirus did not have a dangerous infection. The of the Center for Public Health (CPH) reports that. It is also reported that according to the results of laboratory diagnostics by the virological reference laboratory of the Center for Public Health of Ukraine, no coronavirus was detected in any of the four samples. The Health Center noted that the citizen of Ukraine who returned from Italy and the person from her environment did not carry the virus. Two people from Dolyatin, Chernivtsi region, also had negative results. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government on Saturday appointed senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh, the current Director General of the state Anti Corruption Bureau, as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai replacing Sanjay Barve. Appointment of Singh, who was posted as the Director General of the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau, was announced a day after state Home Minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh ruled out granting a third extension to Barve. Interestingly, the ACB headed by Singh had given a clean chit to NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is currently the state deputy chief minister, in connection with alleged scam involving 12 Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation projects, in December last year. Singh's predecessor Barve was recently embroiled in a controversy over granting the work to digitise Mumbai Police records to a firm owned by his son and wife pro bono. In a video message posted on Twitter, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said, "Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve is retiring today. Singh has been named as his successor. This announcement has been made after discussion with the honourable chief minister." Singh had also served as commissioner of Thane Police. Addressing his maiden press conference after taking charge as the Mumbai police commissioner, Singh said ensuring safety of women will be among his priorities, apart from cracking down on underworld activities, extortion and curbing street crimes. "My predecessor Sanjay Barve has done a good job. Our priority will be to tackle street crimes and ensuring safety of women. I have had an old association with Mumbai Police," he said. Singh said that the Mumbai Police and Crime Branch can tackle any challenge on the law and order front. The new police commissioner said that police will crack the whip on criminals who are trying to extort money in the name of gangsters. "We will clamp their criminal activities with professional investigation," he added. When asked about the protests against the new citizenship law, Singh said, "Holding protests is a democratic right, but they should be held as per law. Nobody be allowed to take law into their hands while holding demonstrations". Meanwhile, the government has directed Bipin K Singh, the Additional Director General of the ACB, to take the additional charge as the DG of the anti-graft agency. In the past, Param Bir Singh had served as DCP in several important zones in Mumbai, and as Superintendent of Police of Chandrapur and Bhandara districts earlier, a statement said. He had also served as the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) in the state, it added. During Singh's tenure as Thane Police Commissioner, police had arrested fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Iqbal Kaskar from Mumbai in 2018. Thane Police had also unearthed a drug racket with Bollywood connections. Earlier in the day, outgoing Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve was given a ceremonial farewell by his colleagues at the Naigaon police headquarters. Delano, Calif., Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 13, 2018, a farm worker husband-and-wife couple, Santos Hilario Garcia and Marcelina Garcia Porfecto, died in a tragic car crash in Delano, CA, while fleeing pursuing ICE agents, leaving six young orphans ages eight to 18. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, the city of McFarlands Planning Commission voted 2-2 rejecting a proposal from the private prison company GEO Group to convert two local state prisons into immigrant detention centers because members of the community marched, told their stories and remained throughout the hearing that extended into late hours. Hundreds of concerned community members and farm workers worry that detention facilities will escalate immigration enforcement, detentions and deportations not only in McFarland but nearby cities. Expansion of immigrant detention centers in Californias Central Valley would be a betrayal for farm workers. Farm workers deserve to live with the peace of mind that they will make it home to their families after work. That is why, the UFW Foundation is focused on informing eligible voters about the critical role they play in the 2020 election and is proud to continue organizing in rural California to get out the vote. Farm workers and their children who are eligible to vote hold the power to electing legislators in charge of making important decisions that impact the future of communities, the state and our nation. There is no place for immigrant detention centers in the Central Valley and we are proud to stand in support of ensuring Latinos vote in the March 3 Primaries and this November. Akin Abayomi, Lagos commissioner of health, says the Italian who tested positive to coronavirus, has been moved to a renovated facilit... Akin Abayomi, Lagos commissioner of health, says the Italian who tested positive to coronavirus, has been moved to a renovated facility. The patient quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, had reportedly complained of excessive heat and mosquitoes and had attempted to escape from the facility on Friday. but he said he is now comfortable in his new ward. But while appearing on a show on Arise Television on Saturday, the commissioner admitted that the patient had complained,but he said he is now comfortable in his new ward. I saw him at about 6pm yesterday. He was explaining his condition and we were taking some new data from him, he said. Hes in an isolation room all by himself and we had moved him into a particular room because we were doing a general overhaul of the whole facility because we want to be ready. There were some discomforts in terms of heat, but about 9pm we moved him over to the renovated facility which has lots of air conditioners, fans and its a 28 bed brand new facility, and hes there on his own in the whole ward and as of 6am this morning Im told hes comfortable. The commissioner said they started renovations last week and now have 100 bed capacity. He said the Lagos government has been building capacity since the Ebola outbreak of 2014. Weve been building a bio security unit that includes advanced diagnostic capacity. Weve been building isolation wards which have special air flow dynamics, he said. The Italian citizen entered Nigeria on the February 25 from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. About 28 people believed to have had contact with him have been quarantined. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 The Indonesian government has conveyed its concerns over the recent deadly riots in New Delhi, as anger mounts in the predominantly Muslim country over what local Islamic groups say is anti-Muslim violence in India. The Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it had called the Indian Ambassador in Jakarta to discuss the riots that have claimed dozens of lives. The government of Indonesia has complete confidence that the government of India will be able to manage the situation and ensure the harmonious relations among its religious communities. Moreover, both countries share similar characteristics, as pluralistic countries that uphold democratic values and tolerance, the ministry said. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The country has so far registered seven cases of the new virus. Beirut, Lebanon Lebanon has asked all schools, universities and nurseries to close until March 8 as a precautionary measure against the new coronavirus. The country has so far registered seven cases of the virus that was first detected in China late last year, while dozens have undergone testing and are either awaiting results or have tested negative. Three of the patients two Lebanese and an Iranian had returned from Iran, the regional epicentre of the virus. The fourth case, a Syrian national, is suspected of having come in contact with someone who visited Iran, Lebanons health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Three of the cases were in stable condition, but one elderly patient suffered from several diseases that predate his coronavirus infection and his condition is unstable. Later on Saturday, the ministry said the number of cases had risen to seven, with the three new patients having previously come in contact with infected people. All patients are currently in quarantine at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in the capital, Beirut. Almost all educational institutions are expected to respect Education Minister Tarek Majzoubs request late on Friday about the closure. However, the prestigious American University of Beirut, which has about 10,000 students, announced that it would remain open, based upon consultations with several experts in the field of infectious diseases. Travel restrictions At least 2,900 people have died and more than 85,000 have been infected around the world since the virus, which has a mortality rate of about 2 percent, was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The overwhelming majority of infections have been reported in China but more daily cases are now registered outside the country, with Iran, Italy and South Korea also experiencing severe outbreaks. Lebanon on Thursday ordered a halt to the entry by land, sea and air of anyone coming from China, South Korea, Iran and Italy unless they are Lebanese citizens or foreigners residing in the country. The transport ministry said other countries could be added to the list and that the decision was temporary. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain meanwhile have halted all flights to and from Lebanon. Local municipalities have also begun taking precautions. The southern town of Mays al-Jabal ordered its weekly Wednesday market to close as a preventive measure, while the southern town of Hasbaya announced it would no longer receive traders from March 3 to March 10. Burj al-Barajneh a large municipality in Beiruts southern suburbs announced the closure of a main Husseiniyeh, or Shia congregation hall, until further notice as a precautionary measure over the virus. Limited capabilities Politician Assem Araji, the head of the parliamentary health committee, told Al Jazeera that authorities were doing what they could to diagnose new cases at the countrys entry points but had limited capabilities. Our staff are highly trained but we do not have a lot of the equipment and resources that other countries such as South Korea have to fight this virus, he said. According to Araji, the Rafik Hariri University Hospital had only four certified quarantine rooms, and there were likely not more than 20 or 25 in the entire country. Other hospitals in the small Mediterranean nation have not been designated to deal with the disease, officially known as COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this week told local newspaper The Daily Star that Lebanon was not well equipped to deal with a large outbreak. An employee from a disinfection company sanitises a closed school in Sidon, Lebanon [Ali Hashisho/Reuters] At the same time, challenges over the virus detection a patient who tests negative early on may later test positive complicate the situation, Araji said. He also noted that some Lebanese traders had initially begun exporting medical gloves and masks from Lebanon to other nations for higher profits, leading to a shortage and a spike in prices. This has now been stopped and we are slowly getting more of these supplies back, Araji said. Araji urged Lebanese not to meet in large groups but in a country gripped by a four-month-old anti-establishment uprising, his pleas may fall on deaf ears. Several hundred people turned out to a protest on Saturday, meandering through the streets of Beirut, while several other demonstrations are planned throughout the coming week. Lebanon registered its first coronavirus case, a female passenger returning from Iran, on February 21. Shortly afterwards, the health ministry asked all people arriving in Lebanon from countries with a large number of coronavirus cases to self-quarantine for two weeks the incubation period of the virus. The health ministry on Friday urged those who returned from countries experiencing a significant outbreak to remain in self-quarantine for two full weeks. It said no death had been recorded to date and said the country remained in the containment stage. DALLAS - The designer of the Leaning Tower of Dallas has been taking a wry pride in the stubborn resistance the creation is presenting to explosives and the wrecking ball. Thomas Taylor is the principal design engineer for Dallas-based Datum Engineers, which designed the 49-year-old, 11-story Affiliated Computer Services building that explosives mostly brought tumbling down Feb. 16. The concrete core that contained the stairway and elevator shafts remained after the dust settled. The column was left leaning by the pull of the rest of the crumbling building. That core was the stabilizing element that supported the 11 floors, Taylor told WFAA-TV. He compared it to a tree trunk and the rest of the building to the branches and leaves. Taylor also said that, as he understood the plan, the demolition charges were supposed to sever all of the branches and leaves and cut off the core at its base, toppling it to the ground. The problem is it didnt topple all the way, leaving the demolition contractor to chip away at the cast-in-place concrete with a wrecking ball. A spokeswoman for the developer and the demolition contractor said earlier this week the process could take weeks. Nobody ever told me to make it easy to demolish, Taylor said. Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, recognized their top sales associates for making an outstanding contribution to Prudentials strong growth over the past year. In addition, Prudential recognized the sales performance from their key Banking relationships; Societe Generale and Fidelity Bank. The top performers were presented with their awards at Prudentials sixth Annual Agency Gala and Awards ceremony at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra with over 200 people in attendance. The attendees included a representative from the National Insurance Commission, the Board and management of Prudential, members from Prudentials bank partners and Insurance Brokers. Since 2016, Prudential has been honouring its top sales associates with trips to South Africa, Kenya, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai, Singapore and in 2020 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For the second year running, Prudential had nine agents qualify for, the globally recognized, Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). As part of that exclusive honour, those sales agents will be attending the Asia MDRT conference to be held in Beijing, China at the end of May. Mrs. Jane Mingle, Chief Distribution Officer at Prudential Life said The objective of these trips is to give our agents a week of rest and relaxation, expose them to the world and give them an opportunity to interact with colleagues from other Prudential businesses. Whenever we travel together as a group, we attend trainings and learn best practices from our colleagues around the continent and throughout the world A new incentive, the Prudential Executive Club was launched by the CEO at the Awards night. The Executive Club will reward agents and agency leaders who demonstrate consistent high performance over a 12 month period with benefits such as building commission income, healthcare, insurance, airtime and other amenities that will enhance their business and quality of life. Emmanuel Aryee, the Chief Executive of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, said: The awards are a token of our appreciation. It is a reminder of Prudentials pledge and commitment to support and reward its hardworking agents and staff. We are excited with the prospects of 2020 and look forward to working with the team to achieve incredible things in the year ahead Prudentials top performer in 2019 remarked: Working with Prudential has changed my life for the better. Life Insurance sales is hard, but rewarding. As agents, we take our mandate of helping Ghanaians to secure their future seriously and look forward to another eventful year. We are grateful for Prudentials support, recognition and rewards to help us grow and excel to help serve our customers. 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 Coronavirus test kits are in short supply, were flawed when they were first distributed to labs across the US and abroad, and the results can take days for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to verify. Even the CDC's coronavirus point person, Dr Nancy Messonnier, admitted on Friday that the diagnostic has been a disappointment. 'This has not gone as well as we hoped,' she said during Friday press briefing. California, where more than half of the nation's coronavirus patients either live or are quarantined, has enough test kits to test just 200 patients, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday. If each of the six states with labs that can run the tests has the same number, only 1,200 people can be tested by technicians outside the CDC itself, although officials there have promised to have tests in every state's health department by the end of next week. That's only 200 more than Hong Kong officials are testing each day. Meanwhile, only a total of 445 people in the US had been tested as of Friday. Experts worry that there may be many more cases of coronavirus in the US than we are aware off, a concern that's pushed New York to take matters into its own hands. The state's health department is now making a test in an effort to speed screening. States were only sent a couple hundred of CDC's coronavirus test kits. Now that a likely case of the infection due to community spread has been identified, public health experts are concerned that's not nearly enough - and New York is making its own So far, 62 people in the US have tested positive for coronavirus. But only 15 of those came from the general public. The remaining 47 were evacuated either from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, or from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan and became the largest hotspot of infections outside mainland China. The most recently diagnosed patient is the most worrisome in the US to-date. On Wednesday, California officials announced that a woman in Solano had tested positive for coronavirus. And they had no idea how she got it. So far, the 12 of the American patients were diagnosed following travel to China. The spouses of two of those patients were also confirmed to have the virus. But the latest patient has not recently traveled to China, and none of her immediate family or close contacts had the virus or were suspected of having it. If continued contact tracing doesn't turn up a source of the virus, the woman's case will indicate that the infection is spreading in US communities, independent of travel history. In that case, health officials will need to shift tactics and start testing people with no recent history of travel to China or close contacts with such a history for coronavirus - but at this rate, they won't have nearly enough tests to do so. The confirmed woman was in the hospital with severe respiratory illness for several days before doctors there contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers in New Jersey are working on developing a test for coronavirus, independent of the CDC, whose diagnostic has proven faulty and is in short supply She had not fit the CDC's criteria for a potential coronavirus patient who should be tested for the infection. But once contacted, officials there amended the criteria and the woman tested positive. It was a several day delay, however, between her arrival at the hospital and the test results, which didn't come back from the CDC until three days after they were first notified about the woman. Now, her condition has deteriorated to 'serious' and she's been intubated, California Representative John Garamendi told CNN. More test kits would mean faster diagnoses, earlier informed treatment and quicker contact tracing. Officials in New York are trying to make that happen independent of the federal health organization. Rather than wait for the CDC to send out more tests - and fix the faulty ones that New York has deemed unusable - the state and New York City are attempting to make their own, Buzzfeed News reported. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has allocated $40 million to the state's coronavirus response, including the development of its own diagnostic test Test kits aren't the only thing in short supply. New Yorkers are buying stores out of hand sanitzer (pictured - or, not pictured) and face masks Georgia, too, is making independent moves, forming its own coronavirus task force, which convened with Governor Brian Kemp (center) on Friday The Food and Drug Administration even gave the city and state its blessing to move forward with its own test development while the CDC is reformulating its diagnostic. 'The only question is which will come on line first,' New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Deputy Commissioner Demetre Daskalakis told Buzzfeed News. New York Governor Cuomo has allocated $40 million the state's response to coronavirus. There are no cases confirmed there so far, although 83 people in Nassau County are being monitored for the infection and one person in New York City has been tested. 'The Governor is also calling on the federal government to authorize the Wadsworth Center and NYC Public Health Lab to test for the virus, allowing for expanded testing capacity and expedited test results' said a press release from the governor's office. 'New York State has independently worked to develop and validate a test using the CDC protocol. 'Upon FDA approval, Wadsworth can immediately begin testing to support New York State and other states in the northeast region if necessary.' As of Friday, Georgia also formed its own coronavirus task force, despite the fact that none of handful of people it has tested have been positive for the infection. A shortage of tests is just one of several federal foibles stoking fears of a worsening outbreak. HHS Secretary Azar also said Wednesday that the US not only has an insufficient stockpile of protective gear and face masks for health professionals, but currently lacks the manufacturing capacity to make them. By PTI DOHA: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban Saturday to honour its commitments to sever ties with jihadist groups as Washington signed a landmark deal with the Afghan insurgents. He called on the Taliban to "keep your promises to cut ties with Al-Qaeda." ALSO READ: US, Taliban sign deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan "I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper," he said at the ceremony in Doha. The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. (With inputs from Associated Press) It's cold tonight, and I sit at my desk, wishing it were warmer. Even with central heat and air, winter is a difficult time. My sinuses are inflamed, my knuckles are dry and red, and my joints are sore with the cold. Every year I dread it more. And now environmentalists like Jeff Bezos want to make it colder. It's no accident that Shakespeare wrote of "the winter of our discontent" (Richard III) and of "the icy fang / And churlish chiding of the winter's wind" (As You Like It). Shakespeare, who lived through some of the coldest decades of the Little Ice Age, found nothing to like about winter. Nor did Dickens, who wrote often of "the winter of despair," or, in a line about the short days of winter that applies to today's liberals, "Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it." Turn off the lights you're burning too much fossil fuel! The fact is that cold is more damaging than heat. Long, cold winters followed by cold, damp springs and summers diminish crop yields, leading to global hunger. If the Earth were a few degrees warmer, that heat would expand corn and wheat belts to the north. In terms of global food security, it is cold we should fear, not heat. In the Little Ice Age, roughly from the 14th through the mid-19th century, global cooling limited food production, resulting in widespread hunger, disease, and economic stagnation. In northern Europe, for instance, population growth was stagnant until the 19th century, and for most people, there was little improvement in daily life until after 1800. In Britain, for example, population has soared from 10 million in 1800 to over 66 million today. That would not have been possible in a period of cooler temperatures. Globally, 5.4 million die each year from cold-related deaths, while only 311,000 deaths are heat related. Just in the U.S., on average, 1,330 die from the cold each year, and snow and ice cause over 150,000 traffic accidents annually. Just as a matter of human comfort, heat is preferable to cold. There is a reason why tens of millions of retirees have moved to Florida and Arizona. No one retires in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. There are many other benefits to warming. Some 40% of the U.S. corn crop is now used to produce clean-burning ethanol larger crops would support even greater use of ethanol and contribute to U.S. energy independence. Warming would also further open the Northwest Passage for freighters, thus cutting two weeks off the time it takes to transport goods between Asia and eastern Canada, and cutting fuel use as well (though most arctic traffic will continue to pass through Russia's Northern Sea Route). It would be wonderful if humans actually did have the power to raise global temperatures. As it is, that power is limited. For millennia, global temperatures have risen and fallen based on natural cycles resulting from the shifting of the Earth's axis and other natural forces. These forces created the Great Ice Age and the Little Ice Age, periods that were followed by periods of warming, and that cycle of alternating warming and cooling has been taking place throughout the Earth's history. We are fortunate to live in a period of warming, however slight that has been. The danger is that we may slip back into another extended period of cold. This is not just a remote possibility. The winter of 201718 was unusually cold and long, resulting in late planting and reduced crop yields in the temperate regions. And according to scientists at NASA's Langley Research Center, the next 20 years may see a repeat of 201718 or worse. That is because we are entering a period of extended solar minima in which the Earth's temperature declines as a result of lower sunspot activity. Don't donate your parkas to Goodwill just yet, and prepare to eat less salad. If temperatures drop even to a fraction of what happened during the Little Ice Age, Florida and California will experience extreme cold with damage to winter crops like lettuce and tomato. Environmentalists believe that higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere contribute to warming, but CO2, in and of itself, is hardly a bad thing. It is common knowledge that plant growth is increased in the presence of higher levels of CO2. Plant life on Earth has increased by 14% in the last 30 years as a result of increased CO2 levels and slightly higher temperatures. Apparently, environmentalists wish to reduce plant life on earth, including staple crops. If crop yields had not increased during the past 30 years, millions of human beings would have suffered from hunger. Is it the intention of the environmental movement to reduce crop yields? If humans could control the Earth's climate, it would be good to raise temperatures as an offset to future periods of cooling already predicted by climate scientists. Unfortunately, there seems to be no compelling evidence that human activity can alter temperatures to anything beyond a fraction of a degree, if that. What we can do is to prepare for whatever comes our way, but to do that, we must be prosperous. At an estimated cost of between $51 and $93 trillion over ten years, the Green New Deal will destroy wealth in the U.S. and make it impossible to defend against natural variations in the climate. Other schemes, such as the Paris Climate Agreement, would add many billions more to the cost. There must have been plenty of cave men during the Great Ice Age who wished they had central heating. If we avoid spending on costly environmental boondoggles, we will have the funds to live safely and comfortably no matter what happens. Periods of global warming and cooling are inevitable. This time around, human beings may be able to cope with it. Unlike those who suffered through the Little Ice Age and the period of warming that followed it, modern humans possess the resources to survive whatever nature throws at us that is, if we don't squander those resources on misguided schemes like the Green New Deal. Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture including Heartland of the Imagination: Conservative Values in American Literature from Poe to O'Connor to Haruf (2011). The impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on China's economy will be temporary and will not alter the fundamentals of its foreign trade, foreign investment, or core position in the global industrial chain from a long-term perspective, Wei Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said at a press briefing held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on Friday. Wei Jianguo, who is also China's former vice minister, said China will see a "robust rebound" in foreign trade once the virus is contained. He predicted that China's foreign trade this year will be two to three percentage points higher than last year. Foreign trade in 2019 recorded a 3.4% growth. "The outbreak is a major test facing China's foreign trade, but I'm confident that China will rise to the challenges with a good economic performance." Wei said that certain consumer demand (that has been held back by the epidemic) is not disappearing. Spending on imported products, especially those related to healthcare and personal hygiene, will surge after the outbreak, and related industries will usher in a period of faster growth. He said China's imports will record a two-digit growth this year. "China's foreign trade has strong resilience and competitiveness, especially its innovative ability to explore foreign markets," Wei said. "Therefore, the long-term positive trend of the foreign trade will not change." The former vice commerce minister added that, in recent years, China has promoted the transformation and upgrading of processing trade, and private enterprises have played an increasingly important role in foreign trade. Over the past weeks, China has made considerable progress in resuming economic activities, as the resumption of work and production is accelerating in an orderly manner to battle the novel coronavirus outbreak. However, Wei pointed out that more efforts are needed in restoring the major industrial chains to ensure a strong rebound. Wei said China's major foreign trade regions of Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shanghai are all stepping up their pace of work resumption, but some companies there may feel that it is difficult to restore their production capabilities to normal levels. "The key issue is the lack of raw materials, as many upstream industries have yet to restore production," Wei said. "More efforts are needed to ensure the resumption of production in upstream industries, such as chemical fiber goods required to produce masks." In addition, Wei said that a series of policies and measures carried out this year, such as the Foreign Investment Law and the revised negative lists for foreign investment market access, will further optimize the business environment and widen market access for foreign companies, and therefore bolster foreign investors' confidence. During the G20 meeting in February, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its 2020 growth forecast of China to 5.6% from its initial estimate of 6% made in January. Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, also spoke at the press briefing. He said that, although the outbreak may put a damper on economic growth, China's economy has shown resilience and potential throughout its history, and many of the country's major economic transformations happened during slowdowns. "This is an opportunity to cultivate and expand new economic growth points," said Zhang. "It is critical to lay a good foundation for China's future sustainable economic and social development." A 21-year-old woman who posted explicit content on 'OnlyFans' ended up getting a stalker who leaked her personal information online. OnlyFans is a website where over 200,000 people post pictures and videos, often of a sexual nature, while 'fans' pay for them with a monthly subscription fee. The Gold Coast woman known as 'Becky' had been earning money on OnlyFans for six months when one of her subscribers began making sexual advances on February 19. When Becky turned him down, he and a female friend, who is a sex worker, posted explicit videos of her to Twitter. The sex worker also sent her death threats. 'The same girl told me to kill myself along with other threats and disgusting messages. Not even five minutes later I was notified by Twitter that I was tagged in a post,' Becky told the Gold Coast Bulletin. A 21-year-old woman known as 'Becky' was earning money on OnlyFans for six months when one of her subscribers, a Gold Coast man, began making sexual advances (stock image) OnlyFans is a website where over 200,000 people post pictures and videos, often sexual in nature, while 'fans' pay for them with a monthly subscription fee Becky is only known by her username on OnlyFans but her real name, age, phone number and location were posted alongside pornographic images in fake prostitution advertisements online The 21-year-old reported the offending Tweets, which have since been removed from the social media platform - but the harassment didn't stop there. Becky is only known by her username on OnlyFans but her real name, age, phone number and location were posted alongside pornographic images in fake prostitution advertisements online. The fake advertisements were posted to free online classified site Locanto were visible on Google search. Within an hour of the advertisement being posted, Becky received 100 texts and calls asking her to perform sex acts in return for money. She immediately reported the advertisement to be removed and it took a full week for it to be taken down - but the damage was already done. More compromising pictures of Becky were posted a Twitter, despite being copyrighted under the OnlyFans terms and conditions. Revenge porn is a crime in Queensland and those who share or threaten to share intimate images without consent can be punished with three years in jail. The fake advertisements were posted to free online classified site Locanto a Terrified by the torrent of online harassment, Becky reached out to her father for support but he brutally disowned her. 'I rang family members for support and some disowned me immediately because I was disgusting for selling myself. My dad told me how disgusting I was and has stopped talking to me,' she said. Now, Becky is afraid to leave her home for fear that a men may recognise her from the adverts and attack her on the street. 'I'm hardly sleeping, eating, I'm crying and having severe panic attacks and I'm just absolutely destroyed mentally, physically and emotionally. I have all the evidence in the world and no one will help me,' she said. She reported the advertisements to police but felt like they didn't take the crime seriously when she was referred to another station. Speaking to the Bulletin, Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said stalking and revenge porn were both serious crimes so the matter was referred to specialist police for investigation. He said people of interest have already been identified. Becky said she was sexually assaulted when she was younger and feels that there is little support for women who are the victims of sex crimes. Hi Future Tensers, The gloves are off in the 2020 presidential primary, and Ive found myself almost missing the days of 20-plus candidates taking turns telling us what theyd do on day one in office. Kirsten Gillibrand said she wouldve Cloroxed the Oval Office. Bernie Sanders would legalize marijuana, and Elizabeth Warren has made 24 day-one promises, the most of any candidate. But I wish one of our candidates would cop to the truth: On day one as president, wouldnt you ask whether we have an alien? Advertisement In our latest Future Tense fiction short story, It Came from Cruden Farm, Max Barry, author of funny/alarming sci-fi novels like Jennifer Government, imagines a newly inaugurated president meeting a sentient sofa held in Area 51, and it raises all sorts of questions, starting with: Whats the proper pronoun to use? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After you read Maxs story, check out the response essay by Sarah Scholes, author of They Are Already Here: UFO Culture and Why We See Saucers. Scoles takes on the widespread suspicion that the government is hiding an extraterrestrial something from us: Bill Clinton revealed that during his time in office, hed asked his people to look into both the Area 51 and Roswell files but if youre inclined to believe in a cover-up, isnt this affirmative just further evidence of disinformation? For Scoles, the Area 51 conspiracy (and Barrys short story) has legs because the government has the means to pull off an alien coverup. The truth is out there! Advertisement Advertisement Here are some of the best articles we published recently: Rachel Withers The Great Australian Cop-Out on Climate Change Mark Joseph Stern Court Says You Dont Have a First Amendment Right to Make Money Off YouTube Jane C. Hu We Want a More Private Internet, but We Want to Screenshot It Too Jeff Kosseff Meet One of the Earliest Victims of Internet Bullying Chris Estep and Megan Lamberth Faux News Articles and Social Media Posts Will Haunt This Election Wish Wed Published This How Big Tech Hijacked Its Sharpest, Funniest Critics by Tim Maughan, MIT Technology Review Three Questions for a Smart Person Lucianne Walkowicz is an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and co-founder of the JustSpace Alliance. I spoke with them about exoplanets and extraterrestrials. Margaret: Of all the alien arrival flicks, which one gets it best? Lucianne: I really like Arrival best. A lot of other movies about alien arrivals put it as something that is universally feared, but Arrival does an amazing job at showing the diversity of reactions that humans would have. Advertisement Whats your favorite exoplanet? Obviously, the answer is the TOI700 System that my student Emily Gilbert just found. Shes a University of Chicago student whos working with me and a team of NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center and just discovered the first habitable zone Earth-sized planet from the TESS mission. So, yeah, no big deal. Advertisement What do you wish you could tell all these billionaire space explorers? Space exploration is a collaborative human endeavor and thats something you cant buy. Advertisement Advertisement Want to learn more? Check out this Future Tense story where Lucianne tells us the problem with terraforming Mars. Future Tense Recommends I recently discovered the photos of Alastair Philip Wiper, a British-born, Copenhagen-based artist. He photographs places and things that are normally unseen, but which make the modern world possible: factories, shipyards, laboratories, and machineslots of gigantic, complex machines. The photographs in Wipers new book, Unintended Beauty, offer the visual satisfactions of symmetry and eye-popping color and intricate detail.* But for all their precisionist beauty, the images are also shadowed by whats been sacrificed to these machinesthe slaughtered animals, the wrecked landscapes, the thousands of low-paid workersthat we usually take for granted.Jason Lloyd, managing editor of Issues in Science and Technology Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Next: TBD In the latest episode of Slates technology podcast, Lizzie OLeary interviews Karen Hao, artificial intelligence reporter for MIT Technology Review, about how money corrupted the idealism of OpenAI. Also, check out last weeks episode, in which Lizzie spoke with Kate Klonick about Facebooks Supreme Court. Upcoming Future Tense Events On March 5, bring your devices and join us for How to Protect Yourself Online, a happy hour/hands-on cyber self-defense workshop we are hosting with New Americas Open Technology Institute, PEN America, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The event will be held in Washington and starts at 6 p.m. Margaret from Future Tense Update, March 2, 2020: This article was updated to reflect that Alastair Philip Wipers book Unintended Beauty is available now through his website. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. When Ashlee Laird, 32, a high school adviser in Houston, was planning her honeymoon to Italy in 2015, a friend suggested she look at Costco Travel, the travel division of Costco Wholesales retail membership club that operates warehouse-scale stores. Through Costco, she booked an eight-day trip to Rome and Florence for two for $3,800, including round-trip flights, hotels, daily breakfast, private cars to and from the Italian airports, first-class train tickets between the cities and $400 to spend on tours, which they used to see the Vatican and the Colosseum and take a pizza-making class. In comparison, their flight alone is running $2,600 for two this spring. There was no downside, Ms. Laird said of her Costco package, noting that the travel agent assigned to the couple kept in touch before, during and after the trip. In addition to bulk supplies of toilet paper, KitchenAid refrigerators and giant packs of canned salmon, Costco sells trips to Europe, as well as Riviera Maya resort stays, Alaska cruises, safaris in East Africa and Disney theme park trips. Wholesalers like Costco are among a number of membership clubs and associations that, in addition to other benefits, offer discounts on travel, including rental cars, cruises and tours. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend: Azerbaijan exported 926.8 million cubic meters of gas to Turkey in December 2019, which is 14.3 percent more than in December 2018 (794.5 million cubic meters), Trend reports with reference to Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK). Overall, Azerbaijan's share in gas imports to Turkey amounted to 17.1 percent in December 2019 compared to 13.1 percent in December 2018, the report said. According to EPDK, total volume of natural gas export to Turkey exceeded 5.4 billion cubic meters in December 2019, having decreased by 11.5 percent compared to the same period of 2018 (over 6 billion cubic meters). Turkey imports gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum). Turkey has a contract for annual purchase of 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas from the Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas condensate field. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis Officials in California have confirmed the second case of coronavirus of unknown origin, indicating the virus appears to be spreading in the state. A day after officials in the north of California revealed what was believed to be the first case of the disease spreading to a person who did not travel internationally or come into close contact with someone infected, authorities in Santa Clara said a second case had been reported. Santa Clara County public health department spokesman Maury Kendall said the person was isolated at home. The New York Times said the finding suggested coronavirus may already circulating locally in California, passing from person to person. It said the case involving a person who had no known risk factors was Solano County, between San Francisco and Sacramento. The new infection is in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco and which includes the city of San Jose. Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty A day earlier, state health officials had pegged the number of people in California with the virus at 33. Residents of the community where the woman first went to the hospital, in Vacaville, are at the epicentre of what officials are calling a turning point in the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. Boris Johnson on coronavirus As infectious disease experts fanned out in Vacaville, some residents in the city of 100,000 stocked up on supplies amid fears things could get worse despite official reassurances, while others took the news in stride. Vacaville lies between San Francisco and Sacramento in Solano County, in the agricultural central valley and near Californias famous wine region. It is about 10 miles from Travis Air Force Base, which has been used as a virus quarantine location. Public health officials said they can find no connection between the infected woman and passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were evacuated to the base when the ship was docked in Japan. Additional reporting by Associated Press BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 By Ilkin Seyfaddini Trend: The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has become a full member of the International Financial Education Network of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/IFE), Trend reports via Uzbek media. Since 2008, the OECD International Network for Financial Education has been pursuing a policy of effective implementation and monitoring of evaluation of standards in the field of financial education; development and assistance in initiatives aimed at improving financial literacy of various segments of the population; introduction of the International Program on Student Assessment (PISA) in monitoring the evaluation of education systems. Since 2017, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the OECD International Network on Financial Education (OECD/INFE) have been working with CIS countries on a project with key support from the Russian Ministry of Finance. Thanks to the internationally recognized expertise of OECD/INFE, the project is to provide political and economic advice and technical support in the development, implementation and analysis of evidence-based financial education strategies in six CIS countries. Full membership will allow the Central Bank of Uzbekistan to actively participate in Technical Committee meetings and events aimed at improving financial education and financial literacy. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled Spain over a failed 2017 independence bid, on Saturday exhorted tens of thousands of supporters to keep up the struggle, at a giant rally in southern France, near the Catalan border. "We must prepare for the final combat, bypassing mistakes, doubts and weaknesses," he told the crowd at the exhibition centre of a city that many consider the capital of northern Catalonia. Huge crowds thronged the venue bearing pictures of Puigdemont and waving separatist flags of an independent Catalonia. Local authorities estimated the turnout at 100,000 while organisers put it at 150,000. Organisers had booked 600 buses for the event. It was the first time the former Catalan president had ventured so close to the Spanish frontier since he fled to Brussels to escape prosecution following the failed secession bid that sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades. "We don't know what will happen but we know that if we maintain our positions the day will come when we can set foot on Catalan soil," he said, to cries of "Our president!" He also called for a "permanent mobilisation" against "a monarchical regime which is a direct heir of Francoism," referring to Spain's longtime dictator General Franco, who restored the Spanish monarchy. "We will not stop ... we just have good days ahead of us," Puigdemont promised. On Friday evening, he attended a rugby match in Perpignan and was received by the mayor of the city, Jean-Marc Pujol. Former French prime minister Manuel Valls, who made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Barcelona, Catalonia's main city, denounced the official reception accorded to Puigdemont, calling him a "political leader who fled Spain" and was a wanted figure in his country. In October, nine other separatist leaders who remained in Spain were sentenced to heavy jail terms for sedition, sparking weeks of angry protests in Catalonia, some of which turned violent. Previously Puigdemont had not risked travelling to France, where police and the courts work closely with Madrid. But that changed recently when he was granted immunity as a member of the European parliament. "For me, it's like being home," Puigdemont told a local newspaper ahead of his visit. - Separatist divisions - The rally comes at a sensitive time for Catalonia where Puigdemont's successor, Quim Torra, has announced early regional elections due to a clash between the two separatist parties that run the wealthy northeastern part of Spain. One is Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia (JxC) while the other is the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which is headed by his former deputy Oriol Junqueras, who is currently serving 13 years in prison over the failed independence bid. The tensions stem from strategic differences over how to advance the separatist agenda, with both parties struggling for leadership of the independence movement. And while ERC has pushed for dialogue with the government of Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, JxC has favoured a more confrontational approach. This week, Sanchez opened talks with Catalonia's regional leaders to try to resolve the separatist conflict. The negotiations were agreed as part of a deal with ERC in exchange for its support in getting Sanchez through a key investiture vote in January -- a deal that was frowned upon by Puigdemont and his supporters. "Experience has taught very clearly not to trust," he said recently, despite asking to be a part of the ongoing dialogue with Madrid. Authorities are searching for several missing people after firefighters and lifeguards helped rescue 13 immigrants believed to have been dropped into the water during a "dump and run" smuggling operation entering California from Mexico. US Border Patrol and Coast Guard officers are searching for what police believe is a panga boat, a small fishing vessel often used to bring people into the US on coastal waterways, after as many as 16 people were left in the water off the coast of Del Mar. Encinitas Fire Chief Mike Stein called the tactic a "dump and run", where a boat carrying immigrants from the other side of the US-Mexico border avoids heading to the shore and immediately heads back south. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said deputies first responded to calls for help around 4.30am on Friday before search and rescue teams were dispatched to coastal waters near Del Mar, roughly 30 miles from the US-Mexico border. Rescuers, including an off-duty lifeguard, helped bring 11 people to the shore by 7am while officials searched the area by boat and helicopter. Two others were found hiding on a nearby beach. 'Dangerous' overcrowding of migrants in US border facilities 6 show all 'Dangerous' overcrowding of migrants in US border facilities 1/6 Photos of detained migrants crowded into cells at the US border - with one holding up a sign reading simply "help" - have been released as part of a new report warning of "dangerous" overcrowding. The memo was sent to the Department of Homeland Security by its Inspector General, containing photos taken at border facilities in the Rio Grande Valley over a week in June DHS/OIG 2/6 Eighty-eight adult males held in a cell with a maximum capacity of 41, some signalling prolonged detention to OIG Staff on June 12 DHS/OIG 3/6 Overcrowding of families observed by OIG on June 11, at a border patrol facility in Weslaco, Texas DHS/OIG 4/6 Migrant families overcrowding a border patrol facility on June 11 in McAllen, Texas DHS/OIG 5/6 Fifty-one adult females held in a cell designated for male juveniles with a capacity for 40 at Border Patrols Fort Brown Station DHS/OIG 6/6 Migrant families overcrowding a border patrol facility on June 11 in McAllen, Texas DHS/OIG Solana Beach Fire Department Chief Robbie Ford said rescue crews are still searching for three others, though it's unclear whether they made it to shore or remain at sea. A lifeboat was found near the shore. Chief Stein said most of the rescued people were suffering from mild hypothermia when they were brought to shore. Border Patrol officers interviewed the migrants after they received care, according to authorities. Officials did not release the nationality and ages of people in custody, but Border Patrol officers said that of the 13 people who were rescued eight were men and five were women. Border Patrol agent Kurtis Kantura said the panga boat operators "care little for human life and will do anything they can to make a dollar". The agency has participated in more than 900 search and rescue operations so far this year, following several high-profile water rescues of groups of immigrants entering the US from Mexico over the last several years. Law enforcement also has encountered several abandoned panga boats in recent months carrying drugs into the US. In January, Border Patrol agents seized 60 pounds of marijuana near an abandoned panga boat near the shore of Point Mugu State Park north of Los Angeles. US Coast Guard officers in Malibu found more than 41 bales of marijuana near a similar boat in September. Disruption of healthcare system looms large South Korea's fight against the new coronavirus is becoming more and more difficult as the epidemic keeps spreading rapidly. The situation appears to have reached a critical point where COVID-19 could be getting out of control. There are growing worries that the country's healthcare system may start to collapse after the number of confirmed cases surged to 2,337 Friday, the world's largest figure after China. The health authorities are struggling to provide treatment for the soaring number of patients. In the southeastern city of Daegu with a 2.4 million population, the healthcare system has already been overstretched since the city emerged as a hotbed for the epidemic. The disruption of the system cannot be avoided without radical emergency steps. A 73-year-old man in Daegu died of the virus Thursday, becoming the 13th fatality. He fell victim to the disease without getting treatment due to a shortage of hospital beds in the city. It is regrettable that the patient died under self-quarantine while waiting to be hospitalized two days after testing positive for the virus. The problem is that such a death could take place in large numbers, given the poor medical infrastructure there. The city has so far made 1,013 hospital beds available for confirmed coronavirus patients. But, these fall far short of the exploding number of patients which stood at 1,579, accounting for 67 percent of the country's total. The number of patients is likely to rise further as the infections are closely linked to mass worship services of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which around 9,000 believers were known to have attended this month. Therefore, pessimism is growing that the authorities might lose their battle with the raging virus. In this worsening situation, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin has reportedly asked for the central government's support, and cooperation from other municipalities and provinces. But he is finding it difficult to get support good enough to accommodate more patients and bring the epidemic under control. Kwon requested Gyeonggi Province to provide hospital beds for patients from Daegu. But Governor Lee Jae-myung turned down the request, saying that medical staff and treatment facilities were also insufficient in his province. Daegu is suffering from an acute lack of doctors, nurses and other medical workers, not to mention hospitals. The central government has dispatched 101 medical staff including 38 doctors and 59 nurses to the city. But more medical professionals are required to deal with the epidemic. A shortage of medical equipment is also serious. Many doctors and nurses are taking care of a flood of new patients, wearing only masks without proper protective equipment. Now the Moon Jae-in administration should take more radical measures to avoid a looming public health catastrophe. President Moon has vowed to take pre-emptive steps. But he and his government have done little to make good on what he said. It is imperative to reinforce the quarantine network and prevent the disruption of the healthcare system. Mobilize all possible means to protect the people from the relentless virus. A popular Bengali actor, who joined the BJP in 2013, has resigned from the primary membership of the party expressing dismay over the "recent hate-filled situation" in the country. She put in her papers on Friday. The BJP, however, hoped she will reconsider the decision. "I had joined the party with a lot of hope and optimism. But, the recent violence in Delhi, the growing atmosphere of hatred and violence, made me feel disturbed," Subhadra Mukherjee told reporters on Saturday. Mukherjee, who has already sent in her resignation letter to BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh, also said, "Why should brothers cut each other's throats in the name of religion? I was disturbed after hearing the of deaths of over 40 people." The actor said she did not want to be associated with "this brand of politics" where people can be judged by their religion and not as fellow humans. Referring to Mukherjee's statement, senior BJP leader Shamik Bhattacharya told PTI that the party has never "diluted" its ideology over any issue. "We have spoken on the issue of differentiating between refugees and infiltrators since the 50s. We also believe in the inclusiveness of India and the violence in Delhi was not the handiwork of the BJP," Bhattacharya said, adding, he was no aware of Mukherjee's decision. "We hope she will reconsider her decision," he said. Mukherjee, who has worked in a number of movies and TV serials, however, clarified she was not against the new citizenship law if it did not discriminate between citizens based on religious identity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Gold Coast beautician who was diagnosed with coronavirus after she returned from Iran could have infected up to 40 people in Australia. The woman, 63, works at Hair Plus salon, in the Australia Fair shopping centre in Southport and fell ill at work on Thursday. She is currently 'in isolation' at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state's health department. Queensland's chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young said the woman did facials on up to 40 clients, with each one lasting around 15 minutes. She warned that 'we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually'. Health authorities are now desperately trying to track down the infected woman's customers to urge them to get tested. A 63-year-old woman diagnosed with coronavirus after returning from Iran gave facials to 40 clients at Hair Plus salon in Australia Fair Shopping Centre (pictured) on Thursday Coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people globally and can cause severe lung damage and trigger multiple organ failure Queensland's chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young warned that Queensland was heading for an epidemic and urged Hair Plus customers to be examined for coronavirus 'She's a highly intelligent, very sensible lady, so as soon as she had her first symptom she spoke to her manager and she went home,' she told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday. 'Then she went to Gold Coast University Hospital and got tested.' Dr Young urged anyone who attended the Hair Plus salon at Australia Fair in Southport from 11am on Thursday to come forward. 'She saw a number of clients each for brief interactions, so we believe the risk is incredibly low,' she said. Dr Young said there was no need for anyone who was at the shopping centre at the same time, to be concerned. But she said the number of countries that have contracted the coronavirus is increasing each day. 'So it's very hard for individuals to work out which country is at risk,' she said. 'It's really a message now, if you have been overseas, you come back to Queensland, you feel unwell with any symptoms, that you go and get advice.' Speaking to the ABC, Dr Young warned that Queensland was heading for an epidemic. 'We know that we will be seeing a pandemic result through the world it's not been declared yet,' she said. 'But we know we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually.' The 63-year-old beautician is currently 'in isolation' at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state's health department Health minister Steven Miles reassured Queenslanders the Covid-19 virus remained contained across the state, despite the latest development. A 79-year-old west Australian woman has also tested positive after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan taking the overall number of infected Australians to 25. According to the Australian health department there are 84,117 cases world wide and 2,872 reported deaths. 'The continuing increase in the number of cases and number of affected countries over the last few days are clearly of concern,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesushe said in Geneva. He said that 24 Covid-19 cases have now been exported from Italy - the worst-hit country in Europe - to 14 countries and that 97 cases have been exported from Iran to 11 countries. The UN health agency had previously labelled the global risk as 'high' but still short of calling it a pandemic. Health minister Steven Miles reassured Queenslanders the Covid-19 virus remained contained across the state, despite the latest development The Australian government is already putting in place plans to tackle a pandemic. In particular, it is looking at how aged care facilities could be locked down in the case of a coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says while some countries such as Japan are looking at closing schools, there is no need to do that in Australia based on current medical advice. However, the virus known as COVID-19 affects the elderly more. 'The bigger impact would be in things like aged care facilities, the ability to lock those down, and to have the right care and support to those who are working in those places,' Mr Morrison said on Friday. Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured) Health ministers who met in Melbourne on Friday agreed the Commonwealth would take the lead on an aged care advanced planning process. 'Those who are elderly or those who have difficulties with their immune system are most at risk and that is why they are absolute top priority,' federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said. Aged care providers received a letter this week from Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy outlining the need for them to have emergency plans in place. 'While the number of cases of COVID-19 is currently small in Australia, it is possible that this situation could change and services need to plan and be prepared for this,' he wrote. Federal opposition frontbencher Jason Clare said the government is doing the right thing even though the WHO has yet to declare a pandemic. 'They have followed the advice of the chief medical officer ... they have followed the advice of the experts,' Mr Clare told ABC television on Saturday. Kolkata, Feb 29 : Two BJP MPs were detained by the police on Saturday at Behala on the city's southern outskirts on Saturday when they tried to visit some party functionaries allegedly beaten up by workers of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. The two Lok Sabha members -- Soumitra Khan of Bishnupur and Bankura's Subhas Sarkar -- have been taken to the Behala police station after the area turned into a virtually battlefield with slogan shouting BJP workers scuffling with the police. According to the police, the two MPs were not allowed to proceed to the Shilpara area out of apprehension that their presence could lead to a deterioration of the situation there. "We were going to meet our party functionaries in Shilpara who were beaten up by anti-social elements affiliated to the Trinamool," said Khan as he was being led away in a police van. Cork County Council's Library and Arts Services invites you to take a closer look at all that is on offer at your local library on Saturday, February 29, for National Library Open Day. Libraries throughout Cork County will be hosting a special showcase of their services, as well as activities for all ages and interests on the day. Visitors can experience a range of services on offer including arts, crafts, storytelling, music, knitting, coding and more. Attendance is free and is open to anyone, regardless of whether or not you're a member. Friendly library staff will be on hand to show visitors around their local branch and demonstrate the wide variety of services Cork County Council's Libraries offer, including the nationally recognised 'A Sound Initiative' which allows library card holders to borrow musical instruments, visitors will also be able to sign up for a library membership. "This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to engage with one of the most vital, free services available in Cork. Cork County Council's Library and Arts services have done incredible work in improving accessibility to allow for as many people as possible to avail of the benefits," said the newly-minted Mayor of the County of Cork, Charleville's Cllr Ian Doyle. "It's about far more than books and newspapers. Our libraries now provide essential community support in terms of social inclusion, learning, culture and developing a sense of place. I strongly encourage everyone to pop down to their local branch this National Library Day," added Mayor Doyle, who is also president of his local heritage society in Charleville. National Library Open Day on February 29th will run nationwide to promote the important libraries play in their communities. Contact your local library branch to find out times of activities or to book a place. For contact details, visit https://www.corkcoco.ie/en/library-services. Information will also be shared on Cork County Libraries and Arts Social Media (Facebook: @corkcocolibrary & Twitter: @corkcolibrary). Talk on Irish police casualties in Blarney Blarney and District Historical Society presents an illustrated lecture entitled: 'Irish Police Casualties - Including those of the War of Independence' on Thursday next, 5th March at 8.00pm in Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal (Blarney Secondary School). The guest speaker is local historian Mr. Jim Herlihy. Everybody is welcome to attend - non-members 4. Rio De Janeiro As the Grande Rio Samba school rolled its Carnival float onto Rio de Janeiro's parade grounds, people aboard unfurled a massive fan-shaped banner reading "RESPECT MY AXE" to the roaring crowd. Axe is the vital cosmic force in the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomble and Grande Rio was calling upon tens of thousands of spectators in the Sambadrome's bleachers and tens of millions watching at home to accept people of Afro-Brazilian faith amid a wave of harassment linked to the spread of evangelical Christianity. As Portuguese Catholic colonists brought African slaves to Brazil, the enslaved men and women developed blends of their traditional religions with Catholicism, now practiced by about a tiny minority of Brazilians. In Rio, the state that's home to one quarter of the practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions, there's been a proliferation of evangelical Christianity, particularly neo-Pentecostal churches founded since 1970 that focus on spreading their faith among non-believers. Experts say that while most neo-Pentecostal proselytizing is peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied a surge of intolerance against traditional African-influenced religions ranging from verbal abuse and discrimination to destruction of temples and forced expulsion from neighborhoods. Members of the Grande Rio school, like Jaciel Henrique, said they were using Rio's traditional Samba school competition to tell the world traditional African-influenced religions like Candomble need protection. "We want to be respected, and Carnival is about that," Henrique said at the school's rehearsal earlier this month in Duque de Caxias, a city north of Rio. "Respect where everybody unites and gets together in favor of one power: happiness." Duque de Caxias is part of the sprawling Baixada Fluminense region, where Rio on Feb. 17 inaugurated a center for victims of religious intolerance to file claims and get legal, social, psychological support. Within four days, a teenage boy of Candomble faith reported that school directors had prohibited him from attending class in traditional white garb. Afro-Brazilian religions are directly tied to the creation of Rio's samba schools, and Carnival samba lyrics citing Candomble deities, or orixas, have been a constant since the 1960s, said Luiz Antonio Simas, a prominent Carnival historian. Grande Rio's theme is the first to focus on the issue of religious intolerance. Its parade this year presented the story of Joaozinho da Gomeia, a Candomble priest from northeastern Brazil's Bahia state who moved in 1947 to Duque de Caxias. He was jailed for practicing folk healing. Most of the school's parade presented his story, and their song repeated one verse that inevitably prompted the crowd to join in singing: "I respect your Amen/you respect my Axe." Another samba school, Mangueira, also highlighted religious intolerance at times during its parade on Sunday. One group of women with a Candomble orixa's name emblazoned on their skirts whirled about with a cross on their backs. A lyric in Mangueira's samba said "prophets of intolerance" were again putting nails through Jesus' body, and the school was joined by an inter-faith group of 20 religious leaders holding a banner that read "Independent of your faith, respect should prevail." Brazil's most recent census found some 600,000 practitioners of Afro-Brazilian faiths just 0.3 percent of the population. The religions are often demonized in neo-Pentecostal churches, said Marcio de Jagun, the state government's superintendent for promoting religious freedom. Some of the faithful take matters into their own hands and, in rare instances, evangelical pastors have been found explicitly directing radicalized evangelicals to dispense violence. Last August, police arrested a group of drug traffickers in Duque de Caxias for terrorizing Afro-Brazilian religious groups and trashing their temples; they had been following orders from a pastor known as "Big Fish," a detective said at the time. In the 1970s, Brazil was more than 90 percent Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center. That number had plunged to below 65 percent in the census of 2010. A December survey by Datafolha of almost 3,000 Brazilians found just half declared themselves Catholic and 31 percent evangelical; the pollster didn't specify a breakdown of Pentecostal, neo-Pentecostal or other. Catholicism may be overtaken in just over a decade. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Evangelicals provided crucial support for President Jair Bolsonaro's 2018 election, and he's shown his gratitude. Since taking office, he participated in 17 public events tied to evangelical churches, more than quadruple any other faith, according to a study this month by newspaper O Globo. His most recent one was Feb. 15 alongside Mayor Marcelo Crivella, an evangelical bishop himself, on a beach across from Rio's iconic Sugarloaf Mountain. Brazil "is changing because it has a government that respects family, owes loyalty to its people, and believes in God," Bolsonaro told the cheering neo-Pentecostal crowd, which numbered in the tens of thousands. Rio has worked to implement a series of public policies since 2017 to tamp down religious strife. One was the creation of a council to defend religious freedom, whose members come from 21 denominations and meet monthly. There are representatives from various Christian faiths Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and more but no neo-Pentecostals, despite repeated invitations extended to church leaders, said de Jagun, who himself is a Candomble priest. Likewise, there was no neo-Pentecostal leader among the group holding the banner during Mangueira's parade. Neo-Pentecostal evangelicals weren't expected to watch the colorful parades of Mangueira nor Grande Rio, nor hear their calls for tolerance, said Simas, the Carnival historian. Nevertheless, the parade's reverberations will be felt outside the Sambadrome. "TV broadcasts it, the school parades in the street during its rehearsals, so it winds up overflowing and in a certain way leaving the bubble," he said. "Putting this on the agenda for debate brings the dramatic issue beyond Carnival, beyond Rio, even beyond Brazil, to show what's happening." Georgina da Silva, a diminutive 70-year-old who paraded with Grande Rio, crossed the finish line brimming with energy, and lines of sweat shining in the creases around her smiling eyes. She was raised with Candomble in Duque de Caxias. Now her grandchildren live there, and she's proud of her samba school for tackling an important issue. "We gave our message without offending, without hurting anyone," da Silva said. Myanmar authorities seize a boat carrying Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state en route to Malaysia, off the coast of Dawei district in southern Myanmar's Tanintharyi region, Nov. 25, 2018. More than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims were apprehended during the past five years as they attempted to illegally leave Myanmar by sea, according to a list of detainees obtained from a naval officer. Almost 1,500 Rohingya were detained in 2015, more than 500 were picked up in 2018, and about 250 were stopped in 2019, according to the list provided by the officer, who declined to be named, saying he was not authorized to give information to the media. The figures did not include Rohingya who fled by land from two military-led crackdowns in northern Rakhine state in 2016 and 2017. During the first round of violence, about 90,000 Muslims left their homes and headed across the border and into Bangladesh, while the second, more brutal clampdown forced more than 740,000 into the neighboring nation. Thousands of other Rohingya have tried to leave Myanmar in the last several years to escape institutionalized persecution, grinding poverty and insecurity in Rakhine state. The persecuted minorities pay human traffickers hundreds of dollars each to transport them to other Muslim-friendly nations in Southeast Asia where they hope to have a better life. But because of restrictions on their freedom of movement, the Rohingya cannot freely travel inside or outside the country without first obtaining official permission. Those who decide to travel illegally usually do not take identification cards with them, which all Myanmar residents must carry. A group of almost 70 Rohingya who had fled Rakhine state with the help of traffickers and headed to Malaysia were arrested in Yangon regions Hlegu township on Feb. 20-21. They are now on trial for violating Myanmars nationality statutes for traveling illegally and without documentation. On Feb. 14, authorities picked up 19 Rohingya, including four children, were arrested in Magway regions Minhla township of Magway region. The children were taken to a youth training center in Mandalay, while the adults are now on trial for violating nationality statutes, said township immigration officer Aung Pyi Soe. In a larger incident, the Myanmar Navy on Dec. 15 detained a vessel carrying 174 Rohingya in waters off the countrys southern tip, west of Kawthaung town in the southern Tanintharyi region. Instead of facing charges, the members of the group were transferred by boat to western Myanmars Rakhine state in early January, where immigration officials in the regional capital Sittwe determined their places of origin and sent them back to their villages and internal displacement camps. On Nov. 28, authorities arrested 96 Rohingya at sea off Pathein township in Myanmars Ayeyarwady region after they boarded a boat from Rakhine. All the arrested Rohingya have been charged under Myanmars Immigration Act and face prison sentences of six months to two years, if found guilty. Not the answer Rohingya rights activists have decried the arrests and trials, blaming the Myanmar government for failing to address the root causes of the illegal flight. Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, said the government must extend basic rights to the Rohingya, who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denied citizenship. If the Myanmar government gives us citizen rights, lets us live in our places [of origin] by rebuilding our houses, lets us travel in our country, and abolishes unfair laws that affect us, these flight cases can be reduced, he said. Myanmar is the subject of a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice brought by the small African nation Gambia, accusing the Southeast Asian country of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during the alleged expulsion of more than 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh amid the 2017 crackdown. The campaign of violence left thousands of Rohingya dead, while some of those who tried to flee were subject to torture, mass rape and community burnings. The government and security forces have defended the action as a counterinsurgency against a Muslim militant group in northern Rakhine. The military has pledged to prosecute soldiers who committed atrocities, and has so far held three courts-martial. Rohingya activist Thar Aye said it is preferable that authorities send back captured Rohingya to their places of origin rather than prosecute them, and that they focus their efforts on charging traffickers. It is a good action, he said. Because they are not guilty, it is the right action to send them back to their places of origin. But Nickey Diamond, a Myanmar human rights specialist with the Southeast Asia-based NGO Fortify Rights, disagreed, saying that Rohingya who are caught and returned will likely leave again if their situation doesnt change for the better. Even if they are sent back to their places of origin, they are going to flee again if they cant survive, Diamond said. And then, some will be arrested in Myanmars territorial waters, though others will make it to other countries. I want the Myanmar government to think about the causes of the problem why they cant live in their places of origin, why they are fleeing, he said. The government needs to think about these questions. But now it is giving them prison sentences after it arrests them and is sending them back. This is not the answer. Reported by Radio Free Asia, an online news service affiliated with BenarNews. Earlier this month, an image of the Samsung Galaxy A11's back panel surfaced, revealing a triple camera setup aligned vertically in the upper-left corner. Today, an official-looking press render has leaked, giving us our clearest look yet at the Galaxy A11 while also revealing a few more bits about it. The image reveals that Galaxy A11 will sport a display having a punch hole in the top-left corner. Around the back, we already know it will have a triple camera setup. But this time, we see an oval-shaped fingerprint reader on the panel. You can also see the power button and volume rocker placed on the right side of the phone, with the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top. From previous rumors, we know the Galaxy A11 will have 128GB of storage onboard. Now we've got a few more specs on hand: 6.4" LCD, 13MP primary camera, and an 8MP selfie shooter. The Galaxy A11 passed through FCC last month, revealing it will pack a 4,000 mAh battery. We don't know when Samsung will officially unveil the Galaxy A11, but it's rumored to come to India for around INR10,000 ($140/125), bearing model code SM-A115. It will arrive in the US as well. Source 1 | Source 2 By AFP CALI: Emaciated with a vacant gaze and without the strength to stand upright, 20-year-old lion Jupiter's life is in danger. But authorities are acting to try to save him after he was discovered in a "critical state." Leading attempts to restore Jupiter to full health is the woman who rescued him from the circus where he was born and brought him up as her "son" from the age of three months. Ana Julia Torres has run the Villa Lorena animal sanctuary in Cali, Colombia for more than 30 years. But in April 2019, environmental authorities confiscated Jupiter over a lack of required documentation and accusations that Torres was mistreating hundreds of wild animals, most of which arrived at her sanctuary showing signs of previous mistreatment. When Jupiter was transferred to the Los Caimanes zoo in the department of Cordoba he weighed 250 kilograms (550 pounds), Torres said. Now his weight is down to just 90 kilos. When the zoo closed he was taken to a nearby facility. "Clearly he was locked up and that's when he started losing weight," said Torres, who claimed she had felt a mother's instinct that her progeny needed her help. "He hasn't eaten for several days. It's a fact that an animal deteriorates" in such conditions, she said. Dramatic pictures of Jupiter have gone viral on social media where a campaign was launched to help him. Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo announced the lion would be sent home on an air force plane. "This animal should never have left, nor been mistreated," said Cali's mayor Jorge Ivan Ospina. He said local authorities were looking into building "appropriate" accommodation for Jupiter while the attorney general's office and police opened an animal cruelty enquiry. Animal cruelty can be punished with up to three years in prison and a $12,000 fine. Crucially, though, this king of the jungle -- who has never set foot in one -- is going home where his former carer is hoping to nurse him back to health. "This love that he and I have for each other will save him," said Torres. "That's the connection between a mother and a child." President Donald Trump has said he is considering limiting the entry of people from Mexico to the U.S. amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a Saturday press conference Trump said he was considering closing the US border with Mexico in response to the virus's spread. But he added: 'This is not a border that seems to be much of a problem right now.' 'We're thinking about all borders,' he continued. Mexico's government said on Friday it had detected three cases of coronavirus infection in three men who had all recently traveled to Italy, making the country the second in Latin America to register the fast-spreading flu-like illness. A person in Washington state was on Saturday confirmed to be the first to die from coronavirus in the U.S. Initially, there was confusion over the deceased patient's sex, after Trump said that the person was a woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. The White House said that Trump was relying on information from a briefing from the CDC. 'It was a man,' said Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, adding that the patient was a 'chronically ill person' with 'severe risk factors.' Scroll down for video President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference on the COVID-19, coronavirus, outbreak at the White House in Washington on Saturday Trump says 22 people in the US have been stricken by the new coronavirus and additional cases in the United States are 'likely' A group of 11 Republicans in the House of Representatives led by Chip Roy of Texas sent a letter on Friday to top Trump administration officials that pressed for details on the plan to contain the coronavirus at the border with Mexico. 'Given the porous nature of our border, and the continued lack of operational control due to the influence of dangerous cartels, it is foreseeable, indeed predictable, that any outbreak in Central America or Mexico could cause a rush to our border,' the lawmakers said. 'The non-secure southern border is a liability and should be seen as such in any plan for preparedness response.' A group of three Republican senators led by Martha McSally sent a similar letter on Friday to Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection. Trump threatened to close the border with Mexico last year over what he characterized at the time as a lack of effort by the Mexican government to stop the northward flow of migrants, but ultimately never took action. Earlier Saturday two U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told Reuters that the Trump administration is considering imposing entry restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border to control the spread of the disease. The discussions over possible border restrictions remain in the preliminary phase, but the DHS has considered increased screening of people from certain countries based on that country's medical capacity and volume of travelers to the United States, according to one of the officials. 'The issue of it in our hemisphere is something we are exploring,' said one of the officials. 'We are all a little worried now that Mexico has its first cases.' Migrants, mainly from Cuba, block the Paso del Norte border crossing bridge in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Friday. The Trump administration is considering imposing new restrictions at the US-Mexico border to curb the spread of coronavirus A Mexican foreign ministry official said on Friday that the countries had not discussed possible border restrictions. During a DHS senior leadership meeting and call on Friday, concerns were raised about a possible influx of migrants to the US due to a US court ruling on Friday that blocked a Trump administration program that forced non-Mexican migrants to wait in Mexico pending the outcome of their US court hearings, according to two DHS officials in attendance. 'You already have a lot of sick people that are in these camps,' one of the officials said. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which blocked the program, agreed on Friday night to pause its ruling to allow the Trump administration to ask the Supreme Court to take up the dispute. At the press conference, Vice President Pence, who has been tapped to lead to virus task force, announced new emergency travel restrictions on Iran, Italy, and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks. Any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the U.S., Pence said. He also said that Trump has authorized the State Department to raise the travel advisory level to outbreak areas in Italy and South Korea to Level Four, the highest level. Level Four advisories urge Americans not to travel to an area for any reason, though they do not legally forbid travel. Trump told the press conference that healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract the new virus. The virus threat has spooked global markets and the public at large. Trump cautioned that 'there's no reason to panic at all.' Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a 'hoax' cooked up by his political enemies. Trump has been criticized by Democrats over his administration's response to the outbreak. U.S. public health officials said on Friday they had identified four 'presumptive' coronavirus cases believed to have emerged from community transmission of the infection, signaling a turning point in efforts to contain the disease in the United States. TOKYO The coronavirus outbreaks impact on the world economy grew more alarming Saturday, even after President Trump denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a hoax cooked up by his political enemies. Chinas manufacturing plunged in February by an even wider margin than expected after efforts to contain the virus outbreak shut down much of the worlds second-largest economy, an official survey showed. The survey, coming as global stock markets fall sharply on fears that the virus will spread, adds to mounting evidence of the vast cost of the disease that emerged in central China in December and its economic impact worldwide. The monthly purchasing managers index issued by the Chinese statistics agency and an industry group fell to 35.7 from Januarys 50 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate activity contracting. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a 270 billion yen ($2.5 billion) emergency economic package to help fight the virus. Abe said Saturday that Japan is at critical juncture to determine whether the country can keep the outbreak under control ahead of the Tokyo summer Olympics. Iran is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands of people getting tested for the virus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again Saturday, an official said, underscoring the fear both at home and abroad over the outbreak in the Islamic Republic. The virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes have killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in Iran, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. The new toll represents a jump of 205 cases a 150% increase from the 388 reported the day before. 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. Despite anxieties about a wider outbreak in the U.S., Trump has defended measures taken and lashed out Friday at Democrats who have questioned his handling of the threat. Trump asserted that Democratic complaints about his handling of the virus threat are their new hoax, echoing similar past complaints by the president about the Russia investigation and his impeachment. The list of countries touched by the virus has climbed to nearly 60. More than 86,500 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900. Mari Yamaguchi is an Associated Press writer. For the past four years, publishers have headed to the London Book Fair amid a rather curious set of circumstances. As Faber & Faber CEO Stephen Page noted in his opening keynote at 2019s Quantum preconference, the book business has been enjoying an extended period of stability. Yet at the same time, world events have been chaotic and worrisome, including Brexit, the Trump administrations unpredictable actions, a frightening uptick in prejudice and nationalism, the proliferation of fake news and increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns on social media, and, in some corners of the globe, outright crackdowns on free speech. As publishers prepare for the 2020 London Book Fair, set for Tuesday to Thursday, March 1012, at Olympia London, business remains stable. In the U.K., 2019 was another solid year for publishers, with revenues for British publishers up 2.4% in 2019 over 2018, according to Nielsen BookScana fifth consecutive year of revenue growth. In the U.S. market, however, NPD BookScan reports that after six straight years of gains, unit sales of print books declined in 2019 compared to the previous year. Globally, digital audio remains a bright spot for a mature publishing industry that has been searching for a path to real, organic growth. The most recent figures in the U.S. showed a 24% jump in audio sales last year over 2018, the eighth straight year of double-digit growth, with audio revenues poised to top $1 billion in 2020. But for publishers, forecasting the future isnt getting any easier. The growth of digital audio, for example, comes with new challengesmainly, evolving business models and changing consumer expectations in a market where Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify are the new standards. Case in point: in Sweden, companies like Storytel are aggressively marketing their digital subscription services for audio and e-books. In a report released last month, the Swedish publishers and booksellers association revealed that revenue from digital subscription services jumped 36.2% in 2019 over 2018, which was enough to overcome declines at bookstores and supermarkets but which furthered concerns that so-called all-you-can-eat subscriptions will cannibalize publishers traditional book sales. Meanwhile, the political chaos show no signs of easing. Post-impeachment, and in an election year, the Trump administration continues to undermine Americans confidence in the free press. And future trade agreements and tariffs remain uncertain for publishers. In the U.K., Brexit has finally comethough no one is yet clear about what this means. In Europe, changes approved last year to E.U. copyright law remain a thorny subject, with the battleground now shifting to member nations own legislatures. Across the world, a growing open access movement continues to transform scientific publishing. And, in 2020, you can add a new wild card to the list: a coronavirus pandemic is snarling international travel and potentially infecting the global economy. But as the famous poster advises, London Book Fair organizers are keeping calm and carrying on. And for all the uncertainty in the world, the 2020 London Book Fair program is certainly a good one. Among this years changes, the Quantum preconference has been replaced by a series of branded Quantum talks to be held throughout the fair. Also new this year is the fairs inaugural Audio Summit (Tuesday, 9:45 a.m.1:45 p.m.), which will take place in a new dedicated Audio HQ area at Olympia. And the fairs professional program will feature a full slate of talks and panels on key issues, including rights and translations, copyright, the freedom to publish, open access and scholarly publishing, and self-publishing. Also added to the program is a Global 50 CEO Talk featuring a timely participant: Storytel CEO Jonas Tellander, who will discuss how digital subscriptions are influencing the global book market (Tuesday, 2:303:30 p.m., Olympia Room Grand Hall). For more, consult the full 2020 London Book Fair program online. And read on for PWs annual roundup of some of the big properties U.S. agents will be selling at the fair. Below, more on the London Book Fair London Briefcase 2020: What U.S. Agencies Will Be Selling at the London Book Fair U.S. agencies will be highlighting these books at the London Book Fair. London Book Fair 2020: Sharjah Stars As Market Focus At the London Book Fair, the United Arab Emirates plan a wide range of events to highlight its authors and culture. Jewellers De Beers is taking action to help its struggling buyers. The middlemen who cut, polish and trade the gems were at the centre of a disastrous year for the diamond industry in 2019, after a glut of stones destroyed profit margins. De Beers sells its diamonds to a hand-picked group of roughly 80 buyers - ranging from Indian and Israeli family businesses to firms like Tiffany. In meetings in Botswana this week, De Beers outlined plans to assign its customers into three categories - dealers, manufacturers and integrated retailers, sources said. The move aims to help ensure each buyer gets the stones most suited to their needs. De Beers sells its gems through 10 sales each year in Botswana's capital of Gaborone, and buyers must accept the price and the quantities offered. Reuters (Newser) A man has died in Washington state of COVID-19, state health officials said Saturday, marking the first such reported death in the US. State officials issued a terse news release announcing the death, gave no details, and scheduled a news conference, the AP reports. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, but gave no other details. State and King County health officials said "new people (have been) identified with the infection, one of whom died." They did not say how many new cases there are. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: "We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation." story continues below Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the person who died was a man from Washington state. "It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends," Inslee said. "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus." The number of coronavirus cases in the US is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. Health officials in California, Oregon, and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming three patients were infected by unknown means. (Read more coronavirus stories.) Elizabeth officials plan to have the civilian police director temporarily take on the responsibilities of the departments chief once he officially retires tomorrow. However, it was not immediately clear Friday if thats allowed. Elizabeth Police Director Earl Graves will assume the responsibilities of the citys police chief for the time being, a city spokeswoman told NJ Advance Media. But Josh McMahon, who filed a complaint that led to the former police directors resignation last year, says state Attorney General guidelines do not allow a civilian director to handle day-to-day operations within the department. The City does not respond to Josh McMahon, Elizabeth spokeswoman Kelly Martins said when asked about the attorneys concerns. The police director is appointed by the mayor, and the position has been a point of contention for the citys cop unions in recent years. McMahon called on acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo to prevent further politicization of the Elizabeth Police Department. Who should lead the department could boil down to semantics. A local ordinance on the books in Elizabeth designates the civilian director as the head of the police department. However, state statute requires the chief of police to head the department only if such a position is established. Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo recommended in a report last November that the city should update its local ordinance to comply with the requirements of the state statute. But she specified that the chief of police should be the head of the department only if the position is established. The Union County Prosecutors Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but McMahon said the city has not updated the ordinance. On November 6, 2019, Prosecutor Ruotolos office sent a letter to Mayor Bollwage and the Elizabeth City Attorney advising them to change Elizabeths illegal ordinance, which, in direct violation of state law, unlawfully put Mayor Bollwages political appointee in charge of the day to day operations of the Elizabeth Police Department, McMahon said. To date, it appears the City has and continues to defy the Union County Prosecutor. Some municipalities in Union County do not have a police chief position, like the Township of Union or Plainfield. In those situations, another ranking officer usually handles the day-to-day operations of the department, McMahon said. Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan previously told NJ Advance Media he will officially retire on March 1 after serving as chief for about three years. Brennan has been with the department since 1983. Graves, a former East Orange cop and Essex County Prosecutors Office deputy chief, was appointed the civilian directors position in June by Mayor J. Christian Bollwage. His appointment came after the citys former director, James Cosgrove, resigned when it was proven he used racist and sexist words to refer to employees. McMahon, an attorney in Westfield, originally made the complaint to the Union County Prosecutors Office about Cosgrove, who Bollwage appointed in 1998. The revelation about Cosgrove led to a major shakeup in the prosecutors office last spring. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal called for the former directors resignation and replaced then-acting Union County Prosecutor Michael Monahan with one of his top aides, Jennifer Davenport. The state Attorney General then appointed Ruotolo to the position in an acting capacity several weeks later. Amid the revelation about Cosgrove, the mayor revealed that an unspecified complaint from another officer against the chief was being investigated. Bollwage asked Brennan to step aside. Reached by phone on Tuesday, Brennan said the complaint against him was never sustained. He said his retirement had been planned and was not due to a new police director. Elizabeth police union president Sgt. James Kearns, of the Superior Officers Association, said Brennan brought good morale to the department. He brought a lot of good things to the department, Kearns told NJ Advance Media. He increased some of the technology (officers used) and there was a lot of good morale when he was there. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico. Lafarge Africa Plc said it has identified all the persons who had direct contact with the visiting Italian who tested positive to Coronavirus in Nigeria. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, the companys Director Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development said this in Lagos. Ambrose-Medebem said that the company had equally initiated isolation, quarantine and disinfection protocol at Ewekoro plant. As a business, we have immediately identified the persons who had direct contact with the concerned individual. The individual concerned works for a vendor that provides services to Lafarge Africa Plc in Ogun State, she stated. Ambrose-Medebem commended the exemplary leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health, Ogun and Lagos State Governments for swiftly providing response and testing facilities. She noted that the company was working fully with all the local authorities. Lafarge Africa is also working in close partnership with International SOS, our medical service provider, a leading global health company. Health and safety remains a core value at Lafarge Africa and we intend to leverage this strength at this critical time, Ambrose-Medebem added. The Lagos State Ministry of Health earlier on Friday confirmed the first case of the disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, the first in West Africa since the outbreak in China in December. In the last 12 hours, the first case of the chronic virus has been identified in Nigeria and the individual was visiting Ogun State. The individual is of Italian origin and he is a consultant to the Lafarge, Ewekoro factory, Lagos health ministry said. Donna More grew up in Evanston and as a teenager accompanied her father to the criminal court building to watch him argue cases. More credits that experience with helping her decide to become an attorney like her father. Four years ago, More challenged then-Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez and the current incumbent, Kim Foxx, in the Democratic primary. She is a former general counsel for the Illinois Gaming Board. Now, More says she wants the position because she brings legal credentials, felony trial experience and independence to the office. GQ Magazine political columnist Laura Bassett named Matthews as the cable news host that she referenced in a 2017 personal essay A journalist who condemned MSNBC's Chris Matthews interview with Elizabeth Warren earlier in the week has shared that the controversial host was 'gross and inappropriate' with her. GQ Magazine political columnist Laura Bassett named Matthews as the cable news host that she referenced in a 2017 personal essay for Huffington Post. 'In 2017, I wrote about a cable news host being gross and inappropriate with me,' Bassett said in a Twitter post. 'I was afraid to name him at the time. I'm not anymore; it was Chris Matthews! And his sexist exchange with Warren this week inspired me to revisit those moments and name him.' Basset's fury comes on the heel of a tense exchange between the Hardball host and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren over comments she made regarding allegations against Michael Bloomberg. During the back and forth, Matthews repeatedly asked Warren why Bloomberg would lie about pregnancy discrimination to which the Massachusetts senator retorted: 'Why would she lie?' Scroll down for video Chris Matthews demands to know why Warren believes the woman who accused Bloomberg of telling her to "kill" her unborn child: "Youre confident of your accusation?" pic.twitter.com/sroztgr9kB TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 26, 2020 Basset's fury comes on the heel of a tense exchange between the Hardball host and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren over comments she made regarding allegations against Michael Bloomberg 'There was no reason for him to harp on its veracity, except, perhaps, that he himself has made so many sexist comments over the years that he has a vested interest in Bloomberg being let off the hook,' Bassett added in her GQ piece, shared on Friday. Speaking of her own experiences with Matthews, Bassett shared that 'a much older, married cable-news host' inappropriately flirted with her in a makeup room before going on his show on numerous occasions. 'I was afraid to name him at the time for fear of retaliation from the network; I'm not anymore,' she added, declaring that Chris Matthews was the host in question. Bassett claimed that Matthews made her 'noticeably uncomfortable' while on air, asking her ahead of a segment, 'Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?' Bassetts notes that besides pundits, Matthews has 'tendency to objectify women' who are also in the political space (pictured in June 2019) Bassett nervously laughed, which prompted Matthews to turn to the makeup artist and state: 'Keep putting makeup on her, I'll fall in love with her.' On another occasion, the columnist claims that Matthews saw her in a red dress and asked if she was going out that night. She says that said that she 'didn't know,' to which Matthews told the makeup artist: 'Make sure you wipe this off her face after the show. We don't make her up so some guy at a bar can look at her like this.' Bassett claimed that Matthews made her 'noticeably uncomfortable' while on air, asking her ahead of a segment, 'Why haven't I fallen in love with you yet?' 'AgainMatthews was never my boss. I'm pretty sure that behavior doesn't rise to the level of illegal sexual harassment,' she said. 'But it undermined my ability to do my job well. And after I published a story about it, even though I didn't name him, dozens of people reached out to say they knew exactly who it was. Many had similar stories.' Bassetts began her onslaught by highlighting the 'well-documented' allegations against the host, noting that Matthews has a tendency to make comments about women in demeaning ways. She specifically references comments Matthews made to Erin Burnett where he allegedly told her on air: 'You're a knockout... it's all right getting bad news from you.' The columnist also highlights a 2017 Daily Caller article where one of the host's former producers said that he rated female guest on a numerical scale, naming them the 'hottest of the week' like a 'teenage boy.' And in 1999, an assistant producer accused Matthews of sexual harassment. CNBC investigated the incident and determined that comments Matthews made were 'inappropriate', leading to him getting a 'stern reprimand,' according to an MSNBC spokesperson. Bassetts notes that besides pundits, Matthews has 'tendency to objectify women' who are also in the political space. On another occasion, the columnist claims that Matthews saw her in a red dress and asked if she was going out that night She notes that women in politics are split in two categories when it comes to Matthews; those he lusts over and those he holds contempt for as they make it closer to the presidency. Bassetts considers comments he made about Sarah Palin in 2011 and Sally Yates in 2017 as showing how he'll often note how attractive a woman is. The journalist also claimed that a plethora of remarks that Matthews has made about Hillary Clinton showed that he has 'repeatedly challenged whether women are legitimate politicians or could be president at all.' 'In fact, Matthews's whole modus operandi seems to be inviting smart women onto his show, flirting with them or otherwise making them uncomfortable before or while the camera rolls, asking them a question on air and then immediately interrupting them to tell them why they're wrong,' Bassett asserts. Bassett continues lambasting Matthews, stating that he could have asked Warren important follow up questions about the role NDAs play in abusive power structures 'He repeated this playbook with Warren this week. The fact that this kind of behavior has not lost him his primetime cable-news show in the year 2020even aside from his egregious 'Bill Cosby pill' joke and the sexual-harassment allegation against himspeaks to how far the #MeToo movement still has to go to change the standards for what kind of attitudes toward women in the workplace are acceptable and even rewarded.' Bassett continues lambasting Matthews, stating that he could have asked important follow up questions about the role NDAs play in abusive power structures. She continued: 'Instead of exploring that, Matthews attacked Warren's clarity on whether she believes another woman's corroborated testimony. He seems constitutionally incapable of probing these hyper-relevant topics with anything approaching intellectual curiosity or open-mindedness. In that way, he's also unfit for his job.' Bassett slammed MSNBC for continuing to employ Matthews and have him doing a major cable-news evening show with his clear 'flagrant bias.' 'His position affords him the ability to affect public opinion, both sweeping away documented behavior of male presidential candidates and casting doubt on corroborated women's accusations against those men,' she said. 'Having a news anchor who calls women 'she-devil' and treats their assessments with infantilizing suspicion while conducting post-debate interviews builds in a major disadvantage for female candidates. And that's downright irresponsible.' Dear Bel, I am at my wits end and do not know how to deal with my husband since his stroke last year. While he denies his minor physical issues are due to the stroke, the real problem lies with his personality. The stroke caused damage to the part of the brain which governs executive skills and the ability to understand that certain behaviours are unacceptable. It was clear he was different after the stroke. I hoped things would improve but, at an awkward weekend at our sons, my husband dominated conversation and overruled all attempts to change the subject. My son said its like the filters are off. My husband also made derogatory comments about me, followed by nasty laughter. A couple of my husbands friends suggested therapy. You can imagine how that went down. Thought of the day Busy joy can never die. Your will, your wants, your being Are here, too close for seeing. Energy that made you fly Cannot be destroyed . . . From The Silent Songs Of Owen Parsnip by Angela Patmore (2020) Advertisement Hes continuously nasty about my cooking as never before. There were lots of memory lapses (bathroom fan not turned off, car left running on drive, side door to our home left wide open), and a confidential chat with one of his friends revealed that his appalling, embarrassing behaviour has been noticed by others. And Im also subjected to a continual barrage of racist, sexist, fascist outbursts. If I counter the remarks, Im accused of arguing. If I say Im simply expressing a different point of view, that lights the blue touchpaper. On one occasion he told me I should be very afraid of what he was capable of. This morning, I was subjected to a tirade over a triviality. I asked why everything had to be so aggressive, why he could not speak pleasantly. I was told I was the aggressor; that he had no communication problems with anyone else which is untrue. He then stormed off saying hed never speak to me again. Half an hour later, youd think nothing had happened. Ive spoken to my GP, who told me that, even if my husbands own GP notices some of his personality changes, nothing can be done unless my husband agrees he needs help or accepts that his behaviour needs modifying. How can I live like this? I dont know how to leave him, even though I hate him and cannot stand being in his company. SARAH This week Bel advises a reader who is at her wits' end and doesn't know how to deal with her husband since his stroke last year This is an appalling situation, and you have all my sympathy. Mood changes are common after a stroke and, sometimes, peoples personalities can alter very much for the worse. It could be because, deep down, they know they are impaired (even if they deny it, as many people with dementia do, too), and what they are actually expressing is rage and frustration about the after-effects of the stroke. Horrible for everybody. To know that is no consolation when the person you are living with is vile to you and you feel that is not what you signed up for when you got married. Yet, sometimes, it might help you a little bit if you just leave the room (always walk away from aggression), take some long deep breaths and tell yourself that when he had that stroke, an unpleasant stranger entered his body but that the man you married is still there, too. Its a terrible tussle between good and bad. Im sure you know all about the Stroke Association. It operates a helpline (0303 3033 100; for opening hours see stroke.org.uk) and has two really useful leaflets for carers, which you can download. I would also sign up to its online community My Stroke Guide. In addition, take a look at flintrehab.com/2019/mood-swings-after-stroke for some interesting thoughts on how to cope. The more we know about any given situation, the more readily we are able to deal with it. Imagine it as drawing a map to show you new routes through this unknown land and, when you feel lost, assailed by hostile forces, ring the Stroke Association and tell them whats going on. Or call the Samaritans (116 123) if you feel despair. At present, you are enduring one of the greatest tests of any marriage and so it might be worth contacting Relate (relate.org.uk) if you really do feel that you hate your husband and need to talk to somebody about whats going on. I hope you are in regular contact with your son and can share all these woes with him. If the day dawns when you really do want to walk out of your marriage, then you will need your sons support and so will your husband. Its vital at this stage that you dont feel alone, so please dont hesitate to contact friends, family and strangers, so you have a good support network. Can I be agnostic and go to church? Dear Bel, It interests me that, in your column And Finally, you have said you dont have to be religious to attend church. I understand that youre suggesting it as a place to find a community, and in many towns and villages there is little other than the church or pub. But I have difficulty with both, being a non-drinker and agnostic. I was brought up C of E in a small Essex village with a fine old flint church, in which I was a server during communion. A great honour. But there was definitely an us and them feeling towards those who attended church and those who didnt. When I later discovered Charles Darwin, his findings on evolution by natural selection seemed such a beautiful and logical explanation for the wonderful diversity in nature. What need of other myths? On the other hand, I am a man with a small collection of Madonnas and saints! Miracles fascinate me, especially Mary appearing on a slice of toast, condensation on a window or in a tree trunk you know the sort of thing. A biblical reading which describes a prophet lying down on a dead child and breathing life into its body sounds to me like a description of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. A miracle in those days, but commonplace today. It bothers me that remembrance services are always religious in tone. And to attend church, one must at least stand and sing hymns with words that make little sense, make responses I cannot accept, and kneel with others. Not to do so appears churlish. To do so seems hypocritical. How do you suggest one resolves this? MO Well, sir, you sound like my soulmate, but dont read that as a lonely hearts proposition! Your letter is written by a very thoughtful man acutely aware of all the contradictions within the human spirit. Although readers may not think it fits within this column, I believe it expresses a very real dilemma one shared by far more people than we might think. Youre right to notice I have suggested going to a local church as one possible means of alleviating loneliness. Coffee and discussion groups often form part of a churchs ministry and can help many people. And if it doesnt work for you? Well, try something else. But I dislike people dismissing the outreach of C of E and Methodist churches (the two I know) without knowing what they actually do. Like you, I collect Madonnas and saints angels, too. To me, they represent what is sublime about the Christian faith, but also those aspects of all religions which reach upwards and outwards towards the very best that flawed humans can imagine. And teach us how to behave. All faiths state versions of the Golden Rule: Do not do to others that which you would not have them do to you and draw up rules of conduct to help us live. And if any religion is wickedly betrayed by those who do vile harm in the name of their God, well, that doesnt mean all its believers can be dismissed. Show me a faith that does not harbour sinners as well as saints and I will welcome you to a true Heaven. For many years I presented a recurring series on BBC Radio 4 called Devout Sceptics, for which I interviewed distinguished people about faith and doubt. One of my guests was the theoretical physicist and astrobiologist Paul Davies. You can read a transcript of our discussion in my book Devout Sceptics, but all I want you to note now is that this acclaimed scientist keeps an open mind about religion, and implied that it is enough to be deeply inspired by the wonder, beauty and ingenuity of nature . . . and he talked about the scheme of things. Yes, to that. Part of that scheme is surely that people like you and me go on thinking and questioning. But I have no problem with remembrance services invoking God, because it is the beautiful solemnity of the ceremony that matters most, and you take from it what you choose. You can believe in Humanism and angels. And tea and sympathy and the forgiveness of sins, too. So here I am an agnostic Christian who views churchgoing as good, reveres the teachings of Jesus, detests fundamentalist conviction about anything, feels the power of carved angels, and quite happily says the Creed aloud, even if I dont really believe it to the absolute letter. You can over-think these things, Mo and, these days, I dont choose to. I just enjoy the best that Christianity can offer (cathedrals, parish churches, music, art, beautiful words . . . all a vital part of my heritage), as well as taking a real interest in comparative religion or what you might call other myths. Ive made radio programmes about them, too. It all sustains me. And if Im ever in doubt, I add an o to the word God and worship the Good. And finally...Help! I need a dose of the Fab Four During an MRI scan (mine, for a dodgy hip), they offered music on headphones. Magnetic resonance imaging produces detailed images of the inside of the body, and the scanner is a very noisy tube you lie inside hence the music. I chose Sgt Pepper, as I hadnt heard it in ages. So there I was, immobile within the slightly claustrophobic space-age machine, after a difficult few days, feeling tired and fed-up, waiting for mature concept Beatles . . . when blasting into the headphones came: Help! I need somebody . . . Help, you know I need someone, He-el-p! Contact Bel Bel answers readers' questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Advertisement Wrong album. But wow! Thats just how I feel, I thought. When I was younger so much younger than today, I never needed anybodys help in anyway . . . Too right! I was 18 when I first played that LP on my turquoise Dansette record player very self-assured and heading for university with a terrific ticket to ride (marriage, degree, career, kids . . .) ahead. It was 1965. Harold Wilson was PM, Sir Winston Churchill died, Liverpool won the FA Cup, the Labour government pushed ahead with comprehensive education, the full horror of the Moors Murders terrified us all, the death penalty ended and The Beatles toured the UK for the last time. I was wild, free and Left-wing, believed human life could be made perfect if we just tried and thought I had all the answers. But that was Yesterday. And now my life has changed in oh so many ways / My independence seems to vanish in the haze . . . Too right! Marooned in the MRI tube, I sang along to early Beatles tracks and wondered where the time went. Age is the only answer to that . . . What I do know is that these lines But every now and then I feel so insecure / I know that I just need you like Ive never done before apply as much to me as well as to you. So (all together now) . . . I do appreciate you being round. Isnt that the truth? Chennai, Feb 29 : Indian Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday urged the heads of ports to make them more energy efficient, environment friendly and also improve the turnaround time by building trans-shipment hubs on either side of the coasts. He was interacting with the Chairpersons of major Port Trusts at Mamallapuram during the 'Chintan Bathak' being held by the Ministry of Shipping. Naidu stressed the need to harness India's vast coastline for the sustainable growth and development of the country. He said that India has an excellent opportunity for port-led development as ports were inevitable for exports and imports and cited the Sagarmala project as the best for creating greenfield ports, modernising the existing ports, and also for empowering the coastal community by generating employment opportunities. Naidu also asked the Port Heads to reduce logistics cost and dredging expenditure. The three-day Chintan Baithak, from February 28 to March 1, is an endeavour towards discussing and finding solutions to various challenges being faced by the ports and mapping out the prospects of growth and development of ports in India. Union Minister of State for Shipping & Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya, Secretary, Shipping, Gopal Krishna and the Chairpersons of major port trusts were present during the interaction. Three new cases of coronavirus infection from unknown sources emerged in the U.S. on Friday in Santa Clara County, Oregon and Washington suggesting the virus is already uncontained in West Coast communities, public health officials said. The revelations came two days after officials announced the first U.S. case in Solano County in which the infected woman had not traveled to a place where the coronavirus is known to be spreading nor had interacted with anyone who was known to be infected. Only two weeks ago, the virus seemed like a distant health scare. By Friday, authorities were telling the public to brace for more infections, and congressmen questioned the federal governments handling of Americans who were quarantined after being evacuated from Asia. The new cases came to light as congressmen sought answers about whether health and safety protocols were breached at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, where travelers who may have been exposed to the virus are being quarantined. Truth matters in these situations, said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a Los Angeles Democrat and member of the House Ways and Means Committee who is handling a whistle-blower complaint about procedures at the air force base in Fairfield and at the March Air Force Base in Riverside County. Travis currently houses travelers returning from overseas who are being monitored for the virus. Gomez is pressing for Health and Human Services workers at the base to be tested after the whistle-blower alleged that they lacked proper hazmat gear and safety training when interacting with the quarantined Americans. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Gomez and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal described a bungled response in which federal workers, including staff from a Repatriation Program overseen by the committee, wore no protective equipment when they received American evacuees from the virus outbreak. The workers subsequently boarded commercial flights home and returned to their families without being tested for coronavirus or taking any other precautions, the two congressmen wrote in their letter. Staff members who raised concerns were admonished ... for decreasing staff morale, accused of not being team players, and had their mental health emotional stability questioned, the congressmen continued, quoting directly from the complaint. After voicing objections, the whistle-blower was reassigned to a new role that they had no experience in, Gomez told The Chronicle. He described having a longtime professional relationship with the whistle-blower, which dates to before he took office. Gomez said Friday that he had met resistance and silence from the Trump administration. When theres a violation of protocols, and a potential to spread the infection, the best way to combat that breach is ... we fix it, Gomez said Friday in a phone interview from his office in Washington. And then we get the people who may have been exposed, and we test them. Neal and Gomez demanded a complete, immediate response to the serious concerns that have been raised about potentially dangerous management of coronavirus in their letter to Azar. They requested a briefing for the House committee within a week and said they have serious questions about the administrations recent request for $9 million to fund the Repatriation Program. Azar has not responded, Gomez said. The congressman had scheduled a meeting with Health and Human Services on Friday, but he said it was abruptly canceled. This is the Trump administration, by the way, Gomez said. Thats what they do. A Health and Human Services representative said the department had offered a call time later in the afternoon and was actively working with members of Congress to schedule a briefing as soon as possible. We take all whistleblower complaints very seriously and are providing the complainant all appropriate protections under the Whistleblower Protection Act, department spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said in an email. We are evaluating the complaint and have nothing further to add at this 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. The whistle-blowers claims raised concern about a possible connection between Travis and the case of coronavirus that officials confirmed Wednesday in Solano County. The patient, who is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, spent three days in a Vacaville hospital with flu symptoms until her health deteriorated and she was transferred. Officials declined to provide details about the womans whereabouts before she entered the hospital out of concern for her privacy, said Shai Davis, a senior health education specialist for the county. There have been a large number of people contacted, Davis said, noting that officials had reached out to other patients who were at the Vacaville hospital during that time period, along with others who may have had even low exposure. The list of people is fewer than 100, she said. Doctors at UC Davis Medical Center voiced concerns that the womans diagnosis was delayed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although UC Davis doctors had asked that the woman be tested the day she arrived, the CDC didnt agree until Feb. 23 four days later. But on Friday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the CDC said the agencys records all indicate that it was first notified of the case on Feb. 23. Test results came back positive two days later and were confirmed on Wednesday. CDC officials said the three new cases disclosed Friday were results of tests from kits the agency provided to local officials. Washington also had a second coronavirus case Friday of a person who likely contracted the virus during travel, officials said. The agency said it will officially confirm all these new cases. Chronicle staff writer Erin Allday contributed to this report. Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan By Express News Service NAGERCOIL: Minister for Fisheries and Personnel and Administrative Reforms D Jayakumar, in a press statement on Friday, said that action would be taken for the return of over 300 fishermen stranded in Iran, due to the coronavirus outbreak. Sources from the district fisheries office said that the fishermen, from Arockiyapuram, Enayam, Enayamputhenthurai, and many other villages, were working as contract labourers in Iran. As the flights from Iran to foreign countries had been stopped owing to the virus outbreak, all the fishermen were stranded in the country. With the help of the Ministry of External Affairs, steps would be taken for their return to India, said the minister. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday expressed gratitude to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari for conceding massive highways development projects in the union territory. He told newsmen that the Union Minister visited Puducherry on Friday for a meeting to review the national highways projects required for the former French colony. Narayanasamy said the Minister had conceded at the meeting the plea of the territorial government to expedite the Rs 926-crore Villupuram-Nagapattinam four-lane project. The project was earlier evolved during the previous UPA government at the Centre. "I requested Nitin Gadkari to expedite the project as it will be of help to Tamilnadu and Union Territory of Puducherry as such a project would ease traffic and also facilitate movement of passenger and cargo vehicles," he said. The chief minister said the Minister had also agreed to expedite the Mahabalipuram-Puducherry four-way lane involving an expenditure of Rs 800 crore. Other projects sanctioned by the Union Minister during the meeting on Friday includedthe Rs 130-crore four- lane highway project between Madagapadipet (on Puducherry- Villupuram route) and the Puducherry on ECR block and the Rs 300-crore Murungapakkam-Puducherry route. The development of these projects would ease traffic on the arterial routes and also contribute to the economic and industrial growth. He said he had also requested the Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, on a one-day visit to Puducherry on Friday, to sanction the funds under tourism development projects for the union territory. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It would be impossible to overstate the success of a 2015 pilot program to provide mandatory trash service to 620 townhomes in Camelot II, an urban area in unincorporated Bexar County. Children once played in towering mounds of garbage in this Northeast Side neighborhood, but no longer, thanks to an Editorial Board crusade. Alleys were once filled with refuse, leading to infestations and sanitation woes, but now they are clean and clear. County officials have talked about how public safety calls to the neighborhood have fallen since trash service, provided by the city of San Antonio, came to Camelot II. There have been fewer reports of stray animals, and while illegal dumping persists, its been reduced. Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert has said the county is saving money in Camelot II because it no longer funds as many bulk cleanups with large dumpsters and armies of volunteers brought in to clear these staggering piles of refuse. These are all reasons to maintain the pilot program and expand it to nearby neighborhoods that have also struggled with persistent trash issues. No neighborhood in Bexar County should be blanketed in garbage. No child in Bexar County should have to walk around, or through, piles of garbage on the way to school. Furniture. Bags of trash. Theres kids in this neighborhood, and they come through the alley, too, and I dont want to see kids playing in this trash, Laura Garza told us in 2019 during a cleanup in the Glen, a neighborhood next to Camelot II that could benefit from a program expansion. And in 2015, on the first day of city trash service in Camelot II, Amanda Hodde told us: I walk with my oldest to and from school every day. Its difficult with stray animals and trash because we are walking around trash and the kids want to play in it. But while Calvert has drafted a promising expansion plan one that would provide trash service to Camelot II and other neighborhoods through private waste haulers because this is the county, not the city it hasnt taken flight. Even worse, the Camelot II pilot program is set to end this year. The main obstacle to progress here is CPS Energy. The city-owned utility has rejected Calverts request to include trash service on its bills. This might sound like a small matter, but its been a key to success in Camelot II. For whatever reason, when trash service is on the electric bill, people pay it. When its not, they often dont pay their bills, and then garbage starts to pile up. CPS Energy refused a meeting request about this billing decision, instead choosing to issue a statement that said it will only provide pass-through billing for city trash service. That would rule out private waste haulers and eventually Camelot II when the city-county pilot program ends. This is a painfully myopic view, reflecting a stunning failure of leadership from CPS officials. Leaders find ways to solve community problems, not promote them. Public entities find ways to partner with private entities all the time. Besides, CPS Energy provides electric service to county residents. Its more than capable of serving as a pass-through for billing for private trash service. Where to go from here? Not backward. The easiest option is for Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council members to direct CPS Energy to provide billing for trash service, even if that service is provided by private companies. Alternatively, Nirenberg and council members could continue the Camelot II pilot program and expand it to other neighborhoods, using city trash service. Again, these are urban neighborhoods just across the city of San Antonios line. CPS Energys unwillingness to help resolve a festering public health issue in our community deserves reconsideration. Its a shame CPS Energy officials either cant see the consequences or are indifferent. Murdered grandmother Patricia O'Connor's brothers and sisters have said "justice has been served" after four people were convicted over her horrific killing and dismemberment. They said it had been tough to sit through the trials of Kieran Greene, who battered the grandmother-of-seven to death, and three other people who covered up the murder. One sister said she was "disgusted" by what had been said about Ms O'Connor by the accused. They were speaking outside the Central Criminal Court after the final verdict was delivered in the seven-week trial yesterday. Greene (35) beat Ms O'Connor to death with a hurley in the bathroom at her home at Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, on May 29, 2017. He buried her body in a shallow grave in a cornfield in Co Wexford, then returned 10 days later and dug it up, dismembered it with a hacksaw and dumped the remains in the mountains. Her granddaughter, Stephanie O'Connor (22), impeded Greene's prosecution by dressing up as her dead grandmother on the night of the murder. This was so she would be captured on a neighbour's CCTV supposedly storming out of the house after a row, to create the illusion Ms O'Connor was still alive and bolster any claims she was missing. Stephanie's mother Louise O'Connor (41), who was Greene's partner at the time of her mother's murder, impeded the prosecution by agreeing to Stephanie disguising herself. Louise's ex-boyfriend Keith Johnston (43) went on a "shopping spree" with his "buddy" Greene days after the killing to help him buy hacksaws, hatchets and other tools the murderer later used to cut up Patricia O'Connor's remains. They had all pleaded not guilty. All four cases were adjourned for sentencing to April 20. Greene faces life in jail, while the others could each be sentenced to up to 10 years. Ms O'Connor's husband, Gus O'Connor (75), pleaded guilty before the trial started to impeding Greene's prosecution by falsely reporting she was missing on June 1, 2017. Handyman Johnston, Stephanie O'Connor's father, was the last of the accused to be convicted yesterday. The jury delivered its final verdict after deliberating for a total of 12 hours and four minutes. One person was heard to exclaim "yes" in the court's public gallery. Members of Ms O'Connor's and Johnston's families began weeping when the verdict was delivered. Johnston sat staring straight ahead and did not react to the verdict. Mr Justice Paul McDermott thanked the jury, saying the evidence had been "traumatic". Afterwards, Ms O'Connor's 10 siblings issued a statement. "Justice has been served for our beautiful sister, who met her demise in such tragic circumstances," it read. "She was the most kind and loving and caring grandmother, sister and mother, a hard-working woman who had to share her care and kindness with all." Outside, one of the murder victim's sisters, Anne O'Sullivan, said the family were delighted with the verdicts. Another sister, Rita Slevin, said lies were told about Ms O'Connor: "I'm absolutely disgusted, to think that somebody could put their own mother down like that." Ms O'Connor's son Richard said he was relieved by the verdict. Click here to read the full article. In Iran, executions are often carried out by conscripted soldiers, which puts an enormous burden on the shoulders of ordinary citizens. And what are we to make of the condemned, for whom guilt can sometimes be a capricious thing, dictated by a severe and oppressive Islamic regime the same one that accused Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof of endangering national security and spreading propaganda against the government? When Rasoulof returned from Cannes in 2017, following the premiere of his film A Man of Integrity, he was banned from filmmaking for life and sentenced to a year in prison. But as a man of integrity himself, the director could not stop. His latest film, There Is No Evil, premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, where instead of being silenced, the government put on him. More from Variety The resulting feat of artistic dissidence runs two and a half hours, comprising four discrete chapters, each one designed as a standalone short film exploring a different facet of the subject. By subdividing the project like this, Rasoulof was able to direct the segments without being shut down by authorities who are more carefully focused on features and, in the process, he also builds a stronger argument. There are a few Iranian directors, among them Asghar Farhadi (A Separation) and Saeed Roustaee (Just 6.5), who are successful in disguising their social criticism within compelling Western-style genre films. Rasoulof overstepped with 2013s Manuscripts Dont Burn and finds himself far more limited here. Even so, many of the Iranian films that find their way onto the international festival stage are famously light on plot a boy wants to buy a goldfish in Jafar Panahis The White Balloon, a kid searches for his sisters shoes in Majid Majidis Children of Heaven and could be told as half-hour shorts. By contrast, There Is No Evil comes across as four films for the price of one, none of its segments anemic, and each contributing fresh insights to the paradoxes of capital punishment in Iran. Story continues Unlike Panahi who circumvented the 20-year filmmaking ban imposed against him in rhetorical terms, responding with a low-res conceptual video essay titled This Is Not a Film Rasoulof refuses to let the sentence compromise his cinematic standards. There Is No Evil looks gorgeous, shot in widescreen with compelling actors (some subtle, others over-demonstrative, but all of professional caliber) in real-world locations. For certain sequences that occur in public, he delegated duties to assistant directors while handling interiors and less conspicuous scenes himself. Some portions may still feel thin or slow, and yet, the style evolves from one segment to the next a reason that intercutting wouldnt have solved the films episodic structure. Presented in rigid, locked-down frames, the eponymous opening chapter, There Is No Evil, delivers something of a shock, following middle-aged family man Heshmat (Ehsan Mirhosseini) around Tehran as he deals with everyday headaches: preparing for a friends wedding, caring for his elderly mother-in-law, collecting his child from school. In the final minutes (skip to the next paragraph to avoid a spoiler), he awakens at 3 a.m. and drives into work, where his job is not what we might expect and yet, the humanizing half-hour that precedes this revelation suggests that it is just that, a job. Rasoulof doesnt condemn Heshmat, but the wrenching twist raises the question of how such a man could murder, while the segments title places blame on the system more than the individual. Heshmat is a voluntary functionary in a morally corrupt system, whose choice of career affords his family a comfortable (though hardly extravagant) life. But what of those who are obliged to kill namely soldiers, enlisted not to protect the country in war but to pull the stool out from under their fellow citizens? The three remaining chapters concern such characters, starting with She Said, You Can Do It, whose nervous handheld tension contrasts with what has come before. I dont want to spill any blood, but if I have to, Ill kill the person forcing me to execute someone, vows deeply conflicted Pouya (Kaveh Ahangar) on the night of his first execution. Without a completion certificate for their mandatory service, Rasoulof instructs, Iranian men cannot apply for a passport, or a job. Still, Pouya undertakes an act of resistance thats as thrilling as it is foolish, orchestrated in what appears to be a single extended shot. The soldier we meet in the next segment, Javad (Mohammad Valizadegan), might appear to be on the run as well, when in fact hes on a short three-day leave from his service. He strips off his uniform and bathes in the river before going to see his girlfriend, Nana (Mahtab Servati), whose hand he seeks. This beefcake display marks an unexpectedly sensual moment in the films most voluptuously melodramatic sequence, ironically christened Birthday. Yet the ritual seems intended to cleanse his conscience, since Javad, unlike Pouya, follows orders, and the weight of his actions threatens to destroy the life he seeks to build with Nana. Trying to rationalize whats demanded of them, soldiers insist, They dont hang people without a reason here. But, of course, no legal system is infallible, and as a victim of a corrupt autocratic regime, Rasoulof knows firsthand how designations of guilt can serve as a tool for suppression. According to Amnesty Intl statistics, Iran was responsible for more than half the worlds recorded executions in 2017. The number has since dropped, but the country continues to kill its citizens at alarming rates. Its significant that Rasoulof seems so unconcerned with charges against the films condemned criminals. They are humans, after all. Rather than agreeing with the soldiers, There Is No Evil is a challenge to all those who passively accept their role in the machine, calling on them to question the sentences they carry out as well as those levied against their neighbors. Pouyas story models how that might happen, while the final chapter, Kiss Me, illustrates its consequences. The film takes place far from civilization where Rasoulof was presumably free to direct unencumbered and concerns a young expats return to Iran, which she can barely remember. Darya (Baran Rasoulof) arrives somewhat distracted, unaware of the somewhat obvious secret the family is hiding, and objects when her uncle (Mohammad Seddighimehr) takes her hunting. I refuse to kill a living thing, pronounces Darya (who is the directors daughter, a casting choice that adds yet another layer). But is she ready for the truth? Are any of us? The truth, the film clearly understands, is more complicated than its title: There is evil in the world, and it corrupts us when we dont take a stand. What would you do in the characters shoes? What will you do in your own? Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. BIRMINGHAM, England, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zach Harris, co-founder and CEO of Pinnacle Stainless (Denver, CO, USA), will bring deep knowledge of extraction technology to the forefront of the U.K. hemp industry during the Hemp and CBD Expo this weekend. Harris will cover the basics of extraction methodologies, focusing specifically on ethanol extraction, in addition to speaking about the future of the industry and the role that extraction plays. Stainless steel extraction equipment made in the USA and peer reviewed for quality and safety. The expo will give the UK's hemp and CBD industry the opportunity to get a real-time look at other players in the field, connect and network, learn about new technologies and roadmaps, and reposition themselves in the increasingly competitive marketplace. Speakers include U.K. and international industry experts who will provide information on a wide variety of topics from policy and health to cosmetics and retail. The expo takes place Feb. 29-30, 2020 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, U.K. About Zach Harris and Pinnacle Stainless As an industry leader, maintaining a wealth of knowledge and foresight are all but required when it comes to the forces driving Pinnacle Stainless and its CEO and co-founder, Zach Harris. Keeping tabs on an ever-evolving industry is no easy feat, and Zach believes it necessary to stay ahead of the curve so he and his company can set the standard for safety, quality and efficiency, providing the best and most relevant solutions on the market. With vast in-field manufacturing and engineering experience mostly spent in equipment fabrication for FDA food, pharma and cryogenic industries, Zach brings more to the table when it comes to advancing technology in ethanol extraction and processes. Based in Colorado, he provides guidance and insight on topics ranging from political and social industry impacts to ideation around the future of cannabis and extraction challenges, evolution and growth potentials. For additional background information or to schedule an interview, email [email protected]. Related Images pinnacle-stainless-hemp-and-cbd.jpg Pinnacle Stainless Hemp and CBD Extraction Equipment Stainless steel extraction equipment made in the USA and peer reviewed for quality and safety. SOURCE Pinnacle Stainless Minister urged citizens to see a doctor in case any symptoms of the virus are detected People with coronavirus in Ukraine will be treated free of charge - if they are treated in municipal and state medical institutions. Minister of Health of Ukraine Zoryana Skaletska said that in an interview with Hromadske. "All people who are in our medical institutions of communal and state ownership receive treatment free of charge. The medicines are not specific, they are not difficult to deliver. Now there are medicines in healthcare institutions," Skaletska said. She explained that when it comes to influenza and coronavirus, the World Health Organization recommends symptomatic treatment. However, all actions should be carried out according to the doctors recommendations. The request is not to self-medicate. Because most of the problems arise when a person turns up late and acute pneumonia and breathing problems begin, the head of the Ministry of Healthcare said. In Italy, the coronavirus epidemic claimed the lives of 21 citizens, while 821 people were infected. Emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli announced this in Rome. "In Italy, approximately 21 people died from the coronavirus, four more than on Thursday, and 821 people are already infected with this virus," - Borrelli said on Friday. Bruce Aylward has been parachuted into the epicentre of some of the most tragic and terrifying infectious disease outbreaks of the past quarter-century. He was in Brazil at the height of the Zika crisis, in West Africa as Ebola rampaged, and in Central Africa during a surge of yellow fever. On Tuesday, the Canadian doctor and World Health Organization senior adviser returned from a WHO-China joint mission intended to discover as much as possible about the novel coronavirus that emerged in late December in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has so far infected nearly 85,000 people in 51 countries, including 14 in Canada. Aylward, WHO team lead, says the mission uncovered critical nuggets of information about the disease and lessons for countries such as Canada on how to contain it. This one, it hits right in that virus sweet spot of where it can wreak havoc, Aylward told the Star Friday from Geneva, where WHO is headquartered. The novel coronavirus is neither the most lethal, nor the most easily transmitted of the newly-emerged pathogens that have threatened human health in recent years, Aylward explained but its rare combination of both infectiousness and lethality makes it a formidable threat. On Friday, WHO upgraded its global risk assessment for the outbreak to very high. Its the Gretzky, Aylward told the Star Friday from Geneva. Its the whole package. Thats what this virus is. There is still time to avert a pandemic, Aylward emphasizes, and individuals can do simple, effective things to contribute, from the oft-mentioned hand hygiene to being armed with information. Youre not helpless. The joint mission, co-led by the Newfoundland-born Aylward, included 25 experts from various countries, spent nine days travelling around China collecting data and talking to doctors, epidemiologists and other front-line workers. Aylward says the team typically worked 20 hour days, rising at 7 a.m. and stopping at 2 or 3 a.m. Their most reassuring finding, Aylward says, is that China didnt appear to have a large number of undetected cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as some had feared. The teams most worrying finding, by his estimation, is that they still dont understand why some young, healthy patients die, although the majority go on to fully recover. According to the joint missions report, released Friday, the group of patients most at risk of dying from COVID-19 are people over 60 years old and those with underlying conditions, especially cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. More men died than women. A finding that will comfort parents: COVID-19 appears to be both rare and mild in children, with only 2.4 per cent of Chinas total reported cases reported in people under 19 years old. Eighty per cent of patients had a mild or moderate form of the disease, and went on to recover fully. But some young people died. Notable among them was the doctor who became a hero in China after he was punished for raising the alarm about the outbreak and who then became infected himself. Who are these young people who suddenly progress and deteriorate? Is there a way we can identify them? Aylward said. Were behind the eight-ball on that one. The Chinese governments aggressive interventions to try to slow the spread of COVID-19 have been the subject of vigorous debate. Entire cities and provinces were immobilized for weeks. Some have described the measures as draconian, while others said they gave countries time to prepare. Aylward says that mass quarantines should not be required in any country that has successfully contained the spread of the virus: the situation in China was unique to it as the site of the emergence of the virus and home to an enormous population. Otherwise, in Chinas interventions, just objectively, theyre hitting a level of performance that you just dont see, he says. The joint missions report notes that, in Wuhan alone, more than 1,800 teams of epidemiologists, each with a minimum of five people per team, traced tens of thousands of contacts of sick people every day. Contact-tracing is a critical component of the public health tool kit: it involves tracking down anyone who might have come in contact with a sick person and monitoring or isolating them in order to contain the spread of disease. In Shenzhen City, the report notes, workers managed to find all 2,842 close contacts of known coronavirus cases, identifying 88 new cases among them each of which could have begun a new chain of transmission. Other experts have said its too early to evaluate Chinas success. But Aylward believes that Chinas disciplined approach can be emulated by other countries, including Canada though he notes that Canada already has the perverse advantage of having lived through SARS. Canada began preparing for this in 2003, said Aylward, the year that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which was also caused by a coronavirus, emerged. The outbreak overwhelmed Ontarios underprepared health care system in particular and led to increased investments in infection-control at hospitals and public health units, although some of the latter have since been chipped away. Aylward says that four groups of people need to work together to successfully contain an outbreak: leadership at the top, public health teams, front-line care providers, and the public as a whole. Countries need a clearly defined leader either a head of government or an appointed czar who can repurpose whatever part of government needs to be, Aylward says. Public health teams are critical for contact-tracing and other forms of monitoring. Care providers and care beds, in sufficient numbers are vital for treating patients. If you invest in one thing, invest in your people. Just turn on your whole public-information machinery, says Aylward. People need to know how to reduce the risk of illness, and what to do if they think they have symptoms of COVID-19 (see below). The key thing is, understand as much as you can. The global health emergency veteran has this message: Take a deep breath, get in there, and get to work. **** Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health, Toronto Public Health, has this advice for how to stay healthy: 1. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-hand sanitizer. 2. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough, or sneeze. 3. If you dont have a tissue, sneeze or cough in your sleeve. 4. Stay at home when you are sick. These measures may seem simple, but they are very powerful ways to protect yourself and others from getting sick, de Villa said in a statement. While social media is an excellent tool to help share information quickly, it can also just as quickly contribute to the unhelpful spread of misinformation. I therefore encourage residents to visit our website, www.toronto.ca/coronavirus, as we continue to update it regularly. Residents can also call our hotline 416-338-7600, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to ask questions. President Donald Trump slammed Democrats for the way they are reacting to the coronavirus threat, saying that their criticism of his administrations handling of the outbreak is their new hoax. At a campaign rally in South Carolina a day before a critical Democratic primary, Trump patted himself on the back for the White House response to the coronavirus. Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, Trump said. They have no clue, they dont have any clue, they cant even count their votes in Iowa. Advertisement The president characterized the Democratic line of attack as only the latest in a string of efforts to hurt his administration. One of my people came up to me and said, Mr. President they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didnt work out too well. They couldnt do it. They tried the impeachment hoax, Trump said. And this is their new hoax. The criticism over the coronavirus response has now become the single talking point of Democrats, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres Trump at his rally tonight in South Carolina dismissing worries about the coronavirus as the new hoax pic.twitter.com/Q58d7dI1cb Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 29, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement The president also used coronavirus as a reason to once again tout his immigration policies, and contrasted his view to that of Democrats. We must understand that border security is also health security, Trump said at another point in his rambling, nearly 90-minute speech. We are doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the infection from entering the country. We have no choice, Trump said. Whether its the virus that were talking about, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans. "Border security is also health security. And you've all seen the wall is going up like magic...the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health & well being of all Americans. You see it w/ the coronavirus" - Trump's nonsense rant about health benefits of wall pic.twitter.com/xmsO7pReTU Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 29, 2020 Trump also criticized the media, saying they were in hysteria mode over coronavirus, continuing with his administrations trend of blaming news outlets for the growing concern over the virus and the drop in the stock market. Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had said earlier Friday that journalists are trying to make the public panic over coronavirus to hurt Trump. The media are focusing on coronavirus because they think this is going to be what brings down the president, Mulvaney said. Want more politics coverage from Slate? Heres this weeks Political Gabfest. Becoming a journalist in Mexico is not an easy path to take as it brings one closer to the grave, such as the tragic end of acclaimed Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cardenas. On Thursday, one of Valdez's murderers was convicted in a Mexican court trial, according to RTL Today. The federal court in Culiacan, the capital of the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, sentenced Heriberto, alias "El Koala," to 14 years and eight months in prison. Said verdict was a result of an abbreviated trial, similar to a plea bargain, in which El Koala assumed responsibility for his role in the murder of Valdez. The persecution said El Koala had served as a driver for two men, Juan Francisco Picos Barrueto and Luis Idelfonso Sanchez, who shot Valdez outside his office in the northwestern city of Cualiacan in May 2017. Valdez, 50, was the co-founder of the weekly newspaper Riodoce, and a contributor to global news agency, AFP. He considered was one of the most prominent chroniclers of Mexico's deadly drug war in Sinaloa, the state where notorious kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman once reigned. Valdez legacy includes the books he authored tackling the horrifying history of illegal drug trade in Mexico. One of which is Malayerba, a fragmented chronicle of the violence of drug trafficking in northern Mexico and how it appears parallel to everyday life and language in the area. Valdez also wrote The Taken: True Stories of the Sinaloa Drug War, that delves into the broader armed conflict in Mexico and explains the unique role of Sinaloa as its epicenter. The book includes reports on border politics and infamous drug traffickers as well as the victims' suffering, ensuring their stories would not be forgotten or suppressed. The public prosecutor's office ordered El Koala to pay 9 million pesos ($460,000) to the journalist's family, the sum will be covered by the Executive Commission for Victim Assistance (CEAV), a branch of the interior ministry. According to the persecution, the assassination was ordered by the son of a drug trafficker, Damaso Lopez Serrano, who was often the subject of criticism by Valdez's Riodoce. Lopez Serrano allegedly paid the perpetrators 100,000 pesos and supplied their weapons, but he has always denied the claims. Juan Francisco Picos Barrueto, who was the main perpetrator in the killing, refused to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of 20 years and eight months in prison. He will be tried in March. Valdez's murder sparked international condemnation. Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide, was present at the trial and welcomed the conviction of El Koala. "The conviction of 'El Koala' is a welcome step forward in the murder of one of Mexico's most valiant and independent critical voices - a case that has languished with no justice for far too long," said Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico's CPJ Representative. "However, Mexican authorities must do everything in their power to bring all those involved to court, both to serve justice for Javier Valdez and as the only hope of curbing rampant impunity in journalist murders." In 2011, Valdez was a recipient of CPJ's International Press Freedom Award In 2019, Mexico has surpassed Syria to become the deadliest country for journalists, according to the CPJ. Homicide rates in Mexico have hit record levels last year, averaging nearly 100 a day from January through June, according to official data. Most of these cases are never solved. "As long as there is not a credible fight against impunity these murders against journalists are not going to stop," says Sara Lidia Mendiola, who runs a legal advocacy organization for journalists called Propuesta Civica. According to Mendiola, an estimated 99% of all journalist homicide cases go unpunished. Javier Valdez Cardenas may just be one of the many journalists being slain in Mexico every year, but his death proves that standing up for what is right has its price. A ctresses walked out of Frances most prestigious film awards ceremony last night after Roman Polanski who was convicted of the statutory rape of a 13-year-old in the 1970s was named best director. The Polish-French director, 86, fled the US following his high-profile conviction in 1977 and has since faced streams of further accusations of sexual assault, including rape. He denies the latest allegations against him. His latest film An Officer and a Spy, or J'accuse in French, was nominated for 12 gongs in this years Cesars largely considered Frances answer to the Oscars sparking fierce debate across the country, with feminist groups leading calls to boycott the event. Despite the controversy, the movie, which is about the persecution of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus in the 1890s, scooped three awards, including that of best director. French-Polish director Roman Polanski denies the latest accusations against him / AFP via Getty Images Actress Adele Haenel, who last year revealed shed been sexually abused as a child by another director, was among the women to walk out of the Fridays ceremony in Paris after Polanski's big win was announced. She left the room saying "shame!", and was followed by director Celine Sciamma. Actress and comedian Florence Foresti, who presented at the ceremony, didnt return to the stage after the best director award was announced. She later updated her Instagram story to a black screen emblazoned with the word "disgusted". Before the ceremony, Ms Haenel told the New York Times that France had "missed the boat" on the #MeToo movement and criticised the Cesar Awards for recognising Polanski. "Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims. It means raping women isn't that bad," she said. Celine Sciamma (centre) and Adele Haenel (right) leave the Salle Pleyel after the award for best director was announced / Getty Images Hours before the ceremony began, France's Culture Minister Franck Riester said it would be "symbolically bad" if Polanski were to win the prize for best director, "given the stance we must take against sexual and sexist violence". Protestors gathered outside the Pleynel concert hall, shortly before the biggest names in French cinema arrived for the event some waving placards reading: "Shame on an industry that protects rapists." Polanski and members of his crew did not attend the event, with the director having said previously that he feared for his safety. Feminist activists hold a banner reading 'Polanski: Cesar 2020 award for best rapist' / AFP via Getty Images It is the second time in five months that recognition of Polanskis work has prompted outrage. Organisers of the Venice Film Festival drew criticism for including Jaccuse in the programme. It went on to take the festival's Silver Lion Grand Jury in September. It came after French photographer Valentine Monnier accused the 86-year-old of raping her in 1975 when she was an 18-year-old model and actress. Polanski has denied the charge. Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault and third-degree rape Critics of the #MeToo movement in France say it is puritanical and fuelled by a hated of men. Ahead of the Cesars, former French film star Brigitte Bardot rallied support for Polanski. (Natural News) The Epoch Times is among the very best independent news publishers right now in terms of covering the coronavirus pandemic honestly. In fact, right now there are basically five main sites I can think of that are providing rapid, accurate coverage that blows away the lies of the mainstream media, the Mike Pence propaganda brigade of the Trump administration and the criminally negligent cover-ups at the WHO and CDC: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com / Pandemic.news InfoWars.com ZeroHedge.com PeakProsperity.com Almost every conservative, pro-Trump publisher has now descended into the its no worse than the flu denialism, and the CIA-run left-wing media is now just focused entirely on trying to crash the markets to destroy Trumps everything is awesome narrative. (For the record, I publicly warned that Trump tying his presidency to the stock market was an incredibly foolish idea. Now were seeing why) So heres a bombshell story from The Epoch Times, and I strongly urge you to financially support The Epoch Times by buying a subscription to their publication. They are anti-communist, pro-America, pro-liberty, pro human rights and are willing to tell the truth about whats happening with this pandemic. What I share with The Epoch Times is that we both have family members who fled the Chinese communists, so I fully support The Epoch Times and their reporting. Heres their story, and you can read the full story at this link: New Coronavirus Cases in California, Oregon, and Washington Suggest Community Spread: Officials New coronavirus cases confirmed in the Pacific Northwest suggest the new virus may be spreading in the community in the United States, officials said. Washington state, Oregon, and California officials confirmed in total four new cases on Friday. Officials do not know where or how three of the patients became infected, making them possible instances of community spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Community spread means that people acquire COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, through an unknown exposure in the community. The first case of unknown origin was confirmed on Feb. 26 in northern California. Three more were reported on Feb. 28. There was no known travel exposure for this individual. So, this is a case of community spread of the disease, much like the case from California earlier this week, Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters on Friday. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear, Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, California, said in a statement. Health officials in the county reported that an older woman with chronic health conditions was tested after going to the hospital with a respiratory illness. The patient does not have a travel history nor any known contact with a traveler or infected person, according to county officials. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease, Cody said. Authorities in Oregon reported the states first case of COVID-19. The adult patient has no travel history to a country where the virus was circulating nor did they come into close contact with another confirmed case, state officials said. As such, public health officials are considering it a likely community-transmitted case, meaning that the origin of the infection is unknown, the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement. The patient spent time in the Lake Oswego school district and patients and staff members there may have been exposed to the virus, according to the authority. Officials will try to locate the people the patient came into contact with. Washington state health authorities said two peoplea woman in her 50s and a teenage boytested positive for the new disease. The woman traveled recently to Daegu, South Korea, which saw an explosion of cases in recent days, but the teen has no travel history and officials dont know the source of his infection. The teen visited Seattle Childrens North Clinic on Feb. 24 and attends Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The Everett Public Schools superintendent decided to close the school on Monday to allow three days of deep cleaning, the Washington State Department of Health said. Officials expect to find more cases of community transmission, Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District, said at a press conference on Friday night. The four new cases were confirmed by the states using tests developed by the CDC. States received the testing kits early this month but most couldnt use them until Friday. The positive cases are considered presumptive pending confirmatory testing by the CDC, which is required through an Emergency Use Authorization. But the CDC and state and local public health officials are treating the cases as if they were confirmed. Local officials attributed the detection of the cases to the new tests, which cut days off the testing process. States and local labs that couldnt test locally previously had to spend hours packaging samples before shipping them to the CDCs Atlanta headquarters. The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory used the new testing kit just hours after validating it, Oregon officials said. Authorities also said they expect additional cases, a message that has been repeated by both state and federal officials. Given the extent of global spread, we expect to identify more individuals with COVID-19 in Washington, Washington Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said at a press conference. Federal officials warned earlier in the week that community spread of the new virus was likely, citing the spike in cases in South Korea, Italy, and Iran. Its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a phone call on Wednesday. Federal officials are using an in-depth report produced by its researchers in 2017 as a roadmap for how to deal with the virus. Without a vaccine or proven treatment, officials are focusing on nonpharmaceutical interventions, which fall into three categories: personal, community, and environmental. Personal interventions include routine recommendations such as washing hands and staying home when sick, and measures specific to pandemics such as people voluntarily isolating themselves at home even if theyre not sick if a member of their household has become ill. Community interventions can include closing schools and transitioning to internet-based teleschooling and changing business meetings from in-person to online as well. Some locales could postpone or cancel large gatherings. Environmental interventions primarily revolve around cleaning surfaces. The school closing for cleaning is an example of an environmental intervention. Read more at TheEpochTimes.com And stay informed by reading the news each day at Pandemic.news Heres my recent interview with Prof. Francis Boyle: A farmer and his bull were killed in a lightning strike in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district on Saturday, police said. Sachin Kumar (35) was working in his agricultural field in Bhuma village of Miranpur area when the lightning struck, Jansath Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kuldeep Nayer told PTI. He said a revenue official has been sent to the village for detail information about loss of life in the lightning strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ANKARA, Turkey - Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his countrys borders with Europe were open Saturday, making good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent as thousands of migrants gathered at the frontier with Greece. Erdogans announcement that Turkey is allowing refugees and migrants to exit the country marked a dramatic departure from current policy and an apparent attempt to pressure Europe. It came amid a military escalation in northwestern Syrias Idlib province that has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians to flee fighting between advancing Syrian government forces backed by Russia and rebel fighters supported by Turkey. The mass displacement in Idlib has raised the possibility that Turkey might come under growing international pressure to open its now sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to desperate Syrian civilians. We cant handle a new wave of migration, Erdogan said Saturday, in an apparent reference to the growing humanitarian crisis in Idlib. Nearly 950,000 displaced civilians have been pushed toward the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. Erdogan said Turkey would not stand in the way of refugees and migrants already in the country who hope to head to Europe. We will not close the gates to refugees, he said. The European Union has to keep its promises. We are not obliged to look after and feed so many refugees. Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. It has since accused the EU of failing to honour the agreement. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided. The German foreign ministry said it was in contact with other governments regarding the matter and assumed and expected that the EU-Turkey agreement will be adhered to. Since seizing territory from Kurdish forces in a different part of Syria in October, Erdogan has also suggested resettling at least a million Syrian refugees from Turkey in that northeastern region. However, his efforts to secure funding for such a scheme have been rejected by European governments. Aid groups have said it is still too dangerous to return refugees to Syria. Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many others fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighbouring Greece. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols Friday night through Saturday, with Greek authorities firing tear gas to repulse the crowds attempts to push through the border. Greek officials said migrants lobbed at least 20 canisters of tear gas toward the border from the Turkish side. Greek officials arrested 66 migrants Friday, 17 of whom were sentenced to 3.5 years in jail for entering the country illegally. All Afghans, they were are the first migrants sentenced for illegal entry since 2014. On Saturday, Greece arrested another 70 migrants who tried to cross the border from Turkey. Some migrants cut holes in the fence, with a few managing to get through. They took shelter overnight in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk toward northern cities. Others were crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands. Greece announced it was sending police and army reinforcements to its land border and reinforcing controls along the sea border, where 52 coast guard and navy vessels were patrolling. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis visited the border and described the situation as difficult and unpleasant. Thousands of unfortunate people are cramming on our border; they have not come here of their own accord, he said. They are being pushed, repulsed and used by our neighbouring country Turkey. The minister insisted no one without legal travel documents would be allowed to cross. Erdogans speech Saturday in Istanbul was the first clear announcement that migrants would be allowed to try to cross the border, after a foreign ministry spokesman floated the idea Thursday, prompting the first wave of migrants to head to the border. It comes as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending reinforcements into rebel-held areas of Syria earlier this month. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside Syrias Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. Turkeys Defence Ministry said late Friday that one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling. It was the latest fatality after a deadly airstrike killed 33 earlier this week. Kamal Alam, a military analyst specializing in Turkey and Syria, said Turkeys frustration at being left alone by its NATO allies in Syria had been exacerbated by the 33 deaths. Despite being a NATO member, on the ground nobody is supporting Turkeys stance. Turkeys saying to Europe If youre going to leave us alone and not help us then were going to bring the war to your doorstep. ___ Kantouris reported from Kastanies, Greece. Elena Becatoros in Athens and Ayse Wieting in Istanbul contributed to this report. Barely 24 hours after Nigeria recorded its first case of Coronavirus, scarcity of sanitisers, face masks and other protective apparel has hit major cities in Nigeria, including Lagos and Abuja. PREMIUM TIMES survey also showed that prices of the protective and basic safety apparel has since skyrocketed, amid rising demand. On Friday, many Nigerians took to their social media handles to recount their experiences, with frustrating accounts of the difficulties encountered in getting basic safety materials. Julius Bokoru, a Facebook user, took to his page to recount how it was difficult for him to get a face mask in Abuja, the federal capital city, on Friday. Drove virtually round Abuja this morning in search of face masks and hand sanitizpser, he wrote. All sold out within a few hours. Na Abuja o, no be Lagos sef. Amid the frustration, Kate Ege, another Facebook user, sought recommendations on how she could get the materials in bulk on Friday in Lagos. She posted: Where can I buy hand sanitiser in bulk? Location: Lagos. Its needed urgently On Twitter, many Nigerians lamented the scarcity of the various safety materials in Lagos and Abuja. Others made jokes and hilarious memes of the attendant frustration experienced by those seeking the products. Ladon, a Twitter user, wrote: I trust my Lagos hustler as from tomorrow you will start seeing hand sanitiser for sale in Lagos traffic #CoronaVirusUpdates. When PREMIUM TIMES visited Addax Shopping Mall in Agidingbi area of Ikeja on Friday night, store attendants told our reporter that there had been a rise in the demand for the safety apparel. We have sold almost all the units of sanitisers and face masks we have in this mall, said an attendant who didnt want her name in print. The demand has been quite high and we may run out of stock before the weekend. In numerous other small kiosks in Ikeja and environs, our reporter found that the safety materials were not available. A retailer told PREMIUM TIMES that the price has skyrocketed. There are some sanitisers that sold for about N2,500 or less in the past but we sold some for as high as N4,000 this morning before we ran out of stock, an attendant who sought anonymity, told PREMIUM TIMES at a store in Allen Avenue. She also suggested that the big malls may be hoarding the safety materials in a bid to exploit desperate consumers. Covid-19 in Nigeria Nigeria recorded its first case of coronavirus after an Italian national tested positive to the virus, the Federal Ministry of Health said on Thursday. The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. He fell ill on the 26th February and was transfered to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing, the Lagos State Ministry of Health also said in a statement. #COVID2019 infection was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital @LUTHofficial, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control @NCDCgov. The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital (Mainland Hospital) in Yaba, Lagos. It is the third reported case of Coronavirus in Africa after Egypt and Algeria; the suspect in the former, a foreigner, later tested negative to the virus. In Algeria, an Italian who arrived Algiers on February 17 tested positive. Last Thursday, the deputy senate leader, Ajayi Borrowfice, lamented Nigerias poor preventive measures towards COVID-19. Earlier, the World Health Organisation, in preparation for an eventual importation of the disease had listed 13 Africa countries (Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Tunisia) as having the highest importation risk. These countries, according to the WHO, are top priority for preparedness measures due to their direct links or high volume of travel to China. Advertisements Consumer protection agency fumes Meanwhile , against the background of the frustration experienced by Nigerians seeking basic safety apparel, the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Friday railed against undue exploitation of consumers by retailers of the safety products. It has come to the attention of the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) that certain suppliers and retailers are taking undue advantage of citizens and engaging in unconscionable trade practices with respect to basic safety and protective apparel such as face masks and latex gloves, as well as personal hygiene products like sanitisers and anti-bacterial wipes, because these products are relevant and necessary in preventing infection or spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), a statement signed by Babatunde Irukera, FCCPC chair, said. This unusual and inordinate practice of unreasonably increasing the price of these products in an indiscriminate manner, on account of the national public health concern (Coronavirus) violates both moral codes and extant law. Abusing citizens sensitivity, apprehension, anxiety and vulnerability, especially during emergencies that could adversely affect national security is a violation of law. The FCCPC noted specifically that Section 17(s) of the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) prohibits obnoxious trade practices, or the unscrupulous exploitation of consumers. The Commission said its surveillance efforts have revealed that some otherwise reputable pharmacies and department stores are engaging in price gouging and manipulating supplies in a manner that distorts the market, or temporarily restricts availability in order to unreasonably/unfairly increase prices. Any conspiracy, combination, agreement or arrangement to unduly limit or manipulate supply, in order to unreasonably enhance price or otherwise restrain competition is a criminal offence under S.108(1)(b) and (c), FCCPA, the commission said. Any exercise or exploitation of undue pressure in selling or the sale of goods or services, or price manipulation between displayed, and selling price are also serious violations of the FCCPA under Sections 115(3) and 124(1). Taking advantage of the possibility of infection by a dangerous communicable disease to control supply, or unilaterally increase prices is predatory as it preys on the desperation of citizens. Considering the circumstances and the vital national interest/security this illegal conduct undermines, the Commission intends to strongly enforce the full letter of the law, including the fullest extent of penalties associated with this conduct. The FCCPC encouraged consumers to be vigilant, and report such unreasonable or arbitrary exploitative price increase or trade practices to the Commission by telephone on 08056002020, or 08056003030, or by email at contact@fccpc.gov.ng. KABUL - The former Soviet Union marched into Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, 1979, claiming it was invited by the new Afghan communist leader, Babrak Karmal, setting the country on a path of 40 years of seemingly endless wars and conflict. More than 5 million Afghans fled to Pakistan and 3 million to Iran after 1980, and today, Afghans still make up the worlds second-largest refugee population. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks in America, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime, which had harboured al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Now, after an 18-year war, the possibility of peace has emerged as the United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal Saturday, one that could offer a glimmer of hope to war-weary Afghans. Here is a timeline of some key dates in Afghanistans 40 years of wars: Dec. 25, 1979 Soviet Red Army crosses the Oxus River into Afghanistan. In neighbouring Pakistan, Afghan mujahedeen, or Islamic holy warriors, are assembling, armed and financed by the U.S. for an anti-communist war. 1980s CIAs covert Operation Cyclone funnels weapons and money for the war through Pakistani dictator Mohammed Zia-ul Haq, who calls on Muslim countries to send volunteers to fight in Afghanistan. Bin Laden is among the thousands to volunteer. 1983 President Ronald Reagan meets with mujahedeen leaders, calling them freedom fighters, at the White House. September 1986 The U.S. provides the mujahedeen with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal. January 1987 Afghan Communist President Najibullah launches National Reconciliation Program to encourage the mujahedeen to join a new government of national reconciliation; they refuse. Feb. 15, 1989 The last Soviet soldier leaves Afghanistan, ending 10 years of occupation April 1992 Mujahedeen groups enter Kabul as Najibullah tries to flee. He is stopped at the airport and put under house arrest at a U.N. compound. 1992-1996 A power-sharing deal among seven mujahedeen leaders falls apart and they spend four years fighting one another; much of Kabul is destroyed and nearly 50,000 people are killed. 1994 The Taliban emerge in southern Kandahar, mainly from the ranks of former mujahedeen fighters. They take over the province, setting up a rule adhering to a strict interpretation of Islam. Sept. 26, 1996 The Taliban take Kabul after sweeping across the country with hardly a fight; Northern Alliances Tajik leader Ahmed Shah Masood and his forces retreat north toward the Panjshir Valley. The Taliban hang Najibullah and his brother. 1996-2001 Though initially welcomed as an end to the fighting, the Taliban rule with a heavy hand under Mullah Mohammed Omar, imposing strict Islamic edicts, denying women the right to work and girls the right to go to school. Punishments and executions are carried out in public. 2000 The Taliban eradicate opium production but labourers who lived off the poppy fields become even poorer. March 2001 The Taliban dynamite the worlds largest standing Buddha statues in Bamyan province, to global shock. Set. 9, 2001 Two Arab-speaking suicide bombers, posing as journalists with Belgium passports, kill Masood in northern Takhar province, two days before the 9-11 terrorist attacks. September 2001 Washington gives Mullah Omar an ultimatum: hand over bin Laden and dismantle militant training camps or prepare to be attacked. The Taliban leader refuses. Oct. 7, 2001 A U.S.-led coalition launches an invasion of Afghanistan. Nov. 13, 2001 The Taliban flee Kabul for Kandahar as the U.S.-led coalition marches into the Afghan capital with the Northern Alliance. Dec. 5, 2001 __ The Bonn Agreement is signed in Bonn, Germany, giving the majority of power to the Northern Alliances key players and strengthening the warlords who had ruled between 1992 and 1996. Hamid Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun like most Taliban, is named president. Dec. 7, 2001 Mullah Omar leaves Kandahar and the Taliban regime officially collapses. Dec. 13, 2001 Karzai arrives in Kabul; contrary to the Bonn Agreement, militias loyal to warlords also enter the Afghan capital. Dec. 22, 2001 Karzai is sworn in as chairman of a 29-member governing council established under the Bonn Agreement. 2004 and 2009 General elections are held and Karzai is elected president for two consecutive terms, the limit under the Afghan constitution. April 5, 2014 Deeply flawed election results in the two front-runners, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, both claiming victory. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry negotiates a power-sharing deal for a so-called Unity Government, with Ghani serving as president and Abdullah as chief executive. Dec. 8, 2014 American and NATO troops formally end their combat mission, transitioning to a support and training role though President Barack Obama had authorized U.S. forces to carry out operations against Taliban and al-Qaida targets. 2015-2018 The Taliban surge further, staging near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces; scores of civilians die in the crossfire. An Islamic State group affiliate emerges in the east; the Taliban seize control of nearly half the country. September 2018 Seeking to fulfil his election promise to bring U.S. troops home, President Donald Trump appoints veteran Afghan-American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad as negotiator with the Taliban. 2018-2019 Zalmay engages in on-again, off-again talks with the Taliban, mainly in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar where the insurgents maintain a political office. The Taliban refuse to negotiate with the Kabul government Sept. 9, 2019 After a particularly intense escalation in Taliban attacks, including a Kabul bombing that killed a U.S. soldier, Trump scraps talks with the Taliban. Sept. 28, 2019 Presidential elections are held but official results are not known for months. Nov. 24, 2019 Trump visits U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving, says the Taliban want to make a deal and signals the Qatar negotiations are back on. Feb. 15, 2020 Washington says a temporary reduction in violence has been agreed upon with the Taliban as first step toward a final peace deal. Feb. 18, 2020 Afghanistans election commission declares Ghani the official winner of September elections; his rival Abdullah refuses to recognize the results and instead declares himself the winner. Feb. 29, 2020 The U.S. and the Taliban sign a deal in Doha, Qatar, laying out the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan; the deal also envisions intra-Afghan talks on a future political road map. Around the world... In 1964 the average woman had just over 5 children. By 2015 she had 2.5. 83 countries, comprising nearly half the worlds population, have fertility rates below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman today. In the US, in 1976, only 11% of mothers had borne one child at the end of their childbearing years. In 2015, 23% had. Only-child families are now the fastest-growing family unit. In the UK, 46% of families have only one child. In Canada, 38.6% of families have one child. Even across the Nordic region, which provides generous maternity and paternity benefits and subsidised childcare, families are shrinking. Icelands birth rate has dropped from 2.2 children per woman to 1.7 children, over the past 10 years. Italys birth rate is at a historic low of 1.35. Single-child families make up 30% of the family units in Spain and Portugal. Cultures traditionally known for big families now have fewer children per family too. Singapore has the worlds lowest fertility rate: 0.83 children per woman. Japan is at 1.42. China, which imposed a one-child limit on its population from 1979 to 2016, is finding that birth rates remain low even after the policy ended. Its birth rate, 1.5 since the 2000s, showed only a marginal increase to 1.6 last year. In India In one generation, we have double number of mothers who reached the end of their childbearing years having borne one child. Only 24% of Indian women want a second child, according to The National Family Health Survey from 2018. Its a sharp decline in the response from a decade ago, when 68% of those polled said they were open to having a second baby. Nine states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have fertility rates well below the 2.1 replacement rate. New studies estimate that Indias total fertility rate will stand at 1.8 as early as next year, which means that the population might start to decline by 2040. Between the 1961 and 1971 censuses, Kerala and Bihar had similar rates of population growth. Today, Bihar, which has the highest proportion of illiterate women at 26.8%, has Indias highest fertility rate: 3.2. Kerala, where 99.3% of women are literate, has among the lowest fertility rates: 1.8. Falling birth rates relate directly to areas with high levels of education, increased mobility, late marriage, financially independent women and overall prosperity. relate directly to areas with high levels of education, increased mobility, late marriage, financially independent women and overall prosperity. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON U.S. President Donald Trump holds a copy of The Washington Post at the White House. AP-Yonhap By Oh Young-jin What was U.S. President Donald Trump thinking when he heaped criticism on Korean director Bong Joon-ho's movie "The Parasite" that won big at the recent Academy Awards? It has little to do with Bong or the movie's plot a satire on class struggle with modern twists or even Bong's native nation, South Korea, which Trump openly took a jab at during his anti-"Parasite" tirade. Rather, what triggered his paroxysm of anger was the presenters of the four awards. One giveaway is that Trump's unexpected attack on the Korean film is part of what else his re-election campaign. Jane Fonda, who gave Bong the Best Picture Oscar, is a legend in actor activism, being huge in the anti-Vietnam War campaign and very influential in social issues. She is not exactly Trump's cup of tea. The populist and egocentric leader would not stand the sight of her and, more importantly, what she represents. Then, she is an intellectual type, the opposite of Trump's misogynistic views and his carnal inclination. In all likelihood, it is not necessary to ask the two whether they have the slightest hint of fondness for each other because the answer is a foregone conclusion. South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho accepts the award for Best Director for "Parasite" from U.S. director Spike Lee during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Feb.9. AP-Yonhap From his record, there is little doubt that Trump doesn't care for Penelope Cruz, the Spanish actress who presented Bong with the best International Feature Film Oscar. It is public knowledge that the U.S. president has no love for foreigners dubbing Mexicans wetbacks who are rapists and poking fun at those from immigrant families. Remember that Trump told four progressive congresswomen to go back to their "broken and crime-infested countries" when he didn't like what they said. The four are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and later became a U.S. citizen. The others were born and raised in the U.S. Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves present the award for Best Original Screenplay to Bong Joon-ho for "Parasite" at the Oscars on Feb. 9. AP-Yonhap Director Spike Lee, of "Do the Right Thing" fame, presented the Best Director award to Bong. He is an African-American who has grown up poking fun at the fallacies of White America, which is represented by Trump. There is no need to talk about Trump's main support group being a disgruntled segment of Caucasians, which is losing its grip on power with its portion of the American demographic diminishing while other racial segments are increasing. Finally, Keanu Reeves is a Canadian born in Beirut, Lebanon, who starred in "The Matrix" franchise. In "Parabellum," Reeves plays John Wick, a Dirty Harry-style, make-my-day, macho role. But it is hard to imagine him backing Trump. Reeves presented Bong with the Best Original Screenplay award. Jane Fonda embraces director Bong after presenting him with the Oscar for Best Picture. EPA/Yonhap Combine these presenters with what Hollywood represents by and large at least actors and actresses as well as directors. They are liberal-minded, open-hearted and sophisticated, the concepts that are an anathema to the Trump world that is inward-looking, narrow-minded and uncouth. Of course, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Oscar giver, has been under fire for being racially bigoted and recently tried to improve its image by getting more inclusive. The "Parasite" triumph may be part of it but still the academy is listening to what people have to say. And Trump has gone after its willingness to listen. "How bad were the Academy Awards this year?" Trump said during a reelection campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "We got enough problems with South Korea, with trade. On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year." Still, this is vintage Trump, who appealed to his support group who chanted "Make America great again" after the president. Citing a foreign country in his theatric jab, as in his talk about imbalanced trade, is an effective psychological tactic to make a common enemy out of a third party and appeal to supporters. Call it populist or nationalist, it will work more often than not. For any doubters about Trump's stance on Hollywood and actors, his remark about Brad Pitt, winner of Best Supporting Actor, says it all. Trump mocked him as "a little wise guy" for showing disappointment over John Bolton the national security adviser Trump fired not being summoned to testify at Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. Director Bong Joon-ho accepts the Best International Feature Film award for "Parasite" from Spanish actress Penelope Cruz. AFP-Yonhap The US will reduce its troop levels from 13,000 to 8,600 in Afghanistan in the coming months, but the pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism and not showing "bad faith" to talks, officials said here on Saturday as America and the militant group signed a landmark peace agreement in Doha. Under the agreement, the US would withdraw its troops in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining American forces withdrawing in 14 months. The peace agreement is aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of war in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. As part of its efforts to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and the agreement it signed with the Taliban, the US has committed to make an initial reduction in its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600. The US currently has some 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. This is the level that General Scotts Miller, Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, had earlier identified as necessary to fulfil his mission. The withdrawal of troops and the agreement itself move in parallel processes, a senior administration official said as the US signed the landmark agreement with the Taliban in Doha in presence of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a host of foreign diplomats including those from India. "Our withdrawal is aligned with this agreement and is conditions-based. If the political settlement fails, if the talks fail, there is nothing that obliges the United States to withdraw troops," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "That's not to say that the President doesn't have prerogatives as Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America to make any decision that he feels appropriate as our President, but there is no obligation for the United States to withdraw troops if the Afghan parties are unable to reach agreement or if the Taliban show bad faith in the course of this negotiation," the official said. Responding to questions, the official noted that the withdrawal of troops will not be immediate. The reduction of troops to 8,600 is part of the initial agreement and it will play out over several months. "It doesn't happen immediately. It takes a while to get out. It's not going to happen overnight. But that is the commander on the ground's recommendation, that is the President's intention, and that's in the agreement," said the official. According to another senior administration official, America's commitment to act on the pullout is tied to the Taliban's action on their commitments in the agreement, which includes in detail counter-terrorism commitments, because that was US' priority concern, and also their engagement in these negotiations. As far as the long-term goal is concerned, the President's aspiration remains ultimately to bring a political settlement here, end the war, and end the US military commitment to Afghanistan, the official said. "The President does not seek a permanent commitment of US forces to a war in Afghanistan. There are a lot of ways that we can and will continue to work with the Afghan Government in the aftermath of a political settlement, and there's many venues of cooperation between us and them, but it is the President's ambition to reach a political settlement and have the United States forces leave and end the fight. That is his goal," the official said. "Now, in the course of the agreement, it requires us to reach a political settlement that will create the conditions under which we do that. And if we're unable to reach a political settlement, if for any reason this process doesn't work, there's nothing that obligates the President to take that course," the official said. If Afghanistan will be at peace, aid agencies and international donors will have free movement around the entire country of Afghanistan to be able to finally bring economic opportunity to people who've suffered through 18 years of war. The Taliban and the Afghan civil authorities will have reached a political settlement that is a durable settlement that will allow them to exist and coexist in the same country without fighting, the official said, listing out some of the conditions for complete withdrawal of US troops from this country. "You will see also at that point an end to support for terrorism and an end for any compelling need for American military forces to be deployed in a war-fighting capacity in Afghanistan. "And so in the event that all this works and there is a lot of work to do between now and then yeah," the official said when asked about zero US troops in Afghanistan. The 18-year-long Afghan war has killed tens of thousands of civilians and Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Some 2.5 million Afghans are registered as refugees abroad and another two million are displaced within their country. The war has cost the US taxpayer more than USD 1 trillion in military and rebuilding costs since the US-led invasion of 2001. More than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade, according to the United Nations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One local man's intoxicated disturbance caused him to be banned from a famous local restaurant. Jesse Tenney, was arrested on Thursday, February 20, after police were called to Baldanza Cafe on 129 Elm St. for reports of an intoxicated man who would not leave the premises. According to police, Tenney was asked to leave on multiple occasions. He was asked not to come back to the premises. Tenney was charged with criminal trespassing and breach of peace. He is expected in court on Monday, March 2 after posting a $200 bond. In the pastry kitchen of Common Bond Cafe and Bakery in Houston, Texas, lies the mastery of an Indian-origin corporate executive pastry chef, whose recipes, for delectable desserts, are an amalgamation of perfect flavors. However, this creative chefs recipe for a successful life is the most fascinatingit lies in the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa. This simple meditation taught him how to combine the values of TruthfulnessCompassionTolerance to bake the perfect harmony in his life. Rakesh Nayak, a corporate executive pastry chef at Common Bond Cafe and Bakery in Houston, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Rakesh Nayak) Early Life Hailing from a family that was already in the restaurant business, Rakesh Nayak was always interested in cooking. However, he did not achieve success overnightinstead, he had to work really hard from an early age. Since my childhood, I had a keen interest in cooking and always cooked with my mother, he said. My grandfather owned a restaurant in Udupi, a city in the southwest Indian state of Karnataka, and thus my mom says that his genes have passed on to me. Life wasnt all that easy for young Rakesh. He grew up in a conservative family where even dreaming about something was difficult. Gradually, he started to gain confidence in himself; however, it was only after his junior college that he decided to pursue a degree in hotel management. With a difficult financial situation, he chose to do a one-year diploma course in the field of culinary and pastry. Peppermint Chocolate Croissant by Chef Rakesh. (Photo courtesy of Rakesh Nayak) Discovering His Passion After finishing his course, he faced challenges of looking for a job. Rakesh initially started to work as a steward at The Hilton, a hotel in Mumbai, in the western state of Maharashtra. However, he realized that wasnt his inner callinghe was meant to be in the pastry kitchen. After working for only six months with The Hilton, he moved to The Mirador Hotel. Then with this turn of events, he started to work at the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line London. The two years that Rakesh spent on the ship were quite interesting. It was here that he found the love of his lifehis wife, Suzy. She worked at the same station as him, but after two years Suzy got a job in the United States and had to leave the ship. Rakesh with his wife, Suzy. (Photo courtesy of Rakesh Nayak) A Gift That Changed His Life In mid-August 2011, Suzy sent him a gift, the book Zhuan Falunthe main book of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), a meditation system for the mind and body. Rakesh said: This changed my world upside down in a better way. When I read the book for the first time, I felt like it was so close to my heart. I joined the local Falun Dafa practitioners in Mumbai and started to do its five gentle exercises. As soon as I did the exercises, I felt like blessings poured inthe exercises not only made my mind and body feel energetic but also made me feel happy throughout the day. However, Rakesh shared that the benefits of this ancient meditation practice didnt just stop at that. He started to incorporate the moral principles of Falun DafaTruthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerancein his daily life. Rakesh practicing the fifth exercise of Falun Dafa. (Photo courtesy of Rakesh Nayak) My anger just reduced, and I became calmer in the kitchen. My friends and family noticed the change and my mother commented that there must be some magic in this practice, he said. Moved by his change, his mother and sister also took up the practice of Falun Dafa. Falun Dafa was first introduced in China in 1992. However in July 1999, seven years after the practice was introduced to China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution campaign against Falun Dafa after seeing the number of people practicing it skyrocketing to as many as 70 million. Since then, tens of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners in China have been arrested, detained, and tortured. When Rakesh first heard about the persecution, he was shocked. He said, I couldnt believe that something as horrible as this is happening in the 21st century. I felt really sad when I got to know that my mother-in-law, a Chinese resident, was also persecuted. The first thought that occurred to me was how could we create more awareness about this persecution. As soon as I arrived in New York to reunite with my wife, I started to spread awareness about the ongoing persecution that Falun Dafa faces in the hands of the Chinese communist party, he said. While being asked how he manages the stress that the pastry kitchen puts him under, he said, It has to do a lot with being tolerant and patient. As the head of the pastry team, I first try to understand the requirements of my team and consider them. I can now go long hours in the kitchen without getting tiredthanks to the amazing exercises of Falun Dafa. Rakesh at the pastry kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Rakesh Nayak) As a father of a young daughter, Rakesh tries to bring her up with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. By practicing Falun Dafa my family life has become more harmonious and our relationship has only grown stronger over the years, he said. Lee Phillip Bell, a co-creator of two of daytime televisions most successful and enduring soap operas, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, died on Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 91. Her death was confirmed by Eva Basler, a spokeswoman for the Bell familys company, Bell-Phillip Television Productions. Ms. Bell also hosted a daytime talk show in Chicago for more than three decades and as a broadcast journalist produced and narrated award-winning documentary specials. She teamed up with her husband, William J. Bell, in creating The Young and the Restless, which has been on the air since 1973, and The Bold and the Beautiful, which celebrates its 33rd anniversary in March. The dramas have attracted millions of viewers while tackling difficult topics like incest, alcoholism and teen pregnancy. WASHINGTON U.S. and Taliban negotiators signed a historic agreement Saturday in Qatar that could end 19 years of war in Afghanistan and allow President Donald Trump to begin the promised withdrawal of American troops. The four-page pact spells out a timetable for the United States to withdraw its 13,000 troops from Afghanistan; in exchange, the Taliban agreed to sever its ties with al-Qaida, the terrorist group that launched the 9/11 attacks against the U.S. Everybodys tired of war, Trump told reporters at the White House. Its been a very long journey. Its been a hard journey for everybody." The agreement sets the stage for further negotiations between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban, a militant Islamist group that once ruled Afghanistan and provided safe haven to Osama bin Laden. American officials hope those talks will lead to a power-sharing deal, a permanent end to the bloody conflict and a full withdrawal of American forces. But a permanent peace and an end to America's longest war rests on a commitment by the Taliban, a fractious insurgency, to end its deadly attacks on U.S. forces and to renounce its ties to al-Qaida. "If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," the president said in a statement released ahead of Saturday's signing ceremony in Doha. Zalmay Khalilzad, the top U.S. negotiator for Afghanistan, signed the pact as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looked on. In remarks at the ceremony, Pompeo said the deal was based on the reality that the conflict was militarily unwinnable without a massive deployment of additional U.S. forces. The Taliban also saw the war as a lost cause, he noted. "This is a hopeful moment, but it's only the beginning," Pompeo said. There's a great deal of hard work ahead." In the coming weeks, the United States will begin a phased withdrawal from Afghanistan, reducing its forces from 13,000 troops to 8,600. Pompeo said the remaining U.S. troops will serve as leverage to ensure the Taliban lives up to its promises. Story continues In Kabul, Defense Secretary Mark Esper echoed that message saying the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops would be based on the Taliban reining in its fighters. "Should the Taliban fail to honor their commitments, they will forfeit their chance to sit with fellow Afghans and deliberate on the future of their country. Moreover, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement," Esper said in prepared remarks. If the Taliban fulfills its commitments to renounce al-Qaida and begin intra-Afghan talks, the U.S. agreed to a withdrawal of all remaining American forces from Afghanistan within 10 months. The U.S. also agreed to immediately facilitate a controversial prisoner exchange, under which up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government could be released. The Taliban would free as many as 1,000 prisoners, as demanded by the Afghan government. Trump said he expected withdrawals to begin immediately. "If bad things happen, well go back," Trump said. "We'll go back with a force like nobodys ever seen." The president, speaking at a news conference primarily focused on the coronavirus, announced he would soon be meeting with Taliban leaders. He declined to provide additional information about where or when that meeting would take place. The U.S.-Taliban deal, crafted during painstaking, on-again-off-again negotiations that began in 2018, was finalized after seven days of reduced violence, a confidence-building measure both sides undertook as a prerequisite to signing an agreement. Saturday's announcement comes with many caveats. In September, negotiators hailed a breakthrough in talks only to see hope for peace dissipate and violence continue. A withdrawal of American troops also would likely take several months. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign a peace agreement in a ceremony in the Qatari capital, Doha. "It's not like ... this will bring flowers and roses and doves overnight," said a senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. The next step will be even more challenging: getting the Taliban and the Afghan government bitter opponents with sharply divergent views about the future of their country to reach a peace agreement in a country riven by tribal factions, devastated by war and overrun with criminal and terrorist elements. Those talks are expected to begin is Oslo, Norway, within 10 days, but neither side has designated negotiators yet. And the Afghan government, backed by the U.S., is in the midst of a political crisis, with two leaders proclaiming victory in the country's September election. The reduction in violence is supposed to continue as the intra-Afghan talks proceed, and the U.S. is hoping to secure a full cease-fire in Afghanistan as one of the first elements of those talks. Some Republicans warned against signing the deal, arguing that the Taliban is a terrorist group that cannot be trusted to live up to any commitments. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said the agreement would jeopardize America's national security and compared it to the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal. "Releasing thousands of Taliban fighters, lifting sanctions on international terrorists, and agreeing to withdraw all U.S. forces in exchange for promises from the Taliban ... would be reminiscent of the worst aspects of the Obama Iran nuclear deal," Cheney said in a statement Saturday. But others, including a top former Obama administration official, hailed the agreement as a remarkable step forward. No agreement is perfect, and the U.S.-Taliban deal is no exception," said Robert Malley, who was a senior White House adviser on the Middle East under President Barack Obama. "But it represents the most hopeful step to end a war that has lasted two decades and taken countless American and especially Afghan lives. It ought to be celebrated, bolstered and built upon to reach a genuine intra-Afghan peace, said Malley, now president and CEO of the International Crisis Group, a nonpartisan organization focused on preventing conflict. Previewing the agreement last week, Pompeo seemed to concede the peace deal was not a resounding victory but rather a practical way to extricate American troops from what has been a costly war. We have to be realistic. We're proud of our gains, but our generals have determined that this war is unlikely to be won militarily without tremendous additional resources, he told reporters Tuesday in Washington. All sides are tired of fighting. ... We should seize the moment. Pompeo refused to say what, if any, red lines the U.S. would set in the intra-Afghan negotiations that are set to begin in early March. The U.S. will participate in those talks in a supportive role, but Pompeo said it will be led by Afghans and the U.S. will not require any guarantees for womens rights or other democratic reforms. Still, Afghan civil society and womens groups will be part of the negotiations, said a second administration official, who also spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity. It will be a very high priority for us to protect womens rights, the official said. We aren't without influence in the process going forward. The United States is still a major presence in Afghanistan," this official said. "There's all sorts of ways that we and others will be able to help defend the rights of women in Afghanistan, and certainly, that would be very much in the interest of the United States. Before the 2001 U.S. invasion, the Taliban subjected women and girls to ruthless violence and oppression. Women could not work or study; they could not leave their homes without a man; and they could be flogged for showing even an inch of skin under required full-body veils, known as burqas. Afghan women have seen enormous gains after the 2001 international intervention, with many schools now open to girls and some women allowed to work and be involved in the political process. But many fear those changes will not be preserved in the intra-Afghan negotiations. Meanwhile, the country remains violent and divided. On Feb. 8, two Army Special Forces soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. Insurgent attacks that caused casualties in the last quarter of 2019 were at the highest level since recording began in 2010, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The inspector general also found fault with the administration's lack of a strategy to deal with narcotics, which generate cash the Taliban uses to pay fighters and buy weapons and bombs. Taliban insurgents retain control over large portions of the countryside, while the government primarily holds sway in large cities like Kabul, the capital. Extremist groups linked to ISIS, or the Islamic State, another terrorist group, remain active in rural areas. In addition, the U.S. conducted more airstrikes in Afghanistan in 2019 than in any other year of the war, including 2011, the year of peak U.S. involvement with 100,000 troops on the ground. There are about 13,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Their mission is split between training Afghan security forces and conducting counterterrorism missions. Pompeo acknowledged that talks could fail to achieve a permanent peace. "Factions will undoubtedly emerge to want to spoil our good work," Pompeo said Saturday. "We must call them out and reject their schemes." U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks orchestrated by bin Laden, who operated in Afghanistan under the Taliban's rule. Airstrikes backed a small contingent of U.S. commandos and troops who helped local forces topple the Taliban. Removed from government, the Taliban mounted an increasingly deadly insurgency. More than 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed there, and more than 20,000 have been wounded in the fighting. Last year, the Pentagon estimated the cost to taxpayers for the war at $737 billion. Trump announced during a visit to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving that peace talks had resumed after a brief hiatus last year. "The Taliban wants to make a deal well see if they make a deal. If they do, they do, and if they dont, they dont. That's fine," Trump told reporters traveling with him. In September, Trump abruptly canceled a then-secret summit with the Taliban, as well as Ghani and other Afghan officials, after the militant group killed a U.S. soldier. That controversial meeting, aimed at finalizing an agreement that had been in the works for months to reduce U.S. forces in Afghanistan, would have taken place at Camp David two days before the 18th anniversary of 9/11. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for the signing ceremony for a U.S.-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital, Doha. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: U.S., Taliban sign deal, peace talks to begin, US troops to withdraw Forty seven years after he escaped and made a new life for himself in California, John Paul Halleux is set to return to his one-time home in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Forty seven years after he escaped and made a new life for himself in California, John Paul Halleux is set to return to his one-time home in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. Halleux, or "Tommy Coy," as he was known by his Orangeville, Calif. friends and neighbours, appeared in a Sacramento court this week where he waived his right to fight extradition to Canada. Halleux was serving a six year sentence in connection to a pair of break-ins when he escaped from the Winnipeg penitentiary in September, 1973. In 2013, the prison issued a warrant for apprehension and recommitment to custody to serve out the remaining 885 days of his sentence. The warrant was finally executed in September 2017 after Corrections Service Canada learned Halleux, now 73, had been arrested in Sacramento under the Coy alias and charged with perjury and identity theft. According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, Halleux, the retired owner of a truck towing business, stole his alias from the gravestone of a boy who died in 1947. Halleuxs deceit remained undetected until 2017, when investigators with the Department of Motor Vehicles noticed an irregularity with a vehicle title. Further investigation showed in registering the vehicle that Halleux had falsely identified himself under the dead childs name, the Bee reported. Hilleuxs true identity was confirmed through photo analysis and RCMP fingerprint records. Halleuxs criminal odyssey began Nov. 1, 1969, after police in Tupperville, Ont. discovered evidence of a break-in to the local post office and general store. Police didnt have to search far for a suspect, finding Halleux seated in a car in front of the store, in possession of two screwdrivers and a pair of vice grips. "Damage marks to the molding of the front door of the building matched the tools recovered from Halleux," say U.S. court documents. Halleux was sentenced to four years in prison and released on parole in November 1971. Halleuxs freedom was short-lived, as he was rearrested in March 1972 after he was caught breaking into a lumber yard in Fannystelle, Man. Halleux was convicted of break and enter with intent and sentenced to an additional two years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. In September 1973, he escaped. 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. Today, Halleux is back in custody, where he will remain until he is extradited, which could take up to 60 days, said Lauren Horwood, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office, Eastern District of California. Under Canadian law, Halleux will receive no credit for time spent in custody awaiting extradition. In court documents filed Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinn Hochhalter argued Halleux would be a flight risk if released on bail. "Halleux previously escaped from prison and has evaded Canadian authorities for almost 40 years," Hochhalter said. "Allowance of bail in any amount would not guarantee Halleuxs presence in court and would invite the possibility of embarrassing the United States in the conduct of its foreign affairs." Under the Canada-U.S. extradition treaty, there is no statute of limitations for Halleuxs crimes. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Addressing the launch ceremony at Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said the government would spend Rs 5,000 crore in the next five years to strengthen FPOs for the benefit of farmers. The farmers have always been producers, but with the help of FPOs, they can now trade in farm produce. They will sow crop and also act as skillful traders to get the right prices, he ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Saturday said that there could be no better forum than that of the Speaker to decide disqualification petitions under the anti-defection law. Harivansh was addressing members of the Rajasthan Assembly here during a day-long workshop on the role of Speaker under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution in collaboration with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The 10th Schedule lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the presiding officer of a legislature. "In my view, under the given circumstances, there could be no better forum than the Speaker. The change required is disposal of such petitions under a stipulated time period," Harivansh said. He suggested other measures in the anti-defection law including resignation of all defectors and holding fresh elections, not giving any ministerial portfolio or any office of profit if they get re-elected, not counting the vote of the defected member in the formation and fall of government and sending the Speakers to Rajya Sabha if they do not wish to contest elections after the end of their term. The other possible way would be to follow Mahatma Gandhi's principles and ethics, which unfortunately we do not uphold in public life, he said. The Rajya Sabha member said everyone should follow Gandhian principles and values if India wants to stand out in the world, which today is governed by the technology that comes from Silicon Valley. The deputy chairman's views were in the backdrop of a recent Supreme Court order that the Parliament rethink whether disqualification petitions ought to be entrusted to a Speaker as a quasi-judicial authority when such a Speaker continues to belong to a particular political party, either de jure or de facto. Citing a disqualification case of a Rajya Sabha MP pending in the apex court since 2017, Harivansh pointed out that the seat still remains vacant as a court order is pending. In such circumstances, he opined that there could be no other forum than that of the Speaker in disposal of disqualifications as the apex court has never changed the quality and fact-based decisions of the presiding officer. From 1967 to 1972, the country witnessed around 2,000 defections from various political parties that perhaps led to lawmakers bringing in the 10th Schedule into the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha member said. He further said that politicians give direction to the society and pointed out that from 1965 to 1985, the era in was of defection and it was the prime reason that development works that took place from 1948 to 1965 could not move further as the turned from development to self-interest. He also laid stress upon reviving healthy parliamentary traditions. Speaking during the workshop, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said defections can be stopped only if a law is enacted that lays down that elected candidates cannot switch political parties at any cost or else they will be disqualified. The CM said the anti-defection law was enacted to stop legislators from switching parties but people have found ways to continue doing so. Whether it is the Election Commission or retired judges, they all have their political inclinations and just entrusting them to decide on disqualification instead of a Speaker too would not serve the purpose, the CM opined. Gehlot also raised the issue of black money in the funding of political parties and said that talking about eliminating corruption is useless until the funding of black money to political parties is stopped. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi said it was his view that it is the job of the Speaker to run the House as per the procedures but the Speaker should not be entrusted for disqualification of any member belonging to a political party. He said that if any elected candidate does not follow the party ethics and principles then the party president should be entrusted with the responsibility to write to the Election Commission for their disqualification. Until the 10th Schedule came into effect, Joshi said the Speaker's job was to run the House as per parliamentary rules and procedures. Post the anti-defection law, he said the decisions given by the Speaker were not good for the parliamentary set-up. Now, the Supreme Court has also said the Speaker has quasi-judicial power and it should be given to a tribunal, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Tracking weakness in global markets, Indian indices witnessed a knee-jerk reaction which took benchmark indices to over four-month low. The BSE Sensex suffered a biggest single-day loss (in absolute terms) since August 24, 2015. The Sensex plunged 1,448.37 points or 3.64 percent to 38,297.29, the lowest level since October 14, 2019, while the Nifty50 shed 431.50 points or 3.71 percent to 11,201.80, the lowest level since October 7, 2019. Experts favour waiting for some consolidation before initiating long positions and say if the index breaks the next crucial support of 11,111, then it could slip past the psychologically important 11,000-mark. "The Nifty is approaching certain critical long-term averages on longer time-frame charts from where it took to support and staged a rally after major corrections in the past. Hence, in the near term, crucial support to watch out will be 11,111, which should not be violated at least on a weekly closing basis. The next logical support of the entire rally from the lows of 10,67012,430 is placed around 11,022 levels," Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist Technical Research & Trading Advisory, Chartviewindia.in, told Moneycontrol. For the week, the S&P BSE Sensex witnessed a fall of about 7 percent while the Nifty50 was down by 7.3 percent. Investors lost more than Rs 11 lakh crore in terms of market capitalisation during the week. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have turned negative on Indian markets, pulling out more than Rs 11,000 crore as of February 27 so far in the month of February. Let's look at the top 10 stocks which moved the most this week: Top gainers India Cements, up 27% India Cements share price rose over 27 percent for the week after billionaire Radhakishan Shivkishan Damani and his brother Gopikishan Damani increased their stake in the company for the second consecutive day. Radhakishan Damani bought 27,25,468 equity shares of the cement company at Rs 104.16 per share, while its brother Gopikishan purchased 83,71,516 shares at Rs 98.42 per share on the NSE and Rs 15,92,130 shares at Rs 98.59 per share on the BSE, as per the bulk deal data available on exchanges. In total, both acquired 12,689,114 shares (representing 4.09 percent of total paid-up equity) in the company, taking their shareholding in the company to 11.58 percent on February 26, up from 7.48 percent in the previous session. Radhakishan bought first a 1.3 percent stake in India Cements in the quarter that ended in September 2019, another 3.43 percent in the December quarter of 2019, and yet another 2.75 percent on February 25. Mishra Dhatu Nigam, up 8% The share price of Mishra Dhatu Nigam gained over 8 percent this week on expectation of higher growth in the coming quarter amid a strong order book. Sentiment for the stock also improved after the Union Budget raised its allocation for space research. The Budget allocated Rs 13,479.47 crore for fiscal 2021 for new projects planned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "Increase in Indian space expenditure budget has been one of the key tailwinds for MIDHANI. Significant expenditure budget CAGR towards space (15.8 percent CAGR over the past six years), joint product development with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for strategically important materials, relatively small scale of operations, all tilt the risk-reward in favour of MIDHANI," said ICICI Securities which expects the stock to touch a target price of Rs 242, implying 55.5 percent potential upside from current levels. Top losers Adani Gas, down 27% Share price of Adani Gas tanked over 27 percent for the week after the Supreme Court has upheld an award for piped gas distribution network in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts in Tamil Nadu to a Gujarat-based firm by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeal filed by Adani Gas Limited and others and justified the action of PNGRB saying that calling the bidders with the highest composite scores cannot be faulted. The Board had granted the award for piped gas distribution network in Puducherry to AG & P LNG, in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts to Torrent Gas and to SKN Haryana in Kanchipuram district in 2018. The Adani family-owned Adani Gas has secured a nod from oil regulator for its demerger from its parent and the subsequent sale of a stake in the company to French energy giant Total SA after it made a formal application for the same, sources said. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) had threatened to cancel the 13 city gas distribution licences Adani Gas had won in the 9th bid round in 2018 for allegedly perpetrating a "fraud" by not disclosing material facts of the demerger. Jindal Steel & Power, down 20% Jindal Steel & Power share price fell over 20 percent for the week and was one of the top metal losers amid a rise in global coronavirus cases which has made a dent to global steel demand. JSPL is preparing to sell dollar-denominated bonds to refinance debt held by its overseas units, media sources said. They have a debt of around $750 million in their overseas business. They might do a single bond or tranches, which will be used to refinance the debt. They are in advanced stages of appointing a banker syndicate to work on these bonds," sources said. Tata Motors, down 18% Share price of auto major Tata Motors shed over 18 percent for the week after reports said that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is examining allegations that the company and two finance firms of its USD 100 billion parent group abused their market position while selling commercial vehicles. Besides, heavy selling was seen at the counter as concerns on China-originated coronavirus becoming a pandemic soured sentiment. China is one of Tata Motors' most significant markets in terms of volume and profit. The automobile company allegedly dictated terms around the quantity and type of vehicles its former dealer in northern India - Varanasi Auto Sales - should stock, news agency Reuters reported. The latest complaint, filed last year by a family member of the dealer, alleged Tata Motors broke rules by working in concert with Tata Motors Finance and Tata Capital Financial Services while advancing dealer credit, the report said. Linde India, down 16% The share price of Linde India fell over 16 percent for the week after the company reported a sharp fall in revenue, though operating income and margin remained strong. The company reported a profit after tax at Rs 634.5 crore in the quarter ended December 2019, against Rs 15.42 crore in the same period last year. Aurobindo Pharma, down 15% The share price of Aurobindo Pharma shed over 15 percent after the company received an establishment inspection report from the US health regulator with Voluntary Action Initiated status for its Unit VIII manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. "Further to our intimation dated November 6, 2019, with regard to the USFDA inspection of Unit VIII, API manufacturing facility at Gaddapotharam, Hyderabad, we would like to inform that the company has received the Establishment Inspection Report with VAl status from the US FDA," the drug firm said in a filing to BSE. "This is probably the first time we have seen any such action from the regulator and comes as a negative surprise. The action implies that the inspection conducted by the USFDA at Unit IV in November 2019 is still open and under review and will be classified at a later point of time," said Emkay Global, which maintained a hold rating on the stock with a target of Rs 530. Vodafone Idea, down 12% The share price of Vodafone Idea fell over 12 percent this week and has been in the news after the Supreme Court ordered the telecom company to pay USD 4 billion as AGR dues. The company said it was unable to pay the full amount and instead sought urgent state support to survive the crisis. Vodafone Idea's lenders met DoT officials over the weekend, cautioning that invoking bank guarantees of the operator against statutory dues will lead to defaults since the telco is in no position to repay the banks. They urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to come up with a solution to retain a three-player telecom market. GAIL India, down 12% Gail India share price shed over 12 percent after the DoT has sought Rs7,608 crore in dues from GAIL India for 2017-18 as the department appeared to be not pressing for immediate payment of Rs1.83 lakh crore in past dues it had previously assessed from the state-owned gas utility. The DoT sent a notice to GAIL soon after the February 14 hearing in the Supreme Court on dues owned by telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, sources privy to the development said. The dues now being sought from GAIL include a penalty for late payment, they said. Interglobe Aviation, down 11% Share price of Interglobe Aviation was down over 11 percent for the week after market regulator SEBI found prima-facie violations of corporate governance and listing disclosure norms in certain related party transactions involving the firm. However, the management said, "We would like to state that the news item published in some media reports is factually incorrect and the company has not received any communication from SEBI in this regard." Also,aviation stocks plunged in sync with the broader market sentiment, as concerns over rising cases of coronavirus wiped out the risk appetite of investors. The epidemic has made the sky gloomier of aviation players. As per rating agency ICRA, the outlook for India's aviation industry remains "negative" in the wake of viral outbreak. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. India on Saturday pledged to build two new roads to signal its long-term commitment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, even as the United States inked a peace-deal with Afghan Taliban in Doha to set the stage for withdrawal of all foreign forces from the conflict-ravaged country within the next 14 months. India also underlined that it was a contiguous neighbour of Afghanistan, thus reasserting its position that parts of its territory in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) continued to be illegally occupied by Pakistan. Even as President Donald Trump's administration in Washington D.C. acknowledged the role of Imran Khan's Government's in Islamabad in brokering the US-Taliban deal, New Delhi subtly reminded that it was Pakistan which had been sponsoring terrorism both in India and Afghanistan. Both our nations have been the victims of state-sponsored terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a letter to Afghan President M Ashraf Ghani, congratulating him for his recent re-election to the top office in Kabul. Under your leadership, we would take our cooperation to new heights to enhance security and fight terrorism in the region. Prime Minister's letter was handed over to Afghan President by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who was on a tour to Kabul on Friday and Saturday. New Delhi committed to spend $ 10.7 million to build two roads in Afghanistan, despite being concerned over the prospect of the US-Taliban deal and withdrawal of the US-led forces from the country eventually resulting in a strategic edge for Pakistan in the region and a security threat to India. India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan, end violence, cut ties with international terrorism, and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process, Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated in New Delhi. He was reacting to the US-Taliban deal inked in Doha as well as the joint declaration between Afghan and US Governments in Kabul about the withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from the country within 14 months. As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the MEA, said in New Delhi. India referred to itself as a contiguous neighbour of Afghanistan to underline that parts of its territory in Jammu and Kashmir were under illegal occupation of Pakistan. The Gilgit-Baltistan adjacent to so-called Azad Kashmir borders Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan. Both Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are under the control of Pakistan at present. India calls itself a contiguous neighbour of Afghanistan because it maintains that the entire Jammu and Kashmir, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, is an integral and inalienable part of India, despite being under illegal occupation of Pakistan. Modi Government in New Delhi on August 5, 2019 moved to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and reorganize the state into two Union Territories. It raised its pitch over the past few months about wresting control over India's areas currently under illegal occupation of Pakistan. New Delhi reiterated its position on Saturday, even as the US inked a deal with the Taliban a deal for which President Donald Trump's administration in Washington D.C. relied on Prime Minister Imran Khan's government in Islamabad, particularly over the past few months, causing unease in India. The US on Saturday acknowledged Pakistan as its important partner in the effort to clinch the peace-deal with the Taliban. India earlier on the day signed agreements to construct two roads in Balkh and Bamiyan provinces of Afghanistan. Shringla was present, as India's ambassador to Afghanistan, Vinay Kumar, and Afghan Deputy Minister for Finance, Zadran Sahib, signed the agreements in Kabul. The road New Delhi will build in Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province of Afghanistan is about two-kilometer-long, while the one in Bamiyan is a 16-kilometre-long highway from Bandiamir to Yakawlang. India over the past few years contributed over $ 3 billion to support the reconstruction of infrastructure in Afghanistan. It, however, refrained from sending troops to Afghanistan and kept its military support to the conflict-hit country limited to providing training to officials and soldiers of Afghan National Army and the supply of non-lethal defence hardware. It was in December 2015 that India started providing MI-25 helicopters to give some teeth to the Afghan Air Force. New Delhi, however, has been concerned over the US-led peace-process in Afghanistan as it is likely to lead to the integration of the Taliban into the governance structure in the conflict-torn South Asian nation. India has been worried about the possibility of Taliban re-imposing strict Sharia Law in Afghanistan, apart from providing support to terrorist organizations, which carry out attacks in India from bases in Pakistan. Pakistan has since long been jittery about India's role in the reconstruction of conflict-torn Afghanistan. The terror outfits based in Pakistan carried out several attacks on India's embassy and consulates in Afghanistan in the past, including the one in Mazar-e-Sharif, where one of the roads New Delhi agreed to build would come up. The other road New Delhi would build was not far from where the famous ancient Bamiyan Buddha statues had stood before they had been destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The US discussed with Modi Government in New Delhi the contours of its deal with Taliban during Trump's visit to New Delhi last Tuesday. The deal will set the stage for withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Afghanistan almost two decades after an offensive led by the US dislodged the radical militants from power. Modi conveyed to Trump that international community should ensure that the progress made by Afghanistan in the past 18 years in its pursuit for peace, democracy and gender equality would be preserved even after the withdrawal of the US-led forces from the war-torn country. P Kumaran, New Delhi's envoy to Doha, represented the Government of India in the ceremony that marked the signing of the US-Taliban deal in the capital of Qatar on Saturday. This is the first time when New Delhi sent a serving diplomat to attend an event, where the leaders and emissaries of Afghan Taliban were also present. New Delhi had no official contact with the Taliban ever since the radical militia took over Afghanistan in 1996. When an Indian Airlines plane was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999, New Delhi, however, had engagements with Taliban Government in Kabul to arrange negotiation with the hijackers and repatriation of the aircraft along with the passengers in exchange for releasing terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Moulana Masood Azhar. India had sent two retired diplomats to attend a conference hosted by the Russian Government in Moscow in 2018. A delegation of Afghan Taliban too had attended the conference in the capital of Russia. New Delhi's decision to send a serving diplomat to the US-Taliban deal signing ceremony in Doha on Saturday indicated a subtle change in New Delhi's approach apparently prompted by the need to wake up to the emerging reality of Taliban's return to power structure in Afghanistan. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 17:17:44|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MANILA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least three policemen were killed when the truck they were riding in fell off a cliff in Iloilo Province in central Philippines on Saturday, police said. Police said the truck, carrying 32 policemen, fell off a cliff in Ginomoy village in Alimodian town while it was travelling back to a police camp. Initial investigation showed that the truck's brake malfunctioned, causing it to veer off the highway and plunged into a 100-meter cliff. Rescuers used a backhoe to rescue the policemen. Police said the injured were taken to local hospitals. San Francisco, Feb 29 : The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a fine of over $200 million for all major US mobile carriers for selling the location data of customers to some agencies. The Federal Communications Commission today proposed fines against the nation's four largest wireless carriers for apparently selling access to their customers' location information without taking reasonable measures to protect against unauthorised access to that information. As a result, T-Mobile faces a proposed fine of more than $91 million, AT&T faces a proposed fine of more than $57 million, Verizon faces a proposed fine of more than $48 million, and Sprint faces a proposed fine of more than $12 million, the FCC said in a statement on Friday. The Enforcement Bureau of FCC opened this investigation after reports surfaced that a Missouri Sheriff, Cory Hutcheson, used a "location-finding service" operated by Securus, a provider of communications services to correctional facilities, to access the location information of the wireless carriers' customers without their consent between 2014 and 2017. "American consumers take their wireless phones with them wherever they go. And information about a wireless customer's location is highly personal and sensitive. The FCC has long had clear rules on the books requiring all phone companies to protect their customers' personal information. And since 2007, these companies have been on notice that they must take reasonable precautions to safeguard this data and that the FCC will take strong enforcement action if they don't. Today, we do just that," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "This FCC will not tolerate phone companies putting Americans' privacy at risk." The FCC also admonished these carriers for apparently disclosing their customers' location information, without their authorisation, to a third party. The four major US carriers mentioned sold access to their customers' location information to "aggregators," who then resold access to such information to third-party location-based service providers (like Securus). Although their exact practices varied, each carrier relied heavily on contract-based assurances that the location-based services providers (acting on the carriers' behalf) would obtain consent from the wireless carrier's customer before accessing that customer's location information. Nearly 4 million veterans and caregivers who were granted privileges to shop at commissaries and exchanges Jan. 1 can finally enjoy access to online features, a Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) news release said Friday. However, the new patrons' access to American Forces Travel (AFT), the official Morale, Welfare and Recreation travel site, is still spotty, according to the latest AFT Facebook post. Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, veterans with any service-connected disability, and caregivers registered with the VA's Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers program became eligible to shop at commissaries, exchanges and MWR facilities beginning Jan. 1. Since then, these new shoppers have experienced issues, including not being able to bring guests on base and trouble accessing MyCommissary and AFT online portals. Related: Your Questions Answered: New Commissary Access for Vets and Caregivers DeCA officials said they had to work with Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), which is used to confirm shopping privileges, to let new patrons register their Commissary Rewards cards online to access coupons and to use, as available, the Click2Go curbside service. "In the event a new shopper is still receiving an error message when trying to create an account, they should check with the [Department of Veterans Affairs] to ensure their information and privileges are correctly entered into the system," DeCA system engineer Clayton Nobles said in a statement. "For those receiving a new Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC), there may be a delay between when the veteran receives the card and when the system allows them access. This delay can take up to 30 days." Eligible veterans must have a VHIC to access bases for shopping or MWR use. Customers who had access before Jan. 1, such as retired service members, Medal of Honor recipients and veterans with a service-related disability rating of 100%, are not affected. Meanwhile, AFT is still updating its customer database of "millions of records." "We have sent examples to DMDC and they were able to see why some patrons are having issues," AFT said on Facebook, the only place it is providing updates on the issue. "We will let you know when that resolve has been made and then ask you to try logging on again. Records are being updated every hour." But some veterans are getting tired of waiting. "No luck today. Last week they said it would be fixed this week," one Facebook user wrote. "The week before, it was going to be fixed last week. I sent a private message this afternoon and got an automated response to call the DMDC help desk at 1-800-727-3677. That number is for the Commissary. After 35 minutes, someone answered the phone and said they could not help me to get verified." -- Dorothy Mills-Gregg can be reached at dorothy.mills-gregg@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DMillsGregg. Read More: America's Newest Medal of Honor Recipient Is Now a Sergeant Major BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust has fired one of its fund managers for conflict-of-interest after he reportedly loaned a whopping $75million to an indie film studio that cast his daughter in one of their movies. Randy Robertson was let go by BlackRock earlier this week in light of the claims, leaving the fund scrambling to take 'vigorous steps to recover value for shareholders' and 'enhance the level of oversight and due diligence related to these type of transactions'. According to The Wall Street Journal, Robertson loaned the $75million sum to Aviron Pictures in 2017. Two years later, the film studio released the romantic drama, After, starring the fund manager's actress daughter, Rebecca Lee Robertson. At the time of the loan, BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust had $750 million in assets, so it appeared 'an unusually aggressive bet' to funnel 10% of that sum into Aviron, a 'small, privately held movie company'. The Wall Street Journal reports that 'investors should always be wary whenever a fund puts more than a few percentage points of its assets into an obscure investment'. Aviron is owned by William Sadleir, a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and a deputy secretary of state who later moved into the indie movie business. Randy Robertson (left) has been fired by BlackRock for a conflict-of-interest after he reportedly loaned $75 million of investor money to film studio Aviron, which later cast his daughter in one of their films. Robertson is pictured left with Aviron's owner, William Sadleir Rebecca Lee Robertson, the daughter of Randy Robertson, attends the premiere of her movie After, produced by Aviron Pictures He claims Robertson brought his actress daughter to an initial BlackRock/ Aviron business meeting back in 2015. Sadleir says that Aviron 'subsequently arranged for Rebecca Lee Robertson to meet with casting agents and managers'. 'Anytime there was an opportunity to put her in a movie, we considered her,' he stated. Several years later, Sadleir says that Robertson agreed to release $10 million in financing for the romantic drama, After, when he learned that Aviron had finally cast his daughter in a film. After, released last year, has a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was panned by Variety as 'an innocuous teen pulp soap opera 'I can't tell you that he made the decision purely because his daughter was in the movie, but I can tell you BlackRock approved that financing after turning down the opportunity to finance several earlier movies,' Sadleir said. After, released last year, has a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was panned by Variety as 'an innocuous teen pulp soap opera'. BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust had $750 million in assets when it invested $75 million into Aviron Pictures Aviron is 'small, privately held movie company' owned by William Sadleir The Wall Street Journal describes BlackRock's $75million investment in Aviron as 'failed bet'. The fund was reportedly 'outperformed by more than 99% of its peers over the past year' because of the money loaned to the film studio. BlackRock has launched legal proceedings against Aviron and its owner, William Sadleir. Robertson, who worked with BlackRock since 2009, has not made any comment. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Blues on the Mall is headed back to downtown Grand Rapids. After five years at the DeltaPlex Arena and Conference Center, the blues event hosted by Cumulus Media radio station 97WLAV will return to Rosa Parks Circle for three evenings of blues music on June 17, July 15 and Aug. 12. By popular demand, were thrilled to bring our heritage event back to the streets of downtown Grand Rapids, said Rob Brandt, long-time program director at WLAV. When we moved away five years ago to work with our great partners at the DeltaPlex, our fans showed up in droves, but still continued to let us know how much they missed enjoying live music downtown. Blues on the Mall, now in its 28th year, has hosted a number of acts over the years including Tommy Castro, Ana Popovich, Walter Trout and Jacob Kershaw, a young newcomer from Albion. Cumulus Media officials said at the time that the move to the DeltaPlex was prompted by free parking, alcohol sales and the uncertainty of weather. At a time when we truly thought Blues would come to an end, our friends at the DeltaPlex stepped in and offered an alternative, said Bruce Law, vice president of Cumulus Radio West Michigan. We will always be grateful to Joel Langlois and his incredible team at the Plex. Langlois owns the DeltaPlex Arena. Each evening will kickoff around 4:30 p.m. with live and local bands curated by Tony Gates from the Tony Gates Morning Show. Two national headliners, which have yet to be announced, will follow those acts each night. The music will end around 8:30 p.m., and event attendees will then be invited to an after-party at a local pub with prize giveaways and more live music. More on MLive.com: Kent County Land Bank properties transferred to state Michigan movie theater chain files for bankruptcy Butterfly exhibit at Meijer Gardens can help you beat the winter blues The governor of Washington declared a state of emergency Saturday after a man died there of COVID-19, the first such reported death in the United States. More than 50 people in a nursing facility are sick and being tested for the virus. Gov. Jay Inslee directed state agencies to use all resources necessary to prepare for and respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," the governor vowed. Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state are worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities because a growing number of people are being infected despite not having visited an area where there was an outbreak, nor apparently been in contact with anyone who had. The man who died was in his 50s, had underlying health conditions and no history of travel or contact with a known COVID-19 case, health officials in Washington state said at a news conference. A spokesperson for EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kayse Dahl, said the person died in the facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. Dr. Frank Riedo, medical director of Infection Control at Evergreen, said local hospitals are seeing people with severe coronavirus symptoms but its probable that there are more cases in the community. This is the tip of the iceberg, he said. The health officials reported two cases of COVID-19 virus connected to a long-term care facility in the same suburb, Life Care Center of Kirkland. One is a Life Care worker, a woman in her 40s who is in satisfactory condition at a hospital, and the other is a woman in her 70s and a resident at Life Care who is hospitalized in serious condition. Neither had traveled abroad. In addition, over 50 individuals associated with Life Care are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or hospitalized with pneumonia or other respiratory conditions of unknown cause and are being tested for COVID-19, Seattle and King County officials said. Additional positive cases are expected. Amy Reynolds of the Washington state health department said in a brief telephone interview: "We are dealing with an emergency evolving situation." Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington state worried about the novel coronavirus spreading through West Coast communities after confirming at least three patients were infected by unknown means. They had not visited an area where there was an outbreak, nor apparently been in contact with anyone who had. The number of coronavirus cases in the United States is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. Most infections result in mild symptoms, including coughing and fever, though some can become more serious and lead to pneumonia. Older people, especially those with chronic illnesses such as heart or lung disease, are especially vulnerable. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. The patients an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington, and an employee at a Portland, Oregon-area school hadn't recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person, authorities said. Earlier U.S. cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients. The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits. Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area reported two cases where the source of infection wasn't known. The older woman was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said. "This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation," said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. "But we don't know to what extent," Cody said. "It could be a little, it could be a lot." "We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible," she said. Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state. The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have traveled to Solano County, where another woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source. Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said. At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for "self-quarantine" after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday. The case "highlights the vulnerability of the nation's hospitals to this virus," the union said. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said. Both patients weren't seriously ill. But health officials aren't taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding. In Southern California's Orange County, the city of Costa Mesa went to court to prevent state and federal health officials from transferring dozens of people exposed to the virus aboard a cruise ship in Japan to a state-owned facility in the city. The passengers, including some who tested positive for the virus and underwent hospital care, had been staying at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. On Friday, state officials said the federal decided it no longer had a crucial need to move those people to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. That's because of the imminent end of the isolation period for those passengers and the relatively small number of persons who ended up testing positive, officials said. The new coronavirus cases of unknown origin marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could spread beyond the reach of preventative measures like quarantines, though state health officials said that was inevitable and that the risk of widespread transmission remains low. Federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through "close contact, being within 6 feet of somebody for what they're calling a prolonged period of time," said Dr. James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's health services director, said he expects even those who test positive to become only mildly ill. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. The Pakistan government has lifted its ban on any kind of construction and development activities in Gwadar with immediate effect. The ban, which was imposed during the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, continued for around four years. On Friday, the director-general of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) raised the restriction on issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for development activities, Dawn News reported. A notification issued in this regard read, "In exercise of powers conferred under Section 9 of the GDA Act 2003, and with the prior approval of the competent authority, it is hereby notified that the ban on all kinds of NOCs for housing, commercial, industrial, recreational, warehouses and all types of construction and development activities within the jurisdiction of Gwadar Development Authority is here lifted with immediate effect." In 2016, the GDA had imposed the ban initially for a period of six months on the grounds that it was in the process of revision of the Gwadar master plan as a "smart port city master plan" to meet the needs of a modern port city. The authority had said that as a basic requirement of any revision in master plan "a standstill situation/status quo is required to facilitate the planning objectives of the master plan" and, therefore, it declared "a complete ban on issuing development and sale NOCs for housing, commercial and industrial projects, commercial and residential buildings as well as on land development permits in Gwadar." The GDA has also asked all government and semi-government bodies to obtain a NOC from the authority to carry out any planning/development activity to ensure integrated development and conformity in accordance with the Gwadar master plan. However, work on the master plan continued for years and in September 2019, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Aliyani said that his government had approved and released the new Gwadar Master Plan. Last month, Aliyani chaired a high-level meeting in the port city to review the affairs of the GDA. The meeting also reviewed the bylaws of the GDA in view of the Gwadar Master Plan and decided that NOCs for construction would be issued after approval of the bylaws. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photo credit: IMDB From Oprah Magazine So, you've started your book club, you've bought enough wine to satisfy even your thirstiest pals, plus plenty of cheesy snacks. Now comes the difficult partshaping your friendly chatter into an elevated, incisive conversation about the book you all agreed to read. That can be a challenge. Which is why we're providing you with this list of top book club questions that will generate general discussion whether you're focused on nonfiction, a self-help book, a juicy historical romance novel, or one of Reese's, Jenna Bush Hager's or, of course, Oprah's favorites. Besides the below book club questions, remember, the easiest way to be a participant at the book club is to be an active reader. If you're not squeamish about writing in the margins, try taking notes and underlining passages as you go along. For those of you with a library book, author Elise Williams Rikard shared a trick with OprahMag.com. "I put sticky notes on pages that really move me or get me thinking so we can revisit and discuss during book club," Rickard says. Ideally, everyone would come to the book club bursting with feelings, impressions, and ideas that the book had sparked. Samantha Cerff, an editor for Fandango Latin America and member of the book club Sinopsis in Lima, Peru, recommends organizing all those thoughts prior to the meeting. "Always get your questions ready beforehand and keep in mind some quotes you'd like to discuss," Cerff tells OprahMag.com. Then, all it takes is one or two prompts to get everyone sharing their takes. Luckily, there's no shortage of thought-provoking book club questions. Bring these with you to your next meeting, and you will be hailed a book club hero. General Book Club Questions What was your favorite part of the book? What was your least favorite? Did you race to the end, or was it more of a slow burn? Which scene has stuck with you the most? What did you think of the writing? Are there any standout sentences? Did you reread any passages? If so, which ones? Would you want to read another book by this author? Did reading the book impact your mood? If yes, how so? What surprised you most about the book? How did your opinion of the book change as you read it? If you could ask the author anything, what would it be? How does the book's title work in relation to the book's contents? If you could give the book a new title, what would it be? Is this book overrated or underrated? Did this book remind you of any other books? How did it impact you? Do you think you'll remember it in a few months or years? Would you ever consider re-reading it? Why or why not? Who do you most want to read this book? Are there lingering questions from the book you're still thinking about? Did the book strike you as original? Story continues Nonfiction Questions Did this book make you want to explore the subject matter more? What were your impressions on the author's style? Did you find the book easy to read, or a slog? Of all the information presented in the book, what has stayed you the most? What did you Google while reading the book? Did you agree with the author's conclusions? Where did you deviate? Fiction Questions Which characters did you like best? Which did you like least? Which character did you relate to, or empathize with, the most? If you had to trade places with one character, who would it be? Guess the characters' zodiac signs. What do you think happens to the characters after the book's official ending? What are your thoughts on the book's structure? Did it serve the story well? How did the setting impact the story? Would you want to read more books set in that world? Did the book feel real to you? Did the plot proceed in a way that felt natural? Or did you feel manipulated by the storyline? Are there any characters you'd like to deliver a lecture to? If so, who? What would you say? Self-Help Questions Has this book affected the way you go about your life? If so, in what way? Did you agree with the author's advice? Did you doubt the author's advice at some points? How come? What are some passages that you underlined, or that particularly affected you? Do you think the author succeeded in what they set out to do? What is the most important point the author makes in this book? Mystery and Thriller Questions Which twist surprised you the most? Was the narrator's voice compelling? Did you guess the ending? If so, at what point? Are there plot points the book didn't address? Did you agree with the characters' decisions? Did the book spook you, or get under your skin, in any way? Romance Questions Did you like the "heat" level of the book? Was the couple's connection believable? If so, at what point did they click for you? What do you think happens to the leads after the ending? What did you think of the romance's pacing? Would you fall for either of the leads? Did this book melt your heart? Make you believe in love again? If it's part of a series, did this book book compel you to read the next one? Memoir Questions Did you find the author's story compelling? What do you think motivated the author to share his or her story? What did you think of the author's voice and style? Did the quality of the writing match the story? How did the book compare to other memoirs you've read? How did the memoir make you reflect on your own life? What did you learn from hearing this person's story? Are there any areas you wished the author had elaborated upon further? Are there any people in the book whose perspective you wanted? Do you think the author was honest? For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter! A forensic team on Friday visited the Chand Bagh area to collect evidences from the residence of AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and also the spot from where the body of an Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer was recovered on Wednesday. The forensic team arrived at the residence of Hussain, a day after Delhi Police booked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for allegedly inciting rioting and in connection with the murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma. Delhi Police had sealed Hussain's house of Thursday. The forensic team visited all the floors of Hussain's residence-cum-commercial complex in Chand Bagh and collected scientific evidences. The team then reached the sewer from where Sharma's body was recovered on Wednesday. The team collected blood samples and other materials from the spot and also from the boundary walls along the drain. Sharma's father has alleged that Hussain and his supporters were behind the murder of his son. The forensic team also visited the other buildings adjacent to Hussain's residence that bore the brunt of the rioting that took place on Monday and Tuesday. Late on Thursday night, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party had announced that it had suspended Hussain until the probe against him was over. When Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was asked about the charges against Hussain on Thursday, he had said: "Any person found guilty should be given strict punishment. If any Aam Aadmi Party member is found guilty, he or she should be given double the punishment." Sharma's autopsy report said that he was brutally stabbed more than 400 times. His family has alleged that Hussain's supporters brutally assaulted Sharma and killed him. On Thursday, a large cache of bottles meant for petrol bombs, acid pouches and stones were recovered from the rooftop of Hussain's house. Hussain is an AAP municipal councillor from Nehru Vihar. Hussain's house came under the scanner after a number of videos on social media showed 100 to 150 people pelting stones, hurling petrol bombs and acid from his rooftop. Delhi Police deployed heavy force in the area during the Friday prayers. Workers of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) were seen cleaning the debris from the streets in the area. Most shops in the North-East Delhi's violence hit areas like Chand Bagh, Bhajanpura, Jafrabad, Seelampur and Maujpur remained closed on Friday. The streets still bore a deserted look on Friday as most of the people remained inside their houses following the tension in the area. The violence has so far claimed 43 lives besides injuring over 200 others. The 3 km stretch from Bhajanpura to Karawal Nagar still bore marks of the arson with torched houses on both sides of the road. It all started on February 23 when clashes between pro and anti-CAA protesters turned violent. U.S. President Donald Trump says he will for the second time nominate Republican Representative John Ratcliffe to be his director of national intelligence (DNI) and oversee the country's 17 spy agencies. "John is an outstanding man of great talent!" Trump wrote on Twitter on February 28. Trump had previously nominated the Texas congressman, a vocal supporter of the president, for the position, but he later withdrew his name amid bipartisan questions about his qualifications and lack of intelligence experience. If he is confirmed by the Senate, Ratcliffe would replace Richard Grenell, another Trump loyalist, who is now acting national intelligence director while also serving as U.S. ambassador to Germany and special envoy to Kosovo and Serbia. Grenell's appointment two weeks ago was also criticized by Democrats and some Republicans over his lack of intelligence experience and other matters. Grenell replaced Joseph Maguire, who has served as acting DNI since August. Maguire took the post following the resignation of Dan Coats, who had a strained relationship with Trump. Coats had supported the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of promoting Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The DNI post was created after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. It oversees the 17 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP SEATTLE Washington state health officials announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, a woman who had recently traveled to South Korea and a high school student whose school will be closed and sanitized. The high school student attends Jackson High School in Everett, Washington, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The student had not traveled recently and authorities were unsure how that person contracted the disease. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Both patients weren't seriously ill. Earlier Friday, Oregon confirmed its first coronavirus case, a person who works at an elementary school in Lake Oswego, which will be temporarily closed. The case was not a person under monitoring or a person under investigation. The individual had neither a history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating, nor is believed to have had a close contact with another confirmed case the two most common sources of exposure, the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed through Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. -- The Associated Press Climate campaigners in Norway are taking the government back to court over its approval of oil exploration in a part of the northern Arctic believed to contain untapped oil riches, but which environmentalists say is a fragile ecosystem that serves as the Arctic's biological motor. In a case that has dragged on since Oslo ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016, local NGOs Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth this week asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on a decision to grant 13 oil and gas exploration licences. Despite being twice defeated in lower courts, the lawsuit has made Norway accountable for emissions created by the oil it exports to other countries, and has established the state is constitutionally obliged to ensure a safe and clean environment. Campaigners say Norway has a responsibility not to produce more fossil fuels than the global climate can handle, arguing the world has already discovered more coal and gas than it can burn if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. While a favourable Supreme Court decision could significantly impact the petroleum industry's hopes of expansion, the goal has never been to stop all new oil licences, says Therese Hugstmyr Woie, head of Nature and Youth. These most vulnerable areas in the far north of the Barents Sea are where we must keep the oil in the soil, she said. We already have oil drilling all over our coast so let's not make more of our country dependent on the oil industry. Oslo estimates the Barents Sea is home to billions of barrels of untapped oil or about two-thirds of the oil and gas reserves that have yet to be discovered off its coast. As a major oil and gas exporter, Norway is one of the world's richest countries with a walloping sovereign wealth fund that makes each of its citizens a crown millionaire. Fossil fuel giant also a pioneer of green energy When it struck pay dirt in the North Sea in 1969, Norway was catapulted to the top of the economic pile the riches of the Norwegian Continental Shelf funding world-class health and education systems, as well as a healthy state pension. Since its Eureka moment, this Scandinavian powerhouse has been steadfastly supplying the world with oil, and feeding gas to Europe via a network of pipelines spanning thousands of kilometres. Remarkably, at the same time Norway has carved out a place for itself as a pioneer of green energy, building an array of geothermal, hydropower and wind stations that scatter the landscape and draw attention for their striking design that complement nature. Ninety-eight percent of Norway's electricity production is generated by renewable energy sources most of which is hydropower, which turns flowing water into electricity. Thanks to its fjords, rivers and coastline spanning the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea, Norway was clearly made for hydropower, which has been part of its history since the late 19th century. Along with Finland and Japan, Norway is leading the world in clean energy innovation relative to the size of its economy spending big on public clean energy research and development. It's all the more impressive for a country that is among the world's top exporters of crude oil. This apparent contradiction is something David Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, has termed the Norwegian paradox": the fact Norway's leadership in addressing the climate crisis is largely thanks to its oil wealth. Boyd has said Norway needs to work harder to wean itself off its dependency on oil, while critics warn this dual role is unsustainable, saying Norway cannot have it both ways. For now, environmental groups must wait until the spring to learn if the Supreme Court will pick up their case. It comes amid fears a ruling against oil would condemn Norway's generous social welfare system. Hugstmyr Woie is adamant Norway's future oil and gas fields should be off-limits, and that opening them up during a global climate emergency is unacceptable. The government is saying that we have the cleanest oil and that our gas exports to Europe are combatting coal but we think that's a big lie. In brief: Manipulating objects is one of the most difficult challenges in the field of robotics, so researchers have built an advanced soft robotic arm that closely resembles the tentacle of an octopus in both form and function. The dexterity achieved is a noteworthy step forward in the field of soft robotics. The robotics world is full of fascinating ideas that could make the world we live in a lot more convenient, even as it raises valid concerns about the potential negative impact on those who stand to be replaced by robots soon. In the meantime, researchers are exploring various ways to make robotic arms better by taking inspiration from nature. For example, a Harvard team has managed to create a nifty one that mimics an octopus's tentacles and their ability to open jars, as well as their powerful grip that is used for ensnaring prey and fending off attackers. The researchers at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Beihang University in China have built a soft robotic arm called Festo Tentacle Gripper. It is a simplified version of the real deal, but similarly capable of handling a variety of objects of different sizes and shapes with relative ease. The arm has a tapered design and two rows of suction cups that help it get a hold of an object regardless of its texture. Until now, attempts have been limited to mimicking suction capabilities. However, this one is also able to bend inward, just like the arm of an octopus. Researchers wanted to combine both traits in a single device to achieve the same dexterity that previously required multiple arms, and to that end, they use two valves, one for applying pressure for bending the arm, and one to engage the vacuum-based biomimetic suckers. That way, the Festo Tentacle Gripper can attach, wrap around, and release various objects, as well as squeeze into small spaces to retrieve something. Zhexin Xie, one of the PhD students involved in the creation of the Festo Tentacle Gripper, explained that tests using coffee mugs, test tubes, eggs, and a live crab among other things, have been successful. Overall, this is a significant step forward for soft robotics, which is what NASA wants to use to explore other worlds. Dear Reader, Indias December quarter GDP numbers, announced on February 28, are irrelevant at worst and a sideshow at best now. The threat of a global pandemic tends to concentrate the mind and push out other concerns. The markets had initially hoped that the virus would be confined to China. When the spread of the virus killed that fond hope, they clung to the belief that the recovery would be V-shaped. Indeed, there was some talk of the markets looking through the epidemic episode, perhaps in the same way as they have been looking through a slowdown in the global economy to the good times yet to come. There is, though, one respect in which this virus-induced crash is different. Central bank injections of liquidity cannot cure the disease, nor will they arrest its spread. As we have never tired of reiterating, the markets had run-up on a gush of liquidity unleashed by central banks around the globe. They have run up, as we have pointed out ad nauseam, far ahead of the fundamentals. They had gone up in the belief that central banks had the markets back and would rush to their rescue at the slightest wobble. That hope still exists, which is why the markets are now clamouring for a Fed rate cut in March and two more rate cuts this year. Central banks in China and some other Asian countries have opened their purses. Governments too are doing their bit Hong Kong is planning to give all permanent residents above 18 a hand-out of HK$10000. But no stimulus, whether monetary or fiscal, can work as long as entire cities are shut down when supply chains are disrupted, when ships arent allowed to enter ports and when airlines cancel flights. The stimulus cant work if workers dont turn up and factories and shops remain shut or are only partially open or if the supply of raw materials and the movement of finished goods is disrupted. You cannot address a supply-side shock by trying to stimulate demand. The stimulus will do nothing for the economy as long as the epidemic keeps spreading and governments impose restrictions and quarantines to try and prevent it going viral (an appalling pun, I agree). Moreover, a stimulus is already happening, as commodity prices have fallen and bond yields have come down. Any loosening of monetary policy further could, therefore, support only the asset markets, as it has been doing for so long. But is that good enough reason for more rate cuts? Surely, after the liquidity fuelled binge in the markets, its time to pay the bill? That is what Richard Fisher, former Dallas Federal Reserve president meant, when he asked, Coming off all-time highs, does it make sense for the Fed to bail the markets out every single time? Nevertheless, its very likely that central banks will once again ride to the rescue. For several reasons: one, they have done so for far less reason; two, they will say it is necessary to keep confidence up; and three, it takes several months for a monetary stimulus to be effective, so cutting early may help the economy recover once the impact of the virus ebbs -- of course, that will also fuel the mother of all market rallies then. More importantly, central bank action may be needed to ensure that small businesses do not fold up and that banks relax their norms for classifying loans as bad. Lets not forget that the past few years have seen a huge build-up of debt in many economies, which has kept many zombie companies alive. A huge number of less than investment-grade and the lowest-rated investment grade bonds have been issued to take advantage of the loose financial conditions and the OECD has recently warned that default rates in a future downturn are likely to be higher than in previous credit cycles. The shock from the epidemic could bring home all those chickens to roost. The only bit of good news is that the number of new cases is dropping in China, but its early days yet and whos to say that once the restrictions are relaxed it wont flare up again. The Hobsons choice is between making sure the virus has been stamped out and letting the economy suffer till then or try and get the economy moving soon and risk a recurrence of the disease, which could lead to the recovery becoming W-shaped. Xi Jinping has opted for the latter course, with his insistence that the 2020 economic targets for China should remain unchanged. What about India? Coronavirus loomed large in our stock analyses this week, as we discussed its impact on the Indian pharma sectors value chains -- looking at the broad drug categories which have the potential to get hurt from the coronavirus induced factory shut down in China and at key bottlenecks in logistics. We also considered how bad things could get in the Indian consumer durables industry, which too depends on China for many parts and components. Like many investors, we too were lured to look at safe haven gold during the market meltdown. The GDP data, announced on Friday, indicate that the Indian economy continues to be very weak. The second advance estimates for the current fiscal year keep real GDP growth at 5 percent, the same as in the first advance estimates. But theres a twist -- the GDP growth rate for 2018-19 had been revised down from 6.8 percent to 6.1 percent. So the second advance estimates 5 percent growth rate is on top of a 6.1 percent growth, while the first advance estimates 5 percent growth rate was on top of a 6.8 percent growth. In other words, growth is now estimated to be weaker than earlier. The December quarter real Gross Value Added (GVA) data show year-on-year growth of 4.5 percent, down from a growth of 4.8 percent in the September quarter. That indicates business activity slowed down even further in the December quarter. And thats not the entire picture. If we leave out Public Administration, Defence and Other Services', or the government sector, then private sector real GVA growth in the December 2019 quarter has been a measly 3.7 percent. We have a weak economy, stressed balance sheets in several sectors, very low credit growth, hardly any investment growth, stagnant exports, trouble in the telecom and power sectors, high market valuations and now we have the impact of the coronavirus and risk-off markets. Simply put, there is no reason to believe that the worst is behind us. Cheers, Manas Chakravarty The RTC fare hike and power tariff will not bring the state government additional revenue as that income goes to the respective institutions. Hyderabad: With a looming economic recession, the TRS government has targeted around Rs 20,000 crore of additional revenue for 2020-21. With the state government already having increased RTC fares and giving the green signal for hiking power tariffs, the finance department is considering increasing land registration fees, and revising land value across the state. The RTC fare hike and power tariff will not bring the state government additional revenue as that income goes to the respective institutions. But it will save the state from granting subsidies to those departments. It has reportedly directed the electricity department to hike power tariff to fetch an additional Rs 2,000 crore, but without impacting common people. After TRS came to power it has not hiked power or registration charges, though the latter is to be revised every two years. Officials say this has cost crores in additional revenue. They added there is a big gap between market rates and government rates, also causing revenue loss. The finance department is studying how much of a hike can be affected. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed that the 2020-21 budget be prepared taking an economic recession into account. In the current financial year, Telengana presented a budget of Rs 1,46,544 crore but did not receive the projected funds from the Centre; till January 2020 it received revenue receipts that were 70.28 per cent of projected receipts, with just a month to go. The 2018-19 budget was Rs 1,61,607 crore and went down last year; it is expected to reduce further in the next annual budget. Knife crime is being driven by absent fathers, according to Britains top officer on violence. Jackie Sebire said it was easy to blame drugs, funding cuts or social media for the epidemic in knife crime. But she insisted that one of the biggest drivers of serious violence was the lack of a father figure at home. Jackie Sebire said it was easy to blame drugs, funding cuts or social media for the epidemic in knife crime. But she insisted that one of the biggest drivers of serious violence was the lack of a father figure at home. She is pictured above on 24 Hours In Police Custody Its not only about public services, its absent fathers, absent capable guardians in the community, its lack of role models, said the Assistant Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police. I dont think we talk enough about those drivers around serious violence because it is easier to talk about drugs and social media. They do play a part, dont get me wrong. But its not as simple as that. Im not just saying fathers but its male role models in the community, and where you do have positive male role models, they are potentially the drug dealers, or the exploiters, or the organised criminal networks, they become the positive male role model, she added. We talk about the stereotype absent father whether theyre physically absent or too busy working every hour God sends. Knife crime rose 7 per cent last year to a record 45,000 offences. A study by the Childrens Commissioner Anne Longfield found that up to 27,000 children identified as being gang members and over 300,000 know one And actually children in those more affluent areas are left to their own devices as well. Fathers can be physically present but absent in the childs life. Dr Sebire was speaking yesterday at the National Police Chiefs Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners summit this week. She is the lead on serious violence for the NPCC. She said: Positive male role models are a protective factor we are understanding the importance of that positive male role model in young peoples lives. Dr Sebire said some parents even failed to collect their children at police stations. The worst thing is when mum and dad wont come, or actually theyre too busy to come, she said. Thats the saddest thing that I see when they have no care whether its mum or dad, and we have to get the appropriate adult services because they cant be bothered. The former Scotland Yard officer has led a number of high-profile cases including the spy in the bag inquiry into the death of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams, and the investigation into Britains youngest hitman, Santre Sanchez Gayle, who killed a woman at the age of 15 for 200. Dr Sebire said that violence had become normalised for many teenagers who do not fear going to prison. They see there are no consequences to that. They dont care if they are going to be sentenced. What they care about is that moment, she said. There is this normalisation of violence as part of youth culture. A lot of the violence is incredibly spontaneous. And so there is no consequence to these childrens, these young peoples actions. Dr Sebire said that violence had become normalised for many teenagers who do not fear going to prison. They see there are no consequences to that. They dont care if they are going to be sentenced. What they care about is that moment, she said It doesnt guide their actions because they dont worry about whats going to happen to them. A knife allows them to conduct their criminal activity, whether theyre being exploited or whether thats what they choose to do. Dr Sebire believes girls are now taking more powerful positions in gangs in their own right. Even children who are not in gangs carry knives for their own protection, she said. Lots of forces have done surveys around this real perceived fear of violence in the street and it is actually true because we are recovering more knives, she added. Were finding more knives, it becomes an unintended consequence because you find more knives therefore more people think that I need to carry a knife. Some of these kids are from very affluent areas. Theyre not part necessarily of that urban street gang but they fear there is violence therefore they feel they have to carry a knife and therefore theyre more likely to use it. Knife crime rose 7 per cent last year to a record 45,000 offences. A study by the Childrens Commissioner Anne Longfield found that up to 27,000 children identified as being gang members and over 300,000 know one. Last year a study of 60 vulnerable teenagers in South London found that nearly three quarters were not living with their fathers. Four in ten of the youngsters witnessed domestic abuse. Two more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Pakistan on Saturday, taking the total number of the COVID-19 infections in the country to four. Earlier, two people tested positive for the deadly disease in the country on February 26. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Health Zafar Mirza confirmed the two new cases on Saturday. One of the patients is from Karachi while the other is from the federal territory (Islamabad), he said. The Sindh provincial government said that the patient from Karachi had recently travelled to Iran where he contracted the virus. All his recent contacts have been quarantined and are being monitored, the government said. Special Assistant to the prime minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan said it was important to focus on the prevention of spread of virus and the government was working on it. Facilities to diagnose the disease have been provided in Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore and it was the resolve of Prime Minister Imran Khan that we should not be afraid of the coronavirus rather fight it, she tweeted. On Wednesday, a young man tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Karachi - the first confirmed case in Pakistan. Shortly after, another case was confirmed and both have returned from Iran. The Iran health ministry on Friday confirmed 34 deaths due to the deadly disease and 388 confirmed cases of the virus in the country. According to media reports, the country has the highest number of death toll outside China, the epicentre of the virus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) TAMPA A brief ranking of which injuries should worry Yankees manager Aaron Boone the most: 1. Aaron Judge The problem: Sore right shoulder. The concern: Judge still hasnt participated in outdoor batting practice with the team, his last step toward getting on the field. Whats the hold up? Its unclear. The Yankees say Judge has been hitting indoors over the last week. They shut him down from hitting and throwing just before spring training and for a week into it. Boone has said an MRI showed that his shoulder hasnt suffered any damage. 2. Giancarlo Stanton The problem: Left calf strain. The concern: The Yankees dont know how long itll take for Stanton to return. Calf injuries are tricky they mostly just need time, and lots of it, to heal. The early guess is that the 30-year-old slugger will be shut down for at least two weeks and then hell have to build himself back into full-time playing shape. The Yankees say theyre not sure whether hell be ready for Opening Day. Its looking like hell be late. 3. James Paxton The problem: Recovering from lower back surgery. The concern: Will Paxton return in June? May? Scott Boras, Paxtons agent, has said the microscopic lumbar discectomy he had to remove of a peridiscal cyst went well and that he thought the left-hander could return on the sooner end of the timetable. Hes said he could start throwing again soon. But with Luis Severino out for the year, too, its even more important that the Yankees get Paxton back for good. 4. Aaron Hicks The problem: Tommy John surgery. The concern: When will Hicks return? Late July? August? September? Timetables for position players to return from the surgery can be tricky. A lot of Hicks defensive value is in his cannon of an arm. Will it be at full strength when he comes back? Hes in the second year of a seven-year, $70-million contract extension. Buy Yankees tickets: StubHub, SeatGeek 5. Luis Severino The problem: Tommy John surgery. The concern: After dealing with lat issues last year, Tommy John surgery, which Severino had Thursday, felt like an even more crushing blow. Will Severino have to significantly alter his delivery to avoid arm trouble the rest of his career? Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook. Alabama pastor shot wife at church, killed himself after she preached powerful message, friends say Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Derek Scott Gandy remembers how high in the spirit everyone was at True Cornerstone Church in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday night after prophetess Alisha Woodard was done preaching. She was the speaker that night and she did a fantastic job. The church was so animated and inspired. Everybody was high in the Holy Ghost, Gandy told The Christian Post Wednesday. We just had an incredible worship experience that night. It was just fire from Heaven. It was the second night of the 2020 Women of God Through Promise Conference at True Cornerstone Church and prophetess Woodard, described by Gandy and his wife, Kula, as a woman in her 20s who recently graduated from college, brought a powerful message. That night, said Kula, Woodard preached from 2 Kings in the Bible about the story of Elisha the prophet and the Shunammite woman. In the story, the Shunammite woman shows great hospitality to Elisha so as a reward he prophesies that she would have a son to add to her childless marriage. She gives birth a year later and her son grows up. He eventually gets sick one day and dies, grieving the woman. She then goes back to Elisha for help and the prophet brings her son back to life. She was talking about how the Shunammite woman didnt ask for the son that she received, but when she received that blessing she fought for the blessing that she had received from the man of God and how even when she went to go get the man of God, when the servant even asked how she was doing, she said its well. So she kept the faith, she kept pushing on and going on, and when she got to the man of God, she just reminded him, Kula said. She was just encouraging us all that even when things like death is all around, even when it seems like the blessing does not look like its going to be there, just keep on pressing toward it. Little did the prophetess know that at the end of the service that night, she would be forced to wrestle with death after the devil showed up in a deadly way, according to Pastor Gandy. The Mobile Police Department said in a statement that at approximately 11:23 p.m. on Friday, they responded to the church on Halls Mill Road after receiving a report about a person being shot. When they got there, they saw a woman on the ground who had been shot. The suspect involved reportedly fled the scene as police arrived. He was pursued by authorities and subsequently returned to the church. As officers approached his vehicle, however, the suspect shot himself. His car then crashed into the church. He was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife was taken to a local hospital where she is recovering. Pastor Gandy and Kula identified the couple as prophetess Woodard and her late husband, Elder Ulysses Woodard. They both led True Word of Deliverance Church of God in Prichard, Alabama. But for about two weeks now, they had been estranged. It (the estrangement) was very fresh, said Gandy. Elder Woodard was Gandy's good friend and mechanic who always knew how to make him and his sons laugh. What happened on Friday, he said, he never saw coming. Elder Woodard, he said, wasnt a monster. I didnt see this coming. I didnt see this coming. He wasnt a monster, at least not that Ive ever seen, he said. Without getting into any details, Gandy said his friend had vented to him about things in his relationship that he thought could have been helped with counseling but saw nothing that would lead to this that his friend would shoot his wife in the chest while standing right next to him. Gandy explained that on Friday night he was the last person to get out of the church when Elder Woodard approached him. When I went outside, he just said, Pastor, can I talk to my wife please? And I said, Sure, thats your wife. And he never said anything to anyone. He did not stress anyone. He did not disrespect anyone. He never raised his voice at all, Gandy said. He said as he locked the door of the church he saw the elder and his wife talking. Everyone else had already left the church for the night except the Gandys and three of their children, two church members who were traveling with them, as well as the prophetess. Pastor Gandy said when he tried to offer the prophetess a ride home after noticing things appeared to be getting heated between her and her husband, things got worse. My initial response was I got back out of my car and I said to them, Let me take her home. We were going to give her a ride home. We had picked her up for our service, he said. He said he eventually left the couple alone because he didnt want to get involved in domestic issues. I sat in the car to wait for her to finish talking. But then when she started screaming, hollering, 'Let go, stop,' then he had come over, Gandy said. Prophetess Woodard was trying to get away to get into Gandys car but her husband grabbed her arm. He managed to keep her in his grasp and he managed to get to his car and thats where he had his weapon, Gandy explained. When asked if thats when Elder Woodard shot his wife, he said, Yes. When asked where he was at that point, he said: I was in my car. The door was open. We pulled on against the weapon, standing right next to me. And he shot her in the chest. I had had my daughter so when he shot her, I pulled off to the other side of the building. Pastor Gandy said he and his wife are still trying to process the tragedy and he is working on getting counseling for his children. What I struggle with is the fact that our young daughters were there. And I struggle with them actually returning (to the church). And Ive been thinking about how do we find a way to purchase a new church to leave that site. Of all of this, thats probably the toughest thing, Gandy explained. Our little daughter, she actually saw him shoot himself, so its tough. He was my friend. We didnt talk every day, we probably didnt talk every week. We didnt hang out other than when I go to the shop for him to fix my car but you know, we were friends, he said. He was my comedian. He was funny. ... He just kept me laughing. He kept my sons laughing. Kula Gandy described prophetess Woodard as a very sweet young lady. She was just doing her thing. She was about Jesus. She loves Jesus. She loves His Word. Shes just a vessel thats just willing to be used by God, Kula said. And thats why she wasnt surprised by how the prophetess fought with her faith to stay alive after she was shot. She was calling on Jesus. Myself and another sister, we went and were praying for her after he (her husband) had left. He was on a high-speed chase with the police. So as soon as his car left, we went there and she was on the ground and she was crying and she was calling on Jesus, and we got down there and we started praying over her and for her, Kula said. She said she visited her in the hospital on Saturday and doctors said shes looking to do good in terms of her recovery. Earlier this month, prophetess Woodard and her late husband celebrated the fourth anniversary of their church under the theme A Church Yet Holding On featuring 1 Corinthians 15:58, which says: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. True Cornerstone Church is asking anyone interested in helping with their recovery to donate by clicking here or via Cash App to $TCCgive. MANAMA, Bahrain, Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Transforming education through promoting passion, curiosity, and a healthy wellbeing is what brought D3 Consultants (based in Bahrain while operating in GCC and MENA) and New Nordic School (based in Finland) together partnering up to fortify their vision in the GCC and MENA region. The signing ceremony took place at the international GESS conference in Dubai on Feb 26, 2020. The partnership event was attended by Ms Rima Al Kaissi, Managing Partner of D3 Consultants, Mr. Mohanned AlAnni, Managing Director and CEO at D3 Consultants, Pia Jormalainen, CEO and Co-Founder of New Nordic School, and Stephen Cox, Chief Education Officer of New Nordic School. D3 Consultants is proud to announce that this partnership is geared to providing existing K-12 schools and early childhood kindergartens as well as new schools with the best practices of the Finnish educational system through the Nordic Baccalaureate curriculum, professional development, and improvement of quality standards across all services provided by schools. Both D3 Consultants and New Nordic School believe that global competency skills coupled with future skills and a strong academic foundation provide students with a solid path of growth and excellence. "We invested in providing students with a healthy journey combined with intrinsic motivation and love for life-long learning through our vast experience in the educational market and understanding of the culture and vision of the nation's leaders," said Mohanned AlAnni, Managing Director and CEO at D3 Consultants. Mr. Muhanned elaborated "With this agreement, we are happy to say that it is strengthening the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the educational reforms and it shows how Bahrain is leading the effective academic development among GCC countries and contributes to transforming into the information society and the knowledge-based economy to achieve sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bahrain with the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Kingdom of Bahrain, H.R.H Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, H.R.H. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister and with an adjacent perusal from His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa His Majesty's Representative of His Majesty for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor and president of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. The partnership aims at providing schools who are using different curricula across the GCC and MENA region with the necessary support to build capacity and sustain improvements through effective implementation services that develop collaboration, trust, and continuous improvement. "We aim to motivate students of all ages to benefit from extraordinary learning, driven by curiosity and challenge, inspiring passion and confidence," said Rima Kaissi, Managing Partner at D3 Consultants. Mrs Pia Jormalainen, CEO and Co-founder of New Nordic School, expressed her great happiness with this partnership, which in turn aims to transfer the successful and distinguished reputation of the Finnish educational system to have a global impact. "We are passionate about making a positive difference in the learning journeys of students around the world and this partnership opportunity will help us achieve our vision of global impact by providing schools with the necessary technological tools, skills competencies, and upskilling through professional development to help students find their true passions and reach their highest potential." Mr Stephen Cox, Chief Education Officer at New Nordic School added, "We understand the challenges associated with improving the quality of the education in the region and we recognize the need to establish strong local partnerships with those who have presence on the ground. Collectively we can deliver the continued improvement to prepare students with the skills they will need which delivers the countries vision and shape their own future." To learn more about our unique services contact +973-17-551-662, Visit our website www.d3consultants.net, or email us info@d3consultants.net Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097187/D3_Consultants_New_Nordic_School_Company.jpg Contact: Ammar Hussain, ammar@d3consultants.net OTTAWAWhat will it take to keep the new coronavirus illness out of crowded federal prisons? How do you protect inmates and guards if you cant? Whats the bare minimum number of federal employees needed to make government operations function? How does Ottawa ensure essential services continue to operate during a pandemic? What even is essential? Military? Certainly. Coast Guard search and rescue operations? Of course. Tax collection? Come to think of it, maybe. Senior officials across Ottawa are up to their neck in planning all of this in anticipation of the worst a deadly widespread outbreak in Canada as the COVID-19 epidemic races around the globe with the potential to become a full-blown worldwide pandemic. Theres an urgency to our preparations, yes, said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair in an interview. Thats because the profile of the virus is changing. As of Friday, the World Health Organization reported the COVID-19 outbreak has spread to 52 countries, with nearly 84,000 cases worldwide. The majority of confirmed cases are still inside China, where nearly 79,000 people were infected and 36,000 patients have recovered. Now, however, most worrisome is that more new coronavirus infections are being reported outside China than inside that country. And so the WHO on Friday ramped up its evaluation of the risk of global spread accordingly, to very high. In Canada, 14 cases have been confirmed seven in B.C. and seven in Ontario and a presumed case in Quebec is being tested by the National Microbiology Lab. If confirmed, it would be Canadas 15th COVID-19 patient. Health authorities, hospitals, police departments, paramedic services across the country are gearing up for more. Since the 2003 SARS and 2009 H1N1 outbreaks, health authorities annually refresh pandemic plans in advance of flu season. In Ottawa, the job of setting out how federal services will operate has a boring bureaucratic name, yet its anything but. Its called business continuity planning. And its in high gear right now, not only at the Public Health Agency of Canada which has been the public face of Ottawas response, but also the government operations centre. Thats the nerve centre that tracks what elected decision-makers need to know or the situational awareness to make sure the right decisions are planned for, made and executed. They monitor whats in the air and on the sea, they monitor world events but also domestic events to help us always be aware, Blair said. Blair said the coronavirus was on their radar early. They were all over it since January, he said. It was at a Jan. 21 cabinet retreat in Winnipeg that the federal government flagged it was getting ready in a serious way. At that point three suspected cases had tested negative, and there were no confirmed coronavirus cases in Canada. Health Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters then that no travel restrictions were in place. But she said Canadas chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam was working with the WHO and other international partners to make sure were tracking the spread of the disease and understanding its particular characteristics. We are looking at the suite of measures that we will take if in fact we ascertain that the virus is moving, she said. It did move. And fast. More than five weeks later, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organizations director general, says there are linked epidemics of COVID-19 in several countries, but most cases can still be traced to known contacts or clusters of cases. We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. Speaking in Geneva Friday, he added: As long as thats the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients and trace contacts. Tam, Canadas top doctor, told CBCs Vassy Kapelos: I think this looks to be a very difficult virus to stop in its tracks. So the most prudent thing to do is prepare. The Liberal government dismisses Conservative suggestions the Canadian borders ought to have been closed early on against travellers from China. A virus knows no borders, says Tam. Instead, even as 400 Canadians were flown back on government charters from quarantined zones in China and on a cruise ship in Japan, the federal government focused on public communication, to educate Canadians on symptoms to watch for, how to prevent disease spread, and what to do if they get sick. Its suggested Canadians stock up on a weeks worth of food and medicines, and make alternative child care or work arrangements should the outbreak worsen. It seems to be a question of when, not if. Blair says that response and public communications may have delayed the onset of a wider outbreak while everyone prepares, and the longer that delay is, the better. We know that this could get much worse and we are planning and preparing and that will help us reduce and mitigate the risk to Canadians, he says. Blair spent two hours Friday morning at the government operations centre the awkwardly nicknamed GOC. Part of the federal assessment has included looking at the whole spectrum of business continuity plans across departments and agencies. For example, is there enough personal protective equipment for federal front line service employees, like border guards, to keep functioning? How to ensure unemployment or pension cheques are mailed out on time to Canadians? How do you protect postal workers in a viral outbreak when their job is to go door to door? In places where the RCMP acts as a provincial front line police force, do the Mounties have staffing plans, should an outbreak in one part of the country require the force to quickly move officers around. Its the same kind of planning work thats done to ensure there are enough nurses and paramedics or other front line workers in hospitals, police or fire departments across the country. We have to continue to maintain the service levels of essential services that we provide, and if a substantial portion of your workforce gets ill or is at home self-quarantined, said Blair. In those circumstances, we have to make sure that we are ready. Read more about: Congress's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma also said the situation is far from normal and an atmosphere of fear is still prevailing New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday accused the police of carrying out a "one-sided" investigation into the violence in Delhi and urged the Supreme Court to appoint an amicus curiae to scrutinise all such cases in which protesters and activists are being slapped with serious charges. The party's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma also said the situation is far from normal and an atmosphere of fear is still prevailing in the National Capital. Sharma alleged the police "which allowed Delhi to burn for four days" is carrying out a "one-sided" investigation. He said in the name of action it should be seen against whom the action is being taken. "What is the definition of hate speech? If the speeches made by the BJP leaders were not hate speeches, and the protests are a threat to the society as per the cases registered. Shockingly, as per an FIR against a group of people and an organisation called United Against Hate. And what is the case...for having said in a speech that 'we shall not get up or give up our protest even if we have to die for that'. For that they were slapped with section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder)," he said. "We urge the Supreme Court to take cognisance of all these cases and appoint an amicus curiae to scrutinise all these cases where people are being framed and put in jails," Sharma told reporters. An amicus curiae assists a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the case. "The SC is the custodian of the Constitution. The delays don't help. The entire world is watching this country, it is time that the Supreme Court intervenes effectively to protect the rights of the citizens guaranteed by the Constitution," Sharma said. "We have no expectations from Centre or the Home Ministry or Delhi chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) but we have hopes from the courts," he said. At least 42 were killed and over 200 injured in the communal riots that broke out in northeast Delhi on Monday after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control. The areas worst affected in the violence include Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. Open source Doctors confirmed four cases of coronavirus infection in children i n western Germany It is reported that all sick children are in satisfactory condition, they have only mild symptoms of a cold. In total, 114 children attend this kindergarten, 100 of them were checked for the presence of coronavirus. According to preliminary data, another 14 children were not brought by parents to conduct a voluntary test. Thus, in total, the number of patients with coronavirus in Heinsberg increased to 60. In addition, coronavirus was confirmed in a teacher in one of Bonn's primary schools. A 23-year-old man with mild symptoms of the disease is under home quarantine. The school, in which about 185 children study, is closed for two weeks, schoolchildren are tested for the presence of coronavirus. . All four children are pupils of a kindergarten in the Heinsberg district, one of the teachers of which fell ill with Covid-19 pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. This is reported by Deutsche Welle with reference to a statement by local authorities.It is reported that all sick children are in satisfactory condition, they have only mild symptoms of a cold. In total, 114 children attend this kindergarten, 100 of them were checked for the presence of coronavirus. According to preliminary data, another 14 children were not brought by parents to conduct a voluntary test. Thus, in total, the number of patients with coronavirus in Heinsberg increased to 60.In addition, coronavirus was confirmed in a teacher in one of Bonn's primary schools. A 23-year-old man with mild symptoms of the disease is under home quarantine. The school, in which about 185 children study, is closed for two weeks, schoolchildren are tested for the presence of coronavirus. Puffs of breath, appearing out of nowhere in the chilly night! Burners turning on by themselves! Slight depressions in the chair cushions, though theres nary a butt to be seen! Its time for another adaptation of The Invisible Man, a novel about a scientist who becomes transparent and runs around causing trouble. Since H.G. Wells story was first serialized in the British periodical Pearsons Weekly in 1897, there have been dozens of adaptations. The latest is Leigh Whannells very suspenseful film starring Elisabeth Moss as the terrorized wife of a sociopathic tech genius who uses his invisibility to torment her. (Seriously, its not for scaredy cats.) Advertisement The movie shares its central gimmick with Wells book, but little else, since Whannells Invisible Man directs all of his attention toward one person in particular, while Wells is more of a general mischief-maker. The result is a film thats more like a remake of Sleeping with the Enemy than of Invisible Man. We broke down the departures from the novel below. The Invisible Mans motivation In the novel, Wells antihero is Griffin, an experimental investigator and graduate teaching assistant at a provincial college. He describes himself as almost an albino, with white skin and red eyes. Wells characterizes Griffin as aggressive and explosive, constantly under a chronic irritation of the greatest intensity. Griffin tries to make himself invisible just for the power of it. To do such a thing would be to transcend magic, he tells his former classmate, Kemp, describing his thought process when he realized the transformation might be possible. I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might meant to a man, the mystery, the power, the freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tragedy of Wells Invisible Man is that Griffin soon figures out that being invisible is sort of terrible. He cant eat in public, because his food is visible until its assimilated into his body. He cant go out without wearing clotheswhich defeats the whole point of being invisiblebecause even a transparent body gets cold in winter. A reader could almost feel sorry for the man, except for the fact that he goes about robbing and assaulting people with zero remorse. At one point, Griffin tells Kemp of a man he knocked on the head, to which Kemp exclaims But, I say! The common conventions of humanity! Griffin replies, Are all very well for common people. Advertisement In Whannells movie, Adrian Griffin (played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen) also considers himself to be above the morals of common people, but his motivation for becoming invisible is much less ambiguous and his actions less random. He wants to use his invisibility to control his wife, Cecilia (Moss), who has finally left him. Hes not a poor grad student, and not almost an albino, eitherhes a rich, conventionally handsome tech wunderkind with all of the power and freedom he could desire. Any additional money he might make, or people he might hurt, are all second to his central project: making Cecilia do what he wants . Achieving invisibility In Wells novel, achieving invisibility is a matter of chemistry, and its a messy process. Wells story begins with Griffin moving into an inn and unpacking a bunch of crates to set up his lab, pulling out fat bottles containing powders, small and slender bottles containing colored and white fluids, fluted blue bottles labeled Poison, bottles with round bodies and slender necks, large green-glass bottles, large white-glass bottles Wells goes on for a full paragraph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Wells wrote this book, scientists werent highly regarded in British culture. Griffin, an awkward person without many social graces, makes people around him nervous even before his transformation into the Invisible Man. At one point, a neighbor accuses him of performing vivisection on a cata nod to the controversy in public conversations around science at the turn of the twentieth century over using live animals in experimentation. (In the book, Griffin is not actually vivisecting the cat in question, though he is subjecting it to painful chemical treatments.) In contrast, we dont really get to see how Adrian built his very cool, camera-covered invisibility suit. The technology at work is just as impenetrable as the stark modernist house where Adrian and Cecilia live as an unhappy couple before she escapes. These two methods for becoming invisible fit the respective characters well: The chemical process Wells Griffin uses is painful and irreversible, and its the finality of that predicament that makes Wells Invisible Man such a pathetic figure. Theres no such pathos for Whannells purely villainous Adrian, who can become un-invisible whenever he wants, exercising the same kind of perfect control he has over everything in his life. The outfit When we first encounter Griffin in the book, hes covered in bandages and wearing a brown velvet jacket with a turned-up collar. Poking out from between the strips is a pink, peaked nose that turns out to be artificial. His hair, escaping as it could below and between the cross bandages, is a wig that gives him the strangest appearance conceivable. Wells descriptions of Griffin are disturbing yet goofy, as if a mummy rolled around in glue and walked through a yard sale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whannells Man, on the other hand, is completely Invisible until the midpoint of the movie, when Cecilia manages to land a hit on him that damages his suit. The suit itself is smooth and high-tech, and the sounds it makes when winking in and out of visibility are metallic, menacing, and otherworldly, like the alien armor in The Predator. In other words, its nothing like the scarecrow effect of the monster of Wells novel and the famous 1933 movie starring Claude Rains. Advertisement The sidekick An invisible man sometimes needs a visible accomplice. In Wells book, Griffin tries to force a tramp, Marvel, into servitude. It doesnt work, and Marvel ends up with Griffins money and notebooks at the end of the story. In Whannells film, Adrian has more luck with his lawyer brother Tom, who seems sympathetic for the briefest of moments when he commiserates with Cecilia about the trials of being close to such a narcissist. However, he turns out to be a total pawn of his sociopathic sibling, even wearing the invisibility suit and committing murder at Adrians behest. The dog In Wells book, Griffin says that dogs are the Invisible Mans greatest enemy, because the nose is to the mind of a dog what the eye is to the mind of a seeing man. In Whannells film, the couples dog can sniff out the Invisible Man with ease, because even a high-tech suit is no match for the snout of a very good boy. At least 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed in an airstrike carried out by Syrian government forces, officials in Ankara say. Thursday night's attack in Idlib marks a serious escalation in the direct conflict between Turkish and Russia-backed Syrian forces. The governor of Turkey's Hatay province, Rahmi Dogan, said: "None of our wounded soldiers who are being treated in hospital are in critical condition. May our martyrs rest in peace." At least 54 Turkish soldiers have been killed in Idlib since the start of February - and Thursday was the deadliest day since Ankara first intervened in Syria four years ago. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held an emergency security meeting in Ankara, and discussions have been held by phone with NATO's secretary general and the US national security adviser. The airstrike came after a Russian delegation spent two days in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials on the situation in Idlib, where a Syrian government offensive has sent hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing towards the border. Last week, Sky News reported from inside Idlib , where more than 70 hospitals have been bombed out of action. Correspondent Alex Crawford said the scale of the humanitarian crisis is quite enormous - and one man told her "there is nowhere safe in Syria anymore". In response to Turkish fatalities, Mr Erdogan's communications director has said "all known" Syrian government targets are now under attack by Turkish air and land forces. The soldiers were targeted in an area between the villages of al Bara and Baliun near the Jabal al Zawiya region in the southern Idlib countryside. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad now control almost the entire southern province of Idlib after capturing more than 20 villages on Thursday. Idlib is Syria's last rebel stronghold, and Assad's weeks-long campaign has been backed by Russian air power. A cabinet sub-committee headed by Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday held a meeting with senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi to discuss the issue of Maratha reservation ahead of the Supreme Court hearing over it on March 17. Rohatgi, former Attorney General of India, and other senior counsels are representing the Maharashtra government in the case before the apex court. Chavan said the sub-committee took stock of the preparation to ensure the reservation given to the community remains intact. "We have formed a team of good and senior advocates, including Rohatgi, and others. We held a meeting to ensure the preparation is good and the law holds its ground before the SC. We are sure the government's position is strong," Chavan, a Congress leader, told reporters after the meeting. Another state minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said that through the meeting the government is ensuring that there remains no loophole when hearings take place in the apex court. The Maharashtra legislature had on November 29, 2018 passed a bill granting 16 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to the Maratha community under the socially and educationally backward category (SEBC). The bill was approved and signed by the Maharashtra governor a day later. The Bombay High Court in June 2019 had upheld the constitutional validity of reservation in government jobs and education. The court, which was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging Maharashtra government's decision granting 16 per cent reservation, though had said that the quota percentage be reduced from 16 per cent to 12 per cent and 13 per cent in education and jobs respectively (as was recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission). The government's decision to give quota was later challenged before the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joint List tipped to gain more seats as Palestinian citizens of Israel say their vote indicates rejection of Trump deal. Aysha Khalifa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is adamant that she will be voting on Monday, when Israel holds its third election in less than a year. A teacher in the central town of Umm al-Fahm, Khalifa says she will cast her ballot for the Arab Joint List, an electoral alliance of four Palestinian political parties, partly as a response to US President Donald Trumps proposed plan for the Middle East. We are the people of this land, she told Al Jazeera. Trumps deal is not a peace plan because peace is built on justice. Ill vote to prevent the right wing from gaining power, Khalifa said. Heavily weighted in favour of Israel, Trump unveiled his long-awaited plan in late January alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an event in the White House. One of its proposals lays out the possibility of redrawing Israels borders, with 10 Palestinian towns including Umm al-Fahm, transferred to a future Palestinian state. Some 260,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel living in these towns, which are located in an area known as the Triangle near the Green Line, could potentially find themselves outside Israels borders. 200228145516872 In turn, the proposed plan, which was rejected outright by the Palestinians, envisions the annexation of large swaths of the occupied West Bank, including nearly all illegal settlements. The idea of swapping land and population has long been dismissed by Palestinian citizens of Israel and their leaders. Following Trumps announcement, several protests were held in towns across the Triangle, with Youssef Jabareen, a Joint List member of the Israeli parliament (Knesset), saying in one of them that Trumps proposal perpetuates the occupation and the conflict, and will also perpetuate the cycle of violence. Morid Farid, head of the Umm al-Fahm public committee, told Al Jazeera Palestinians living in Israel feel they are being targeted. They said that in 1948 [during the creation of the state of Israel], we were given to Israel and now, they want to move us as if we are a commodity, Farid said. Theyre not targeting the Triangle only, theyre targeting all Palestinians in Israel, Farid added. I met people who havent voted in years, who have now decided to vote because they believe theyre being targeted. Morid Farid says Israels Palestinian population feels targeted [Rima Mustafa/Al Jazeera] The Israeli Haaretz daily reported earlier in February that it was Netanyahu who had encouraged the Trump administration to include the option of transferring Israels Palestinian population in the Triangle to a future Palestinian state in the plan. The idea as part of a peace deal was first proposed in 2004 by Avigdor Lieberman, head of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party. In the past, the idea of swapping [land, population] was an issue that some politicians talked about, like Lieberman, but this time its official; [the idea] has been raised officially, Zaki Eghbariya, acting mayor of Umm al-Fahm, told Al Jazeera. We are all part of historical Palestine, Eghbariya said. We dont agree with this swapping, he added, noting that the proposal would split families. We are part of the population here; we have families in Haifa and Akka. Higher turnout expected for Joint List Netanyahu and his main rival, former armed forces chief Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party, have both failed to form a government after inconclusive elections in April and September. According to Israeli polls, the Joint List is expected to win a record 14 to 15 of the Knessets 120 seats, improving its September showing when it won 13 seats. Israeli public opinion expert Dahlia Scheindlin told Al Jazeera she believes Trumps plan will have an effect and prompt more Palestinian citizens of Israel to express their denouncement of it by coming out and vote. Voter turnout in Palestinian communities stood at 60 percent in Septembers election, compared with 50 percent in April. Meanwhile, analysts also predict an increase in Israeli Jews who plan to vote for the Joint List for the first time, after previously voting for left-wing parties. Umm al-Fahm is the social, cultural and economic centre for residents of the Triangle, a cluster of 14 towns and villages where many Palestinians live [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency] But as opinion polls predict yet another election stalemate that can only be broken through the formation of a coalition government, Netanyahu recently reneged on the proposed territory swap proposal, seen as an attempt to win votes from Palestinian citizens of Israel. It wont happen. Its a trial balloon being inflated as part of an effort to get people to vote for the Joint List, Netanyahu told Panet news website last week. In another apparent bid to make electoral gains, Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post last week, which was later deleted, that he planned to introduce direct flights from Tel Aviv to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to allow Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Netanyahu lies as much as he blinks, Ahmad Tibi, Joint List MK, told Al Jazeera, regarding the prime ministers Facebook post. Netanyahu wanted to expel us from our homes and now, he wants to make Hajj for us. He added that, according to the partys surveys, there will be a higher voter turnout, especially in the Triangle. We are representing [a party] thats against racism and fascism, Ahmad Tibi, MK for the Joint List said [Ammar Awad/Reuters] Just a symbolic role Israels Palestinian citizens have long said they are not treated as equals in their own country, facing systematic discrimination in law and policy. In July 2018, Israel passed the controversial nation-state law, which defined the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people, further marginalising the 1.8 million Palestinian citizens of Israel. The legislation states that Jewish people have the exclusive right to national self-determination in it. According to Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Centre, there more than 65 Israeli laws that discriminate against Palestinian citizens in Israel and/or Palestinians in the West Bank. We want our political rights. We make up 20 percent of the population and we want equality, Farid said, adding that it is important to vote for the Joint List for representation. Zaki Eghbariya believes Palestinian-Israeli MKs have only a symbolic role and dont have any impact [Rima Mustafa/Al Jazeera] Palestinian communities in Israel face a plethora of problems among them, a serious housing crisis as the state regularly confiscates land to make way for projects. According to Eghbariya, Umm al-Fahm originally had 140,000 dunums (14,000 hectares) of land but today, their land has shrunk to about 26,000 dunums (2,600 hectares) for its growing population of 55,000. Crime is also a major problem. More than 90 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed in violent incidents in 2019, amounting to a small civil war, according to the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel. Meanwhile, nearly half of Palestinian citizens of Israel livebelow the poverty line. With such problems chronically unaddressed, some Palestinian citizens of Israel remain sceptical voting will have any effect whatsoever. Among them is Eghbariya, who feels Palestinian Israeli MKs have a symbolic role and their presence is used by Israel to show the world that Israel is a democracy. No party representing Israels Palestinian citizens has ever been part of an Israeli governing coalition, and the Joint List was unable to prevent the nation-state law from passing. Im boycotting the elections because my vote will not make any difference; we are the minority, Layla Mahameed, who works in a kindergarten, told Al Jazeera. Jews are the majority and their voice will eventually win. [Our representatives wont serve as] ministers, so we wont have an impact. But Tibi told Al Jazeera Palestinian citizens of Israel had nothing to gain by boycotting the election. We are representing [a party] thats against racism and fascism. We are the true voice of the people, Tibi said, adding that they had blocked other controversial laws from passing such as the Muezzin bill, which would muffle the Muslim call to prayer from mosques. Oti Mabuse has allegedly requested that she be partnered with an older celebrity in the next season of Strictly Come Dancing, it was reported on Friday. According to a report from The Sun, the professional dancer, 29, is keen to distance herself from rumoured scandals, after her friendship with Kelvin Fletcher was called into question when they were seen at 3am after enjoying drinks together. There is no suggestion anything untoward happened between Kelvin and Oti, she is also said to be concerned over allegations that the married actor, 36, sent X-rated messages to another woman. Claim: Oti Mabuse ' has asked Strictly bosses to give her an older dance partner in the next series over fears Kelvin Fletcher's scandals would damage her brand', it was reported on Friday A source speaking to the publication claimed: 'After Kelvin's messages were revealed, Oti tried to distance herself publicly from him. 'She's good friends with Kelvin but this experience has made her panic about the brand she has built. 'Oti asked that she be paired with someone older in the next series to stop any speculation about the nature of their relationship.' MailOnline have contacted Strictly Come Dancing, Oti, and Kelvin's representatives for comment. Distance: The dancer is allegedly keen to distance herself from scandals, after her friendship with Kelvin was called into question when they were seen at 3am after enjoying a nightcap Earlier this month, an anonymous woman who previously said Kelvin had been sending her x-rated messages, also claimed he had asked her to meet up in luxury hotels behind his wife Liz's back. Speaking to The Sun, the anonymous woman claimed that she and Kelvin would meet up after Emmerdale star Kelvin had finished his rehearsals with Oti Mabuse. She alleged: 'Me and Kelvin met up three times at different hotels. It was always in London when he was down here for filming. 'He acted as if he was a single man and didn't go to any lengths to keep our meetings secret. I knew he was married but that never stopped him.' 'Protecting her brand': Oti is also said to be concerned over allegations that the married actor sent X-rated messages to another woman She also alleged the father-of-two, who she met on a night out, invited her to his hotel in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, close to where the hit BBC competition is filmed. Representatives for Kelvin declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. The blonde woman described Kelvin's sex-drive as 'through the roof' and claimed that he wasn't tired out from '12 hours of practice as day with Oti'. Sources also claimed to The Sun that Kelvin first began exchanging messages with the woman last year. Alongside the texts, the actor allegedly send X-rated photographs and shirtless snaps to the woman in question, even while he was wowing viewers on Strictly. The source claimed: 'Kelvin has publicly and repeatedly insisted that he's not cheating on his wife with Oti.' 'But for a year he has been sending graphic messages and images to a completely different woman. 'It's like he can't help himself. He said his high sex drive made it hard for him when he was away from home.' In a guarded reaction to the peace deal between the United States and the Taliban, India on Saturday said its consistent policy has been to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and ensure end of terrorism. IMAGE: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, and Zalmay Khalilzad, US envoy for peace in Afghanistan, sign an agreement at a ceremony between members of Afghanistan's Taliban and the US in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday. Photograph: Ibraheem al Omari/Reuters External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India will continue to extend all support to the Afghanistan as a contiguous neighbour, in a clear reference that the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir belongs to India. After months of negotiations, the US and Taliban signed a landmark peace deal in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday, effectively drawing curtains to the United States' 18-year war in Afghanistan since 2001. India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran was among a host of diplomats present at the ceremony where the deal was inked. "India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled process," the MEA spokesperson said. He was responding to signing of the US-Taliban deal in Doha and issuance of a joint declaration between the Afghan and US governments in Kabul. India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan as it has already spent around $2 billion in reconstruction of war-ravaged country. "As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected," Kumar said. Days before finalisation of the peace deal, India conveyed to the US that pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror networks operating from its soil must be kept up though Islamabad's cooperation for peace in Afghanistan is crucial. On Friday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla travelled to Kabul on a two-day visit during which he conveyed to Afghan leadership India's support for an independent, sovereign, democratic and inclusive Afghanistan. He also conveyed to Afghanistan that sustainable peace in the country requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism, in a veiled reference to Pakistan's support to terror groups in the war-ravaged country. The foreign secretary held talks with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh and National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib. He also met former president Hamid Karzai, acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haroon Chakhansur and acting Finance Minister Abdul Zadran. Separately, he interacted with a cross-section of Afghan leaders including politician, civil rights activists and academicians. On the peace deal, the MEA spokesperson said India has noted that entire political spectrum in Afghanistan has welcomed it. "We note that the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan, including the government, the democratic polity and civil society, has welcomed the opportunity and hope for peace and stability generated by these agreements," Kumar said. In his meetings with the Afghan leadership, the foreign secretary reiterated India's commitment to enhance political, economic and development partnership between the two neighbours, the MEA said in a statement. It said Shringla reiterated India's consistent support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic and inclusive Afghanistan in which interests of all sections of Afghan society are preserved. The foreign secretary also conveyed India's support for enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. "He underscored that sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism," the MEA said. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any 'ungoverned spaces' where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. A standard blood test in San Antonio can cost as low as $56 or as much as $492. Nearly 1 in 5 Texans does not have health insurance. Three in 10 patients report delaying treatment because of the costs. Two-thirds of Americans who file for bankruptcy say health care costs are to blame. There are plenty of signs like these that health care in the U.S. is broken. Thats why reform is expected to be a major issue in this years presidential election. RELATED: Health care plan details from the top 6 Democratic candidates Every major Democratic presidential candidate is running on a platform that includes a health care overhaul as a way to improve access and drive down costs for millions of families struggling to keep up with their medical bills. With Super Tuesday days away, candidates are trying to win over voters in 14 states, including Texas, and one U.S. territory. With 228 pledged delegates up for grabs, winning the Lone Star primary could be key to securing the Democratic nomination and running against Republican President Donald Trump in November. More than 1.1 million residents are registered to vote in Bexar County. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders sits on the liberal end of the political spectrum. Hes running on a Medicare for All platform, which means he wants to replace the current multipayer health care system with a single government-administered plan. ELECTION DAY INFO: Election Day is March 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find polling locations at bexar.org or call the elections department at 210-335-VOTE (8683) for assistance. No more networks, premiums, deductibles, copays or surprise bills. The proposed coverage would include medical, hearing, dental, vision, mental health, prescription drugs and much more. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is also pushing Medicare for All, although shes offered a detailed transition plan for getting there in a few years by increasing taxes on the wealthy and asking employers to pay a bigger share to the government. Former Mayor Julian Castro and his brother, Congressman Joaquin Castro, endorsed Warren when the former dropped out of the presidential race last month. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently conducted a national poll that found 52 percent of respondents favored Medicare for All. Two-thirds favor a government-run option that would compete with private health insurance plans. Most of the Democratic presidential candidates come down on more moderate positions for changing health care. On ExpressNews.com: Standard blood tests in San Antonio 4 times the cost of same test in Rio Grande Valley Not Warren. In a 20-page plan, she lays out how shed fast-track legislation to create a single-payer plan that would cost an estimated $20.5 trillion over the next 10 years. She says all children and low-income adults would be enrolled immediately in the expanded Medicare plan and so would anyone 50 or older. Eventually the plan would be free for those residing in the U.S. Yes, this sounds wonderful, but the money has got to come from somewhere, said Cristina Aldrete, president and CEO of North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. The cost of Medicare for All plans has long been a concern. Sanders estimates his plan would cost anywhere from $17 trillion to $40 trillion over 10 years. On ExpressNews.com: Health care costs account for 18% of U.S. economy, federal report finds After watching the Democratic candidates debate Tuesday, Aldrete said shes still not sure which candidates health care plan would be viable. But shes sure that upending the health insurance industry would to say the least disrupt San Antonio businesses. I think everybody is just kind of waiting to see what is going to happen, she said. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other moderates in the race take a slower approach to universal health care, without driving private insurance companies out of business at least for the time being. Former Vice President Joe Biden wants to revamp the Affordable Care Act by lowering out-of-pocket costs and expanding coverage. He served under President Barack Obama during ACAs creation and rollout. Biden would allow the public even those who could receive insurance through their employers to purchase plans on the governments marketplace, including the 1.5 million uninsured adults in Texas affected by the states top lawmakers refusal to expand Medicaid. Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Texas is one of 14 states that opted not to expand Medicaid, with many adults, including those without children, falling into a coverage gap. They have incomes above Medicaid eligibility limits but not below the poverty level, which would make them eligible for a discount on marketplace premiums for health insurance. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota wants to expand access to ACA plans and make them more affordable. But she doesnt say how much she would increase federal subsidies that help cover the cost of premiums. In the plans from both Biden and Buttigieg, the way to increase access is to lower the income cap for tax credits. Both candidates say families shouldnt spend more than 8.5 percent of their income on health insurance. Currently, a family can spend as much as 9.78 percent of household income on health insurance before being eligible for discounted health plan premiums under the ACA. A family of three with an annual income of $31,000 who would have paid $1,200 a year for a silver plan through the federal marketplace would instead pay $600 a year for a higher-quality gold plan, according to Buttigiegs campaign website. Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City and a late entrant in the race, offers a Medicare-like public option that would also cap premiums at 8.5 percent of household income. Every major candidate supports allowing Medicare to wield its power in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug costs. Bloomberg proposes driving down costs by capping drug prices at 120 percent of the average cost in other advanced nations. His plan bans drug company payments to pharmacy benefit managers, which are third-party firms that negotiate the price of medications covered by insurance plans. PBMs have long taken part of the blame for rising drug costs. Big worries Dr. David Fleeger, the Austin-based president of the Texas Medical Association, said many doctors have concerns about shifting the cost of health care, which totals almost one-fifth of the nations overall spending on goods and services, to the government. Many providers, he said, already operate at a loss when they treat Medicaid and Medicare patients. These government-funded programs dont fully cover the costs of care, he said. Traditionally, private insurance companies have paid higher rates, which often compensate for losses on Medicare and Medicaid. Everyone agrees that the system is sometimes not a good system, but I think we need to be making incremental changes and not radical changes that could potentially cause significant and irreversible problems as far as how we deal with health care in America, he said. On ExpressNews.com: Some San Antonio doctors already reforming health care system Policy nuances aside, Democratic presidential candidates contend Trump is mishandling health care, including his efforts to dismantle the ACA, such as backing a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to strike down the federal insurance mandate. His opponents also take issue with Trump allowing the sale of short-term health plans that dont have to comply with ACA regulations, such as the requirement to cover preexisting conditions, and his attempt to defund reproductive care. Trump has also worked to restrict health care access to immigrants and removed protections for LGBTQ people. The concept of having universal health care, or that health care is a human right, is not a hard sell, said Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, a progressive advocacy group whose members are mostly black and Latino families. A recent University of Texas-Austin/Texas Tribune poll found that 70 percent of Texas Democrats prefer universal health care over the current health care system. Tremillo said TOPs members, including nearly 64,000 in San Antonio, endorsed Sanders for president mainly because of his plan to overhaul the health care system. The system as it currently exists does not work and actually denies our communities access to health care, even if they have insurance, Tremillo said. They arent going to the doctor when they are sick. Laura Garcia covers the health care industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her stories and more local coverage on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura Philadelphia police arrested a man late Friday after he allegedly stole a fire department ambulance Medic 49 and led them on a chase back and forth across Northeast Philadelphia. Read more With TV news helicopters following every twist and turn, Philadelphia police on Friday night pursued a stolen ambulance back and forth across Northeast Philadelphia for more than an hour before the vehicle was disabled and the driver was finally arrested. The drama began sometime before 9:20 p.m., when a medic unit responded to a report of a domestic case involving a man in his 40s and a woman at the Roosevelt Inn at 7600 Roosevelt Blvd., said Staff Inspector Sekou Kinebrew. The man allegedly became combative and the medics called police for assistance. When officers arrived the man jumped into the unoccupied ambulance and started driving toward an officer, who then fired four shots and hit the man twice in the left leg and once in the side. The medic vehicle struck the officer and sped away. The officer was taken to Nazareth Hospital to be treated. The ambulance, assigned to Medic 49 at 9197 Frankford Ave., struck two police cruisers and at least one civilian vehicle during the pursuit that was mostly slow-paced but punctuated by bursts of speed, especially when police units got close. At one point, the medic unit appeared trapped by several police cars, and the man opened the driver door and held his hands up. Officers approached him with their guns drawn. But then he suddenly pulled back into the ambulance and sped away. Later, a tow truck driver tried to intervene and block the ambulance, but the medic unit struck the tow truck and took off. The pursuit continued, with the medic unit emitting smoke from its wheels, news choppers overhead, and police vehicles monitoring its progress. Police said there was no one else in the ambulance though initially they believed paramedics might have been trapped inside. At one point, the ambulance T-boned a small sedan, but police had no immediate reports of injuries to civilians. Just before 10:40 p.m., the medic unit, by then with both front tires blown out, possibly from police-deployed spike strips, and riding on rims, stopped in the area of Walnut Hill and Tolbut Streets, after a chase through a small portion of the Northeast. The man, barefoot and wearing only red shorts or boxers, was forced to the ground and handcuffed. He was able to walk to the back of a police wagon and was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital. He was reported in critical condition. As an unprecedented slowdown continues to take a toll on the automobile sector, Tata Motors is shutting down its auto retail business Concorde Motors as part of its plan to exit non-core businesses to focus on profitability. Concorde Motors, a fully-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, has reported loss for the seven consecutive years due to high operating costs and low volume. Concorde Motors posted a loss of Rs 105.69 crore against revenue of Rs 1,215.08 crore during the financial year 2018-19. Currently, the company has dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi. The winding-up process of Concorde Motors is in the final stages and it will be completed before the end of this fiscal year, reported The Economic Times. The company has sold almost all its outlets, except a couple of locations, which too may be executed slowly and gradually, the daily said. "We believe the original goals of setting up Concorde have been met and to enable and drive the next phase of growth, we will move out of the dealership business and focus our resources on our core areas," Tata Motors reportedly said on Saturday. Also Read: Tata Motors, two group firms face CCI probe for dictating terms around vehicle supply "The operations of Concorde are being seamlessly transitioned to other dealer partners in the various cities that Concorde is present in thereby building significant scale to their business while our customers will continue to enjoy uninterrupted excellent service," it added. The year 2019 turned out to be one of the worst years for auto sector as shrinking vehicle sales amid economic slowdown along with a tectonic shift in vehicle technology dented the industry's growth. During December quarter, Tata Motors posted standalone net loss of Rs 1,039.51 crore against a profit of Rs 617 crore in the year ago period, due to decline in domestic sales. The standalone revenue plunged 33 per cent year-on-year to Rs 10,800 crore. Also Read: Tata Nexon-EV first drive review: 5 ways this car opens new doors for e-mobility in India On the consolidated basis, it reported a net profit of Rs 1,738.30 crore, helped by aggressive cost-cutting measures and stronger performance from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The company had posted worst ever quarterly loss of Rs 26,992.54 crore in the corresponding quarter last year due to one-time non-cash charge for asset impairment of its UK subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover at Rs 27,838 crore. By Chitranjan Kumar Over 75 million has been approved to spend on roads and infrastructure in Sligo this year. Councillors on the three Municipal Districts of Sligo Borough, Sligo-Drumcliffe and Ballymote-Tubbercurry signed off on the budgets at their February meetings last Monday week. Key funding agencies include Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) which is contributing almost 55 million and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport which is contributing almost 18 million. Sligo County Council has allocated 1.3 million from its own resources to roads in 2020. Some 40 million - the bulk of the TII contribution - will be spent on the 15km N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin upgrade which is due for completion by mid-2021. The second biggest project in the county has been the N4/N15 Sligo Urban Improvement Scheme which was allocated 6.7 million. It is expected to be finished by the end of September. The Western Distributor Road was allocated almost 4 million and is nearing completion. The N17 Knock to Collooney upgrade was allocated 1.5 million towards the design of route options. A range of feasible route options will be put on public display this summer, with the selection of a preferred route expected by the end of 2021. The Eastern Garavogue Bridge and Approach Roads project was allocated 250,000 this year - construction on that new bridge is expected to start late this year or early 2021. Director of Services Tom Kilfeather told members at all three meetings that one of the major projects being undertaken throughout the county this year is the enhancement of pavements. They intend to spend almost 3.4 million in total; 1.8 million on finishing the 2.5km N15 Creevykeel - Castlegal pavement scheme which is due for completion by April; 1 million on the 3km Cashelgarron - Grange village scheme which is due to start mid-2020 and take three months to complete; 500,000 on two 4km schemes on the N16 between Willowbrook (at Abbvie roundabout) and Barrow and Lugatober to Willbrook near the Leitrim county boundary. Works there are expected to start in Quarter 3 this year subject to design and TII approval. Mr Kilfeather also told members that new pedestrian crossings will be installed at the top of Cleveragh Drive/Road junction and on Clarion Road between IT Sligo and the student accommodation. Other road works in Sligo town this year will include Gallows Hill, Ballast Quay, Kevinsfort Estate, Mount Shannon Road footpaths, the Market Yard, Maugheraboy, Cartron Point, and at the Woodville Court junction off the Strandhill Road to improve sightlines there. In the Sligo - Drumcliffe Municipal District, 25,000 will be spent on Safety Improvement works in Ballintogher and 30,000 in Ballygawley village. Roads in the Ballymote/Tubbercurry Municipal District to be made safer include Gurteen Cross, Riverstown Traffic Calming, Cuan Iosa to Ballymote, Kilglass National School and the R293/R296 junction in Ballymote. Members heard that as part of a nationwide programme, the Council will be spending 730,000 replacing public lights with more energy efficient LED lighting. Councillor Rosaleen O'Grady welcomed the news and asked if a public pedestrian entrance would be created on the Tonaphubble side of the newly extended Sligo Cemetery. Senior Engineer, Declan Noone told Cllr O'Grady that they didn't have sufficient funds to install a pedestrian entrance that side of the cemtery this year but the plans "were there" to allow for one to be installed later. Cllr O'Grady also reminded the Executive that they had made previous commitments to surveying the safety of entrances to houses at the junction of the Western Distributor Road and Strandhill Road. "I'd ask that they be looked at, it's still on the agenda," she said. Cllr Declan Bree agreed with Cllr O'Grady that the new footpath enhancement scheme was "positive news". "I'm sure even our colleagues who aren't present will be pleased with the contents of the report," he told members. Cllrs Tom MacSharry, Chris MacManus and Sinead Maguire sent their apologies to Mayor of Sligo Municipal District Gino O'Boyle that they were unable to attend Monday's meeting. Cllr Thomas Walsh was absent from the Sligo - Drumcliffe Municipal meeting. Where other funding will be spent: Public lights - 730,000 Street cleaning - 517,016 Parks and Open Spaces (Sligo town) - 450,278 Sligo Cemetery - 125,215 Sligo Port - 70,000 Open Spaces (County) - 48,425 Drainage Schemes - 38,250 Piers and Harbours - 37,000 Beach Maintenance - 36,000 Public Conveniences (3) - 30,000 Burial grounds Management (County)- 30,000 Coastal Erosion - 20,000 Burial grounds Maintenance (County - 17 cemeteries) - 17,800 Navigation Lighting - 5,000 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 06:19:58|Editor: yan Video Player Close SKOPJE, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Groups of migrants walking on a main highway in North Macedonia near its northern border with Serbia have been spotted on Saturday after Turkey decided to open its borders for migrants, local media reported. The national TV station Alsat-M broadcasted a video showing groups of migrants walking on the highway near its northern border with Serbia. Both the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense said that they are prepared for a potential new wave of migrants. "The Government is monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with the NATO and EU partners," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Turkey announced on Thursday that it would no longer stop refugees from going to Europe. As Democratic candidates battle to become the selected presidential candidate, some voters may have to dodge stormy and severe weather at the polls. Residents in middle Tennessee are waking up to destruction left behind a deadly tornado -- if they were able to get any sleep at all. And, AccuWeather forecasters warn that more dangerous storms could erupt in parts of the South on Tuesday. "Violent storms shook parts of the South early Tuesday morning and there is the potential for more dangerous conditions through the day on Tuesday and into the evening hours before polls close," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. A tight race is expected this Super Tuesday between U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, reported by the latest polling data aggregated by the website FiveThirtyEight. The Texas results show Sanders has the most support among likely primary voters, according to the Real Clear Politics, but wet weather and thunderstorms in Texas could potentially affect voter turnout and election results. Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and former Vice President Joe Biden, right, participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Gaillard Center, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Research conducted by AccuWeather shows a link between weather conditions and voter turnout, which impacts election results. AccuWeather found that uncomfortable conditions, such as frigid or hot and muggy weather, can deter swing voters in a 2016 analysis of overall weather trends and voting data, utilizing L2 as a resource. Additionally, women were found to be more sensitive to cold conditions than men, and younger voters, aged 18 to 24, have higher turnout rates when the weather is sunny and warm. California, Colorado, Utah Mostly dry and tranquil conditions will prevail across California, Utah, and Colorado as Americans head out to the polls. Story continues "Temperatures will be slightly above normal across California, and some locations in interior parts of SoCal will be in the lower 80s, with 70s across the interior valleys in northern parts," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. Thermometers will show temperatures to be near normal across Utah in the 40s and lower 50s, forecasters predict. "For Colorado, the temperature will be in the low to mid-50s in the eastern part of the state, while 40s and low 50s will be in western Colorado with 30s in the mountains," Roys said. Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont The storm system that is plaguing the mid-Atlantic into the Deep South and southern Plains will begin to move into New England during the afternoon on Tuesday with some rain arriving during those afternoon hours across Massachusetts and southern Vermont. It might be best for voters in that area to arrive at the polls early. "The steadiest rain looks to be across western Massachusetts including Springfield and Pittsfield, while places like Worcester, Boston, Plymouth, Lowel and Rawsonville receive lighter rain," Roys said. However, forecasters said the incoming rain should not impact those going out to vote. It will be dry for those heading out to vote in Northern Vermont into Maine, but there will be limited amounts of sunshine. "It will be mild with temperatures in the 50s to around 60 in Massachusetts. Those lower 50s will extend into southern Vermont into southern and coastal Maine. The rest of Maine and Vermont will be in the mid to upper 40," Roys said. Minnesota Those heading out to vote in Minnesota may need to get out their shovels because snow will spread across the northern section of the state, especially in the northeast including Duluth, Baudette and International Falls, on Tuesday morning. Many locations will see a coating to an inch or two, according to Roys. Untreated paved surfaces will be slippery and could lead to treacherous travel. The rest of Minnesota will be mostly dry with more clouds than sun. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP "Temperatures will be in the low- to mid-30s across central and northern Minnesota, with upper 30s to lower 40s across southern Minnesota including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mankato and Rochester," Roys said. Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia Following a deadly and destructive tornado in middle Tennessee during early Tuesday morning, Nashville, Tennessee, public schools are closed for the day. However, election polling sites at schools were expected to remain open, according to school officials via the Associated Press. Some of the polls have delayed opening by an hour. In precincts that were directly affected by the tornado, voters can vote at Election Commission Offices, according to Jeff Roberts of the Elections Commission. "The risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes has ended for the day in Nashville and much of middle Tennessee but the likelihood of heavy and gusty storms continues for eastern Tennessee as well as Alabama, central Texas, western North Carolina and western and northern Virginia, where voters will take to the polls," Sosnowski said. This radar image taken at 7:35 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, 2020, shows rain in green and yellow and thunderstorms in orange and red. (AccuWeather) "A small number of the thunderstorms in these states can become severe with a remote chance of a tornado," he added. Even in lieu of severe thunderstorms, torrential downpours can repeat and be slow-moving enough to cause street and highway flooding and impair visibility for motorists. Drivers should remember to turn around if they see any flooded roadways. Roads in rural areas that cross or parallel small streams will be at risk for flooding in this situation. Thunderstorms will pummel areas across central and southeastern Texas beginning late Tuesday and continuing through Tuesday night. Voters are encourage to vote early. The majority of Southern Texas will be dry during the day on Tuesday with a mix of sun and clouds. The majority of Oklahoma will be largely dry with more clouds than sun. "Temperatures will be in the 50s across northwestern Texas through northern Arkansas and across the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. 60s will be across central Texas to Virginia, including Tennessee, with 70s across south-central Texas through southern Alabama. Temperatures in the 80s will be confined to southern Texas," Roys said. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI A health care clinic with mostly low-income patients that planned for closure at the end of March has made an about-face and plans to remain open, according to a news report. Dan Oglesby, a former mayor of Muskegon, was recently hired as the new chief executive officer of Muskegon Family Care, according to a press release issued on Friday, Feb. 28. Oglesby told the Muskegon Times that MFC would not be closing after all, and even criticized other medical providers who had pillaged the clinic, according to an article published Friday. When asked if MFC is accepting new patients, a phone operator there on Friday said it was. Were not closing anymore, she told MLive. "We will be open for business. Later Friday afternoon, the following was posted on the Muskegon Family Cares Facebook page: Muskegon Family Care is continuing services, and is accepting new patients. The latest development comes after the clinic terminated about two-thirds of its employees on Friday, Feb. 14, and announced that it would close March 31. It cited complicated financial troubles as the reason for the staff terminations. Since then, multiple state and local organizations have been scrambling to provide new health care homes to an estimated 20,000 patients at MFC. MFC provides medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy services. Muskegon Family Care is continuing services, and is accepting new patients Daniel Oglesby, a current resident of Grand... Posted by Muskegon Family Care on Friday, February 28, 2020 The Michigan State Police has launched an investigation into possible embezzlement by staff at MFC. Terminated employees have sued the clinic, saying they were not provided mandated advanced warning of their job losses and demanding additional pay and benefits. MFC issued a press release on Feb. 17 stating it would provide services until the end of March and would wind down operations and help patients transition to other providers. Nevertheless, Oglesby told The Muskegon Times that Muskegon Family Care did not start that message that it was closing. Further, he criticized the medical community, saying it should be helping MFC rather than pillage it like in a riot. Hackley Community Care CEO Linda Juarez took offense to that characterization, telling MLive it clearly was directed at her organization. Now we become the bad guy when we stepped up after they said theyre closing? Juarez said. Juarez said earlier that her clinic had hired seven displaced MFC patient providers capable of serving nearly 7,000 of its patients. She told MLive on Friday that HCC has enrolled 1,000 patients of MFC who had been told they needed to find new providers. The MFC board previously had wavered multiple times between staying open and closed, Juarez said. Juarez said the MFC board in January had decided to close, only to reverse and say it was remaining open the very next day. They had multiple conversations like that, she said. Oglesby did not immediately return a message from MLive seeking comment. On Thursday, Feb. 27, Muskegon Countys public health director issued a statement saying multiple health, social service, education and other agencies were working behind the scenes to help patients and staff displaced by Muskegon Family Cares closure. We must focus on helping the clients reconnect to a primary care physician, helping the employees connect to other employment opportunities, and helping to assure that that beautiful asset in Muskegon Heights (building) continue to be a community resource/destination even if it is eventually repurposed, Kathy Moore said in the written statement. Moore is the steering council chairwoman for the Muskegon Community Health Innovation Regional Collaborative that was trying to fill in gaps created by what she called this tremendous loss. Oglesby spent 10 years as executive vice president and member of the leadership team of Spectrum Health Systems in Grand Rapids, according to the press release. Oglesby also was mayor and city commissioner in Muskegon for five years from 1983-88. He went on to hold upper level management positions at Dow Chemical, Corporate Express Delivery Systems, Alticor and as senior vice president of human resources at Spectrum Health. MFC had been operated by an interim executive and a new board following the departure of former Chief Executive Officer Sheila Bridges and the board of directors last November. 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. In 2018, nearly 80 percent of the clinics patients were at or below the poverty level, and about 65 percent were eligible for Medicaid, according to the federal Bureau of Primary Health. Read more on MLive: Muskegon Family Care health clinic announces closure, apologizes for misunderstanding Police investigate possible embezzlement from Muskegon Family Care Fired workers lawsuit claims Muskegon Family Care health clinic violated federal law Health clinic takes on majority of medical patients displaced from Muskegon Family Care By Trend The Azerbaijanis were deported from Armenia gradually several times. Contrary to the false statements, the last deportation of the Azerbaijanis occurred before the Sumgayit events, rather than afterwards. While pursuing a thought-out deportation policy, the Armenians attacked the houses of the Azerbaijanis in Uluhanli, the center of the Masis (Zangibasar) district near Yerevan and destroyed stone gravestones on April 24, 1983. In the subsequent years, the Armenians carried out the preparatory plans for deportation both overtly and covertly. As a result of this policy of the Armenians, a group of Azerbaijanis was deported from Armenia before the Sumgayit events in 1988, but this information was hidden from the public. Sixty-five-year-old Imran Namazov, deported from Armenia in September 1988, witnessed these events and in an interview with Trend spoke about the events that occurred before the Sumgayit events. The Azerbaijanis living in Armenia were oppressed in the Soviet period. Saying that even before the Soviet power, his fathers and grandfathers lived in Armenias Amasia region, Namazov stressed that the majority of the Azerbaijanis lived in this region. "There were 29 settlements in this region, Namazov added. In 25 of those settlements, only Azerbaijanis lived, and 30-40 families lived in the rest four Armenian villages. There were about 1,500-1800 families in one Azerbaijani village. Both Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived together in the regional center, the witness added. But the indigenous people of Amasia were Azerbaijanis. Armenians were relocated to this region to take senior positions later. I knew many Armenians who were resettled from Azerbaijan and other countries to Armenia to hold senior positions. Namazov said that until the last deportation, approximately 250,000 Azerbaijanis lived in Armenia, adding that many of them were people with higher education. According to Imran Namazov, Azerbaijanis were oppressed in Armenia even before the 1988 deportation. "There were very few schools with instruction in the Azerbaijani language in Armenia, so Azerbaijanis could not study in their native language. An Azerbaijani who did not speak Armenian could not work at any job, even if he was an academician," Namazov said. Namazov noted that due to the oppression of Azerbaijanis living in Armenia, most of those who studied in other countries did not return to Armenia because they knew that they would not find work there and would encounter problems. Armenians began to oppress Azerbaijanis even more after 1985. The eyewitness to the Sumgayit events added that the oppression of Azerbaijanis in Armenia was always common in Soviet times, but it became more tangible after 1985. "Back in 1985, Academician Abel Aganbegyan raised the issue of Nagorno Karabakh and the importance of its accession to Armenia. In March 1985, after the election of Mikhail Gorbachev as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Armenians became more active in their politics," Namazov said. In his words, they began to oppress highly educated Azerbaijanis who could raise the people, so they were forced to leave Armenia for Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine and other countries. Imran Namazov said that the Armenians beat and insulted the Azerbaijanis in order to intimidate them even prior to the Sumgayit events and the deportation of 1988. "In those years, Azerbaijanis couldn't leave their villages. Sumgayit Armenians hung so many young Azerbaijanis in their own apartments...," he added. Imran Namazov noted that rallies began in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan on Feb. 19, 1988. and the slogans of the rallies were "Armenia without Turks", "Armenia belongs to the Armenians". Namazov noted that after the Sumgayit events, it became impossible for Azerbaijanis to live in Armenia. The Armenians informed the Central Committee [of the Communist party] that they wouldnt be able to live together with the Azerbaijanis, so Karabakh should be annexed to Armenia, said the witness. In support of this, the Armenians committed Sumgayit events on Feb. 27-28, 1988. The Armenians living in Sumgayit moved to those areas of Armenia where the Azerbaijanis lived. Namazov recalls that because of these events, clashes broke out between the Sumgayit Armenians who considered the Azerbaijanis guilty and the Azerbaijanis living in Armenia. After the Sumgayit events, the Soviet government brought in dozens of tanks and military personnel to the Amasia district center, which actually played the role of a catalyst, the witness added. If they saw a conflict between an Azerbaijani and an Armenian, they arrested the Azerbaijani and released the Armenian. After the Sumgayit events, all the Azerbaijanis who traveled to Leninakan (Gyumri city), - children, the elderly - were either beaten or insulted. In short, it was impossible to go there. Namazov added that the Armenians prepared a plan to exterminate about 30,000 Azerbaijanis in the area. Armenians planned an attack on Azerbaijanis living in Amasia in December 1988, said the witness. However, a strong earthquake that occurred on December 7, 1988, prevented the implementation of this plan. The attack was planned for December 8, for which even detachments were created that were entrusted with the task of exterminating all Azerbaijanis. By that time, about 30,000 Azerbaijanis were living in the district. At the end of his story, Namazov noted that local Azerbaijanis had guessed about the impending attack because of the preparatory activities. The Armenians who had close contacts with the Azerbaijanis in the district warned them about these plans. Some Armenians who were close to me said: Leave so that our conscience is clear. The members of the Dashnaktsutyun party are forcing us to shoot those Azerbaijanis whom we know and with whom we have shared the bread, and we will be forced to do so, said the witness. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Amy Klobuchar: More opinions on the 2020 candidate Listen to and read a transcript of the Editorial Boards interview with Klobuchar. Explore columns from Post opinion writers and guests: Just tuning in now? Heres what to know about the 2020 Democratic race. What will happen in the primaries? Play the Post Opinions Simulator to build your own possible outcomes. How are Klobuchar and other candidates faring in the Post Pundit 2020 Power Ranking? Heres the latest installment. Get more information on Klobuchars candidacy and policy positions. Want more on the 2020 elections? See all of The Posts coverage. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 22 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on February 29. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz London: America's top public health agency has told US citizens they should not travel to any part of Italy, in a fresh blow to the country's struggling economy that will also be interpreted as a lack of confidence in efforts to stop coronavirus from spreading across Europe. The number of confirmed cases in Italy rose overnight from 821 to 1128. Eight more people died from the illness, bringing the death toll to 29 in what is the worst COVID-19 cluster outside Asia. Germany had no infections five days ago but the number has now exceeded 60, with many cases linked to people who had been travelling through Italy's affected northern regions. The French government announced it would ban indoor gatherings of 5000 or more people and said 73 patients were being treated for coronavirus. Overall, 14 countries have reported cases with obvious connections to the Italian outbreak. Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram on Saturday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi for giving the go-ahead to the police to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University students union president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in a sedition case of 2016. Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC, Chidambaram tweeted. In its election manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had pledged to scrap the sedition law, arguing that it has been misused and, in any event, become redundant. Earlier on Friday, the BJP claimed that it was public pressure that forced the Delhi government to grant sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in the sedition case. Under public pressure, finally the Delhi government was forced to give permission in the JNU case. For three years, Arvind Kejriwal kept postponing it but he was forced to bend in front of people, Unbion minister Prakash Javadekar said in a tweet. On January 14, 2019, the Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against Kanhaiya and others, including former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya. The police had said the accused led a protest march on February 9, 2016 to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru cession and had supported seditious slogans allegedly raised in the JNU campus that day. Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12, 2016 was released from jail on March 3 that year. Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban granted regular bail by Delhi court on August 26, 2012. The former JNU leader who went on to join the Commuit Party fo India (CPI) in 2018 and unsucessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against Union minister Giriraj Singh, has said the the timing of the permission granted by the Delhi government to prosecute him in the sedition case is suspect. He demanded a speedy trial while responding to the development late Friday night and said the sedition case was created and delayed for political benefit. It is clear that this matter was created & delayed for political benefit. I want a speedy trial in a fast-track court so that the entire country gets to know how a law like Sedition is being misused, Kanhaiyas tweet said. Washington, 29 February 2020 (SPS) - The African Union (AU) is committed to holding a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, said US Senator Jim Inhofe (Republican of Oklahoma), who led a delegation to Africa to discuss, among other things, the "importance of a constant military cooperation continues" in the region. After traveling with Senators Mike Rounds and John Boozman, as well as Representatives Kelly and Tim Walberg to Uganda, Ghana and Mauritania, Jim Inhofe said: "In each country, I have discussed the future of Western Sahara", occupied by Morocco since 1975. For Jim Inhofe, who is also chairman of the Senate Defense Commission, "the African Union (AU) has been clear: Western Sahara should hold a referendum on self-determination. During my meetings over the years, it is clear that a large majority of our partners in Africa support the self-determination of the Sahrawi people." He added: "Over the years, Morocco has spent countless hours and dollars in its lobbying efforts to legitimize its illegal claim in Western Sahara: it is time for the Trump administration to put aside this obsolete mentality and support a democratic referendum." Jim Inhofe has repeatedly expressed concern over the stalemated peace process in Western Sahara. During a visit with fellow senators to the Sahrawi refugee camps three years ago (February 2017), Jim Inhofe was received by President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, as part of the celebration of the 41st anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS The Raptors, tech conferences and Toronto's growing number of attractions are a few of the things that contributed to a record number of visitors to the city in 2019, according to Tourism Toronto. The city's marketing organization estimates 28 million people visited Toronto in 2019, spending a record $6.7 billion $200 million more than in 2018. Andrew Weir, executive vice president of destination development at Tourism Toronto, says these numbers show what visitors can bring to the city financially. "The results we've seen the past year and the decade of sustained growth shows the visitors that come to Toronto inject a significant amount of money into our economy," he said. "That's money that didn't start in our economy and ends up in our economy, circulating through and contributing to over 70,000 jobs in the city." Submitted Weir explains part of the growth is because global tourism has been strong for the last few years, but he says there are specific factors that have Toronto outpacing other destinations, and tech is a big part of it. He notes that conferences bring thousands of visitors to the city, which can result in those people wanting to bring their families back to visit. "The reality is we have over 1,000 major meetings in the city. Over 100 of them involve 1,000 people or more. These are large meetings with people coming from across Canada," he said. "They're staying at hotels, getting around by taxis and shopping." Not just a summer city Tourism Toronto says attracting more people to the city in the winter months is an area they're trying to grow. Over the last few years, Ontario Place has initiated a number of attractions to do just that. In 2017, it launched The Winter Lights Festival, skating in the park and events at the Cinesphere an IMAX theatre. In 2018, Ontario Place partnered with the Aurora Winter Festival. Submitted General manager Nancy Rowland says this year the focus has been promoting their winter programming through February and March. Story continues "I think people are embracing winter outdoor experiences probably in a way they previously haven't in the city, so I think we're going to continue to see growth in winter tourism," she said. Rowland added that social media has played a role in bringing more people outside in the colder months. "There's a really strong creative community and industry in Toronto, which lends itself nicely to some of the winter activities that we're seeing around the city." COVID19 impact Tourism Toronto says it's too early to predict the travel trends for 2020, but it's expected COVID19 will have an impact on the number of visitors coming from China. In 2019, it was Toronto's largest overseas market with 222,200 visitors. "It's hard to know what impact that will have," Weir said. "Visitor numbers from China this year are likely to be down because we've seen such a significant decline in the first quarter." Weir says with the growth the city has seen in tourism over the last decade, he expects visitors from other countries will fill that gap. "That's why it's so important to have a diversified base of business." Angola, IN (46703) Today Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%.. Tonight Mainly cloudy with snow showers around this evening. Low 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%. Mike Pompeo told the hearing the US took the outbreak seriously: Getty Images US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has refused to deny a conspiracy theory that the severity of the coronavirus outbreak is a "hoax", after the White House tried to paint coverage of the disease's spread as a conspiracy to undermine Donald Trump. The president accused his opponents and the media of politicising the virus, adding, This is their new hoax, following the investigation over Russian interference in his election and his impeachment. Challenged to dismiss the suggestions of a ruse, Mr Pompeo repeatedly refused to do so, saying: The State Department is doing everything it can to protect American citizens around the world. "Im not going to comment on what others are saying ... Im just telling you what the secretary of state is doing. Mr Trump and his allies have been accused of increasingly trying to manage the public health crisis to benefit the presidents public image. More than 85,000 people worldwide in nearly 60 countries have come down with the virus, leading to around 2,900 deaths. Sixty-five cases of the virus have been reported in the US. During a hearing of the house foreign affairs committee, Mr Pompeo dismissed the questioning, from Ted Lieu, as a gotcha moment, adding: Its not useful. Asked again, Mr Pompeo said: Were taking it seriously. The exchange followed comments by acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who played down the disease and accused the press of focusing on coronavirus because they thought it would bring down the president. Mr Lieu later tweeted to the president: The 63 Americans with #coronavirus and the families of the over 2,800 dead globally because of coronavirus would disagree with you that its a 'new hoax'. This is not about you. Its a public health crisis. He also accused Mr Pompeo of being too scared to even say coronavirus was not a hoax. But the secretary of state posted that he was deeply concerned by its spread in Iran and the public health risk to the Iranian people and their neighbours. Story continues The US offers our humanitarian assistance to the people of Iran to help unmet needs in their response efforts, he added. Defending his administrations handling of the outbreak, Mr Trump claimed the White House was magnificently organised in fighting it. The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the global spread of the pathogen to very high. Read more Republicans block plans to protect elections from foreign interference By Trend Presenting one of the highest papal awards to Azerbaijans First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva in the Vatican is the recognition of Azerbaijani multiculturalisms victory, head of the Russia-Azerbaijan interparliamentary friendship group, Russian MP Dmitry Savelyev told Trend. The MP noted that only the heads of state or high-ranking statesmen are awarded the Papal Order of Knighthood-Order of Pope Pius IX. During the reception, Pope Francis, not without a reason, noted that Azerbaijan is a model of true tolerance, because the state has long been spreading the values ??of multiculturalism to the world, said Savelyev. The country has created all the conditions for the peaceful coexistence and comprehensive development of numerous ethnic groups, faiths and cultures, and the global Address of Tolerance-Azerbaijan project which is implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, is aimed at restoring and repairing churches and religious monuments. Savelyev added that this applies not only to Islamic shrines. In 2007, the restoration of the Orthodox Church in Baku was carried out as part of the project, and in 2009 the Foundation financed restoration of the stained glass windows of the Strasbourg Cathedral, and in 2013, to the 1,025th anniversary of Russias baptism, a monument to Saint Vladimir was erected on the square in front of the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Astrakhan city at the expense of the Foundation, said the MP. Multiculturalism, based on humanism and universal values, is the historical wealth of Azerbaijan, Savelyev noted. The fact that the Catholic Church, presenting one of the highest awards to Mehriban Aliyeva, recognized the triumph of tolerance in the Muslim-majority state, once again testifies that careful perception of the spiritual values ??of different cultures, mutual understanding and tolerance of people will always be the only true way to expand the areas of harmony and trust among peoples. Unnao rape, murder case: Delhi court defers judgment to Wednesday India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 29: A Delhi court on Saturday deferred to next week its judgment in the murder case of the father of the woman who was raped by expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao three years ago. The rape survivor''s had father died on April 9, 2018, in judicial custody. District judge Dharmesh Sharma deferred the judgment, which will now be pronounced on Wednesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation had examined 55 witnesses in support of the case and the defence examined nine witnesses. The court had recorded the statements of the rape survivor's uncle, mother, sister and one of her father's colleague who claimed to be an eyewitness to the incident. The court had on December 20 sent Sengar to jail for "remainder of his natural biological life" for raping the woman in 2017 when she was a minor. According to the CBI, on April 3, 2018, there was an altercation between the survivor's father and Shashi Pratap Singh. The charge sheet filed on July 13, 2018, said the survivor's father and his co-worker were returning to their village, Makhi, when they asked Singh for lift. Singh denied them the lift, triggering an altercation among them. Unnao rape case: HC refuses to suspend Kuldeep Sengar's jail term, seeks CBI's reply on appeal Singh called his associates, following which MLA's brother Atul Singh Sengar reached the spot along with others and beat up the survivor's father and his co-worker. The survivor's father was subsequently taken to the police station by them and an FIR was lodged against him. He was arrested. The charge sheet said that all this while Kuldeep Sengar was in touch with the district police superintendent and Makhi police station incharge Ashok Singh Bhadauria. Later he also talked to the doctor who examined the survivor's father. The court had earlier framed charges against Sengar, his brother Atul, Bhadauria, sub-inspector Kamta Prasad, constable Amir Khan and six others in the case. The case was transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on August 1. In July, a truck rammed into the car the rape survivor was travelling in with some family members and her lawyer. Two of her aunts died in the incident. She was airlifted from a hospital in Lucknow and brought to the AIIMS in Delhi for better care as she continued to be critical. She has been given accommodation in Delhi and is under CRPF protection. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 15:21 [IST] MILAN -- At the epicenter of Europes worst outbreak of coronavirus to date, daily lives have taken on an eerie, aimless calm. Its at night that the worry takes over. You can hear the ambulances coming and going, and maybe theyre going to sick people who have nothing to do with the coronavirus but it worries you just the same, said Davide Benelli from his home in Casalpusterlengo, a town of around 15,000 in Italys quarantined red zone where the disease broke out a week ago. People in the zone wake up to closed cafes, restaurants and schools; farmers worry that planting should be starting around now. Parents try to keep their children amused with games or jobs around the house, or go on bike rides or drives to break the boredom. As the economic shocks triggered by this paralysis in the countrys northern industrial heartland reverberate across Europe, Italians are still trying to get to grips with how a seemingly isolated case could balloon within days, to bring the eurozones third-largest economy to the brink of recession. Almost 900 coronavirus cases have been confirmed. Authorities have put part of Italys most productive region into lockdown, shut the Venice carnival, one of its main tourist events, and postponed Milans showpiece design fair. Lombardy, the region around Italys financial capital, Milan, sits on the border with Switzerland and is one of the richest and most productive in Europe. Along with neighboring Veneto, the other main area hit by the coronavirus outbreak, it generates around a third of Italys economic output. Economists expect the crisis to tip Italys already struggling economy into recession by the end of the first quarter, with knock-on effects likely to last for months. In Veneto, we have 600,000 businesses and we make 150 billion euros ($165 billion) of GDP per year, if we go into recession, Italy will fail, said Luca Zaia, governor of the region of Veneto. The lockdown, which started on Feb. 23, affects 10 towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto and isolates some 50,000 people from the outside world. Trucks can get in and out with bare essentials, but police roadblocks keep everyone else in. Italys case reveals how vulnerable a Western economy can be to unexpected outside events. The red zone and the region around it is a microcosm of the Italian economy. The area contains everything from warehouses and logistics centers for companies to cheese and dairy processing centers. Local engineering unions say some 6,000 manufacturing workers, mainly those living in the red zone, have been sent home or put on short hours. We are very worried. Well have to wait a couple of months for a reliable estimate of the effects on employment ... but the initial signals are alarming, said Andrea Donega, secretary general of the regional branch of the FIM-CISL union. Banks are taking steps to ensure people can access cash. Banco BPM SpA, one of the regions main banks, has temporarily stopped charging customers from other banks who use its ATMs. The impact is hurting areas of Italy barely touched by the virus. Italys tourism federation, Assoturismo, said up to 90 percent of hotel and travel agency bookings had been canceled in Rome and up to 80 percent in Sicily for March, as school trips and conferences across the country were called off, and foreigners opted for caution. Italian tourism never experienced a crisis on this scale in recent history. This is the darkest moment. Not even 9/11 hit our business so hard, said Assoturismo chief, Vittorio Messina. People queue at a supermarket outside the town of Casalpusterlengo, which has been closed by the Italian government due to a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, February 23, 2020. Photo: Reuters How did it happen? Italians want to know why their country has become the Wuhan of Europe. The first two cases in Italy came to light at the end of January when two Chinese tourists from the city that is ground zero of the deadly disease fell ill during a trip to the country. The couple were immediately put into isolation, everyone they had come into contact with was tested for the virus, and Italys government became the first in Europe to ban all direct flights to and from China, in a bid to halt further contagion. The two Chinese are not believed to have infected anyone else. The system of prevention put into place by Italy is the most rigorous in Europe, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters reassuringly on Jan 31. His confidence was misplaced. On Feb. 21, Lombardy announced that a 38-year-old Italian man, named only as Mattia, from the town of Codogno, 60 km (40 miles) southeast of Milan, had tested positive for the virus. Within a week, 888 people were confirmed to have caught the disease, of whom 21 had died. We were considered to be the country that had adopted the most drastic and fastest preventative measures, said Massimo Galli, head of the infectious diseases department at Milans Sacco hospital, where some coronavirus patients are being treated. But he said the epidemic probably started well before Codogno resident Mattia, dubbed patient one, fell ill. The illness is spread through the air and can leave some people symptom-free while local authorities say about two in 100 develop fatal complications including pneumonia, making it a stealth killer able to infect thousands without their knowing it. When Mattia first showed up in the Codogno hospital on Feb. 18, no alarm was raised about his symptoms because he had not been to China, local officials said. The consequences were dramatic. After spending time in the emergency room that day, surrounded by other sick patients, he decided to return home, the local health authority said. But his condition worsened and he was back in hospital the next day with no protection in place. He was not diagnosed until the night of Feb. 20 and by then he had infected five health workers and at least one fellow patient, besides his pregnant wife and a friend. They in turn spread the disease before going into quarantine. A nurse from the hospital told Reuters on Thursday that he suspected the illness had been circulating days before Mattia arrived seeking help. For at least a week before the first case was discovered, we had observed an abnormal number of pneumonia cases. All these persons were treated and sent back home, he said, asking not to be named. He said confusion reigned in the hours after news broke that Mattia had tested positive. At the beginning [management] kept us in the hospital for 30 hours. Then they told us to go home and place ourselves in quarantine. Eventually, they told us to come back to the hospital, he added. As a result, more health workers than patients were infected in Codogno hospital. The local health agency responsible for the hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Conte has accused the hospital of mismanaging the case and contributing to spreading the virus, saying it did not follow the right protocols. The hospital has said it did, as has Lombardys regional government, which oversees the local health service. It argues that Rome changed its guidelines at the end of January on testing possible coronavirus patients. The new rules said swabs only had to be taken from people with connections to China something that did not apply to Mattia. Prompted by Contes complaint, prosecutors have opened an investigation into the procedures followed by the hospital. It may take many weeks before they reach any conclusions. No one knows who brought the illness to Italys wealthy north: Scientists initially believed the unwitting patient zero might have been a colleague of the Codogno patient who had recently returned from a business trip in China. But he tested negative, leaving no other obvious candidates. Dr. Marino Faccini leads a team of experts in Milan who are tasked with trying to find the source of viral outbreaks. However, after days of plotting possible paths for the infection, he has drawn a blank. We are [now] working to limit the virus and not so much looking for patient zero, whose [illness] dates back quite some time and is difficult to locate, Faccini told Reuters. Members of the Italian Carabinieri wear face masks as they guard the entrance of the red zone of Casalpusterlengo, closed off due to a coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, February 26, 2020. Photo: Reuters Shock waves The authorities have had to strike a difficult balance between ensuring public safety and trying to prevent panic. Only 0.1 percent of the country is involved, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told reporters on Thursday. But local authorities say they have had to impose broad restrictions to prevent the spread of contagion, which would overload the health service to the point of collapse. If this outbreak spreads, hospitals will face a serious crisis, not only for the coronavirus admissions but for all patients, the Lombardy regional government said in a statement on Friday. In the red zone, only strictly necessary services such as supermarkets are open. School children have been doing homework remotely and communicating with their teachers by WhatsApp. The economic shockwaves have been felt across the country, in businesses of all sizes. The area is a rich agricultural producer, with around 500 farms and some 100,000 cattle and pigs. With planting due now, everyone should be working flat out, said Gianpiero Gruppi, who raises pigs and mixed cereal crops in San Rocco al Porto, near Lodi. Instead, two of his farm workers are in lockdown and he and his brother have been forced to do the work of four on their own. I dont know how long well be able to go on like this, he said. The only way to get things in and out is to hand them to police on the checkpoints or leave them to be picked up. Carlo Migli, a dairy farmer near Lodi who has 300 head of dairy cattle, has struggled to get the necessary health checks on milk samples because the nearest testing centers are outside the red zone. If he cant get the checks done, hell have to throw out daily production of 3,000 liters of milk, he said. Local producers worry future sales will suffer as buyers shy away, even though the virus does not affect food safety. Coldiretti, an agricultural lobby group, has already warned that food products from Italy are facing additional sanitary checks in some places. Carlo Cornali, owner of Pasticceria Cornali, a century-old bakery in Codogno which makes a famous biscuit sold locally and beyond, has had to stop production altogether. Just ahead of the normally busy Easter season, he has canceled his own orders to suppliers. We cant do anything because the eggs come from outside the red zone, he said. I dont know when were going to open and if we open, what it will be like, because well have to see the effects of this general psychosis. Hyderabad Police, in collaboration with several private companies, on Saturday organised a 'Job Connect' programme here in which 2700 jobs were offered to unemployed youth of the state. "The Hyderabad City police has been organising 'Job Connect', which is linking opportunities with eligible people. This is being organised as part of our community policing," M Ramesh, DCP East Zone, Hyderabad told to ANI. "Today in the limits of Kachiguda police station, we organised a 'Job Connect' programme in which 2700 jobs were offered to unemployed youth," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UMass Amherst suspended its study-abroad program to Italy following a U.S. travel advisory recommending people avoid travel to the European country. Mark Eckman, director of education abroad, advised students to return home as soon as possible, citing the travel warnings from the Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control recommending people avoid non-essential travel to Italy. Eckman said students should return home no later than March 6. Our highest priority is your health and well-being, he said in a statement issued Friday night. The Italian government has identified 888 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday. At least 21 people have died. Hundreds more have self-quarantined and dozens have been hospitalized because they presented symptoms. UMass Amherst joins several Massachusetts colleges that have suspended study-abroad programs to Italy as the coronavirus spreads in Europe. Assumption College in Worcester and Northeastern University in Boston suspended all school-related travel to northern Italy earlier this week. Endicott College in Beverly offered to pull students from their study-abroad trips. Colleges have also suspended study-abroad programs in China and South Korea, citing coronavirus concerns. Eckman asked students to contact their airlines to request a flight change as soon as possible, noting study-abroad students from other universities will be seeking flights home as well. There will be a high demand for airline seats. Please act quickly, he said. Your safe return home is paramount to us, and we are working with all of our international partners to determine the details, Eckman said. Related Content: Last week, you might have seen that Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:CAR.UN) released its yearly result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 5.0% to CA$56.13 in the past week. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of CA$778m were what analysts expected, Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust surprised by delivering a (statutory) profit of CA$7.51 per share, an impressive 41% above what analysts had forecast. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what top analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. We thought readers would find it interesting to see analysts' latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year. View our latest analysis for Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust TSX:CAR.UN Past and Future Earnings, February 29th 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's four analysts is for revenues of CA$906.1m in 2020, which would reflect a meaningful 16% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to tumble 43% to CA$5.34 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, analysts had been modelling revenues of CA$902.5m and earnings per share (EPS) of CA$3.43 in 2020. There was no real change to the revenue estimates, but analysts do seem more bullish on earnings, given the great increase in earnings per share expectations following these results. The consensus price target was unchanged at CA$59.68, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust at CA$66.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at CA$43.00. This shows there is still quite a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation. Story continues In addition, we can look to Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's past performance and see whether business is expected to improve, and if the company is expected to perform better than wider market. Analysts are definitely expecting Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's growth to accelerate, with the forecast 16% growth ranking favourably alongside historical growth of 8.4% per annum over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 4.6% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust is expected to grow much faster than its market. The Bottom Line The biggest takeaway for us from these new estimates is that the consensus upgraded its earnings per share estimates, showing a clear improvement in sentiment around Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's earnings potential next year. Fortunately, analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - and our data does suggest that Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's revenues are expected to grow faster than the wider market. The consensus price target held steady at CA$59.68, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on analysts' estimated valuations. Even so, the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for the value creation of shareholders. We have forecasts for Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust going out to 2023, and you can see them free on our platform here. You can also view our analysis of Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust's balance sheet, and whether we think Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust is carrying too much debt, for free on our platform here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Citywide Mostly bare shelves at Walgreens at 1496 Market St. | Photo: Juan Lopez Last week, we reported on the ongoing closures of Walgreens locations in San Francisco, with three stores having closed over the past three months. In response, we received multiple tips that the chain's location at Van Ness and Market streets (1496 Market St.) also appeared to be on the verge of closing its doors. A Hoodline reporter visited the store, and confirmed that many shelves were almost or completely empty, with some sections entirely denuded of products for sale. But the official word from Walgreens is that the location is not closing what were seeing is shoplifting. Retail theft has become more prevalent in the San Francisco area, including at this store location," said Walgreens spokesperson Alexandra Brown. "We are currently reviewing additional actions to help curtail and prevent theft, while also striving to balance product inventory and how we can best meet the needs of our customers. Though Walgreens announced last fall that it would shutter 200 stores nationwide as part of a cost-cutting effort, Brown said there are currently no plans to close any other locations in San Francisco or Oakland. However, it is likely that this particular Walgreens will close at some point in the future, regardless of the theft situation. Plans for a 47-story, 520-foot tall tower with residential, office and retail space have been considered for the site for many years, though they're still mired in the approvals process. Outside the Walgreens at 1496 Market St. | Photo: April M./Yelp In the meantime, customers who rely on the Van Ness and Market location say they're concerned. @saulsugarman you should see what is going on at Van Ness/Market Walgreens. Shelves increasingly bare, lots of product crated up. Manager guy claims shoplifting problem, says theyre not closing. But I bet they are closing. Beepity (@cantelopity) February 25, 2020 San Francisco resident Juan Lopez, who works near the store, said he used to grab a drink or something there during breaks. Story continues Upon visiting the store recently, my first thought was someone just cleared house but then I noticed it was almost all of the shelves. Hoodline editor Allie Pape, who has shopped at the store regularly for more than a decade, said this week is the first time she had ever seen the store without a security guard up front. She also noted that one of the glass panels on the store's front door had been smashed in recent days, and covered up with plywood. Somethings always happening there, at Walgreens, added Sebastian Luke, an Opera Plaza resident who also spoke to us about theft in Hayes Valley. They have to call police four times a day. Plywood covers a smashed panel on the pharmacy's front door. | Photo: Allie Pape/Hoodline Earlier this week, we reported on an uptick in vandalism and theft in Hayes Valley, which, like the Walgreens store, is in SFPD's Northern District. According to official data, year-over-year larceny incidents in the Northern District (encompassing Hayes Valley, the Western Addition, Pacific Heights and the Marina) are currently up 16%. So far this year, there have been 1,176 incidents, compared to 1,008 at the same time last year. Larceny incidents also increased in the Northern District from 2018 to 2019. In 2019, there were 8,167 reported larcenies in the district a 9% increase over 2018, when there were 7,496. SFPD spokesperson Michael Andraychak says the department does not have data on the proportion of larcenies at retailers, compared to other businesses and residences. However, he said that the department takes retail theft very seriously. While Andraychak did not comment directly on this Walgreens location, he noted that SFPD has been working with our law enforcement and retail partners to address retail thefts for several years now. He also referred a reporter to the office of SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin, which did not return a request for comment. Larceny rates are up 16% compared to this period last year. | Screenshot: SFPD Crime Data Dashboard Two community meetings in the Northern District have been scheduled to discuss the theft issue, and what can be done. St. Mary's Cathedral (1111 Gough St.), which had nine of its windows smashed last month, will host a meeting to address local break-ins on Thursday, March 12 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the area, plans to attend a public safety meeting at the Korean American Center (745 Buchanan St.) on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. Thanks to Juan Lopez, Sebastian Luke and our other readers for their tips and photos! See something else interesting while youre out and about? Text Hoodline and well try to find out whats going on: (415) 200-3233. Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In a two-to-one ruling, a panel of federal appeals court judges on Friday ordered the dismissal of House Democrats case seeking the testimony of Donald McGahn -- meaning the former White House counsel would not have to appear before a congressional committee. The ruling grants a major legal victory to President Donald Trump. The Justice Department, arguing on the president's behalf, has contended that "the constitution forbids federal courts from resolving this kind of interbranch information dispute." We agree and dismiss this case, the judges wrote in their 88-page opinion. The ruling comes in a case brought by the House Judiciary Committee in August as part of an effort to enforce its subpoena demanding McGahn's congressional testimony about events related to former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation -- after Trump directed him not to comply. In November, a federal district judge ruled that McGahn must comply with a congressional subpoena. But the Justice Department appealed that ruling and, on Friday, won out in the higher court. We are extremely pleased with todays historic ruling from the D.C. Circuit recognizing that the House of Representatives cannot invoke the power of the courts in its political disputes with the Executive Branch," Brianna Herlihy, a DOJ spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Suits like this one are without precedent in our Nations history and are inconsistent with the Constitutions design." She added," The D.C. Circuits cogent opinion affirms this fundamental principle. U.S. Appeals Court Judge Thomas Griffith, in his majority opinion, warned that enforcing the committees subpoena would amount to an overreach by "unelected judges" -- and risk politicizing the judicial branch. "If federal courts were to swoop in to rescue Congress whenever its constitutional tools failed, it would not just supplement the political process; it would replace that process with one in which unelected judges become the perpetual 'overseer[s]' of our elected officials," Griffith wrote. In her dissenting opinion, Judge Judith Rogers argued that the majority's finding may set the stage for future presidents to block oversight requests from the legislative branch with impunity. "The court removes any incentive for the Executive Branch to engage in the negotiation process seeking accommodation, all but assures future Presidential stonewalling of Congress, and further impairs the Houses ability to perform its constitutional duties," Rogers wrote. Congressional Democrats sought a speedy decision by the appeals court in an effort to secure McGahns testimony before the Senate impeachment trial of Trump concluded. The Senate voted to acquit the president earlier this month after voting not to allow witnesses in the case. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. New York (UN), 29 February 2020 (SPS) - Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations, Dr Sidi M. Omar, has drawn the attention of the UN Security Council to the expulsion on Friday of a Catalan delegation from Western Sahara by the Moroccan authorities of occupation, expressing a strong condemnation of this unlawful action, in a letter to H.E. Mr Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, President of the Security Council. Below is the full text of the letter: H.E. Mr Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations President of the Security Council New York, 29 February 2020 Your Excellency, I am writing to report that, on Friday 28 February 2020, the Moroccan authorities of occupation in Western Sahara expelled a delegation from Catalunya, in Spain. Ms Susana Segovia, Mr Ferran Civit, Mr Vidal Aragones, Ms Guadalupe Moreno, Mr Oriol Puig, Mr David Minoves, Ms Gemma Aristoy, and Mr Toni Royo were not allowed to disembark the plane upon their arrival at the airport of El Aaiun, the capital of the occupied Western Sahara, and were immediately expelled from the Territory. The group intended to see first-hand the situation of human rights in the Territory and to meet Sahrawi human rights and civil society activists. On 25 February 2020, the Moroccan occupying authorities also expelled Ms Ana Sebastian Gascon, a lawyer who went to the Territory to attend, as an observer of the Spanish Bar Association, the trial of a Sahrawi human rights activist. I would like to bring to your attention and that of the Members of the Security Council our strong condemnation of this unlawful action, which is another episode of Moroccos continued attempts to keep the occupied territories of Western Sahara off limits to international observers and foreign journalists. As we have alerted on previous occasions, Moroccos repeated expulsions of international observers from the occupied Western Sahara share a common objective, which is none other than to hide the heinous crimes perpetrated by the Moroccan occupying forces against Sahrawi civilians. What makes the situation even more alarming is that all the repressive and terrorising practices pursued systematically by the Moroccan occupying forces against Sahrawi civilians take place under complete media blackout imposed on the occupied Western Sahara. As the UN Secretary-General indicated in his report S/2019/787 of 2 October 2019 (para. 68), Sahrawi journalists, lawyers, bloggers and human rights defenders covering human rights violations in the Territory are harassed and arrested arbitrarily. The UN Secretary-General has repeatedly insisted that impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights situation is necessary to ensure the protection of all people in Western Sahara. It is therefore imperative that the Security Council exert the necessary pressure on Morocco to ensure that UN human rights monitors, and international observers gain full, unfettered and continuous access to the occupied Western Sahara. I would be most grateful if you would bring the present letter to the attention of the members of the Security Council. Please accept, Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration. Dr Sidi M. Omar Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the United Nations (SPS) 062/SPS Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 14:13 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206763c66 1 Science & Tech NH-Dini,author,Google-Doodle,writer Free Indonesian literary legend Nurhayati Sri Hardini Siti Nukatin, renowned as NH Dini, would have turned 84 on Saturday an event commemorated with a Google Doodle. Illustrated by Jakarta-based artist Kathrin Honesta, the doodle has the prolific writer wearing glasses while filling pages upon pages of paper with words. According to Googles Doodle page, NH Dini grew up listening to her mother read stories from local magazines" and later became a famous author whose works mostly focused on gender issues as she was known to resist "the traditional role of women established by Javanese patriarchy". Born in Semarang on this day in 1936, she met her husband Yves Coffin, a French consul to Japan, in the 1950s while working as an Indonesian carrier's flight attendant. During their marriage, the couple enjoyed living in several countries, including Japan, Cambodia, the Philippines, France and the United States, which later inspired her to write dozens of novels, poems and short stories. In 1984, the two separated and Dini later returned to Indonesia, got her Indonesian citizenship back and stayed in Kampung Sekayu, Semarang, where she also established Pondok Baca NH Dini (NH Dinis Reading Hut). Among NH Dini's notable works are Namaku Hiroko (My Name is Hiroko) and Pada Sebuah Kapal (Aboard a Ship). Honesta mentioned the latter as her inspiration when creating the doodle. "This book is often mentioned as one of her best works. The story is about a woman named Sri, who lives an unhappy marriage and falls in love with the captain of a ship. There are theories that explain that Sri is actually N.H. Dini herself. Sri is her real middle name, and the details of the story are so similar to her true life. So, for this doodle, I illustrated NH Dini sitting beside a porthole, as if she was on a ship, writing her memoirs." NH Dini passed away on Dec. 4, 2018, following a car crash at the age of 82. The literary icon was survived by her two children, Marie-Claire Lintang and Pierre Louis Padang. (kes) Delhi policeman Deepak Dahiya at whom a suspect pointed a gun during the violence in Maujpur area, said that he tried to scare him with his stick but he fired and fled away. IMAGE: A protester brandishes a pistol during clashes between a group of anti-CAA protesters and supporters of the new citizenship act, at Jafrabad in north-east Delhi. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo "I saw him running towards me, I tried to scare him by showing my stick. He got distracted and fired one round of bullet towards the opposite road and fled from there," Deepak Dahiya said. Shahrukh, the suspect who opened fire at police personnel during violence in North-East Delhi on Monday, has not been arrested, clarified Delhi Police sources on Thursday. SEE: Cop explains how he controlled Shahrukh, man who pointed gun at him On Monday, the police had identified the man in a red T-shirt, who had opened fire at the police, as Shahrukh. According to the sources, the search for Shahrukh is still underway. At least 42 people, including a police Head Constable and Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma, have died while around 250 people sustained serious injuries in the violence that raged for three days in the North-East areas of Delhi. OXON HILL, Md. Donald J. Trump was still a New York businessman when he was booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2015 after he proposed fighting ISIS with troops on the ground in the Middle East. Flash forward five years, and there was no room at the annual conservative conference this week for booing of anything related to President Trump, including the procession of his adult children and their spouses who appeared here on Friday to bash socialism and make the case for his re-election. CPAC has been transformed from a gathering of libertarians where establishment Republicans mingled with fringe conservative activists into a stage for Mr. Trump and his top advisers and allies to road-test winning messages for the campaign trail. Republicans not on board with defending the president and his agenda, like Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, were disinvited from the conference this year. We need a CPAC full of happy warriors ready to deploy across the country! Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee announced from the stage on Thursday, reminding the audience to make certain we have four more years of President Donald Trump! New Delhi: Scenes of devastation after the riots in North East Delhi's Khureji Khas, on Feb 29, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi: Scenes of devastation after the riots in North East Delhi's Khureji Khas, on Feb 29, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Feb 29 : The Border Security Force on Saturday came to the rescue of its trooper Mohammad Anees, whose house was torched in this week's violence in the national capital, promising him that the force would repair the house and offer financial aid. BSF DIG Pushpendra Singh Rathore visited Anees' gutted house in Khajuri Khas area, where nine other houses were also torched by angry mobs on Tuesday. Rathore assured the family that arrangements would be made to bring Anees to Delhi. Anees is in Bhubaneswar. Speaking to IANS, Rathore said, "We will completely repair the house and we will also give him financial aid. We are calling the boy for a Delhi posting till the time he is comfortable here. We will help him in getting financial aid from the state government." Mohammad Munees, father of Anees, thanked IANS for covering his story on Thursday when his family members were trying to recover whatever they could from their burnt house. IANS had reported the story on Thursday with Mohammad Ahmed and Anees's cousin Gulsher, who narrated what they had gone through in one of the deadliest clashes in decades in the national capital. Mohammad Ahmed had on Thursday said that his house was torched in Karawal Nagar's Khajuri Khas area and that it was the timely intervention from the locals that saved his and his family's lives. "Some locals after seeing the smoke went to the rooftop with water pipes to douse the flames. Even as they did it, the gas cylinder in the house of his neighbour Mohammad Iliyas exploded and the balcony of the top floor collapsed," he said. "Then some other locals and policemen opened the doors of our homes and brought us out and took us to a safer place," he said. The clashes broke out on Sunday between groups for and against the controversial new citizenship law. In the three days of clashes since then, hundreds of vehicles, shops and homes were gutted in the violence. The residents have questioned the role of Delhi Police over its inaction. (Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in) Amaravati: Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani had a two-hour-long meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter's residence here on Saturday, where industrial development in the state and investments were discussed. In a late-night release, the CMO said the Chief Minister discussed with Ambani, Reliances partnership in the state governments schemes in the education and health sectors. The Chief Minister explained the 'Naadu-Nedu' (then and now) programme taken up by his government to improve infrastructure in schools and hospitals. Accompanied by his son Ananth Ambani and Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, Mukesh arrived by a special flight from Mumbai and was received at the Vijayawada airport by YSR Congress MP V Vijayasai Reddy. They then drove to the Chief Minister's residence at Tadepalli where Jagan and his wife Bharati welcomed the industry moghul and felicitated him. "The Chief Minister and Ambani held talks for more than two hours. Issues like industrial development in the state and investments were discussed at length," the CMO release said, without further details. At last I can see signs of life in the Congress! Having lain inert for months, its starting to twitch. Unless Im horribly mistaken, the dormant giant is stirring itself out of slumber. If it actually stretches, raises its head and attempts to stand up, that can only be good news. Now, you cant have failed to notice how a succession of Congressmen have started expressing concern about the state of the party and suggesting what needs to be done. Some have spoken before, like Shashi Tharoor and Abhishek Singhvi. Others have darkly hinted at why the Congress hasnt appointed a successor to Rahul Gandhi. Sandeep Dikshit claims that senior leaders are scared in case the job goes to a rival. They prefer the continuation of an interim arrangement. But none has been so clear and comprehensive as Manish Tewari. First, he disagrees with Tharoor and Dikshit that the Congress needs to immediately elect a new president. Theres an overwhelming consensus in Congress that we need Sonia as president for the foreseeable future, Tewari said in a recent interview he gave me for The Wire. Having steered the Congress to two election victories, she has the skills to tackle the present crisis. According to him, the majority of Congress Lok Sabha members of Parliament (MPs), general secretaries and working committee members agree. He says this is also true of the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India. The only people he cant speak for are the Congress Rajya Sabha MPs. Second, Tewari says that the really urgent task is to amend the partys philosophy so that it is in sync with the needs of the country on critical issues. The ones he has identified are secularism, nationalism, entitlement and privilege as well as the Congress economic thinking. He says it needs to convene a series of Pachmarhi-style conclaves for this purpose. The process could take a year or more. Sonia must continue till it is completed. Tewari believes theres a need to go back to the original constitutional definition of secularism as a strict separation between church and State. Over the years, its been reinterpreted as sarva dharma sambhav in the mistaken belief secularism is part of a 1,000-year-old Indian tradition. He insists its not. He says its an import from the West, deliberately introduced into the Constitution by BR Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru. The problem with sarva dharma sambhav is that it dilutes secularism, and thus permits a slide towards the majoritarian positions of the Right. Only the restoration of the original interpretation can stem this descent. On nationalism, Tewari says the challenge is to define a concept which is different to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s Hindutva-based vision but also more appealing. He suggests this can be done by borrowing and building on Barack Obamas concept which is defined by the phrase Together we are one. Tewari believes there is a general revolt in the country, especially in the youth, against entitlement. The Congress has to respond to this. He suggests it should start by distinguishing between entitlement and legacy. The Pilots, Scindias, Deoras and Chidambarams are products of legacy, not entitlement. The Congress must articulate this and convince the country. However, its on how the Congress economic philosophy must change that Tewari is most forthright. The party ushered in economic liberalisation in 1991, but continued with socialist rhetoric for the next three decades. Consequently, theres a huge mismatch between the economic policies it implemented and the language it speaks. This must be bridged if the Congress is to appeal to millions of young Indians who are aspirational. Im not sure how many Congressmen will endorse Tewaris views although he makes a lot of sense. Whats more important is that his comments are an undeniable sign that the Congress is awakening and attempting to revive. I only hope this sleepyhead doesnt doze off again. Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Millett, who worked as an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1999 and 2013, doing HIV research, said the CDC later determined that Indianas outbreak resulted in infections that will amount to $100 million in health care costs expenses he said could have been reduced or avoided by a quicker response. Steven Thrasher, a Northwestern University journalism professor who has studied Indianas outbreak as part of his research into HIV and LGBTQ health issues, said Pence's response as Indiana governor raises real questions about whether hes the best person to helm the response to the virus. Thrasher said that while HIV cases were mounting in Scott County which lies about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Louisville, Kentucky Pence told local officials wondering whether he would approve a needle exchange that he was going to pray on it. His background shows that he brings religion, a lack of science and a budgetary mindset to public health matters. In a time of emergency, those are not the safest ways to be approaching what could become an epidemic," Thrasher said. File photo of Hamburg, Germany. (Photo: AFP/ODD ANDERSEN) The district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia said it had to take the step of keeping around 1,000 home as an infected couple had participated in carnival celebrations in mid-February. Schools and kindergartens were also shut in the district until Monday as the number of cases linked to the cluster reached 20. In Hamburg, parents and children who were in contact with an infected employee at a university clinic have also been ordered to stay home for 14 days. With cases now detected across several further German states including Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria, Health Minister Jens Spahn said this week that Europe's biggest country was "at the beginning of a coronavirus epidemic". The government has ordered local authorities in the country's 16 states to update their pandemic readiness plans. It also from Thursday began requiring travellers arriving from China, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy to provide contact details in case their movements had to be traced over possible infections. Authorities are also poised to decide if international travel fair ITB is to be cancelled days before its scheduled opening in Berlin. Its lunchtime on this weeks episode of A Million Little Things and by that we mean pretty much all the action takes place over a meal at Ginas and Delilahs restaurant. Sound appetizing? Then lets get stuck in. We kick things off with Delilah attempting to confront Sophie about the drugs Gary found in her sleeping bag last episode. When Sophie gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks her mom wants to talk about sex, the teen blurts out that shes been thinking about going on birth control. Ds day just got way more complicated! When she gets to the restaurant, she sends Sophies boyfriend Jake to do inventory upstairs so he cant spend time with Sophie when she gets there for her shift. Her plan is thwarted, however, when Jake is sent home sick and Sophie switches her shift so she can take care of him. Gary thinks theyre having sex so D gets Jakes address from the office and goes to his place. When she gets there, Sophie answers the door, but something is actually wrong with Jake. They take him to the hospital where he has to get his appendix out. While they wait, Sophie tells her mom that Jake has told her he loves her and Sophie feels the same way. She wanted to tell her mom, but things have been weird between them so she thought she might not want to know. Soph tells D that she wants to be responsible about sex so something like the Charlie situation doesnt happen with her. Damn, Soph! Anyway, Delilah is happy she can be a role model for not-making-bad-mistakes or something. Sophie asks D if she loved Eddie. D says she did but realizes they were both lost and leaned on each other and it was a mistake. Sophie says shell take time to think about sex before she has it because its a big decision. Then D asks about the drugs and Sophie looks confused or maybe guilty? But theres no explanation. WAIT, WHAT? Anyway, back to lunch at the restaurant. Gary has a new freelance job but that means hes working from home. After talking to himself for too long, he decides he needs to get out of the house and heads to the restaurant to work there. It just so happens that Maggie is also heading to the restaurant for a date with a man shes met on an app. When Maggie realizes Garys there, she tries to move her date elsewhere but he doesnt respond to her messages. Deciding the mature thing is to be honest with Gary and ask him to leave, she heads out to talk to him. They chat and hes good-natured about it and decides, since theyre pals now, its fine for him to stay. Maggies date is late and Gary jokes around with her, but she grows upset. The whole thing is made worse for her by the fact shes been humiliated in front of her ex. She gets ready to leave and Gary comes back over to apologize, admitting a small part of him was hoping her date would go horribly wrong. Just then, Gina appears at the table with a bottle of wine. Apparently, Maggies date called, apologized and asked Gina to bring it over. Garys all, actions speak louder than words, but Maggie suspects it was Gary who bought it. He denies it and instead lets Gina take the fall. Realizing Gary wants her to pretend it was all her idea, she goes along with it. While Maggie grabs her coat, Gina tells Gary he shouldve been honest and told Maggie how he feels, but he says its clear Maggie only wants to be friends and he cant put himself out there again. Before she leaves, Maggie tells Gina that part of her wishes the wine was from Gary. WILL THESE CRAZY KIDS JUST WORK IT OUT ALREADY! Story continues Also, at the restaurant: Eve is there for her shift when Rome receives a call from that hot-shot actor whos interested in appearing in his movie. Rome immediately stresses about his shirt and cancels his lunch plans with his dad so he can meet Isaac instead. Romes pops shows up at the restaurant regardless and embarrasses Rome in front of Issac by dissing one of his movies. It doesnt matter that much because Isaac is super distracted throughout the entire meeting anyway, taking other calls and selfies with fans. They eventually get down to talking about the movie and the theme of depression and it dawns on Rome that hes being unfair to his father, who is clearly suffering since the death of his wife. Rome gets up and blows off the rest of the lunch to run after his dad and convince him to come have a beer with him, and also to see a therapist soon. Later, Issac calls Rome and when Rome tries to say sorry for running off, Isaac tells him not to apologize for having his priorities in order. He wants to make the movie hes fully in. Rome and his dad celebrate with a drink at the bar where they strike up conversation with a random dude and who does that random dude turn out to be? None other than Eves abusive ex, Derek. When Eve spots him she freezes but its too late, he sees her too. He comes over and hugs her and is excited to see shes pregnant. Gina wants to call the cops, but Eve subtly tells her she needs to go with him and convince him to sign the parental consent form so the adoption can still go through. Rome and Gina reluctantly let her go with him. A TERRIBLE IDEA, IM SURE YOULL AGREE! The only person not having lunch at the restaurant is Eddie because hes stuck making a pretty generic-sounding pop song with Dakota at the studio. The head of the label stops in on their session and says hes impressed with her demo, but when they offer to let him hear what theyre working on now, he blows them off. Later, he calls with notes for the song and Dakota is upset with how many changes he wants to make and fights back. Eddie is more appeasing and she blows up at him for not being on her side. She doesnt want to be used, controlled, or changed. (Also, her real names Christine, shes just from North Dakota and is determined to impress everyone who didnt believe in her back in her N.D. small town.) Despite the fact that Dakota told Eddie hes irrelevant, he goes to bat for her, convincing the label head to give her another chance despite her bad attitude. He then tells Dakota he believes in her and theyre going to make the album she wants to make. They go back to the studio and record a new song about moving on. GET IT, CHRISTINE! Related content: Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images The Democratic Partys nomination process remains an undemocratic spectacle, and not just in its privileging of unrepresentative rural states staging inscrutable quasi-electoral rituals. Theres also the antiquated reliance on potentially narrow pluralities in overpopulated races (looking at you, Tom Steyer) to declare the winner of each of these compromised contests. San Francisco is an unlikely place to find a foil for the Democratic nominations leftward lurch, but the citys ranked-choice, instant-runoff voting is a potential prescription for tempering the strangest effects of crowded, first-past-the-post primaries. While ranked-choice voting is often disparaged by hidebound traditionalists and the mathematically anxious, there is evidence that it would have prevented Donald Trumps plurality-driven emergence from the last cycles oversubscribed Republican field. Bernie Sanders early, indecisive victories this year raised similar questions about whether the socialists support is as broad as it is fervent. ST. PAUL A pair of bills making its way through the Minnesota Legislature has divided a tenant's rights group and an association for property managers. One would require landlords to give their lessees more notice when filing for eviction. The other would make it easier for evicted renters to wipe their court records clean. Both are supported by Home Line, which offers free and low-cost legal resources to Minnesota, and opposed by the Minnesota Multi Housing Association, a statewide trade group. In a recent interview, Home Line executive director Eric Hauge said that the bills could help level what some see as an uneven playing field. But, if enacted, they would be a burden for responsible landlords, according to Multi Housing Association president Cecil Smith. "There are undoubtedly people who are poor and deficient operators," Smith said recently. "But most professional managers take their customer service and the product they deliver very seriously." ADVERTISEMENT House File 1972 would require landlords to send written notices to their tenants at least 14 days before they can file for eviction in court. In theory, that would give renters more time to work out a solution with their landlords and even seek legal help. According to Home Line, Minnesota is one of only seven states that does not require such notices to be sent. Tenants in Minnesota, meanwhile, are required to provide a 14-day notice to their landlords before they can be sued for failing to repair rented property. While Hauge said that many landlords in the state already provide the notices on an informal basis, "theres a difference between being regulated and being obligated to provide such a notice." The bill has yet to make it out of the state House committee on Housing Finance and Policy, where it was referred to after being introduced last year. But H.F. 1511, also introduced last year, passed out of the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law committee on Monday, Feb. 24. The measure, which has not yet been taken up for a vote, would make it easier for people to expunge prior evictions listed on their court records, which can make it difficult to obtain rental housing. It would require future eviction cases that were dismissed or didn't result in an eviction judgement to be sealed, and mandate evictions more than three years old to be tossed. Smith said the pair of bills poses a headache to landlords for several reasons. For one thing, he said, eviction is a last resort that property managers pursue only when all other efforts to resolve tenant conflicts have failed. That is partly because it is expensive: it costs $350 to file for eviction in Minnesota, not including other legal fees. Adding another two weeks to the eviction process with written notices, Smith said, would needlessly delay a seldom-used procedure that is painful for all parties involved. "Were not dispassionate people about this," Smith said. ADVERTISEMENT Obscuring court records, Smith said, would also weaken the ability of property managers to screen out potentially irresponsible tenants. Still, nearly 18,000 eviction cases were filed in Minnesota in 2019, according to the state Court Information System. And that number has remained about flat for roughly the past 10 years, according to data from Princeton University's Eviction Lab project. Of the cases filed in 2019, about 6,700 judgments resulted in eviction. Evictions in Minnesota in 2019 Together, the bills strike at what Hauge said is a power balance that favors property owners and managers. Smith said he disagrees, and that talk of a power dynamic serves mostly to politicize landlord-tenant relationships. Little action has been taken on the versions of the bills introduced in the state Senate last year. Rep. Hodan Hassan, the primary sponsor of the House versions, could not immediately be reached for comment. A Moroccan man has been chucked out of Spain and banned from returning for 10 years for committing a violent robbery in Palma in 2019. The court heard that the defendant approached the victim from behind in Carrer de Sant Josep de Muntanya in Palma on September 1, grabbed the man by the neck and punched him several times in the face until he fell on the ground, then hit him and dragged him along the street before snatching the his wallet. The suspect made a run for it when several passersby saw what he was doing but National Police Officers managed to catch him. He was given three years in prison for a crime of robbery with violence but the judge substituted the sentence with temporary expulsion from Spain. "You are expelled from Spain, you can go wherever you want," the magistrate said when the defendant asked if he had to go back to Morocco. The victim suffered several injuries to his face and neck and his elbows and knees were badly grazed during the attack. Tim Cook says he's "very optimistic" China is getting the novel coronavirus under control. Speaking to Fox Business on Thursday, the Apple CEO said the company was reopening factories and ramping up iPhone production. China is a key country for Apple, with so many iPhones manufactured in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou that it's nicknamed "iPhone city." Apple warned earlier in February that it would not meet its March revenue targets thanks to a production slowdown and China store closures. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple CEO Tim Cook. Axios on HBO/YouTube Tim Cook says he's "very optimistic" China is getting the novel coronavirus under control. Speaking to Fox Business on Thursday, the Apple CEO cited reductions in the numbers of new cases being recorded in the country. He said: "It feels to me that China is getting the coronavirus under control. I mean, if you look at the numbers, they're coming down day by day by day. So I'm very optimistic there." Although the number of cases of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the virus) has surged in other countries, notably Italy and Iran, China appears to be witnessing a decline. The World Health Organization's director-general said Monday that according to a team of WHO-led scientists who visited China the epidemic in China peaked and plateaued between January 23 and February 2 and has been declining steadily since then. Cook also discussed how Apple's supply chains are coping in the wake of the coronavirus, claiming the company is in "the third phase of getting back to normal" as many of its factories have reopened. Apple warned earlier in February that it did not expect to hit its March revenue targets due to the coronavirus, due to slower production and China store closures. "On the supplier side, we have suppliers everywhere," Cook told Fox. "[The] iPhone is built everywhere in the world. We have key components coming from the United States; we have key parts that are in China, and so forth. When you look at the parts that are done in China, we have reopened factories. Story continues "So the factories were able to work through the conditions to reopen; they're reopening... So I think this is sort of the third phase of getting back to normal, and we're in phase three of the ramp mode." China is a key country for Apple in terms of part supply and production. So many iPhones are manufactured at a Foxconn factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou that it's nicknamed "iPhone city." Although Cook didn't touch on this in Monday's interview, Foxconn which is the world's biggest iPhone manufacturer is reportedly offering workers bonuses of more than twice their monthly salary to entice them to come work in the company's gradually re-opening factories. Business Insider By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali Feb 20 (Reuters) - In the wee hours of Jan. 8, Tehran retaliated over the U.S. killing of Irans most powerful general by bombarding the al-Asad air base in Iraq. Among the 2,000 troops stationed there was U.S. Army Specialist Kimo Keltz, who recalls hearing a missile whistling through the sky as he lay on the deck of a guard tower. The explosion lifted his body - in full armor - an inch or two off the floor. Keltz says he thought he had escaped with little more than a mild headache. Initial assessments around the base found no serious injuries or deaths from the attack. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, "All is well!" The next day was different. My head kinda felt like I got hit with a truck, Keltz told Reuters in an interview from al-Asad air base in Iraqs western Anbar desert. My stomach was grinding. Keltz, who said he had concussion symptoms for days, is among 109 soldiers diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries in the wake of last months attack, a figure that has steadily risen as more troops report symptoms and get medical screening. Reuters interviewed more than a dozen officials and soldiers and spoke with brain-injury specialists to assemble the most comprehensive account so far of the nature of the soldiers injuries and how they sustained them. The slowly rising casualty count underscores the difficulty in detecting and treating what has become one of the most common injuries in the U.S. military during two decades of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where U.S. troops face roadside bombs, rockets and mortars. More than a week after the attack, on Jan. 16, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was made aware that soldiers had suffered brain injuries from the missiles, the Pentagon said. That day, the Pentagon reported that an unspecified number of troops were treated for concussive symptoms and 11 were flown to Kuwait and Germany for higher-level care. On Jan. 22, Trump said that he "heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, prompting criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and a U.S. veterans group that the president was underplaying the casualties from the attack. Story continues "I think it was unfortunate to use those words," said Republican Representative Richard Hudson, who represents Fayetteville, North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg that includes the Army's Special Operations Command. The White House declined to comment for this story. A DIFFERENT CLASS OF WOUNDS The U.S. military has long treated brain injuries as a different class of wounds that do not require rapid reporting up the chain of command, unlike incidents threatening life, limb or eyesight. Since 2000, nearly 414,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, according to Pentagon data. The number is likely higher because the Pentagon only counts as one injury cases where a soldier suffers brain trauma in multiple incidents. U.S. troops operating drone flights appeared to have suffered the most brain injuries during the attack on al-Asad, said Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Garland, who was on the base at the time. Many worked near the air strip, he said. Like Specialist Keltz, who was manning a guard tower, the drone pilots had been assigned to watch for a possible ground attack. "Those drone pilots, they're the ones that took the brunt of the TBI cases," said Garland, who as commander of Task Force Jazeera oversees more than 400 soldiers. The number of troops diagnosed with brain injury from last months attack was expected to stabilize near the current count, one U.S. official said. Less than 10 were now being monitored with possible TBI symptoms, the official said. The total U.S. military count, however, excludes civilian contractors on the base at the time, many of whom have since departed. Some U.S. troops also suffered from anxiety-related symptoms after the attack, including sleeplessness and, in at least one case, a sustained high heart rate, according to interviews with soldiers and officials. However, they could not provide a specific number. The Pentagon categorizes brain injuries as mild, moderate, severe or penetrating. The vast majority of injuries are classified as mild, as were all of the injuries reported from al-Asad. STANDING GUARD Garland, the commander, said he was taken aback when he learned of U.S. intelligence indicating that Iranian missiles would strike within hours. He immediately found a base map and started sizing up the best options to shelter his troops. He recalled old bunkers on the base built during the era of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator toppled by U.S.-led forces in 2003. But the bunkers wouldnt hold everyone. Some would need to disperse, taking cover in armored vehicles driven away from targets. Others in Garlands unit -- including Specialist Keltz --would need to stand guard to watch for additional attacks beyond the expected missiles. Keltz said he and a fellow soldier were already manning a tower when First Sergeant Larry Jackson came to them, explaining the intelligence and giving them their orders. "What I need you boys to do is to lay down on the ground when the impacts happen - and then I need you to jump right back up and man those guns, Jackson said in an interview, recounting his instructions to Keltz and other soldiers at the base. As the Iranian missiles streaked through the night sky toward the base, their engines glowed orange - like the ends of lit cigarettes, Garland said. The glow was all that Garland could see in the darkness before scrambling back into a bunker. Then came the blasts. At least eleven missiles struck the base, destroying housing units made from shipping containers and other facilities. "Every explosion I heard, I was thinking, OK, that's a number of people that have just lost their lives," he said. But initial checks after the attack showed nobody was killed or obviously injured, despite massive devastation to the base. Word got back to Washington. Just before 6 a.m. in Baghdad, Trump tweeted an update: "Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good!" FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS On the ground at al-Asad, U.S. Army Major Robert Hales, a doctor who is deployed to al-Asad, defended the initial reports of no injuries. "Everyone here did not have any outward physical injuries, he said in an interview. There were no lacerations. There's no shrapnel wounds." Such silent injuries take time to manifest, he said. Injury figures kept climbing in the weeks after the attack. What began as at least 11 cases grew to 34 about a week later. On Jan. 22, Trump made his controversial comment, referring to the injuries as headaches. The Veterans of Foreign Wars demanded an apology for Trump's "misguided remarks". A week later, on Jan. 28, the toll of brain injuries climbed to 50. In early February, Reuters was the first to report that the count had surpassed 100. The brain injuries sustained in the Iranian missile attack are fundamentally different than those that have typically resulted from past attacks, brain-trauma specialists said. Thats because the al-Asad bombing was more intense than typical quick-hit, single-explosion attacks: The explosions came in waves and lasted more than an hour. When a roadside bomb goes off in Afghanistan, head wounds are often visible. In insurgent bomb blasts, shrapnel or other flying debris can cause brain injuries upon impact. But the damage from large pressure waves from a major blast - like the ones at al-Asad that Specialist Keltz felt - often take more time to diagnose. Marilyn Kraus, director of the Traumatic Brain Injury program and concussion clinic at George Washington University, said troops may minimize or underreport their symptoms initially. Others may not show symptoms until much later in part because their injuries are initially masked by the adrenaline rush that comes with combat. "Some of these things can fall into the cracks initially," said Kraus, who previously served as medical director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Consult Section at the Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. In the short term, mild traumatic brain injury can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness and confusion, while longer-term effects can include chronic headaches, mood changes and dizziness, Kraus said. Repeated head injuries can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain degeneration disorder that some researchers have linked to suicidal thoughts, substance misuse and depression, she said. Hales, the Army doctor, cited research within the past six months showing in animal models that signs of damage to the brain can increase in the weeks after a blast. At al-Asad, soldiers started showing symptoms such as headaches or a "foggy feeling days after the attack, Hales said. The symptoms often persisted. "That's the reason why you saw a huge delay in identifying the injuries, he said. That prompted us to re-screen pretty much the whole population of al-Asad." (Stewart and Ali reported from Washington. Editing by Brian Thevenot and Jason Szep) RED WING A woman faces felony charges after police executed a search warrant of her Greenwood Street residence and found a juvenile reported missing for nearly a month. Marisela Marie Prantner, 35, was arrested Feb. 26 on charges of causing or contributing to a child being a runaway and refusal to return a minor child to a parent or legal guardian, both felonies. She also faces gross misdemeanor charges of fifth-degree drug possession and introducing contraband to jail. Authorities said an anonymous tip helped investigators discover the whereabouts of 16-year-old Ryanna Alms, reported missing Feb. 4. The teenager was found in a crawl space in the Greenwood Street residence and appeared to be unharmed, according to a Red Wing Police Department statement. In an email Friday to the Republican Eagle, the teenager's mother thanked law enforcement and the community for helping bring her daughter home safely. "The love and support that was shown throughout the entire community was absolutely astonishing," Cassie Alms wrote in the email. "Please trust that nothing went unnoticed." ADVERTISEMENT Because no single person provided information that led authorities directly to the teenager's location, Cassie Alms said a cash reward offered by the family will go to supporting her daughter, with any remainder donated to organizations that help find missing children. According to a criminal complaint: Red Wing police learned of two residences where a missing juvenile might be found, one of them on Greenwood Street. Officers spoke with Prantner on Feb. 5 and searched the residence except for Prantner's bedroom closet. Prantner reportedly told the officers a dog was inside the closet and, while the dog wasn't aggressive, she didn't want the officers to open it. A few days later, the juvenile's mother received a text message claiming the sender kidnapped her daughter and demanded a $7,000 ransom. Red Wing police then contacted the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance. Officers returned to the Greenwood Street residence but said they were denied entry. A search warrant was then attained, though the juvenile was still not found. After receiving permission to access the juvenile's school email account, investigators discovered someone was accessing her Snapchat account from an online IP address associated with the Greenwood Street residence. Based on that information and another tip, authorities got yet another search warrant for the residence. This time officers searched the upstairs bedroom closet where, again, Prantner stated her barking dog was located. Officers moved an empty dresser inside the closet and found a doorway to what appeared to be a bedroom where the missing teenager was found safe. Prantner was arrested and transported to the Goodhue County Jail. Upon arrival, a clear vial containing one pill identified as oxycodone hydrochloride, a controlled substance was allegedly found on Prantner's person. ADVERTISEMENT Prantner told investigators she didn't know the juvenile was staying in the residence, according to the complaint. Prantner made her first appearance in Goodhue County Court on Feb. 28. Her bail was set at $20,000 with no release conditions. Both felony charges carry a maximum sentence of two years and a $4,000 fine. Red Wing police in a statement thanked Goodhue County Sheriffs Office, Goodhue County Child Protection Services and the community for assistance in the search. Need help? The National Runaway Safeline offers 24-hour crisis support for youths at risk of running away, those who have run away or are homeless as well as their families. Services include three-way conference calls with youths and their parents or guardians. The hotline can be reached at 800-RUNAWAY, www.1800runaway.org or by texting 66008. Afghans expressed unease and cautious hope about a historic deal signed Saturday that aims to have all foreign forces leave Afghanistan within 14 months in exchange for Taliban guarantees, with many people doubting the insurgents' intentions. The agreement inked in Doha sets out a timetable to end America's longest war, which has cost tens of thousands of lives, in return for a commitment by the Taliban to refuse sanctuary to jihadist groups such as Al-Qaeda and hold negotiations with the Kabul government. War-scarred Afghans have long sought an end to the onslaught of bombings and airstrikes over the past 18 years, but as the accord was signed many said they feared what comes next. "I believe the Americans have been stranded here and with this deal they are looking for a way to flee the country," Kabul shopkeeper Najeeb Haleemi told AFP. "I am pessimistic about the deal and worried about what will happen after," the 50-year-old added, echoing concerns expressed by others in the country. Fellow shopkeeper Husain Ahmad said that while Afghans were "hungry for peace", the agreement represented a victory for the insurgents whose stint in power from 1996 to 2001 saw the imposition of strict sharia law and confined women to their homes. The Taliban have since paid lip service to human rights, but always in line with what they say are Islamic values, sparking fear of a return to their brutal rule that included public executions and floggings. "We as Afghans don't know what the contents of the deal are," Ahmad said, criticising the decision to shut out the Kabul government from the negotiations in Doha. Immediately after the deal was signed, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told AFP that Afghan women "should not worry about their rights". "We accept their rights and acknowledge their right to education and to work," Shaheen said. "We also request them as Muslim women to observe the Islamic hijab, only that." But activist Zahra Hussaini said she had no faith in such claims. "I don't trust the Taliban, and remember how they suppressed women when they were ruling," the 28-year-old told AFP in Kabul. "Today is a dark day, and as I was watching the deal being signed, I had this bad feeling that it would result in their return to power rather than in peace," she said. Elsewhere in the country however, some were celebrating the end of the war and expressing hope that it would unite the country. "We are very optimistic about this deal, and are impatiently waiting for the foreign invaders to leave Afghanistan," said Arefullah Saad, a resident of eastern Khost province, where the Taliban boast a strong presence. According to the agreement, the Taliban and the Kabul government will begin negotiations by March 10. But with President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah at loggerheads over contested election results, few expect the pair to present a united front, raising the risk that the insurgents will be able to take the upper hand in negotiations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Christchurch (New Zealand) 29 February 2020 (SPS) - The friends of the Sahrawi people in New Zealand has carried out several activities in commemoration of the 44th anniversary of the proclamation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. In Christchurch, members of the group met with a member of parliament from the ruling Labor Party and presented him with the Sahrawi flag and a copy of a petition submitted to the New Zealand Parliament, calling for acting out a law that protects the wealth being looted illegally from the occupied territories of Western Sahara. In Dunedin, the friends of the Sahrawi people commemorated the anniversary of the Sahrawi Republic by raising the Sahrawi flag and banners in support of the Sahrawi cause. They also organized a party with Sahrawi music and tea, during which leaflets were distributed to sensitize the New Zealand public about the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara and the Sahrawi struggle for self-determination and independence. (SPS) 062/SPS/T SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The coronavirus outbreak has led Syracuse University to ban university-related travel to Italy. The university announced the temporary travel ban one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning urging Americans to avoid travelling to Italy unless necessary. SU students, faculty and staff are now prohibited to traveling to the country for university-related purposes, the university announced Saturday. The university has also banned university-related travel to South Korea and China. SU closed its study abroad program in Florence, Italy on Tuesday and started working to help the 342 students participating in the program return to the United States. The deadly coronavirus has spread to at least 52 countries, according to the World Health Organization. As of Friday, over 83,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the WHO reported; 2,858 have died. 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. Have a tip, a story idea or a comment? You can reach me at shouse@syracuse.com | (315) 466-4160 | Twitter | Facebook Perhaps when the Nigerian senator, Ibrahim Gaidam, sought to sway his colleagues to back the formation of a commission for repentant Boko Haram members, he never imagined he would be stirring the hornets nest. Weeks after his move on the floor of the parliament, the debate has not only intensified but various arguments have emerged. The former Yobe State governor, who was elected into the Senate in 2019 to represent Yobe East senatorial district has a clear understanding of the issues surrounding the unending insurgency that has ravaged his region, the North-east. READ ALSO: The terror commenced since 2019 when the Boko Haram declared war on the Nigerian State after the extra-judicial killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf. He, like other governors in the region, have had to battle the insurgency that has led to the massive loss of lives and humanitarian displacement. Bloody imprints Records show that of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict intensified May 2013, at least 250,000 have fled Nigeria into Cameroon, Chad or Niger. The insurgents killed over 6,600 in 2014 alone. The group also carried out mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014. In 2017, former Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State said the Boko Haram insurgency had led to deaths of almost 100,000 persons going by the estimates of our community leaders over the years. Over 14 million Nigerians have also been directly affected by humanitarian crises in the North-east region of the country, two international humanitarian groups reported. The groups also said 13,000 churches were razed, 1,500 schools shut, and 611 teachers killed by the insurgents The Borno Government in 2017 said about 1 million houses and public structures were destroyed by Boko Haram in the 27 local government areas of the state. Many more have since been affected over the years. It also said the insurgents destroyed properties worth over N1.9 trillion in six years. At least 25,794 people were killed in various attacks, many by Boko Haram, during the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari between May 2015 and May 2019, a report analysed by PREMIUM TIMES also indicated. Despite noticeable successes, the Nigerian military has had over the insurgents, who have been cleared from many territories they once held, they still launch sporadic and very deadly attacks on soft civilian targets and military formations with stunning accuracy. A few weeks before Mr Gaidams appeal, the insurgents launched one of their most deadly attacks on innocent travellers. Controversial option The man at the centre of the latest storm has since sought to justify his position why a commission is the best bet to address the unending insurgency. Amongst other reasons, he said the agency when established will help rehabilitate and reintegrate the defectors, repentant and forcefully conscripted members of the Boko Haram to make them useful members of the society and provide an avenue for reconciliation and promote national security. The bill: *Provides an avenue for rehabilitating, de-radicalising, educating and reintegrating the defectors, repentant and detained members of the insurgent group Boko Haram to make them useful members of the society.*Provides avenue for reconciliation and promote national security. * Provides an-open-door and encouragement for other members of the group who are still engaged in the insurgency to abandon the group especially in the face of military pressure. * Gives the government an opportunity to derive insider-information about the insurgence group for greater understanding of the group and its inner workings. * Gaining a greater understanding of the insurgents will enable the government to address the immediate concerns of violence and study the needs of de-radicalization effort to improve the process of de-radicalisation. *Helps disintegrate the violent and poisonous ideology that the group spreads as the programme will enable some convicted or suspected terrorists to express remorse over their actions, repent and recant their violent ideology and re-enter mainstream politics, religion and society. According to the document, the agency will create vocational rehabilitation for the members which will give the detainees opportunities to learn carpentry, clay shaping, pottery, use of art through drawings, among others. Advertisements Pattern Mr Gaidam is apparently following a pattern of state reaction to Boko Haram fighters captured over the years. The federal government had as far back as 2017 pledged to ensure the total de-radicalisation and rehabilitation of all ex-Boko Haram members before re-integrating them into the society in line with international best practices. About a year later, Mr Buhari, who has been criticised for his inability to bring the insurgency to a halt as he vowed when campaigning for office, said that the Nigerian government is ready to accept the unconditional laying down of arms by any member of the Boko Haram group who shows strong commitment in that regard. To put action to words, the federal government began its reintegration of the ex-fighters into the community they once hounded. The Nigerian Army in 2018 took a major step when it handed over 244 Boko Haram suspects, whom it said have given up membership of the terrorist group, to the Borno State government. Also, in the same year, the army said another 154 ex-Boko Haram fighters had been rehabilitated under the De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme and are now set to be reintegrated into the society. A little over a year after, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), told Nigerians that repentant members of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, have decided to enrol for degree programmes in the institution. Anger, push back Mr Gaidams current move has experienced stiff opposition, the first coming from his own immediate constituency. Many senators who were present at the plenary during the first reading of the bill could not hide their surprise when it was mentioned. Others seemed amazed at the bill itself, a PREMIUM TIMES reporter noted. Some past and serving senators also condemned the bill. Many Nigerians said it is insensitive to introduce such a bill when the insurgents are still killing and destroying. Others believe the funds needed to form the commission could be deployed to cater for the welfare of the numerous internally displaced persons camps, offshoots of the insurgency, many reeling under neglect. Alternate argument? A low-hanging argument being pushed by a few to support the initiative is the need to give the same treatment meted to Niger Delta militants in 2009 when the federal government extended an olive branch to them. Sabotage of oil installations, oil siphoning, bombings and kidnappings by the militants who said they were fighting to gain a greater share of the countrys oil wealth hit Nigeria for many years. It was only halted when the government reached out to them. Late President Umaru YarAdua then offered an unconditional pardon and cash payments to rebels who agreed to lay down their arms and assemble at screening centres across the Niger Delta. But Farooq Kperogi, an Associate Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media at Kennesaw State University says the two scenarios are different. He also condemns the idea of setting up a commission. To even suggest that Boko Haram terrorists deserve an amnesty program because Niger Delta militants have one is flat-out boneheaded, he said. Niger Delta militants whose ancestral land is the nations cash cow took to militancy to protest the despoliation of their environment and the impoverishment of their people. He tells PREMIUM TIMES why the insurgents do not deserve a soft landing. Boko Haram terrorists, on the other hand, are just nihilistic, homicidal thugs who murder innocent men, women, and children. We have no clear sense of what animates their bloodthirsty angst, he said. The little we know isnt even remotely a basis for negotiation. For instance, we learn from their propaganda videos media interviews that they want the entire country to be ruled by Sharia. Thats an impossible demand to grant. Besides, Boko Haram terrorists, unlike Niger Delta militants, have never admitted guilt for their mass murders. You cant give amnesty to an impenitent wrongdoer. Columnist, Wole Olaoye, in his reaction, tells PREMIUM TIMES the kindest comment on the matter at the moment is that this is not a wise decision. He also said those comparing the proposed commission to the Niger Delta amnesty are missing a vital point. What we have on our hands is war, pure and simple and should be treated as such. It is quite different from the amnesty President Yaradua granted the militants years ago, he said. What we are experiencing (Boko Haram) is evil and not a battle for better living conditions the militants were fighting for. You can compare both, he said inter alia. He also says, the argument is sick. They are two different issues. The ideology that drove the militancy was purely economic-based. The ideology driving the Boko Haram is evil. You cannot equate the two. He also said in places like Iran, Iraq and others where such commissions were established to tackle societal challenges, it was a long-term program that was not embarked on via a flimsy process being considered. For the sake of argument, I am not even sure we can have a transparent process going by the pervasive corruption we are battling with. It is strange that while we should be focusing on the welfare of the IDPs, who are clearly the victims in this tragedy, we are considering how to appease the aggressors (Boko Haram). Tayo Agbaje, the director, research, planning and strategy, Buhari/Osinbajo Movement was livid when he reacted to the position being pushed by a member of his party. The senator should immediately be arrested. He has shown on whose side he is on. While the current government is working hard to stop the insurgency, the statements of some of our leaders have shown who they are supporting. It (commission) doesnt make any sense. It would even encourage more people to be joining Boko Haram, he told PREMIUM TIMES. In the case of the militants, (President) Yaradua extended amnesty to them and they embraced it. Has Boko Haram done that or is planning to that? The man (Gaidam) should be arrested. We all know what the militants were fighting for. What is Boko Haram fighting for? Many believe the militants were justified. Boko Haram does not have any justification. We now know those backing Boko Haram, Mr Agbaje said. More reactions Samson Isichei of the Buttonwood&Greene Principal Partners, in his reaction, said the government may not be telling Nigerians the entire truth. The lawyer said: It is strange that while the government is saying the terrorists are foreigners, a member of the ruling party is advocating for a commission for them. So, we are planning to set up a commission for foreigners, who are killing and maiming on our land for no just cause? Besides, in advanced nations, before such commissions are set up, the means of funds to maintain them are also suggested. But here in Nigeria, we scramble to set up all manner of commissions and then battle to sustain them from our declining revenue. He also said it was erroneous for anyone to compare the concessions (amnesty) enjoyed by the Niger Delta militants to the commission proposal. He said while one was done based on the economic consideration of further confrontation, the other (Boko Haram) is a criminal action against the state. How many Nigerian prisoners were given jobs after their release, asks Akinsode Awopeju, a security trainer at the Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Jos. Are they encouraging more people to join Boko Haram? Establishing a commission for repentant Boko Haram is an insult to the image of the Nigerians. The government should not start what it cannot finish. Abdulkadir Yahaya, a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic Bida tells PREMIUM TIMES a commission will further worsen the insecurity situation in the country because people may now easily take to crime and expect to be pardoned and rehabilitated. It will fuel insecurity and aid corruption in the management of resources, he said. Let the lawmakers focus on the initiation of bills that could strengthen the security agencies to combat crime, in whatever guise, more conveniently and professionally rather than wasting their time in initiating bills for the establishment of the commission for repentant Boko Haram members. He gave a suggestion: it is better to have bills which seek to stamp out the root causes of the problem, e.g maladministration, bad governance, poverty, hunger, ignorance, illiteracy and joblessness etc. I think the bill is an insult on the collective memory of all the victims of the carnage caused by the terrorists, Moses Idika, editor, eparliament.ng. said. Such a commission could only be mooted when the insurgency is over. We looking for the way forward, a healing process and not now that people are killed and maimed on daily basis. The lawmaker is misguided and its a sign that the northern elite is absolutely out of ideas on what to do next, he said. He added that the call for a commission tells us the elite in the north do not believe yet that Boko Haram insurgents are criminals or enemy of the Nigerian state. They see the insurgents as their brothers who are merely aggrieved and should be treated well and begged. For now, Mr Gaidam has an uphill task convincing, first his colleagues, then Nigerians, that the formation of a Boko Haram commission is the next step in the nations quest to stop an insurgency that has caused it massive human and material resources for over 10 years. Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks at a campaign town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S. February 10, 2020. Presidential campaigns have shown no signs of adjusting their event schedules even as the coronavirus outbreak prompts several companies to cancel or postpone events. For instance, the Democratic primary race's front-runner, Sen. Bernie Sanders, is holding a rally Sunday in a region of northern California that has reported a few infections of the virus. Meanwhile, Facebook, Amazon and Workday are just a few in a growing list of companies that have canceled or pulled out of events as fears around the COVID-19 coronavirus grow. Big-ticket conferences Game Developers Conference in California have are now canceled. The ticketing industry, meanwhile, is getting worried that the virus could weigh on attendance at concerts and sporting events. But as presidential campaigns carry on, some wonder how long they can do so without looking irresponsible. "Infectious-disease specialists were saying as of [Friday] night they don't recommend fundamentally changing what people are doing but we will have to see if it's confined in certain parts of the country," said Matt Dallek a political historian at George Washington University. "You're not going to be holding a massive rally in Portland, Oregon when schools are closed and people are working from home," he added. A spokesperson for Sanders told CNBC there was no change in plans for his Sunday rally in San Jose, California, ahead of the state's crucial, delegate-heavy primary Tuesday. That's despite the fact the public health department in Santa Clara County confirmed Friday a coronavirus infection that may have been transmitted through the community. San Jose is in Santa Clara. It is also where Facebook's F8 event was supposed to occur in May. A spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health earlier this week told CNBC it is "is not recommending the cancellation of public events." And other candidates are charging forward as well. Vice President Joe Biden held a rally Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is planning a meet and greet in Houston, Texas, on Saturday night. Trump had a rally Friday night North Charleston, South Carolina. Tweet Tweet When contacted by CNBC, none of the spokespeople for Biden, Warren, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sanders said there would be change to upcoming campaign behavior. That includes their dedication to continuing the old-fashioned tradition of campaign handshakes and a new one in selfies. Fistbumps, though, are known to transfer 90% fewer bacteria than a regular handshake There are more than 85,000 confirmed cases of the virus worldwide and at least 2,933 confirmed deaths. More than 60 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Washington state confirmed its first U.S. death from Coronavirus on Saturday. The state's governor, former Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee, on Saturday declared a state of emergency. Should the virus continue to spread, it may become impossible for campaigns to avoid the question. As companies cancel events and limit travel in the name of caution, candidates are taking a risk by carrying on as normal. "I think we'll see, pretty soon, decisions by the campaigns to limit rope line and scale back events to small-town halls and use technology like streaming to reach voters," said Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration under Trump. "Even if the risk doesn't merit these steps right now, it's important they consider the examples they set." There are other ways campaigns can get out their message, political advisors said, including by holding events at hospitals and with public health officials. Mike Bloomberg has spent over $500 million on a media campaign that requires no human contact at all. In its latest show of financial force, the Bloomberg campaign on Saturday announced that it had bought three minutes of air time for an ad, featuring the former New York mayor addressing the outbreak, which will be broadcast Sunday night on CBS and NBC. But the candidates may need to start considering depressed turnout should concern over coronavirus keep voters at home. The first test on turnout will be Tuesday, when 14 states cast their ballots for one-third of the delegates in the Democratic primary race. A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee did not respond to inquiries earlier this week about whether there were concerns that coronavirus would impact turnout on Super Tuesday or preparations the committee is doing should the outbreak broaden. Filming has started for season six of Line Of Duty, with eager fans anxiously waiting for the next installment of the hit BBC crime drama. But the AC-12 crew took a quick break from filming while they enjoyed a meal at Six by Nico restaurant in Belfast on Friday evening. Martin Compston, 35, who plays DS Steve Arnott on the show, posted a photo on Instagram while dining at the restaurant alongside his co-stars Adrian Dunbar, 61, Vicky McClure, 36, and show creator Jed Mercurio, 54, Catch up: The AC 12 crew took a quick break from filming while they enjoyed a meal at Six by Nico restaurant in Belfast on Friday evening. Pictured (L-R) Martin Compston, 35, Vicky McClure, 36, Jed Mercurio, 54, and Adrian Dunbar, 61 He captioned the photo: ' Great people, incredible food as ever', Vicky, who plays DI Kate Fleming, looked chic in a pastel jumper while Martin (Steve Arnott), Adrian (Superintendent Ted Hastings) and Jed opted for navy blue sweaters. Martin and Adrian were back to business last week as they filmed scenes for the new season in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Sunday. Adrian was suited and booted in police uniform as he reprised his role as Superintendent Ted Hastings, while Martin donned one of DS Steve Arnott's famed waistcoats as part of his three-piece suit. The series return will will see the reveal of H's true identity with creator Jed Mecurio teasing fans on Twitter last week when he shared a picture from filming. In the snap, Kate Fleming and Steve Arnott point guns at one another, while a passed-out Ted Hastings lies slumped on a chair between them. A giant 'H' lies against him, implying that he IS the infamous and mysterious villain, who masterminds the legion of 'bent coppers' who infiltrate AC-12. However, it's likely to be a playfully set up picture as there's no way Jed would make such a revelation before the series starts. 'This is spoiler free': Line Of Duty creator Jed teased fans over H's true identity as he shared a 'shoot-out' picture with a giant letter placed against Ted Hasting on Twitter on Friday Real or not? However, it's likely to be a playfully set up picture as there's no way Jed would make such a revelation before the series starts He wrote: 'A great first week of filming #LineofDuty Series 6 @BBCOne. Heres a publicity shot thats been approved 100% spoiler free by @bbcpress.' The cast and crew of Line Of Duty started work on the sixth series on Monday. And star Martin Compston looked thrilled to be back at AC-12 as he posed for a snap with co-star Adrian Dunbar and Mercurio. Adrian looked smart, in his role as Superintendent Ted Hastings, while Martin wore one of the waistcoats his character DS Steve Arnott has become known for, in a snap that was posted to Instagram. Daily Lotto was introduced in March 2019 and is reported to be one of the most popular lotto games in South Africa. Daily Lotto is managed by the Ithuba National Lottery. Daily lotto's draws are conducted every day at 21:00 South Africa Standard Time (SAST) hrs. It is reported that Daily Lotto draws are conducted every day except Christmas. The jackpot prize for Daily Lotto is not fixed. It varies according to the number of tickets sold and the number of winners in each category. Read Also: Daily Lotto Of South Africa For February 24, 2020: Here Are The Winning Numbers South Africa Lotto results for February 29, 2020 How to participate in Daily Lotto Daily Lotto which is one of the most popular lotto games in South Africa, just requires R3.00 to purchase a ticket. To purchase Daily Lotto tickets, one can visit either a National lottery retailer or visit the official website of Ithuba National Lottery. Here is a detailed process of how to play and win the SA Daily Lotto. Visit a National lottery retailer, selling Daily lotto tickets/bet slip. Buy the Daily lotto ticket/bet slip by paying the retailer R3.00. Choose the number of draws you wish to play. After which, choose five numbers from 1 to 36. However, players can also choose the quick pick option, in which an automated machine chooses the numbers for the draw. After submitting the ticket/bet slip, write all your details at the back of the bet slip. Meanwhile do not forget to sign the back of your slip, if you wish to claim the prize. For players, who wish to play Daily lotto online, visit: https://www.nationallottery.co.za, and play hassle-free. Read Also: Daily Lotto South Africa For February 25: Where To Check The Winning Numbers If one wishes to buy the ticket from the National retailer store, the ticket window closes at 20:30 hrs on the day of the draw. Reports have it that the terms and conditions for every lotto vary. So, read all the terms and conditions before signing up for the service. SA Daily Lotto results are updated on the official website of Ithuba National Lottery, every day reportedly at 21:15 SAST hrs. Everyone can access the results on this link: https://www.nationallottery.co.za/results/daily-lotto. If you have participated in the February 29's daily lotto draw, you can check the results on the above-mentioned website. The Daily lotto winning numbers for February 28 are 10, 29, 30, 31, 35. The estimated jackpot for the Daily lotto winning number for February 28 was R480,000. Read Also: Daily Lotto South Africa Results For February 22: Check Out The Winning Numbers Read Also: Daily Lotto South Africa For February 23: Know When And Where To Check The Results UNITED NATIONS The United States and key Western allies on Thursday demanded an immediate cease-fire in Syrias last opposition stronghold in northwestern Idlib which is facing what the U.N. calls an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, but Russia ignored their calls and said it will keep helping the government eliminate terrorists from Idlib. The standoff came at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria where the U.N.s deputy humanitarian chief Ursula Mueller said almost 950,000 people have fled an advancing Syrian government offensive since it began on Dec. 1. She described a video conversation last week with 14 Syrian women in Idlib and northern Aleppo who are humanitarian workers and said what is happening is beyond imagination and not humanly tolerable. They told me of children so traumatized they no longer speak and said the situation is so stressful that pregnant women are experiencing early deliveries, miscarriage and low-birth weights, Mueller said. The women also had a message: All we are asking is for the misery to stop, for the killing to stop. We want the right to live. Henrietta Fore, the head of the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF, said tens of thousands of those who have fled, more than half of them children, are now living in makeshift tents, public buildings and in the open air, huddled under trees exposed to rain, snow and the sub-zero cold of a harsh Syrian winter, adding weve heard and read reports of children freezing to death. In the northwest, she said, 180 schools are not operating and 286,000 children have had their education cruelly snatched away. U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft, who called the reports from Idlib stomach-turning, told the council: If we are to end the humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria, we must concentrate all of our efforts on immediately establishing a durable and verifiable cease-fire one brokered by a fully empowered U.N. This will require Russia to ground its planes at once and tell the (Syrian) regime to pull back its forces, she said. But Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia ignored cease-fire calls not only from the U.S. but from France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Estonia and other council members. And he downplayed the humanitarian crisis. We believe it was possible to predict this and prepare for this situation, especially regarding the winter period. Nebenzia said Turkey isnt providing any obstacles to cross-border deliveries to Idlib and humanitarian workers have plenty of supplies and funds so why hasnt this problem been resolved? He also said the reason people are dying is from heaters catching fire in their temporary tents, rather than from freezing, and he urged humanitarian workers and the companies supplying the heaters to address the heater issue to prevent future deaths. More broadly, he said: The only long-term solution to the problem of Idlib and to be frank of Syria as a whole is a final and irreversible expulsion from the country of all terrorists. Many countries have said there are only a small number of fighters. Britains deputy U.N. ambassador Jonathan Allen noted that Russias ambassador to the United Kingdom said in a media interview Wednesday that terrorists make up one percent of the population of Idlib. Even if there arent very many fighters, Nebenzia said, they are still capable of carrying out their atrocities across the entire province, so their number doesnt really matter. This is an irrelevant argument. Allen countered that international law does not permit you to attack the 99 percent to handle one percent. Frances U.N. Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere said the fight against terrorism shouldnt allow Syria and Russia to indiscriminately strike all opponents, whether terrorists or not, and the civilian population in passing. And Germanys Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the council: Let me be clear: conducting counter-terrorism measures doesnt absolve anyone from respecting international humanitarian law. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are war crimes, he said. And those responsible must be held accountable. Maas said the Security Council should ensure humanitarian access and step up efforts to find a political solution. The six Western ambassadors on the Security Council joined by the Dominican Republic, Niger and Tunisia met Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday to press for U.N. action on Idlib. We urgently request that the U.N. formally launch an immediate initiative to secure a cease-fire in northwest Syria in close consultation with the relevant parties and the U.N. Security Council, the nine ambassadors said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday the ongoing military operations and impact on civilians highlight the clear and pressing need for an immediate ceasefire and to end to constant violations of international humanitarian law. Without urgent action, the risk of even more catastrophic consequences is growing by the hour, Dujarric warned. US regulators moved to impose fines Friday against the nation's four major wireless carriers for selling location data of customers without their consent. The Federal Communications Commission proposed fining T-Mobile more than USD 91 million; AT&T some USD 57 million; Verizon USD 48 million, and Sprint USD 12 million. The wireless firms were accused of having disclosed mobile network user location data to a third party without authorisation from customers, the FCC said. The FCC began an investigation after a report that a sheriff in Missouri used a "location-finding service" operated by a prison communications services company called Securus to track whereabouts of people, including a judge and law enforcement officers. The carriers provided access to customer location data to "aggregators" who then resold information to services such as Securus, according to the regulator. "American consumers take their wireless phones with them wherever they go," FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a release. "And information about a wireless customer's location is highly personal and sensitive." US telecom firms have been on notice for more than a decade that they are required to safeguard location data gathered about users, Pai added. Sizes of the fines were based on how long carriers continued to sell customer location information without proper safeguards and how many parties had access, the FCC said. The telecom companies will get to provide evidence and arguments to the commission before the fines are finalised. Some privacy activists said the penalties failed to go far enough. Lisa Hayes of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a digital rights organisation, called the fines too little and too late. "This kind of egregious privacy violation and the weak enforcement response by the FCC further demonstrate why the US needs a strong, comprehensive, national privacy law," said Hayes. "The current lack of a law means that anyone willing to spend a few hundred dollars can buy the location data of another person at any moment in time." Gaurav Laroia of the consumer group Free Press said the FCC action comes more than a year after activists filed complaints on these practices. "Press reports surfaced over a year ago that AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon were selling their customers' real-time location information to data brokers," Laroia said. "That information was then available on the open market, putting people in real physical danger." Sprint told AFP that it is reviewing the FCC's notice regarding the proposed fine and had no comment other than to say it takes customer privacy seriously. "When we learned that our location aggregator programme was being abused by bad actor third parties, we took quick action," T-Mobile said in response to an AFP inquiry. T-Mobile added that it will dispute the FCC's conclusions and the fine. Verizon and AT&T did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Rev. William J. Barber II brought the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival to Mobile on Friday, four days ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries when voters in Alabama and 13 other states go to the polls. The elections play a crucial role in determining who Democrats nominate to face off against President Donald Trump in November. But Barber and those who spoke during the meeting and rally at Stewart Memorial CME Church had another date in mind: June 20. That is the day of the campaigns mass poor people march and rally in Washington, D.C. We want to drive this agenda into the heart of this nation, said Barber, before a large crowd that came to listen to the sometimes fiery North Carolina-based pastor whose fight against poverty has drawn comparisons to the civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The stop in Mobile was the kickoff to a four-day visit to Alabama. Barber said he will visit Selma during this weekends 55th annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee, host a host a workshop Saturday dealing with the connection of voting rights and poverty, and will make a stop in Birmingham. Barber also said he plans to visit some of the flood-ravaged communities in South Alabama to see how poor people are dealing with the floods. Barber said the visit to Alabama is by invitation only. We dont just show up, he added. Everything we are doing is heading to June 20, 2020. There is some election-related activity that the campaign is working on as the campaign -- formed just a few years ago to promote a mass anti-poverty initiative -- looks to boost voter participation in low-income areas. On Sunday, the campaign will call on 55,000 people to get five people a piece to go to the polls and to consider our agenda. We cant tell them who to vote for, said Barber, who has been a sought-after preacher by the Democratic presidential candidates during the campaign. Three of them Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, and Pete Buttigieg have visited Barbers Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C. Sanders visited on Ash Wednesday. You cannot ignore what (more than) 140 million people are going through, said Barber. Its constitutionally inconsistent, morally indefensible, and economically insane to have 143 million people living in poverty, 43% of your population, and its not at the center of your political discourse. He added, Too often Republicans racialize poverty, Democrats run away from poverty. America must deal with the reality. Barber co-leads the campaign with Rev. Liz Theoharis. Together, they are pushing for a multi-faceted platform of policy changes such as raising the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, expanding Medicaid in states like Alabama, and getting preclearance provisions added back into the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Barber said the policy issues of poverty should be at the forefront of political discourse in Alabama, where he points out that 2.1 million residents or 45% of the public is poor or low-income. That includes more than half of the states children. Barber said there is an untapped potential in the poor or low-income voting bloc that he feels politicians have long forgotten. In a CNN commentary he recently co-wrote with Theoharis, Barber noted that in the more than 20 debates leading up to the 2016 elections, not a single hour" was dedicated to poverty or economic insecurity among both Democrats and Republicans. One of the issues that the Poor Peoples Campaign is looking to elevate is environmental injustice. In Alabama, that issue alone has been longtime a problem in lower-income communities like Mobiles Africatown. Among the speakers during Fridays meeting was Ruth Ballard, who is a resident of the community that is located just north of downtown Mobile and has recently generated international headlines following the discovery last year of the slave ship Clotilda. The vessel was the last-known slave ship to enter the U.S. in 1860. Following the Civil War, 32 West Africans aboard the ship settled in Africatown and developed the community near the Mobile River. The communitys population declined over the years as paper mills began to operate nearby. Ballard and others living in the mostly black community have long accused those neighboring paper mills for creating unhealthy living conditions. When I was growing up, it was not uncommon for us to have run outside and grab our clothes (that were outside drying) and bring them in, said Ballard. If we didnt do that, wed have to rewash the clothes because of the brown and black spots all over them. She added, You could wash ash and chemicals off the clothes and off the car. But you cant wash them off the inside of the body. Ballard added, What is happening to the poor communities across the country is that we must rise together in a movement so strong that future generations dont have to face the same environmental injustice that has caused so many deaths in my community. Barber said he hopes that issue, along with the others his campaign is pushing, wont get ignored as the election calendar ticks toward November. These political consultants will tell these candidates -- dont talk about poverty, said Barber. We have to rise together. There are things we have to demand. We have to nationalize. We are going to have to make this nation know that dealing with poverty is not some radical idea or a left idea. How can you be a nation and ignore 43% of your population? Millions of motorists have been ripped off in a 150million delivery scheme to inflate the price of new cars, it is claimed. Eight in ten new cars have seen price increases of up to 60 after shipping firms conspired to fix delivery costs, according to a lawsuit. A total of 17million cars are said to have been affected over ten years. Now lawyers are to launch a US-style class action against five of the worlds biggest shipping firms to try to win money back for consumers. Millions of motorists have been ripped off in a 150million delivery scheme to inflate the price of new cars over 10 years, it has been claimed (file picture) Customers affected include those who bought from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen and Renault, between October 2006 and September 2015. At the heart of the case is a line near the end of every customers new-car bill which reads: Plus delivery. The exact amount of overpayment owed per customer will vary based on how far the car may have travelled, including from the Far East and the US. The maximum overpayment is 60 with an average of about 9 per car. But if a family has bought or leased a number of new cars over the decade the sums quickly add up, according to legal firm Scott+Scott which is bringing the action. The class action a group legal suit under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 has been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal on behalf of consumers and businesses who purchased or leased new cars and vans between 2006 and 2015. In 2018, EU watchdogs found the five shipping firms guilty of running an anti-competitive price-fixing cartel and fined them 330million. They ruled that the firms had coordinated tenders, allocated customers, conspired on capacity reductions, and exchanged commercially sensitive pricing information to maintain or increase shipping prices. The exact amount of overpayment owed will vary based on how far the car may have travelled. The maximum overpayment is 60 with an average of about 9 per car (file picture) All the companies had acknowledged their involvement and agreed to settle the cases, watchdogs said. The shippers were caught out by a so-called ratters charter which gives immunity to the first member of any cartel to blow the whistle on their partners. This gives guilty firms an incentive to rat first on the others to avoid hefty fines. Lawyers say car-makers are not the guilty parties, pointing out that they too were outraged by the rip-off. The five companies are Japanese carriers MOL, K Line, and NYK, Swedens WWL/EUKOR, and Chiles CSAV. Although not household names, their role in moving cars around the world is huge. The case is being led by Mark McLaren, formerly of consumers group Which? A pre-trial hearing is expected in the autumn. He said: When UK consumers and businesses purchased or leased a new car, they paid more for the delivery than they should have done... I strongly believe that compensation should be paid when consumers are harmed by such deliberate, unlawful conduct. David Scott, of Scott+Scott, said: Consumers and businesses who bought or leased a new Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes or Toyota, for example, are owed money. He added: Just because these international shipping companies arent household names shouldnt mean that they are able to get away with it. If the class action case is won anyone who bought an affected car will be automatically entitled to money back. All they need to do is provide their details and proof of purchase or lease and they will get paid. The shippers have already been hit be penalties beyond the EU, including Australia, China, Japan and the US. Top US regulatory officials are expected to discuss the economic implications and financial market impact of a potential coronavirus pandemic at a meeting next Wednesday of their systemic threat panel, three sources told Reuters. The impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus is likely to be high on the agenda of the Financial Stability Oversight Council's deputy-level meeting, which had been scheduled before the recent dramatic sell-off in the stock markets, the sources said. The council, which is led by the Treasury Department and staffed by major financial regulators including ... How Books and Buckets program in Long Beach aims to keep kids away from gang violence The second case of the new coronavirus of unknown origin in both California as well as the United States was flagged on Friday in Californias Santa Clara County. It marks the 63rd case in the United States, Californias 10th case, and the 3rd case in the county. The case involves an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who did not have any recent travel history or known contact with a traveler or infected person, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. The woman was hospitalized for respiratory illness, but later her doctor requested testing for the novel coronavirus. She is now under isolation at home. The United States also saw two other new coronavirus cases confirmed earlier on Friday, and one more case confirmed late Friday, all of which originated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, earlier this month. This brings the total tally in the United States to 64. Santa Clara County Public Health Department said that [n]ow is the time to prepare for the possibility of widespread community transmission. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear, said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, per the release. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease. The first case of unknown origin in the United States was noted earlier this week. The California Department of Public Health said that the individual is a woman in Solano County, who is receiving medical care at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento County. The woman had no known contact with other known infected people and no recent travel history. This would be the first known instance of person-to-person transmission in the general public in the United States, the California Department of Public Health said. The patient is notable because they might be the first person to be infected through community spread inside the United States, according to the CDC. The case prompted Solano County to declare a local emergency, which gives officials more power to deal with the potential spread of the virus. Counties in California and New York have begun declaring local emergencies. The department noted that other person-to-person transmissions in the United States came from known sources and involved cases in Chicago, Illinois, and San Benito County, California. Both cases were after close, prolonged interaction with a family member who returned from Wuhan, China, and had tested positive for COVID-19, the department said. The California Department of Public Health announced that CDC test kits used to detect COVID-19 had arrived in the state, and the CDC committed to send more kits to California to enable more than 1,000 tests. Also on Friday, the federal government informed California that it does not need to use the Fairview Development Center site to isolate people from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, given the imminent end of the isolation for those passengers and the small number of persons who ended up testing positive for COVID-19. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the coronavirus risk to the United States is low and placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of a coronavirus task force. The risk to the American people remains very low, Trump said in a press conference at the White House. The vaccine is coming along well, and we think this is something that we can do fairly quickly, the president said. Of the 15 people [to have contracted the virus] eight of them have returned to their homes, to stay at their homes until theyre fully recovered. One is in the hospital. And five have fully recovered. And one we think is in pretty good shape, Trump also said at the time. In almost all cases, theyre getting better, the president said. We took in some from Japan because theyre American citizens. Theyre in quarantine, and theyre getting better, too, Trump said, adding that they were repatriated because we felt that we had an obligation to do that. Of the 64 cases currently in the United States, 45 involve those who came from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Three cases of coronavirus were in those who were evacuated from Wuhan to the United States. The remaining 16 cases were detected in six U.S. statesArizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsinwith the 15th and 16th cases, both in California, currently marked as from an unknown origin. Zachary Stieber and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. From The Epoch Times The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has identified some of the culprits that are hoarding and selling grain and mealie-meal on the black market, and arrests are expected soon. There are reports shortages of mealie-meal are being compounded by unscrupulous millers and retailers who are funnelling the commodity to the parallel market. Prices of subsided mealie-meal are pegged at $70 for a 10kg bag, but the staple is selling for over $120 on the alternative market. There were long queues at large retail outlets such as OK and Pick n Pay in the capital last week as people lined up to buy the subsidised roller meal. ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure told The Sunday Mail that the anti-graft body had identified some of the culprits involved in the roller-meal scandal. There are intense investigations currently underway. Several arrests will be made soon. It is a matter receiving utmost attention from the commission. Some of the culprits are high profile in terms of the quantum involved, he said. We always thoroughly investigate. Very soon you will see for yourself. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the blitz against those involved in underhand mealie-meal deals had intensified. We are aware that the shortages of mealie-meal is at the heart of many Zimbabweans concerns and we have since launched a nationwide operation. The operation is targeting the hoarding of mealie-meal as well as those who are diverting it to the black market. We want to warn retailers and milling companies against this practice and our officers are now on high alert across the whole country. The full wrath of the law will catch up with them. He encouraged members of the public to report malpractices in the distribution of mealie-meal. Last week, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairperson Mr Tafadzwa Musarara was grilled in Parliament after he failed to account for US$27 million which the association received from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to import wheat. By PTI LONDON: A man who pleaded guilty to supplying drugs and preventing the lawful burial of his Indian-origin gay lover during a date last year has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment at a UK court for dumping the body rather than alerting the police. Hiran Chauhan's body was discovered by some schoolchildren after it was buried in a park by Neil Cuckson following a drug-fuelled "chemsex" session. Judge Alan Conrad told Cuckson that concealing the death and hiding the body "made it impossible for experts to obtain the results which they usually can in the case of a suspicious death". "To save your own skin, and to thwart a police investigation, you embarked on an elaborate plan to dispose of his body," he said, during a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Friday, during which tributes were also paid to Hiran by his family. The court heard that 24-year-old chef Hiran and 32-year-old supermarket worker Cuckson met on online dating app Grindr and discussed drugs for their date in July. After Cuckson woke up to find Hiran dead in his flat, he kept the body in his flat before purchasing a car, a wheelbarrow and a pitchfork. Five days later, he was caught on CCTV struggling to lift the body into the boot of the car, before dragging Hiran's body across the road to nearby woodland. When police went to Cuckson's flat they detected a "pungent smell" and arrested him on suspicion of murder. According to 'Manchester Evening News', Hiran's sister, Gemma Chauhan, movingly spoke in court in front of Cuckson to reveal the impact of her sibling's death. She said: "Hiran was the life and soul of the party, no matter how he was feeling or what he was struggling with he always had a smile on his face and never let anyone around him be sad or suffer. "All Hiran wanted was love, he looked for love from others because unfortunately, we did not get this from our parents." She told the court that the tragedy was that everyone will only ever have one side of the story, Cuckson's version of events. "I will never know the truth. Hiran just wanted to be loved. He used the dating sites in the hope of finding this," she said, who was among the family members desperately trying to trace Hiran after he went missing last year. The court heard how Cuckson frantically tried to cover up the death, storing his body in his third floor flat for days, and sleeping on the floor while Hiran remained on the bed. He continued to go to work at his Tesco supermarket workplace in Manchester city centre, until he decided to buy a car online, specifically to remove Hiran's body. Almost a week later, schoolchildren discovered the body, wrapped in bedding and plastic sheets, in the woodland near his home. Under the second phase of collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad is proposing an increased collaboration with the Japanese industry and academia besides research laboratories. Major emphasis is being placed on exchange of Ph.D. students, Joint Masters and Ph.D. programs, IIT Hyderabad said on Friday. IIT Hyderabad is seeking to build a long-term sustainable collaboration with JICA, which is a governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan. JICA officials recently visited the IIT Hyderabad campus for the terminal evaluation of the FRIENDSHIP project of IITH with JICA, which is ending in March 2020. They expressed happiness with the outcome of the project. The collaboration between IIT Hyderabad and Japan started in August 2007 based on the commitment between the prime ministers of India and Japan. A Project for Future Researchers at IIT Hyderabad to Enhance Network Development with Scholarship of Japan (FRIENDSHIP) was initiated by JICA in July 2010. The FRIENDSHIP program involved JICA support for student and faculty exchanges and collaborative projects between IIT-H and Japanese universities and industry. JICA had dispatched 5 long-term experts to coordinate the project. As the current FRIENDSHIP project is ending soon, we are enthusiastically looking forward to the sanction of Phase II of the FRIENDSHIP project so that we can continue to have this remarkable collaboration and take it to the greater heights for the mutual benefit of both Japan and India, said Prof B.S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad. IIT Hyderabad received significant assistance for research in five areas - Next Generation Communication Technologies (NGCT), Design and Manufacturing (DM), Sustainable Development (SD), Environment and Energy (EE), and Nano Technology and Nano Science (NTNC). JICA has also supported the construction of buildings and the procurement of equipment necessary for high-end research. IIT-Hyderabad researchers applied for 51 patents under the project. Under Collaboration Kickstarter Program (CKP), seven research projects have been selected and about Rs 2.67 crore disbursed so far. A total of 116 IIT-H students received the FRIENDSHIP scholarship to study in 14 universities of Japan. As many as 88 IIT-H graduates have obtained various positions at a Japanese academic institutions or industry besides this program. The project has resulted in signing of 56 MOUs between IIT-H and Japanese universities, research labs and industries. Markey Secures Agreement to Restore WWLP to Cable Lineup PITTSFIELD, Mass. U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey report he has brokered a deal to restore WWLP, Channel 22, to cable viewers in the Berkshires. Charter Communications had removed the NBC affiliate in Springfield nearly three years ago, cutting off Berkshire residents access to television news in Massachusetts. WCVB, Channel 5 Boston, was cut in 2018. Because the Berkshires are technically part of the Albany, N.Y., "Designated Market Area," Western Massachusetts viewers have only had access broadcast stations in the Capital District with their focus on New York news. Berkshire County is, therefore, known as an "orphan county," like other counties in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Nebraska that rely on outside stations for limited local news. Markey has worked with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal for three years to bring the station back on the air in the region. "The people of Massachusetts rely on local broadcast television every day. It's how we get the news that matters to us. It's how we stay up to date on the information that affects our lives," said Markey. "That's why I have been working for nearly three years to bring WWLP back to the Berkshires, and I am proud to announce that we have reached a solution that will give Berkshire County residents what they want: access to Massachusetts news. "I thank Nexstar, WWLP's owner, and Charter for reaching this deal, and I thank Senator Warren and Congressman Neal for working with me to make this agreement a reality." Under the terms of this agreement, WWLP will be restored to the Charter channel lineup and subscribers will either see live WWLP news programming as it airs, and when the news is not being aired live, the station will loop previous news broadcasts. In effect, the station will serve as a 24-hour WWLP news station covering Massachusetts. Charter subscribers in the Berkshires will also continue to have access to broadcast stations based in Albany, New York. Charter subscribers should expect the WWLP programming to come on the air in the next 60 days. "We all strongly believed that Massachusetts residents should be able to view Massachusetts news, weather, emergency alerts and other important programing," said Neal. "With today's announcement, the people of the Berkshires will once again be able to watch the local NBC affiliate WWLP TV-22 rather than Albany news. This is terrific news for Berkshire County." Markey previously introduced legislation with Warren and Neal that would force the cable company Charter to engage in good faith negotiations with WWLP and WCVB to bring those stations back on the air in Berkshire County. Specifically, the bill authorizes a cable operator (Charter) to transmit any station that was retransmitted to viewers on Dec. 1, 2016, including WWLP and WCVB, to subscribers in the Albany Designated Market Area, which includes Berkshire County, and forces Charter and the stations to negotiate carriage. The bill also preserves Berkshire County residents' access to Albany stations that provide relevant weather updates and important emergency information. Markey pushed for a version of this bill as an amendment to the 2019 satellite reauthorization bill in the Senate Commerce Committee. "WWLP-TV 22News is extremely pleased that Nexstar's work with Charter, Congressman Neal and Senators Markey and Warren resulted in WWLP-TV's News 22 local newscasts and programming returning to Charter subscribers in Berkshire County and we are looking forward to providing our high-quality, top-rated local news and content to those viewers," said Robert Simone, vice president and general manager of WWLP. Markey has personally met with the chief executive officers of Charter and Nexstar, WWLP's owner, and encouraged the two parties to resolve their dispute and meet Berkshire residents' demand for Massachusetts television programming. Over the past three years, his staff has been in regular contact with both companies and has worked to return carriage of Massachusetts programming to the Berkshires. Sen also said the transfer of Justice S Muralidhar from the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court is natural to raise questions Bolpur: Expressing concern over the communal clashes in Delhi, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said on Saturday that India is a secular country and people cannot be divided on religious lines. Addressing a press conference, he said it should be found out whether the police is inefficient or there was a lack of effort on the part of the government to tackle the violence. "I am very much worried that where it happened is the capital of the country and is centrally governed. If minorities are tortured there and police failed or can't discharge their duties, it is a matter of serious concern," Sen said at an event organised in Bolpur by the Pratichi Trust. "It is reported that those who died or were tortured are mostly Muslims. India is a secular country we can't divide Hindus and Muslims. As an Indian citizen, I can't help but worry," he added. However, Sen said he doesn't want to draw any conclusion without analysing the entire matter. He said the transfer of Justice S Muralidhar from the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court is natural to raise questions. "I personally know him. It is natural to raise questions but I can't pass any judgment," Sen told reporters. Justice Muralidhar, who was hearing the Delhi violence case, was transferred on a day when a high court bench headed by him expressed "anguish" over police's failure to register first investigation reports (FIRs) against alleged hate speeches by three BJP leaders. Sen further said that he found it "unreasonable" to force a Bangladeshi student of the Visva-Bharati to leave the country. "I have no detailed information. As per newspaper reports, I have not yet found any strong reason why she should be deported from the country," he said. Afsara Anika Meem, an undergraduate student at the central university, has been asked by the Home Ministry to leave the country for reportedly engaging in "anti-government activities". File photo A woman from Akwa Ibom State has been abducted in Uyo over her inability to pay N21, 000 to a microfinance bank in the city. Comfort James, a petty trader in Uyo, collected some loan from Grooming Microfinance Bank, Uyo, for her business. She is unable to pay back all the money. Ms James was said to have been picked up on Tuesday morning at their family house in Uyo allegedly by some people from the bank, her brother-in-law, Udiabong Akanimo, told PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Akanimo said he went to the banks office the following day, Wednesday, but was unable to secure Ms James release. He said the officials of Grooming threatened to detain him as well if they did not get their money back when he introduced himself as a brother-in-law to Ms James. It was already 5 p.m, so I told them I could only transfer money to them through a mobile app but they said they wanted cash, Mr Akanimo said. The bank officials, however, told Mr Akanimo that Ms James was not with them. A PREMIUM TIMES reporter was able to establish contact with Ms James by 9:11 a.m. on Thursday via her telephone line. She said she was being detained by the bank. I collected N70,000 from them, I have been able to pay back some of the money, it is remaining N21,000. They are saying they wont let me go home until I pay all their money, she said, sounding helpless on the telephone. PREMIUM TIMES met with the officials of Grooming Microfinance Bank in their office, at 15 Udobio Street, Uyo at about 10 a.m., Thursday. An official, Joshua Eze, who claimed to be a manager in the bank, said they did not visit Ms James house as claimed by Mr Akanimo and that they did not know where she was. All that we want is our money, Mr Eze said. We will come to your house if we dont get our money, Mr Eze said, pointing his finger menacingly at Mr Akanimo as the latter was about stepping out of the bank office. I think it is better I report this whole thing to the police, Mr Akanimo said, to no one in particular, while walking down the stairs, from Grooming office. PREMIUM TIMES reached out to one woman, Ima Essien, who facilitated Ms Jamess loan from Grooming. The truth is that those people want their money back, they have vowed not to let anybody know where she is except they have their money, Ms Essien told PREMIUM TIMES around 9:56 a.m. She said the bank was keeping Ms James. I know where she is kept but I cant reveal it if the money is not paid because the whole thing is also on my head. Those who owed the bank just N5,000 have been arrested in the past, how much more with someone who is owing N21,000? What she (Ms James) has done is going to affect other persons, including me. She has not done well at all, Ms Essien said. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach the police in Uyo for their comment on the matter as the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Nnudam Fredrick, did not respond to calls and text message to his phone line. *** Source: PREMIUM TIMES In early February, as COVID-19 was spreading across China, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a controversial commentary piece "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia", which sparked outrage within the Chinese government and the general public. The headline was clearly playing on a double pun - the COVID-19 that was ravaging China and the racially discriminatory phrase "Sick Man of East Asia". On Feb. 19, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs revoked the press passes of three Beijing-based WSJ journalists to protest the Journal's slander and attack on China and its refusal to apologize for its highly insensitive and inflammatory piece. Major Chinese media outlets were swift to criticize the WSJ opinion piece, but some local bloggers and online commentators insinuated that China's response was an overreaction. They argued that it had little contextual understanding of the term "sick man", which was often used by the Western media. So what are the origins of the term? I found that the phrase "Sick Man of Europe" was used to describe poor European countries facing economic troubles. Going back even further, I found that the term was first used to reference the debt-ridden Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. Nowadays, this term is still being widely used by Western media to describe a country or region facing severe economic challenges. And this is commonly believed to be a possible origin of the phrase "Sick Man of Asia." These are just a handful of examples: 1. The American Empire Is the Sick Man of the 21st Century by Foreign Policy on April 2, 2019 2. The U.S. Is the Sick Man of the Developed World by Bloomberg News on August 1, 2017 3. Britain is once again the sick man of Europe by the Financial Times on April 18, 2019 4. 'France is now the sick man of Europe', says Polish minister by the Daily Mail on December 17, 2018 5. Germany becomes the sick man' of Europe by Fox Business Network on October 5, 2019 Aside from China, foreign media also labeled other Asian countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia with the same term when they faced economic recession. 1.Philippines- 'Sick man of Asia' risks relapse by the Nikkei Asian Review on November 12, 2018 2. Thailand Risks Inheriting Asia's Sick-Man Tag on Unrest: Economy by Bloomberg News on May 28, 2014 3. Is Singapore the new sick man of Asia? By the New Straits Times on December 24, 2016 The term "sick man" in these articles refer to economic downturns in the respective countries, and despite it being pejorative in nature, had nothing to do with racial discrimination. As such, some commentators questioned why China reacted in such an intense way when so many other countries were also given the same label. They mistakenly believed that the over-sensitive and unconfident Chinese were simply making a mountain out of a molehill. Perhaps, what they chose to ignore was the fact that the phrase "Sick Man of East Asia" had taken on a special meaning when viewed alongside the humiliation China faced over the past 200 years. In 1896, an English writer used the phrase "Sick Man of East Asia" to describe the corrupt and bureaucratic Qing imperial government in an article published in the North China Daily News, an English newspaper based in Shanghai. Liang Qichao, the renowned scholar and reformer, translated this phrase into "" to express his despair toward the indifferent and ineffectual Qing government. Since then, this phrase has been closely tied to the stereotype of catatonic Chinese opium addicts in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the movie Fist of Fury released in 1972, Chen Zhen, played by Bruce Lee, sent back to the Japanese a tablet inscribed with the phrase "Sick Man of East Asia". This made the racially discriminatory term even more widely known around the world. Therefore, the term "Sick Man of East Asia" has a clearly different meaning in China even though it originated from the West. It is a term that is inextricably linked to the dignity and emotions of the Chinese, especially when it is used to discuss something other than the global economy. The meaning of a word or a term cannot be construed independent of its broader socio-historical context. Several days before the release of the commentary by the WSJ, 13 cities in China's Hubei province, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, were on lockdown. China made huge sacrifices and mounted a massive national effort to contain its spread so as to ensure the well-being of its people and protect other nations from COVID-19. All these efforts embody China's great sense of responsibility and commitment. I believe that the incendiary headline by the WSJ exposed its indifference to all the efforts made by the Chinese people during such a trying time. In many ways, the article, which was unfair and unsympathetic, struck at the very core of the Chinese people's sentiments. Those who have voiced their support for the WSJ article must understand that some words or terms cannot exist separately from their specific socio-historical context, cultural background and national sentiment. Likewise for the phrase "Sick Man of Asia". By Trevor Hunnicutt and Joseph Ax SUMTER, S.C. (Reuters) - U.S By Trevor Hunnicutt and Joseph Ax SUMTER, S.C. (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential contenders blasted the Republican Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the eve of South Carolina's fourth-in-the-nation nominating contest on Saturday. Former Vice President Joe Biden is banking on the southern state to breathe new life into his struggling campaign and make him the top moderate alternative to national front-runner Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist. Here's what is happening on Friday: CORONAVIRUS CRITICISM Biden, U.S. Senator Sanders and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg joined the chorus of prominent Democrats criticizing the administration response to the virus, whose rapid spread reached six new countries and sent global stock markets tumbling again on Friday. At a campaign event in Sumter, South Carolina, Biden accused President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who is overseeing the government response to the outbreak, of misleading the American public about the virus threat. "Trump and Pence decided that the public health experts cannot inform the public on their own whats going on," Biden said. "Now the president wont let other people tell the truth." Sanders slammed Trump for holding a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday night rather than remaining in Washington to address the situation. "Why is he here? Hes here to try and disrupt the Democratic primary," Sanders said at an event in St. George. "How pathetic and how petty can you be? Bloomberg focused on the coronavirus in campaign speeches on Thursday and Friday, and pointed to the sharp drop in stock market prices on Friday as a sign of concern about Trump's competence. "The stock market has plunged partly out of fear (about the virus) but also because investors have no confidence that this president is capable of managing the crisis, Bloomberg told a rally in Memphis, Tennessee. Bloomberg, a late entrant in the race for the White House, has not competed in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, and is pinning his hopes on Super Tuesday nominating contests next week in Tennessee and 13 other states. On Thursday, he campaigned in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Trump defended his handling of the threat on Twitter on Thursday evening, writing that the administration's actions put "us way ahead in our battle with coronavirus." Earlier in the week, he called the risk from the virus "very low" in the United States. At present, there are 62 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States, including people repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan, U.S. officials said. COUNTING ON SOUTH CAROLINA Biden continued to show signs of growing strength ahead of Saturday's primary. His campaign celebrated a $1.2 million one-day online fundraising haul, the most contributed by small-dollar internet donors since his campaign launch last year, when similar contributions added up to more than $6 million. A Monmouth University poll released on Thursday showed Biden with large support from black South Carolina voters, who make up about 60% of the state's Democratic electorate. He was buoyed as well by an endorsement from U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who was the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee under Hillary Clinton. Virginia votes on Tuesday. In Sumter, undecided voter Marybeth Berry, 44, told Biden that she sees a "fire" in some of his rivals and asked what drives him. "Because you see Bernie, you see Elizabeth Warren, you see that fire. Thats what Im looking for," said Berry, a theatre professor at the University of South Carolina Lancaster. Biden looked Berry in the eyes and said: The fact that Im not screaming like Bernie and waving my arms or like Elizabeth its not lack of fire." He said decency and honour drive him and that he hates to see the abuse of power against vulnerable people. And Im glad you asked me the question because its making me mad even answering it, he said. Berry said she thought Biden's answer was very, very good and powerful, and that she was leaning towards him after hearing him speak, but added she was also considering Sanders. Her husband, Christopher, an Army veteran who met Biden when he served in Iraq, was already convinced. He voted for Trump in 2016 but is supporting Biden this time. Biden had poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire and finished a distant second place in Nevada. WARREN CALLS FOR SUPER PAC DISCLOSURE At a canvassing kickoff event in Greenville, an animated Warren fired up a crowd of supporters and volunteers, telling them that our democracy, our world, hangs in the balance in 2020. Im Elizabeth Warren, and Im the woman whos going to beat Donald Trump, she said, repeating a line she has recently begun delivering at campaign events. Her campaign also called on a new pro-Warren Super PAC to disclose its donors before Super Tuesday. The Massachusetts senator has been criticized for not disavowing the effort given her longstanding criticism of such groups. The Persist PAC announced it would spend $9 million to air television advertisements ahead of the Super Tuesday contests. The ads will run in some of the most expensive media markets in California, Texas and Massachusetts. The new buy is in addition to more than $3 million the group previously spent in California and seven other Super Tuesday states. Super PACS may raise and spend unlimited sums of money to support candidates as long as they do not coordinate directly with those candidates' campaigns. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Joseph Ax and Simon Lewis; Writing by Sharon Bernstein and James Oliphant; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Beirut, February 28, 2020 Israeli authorities should release Palestinian journalist Mujahed Muflih and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 26, Israeli police arrested Muflih, a reporter and editor for the news website Ultra Palestine, at the Zatara checkpoint south of the West Bank city of Nablus, according to news reports, including a report by Muflihs employer, and the Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, a regional press freedom group. Police officers took Muflih to the Ariel Settlement in the central West Bank, where they interrogated him and placed him under investigation for incitement in relation to his Facebook posts, according to Skeyes and Ultra Palestine. The Skeyes report said that Muflih would be brought to court on March 1, and that the Prisoners Club, a local prisoners support group, has provided a lawyer. Israeli police must allow Palestinian journalists to do their jobs and to share news and opinions, including on social media, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Representative Ignacio Miguel Delgado. Israeli authorities should not charge journalist Mujahed Muflih over his Facebook posts, and should release him immediately. Muflih was returning to his hometown of Beita from Ramallah with his wife and two children when he was stopped; police ordered him out of the car and arrested him on the spot, his brother, Asad Muflih, told Ultra Palestine. CPJ could not determine which of Muflihs Facebook posts are at the center of the investigation. The day before his arrest, Muflih published a Facebook post translating into Arabic a Hebrew flyer that called on Israeli settlers to join a February 28 bike ride to the Jabal al-Aarma archeological site led by the head of the Settlements Council in the northern West Bank city of Yossi Dagan. He posted a comment saying the settlers forgot what happened in 1988, in reference to clashes between Israelis and Palestinians over settlements in that year. Muflih has reported on Palestinian politics, Israeli police operations, and the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Israeli Interior Ministry did not immediately reply to CPJs emailed request for comment. Alessandra Ambrosio just partied her heart out in an array of tantalizing costumes during the highly publicized Carnaval festival in Rio de Janeiro. But the 38-year-old supermodel looked content to be kicking back sans rhinestones and makeup, when she was spotted taking in the beauty of Brazil from her balcony on Friday afternoon. Donning an itty bitty white bikini, the Brazilian beauty indulged in an impromptu photo shoot that featured the backdrops Hotel Fasano had to offer. Casual: Alessandra Ambrosio was spotted taking in the beauty of Brazil on the balcony of her hotel in Rio de Janiero on Friday afternoon Ambrosio, who recently launched her swimwear company GAL Floripa, looked to be trying out a pro-type design on her own physique. The suit included a pair of bottoms featuring a plunging-V waistline, as well as a twist front bikini top. Alessandra's enviable tan was further accentuated by her suit's pureness of tone. The model covered up her seductive hazel peepers behind a pair of white cateye style RayBan sunglasses, while she tossed her brunette tresses effortlessly to the side. Cheeky: At one point, shutterbugs got a look at the bikini's structured bottom that features a thick waist band and thong-like backside Wowing in white: Ambrosio stopped hearts in a white bikini that looked as if it were made for the 38-year-old Her hair flowed down her back and shoulders, almost completely covering the bathing suit's unique criss-cross back straps. The brunette babe took some time to catch up on some business on her cellphone before jumping into her photoshoot with photographer Stewart Shining. Shining has been involved in documenting all of Ambrosio's Carnaval festival antics since her arrival to Rio. Rainy Day: Ambrosio was shooting with friend and photographer Stewart Shining (left) Total pro: The supermodel braved the rain on Friday to strike her best pose in a shallow pool located at her hotel But the day's shoot was much more calm, as Alessandra pranced around in her bikini, while dipping her toes in a shallow pool. Ambrosio did not hesitate to share behind the scenes pictures and videos from the shoot on social media. The supermodel noted on her Instagram story that her and Shining braving rainy and windy weather to get the perfect shot. Parallels: As the supermodel's hair blew about in the wind, she could not help but see a resemblance between herself and Disney princess Pocahontas Mood: The brunette beauty embraced the rain with a victory pose TLC: After her shoot, the supermodel headed out to a beauty salon, where she had her legs waxed and her hair conditioned After the shoot, the model headed out with some of her closest pals for a bite to eat before taking a nap with her Yorkie back at the hotel. To end her day, Alessandra covered up her bikini bod and headed out to beauty salon LACES, where she treated her limbs - and her head - to some well deserved TLC. Carnaval lasted from February 21 through the 26 and Alessandra put out all the stops for her festival fits. To close out the festival, the bombshell turned out her most shocking look, which included a barely there rhinestone bralette paired with matching trousers. The Morning Show KENOSHA WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, go to wgtd.org. The Morning Show airs every weekday morning between 8:10 and 9 a.m. Following is a schedule of show topics for the coming week: Monday, March 2: Part One: Racine Food Bank and plans for its fundraiser on March 6th and 7th. Part Two: Margot Kahn, This is the Place: Women Write About Home. Tuesday, March 3: A tour of the Anatomage Table 6, an exciting piece of technology used by health science students at Gateway Technical College. We speak with Morgan Kaiser, Katriana McGovern, and Traci Gotz. The program will also be available in video on the stations Facebook page. Wednesday, March 4: Erik Johnson, assistant professor of economics, talks about U.S. trade relations with China. Thursday, March 5: The guest is Anne Kim, author of Abandoned: Americas Lost Youth at the Crisis of Disconnection. Friday, March 6: A preview of Lakeside Players production of Death of a Streetcar named Virginia Woolf a Parody. The Morning Show Podcast is available from all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. Be sure to search for The Morning Show with Greg Berg. WGTDs Saturday programming includes Financial Overview at 9 a.m., Breakfast Bytes at 9:45 a.m., Education Matters at 10:30 a.m. and Community Matters at 11:15 a.m. Parkside Today SOMERS Parkside Today airs on WIPZ (101.5 FM) and streams live at WIPZ.org Tuesday and Sunday beginning at 4 p.m. Following is a schedule for the next few weeks: Sunday, March 1 (4 p.m.): The guest is Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who will address the issue of sex and human trafficking Wisconsin. Host: John Mielke. Tuesday, March 3 and Sunday, March 8 (4 p.m.): UW-Parkside Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Sheronda Glass and Title IX Coordinator Tyler Lenz-Fisher talk about what a Title IX coordinator is, available resources for faculty and staff, reporting options, as well as UW-Parksides diversity and inclusion efforts. Host: John Mielke. Tuesday, March 10 and Sunday, March 15 (4 p.m.): Lesley Walker, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Parkside, and Russel Johnson, associate music professor (jazz), talk about the critically-acclaimed acts coming to UW-Parkside for Jazz Week 2020. Host: John Mielke. Listen to previous Parkside Today shows at uwp.edu/parksidetoday. WIPZ (101.5 FM) is a student-run organization at UW-Parkside. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The VND144 trillion ($6.2 billion) charter capital registration of a Hanoi company that made headlines recently was described by one of its founding members as a hangover mistake. Vietnams registered capital of new companies skyrocketed 77 percent year-on-year in January with the establishment of USC Interco, a real estate company whose existence was not known even to industry insiders. But the company became the cynosure of media eyes as its registered charter capital was more than half of 8,300 new companies in January. It was even bigger than that of telecom giant Viettel, only behind state-owned oil firm PetroVietnam and national utility Vietnam Electricity. Reporters rushed to the registered company headquarters in the western district of Hoai Duc to learn more about this new giant in the real estate industry, only to see an ordinary three-storied house and to learn that the registration was a mistake. Kim Thi Phuong, one of three founding members USC Interco and a resident of the house, said she was shocked to hear that she was responsible of contributing VND43.2 trillion ($1.86 billion), or 30 percent of the companys charter capital. "I dont know anything. My partners were drinking, so they must have made a mistake," said Phuong, who runs a water delivery business. Phuong said shed agreed to form the company following the advice of Nguyen Hoan Son, a co-founder with a 40 percent stake, to advance her business, assuming that the charter capital was several billion dong (VND1 billion = $43,200). "Luckily, I learned about it and canceled it early. Who knows what would happen if a problem arose later," she said, telling reporters that she has asked for the Ministry of Planning and Investment permission to terminate the business. USC Interco was registered for 59 different businesses with real estate as the main focus. Its CEO was listed as Tran Gia Phong, a shareholder with a 30 percent stake, but his registered ID belonged to another person. Both Phong and Son have not been reachable since the news broke out. However, officials have said that registering the charter capital by mistake as Phuong said is unlikely. A representative of the Hanoi Business Registration Office said that the business founders need to make many detailed statements, and officials had repeatedly asked for confirmation of details in the case of USC Interco, due to the unusually high charter capital. Businesses are allowed to freely register their capital to simplify administrative procedures, and the case of USC Interco is uncommon, as most shareholders stay committed to their statement, the representative added. The invaders opened fire when a significant number of civilians were crossing the contact line. The Joint Forces Operation Headquarters (JFO HQ) says Russia's hybrid military forces have shelled the Ukrainian positions near the Maryinka entry and exit checkpoint in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded on Saturday. Read alsoDonbas war update: Ukrainian soldier wounded amid eight enemy attacks on Feb 28 "Today, February 29, the Russian occupying forces have attacked positions of the Joint Forces near the Maryinka checkpoint with the use of an anti-tank missile system. Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded as a result of enemy shelling," the JFO HQ wrote on Facebook on February 29, 2020. It is noted that the invaders opened fire when a significant number of civilians were crossing the contact line. "Now the operation of the Maryinka checkpoint is temporarily suspended. Border guards have taken measures to ensure the safety of citizens and personnel. The JFO Commander decided to introduce the 'Red' mode until a specific order," the report said. The other checkpoints continue to operate as usual, the JFO HQ added. The study, led by the University of York, found evidence for a period of enhanced pre-industrial sea-level rise of about two to three millimetres per year in three locations: Nova Scotia, Maine and Connecticut. The researchers say that the large rises at these three locations were natural, and partly related to the North Atlantic Oscillation -- a large-scale atmospheric pressure see-saw over the North Atlantic region -- and to periods of enhanced ice melt in the Arctic. The authors of the study say cities like New York and Boston will have to take into account this natural variability in planning for future sea level rise. The findings are based on sea level reconstructions derived from salt-marsh sediments from the Atlantic coast and from microscopic salt-marsh fossils. Previous studies have shown that, since the 1950s, rates of sea level rise along the Atlantic coast of North America were faster than the global average -- leading to this region coming to be known as a sea level rise "hotspot." However, lead author Prof Roland Gehrels, from the University of York's Department of Environment and Geography, said this earlier rapid episode of sea level rise in the 18th Century wasn't known before. advertisement "To find out what global warming is doing to sea levels today we need that base level from historical times. "In the 20th Century we see rates of up to three or four millimetres per year, faster than in any century in at least the last 3000 years. "In the 18th Century they were slightly slower, but still much quicker than you would expect for the Little Ice Age, partly because the Arctic was relatively warm during the 18th Century. "It is pre-industrial so there are no anthropogenic forces -- or human influences -- at play, but in the 20th Century there may well have been. "This means that those rapid episodes of sea level rise on the north east coast of North America in the 18th Century have a natural cause." Scientists say salt-marshes are good "archives" of sea levels as they contain several metres of sediment which contains data going back hundreds of years. advertisement Prof Gehrels added: "The high rates in this "hotspot" could present significant coastal risks for large population centres if they are a persistent and recurring feature. "The likely future sea level rise in places like New York City is expected to be considerably greater than the global average by the end of the 21st century." "Our findings suggest that enhanced rates of sea level rise along eastern North America are not only symptomatic of human activity, but might additionally arise from natural processes in the climate system." The findings are published in Geophysical Research Letters and involved collaboration with the University of Leeds; Durham University; Bangor University; the National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA; Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA; and the University of Siegen, Germany. Supplies of face masks at Northern Ireland's biggest health and pharmacy chain have run out. Boots said it has no stock of surgical face masks online or in stores amid growing fears over the spread of the deadly virus. The demand for hand sanitisers has also led to a squeeze on supplies. As the number of confirmed cases in Italy jumped by 25% in a single day to more than 450, private businesses, venues, religious congregations and government agencies continue to monitor the spread. One of the busiest branches of Boots here - Donegall Place in Belfast - confirmed it had run out of face masks on Thursday. A staff member said a back order had been placed but management did not know when more will be on the shelves. The company said it is "currently out of stock of surgical face masks in stores and online. We are aware that there is a high demand from customers to purchase face masks". It added: "We have also seen an increase in sales of hand sanitisers but we still have stock available in our warehouses for stores and online." Supply is being affected by the fact that many suppliers source the product in China, which is limiting exports, according to one industry figure. Ian Brennan of cleaning and hygiene suppliers Brennan Hygiene said the supply chain to businesses is slowing down. "The situation is the supply chain is slowly grinding to a halt," said Mr Brennan, managing director of the Carrickfergus-based company. "Deb Products is one of our main suppliers and they are currently three to four weeks behind all orders." One of the problems with the supply chain is that many factories producing the face masks, hand sanitisers and other related products are based in China, Mr Brennan noted. He added that the Chinese government has ordered 50% of all volume remain in the country. Mr Brennan said he has heard other bigger companies in his field have extremely large back orders in place. The hygiene product suppliers are unclear what will happen going forward with health facilities likely - and rightly said the company director - having priority. MediCare Pharmacy Group said that it has seen an increase in sales of both face masks and hand sanitisers. The company said it has been able to go to suppliers and meet demand so far. Storyful Several people were killed in a car bomb explosion described locally as a suicide attack near Mogadishu airport on January 12.Ahmed Abdihadi, who was driving nearby and recorded this footage, said he thought it was a vehicle explosion.Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, a local journalist, cited security sources as saying government officials were targeted.Spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu said the government condemned the cowardly attack.He said at least four people died. An official with the ambulance service said at least eight had died, local media said.The Mogadishu news outlet Allbanaadir said Al Shabaab had claimed responsibility for the attack. Credit: Ahmed Abdihadi via Storyful BRUSSELS (AP) European leaders argued into the early hours of Friday about how to spend and share some 1 trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) over the next seven years. Their first summit since Britain quit the EU last month has been bruising, long and so far inconclusive. Gaps and resentments between wealthy and poorer members quickly surfaced as presidents and prime ministers from the European Union's 27 countries gathered Thursday in Brussels. The unity they showed during four years of Brexit talks was nowhere to be seen as they wrangled over the EU's future priorities and who should pay for its ambitions. From farm subsidies to beefed-up border security or unprecedented climate investment, every EU leader wants the continent-wide budget to fund their own national priorities. Outside the summit center, farmers rolled tractors down the street to push their demands for sufficient funds. I dont plan to put my signature to this," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said of the latest compromise budget proposal. All came in for the long haul, and Rutte was prepared, carrying a biography of Polish composer Frederic Chopin to get him through the long hours of negotiations. Each leader laid out priorities at a collective round-table meeting, and then EU Council President Charles Michel met with each leader one by one to discuss their grievances and demands, officials said. The summit stretched past midnight with no breakthrough in sight. The Greek leader wants a bigger budget. The Finnish leader wants it smaller. France wants more money for joint defense. Lithuania wants more money for farmers. Meanwhile, concerns are growing about potential conflicts of interest that could see hundreds of millions of euros in funds granted to companies linked to some of the very people deciding how the money should be spent. Diplomats and number-crunchers have worked on the budget for years but the issues are so divisive that the leaders' summit might last into Saturday and still end without a result. Story continues There are lot of concerns, priorities, and interests," Michel said. Im well aware that the final steps that must be taken to find a compromise are always the most difficult. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said she hoped we get at least a good deal further," but was forthright in defending the wealthy nations that put more into the shared EU budget than they get out of it. For net contributors the balance is not right yet." The EU nations need to regroup after Britain's departure three weeks ago, and a show of unity on their common budget could help in that regard. With Great Britain leaving, it is a clear signal we have to give to our citizens that Europe is alive and well and we can continue functioning," said Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. Prospects of that don't look good. Britain's exit means the loss of up to 75 billions euros ($81 billion) in net contributions to the budget, and how to make up for that is causing friction. Leaders of rich nations don't want to have to pay more into that common EU pot, and those from poorer member states are angry at the prospect of receiving less money from the EU. Even if a trillion euros ($1.1 trillion) sounds like a lot, it actually amounts to about 1% of the gross national income of the 27 nations combined. The debate is over some 0.3 percentage points. Michel came into the summit with a draft budget at 1.074% of EU gross national income. The parliament wants 1.3%, while the EUs powerful executive arm, the European Commission, prefers 1.11%. Its not just about convincing reluctant member countries to stump up funds. The European Parliament must also ratify any final budget agreement and the EU lawmakers are not happy. At the moment, we remain 230 billion euros ($248 billion) apart," European Parliament President David Sassoli said this week. Ahead of the negotiations, the 27 member nations are roughly divided into two main camps. The so-called Frugal Four of Austria, Denmark, Rutte's the Netherlands and Sweden versus the Friends of Cohesion, a group of mainly central and eastern European nations who want to see the continued flow of cohesion funds, money earmarked to help develop poorer regions. The frugal four would like the budget to drop to as low as 1% of gross national income and say that with the loss of Britain the EU has to cut its coat according to its cloth. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to go the other way. It would be unacceptable to have a Europe that compensates the departure of the British by reducing spending." Complicating things further is the level of global uncertainty beyond the continent. While climate change was largely a technical matter during the last budget negotiations seven years ago, this time the EU is planning to spend a quarter of its budget on green issues, hoping to set an example for governments around the world. ___ Associated Press writer Lorne Cook contributed to this report. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Haiti - News : Zapping... Covid-19, denied of a case in Hinche Dr. Prince Pierre Sonson Medical Director of Sainte-Therese Hospital, formally denied rumors circulating on social networks that suggest that there was an infected person in the Center department, claiming "There is no Covid-19 cases in Hinche." However, Dr. Sonson reported a patient with symptoms of acute pneumonia who was taken care of, stressing that the Ministry of Public Health had already dispatched a team of experts to the scene to take samples from the patien to determine the exact nature of his illness. Andre Michel announces a complaint against the FAdH Thursday in press conference, Me Michel Andre Spokesman of the radical opposition of the movement called "Democratic and Popular" announced that a complaint will be filed against the members of the High Staff of the army, following the shooting Sunday, February 23 which leaves at least 2 dead and a dozen injured See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30109-haiti-flash-clashes-in-champ-de-mars-at-least-a-dozen-victims-provisional-assessment.html Minister Aly, advocates zero tolerance On Thursday 27, Jean Roudy Aly, the Minister of Justice and Public Security met with the government commissioners of the 18 first instance courts in the country. The Minister issued firm instructions regarding the fight against impunity, advocating a policy of "zero tolerance" against all those who sow chaos in the country, whatever their membership or social level. Covid-19 : no quarantine zone in Haiti Marie Greta Roy Clement, the Minister of Public Health affirms that her Ministry has identified hospitals in the ten departments which "could" if necessary, take care of cases of Coronavirus. She also explained that there was no quarantine zone in the country to isolate the contaminated people, adding that the Ministry favors quarantine at home. However, she stressed that this position could change depending on the future development of the situation. At the moment, there are no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Haiti. WFP : kidnapped employee, released Friday, Greg Barrow, the Head of Communications at the World Food Program (WFP) confirmed that his French employee, kidnapped Tuesday evening February 25 in Port-au-Prince by unidentified individuals "was released safely on February 27 [...]" COVID-19 epidemic: Global report 29 February 2020: Saturday February 29, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide with the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory confirmed cases) amounted to 85,406, up by 1,686 cases (+8.9%) compared to the previous day (1,549), https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30142-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 2,924 deaths (+ 1.9%) or 66 cases more than the day before (2,858). Average mortality rate 3.4%. 39,590 people healed, i.e. 2,953 people (-21%) less than the day before (3,739). To date, there are 6,155 cases of confirmed infected people outside China (+ 25.7%), or 1,260 cases more than the previous day, in a total of 60 countries (+4 countries compared to the previous day). There have been 83 deaths outside of China since the start of the epidemic (December 2019), or 17 more compared to the previous day: 34 in Iran, 17 in South Korea, 1 in Taiwan, 1 in the Philippines, 2 in Hong Kong, 5 in Japan, 2 in France and 21 in Italy. HL/ HaitiLibre New Coronavirus Cases in California, Oregon, and Washington Suggest Community Spread: Officials New coronavirus cases confirmed in the Pacific Northwest suggest the new virus may be spreading in the community in the United States, officials said. Washington state, Oregon, and California officials confirmed in total four new cases on Friday. Officials do not know where or how three of the patients became infected, making them possible instances of community spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Community spread means that people acquire COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, through an unknown exposure in the community. The first case of unknown origin was confirmed on Feb. 26 in northern California. Three more were reported on Feb. 28. Some officials suggested the cases showed community spread while others said at least one case was, in fact, from community spread. There was no known travel exposure for this individual. So, this is a case of community spread of the disease, much like the case from California earlier this week, Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters on Friday about the first case in Oregon. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear, Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, California, said in a statement. Health officials in the county reported that an older woman with chronic health conditions was tested after going to the hospital with a respiratory illness. The patient does not have a travel history nor any known contact with a traveler or infected person, according to county officials. A support operations tent is seen at a earmarked quarantine site for healthy people potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, behind Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, north of Seattle, Washington, on Feb. 28, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease, Cody said. Authorities in Oregon reported the states first case of COVID-19. The adult patient has no travel history to a country where the virus was circulating nor did they come into close contact with another confirmed case, state officials said. As such, public health officials are considering it a likely community-transmitted case, meaning that the origin of the infection is unknown, the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement. The patient spent time in the Lake Oswego school district and patients and staff members there may have been exposed to the virus, according to the authority. Officials will try to locate the people the patient came into contact with. Washington state health authorities said two peoplea woman in her 50s and a teenage boytested positive for the new disease. The woman traveled recently to Daegu, South Korea, which saw an explosion of cases in recent days, but the teen has no travel history and officials dont know the source of his infection. A woman wears a mask on Wall Street near the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Feb. 28, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) The teen visited Seattle Childrens North Clinic on Feb. 24 and attends Jackson High School in Mill Creek. The Everett Public Schools superintendent decided to close the school on Monday to allow three days of deep cleaning, the Washington State Department of Health said. Officials expect to find more cases of community transmission, Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District, said at a press conference on Friday night. The four new cases were confirmed by the states using tests developed by the CDC. States received the testing kits early this month but most couldnt use them until Friday. The positive cases are considered presumptive pending confirmatory testing by the CDC, which is required through an Emergency Use Authorization. But the CDC and state and local public health officials are treating the cases as if they were confirmed. Local officials attributed the detection of the cases to the new tests, which cut days off the testing process. States and local labs that couldnt test locally previously had to spend hours packaging samples before shipping them to the CDCs Atlanta headquarters. The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory used the new testing kit just hours after validating it, Oregon officials said. Authorities also said they expect additional cases, a message that has been repeated by both state and federal officials. The CDCs laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. (CDC via AP) Given the extent of global spread, we expect to identify more individuals with COVID-19 in Washington, Washington Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said at a press conference. Federal officials warned earlier in the week that community spread of the new virus was likely, citing the spike in cases in South Korea, Italy, and Iran. Its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a phone call on Wednesday. Federal officials are using an in-depth report produced by its researchers in 2017 as a roadmap for how to deal with the virus. Without a vaccine or proven treatment, officials are focusing on nonpharmaceutical interventions, which fall into three categories: personal, community, and environmental. Personal interventions include routine recommendations such as washing hands and staying home when sick, and measures specific to pandemics such as people voluntarily isolating themselves at home even if theyre not sick if a member of their household has become ill. Community interventions can include closing schools and transitioning to internet-based teleschooling and changing business meetings from in-person to online as well. Some locales could postpone or cancel large gatherings. Environmental interventions primarily revolve around cleaning surfaces. The school closing for cleaning is an example of an environmental intervention. Narimon Mirza stands next a to a whiteboard showing the number of COVID-19 cases around the world at the Medical Health and Coordination Center at the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento on Feb. 27, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Americans, Messonnier said, should start preparing for significant disruption to their lives. The new virus emerged in China late last year and has spread to dozens of countries, infecting patients in over a dozen countries for the first time this week alone. The virus spreads primarily through close contact and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Patients who test positive are typically isolated in hospitals or at home. The origin of the virus isnt known. Coronaviruses often circulate in animals and only in rare cases jump to humans before being transmitted between people. Symptoms of the virus are similar to the flu and include fever, headache, and a dry cough. The incubation period is believed to be one day to 14 days. Experts recommend people frequently wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing. Other prevention techniques include avoiding close contact with sick people, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces, and not touching ones eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. People who show symptoms should isolate themselves at home and call health authorities or their healthcare provider. Family and household members should try to stay at least 6 feet away from sick people. Rod Nordland and Feb. 29, 2020 Soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the United States militarys attention turned to Afghanistan, where Al Qaedas leaders were based. Many knew an invasion was sure to come. What no one knew was that Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion to rout Al Qaeda and its hosts, the Taliban, would turn into a war that is now in its 20th year Americas longest. It has vexed four American presidencies and outlasted 14 American military commanders. It has also opened a window, for much of the world, onto a country where modernity still clashes with ancient customs and religious edicts. Here, in chronological order, are images showing the long arc of the war, as seen through the eyes of New York Times photographers. Karl Whitney at The Guardian: Kraftwerks Ralf Hutter once told a journalist that his groups 23-minute-long song about car travel Autobahn was an attempt to answer the question: What is the sound of the German Bundesrepublik? The autobahn system is, Uwe Schutte writes in this engaging critical introduction to the band, a deeply ambivalent German monument because it was a pet project of Adolf Hitler. Schutte sees Kraftwerks music as a contribution to the political, cultural and moral rebuilding of Germany after the second world war. Their records obliquely approach history, and the process of constructing a future-oriented nation, by focusing on the material aspects of its everyday life: roads, nuclear power, trains, computers. more here. Although the risk of getting coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, in the U.S. remains low, public health officials state its not clear how easily this new disease spreads from person to person. Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Since theres no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests ways to reduce the risk of spreading an airborne virus in its Get Your Household Ready for Pandemic Flu brochure. Heres a quick list of supplies to have in your home in case of a broader outbreak or quarantine, and links to buy each one. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Food Its recommended that you have enough nonperishable food for two weeks, according to the American Red Cross. You can buy a compact bucket of dehydrated meals, from beef stew to granola, or shop for long-lasting food you wont mind eating before it spoils. Drinks A two-week supply of water (if you dont drink tap water) and other hydrating beverages is recommended. Hygiene Good hygiene, particularly regular and thorough hand washing, is one of the best ways to protect yourself from coronavirus, or just plain old cold or flu, according the CDC. Soap and water and most household cleansers such as bleach wipes and alcohol will kill coronaviruses. If someone is sick at home, wipe kitchen counters, bathroom faucets and other surfaces several times a day. Medical Its important to have an adequate supply of any daily or prescription medications you take, according to Ready.gov. You can ask your insurance provider to approve an extended supply. In addition, its a good idea to have: Gear The CDC doesnt recommend face masks for disease prevention. However, if you are sick, face masks, such as the Niosh N95 respirator mask, can help prevent people around you from contracting the disease. Do note that face masks are starting to go out of stock and become expensive. Consider other preventative options. Heres some other gear: Healthy habits Follow these important practices on a regular basis: Stay away from crowds, called social distancing , to limit exposure and avoid close contact especially when traveling If you or someone in your house is sick: Stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines. 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. Health experts say you should scrub for 20 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, or cough or sneeze into your elbow instead of your hands to keep viruses from being airborne. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Throw away used tissues in no-touch disposal receptacle Keep hands out of your mouth, nose and eyes to prevent transmission of not just coronavirus, but other respiratory diseases, according to the CDC Enroll in Public Alerts Citizen Alert or an emergency alert service in your county to be notified via text, call or email by emergency response agencies when you need to take action such as shelter-in-place or evacuate. Many public health departments also use social media to communicate timely and accurate pandemic flu information to the public. Bookmark the website or Facebook page of the Oregon Health Authority and a local health department, which regularly notify residents of health emergencies and other issues impacting the community. Make plans if schools and daycares close. If you get sick Most coronavirus cases are mild. If you feel sick, you dont need to rush to the hospital or an urgent care facility right away. Call your primary care physician, who may be able to help you over the phone. If you believe you are having a medical emergency, dial 911. Separate yourself. People who are sick should not share a bedroom, bathroom, towels or eating utensils with other members of the household, and they should wear a face mask to reduce the spread of illness. Use a disinfectant to daily to clean doorknobs, light switches, toilet seats, countertops and other high-touch surfaces. MORE ON THE CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: Keep kids home if they have fever, sniffles, other symptoms How to properly wash hands to stop the spread of germs How to prevent coronavirus, symptoms to watch for What is the difference between coronavirus vs. COVID-19? The U.S. surgeon general has a message for Americans -- stop buying masks now! -- Janet Eastman with reporting by Ben Axelson | baxelson@syracuse.com jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories The Trump White House took a victory lap Saturday saying the president had come good on his promise of ending endless wars with the conclusion of the Afghan agreement, which, it said, was a historic opportunity for peace and the United States will be closely watching the Taliban to ensure compliance. President Donald Trump had not personally commented on the signing of the agreement yet, but the White House said in a note released shortly after that the president is making good on his promise to bring our troops home from endless wars overseas by working toward peace in Afghanistan. Trump ran for president on the promise of ending Americas long-running wars such as the one in Afghanistan and bring troops home. He has appeared to have been in a hurry and faced criticism earlier for engaging with the Taliban directly in an unprecedented move, cutting out the Afghan government. He was also criticized for wanting to withdraw troops from Syria after prematurely declaring victory against the Islamic State. Watch: US, Taliban sign peace deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan While chalking up the Afghan agreement as another promise fulfilled, the White House noted it was only a historic opportunity of peace and work remains to be done. The United States has secured strong commitments from the Taliban that they will permanently sever their ties to international terrorists, the White House said. And as the agreement is implemented, we will be watching closely and making determinations about compliance based on our own judgment and the safety of our personnel. The United States will be withdrawing troops from the current 13,000 to about 8,600 over the next months but will sustain its counter-terrorism forces to continue dismantling terrorist groups that seek to attack the United States The pace of troop reduction, it stressed, is conditions based and will depend on how well the Taliban comply with the commitments they have made. If the political settlement fails, if the talks fail, there is nothing that obliges the United States to withdraw troops., a senior administration official told reporters at background briefing, referring to the Taliban committing to engage in a political dialogue with the Afghan government. Apart from the commitment to permanently sever ties with terrorists, the Taliban will also be watched closely by the United States for its commitments to enter negotiations with the Afghan government, its political leaders, and Afghan civil society, including women. JUNEAU, Alaska - Eight Alaska school districts have received about $4.5 million to replace dozens of diesel school buses with clean-burning buses under the Volkswagen Settlement School Bus Replacement Program. The Alaska Energy Authority said 33 diesel school buses are expected to be replaced across the state, Juneau Empire reported Friday. The Alaska Energy Authority is tasked with reducing the cost of energy in the state. Transportation contractor First Student Inc. applied for the buses through the Volkswagen program on behalf of multiple school districts, including the Juneau School District, said Betsy McGregor, environmental manager with the state Energy Authority. First Student applied for one bus in Juneau, one in Kodiak Island Borough and four in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, McGregor said. The Juneau School District appreciates First Students efforts in applying for the school bus replacement program, said District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett, adding that a 15-year-old bus will be replaced in the city. It is a positive step toward improving air quality in our community and around our school buildings. Anchorage School District is expected to receive 13 buses, the most of all the districts, officials said. Additional beneficiaries of the grants include Alaska Gateway School District, Kenai School District, Southeast Island School District and Kake City School District. Alaska received more than $8 million as a result of a federal settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and 60% of the money is expected to go toward school bus replacement statewide. The remaining amount of money awarded to the state is allocated toward public transit bus replacement, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and replacement of diesel engines used for prime power, officials said. The settlement comes amid accusations that Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act after they allegedly installed software in diesel vehicles that masked actual in-use emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, allowing the vehicles to pass emissions tests. Flash China is ready to strengthen communication with Italy in professional fields in the fight against COVID-19, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday. In a phone conversation with Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio, Wang said that currently, many countries in the world are struggling to fight COVID-19, the common enemy of mankind, calling for joint efforts of the international community to deal with the virus. Wang appreciated the friendship and support from all walks of life in Italy to China since the outbreak of the epidemic, which China will bear in mind. So far, China has been in the forefront of the epidemic, Wang said, adding that through arduous efforts, the epidemic situation across the country is under effective control. Speaking highly of China's prevention and control measures after an inspection, World Health Organization team of experts said it believes that China has taken unprecedented measures nationwide not only to control the spread of the epidemic in its own country, but also prevent it from spreading worldwide, providing useful experience for the international community to fight the epidemic. Wang said China is confident and capable of prevailing the epidemic at an early date. Noting the recent outbreak of the epidemic in northern Italy, Wang said that the Chinese side shares the same pain with the Italian people facing the difficulties, and would like to express condolences to them. China stands ready to provide assistance within its capacity to the country based on Italy's needs, Wang said. Wang said China is ready to strengthen communication with Italy in professional fields, carry out cooperation in telemedicine, drug and vaccine research and development, and exchange experience and technology in epidemic prevention and control. China is also willing to strengthen solidarity with countries along the Belt and Road and jointly march on the "Healthy Silk Road" through concerted efforts to combat the epidemic, Wang added. For his part, Di Maio thanked China for expressing solicitude and support for Italy in fighting the epidemic, adding that it fully shows the traditional friendship between the two peoples. The international community should work hand in hand in the face of the epidemic, strengthening cooperation and confronting the challenges together, he said. Di Maio briefed on Italy's anti-virus efforts and latest progress, saying that the Italian government is taking strong measures to prevent the spread of the disease, and is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with China, and promote information exchanges between the two countries' health departments. Italy attaches great importance to and supports the Belt and Road Initiative, he said, adding that at this difficult time, countries along the Belt and Road should strengthen solidarity and cooperation to overcome difficulties together. It is the first primary in the US Deep South, and while bigger trophies are just over the horizon on Super Tuesday, Saturdays vote in South Carolina has the potential to dramatically shift the conventional wisdom about the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. South Carolinians head to the polls for a Democratic primary being billed as the first real test of which candidate is favoured by African-American voters. If polls are any indication, the race is Joe Bidens to lose. The former vice president has run for president three times during his 48-year career in politics and has yet to win a primary or caucus. In the three votes so far this year, he has come in fourth, fifth and second. He needs a win in South Carolina and is counting on his ties to former President Barack Obama to help deliver it. Polls out of the state released during the week showed Biden with a commanding double-digit lead over Sanders, and an even greater advantage 45 percent to 13 percent over current frontrunner Bernie Sanders among likely black voters. A poor showing by Sanders in South Carolina runs the risk of dimming the aura of invincibility that has surrounded him since his blowout win in the Nevada caucuses. The unlikely event of a Sanders win, on the other hand, would mean an all-but-certain end to the Biden candidacy and clear the path ahead for the independent senator from Vermont. For candidates not named Sanders or Biden, South Carolina is about keeping momentum headed into the Super Tuesday primaries on March 3, when 14 states and American Samoa hold their primaries and about a third of the pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination are up for grabs. What happens in South Carolina does matter, mostly because of what the coverage is going to be over the three days leading up to Super Tuesday. If someone seems out of the running, theyre going to lose value, said Achim Bergmann, a Democratic strategist whose firm works in a number of Super Tuesday states. Its a tough deal for the candidates who are perceived to be at the lower rungs at the moment to figure out where they can get some juice. Elizabeth Warren, who at one point late last year was tied with Biden in the polls, has stumbled through the early-state votes despite strong debate performances and seems poised to do more of the same in South Carolina. She has insisted, however, that she is prepared to keep up the fight all the way to the convention in July. Michael Bloomberg is not on the ballot in South Carolina. Billionaire Tom Steyer, also flailing in the earlier contests, is banking on South Carolina to keep him in the race. He has spent more than $23m on ads in South Carolina, dwarfing what his rivals have spent, making explicit appeals to black voters in the state. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, both of whom have struggled with African-American voters, are not expected to do well. Earlier strong showings for both candidates came in states where almost all the voters were white, and a poor one among black South Carolinians could call into question each candidates ability to broaden their base of support to voters of colour, who make up a sizable constituency in the Democratic base. It is a big deal for his campaign if Buttigieg does not perform in South Carolina, said Jim Messina, a top aide on both of Obamas presidential campaigns, because more people like me are going to say on TV he cant get the minority vote, and thats not helpful to his narrative. African-American voters, however, may not be the monolith pundits are portraying them as. Just as among Latino and white voters, a generational divide exists that could be a challenge for Biden and a boost for the progressive wing of the party personified by Sanders and Warren. Former Vice President Joe Biden meets with attendees during a campaign event in Charleston, South Carolina [Matt Rourke/AP Photo] Were not that monolithic group that we used to be, said James Felder, an 80-year-old civil rights activist in South Carolina who has always supported Biden. Youve got a whole generation and a half, maybe, who dont know Biden, dont know what has happened in the past. This generation, Felder continued, is more open to others, new faces, as opposed to us who knew what Biden did. We appreciated him as vice president and the fact he served Obama so well, but youve got a generation whos coming along now who says Well, thats fine, but let me hear over here, too.' With Super Tuesday coming only three days later, the outcome in South Carolina is unlikely to force any of the current candidates out of the race entirely. But strategists say the results are important because they may sway voters elsewhere in the country. Anybody who defies expectations and does better than you expect, it just builds a stronger narrative for them, said Matt Angle, a Texas Democratic strategist. New Delhi: Days after the violence in North-East district of Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal said that no fresh incident of violence was reported on Saturday (February 29,2020) and his first priority is to restore normalcy in Delhi at the earliest possible. Addressing a press conference Kejriwal said that four sub-divisions got affected during Delhi Violence and 18 SDMs have been allotted in these areas to control the situation. Talking about the security, Kejriwal further informed that all the SDMs have inspected their respective areas and they are identifying the houses/shops that got damaged during the violence. Delhi CM also gave information on providing compensation to those affected in the violence and said that the government has already received 69 forms and the affected will receive the amount till Sunday. Kejriwal said, ''We have received around 69 forms till now for the ex-gratia (of Rs 25,000 cash each) that we announced for the victims of Delhi Violence. They will get the amount by tomorrow.'' In the wake of Delhi violence, the Kejriwal government also held a review meeting to discuss the current situation of the national capital. The Delhi government has made arrangements of night shelter for the victims and have asked the SDO to call back the people who left due to the troublesome situation, said Kejriwal. Exams in all government school located at the riot-hit area have been postponed till March 7 after SMC had a meeting in this regard, said Kejriwal. He further said that if the situation demands, we will also plan to shift the students of private schools which was affected during the riot to government schools. Kejriwal also assured that action will be taken against the social media account which tried spreading hate message. On Friday (February 29, 2020) Kejriwal had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to families of those who died in the clashes, in case of a minor victim Rs 5 lakh, Rs 2 lakh to those seriously injured, Rs 3 lakh for those who have been rendered orphans, Rs 25,000 for rickshaws that were burnt. A Compensation of Rs 5 lakh was also announced for homes that were burned and for loss of shop in the riots. Earlier, Kejriwal has also asserted that person who is found guilty should be given stringent punishment and urged that if any Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) person is found guilty then that person should be given stringent punishment. BUCKINGHAM Central Virginia Electric Cooperative soon will be expanding fiber-optic broadband throughout 14 localities thanks in part to a $28 million loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Friday, about 200 people gathered in Buckingham County to celebrate the loan and grant, which was awarded through the USDAs ReConnect, a program that seeks to expand broadband access in rural communities nationwide. CVEC will install and own the fiber-optic cable, and its wholly-owned subsidiary will offer retail internet and phone services to its members through Firefly Fiber Broadband. CVEC staff said the combination loan and grant is expected to cover the first three years of a five-year, $120 million project which, when completed, is expected to extend service to all 37,000 CVEC accounts. Brian Bates, director of CVEC, said the project is daunting in its scale and urged patience from those in the areas that may not see service until the fifth year. The plan began in 2019 and is expected to finish in 2023. It's not going to stop, we're going to build it in five years, everybody will be served. So whatever you see on the internet, don't believe it, he said. I believe that this project is the embodiment of CVEC mission: Working together to improve the quality of life for our members in a quietly impressive way. Bates and Gary Wood, president and CEO of CVEC, commended various partners for making the project possible, including the USDA, local officials and U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, and Denver Riggleman, R-5th. The project has been a labor of love, Wood said. Some internet service providers such as Comcast have been uninterested because of projections it will take around 11 years to make a profit from the area, Wood said. Nonetheless, in November of 2017 the CVEC board of directors approved the start of the fiber project with two provisions, Wood said. The first was to build to areas that are lowest-cost to serve in order to manage risk first, and the second was to find investment partners. He said both have been met. We're going to work really hard and get all the folks in Central Virginia connected within five years, but we understand in these rural areas that [CVEC] customers aren't the only ones who need internet so we're going to look beyond that as well, Wood said. This year, Wood said the cooperative expects to have broadband cables installed at four substations: Curdsville in Buckingham County; Cartersville in the Cumberland and Goochland counties; Kidds Store in Fluvanna County; and Stonewall in Appomattox County. Other substations, such as one in White Hall, do not have estimated connection dates yet, according to a CVEC spokesperson. Last year, CVEC and the Albemarle County Broadband Authority were awarded a Virginia Telecommunication Initiative grant of $301,748 to connect a portion of the Midway substation. Spanberger outlined her support for the ReConnect program in a phone interview with the Progress and attended a CVEC press event later Friday afternoon in Louisa County. Last year Spanberger led a push to protect ReConnect funding, helping secure an allocation of $555 million. It was important to protect funding because of the growing necessity of broadband access nationwide, which can leave rural communities behind, she said. It affects farmers, who need access to precision technology like cattle monitoring systems to check on the health of their livestock, and it leads to homework gaps between students who have broadband access and those that dont, she said. It even affects veterans, who may not have access to telehealth services. Similar sentiments were offered by Rigglemans outreach coordinator, Stephen Harvey, who cited a 2018 Federal Communications Commission broadband report that claimed 24 million Americans lack access to advanced fixed broadband and nearly a third of rural Americans lack access to mobile broadband. This shortage has created a substantial digital divide between urban and rural Americans, he said. The USDA reconnect program is a key component in Congressman Riggleman's work to help bridge that digital divide. The difficulty of living without broadband access is something Buckingham County resident Virginia Jackson is all too aware of. Jackson, along with her husband, attended the event in Buckingham to learn more about the project. Currently, Jackson said her household makes do with internet hotspots from their cell phones, which can be tedious, and use a lot of data to stream television. Its a balancing act sometimes but we make the best out of it, she said. We are very excited to see what this project brings to our community. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. New Delhi, Feb 29 : Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has slammed the Arvind Kejriwal government for giving sanction for prosecution of former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar in a 2016 sedition case. Chidambaram called the Delhi government "ill-informed". "Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law", Chiadambaram said in a tweet. He also criticized the Delhi government for giving the sanction. "I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC", he added. The Delhi government on Friday had granted sanction to the Delhi Police to prosecute former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 sedition case. "We have received the sanction from the Delhi government to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others in this case," a senior police officer told IANS. The Delhi Police Special Cell on February 19 wrote to the Delhi Home Secretary requesting 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 therefore 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." A Delhi court had asked the Delhi government to file a status report relating to the issue of pendency of sanction in the case to prosecute student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and others. Following four days of testimony, including from one of two alleged rape victims and accomplices, a Montgomery County jury on Friday sentenced a 22-year-old Houston man to life for robbing a Circle K cashier at gunpoint. Marquis Deshawn Clark Jr. was convicted of aggravated robbery by a jury of seven women and five men in presiding Judge Lisa Michalks 221st District Court. Clark will have to serve 30 years before he is eligible for parole. After deliberating on Clarks guilt for roughly two hours Friday afternoon, jurors took less than an hour to deliver their sentence. The Montgomery County District Attorneys Office previously won convictions on three other Houston men who pleaded guilty to the Aug. 23, 2018 armed robbery of the Circle K located at 21997 FM 1314 in Porter. Receiving sentences between 30 to 50 years, they have not been tried elsewhere for other robberies. They came to Montgomery County and that was their mistake because we dont take these things lightly here, said prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Taylor Teissier as she addressed jurors. Prosecutors depicted Clark as the lead perpetrator of the operation as it struck 12 businesses in three Houston-area counties two summers ago. Evidence and testimony from the prosecution signaled to a trigger-happy bandit donning a skull-print mask and red gloves who was fixated on the media coverage his crimes generated. Key testimony Teissier and assistant DA Rob Freyer called to the witness stand Clarks Circle K victims, which included the cashier and a couple, along with a woman who said he raped her later that night at a Humble store where she was employed. Also testifying were two of his convicted conspirators and the law enforcement officials from multiple agencies involved in the investigations the four men were suspects in. The night that led to Clarks conviction ended in the early morning hours when LeCharles C.W. Martin Craige, 19, was apprehended after the groups getaway vehicle crashed during a high-speed chase on Eastex Freeway. Craige, who for his involvement was sentenced to 50 years, implicated Clark in the Circle K robbery, the Humble stores armed holdup and the employees sexual assault. Freyer and Teissier laid out their case from there, bringing Trenton Letroy Jackson Jr., 22, who was sentenced to 40 years for his part, to testify about Clark pressing the group to rob Exotica Superstore, an adult novelty shop located on the 15000 block of Eastex Freeway in Humble. Clark, Jackson said, considered the money looted at the Circle K was not enough. Surveillance footage showed a security guard there being attacked by the men. The security guard testified his car was used by the assailants to flee. In tearful testimony, the female employee said Craige and Clark, both armed, forced her to strip naked and perform fellatio on them. When left alone in the break room, she pulled the silent panic button leading to the eventual apprehension of Craige and ultimately the arrest of Clark and the other two. I was really paranoid. I thought they were gonna come after me, she said about her experience after. Sentenced to 30 years in the Circle K case, Cameron Walter Dillon Lucas, 19, testified about other armed robberies authorities were linking Clark to. In one, the masked attacker identified as Clark fired his gun on a Houston McDonalds employee. The bullet missed the woman when it hit the spout on a tea container. In addition, the Circle K cashier mentioned the masked man ordered the others to shoot him. An Houston Police Department detective connected the dozen robbery cases reported in Missouri City, Sugar Land, Houston, Pasadena, Porter and Humble. Closing arguments In closing arguments, Teissier contrasted the people earning a wage with the serial robbers who attacked them. She called their criminal activity their own version of a job. Everyone was doing their job, she said about the victims and their victimizers, adding that convicting Clark was the jurors job. The victims were unlucky enough to be the ones in the way of this defendant from doing his job. And his job is to terrorize. Clarks defense attorney, Robert Bartlett, countered by pointing out DNA evidence in the sexual assault was inconclusive. Bartlett bemoaned the introduction of evidence of robberies Clark was not being tried for, asserting the prosecution failed to positively ID the masked assailant. They wanted to throw as much dirt as they could on Clark, he said. It shouldnt stick. Although Teissier pointed to Google searches and texts on Clarks phone about crimes he was wanted for, Bartlett reminded jurors that Lucas in cross-examination had admitted to using the device. Bartlett also called into question the testimony of Jackson and Lucas, citing an agreement between them and the prosecution that their cooperation in the trial would benefit their incarceration. You gotta go to Hell to catch the Devil, Freyer said in response. Sentencing phase About five minutes into the trials punishment phase, a juror had to leave and an alternate, present through court proceedings, filled the vacancy. Jurors heard from the boyfriend of a second alleged rape victim from an Aug. 11, 2018 incident on a residential street near Harrisburg and East Loop 610. The woman suffered an injury a couple of days prior and was unable to testify. Her then boyfriend, now current fiance, spoke of how she was diagnosed with PTSD due to the assault. Our family was wrecked by this, the fiance said. Similar to the novelty store assault, the woman, her boyfriend testified, was stripped naked and forced to perform oral sex on one assailant and then on the masked man authorities determined was Clark. Freyer in his sentencing arguments implored jurors to send a message to would-be criminals looking to target Montgomery County. If you come here and do those things, there are people in this great place, Freyer said, adding Montgomery County jurors will destroy such culprits. Once the sentencing verdict was announced, Clark bowed his head, shaking it as he turned to an older woman seated in one of the pews. She had been present through the trial. In the courthouses annex building, her sobs could be heard around the corner where bailiffs escorted a handcuffed Clark to the start of his incarceration. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman detained in Iran, has contracted suspected novel coronavirus, her husband has said. The prison is avoiding confirming whether Nazanin has coronavirus but I would be surprised if she doesnt. There are enough symptoms, and the authorities are just too reluctant to see, Richard Ratcliffe said. A lack of transparency can cost lives this is true in so many aspects of our case as four years of game playing have shown. The Free Nazanin Campaign said Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe also believed she had contracted the virus, which has caused thousands of deaths globally since its outbreak in central China last month. I am not good. I feel very bad in fact. It is a strange cold. Not like usual. I know the kinds of cold I normally have, how my body reacts. This is different. I am just as bad as I was. I often get better after three days. But with this there is no improvement. I havent got one bit better, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe told the campaign. Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty It has been a sore throat for days now. Really bad. It is now more than five days with a severe sore throat that is not going away. At the beginning I had a runny nose and a cough. Now I have this continual cold sweat. I have a temperature, though not all the time. The past couple of days I have been shivering every night. I have also had nausea feeling like I am about to vomit, though I do not. I have difficulty breathing and pain in my muscles, and fatigue. I do not pant, but I am finding it hard to breathe. And I am just very, very tired. I have real tiredness and a heavy head. I am too tired to do anything. For a long time this has not felt like a normal cold. These symptoms have lasted almost a week. I know I need to get medicine to get better. This does not go magically. More than 85,000 people worldwide have been infected with coronavirus. Most of the 2,850 deaths have been in China, where the outbreak began last year. An Iranian health ministry spokesman said the virus had killed 43 people in the Islamic Republic, with 593 confirmed cases. However, officials in Irans health system told the BBC that at least 210 people have died as a result of the illness. The authorities have previously been accused of a cover-up and the US has expressed concern that they may not be sharing information. Boris Johnson on coronavirus There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Evin prison, though the Free Nazanin Campaign said it was implementing special measures, such as bans on face to face prison visits by family members. On Friday, Mr Ratcliffe called on Boris Johnson to take action on securing his wifes release, adding she already suffered from other medical conditions as a direct consequence of her time in prison. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been imprisoned in Tehran since 2016, experiences unexplained collapses to irregular heartbeats, to strange incapacities in her neck and arms, her husband said. The 42-year-old was convicted of spying, despite Tehran failing to provide evidence for the charge. The Ministry of Education of Georgia recommended all universities to postpone the spring semester due to the spread of the coronavirus infection in the country. According to the head of the department, Mikhail Chkhenkeli, thorough disinfection is necessary for educational institutions. "As for private schools, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, they are given the recommendation to declare a vacation on March 2 -16 for disinfection," Sputnik-Georgia quotes the head of the educational department as saying. Anu Kuruvilla By Express News Service KOCHI: The truth that the world is not short of good people is reinforced every other day by some selfless deeds by a handful of Good Samaritans. The reasons might be different. However, when their decision brightens the lives of a lot of people, it becomes an example to learn from. One such decision to honour the memory of a son by his mother and elder brother by an NRI has come as a blessing for a group of tiny tots studying at an Anganwadi at Eloor. "Rajendra Prasad, elder brother of my friend Santhosh, passed away two years ago. He didn't have any kids and is survived by his wife, mother and younger brother," said Kasim Kandoth, Santhosh's friend. According to him, Santhosh and his mother Meenakshi Amma wanted to honour Rajendra's memory. "So they were on the lookout for some noble initiatives that would be befitting," he said. "The aim was to gift the land where Rajendra lived to those initiatives that aimed at the welfare of the needy," said Kasim. Santhosh approached him at a time when one of Kasim's other friend had told him about how Anganwadi children in Ward 23 were having a tough time. "The Anganwadi was functioning in a rented room and was cramped. The kids didn't have enough space to even move around," he added. So, Kasim told Santhosh about the Anganwadi. "He was thrilled and agreed to gift 3.40 cents of land from the 6.8 cents property for the construction of the Anganwadi," said Kasim. Santhosh has already signed the documents transferring the deed of the land, worth Rs 14 lakh, to the municipality for the construction of the Anganwadi. "Santhosh has said that the remaining land too will be gifted to worthy initiatives or given to the Anganwadi if they need a playground for the children. Meanwhile, the children can use the land to play," said Kasim. The municipality wants to honour Santhosh and his mother, he added. "So, a function has been organised by Eloor Municipality on March 7. Santhosh, who is a businessman in Dubai, will be arriving here to officially hand over the title deed of the land to the municipality. The United States has delayed a regional ASEAN summit scheduled to take place in Las Vegas next month due to fears of the coronavirus, a senior administration official said Friday. As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting, said the official on condition of not being named. Leaders from the Association of South East Asian Nations had been due to be hosted by President Donald Trump on March 14. The official said the United States values our relationships with the nations of this critical region, and looks forward to future meetings. Kumari de Alwis Art Academy exhibition on today at Lionel Wendt View(s): The senior students of Kumari de Alwis Art Academy are holding their seventh exhibition and sale of oil paintings this weekend at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. The exhibition is open today Sunday, March 1 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. A product of St Bridgets Convent, Kumari De Alwis began painting at a tender age of five. Mentored by the eminent artist the late Mudaliyar A.C.G.S. Amarasekera, she later moved on to teach at the Amarasekera School of Art and also obtained a Diploma in Commercial Art (London). Kumari did a stint as an art teacher at St. Patricks College Karachchi and thereafter moved to Germany with her husband. She also taught at Kings Castle Christian College, Frankfurt. On her return to Sri Lanka,Kumari launched her Art Academy and has tutored many children and adults in oil paintings, water colours, pastels and black and white sketches, over the past 31 years. She conducts classes for children and adults at 261/12 Polhengoda Road, Colombo 5. Casablanca (Morocco), 24 February 2020 (SPS) - Several thousands of persons on Sunday demonstrated in the streets of Casablanca (west of Morocco) to denounce social inequalities and the high cost of living, reported media quoting local sources. The marchers protested against unemployment, the high cost of living and the breakdown of public services while demanding the release of political prisoners. The march was organized by the Moroccan Social Front, a group bringing together four left parties, as well as trade union organizations like the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT) and associations like AMDH (human rights). "The demonstration of the Moroccan Social Front was organized to say stop antisocial policies, degradation of human rights and the policies that have led to the degradation of purchasing power," said Ali Boutwala, an FSM member quoted by AFP. A call for the release of all political detainees including those of the "Rif hirak" (Countryside Popular Movement) was launched by the demonstrators. The date of the march coincides with the anniversary of the February 20 Movement, a protest movement that had agitated Morocco in 2011. Three years ago, the Rif hiraks protests began after the atrocious death of Mohcine Fikri, a fish seller who was crushed in a dumpster while trying to recover his goods seized by the authorities. (SPS) 062/SPS/APS Turkey on Saturday threatened to allow tens of thousands of refugees to leave for Europe and warned Damascus will "pay a price" as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepped up pressure after dozens of Turkish troops were killed inside Syria. At the Turkish border, Greek police clashed with several thousand migrants who were already gathered at the entrance into EU territory. Young migrants lobbed rocks at Greek riot police as tear gas wafted through the trees on the frontier. Turkey and Russia, which back opposing forces in the Syria conflict, held talks to try to defuse tensions triggered after the Turkish troops were killed, sparking fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe. But Erdogan raised the stakes on Saturday and vowed to allow refugees to travel to Europe from Turkey which he said can not handle new waves of people fleeing Syria. It already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. The comments were his first after 34 Turkish troops were killed since Thursday in the northern Syria province of Idlib where Moscow-backed Syrian regime forces are battling to retake the last rebel enclave. "What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "We will not close those doors ...Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises." He was referring to a 2016 deal with the European Union to stop refugee flows in exchange for billions of euros in aid. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency meeting to discuss the border. Erdogan said 18,000 migrants have amassed on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday. Thousands of migrants stuck on the Turkish-Greek border at Pazarkule were in skirmishes with Greek police on Saturday who fired tear gas to push them back, according to AFP photographer in the western province of Edirne. Ahmad Barhoum, a Syrian refugee, said he was trapped at the border since Friday. "If they do no open we will try to cross by illegal means. It's out of the question for us to go back to Istanbul," he told AFP. "I hope that they will end up letting us in so that we can start a new life in Europe worthy of human beings," said one Egyptian refugee. In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. The pressure to cope with the influx split the European Union. "Greece yesterday came under an organised, mass, illegal attack... a violation of our borders and endured it," government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Saturday after the emergency meeting with Mitsotakis. "We averted more than 4,000 attempts of illegal entrance to our land borders." A Greek police source said security forces fired tear gas Saturday against migrants on the Turkish side because they had set fires and opened holes in border fences. Armed policemen and soldiers patrolled the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and warned with loudspeakers not to enter Greek territory. Drones also monitored migrant movements. "I believe that the borders have been protected," Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos told Skai television. According to Hellenic Coast Guard, from early Friday to early Saturday 180 migrants reached the islands of Eastern Aegean, Lesbos and Samos in sea crossings. The UN said nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced in the bitter cold by the fighting in northwest Syria since December. Turkey said its forces destroyed a "chemical warfare facility," just south of Aleppo, in part of its military retaliation after its soldiers were killed in Idlib. "We would not want things to reach this point but as they force us to do this, they will pay a price," Erdogan said. But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources inside the war-torn country, said Turkey instead hit a military airport in eastern Aleppo, where the monitoring group says there are no chemical weapons. Thirty-three Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Russian-backed Syrian regime forces on Thursday, the biggest Turkish military loss on the battlefield in recent years. A 34th Turkish soldier has since died. The latest incident has raised further tensions between Ankara and Moscow, whose relationship has been tested by violations of a 2018 deal to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. As part of the agreement, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the province but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces -- backed by Russian air power -- have pressed on with a campaign to take back the territory. On Friday, Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in a bid to scale down the tensions, with the Kremlin saying the two expressed "serious concern" about the situation. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. But the Turkish leader remained critical on Saturday. "I asked Mr Putin: 'What's your business there? If you establish a base, do so but get out of our way and leave us face to face with the regime,'" Erdogan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Meghan Markle feels insulted by the way she and Prince Harry are being treated by the royal family over their stepping down as senior members. The former "Suits" actress has been openly complaining to friends about how unfairly she feels they are being treated. Royal expert Dan Wootton said hates the term Megxit that she considers to be unfair as it puts "all the blame in her camp"; it assumes the Duchess should take full responsibility for the decision. The couple's decision was labeled as Megxit in reference to Britain cutting ties with the European Union through Brexit. Wootton persisted that both Prince Harry and Meghan called it quits for the controversial decision rather than only one party. The newest terms of their royal exit deal had some people calling it payback for the couple's bid for independence. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently declared that they have decided to leave the monarchy and seek more independent private lives. Their crucial decision resulted in a royal drama that still has not been settled. On January 8, the Sussexes took on Instagram about their plans to relinquish their positions as senior members of the British royal family, split their time between North America and the UK, and initiate financial independence. Last week, the couple found out they would are not allowed to use their Sussex Royal trademark in any of their future projects. They released a statement saying they would not use the word but stated nor the Queen or the government owned the term. Also read: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Royal Duties Ending March 31 A source from Meghan and Harry's "inner circle" said Meghan is not thrilled. "She said if anyone should feel insulted, it should be them. They never intended to capitalize on the word royal, and to insinuate they were somehow abusing their privileges is absurd," the friend said. Harry is now in Edinburgh for his last round of royal duties while Meghan would be meeting up with him in London. Meghan, 38, has now apparently told friends that she decided to "rise above the jealousy and pettiness." "She said she and Harry will continue to rise above jealousy and pettiness and focus on the good they are creating and on being the best parents to Archie." Meghan reportedly thinks the queen was "under pressure to make those demands about the name change" thanks to Harry being the queen's "favorite and others just can't deal with it." The queen has been outwardly supportive of Meghan and Harry's decision, but a source said, "on a personal level, I think this has been rather hurtful for her. She has got to the point where she doesn't want to think about it anymore. She just wants it over and done with." Meghan was said to have no qualms about staying in the U.K. "She reported she will continue to champion Harry since out of everybody, he has the most integrity and the most loyalty," the friend said. Related article: Meghan Markle Orders Prince Harry to Get in Shape for Hollywood @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Authors note: This is the last in a series of articles exploring the coastal outposts that once surrounded greater New Orleans, principally along the brackish waters of Lake Pontchartrain. In previous months we looked at West End, Spanish Fort and Milneburg, as well as eastern New Orleans and Bucktown. Today we examine the old military forts of our coastal perimeter. They stand stoically along our coastlines and riverbanks, obsolete sentinels of a bygone era. They lean and crack in the face of weather and waves, some enveloped in vegetation, others tumbled in ruin. They are our regions historic forts and batteries brick-and-mortar masterpieces of military engineering, with names like Pike, Macomb, Bienvenue, Dupre, Proctor, St. Philip, Jackson and Livingston, among others. This decade marks 200 years since the start of a concerted effort to build them, a project that became known as the Third System of national defenses. The name came from the strategic rethinking of defensive infrastructure following the American Revolution. Fresh from years of improvised war tactics, officers of the new nations armed forces came to appreciate the importance of military science and planning, and realized that engineers and architects would have to collaborate with soldiers and artillerists in future conflicts. They consulted with French advisers with an eye toward building a network of forts, armories and depots at key strategic sites along coasts and rivers an integral system, not just a smattering of assets. Launched in 1794, this First System of forts saw limited funding and localized oversight, leading to irregular and inadequate results, according to historian Ian C. Hope. One European adviser in 1799 derided the primitive earthworks and timber stockades of the First System as either good for nothing or at least defective, so that money spent (on them) may be said to be thrown away. The effort did, however, help launch West Point in 1802 as the nations premier military academy and engineering school. To this day, the federal governments chief engineering body is a military department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. +10 Photos: A unique view of 200-year-old military forts around New Orleans Our regions historic forts and batteries stand stoically along our coastlines and riverbanks, obsolete sentinels of a bygone era. They lean a Reinforcing and redesigning In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson, concerned about foreign threats and keen on expansion into the lands of the Louisiana Purchase, pushed for the construction of an improved network of permanent masonry coastal and interior forts. This Second System, guided by newly minted American engineers rather than European advisers, yielded over 60 fortifications of various types and sizes, built mostly from 1808 to 1812. In our region, the Americans upgraded the old Spanish colonial Fortaleza San Felipe (also formerly the French colonial Fort Plaquemine) as Fort St. Philip, on the east bank of lower Plaquemines Parish near the mouth of the Mississippi. They also rebuilt Fort St. Leon at English Turn, and Fuerte San Juan at the mouth of Bayou St. John, becoming Fort St. John (todays Spanish Fort). +5 Bucktown and the lost bayous of East Jefferson: 'Geographies of New Orleans' Within the boundaries of Orleans Parish, the shores of Lake Pontchartrain were once dotted with small coastal communities: West End, Spanish F Then came the War of 1812, the British attacks on Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and the culminating Battle of New Orleans in January 1815, all of which evidenced the need for even better coastal defenses. In 1817, President James Monroe conceived what would later be known as the Third System, described by Hope as a broader defense strategy (of) fortified frontiers connected to a system of mobilization that would allow state-sponsored militias to respond adequately to any maritime threat. Launched in 1820, the Third System featured the latest thinking on fort design and construction materials. It also placed new emphasis on what Secretary of War John C. Calhoun described as the nations southern frontier of the Gulf of Mexico, namely the labyrinthine bayous and marshes surrounding the critical port city of New Orleans. It was during this era, from the 1820s to the 1850s, when our regional bastions were built or rebuilt to the highest standards of the day. Their locations offer clues about navigable waterways in the early 1800s, pinpointing strategic spots along ingresses of various widths and depths. Some were prominent positions that had been fortified since colonial times. Near the mouth of the Mississippi, for example, engineers began work at Fort Jackson starting in 1822, and gave the older Fort St. Philip across the river an upgrade in the 1840s. +7 Richard Campanella: In search of the lost coastal communities of eastern New Orleans Authors note: This is part of a series exploring the various historic coastal communities that once surrounded greater New Orleans, principal At Rigolets Pass, where entry to Lake Pontchartrain could be gained from Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound, engineers replaced the primitive Fort Petit Coquilles, dating to 1813, with a massive new crescent-shaped bastion completed in 1824 and renamed Fort Pike in 1827. The other lake gateway, Chef Menteur Pass, got a similarly designed citadel between 1821 and 1828. Originally called Fort Chef Menteur, it was renamed Fort Wood in 1835 and Fort Macomb in 1851. Armoring the periphery With its militarization of the coastal periphery, the Third System obviated the need for that older generation of inner redoubts closer to New Orleans. Authorities abandoned Fort St. Leon at English Turn as well as Fort St. John at Bayou St. John, which later came into private hands and gradually was transformed into the recreational destination known as Spanish Fort. They also relinquished Fort St. Charles, the last of the five colonial-era bastions that once surrounded the French Quarter. The site, cleared in 1821, became the home of todays Old U.S. Mint, built in 1835, as well as the traffic lanes of Esplanade Avenue at the North Peters Street intersection. Also in 1835, the U.S. military constructed New Orleans Barracks in the lowermost corner of Orleans Parish, in todays Lower 9th Ward, and erected four armed corner towers to defend it. Later renamed Jackson Barracks, the installation today retains two towers and most of its original barracks, now home to the Louisiana National Guard. The Third System went further than previous efforts in fortifying vulnerable spots, no matter how remote or secluded. Its engineers built Battery Bienvenue in 1835 where Bayou Bienvenue outflows into Lake Borgne, which the British had used to invade 20 years earlier. They added Tower Dupre, sometimes referred to as Martello Tower, in 1840 and Proctors Tower, or Fort Beauregard, in 1856 to guard the lakes southern shore, which could be used to gain access to Bayou Yscloskey and Bayou Terre aux Boeuf and attack the city from St. Bernard Parish. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up To the south, the Barataria Basin offered a particularly stealthy entree into the flanks of the metropolis, as evidenced by the rampant smuggling activity in this region. To guard the basins gateway at Barataria Pass, engineers erected Fort Livingston in 1840 on Grande Terre Island not coincidentally the former base camp of the pirates Jean and Pierre Lafitte and their hellish banditti, as Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson called them, and very nearly a British invasion foothold had not the Americans raided it in 1814. A similarly strategic isle to the east, Ship Island, so named for its valuable deep harbor near the otherwise shallow Mississippi Gulf Coast, became the site of one of the last Third System projects, Fort Massachusetts, started in 1859. By 1860, according to the late military historian Frederic Codman Parkerson, New Orleans ranked as Americas most fortified city. An unforeseen enemy But all that planning for an external threat failed to foresee that a terrible conflict would instead brew from within. In the winter of 1860-61, Southern states began seceding from the Union and joining the Confederacy. In April, rebels in South Carolina bombarded the Third System bastion of Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, and the Civil War ensued. Union forces moved to suppress the rebellion, starting with a blockade of Southern ports. This strategy put New Orleans in the crosshairs, and its Third System forts in precisely the role for which they were designed except with their own builders as combatants. Confederates seized each fort and, not knowing from where the Union might attack New Orleans, erected additional interior defenses. The biggest was Camp Parapet in Jefferson Parish, where present-day Causeway Boulevard meets River Road, followed by positions on Bayou St. John, the Pontchartrain Railroad on what is now Elysian Fields Avenue, in lower Algiers and along the Company Canal in present-day Westwego. Because of scant resources and sheer urgency, however, these Confederate fortifications ended up looking more like those early First System efforts primitive, lightly armed earthworks. As for the Third System forts, some would see the threat of war, or minor action. The only two in our region that saw large-scale combat were Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, which engaged in an extended naval battle with Admiral David Farraguts Union invasion fleet in April 1862. After a climactic nocturnal exchange of fire, the Union warships slipped past the twin bastions and made their way upriver to New Orleans. Federal troops would occupy the city and river parishes for the remainder of the war. The occupation returned the regions Third System forts to Union control, and Northern soldiers completed those still unfinished, such as Fort Massachusetts and Proctors Tower. The interruption left its mark: To this day, Fort Massachusetts has two distinct colors in its brickwork, the brown portions made from local clay available before and after the war, and the red portions using bricks imported from Maine during the war. What eventually ended the Third System era was not an enemy attack or internal division, but technology and changing geopolitics. Advances in artillery, in the form of rifled barrels and high-caliber smooth-bore cannon, brought deadly accuracy and concentrated force to shots fired at walls of brick and mortar, potentially smashing them. State-of-the-art architecture of the 1820s had given way to state-of-the-science artillery of the 1860s. Moreover, the threat of coastal invasions had diminished, as Europe's old colonial powers gradually withdrew from their Western Hemispheric interests. The likelihood of overseas engagements, meanwhile, increased, and that called for investment in ships, not domestic forts. The Third System officially ended in 1867, 50 years after its inception, and for the next 30 years, military planners didnt quite know what to do with the forts. Most were erratically funded, partially manned and lightly armed; some served as garrisons or outposts for civilian government projects, and still others were turned over to state, parish or private ownership. A final act But in the late 1890s, the old threat briefly came back to life. U.S. relations deteriorated with Spain over imperial interests. American military planners once again focused on coastal vulnerability, upgrading selected Third System forts with steel shields and modern artillery. Forts Jackson and St. Philip got new batteries and hydraulically mounted guns, as well as mines in the Mississippi River. They became better armed than (they) had been in many years, according to historian Jerome A. Greene, author of a 1982 government study. Other local forts, however, were deemed unlikely targets, and were never remilitarized. When the two nations went to war in 1898, the action played out entirely offshore and ended in a decisive American victory. The upgraded defenses once again went unused, after which the U.S. further divested itself of the old forts. World Wars I and II brought renewed military attention to the Gulf Coast, but with a few minor exceptions, most of it went not to forts but to naval and aerial hunting of German submarines. By the end of the Second World War, the Third System forts became permanently obsolete. In subtropical Louisiana, deterioration set in. Hurricanes battered them. Subsidence sank them. Erosion exposed them. Summer downpours and winter freezes cracked their walls, and vegetation wedged them apart. Vandals and treasure hunters carted away souvenir bricks and anything made of iron. Only those forts that gained protection as historic sites got some level of maintenance, such as Fort Jackson (a Plaquemines Parish park), Fort Pike (a Louisiana State Historic Site) and Fort Massachusetts (part of the U.S. National Park Services Gulf Islands National Seashore). But limited funding and ever-worsening environmental conditions have put in question whether even those Third System forts will see a third century. Visitors are no longer able to enter Fort Jackson, for safety reasons, and Fort Pike, a unique visitor experience in a city replete with historic buildings, has been closed for budgetary reasons since 2015, though State Parks officials hope to reopen it soon on a limited basis. Other old bastions, such as Fort Macomb and Fort St. Philip, look like Mayan ruins. Fort Proctor resembles an island-castle from another world, while rising seas encroach further upon Fort Livingston. Remote Battery Bienvenue looks more like a marsh thicket than an engineered structure, and Tower Dupre is literally an island of scattered bricks and fallen walls. Richard Campanella, a geographer with the Tulane School of Architecture, is the author of Bourbon Street: A History, Bienvilles Dilemma and Cityscapes of New Orleans. His next book, The West Bank of Greater New Orleans: A Historical Geography (LSU Press), is due out in May 2020. Campanella may be reached at rcampane@tulane.edu, http://richcampanella.com, or @nolacampanella on Twitter. Seen above is the entrance to a Hyundai Motor plant in Ulsan on Feb. 10. The road shows no traffic as the plant was shut down due to the insufficient supply of auto parts imported from China. Yonhap By Nam Hyun-woo The economic fallout of the coronavirus is likely to lead to weaker-than-expected earnings for Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia Motor in the first quarter as the two have intermittently halted plant operations following deficits in key parts usually supplied by Chinese subcontractors or affiliates. According to Hyundai Motor, the company ceased work at its Ulsan Plant No. 1, Tuesday, after it ran out of wiring harnesses, which are imported from Korean auto parts suppliers in China. It plans to resume operations possibly by Friday. Car and component production was halted in China due to an extended Lunar Year holiday and mobility restrictions due to the outbreak. Most automakers aim to resume production in a few days, but disruptions related to supply chains could continue until the end of February or early March, according to market research firms. Hyundai Motor stopped operations at all of its domestic plants from Feb. 7 to Feb. 12, due to supply problems. The wiring harness shortage came after the Chinese government ordered businesses in Hubei Province to cease operations up to Feb. 9 to prevent the further spread of the virus that originated in its capital Wuhan. According to industry officials, 38 out of 40 Chinese plants supplying wiring harnesses to car manufacturers here have resumed operations, however, just 60 percent of their employees have returned to work, causing a production slowdown and supply shortages for Hyundai and Kia. Kia Motors had planned to resume production at its plant in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, but decided to wait until Wednesday, when its No. 3 plant in Gwangju will also resume operations. After Chinese factories restarted manufacturing, Hyundai Motor received a significant amount of wiring harnesses, but this was insufficient to meet the massive demand required from its domestic plants, a company official said. As the fallout of the coronavirus is amplified, the two automakers are acknowledging concerns that the setbacks will affect their first quarter earnings. Yoo Ji-woong, an eBest Investment & Securities analyst, said around Hyundai will see a production drop of 30,000 vehicles due to complications from the coronavirus outbreak, while Kia Motors will lose 7,000. Citing the numbers, he anticipated Hyundai's and Kia's sales will decline by 900 billion won ($757.2 million) and 210 billion won, respectively. This will cause a 150 billion won decline in Hyundai's operating profit and a 40 billion won cut in Kia's bottom line. "In terms of Hyundai, the company attempted to minimize the impact on the GV80, the Palisade and the Grandeur, which are core models contributing to the company's profitability," Yoo said. "Through this, the actual decline in the company's operating profit could be relatively small compared to the number of vehicles facing production setbacks." Citing the two firms heavy reliance on Chinese auto parts, other market analysts expect the duo will see a "noticeable impact" on their first quarter profits. But noted that this would be short-lived. "As negative events are concentrated in the first quarter, a V-shape rebound is expected for Hyundai and Kia in the second, because a decline in vehicle inventory in the first will result in increased output in the second," Eugene Investment & Securities analyst Lee Jae-il said. It is basically over 6-12 months In another year or years It was never a real pandemic Vote View Results YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. The Kurdish community of Armenia rallied outside the UN office in Yerevan on February 29th, calling on international bodies to demand Turkish authorities to allow the lawyers of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to visit him in prison. Photos by Hayk Manukyan On February 27 the Turkish authorities said that a fire erupted on the island of Imrali, where the leader of the Kurdish people Abdullah Ocalan is imprisoned for 21 years. They [Turkish authorities] did not give other details and did not convey information about the health and condition of our leader. The entire Kurdish people around the world have stood up. We are questioning the Turkish authorities false, wicked and brute policy because in the past they also made statements claiming Ocalan was sick, or there was an earthquake on the island, and when we rose up it turned out these statements were false. Now we doubt whether or not something has happened to our leader, said Knyaz Hasanov, the head of the Kurdish community of Armenia and Member of Parliament from the ruling My Step faction. Hasanov emphasized that they want to tell the world that they are demanding from the Turkish authorities to allow Ocalans lawyers and family to visit him and see his condition. Kurds living in Turkey itself, in Syria, Iran, Iraq and across Europe are also making the same demands. The demonstrators said they wont halt the rallies, and chanted Long live Ocalan, Long live our leader, Long live our leader Apo Apo is short for both Abdullah and "uncle" in Kurdish. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan The Delhi government has postponed annual school examinations upto March 7 in violence-hit northeast Delhi. All schools in the riot-affected areas of the capital will remain closed till March 7, the Directorate of Education Examination cell announced on Saturday. Delhi government schools which had been closed in view of the violence that rocked northeast Delhi and parts of east Delhi opened briefly on Saturday for principals and staff to assess the situation, according to DoE officials. The schools had earlier been shut till February 29. Also Watch | Delhi violence | 123 FIRs, 630 arrested till now in north east clashes: Police The situation is not conducive for carrying out examinations in the area. The state of mind of students may also be tense and traumatized leading to lack of concentration towards preparation for ongoing examinations, the official statement read. The new date of annual examinations for schools of northeast Delhi will be announced soon. The principals and staff of these schools will attend the institutions as usual. The annual examinations in schools of other districts will be conducted according to the schedule announced earlier, the statement said. In violence-hit northeast Delhi localities, schools have been closed for five consecutive days, since the clashes broke out. The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) had postponed board exams in the area till February 29. The communal violence in northeast Delhi was triggered by protests over the amended citizenship law and has so far claimed 42 lives and left over 200 people injured. Violent mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, schools and a petrol pump and pelted stones at local people and police personnel. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar were among the areas severely affected by the riots. A truck ferrying over 1,000 illegal liquor cartons was seized and five persons arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district on Saturday, police said. Following a tip-off, police intercepted the truck near Gaur Green society in Indirapuram and recovered 1,052 cartons of illegal liquor hidden under a cold drink consignment, said Superintendent of Police Maneesh Mishra. He said the the illegal liquor was brought from Haryana for supply in Ghaziabad and Bulandsahar districts. The accused, identified as Lalit, Dharmavir, Sher Bahadur and Anil from Haryana and Kumer Dutt of Bulandshahar, were booked and sent to jail, Mishra added. Police have launched a special drive against bootlegging in the district keeping in view the upcoming Holi festival, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Ann Linde will be on a working visit to Ukraine on March 2-3, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has reported. On March 2, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko will hold talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde at the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine. "The ministers will discuss issues of Ukrainian-Swedish bilateral cooperation, practical assistance by Sweden in carrying out systemic reforms in Ukraine, and Stockholm's support for key issues on the European integration agenda of Ukraine," the statement reads. Also, the parties will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation to counter Russian aggression against Ukraine in multilateral formats, in particular during the upcoming Sweden's OSCE Chairmanship 2021. In addition, on March 3, Minister Ann Linde will visit the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas. ish New Delhi, Feb 29 : Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who was expelled from the Janata Dal-United in January-end, could be a TMC candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in West Bengal next month, a party source said here on Saturday. The poll is scheduled on March 26. The source said that barring one, the Mamata Banerjee's party Trinamool Congress (TMC) is looking for new faces since it wants more active members in the Upper House of Parliament. The four TMC seats, which will fall vacant, are currently held by Manish Gupta, Jogen Chowdhury, Ahmed Hassan Imran, and KD Singh. "Given the demands of the national politics at present, more active politicians and Rajya Sabha MPs are needed. Therefore, the youth should get a chance. Prashant Kishor has opened a front against the BJP. It will help TMC to speak out at the national level. Those who can get a chance on the other seats include Dinesh Trivedi and Mausam Noor," the source said. As per the number of MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly, the TMC will win four seats to the Rajya Sabha, whereas a candidate with either the support of CPI(M)-Congress or the TMC-Congress combine will sail through to win the fifth one. This fifth seat is currently held by Ritabrata Banerjee, elected as a CPI(M) nominee in 2014 but since expelled from the party in 2017. On April 1, 2020, a new company, Grand Seiko Europe S.A.S., will be established in Paris as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Watch Corporation, Tokyo. It will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the Grand Seiko brand in all of continental Europe and it will provide the brand with the solid foundation, resources and investment that will ensure its future growth in both retail and wholesale distribution channels. In line with this brand building strategy, it will also manage the new Grand Seiko Boutique in the Place Vendome in Paris which opens in March this year. The President will be Frederic Bondoux, who has recently joined Grand Seiko. Frederic has long experience in the luxury watch market and is looking forward to the challenge of taking Grand Seiko forward and consolidating its position as a major player in its sector in Europe. Frederic and his new team will be based in a new office in Paris. The creation of Grand Seiko Europe S.A.S. will bring decision making about every aspect of the implementation of the brands strategy closer to the European market and allow Seiko Watch Corporation to make a major new marketing investment in the brand. Grand Seiko Europe S.A.S. will be supported by the experience of Seiko Watch Corporation, under the guidance of its Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Akio Naito who, in addition to his existing responsibilities, will have the role of new companys chairman. The creation of this new company is another important step forward for Grand Seiko," said Shinji Hattori, Chairman and CEO of Seiko Watch Corporation. "I am delighted by the progress that Grand Seiko has made in the past few years in Europe and I think that the time is right to build on this momentum, with the boutique in Place Vendome and with this new company. I believe that we are at the start of a new golden era for Grand Seiko. The United States has decided to postpone a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries it had planned to host on March 14 due to worries about the coronavirus outbreak, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump had invited leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet in Las Vegas after he did not attend a summit with the group in Bangkok in November. "As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting," one of the sources, a senior administration official, told Reuters. The official added that the United States values its relationships with ASEAN member nations and looks forward to future meetings. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The decision comes amid growing fears that the virus will spread in the United States as countries report new infections, companies announce curbs on employees' travel and global stock markets continue to plummet. Shiv Sena leader and state urban development department (UDD) minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday indicated that his party supports the announcement of bringing back 5% reservation for Muslims in educational institutions. On Friday, after minority affairs minister Nawab Malik said the quota can be implemented and a law to the effect will be brought as soon as possible, Shinde had said a final decision was yet to be taken. However, a day later, the Sena leader said the chief minister was in favour of taking all communities ahead together. The high court has allowed 5% Muslim reservation in the state... chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is in favour of taking all communities ahead. For farmers, the chief minister has announced a farm loan waiver of up to Rs2 lakh and we are on course to successfully implement it, Shinde said. Sena leaders, who did not wish to be named, said this is not a change in policy as the party had supported the demand during a debate in the Assembly in November 2018. Senas chief whip Sunil Prabhu had said they are in favour of reservation for Muslim along with Maratha and Dhangar communities, but it should not affect the existing reservation. The MVA government is bound by the common minimum programme (CMP) and it mentions schemes for minorities. We are proceeding as per the written word. The Sena had promised to resolve pending issues of various communities, including Muslims, in its manifesto [for Assembly polls], said a Sena leader. The CMP, formulated by the three ruling parties Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, states that the government shall adopt various schemes to eliminate the social, educational and economic backwardness of the minority community and implement Constitutional safeguards for its security welfare in letter and spirit. Former NCP MLA Prakash Shendge, an OBC leader supporting the Sena, meanwhile, refuted the notion that a quota to Muslims will eat into either Maratha or OBC quota. If the quota comes in, it would come from the general category and not affect the OBC or Maratha quotas. Such statements are made by Opposition to create a rift between communities. We welcome the state governments move, he said. Political analyst Surendra Jondhale said the move by Sena shows it is being practical. The issue [Muslim quota] was lingering during the BJP government because the Marathas were pushing strongly for quota. This is political pragmatism of the Shiv Sena to go with a quota for minorities. Besides, Congress and NCP must have pushed for it and convinced the Sena leadership. This would help pacify the Muslims, especially in times like these, Jondhale said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man has been arrested after a seizure of ammunition in Dublin last night. Gardai in Coolock carried out a search of a house in Coolock Village last night. Bahrain's Interior Ministry has called upon people to refrain from holding and attending public gatherings in the next two weeks, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication. The plea comes as authorities work to ensure proper measures are in place to prevent the potential transmission of Covid-19 virus within the kingdom. Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa pledged that all internal safety procedures were being reviewed and upgraded to combat the spread of the virus, as the country has registered 33 positive cases of Covid-19, stated the report. All of them are receiving treatment at the Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Medical Centre in Salmaniya and are in stable condition. They had all tested positive after arriving from Iran via indirect flights, stated the GDN report citing senior health officials. Ministry has threatened action against those who have returned from Iran in February and are yet to come forward for testing. The move by the Interior Ministry comes after it was revealed that only 310 of the 2,292 travellers who arrived from Iran throughout February have contacted the dedicated hotline for Covid-19, 444. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, all public events set to take place in the Northern Governorate, the countrys most populous one, have been cancelled. Northern Governor Ali Al Asfoor said yesterday that the move to postpone events and meetings in the Northern Governorate was out of concern for public health. In a major move, a number of private schools have decided to continue studies remotely from next week amid the suspension of classes due to Covid-19. Classes in all public and private schools, higher education institutions and kindergartens were suspended for two weeks, starting from last Wednesday based on instructions from the Education Ministry in line with precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. It follows directives of the Governments Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, said the ministry authorities. While, some private schools have taken the initiative to continue studies remotely, other Indian curriculum schools have opted to continue with their board exams. Elsewhere, authorities said strict health measures are being enforced at gatherings in churches and temples around Bahrain to combat the virus. The Sacred Heart Church in Manama, which holds masses throughout the week, has called off its childrens service for two weeks, while worshippers gathering at the Awali premises of the Catholic Church have been urged to follow health instructions. Sacred Heart Church head Father Xavier Marian DSouza said worshippers have been strictly instructed not to shake hands and follow precautionary health measures. The Manama Hindu Temple, which gathers thousands of people, too has implemented safety measures as it continues its rituals this weekend. Daily we have around 500 to 1,000 people coming to the temple and on weekends this number goes up to 3,000 people, said administrator Sharad Kulkarni. The rituals will go on as usual and offerings will be distributed in containers, so there is no touching of hands involved. Amid the Covid virus crisis, Arab health ministers met in Cairo yesterday (February 28) to plan a co-ordinated strategy to prevent an outbreak in the region. Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh headed Bahrains delegation. The extraordinary meeting was held on the sidelines of an ordinary session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers and its executive office at the headquarters of the Arab Leagues General Secretariat in Cairo. The meeting began with a presentation by the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt and its representative in the Arab League, where he outlined developments taking place in this field in China and the measures taken to protect China and the world at large. Then the World Health Organisation regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean gave a presentation on the situation in the region and the measures needed to combat the virus. The meeting adopted a joint statement on the emerging coronavirus that highlighted the need to co-ordinate Arab efforts to address the virus and take preventive measures to limit the spread of this viral epidemic. Meanwhile, regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has announced a temporary ban on GCC nationals from entering Makkah and Madinah. The Foreign Ministry announced on Twitter that the ban excludes those who have been in Saudi 14 consecutive days and have not shown symptoms. In the region, Iran was the worst affected with at least 245 people having been infected leading to 26 deaths, reported News York Times citing senior health officials. Experts estimate the number of infections is far higher, possibly over a thousand, because the countrys fatality rate of about 20 per cent seems so high. The World Health Organization has said the fatality rate is about 2 percent. Masoumeh Ebtekar, President Hassan Rouhanis deputy for womens affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, was one of the high-profile victims. A senior figure in Irans government, who sits just a few seats away from President Hassan Rouhani at cabinet meetings, Ebtekar has fallen ill with coronavirus, making her Irans seventh official to test positive, including one prominent cleric who has died. The disclosure came a day after a cabinet meeting in which she was in close contact with other government leaders, including Rouhani, stated the NYT report. Meanwhile, UAE has announced that it is "well prepared and equipped for the worst-case scenarios" as the coronavirus spreads in the Middle East. "We have enough facilities to quarantine patients and relevant bodies have been instructed to undertake complete surveillance of all people entering the country", an official from the UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority told Reuters. The UAE has reported 13 people have been diagnosed with the infection, of whom three have recovered and two are in critical condition, it added. In the region, Iran was the worst affected with at least 245 people having been infected leading to 26 deaths, reported News York Times citing senior health officials. Experts estimate the number of infections is far higher, possibly over a thousand, because the countrys fatality rate of about 20 per cent seems so high. The World Health Organization has said the fatality rate is about 2 percent. Masoumeh Ebtekar, President Hassan Rouhanis deputy for womens affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, was one of the high-profile victims. A senior figure in Irans government, who sits just a few seats away from President Hassan Rouhani at cabinet meetings, Ebtekar has fallen ill with coronavirus, making her Irans seventh official to test positive, including one prominent cleric who has died. The disclosure came a day after a cabinet meeting in which she was in close contact with other government leaders, including Rouhani, stated the NYT report. Kuwait will be checking visiting ships for the new coronavirus before allowing them to dock and require crew members to stay on board as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease, reported state news agency KUNA said. Earlier on Friday, the Gulf state confirmed two more cases of the virus in the country, bringing the total number of infections to 45. Kuwait announced several precautionary measures on Thursday including forcing all flight passengers to sign a waiver that would make them subject to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks at the Kuwaiti authorities' discretion, it added. cruise ship passenger Carlos Barria/Reuters Business Insider spoke with 39 current and former cruise ship employees, many of whom said nearly all passengers are pleasant. But that's not always the case. Some passengers have irritating tendencies, like practicing bad hygiene or failing to listen to safety drills. Seven current or former cruise ship workers described to us the most annoying things passengers do. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. For some cruise ship workers, interacting with passengers can be a blessing and a curse. Business Insider spoke with 39 current and former cruise ship employees, many of whom said most passengers are actually quite pleasant. But some passengers have irritating tendencies, they told us, like practicing bad hygiene or failing to listen to safety drills. Seven current or former cruise ship workers described the most annoying things passengers do. (Five requested anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from their current or former employer. Their identities are known to Business Insider.) Here's what they said. Spending too much time at ports cruise passengers Jan Schneckenhaus/Shutterstock "What's the most annoying thing passengers do? Not paying attention to the time they had to be back to the ship when in port," said Chad Stone, a former production manager for Seabourn Cruise Line. "This was a massive deal because we would end up paying more in port fees if we stayed too long, or we would end up having to wait for larger ships to leave, putting us in a large queue of departing ships. The captain would have to make up for it en route, making for a bit rougher of a ride to the next port." Bad hygiene cruise ship hand sanitizer Richard Drew/Associated Press "When they don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, or grabbing food directly from the buffet with their hands," a former Royal Caribbean Cruises employee said. Not listening to safety drills cruise ship emergency drill Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press Story continues A former chef for Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean said failing to listen during safety drills was the most annoying thing passengers did. Messy eating cruise ship employee Don Ryan/Associated Press "Younger [passengers] usually take food and beverages to their cabins, leaving a trail of crumbs and debris along the way," said Aida Carvahlo, a former human-resources manager for MSC Cruises, Viking Cruises, and Holland America Line. "After eating, they leave plates and glasses through the hallways of cabins. Housekeeping staff sometimes find rotten food under beds." Acting in a way they wouldn't at home cruise ship mariakraynova/Shutterstock "They behave in a way they would never do at home," said a former Royal Caribbean first officer who now works for The World, a residential cruise ship. "Like would you ever call 911 if the internet does not work or your toilet does not flush?" Going to the dining room right before it closes cruise ship dining room Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images Going to the dining room right before it closes is the most annoying passenger behavior, said a former hostess for Carnival. Asking annoying questions cruise ship passenger Carlos Barria/Reuters Carlos Barria/Reuters A former waitress for Carnival said she was annoyed when passengers asked her questions they could easily find the answer to somewhere else, like guest services or an app on their phone. "I lost valuable time and money, since my income was based on my sales," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider The top civil servant in the UK Home Office at the centre of a row over a strained relationship with Indian-origin Home Secretary Priti Patel resigned from his post on Saturday and said he plans to sue the government over his "constructive and unfair" exit. Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary in the department led by 47-year-old Patel, said there had been a vicious and orchestrated campaign against him over the last 10 days and pointed the finger of blame at the minister. The Home Secretary (Patel) categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her, he said in a statement. Even despite this campaign, I was willing to effect a reconciliation with the Home Secretary, as requested by the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the Prime Minister. But despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this, the statement said. Rutnam said his experience formed part of a wider pattern in government and that he plans to take legal action on the grounds of constructive dismissal. I believe that these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal, and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts. My experience has been extreme, but I consider there is evidence that it was part of a wider pattern of behaviour, his statement adds. The resignation comes just days after he and Patel had issued a joint statement in an effort to quell media reports of discord within the Home Office. The Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary are deeply concerned about the number of false allegations appearing in the media, a UK Home Office spokesperson said on Monday, when the government took the rare step to issue a formal statement to quash rumours circulating around the frosty relationship between the minister and her top civil servant. Patel has been at the centre of a controversy over an alleged bullying atmosphere within her department, an allegation that has been denied and also led to Downing Street confirming that the minister has the full confidence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. These allegations will be revived again as Rutnam makes reference to it in his detailed resignation statement published in a blog for The Spectator' magazine. He said: One of my duties as Permanent Secretary was to protect the health, safety and well-being of our 35,000 people. This created tension with the Home Secretary, and I have encouraged her to change her behaviours. I have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out. The bureaucrat with a 33-year career in the UK civil service said he expects his resignation could have very serious personal implications but he had chosen to turn down an offered financial settlement from the Cabinet Office to take a stand. The UK Home Office is yet to comment on the of Rutnam's resignation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former District Manager Amanda Byrne returned to the Gorey chamber with a presentation around the Community Development Annual Service Delivery plan. She outlined how the Council intend to support and collaborate with local community groups in 2020, from LEADER forms, to the PPN, Healthy Ireland and other initiatives. Councillors were told that a lot of work had been put into creating a new database on the website for groups to use as a tool with regard to services. They were also told that all projects would work hand in hand with the Municipal District. A community expo event is due to take place on March 12, and groups of all sizes are asked to attend to learn more and get advice. Cllr O'Suilleabheain said that communities in the villages had been working very hard, but there is a glaring gap is that Gorey doesn't have a proper large community facility. He asked for advice from a community section perspective about what direction Gorey should be looking in. He was told that there is a small amount of funding available for a feasibility study for Gorey, as well as Courtown and Riverchapel. Amanda said that part of this is assessing what the need is and finding out where the centre would be best placed geographically, but admitted it would be a slow process. District Manager Michael Drea said that he would be happy to help community groups before the application deadline. He said that the group in Riverchapel around the community complex seem to be a bit more advanced on this in terms of what they would like to be done, and are looking now to access funding for their plans. Cllr Joe Sullivan said that Courtown has been left behind and it's time that the County Council did something about it. 'A community centre is badly wanted down there. The community section of Wexford County Council should look at Courtown extremely seriously and give the people of Courtown the facilities that they deserve. This will only enhance the community. The section must work with Courtown and give them the priority, there's a very good community out there trying very hard, but it's largely an uphill battle'. FILE PHOTO: The Bouygues Telecom company logo is seen at a shop in Bordeaux PARIS (Reuters) - French conglomerate Bouygues will look at all options, including legal action, to ensure it has the right to work with China's Huawei in the rollout of 5G mobile networks in France, its Chief Executive Martin Bouygues told reporters on Thursday. France is in the early stages of rolling out its next-generation wireless technology, and the government's stance over Huawei's possible role still lacks clarity, according to some telecoms industry trade bodies. Some French media outlets have reported in recent months that the company could face restrictions in several cities. (Reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic; Writing by Matthias Blamont ; Editing by Sarah White) The police watchdog will be able to reopen misconduct probes in the wake of Scotland Yards bungled VIP child sex abuse inquiry. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) failed to sanction any officers over the Nick scandal, but will now be able to launch a new investigation if there are compelling reasons for doing so. The move comes after it emerged that Home Secretary Priti Patel had told the IOPCs director general Michael Lockwood that more needs to be done to ensure that the organisation commands the confidence of the public and the police. The decision is a victory for the Mail, which has led the way in exposing the shambolic inquiry into Operation Midland since Beech (pictured above) was jailed for 18 years in July She spelt out her concerns in a letter last October after the IOPC was savaged by a retired High Court judge over its whitewash inquiry which cleared five detectives of misconduct over Operation Midland. Writing in the Daily Mail, Sir Richard Henriques said the probe that exonerated the officers was lamentable and inadequate, and said police broke the law when they raided the homes of retired Armed Forces chief Lord Bramall, the widow of ex-home secretary Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor while investigating the lies of Nick, the fantasist Carl Beech. The IOPC yesterday released a report explaining how it plans to improve its performance. Remarkably, it didnt refer once to Operation Midland, but stated that government reforms will make it easier for the IOPC to reopen an investigation, without delay or recourse to the courts. It said the director general would be able to order a new probe into any matter if there were compelling reasons. The move comes after it emerged that Home Secretary Priti Patel had told the IOPCs director general Michael Lockwood that more needs to be done to ensure that the organisation commands the confidence of the public and the police The report came as MPs launched their own inquiry into the police watchdog. The probe by the Commons home affairs committee will examine why the IOPC cleared two senior officers without even interviewing them, and why it took a further two years to conclude that three other officers accused should not face sanctions. A 2016 report by Sir Richard Henriques, which identified 43 major errors in the 2.5million Met inquiry, will be considered. The decision is a victory for the Mail, which has led the way in exposing the shambolic inquiry into Operation Midland since Beech was jailed for 18 years in July. KCMO approves overtime for Public Works crews to fill potholes KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Drivers could soon get some much-needed relief from the sport of pothole dodging. The acting city manager of Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday gave the Public Works Department approval to pay workers overtime to fill potholes. Here's the current administration and council working to answer AN EPIC ONSLAUGHT OF COMPLAINTS about the condition of this town's streets. Checkit: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 11:14 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206758d1b 1 City climate-change,capital-cities,Jakarta-flood,rising-sea-levels,extreme-weather,research,Science,risk Free A recent study has identified Jakarta as among the worlds major metropolitan areas on the brink of sinking as a result of rising sea levels and extreme weather caused by climate change. Global strategic and risk consulting company Verisk Maplecroft reported in its 2020 Environmental Risk Outlook issued on Thursday that 11 of the 15 cities most at-risk of sinking are Asian cities that are significant financial and trade centers, including Jakarta, which is especially threatened due to its location in the lowlands. The company assessed sea level rise exposure to 500 cities with a population of more than 1 million people. Aside from Jakarta, other cities labeled high risk include Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shanghai in China, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tokyo. Meanwhile, cities outside Asia that face the same risk are Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; Alexandria, Egypt; and New York City, the United States. Scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in their report last year that the sea level was rising 3.6 millimeters per year. Based on this rate, the sea level could rise between 30 and 110 centimeters by the year 2100. However, a 60 to 110 cm rise was most likely, the IPCC said as quoted by Verisk Maplecroft, as the world remained on a path of high emissions. Analysts Will Nichols and Rory Clisby said the risks of rising sea levels were massive and they stressed the importance of urgently addressing the issue and coming up with solutions today. Rising seas dont just mean more frequent flooding, but also greater damage from storms, faster rates of erosion and shrinking water resources if sea water infiltrates aquifers not to mention the enormous cost of protecting or relocating populations, infrastructure and buildings and the disruption to business operations and supply chains, they wrote in the report. Read also: Rising sea levels threaten 23 million in Indonesia's coastal cities by 2050: Study Heavy rains have caused massive flooding in Jakarta on several occasions this year, with the most recent occurrence claiming at least nine lives and displacing thousands of others. Read also: Two islands vanish, four more may soon sink, Walhi blames environmental problems Indonesia, the writers argued, had taken an extraordinary step by moving its capital away from Jakarta, which generated almost a third of the countrys total gross domestic product. [However,] Jakarta, the fourth-highest risk city globally, is slowly sinking towards current sea level as the aquifers it sits above are drained. A study from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) researchers on data from 1925 to 2015 concluded that significant land subsidence had affected the capital city since 1975 due to massive groundwater extraction. The researchers predicted that a large part of Jakarta will be submerged by 2050. The ITB study also found that Jakarta subsided about 1 to 15 cm per year, making it one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world. Nichols and Clisby said more advanced nations should have the resources and ability to take financial steps to reduce the climate problem. However, other countries and regions, such as India, North Africa and Southeast Asia, had a limited capacity, the writers argued. For lower income nations, reacting to rising sea levels will take time and investment, drawing funding away from other development priorities, they wrote. However, failing to prepare for sea level rise will also impact a countrys investment potential and credit risk, making it more difficult to fund much-needed projects. The analysts urged authorities to move fast in mitigating the impacts caused by the phenomenon, as the window to stave off the worst impacts is closing, and yet investments remain well short of what is required. If the rates of sea level rise are accelerating as many researchers have suggested, the extent of the problems we will face this coming century could be well beyond the means of even wealthy nations to cope with. (syk) People line up to buy face protective masks in front of a department store in Mokdong, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap Gov't hit for incompetence over supply management By Lee Kyung-min The government came under intense criticism Friday for its alleged continued incompetence in regulating the supply of protective face masks. Citizens expressed frustration at a perceived national shortage of what is now a crucial daily necessity amid the rapid spread of the new coronavirus. Despite repeated reassurances from top policymakers that the government will implement measures to "stabilize prices via proper supply management," masks are not available in many parts of the country; while the prices of those that are on sale continue to jump. The average cost of a single-use protective face mask has quadrupled to over 6,000 won ($4.94) from 1,500 won over the past few weeks. In a meeting convened by the health and disease prevention authorities Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki, who doubles as finance minister, said about 1.2 million regular-priced masks would be made available Friday across 24,000 pharmacies and 1,400 post offices nationwide, and 1,900 NongHyup Bank branches in regions outside Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. A fifth of the masks approximately 230,000 were allocated to Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the areas hit hardest by the virus. Despite this, masks are still not readily available, and if they are, prices are high. By Rev. Alexander Santora My first presidential election vote went to Democrat George McGovern in 1972. In fact, I was his co-chair, along with Joyce Calefati Booth, a prominent lawyer today, of the McGovern campaign at then-St. Peters College. I was impressed with McGoverns Midwest populism coupled with his deep religiosity. I was too young, ideal and inexperienced to realize that McGovern not only did not represent the majority of the Democratic Party, he did not represent that of the country. In the election he suffered a 61 percent to 37 percent defeat to Richard Nixon at the time, the second biggest landslide in American history, with an Electoral College total of 520 to 17. He ran at a time of enormous systemic change in the country marked by protests over the Vietnam War, which he opposed, civil rights and womens rights. He tried to harness this rage but most voters did not buy it. What he did achieve was to alienate many blue-collar voters from the Democratic Party for nearly half a century. This allowed Ronald Reagan to venture into Hoboken for the St. Anns Feast campaigning for re-election in 1984. It was monumental that he would show up in the middle of staunchly Democratic Hudson County. Why am I getting the feeling that the national Democratic Party is ready to make the same mistake by nominating Bernie Sanders to be its standard bearer? For one, I do not see how an Independent who claims to be a Socialist can debate on the same stage as dyed-in-the-wool Democrats, pointed out by Pete Buttigieg in the Nevada debate. Even plutocrat Michael Bloomberg is technically a Republican so ditto. I think Tom Perez should resign as head of the Democratic National Committee. This nominating process, so old by now, has been going on way too long and mirrors a vanity contest. What chops does Rep. Eric Swalwell have to even stand on the debate stage let alone Tulsi Gabbard. The Democrats allow anyone to run, draining needed campaign funds for the eventual standard bearer. Now the knives come out and instead of savaging Trump, who not only lowered but eliminated any bar for a president, they give Trump ammunition for the general campaign. Trumps election was a fluke allowed by 77,744 voters in three states. And his ratings show he still does not have the support of most of the American people. Yet, the Democrats will hand him re-election because they fail to read the need for a moderate candidate who can beat Trump. My choice is Joe Biden, who can go toe-to-toe with him. He has vast experience and can hit the ground running. I do not think a Socialist, a gay man or a woman can win this time round. I would vote for the latter two when the time is right as I did for Hillary in 2016. Trumps re-election would precipitate a second Civil War in this country and may permanently fracture our international alliances. There is still hope if Buttigieg and Klobuchar drop out soon and their followers move to Biden. Warren is passionate but she has fallen too far. Sanders is too arrogant and, like Trump, narcissistic enough to hurt the partys chances by fighting to the bitter end and giving his supporters reason to sit on their hands and stay home Nov. 3. I predict a brokered convention and the Democrats have one other trick to pull out of the hat. I think the best person to lead the party to victory and put Trump in his place is someone who has not run in primaries or debated but showed her mettle over time and given Trump a dishonor he takes to eternity. She earned the respect of the American people. I think the Dem convention delegates could vote by acclamation for Nancy Pelosi. Rev. Alexander Santora is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken. He writes a weekly column on faith for The Jersey Journal. Submit letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal In a report released Thursday, the city of Albuquerque estimated that building its Gateway Center homeless shelter would cost between $12.4 million and $14 million based on three locations it is currently considering. But less than a week earlier, the city gave Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca a considerably higher figure. In a request seeking millions of dollars in county financial support, Albuquerques Family and Community Services director estimated the projects total price at $21 million. That assumes no land acquisition expenses. The letter said none would apply if the city built on University of New Mexico land. Based on the Citys analysis and the public input, the UNM property (located across from the State Lab) is the top site for the Gateway Center location, Carol Pierce wrote in a letter dated Feb. 21. The city this week named the UNM site north of Lomas and east of Interstate 25 among three finalists for the project. The other two are Coronado Park, a city-owned park located at Third Street and Interstate 40, and the former Lovelace hospital on Gibson, which is privately owned. The citys 25-page report about the sites includes total costs for each of the finalists. At UNM, it estimated $12.4 million. The city said the $8.6 million disparity between the price given to the county and the number given to the public is a matter of scope. Albuquerque Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Rael said the city presented the county with the cost of a more extensive project 300 shelter beds plus more on-site services spread across about 60,000 square feet, something that would require more funding than the city now has. But in its new public report, Rael said the city estimated costs based on a simpler, 300-bed shelter in about 30,000 square feet. The 60,000-square-foot building has additional amenities to make it a more comprehensive facility, Rael said. That was our request to the county as a matter of collaboration and conversation with them. The county has not agreed to this number but its our interest in giving them a figure to work with us on. The letter asked Morgas Baca for $7 million to help build a shelter, money that would cover the gap between the funding the city has and the cost of the 60,000-square-foot model. City voters approved $14 million in general obligation bonds for the project in November, but the city gained little traction in its request for matching state funds during the recent legislative session. New Mexico leaders appropriated just $50,000 for the project despite the citys $14 million request. Albuquerque officials stressed Thursday during a joint board meeting of local government officials that they had not determined the ultimate location, though Pierces letter to Morgas Baca only mentions the UNM site, and Mayor Tim Keller hosted a news conference about the shelter there Friday morning. No UNM officials attended, and the university president said no decision has been made. Given the preliminary survey data presented by (the city) earlier this month, we expected that UNM would be considered one of the sites that was favored by the city, Stokes said in a statement Friday. We are still gathering feedback from the community. There are many inputs that will need to be considered and further conversations to be had before making any final determinations. As the potential locations have come into focus, it has become increasingly unclear what exactly the city plans to build. Officials had said they planned to establish a 24/7 centralized homeless shelter to accommodate about 300 people per night and usher them toward the services needed to secure permanent housing. They said it would replace the citys existing emergency shelter in an old jail on the far West Side. But officials confirmed this week that they are also considering a multisite approach with smaller facilities and keeping the West Side shelter open for overflow purposes. Pierces letter to Morgas Baca which also seeks county help with $1 million in annual behavioral health services expenses reflects some deeper problems with the citys rollout, according to some county leaders. County Commissioners Debbie OMalley and Jim Collie said they met with Keller earlier this month to suggest a phased-in approach that starts with a smaller shelter in the 75-bed range and potentially grows to other locations based on performance and need. Ten days later, Pierce wrote Morgas Baca asking for millions for a 300-bed shelter. Theres just all kinds of dissonance, Collie said in a meeting with Journal editors and a reporter Friday. The county had in December offered to help with the projects capital costs and on-site supportive services. But Morgas Baca told Pierce in a letter then that the county needed more specifics about the project before making actual commitments and that the project should be vetted through the countys Behavioral Health Initiative process. Weve never said we didnt recognize (homelessness is) all our problem, because it is, Morgas Baca said Friday. But the only thing I had asked is as you move forward, will you work with us and work with our Behavioral Health Department to establish what kind of services you need, and they never talked to us about it. Rael said conversations with the county will continue in an effort to find the most effective solution for the community. In a statement Friday, Keller said the city has worked to get input from many constituencies. We have been meeting with partners, including our Homeless Advisory Council, service providers, neighborhood leaders, people experiencing homelessness, and monthly meetings with Bernalillo County, for over a year discussing potential opportunities to work together to build a better system to address homelessness. Collaboration and partnerships are key to designing, siting and operating the Gateway Center successfully. Houston runners, walkers and wheelchair-users helped kick off RodeoHouston Saturday morning, speeding through downtown in timed and untimed races that culminated in the downtown Rodeo parade. Participants gathered just after 9 a.m. on a sunny and mild Houston morning to tackle the timed races and an untimed 5K fun run/walk. US passengers leave the Daikaku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port, next to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, on February 17, 2020. Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images Four people in the US are suspected to have the coronavirus as a result of "community spread" meaning they contracted the virus despite not traveling outside the US. A high school student in Washington State and a woman in Oregon are the latest "presumed positive" cases, according to CNN. There have been around 70 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US so far, most of which were among repatriated passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. At least four of the 67 reported cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus are not linked to travel outside the United States after a woman in Oregan and a high school student in Washington state are presumed to have tested possible for the virus, health officials told CNN. A person described by CNN as an "older woman" reportedly contracted the virus without having recently traveled overseas or knowingly coming in contact with any person who had contracted the coronavirus. The other California case is a woman from Solano County currently hospitalized at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the report said. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear," Sara Cody, director of the Santa Clara County public health department, said, according to CNN. Health officials said the Santa Clara woman had not traveled to Solano County, raising more questions about how the woman contracted the virus, believed to have originated last year at a market in Wuhan, China, a city in the country's Hubei province. The Washington state case involves a boy at Jackson High School in Snohomish County. The school will be closed on Monday as it undergoes deep cleaning following the student's diagnosis. As Daily Mail reported, while the latest case marks only the fourth known instance of "community spread" in the US, it is the third instance within the past 24 hours. Story continues Officials for the Centers for Disease Control said it hoped to have every state nationwide testing for the virus by the end of next week as the US ramps up its plan to combat the virus, CNN said, which has so far been primarily in China but has begun to spread across Asian and to parts of Europe. As Business Insider previously reported, there the CDC has confirmed dozens of cases in states across the country in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin. "Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown," a CDC press release from Wednesday said. In other words, a case can be described as a "community spread" when an infected person has had no history of traveling to China where the virus broke out, meaning the virus was likely contracted from another person in the individual's same community. A majority of Americans who have tested positive for the virus 44 were among those repatriated after facing a 14-day quarantine on the Diamond Princess after an outbreak occurred on the cruise ship. Read more: France has banned any public event in a 'confined space' with over 5,000 people to stop spread of coronavirus Companies around the world are telling their employees to work from home amid the coronavirus outbreak Several young doctors in China have died of the coronavirus. Medical workers are far more vulnerable to infection than the general population. How to lessen the chances of getting sick when traveling on planes in the age of coronavirus, according to experts Read the original article on Business Insider A moderate ally of Angela Merkel consolidated his lead in the race to become leader of Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) after securing the crucial endorsement of party members in Germany's most populous state. Armin Laschet won the overwhelming support of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia as nominee for national party chairman and successor of Ms Merkel. The battle for Ms Merkel's job is considered a two-horse race between Mr Laschet and Friedrich Merz, a millionaire businessman trying to pull the party to the right. ( Daily Telegraph, London) CLEVELAND, Ohio Clevelands city planning and community development establishment turned out in force Saturday to recognize the life and career of Norman Krumholz, a revered former Cleveland planning director and Cleveland State University professor. The university hosted a salute to Krumholz in the third-floor ballroom of its student center, drawing roughly 300 friends, family members, former colleagues, students and all-around admirers. Krumholz, who died in December at age 92, was nationally recognized as a major advocate for equity planning, a philosophy which holds that planners should strive to improve the lot of the citys poorest residents rather than serve powerful interests. Norm was one of those guys who didnt just talk about it, he walked it and lived it, Freddy Collier, Jr., the current planning director, said in his remarks. PDHST PLAIN DEALER HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION - Norman Krumholz, the city's new planning director, and Mayor Carl B. Stokes. (Mitchael J. Zaremba / The Plain Dealer) Cleveland Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer Reflecting on Krumholzs work at City Hall and later at CSU, where he taught for three decades, Collier said: When I look across the audience today, I say: Wow! this guy impacted or affected an entire system. Born in Passaic, N.J. in 1927 to Moldovan immigrants Izzak and Molly Krumholz, Krumholz studied journalism at the University of Missouri, where he met his future wife, the former Virginia Martin. He later earned a masters degree in planning from Cornell University, before serving as assistant director of the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission from 1965 to 1969. He served as Cleveland planning director from 1969 to 1979, during the administration of Carl Stokes, the first black mayor of a major American city, and the succeeding administrations of Ralph Perk and Dennis Kucinich. Through his books, including Making Equity Planning Work, co-written with John Forester, and through his teaching, Krumholz influenced generations of city planners across the country and in Northeast Ohio. Chris Ronayne, president of University Circle, Inc., who served as Cleveland planning director from the beginning of 2002 to the end of 2004, asked for a show of hands on how many members of the audience had taken Krumholzs classes and had been influenced by his work and teaching and many raised their hands. Urban planner Norman Krumholz, at work at CSU (Sean Payton) ORG XMIT: CLE1409251255395777 The Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer Among other things, Ronayne credited Krumholz with strengthening the citys share of voting power on the board of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which coordinates federal spending on transportation in the region. Krumholzs move enabled Cleveland under Stokes to delay and then kill the Clark Freeway, which would have sliced through Clevelands East Side, suburb of Shaker Heights, and the chain of lakes that run through the suburb. Ultimately it was stopped thanks to Norms advocacy for a greater representative voice at the table, Ronayne said of the freeway. Attendees at Saturdays event constituted a cross-section of Cleveland planning development since the 1970s and 80s. Those in the audience included: Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson; former Cleveland mayor and U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich; Ed Rybka, Clevelands chief of regional development; City Council members Matt Zone and Tony Brancatelli; and lawyer Anthony Coyne, former chairman of the city planning commission. Also in the crowd were former planning directors Robert Brown and Hunter Morrison; Grace Gallucci, the current executive director of NOACA; India Pierce Lee and Lillian Kuri, both senior vice presidents at the Cleveland Foundation; and writer and environmental advocate David Beach. Four decades' worth of Cleveland planning directors were among 300 attendees Saturday at a Cleveland State University salute to equity planning champion and CSU professor Norman Krumholz. L-R: Freddy Collier, Jr., (2014-present), Hunter Morrison (1980-2000), Bob Brown (2004-2014), Chris Ronayne, (2002-2004).Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer Several speakers noted Krumholzs warm friendship with journalist Roldo Bartimole, who also attended, and whose Point of View newsletter irked and informed the citys leadership from the 1960s to the 1990s. Wendy Kellogg, a professor at the CSU Levin College of Urban Affairs, recalled how a former dean, David Sweet, recruited Krumholz in 1979 to establish the Cleveland Center for Neighborhood Development and later to teach. She said Sweets goal was to connect the world of professional practice to students and faculty through Krumholz. Norm was an immediate bridge to Clevelands planners and Clevelands neighborhoods, she said. Andrew Krumholz, of San Francisco, the planners son, recalled that his father grew up dirt poor in Passaic, N.J., where his father died when Krumholz was three and he and two brothers were reared by their mother, described by Andrew as an illiterate seamstress who spoke several European languages. Often, the family couldnt pay their rent, and were frequently evicted, he said. My father told us his first job was to sit on the family possessions while his mother and brothers would run around and find the next tenement they would move into. Its amazing from that really tough start he could have gone as far as he did, he said. Hed be the first person to admit to you he was extremely lucky. NOTE: The Krumholz family asks that any donations in memory of Norman Krumholz be made to the scholarship and/or lecture series established in his name at the CSU Levin College. Donations may be made online on the schools website. A special tab allows donors to designate a gift. UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link Death toll in Delhi now at 42, number of injured 250 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 29: The death toll in the Delhi's communal violence has gone up to 42 now with four more fatalities being recorded at the city's GTB Hospital, officials said. The number stood at 38 till Thursday. The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital has recorded 38 deaths, the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital three, and the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital has reported one. Nearly 7,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the affected areas of the northeast district since Monday to assist hundreds of Delhi police men and women to maintain peace. Dream unfulfilled: Awaiting birth of great grandchild, 85-year-old woman burnt to death in Delhi More than 250 people have been injured in the communal clashes. The areas mainly affected include Jafrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 8:09 [IST] Matt Okine is performing at a fundraiser for the Redfern Legal Centre. Credit:Alina Gozina SUNDAY, MARCH 1 COMMUNITY Clean Up Australia Day celebrates its 30th anniversary of protecting the environment with hundreds of sites around Sydney today asking anyone available to come along and lend a hand removing rubbish. Various times, various locations, free, cleanup.org.au FAMILY Eel Festival celebrates Parramattas namesake animal and its importance to the local Darug people known as the Burramattagal. Visitors can try weaving and boomerang painting, sample traditionally smoked eel or hear music from Aboriginal songman Gumaroy Newman. 10am-3pm, Elizabeth Farm, 70 Alice Street, Rosehill, free, sydneylivingmuseums.com.au ART Bill Leak: Life Drawing (until March 29) focuses on another side of the late cartoonist, showing sketches from his 40-year artistic career that have never been seen in public. 10am-5pm, Manly Art Gallery and Museum, West Esplanade Reserve, Manly, free, northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au Among these people, the majority, 1.34 million people, are in areas outside of Syrian Government control, Ursula Mueller, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council. "Over the past weeks, renewed hostilities in and around Tal Tamer district have displaced an additional 1,600 civilians to Qamishli, while another 800 people have arrived in Ar-Raqqa," Mueller added. This adds to the hundreds of thousands of people already displaced in northeast Syria. Although the United Nations and its humanitarian partners scaled up the response in the northeast in the second half of 2019, Mueller warned that significant gaps remained, especially after the adoption of Security Council resolution 2504 and the removal of Al Ramtha (Syria/Jordan border) and Al Yarubiyah (Iraq/Syria border) as authorized crossing points. Mueller added if viable alternatives to Al Yarubiah are not found for medical items, the gap between the humanitarian response and humanitarian needs will increase further. "The first shortages are expected already by March for medical facilities providing reproductive health care, that were previously supported by cross-border operations," Mueller said, adding that "a larger gap in medical items could occur by May." Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has conveyed to Afghan leadership India's support for an independent, sovereign, democratic and inclusive Afghanistan, holding that sustainable peace in the country requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism. Shringla travelled to Kabul on Friday on a two-day visit during which he held talks with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh and National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib. It was Shringla's first visit abroad after taking over as India's foreign secretary a month back. In Afghan capital Kabul, the foreign secretary met former President Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Mohammad Haroon Chakhansur and acting Finance Minister Abdul Zadran. Separately, he interacted with a cross-section of Afghan leaders including politician, civil rights activists and academicians. Shringla dashed off to Kabul a day ahead of the signing of the landmark peace deal between the US and the Taliban in Doha. The deal provides for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan nearly 18 years after their deployment in the country. "In his meetings with the Afghan leadership, the foreign secretary reiterated India's commitment to enhanced political, economic and development partnership between the two neighbours and strategic partners," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. It said Shringla reiterated India's consistent support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic and inclusive Afghanistan in which interests of all sections of Afghan society are preserved. The foreign secretary also conveyed India's support for enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. "He underscored that sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism," the MEA said. The mention of externally sponsored terrorism is seen as an indirect reference to Pakistan's tacit support to Taliban. The MEA said Shringla congratulated the people and government of Afghanistan on the conduct of the fourth presidential elections and the declaration of the final results. Noting the hope for peace generated by recent developments, he reiterated the need for all sections of the political leadership to work together in the pursuit of sustainable peace and security for the people of the country. The MEA said the Afghan leadership "deeply appreciated" India's support for peace, development and prosperity of Afghanistan, including its efforts for regional connectivity such as the operationalisation of Chahbahar Port and establishment of air freight corridors between various cities of India and Afghanistan. Agreements for road projects in Bamyan and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces of Afghanistan with Indian development assistance were signed during Shringla's visit. "It was agreed to work together for implementation of the new development partnership and further expand cooperation in accordance with the strategic partnership agreement," it said. India has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan as it had already spent around USD 2 billion in reconstruction of war-ravaged country. Major powers such as the US, Russia and Iran have been reaching out to the Taliban as part of efforts to push the stalled Afghan peace process. India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate. Ahead of peace deal, India conveyed to the US that pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror networks operating from its soil must be kept up though Islamabad's cooperation for peace in Afghanistan is crucial. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Photograph: Erin Scott/Reuters If you were in search of a scientifically minded, steadying presence to guide the country through the potential fallout of the coronavirus, you could not do much worse than Vice-President Mike Pence. This being the Donald Trump administration, however, where qualifications and expertise are often seen as prohibitive factors for top jobs, thats exactly who weve been given. Cutting to the heart of the matter with her characteristic bluntness, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez this week pointed out the absurdity of placing Pence in charge of a potentially looming health crisis. Mike Pence literally does not believe in science, the New York congresswoman tweeted on Wednesday. It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response as the world sits on the cusp of a pandemic. This decision could cost people their lives. Pences past decisions already have. Ocasio-Cortez reminded people of Pences credentials. While he was governor of Indiana, he oversaw an HIV crisis so severe that at its peak, 20 new cases were diagnosed each week. As governor, Pences science denial contributed to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in Indianas history, she wrote. He is not a medical doctor. He is not a health expert. He is not qualified nor positioned in any way to protect our public health. Rushing to the defense of the administration the next day, Ted Cruz jumped into the fray. As you are speaking as the oracle of science, tell us, what exactly is a Y chromosome? https://t.co/t4XVVzWr3A Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 27, 2020 As you are speaking as the oracle of science, tell us, what exactly is a Y chromosome? Cruz responded on Twitter. And at what age of gestation does science tell us that an unborn child feels physical pain? He may have picked the wrong opponent Ocasio-Cortez, it transpires, holds an award for microbiology from MIT. Story continues Despite reports in the past of the two lawmakers, surprisingly, finding common ground on other issues, Ocasio-Cortez did not let the slight go unaddressed. Touting her scientific bona fides and jabbing at Cruz, who, like Pence, gives primacy to his religious beliefs, she delivered an acerbic put-down. Im surprised youre asking about chromosomes given that you dont believe in evolution, she said. Sen. Cruz, while I understand you judge peoples intelligence by the lowest income theyve had, I hold awards from MIT Lincoln Lab &others for accomplishments in microbiology. Secondly, Im surprised youre asking about chromosomes given that you dont even believe in evolution. https://t.co/vOIwJhpl7q Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 28, 2020 A few hours later, Cruz returned for another condescending jab. Btw, congrats on the science fair, he tweeted. We see evolution every day: the Dem party is rapidly evolving into an angry, anti-science socialist ideology. You insulted Pence & I asked you 3 real Qs re science. You ignored all 3 & responded w/ your resume & ad hominem attacks. Instead of insults, address the substance. The senator did not confirm whether or not he does, in fact, believe in the actual definition of evolution. One shirt will be to keep and one will be donated to an area homeless shelter. Participants should provide a cotton shirt they want to keep. Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos, and Pluto greet guests from a float during the theme park's annual New Year's Day parade at Tokyo Disneyland. (File hoto: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno) "Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have decided to proceed with an extraordinary closure from Saturday, Feb 29, 2020, through Sunday, Mar 15" after the government urged measures to limit the spread of the virus, the operator said in a statement. The operator Oriental Land said it currently hoped to resume operations from Mar 16. Explore: Real-time interactive map of all the confirmed cases reported around the world "Currently, we plan to reopen on Mar 16. But we'll decide when to open by looking at the situation and developments. We'll also consult (official) agencies concerned," a spokesman told AFP. The operator added that it would inform ticket holders of policies on refunds. More than 30 million visitors flood into the two parks per year, and they are among the most popular destinations for tourists coming to Tokyo. The move comes as the Japanese government steps up measures to tackle the outbreak of the virus, which has been linked to at least four deaths in the country and nearly 200 infections. On Thursday night, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged schools across the country to close for around a month, though nurseries and after-school clubs are exempt. The government has also urged people to work from home and commute during off-peak hours, as well as avoid large gatherings. Disney's Shanghai and Hong Kong theme parks remain closed for more than a month, and the company earlier this month warned of a negative impact on its second quarter results. It said on an earnings call on Feb 5 that closure of the Shanghai park could impact operating profit by about US$135 million if closed for two months. A student exchange program between Newington College and a Los Angeles school, run during the tenure of a former deputy headmaster accused of child sex abuse, was organised on the American side by a teacher charged with child molestation. Newington's Wyvern House junior school fostered a student exchange program with La Verne Heights Elementary School near Los Angeles in 1975. The program sent four primary school boys to California for a month to be billeted by local families. Stanmore campus of Newington College. Credit:Steven Siewert According to Newington Across the Years: A History of Newington College "the idea successfully continued for some years and dozens of boys benefited from the exchange experience". It took place while Laurie Ellicott, who has been accused of "sexual touching" and "inappropriate behaviour" by several alumni since he died two weeks ago, was deputy headmaster of Wyvern House. The program was arranged by La Verne Heights sixth grade teacher Bert Clay, who was arrested years later for forcing a 13-year-old student to have sex with him, according to local newspapers. Clay was charged in 1987 with child molestation, oral copulation with a minor under 14 years old and sexual battery, and died in 1996. At a meeting on Friday, the government-appointed telecom committee did not take a decision on relief measures for telecom operators to help them pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, saying it needs more details to reconcile the dues. We have not yet decided anything (on relief measures for telcos) on AGR today. There are other factors...we need certain data (from telcos)...there has to be reconciliation (of dues), one person with direct knowledge of the matter said after the meeting of the Digital Communications Commission (DCC). The panel will have to meet again soon, he said requesting anonymity. An email query to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) did not elicit any response till press time. Any relief measure, once agreed by the commission, will also need to be approved by the Cabinet. The development comes as a setback to Vodafone Idea, which has repeatedly told the government that its survival depends on urgent relief measures. Earlier this week, the DoT asked all operators to speed up their self-assessment of AGR dues and submit documents backing their calculations, even after Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices and Vodafone Idea made partial payments. The government is exploring the possibility of roping in third-party audit firms to reconcile dues payable by telecom operators after differences emerged in individual calculations made by the government and telcos, Mint reported on February 21. The commission, which has representatives from the DoT, ministry of finance, ministry of electronics, and information technology and NITI Aayog, met on Friday following a series of meetings between Vodafone Idea chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and top government officials. Birla met telecom secretary on February 18 and met finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman the following day. Vodafone Idea was the worst hit by a recent Supreme Court ruling which asked telcos to pay up their AGR dues by January 23. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Before the motion picture Hidden Figures started hitting theaters in 2016, I had not heard of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. As the New York Times tells it in her obituary, she calculated the precise trajectories that would let Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1969 and, after Neil Armstrongs history-making moonwalk, let it return to Earth. I did know who Neil Armstrong was. My little brothers birthday is July 20 and I was born in 1969, so talking about the moon landing was a way to bring up our birthdays when relatives dropped in for a summer visit. A neighbor gave my brother a book about the moon landing and we memorized as much as we could: a diagram of the trajectory, details about the Saturn V rocket and the lunar rover, images of the dozens of NASA scientists in white shirts and skinny ties. We chattered away in the kind of did-you-know conversation that little know-it-alls thrive on before they know much about anything. Later, I looked at a copy of Tom Wolfes The Right Stuff someone left lying around; I heard adults talking about Alan Shepard, John Glenn and Fred Ward, which is the problem with history via Hollywood. Eventually, I learned right names. I looked them up and looked up to them. I am certain that I understood space exploration wasnt a one-man job. I know the books I read told of the many man hours it took to win the space race. And I heard, over and over in pop culture references, that if America could put a man on the moon, we could do anything. So I think I would have been thrilled to have read about Katherine Johnson and the African American women who worked as NASA mathematicians during the smart-guys-with-skinny-ties era. But I had never heard of Johnson, or the women of color who worked at NASA with her, before the motion picture told their story. My daughter is in middle school and has seen Hidden Figures twice. She saw it once with me, because I couldnt wait to show her the movie I wish Id seen as a tween. She also saw it at school a few months ago, in her youth leadership class. Young girls today know about Johnson, for the most part, because of an African American woman named Margot Lee Shetterly. Shetterlys father was, as she describes on her website, a career Langley Research Center scientist. She learned about the NASA calculators girls who could be paid considerably less than white, male engineers during the post-World War II era, when anti-discrimination legislation opened opportunities for blacks in the defense industry. Shetterly told the story; because of Shetterly, the motion picture was made. And when Johnson died at 101 last week, American girls knew who she was. How many others, in every field imaginable, are out there? How many other women have been left out or remained hidden because nobody bothered to tell their stories? And how many feats, how many trips to the moon and back, might we have missed if not for their work? Its hard to say, but its an easy fix. We need to appeal to educators to include these stories when talking about who America is. We need to have conversations with people who saw glass ceilings shatter and go unnoticed by the rest of us. We need to tell the stories and demand those stories be told, that those stories be written and published and, most important, that those stories be read by kids who might feel that for people who look like them, success is as far away as the moon. It doesnt matter if Ed Harris doesnt play you in the movie if, without you, there wouldnt be a movie at all. mariaanglinwrites@gmail.com The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, following the 9/11 terror attacks, targeted Al-Qaeda in the sanctuaries provided by the then Taliban government. More than 18 years later, as Washington signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday in Doha to end America's longest war, here is a timeline of developments: On October 7, 2001 -- less than a month after the September 11 attacks that killed around 3,000 people in the US -- President George W. Bush launches operation "Enduring Freedom" in Afghanistan. The country's Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime had been sheltering Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda movement, which carried out the attacks. The operation opens a military front in the US "war on terrorism". Within weeks, US-led forces overthrow the Taliban, in power since 1996. Besides carrying out air strikes, Washington also lends support to the Afghan Northern Alliance fighting the Taliban, contributing paramilitary teams from the CIA and special forces. About 1,000 American soldiers are on the ground by November 2001, rising to 10,000 the next year. US attention is diverted from Afghanistan when US forces invade Iraq in 2003 to oust dictator Saddam Hussein, accused of harbouring weapons of mass destruction. The Taliban and other Islamist outfits regroup in their strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan, from where they can easily travel between their bases in Pakistan's tribal zones, and launch an insurgency. In 2008, the US command in Afghanistan calls for more manpower. Bush sends additional soldiers and about 48,500 US troops are deployed. In 2009, Barack Obama -- elected president on campaign promises to end the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- boosts the US deployment to around 68,000. In December, he sends another 30,000. The objective is to stymie the growing Taliban insurgency and to strengthen Afghan institutions. By 2010, more than 150,000 foreign soldiers are deployed in Afghanistan, of which 100,000 are American. Bin Laden is killed on May 2, 2011 in a US special forces operation in Pakistan. On December 31, 2014, the NATO alliance ends its combat mission in Afghanistan. But, under agreements reached a few months earlier, 12,500 foreign soldiers -- of which 9,800 are American -- remain to train Afghan troops and conduct anti-terrorist operations. Security in Afghanistan degenerates as the Taliban's insurgency spreads, with the Islamic State (IS) group also becoming active in early 2015. In July 2016, Obama slows the planned pace of withdrawal of US troops, saying 8,400 will remain into 2017. In April 2017, the US military drops the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat on an IS network of tunnels and caves in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan officials say it killed 96 jihadists. In August 2017, new US President Donald Trump scraps any timetables for a US pullout and re-commits thousands more soldiers. In mid-November, some 3,000 soldiers arrive to reinforce the 11,000 troops already deployed. However, deadly attacks multiply, especially against Afghan forces. The US steps up air strikes dramatically. In mid-2018, Washington and Taliban representatives discreetly open talks in Doha, led by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, focused on slashing the US military footprint in Afghanistan. In return, the US demands that the Taliban prevent the country from being used as a safe haven for jihadist groups including Al-Qaeda. But amid continued Taliban violence, Trump in September calls off talks, angered over the death of a US soldier in a Kabul bombing. On December 7, negotiations are re-started in Doha, only to be paused again following a Taliban attack near Bagram air base outside Kabul. During a surprise visit to Bagram on November 28, Trump said he is ready to reduce troops below 8,600. On February 13 2020, the United States announces it has secured a seven-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan that it hopes will pave the way for an agreement with the Taliban. On Saturday, the United States signs a landmark deal with the Taliban in the Qatari capital, laying out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months. The agreement is expected to lead to dialogue between the Taliban and the US-backed Kabul government that, if successful, could ultimately see an end to the 18-year conflict. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has postponed a meeting of leaders of southeast Asian nations that was set for Las Vegas in mid-March due to the spread of the coronavirus, a senior Trump administration official said Friday Washington: The United States has postponed a meeting of leaders of southeast Asian nations that was set for Las Vegas in mid-March due to the spread of the coronavirus, a senior Trump administration official said Friday. President Donald Trump had invited the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to meet in the US this year after he skipped their annual meeting last year, which was held in Thailand. Trump sent national security adviser Robert O'Brien to the meeting in his place. A senior Trump administration official said the U.S. had consulted with its ASEAN partners before it made the difficult decision to postpone the Las Vegas meeting. Trump would have been expected to attend. The administration official said the US values its relationships with the nations of the region, and "looks forward to future meetings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House had yet to announce the postponement. The decision was first reported Friday by Reuters. ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, they make up a fast-growing regional market of nearly 650 million people. The European Union and the British government presented documents this week outlining their goals for upcoming talks on their future relationship. The documents contradict each other so sharply that an agreement seems all but impossible. Bitter conflicts with unpredictable economic, political, and social implications are immanent. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to break off talks if an agreement is not in sight by the end of June. London would then focus its preparations on a no-deal Brexit when the transitional period expires at the end of 2020, Johnson said. For his part, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier stated that he expects extremely difficult talks. We will not reach an agreement at any price, he warned. The 27 ministers from the EU member states agreed on red lines for the talks on Monday. They are offering Britain a free trade agreement with no tariffs or quantitative restrictions, but only if London sticks to the majority of EU rules and regulations. In concrete terms, the 46-page document refers to rules for state assistance to private companies, economic competition, state-owned companies, labour and social welfare regulations, environmental standards, climate change and related taxes, all of which must be in line with EU policies. These demands are being justified with reference to fair competition. European social democratic politicians in particular are leading calls to oppose wage dumping and the junking of environmental regulations, which is an absurdity if one considers the miserably low wages workers are forced to accept in Eastern Europe, Greece and other countries. There are two reasons why the EU is adopting such a hardline approach. First, it is focused on securing its own economic benefits. The main issue is to protect the interests of the Europeans, commented French State Secretary Amelie de Montchalin. France has long been pushing for even tougher language in the passages of the document dealing with competition. EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen warned at the beginning of the month, There is no free pass into the common market, but merely rights and obligations. The second reason is the fear of a break-up of the EU if concessions are made to London. Eastern European countries could feel emboldened to demand a relaxation of regulations from Brussels. German and French government officials have therefore repeatedly praised the unity with which the 27 member states have approached the negotiations with London. We cannot allow ourselves to be divided, remarked German State Secretary for Europe Michael Roth. French State Secretary de Montchalin enthused, The unity among us is complete. One can be certain that behind the scenes a large number of offers you cant refuse are being made to retain this unity. For Johnson and his government of hard Brexiteers, these conditions are unacceptable. One of their main goals in their Brexit campaign was to free themselves from the EUs rules and regulations so as to press ahead with the deregulation of the economy. Although the British negotiating mandate calls for a liberalised market for trade in goods, with no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions on trade in manufactured or agricultural products, it opposes the EU conditions connected to this. London also wants to negotiate certain issues separately, including those in which it feels it has a strong position or particularly vital interests. For example, it wants to regain control over our waters by allowing EU fishing boats only limited access to lucrative British fishing grounds, in line with a quota system to be revised each year. This threatens the livelihoods of many French and Spanish fishermen. The British government also demands an agreement on equivalence on financial services to be decided before the end of June. Additionally, it no longer intends to accept rulings from the European Court of Justice, or European arrest warrants and arbitration rulings. The British government categorically opposes lengthening the 11-month transitional period during which nothing changes in the relationship between London and the EU, even though experts say it will be virtually impossible to reach a deal within this time frame. Michael Gove, the minister responsible for Brexit, told the House of Commons that there should be no doubt: At the end of the transition period, on December 31, the United Kingdom will fully recover its economic and political independence. He added, We want the best possible trading relationship with the EU, but in a pursuit of a deal we will not trade away our sovereignty. Opponents of Brexit believe that Johnson has already decided to prepare for a no-deal exit. Scottish National Party spokesman Pete Wishart described the British governments offer to the EU as a load of bunkum, baloney and codswallop. He continued: This is nothing other than a routemap to the cherished no dealthe real ambition of these Brexit zealots. The economic consequences of a separation without an agreement would be horrendous for both sides. Trade relations would be regulated only by the terms of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), with correspondingly high tariffs. Trade between the EU and Britain, which in 2017 amounted to goods worth a total of 423 billion, would collapse. International supply chains would be broken by tariffs and long delays, and access for banks and service providers would be restricted. But although economic experts and industry bosses are warning of the consequences of failing to reach an agreement, London and Brussels are on a collision course. The reason for this seemingly irrational behaviour is the advanced stage of the bankruptcy of global capitalism. The struggle for markets and profits is resulting in the incitement of nationalism and war, as it did a century ago. Donald Trumps slogan of America first has been translated into every language and dialect. The working class cannot afford to tie its fate to any of the competing camps. Instead, it must unite its forces in a cross-border struggle against war, social spending cuts and dictatorship. The British section of the International Committee of the Fourth International refused from the outset to join either the Brexit or remain camps. The Socialist Equality Party called for an active boycott of the Brexit referendum and continues to fight for the international unification of the working class in the struggle for the United Socialist States of Europe. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 17:56:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- It's in the interest of the United States and China to work closely, as demonstrated by the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement and the current fight against COVID-19, a scholar told Xinhua in a recent interview. The phase-one trade deal was "not a holistic solution," however, it has shown that both sides were willing to hit the brakes on the trade dispute, said Koh King Kee, president of Malaysia's Center for New Inclusive Asia and an associate fellow at the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya. "Both sides need it. I mean, the tariffs are hurting the U.S. economy, the farmers and the consumers ... The so-called backlash is being felt," he said. Koh said the agreement is "no loss to China." On one hand, China needs to purchase goods from abroad for its domestic market, either from the United States or elsewhere around the world. On the other, some issues outlined in the agreement are actually in line with China's own reform agenda. "For example, there are issues on intellectual property ... Patent rights are registered (in China) more than any other country. So it is in the interests of China to protect these intellectual properties," he said. Koh said it would be difficult for the world's two largest economies to decouple, given that the American people and business community attach great importance to the Chinese market. "The market is huge, you just can't ignore that market. So, the business sector will have no choice but to hold firm on China," he said. Meanwhile, the current battle against the coronavirus outbreak has shown that the world needs the United States and China working together. "The virus doesn't care whether it's impacting the United States or China. You have to work together in the interest of humankind," Koh said. "We just have to work more closely. It is in the interest of the United States and China to work closely ... Of course, you're going to have differences ... but we should sit down and talk," he added. Koh said the newly released book "Fake Fear: America and China Relations" is a must-read for scholars and anyone interested in China-U.S. relations. It's a guide to better understand China and the world in the 21st century, he said. He said there is genuine fear in the West that China's rise is a threat to the liberal international order, but that is not the case. "China has not invaded anybody. China has not snatched an inch from other countries ... So historically, the Chinese are peace-loving, because it is confident enough that it can accept foreign cultures, absorb and assimilate (them and make them) become part of its culture," Koh added. Guard and secure the airports and ports By Kumudini Hettiarachchi, Ruqyyaha Deane and Meleeza Rathnayake All travellers coming from any infected area pose a huge risk, warns former Epid Head Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe - Just one full-blown infection in a Sri Lankan, would be an epidemic in the country View(s): View(s): Guard and secure Sri Lankas gateways, urged a top health expert, as the danger posed by the new coronavirus loomed close to the country, while spreading like wildfire across the world. Originating in Wuhan as the epicentre in the Hubei Province of China, COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has begun its cluster-spread. Fifty-one countries, including many close to Sri Lanka, have confirmed cases. As of Friday, worldwide there were 83,652 confirmed cases; China has 78,961 cases and 2,791 deaths and outside China around the world 4,691 cases and 67 deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) risk assessment is very high for China and also at regional and global level. All travellers coming from any infected area need to be thoroughly investigated and followed up as they pose a huge risk because they may be in the incubation period without showing symptoms, stressed a former Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, laying down in meticulous detail how Sri Lanka should face this crisis. Underlining that if we get one case, just one full-blown infection in a Sri Lankan, it would be an epidemic in the country, he fervently urged the guarding and securing of the gateways to Sri Lanka which are the airports and ports. Otherwise, infected people can slip through and spread the disease around for 12-14 days without anyone knowing. This is why 100% cover is essential at the airports and ports, pointed out Dr. Abeysinghe, adding however that if any country in the region can tackle this crisis it is Sri Lanka with its strong public health system. Preparedness, is the key and the only approach in the 21st century to face these dangers and threats, according to him, as he sets out a basic but workable plan. This plan should include: Preparedness with a generic approach with flexible systems. Crisis management should be multi-sectoral and multi-level. Inclusive networks are crucial covering all aspects including disease surveillance and new technologies. Dr. Abeysinghe is a strong believer in following the basics in epidemiology time, place and person and he superimposes these basics onto the current coronavirus crisis. Time since December that COVID-19 started spreading Place whether connected to Wuhan or any other place to which it has spread; wherever the infection is. Initially Wuhan had a major involvement but now the cluster spread has begun rapidly Person whoever is connected to Wuhan or any other place that the virus has spread to. These would be the people who have travelled to any infected area and includes a person who has come from China or any of those places where the virus is spreading Dr. Abeysinghe highlights the importance of contact tracing and isolation which are also the basics in containment in a public health crisis. What is important to remember is that there would be at least two weeks of incubation, he cautions. This means that if a person has a travel history today to a country affected by the virus, you cant allow that person to go around whether that person has symptoms or not. The virus is no respecter of any person as was shown by Irans Deputy Health Minister, Iraj Harirchi, being affected by COVID-19. Biological principles, Dr. Abeysinghe looks at next, to pinpoint that though the virus has been around since December last year it still does not seem to have reached a peak. While seemingly plateauing in China, clusters are occurring across the world. He says: A global threat requires a global response which includes investigation, characterisation and assessment of the threat; reduction of human suffering; containment of the national/international spread; and minimizing impact on travel and trade. The coordination of the response will essentially include right at the top epidemiology, laboratory science, clinical management, infection control, environmental health, health education, medical anthropology, risk communication and logistics. Sri Lanka should be closely following the WHOs Technical Guidance format in our National Preparedness Plan and ticking off each and every item such as: Country readiness;Surveillance & case definitions; Laboratory guidance; Patient management; Infection prevention & control; Early investigations; Risk communication & community engagement; Disease commodity package; and Points of entry/mass gatherings. If any gaps are spotted, they need to be filled immediately. Contain the virus, urges WHO DG to countries, The epidemic peaked and plateaued between January 23 and February 2 and has been declining steadily since then, the World Health Organization (WHO)-China joint mission had found, the WHOs Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared this week. Urging continued vigilance and stressing that this is not the time for complacency, he said that the mission had also found that there has been no significant change in the genetic makeup of the virus. While the team had also estimated that the measures taken in China have averted a significant number of cases, Dr. Ghebreyesus said the key message that should give all countries hope, courage and confidence is that this virus can be contained. Indeed, there are many countries that have done exactly that. Fourteen that have had cases have not reported a case for more than a week, and even more importantly, 9 countries have not reported a case for more than two weeks: Belgium, Cambodia, Finland, India, Nepal, Philippines, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Sweden. But that doesnt mean that cases may not come back to these countries. But the cases that made it before have been contained, he said. Conceding that the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time on Tuesday, he has said that the sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning. The increase in cases outside China has prompted some media and politicians to push for a pandemic to be declared. We should not be too eager to declare a pandemic without a careful and clear-minded analysis of the facts, says Dr. Ghebreyesus, pointing out that the WHO has already declared a public health emergency of international concern our highest level of alarm. He adds: Using the word pandemic carelessly has no tangible benefit, but it does have significant risk in terms of amplifying unnecessary and unjustified fear and stigma and paralysing systems. It may also signal that we can no longer contain the virus, which is not true. We are in a fight that can be won if we do the right things. Of course, we will not hesitate to use the word pandemic if it is an accurate description of the situation. We are monitoring the evolution of the epidemic around the clock, 24/7 and are engaging experts internally and externally on this issue. For the moment, we are not witnessing sustained and intensive community transmission of this virus and we are not witnessing large-scale severe disease or death. China has fewer than 80,000 cases in a population of 1.4 billion people. In the rest of the world, there are 2,790 cases, in a population of 6.3 billion. Do not mistake me: I am not downplaying the seriousness of the situation, or the potential for this to become a pandemic, because it has that potential. Every scenario is still on the table. On the contrary, we are saying that this virus has pandemic potential and WHO is providing the tools for every country to prepare accordingly. The primary objective of all countries with cases must be to contain the virus. We should do the same: try to contain. At the same time, all countries, whether they have cases or not, must prepare for a potential pandemic. Every country needs to be ready to detect cases early, to isolate patients, trace contacts, provide quality clinical care, prevent hospital outbreaks, and prevent community transmission. There are three priorities: all countries must prioritize protecting health workers; we must engage communities to protect people who are most at risk of severe disease, particularly the elderly and people with underlying health conditions; and we must protect countries that are the most vulnerable, by doing our utmost to contain epidemics in countries with the capacity to do it. Concern over ships, but assurances that all protocols are in place The ships keep sailing in, the Sunday Times found, with the next cruise-liner, MSC Splendida due on Tuesday (March 3) at the Colombo Port with 3,959 passengers and 1,325 crew members. The MSC Splendida will arrive in Colombo from Thailand having been to Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and China. These are the vessels which have touched base in infected areas (Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and China) we need to be careful about, many sources said, while the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman General (Rtd) R.M. Daya Ratnayake assured that the ports are safe. The Deputy Director of the Port Health Services, Dr. Roshan Sampath said that ships arriving from countries such as China, South Korea and Italy are considered high risk. All passengers and crew are screened thoroughly before they disembark. If any tourists wish to travel within Sri Lanka, they would be tracked by the Medical Officers of Health (MOH) of the relevant areas. If any Sri Lankans disembark and leave for their homes, the MOHs would keep tabs on them and Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) would visit them to check on their health status until the incubation period passes. Even on any other ship, if at any point, someone is ill, he/she would be isolated in his/her cabin. Many passenger ships have one or two of their own doctors on board. At all Sri Lankan ports too there are doctors on duty 24/7. Currently, five doctors are available at the Colombo Port, three doctors at the Galle Port, one doctor at the Hambantota Port and one doctor at the Trincomalee Harbour. The number of doctors on duty varies according to their shifts, he said. He added that so far, no one suspected to be infected by the new coronavirus has been detected at the ports. There is an isolation cabin at the passenger terminal of the Colombo Port to isolate any ill passengers until they are transported to the relevant hospital. All ships are inspected, said General (Rtd) Ratnayake, adding that the SLPA is coordinating with the Health Ministrys quarantine authorities. No shore passes would be provided if a persons health status is in doubt. The Sunday Times learns that on February 24 Marco Polo with 850 passengers and 356 crew members came to the Colombo Port and on February 25 Costa Victoria with 2,200 passengers and 800 crew members and Oceania Nautica with 824 passengers and 386 crew members. While the Marco Polo arrived from the Maldives, the Costa Victoria sails between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka and the Oceania Nautica from the Maldives having previously journeyed to South Africa, Namibia and Seychelles. Assurances that the port health authorities are proactive also came from the Chairman of the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA), Iqram Cuttilan, who explained that usually one of the biggest concerns would be port-entry points. While at airports you can have better control, ports are a much larger area with many ships coming in. Last year, 4,198 vessels docked at the Colombo Port; 314 at Hambantota; 142 at Trincomalee; 43 at Galle; and 11 at Kankesanthurai. On average, about 60 cruise ships call on Sri Lanka per year. The ships bring passengers, crew, cargo and other personnel such as security officers who then have access to the country after immigration clearance. Explaining the before and now, Mr. Cuttilan said that earlier, every vessel had to give one health declaration form with details of all those on board, at least 12 hours in advance of entering the port, signed by the master, submitted to the agent who would forward it to the health authorities. It was only after that, that the pilot of the Ports Authority set off in a launch to the vessel and guided it into the port. Now, however, every person on a ship has to fill up the health declaration form which would include details of any illness and the origin of travel and the ports of call in the previous two weeks, in view of the new coronavirus, he says. Thereafter, the port health officer will assess whether the vessel should come into the port or not and it is only then that the pilot would head for the vessel. When the ship docks, the first person who boards it will be the health officer, he said. Asked whether there are adequate health officers, he said yes as vessels do not come together but about one in three to four hours. After all these formalities are carried out, the vessel would be cleared for cargo operations and for the crew and passengers to embark/disembark. The procedures are in place, said Mr. Cuttilan, adding that as soon as the port health office gives any instructions to CASA, its secretariat immediately disseminates them to all the agents. All three terminals of the Colombo Port receive cargo and container ships. Usually crew members do not disembark at all times and those who disembark would vary according to their shift, said SLPAs Communication Manager, Nalin Aponso, repeating the procedure for cruise liners. Myth busters about COVID-19 from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus? No. Hand dryers are not effective in killing the new coronavirus. To protect yourself against it, you should frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer. Can an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection lamp kill the new coronavirus? UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation. How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the new coronavirus? Thermal scanners are effective in detecting people who have developed a fever (i.e. have a higher than normal body temperature) because of infection with the new coronavirus. However, they cannot detect people who are infected but are not yet sick with fever. This is because it takes between 2 and 10 days before people who are infected become sick and develop a fever. Can spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the new coronavirus? No. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Spraying such substances can be harmful to clothes or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine can be useful to disinfect surfaces, but they need to be used under appropriate recommendations. Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China? Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages. Can pets at home spread the new coronavirus? At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans. Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the new coronavirus? No. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are trying to develop a vaccine and WHO is supporting their efforts. Although these vaccines are not effective against the new coronavirus, vaccination against respiratory illnesses is highly recommended to protect your health. Can regularly rinsing your nose with saline help prevent infection with the new coronavirus? No. There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline has protected people from infection with the new coronavirus. There is some limited evidence that regularly rinsing nose with saline can help people recover more quickly from the common cold. However, regularly rinsing the nose has not been shown to prevent respiratory infections. Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus? Garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties. However, there is no evidence from the current outbreak that eating garlic has protected people from the new coronavirus. Does putting on sesame oil block the new coronavirus from entering the body? No. Sesame oil does not kill the new coronavirus. There are some chemical disinfectants that can kill the virus on surfaces. These include bleach/chlorine-based disinfectants, either solvents, 75% ethanol, peracetic acid and chloroform. However, they have little or no impact on the virus if you put them on the skin or under your nose. It can even be dangerous to put these chemicals on your skin. Does the new coronavirus affect older people or are younger people also susceptible? People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus. Older people, and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene. Are antibiotics effective in preventing and treating the new coronavirus? No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, only bacteria. The new coronavirus is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment. However, if you are hospitalised for the new coronavirus, you may receive antibiotics because bacterial co-infection is possible. Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus? To date, there is no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new coronavirus. However, those infected with the virus should receive appropriate care to relieve and treat symptoms and those with severe illness should receive optimised supportive care. Some specific treatments are under investigation and will be tested through clinical trials. Despite Its Unsmoke Rhetoric, PMI Continues to Invest in Its Deadly Cigarette Business STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products) published new analyses recently that show Philip Morris International is addicting new users to its IQOS product because its cigarette business is under threat, not because it solely wants smokers to quit. According to Addiction at Any Cost: Philip Morris International Uncovered, PMI also continues marketing its cigarettes to young people and undermining global progress to reduce smoking. STOP examined publicly available information, market research data and company documentation to develop the most recent comprehensive analysis of what the company says versus its behavior. A Business Under Threat Creates a New Epidemic for Profit PMI promotes the idea that IQOS is an alternative product just for smokers, but the analyses of company and market data show that IQOS products offer a profitable way for the company to offset declines in the deadly cigarette business: PMI launched its IQOS product during a period (2008-2018) when global sales of cigarettes declined by 20%. In the same period, total retail value in the most profitable cigarette markets (Western Europe and North America) declined from 56% to 51%. An analysis of PMIs market entry strategy showed that it targeted IQOS at countries with stronger regulations, where cigarette sales were already declining, including Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom. PMI wants to create a new epidemic of IQOS users while simultaneously selling as many cigarettes as possible. Despite what the company says, IQOS is not just for existing smokers; the way in which the product is marketed appeals more widely, said the reports lead author, Dr. Karen Evans-Reeves from the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, a partner in STOP. IQOS is not about helping people quit smoking. In fact, PMI admits IQOS is not a cessation product. When you look at the data, its plain to see that IQOS is a cynical ploy by PMI to addict a new generation, irrespective of the harm they may cause. Profit is the true objective. PMI Perpetuates the Current Tobacco Epidemic PMIs global Unsmoke marketing campaign, which launched in 2019, suggests the company wants smokers to quit or, if they cannot, to switch to alternative addictive products. STOP researchers cite abundant evidence that PMI continues to invest in cigarettes, a deadly business that kills 8 million people every year: PMI made more than 700 billion cigarettesin 2019. In March and April 2019, as the Unsmoke campaign was being launched, PMI marketed its Mega Blast Capsule brand at events for young people in Argentina and Costa Rica. In May 2019, PMI targeted young people again when it advertised its Marlboro cigarettes using music-themed advertisements and packaging in Israel. In March 2019, PMI launched a new brand of cigarettes in Indonesia. In December 2019, PMI announced a deal with a local company in Uzbekistanto start producing Marlboro cigarettes. PMI filed more than a dozen lawsuits challenging regulations like packaging restrictions, point-of-sale advertising bans and flavor bans, and smoke-free policies, which would reduce tobacco use. Challenges are pending in Brazil, Colombia, India and the Philippines. PMIs Failing Foundation An analysis of PMIs Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, which claims to be an independent scientific body, shows that despite almost $1 billion in pledged funding, the Foundation is failing: PMI remains its sole funder, despite the Foundations claims that it would seek additional funders. Credible researchers have rejected its grants and others have returned funds when alerted to the Foundations links to PMI. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health cancelled a special issue proposed by the Foundation when the publisher realized the Foundation was funded by a tobacco company. At least eight senior executives have left in the last two years, including four board members, its chief operating officer and chief health, science and technology officers. Events to engage the public health community and government were cancelled in Turkey and Thailand due to low registration, government action and civil society protest. Hundreds of global healthexperts called for governments to reject collaboration with the Foundation. PMIs future depends on showing its products are safe, said Professor Anna Gilmore, Director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath and a partner in STOP. Unfortunately, it has an appalling track record of setting up supposedly independent research organizations to fund favorable science. We must therefore remain highly skeptical of both PMI and its Foundation and any research they produce. Researchers are rightly rejecting its advances. Recommendations In its report, STOP provides recommendations for how the global community can counter PMIs efforts to create multiple epidemics of harm: He eschewed promotional gimmicks such as loyalty clubs or loss-leader sales, getting the word out with brief radio spots and the Trader Joes Fearless Flyer newsletter, whose old-style appearance was inspired by another money-saving effort. He wanted to dress up the newsletters stories with illustrations he cut out of magazines, but he made sure he took only ones on which the copyrights had expired. A federal judge in Idaho has ruled that a Trump administration policy limiting public input on oil and gas leasing decisions was arbitrary and capricious, overturning the 2018 directive and voiding nearly 1 million acres of leases out West as a result. The ruling by US chief magistrate judge Ronald E Bush on Thursday represented a win for environmentalists, who challenged the leasing policy as part of a broader effort to block drilling in habitat for the imperiled greater sage-grouse. The contested area spans 67 million acres across 11 Western states. As the Trump administration has pushed to expand domestic energy production earlier this month the Interior Department celebrated the fact that last year more than 1 billion barrels of oil were produced from drilling offshore and on public land it has adopted several measures to curb public comment on regulatory decisions. While the effort has accelerated the timeline for drilling, it has also raised legal concerns. The Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management issued an instruction memorandum in January 2018 aimed at accelerating energy leasing by streamlining environmental reviews and reducing the amount of time the public could comment on, and later protest, any leases. Faster and easier lease sales, at the expense of public participation, is not enough, wrote the judge, who reinstated previous requirements that call for a 30-day public comment and administrative protest period. Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline Show all 21 1 /21 Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Despite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Fireworks fill the night sky above Oceti Sakowin Camp as activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline near the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Despite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Fireworks fill the night sky above Oceti Sakowin Camp as activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline near the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Despite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Native American and other activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nation listens to speakers during an interfaith ceremony at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Today the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending the months-long standoff. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: An Native American activist rides down fom a ridge which overlooks Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Despite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Political activist Cornel West listen to speakers during an interfaith ceremony at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Today the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending the months-long standoff. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline Activists hold hands during a prayer circle as they try to surround the entire camp at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country gather at the camp trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. / AFP / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline Activists celebrate at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota, after hearing that the Army Corps of Engineers has denied the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline. / AFP / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Chief Arvol Looking Horse (L) of the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Nation listens as political activist Cornel West speaks during an interfaith ceremony at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Today the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending the months-long standoff. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Military veterans from Southern California collect firewood for their campsite at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Despite blizzard conditions, military veterans march in support of the "water protectors" at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 03: Activists participate in an art project conceived by Cannupa Hunska Luger, from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 3, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Native Americans and activists from around the country have been gathering at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 05: Military veterans are briefed on cold-weather safety issues and their overall role at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 5, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Over the weekend a large group of military veterans joined native Americans and activists from around the country who have been at the camp for several months trying to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Yesterday the US Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation. The proposed 1,172-mile-long pipeline would transport oil from the North Dakota Bakken region through South Dakota, Iowa and into Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Native American and other activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Native American activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline CANNON BALL, ND - DECEMBER 04: Native American and other activists celebrate after learning an easement had been denied for the Dakota Access Pipeline at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota. The US Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Sioux Tribes Standing Rock reservation, ending a months-long standoff. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Getty Images Sioux from Standing Rock claim victory over Dakota Pipeline Activists celebrate at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on December 4, 2016 outside Cannon Ball, North Dakota, after hearing that the Army Corps of Engineers has denied the current route for the Dakota Access pipeline. The US Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday announced they will no longer allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under a lake on the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota, marking a huge win for Native Americans and protesters who had long opposed the construction. / AFP / JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Judge Bush noted that the memo setting the new terms for leasing was issued without soliciting public comment and was more edict in nature than advisory. The two groups that challenged the directive, the Western Watersheds Project and the Centre for Biological Diversity, said the decision provided a respite for species that are threatened by energy development. Once numbering as many as 16 million, development and disease has shrunk the total number of greater sage-grouse to fewer than 500,000. The court wasnt fooled by the agencys efforts to disguise its intention to provide greater influence to extractive energies, and the sage grouse and 350 other sagebrush-dependent species will benefit from todays win, Talasi Brooks, a staff attorney with Western Watersheds Project, said in a statement. Recommended Indigenous Sami people convince pension fund to ditch Dakota pipeline Energy industry officials decried the ruling, saying the plaintiffs deliberately chose to sue in Idaho because the state does not have much oil and gas development. This decision is so divorced from the rule of law that you would be hard pressed [to find] another judge in the entire federal court system who would say that producing leases should be cancelled because of a minor question of process, said Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma, whose group represents oil and gas firms and intervened in the case on the federal governments side. Nearly a year ago, the administration lifted Obama-era protections on nearly 9 million acres of federal land aimed at conserving sage-grouse habitat. At the time, Trump officials argued that the move would give the states greater say in setting the terms for energy development within their borders. BLM spokesman Derrick Henry said in an email on Thursday that the directive at issue was part of the agencys effort to make common-sense adjustments to how minerals are developed on federal land. In particular, we remain committed to a simpler, more effective leasing process, Mr Henry said. To do this, we have been working within our legal authorities to alleviate or eliminate unnecessary and burdensome regulations, while at the same time upholding public health and environmental protections, including sage-grouse conservation. The Washington Post Trump Threatens Further Sanctions for Venezuelan and Russian Oil Industries Venezuelan regime and Russia's Rosneft in league to skirt US sanctions President Donald Trump said this week that the United States is preparing to impose further sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industryone of the chief sources of income for President Nicolas Maduros authoritarian regime as it continues to cling to power. The news came less than a week after the Trump administration announced sanctions against Geneva-based but Russian-controlled oil brokerage Rosneft Trading S.A., which U.S. officials say has been helping the Venezuelan regime to skirt the American oil embargo by acting as an intermediary to supply Venezuelan oil to third parties in Asia. Youll be seeing something on that in the not-too-distant future, Trump said at a news conference in New Delhi as his recent trip to India came to a close. There here could be very serious sanctions. When pressed, the President indicated that further sanctions were on the way. You are going to see in a little while. You are asking a question right in the middle of us doing something, he said. The comments also increased speculation that the Trump administration might choose to focus some of its attention closer to home. The Treasury Department recently granted Chevon its fourth waiver to source crude oil from Venezuela since sanctions were announced in 2018. Chevrons current waiver expires on April 22, and a report from Bloomberg this week questioned whether it would be renewed by the Treasury, although supporters of the American oil giant argue that if Chevron were to exit Venezuela after almost a century of activity there, any void left by the company could be filled by Russian or Chinese oil companies keen to expand their control of global crude supplies. Sanctions Program The United States and an alliance of around 60 countries maintain that the reelection of Maduro in 2018 was not a legitimate democratic result, and have recognized the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Juan Guiado as interim president. Maduro, a protege of the Marxist former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, has continued the socialist policies and rampant corruption of his predecessor, which are widely recognized as having brought ruin to the oil-rich country. Trump has in his press conference said that Venezuela was wealthy 15 years ago and very wealthy 20 years ago the wealthiest in all of South America. American sanctions aim to prevent the Maduro regime from continuing in power. According to the U.S. Department of State, The former regime of Nicolas Maduro has consistently violated and abused the human rights and dignity of the countrys citizens, plundered its natural resources, and driven a once-prosperous nation into economic ruin with Maduros authoritarian rule and ruinous economic policies. Maduros thugs have reportedly engaged in killings and physical abuse, detained political opponents, and severely interfered with the exercise of freedom of expression, all in a brutal effort to retain power. A recent press release from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that As the primary broker of global deals for the sale and transport of Venezuelas crude oil, Rosneft Trading has propped up the dictatorial Maduro, enabling his repression of the Venezuelan people. Maduro has destroyed Venezuelas institutions, economy, and infrastructure, while enriching himself and his cronies, through his abuse of state power and his welcoming of malign support from Russia, as well as from Cuba, Iran, and China. Under the regime, Venezuelas currency, the bolivar, has lost 99 percent of its value and is widely considered to be worthless. Medicine is in extremely short supply even as infant mortality soars, and some estimates from 2018 indicated that only 55 percent of Venezuelan citizens were eating three meals a day. Against this background, U.S. sanctions have targeted corrupt officials and companies such as Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), Venezuelas state-owned oil and gas company. According to a statement from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. sanctions need not be permanent and are intended to change behavior. 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. China and India Links According to a report by Reuters this week, China and India are the most significant importers of Venezuelan oil products. Tanker data obtained by Reuters indicated that between them, two Indian companies had imported up to 342,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil per day in 2019 from Reliance Industries, one of Indias largest private companies and the operator of the worlds largest refinery, and Nayara Energy, in which Rosneft has a substantial interest. Reuters reported that PdVSA had essentially attempted to circumvent U.S. sanctions by shifting deliveries from Rosneft Trading to another Rosneft associate, Switzerland-based TNK Trading. According to market analysts at S&P Global Platts, the United States is now likely to be preparing a further round of sanctions, this time against TNK. Reuters reports that Rosneft affiliates siphon Venezuelan crude as repayments on billions of dollars in Russian loans, while also exchanging crude oil exports for imports of refined fuels desperately needed by the Maduro regime. Horrified residents called police after finding a man's body in the middle of a road on Saturday morning. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Watt Street and Payton Street, Raymond Terrace, in NSW's Hunter Valley, at around 5.45 this morning. Horrified residents called police after finding a man's body in the middle of a road on Saturday morning Emergency services were called to the intersection of Watt Street and Payton Street, Raymond Terrace, in NSW's Hunter Valley, at around 5.45 this morning Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District established a crime scene and are investigating. The man is yet to be formerly identified. A pharmacy worker sells N95 face masks in the Manhattan borough of New York City, on Feb. 27, 2020. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters) Risk of Coronavirus to the American Public Remains Low: Officials The risk to the American public from the new coronavirus remains low, U.S. officials said on Saturday after the countrys first death from COVID-19. The risk to the American public remains low. We should anticipate more cases but the risk to the American public remains low, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters at a press conference at the White House. The American public needs to go on with their normal lives. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also said that risk to the public remains low at this time. Additional cases in the United States are likely. But healthy individuals are likely to recover, Trump said. The country is prepared and has stockpiled 43 million masks and other supplies, he said. President Donald Trump speaks as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Anthony Fauci (L), US Vice President Mike Pence (2L), and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield (R) look on during a press conference on the COVID-19, coronavirus, outbreak at the White House in Washington on Feb. 29, 2020. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images) Data from China, where the virus emerged in late 2019, indicates around 80 percent of patients have an experience similar to a bad flu or cold, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said in Washington. Fifteen to 20 percent require advanced medical care, meaning hospitalization and possibly intensive care. The people who ultimately die are, in the vast majority of cases, elderly and/or have underlying conditions such as obesity and heart disease, Fauci said. Every once in a while, he said, there will be a young person who gets seriously ill, similar to the flu. A woman in her 50s labeled high-risk from a medical standpoint died in Washington state from COVID-19, which is caused by the new virus, Trump told reporters. Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health, Seattle & King County, told reporters in a phone call that the patient was a man. The death came after patients in Washington, Oregon, and California tested positive for the new disease but had no clear sources of infection, officials in those states said. This is a case of community spread of the disease, much like the case from California earlier this week, Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, told reporters on Friday about the first case in Oregon. Earlier Friday, there were 62 Americans who tested positive for the virus, with 15 contracting it through travel to China or through person-to-person transmission from spouses who returned from China. Forty-seven others were among groups of Americans and family members evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which docked in Yokohama in Japan. South Korea, Italy, and Iran reported a spike in cases in recent days and people who traveled from those countries became some of the first patients in a number of nations, including Brazil and New Zealand. The United States is urging people not to travel to Italy, Iran, or South Korea. Medical workers wearing protective gear guide drivers with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus at a drive-through virus test facility in Goyang, north of Seoul, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images) Coronaviruses usually circulate in animals but can, in rare cases, jump from animals to humans before spreading from person to person. The origin of SARS-nCoV-19, the new virus, isnt known, although some evidence indicates it originated in bats. The virus spreads primarily from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another, or within about six feet, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs, the CDC says on its website. People can possibly 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. Symptoms are similar to the flu and include shortness of breath, fever, and a cough. Ways to prevent becoming infected include staying away from sick people, cleaning frequently touched objects and surfaces, and regularly washing hands. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. For many Americans, the number one consideration in choosing a candidate is whether or not they can get Donald Trump out of the White House. He won the presidency with many fewer votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton, a fact that makes him even more crazy than usual. Now, Democratic voters in the first of the primaries have shown a preference for Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist who is not a member of the Democratic Party. He has never even accepted the Democratic designation in his several successful elections. As Casey Stengel used to say, You could look it up. He is not a Democrat, yet huge numbers of people who are registered Democrats think he is the man. I interviewed Bernie on public radio countless times when he was in the House of Representatives and I voted for him when he ran against Hillary in the presidential primary. Its possible that I was the first person he told that he was going to run. I truly understand why so many Democrats favor Bernie. Their hatred of Donald Trump is so great that they are reaching for the strongest antidote they can find. Bernie has a first-rate program for the American people. Everything from free college tuition to universal health care and back again. Hey, Im for all of that, too. Unfortunately, if the purples, those folks in between the Democrats and the Republicans, see Bernie as too far to the left, they may vote for Trump or stay home, in which case Trump wins again. It is certainly surmised that both Trump and his allies, the Russians, are all in for a Bernie Democratic nomination. They are making no secret of it. In fact, Trump has assigned Bernie the nickname Crazy Bernie, a name which he thinks will resonate with American voters. There are some problems, like Bernies heart attack, followed by his refusal to make his medical records public. On the other hand, he has tremendous support from segments of the youth population who have always been less turnout prone than their older fellow voters.The primaries have also shown that Bernie has tremendous support from Hispanic voters. That could be a winning combination. It should be noted that in some national polls, Bernie beats Trump, at least for now. So whats going on? Donald Trump won the presidency because so many Americans were sick to death of the same old, same old. They thought of themselves as being on the short end of the economic stick. Trump supporters saw him as a kind of economic revolutionary. That was nonsense, of course; these voters ended up being screwed even worse. There are stories of Trump voters who say that they would have voted for Bernie had he been the candidate in 2016. It is possible that attitude will still hold. The question of who Bernies vice-presidential pick will be is now really important. We assume that it will be a woman (its about time) and we are reasonably sure that Bernie will pick someone in his own image, perhaps Elizabeth Warren from Vermonts next door neighbor, Massachusetts. That defies accepted political wisdom and geographic necessity, but thats what Bernie voters like about him the fact that he eschews the usual way. One has to assume that if he picks Warren, she has a shot at being the first woman president. So maybe the Russians and the Trump supporters are wrong about Bernie. Maybe he can win because he is a fresh and genuine alternative. I know all the reasons why the traditional political folk like me think that a moderate like Michael Bloomberg has a better chance, but there is something going on in this country that the old political hands may not understand. Trump has been a disaster, and it is certainly possible that all of those voters who are looking for another way may elect Sanders. Sunday Freeman columnist Alan Chartock is a professor emeritus at the State University of New York, publisher of the Legislative Gazette and CEO of the WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network. Readers can email him at alan@wamc.org. Ojo Images | Getty Images In 2018, Justin Bajan gave up a cushy six-figure job as a copywriter to launch his own ad agency, Familiar Creatures. It was a big change he, his wife and three kids packed up their minivan and moved from Boston to Richmond, Virginia, where his business partner lived and where he used to work. Although they had one client, a local brewery, it was far from certain whether this venture would work out or if he'd ever earn the kind of money he was used to making again. Still, he couldn't resist the entrepreneurial pull. "We saw there was an opportunity to work with a certain caliber of client, but without the outdated structure that most agencies exist within," he says. "And I'd rather be doing something entrepreneurial and see where it goes and how it grows than be nice and comfortable with nothing to show for yourself." More from Invest in You: The 5 things every first-time business owner needs to know before getting started XPRIZE founder says that he looks for two qualities in every entrepreneur Rodney Williams gave up a six-figure salary for start-up debt, and succeeded. Here's how The business started off strong one client quickly turned into two and he's now working with five companies but as it grew, he and his co-founder, Dustin Artz, started to think more about their salaries and whether they were taking too much out of the business. They were splitting in half whatever they made, but they realized that if they were going to invest in marketing and hire staff (they now have two employees), they'd have to do something differently. "We couldn't just divvy things up 50/50," he says. "So we started taking way less than ever before. We gritted our teeth and hoped our wives would play along with the gamble of starting our own agency." What to pay yourself may be one of the most controversial issues for entrepreneurs. According to Payscale, U.S. small business owners make, on average, $70,300. However, many company founders take no salary in the first years of running a business, while others take so much that they have trouble scaling their business. In any case, paying yourself is complicated: How do you put a price on a job that requires you to do payroll, marketing, IT and everything in between? Pay yourself something Melanie Hopkins, founder of Finance Friend, a New York-based firm that helps entrepreneurs start and grow businesses, says there is no set formula on how business owners should pay themselves. Businesses vary by type, legal structure and other determinants that affect how much salary a business owner pays for services and expertise. Along with these considerations, every business has different operating costs. "It's tough," she says. "It is the most important decision that many business owners forget to make. It's difficult to pay yourself based on an informed decision that is right for both you and your business." Her main piece of advice, though, is that owners should pay themselves something. "People must be paid for their work," she says. "They don't, because they have a scarcity mentality and fear that even if they've budgeted and everything looks good, they have to keep money in the business bank account. Not paying yourself leads to burnout, so carving out even a modest monthly payment is essential." Co-founders of ad agency Familar Creatures: Justin Bajan and Dustin Artz Deciding what salary figure to land on does take some work, starting with the creation of a personal budget. You need to determine how much you need to withdraw from the business to live on. "Be realistic about how much your life costs," says Hopkins. "You want to pay yourself enough so that you can sustain the business and sustain your lifestyle." That's what Mercedes Eckert did when she wanted to grow iShop, a business that teaches people how to become a mystery shopper when people go into stores to, for instance, test a company's customer service or see if a location is clean. When she started her Louisville-based company in 2015, she was taking 60% out of the business, leaving the rest in to cover taxes and some modest expenses. Like Bajan, when she decided it was time to start spending more on marketing, she had to reassess how much she really needed to remove from the company. After reviewing her personal spending, she lowered her draw to 35% and started paying herself every week instead of about every two weeks. "What I was doing before was too much," she says. "I felt like I needed to be smarter." Choosing a salary Up until this month, Bajan and Artz had what Bajan admits is an odd way of paying themselves. At the end of each month, they would see how much money they needed to cover their personal expenses and then they'd write each other a check for that amount. While they made sure the draw was the same for both of them, the figure changed monthly. "Our wives' salaries would cover some of it, but we both have mortgages, credit card payments and other myriad issues to pay for, so we'd cover whatever their salaries couldn't cover," he says. In March, though, Familiar Creatures became an S Corp, which requires its owners to take a salary that's comparable to what someone in their position would make elsewhere. The IRS doesn't want people to pay themselves a small salary and then take the rest as dividends, which is taxed at a lower rate, says Hopkins. Because of that change, Bajan and Artz had to determine an actual salary, one that they could pay themselves every two weeks. To do that, he looked at Glassdoor, a site where people anonymously post their salaries. The two co-founders call themselves creative directors, so they looked at what an ad agency creative director might make and took the lowest number they could find. More from Invest in You: 401(k) investors dump equities after market sell-off The female demographic launching most start-ups in US How to protect your legacy They also looked at how much they had taken out of the company over the previous year to see, on average, what they withdrew every month. They factored in taxes, too how much could they tax as salary versus lower-taxed dividends? "We never want to pay ourselves so low that we have to get more money from the business, but we don't want to hurt our business by paying ourselves more than we can live with," says Bajan. "It's complicated." After all those calculations, they're still taking a much lower salary than they did in their previous jobs. "I'm paying myself what I was paid five years ago," he says, which is in the mid-five figures. Give yourself a raise The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has deputed a fact-finding team to investigate the cases of violence in northeast Delhi, an official said on Saturday. At least 42 people were killed and over 200 injured as frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump, and pelted stones at locals and police personnel earlier this week, the worst riots in Delhi in over three decades. "The NHRC has deputed a fact-finding team to investigate the recent cases of violence in northeast Delhi," according to an official. In a statement, the NHRC said it had asked its Director General (Investigation) to depute its fact-finding team for on-spot inquiries into violation of human rights during the violence. "The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of violence in Delhi and specifically in northeast district, as reported in the media, and directed its Director General (Investigation) to depute two fact-finding teams to conduct on-spot inquiry into allegations of human rights violation due to these incidents," the statement said. In order to ensure the safety of its officers in view of the incidents of cross-firing during the violent clashes, the commission thought it appropriate to send them for inquiry when the situation was a little under control, it said. "The teams will visit the northeast district police control room, affected people and also meet the families of those who lost lives in the violence," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) The Philippine Coast Guard is considering filing charges against a Panama-flagged cargo ships captain who supposedly lied about the date he sailed from China possibly to escape the two-week mandatory quarantine imposed on individuals coming from countries affected by the novel coronavirus. PCG will coordinate with the Bureau of Quarantine to identify possible criminal charges if MV Harmony 6 will be found guilty of mentioned violations, the coast guard said. MV Harmony 6s Captain Luu Van Loi claimed that he and other crew members departed Changzhou, China on February 10 and arrived in La Union in the northern Philippines on February 23 to make it appear they completed the quarantine period, PCG said in a Friday statement. There were 18 Vietnamese and 5 Indian crewmen on board the ship, it added. The quarantine is a prerequisite for a vessel coming from any country with reported cases of the coronavirus, now called COVID-19, to secure a port clearance, the coast guard noted. However, upon validation of the ships activities, the PCG learned the MV Harmony 6 left Changzhou on February 18. The ship also purportedly turned off its automatic tracking system from February 19 to 23 or before arriving at the Port of Poro Point in La Union. Upon learning that they skirted the quarantine protocol imposed by Philippines authorities, the ship was kept under detention at Poro Point while an investigation about their violations was being conducted. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) Another Filipino in Singapore has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Singapore Ministry of Health reported Saturday. The latest patient is a 41-year-old female domestic worker with no recent travel history to China or Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea, the ministry said. She was confirmed to be infected Saturday morning and is currently staying in an isolation room at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. She is one of the four new confirmed cases in Singapore on Saturday and the second case involving a Filipino in the country. The Filipina's employer, a 61-year-old male Singapore Citizen, has also been infected. He is staying in the same hospital, the ministry noted. This comes six days after the Foreign Affairs Department confirmed the first Filipino who tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore. The DFA has yet to issue a statement on this recent case. An appeal has been lodged against the decision by Cork County Council planners not to grant permission for a controversial crematorium on the site of the former Duhallow Park Hotel. Last month it emerged the proposal by Classic Lodges (Ireland) Ltd for the facility on the empty site at Drumcommer Beg, Kanturk had been shot down by planners over concerns about public health and the environment. The proposal had galvanised the local community into action, with more than 50 observations/submissions lodged with the authority against the development and an online petition calling on people to voice their objections to the facility. Concerns raised included the level of traffic the facility would generate along an already busy stretch of the N72 Mallow to Killarney Road and the potential impact it might have on public health and the surrounding environment. In their ruling planners cited one reason for the refusal saying that on the basis of the information submitted, including a number of further information requests after the plan was initially lodged in December 2018, they were "not satisfied that the proposed development would not adversely impact on public health and the environment by reason of serious air pollution". "The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area," they concluded. While it had been hoped locally that the decision might finally draw a line under the issue, one anonymous source at the time conceded that this may not be case telling The Corkman "the battle has been won, but the war still carries on." Those words have turned out to be prophetic following the lodging of the appeal against the refusal decision. The lengthy submission to the appeals board was lodged by certified planning consultants McCutcheon Halley on behalf of their client Classic Lodges (Ireland) Ltd. It pointed out that a revised air quality dispersion assessment report had been prepared, as per further information request, which "demonstrates that there will be no impacts to air quality and no impacts to public health or the environment as a result of the proposed development." It pointed out that, excluding the air quality assessment, all other matters raised in requests for further information "had been dealt with to the satisfaction of the planning authority." These included; traffic and safety, noise assessment, the design of the facility, connection to mains gas supply, surface water and wastewater treatment and public lighting. It further pointed out that the planning authority, as stated in the senior planners report, had indicated their approval of the development in principle from a land use and roads impact perspective and that the majority of site specific issues raised by further information requests had been adequately addressed. The submission said the only outstanding issue was the air quality assessment, which it said had been "satisfactory addressed" in the enclosed report prepared by consultants Byrne Environmental. "The revised air quality assessment has been reviewed by both Carl Dixon if Dixon/Brosnan Environmental Consultants and Limosa Environmental who have not changed their initial opinions of findings and remain satisfied that the proposed development will not result in impacts to air quality, or to designated sites in proximity," read the submission. "To Conclude, we would ask the Board to support and grant permission for our client's development." An Bord Pleanala has said the case is due for a ruling on or before Thursday, June 18. YEREVAN. Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: The refusal of the CC [Constitutional Court] judges to retire early has caused deep disappointment in the ruling team. It turns out that they had not only hoped until the last second that there would be those who will resign, but on the last day well-known figures (...) invited the judges to [respective] meetings, with the exception of women members of the CC, whose determination [not to resign] no one doubted. The [forthcoming] referendum [on constitutional amendments] was first of all thought not of holding, but as a serious tool of pressure on the judges. The authorities are not particularly inclined to hold the referendum; it was needed to make the [CC] judges understand that they were going to leave in one way or another in a month, so they need to go in a god way; but the tool did not work. Now they will have to go to a referendum, the positive results of which are also questionable, our source said. And have the judges gone to the meeting in the last days? "No. During the passing month, some had responded to the authorities' proposals for a meeting, but on the last day, they have not responded, gone, as one person, making it clear that they will not give up." Moscow and Ankara expressed hope for a "reduction in tensions" in Syria during high-level Russian-Turkish talks in recent days, Russia's foreign ministry said Saturday. Tensions have soared since 33 Turkish soldiers died Thursday in an air strike in Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar al-Assad's regime and Turkey backs Islamists groups in Idlib province. Russia calls them terrorists. "On both sides, the focus has been on reducing tensions on the ground while continuing to fight terrorists recognised as such by the United Nations Security Council," Moscow's foreign ministry said in a statement. Officials from both Turkey and Russia also said they want to "protect civilians inside and outside the (Idlib) de-escalation zone and provide emergency humanitarian aid to all those in need", the ministry said. READ | Turkish Soldier Killed In Northwest Syria Artillery Strike The Russian government said meetings took place on February 26 and 28 between the Kremlin envoy for Syria as well as top foreign and defence ministry officials and a Turkish delegation. Tensions around Idlib, the last rebel and jihadist bastion in Syria, spiked after Thursday's air strikes that Ankara blames on Assad forces backed by Moscow. A 34th Turkish soldier died afterwards. In retaliation, Ankara, which supports several rebel groups, says it has hit several regime targets. On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin expressed their concern over the situation in Idlib during a telephone conversation. The Kremlin said the two leaders could meet in Moscow next week. READ | UN Chief Urges Syria Cease-fire But Russia And China Oppose READ | Western Nations Demand Immediate Cease-fire In Syria's Idlib Courtney Robertson has come a long way from her days accepting roses on The Bachelor. The reality TV vet is now engaged, pregnant, and planning a wedding to Humberto Preciado. Courtney, 36, spoke with DailyMail.com about selecting baby names, trying on wedding dresses, and who from Bachelor Nation will be attending her upcoming nuptials. Domestic bliss! Courtney Robertson spoke with DailyMail.com about selecting baby names, trying on wedding dresses, and who from Bachelor Nation will be attending her upcoming nuptials to fiance Humberto Preciado Courtney announced she was expecting her first child with Humberto just a few months ago, and already the couple have decided on a name for their baby boy. For now, they are waiting to share the child's name with the world. 'Everyone says pick out two names and then wait till you see, so we have the backup name, but I just ordered my first monogrammed thing for his nursery this week. So I was like, "Honey, are we committed?" And he was like, "Yes, let's just go with that." The couple have even begun referring to the child by name. 'From the beginning we both have agreed on the same name, we say it with our family members, now we're referring to the baby as the name.' Here comes the bride: Robertson has been documenting her wedding planning on Instagram On top of preparing for the arrival of her baby boy, Courtney is also planning her wedding. The couple plan on tying the knot in Sedona, Arizona in October 2020 in what Courtney says will be a 'big fiesta.' The site of the wedding is particularly meaningful to Courtney, as it is the same place her parents exchanged vows at 40 years prior. With the wedding less than a year away, Courtney has been saddled with a lot of decision making which she believes is ultimately preparing her for motherhood. Bling bling: The reality star announced her engagement to Humberto in December Save the date! Robertson will be tying the knot at the same place her parents wed 40 years earlier 'I think it's preparing me for parenthood, because I've heard that parenthood is like that too. Like little things, we just met with the caterer yesterday and we went over all the fine little details. She's like, "Are you going to have party favors for the guests?" I haven't even thought about that!' Fortunately, her fiance has been by her side every step of the way. 'He was so cute, he just texted me a picture of, he drafted up the wedding table, and we like talked about seating and he put all these people on a seating chart He drafted it up, he just texted it to me, I'm like, "Hey that looks great!"' One of the decisions that didn't involve Humberto, however, was her wedding dress. 'Livin la vida aloha': Courtney enjoyed a getaway to Hawaii with Humberto Since Courtney will be getting married after giving birth, she needed to go shopping right away. Fortunately, the reality star went shopping just before she really began to show. 'Luckily I went, so I popped, like really popped, it was just in the nick of time. I really feel like it was the next day,' she explained. It's been eight years since Courtney ended her engagement to Bachelor Ben Flajnik, after controversially accepting his proposal and final rose atop a Swiss mountain. She accepted his final rose! It's been eight years since Courtney shot to reality infamy after becoming engaged to Bachelor Ben in 2012 Not meant to be: Their engagement ended in 2012, and she chronicled the fallout in her New York Times bestselling book, I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends Still, that doesn't mean the former star has completely cut ties with The Bachelor. In fact, Courtney has even invited several former castmates to her wedding. In addition to a producer she worked closely with on the show, fellow castmates Casey Shteamer and Jaclyn Swartz have all gotten Save The Dates. 'Casey Shteamer was on my season, she was my best friend in the house, and Jaclyn Swartz, we're really good friends, she was on Bachelor In Paradise and Bachelor Pad. They'll be there, they'll be at the wedding,' Courtney said. The star, who documented the fallout of her reality career in the New York Times bestselling book I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends, playfully added: 'I did make friends!' Dividend paying stocks like Sberbank of Russia (MCX:SBER) tend to be popular with investors, and for good reason - some research suggests a significant amount of all stock market returns come from reinvested dividends. If you are hoping to live on your dividends, it's important to be more stringent with your investments than the average punter. Regular readers know we like to apply the same approach to each dividend stock, and we hope you'll find our analysis useful. In this case, Sberbank of Russia likely looks attractive to investors, given its 6.9% dividend yield and a payment history of over ten years. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. There are a few simple ways to reduce the risks of buying Sberbank of Russia for its dividend, and we'll go through these below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Sberbank of Russia! MISX:SBER Historical Dividend Yield, February 29th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. In the last year, Sberbank of Russia paid out 38% of its profit as dividends. This is a middling range that strikes a nice balance between paying dividends to shareholders, and retaining enough earnings to invest in future growth. Plus, there is room to increase the payout ratio over time. Consider getting our latest analysis on Sberbank of Russia's financial position here. Dividend Volatility Before buying a stock for its income, we want to see if the dividends have been stable in the past, and if the company has a track record of maintaining its dividend. Sberbank of Russia has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. The dividend has been cut on at least one occasion historically. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was 0.48 in 2010, compared to 16.00 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 42% a year over that time. The growth in dividends has not been linear, but the CAGR is a decent approximation of the rate of change over this time frame. Story continues It's not great to see that the payment has been cut in the past. We're generally more wary of companies that have cut their dividend before, as they tend to perform worse in an economic downturn. 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? Strong earnings per share (EPS) growth might encourage our interest in the company despite fluctuating dividends, which is why it's great to see Sberbank of Russia has grown its earnings per share at 25% per annum over the past five years. Earnings per share have rocketed in recent times, and we like that the company is retaining more than half of its earnings to reinvest. However, always remember that very few companies can grow at double digit rates forever. 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. We're glad to see Sberbank of Russia has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. We were also glad to see it growing earnings, but it was concerning to see the dividend has been cut at least once in the past. Overall we think Sberbank of Russia is an interesting dividend stock, although it could be better. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 11 Sberbank of Russia analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 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. An employee of the Phillipsburg Housing Authority is suing her employer and accusing her boss, who was also a family friend of her late husband, of sexually harassing her and retaliating when she spoke up. The PHA is a nonprofit that since 1946 manages public housing for low-income residents in Phillipsburg, a town of 14,500 people. Executive Director William Paul Rummerfield Sr., a former mayor, is named as a defendant and accused of harassment in the lawsuit filed by his executive assistant, Joanne Tersigni. Tersigni, 58, filed suit in November and the case is scheduled for a settlement hearing next month. Attorneys for the PHA and Rummerfield did not return calls for comment about the lawsuit. Tersignis attorneys, Victor Rotolo and Christian Merlino, told lehighvaleylive.com that they believe there are more housing authority workers with employment-related issues who have yet to come forward. They praised Tersigni for courage in disclosing horrific assaults. She desperately needed this job because her husband was sick. This put her in an awful position," Rotolo said, referring to Jimmy Tersigni who died in 2018 at age 63 after years of health issues. Jimmy was a very distant cousin to current Phillipsburg Mayor Todd Tersigni, the attorneys said. A text message is included as an exhibit in a lawsuit filed by Joanne Tersigni, a Phillipsburg Housing Authority employee accusing the executive director Paul Rummerfield of sexual harassment.lehighvalleylive.com staff He was also friends with Rummerfield, for whom Joanne Tersigni began work in 2014. Tersignis lawsuit says she needed the jobs health benefits for her husband. The lawsuit alleges that while at a 2017 conference in Atlantic City, Rummerfield closely followed Tersigni to her hotel room and tried to get in, claiming he had lost his room key and needed to stay there. Tersigni refused, but the lawsuit says she didnt report it immediately because she was afraid of losing her job. A year later, soon after Jimmy Tersignis death, the lawsuit says that during a work-related text message conversation Rummerfield sent Tersigni a text saying I thought you might want to get me in your bed tonight with a kissy-face emoji. According to the lawsuit, he later said it was an accident and he had intended to save it as a draft. The lawsuit says Tersigni began to lodge complaints about these and other work-related issues with the PHA with minimal results. It also alleges that Rummerfield tried to implicate her in a plan to preserve benefits for his daughters boyfriend, a PHA employee, while the boyfriend was on a years leave out of state. Tersignis lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and costs of the suit as well as court orders for the PHA to hold anti-harassment training and similar courses and establish new procedures for investigating employee complaints. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. By Trend Iran intends to continue non-oil export to neighbor countries, said Head of Export Committee in Iran Chamber of Commerce. Jamshid Nafar has discussed the issues of export of non-oil goods during coronavirus outbreak in an interview with Trend. "The borders to Afghanistan are open. Iran's ambassador in Turkmenistan has informed us about temporary permit issued by Turkmenistan for Iranian trucks," the committee head said. "As for Iraq borders with Iran, some of them are open and some are closed," Nafar added. "Meanwhile, Turkey has set certain conditions for entrance of Iranian trucks. It is said that the drivers should be Turks who can transit goods to the country. Thus, Iranian businessmen are seeking to hire Turkish drivers to export their goods" "However, the situation at the Iran's borders is not stable. It's possible that a border will be shut in next two hours," he said adding that the Export Committee is working with Iran's Customs Administration to assess the situations and holding consultations with Foreign Ministry. "It's expected that Iran's Foreign Ministry would negotiate with neighbor countries to address the problem of the goods' transit. The situation is neither normal nor good, as no neighbor country that closed the borders with Iran announced their possible reopening," the official noted. "At the same time, Iran's problem in export to Iraq is not a new matter, as the regulations change constantly. However, in this situation, all the organizations are trying to avoid export being halted, as our situation is special and exceptional," he said. Iran's neighbor countries have shut their borders with Iran as the number of people infected in the country by coronavirus have increased. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Turkey's Endangered Languages Eighteen languages in Turkey are currently listed as endangered, vulnerable, or have become extinct, according to UNESCO. This is a result of decades of government policies that have not put other languages on an equal footing with Turkish, the first language of around 80 percent of the population. The history of forced Turkification targeting non-Turkish languages and cultures goes back to the early years of the new Republic of Turkey in the 1920s and 1930s. Non-Turkish names of towns and villages across the country were Turkified and changed. In 1924, Turkish became the sole medium of education, except for a small number of non-Muslim schools. In 1928, a student association in Istanbul launched a campaign to stop the public use of non-Turkish languages, and a 1934 law banned the adoption of non-Turkish surnames. Kurdish is the mostly widely spoken mother tongue in Turkey after Turkish, but such is the number of Kurds -- some 15 percent of the population of around 80 million - that UNESCO does not see it as being in danger. Other minority languages though are listed as endangered and the bans and pressure from the state and the public have had a deleterious effect. Laz, the language of a people living in the Black Sea region of Turkey and parts of Georgia, is listed as a definitely endangered by UNESCO. According to the Istanbul-based Laz Cultural Association, there are an estimated 1.5 million Laz people in Turkey, around 70 percent of whom can understand the language, but only 40 percent can speak it. "The two most important factors for preserving a language is family and state policies," said GAkhan Alptekin, the vice president of the association. "If parents speak their native language with their kids, the language will very likely survive throughout generations. "But I learnt in my research that many Laz parents do not speak Laz with their children because they don't want them to have broken Turkish, and these parents themselves do not speak Laz with their own parents because it is considered a disgrace," he said. "And the teachers who themselves are Laz put serious pressure on students to stop them speaking Laz. The children are terrified because they are told that they are secretly listened to by those outside when they speak Laz at home." Alptekin said the government should help preserve languages in Turkey. "TV channels, newspapers and other means of communication in Laz should be established with the support of the government. Laz people do not have any of these things in Turkey," he said. A big reason for the elimination of non-Turkish languages was the 1913-1923 genocide that targeted Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in Ottoman Turkey and the subsequent forced population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Religion was the sole criterion in the swap of around 1.6 million Christians from Turkey and up to 400,000 Muslims from Greece so that numbers of Christians were sent to Greece, while Greek-speaking Muslims remained. The Pontic Greek dialect, spoken in the Pontus region near the Black Sea, is "definitely endangered", UNESCO said, while the Cappadocian Greek dialect of central Turkey is extinct. "After the Greek Christian expulsions from Pontus, the Muslim Pontians, excluded from the 1923 religion-based, forced population exchange treaty, spoke their Pontian dialect, but only at home and not in public. The Turkish governments required them to speak Turkish only," said George Mavropoulos, the founder of the Asia Minor and Pontos Hellenic Research Center in Chicago. Professor Kyriakos Chatzikyriakidis, chair of the Pontic Studies Department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said if there were tens of thousands of Greeks-speaking Muslims in the Trabzon area at the time of the 1923 population exchange, there may be hundreds left, though it was impossible to be sure. "Establishing new educational and research programmes in which the Pontic Greek dialect will be studied, opening courses at schools and universities related to the Pontic dialect and history and other similar activities could enhance the dialect's chances of survival," he said. "When humanity tries to save a language, it actually tries to save a part of the world's cultural heritage. Every language is a monument of the world heritage, for every language embodies and discloses the thinking and culture of its speakers," Chatzikyriakidis said. The two dialects of Armenian in Turkey - Homshetsma and Western Armenian - are also "definitely endangered", UNESCO said. The land which is now modern-day Turkey was once host to a large Armenian population, but up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed or expelled from what was then the Ottoman Empire from 1915 in a campaign that historians say was constituted genocide. There are about 50,000 people speaking Western Armenian, mainly in Istanbul, but the number of the speakers of Homshetsma, the language of the Hamshen people who converted to Islam, is not known. Anahit Khosroeva, a genocide scholar and lecturer at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia said that even after the republic was established after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire discrimination against Armenians had continued. "Since the founding of Turkey in 1923, international laws have been ignored there. For instance, the United Nations condemns national discrimination. But Turkey continues to carry out a policy of assimilation adopted by its founders under the slogan 'one nation, one language, one flag and one country," she said. "The 1915 physical genocide against Armenians and Assyrians has been transformed into a cultural genocide against these communities through the government's assimilationist policies," Khosroeva said. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne set Turkey's borders, but also defined the rights of non-Muslim minorities. But the Assyrians in Turkey were excluded from the treaty and so still do not officially have the right to education in their mother tongue. There are currently around 25,000 Assyrians in Turkey today but only 4,000 or 5,000 can speak the Assyrian language. The UNESCO Interactive Atlas lists four Assyrian dialects in Turkey: Suret (definitely endangered), Turoyo (severely endangered), Hertevin (critically endangered) and Mlahso (extinct). Many Assyrians have moved to Europe in recent decades as fighting between the state and Kurdish rebels raged in their homelands in Turkey's east and southeast. Nicholas Al-Jeloo, an expert on Assyrian history, said the Turkish government could help preserve the language by providing incentives and, above all, security for Assyrians to return. The reason why non-Turkish languages in Turkey are struggling to survive is that the state has tried to wipe out other, non-Turkish identities, said Zeynem Arslan, the editor of the book "Zazaki - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" about the Zazaki language and people, mainly in eastern Turkey. "Turkish hegemony is imposed on them. The problem in Turkey is the monist, annihilationist mentality that bases its existence on exterminating others," Arslan said. Zazaki is an Indo-European language, related to Persian, but with strong influences from Kurdish. It is spoken by between 4 to 6 million people, but UNESCO lists it in its vulnerable category of languages. "The Zazaki language has for long years been banned officially. And no support has been given by the state to develop this language," Arslan said. "For a vulnerable or endangered language to live on, the political environment should be more democratic and pluralistic," he said. "Multilingualism and official recognition of cultural rights should be adopted as government policy." By Trend The purpose of cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan is to strengthen activities in the energy sector by diversifying energy sources, Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alessandra Todde said. Todde made the remark in Baku at the event dedicated to the sixth ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor, Trend reports from the event February 28. The deputy minister said that Italys position is that the Southern Gas Corridor is the basis for ensuring energy security for both suppliers and consumers. Energy cooperation has a great future, Todde noted. The memorandum of understanding in the field of energy was signed by the respective ministers of the two countries during the visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy, the deputy minister added. The sixth ministerial meeting is being held in Baku within the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor. Among the participants are representatives of BP, Southern Gas Corridor, BOTAS, TPAO, TANAP, TAP, SNAM, Fluxys, ICGB AD, Transgaz, SNGN Romgaz SA, Uniper Global Commodities SE, Bulgargaz EAD, SACE, Plinacro and international financial institutions, namely, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and European Investment Bank. The first ministerial meeting as part of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council was held on February 12, 2015, the second meeting on February 29, 2016, the third meeting on February 23, 2017, the fourth meeting on February 15, 2018 and the fifth meeting on February 20, 2019. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The CPI on Saturday said it will fight both "legally and politically" the sedition case against its leader Kanhaiya Kumar and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital had "succumbed to political pressure". The Delhi government on Friday gave a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former JNUSU president Kumar and nine others in connection with a four-year-old sedition case, as the ruling AAP denied the persistent BJP charge of blocking the proceedings in the matter. "The national secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) will fight legally and politically the sedition charges against party national executive member and former president of the JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) Kanhaiya Kumar. "The party is confident that Kanhaiya Kumar will come out unscathed as the charges are false and politically motivated," the CPI said in a statement. The party feels that it is unfortunate that the Arvind Kejriwal government has "succumbed to political pressure and granted permission to prosecute Kumar", it said. "It may be recalled here that the chief minister (Kejriwal) himself had in the beginning said that there is no case of sedition against Kanhaiya and videos were doctored. We are yet to ascertain why this sudden change of heart has happened," the statement said. The party said that it will soon secure a copy of the Delhi government's standing counsel's recommendations which had not given sanction for the prosecution. "The party vehemently opposes the move to implicate Kanhaiya Kumar in a false sedition case and urges all its units and mass organisations to protest peacefully against the prosecution move," the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prince Claus Fund Next Generation Programme makes its debut in Asia By Anoushka Jayasuriya View(s): View(s): On his 70th birthday in 1996, the Dutch Parliament honoured Prince Claus of the Netherlands by funding the creation of a foundation in his name, a Fund for Culture and Development. Prince Claus, husband of Queen Beatrix and father of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, believed culture and development were not separate from one another. The Fund is committed to supporting cultural endeavours and young artists across the world. This year, the Fund makes its debut in Asia with an open call for proposals through the The Prince Claus Fund Next Generation Programme seeking original projects by young people, for young people. The Programme is currently accepting applications from young artists, aged 15-30 years, who are interested in furthering development through culture. The Programme encourages artistic youth and organizations to promote learning and explore alternative narratives while providing these individuals and organizations with support. Here Prince Claus Fund Researcher, Laura Alexander, elaborates further on the Next Generation Programme. n Tell us in brief what the Prince Claus Fund - Next Generation Programme is about and what its objectives are. The Prince Claus Fund Next Generation Programme is a three-year programme of the Prince Claus Fund, designed to support the work of young artists and cultural practitioners around the world. It is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Next Generation includes longer term partnerships with cultural organisations around the world, a dedicated award for an exceptional young artist, and annual open calls for proposals for projects by young artists. The Next Generation programme is just one of the many ways we carry out the Prince Claus Fund core mission is to support culture under pressure. n How long has the programme been functioning and in which regions has it been implemented so far? We are now in the third and final year of the Next Generation Programme. In the past two years, our Next Generation Open Calls have funded projects in Africa and the Middle East (in 2018) and Latin America and the Caribbean (in 2019). n How can interested people apply for the programme? Young artists and cultural practitioners can submit proposals by filling in the application form available on our website (princeclausfund.org) until the 9th of March 2020. n How has the programme benefited young artists so far? Through our previous two calls for proposals, we have funded projects, which have allowed young artists and cultural practitioners to expand their practices and work on a larger scale than before. For many of our grantees, this grant represents the first time they have worked with international funding, and we have done our best to support them throughout the process. n Why has the programme targeted Asian regions for the latest call? The Next Generation programme is a global programme. Each of the Next Generation Open Calls, 3 in total, has targeted a particular region of the world, and we are very excited to see high quality work coming from young artists in Asia and Eastern Europe in 2020. n Why does the programme place special emphasis on projects which address issues of a political/religious/economic nature or address issues surrounding identity? In line with our strong belief that ideas must come from artists and cultural practitioners, we have kept the thematic content of the Next Generation Open Calls as open as possible. Questions of identity, including but not limited to political, religious and economic challenges, are vital in many different ways to young artists developing their work. We hope that this call will be able to provide them with opportunities to question and express these ideas in creative ways. n How does the programme use art and culture as a mechanism to allow the youth to discuss issues, which concern them? The Prince Claus Fund has always believed that culture is a basic need, in large part because it can create space for people all over the world to discuss issues that are important to them. The programme aims to help people express their thoughts and questions around important issues and explore different ways of seeing the world through art and culture. TEHRAN, Iran, Feb.29 Trend: Iran intends to continue non-oil export to neighbor countries, said Head of Export Committee in Iran Chamber of Commerce. Jamshid Nafar has discussed the issues of export of non-oil goods during coronavirus outbreak in an interview with Trend. "The borders to Afghanistan are open. Iran's ambassador in Turkmenistan has informed us about temporary permit issued by Turkmenistan for Iranian trucks," the committee head said. "As for Iraq borders with Iran, some of them are open and some are closed," Nafar added. "Meanwhile, Turkey has set certain conditions for entrance of Iranian trucks. It is said that the drivers should be Turks who can transit goods to the country. Thus, Iranian businessmen are seeking to hire Turkish drivers to export their goods" "However, the situation at the Iran's borders is not stable. It's possible that a border will be shut in next two hours," he said adding that the Export Committee is working with Iran's Customs Administration to assess the situations and holding consultations with Foreign Ministry. "It's expected that Iran's Foreign Ministry would negotiate with neighbor countries to address the problem of the goods' transit. The situation is neither normal nor good, as no neighbor country that closed the borders with Iran announced their possible reopening," the official noted. "At the same time, Iran's problem in export to Iraq is not a new matter, as the regulations change constantly. However, in this situation, all the organizations are trying to avoid export being halted, as our situation is special and exceptional," he said. Iran's neighbor countries have shut their borders with Iran as the number of people infected in the country by coronavirus have increased. COVID-19: Tough measures on the cards; Italy returnees tested negative View(s): Two Sri Lankans who returned from Italy, now at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), have tested negative for COVID-19 as fears mounted with more countries across the world falling under the onslaught of the new coronavirus. Passengers on direct flights from China and now also from South Korea and Italy to Sri Lanka are channelled through a separate entrance and screened thoroughly. Those on these flights come down gangways, board buses and enter the airport through a separate entry-point, where they are screened well. Those on other flights, walk into the airport directly through an aerobridge, it is learnt. Several recommendations to introduce additional measures to ward off the new coronavirus from entering Sri Lanka are on the table, following meetings this week of the National Committee headed by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and the Technical Committee headed by Health Services Director-General Dr. Anil Jasinghe, the Sunday Times learns. Dr. Jasinghe, when contacted by the Sunday Times, declined to specify these measures as they were awaiting ratification by the government. When asked about the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance, he said in certain eventualities this law could be invoked and this could vest the Health Services DG with a lot of power including implementing a lockdown, movement restrictions and home-quarantine. Two of the countries affected by the new coronavirus are South Korea and Italy where a large number of Sri Lankan migrant workers are based. There are a few Sri Lankans who are in the quarantined areas in Lombardy and Veneto regions in northern Italy, but none of them has fallen victim to the virus, said Foreign Relations Ministry spokesperson Ruwanthi Delpitiya yesterday. According to information from the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome and the Consulate General Office in Milan, as of yesterday, the total number of COVID-19 infected persons in Italy had risen to 821 with 17 deaths, she said. The Foreign Ministry with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome and the Consulate General Office in Milan continues to monitor and coordinate efforts to ensure the safety of the Sri Lankans in these areas, she added. In Seoul, the Sri Lanka Embassy, meanwhile, has informed that the number of people who have contracted COVID-19 has increased to 2,931 as of yesterday, with 16 deaths. Ms. Delpitiya said no Sri Lankan in any location in South Korea, including Daegu, was suspected to have contracted COVID-19 or was being treated for any of the symptoms of the disease. Sri Lanka has so far had only one imported case of the coronavirus. The Chinese woman tourist who was detected with COVID-19 on January 27, was treated and managed at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). She was discharged on February 19 after two tests came negative and left for home in China. Meanwhile, according to the Epidemiology Unit, the NIID has two suspected cases; the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital 2; the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital 2; the Gampaha District General Hospital 1; the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital 1; and the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo -1. As the new coronavirus spread, Saudi Arabia temporarily halted the entry of pilgrims on visits to holy sites, in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease. The Saudi government has decided to suspend visas for Muslims seeking to visit Mecca and Medina, while restricting the issuance of visas for tourists from countries with confirmed cases of the virus. Millions of Muslims journey to Saudi Arabia especially during Ramadan, which begins towards the end of April and also embark on the Hajj pilgrimage in July. A contentious claim by Boris Johnson in a newspaper article regarding the European Union may have inadvertently led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, newly unearthed documents from her time in Downing Street suggest. Documents released from the close of Thatchers years in power show she took note of a story on the European Commissions then-president Jacques Delors in the Daily Telegraph written by Mr Johnson during his time as Brussels correspondent In the article published on 24 October 1990 under the headline British Right Of Veto Faces Axe In Delors Plan, Mr Johnson wrote: M Delors said the plans were intended to pave the way for a Federation of Europe, a super-state with the Brussels Commission as the executive government and the Council of Ministers as a senate. Archivists have found that story made its way into the red box of the prime minister who was well known for diligently going through the briefing documents handed to her on a daily basis. She then proceeded to highlight the headline and the section outlining the push for ever-closer union Mr Delors appeared to be championing, marking two lines alongside each. Just six days later Ms Thatcher would make her no, no, no speech in the House of Commons, a defiant show of Eurosceptisicism in which she claimed: The president of the commission, Mr Delors, said at a press conference the other day that he wanted the European parliament to be the democratic body of the community, he wanted the commission to be the executive and he wanted the Council of Ministers to be the Senate. No. No. No. Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Show all 8 1 /8 Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a JCB through a fake wall POOL/AFP via Getty Images Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes REUTERS Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes AFP via Getty The speech is believed to have been one of the defining moments of Thatchers downfall, sparking the growing feud among the party over its place in Europe. In response Sir Geoffry Howe quit as leader of the Commons and deputy prime minister while delivering a devastating resignation speech which spelled doom for the PM. However, Mr Johnsons article was acknowledged to have not quite reflected the truth of the matter. A memo written two days after its publication by senior Foreign Office official Richard Gozney to Thatchers private secretary Charles Powell which was probably seen by Thatcher noted: The Commission Opinion itself... does not contain what M Delors is reported by the Daily Telegraph as having suggested. It does not propose any radical change in the present institutional plans of the Community although it does contain a lot of other horrors. Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, which is making the documents available to the public, said Mr Johnsons article was not quite right and that Thatcher would have been aware of this. However, he added that it made up part of a growing case against Europe being furthered by her party. He added: A lot of Conservatives would read articles like that one by Boris Johnson Im sure it wasnt the only one written at the time and say yes, thats what these guys (in Brussels) are up to. Those pressures are all around her and she is treading this terribly, perilously difficult path. Its not clear that she wanted a war, as it were, and yet she feels many of these things too and shes got this sinuous route to follow. While Im not saying this is the cause of her downfall or anything like that it would be absurd to suggest that the forces that are in play are somewhat revealed by the presence of that article. By Craig Murray February 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - In yesterdays proceedings in court, the prosecution adopted arguments so stark and apparently unreasonable I have been fretting on how to write them up in a way that does not seem like caricature or unfair exaggeration on my part. What has been happening in this court has long moved beyond caricature. All I can do is give you my personal assurance that what I recount actually is what happened. As usual, I shall deal with procedural matters and Julians treatment first, before getting in to a clear account of the legal arguments made. Vanessa Baraitser is under a clear instruction to mimic concern by asking, near the end of every session just before we break anyway, if Julian is feeling well and whether he would like a break. She then routinely ignores his response. Yesterday he replied at some length he could not hear properly in his glass box and could not communicate with his lawyers (at some point yesterday they had started preventing him passing notes to his counsel, which I learn was the background to the aggressive prevention of his shaking Garzons hand goodbye). Baraitser insisted he might only be heard through his counsel, which given he was prevented from instructing them was a bit rich. This being pointed out, we had a ten minute adjournment while Julian and his counsel were allowed to talk down in the cells presumably where they could be more conveniently bugged yet again. On return, Edward Fitzgerald made a formal application for Julian to be allowed to sit beside his lawyers in the court. Julian was a gentle, intellectual man and not a terrorist. Baraitser replied that releasing Assange from the dock into the body of the court would mean he was released from custody. To achieve that would require an application for bail. Again, the prosecution counsel James Lewis intervened on the side of the defence to try to make Julians treatment less extreme. He was not, he suggested diffidently, quite sure that it was correct that it required bail for Julian to be in the body of the court, or that being in the body of the court accompanied by security officers meant that a prisoner was no longer in custody. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Prisoners, even the most dangerous of terrorists, gave evidence from the witness box in the body of the court nest to the lawyers and magistrate. In the High Court prisoners frequently sat with their lawyers in extradition hearings, in extreme cases of violent criminals handcuffed to a security officer. Baraitser replied that Assange might pose a danger to the public. It was a question of health and safety. How did Fitzgerald and Lewis think that she had the ability to carry out the necessary risk assessment? It would have to be up to Group 4 to decide if this was possible. Yes, she really did say that. Group 4 would have to decide. Baraitser started to throw out jargon like a Dalek when it spins out of control. Risk assessment and health and safety featured a lot. She started to resemble something worse than a Dalek, a particularly stupid local government officer of a very low grade. No jurisdiction Up to Group 4. Recovering slightly, she stated firmly that delivery to custody can only mean delivery to the dock of the court, nowhere else in the room. If the defence wanted him in the courtroom where he could hear proceedings better, they could only apply for bail and his release from custody in general. She then peered at both barristers in the hope this would have sat them down, but both were still on their feet. In his diffident manner (which I confess is growing on me) Lewis said the prosecution is neutral on this request, of course but, err, I really dont think thats right. He looked at her like a kindly uncle whose favourite niece has just started drinking tequila from the bottle at a family party. Baraitser concluded the matter by stating that the Defence should submit written arguments by 10am tomorrow on this point, and she would then hold a separate hearing into the question of Julians position in the court. The day had begun with a very angry Magistrate Baraitser addressing the public gallery. Yesterday, she said, a photo had been taken inside the courtroom. It was a criminal offence to take or attempt to take photographs inside the courtroom. Vanessa Baraitser looked at this point very keen to lock someone up. She also seemed in her anger to be making the unfounded assumption that whoever took the photo from the public gallery on Tuesday was still there on Wednesday; I suspect not. Being angry at the public at random must be very stressful for her. I suspect she shouts a lot on trains. Ms Baraitser is not fond of photography she appears to be the only public figure in Western Europe with no photo on the internet. Indeed the average proprietor of a rural car wash has left more evidence of their existence and life history on the internet than Vanessa Baraitser. Which is no crime on her part, but I suspect the expunging is not achieved without considerable effort. Somebody suggested to me she might be a hologram, but I think not. Holograms have more empathy. I was amused by the criminal offence of attempting to take photos in the courtroom. How incompetent would you need to be to attempt to take a photo and fail to do so? And if no photo was taken, how do they prove you were attempting to take one, as opposed to texting your mum? I suppose attempting to take a photo is a crime that could catch somebody arriving with a large SLR, tripod and several mounted lighting boxes, but none of those appeared to have made it into the public gallery. Baraitser did not state whether it was a criminal offence to publish a photograph taken in a courtroom (or indeed to attempt to publish a photograph taken in a courtroom). I suspect it is. Anyway Le Grand Soir has published a translation of my report yesterday, and there you can see a photo of Julian in his bulletproof glass anti-terrorist cage. Not, I hasten to add, taken by me. We now come to the consideration of yesterdays legal arguments on the extradition request itself. Fortunately, these are basically fairly simple to summarise, because although we had five hours of legal disquisition, it largely consisted of both sides competing in citing scores of authorities, e.g. dead judges, to endorse their point of view, and thus repeating the same points continually with little value from exegesis of the innumerable quotes. As prefigured yesterday by magistrate Baraitser, the prosecution is arguing that Article 4.1 of the UK/US extradition treaty has no force in law. The UK and US Governments say that the court enforces domestic law, not international law, and therefore the treaty has no standing. This argument has been made to the court in written form to which I do not have access. But from discussion in court it was plain that the prosecution argue that the Extradition Act of 2003, under which the court is operating, makes no exception for political offences. All previous Extradition Acts had excluded extradition for political offences, so it must be the intention of the sovereign parliament that political offenders can now be extradited. Opening his argument, Edward Fitzgerald QC argued that the Extradition Act of 2003 alone is not enough to make an actual extradition. The extradition requires two things in place; the general Extradition Act and the Extradition Treaty with the country or countries concerned. No Treaty, No Extradition was an unbreakable rule. The Treaty was the very basis of the request. So to say that the extradition was not governed by the terms of the very treaty under which it was made, was to create a legal absurdity and thus an abuse of process. He cited examples of judgements made by the House of Lords and Privy Council where treaty rights were deemed enforceable despite the lack of incorporation into domestic legislation, particularly in order to stop people being extradited to potential execution from British colonies. Fitzgerald pointed out that while the Extradition Act of 2003 did not contain a bar on extraditions for political offences, it did not state there could not be such a bar in extradition treaties. And the extradition treaty of 2007 was ratified after the 2003 extradition act. At this stage Baraitser interrupted that it was plain the intention of parliament was that there could be extradition for political offences. Otherwise they would not have removed the bar in previous legislation. Fitzgerald declined to agree, saying the Act did not say extradition for political offences could not be banned by the treaty enabling extradition. Fitzgerald then continued to say that international jurisprudence had accepted for a century or more that you did not extradite political offenders. No political extradition was in the European Convention on Extradition, the Model United Nations Extradition Treaty and the Interpol Convention on Extradition. It was in every single one of the United States extradition treaties with other countries, and had been for over a century, at the insistence of the United States. For both the UK and US Governments to say it did not apply was astonishing and would set a terrible precedent that would endanger dissidents and potential political prisoners from China, Russia and regimes all over the world who had escaped to third countries. Fitzgerald stated that all major authorities agreed there were two types of political offence. The pure political offence and the relative political offence. A pure political offence was defined as treason, espionage or sedition. A relative political offence was an act which was normally criminal, like assault or vandalism, conducted with a political motive. Every one of the charges against Assange was a pure political offence. All but one were espionage charges, and the computer misuse charge had been compared by the prosecution to breach of the official secrets act to meet the dual criminality test. The overriding accusation that Assange was seeking to harm the political and military interests of the United States was in the very definition of a political offence in all the authorities. In reply Lewis stated that a treaty could not be binding in English law unless specifically incorporated in English law by Parliament. This was a necessary democratic defence. Treaties were made by the executive which could not make law. This went to the sovereignty of Parliament. Lewis quoted many judgements stating that international treaties signed and ratified by the UK could not be enforced in British courts. It may come as a surprise to other countries that their treaties with the British government can have no legal force he joked. Lewis said there was no abuse of process here and thus no rights were invoked under the European Convention. It was just the normal operation of the law that the treaty provision on no extradition for political offences had no legal standing. Lewis said that the US government disputes that Assanges offences are political. In the UK/Australia/US there was a different definition of political offence to the rest of the world. We viewed the pure political offences of treason, espionage and sedition as not political offences. Only relative political offences ordinary crimes committed with a political motive were viewed as political offences in our tradition. In this tradition, the definition of political was also limited to supporting a contending political party in a state. Lewis will continue with this argument tomorrow. That concludes my account of proceedings. I have some important commentary to make on this and will try to do another posting later today. Now rushing to court. With grateful thanks to those who donated or subscribed to make this reporting possible. This article is entirely free to reproduce and publish, including in translation, and I very much hope people will do so actively. Truth shall set us free. Craig's blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. Support Craig's work https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/support-this-website/ Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here Assanage Show Trial: Your Man in the Public Gallery The Assange Hearing Day 3 By Craig Murray February 27, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Please try this experiment for me. Try asking this question out loud, in a tone of intellectual interest and engagement: Are you suggesting that the two have the same effect?. Now try asking this question out loud, in a tone of hostility and incredulity bordering on sarcasm: Are you suggesting that the two have the same effect?. Firstly, congratulations on your acting skills; you take direction very well. Secondly, is it not fascinating how precisely the same words can convey the opposite meaning dependent on modulation of stress, pitch, and volume? Yesterday the prosecution continued its argument that the provision in the 2007 UK/US Extradition Treaty that bars extradition for political offences is a dead letter, and that Julian Assanges objectives are not political in any event. James Lewis QC for the prosecution spoke for about an hour, and Edward Fitzgerald QC replied for the defence for about the same time. During Lewiss presentation, he was interrupted by Judge Baraitser precisely once. During Fitzgeralds reply, Baraitser interjected seventeen times. In the transcript, those interruptions will not look unreasonable: Could you clarify that for me Mr Fitzgerald So how do you cope with Mr Lewiss point that But surely thats a circular argument But its not incorporated, is it? All these and the other dozen interruptions were designed to appear to show the judge attempting to clarify the defences argument in a spirit of intellectual testing. But if you heard the tone of Baraitsers voice, saw her body language and facial expressions, it was anything but. The false picture a transcript might give is exacerbated by the courtly Fitzgeralds continually replying to each obvious harassment with Thank you Madam, that is very helpful, which again if you were there, plainly meant the opposite. But what a transcript will helpfully nevertheless show was the bully pulpit of Baraitsers tactic in interrupting Fitzgerald again and again and again, belittling his points and very deliberately indeed preventing him from getting into the flow of his argument. The contrast in every way with her treatment of Lewis could not be more pronounced. So now to report the legal arguments themselves. James Lewis for the prosecution, continuing his arguments from the day before, said that Parliament had not included a bar on extradition for political offences in the 2003 Act. It could therefore not be reintroduced into law by a treaty. To introduce a Political Offences bar by the back door would be to subvert the intention of Parliament. Lewis also argued that these were not political offences. The definition of a political offence was in the UK limited to behaviour intended to overturn or change a government or induce it to change its policy. Furthermore the aim must be to change government or policy in the short term, not the indeterminate future. Lewis stated that further the term political offence could only be applied to offences committed within the territory where it was attempted to make the change. So to be classified as political offences, Assange would have had to commit them within the territory of the USA, but he did not. If Baraitser did decide the bar on political offences applied, the court would have to determine the meaning of political offence in the UK/US Extradition Treaty and construe the meaning of paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of the Treaty. To construe the terms of an international treaty was beyond the powers of the court. Lewis perorated that the conduct of Julian Assange cannot possibly be classified as a political offence. It is impossible to place Julian Assange in the position of a political refugee. The activity in which Wikileaks was engaged was not in its proper meaning political opposition to the US Administration or an attempt to overthrow that administration. Therefore the offence was not political. For the defence Edward Fitzgerald replied that the 2003 Extradition Act was an enabling act under which treaties could operate. Parliament had been concerned to remove any threat of abuse of the political offence bar to cover terrorist acts of violence against innocent civilians. But there remained a clear protection, accepted worldwide, for peaceful political dissent. This was reflected in the Extradition Treaty on the basis of which the court was acting. Baraitser interrupted that the UK/US Extradition Treaty was not incorporated into English Law. Fitzgerald replied that the entire extradition request is on the basis of the treaty. It is an abuse of process for the authorities to rely on the treaty for the application but then to claim that its provisions do not apply. On the face of it, it is a very bizarre argument that a treaty which gives rise to the extradition, on which the extradition is founded, can be disregarded in its provisions. It is on the face of it absurd. Edward Fitzgerald QC for the Defence Fitzgerald added that English Courts construe treaties all the time. He gave examples. Fitzgerald went on that the defence did not accept that treason, espionage and sedition were not regarded as political offences in England. But even if one did accept Lewiss too narrow definition of political offence, Assanges behaviour still met the test. What on earth could be the motive of publishing evidence of government war crimes and corruption, other than to change the policy of the government? Indeed, the evidence would prove that Wikileaks had effectively changed the policy of the US government, particularly on Iraq. Baraitser interjected that to expose government wrongdoing was not the same thing as to try to change government policy. Fitzgerald asked her, finally in some exasperation after umpteen interruptions, what other point could there be in exposing government wrongdoing other than to induce a change in government policy? That concluded opening arguments for the prosecution and defence. MY PERSONAL COMMENTARY Let me put this as neutrally as possible. If you could fairly state that Lewiss argument was much more logical, rational and intuitive than Fitzgeralds, you could understand why Lewis did not need an interruption while Fitzgerald had to be continually interrupted for clarification. But in fact it was Lewis who was making out the case that the provisions of the very treaty under which the extradition is being made, do not in fact apply, a logical step which I suggest the man on the Clapham omnibus might reason to need rather more testing than Fitzgeralds assertion to the contrary. Baraitsers comparative harassment of Fitzgerald when he had the prosecution on the ropes was straight out of the Stalin show trial playbook. The defence did not mention it, and I do not know if it features in their written arguments, but I thought Lewiss point that these could not be political offences, because Julian Assange was not in the USA when he committed them, was breathtakingly dishonest. The USA claims universal jurisdiction. Assange is being charged with crimes of publishing committed while he was outside the USA. The USA claims the right to charge anyone of any nationality, anywhere in the world, who harms US interests. They also in addition here claim that as the materials could be seen on the internet in the USA, there was an offence in the USA. At the same time to claim this could not be a political offence as the crime was committed outside the USA is, as Edward Fitzgerald might say, on the face of it absurd. Which curiously Baraitser did not pick up on. Lewiss argument that the Treaty does not have any standing in English law is not something he just made up. Nigel Farage did not materialise from nowhere. There is in truth a long tradition in English law that even a treaty signed and ratified with some bloody Johnny Foreigner country, can in no way bind an English court. Lewis could and did spout reams and reams of judgements from old beetroot faced judges holding forth to say exactly that in the House of Lords, before going off to shoot grouse and spank the footmans son. Lewis was especially fond of the Tin Council case. There is of course a contrary and more enlightened tradition, and a number of judgements that say the exact opposite, mostly more recent. This is why there was so much repetitive argument as each side piled up more and more volumes of authorities on their side of the case. The difficulty for Lewis and for Baraitser is that this case is not analogous to me buying a Mars bar and then going to court because an International Treaty on Mars Bars says mine is too small. Rather the 2003 Extradition Act is an Enabling Act on which extradition treaties then depend. You cant thus extradite under the 2003 Act without the Treaty. So the Extradition Treaty of 2007 in a very real sense becomes an executive instrument legally required to authorise the extradition. For the executing authorities to breach the terms of the necessary executive instrument under which they are acting, simply has to be an abuse of process. So the Extradition Treaty owing to its type and its necessity for legal action, is in fact incorporated in English Law by the Extradition Act of 2003 on which it depends. The Extradition Treaty is a necessary precondition of the extradition, whereas a Mars Bar Treaty is not a necessary precondition to buying the Mars Bar. That is as plain as I can put it. I do hope that is comprehensible. It is of course difficult for Lewis that on the same day the Court of Appeal was ruling against the construction of the Heathrow Third Runway, partly because of its incompatibility with the Paris Agreement of 2016, despite the latter not being fully incorporated into English law by the Climate Change Act of 2008. VITAL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE It is intensely embarrassing for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) when an English court repudiates the application of a treaty the UK has ratified with one or more foreign states. For that reason, in the modern world, very serious procedures and precautions have been put into place to make certain that this cannot happen. Therefore the prosecutions argument that all the provisions of the UK/US Extradition Treaty of 2007 are not able to be implemented under the Extradition Act of 2003, ought to be impossible. I need to explain I have myself negotiated and overseen the entry into force of treaties within the FCO. The last one in which I personally tied the ribbon and applied the sealing wax (literally) was the Anglo-Belgian Continental Shelf Treaty of 1991, but I was involved in negotiating others and the system I am going to describe was still in place when I left the FCO as an Ambassador in 2005, and I believe is unchanged today (and remember the Extradition Act was 2003 and the US/UK Extradition Treaty ratified 2007, so my knowledge is not outdated). Departmental nomenclatures change from time to time and so does structural organisation. But the offices and functions I will describe remain, even if names may be different. All international treaties have a two stage process. First they are signed to show the government agrees to the treaty. Then, after a delay, they are ratified. This second stage takes place when the government has enabled the legislation and other required agency to implement the treaty. This is the answer to Lewiss observation about the roles of the executive and legislature. The ratification stage only takes place after any required legislative action. That is the whole point. This is how it happens in the FCO. Officials negotiate the extradition treaty. It is signed for the UK. The signed treaty then gets returned to FCO Legal Advisers, Nationality and Treaty Department, Consular Department, North American Department and others and is sent on to Treasury/Cabinet Office Solicitors and to Home Office, Parliament and to any other Government Department whose area is impacted by the individual treaty. The Treaty is extensively vetted to check that it can be fully implemented in all the jurisdictions of the UK. If it cannot, then amendments to the law have to be made so that it can. These amendments can be made by Act of Parliament or more generally by secondary legislation using powers conferred on the Secretary of State by an act. If there is already an Act of Parliament under which the Treaty can be implemented, then no enabling legislation needs to be passed. International Agreements are not all individually incorporated into English or Scottish laws by specific new legislation. This is a very careful step by step process, carried out by lawyers and officials in the FCO, Treasury, Cabinet Office, Home Office, Parliament and elsewhere. Each will in parallel look at every clause of the Treaty and check that it can be applied. All changes needed to give effect to the treaty then have to be made amending legislation, and necessary administrative steps. Only when all hurdles have been cleared, including legislation, and Parliamentary officials, Treasury, Cabinet Office, Home Office and FCO all certify that the Treaty is capable of having effect in the UK, will the FCO Legal Advisers give the go ahead for the Treaty to be ratified. You absolutely cannot ratify the treaty before FCO Legal Advisers have given this clearance. This is a serious process. That is why the US/UK Extradition Treaty was signed in 2003 and ratified in 2007. That is not an abnormal delay. So I know for certain that ALL the relevant British Government legal departments MUST have agreed that Article 4.1 of the UK/US Extradition Treaty was capable of being given effect under the 2003 Extradition Act. That certification has to have happened or the Treaty could never have been ratified. It follows of necessity that the UK Government, in seeking to argue now that Article 4.1 is incompatible with the 2003 Act, is knowingly lying. There could not be a more gross abuse of process. I have been keen for the hearing on this particular point to conclude so that I could give you the benefit of my experience. I shall rest there for now, but later today hope to post further on yesterdays row in court over releasing Julian from the anti-terrorist armoured dock. With grateful thanks to those who donated or subscribed to make this reporting possible. I wish to stress again that I absolutely do not want anybody to give anything if it causes them the slightest possibility of financial strain. This article is entirely free to reproduce and publish, including in translation, and I very much hope people will do so actively. Truth shall set us free. Craig's blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. Support Craig's work https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/support-this-website/ FILE PHOTO: A Union flag flies next to the flag of the European Union in Westminster, London By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain unveiled a negotiating mandate on Thursday for talks with the European Union that puts it on a collision course with Brussels, saying it was ready to walk away if "good progress" was not made by June. After leaving the EU last month, Britain has until the end of the year to negotiate a trade deal and agreements on everything from fishing to transport, to replace more than 40 years of closely aligned political and economic relations. Having accepted that British businesses will encounter new "frictions" in trade with the bloc outside its single market and customs union, the government has made its stance clear - self-determination must trump economic concerns. So if, by June, "good progress" has not been made on Britain's demand for what it calls a "standard" free trade agreement or even on the "least controversial areas" of the talks, London said it would focus on preparations for a sharp break with the EU. "At the end of the transition period on the 31st of December, the United Kingdom will fully recover its economic and political independence," cabinet office minister Michael Gove told parliament as he unveiled the mandate. "We want the best possible trading relationship with the EU, but in pursuit of a deal we will not trade away our sovereignty." Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the face of Britain's campaign to leave the EU in 2016, vowed to get Brexit done at last year's election and, after winning a large majority, has charged his negotiating team with the goal of "taking back control". After the mandate was launched, Johnson said he was "very optimistic" about the talks. Both sides say they want a deal to be agreed before the deadline of Dec. 31, 2020, so that trade can flow, albeit with some additional checks, and that arrangements on issues such as aviation can roll over seamlessly. Story continues But with the two sides unable to agree on even the format of talks scheduled to begin on Monday, the negotiations look set to be a battle of wills. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, said Brussels had taken "note" of the mandate. "We will stick to all our prior commitments in the political declaration," he tweeted, referring to an outline agreement on future ties signed by both sides. "We want an ambitious and fair partnership with the UK in the future." UNDERWHELMING Britain's main opposition Labour Party, locked in a leadership battle, described the government's stance as "frankly underwhelming", and the British Chambers of Commerce said companies were "impatient for negotiations to begin in earnest". "Businesses are pragmatic, but need the UK-EU negotiations to deliver clarity on the many practical, real-world details that will affect their day-to-day operations for years to come," Adam Marshall, its director general, said. With a large majority in parliament, Johnson and his team feel he has won public backing for a clean break in ties to restore what he calls British sovereignty. That is at odds with Brussels' pursuit of a closer trading relationship. At the heart of the conflict is Britain's demand for a trade deal along the lines of one between the EU and Canada. The EU has ruled that out, saying Britain, being a neighbour of the bloc, is a greater threat to the bloc's market as it does more business than Canada. It fears Britain could undercut its market by lowering standards. "Geography is no reason to undermine democracy," Gove told parliament. "To be clear, we will not be seeking to dynamically align with EU rules on EU terms governed by EU laws and EU institutions." This in effect ruled out a demand from the EU to adhere to its "level playing field" - shorthand for agreed baseline rules on environmental standards, labour regulations and state aid. If a standard trade agreement is not on offer, Britain has said it will pursue what it calls a relationship similar to that established between the EU and Australia. At the moment, much of EU-Australia trade runs along basic World Trade Organization default rules, though there are specific agreements for certain goods. Other stumbling blocks include fishing. Britain says that, as an independent coastal nation, it will not trade away its fishing rights. Britain is also demanding "legally binding" obligations on access to the EU market for its important financial services industry, something the EU says is not on the agenda. "The (UK's) logic is that, should the EU continue to play hardball, we are ready to sink. Together," said an EU diplomat. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James; additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Alan Charlish in Warsaw, editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Kevin Liffey) Indie Short Film Series: Film screenings at 6 p.m., panel discussion follows, doors open at 5:30 p.m., Vinegar Hill Theatre, $9. CatVideoFest 2020: Noon and 2:30 p.m., Violet Crown Charlottesville, portion of proceeds benefits Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. Gold Connections and Stray Fossa with Ceterus: Presented by WNRN, 8 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m., the Southern Cafe and Music Hall, (800) 594-8499, $12, $10 advance. Shock Mafia with The Vailix and Chuggernauts: 8 p.m.-midnight, indoors at The Rabbit Hole at IX Art Park, $10, 18 and older. John Rimel with Brian Rimel: 2:30-4:30 p.m., Albemarle CiderWorks, (434) 297-2326, free. Alex Arbaugh: 7 p.m., Durty Nellys Pub, (434) 295-1278, no cover. Golden Hour with David Wax Museum and Lowland Hum: Immersive musical benefit for The Front Porch, 7-9 p.m., The Front Porch, $30. DJ MGM: 10 p.m., Rapture, (434) 293-9526, free, 21 and older. Earlysville Ruritans Bluegrass Show with Charles Frazier and the Virginia Ramblers, Dark Hollow Bluegrass Band and opening band Earlysville Bluegrass Boys: 6 p.m., Albemarle High School auditorium, (434) 989-4000, $15, free for children younger than 10. Science Ficta: Ensemble of viola da gamba virtuosi performs compositions by graduate students in UVas Composition and Computer Technologies program, 8 p.m., Cabell Hall Auditorium, (434) 3052, free. 24/7: Whole Theatre presents festival of original short plays written, rehearsed and designed in 24 hours, 8 p.m., bar opens at 7 p.m., doors open at 7:30 p.m., Live Arts, (434) 977-4177, Ext. 123, $15. Met Live in HD: Agrippina: 12:55 p.m., Tim Snider presents pre-opera lecture at noon, Paramount Theater, (434) 979-1333, $25, $23 seniors, $18 students. New Works Festival: University of Virginia Department of Drama presents short plays written, directed, produced and performed by students, 8 p.m., Helms Theatre, (434) 924-3376, $5. Potluck dinner and dance: Celebration of Rockfish Valley Community Centers 20th Anniversary with music by Eric Knutson Band, 5-9 p.m., Rockfish Valley Community Center in Afton, (434) 361-0100, free, bring a dish to share at the potluck dinner. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ary Hermawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 15:01 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206766737 1 Opinion #commentary,coronavirus,COVID-19,outbreak,health-minister,Terawan-Agus-Putranto,wuhan Free Okay, heres the deal. If you believe in an interventionist God who cares about national boundaries and will answer your prayers to protect this country from a plague, thats your business. But let me tell you this: Indonesia is unlikely to be free of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has infected thousands of people in more than 50 countries. And you need to be concerned that, as of now, the government has not been fully transparent about how it is handling the situation. Indeed, the government has taken measures to contain the virus. It has screened people arriving at airports and seaports, imposed an entry ban on travelers from China, isolated patients suspected of carrying the deadly virus and tested them for confirmation. But questions linger over whether the measures are effective and whether government officials are doing it right. Indonesia may have yet to report a single COVID-19 case, but the country is by no means free from the lethal virus. Alas, we are not just being skeptical, or overly suspicious. It is a fact that a Chinese national who traveled from Wuhan to Bali before the Chinese city the epicenter of the virus outbreak was locked down tested positive for the disease eight days after the trip. It is likely that the Chinese man, who lives in Huainan, contracted the virus in Wuhanwhich has a direct flight route to Baliand was carrying the virus while staying on the resort island. Read also: Govt downplays reports of Chinese tourist who tested positive for coronavirus after Bali sojourn The incident shows that screening at airports may not be effective, and thats perhaps not entirely the governments fault, since carriers of the virus may show no symptoms at all. It was later revealed that at least three other foreign nationalstwo Japanese and a New Zealanderwho were coronavirus-positive had recently visited or transited in Indonesia. So, it is wrong to say that the coronavirus has yet to reach Indonesia. It already did. It just went undetectedat least four times! This is already a cause for concern. The disease, while less deadly than its relative, SARS, is highly contagious, and Indonesia is not immune to it. At least 11 Indonesians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 overseas. It is therefore highly likely that some Indonesians contracted the virus but went undetected because many cases, as a recent study shows, are only mild, while the government apparently only tests people suspected of having severe cases of the disease. Indonesias Balitbangkes, the sole agency tasked with testing suspected coronavirus patients, has only concluded around 140 lab tests. To put things in perspective, as of Feb. 26, the United Kingdom has conducted 7,132 tests, 13 of which have come back positive. It appears that the problem lies with the fact that the government is worried more about the social and economic impact of a mass hysteria created by the virus outbreak than the outbreak itself, which poses an extremely serious threat to public health. Read also: State budget deficit to widen as government counters virus effects: Sri Mulyani This attitude was evident when Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto came without masks or any safety protocol to a Jakarta building in which a Chinese man was believed to have the coronavirus. The man only had a sore throat, the minister said, telling reporters to be careful in reporting unsettling information. Since then, Indonesia, according to the minister, has been virus-free, even though public information regarding suspected COVID-19 cases has been quite limited, with news of prominent cases usually broken down by the media. In the meantime, officials are scrambling to cushion the economic impacts of the outbreak by spending millions of dollars to subsidize tourism and even pay foreign social media influencers (about US$5.2 million) to bring foreign tourists to virus-free Indonesia. The problem is, many have cast doubt on our claim that we are not affected by the outbreak (Saudi Arabia has imposed a travel ban on Indonesian travelers, by the way). If anything, people worldwide are advised to avoid traveling, especially when the virus is fast spreading all over the world. Such an incentive is a waste of money at best. Since we only impose a travel ban on China, the policy could further expose us to contagion from other countries that are struggling to contain the virus, such as South Korea, Iran and Italy. Read also: Indonesia pressured to do more to detect coronavirus amid zero reported cases One may argue that the incentives were primarily aimed at encouraging local tourists, but how sure are we that we have done what it takes to contain COVID-19? Other countries have locked down cities, shut down schools and amusement parks, canceled Friday prayers and sport events just to be safe. What have we done? With the outbreak expected to slash growth by around 0.3 percentage points, the governments attempt to protect the economy is understandable. But it must get its priorities right: We could be facing an imminent pandemic. It just makes no sense that the government refused to conduct throat swab tests on Indonesian students evacuated from Wuhan for financial reasons (one official bizarrely claimed that the reagent used for the test cost Rp 1 billion or about $71,548), but is paying millions of dollars to some YouTubers to boost tourism. To be clear, I am no health expert who could precisely tell the severity of the COVID-19 situation in Indonesia. But as a citizen, I am now more concerned by the lack of transparency and seriousness in how the government is handling the situation. I could be wrong, but as the old adage goes: Prevention is better than cure. Then followed a series of political alignments, realignments and yet more realignments, with every half-day seeming to bring a new political reality. By Saturday morning, it appeared that the remains of the Alliance of Hope, which Mr. Mahathir had cobbled together out of disparate political forces including Malay nationalists, Chinese reformists and liberal Islamists had coalesced around the nonagenarian ruler yet again. But with horse-trading still continuing, the king announced on Saturday afternoon that he had met with the nations lawmakers and determined that the majority supported Mr. Muhyiddins candidacy for prime minister. I would like to express my thanks, thanks to Allah, that I have been given the appointment, said Mr. Muhyiddin, 72. Mr. Muhyiddin, who has stated that he is a Malay first in multiethnic Malaysia, is a leader of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party, which Mr. Mahathir had helmed until less than a week ago. As the Alliance of Hope fractured, the party stepped across the divide to partner with the United Malays National Organization, or U.M.N.O., the corruption-dogged party that had dominated Malaysian politics for decades. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28) The country's envoy to the United States disclosed Friday that there are efforts to craft a military agreement that could possibly replace the Visiting Forces Agreement which is being abrogated by the Philippines. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Babe Romualdez told a media forum that he is in talks with his counterpart, Ambassador Sung Kim, as well as members of the military, to see if the VFA "can be polished" or improved. The resulting proposal will then be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte, he said. "We are now in the process of trying to find ways and means to be able to see how we can either come up with something similar, perhaps, again, still following the President's thinking about the sovereignty issue," Romualdez said. He added that they are now studying the possibility of using the Philippines' forces agreements with Japan and Australia as templates for a new deal with the US. "These are the two existing agreements we have with other countries and at the moment I am not at liberty to say what or where we are but that this is being studied and the recommendation will be made to the President," Romualdez said. The VFA, a 1998 agreement between Manila and Washington, legally allows the entry of a large number of American troops, exempting them from passport and visa regulations so they can participate in joint military drills in the Philippines. EXPLAINER: The Visiting Forces Agreement Upon Duterte's order on February 11, Foreign Affairs Secretary Tedoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. sent the US a notice to terminate the VFA marking the start of the 180-day period after which it will be effectively scrapped. Malacanang said the President wants the Philippines to rely on its own but that he remains open to entering VFAs with other countries based on equality, fairness, and mutual benefit. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo also said there's nothing the US government could do to "salvage" the VFA. But Romualdez is now saying he's been told that "the door is not totally shut." He said the proposal he is working on with US counterparts will be an option for the President to consider. "But again the bottom line always falls on sovereignty and that is the reason why it is a very ticklish and very sensitive issue for both our countries in discussing what we want to do in moving forward," Romualdez said. Among the reasons cited by the Duterte administration for abrogating the VFA are the US government's cancellation of Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa's tourist visa, supposedly for his involvement in alleged extrajudicial killings when he was Philippine National Police chief, and the American lawmakers' repeated demands for the release of Senator Leila de Lima a staunch Duterte critic detained on drug charges. Romualdez revealed that US Senator Edward Markey one of the officials calling for De Lima's release even warned him last year that there will be serious consequences "if anything happens to Senator De Lima." He then recalled telling the American lawmaker that there are also risks in continuing to call for De Lima's release, noting that her cases are being tried by Philippine courts. Romualdez added that contrary to US President Donald Trump's earlier statement shrugging off the termination of the VFA, Pentagon officials are actually "extremely concerned" about what would happen next. He also cast doubts that Duterte will also move to scrap the Mutual Defense Treaty, saying Panelo's earlier statement hinting at such development was "vague" since he based it on the President's "body language." Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, however, believes the President is also targeting to junk the MDT, which states that each country would come to the defense of the other in case of an attack by a foreign country, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows the US military to maintain barracks and weapons storage structures inside five Philippine military camps. He shared other legal experts' opinion that both deals are useless without the VFA. By PTI SINGAPORE: Singapore on Saturday confirmed four new patients of coronavirus, taking the total number of cases to 102, according to the nation's health ministry. The new cases, which include a domestic worker from the Philippines, were all linked to the Wizlearn Technologies cluster, a technology hub here, Channel News Asia quoted a statement from the health ministry as saying. ALSO READ: Coronavirus outbreak - How it has impacted the world and what you must do The deadly virus epidemic which broke out in China has so far claimed the lives of 2,835 people while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 79,251, Chinese health officials said on Saturday. The virus has also spread across the world, with a rising number of cases reported in more than 50 countries and territories, the report said. Before Emily Kubik welcomed her daughter Elodie in July 2016, she had no idea that her little girl would be born with an incurable genetic connective tissue disorder called epidermolysis bullosa (EB). Affecting just one in 20,000 births in the US, kids born with EB are known as Butterfly Children - because their skin is so fragile, it resembles the wings of a butterfly. "As soon as Elodie was born, she was bleeding a little bit from her lips and a place on her leg," Emily told POPSUGAR. "They took her back to wash her off, and a bunch of skin on her ankle just came off. The doctors immediately realized something was wrong. She was born at the hospital where I live in Connecticut, but they transferred her to Yale New Haven Hospital right away." Related: Mom Gives Birth to Son Who Is 13 Ounces A Mom Sacrificed Her Health to Keep Her 13-Ounce Son Alive, and Their Story Is Beautiful Eventually, Elodie was further diagnosed with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), a specific type of EB caused by a lack of collagen protein, which makes her skin incredibly fragile and extremely prone to blisters and skin loss. Although Emily and her husband, Dave, want to do everything in their power to help their daughter, wrapping their heads around such a rare condition was difficult at first. "RDEB is one of the most severe types of EB to have," Emily explained. "Elodie has a life expectancy of 30. For the first few days, everyone kept telling us not to Google it. I remember spending the first two days not even learning the full name of the condition. I knew that if I had that information, I'd look it up. The realization of what it really meant for her to have EB came over time. I understand the ramifications, and I understand the severity." "She'll be sitting there literally begging me not to take the bandages off, but I have no choice." Now that Elodie's 3-and-a-half years old, her family has gotten into a routine with managing her condition, which requires a lot of daily maintenance. She also uses special products, such as a MicroSilk bathtub, which uses tiny bubbles to oxygenate and exfoliate Elodie's skin. Story continues "We used to have to change her bandages twice a day, but now we're down to once a day," Emily said. "We have a routine every night where we take her bandages off to get into the tub, which is the most painful part of the day. They can stick, so it's literally like ripping off a Band-Aid, it can really hurt. She'll be sitting there literally begging me not to take the bandages off, but I have no choice." Elodie then soaks in the MicroSilk for 20 minutes, which helps keeps her skin clean and less itchy. And while Elodie's nightly routine is certainly complicated, Emily feels fortunate that she and Dave can apply Elodie's bandages as efficiently as possible due to the exfoliation effects from the tub, coupled with the fact that they've both had years of practice. "We're actually lucky; for many EB families it can take a couple of hours to put all the bandages on," she said. "We can get it done in a half hour." Since getting Elodie's diagnosis, the Kubik family has made an an effort to raise both awareness and money for the cause. Emily has been working with the nonprofit organization EB Research Partnership to find a cure for Elodie and others like her. "The best thing that we can do for our daughter is to be part of the solution in finding her cure, which means making sure that research gets funded," she said. "I understand why [other parents of kids with EB] may not be able to focus their efforts on fundraising, because it's a very challenging disease to manage, but we have the bandwidth to do that." Emily and her loved ones have also organized an event that helps bring attention to EB, called the "Plunge For Elodie," in which individuals run into freezing cold water - or cheer from the beach! - to raise money for the cause. Although they started small with one location in the program's infancy back in 2018, this year the events will take place in Wellesley, MA; Staten Island, NY; Old Greenwich, CT; and San Francisco, CA, on March 7 and 8. "There are actually a lot of things to be very hopeful about." As her daughter's advocate, Emily has put all of her effort into taking control of Elodie's diagnosis. "We focused on finding a cure very early on," Emily said. "There are actually a lot of things to be very hopeful about. EB is a mutation in a single gene, so doctors understand how her disease works. If you look at what's happening in the medical field right now, the diseases that are going to be the first rare genetic diseases to be cured are those that have a single mutation in one gene." Currently, Emily and her team have raised $203,319 of their $300,000 goal for the EB Research Partnership. To join one of the events or make a donation to the Plunge For Elodie, head to its website. An international journalism festival which was scheduled to hold this April in Perugia, Italy, has been cancelled because of coronavirus. Nigerian journalists, including the Managing Editor of Premium Times, Idris Akinbajo, were expected to speak at the five-day event which would have attracted journalists from around the world. We announce the cancellation of the 2020 International Journalism Festival due to the public health risks caused by COVID-19, the festival organisers said Saturday in a statement posted on its website. We know that this decision will cause inconvenience for many and have negative financial consequences for some but we believe it would be irresponsible to act in any other way given current circumstances. The health and safety of festival speakers, attendees, volunteers, staff, suppliers as well as that of the citizens of Perugia is and must remain our top priority, the statement said. We make this announcement today, one month before the start of the festival, because we are convinced that the entire festival community will benefit from an end to the uncertainty. Please note that the festival is being cancelled, not postponed. The scenario has changed significantly over the past two or three days. Until the middle of this week we were cautiously optimistic that the festival would go ahead as planned. The rapidly deteriorating public health situation has obliged us to take the decision to cancel. The festival is now expected to hold in 2021. We hope all those who were intending to participate in the 2020 festival will be able to come to Perugia for the 2021 festival. READ ALSO: This is a sad day for the festival but we hope to return even stronger and more united for the 2021 festival and beyond, the statement. Italys death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 21, according to a news report by the UK Guardian. Forty-nine countries, including Nigeria, have confirmed cases of infection. The World Health Organisation says most countries, if not all, are at risk. The leaders of Russia and Turkey held crisis talks Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an air strike in Syria, as Ankara ramped up pressure on Europe by threatening to flood in migrants. The United States and United Nations urged an end to the Russian-backed Syrian offensive against rebel holdouts, but Turkey appeared intent on easing tensions with Moscow by pinning the blame squarely on President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The flare-up raised fresh concerns for civilians caught up in the escalation of the horrific eight-year civil war, with the UN saying nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced in the bitter cold by the fighting since December. Thirty-three Turkish troops were killed late Thursday in the air strike in the northwestern province of Idlib, in the biggest single loss of life by the Turkish military in years. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone and looked to scale down tensions, with the Kremlin saying the two expressed "serious concern" about the situation. "There is always room for dialogue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said the two leaders spoke of "the necessity to do everything" to implement a 2018 ceasefire that has since collapsed between the two countries in Idlib. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Before the killing of troops, Erdogan spoke of a meeting with Putin on March 5 but said it would also include the leaders of France and Germany. US President Donald Trump condemned the attack on Turkish troops in a call with Erdogan and again urged Russia and Syria to halt the Idlib operation, the White House said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the attack "despicable and brazen" and said the US was looking at ways to support Turkey, a NATO ally that has recently drifted from the West. A senior US official, while acknowledging that Turkey had blamed the Assad regime for the strike, said that Russia closely planned all operations with Syria. "Russia is responsible for this offensive -- period," the official said in Washington on condition of anonymity. The idea of the "pathetic, keelhauled, draftee Assad military forces fighting the Turks and some of the opposition forces... is laughable," he said. Turkey said it retaliated by hitting more than 200 regime targets in drone and artillery bombardments. The reprisals killed 45 Syrian soldiers in Idlib, according to a monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There was no confirmation from the Syrian government. Rebel and Turkish fire also killed 10 fighters from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by Iran that is supporting Assad, the Observatory said, adding that Russian strikes killed seven civilians. Adding to the tensions, Moscow said two of its warships were transiting through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul in plain sight of the city. At emergency talks on Friday, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that Moscow was "ready to de-escalate with anyone who wants to" in Idlib. The UN has repeatedly warned that the fighting in Idlib could potentially create the most serious humanitarian crisis since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world body was planning to send a humanitarian mission there. Diplomats said the mission to Idlib could start next week and include representatives of major UN agencies. "The most pressing need is an immediate ceasefire before the situation gets entirely out of control," Guterres told reporters. But Russian vetoes, often backed by China, have chronically crippled UN action. Turkey again called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone over Idlib, where Islamist fighters backed by Ankara pose the biggest obstacle to Assad seizing back control over all of Syria. On Thursday, jihadists and Turkish-backed rebels had re-entered Saraqeb, a key Idlib crossroads town they had lost earlier in February -- reversing one of the main gains of the government's devastating offensive. Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun accused Assad on Twitter of "conducting ethnic cleansing" to drive millions out of Idlib, but said Turkey does not have the resources to accept more refugees. Turkey has already taken in around four million Syrians and is wary of more arrivals in the face of growing popular discontent about their presence. In a move seen as putting pressure on the West, Turkey threatened to go back on a deal with the EU and open the way for refugees to go into Europe. "We will no longer keep the doors closed for refugees who want to go to Europe," a Turkish official told AFP. In response, both Bulgaria and Greece said they were tightening border security as groups of migrants moved westwards across Turkey. Greek border guards blocked hundreds of migrants from entering the country at the Kastanies border crossing in the northeast of the country as army trucks loaded with barbed wire raced past. The EU called on Ankara to uphold its side of the 2016 migrant pact, in which the Europeans offered six billion euros in exchange for Turkey stemming the flow of migrants who had triggered a major backlash in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Friday disclosed that his foray into partisan politics came with a vow never to deceive those who elected him. According to the Senate President, his decision to be transparent in his dealings as a lawmaker stems from his determination to deliver effective representation to his people, and by extension in service to the nation. Lawan stated this during the conferment of a traditional title of Mukaddam of Nguru in Yobe by the Nguru Emirate Council. The people of Zone C gave me the opportunity to serve them, and Ill remain eternally grateful for that opportunity. I made a promise when I entered into politics, or partisan politics in 1998, when I served as Vice Chairman of the All Peoples Party (APP) in Yobe. But in 1999 when I was elected as a member of the House of Representatives, I promised that I will not deceive the people who elected me. I will always tell them the truth, even if it is bitter, and I will do my best at all times to represent them very well. Im still on that, and thank God from my federal constituency, to the larger Yobe North zone C, I have understood my people and my people understand me, the Senate President said. After his conferment of the traditional title of Mukaddam of Nguru by the Emir of Nguru, Lawan disclosed that plans were underway to establish a skill acquisition Centre in Yobe North senatorial district. Family members of the two Dalit men who were thrashed in Nagaur district met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday and expressed satisfaction over police action in the matter, a day after his deputy Sachin Pilot criticised the government over crime against Dalits in the state. A delegation led by Sangharsh Samiti convener Gautam Nayak met the chief minister at his official residence here and said they were satisfied with the police action in the case. According to sources, the family members of the victims were also present in the meeting and police took prompt action in the matter. Former Nagaur MP Jyoti Mirdha was also present at the meeting. According to the police, the incident took place on February 16 at a motorcycle service agency in Karanu village falling under Panchodi police station area. The staffers of the agency attacked the Dalits after accusing them of committing theft. The brutal incident came to light after a video of the assault went viral. In the video, a group of men was seen thrashing two persons with rubber belts. They later tortured one of the victims by pouring petrol on his private parts with a piece of cloth wrapped on a screwdriver. Eight people have so far been arrested in the case. The state government has already announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh each and arrangements for getting them jobs at local level will also be made, a source said. Besides, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Panchodi police station has been shunted to police lines after the matter was raised in the Assembly. Pilot, who is a also the state Congress chief had formed a committee comprising a minister, an MLA and a party office bearer which submitted a report to him recently. Pilot submitted the report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. On Saturday, he sounded critical of his own party's government over the recent crimes against Dalits and the failure of the state home ministry, a portfolio held by Chief Minister Gehlot, in controlling them. "The way the spurt in crimes against Dalits have been reported, it was our duty to control these crimes and instill confidence in Dalits that it would not happen again," Pilot had said in Jodhpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CME witnessed the participation of around 400 doctors from Mumbai Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai organized a CME regarding various neurological disorders such as Stroke, Parkinsons, Epilepsy and Brain Tumour. The CME witnessed the participation of around 400 doctors from Mumbai, who got an opportunity to attend the interactive and educative sessions, and learn how to manage neurological disorders more efficiently. Time is Brain was the message given through this conference. Neurological disorders are diseases that affect the brain the spinal cord and nerve muscles. Today, the number of people suffering from neurological disorders is increasing at a rapid rate. To help people deal with them, Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, took a much-needed initiative to reduce the increasing burden of neurological disorders and improve the quality of life of patients. Dr. Shirish Hastak, Regional Director, Neurology, Stroke and Neurocritical Care, Global Hospital, Mumbai, said, the Neurosciences Update 2020, was lauded and attended by general practitioners in large numbers. The sole motto of this CME was to educate the doctors about life-changing neurological disorders such as Stroke, Parkinsons, Epilepsy and Brain Tumour. Informative sessions about interventions when it comes to ischemic stroke and current guidelines, how window opportunity in certain ischemic stroke patients can be extended up to 24 hours (in selected cases), improving quality of life in Parkinsons disease with deep brain stimulation (DBS), how endoscopic surgery can help tackle problem, and how surgery can help in epilepsy were conducted by renowned doctors. He added, My session was about pupils window to the brain. Pupils tell you what happens inside an unconscious patients brain. We are one of the few hospitals in India with an electrode pupillometry to access changes in brain function. Timely treatment with a proper assessment of pupils can help save a stroke patients life. Global Hospital relentlessly works for providing better healthcare to the patients. The hospital is committed to providing round-the-clock care, cutting edge technology, and expertise to help people fight various fatal conditions, and get back on track. The hospital comes up with interesting initiative, drives and campaigns to educate people, and help them take charge of their health. This initiative by the hospital has received a good response from the doctors. The doctors will be able to guide patients regarding the surgery, medications, other available treatments, and how can a patient lead a normal life after neurological problems. In the near future, the hospital is determined to conduct more awareness programs like this one, Dr. Vivek Talaulikar, Chief Executive Officer, Global Hospital, Mumbai. SATURDAY 2/29 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. MONDAY 3/2 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Monday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. TUESDAY 3/3 >> Sexaholics Anonymous, a 12 Step recovery group for those dealing with addiction to pornography, sex, and other forms of lust, meets Tuesday nights at 5:45 p.m. For more information call our toll free number 1-877-889-8071 .or visit sanebraska.org. WEDNESDAY 3/4 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Wednesday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. THURSDAY 3/5 PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-29 01:16:40 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 361 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2020 / Gratomic Inc. ("GRAT" or the "Company") (TSXV:GRAT)(FRANKFURT:CB81) (WKN:A143MR) announces that Arno Brand has resigned as Co-CEO of the Company. Mr. Brand will remain a director of the Company and continue to act as an adviser to the Company for the completion of its processing plant in Namibia. Sheldon Inwentash, Executive Chairman and CEO of the Company stated: "I would like to thank Arno for his service to the Company as Co-CEO." About Gratomic Inc.Gratomic is an advanced materials company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products most notably high value graphene-based components for a range of mass market products. We have a JV collaborating with Perpetuus Carbon Technology, a leading European manufacturer of graphenes, to use Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on an industrial scale. The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GRAT.For more information: visit the website at www.gratomic.ca or contact:Jakson Inwentash, Director 416-454-9892 E-mail inquiries: jinwentash@ threedcap.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." FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com) SOURCE: Gratomic Inc. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma on Saturday said that FIRs have been lodged against as many as 141 persons involved in cheating racket who facilitate mass copying off notes and guides in UP's Board of High School and Intermediate exams, commonly referred to as 'board exams'. "Our campaign is against such mafias who have made this (facilitating copying) a business. FIRs have been registered against 141 persons and they will be sent to jail soon," Sharma, who also holds the portfolio, said while speaking to ANI here. Sharma was on an inspection visit to Sri Krishna Pandey Girls Inter College in Basti district. Notably, the state government has set up a state-level 'monitoring and control room' for CCTV surveillance to prevent mass cheating during the exams. "We have installed around 1.90 lakh CCTV cameras for keeping a tight vigil on the conducting of board examination," Sharma, who also holds the portfolio, said. The Board of High School and Intermediate Education conducts pan-state exams for classes 10th and 12th. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday gave financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Dalbir Singh, resident of Pauri, who died in the Delhi violence. Dalbir Singh was from Rokhra village Rokhra in Chakisain Tehsil of Pauri district. The Chief Minister expressed grief over the death of Dilwar Singh in the Delhi violence. At least 42 people have died and more than 200 people have sustained serious injuries in the communal violence that rocked north-east Delhi for four days. Two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) have been constituted under the Delhi Police's Crime Branch to investigate the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned top party officials of the "serious consequences" of failing to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country, state media reported Saturday. The impoverished nation, with a weak and ill-equipped healthcare system, has closed its borders to prevent the spread of the disease into its territory. Kim told a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea that the fight against the virus was a "crucial state affair for the defence of the people" that required maximum discipline, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences," KCNA quoted Kim as saying. Two senior officials -- party vice-chairmen Ri Man Gon and Pak Thae Dok -- were sacked, and a party unit disbanded for corruption, the report said, indicating that they might have been involved in graft linked with the anti-epidemic measures. "No special cases must be allowed," Kim added and ordered officials to "seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way". Pyongyang has not reported a single case of COVID-19, which has killed more than 2,800 people and infected over 84,000 people in dozens of countries since it emerged in neighbouring China. North Korea has banned tourists, suspended international trains and flights and placed hundreds of foreigners in quarantine to prevent an outbreak. It has also reportedly postponed the new school term. With loudspeakers blaring hygiene messages, ambassadors locked in their compounds, and state media demanding "absolute obedience", North Korea's anti-coronavirus measures have been described as "unprecedented" by diplomats. South Korea, meanwhile, is battling a major outbreak of the virus with more than 2,300 cases -- the highest number outside mainland China. Germany's ambassador to the United Nations has said the Security Council would adopt humanitarian exemptions to the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its weapons programmes, and allow the export of equipment to help North Korea fight the coronavirus. But "the problem is that right now the North Koreans closed the borders," Christoph Heusgen said Thursday after a closed-door Security Council meeting about the reclusive state. The members of the Security Council called on North Korea "to allow this equipment in. So the population can be protected," he added, without elaborating on the type of equipment. Also read: Coronavirus: India temporarily suspends visa on arrival for Japanese, Korean nationals Also read: Panic Mat-Carona! Anand Mahindra searches new phrase for stock market crash Matty Mullins, front man of the popular metalcore band, Memphis May Fire, has partnered with Black River Christian to release his new CCM single, "No Hold On Me," which is available now here. "From the very first notes of 'No Hold On Me,' we knew this song was something special," shares Brian Thiele, VP, National Promotions of Black River Christian. "It's powerful message and massive hook draw you in, keep you engaged, and make you want to listen again and again! We are honored to partner with Matty and be a part of this journey." "Christian music has been a constant reminder of God's goodness in my life, so having the opportunity to write songs like this is such a blessing," explains Matty Mullins. "I'm so thankful that Black River Christian will be releasing this song to the world. Working with a new label is much like joining a new family & I've never felt more at home. May the Lord be glorified whenever & wherever this song is played!" For more than a decade as the frontman for Memphis May Fire, Mullins is no stranger to the industry. He has been able to share his faith-based positivity with large secular crowds all over the world as they perform more than 250 dates a year. He has previously released two CCM-based projects: Matty Mullins (2014) and Unstoppable (2017) with much success on both projects. In 2017, Mullins released the single, "Unstoppable (feat. Jordan Feliz)," to Christian radio and had a Top 5 hit on the Hot AC/CHR chart after being the highest debut single in the Top 30. An official said it was incredibly dangerous to cram the migrants into the roof box (Picture: Home Office) A man who tried to smuggle three Vietnamese nationals into the UK inside his crammed car roof box has been jailed for three years. Robert Rooney, 35, attempted to hide the migrants, including a 15-year-old girl, from authorities on October 5 last year in Coquelles, France. The three people were discovered when Border Force officers in the UK controlled zone stopped the Ford Focus and forced open the box. Pictures released by the Home Office show how cramped the conditions were inside the container. Read more: Fly-tipper fined 1,500 for dumping waste next to bins Three Vietnamese migrants were crammed into the car roof box (Picture: Home Office) They were found by UK Border Force officers in France (Picture: Home Office) Irishman Rooney, of Edmonton Green, London, was initially asked to open the roof box but claimed he had lost the keys. Officers then partially forced it open and saw the were people inside. Rooney was immediately arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry into the UK and when officers searched him, they found two keys to the roof box. Dan Scully, Border Force regional director, said this type of smuggling was incredibly dangerous and puts lives at risk. He said: Crammed into a confined space inside the roof box must have been terrifying. It is thanks to the vigilance of Border Force officers that they were discovered and that Rooney was caught. Border Force officers will continue to work with law enforcement colleagues here and in France to ensure that smugglers face the full consequences of their crimes. Read more: Speeding motorist killed girl, 8, while she was crossing road with her grandmother Robert Rooney who has been jailed for three years at Canterbury Crown Court (Picture: PA) Deputy director Dave Fairclough, from Immigration Enforcements Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team, added: Rooney deliberately placed three people in an extremely precarious situation. He was prepared to turn a blind eye to the obvious risks as long as he was benefiting. He has rightly been handed a custodial sentence. The message to the callous criminals engaged in immigration related criminality is clear you will be caught and the consequences will be severe. Story continues Read more: M25 shut after woman is killed in suspected hit and run Rooney pleaded guilty to facilitating a breach of the UKs immigration laws and was sentenced on Friday at Canterbury Crown Court to three years in prison. The three Vietnamese nationals involved in the case were handed to the French Police Aux Frontieres. An alleged member of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), who was absconding for the last 18 years on Saturday surrendered before the police here. In 2001, a case was registered against Mohammad Iliyaas allegedly for anti-law activities. He was produced before a local court here today which sent him to jail till March 13. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Department of Health is not operating on the assumption that unidentified coronavirus is circulating in Ireland, its chief medical officer has insisted. However, it is likely that another case or cases of Covid-19 could be imported into Ireland, Dr Tony Holohan said. Everyone who had been in close contact with a woman diagnosed with the novel coronavirus here was traced and notified, he said. The woman was on an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin Airport from northern Italy and used public transport, most likely the train, to return home to Belfast. A small number of people who would have been in close contact with the individual would have been given the appropriate advice, said Dr Holohan. The public was responding in the way they wanted. They were, identifying themselves if they thought they were infected, he said. Learn about hand hygiene and preventing the spread of Covid-19 (#Coronavirus) pic.twitter.com/ZEvMIbt3ZE HSE Ireland (@HSELive) February 28, 2020 We think it is likely that another case, or cases, could be imported into this country, in much the same way as the case occurred in Northern Ireland, he said. We have had no confirmed cases, but we do think it is likely that a case could occur here in the way that one arose yesterday (Thursday), said Dr Holohan. We have been saying that all along. It is neither going to surprise us nor change anything in terms of what we do. Dr Holohan said an event similar to the one in Italy is now has a moderate to high likelihood of occurrence in countries across the European region. But we are not operating on the assumption that there is unidentified infection circulating in the country, he said. He also said confirmation of the first case of Covid-19 on the island of Ireland did not change existing plans already in place. All of the extensive preparedness plans during this period of containment were focused on picking up a case. Ultimately, it depends on an individual with symptoms travelling back from an affected area identifying themselves and contacting the local health authorities, he said. That was exactly what happened in case of thepatient currently in isolation in Northern Ireland andreceiving treatment, he told a media briefing. Director of the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre, Dr John Cuddihy, said all stages of the womans journey had been identified. Dr Holohan said close contact involved either face-to-face contact, or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person. He said the risk of transmission through casual contact was low. Dr Holohan also assured the public that the department is being as open as it could be about developments, but could not give information the that might constitute a risk of to an individuals someones privacy. If you have returned from a country or region with spread of COVID-19 (#coronavirus) visit our website for advice. https://t.co/29felTHXMn pic.twitter.com/0UPKgJ25L4 HSE Ireland (@HSELive) February 27, 2020 The department said it also wanted to work with organisations like Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, which is in a position to get the message out to specific groups. Of course we would be anxious to work with people in that way, he said. CFI chief executive of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland Philip Watt wrote to Dr Holohan on Thursday asking him to address several concerns. He wanted to know what contingency plans the department had for people with cystic fibrosis and long-term or chronic respiratory conditions, in the event of a rapid escalation of Covid-19. Mr Watt said organisations like Cystic Fibrosis Ireland which who represented at-risk groups needed to be involved in the planning, and not just be told what to do. We want to have a broader community strategy to be drawn up so that in the event of an escalation of Covid-19, groups like ours could contribute to containing the virus, he said. The window of opportunity to do that is probably two to three weeks. The Department of Health is not operating on the assumption that unidentified coronavirus is circulating in Ireland, its chief medical officer has insisted. After recovery of the bodies of four family members from a house in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district, an autopsy report confirmed that the man died by hanging and his two children were strangled to death, an official said on Saturday. The cause of death of the woman could not be ascertained and the viscera has been preserved for testing in a laboratory, Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani told PTI. Dhiraj Tyagi (27) was found hanging at his home in Sanjay Colony Arthla in the Sahibabad by a neighbour on Friday morning. The bodies of Tyagi's wife Kajal (25), and children Ekta (4) and Dhuruv (2) were found lying on a bed, police said. Prima facie, it seems that Tyagi strangled his wife, daughter and son and then committed suicide after scribbling a message in Hindi on the wall of his home, suggesting that Kajal was having an affair, they said. Tyagi named a man, saying he "loved Kajal very much". "Kajal used to talk with other men on the phone," he wrote, and added that he tried to dissuade her from doing so, police said. The man also wrote that Kajal used to consume alcohol, and scribbled three phone numbers on the wall, they said. An investigation is underway and the call details of three mobile phone numbers scribbled in suicide note by Tyagi are being checked, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, potentially helping President Donald Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its 'endless wars.' The deal was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks. If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, which had hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as they planned and celebrated the assault. The Taliban itself, though a violent group inside Afghanistan, isn't believed to have directly engaged in international terrorism against the West. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sign the US-Taliban peace agreement during a ceremony in the Qatari capital Doha today US envoy Khalilzad (left) and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar shake hands after signing the peace agreement US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the leader of the Taliban delegation, both gave remarks Officials mingle after the agreement signing between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar on Saturday Pompeo says the U.S. is 'realistic' about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is 'seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation.' Speaking after the signing ceremony in Qatar, Pompeo said he was still angry about the 9/11 attacks that were planned by al-Qaeda under Taliban protection in Afghanistan. Pompeo said the U.S. will not 'squander' what its soldiers 'have won through blood, sweat and tears.' He said the U.S. will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban do not comply with the agreement. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile traveled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. For Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy. 'Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan,' the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. 'It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan.' Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan 'to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation.' 'The biggest thing is that we hope the U.S. remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal,' said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group. Though the US are planning to withdraw, there are still more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner. Germany has the next largest contingent after the US, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. Sources told the MailOnline there will be no immediate change to British military presence in the country. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. Afghans in Kabul watch a live TV broadcast at a restaurant during the signing ceremony between the U.S. and the Taliban U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (second from left), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani (center), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (center right) and Taliban co-founder and deputy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) are seen during signing ceremony of peace agreement between US and Taliban US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani attend the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha today Members of the Taliban delegation gather ahead of an agreement signing between them and U.S. officials in Doha today Members of the Taliban delegation pray ahead of an agreement signing between them and US officials in Doha today Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as ambassador to Pakistan during the Taliban's rule, speaks to the media in Doha, Qatar today Mujahid said it was 'irritating and provocative' that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand-down. For millions of Afghans, the deal represents some hope for an end to years of bloodshed. 'Peace is extremely simple and my country deserves it. Today is the day when maybe we will see a positive change,' said Javed Hassan, 38, a school teacher living on the outskirts of Afghan capital, Kabul. Hassan's children were killed in a bomb blast carried out by the Taliban in 2018. Since then, he has been writing letters to world leaders urging them to end the Afghan war. President George W. Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. Ahead of the peace deal this week, Pompeo privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department that he was going only because Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha today. Washington and the Taliban are set to sign a landmark deal in Doha that would see them agree to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its 'endless wars' in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts Fighting group: This was the Taliban shortly before the 9/11 attacks. The group seized power and became the Afghan government by 1996, before the US led invasion which toppled them in the wake of the atrocities which hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93 Is this the future? General Austin Miller, the most senior US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, walked the streets of Kabul without body armor this week and posed for selfies as the 'reduction in violence' took hold Dozens of Taliban members meanwhile held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. 'Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah,' said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its 'endless wars' in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. U.S. troops are to be withdrawn to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following Saturday's signing. Further drawdowns are to depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, compliance that will be assessed by the United States. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand with their weapons in Ahmad Aba district on the outskirts of Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, on July 18, 2017 In this file photo taken on September 12, 2006 US soldiers salute during a ceremony at Bagram air base north of Kabul In this file photo, an Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Goble, a U.S. Special Forces soldier who died in Afghanistan in December 2019 The U.S. has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the U.S. has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the U.S. air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day 'reduction of violence' period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. 'We have seen a significant reduction in violence in Afghanistan over the last days, and therefore we are also very close to the signing of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban,' NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday in Brussels. He will be in Kabul later Saturday for a separate signing ceremony with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper. That signing is intended to show continuing NATO and U.S. support for Afghanistan. 'The road to peace will be long and hard and there will be setbacks, and there is a risk always for spoilers,' Stoltenberg said. 'But the thing is, we are committed, the Afghan people are committed to peace, and we will continue to provide support.' A midcentury modern boutique hotel is not quite what you would expect to find off the beaten path in Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas. The beauty of the Fredonia Hotel is rooted in its rich historic origins. The hotel opened in 1955 as the crowning jewel of the town. Peer back into the hotels storied past and youll find it was one of the most unique "community-owned hotels" in America, financed completely by the citizens of Nacogdoches. From the color of the brick to the hotels name, Nacogdoches residents had a hand in selecting all the finer details of this Texas inn. After rescuers came to the scene, the pedestrian was taken to a hospital with trauma-related injuries to his head and body, and he was pronounced dead there, police said. 29.02.2020 LISTEN An educational system that places more premium on academic and career development than on character or moral development is a flawed educational system, and with the recent spate of growing hooliganism in our higher educational institutions in Ghana, it can fairly be said that we are treading a very dangerous path towards our nation's development. The youth in every nation is said to be the future of the nation, and if the current youth in most of our tertiary institutions in Ghana falls in the category of the youth which are tipped as the future of this country, then certainly Ghana has no future. Why do I make such a wild assertion? This is not based on emotions, but as a conclusion of the logical inferences made based on the growing trend of vandalism witnessed over the years in most of our tertiary institutions in Ghana. Ghana has been battling the rise and usage of vigilantes over the years. This is because vigilantism breeds general insecurities in the nation, especially during electioneering periods. Common of the works of these vigilantes are destructing properties of political opponents, stealing of ballot boxes and the promotion of things that basically mars the beauty of electoral processes. Due to the general insecurities caused by the insurgencies of these vigilantes who are mostly owned by political overlords, most political parties in Ghana adopted a policy in 2019 that sought to disband any such group as politically owned and sponsored vigilante groups. This is because vigilantes are best known for their hooliganism or Vandalism. The disdain that greeted the Ayawaso by-elections violence in Ghana in 2019 showed how obnoxious the works of vigilante groups are abhorred by the nation and most of its citizens. Despite lessons learnt from these instances of the atrocities of vigilantism and vandalism in Ghana, the war against vigilantism and vandalism has not yet started, to talk less of ending it. This is because the set of people who are supposed to be the intellectuals and to give hope that hooliganism is nearing its end are rather fueling it, making it difficult to believe there is a better and brighter end in sight. In the 2016/2017 academic year JCRC (Junior Common Room Council) Hall Week celebrations in the University of Cape Coast, Atlantic Hall, which were celebrating their Hall Week, had a brutal clash with Oguaa Hall on a very quiet unreasonable issue which violence should have never been a part of the approaches in resolving the situation at hand. The clash led to the destruction of lives as one affiliate of the Oguaa Hall till date has become paralyzed, and the destruction of properties worth millions of Ghana cedis being a cost to foot by the University. Common brutal attacks between the affiliates of the Casley Hayford Hall (CASFORD) and the Atlantic Hall (ATL) both in the University of Cape Coast has become a normal irresponsible act participated often by students who should be focused on their main purpose of being admitted into the University, but No. If it is for the sake of disagreement or discontentment, when did violence become an answer? This is not the beginning of it, hooliganism amongst students across the length and breadth of the various tertiary institutions in Ghana has become widespread and very troubling, and the earlier we took measures to neutralize grounds for these irrelevant uprisings, we as a nation will be failing and our education system will be a total catastrophe. Similarly, in the University of Ghana, rivalries between the Mensah Sarbah Hall and the Commonwealth Hall leads to several damages almost each year. In 2016, towards the matriculation of fresh students into the University of Ghana, a quiet insignificant comparison about which Hall is the greatest between Commonwealth Hall or Mensah Sarah Hall led to the destruction of lives, and properties worth millions of Ghana Cedis. If it was on the basis of disagreement, how does vandalism become an answer? Again, University Hall, popularly known as "Katanga" Hall and the Unity Hall which is popularly known as "Conti" both in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been at the forefront of countless students battles for very meaningless reasons. These battles often span for some few hours but the damages it causes are terrific, securing wounds of various degrees, destruction of school and other private individual properties, amongst others. In 2019, the wind of destructive and rowdy change overtook some of our highly esteemed universities in Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Education, Winneba. This wind of change caused by the misunderstanding between students and school management on issues of administrative decisions led to the close down of these schools as there were widespread chaos leading to the destruction of school properties. My simple question is even if students do not agree with management on issues concerning students when did violence become the answer? To cut the sod for the 2020 year of students violence in our tertiary institutions, Oguaa Hall and the Atlantic Hall of the University of Cape Coast has launched a warfare that has again seen some students being admitted at the hospital, and the destruction of properties similar to what was recorded in the 2016/2017 academic year. This has led the University management to take a tough decision to halt the Hall Week Celebrations for some remaining halls for the academic year. Why should we resort to violence any time we get to a disagreement with our colleagues despite the academic environment we find ourselves? When did vandalism become the answer? The general analysis of the issue is that the act of resorting to violence as a means to settling misunderstanding is an uncivilized approach. The worst case for such violence, especially amongst University students is that it stripes them of all integrity they could have merited by virtue of their scholarship. This brings them at par with people who could have otherwise been classified as tumultuous and barbaric illiterates or perhaps Vigilantes. Character development of university students is very pivotal to their career development, and universities across Ghana must put measures in place to inculcate morality into their students. A way of ensuring morality and sensitization against the use of violence is by organizing peace and conflict resolution programs, seminars and workshops for students at least twice every semester to educate students on the need for peace and appropriate ways of resolving conflict. To check the activities of some recalcitrant students, professional security men from the Police Service should be deployed around campus to check the conduct of students on daily basis and massively on special occasions to prevent any unruly activities. Tough sanctions should be adopted to punish perpetrators of chaos on campus, for example being imprisoned and being processed for the court could help deter some students from engaging in such acts of violence. The Universities must learn to not shield these individuals from the laws. By so doing some students will comply with the ethical way of doing things. Developing graduates who will go out of school and behave like uncivilized agents that use violence as a means to resolving misunderstanding, only make our education system a mockery. The education system operated in Ghana has been accused of being problematic and of doubtful utility to the nations development, hence the need for students to identify their role in making themselves better by looking out for avenues to enrich themselves and imbibing certain moral values into themselves is very key. Either than that majority of people will gain a tertiary educational degrees and diplomas but may not be necessarily educated people. Lets all learn to be disciplined. Lets adopt the right ways of redressing conflict through non-violent processes, and lets learn to live in peace with our brother's and sister's. Vandalism never settles the scores, negotiations does. Lets give love, forgiveness and mutual respect a chance in our academic society. Author: Michael Ofori A passenger bus hit a train while trying to cross an open unmanned railway crossing in Pakistan's Sindh province, killing 18 people and injuring several others, according to media reports. The accident happened at Rohri area in Sukkur district when the bus enroute from Karachi to Sargodha was crossing the open unmanned railway crossing and collided with the Pakistan Express train, the Express Tribune reported. Sukkur Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar said that 18 people have been killed so far in the accident, Dawn reported. "Already 18 people have been killed with several others seriously injured. The toll is likely to rise," the report quoted Mahesar as saying. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the Sukkur commissioner to dispatch rescue teams to the area. Another official said that around 40 to 45 people have been seriously injured and have been shifted to hospitals in Rohri and Sukkur. "It cannot be ascertained how many of the victims were from the train or the bus," he said. The CM also called for an emergency to be declared at all hospitals in Khairpur, and directed the authorities concerned to ensure ample medicines and blood for those injured in the incident, the report said. Following the accident, Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also took notice of the incident and directed the provincial government to ensure the best medical facilities for those injured in the collision. PTI RUP RUP RUP Is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (HKG:1398) a good dividend stock? How can we tell? Dividend paying companies with growing earnings can be highly rewarding in the long term. If you are hoping to live on the income from dividends, it's important to be a lot more stringent with your investments than the average punter. With Industrial and Commercial Bank of China yielding 5.2% and having paid a dividend for over 10 years, many investors likely find the company quite interesting. We'd guess that plenty of investors have purchased it for the income. Some simple research can reduce the risk of buying Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for its dividend - read on to learn more. Click the interactive chart for our full dividend analysis SEHK:1398 Historical Dividend Yield, February 29th 2020 Payout ratios Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. In the last year, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China paid out 29% of its profit as dividends. A medium payout ratio strikes a good balance between paying dividends, and keeping enough back to invest in the business. One of the risks is that management reinvests the retained capital poorly instead of paying a higher dividend. Consider getting our latest analysis on Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's financial position here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. For the purpose of this article, we only scrutinise the last decade of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's dividend payments. The dividend has been stable over the past 10 years, which is great. We think this could suggest some resilience to the business and its dividends. During the past ten-year period, the first annual payment was CN0.17 in 2010, compared to CN0.25 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 4.3% a year over that time. Story continues While the consistency in the dividend payments is impressive, we think the relatively slow rate of growth is unappealing. Dividend Growth Potential While dividend payments have been relatively reliable, it would also be nice if earnings per share (EPS) were growing, as this is essential to maintaining the dividend's purchasing power over the long term. Earnings have grown at around 2.8% a year for the past five years, which is better than seeing them shrink! 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 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China issued a meaningful number of new shares in the past year. Regularly issuing new shares can be detrimental - it's hard to grow dividends per share when new shares are regularly being created. 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. We're glad to see Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. Second, earnings growth has been mediocre, but at least the dividends have been relatively stable. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has a credible record on several fronts, but falls slightly short of our standards for a dividend stock. Companies that are growing earnings tend to be the best dividend stocks over the long term. See what the 20 analysts we track are forecasting for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for free with public 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:28:32|Editor: yhy Video Player Close An artist draws henna tattoos on a woman's hand in Aswan, Egypt, Feb. 12, 2020. In Nubian villages in Upper Egypt's province of Aswan by the Nile River, it is common to see a local or foreign female tourist sitting in front of a Nubian henna artist on a sidewalk at a colorful bazar or inside a coffee shop to get a henna tattoo drawn on her hand. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) by Mahmoud Fouly ASWAN, Egypt, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- In Nubian villages in Upper Egypt's province of Aswan by the Nile River, it is common to see a local or foreign female tourist sitting in front of a Nubian henna artist on a sidewalk at a colorful bazar or inside a coffee shop to get a henna tattoo drawn on her hand. The most popular of those Nubian villages is Gharb Sehel. The name of the village literally means Western Sehel because it located west of Sehel Island in the Nile southwestern Aswan. The whole village, with its short houses mostly colored in white, blue and orange, looks more like a busy marketplace for handmade souvenirs and coffee shops, with henna tattoo artists everywhere. "We have been doing henna tattoos for decades. We inherited this art from our parents and grandparents. It's one of the original Nubian traditions," said Amany Abdel-Hafiz, a Nubian henna tattoo artist in her early 30s, who herself had a tattoo of the ace of spades on the back of her left hand. "Most customers like to get tattooed with Nubian and Pharaonic shapes and symbols, such as the Key of Life and the Eye of Horus for they symbolize hope and optimism. Spanish, Italian and American tourists love to have Nubian henna tattoos," the Nubian young woman told Xinhua at a bazar in Gharb Sehel. She noted that most Nubian henna artists can distinguish between nationalities of tourists by appearance and they know some of their languages to deal with them, including English, French, Spanish and German. Henna is a kind of shrub grown by the river in Aswan mostly by Nubians, an ethno-linguistic group in southern Egypt. It is used also as a dye for the palm of the hand, the hair and the fingernails as a tradition in some Egyptian provinces, especially in weddings. "We get the henna leaves, grind them, dry them, filter the powder, mix it with water and use it for drawing tattoos," said the henna tattoo artist, noting that Nubians use traditional and natural henna, which is free from chemicals and unharmful to the skin. At another corner of the bazar in the Nubian village, a young girl was having the back of her hand henna tattooed while her parents and sister were watching. "I adore henna tattoos. I choose to get a flower tattoo on the back of my hand and fingers," said Yousra Hesham, an 11-year-old senior elementary school student, while being tattooed. "I got henna tattooed before in other provinces, but it's completely different here because the Nubian henna is original and the shapes and symbols are more attractive," the young girl added excitedly. Henna tattoos fade away in time and can be removed whenever necessary. Donia Ahmed, a Nubian young woman, sat on a bench at her family's coffee shop in the village with some tattoo catalogs next to her to let customers choose the henna tattoo designs they want to have. Donia herself had a flower henna tattoo stretching from the back of her hand to half her arm. "I have been drawing henna tattoos for 14 years now, so I started the profession since I was 11. Some local and foreign tourists like to get the Key of Life or the Eye of Horus tattoos or both. Others prefer a flower, a scarab, the sun disk, etc. It's a matter of taste," she said while drawing a flower tattoo for an Egyptian visitor. Her customer Dina Ghanem, a young woman in her 20s, said that it was her first time to visit Aswan and she was attracted to henna tattoos and liked to have one. "It's so beautiful. I chose the Key of Life tattoo. I believe this henna art is attractive for both local and foreign tourists," the Egyptian young woman told Xinhua after getting her tattoo done. At another part of the village, Renate Horndl, a German old lady, stopped at a Nubian handmade souvenir shop. She already had a henna tattoo on the back of her right hand and fingers. "I think I am too old for henna tattoos but I did it," she said with a laugh. "German women, especially young ones, would love henna tattoos because they are generally interested in tattoos in Germany. For instance, I have four children and two of them have tattoos. If they had been with me in Aswan, they would have definitely been henna tattooed," the German lady told Xinhua. NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- A mother and son who helped beat a teen to death at Word of Life Christian Church in 2015 were released from prison Thursday, according to the states Department of Corrections and Community Services. Linda Morey, 58, and David Morey, 30, each were sentenced to five years in prison for their roles in the beating death of Lucas Leonard, 19, at the church in New Hartford. They got out earlier on parole. Christopher Leonard, then 17 and Lucas Leonards brother, was severely beaten. The Leonards mother, Deborah Leonard, 63, was convicted for her role in the beating. She was released from prison in January. Their father, Bruce Leonard, 69, remains in prison. The case of the brutal beatings, covered by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, made headlines around the world. The Leonard brothers were beaten by their family and other Word of Life members inside the sanctuary of church south of Utica. They were attacked by the group -- including his parents and his half-sister -- in a beating prosecutors said was spurred on by church leader Tiffanie Irwin. Lucas Leonard and his brother, Christopher Leonard, were called into the churchs sanctuary after they were accused of molesting children. They were beaten by the group. Their half-sister, Sarah Ferguson, flogged her brothers genital areas. Deborah Leonard whipped her two sons during the beatings, according to testimony at her trial. Lucas Leonard died hours later. Authorities have said there was no evidence the brothers molested children. Deborah Leonard and eight other people were charged. Deborah Leonard pleaded guilty in December 2015 to first-degree assault and second-degree assault for her role in her older sons death and her younger sons severe beating. Here is where the other church members are being held, according to state inmate logs: Sarah Ferguson , was sentenced to serve up to 25 years after she was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and other charges. She is currently in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Shell be up for parole in 2037. Bruce Leonard , 69, the father of the Leonard brothers, was sentenced to serve up to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and second-degree assault. He is currently in the Clinton Correctional Facility. Hell be up for parole in 2024. Tiffanie Irwin , 34, pastor of the New Hartford-area church was sentenced to serve up to 12 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. She currently in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Shell be up for parole in 2026. Joseph Irwin , Tiffanie Irwins 26-year-old brother, was sentenced to serve up to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and second-degree assault. Hes currently in the Attica Correctional Facility. Hell be up for parole 2022. Daniel Irwin , then 25, was expected to serve two years in county jail after he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment. He is not listed in custody. Traci Irwin, then 50, was expected to serve two years in county jail after she pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment. She is not listed in custody. 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. GENEVA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) outlined 10 basic personal prevention measures against COVID-19, including cleaning hands and surfaces regularly and avoiding traveling when having a fever or cough. "Your risk depends on where you live, your age and general health. WHO can provide general guidance. You should also follow your national guidance and consult local health professionals," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a daily briefing. The first of the 10 measures is to clean hands regularly with an alcohol-based hand rub, or wash them with soap and water. Touching the face after touching contaminated surfaces or sick people is one of the ways the virus can be transmitted. By cleaning the hands, one can reduce the risk. Second, clean surfaces regularly with disinfectant, for example kitchen benches and work desks. Third, educate oneself about COVID-19, but make sure the information comes from reliable sources such as local or national public health agencies, the WHO website, or local health professionals. The symptoms, for most people, start with a fever and a dry cough instead of a runny nose. Most people will have mild disease and get better without needing any special care. Fourth, avoid traveling when having a fever or cough, and when becoming sick while on a flight, inform the crew immediately. Once home, make contact with a health professional. Fifth, cough or sneeze into sleeves or use a tissue which should be disposed immediately into a closed rubbish bin, and then clean hands. Sixth, those who are over 60 years old or having an underlying condition like cardiovascular disease, a respiratory condition or diabetes, the risk of developing severe disease could be higher. Take extra precautions to avoid crowded areas or places where interaction with people who are sick is possible. Seventh, everyone who feels unwell should stay at home and call doctors or local health professionals who will ask about the symptoms, where one has been and who one has had contact with. This will help to make sure that one gets the right advice, is directed to the right health facility, and will prevent from infecting others. Eighth, stay at home when being sick, and eat and sleep separately from family members, use different utensils and cutlery to eat. Ninth, if shortness of breath appears, call doctors and seek care immediately. And tenth, it's normal and understandable to feel anxious, especially when living in a country or community that has been affected. Find out what can be done in the community. Discuss how to stay safe with the workplace, school or place of worship. "Containment starts with you. Our greatest enemy right now is not the virus itself. It's fear, rumors and stigma. And our greatest assets are facts, reason and solidarity," said Tedros. Democrat Tom Steyer proved Friday night that he would dance - jiggle, grind and gyrate for votes. The billionaire candidate had invited rapper Juvenile to appear at his rally on South Carolina primary eve at a college campus in Columbia. And he joined the rapper for a spirited rendition of 'Back That Azz Up' onstage. Steyer grabbed the mic, bent his knees and stuck out his behind to the rhythm of the 1999 hit, that taught a generation of how to 'drop it like it's hot.' Presidential candidate Tom Steyer (center) danced for votes - to the 1999 rap classic 'Back that Azz Up' - along with rapper Juvenile (right) and his wife Kat Taylor a night before South Carolina voters head to the polls Democratic hopeful Tom Steyer (center) dances to 'Back that Azz Up' with rapper Juvenile (right) and wife Kat Taylor (left) at a campaign rally in Columbia, South Carolina Juvenile had originally been slotted to perform earlier in the evening, but there was an audio problem that prevented him from finishing his set Originally, the special audio treat for Steyer supporters didn't go exactly as planned Juvenile was supposed to play a set before Steyer's speech, but the performer balked at the sound quailty. ' 'Come on sound man, youre getting worse by the second,' the rapper complained. 'I think the sound man went to the bar!' Juvenile then disappeared offstage, with gospel crooner Yolanda Adams soon taking his place. He promised he would come back when the audio problem got fixed. Steyer's campaign had put together a line-up of Juvenile, Adams and DJ Jazzy Jeff for the event, taking place a day before South Carolina voters head to the polls. The rally was held at Allen University, a private, historically black university in South Carolina's state capital. Before entering the gynasium, where two stages were set up for music and speeches, attendees were treated to a full appetizer spread, complete with mashed potato bar - an unusual site at a free campaign event, where funds - and food - tend to be sparse. The event kicked off with host Bianca Chardei, an alumna of 'America's Next Top Model,' making a pitch for Steyer and then trying to keep the audience entertained while Juvenile's team tried to get the sound working to the rapper's liking. She had attendees show off their best catwalks, as the crowd waited for the rapper to be ready. Once it was clear that Juvenile would not be performing until after the headliner - Steyer - the focus turned to the second stage for introductions by his daughter and then his wife. Instead of Steyer's wife, Kat Taylor, speaking to the crowd she stayed with the musical theme and started singing, holding up her smart phone and reading the lyrics, that mentioned 'reparations' and other policy proposals the candidate supports. Once it was Steyer's turn he talked about falling in love with the people of South Carolina - though joked he had only met the Democrats. Before his showed off his dance moves, Tom Steyer spoke briefly to a crowd of supporters at Allen University, a private, historically black university in South Carolina's state capital Tom Steyer spent much of his speech talking about the injustices he had witnessed while campaigning in the Palmetto State A crowd at Tom Steyer's Get Out the Vote rally in Columbia, South Carolina dances to a Beyonce song before the night's festivities kicked off Steyer spent the majority of his 11-minute remarks talking of the injustice - along racial and income lines - that he witnessed while campaigning in South Carolina and vowed to improve things for residents of the red state. He concluded by saying he would win the state. The Real Clear Politics polling average puts Steyer - who's never held political office - in third place in the state behind Joe Biden, the former vice president, and Bernie Sanders, the current senator from Vermont. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, followed in a close fourth place. At Buttigieg's final election eve rally, also held in Columbia, he attracted 1,015 people to a town hall, according to his campaign. That's in comparison to the several hundred that came out for Steyer at Allen University. But Steyer's crowd stuck around - nearly three hours after the event kicked off - in order to hear Juvenile perform. Afterward, he gave Steyer his official endorsement surrounded by reporters backstage. 'He"s been representing my people from day one,' the rapper said. 'What I found in South Carolina is not just talent,' Steyer chimed in, motioning toward Juvenile. 'Not just my dancing,' he joked 'But what I found is a gigantic heart down here,' the candidate added. 'It's time for a big old change here,' Steyer pitched. By AFP GENEVA/SEOUL: South Korea reported on Saturday its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases and concerns grew of a possible epidemic in the United States as the World Health Organization raised its risk alert to its highest level. The virus has rapidly spread across the world over the past week, causing stock markets to sink to their lowest levels since the 2008 global financial crisis over fears that the disease could wreak havoc on the world economy. More than 2,900 people have died and over 85,000 have been infected worldwide since it emerged apparently from an animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December. The vast majority of infections have been in China but more daily cases are now logged outside the country, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as major focal points. South Korea has the most cases outside China, with nearly 3,000 infections as 594 more patients were reported on Saturday -- the country's biggest increase to date. ALSO READ: British man onboard coronavirus-hit Japan cruise ship dies, death toll rises to six In neighbouring North Korea, the country's leader Kim Jong Un warned top party officials of the "serious consequences" of failing to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus on their side of the border. The impoverished nation, with a weak and ill-equipped healthcare system, has closed its borders to prevent the spread of the disease into its territory. The virus has also spread to new zones -- in the past 24 hours, it has affected nine new countries, from Azerbaijan to Mexico and New Zealand after reaching sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria reporting its first case. "We have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at global level," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday. "We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as that's the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus." But California health officials confirmed a second suspected US case of the new coronavirus transmitted to a person who did not travel overseas or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, prompting fears of a possible outbreak in the United States. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," said Sara Cody, director of public health for Santa Clara County, the heart of Silicon Valley where tech giants like Apple and Google are based. "What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't know to what degree." China struggling with containment Forty seven more people have died of the deadly coronavirus, raising the death toll in the country to 2,835 while the number of confirmed cases climbed to 79,251, Chinese health officials said on Saturday. China's National Health Commission (NHC) in its daily report on Saturday said it received reports of 427 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection and 47 deaths on Friday. Among the deaths reported, 45 were from the epicentre of the virus Hubei Province, one in Beijing and Henan respectively, it said. The overall confirmed cases on the mainland have reached 79,251 by the end of Friday, and 2,835 people have died of the disease, it said. The virus, though slowing down its virulence, continued to affect more people as another 248 new suspected cases were reported taking the total to 1,418 people. ALSO READ: Coronavirus scare - India temporarily suspends visa on arrival for Japanese, South Korean nationals Also on Friday, 2,885 people were discharged from the hospitals after recovery, while the number of severe cases decreased by 288 to 7,664, the NHC said. A total of 39,002 people have been discharged from the hospitals after the recovery. By the end of Friday, 94 confirmed cases, including two deaths, have been reported in Hong Kong, 10 confirmed cases in Macao and 34 in Taiwan, including one death. Markets tank Stock markets around the world have plummeted this week as it has become increasingly clear the virus will take a huge toll on the global economy. "Stock markets are well on their way to their worst week since the global financial crisis," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda trading group. Several companies have said they expect the virus to hit their earnings because of weaker demand. Oil prices also dived four percent to their lowest levels for more than a year, with Brent oil for April delivery sinking as low as $50.05 a barrel. ALSO READ: Japan PM Shinzo Abe calls for nationwide closure of schools over coronavirus Analysts have warned that China, the world's second largest economy, will see a major cut in growth this quarter as the country remains largely paralysed by quarantines and containment measures. China hope Still, signs in China offered hope that the outbreak could be contained. China reported 44 more deaths on Friday, raising its toll to 2,788, with 327 new cases -- the lowest daily figure for new infections in more than a month. The main concern for health officials is outside of China, with governments this week forced into increasingly drastic measures in an attempt to battle spiralling epidemics. The biggest death toll outside China is in Iran, where 34 people have died. As elsewhere, the virus has mostly killed the elderly or people who had other health conditions. South Korea also now has the most cases outside China, with more than 2,000 infections and 13 deaths. The virus has had wide-ranging impact, even forcing K-pop megastars BTS to cancel four Seoul concerts due in April. Cruise ship victim In Japan, the health ministry said a British man who was on board a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo had died, bringing the death toll to six. The unidentified man's death is the latest linked to infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where more than 700 other people tested positive for the illness. The death comes as the governor of Japan's rural northern island of Hokkaido urged people to stay at home this weekend in a desperate effort to contain the outbreak. In Europe, the largest epicentre is Italy with 650 cases and 17 deaths -- mostly in cities in the north. Wide-ranging measures to halt the spread of the virus have affected tens of millions of people in northern Italy, with schools closed and cultural and sporting events cancelled. Experts said the virus had probably "circulated unnoticed for several weeks" before the first confirmed cases -- possibly since January. Belarus, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Mexico and New Zealand were the latest countries to report new cases. - South Korean cases - South Korea's epidemic is centred in its fourth-largest city, Daegu, whose streets have been largely deserted for days, apart from long queues at the few shops with masks for sale. Three women in the Daegu area died of the illness, taking the national toll to 16, authorities said Saturday. South Korea's total is expected to rise further with the screening of more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a secretive entity often accused of being a cult that is linked to around half of the country's cases. While China reported 47 more deaths on Saturday, it recorded fewer new cases than South Korea, with 427 infections. South Korean officials say they are not considering a citywide quarantine for Daegu similar to the lockdown imposed on the central Chinese city of Wuhan. In Iran, unnamed health system sources told the BBC that at least 210 people had died of the coronavirus -- far beyond the official death toll of 34, but a health ministry spokesman angrily denied that figure. What WHO is saying A senior World Health Organisation (WHO) expert said in Geneva on Friday that it is unhelpful to declare a pandemic when people are still trying to contain COVID-19, although the WHO has raised the epidemic risk alert to the highest level. The WHO revised on Friday the risk assessment of the COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at global level, as an increasing number of cases in more countries were reported over the last few days. "A Pandemic is a unique situation, in which all citizens on the planet will likely be exposed to a virus within a defined period of time," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme as saying. However, in the case of COVID-19, it has been proved that the course of the epidemic can be significantly altered through containment measures and robust public health response, the expert noted. The word "pandemic" is "colloquial," Ryan said, appealing for actions that go beyond colloquial terms. The existing data do not support the concept of a pandemic so far, he said, highlighting that China has clearly shown that it is not necessarily the natural outcome of the COVID-19 epidemic if indispensable responses are made quickly. Coronaviruses are types of viruses that typically affect the respiratory tracts of birds and mammals, including humans Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th February, 2020) Coronaviruses are types of viruses that typically affect the respiratory tracts of birds and mammals, including humans. Doctors associate them with the common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and they can also affect the gut.Most recently, authorities identified a new coronavirus outbreak in China that has now reached other countries. It has the name coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.In this article, we explain the different types of human coronaviruses, their symptoms, and how people transmit them. We also focus on three particularly dangerous diseases that have spread due to coronaviruses: COVID-19, SARS, and MERS.What is a coronavirus?Covering the mouth when sneezing may help stop the spread of coronaviruses.Researchers first isolated a coronavirus in 1937. They found a coronavirus responsible for an infectious bronchitis virus in birds that had the ability to devastate poultry stocks.Scientists first found evidence of human coronaviruses (HCoV) in the 1960s in the noses of people with the common cold. Two human coronaviruses are responsible for a large proportion of common colds:OC43 and 229E.The name "coronavirus" comes from the crown-like projections on their surfaces. "Corona" in Latin means "halo" or "crown."Among humans, coronavirus infections most often occur during the winter months and early spring. People regularly become ill with a cold due to a coronavirus and may catch the same one about 4 months later.This is because coronavirus antibodies do not last for a long time. Also, the antibodies for one strain of coronavirus may be ineffective against another one.SymptomsCold- or flu-like symptoms usually set in from 2-4 days after a coronavirus infection and are typically mild. However, symptoms vary from person-to-person, and some forms of the virus can be fatal.Scientists cannot easily cultivate human coronaviruses in the laboratory unlike the rhinovirus, which is another cause of the common cold. This makes it difficult to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on national economies and public health.A doctor can diagnose the virus responsible by taking a sample of respiratory fluids, such as mucus from the nose, or blood. TypesCoronaviruses belong to the subfamily Coronavirinae in the familyCoronaviridae.Different types of human coronaviruses vary in how severe the resulting disease becomes, and how far they can spread.Doctors currently recognize seven types of coronavirus that can infect humans.Rarer strains that cause more severe complications include MERS-CoV, which causes middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV, the virus responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).TransmissionLimited research is available on how HCoV spreads from one person to the next.However, researchers believe that the viruses transmit via fluids in the respiratory system, such as mucus.Coronaviruses can spread in the following ways:Coughing and sneezing without covering the mouth can disperse droplets into the air.Touching or shaking hands with a person who has the virus can pass the virus between individuals.Making contact with a surface or object that has the virus and then touching the nose, eyes, or mouth.Some animal coronaviruses, such as feline coronavirus (FCoV), may spread through contact with feces. However, it is unclear whether this also applies to human coronaviruses.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that several groups of people have the highest risk of developing complications due to COVID-19. These groups include:To prevent transmission, people should stay at home and rest while symptoms are active. They should also avoid close contact with other people.Covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief while coughing or sneezing can also help prevent transmission. It is important to dispose of any tissues after use and maintain hygiene around the home.COVID-19In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started monitoring the outbreak of a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the respiratory illness now known as COVID-19. Authorities first identified the virus in Wuhan, China.More than 74,000 people have contracted the virus in China. Health authorities have identified many other people with COVID-19 around the world, including many in the United States. On January 31, 2020, the virus passed from one person to another in the U.S. Without US military support, the Philippines will face on its own major internal and external security threats. In this venue, your honours, I announce my separation from the United States, thundered Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his historic visit to China in 2016. At the time, few, including members of his inner circle, took the remarks seriously, never mind literally. In mid-February, however, Duterte effectively ended the countrys century-old alliance with the US by unilaterally abrogating the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a linchpin of security cooperation in recent decades. As one top Filipino official put it, without the VFA the Philippiness alliance with the worlds superpower is practically useless. Dutertes latest move, which was prompted by growing diplomatic friction with Western nations over human rights issues, recklessly exposes the Philippines to a whole host of traditional and non-traditional security threats. Without robust assistance from the US, the Philippiness decrepit, underfunded, and ill-prepared military would hopelessly struggle against the ravages of climate change, Chinas creeping presence in Philippine waters, and armed groups expanding presence on the southern island of Mindanao. Instead of pushing for a more equitable and mutually beneficial relationship with a long-term ally, the Filipino president has placed personal grievances against the US above his countrys national interest and long-term strategic needs. A decades-old alliance Although the Philippines gained independence from the US in 1946, it continued to host a large number of US troops. It became a forward deployment base for projection of US power in Asia, making it completely dependent on the US for its defence. US military presence in the country also ensured direct US interference in Manillas domestic affairs. Washington readily propped up the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos for 30 years, supporting his efforts to eradicate a Maoist uprising. His regime collapsed in 1986, and with the subsequent end of the Cold War shortly after, there was a growing clamour for the removal of American bases in the Philippines. Nationalist elements, which dominated the Philippine Senate, along with progressive civil society groups, portrayed the US military presence as anachronistic and a strategic liability, which exposed the country to potential hostile action by enemies of the US and prevented it from becoming fully independent. Though the bases brought significant economic benefits, including annual military aid, Washingtons collaboration with the Marcos dictatorship as well as crimes by American servicemen on Philippine soil only added to the new nationalist fervour. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, both sides agreed to remove large-scale US bases in the Philippines. Soon, however, it became increasingly clear that the Philippines, long accustomed to relying on the US defence umbrella, was unprepared to stand on its own. In 1995, China took over Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef in the strategic Spratly islands archipelago in the South China Sea, which is a disputed territory between several countries in the region. Since then, the Chinese authorities have not only built infrastructure on the reef but also forcibly claimed another island in the area. Fearing the growing Chinese military presence in the region, in 1998 the Philippine government decided to bring US troops back to its territory through the negotiation of a VFA, which provides the legal framework for the large-scale entry and rotational stationing of US soldiers. Since then, the US and the Philippines have conducted regular joint war games and naval drills and deepened cooperation on coastguard training. The US has also expanded defence aid to as well as reiterated its commitment to assist the Philippines in the event of a conflict in the South China Sea, including attacks by Chinese militia forces against Philippine troops and vessels in the area. The US troops in the Philippines have also helped during emergency situations. During the 2013 Haiyan Super Typhoon, which ravaged large parts of central Philippines, the US deployed 12 ships, 66 aircraft, and as many as 13,400 troops to assist communities, which could not be reached by the Philippine military and government agencies. The US also helped out during the months-long and bloody siege on the city of Marawi, Mindanao island by fighters affiliated to the ISIL (ISIS) group. The VFA facilitated the quick and decisive deployment of US Special Forces, which trained their ill-prepared Filipino counterparts to conduct large-scale urban warfare and counterterrorism operations against a determined and well-trained adversary. The US also provided real-time intelligence, surveillance drones, and high-grade weapons, which proved crucial to the liberation of the Muslim-majority city that year. A reckless move The VFA has been controversial, particularly over the issue of legal immunity from prosecution granted to American servicemen by local courts. The 2014 murder of Jennifer Laude, a 26-year-old Filipina transwoman, by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, particularly galvanised the Philippines public. The VFA prevented domestic judicial institutions from directly punishing the American serviceman, who has remained in US custody. Nonetheless, surveys suggest that the US is by far the Filipinos most favoured international partner. Even key Duterte allies in the Senate have opposed Dutertes unilateral abrogation of the agreement, instead pushing for a formal review process. Members of the Senate have questioned the legality of Dutertes decision, maintaining that since the VFA was ratified by the legislature it cannot be abrogated without their concurrence. The way forward, many argue, is to formally review the agreement and, if necessary, renegotiate elements, which are deemed unfavourable to the Philippines. Ignoring clear and present threats to the Philippines, which is yet to develop strategic self-defence capabilities, Duterte has suggested deepening security cooperation with the likes of China, which would richly benefit from any disruption to the Philippine-US alliance. This reckless decision puts the internal and external security of the country in danger. Without the US assistance, China could easily move ahead with reclaiming and militarising the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal, which lies just more than 100 nautical miles (185km) from key Philippine bases in Subic Bay and Clark. Chinas militarisation of the contested shoal, which was coercively seized from the Philippines amid a months-long naval standoff in 2012, would not only mean the definitive loss of a Philippine-claimed territory, but also the presence of hostile military assets close to the countrys capital and key military and civilian facilities. China will also continue to harass Philippine fishermen and military personnel across the South China Sea. An armada of Chinese militia vessels has menacingly surrounded and harassed Philippine personnel in the area throughout the past year. In June, a suspected Chinese militia vessel rammed a Philippine fishing boat, almost killing all its 22 occupants. A study by the University of the Philippiness Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) shows that the country is losing more than $600m annually due to Chinese reclamation activities and illegal fishing. Apart from China, transnational terrorist groups could also pose a major threat to the security of the Philippines in the absence of US military support. They could exploit the fragile political transition in Mindanao by stepping up their attacks. Above all, the country faces a wide array of extreme weather conditions amid intensifying climate change potentially without large-scale US assistance. Though Duterte and his allies have touted the VFA abrogation as a move towards an independent foreign policy, the reality is that the Philippines is now dangerously vulnerable to growing threats from China in the South China Sea, ISIL elements in Mindanao, and climate change across the country. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Advertisement Men have travelled from across the globe to show off their luscious locks for Australia's annual Mulletfest. The festival is held in Kurri Kurri, a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, to honour the famous hair-style. The tradition continued on Saturday, where entrants flocked to the Chelmsford Hotel to be judged on their haircut, presentation and stage presence. Madison Bowman with MulletFest entrant Logan Andrew, who traveled 13,500km to compete from Canada Four-year-old Stirling O'Rourke has been growing his mullet for two years Trio of friends travelled to the small New South Wales town from Melbourne to compete Newcastle's Bonni Nelson and Liam Arnold pose at the Chelmsford Hotel on Saturday Liam Arnold, who was dressed in a matching VB ensemble, enjoys a refreshing drink The junior mullet competitors dance for the judges during the competition in Kurri Kurri on Saturday Categories for the fun-filled event included 'everyday', 'grubby', 'ranga' (red hair), 'vintage', 'extreme', 'international' and 'junior'. Logan Andrew, a contestant from Canada, travelled 13,500 kilometres for the big day. A trio of friends made the trip from Melbourne, while other attendees drove in from across the state, including capital city Sydney. A contestant in the eight to 13 years old category smiles for the camera on Saturday Two-year-old Barry Bower competed in the zero to three years old mullet section A youngster styles his mullet hairdo with aviator sunglasses during the competition Gus Etheridge, of Gunnedah, is one of the favourites in the Extreme Mullet category. He is pictured enjoying a cool beverage Rosco McGrath, of Toronto, is a regular at MulletFest. He donned a thick gold chain for the occasion Pictured: Contestants during the eight to 13 years old category Pictured: Logan Andrew, who traveled 13,500km to compete from Canada Liam Arnold, from Newcastle, dressed for the occasion in a matching buttoned shirt and shorts set with the VB logo emblazoned across it. He paired the ensemble socks also resembling the iconic Australian beer. Revellers made the most of the event by dancing inside the pub and sucking down refreshing beverages. According to the event's Facebook page, Mulletfest saw their first proposal during Saturday's festivities. The mullet hairdo is when hair is cut short at the side and front of the head but left long at the back. The crowd watches the competition on Saturday. Categories for the fun-filled event included 'everyday', 'grubby', 'ranga' (red hair), 'vintage', 'extreme', 'international' and 'junior' The annual festival is held in Kurri Kurri, a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, to honour the well-known and infamous hair-style The mullet hairdo is when hair is cut short at the side and front of the head but left long at the back Elyce Kiem was a contender for the Ranga Mullet tournament, with a combination of red and green locks The famous, or infamous, business-at-the-front, party-at-the-back hairstyle has a speckled history. About 1500 years ago, Byzantine scholar Procopius described a group of young men who wore their hair long at the back and short over the forehead. But for others, including the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the term mullet was 'apparently coined, and certainly popularised, by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys'. The first Mulletfest was held in 2018 and welcomed more than 150 entrants. The success of the event also saw media coverage across the country and even overseas in Russia, the UK and Croatia. Pictured: Participants react during Saturday's festivities at the Chelmsford Hotel in Kurri Kurri Eventgoers are pictured dancing at the event, held in a small town in New South Wales Attendees Joe Defillipis (C) and Ian Grabowski (second right) at mulletfest. The group laugh over some beers Attendee Dirk Ryder poses for the camera at Mulletfest on Saturday Junior contestants wait behind the scenes of the show ahead of competing Dirk Ryder is snapped enjoying himself at the event on Saturday Ben Hill stares into the camera while showing off his pointy mullet hairstyle Rick Hutchison and his mullet in Kurri Kurri on Saturday Aaron Styles points at the camera while showing off his luscious locks on Saturday A group of men wait to participate in the 'every day' category of Mulletfest on Saturday Revellers enjoy a boogie during the Mulletfest in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, on Saturday Dylan Dudley shows off his shaved head and long hair sitting below his shoulders A Minnesota teenager is speaking for the first time since police informed her that an unidentified person had hired a hitman to have her killed. Alexis Stern, 19, sat down with CBS' 48 Hours for an episode set to air Saturday, and told the program that she believes her British ex-boyfriend ordered the hit. In July 2018, investigators contacted Stern to inform her that someone with an online username of 'Mastermind365' had procured the services of Yura - a man who allegedly operates a murder-for-hire site on the dark web. After her initial shock faded, Stern says she began to suspect that her former beau, 24-year-old Adrian Fry, was behind the assassination attempt. Stern and Fry met over the internet in 2016, and soon began dating. Fry, who is based in the British city of Bath, came to visit Stern three times in her hometown of Big Lake, and was deeply in love. 'I was always partial to British accents, so I thought it was kind of a bonus. I wanted to have a boyfriend and it was a perfect opportunity,' Stern told 48 Hours. Scroll down for video Alexis Stern (left) spoke with CBS' 48 Hours for an episode set to air Saturday, and told the program that she believes her British ex-boyfriend, Adrian Fry (right) ordered a hitman to kill her. Fry has denied the accusation Stern and Fry met over the internet in 2016, and soon began dating. Fry, who is based in the British city of Bath, came to visit Stern three times in her hometown of Big Lake, and was deeply in love. They are pictured in an old social media snap However, Stern told the program that Fry became 'controlling' and was angered when she broke their relationship off. 'He pretty much said "You pretty much deserve everything terrible that happens to you"', she claimed. Stern told 48 Hours that there are a number of tell-tale signs that she claims prove it was Fry who paid $5770 in Bitcoin to have her kidnapped and killed. The date the hit was ordered came just one day after Stern had informed Fry that she was in a new relationship. Additionally, the person behind the 'Mastermind365' username used British English phrases that Fry had used in text conversations with Stern. Further, both 'Mastermind365' and Fry both spelled 'thank you' incorrectly. The new 48 Hours special seeks to track down Yura - the man who allegedly operates a murder-for-hire site on the dark web that was used in the foiled attempt to kill Stern Stern says she was left in shock when officers revealed that someone on the dark web had paid to have her assassinated However, Fry vigorously disputes Stern's claim that he was behind the criminal act. He declined to be interviewed for 48 Hours, but spoke with Daily Mail in December. 'I can't believe what I'm hearing and what she's accusing me of. I'm traumatized and hurt that she would even think that it could be me,' he stated. 'I would never think of killing anyone, I've never so much as harmed a fly.' Fry - who is an avid gamer- continued: 'I once really loved Alexis and we parted on bad terms because I wanted the relationship to survive. Of course I was heartbroken, that's just normal when couples break up. But that doesn't mean I wanted her killed. It's absolutely unjust and preposterous to think that. ' 'I don't know anything about the dark web and I wouldn't know how to access it. The only IT training I've received is for accounts systems.' Further protesting her innocence, he defiantly declared: 'None of the things that Alexis has pointed out is concrete evidence against me. It's just flimsy nonsense. She's understandably worried that somebody wants her killed and is looking for a scapegoat, who just happens to be me.' Stern first told her story to Harper's magazine last year, with the article claiming that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were investigating the incident. Ms Stern (left) was contacted by police in Minnesota in July 2018 to say that her life was in danger and that there had been an order on the internet by someone to have her assassinated Fry denies that he paid in Bitcoin currency from his home in Bath, Somerset, to a murky alleged hitman who promises to kill, maim or kidnap targets in exchange for cash The Harper's article gave details about the attempted hit, claiming that 'Mastermind365' initially asked for Stern to be kidnapped. A week later, the user sent another message requesting she be murdered instead. A payment was then made for more than $5770 in bitcoin and a photo of Stern was also sent to the site, which exists only on the dark web. After Stern was alerted by police in her hometown last July, the case was then taken over by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, who failed to uncover the identity of 'Mastermind365'. Fry told Daily Mail that he was heard about his alleged involvement in the plot for the first time when a journalist from Harper's had contacted him for an interview via social media. 'I got a message on Twitter from somebody asking to speak with me about the dark web, Alexis and an attempt to murder her. I thought it was a bad joke and didn't understand what it was all about so just said I wasn't interested in speaking. 'I don't even have any significant savings and there's no way I could afford to pay $5770 to have somebody killed. This whole thing is just ridiculous.' From Off White to Mugler to Lanvin, she has ruled the runway for Paris Fashion Week. But Bella Hadid sported one of her most quirkiest looks on this year's PFW catwalk to date for Haider Ackermann's Autumn/ Winter 2020- 2021 show on Saturday. The model, 23, looked unrecognisable as she sported an alabaster complexion, bleached eyebrows and a black bouffant wig with whispy fringe. Daring: Bella Hadid sported one of her most quirkiest looks on this year's PFW catwalk to date for Haider Ackermann's Autumn/ Winter 2020- 2021 show on Saturday Bella took to the runway in a black form-fitting polo neck and satin pleated culottes. She added a boost to her statuesque frame with pointed black heels and sported a minimal make-up look. The model gave Marge Simpson a run for her money as she stormed down the catwalk in the beehive wig. Strutting her stuff: Bella took to the runway in a black form-fitting polo neck and satin pleated culottes New look: The supermodel rocked bleached eyebrows and a black bouffant wig with whispy fringe Fair: The model, 23, looked unrecognisable as she sported an alabaster complexion Extravagant: The model gave Marge Simpson a run for her money as she stormed down the catwalk in the beehive wig Working it: Bella added a boost to her statuesque frame with pointed black heels and sported a minimal make-up look All eyes on her: The model certainly stood out for the crowd Strike a pose: Bella Hadid posed with another model who was in an all-white ensemble Clean cut: The simple cuts of his creations are resolutely modern, dynamic and urban areas - and this was certainly seen during Saturday's showcase Elated: Bella wrapped Haider in a warm embrace after the show Pose! Bella sweetly held hands with Haider as they posed for a snap together Ying and yang! Bella and another model showcased contrasting black and white looks FROW! Liya Kebede, Kevin Mischel, Timothee, Setsuko Klossowska de Rola and Peter Marino were on the front row at the show Haider Ackermann is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion. Influenced by cultural differences, Ackermann's fashion contrasts and blends dress codes. The simple cuts of his creations are often asymmetric and sewn of different materials, resolutely modern, dynamic and urban areas - and this was certainly seen during Saturday's showcase. High-fashion friends: Haider Ackermann, who is a Colombian-born French designer of ready-to-wear fashion, joined Bella for a snap Fashionistas: Dominique Issermann and Caroline de Maigret got front row seats Casually-clad: Timothee Chalamet cut a casual figure as he arrived for the fashion showcase Ackermann was one of the designers approached to succeed Galliano at Dior, after declining the proposed succession of Martin Margiela in 2009. In 2010, Karl Lagerfeld described him as his ideal successor at Chanel, and some commentators called him a 'new Yves Saint-Laurent'. After the show, Bella emerged in grey pinstripe trousers, which had cut out slashes at the sides. Best seat in the house: Kevin Mischel in the front row Haider Ackermann show Happy: Setsuko De Rola Klossowska and Peter Marino appeared in high spirits ahead of the fashion showcase Paris Fashion Week: Timothee and designer Haider posed for a photo backstage Cool: Timothee added a quirky vibrant jumper to his look later in the afternoon The American beauty teamed the look with white vest, a black knit waistcoat and a long scarf, which she draped around her neck. She shrugged a leather jacket over her arm and donned a pair of green tinted sunglasses. Bella's latest catwalk appearance comes after she joined sister Gigi and her mother Yolanda for dinner on Friday, amid protests happening in the city. Fashion maven: After the show, Bella emerged in grey pinstripe trousers, which had cut out slashes at the sides Trendy: The American beauty teamed the look with white vest, a black knit waistcoat and a long scarf, which she draped around her neck The model had arrived at Cesar restaurant to join her sister and mum for dinner, who were reportedly being 'held' inside, as protesters descended on the streets and police were called in to control the situation. The Cesar Awards had been taking place in Paris at the time, with women's groups protesting after director Roman Polanski's movie An Officer and a Spy received 12 nominations at the awards, following rape allegations against him. The awards, dubbed the French Oscars, has been subjected to backlash after Polanski's film topped this year's nominations. Polanski has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in the US in 1977. French actress, Adele Haenel, who worked with Polanski on her first film, recently alleged he also sexually harassed her when she was 12. The filmmaker is facing multiple accusations of sexual harassment that he has repeatedly denied and Polanski decided not to attend the Cesar Awards, given the protests. It's claimed the Hadids spent 'three hours' inside the restaurant while police tackled the situation outside. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Bella, Gigi and Yolanda Hadid. The deployments of 5G across the globe has been emerging as one of the prime battlegrounds of the United States (US)-China trade war, with the Donald Trump administration applying considerable pressure on its allies and countries of influence to exclude Chinese companies from their next generation mobile networks, stressing on some of the possible dangers, including the capability of their products to spy on their users. American warnings seem to be falling on deaf ears with a vast majority of their traditional allies in Europe, Latin America and West Asia allowing some role for the Chinese telecommunication giants in their 5G networks. Huawei, the global market leader has been leading the way, having already secured over 50 5G commercial contracts worldwide. Despite the Trump-Narendra Modi bonhomie, even the Indian government has recently allowed Chinese companies including Huawei to participate in our 5G trials. Huaweis lower price points when compared to competitors Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Qualcomm and Cisco, its legacy 4G networks that allow clients an easier transition to 5G, and its willingness to sign a no backdoor pledge to eliminate spying activities, were some of the factors that nudged the government to make this decision. Huawei also has a distinct edge in technology superiority with several industry experts saying that it may be 12-18 months ahead of its peers; with the gap only set to increase in future with the decision the previous year to increase the research and development (R&D) budget to an astronomical $15-20 billion. The impact of the introduction of 5G will be even more profound; 5G wireless networks could have even a 20-plus fold increase in connection speeds from the current levels, with minimal latency that signifies delay in communication. This will enable real time data transmission and make it possible for the mass proliferation of many path-breaking industries including artificial intelligence-driven autonomous transportation, smart manufacturing, virtual and augmented reality, and large-scale proliferation of Internet of Things where billions of devices will be connected to the Internet. The Centre had earlier announced an ambitious plan to conduct 5G spectrum auctions at the beginning of this year, and carry out the initial roll-outs by the end of 2020. Nevertheless, the Indian telecom sector is attempting to push back the deployments by at least five years because of several reasons, most notably the exorbitant bidding base prices during these difficult economic times. The dangers that come with the deployment of Chinese technologies can come with any of the foreign vendors we chose, albeit to a much smaller degree, even if we mitigate the possible avenues of data breaches with stringent data security laws, and no spy clauses. These overseas companies who own the IPs will also capture the bulk of the business value created by 5G. The only way around this is the creation of indigenous technologies and companies that are strictly under the Indian ambit, at least in critical 5G components and infrastructure. The R&D costs and capital expenditure for this will amount to hundreds of millions or even billions, an unviable proposition for our private telecom sector that currently has a cumulative debt of over Rs 7.5 lakh crore. Home-grown technologies are essential from our national security perspective, and will ensure that India could extract maximum value from the novel advancements that will be one of the backbones of our economy in the foreseeable future. Anil K Antony is a technology entrepreneur; and the convener of INC-Kerala Digital Media The views expressed are personal A pistol was detected in the hand baggage of a 53-year-old Czech national at the airport here on Saturday, sources said. Central Industrial Security Force personnel found the weapon in the hand baggage of the foreigner who arrived by a domestic flight from Varanasi en route to Kochi. The man was handed over to airport police who have detained him for further questioning, airport sources added. Firearms are among the prohibited items that must not be taken in an aircraft. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) She wakes every day long before dawn to chat with her three stranded daughters on the other side of the world in China's locked-down city of Wuhan, anxious to see they have started a new day virus-free. "If I don't get a reply it worries me, but if I get a reply from any of them I say, `'Thank you, Jesus,'" Margaret Ntale said. Many countries evacuated citizens from Wuhan after the virus outbreak started there, but thousands of students from African countries have been left behind. Despite pleas with governments for evacuation, several African countries have said it's safer to stay in place. More than 4,000 African students have been estimated to be in Wuhan, a result of China's push to expand its influence on the youthful African continent. Bringing them home, governments say, is risky in sub-Saharan Africa, which on Friday confirmed its first case of the virus, in Nigeria's city of Lagos. Just two cases have been confirmed in North Africa, in Egypt and Algeria. Health systems can be weak, and quarantining dozens or hundreds of returning people is a major challenge. That leaves African students stuck on ever-emptier campuses in Wuhan, worrying about running out of food or the money to buy it. Some governments have begun sending thousands of dollars to help them get by. "I have a few friends who are not able to get things like detergent, sanitary towels, and then also not having food, like such things like that," said one of Ntale's daughters' roommates, Joanna Aloyo, via a messaging app. On Thursday, Ntale joined other parents in Uganda's capital, Kampala, to talk to local reporters about their fears. And she started to cry. "You can never know what is going to happen tomorrow. This is what scares me,"' Ntale said. "The students are traumatized and equally terrified. It makes all of us break down.' The uncertainty about their children is "psychological torture,"' another parent said. At least 70 Ugandan students are stranded in Wuhan. Uganda's health minister, Jane Aceng, could not be reached immediately. But two weeks ago she said the ministry was looking at the cost to"`isolate, monitor and manage in the event of an outbreak among the group if repatriated." Meanwhile she has said the government would send $60,000 in emergency funds to be distributed among students in Wuhan. But the parents said their children had not received the money. "It is a bit upsetting that it appears no serious action has taken place," said one parent, Cecilia Oyet. "I think that kind of inaction or slow action sends a message to those students out there, and even to the youth within the country. It sends a message either that we as fellow Ugandans, we don't care or that they as the youth, they don't matter, and we feel it is not okay." The parents communicate with their children by phone and the occasional video chat. They are increasingly alarmed as the death toll from the virus has grown, though some speak of trying to remain positive. Oyet, whose daughter is a medical student at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, recalled that about two weeks ago a student sent a message saying that "people are dying here in large numbers and the bodies are being cremated. Can you imagine us dying here and you don't even see our bodies? Please do something before we become part of the statistics." Other countries have announced plans to send students money. Botswana's government has said each of its students in Wuhan will receive an additional allowance of about $144 a month and a local company will be engaged to deliver food, water, face masks and even provide "psychosocial support services." But that's not enough, some students and parents say. After some called Ghana's government "callous" for not evacuating its students, President Nana Akufo-Addo last week said it had not been ruled out but it would be done in a way to avoid "fear and panic among the public." In Ethiopia, where some worried families gathered in the capital, Addis Ababa, seeking evacuations, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed this week said Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him in a phone call that China would provide "special care and support" to stranded students. Chinese authorities have issued statements saying students are receiving food and other necessities. But Kenya's government raised eyebrows last week when it announced on Twitter that any communication from the government to stranded Kenyans in Wuhan "must be done through the Chinese government." Spirits among some students have been low. Until Thursday night when South Africa announced that more than 130 citizens in Wuhan would be evacuated, the small island nations of Seychelles and Mauritius were the only countries in sub-Saharan Africa to bring citizens home. In an open letter to Nigeria's president published earlier this month by the Sahara Reporters website, a Nigerian stranded in Wuhan, Ayodeji Adetunji Idowu, made an urgent plea, saying the "mood here is fast turning to frustration, helplessness, and despondency because of our failure to receive diplomatic support to be evacuated." While Nigeria's ambassador sent the community a personal donation of about $2,850, "it saddens us that days and weeks have gone past ... to get a favorable response from authorities," Idowu wrote. Click here to read the full article. Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulofs There Is No Evil, a drama about the impact of capital punishment on society and the human condition, won the Golden Bear at this years Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. The seven-person festival jury, headed by Jeremy Irons, spread the prizes far and wide, with no single filmmaker dominating the awards. More from Variety American writer-director Eliza Hittman won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for Never Rarely Sometimes Always, a drama about teen pregnancy, while the Silver Bear for best director went to South Koreas Hong Sang Soo for his Seoul-set drama The Woman Who Ran. Rasoulof, who is unable to leave Iran due to a travel ban, faces a one-year prison sentence for spreading propaganda. The filmmaker released a statement on Friday expressing his sorrow at missing the premiere of There Is No Evil: I am sorry that I will not be able to come to Berlin to watch the film alongside the audience; however, the right to choose between being present or absent at the festival is simply not mine. Imposing such restrictions very clearly exposes the intolerant and despotic nature of the Iranian government. While accepting the award, There Is No Evil producer Kaveh Farnam commented on the fact that the film had resonated so much in Berlin, adding: The story reminds us that there are no walls in this world that can stop the power of imagination, the power of ideas, belief and love. Silver Bears for best actress and actor went to Germanys Paula Beer for her role in Christian Petzolds Berlin-set love story Undine and Italys Elio Germano for Giorgio Dirittis Hidden Away, a portrait of artist Antonio Ligabue. Story continues Italian siblings Fabio and Damiano DInnocenzo won the Silver Bear for best screenplay for Bad Tales, the Rome-set drama they also directed that follows several families over the course of a fateful summer. The Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution went to cinematographer Jurgen Jurges for his work on Ilya Khrzhanovskiy and Jekaterina Oertels Russian-language Dau. Natasha, while the newly minted Silver Bear 70th Berlinale went to Delete History by Benoit Delepine and Gustave Kervern. The Silver Bear 70th Berlinale replaced the Alfred Bauer Prize following revelations earlier this year that the awards namesake and the Berlinales first director was much more closely affiliated with the Nazi Party than previously known. This year marked the beginning of a new era for the festival under the new leadership team of artistic director Carlo Chatrian and executive director Mariette Rissenbeek. One of Chatrians main changes to the official section was the introduction of the Encounters section this year. The sidebars jury awarded the Encounters Award for best film to the U.S.-Swedish-Japanese-U.K. co-production The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) by C.W. Winter and Anders Edstrom. Austrian helmer Sandra Wollners sci-fi drama The Trouble With Being Born took the Encounters Special Jury Prize and Cristi Puius Malmkrog won the sections best director prize. An Encounters special mention went to Isabella, by Argentinean helmer Matias Pineiro. Cambodian director Rithy Panhs Irradiated, about people who have survived the irradiation of war, picked up the fests documentary award. Winning the First Feature Award was Colombian director Camilo Restrepos Encounters screener Los conductos, which is about a man on the run from a cult and trying to take his fate back into his own hands. A First Feature Award special mention went to Melanie Waeldes German drama Naked Animals, likewise an Encounters title, which is about five young people living in a rural town. Among the prizes presented in the Berlinales other sections ahead of the main awards ceremony was the Panorama Audience Award for the best feature, which went to Srdan Golubovics Serbian drama Father, about a man fighting against social services for his children. The Panorama Dokumente award went to David Frances Welcome to Chechnya, about activists who join forces in the face of the systematic persecution of the LGBTQI community carried out by Chechen authorities. In Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Janna Ji Wonders won the Compass Perspektive Award for her documentary Walchensee Forever, a generational look at the women in her family and the Summer of Love. Natalija Yefimkina took the Heiner Carow Prize for her documentary, Garage People, about communities in Russias inhospitable far north. The Generation 14plus Youth Jury awarded the Crystal Bear for best film to Atiq Rahimis Our Lady of the Nile, a 1973-set drama about the students of an elite Catholic school, and a special mention to Rubika Shahs U.K. music documentary White Riot. The Generation 14plus International Jury awarded its Grand Prix, endowed with 7,500 ($8,271), to Brazilian helmer Caru Alves de Souzas My Name Is Baghdad, about a freedom-loving 17-year-old girl living in Sao Paulo, with a special mention for Nobuhiro Suwas Voices in the Wind, about a woman in Japan who travels to her home town where her family perished in the catastrophic 2011 tsunami. In the lower-age Generation Kplus sidebar, the Childrens Jury awarded the Crystal Bear to Alexandre Rockwells U.S. film Sweet Thing, with special mentions to John Sheedys Australian pic H Is for Happiness. The Generation Kplus International Jury presented its Grand Prix, likewise endowed with 7,500, to Samuel Kishi Leopos Mexican drama The Wolves, with special mentions to Maimouna Doucoures French film Cuties and Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivieres Argentinean work Mama, mama, mama. The winning films were among some 340 that unspooled in all of the festivals various sections this year. With approximately half a million admissions and more than 300,000 tickets sold, the Berlinale is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. The start of this years Berlinale was marred by tragedy following a shooting in the western German city of Hanau that left 11 dead. A minute of silence was held for the victims during the opening nights proceedings. The festival also faced some unavoidable problems, not least of which was the palpable anxiety over the looming Coronavirus threat, which ensured hand sanitizer supplies were quickly depleted in drugstores near the Potsdamer Platz festival center. On Thursday, ahead of the Berlinale Gala Special premiere of Johannes Nabers originally titled Curveball, inspired by the true story of how the work of the German intelligence service led to the Iraq War, the festival announced, with no further elaboration, that the film would screen untitled due to an interim injunction related to a title dispute. See the full list of winners below. Golden Bear for Best Film: There Is No Evil, Mohammad Rasoulof Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Eliza Hittman Silver Bear for Best Director: Hong Sang Soo, The Woman Who Ran Silver Bear for Best Actress: Paula Beer, Undine Silver Bear for Best Actor: Elio Germano, Hidden Away Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Bad Tales, the DInnocenzo Brothers Silver Bear 70th Berlinale: Delete History, Benoit Delepine and Gustave Kervern Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, Costume or Set Design: Dau. Natasha, Jurgen Jurges Berlinale Glashutte Original Documentary Prize: Irradiated, Rithy Panh Best First Feature: Los conductos, Camilo Restrepo Golden Bear for Best Short Film: T, Keisha Rae Witherspoon Silver Bear for Short Film Jury Prize: Filipinana, Rafael Manuel Audi Short Film Award: Genius Loci, Adrien Merigeau Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A makeshift memorial for Li Wenliang, a doctor who issued an early warning about the coronavirus outbreak before it was officially recognized, is seen after Li died of the virus, at an entrance to the Central Hospital of Wuhan in Hubei province, China. (Image: Reuters) It's as if some sanity has returned, at least a little. For all the sludge of lies about President Trump and his preparations for the coronavirus, modeled in part on the Democrats' Katrina template, which damaged President Bush, Jake Tapper of all people stepped in and shut leftist Rep. Ted Lieu up. In his questions for @SecPompeo, Rep. @tedlieu said Mick "Mulvaney told the Conservative Political Action Conference that the coronavirus was the hoax of the day." That's not what Mulvaney said. 1/ Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 28, 2020 This was an unexpectedly welcome smackdown, given that the press and its Democrat allies have gone all in to create a truly phony narrative suggesting that President Trump considers the coronavirus outbreak "a hoax." When President Trump, and his lieutenants such as acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, have used the term, they explicitly stated that the Democratic claims that Trump was either unprepared or doing nothing about coronavirus were the hoax. Which they were. One example, linked on the front page of the new leftist Drudge Report as "HOAX," came in a string of headlines below the header "Trump plays down risks," suggesting that Trump thought the coronavirus itself, rather than the Democrats' false narrative, was the problem. Here's another narrative-infused lying headline from Politico: Trump rallies his base to treat coronavirus as a 'hoax' Can you even believe they ran that drivel? This is why Tapper's stinkeye to the whole matter was so welcome. It's hard to say what his motivation might be, given that he's smacking down a dishonest Democrat mouthing a phony narrative he's hoping repetition will make a real one. It's possible he's dedicated to the truth in the old days, he used to call out President Obama's and President Clinton's lies all the time. Even more likely, he's seen this show before and knows how Democrats can puff a lie as they did with the Russian collusion hoax, the Trump stole the election hoax, the Ukraine impeachment fiasco...and he know how such heaps of frequently repeated lie turn out: in a cascade of crashes for the Democrats. Maybe he's tired of being their mouthpiece, given how badly these things all turn out in the end for Democrats. Maybe he has a low threshold for losing causes, as noted here. He's seen this Democrat movie before and knows how it will end. Regardless of the real reason, it's good stuff that someone has finally called it out, taking that first step to nip this mendacious narrative in the bud. Photo illustration by Monica Showalter with use of YouTube screen shots. By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is willing to meet the leaders of Russia, China, Britain and France with the aim of discussing arms control, a senior administration official said on Friday. Trump wants to use such a meeting of the U.N By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is willing to meet the leaders of Russia, China, Britain and France with the aim of discussing arms control, a senior administration official said on Friday. Trump wants to use such a meeting of the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members to try to make progress on a three-way arms control deal with Russia and China, the official said. The timing for a summit was unclear. "The United States will use this opportunity to bring both Russia and China into the international arms control framework and head-off a costly arms race," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Sandra Maler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. In a guarded reaction to the peace deal between the US and the Taliban, India on Saturday said its consistent policy has been to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and ensure end of terrorism. After months of negotiations, the US and Taliban signed a landmark peace deal in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday which will provide for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. India's Ambassador to Qatar P Kumaran was among a host of diplomats present at the ceremony where the deal was inked. "India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled process," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. He was reacting to signing of the US-Taliban deal in Doha and issuance of a joint declaration between the Afghan and US governments in Kabul. "As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected," Kumar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) says state governors have initiated surveillance and emergency responses in all states to tackle an outbreak of coronavirus in the country. The forum said the measures would ensure a quick response and that attention is given to anyone showing symptoms of the disease. The NGF chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, said this in a statement on Friday. Mr Fayemi also assured that resources would be deployed across states to contain further spread of the virus. He urged citizens to desist from the spread of fake news and misinformation that can trigger fear, panic and chaos. On Friday, Nigerians woke up to the news that an unidentified Italian businessman who tested positive for the virus at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, had been taken to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba. The Senate health committee has earlier asked the Federal Ministry of Health to set up a Health War Room. The Federal government has also released N386 million to two health agencies to curtail the spread of the virus. 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 in 25 countries, causing not less than 1,875 deaths. Majority of the deaths were recorded in Wuhan. The exact cause of the disease has not been determined, neither has a cure been found. READ THE FULL NGF STATEMENT The Nigeria Governors Forum takes note of the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case reported in Lagos State, on 27th of February, 2020. The case, which is the first reported in Sub-Saharan Africa, is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and journeyed from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria through Istanbul, Turkey on the 25th of February 2020 and is said to have spent some time in Ogun state. The patient is said to be clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is currently being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos. Since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was designated as a global epidemic, the State Governments have been strengthening emergency response preparedness and capabilities in conjunction with the Federal Government and all other relevant Agencies. In response to the first case reported, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has already activated its National Emergency Operations Centre and is working closely with Lagos State Ministry of Health to respond to this case and implement firm control measures to prevent further widespread. As a forum of proactive Governors, we have initiated surveillance and emergency response in all states to ensure that quick response and attention is given to anyone showing symptoms of the disease. We encourage the citizens to self-quarantine if they notice symptoms related to the viral disease and contact the nearest health facility within the states. We will deploy all resources available to respond and contain further spread of the virus. We hereby appeal to the general public to be calm and follow precautionary measures recommended by the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant government agencies. We also enjoin citizens not to spread fake news and misinformation that can trigger fear, panic and chaos. The Federal Ministry of Health and other designated Federal and State agencies will provide the relevant updates related to the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that men shave their beards if they're going to wear masks to guard against coronavirus. It's not that facial fur traps microbes like sandwich crumbs. Beard hair can interfere with a facepiece respirator, such as a N95 mask, preventing an airtight seal, which is critical for effective use. The CDC put together an infographic covering 36 facial hairstyles, from "chin curtain" to "lampshade." In general, the bushier the beard, the greater chance of sabotaging your face respirator. Most mustaches are OK, as long as they aren't wider than the respirator mouthpiece. Care must be taken, however, with the "Van Dyke," "horseshoe" and "villain." Those who favor the facial hair styles of the 1860s be advised: Mutton chops are out. But is it even necessary to wear a respirator in the first place? With the spread of coronavirus, hundreds of thousands perhaps millions of people worldwide have taken to wearing masks and respirators covering the nose and mouth, but the CDC is not recommending routine use outside of workplaces. "Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others," the CDC's website says. "Currently, the recommendations arent for the public to wear masks," said Dr. Charles Chiu, a professor of laboratory medicine and infectious disease at UC San Francisco, told SFGATE earlier this month. "I think the risk in the U.S. is still close to zero. We havent seen any evidence of sustained transmission currently, but I emphasize currently because that may change." ALSO: New coronavirus case brought to Bay Area hospital The best way to prevent the spread of diseases like coronavirus is to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you use a hand sanitizer it should be 60 percent alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. And, obviously, avoid contact with sick people. Most infections involving person-to-person contact come within 6 feet. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate NIA makes big breakthrough in Pulwama attack case: Man who shielded bomber arrested India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 29: In a major breakthrough the National Investigation Agency has arrested a key person in connection with the Pulwama attack. The Over Ground Worker (OWG) has been identified as a Shakir Bashir Magrey, a resident of Kakapora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. Bashir a furniture shop owner is accused of providing shelter to the suicide bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar. He is also accused of providing logistics to the bomber. The Pulwama attack had claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. It was in the year 2018 that Bashir was introduced to Dar by a Pakistani terrorist, Mohammad Umar Farooq. During his interrogation, he said that on numerous occasions he had collected arms, ammunition and cash and delivered it to those involved in the Pulwama attack. He also said that he had harboured Dar and Farooq in his house from 2018 onwards until the attack that took place in February 2019. He assisted them in the preparation of the Improvised Explosive Devices, he also revealed. On the verge of a major break-through: NIA on Pulwama probe His shop is located near Lethpora bridge, and as advised by Mohammad Umar, he started conducting reconnaissance of the movement of CRPF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in January 2019, and informed Mohammad Umar and Adil Ahmad Dar about it. Further, he was also involved in modifying the Maruti Eeco car and fitting the IED in it in early February,2019. During investigation, the make, model and number of the car used in the attack was quickly ascertained by NIA to be a Maruti Eeco car through forensic examination of the tiny remnants of the car, which were seized from the spot during extended searches. This has been corroborated by accused Shakir Bashir Magrey. The explosives used in the attack were determined to be Ammonium Nitrate, Nitro- Glycerin and RDX through forensic investigation. Investigation has also confirmed the identity of the suicide bomber to be Adil Ahmad Dar through DNA matching with that of his father. Other key terrorists involved in the attack have been found to be Muddasir Ahmad Khan, (JeM's Divisional Commander of South Kashmir killed in an operation by security forces on 11-03-2019) Pakistani terrorists viz. Muhammad Umar Farooq and IED expert Kamran, (both killed on 29-03-2019) the owner of the car viz. Sajjad Ahmad Bhat r/o Marhama, Anantnag (killed on 16-06-2019) and Qari Yassir, JeM's Commander for Kashmir (killed on 25-01-2020). For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 7:26 [IST] Frank Wucinski and his 3-year-old daughter, Annabel, are among the dozens of Americans the government has flown back to the country from Wuhan, China, and put under quarantine to check for signs of coronavirus. Now they are among what could become a growing number of families hit with surprise medical bills related to government-mandated actions. Mr. Wucinski, a Pennsylvania native who has lived in China for years, accepted the U.S. governments offer to evacuate from Wuhan with Annabel in early February as the new coronavirus spread. His wife, who is not an American citizen and remains in China, developed pneumonia that doctors think resulted from Covid-19, the disease caused by the respiratory virus. Her father, whom she helped care for, was infected and recently died. The first stop for Mr. Wucinski and Annabel was a two-week quarantine at Marine Corps Station Miramar near San Diego. During that time, they had two mandatory stays in an isolation unit at a nearby childrens hospital. The first started upon arrival in the United States, and the second was a few days later, after an official heard Annabel coughing. I hope my readers eyes will be opened after reading this time sensitive information and will know how to prepare mentally, physically and especially spiritually Author Bob Barber shares his research on the end times in The Road to 2024: Gods Final Declaration Heralding the Coming Seven Year Tribulation ($17.49, paperback, 9781630506605; $8.99, e-book, 9781630506612). Barber believes that a cosmic countdown began in 2014 and will culminate in a major spiritual event in 2024. He details the signs that have already occurred and which are still to come, as well as offering hope for Gods people who can count on His deliverance. I hope my readers eyes will be opened after reading this time sensitive information and will know how to prepare mentally, physically and especially spiritually, said Barber. Bob Barber is the Founder, CEO, and President of the worldwide ministry called Feed My Sheep Today that funds Christian missions globally. By using the Internet, he has preached the gospel worldwide for the past seven years. He hopes to use this book to reach those without Internet access. ### Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. The Road to 2024 is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. BABE WITH BULLETS!!! Police: Woman shoots man in front of kids at KCPD patrol station KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman shot a man Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department's Central Patrol Division, according to police. The victim was found near an SUV in the parking lot entrance of the police station at 1200 Linwood Blvd. Life Threatening Gunfire Victim suffers life-threatening injuries near Linwood, Troost KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCTV) - Police are investigating a life-threatening shooting near the Kansas City Police Central Patrol Division at 1200 Linwood Blvd. The shooting left one victim with life-threatening injuries. It happened just before 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Police believe they know who the suspect is, but the suspect is not in custody at this time. Dramatic Domestic Daylight Dispute And Police Activity Man shot in SUV outside KCPD's Central Patrol station Kansas City police are investigating after a man was shot inside an SUV outside the police department's Central Patrol Division.The shooting was reported about 3:45 p.m. in the 1200 block of Linwood Boulevard.Authorities said a woman shot the man and left in an unknown direction.The man was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.Two young children in the SUV were not hurt. The weekend has arrived and here's a very scary testament to the war of the sexes in the urban core . . .Update: This is homicide #24 so far in KCMO.Checkit:And so . . .The weekend has arrived and rising local gun violence erupts at the doorstep of police and community.Developing . . . For the first time in history, there are more registered independents in the United States than there are registered Republicans. It may not be for the reason you think, though. New data from Ballot Access News, which tracks registrations in the 31 states that require voters to register by party, show that independents now account for 29.09 percent of voters in them, compared to 28.87 percent for Republicans. As recently as 2004, Republicans outpaced independents by nearly 10 percentage points. There are still way more registered Democrats; 39.66 percent are registered with that party. This marks the first time since party registration began in the early 1900s that the number of registered independents in the United States has surpassed either major political party, according to Ballot Access News. But before anybody chalks this up as having to do with the current occupant of the White House, it's worth parsing the trends. While independents have surpassed Republicans, there actually hasn't been a huge drop in GOP party registration since Donald Trump took office. Since October 2016, GOP registration has dropped by half a percentage point. Democrats have actually declined by nearly a full point over the same span. Independents have benefited from both drops. And they have been doing so for years. Democrats are more than three points off their peak this century, which was in 2008 when Barack Obama was about to become president. At the time, 43.62 percent of voters were registered Democrats. Republicans are also more than three points off where they were four years earlier, in 2004, when 32.79 percent of voters were Republicans and George W. Bush won reelection. Since 2008, the trendline for each party has been relatively steady. But while Democratic registrations fell more between 2016 and 2018 (0.78 percent) than Republicans (0.15 percent), Republicans have fallen more since 2018. Since Democrats won back the House in that midterm, their registration numbers have declined by just 0.16 percent, compared to 0.37 percent for Republicans. These numbers, it bears emphasizing, aren't the full picture and differ from surveys of party registration. While national pollsters like Gallup ask samples of Americans to self-identify which party they align with, these numbers represent actual party registrations, and they only account for the 31 states that actually have party registration. When you ask people in all 50 states to self-identify, independents do significantly better, and Democrats do significantly worse; the most recent Gallup data show 42 percent of people identify as independents, and more identify as Republican than Democrat, 30 percent to 27 percent. Indeed, part of the reason we still have many more actual registered Democrats is that some Southern and Appalachian states still feature more registered Democrats than Republicans, even though those states have been voting reliably Republican at nearly every level of government for years and years. Louisiana, for example, has more than 300,000 more registered Democrats (1,216,000) than registered Republicans (905,000). Blue states are also more likely to have party registration than red states. On the whole, both surveys of all 50 states and the new party registration data from Ballot Access News indicate Trump's presidency hasn't fundamentally shifted the future of party registration in the United States in any major way. That said, this is a milestone worth marking. Jean-Claude Biver, Non-Executive President LVMH Group Watch Division, has had his fingers firmly on the pulse of his era and has almost singlehandedly redefined the horological landscape of the past 40 years. Not only an industry titan but a collector of extreme acuity, Mr. Biver once said: When I was at Audemars Piguet I wanted to buy Patek Philippe, when I couldnt I started collecting their watches. Over the course of the past decade he has assembled one of the greatest and most curated collections of timepieces. The beauty of collecting art is that it connects you to eternity, he added. I am proud, today, through the sale of these outstanding pieces that I am able to share a piece of my eternity. Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant Bacs & Russo and Alex Ghotbi, Head of Watches, Continental Europe and Middle East, jointly said, We are delighted that Phillips Watches friend and member of the Advisory Board Jean-Claude Biver has entrusted us with these four amazing Patek Philippe watches to be sold in our upcoming Geneva Watch Auction XI. Their rarity, condition and relevance are a tribute to Jean-Claude Bivers immaculate taste and scholarship (...). His knowledge of classical watchmaking has allowed him to always be one step ahead and the four timepieces we have the honour of presenting in our Geneva auction are milestones in watchmaking history. Jean-Claude Biver, at Balseworld 2018 TAG Heuer This selection of four Patek Philippe timepieces are defined by their historical relevance, superb state of preservation and rarity. They include: Ref 96HU worldtime from 1937 Each brand can bring forth at least one watch model which can be considered the embodiment of the philosophy of the company. When it comes to Patek Philippe, the worldtime complication is indisputably one of the hallmarks of the brand. No world time watch of any other brand has ever evoked such strong feelings in the collecting community. Patek Philippe presented its first world time wristwatch created in series in 1939 under reference 1415, but it had created a few pre series and prototype versions the years prior. The present reference 96 is in fact one of these ultra-rare pre-series prototypes of which only two are known, made in 1937 to most probably test the market, making it not only a historically significant timepiece but also one of the rarest world time models ever made by Patek Philippe. Unknown to the market, it first appeared in 2011 when it was purchased by Mr. Biver. The other example is in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. Estimate CHF 300,000 600,000 Reference 1518 in pink gold with rare pink dial from 1948 A monumental model, reference 1518 was the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch ever produced in series when it was introduced in 1941. According to research, only 281 examples were manufactured until the reference ceased production with a majority made in yellow gold. Pink gold reference 1518s were most often fitted with a silvered dial. It was only on very rare occasions that they were fitted with pink dials. So rare is this variant that only 13 examples of reference 1518 are known with a pink dial, making it one of the most exclusive complicated Patek Philippe wristwatches for a collector to acquire. The present watch appears on the market only for the second time, Mr Biver being the second owner since new. Estimate CHF 1,200,000 2,400,000 Reference 2499 second series from 1957 Launched in 1951, the reference 2499 was the direct successor of the reference 1518 and came with more sporty round pushers and a larger 37.5mm case. The second series like the present watch, was offered either with Arabic numerals or applied batons as well as with a tachymeter scale. The second series reference 2499 is so rare that very few examples have graced the international auction market, and in fact only 20 examples in yellow gold with applied batons, like the present example, are known. Estimate CHF 1,000,000 2,000,000 Reference 1579 from 1946 This incredibly attractive and well-preserved reference 1579 is one of only three vintage Patek Philippe chronographs cased in platinum. It is unknown why Patek Philippe decided to use platinum for this reference and only for three watches, but it is interesting to note that the three watches have consecutive serial numbers and different dials, making each piece unique. The present watch is the last of the three made and differentiates itself from the other two with its scale and markets in blue, giving the watch an incredibly vivid modernist appeal. Estimate CHF 800,000 1,600,000 Amid increasing number of coronavirus cases in Iran, India's Ambassador to the country, Gaddam Dharmendra, on Saturday said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of those Indians who wish to go back to New Delhi. "In view of coronavirus, working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions are underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements," the ambassador said. According to the authorities, the coronavirus has claimed 26 lives in Iran, with its vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar becoming the latest top official to be infected. The country on Thursday reported 106 new cases, bringing the total number of those infected by the deadly virus to 245. According to the latest data, at least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide. First detected in China's Wuhan city, the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, has spread to more than 45 other countries including India, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Russia and Spain. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI NEW DELHI: The Border Security Force (BSF) will rebuild its Constable Mohammad Anees' house, which was burnt in the riots in northeast Delhi, and hand it over to him as a 'wedding gift', officials said. The 29-year-old constable, who is currently posted at a BSF camp in Radhabari near West Bengal's Siliguri, will also be transferred to Delhi "very soon" so that he can be with his family and prepare for his wedding, according to a senior BSF officer. The riots in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Gokalpuri, Khajuri Khas and Bhajanpur in northeast Delhi have left 42 people dead and over 200 injured. The border guarding force's officials said they got to know about the damage to the constable's parental house in Khajuri Khas from media reports. "The jawan's house suffered extensive damage as it was burnt by rioters during the recent communal clashes in northeast Delhi. While his family members are safe, the house needs re-building and renovation work," the officer said. BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Pushpendra Rathore on Saturday met Anees' parents and his other family members at his home, and assured them all assistance from the paramilitary force. "We have decided to provide an assistance amount of Rs 10 lakh to the jawan from our welfare fund. Also, the engineering wing of the force will rebuild the house within a fortnight," he said. Delhi: A team of Border Security Force today visited the house BSF constable Mohammad Anees, whose house in Khajuri Khas area was set on fire during #DelhiViolence. DIG (Headquarters) Pushpendra Rathore says, "He is currently posted in Odisha & soon will be transferred to Delhi". pic.twitter.com/nEV0cLdijY ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2020 BSF chief and Director General VK Johri has directed that all help be provided to the constable's family, Rathore, who is posted at the BSF's headquarters, told PTI. "I think we should be able to put the house in good shape before April when the jawan is scheduled to marry," he said, adding that it will be like a "wedding gift" to him. Rathore said that the BSF is a family and whenever a member needs help, all resources are put together for the task. The officer said they have requested the constable's family to inform them about any other help they require. "We are also posting constable Anees to Delhi very soon so that he can be with his family and also prepare for his wedding," Rathore said. The jawan had joined the 2.5-lakh personnel strong BSF in 2013 and officials said he did not mention a word to his seniors about the damage to his house in the riots. Anees was posted to West Bengal after he completed a stint in the anti-Naxal operations grid in Odisha. His family is also very brave and composed. They were thankful for the help extended by the BSF to them and all they wanted was peace, brotherhood and normalcy is restored, another official of the force said. The University of Mumbai (MU) has imposed a fine of 19,500 on the administration of KPB Hinduja College of Commerce, Charni Road, after the institute missed sending the internal examination marks of 39 first-year Masters in Commerce (MCom) students. Principal of KPB Hinduja College, Minu Madlani, said, There was a system error and the college office has rectified it. While the results of the first semester MCom exam held in January were announced on February 14, 2020, the college got in touch with the university only by February 24 with updated marks of students, who were either wrongfully marked absent for certain exams or given wrong marks. In the letter addressed to the administration of Hinduja College, the university has mentioned seat numbers of 39 students whose internal marks in subjects of Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility, Cost Management Accounting and Strategic Management examination held in January 2020 were submitted to the university only on February 24, while the results were announced 10 days before. In a stern statement addressed to the college, the university demanded an explanation for the lapse. We request you to clarify how the marks of these students were not forwarded to the examination section [of MU] with necessary documents, and the action taken against the errant in this matter, and to pay a fine of 19,500, read the letter addressed to the college. The MU Board of Examinations (BoE) said they followed a resolution passed by them in October 2015 while imposing the fine. The college forgot to send the right information at the time of submitting marks to the university, and as per our rule, if college submits internal marks after the results are announced, they are fined 500 per child whose marks they missed to submit, said Vinod Patil, director, BoE. The incident came to light less than six weeks after the varsity reprimanded the administration of the same institute for forgetting to share marks of one subject for their third-year Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM). HT had reported in January that as a result of this error on part of the institute, all TYBMM students of the college were marked absent for one subject, hence considered failed in that particular subject. The college administration contacted MU only after third-year students demanded clarity in the matter. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Hospitality is a Christian virtue, and all who follow Christ are urged to covet that virtue, for we are told it is possible that in exercising hospitality, we are entertaining angels unaware. Christians are also called to lovingly proclaim the gospel of salvation to all, irrespective of persons. However, there are a number of evangelical and reformed spokesmen and women who are urging Christians to be hospitable in a peculiar way toward people who are calling themselves transgender. The idea put out by some is that it is hospitable to address transgenders by their preferred pronouns; to give respect to the trans culture that affirms one can determine ones self to be the opposite of the sex with which one is born. The argument is that by using the pronouns preferred by those who are convinced their sexual being is self-conferred rather than given, Christians thereby demonstrate the love of Christ by accepting the self-proclamation of that person as legitimate. Therefore, Christians hospitality is supposed to include speaking of a male who perceives himself to be female as she; using the made-up pronouns of ze, zim and zir if those are the desired form of address; or using they as a generic term for a transgender. But affirming a language that ratifies mental disorders is not an act of hospitality. On the contrary, affirming the idea that a human being can transition to the sex other than that with which he or she is born is a cruel denial of reality and an added assault against a person already committed to self-harm. Does naming the new hospitality as cruelty disguised as kindness and compassion ruffle some feathers among those who have declared themselves so loving their love exceeds the love of the Creator who made the human race male and female and declared it good? Lets be frank. Encouraging a person who has given him or herself a new sexual identity and going along with all the ramifications attendant to that invented identity is to affirm the great harm that person will do to him or herself. It is to encourage them to proceed with life destroying measures such as taking dangerous drugs and subjecting themselves to surgical mutilation. Is such affirmation of mental illness and denial of reality the way of Christ? Those who know the stories of the healing of Christ know he would never consider it hospitable to encourage the insane and the mentally tormented to remain in the state to which they themselves and others consigned them; nor would he encourage their Christian neighbors to speak the language of the deluded. Consider the case of the Gadarene man. The gospel of Mark describes him as screaming night and day among the tombs while cutting himself with stones. He mutilated himself in an insane frenzy of self-destruction. Jesus knew the cause and he had the remedy. He knew the source of the mans mental disturbance, named it for the demon inspired tragedy it was, and then healed the man, who was restored to his right mind. The man got dressed and stopped his self-mutilation. Then he went back to his village to tell everyone about the Christ who healed him by casting out the forces of evil, thus restoring him to manhood. Jesus did not affirm the mans mental disturbance and he did not allow him to continue in his insanity. He did not leave him in his complete detachment from reality. Christ did not speak the mans demonically driven language, but spoke the healing truth to him. In the same gospel of Mark, when anxious parents brought their son, who was possessed by a spirit determined to mutilate and even to slay him, Jesus did not leave the boy in the clutches of demons who caused him to wish to throw himself into the fire to be burned to death or into the water to drown. He would not permit the child to be destroyed, even if it appeared the boy was determined to kill himself. He did not return the child to parents unchanged. Jesus healed both the Gadarene man and the child. He recognized the distortion of their humanity. He refused to accept their distorted identities. He had compassion on them and restored them to their right minds. Ah, some may say. The transgender movement is not quite the same thing Christ faced in the cases cited. Isnt it? Isnt the destruction of a human being at stake? Arent Christians to be part of the healing of those who are insane? Its important to remember what happens when we affirm the trans delusion in the name of hospitality. The human being who decides he or she is the sex opposite of which he or she is born with isif they continue in their delusionsubject themselves or are subjected by others to tortures so severe that it makes the soul cringe. They are as severely tortured as the Gadarene man who could not stop cutting himself with stones. And worse. No one is saved from masochistic delusion by a Christian who actually affirms the status of a human being determined to destroy himself. If it is not hospitable to start speaking what some deluded soul who thinks he is from Mars and who earnestly believes he is speaking the native Martian language, it is not compassionate to agree to speak his language and thus affirm his delusion. In the end, for all the talk of hospitably learning and using the language of madness spoken by those committed to self and societal destruction, and thus affirming the legitimacy of a supposed transition from male to female or vice versa, consider what actually is accomplished. What is accomplished is not a supposedly salvific transition to another sex. What is accomplished is severe mutilation of a perfectly good body. The person transitioning remains a he or a she. Christians, it is no divine light or gnostic inner wisdom that has convinced the persons whom you hospitably address with preferred pronouns to despise their very being, and to reject the chief marker of their humanity as male or female. Nor are the parents who cheered their child on, nor are the psychologists who help affirm the distorted direction of childish desires; nor are the sadistic doctors who drug and carve up children like mere beasts hospitable and affirming. The dire end results of a process you affirm by being hospitable when you accede to the language of delusion and madness are horrifying. The end result of your so-called hospitality is irreversible damage. No, none of those promoting the madness that is transgenderism are any more hospitable and affirming than the parents who encouraged foot binding or who encourage female genital mutilation. In fact, all promoters of the mutilators of the flesh share not just lack of love, but even worse, hatred toward the human race. At least the pagan Greeks and Romans recognized and affirmed the beauty of the human body. Christians are urged to speak the language of Gods love. They are urged to reject the lie and to tear down the strongholds of deception. They are never to speak or affirm the languages of unreality. That is why they cannot affirm a hospitality that accedes to the language of the lie. We dont affirm bedlam or Babel. On the contrary, we Christians are to speak the truth, to pray for the salvation of the deluded and the tormented, be it mental or physical or spiritual, as all three are related. We are to work toward the healing of the body, mind and spirit as did our Savior Jesus Christ, who as the very Word of God, spoke to all only the language of eternal love and salvation, which language is and will be spoken in the Kingdom of God forever and ever. --Fay Voshell holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her the prize for excellence in systematic theology. Her thoughts have appeared in many online magazines, including the Christian Post. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com TOEFL stands for the Test of English as a Foreign Language. And it is a standardized test use to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers who wish to enroll in English-speaking universities. TOEFL is accepted by many English-speaking academic and professional institutions. It is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the IELTS. TOEFL test measures your ability to use and understand English at the highest level. It evaluates how well you can combine your reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills to perform academic tasks. TOEFL TEST The TOEFL test is taken by more than 35 million people from all over the world. The average English skill level varies from student to student. There are: Students planning to study at a higher education institution English language learning program admissions and exit Scholarship and certification candidates English language learners who want to track their progress Students and workers applying for visas TOEFL EXAM If you are planning to take toefl, then you must know that the test is held in two formats. 1. TOEFL iBT and 2. TOEFL PBT. The TOEFL Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) is the online version of the TOEFL test and It is the more preferred medium of TOEFL due to its ease of convenience and uses fewer resources. The TOEFL Paper Based Test (TOEFL PBT) is the more orthodox method, wherein paper and pen are extensively used for the purpose of the exam. Not a big hit among students, the paper-based model of the TOEFL exam is conducted in areas that do not have access to the Internet. You must know that in this format of the TOEFL exam, the TOEFL Speaking Test is not conducted due to the limited availability of resources. TOEFL ETS ETS stands for The Educational Testing Services and it is the body mandated to conduct the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). It is responsible for setting the TOEFL questions, conducting the test, and sending each examinee their scorecard. Students wanting to study abroad, can choose from multiple TOEFL Test Dates available round-the-year and select from the various test centres located across major cities to appear for their TOEFL Exam. TOEFL SCORE TOEFL scores are used by most colleges as the only one factor in the admission process. The minimum TOEFL iBT scores for most colleges range from 61 to 110. TOEFL iBT test is scored on a scale of 0 to 120 points. Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) receives a scaled score from 0 to 30. The scaled scores from the four sections are added together to determine the total score. The reading and listening sections are tested first, followed by a ten-minute break. The speaking and writing sections are then completed following the break. A maximum amount of 203 minutes is allowed to complete the whole exam process. Each speaking question is initially given a raw score of 0 to 4, with 1-point increment, and each writing question is initially given a raw score of 0.0 to 5.0, with 0.5-point increment. These scores are converted to scaled scores of 0 to 30. The TOEFL PBT score ranges between 310 and 677 and is based on three subscores: Listening (3168), Structure (3168), and Reading (3167). Unlike the CBT, the score of the Writing component (referred to as the Test of Written English, TWE) is not part of the final score; instead, it is reported separately on a scale of 06. The score test takers receive on the Listening, Structure and Reading parts of the TOEFL test is not the percentage of correct answers. The score is converted to take into account the fact that some tests are more difficult than others. The converted scores correct these differences. Therefore, the converted score is a more accurate reflection of the ability than the raw score is. The TOEFL PBT was discontinued at the end of May 2017. Official testing in areas without internet or computers now uses the TOEFL PDT. TOEFL PRACTICE TEST Practice for each section of the test with free sets of TOEFL iBT questions from previous tests. You can become familiar with the types of questions and content on the actual test and understand how the TOEFL iBT test is structured and formatted. Our TOEFL Practice Test is not an exact recreation of the TOEFL Test as it will be administered on test day, but it does offer some extensive training with the types of questions and materials you will encounter on the test, be it the PBT or iBT. We've broken it up into five overall sections consisting of three individual Listening portions (53 questions altogether), one Reading section (28 questions) and one Structure section (30 questions). This Practice TOEFL will help you feel more confident with the types of questions that you will encounter; but we also want to encourage you to take as many TOEFL Practice Test opportunities as you can and even consider enrolling in a test preparation course if you can afford to do so. You want to be comfortable on test day, not just with the questions and types of materials, but also the testing environment itself. Additionally, you may want to follow this list of DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to preparing. TOEFL REGISTRATION TOEFL registration can be done in 3 ways: Register Online Register 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be sure the name you use when you register exactly matches the identification you will bring on test day. Pay with a credit/debit card: American Express, Discover, JCB, China Union Pay, Diners Club, Mastercard or VISA. You can also use a PayPal account, or an electronic check (e-check) if you have a bank account in the United States. Registration closes 7 days before your test date. Late registration closes 2 days before your test date and has a late fee of US$40. Register by Phone Review the Registration Form (PDF) before you call. Spell your name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring on test day. Go to www.ets.org/toefl/contact and select your location to find the phone number for your Regional Registration Center (RRC). Pay with credit/debit card: American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard or VISA; or with an electronic check (e-check) if you have a bank account in the United States or its territories. Registration closes 7 days before your test date. Late registration by phone closes at 5 p.m. local test center time on the business day before the test and has a late fee of US$40. Register by Mail Download and fill out a Registration Form (PDF). Spell your name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring on test day. Choose 1 of the payment methods listed on the form. If you are testing outside the United States, U.S. territories and Canada, mail your form and payment to your RRC. To find the contact information for your RRC, go to www.ets.org/toefl/contact and select the country where you plan to test. If you are testing in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada, use the mailing address listed on the Registration Form. Forms must be received at least 4 weeks before your test date. If you do not receive a confirmation, call the location where you mailed your paperwork at least 3 business days before your registration deadline. If you register by mail you will need to enter certain codes manually that are input automatically online. TOEFL TEST DATES The TOEFL iBT test, taken via the internet, is offered more than 50 times a year at approved test centers around the world. To find available test centers, dates and times, create or sign in to your ETS account online or via the TOEFL official app, and click "Register for a Test." You will not need to complete the registration process to see available centers and dates. You can also see a list of testing locations, dates and fees. However, for the most complete and up-to-date test center information, please sign in to your ETS account online or via the app. TOEFL PREPARATION To perform well in the TOEFL test, you must possess fairly high English skills. The average minimum required TOEFL iBT score for U.S. universities is 78. This means you'll most likely need to score around 20 on each TOEFL section in order to gain admission into a U.S. school. That said, the exact TOEFL iBT score you'll need will vary depending on the school. For instance, many Ivy League institutions require total TOEFL scores in the 90-100 range which is markedly higher than the average of 78. At the same time, many smaller or less highly ranked schools require total TOEFL scores in the lower 70s or even 60s. Whatever the case, you'll want to ensure your English ability guarantees you the TOEFL score you'll need for admission. Here are simple tips you can use to help strengthen your English-language skills before sitting for the TOEFL. Read and Listen to English News One of the best ways to improve your English reading and listening skills is to pay attention to the news. The news allows you to improve your vocabulary, learn advanced English grammar, and listen to spoken English at a natural, conversational pace. If you'd just like to hone your language skills, start with popular American news outlets, such as CBS and The New York Times. Should these resources be too difficult for you, however, you can instead opt for news stories specifically aimed at English-language learners. One website I recommend is VOA Learning English. This website is an excellent language-learning resource that offers a variety of English news stories in article and video form. Each story is assigned one of three difficulty levels: one (easy), two (medium), and three (hard). Another solid resource is BBC Learning English. This website maintains a helpful animated series called English at University to teach common words and phrases students should know when studying in an English-speaking country. Converse With Native English Speakers Because there's a speaking portion on the TOEFL, you'll need to ensure your speaking abilities are up to par. The best way to practice speaking English is with native English speakers. Native English speakers are people whose first language is English, regardless of the country in which they grew up. If your country or community doesn't have many native English speakers, try to see whether there are any English-speaking groups or classes you can join instead. Meetup is a fantastic website that lets you search for (and even create) language-learning groups in local areas. Alternatively, if you're OK with paying for a service, you can try video chat language lessons. Naturally, rates will vary depending on the tutor or teacher you select. Improve Your Vocabulary To excel at both English and the TOEFL, you'll need to master many tough vocabulary words. A large part of the TOEFL is knowing lots and lots of English words, especially academic vocabulary, so it's important you know which words you'll need to study for the TOEFL. These words are some of the most commonly encountered vocabulary words on the TOEFL. If you want a great TOEFL score, definitely take some time to memorize words! You can also incorporate your vocabulary lists for other tests, such as the GRE and ACT, into your TOEFL studies. How should you study these vocabulary words? One excellent method for improving your vocabulary is to use flashcards. You can start by making your own flashcards using the words on your TOEFL vocabulary list. Then, as you study, add other words to your flashcards, such as those you encounter online, in newspapers, or in books. You can also opt for digital flashcards. Anki is a free software that allows you to create your own flashcards and download pre-made flashcard decks from other users. This program uses spaced-repetition software (SRS) to show you challenging flashcards more often than easier ones, thereby helping you to master difficult words more quickly. A website called Memrise works similarly and offers both SRS and a large assortment of high-quality flashcards. Unlike Anki, though, Memrise uses a more colorful, game-like approach to make learning languages fun and easy. Use a Language-Learning App or Website Finally, you can learn English even faster through language-learning websites and apps. These resources track your progress and give you key words and grammatical patterns to study. One popular example is Duolingo, a free language-learning website that's also available as an app for iPhone and Android. Duolingo uses an effective game-like atmosphere to teach foreign languages to users. It's mostly helpful for reviewing fundamental grammar patterns and vocabulary words at the beginner and intermediate levels. Another good website is English Central, which teaches all levels of English entirely through videos. You can even focus on specific types of English, such as academic English or business English, so you can better target the kind of English you'll need to know for the TOEFL. Depending on the amount of access you want to this website, the cost ranges anywhere from free to 89 USD a month. Hire a Private Tutor Hiring a private tutor may sound weird but can be the greatest support you might ever have. A good tutor is truly priceless. They'll help you make a study plan, identify your weaknesses, explain concepts you're unstable on, and help you come up with an strategies that works best for you. Home tutoring will provide you with an expert to guide you and takes the guesswork out of the equation. Additionally, a tutor can help keep you motivated! If you are looking for a tutor to help you from home, visit www.excellenthomeclasses.com, call/WhatsApp 0501457284 or email: [email protected] Take your time to explain all your needs and an expert tutor will be connected to you. Choose your days and times for tuition and start with the lessons immediately. Conclusion The TOEFL Test may be unlike anything you have ever seen on the testing front, but try to remember that it is just another exam, and as such, is responsive to some of the same rules for effective studying. Make sure that in addition to the test-specific actions, you are also checking these study points: 1. Memorize the test date in advance and leave plenty of room to brush up on problem areas. 2. Purchase study materials and take as many practice exams as you can, especially in the last few weeks before test day. 3. Do a test run before the big day so you can be familiar with the testing environment as well as the required documentation that ETS makes you bring along for the date. 4. When studying, do so in a quiet and secluded place. Avoid the temptation to listen to music -- particularly music with lyrics -- since you will need to switch back and forth from reading to listening sections. 5. If possible, attend study groups with other TOEFL Test takers. There is safety in numbers, and you can learn just as much -- if not more -- from a peer as you can an instructor. Keep these tips in mind, and the TOEFL Test will be your first step in mastering the English language and improving your marketability. If you like what you've read and this information makes sense to you, then click here and get a copy or our special report for free. Feel free to leave a comment and also share it with your social platform. Bangalore tops the chart, followed by Delhi NCR and Mumbai According to a recent study, less than 10% of young men and women in India learn about sex from adults including teachers, health care professionals, or family members. Sexual and reproductive health is a topic that most Indians are still not comfortable discussing or are ignorant about. The stigma attached to these topics are the root cause for other, larger issues people, especially women, face every day. Only 45% young men and 28% young women have a comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its prevention in our country. The state of prevention of other sexually transmitted infections for both genders is very low owing to the fact that no proper medical assistance is availed. In light of such statistics, Practo conducted an internal study to understand how India sees sexual and reproductive health and goes about seeking help. There has been a 139% growth in sexual health consults, since last year. Users have increasingly preferred online consultation for sexual health queries as it is an easily accessible, private and trustworthy option that can be done from the comfort of ones home. Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad witnessed a significant growth in the number of online sexologist consultations compared to the previous year. People aged between 21 to 30 contributed to 72% of the overall e-Consults on sexual health. Practo Insights: Sexual and Gynaecology accounted for 41% of all e-Consults received last year 46% of all sexual health-related consults come from men, while 54% were from women 72% of the queries came from people aged between 21-30 followed by people from the 31-40 age group T7 cities witnessed a growth of 196% for sexual health-related e-consults year-on-year 70% of the e-consults for sexual health were from T7 cities like Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai Queries for sexual health in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad has been growing at a rate of 50% year-on-year Sexual health has been one of the topmost concerns for people from non-metro cities contributing to 30% of all e-consults on sexual health In Non-T7 cities most of the queries came from Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhubaneshwar, and Chandigarh Top topics discussed were abortion, unplanned pregnancy, masturbation, and premature ejaculation Dr Alexander Kuruvilla, Chief Healthcare Strategy Officer, Practo, said, e-Consults are empowering patients and practitioners across the country by improving access to quality health services and combating stigma and discrimination. Most people in India brush aside symptoms, esp. those pertaining to sexual and reproductive health, due to societal biases and/or shame, leading to worsening of condition and a low quality of life. Hence, its important to consult experts, and for that, access is key. Thats what digital healthcare is solving for: access, convenience and affordability, so theres less resistance and more empowerment to take control of ones health. Dr Gayathri D Kamath, Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Fortis Bangalore, said, There has been a significant change in the way people in India, especially women, approach sexual health. Across all age groups there has been a constant rise in the number of people seeking information and medical help online regarding sexual and reproductive health. Earlier, couples would shy away from talking about sexual problems for several reasons. They now acknowledge the issues and seek proper assistance in the early stages from specialists which helps in further treatments. Digital platforms like Practo have played a major role in increasing awareness of the different facets of sexual health and in helping people seek professional help instead of suffering silently. The drinks industry in Ireland was the backdrop to an event that took place recently in Enniscorthy focussing attention on the Irish malting barley sector. The conference, which was held in the Riverside Park Hotel, heard that the Irish industry, in particular relating to whiskey sales, has expanded considerably over the past number of years. The increase in demand has had a knock-on effect for the Irish malting barley sector resulting in an increase in the amount of malting barley being grown in the country. The conference attendees heard growers here have opportunities to enter a niche market with their produce and increase farm profitability. An annual event the conference was organised as part of the Teagasc/Boormalt joint programme which is currently in its second year. At the conference, Kieran Kilcawley, from Teagasc Moorepark, outlined a research project he is working on examining the area of Terroir in whiskey. Terroir is a concept based around the idea that the taste and smell of whiskey can be directly associated with where its malting barley crop was grown. It includes factors such as soil type and location and how they can impact taste. Mr Kilcawley's research is ongoing, however, initial results indicate there is a link between the location of the crop and its taste. Growers who attended the event received an update on the activities of the Teagasc-Boormalt programme over the past year. The programme advisor, Eoin Lyons. outlined the farm trials that were carried out on monitor farms over the past year. Among the topics he discussed on the night were issues such as catch crops, aphid control and growth regulators. The malting barley nitrogen rate for the coming season was also discussed at the conference. The attendees were told there was a big difference between nitrogen retained in the soil this year compared to last year. The conference head that high rainfall, large crop off-takes, and poor cover crops will all point towards a low level of nitrogen in soil this year and therefore nitrogen requirement for this year's malt crop will have to be altered in order to optimise yield and protein. Steven Kildea, a crop researcher in Teagasc Oak Park, focussed attention on the imminent loss of chlorothalonil, next May, and how control of ramularia in spring malting barley will become increasingly difficult as a result of that. Mr Kildea also gave an update on what alternatives are available for ramularia control when chlorothalonil goes off the market. He also updated the attendees on trial work completed last season which showed there are alternatives to Bravo on the market but they may not be as effective. However, he also stated that the situation in relation to ramularia control measures is much more positive compared to a year ago. The final speaker was Tom Bryan, who is Technical Manager, with Boormalt. He outlined some of the company's plans for 2020. He revealed that the new malting barley facility in Athy is now complete and operational while the reconstruction of the old facility is due to be completed shortly. Mr Bryan said that with the increase in the malting capacity in Athy the company plans to purchase a record quantity of malting barley this season and in doing so increase its total tonnage to 180,000 tonnes. TEHRAN,Iran,Feb.29 Trend: Irans borders with Iraq have been reopened, while medical teams monitor suspected coronavirus patients, head of public relations in Irans Customs Administration Ahmad Khani told Trend. "Mehran border is yet to be reopened, while Chazabeh border has already been opener an hour ago. Shalamche, Parvizkhan and Soomar borders are open as well," he said. Moreover, Khank said Iran has no limit in cargo and passenger transportation with Afghanistan. Iran's Customs Administration spokesman Rohollah Latifi was quoted by IRNA saying that 370 Turkish trucks and 18 passengers are waiting to receive entry permit to Turkey at Bazargan borders. "Meanwhile, 650 Iranian passengers arrived by ship from the UAE to Bandar Abbas port since the air route is closed," said Latifi. Following the coronavirus spread in Iran, the neighboring countries have closed their borders to cargo and passenger transit. Outgoing Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik's last few months in office were riddled with allegations of "inaction" and "failure" to contain northeast Delhi's communal violence, "inept" handling of Jamia and JNU cases and undermining the morale of the force with his own men heckling him for not taking a firm stand for their rights. The national capital witnessed the worst riots in last three decades this week, with allegations of police acting as mute spectators when angry mobs ran riot on the streets of northeast Delhi. A 1985-batch officer, Patnaik was a dark horse in the race for the top job and assumed office on January 31, 2017 to serve perhaps one of the longest tenures as Delhi Police chief. There were unprecedented protests in November last year by his own force when hundreds of Delhi Police personnel staged a dharna outside the old police headquarters against its top leadership for not standing by them. The police personnel were upset because the top leadership had not taken a stand when over 20 police personnel, including senior officers, were manhandled at the Tis Hazari court. Patnaik was forced to come out and pacify the hundreds of police personnel and families. During his tenure, the national capital also witnessed widespread anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, including at Shaheen Bagh. In December last year, the Delhi Police came under severe attack after security personnel barged into the Jamia Millia Islamia library following violent protests in the area and cracked down on students, many of whom were severely injured, including one losing his eye. Three weeks later, the Delhi Police again came under fire, but this time for "inaction", when masked mob went on a rampage in the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, thrashing students and teachers. Students alleged that they called the police several times but received no help. Not a single person has been arrested in the case so far. His last few months also saw spurt in crimes like snatching and gang wars in the different parts of the national capital. Former Delhi police commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma said he would have preferred criticism for "overaction" than for "not acting". "Every leader chooses to have his own style of functioning. The present leader of the force acted in the way he felt right. If ever action is taken against me, I would like it to be taken for 'overaction' but I would have never liked to be hauled up for not taking action," said former police chief Ajay Raj Sharma. "If any offence has taken place, the police has to act. If any person is getting violent, or giving provocative speeches, they should be arrested," Sharma said alluding to criticism of Delhi Police over the communal violence. Another former Delhi police chief, requesting anonymity, said had incidents like JNU and Jamia not occurred, his tenure would have ended on a better note. "But there was also no action taken when a woman IPS officer was assaulted during the Tis Hazari clashes. The lack of leadership was reflected when the police did not know how to handle the JNU violence. "When mobs were running riot in northeast Delhi, the force on the ground did not know how to contain it," the officer said, adding that this was for the first time after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Delhi Police had to face criticism for "inaction". The alleged failure of the Delhi police to check the communal riots in northeast Delhi that broke out on Sunday night and involving those for and against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act also came under the scanner of the Supreme Court which rebuked it for failing to act "professionally". The riots have left 42 people dead and around 200 injured. Patnaik was supposed to retire in January this year but was granted a month's extension owing to Delhi Assembly elections. During his tenure, the Delhi Police also got a new address at Jai Singh Road in Lutyens Delhi. Charge sheets were also filed in the JNU sedition case, involving former students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, and 2014 Sunanda Pushkar case. As an officer, Patnaik has handled several critical assignments in Delhi Police. He has the rare distinction of heading both the crime branch and the southern range as joint commissioner. Some of the cases that he has handled include those related to parcel bomb, the dreaded Asghar gang of dacoits and the Bombay blast accused. During his 35-year-old stint, the IPS officer also served in the elite Special Protection Group and is credited with planning and managing the security of the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 05:19:32|Editor: ZD Video Player Close A man jogs with face mask in Milan, Italy, Feb. 28, 2020. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy have increased to 888, including 21 fatalities and 46 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua) ROME, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy have increased to 888, including 21 fatalities and 46 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health on Friday. The majority of the infections, or 531, were recorded in the northern Lombardy region, followed by the northern Veneto region (151 cases), Emilia-Romagna (145), Liguria (19), Piedmont (11), Tuscany (8), Marche (6), Sicily (4), Campania (4), Lazio (3), Puglia (3), Abruzzo (1), Calabria (1) and the autonomous province of Bolzano (1), the Ministry of Health reported. Civil Protection Department chief Angelo Borrelli, who also serves as Extraordinary Commissioner for the Coronavirus Emergency, told a press conference at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Friday that three more deaths were reported in a day. "Three individuals died today," said Borrelli, describing them as two people aged over 80 and one person aged over 70. Currently, 412 people are under house quarantine because they are asymptomatic or present very light symptoms, 345 are hospitalized, and 64 are in intensive care, Borrelli said. The overall numbers are up from 633 cases of infection (including 45 recoveries) and 17 fatalities communicated by officials at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Asked about the spike in cases, Superior Institute of Health (ISS) President Silvio Brusaferro, who was also present at the press conference, said that "the scenario is one that hasn't yet been affected by the measures adopted." It takes up to 14 days for symptoms to develop after a person first catches the virus, explained Brusaferro. "We are measuring a phenomenon that is still evolving, and in the coming days we will assess the impact of the measures that have been adopted," the doctor said. Officials first confirmed the coronavirus outbreak on Feb. 21, when six cases of infection emerged in the small town of Codogno in Lombardy. In response to the outbreak, the government put Codogno and another nine nearby towns under lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. During that time, another hotbed of coronavirus flared up in the nearby Veneto region. Also on Friday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella called on citizens not to give in to irrational fears based on fake news. Speaking ahead of Rare Disease Day, which falls on Feb. 29, Mattarella said that "we have witnessed irrational behavior, the spread of anti-scientific theories ... and the spread of anxieties that transformed into self-harming behaviors." "Today, as we face the emergence of an insidious new virus, we can better appreciate the value of science, (which is) a strong antidote to irrational and unmotivated fears that lead to behaviors that are without reason or benefit, as sometimes happen even now," Mattarella said. A Santa Clara County resident has tested positive for the coronavirus but the source of infection cannot be determined, suggesting the virus is spreading in the community there, public health officials said Friday. The case was the second incidence of possible community-acquired infection in the United States, but hours later officials said there was a third case with no known source of illness in Oregon and a fourth case in Washington. The first case, also in the Bay Area, was reported on Wednesday, involving a Solano County woman who tested positive. The Santa Clara County resident is an older woman with chronic health conditions, public health officials said. She had been hospitalized with a respiratory illness, and a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases was concerned that she could have COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County. The doctor contacted public health officials on Wednesday to request that the woman be tested for the virus. The positive results came back Thursday night, Cody said. In both the Santa Clara and Solano cases, the patients had not traveled recently to a place where the coronavirus is known to be spreading, and had not had contact with anyone who was already infected. When the source of infection cannot be determined, authorities assume that the virus is circulating in the community. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear, Cody said in a statement. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease. The Bay Area is the only region in the country to report community spread, but public health officials have said other areas are likely to report more cases soon. The Santa Clara County resident is the third person in that county to test positive for the virus. The previous two cases involved people who had recently traveled to China, the epicenter of the global outbreak. Cody said the woman had not had contact with the other two individuals in the county who have tested positive. The Santa Clara County woman was diagnosed much faster than the Solano County resident, who was hospitalized at two different facilities, and for more than a week, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed to test her for coroanvirus. Doctors at UC Davis Medical Center, where she was transferred from Solano County when her health deteriorated, said they had asked that she be tested on Feb. 19 but had to wait four days to get permission. The CDC denies that testing was delayed. Until this week, all coronavirus testing was done at CDC laboratories in Atlanta. Local and state labs were supposed to start testing weeks ago, but they were delayed by faulty parts in the CDC-issued testing kits. New kits arrived in several areas including Santa Clara County, Oregon and Washington on Thursday. All three of the new community-acquired cases that were reported on Friday were tested at local public health labs, which were able to return results within a day of collecting samples from patients. 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. Now that we are able to expedite test results here at the Public Health Lab in Shoreline (Wash.), were getting results on suspected local cases a lot faster, said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington state health officer, in a statement Friday night. Given the extent of global spread, we expect to identify more individuals with COVID-19 in Washington. In Santa Clara County, when a doctor treating the patient suspected she had COVID-19, the county agreed immediately to do the test in its own labs, Cody said. A sample was collected from the patient and arrived at the lab Thursday morning, and the positive result was returned that night. Cody said the county has started investigations into where the woman may have gone in the community while she was contagious, but she declined to offer any details. Were working to identify the womans contacts, and working to see who she might have exposed, Cody said in a news conference Friday afternoon. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Ivanka Trump cut a stylish figure in a $2,040 Victoria Beckham midi dress and gold heels while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, a few days after she returned home from her trip to India. The first daughter wore her hair down for the event and showed off her chunky blonde highlights with contrasting brown pieces. Ivanka has been rocking the bold new look, which was popular in the early 2000s, for a few weeks now. The 38-year-old spiced up her white, minimalist frock with a pair of shiny gold pointed-toe stilettos and blingy diamond rings. Feeling good: Ivanka Trump, 38, was all smiles as she took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday Outfit of the day: The first daughter donned a $2,040 white midi dress by Victoria Beckham On her right hand, she wore a chunky diamond band, and on her left, she had on her engagement ring, which features a 5.22-carat, square, cushion-cut diamond. Ivanka has mostly steered clear of ostentatious jewelry since she started working as a White House senior adviser, but it seems as though she has had a change of heart. She has been spotted wearing the large diamond ring, which is rumored to be worth over $500,000, numerous times over the past month. The White House senior adviser stuck to her tried-and-true beauty look and sported smokey eye makeup, bronzed cheeks, and a deep rose lipstick. Bold new look: Ivanka wore her hair down for the event and showed off her chunky blonde highlights with contrasting brown pieces Never fails: The White House senior adviser stuck to her tried-and-true beauty look and sported smokey eye makeup, bronzed cheeks, and a deep rose lipstick Bling ring: Ivanka's 5.22-carat diamond engagement ring sparkled under the lights while animatedly she spoke with hands Ivanka, who likes to rework the pieces in her closet, was first seen wearing her Victoria Beckham frock in July 2018. She paired the dress with a black belt and black pumps. This time around, she removed the belt and added gold shoes to create an entirely new look. The first daughter had a bright smile on her face when she took the stage at CPAC on Thursday to tout her father, President Donald Trump, and his policies. 'The last three years have shown the world the benefits of the pro-growth policies that this administration has put into place and the benefits of capitalism in contrast to so many other nations around the world. So we are reaping the rewards of the macroeconomic agenda of President Trump,' she said. Added touch: Ivanka topped off her look with a pair of shiny gold pointed-toe stilettos Praising dad: Ivanka gushed that the US economy is the 'envy of the world' Company: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow joined Ivanka on stage for the top On the go: Ivanka left her Washington, D.C. home in a black Secret Service SUV around 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning 'Our economy is the envy of the world. The envy of the world,' she added. 'We are blessed every single one of us to live in this country...the best is yet to come.' Ivanka left her Washington, D.C. home around 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning. She was seen sitting in the backseat of a Secret Service SUV that left straight from her garage. Her appearance at CPAC comes just a few days after she and her husband, Jared Kushner, traveled to India with her father and stepmother, first lady Melania Trump, for a two-day visit. The first daughter put on a fashionable display in India, starting with the $1,690 floral Proenza Schouler dress she wore when she stepped off Air Force One upon on Monday. Arrival: Ivanka's appearance at CPAC comes just a few days after she traveled to India with her father. She had on a $1,690 floral Proenza Schouler dress when she stepped off Air Force One Say cheese! Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, posed for photos at the Taj Mahal Looks: On Tuesday, she donned a chic, traditional handwoven shalwar kameez by Anita Dongre (left) and a floor-length embroidered jacket over a white silk gown (right) while in New Delhi It is not the first time that Ivanka has worn the ensemble; she was also pictured wearing the dress during her South American tour in September of last year. On Tuesday, she donned a chic, traditional handwoven shalwar kameez by Anita Dongre a designer previously worn by the Duchess of Cambridge to tour New Delhi with Melania. She also opted for a more traditional garment when she attended a state dinner with her husband later on that evening. Ivanka wore a stunning floor-length white jacket over a white silk gown to the glittering event. The long-sleeved jacket paid tribute to traditional Indian garb and featured stunning gold embroidery on both sleeves and beautiful red floral stitching. While she was likely fighting jet-lag on Friday, Ivanka seemed well-rested and excited to take the stage at CPAC to praise the Trump administration. OMJASVIN M D By Express News Service CHENNAI: What other than Karl Schmidt Memorial on Elliots Beach sands in Besant Nagar would grab visitors attention and pique their curiosity? This week, it is going to be the Ripon Building, University of Madras and Valluvar Kottam sand arts till Saturday. As people take a closer look to understand it before raising their phones to air for the technological ritual, a thick black smoke emerging from an industry was engulfing the iconic buildings from the left. On the right were trees and bushes, amid which, animals and birds lived. On the path tracing the smoke, the school kids stood, all in sand. This set the scene to inform the crowd about the prevailing air pollution in Chennai. International NGO Greenpeace has recreated the citys historical structures on the beach to educate the public about rampant pollution. This was also an effort by the NGO to send a message to the Centre to include Chennai in its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in January, 2019. Chennais pollution is higher than WHO standards and is only getting worse. It also remains the only metropolitan city not to be included in the NCAP, Avinash Chanchal, senior campaigner of Greenpeace, told Express. The NGO had roped in Subal Maharana, a popular Odisha based sand artist, who worked between February 24-28, with fellow artists. Speaking to Express, a 55-year-old Maharana said he decided to create the Ripon Building and University of Madras Senate Building for local people to relate. After India were all out for 242 on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday, Hanuma Vihari said that most dismissals were due to errors made by batsmen. Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara and Vihari all scored a half-century but failed to capitalise on their starts. Shaw and Pujara scored 54 each while Vihari was dismissed for 55 runs. "The way Prithvi played in the beginning, he set the tone. Then Pujara, being an experienced player, spent time. We (Prithvi, Pujara and I) gave away wickets at the wrong time. I do not think the dismissals were because of the pitch, it was mostly because of batsmen's error," Vihari said after the end of day 1 of the second Test. Vihari believes that 300 would have been a respectable total on this pitch but feels they played better than they did in the first Test at Wellington, where they suffered a 10-wicket defeat. "I think 300 or 300 plus would have been an ideal total on this wicket but having said that, we showed more intent than we did at Wellington and that is a positive take away. Maybe in the second innings, we can carry forward that intent to bigger performances," he said. New Zealand got off to a good start to their first innings and were 63 for no loss. However, Vihari backed the Indian bowlers and said they will stick to their plans tomorrow. "Although they have got 60 for no loss on the board, I think the scoreboard does not really reflect the way we bowled today. I think we bowled in great areas and there was some help from the wicket. As a bowling unit, we will stick to our plans tomorrow and we will have some different plans according to the wicket and the batsman. We will stick to it and hopefully get some breakthroughs early on," Vihari said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 20:02:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The arrest and prosecution against Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, instigator of the Hong Kong riots, has been hailed by people from various sectors of the Hong Kong society as the arrival of long-awaited justice and a demonstration of the spirit of rule of law. Lai and two other Hong Kong residents were arrested on Friday by Hong Kong police and were charged with one count of "knowingly participating in unauthorized assembly." Lai was also charged with another count of "criminal intimidation." Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that Lai's arrest drew attention because of his role as the brain, donor, whip and mouthpiece of the forces in Hong Kong that have been betraying the country and destabilizing Hong Kong as well as the importance foreign anti-China forces attached to him. The arrest and prosecution against Lai showed that in Hong Kong, a place based on the rule of law, political powers should never override the law, and those who break the law, no matter how tough their backers are or what foreign umbrella they have, will be punished in accordance with the law. Chan Yung, vice-chairperson of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said many Hong Kong residents described the arrest of Lai as "the arrival of long-awaited justice." The arrest action by police is an encouraging news for many Hong Kong residents who support justice, Chan said, hoping that the court will severely punish the instigator of riots in accordance with the law. Ng Chau-pei, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said Lai colluded with external forces to carry out the Hong Kong version of "color revolution" in an attempt to overthrow the "one country, two systems" system. Lai should have been brought to justice long ago for the crimes he has committed bringing disaster to the country and creating chaos in Hong Kong, Ng pointed out, adding that the arrest of him showed "the rule of law and justice, though delayed, will never be absent." Many people blamed Hong Kong's prolonged unrest on the incitement by Lai and the forces behind him, urging the court to strictly punish the criminals in accordance with the law and to bring Hong Kong back on track with the help of the rule of law. Emphasizing on the rule of law and judicial independence as the core values and cornerstones of Hong Kong's success, Willy Fu, Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation Executive Council Vice Chairman, said the Hong Kong police's law enforcement action against Lai was based on sufficient evidence and in accordance with the law, and called on the court to play its role in punishing the criminals according to law. An editorial article published on Saturday by Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao pointed out that ending violence and chaos and restoring order remain the top priority for Hong Kong, and to complete this task Hong Kong can not rely solely on the police law enforcement, but also on the judiciary to restore the authority of the rule of law. Pakistan needs to help the US solve problem in Afghanistan for a better bilateral relationship, a senior administration official has said, asserting that Washington expects Islamabad to play a constructive role in helping implement America's historic peace deal with the Taliban. The US and the Taliban signed the landmark peace in Doha on Saturday to bring lasting peace in the war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home from America's longest war. "I believe it was President Trump's decision to cut off military assistance to Pakistan and to say that if they wanted a better relationship with the United States, they needed to work with us on helping solve the problem in Afghanistan," a senior administration official said. Pakistan has been an important partner in this effort, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He did not elaborate on the role being played by Pakistan in the peace deal with the Taliban. "Most recently they have been helpful in supporting our effort to press for the reduction of violence that we've achieved this past week. But nothing is easy between those two countries. There's a long and difficult history. No one thinks it's perfect, and we're going to need continued support and effort by Pakistan to help move forward on implementation of the agreement," said the senior administration official. Pakistan has been an important partner to the US in this effort, given its history in this conflict, which is well known to everybody, the official said. "They're an important player. So, it's been useful to us to have a productive working relationship with the Government of Pakistan on this issue," the official said. When Special US envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad started this process, Pakistanis were cooperative in releasing Mullah Baradar, who has been the leader of the negotiating team on behalf of the Taliban, the official said. "He was Mullah Omar's named successor. He's played an important role in this process," the official asserted. The United States commits to facilitate discussions between Afghanistan and Pakistan to work out arrangements to ensure neither country's security is threatened by actions from the territory of the other side, the official said, adding that this is as per joint declaration between Afghanistan and the United States of America for bringing peace to Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Democratic leaders in Texas and across the country are bracing for a Not-So-Super Tuesday. And on Friday, talking to early voters at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on West Gray, it was easy to see why. I am not incredibly excited, said Josee Larsen, a French instructor at Rice University, as she waited in line to cast her ballot. She had considered former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, she explained, but was planning to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden, and hoping others would do the same. Electability is my No. 1 criteria, she explained. Fourteen states, as well as American Samoa, will hold their primaries on March 3. And theres a clear chance that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, is on his way to becoming the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee. The 78-year-old democratic socialist posted a decisive victory in the Nevada caucus last weekend, after winning the New Hampshire primary and battling former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg to a draw in the Iowa caucuses. On Saturday, Sanders was defeated in the South Carolina primary, where Biden benefited from heavy support of black voters, news outlets projected. Nevertheless, Sanders is likely to emerge from the Super Tuesday contests with a clear delegate lead. He is well ahead in California, polls show, with more than twice as much support as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, his closest rival there. And polls suggest that Sanders is also doing well in purple states such as Virginia and Colorado. A new poll from the University of Houston showed Sanders in a virtual tie with Biden here in Texas, a state that has traditionally served as a moderate counterweight to more liberal states. With four candidates battling it out for the centrist vote, though, Sanders could still wind up on top, especially if he continues to draw strong Latino support The ardor of Sanders young supporters, in particular, is unmistakable. Some 7,000 people turned out for his rally at UH on Feb. 23. Still, Sanders is a weak front-runner. He has elicited a lot of anxiety among Texas Democrats with his calls to ban fracking and his intermittent defenses of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, among other things. And the prospect of Sanders being the partys standard-bearer is fraught with peril for Texas Democrats, who have been poised to make real gains this year, with a record 16 million registered voters in the state and the divisive and recently impeached Donald Trump atop the GOP ticket. Even if Sanders can beat Trump by winning Midwestern states such as Wisconsin and Michigan, the theory goes, his nomination might yield a down-ballot disaster in states like Texas. Local Democratic candidates themselves, for the most part, claim they are unfazed. I think most of the candidates will have a large investment here in Texas, and thats what we need to win both at the top of the ticket and all the way down, said Elisa Cardnell, a Navy veteran and teacher who is facing attorneys Sima Ladjevardian and Travis Olsen in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District. The nominee will face first-term Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw. She was sanguine about the risk of being tarred a socialist by Republicans, if Sanders is the nominee. Theyre gonna say that anyway, right? Cardnell laughed. Michelle Palmer, a history teacher in Aldine and a candidate for State Board of Education District 6, felt similarly. She supports Warren , she told me, and wasnt prepared to predict how a Sanders nomination would affect down-ballot candidates. But it was possible, Palmer suggested, that the energy Sanders has tapped would help buoy candidates in more obscure races. Her own campaign, for example, has benefited from the efforts of volunteers from Our Revolution, a progressive organization led by supporters of Sanders 2016 campaign. Turnout has been higher through the early-voting period, which began Feb. 18 and ended Friday, than it was in 2016. It favors Republicans, however: 1,070,278 Texas voters had cast ballots in the GOP primary, compared to 954,583 ballots cast in the Democratic primary. That may be because Democrats are still weighing their options in the presidential primary, and waiting to see what happens in South Carolina. But its also possible that Republicans are more energized than Democrats had anticipated. Hard to say. The good news for Democrats is that Trump himself has a galvanizing effect on the partys voters. Texans who are ambivalent about their options in the presidential primary may be prepared to coalesce around the eventual nominee, even if it is Sanders. The Republican Party lost its way, said Kurt Grether, 55, an IT manager. He was planning to vote for Buttigieg, having been impressed by the young veterans intelligence and experience as well as his comparatively moderate policy agenda. But Grether said that if Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, hell vote for him. And many Democratic voters who have turned out thus far seem to feel the same way. I am a staunch anti-Trump person, so basically I will vote for anybody that gets the Democratic nomination, said Larsen, the French instructor. But I sure hope its a moderate, because I personally believe that somebody too much on the left cannot win. Well see. erica.grieder@chron.com What happened Charlotte's Web Holdings (OTC:CWBHF), a Colorado-based cannabinoid wellness company, saw its shares gain a healthy 13.8% Friday. This double-digit uptick marks the first time the stock has rallied in nearly a full month. In fact, Charlotte's Web's stock was down by a whopping 30% for the month, prior to this sudden, end-of-the month rally. What's more, this American cannabis stock was trading at all-time lows to boot. So what Charlotte's Web's main attraction as a cannabis investing vehicle is its hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) product line, which consists of oils, gummies, and capsules. Although CBD-infused products were forecast to grow into a multibillion-dollar market over the next 10 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) threw cold water on this notion in late 2019. Specifically, the FDA issued a warning to 15 companies selling CBD products about marketing these items in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. During the same press release, the agency also noted that the safety of CBD products is not well understood, especially for foods containing CBD. Since the FDA came out against CBD as a wellness product, Charlotte's Web's stock has lost over half of its value. Now what Can Charlotte's Web shares continue to rally in the week ahead? That's hard to predict due to the rather nasty market conditions right now. The good news is that the stock has definitely entered bargain territory, with its shares trading at just 4.29 times forward-looking sales. Most companies with rip-roaring sales growth like Charlotte's Web sport far richer valuations. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether or not bargain hunters will continue to test the waters with the top CBD player. Schools in the violence-affected areas of northeast Delhi will remain closed till March 7 as the situation is not conducive for conduction annual examinations, the Directorate of (DoE) announced on Saturday. The Central Board of Secondary (CBSE), however, maintained that classes 10 and 12 examinations will be conducted as per schedule from March 2. "Due to the prevailing unfavourable conditions in North East district of Delhi, the situation is not conducive for the conduct of examinations in this area. The state of mind of the students may also be tense and traumatised leading to lack of concentration towards preparation for the ongoing examinations," a senior DoE official said. "Realising the mental state of the students and in order to help them come out of this traumatic situation, it has been decided that all government, government-aided and private schools in the North East district will remain closed for students up to March 7. However, the heads and staff of the schools will attend as usual. The new date of annual exams will be announced shortly," the official added. The schools have been closed in North East Delhi since Tuesday due to the communal violence in northeast Delhi sparked by protests over the amended citizenship law that has so far claimed 42 lives and left over 200 people injured. The CBSE had also postponed classes 10 and 12 board exams in North East Delhi and parts of East Delhi till February 29. "CBSE exams for class 10 and 12 will be held as scheduled from March 2 onwards in North East Delhi as well. The board has filed an affidavit in High Court and the court has directed police and Delhi government to ensure safety of students and render all help to conduct exams in these areas," CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma said. The DoE has written to the Delhi Police seeking adequate force deployment in and around exam centres. "You are requested to deploy police personnel in adequate number in and around the schools under the jurisdiction to ensure the safety and security of the students and teachers as well so that the exam may be conducted smoothly without any further tension," the DoE letter said. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas severely affected by the riots. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkey's car exports to Azerbaijan increased in January 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Turkish Trade Ministry. The total value of Turkey's car exports to Azerbaijan exceeded $10.8 million in January 2020, which indicates 119.03 percent increase compared to January 2019. The exports of Turkish car industry to Azerbaijan are expected show growth in February 2020 as well. The monetary value of Turkey's car exports to the world market amounted to just over $2.4 billion in January 2020, having grown by 3.2 percent, compared to January 2019. According to the ministry, car exports accounted for 16.38 percent of Turkey's total exports in January 2020. The monetary value of Turkey's total car exports exceeded $30.6 billion in 2019, which accounted for 16.9 percent of the country's total exports. In 2019, car exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan increased by 119.6 percent, compared to 2018, and amounted to over $137.5 million. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The first person to die from coronavirus in the United States was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, officials in Washington state have revealed. Dr Jeff Duchin, Seattle and King County public health officer, said the man was one of three new cases, two of them linked to a longterm care facility, LifeCare Center of Kirkland. Of the other two, one is a healthcare worker in her 40s who is said to be in a satisfactory condition, and the other is a resident in her 70s who is in a serious condition. Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, has declared a state of emergency, directing state agencies to use "all resources necessary" to prepare for and respond to the outbreak. The declaration also allows the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. "We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," Mr Inslee said. The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Show all 11 1 /11 The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Visitors with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus, inside of a car, bottom right, get virus test by members of medical team as others queue in their cars at a "drive-through" test facility at Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Workers move equipment into containers set up as a makeshift medical facility to accommodate COVID-19 patients at a hospital's grounds in Daegu, South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea People wait in line to buy face masks in front of a store at Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Medical workers wearing protective gears comfort each other outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on 28 February 2020 REUTERS The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Medical staff in protective gears arrive for a duty shift at Dongsan Hospital in Daegu South Korea on Friday 28 February 2020 AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A man wears a mask and goggles as he waits in line to buy face masks from a post office near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea South Korean medical workers wearing protective gear visit a residence of people with suspected symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus to take samples, near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean health worker sprays disinfectant as part of preventive measures against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a residential area near the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu on 27 February 2020 AFP via Getty Images The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea A South Korean army vehicle sprays disinfectant on a road to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea on Thursday 27 February 2020. AP The response to Coronavirus in Daegu South Korea Troops set up makeshift partitions and beds at the Armed Forces Hospital in Daegu South Korea 28 February 2020 EPA There had been some confusion over the sex of the person who died. An initial statement from the governor referred to him as a man but at a press conference later, Donald Trump said the victim was a woman. Dr Duchin later confirmed that it was a man. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, had no history of travel to an infected area or contact with someone infected with Covid-19. Other such "community" infection cases where people have the virus but it is not clear how they could have got it have been identified in Oregon and California. More than 50 people in the LifeCare Center facility are sick and being tested for the virus. In Kirkland, a neighbourhood 10 miles to the north east of Seattle, residents said they were trying to go about their business without panic. In the car park of a Whole Foods Market, from where it was possible to see the hospital where the victim had died, one man said there was little they could do other than follow guidance, such as washing their hands. "I do worry, because I take the bus to work," said Akash Shrivastava, who works in IT and was shopping with his wife, Aditi. "There is only so much you can do," she said. Michael Epstein, 48, a consultant, said he was following updates from the Centers for Disease Control, and other experts. He was not listening to anything Donald Trump had to say. "For the family of the person who has died it's terrible," he said. "But when you look at how is most at risk, and the fatality rates, you have to try to worry." Of the claims made by Mr Trump that the US had little to worry about, he said: "I don't listen to anything he says." A 21-year-old woman who worked as a teacher said it was important people followed all necessary steps to stay healthy. "I'm a teacher so there is a bit of panic," said the woman, who asked to be identified by her first name, Roxanna. "But people die from the flu every year. So you have to be healthy and stay active." Members of the Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team prepare to visit a home potentially exposed to coronavirus (REUTERS) Cheryl Crowley, 73, a retired paralegal, said she had no intention of changing her plans. She was due to take a flight to the east coast in two weeks and planned to do so. "What else are you going to do," she said. "You cannot be that scared. Otherwise you'd just stay at home and do nothing." Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:34:32|Editor: yhy Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) has welcomed the efforts and significant progress made by the government of Somalia (FGS) in the implementation of the legislative agenda, amid deep concern over the continuous and indiscriminate attacks by al-Shabab. In its latest meeting, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) has dwelt upon the upcoming elections in Somalia and the future of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), according to an AU statement on Saturday. The Council has reiterated that the efforts are being deployed by FGS towards promoting inclusive political participation and dialogue with its Federal Member States (FMS), as evidenced by the consultation process that took place between the FGS and FMS. The December 2019 consultation between the FGS and FMS has initiated positive developments which allowed for state parliamentary elections to take place, leading to the election of a new Speaker and the election of Ahmed Abdi Kariye Qoor-Qoor, on 2 February 2020, as the new Galmudug President. While welcoming such efforts, the Council has expressed deep concern over the continuous and indiscriminate attacks by al-Shabab against civilian population and facilities, as well as targeted assassinations of government personnel and prominent politicians. Expressing also deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wishing quick recovery to those injured during those cowardly attacks, the Council has paid tribute to the AMISOM Troop and Police Contributing Countries, and their nationals, especially those that have paid the ultimate price in the promotion of peace, security, stability and reconciliation in Somalia. Paying tribute also to all AMISOM personnel for their sacrifices and continued commitment to the cause of peace in Somalia, the Council has encouraged them to persevere until al-Shabab is completely defeated and Somalia and the region are stabilized. It has also commended AMISOM for ensuring that its operations are conducted in compliance with International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and in line with the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. It has welcomed the conduct, by AMISOM, in coordination with the FGS and partners, of a Joint Threat Assessment with a view to informing AMISOM's preparedness to reconfigure and determine locations and preparations to draw down 1000 troops by 28 Feb. 2020. While expressing concern over the floods caused by heavy rains in Somalia and the attendant humanitarian crisis, which have displaced many people, the Council commended AMISOM and all international partners for providing humanitarian assistance as well as for provision of security and rebuilding of some roads and bridges to facilitate humanitarian access and movement of goods and people. It has urged the international community to continue supporting the affected population. The Council underlined on the importance of mobilization of all necessary resources and creation of a conducive political and security climate for the successful organization of credible and inclusive elections in Somalia. The Council commended the AU Commission for all support being provided to the FGS, particularly, the National Independent Elections Commission, as Somalia gears up towards its general elections. JUAREZ, Mexico Valeria was working at her small store in southern Michoacan state when a young man from the neighborhood approached to buy a cigarette. Seconds later, a truck full of armed men stopped in front of the shop. They grabbed the young man and left. Valeria ran to the mans wife to tell her. He was found dead that day. Valeria, who asked that her real name not be used to protect her identity, said police warned her, People say you saw. The next day, a family member received a message: Valeria would be next. Before the week was over, Valerias family was packed and gone, headed for the border. Like thousands of Mexicans, the family fled a combustive mix of crime and poverty in hopes of making it to the USA. In the past four months, Mexicans have once again become the majority of unauthorized migrants caught at the border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol apprehensions of Mexican nationals have risen for two consecutive years, jumping 30% from a 40-year low, reversing a decade-long downward trend. Although the United States has pressured Mexico to crack down on Central American migrants, analysts said the Mexican government hasn't created economic and security conditions that might keep its own people from leaving. The country struggles with its highest-ever level of homicides and a stagnant GDP, while a booming U.S. economy creates a powerful draw north. We should be concerned that the Mexican economy is not growing and, in certain states, is in recession. And violence is once again on the rise and hitting record levels, said Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. Border apprehensions of Mexicans outpace other nationalities Eight years ago, the Pew Research Center concluded that after three decades of mass migration north, more Mexicans were leaving the USA than coming. Before that, in the decade before the Great Recession, U.S. border agents detained almost a million Mexicans each year. Story continues Analysts called the 2012 phenomenon net zero migration and attributed the steep decline to increased deportations from the USA combined with a long-term demographic trend toward smaller families in Mexico, an improving economy and the countrys efforts to fight organized crime. Mexicos economic and security gains proved fragile. Entire extended families are once again leaving their hometowns, from Michoacan, as well as from Guerrero and Zacatecas states, all plagued by violence and anemic economic growth. The number of Mexicans apprehended with a family member at the border in the first four months of fiscal 2020 4,425 is on pace to be more than double the 6,004 Mexicans traveling as a family unit apprehended in all of fiscal 2019, according to CBP. Overall, border agents apprehended 63,405 Mexican nationals in the four-month period, 87% of them single adults, compared with 47,000 Central Americans detained over the same period. In contrast, border agents detained 144,836 Central Americans and 44,832 Mexicans during the first four months of fiscal 2019. Border agents detained 607,000 Central Americans and 166,000 Mexicans in 2019. Border Patrol Agent Joe Romero notifies other agents about a makeshift ladder Feb. 13 in El Paso, Texas. Romero says the ladder looks like it was set out by someone during the day to get over the border fence that night. Mark Morgan, acting commissioner for CBP, said in a news conference that since weve all but addressed the crisis from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, smuggling networks are looking to other vulnerable groups, such as Mexicans. Should trends continue, the number of Mexican apprehensions could reach the highest point since 2016, before Donald Trump won the presidency. Mexican migrants arent subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols, under which Central American and other asylum seekers may be returned to Mexico. The MPP program was briefly halted by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday before being reinstated. The U.S. government has made preemptive efforts to deter Mexican migration. CBP launched a program in late October to fast-track Mexican asylum claims, called the Humanitarian Asylum Review Process, or HARP. The program returns asylum seekers quickly if their claims are found to have no merit. Hundreds of Mexicans, including Valeria and six other members of her family, have been returned or deported to Mexico under the program. The American Civil Liberties Union sued the government in December, alleging the program violates due process for migrants. Thursday, Morgan told a House subcommittee that slightly more than 1,200 people have been enrolled in HARP. Mexico confronts record number of murders, rampant violence Juan Carlos Medina Serrano's family set up a memorial in Irapuato, Guanajuato state, Mexico. Armed men took the 32-year-old from his house Dec. 3. A few days later, authorities found 19 rotting bodies buried in a backyard in a nearby town. It took two months for them to notify his wife that one of the bodies was her husband. Before 2006, homicides in Mexico hovered below 15,000 nationwide, peaking at 14,619 in 1999. When Felipe Calderon took office as president in 2006, he deployed the military to fight the cartels, which sent homicide rates soaring once again. By the time he left office six years later, murders had climbed to 21,459 in 2012. Government statistics show the number of homicides dipped again in 2014, but murders have climbed ever since. Last year, Mexico reached its highest level of homicides in modern times: 34,582 dead in 2019, an increase from the previous record of 33,341 in 2018. Driving the violence are criminal organizations, previously controlled by half a dozen kingpins, that splintered and multiplied, fighting turf battles that wreak havoc on communities across Mexico. In the past, eruptions of violence were shorter in duration. What we are seeing now is that the battles are raging on, and there is no end in sight, said Scott Stewart, a Mexico security analyst with intelligence firm Stratfor based in Austin, Texas. After taking office in Mexico in 2018, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador laid out long- and short-term plans to tackle the problems with violence. Long-term, he said he would tackle the root causes of the violence, including a lack of opportunities for young people. Short-term, he would create a 70,000-strong national guard focused on combating violence. After Trump demanded that Mexico curb Central American migration, Lopez Obrador commanded his generals to deploy more than 21,000 troops of the newly created force to Mexicos southern and northern borders to stop the flow of foreign migrants. U.S. pressure to stem migration through Mexico led the country to shift resources from fighting the violence driving its own people north. They began sending notes: Mexico extortion threats intensify Border Patrol Agents Joe Romero and Fidel Baca examine discarded ladders migrants use to climb over the border fence Feb. 13 in El Paso, Texas. Ever Navarrete Gonzalez, 24, drove a taxi in Costa Chica, Guerrero, a major hot spot for violence in Mexico, in a state where the economy shrunk 1% in the third quarter year after year. Navarrete Gonzalez fled north with his wife, Monica Robledo Ramirez, 23, in January after several taxi drivers died for refusing to pay cartels an extortion fee. When we left, we decided to go because three days earlier, they had killed a (taxi driver), Robledo Ramirez said. They began sending notes. And in those notes, my husbands name appeared. The couple took a flight north and ended up in Nogales, Mexico, just south of the Arizona border, where other relatives had crossed. For three months, the couple waited to present their claims, staying at a migrant shelter with dozens of other Mexican asylum seekers. I explained to them that because youre married, you dont have children or anything like this, youre going to detention, said the Rev. Rodger Babnew, who runs the migrant shelter for the nonprofit Cruzando Fronteras in Nogales. And they said, We want to try. U.S. authorities detained Navarrete Gonzalez but deported Robledo Ramirez to Nogales, Sonora, determining that she didnt qualify for asylum. They gave her a 10-year ban on entering the USA. The future of her husband, locked up in detention 100 miles away, is uncertain. We left (Guerrero) because we were afraid, Robledo Ramirez said, so I dont plan on going back. Theyre far from the only ones in such situations along the border. Leon Fernando Ruiz Beltran, 18, stayed at the same shelter as Robledo Ramirez, along with his parents and two younger siblings. They left Michoacan in December for Nogales when the extortion from cartel gunmen forced his dad to shut his store. The family said they faced serious threats from his younger brothers school principal, whom they accused of bribing authorities and not addressing an incident in which classmates cut off the tip of the boys finger. We came thinking that in a day or two, wed be able to get across. But when we got here, we learned it wasnt like that, Ruiz Beltran said. A priest who runs the Anglican shelter in Juarez where Valeria and her family stay said he sees a pattern among the Mexicans arriving. There are three clear tendencies for why they migrate, the Rev. Hector Trejo said. Among the Mexicans, violence is the top reason. The second is economic necessity. And the third is the lack of employment opportunities. Often its a combination of the three, but one reason always prevails. Economic factors in Mexico and USA push, pull people north U.S. officials are aware of the economic challenges in Mexico and their potential to push people north. Morgan, the acting CBP commissioner, said criminal networks cash in on that economic vulnerability. Theyre exploiting the challenges with the economy right now, he said, to really drive and convince and trick a lot of these individuals. Mexicos equivalent of the Census Bureau, INEGI, said the Mexican economy shrunk by 0.1% in 2019 the first contraction in a decade. Most projections have the countrys economy growing at an anemic 1% to 2% this year. By contrast, the U.S. economy has seen uninterrupted growth for nearly a decade, and unemployment is at a low 3.6%. Lopez Obradors administration instituted socioeconomic programs designed to help Mexicos poor, such as monthly cash transfers to low-income students, the elderly or people with disabilities. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is trying to alleviate economic hardships. Navarrete and Robledo Ramirez were headed for South Carolina before he was detained and she was deported. U.S. asylum officers make their determinations independent of each other, yielding mixed results from a single claim. Though Valeria and six other family members were deported despite the threats she faced, asylum officers released four of her family members, including two grandchildren, into the USA. They headed for Ohio, where relatives took them in. A lot of evading activity: Migrants take increased risks to cross border Mexican migrants take greater risks to illegally enter the USA, turning to smuggling tactics that place their lives in danger. Inside a Border Patrol station in El Paso, Texas, agents fixated on a black-and-white video image from early one February morning: men, eight of them, running through the Rio Grandes concrete bed, knee-deep in water, up to the 18-foot border fence and over it, using a rope ladder. The Border Patrol labels every crossing with a number. This was Event 231. All eight men from Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil were apprehended. Hours later, a scrap of yellow rope was still hanging from the rust-colored steel fence. Were starting to see a lot of evading activity, said Border Patrol Agent Ramiro Cordero, a spokesman for the agencys El Paso sector. Were starting to see the criminal organizations working hand to hand on either side to avoid detection. A 62-year-old Mexican man died after a smugglers boat capsized off the California coast last month. In January, CBP in Texas found 36 migrants trapped in a dump truck with a false bed, under gravel and dirt, banging to get out. Agents found two Mexican nationals stuffed in a car trunk in rural Arizona in November. Stuck at the border, with no way home Border Patrol Agent Joe Romero monitors a dirt road near the government-funded border fence under construction Feb. 13 in El Paso, Texas. U.S. border officials expect apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexican border to go up as the weather gets warmer. Valeria sat on a bench in the migrant shelter, wiping tears from her face, trying not to smudge thick cradles of eyeliner under her eyes. In Michoacan, she said, she and her three grown children and their families lived on the same land, in homes that opened on a common patio without riches but with her grandchildren close. The danger she faced upended that life, she said. Im never going to get over it, she said. I never imagined this. I thought I would always be with my grandchildren. She and her husband will stay in Juarez, she said, and find a way to survive while they figure out what to do. They cant go back to Michoacan, she said. Trejo, who has hosted Valeria and her family for weeks, said Juarez shelters are prepared whether the Mexican migration intensifies or shifts again. Ultimately, he said, people who have been displaced are looking for solutions, and they can be very creative. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More Mexican immigrants try to cross into USA A father has paid tribute to PSNI officers who rushed him to Altnagelvin Hospital just in time to see his baby son born after his car broke down. Stephen Daly was on his way to the hospital on Thursday morning from his home near Eglinton to be with his wife, Natasha, who was scheduled to deliver their third child by Caesarean section when disaster struck. Not only was Stephen stuck in the middle of a very long line of traffic, but the car battery died, leaving him stranded on the side of the dual carriageway. Luckily, the police patrol spotted Stephen's car and a panic-stricken Stephen standing beside it looking helpless, and pulled in behind him. The two officers, Constables Merron and Young, offered assistance and with just 10 minutes to spare, transported Stephen to Altnagelvin Hospital, where he rushed to the theatre just in time to see his as yet unnamed son come into the world. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a very happy father Stephen thanked the two officers for coming to his aid. He said: "I really believe if it wasn't for the help of the police officers, I would have missed the birth of our baby and I will never be able to thank them enough for getting me to the hospital in time. "Natasha was already at the hospital because she was going to theatre for a Caesarean section, but I stayed behind to take our son, Lucas (4), to school and leave Nathan, his brother, at the childminder's home. "I was in the car and on my way when Natasha rang to say they were taking her to theatre, but the traffic on Thursday morning was really bad and I was sitting in a long line that wasn't moving at all. "Then things got even worse when the battery died, this is a car that hasn't broken down before, so I was in a real panic then. I got out of the car, wondering what I was going to do when the police car pulled in behind and an officer asked what was wrong." Expand Close Baby Daly / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Baby Daly Stephen explained how little time he had to get to the hospital, which was less than three miles away, so the understanding officers offered him a lift. He continued: "No sooner had I explained the situation, than I was in the back of the police car and they had the blue lights on. "All the cars in front of us moved to let us past, it was incredible and like something you see in the movies. "They dropped me off at the door of the hospital and I just ran like mad up to the ward and got gowned up. "I got to the theatre and just ten minutes later, our wee boy was born at 9.59am, weighing in at 8lb 11oz." Stephen added: "I sent a photograph to the PSNI Foyle Facebook page of the baby and asked them to pass our thanks to the two officers, which they said they would." PSNI in Foyle shared the happy couple's good news about the latest addition to the family and the role played by the two officers on their Facebook page. Thousands of people have reacted to the post and hundreds took time to send their congratulations to Stephen and Natasha on their birth of their son. Some even suggested some names for him inspired by the ordeal - such as Bobby or Oscar in case the proud parents need some help. One of the officers who helped get Stephen to the hospital on time, Constable Merron, said: "We're all about keeping people safe - it's what we do on a daily basis. "But I have to say, this was a new one, at least for my colleague and myself. "And while it's part and parcel of our duties, we've been truly overwhelmed by the positive feedback and messages on social media. "Our congratulations to the proud parents." Different dates are given for the beginning of Russia's annexation of Crimea. Some people believe that a special operation began on February 23 with a large-scale rally in Sevastopol when a Russian citizen was elected mayor. Some people write that the point of no return was the capture of the Crimean parliament on February 27. But Russia's official hand appeared here on March 1 when Putin sent a proposal to the Federation Council to use Russian troops in Crimea. At this time, Andriy Tarasov, head of the Naval Operations Center of the Ukrainian Navy, was on board the Hetman Sahaidachny, a ship that was returning after an anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden. It later became a major character of the Ukrainian Navy in Crimea. We spoke with Vice Admiral, First Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Andriy Tarasov when he arrived from Odesa on a business trip to Kyiv. Question: Let's go back to 2014. You are returning from the Gulf of Aden from the anti-piracy operation on the Hetman Sahaidachny ship. You find out about the situation in Crimea on your way. What's next? Answer: We were following the February events on the Maidan even during the operation on the ship. During those tragic days, we had to leave Djibouti, but we deliberately stayed so as to have Internet access and watch what was happening at home. We had left when it was the deadline for our stay so as to have time to pass through the Suez Canal. We knew we were going to a changing country. At the end of February, we made our way to Crete. The Crimean parliament had already been seized and our military units had been blocked. We talked on the phone with our comrades captured in Crimea and realized that it was a war, that active fighting was a matter of time. That is why we planned our further route (we decided to move to Odesa, not to Crimea) in order to avoid a clash with the enemy's overwhelming forces. There was no sense in staying and waiting in Crete since the situation did not look like it would be solved in the near future, and there was no sense in returning to Sevastopol. The ship is not fighting at the pier. We realized that going there would be a trap. There was no choice. We had the opportunity to move only to Odesa. The decision was made to return to Odesa, and then Acting Defense Minister Teniukh approved it. I returned to Odesa and then went to Crimea. Q: There was no fear of returning to Crimea? A: What does fear mean? I had to be where I had to be. I fulfilled my functions and could not remain in the rank of admiral on a single ship. I had to be where the Navy was. Then I came under the subordination of Commander Haiduk. Q: Did you easily get to Crimea? A: We were driving by car. I am from Donetsk. I have a Russian surname, so we passed through the checkpoints without any problems. Then I visited the Operations Support Center, the 36th Coast Guard Brigade in Perevalne, I was in the Sevastopol Naval Base in the Striletska Bay. I communicated with commanders, including those aboard ships... Combat units were blocked on March 7. "Demonstration actions" were conducted against them, including the imitation of an assault. For example, at night, Russians moved their APCs, deployed snipers, completely imitating preparations for the assault. Ultimatums were put forward so that Ukrainian units would lay down their arms and stop resisting. I wanted to personally find out the situation, the situation around the units, the mood of commanders, and, after all, look at that with my own eyes. Because talking on the phone will not replace your own impression. Moreover, the means of private communications were no longer active and all the negotiations were being tapped. There were special forces of the Russian Federation, which carried out such wiretapping around the clock. In such circumstances, it was extremely difficult to obtain and provide secret information. Q: How did you live those days? Did you understand that we are losing, that Crimea is being taken away for decades? A: I knew it was a war. I did not come home on my first visit, because I did not want to create conditions when relatives would be a factor influencing me. But I ordered that my daughter be transported to the government-controlled territory. In those circumstances, military commanders could not act on their own accord. Sometimes they tell us that commanders should have scuttled ships. How to scuttle them? The State Bureau of Investigation would then start the proceedings: on what basis were the ships scuttled? We were not legally in a state of war at that time. On the other hand, the ship at the pier is not at war. And I am still convinced that the commanders who remained loyal to the oath did the best they could. We were provoked to use weapons. They wanted to have a reason to invade mainland Ukraine already. Let's remember how groups were formed to block military units. There were respective tactics for these actions. From a distance, it looked like a civilian rally in support of Russia. Tactically, it looked like this: the first row - noisy active women, noise producers, supporters of Russia, there are men - "talking" heads, they stand side by side and make remarks (about fascists, Bandera followers, invaders), if someone wins in this discussion, then a coordinator appears. There are a lot of people, more passive, who actually form the crowd. Behind them is another group of guys who create pressure, and behind those are more guys who don't interfere, but are ready to act if a confrontation begins. On the rooftops are other guys, perhaps snipers, who can "arrange" bloodshed and create an uncontrollable situation. The Navy headquarters was captured in this way, through special actions. Later in Donbas, they acted in the same way, and our comrades from other branches of armed forces found out how to counter this. It was then. But at that time we were surrounded. A confirmation of us changing their plans is that they twice postponed the date for the referendum. Q: You had the smallest percentage of traitors aboard the Hetman Sahaidachny ship How did it happen that the naval command in 2014 in the person of Berezovsky betrayed an oath of office, but your subordinates did not? A: This "commander" is a fly-by-night. He betrayed a day after his appointment. He has no commander's glory in the Navy. But a word dropped from a song makes it all wrong. This fact is written in our chronicles. There is no average portrait - whether a traitor or a deserter. There are people who come from Crimea whose parents stayed there (I hope that war-torn relations are getting better) and who moved to Ukraine with their wives because they are Ukrainians. And there are those who have spoken Ukrainian all their lives, had a clear Ukrainian identity, but went to serve in the Russian army. But when making assessments, understand that this was a perfectly planned military operation prepared for more than a year. The main thing for Russians was to break down the basis of Crimea's defense - the Navy. The main task at that moment was to destroy the control system, remove the head, and they succeeded because of Berezovsky's treason. If he had kept the control levers further, the situation would have been somewhat different. We would not change it drastically, because it was necessary to respond to changes in the situation and seizures in the first days. But Berezovsky's treason led to the top management being discredited. And every commander had to act at his own discretion. Although it is a great temptation to generalize, draw portraits, reduce everything to a simplified formula or linear estimation, saying that Crimea was handed over by local people, separatists - it is not necessary to succumb to it. I am a native of Donetsk, I was born and grew up there, the city was always Ukrainian, even when there was no Ukrainian school. I was brought up as a patriot in Donetsk. But this is our history which you cannot escape - two-thirds of the personnel remained in Crimea. There were people in military units who were ready to act, but they knew that there was one who would not resist. There were commanders who united people. Yuriy Holovashenko (the brigade commander made the decision to take the Russian side if the Russians stayed in Crimea, but Yuriy Holovashenko refused, and the personnel followed him), the commander of the ship Cherkasy, who offered resistance. And this resistance of my comrades is the same story, just like betrayal by others. The reasons why this happened were analyzed many times. But it is not unnecessary to recall that in 2012-2013, the Navy switched to 100% contract service. We were staffed. The remuneration was not significant (although those who served in Crimea were paid more than in other regions), but the salaries of the military of the Russian Black Sea Fleet were much higher. My salary was UAH 11,000, whereas a Russian in the same position received ten times more. The fact that officers were not provided with housing also played a role. I know officers who violated the oath and remained under the influence of their families, because they got married there... Q: They are henpecked husbands, aren't they? A: They are rather hostages. At times, they had to make decisions about divorce, abandoning children, and moving to an unknown place with unclear prospects. In fact, not many people are ready to make such a step. And I know people for whom the decision to commit treason was not easy. It was all a difficult choice: you either abandon your homeland and lose identity or leave your family, go out to the mainland and, in fact, lose, the opportunity to communicate with your children. For six years, some officers have not been able to communicate fully with their children, and some of them cannot get to their parents' funerals. It was good when officers were supported by the family, and in some cases, they left their equipped housing. In general, this is a huge set of problems, but the people who made the choice remained honest with themselves, their conscience, their oath - they do not regret what they did. I often ask officers about this, and they say that if they would return this time in 2014, they would do the same. In addition, after retirement, only a few return to Crimea. Moreover, some of our retirees who were born and grew up in Sevastopol came to mainland Ukraine with us and continue to work here. Q: Blood is not water... A: It's not about blood. Because there are cases when pure-blooded Ukrainians stayed there. And there were people who were born and lived in Crimea. We even have a retiree who moved with the Navy, he was an employee in the Navy's Command and he remains an employee of the Ukrainian Navy's Command. Q: The first of March. Russians began to block military units. Is this date - the fall of our naval forces - the day of resistance or the day of their nullification, birth? A: The Navy went through a very tough clean-up. There are not many of us, but people with whom we started to revive the Navy in 2014, I have 200% confidence in them. I lost my friends in Crimea because they betrayed me and now they seem to have died for me, because I crossed them out of my life, I do not communicate with them, and I do not care what happens to them. And there are some officers with whom I have not had such contact in the service, and then suddenly he becomes my native officer, my comrade, because we came through this together and remained faithful. I know that he will not betray me, and it is very important. Therefore, the team updates and what we have done in these six years - we have not done so much, but we have restored our management, we are starting the revival of the Ukrainian Navy, we have developed a strategy, a vision for development. Q: By the way, I liked the strategy for the development of the Ukrainian Navy. It's short (no more than 15 pages), so it's very easy to read, and I think you set realistic goals. If you describe it briefly, the first stage until 2025 is the following: a small fleet is being created, you preserve ports, coastal zones and nearby waters, right? A: According to the strategy, the first stage envisages that we are restoring control of the situation at sea... This is the observation of the situation. And we must see the situation in the near area so that we can put our forces, our coastal artillery on alert in time, because it can be done in the shortest possible time. That is, we have a set of forces that can prevent the enemy from reaching the coast. Q: That is, Russian paratroopers will not take Odesa? A: They won't. We have enough forces to repel the landing of paratroopers. But we must build a strategy so that the enemy cannot even come close to our shore. And this is the task of this stage that we are working on. That is, we should prevent the situation when the enemy starts airborne landing it should not step on our land from the sea. And our task is to ensure that it cannot reach our coast. This is the essence of the first stage. To do so, we must restore the surveillance system, build up forces that will deter the enemy, and protect the ports, because it is our artery that ensures trade, profit. We will return our right to the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. Of course, we will not reach parity with the Russian Federation in terms of forces at sea. But it should not be said that we will not beat them. We must act asymmetrically, use the weapons the Russians are not ready for. It should be understood that they have certain restrictions on their fleet, including those caused by sanctions. And yet there is a propaganda factor: I am by no means saying that their fleet is weak, but rumors of its superpower are exaggerated. At times, they substitute the wish for the reality. We need to have a small fleet capable of acting decisively, quickly, and striking. And this applies not only to rocket launchers, but also to the coastal missile system. We understand how to build a fleet and how to apply it in the conditions of certain advantages of the enemy. We do not want our paratroopers to land in Novorossiysk. We plan to prevent airborne landing in our country and to secure the return of Crimea in the future. There are a range of issues to protect our interests at sea. We moved two boats by land to the Sea of Azov, and with their appearance, Russians stopped searching our ships. It's a balance of power. Of course, we also need to have a permanent presence in sensitive areas along the Black Sea. And to do so, it is necessary to have seaworthy ships, with sufficient seaworthiness and autonomy. I'm not talking about cruisers or destroyers, but a small multi-purpose corvette designed for Black Sea action will be needed anyway. We must still protect our interests throughout the Black Sea. Q: How did you relieve stress then, during annexation? How did you understand: you are leaving Crimea, but it is not yet known whether the country will hold on? You didn't know the end... A: Of course, I did not predict what would happen next. Because then I watched events in Donbas, I observed the capture of the SBU office in Kramatorsk, then events in Sloviansk. I constantly saw what was happening in Donetsk, I saw that there was a gradual displacement of Ukraine from Donetsk, Luhansk regions. We defended Kharkiv, thank God. But I remembered that day. It was the end of March - the beginning of April, it was springtime, I was not home for half a year, I finally returned home, the sun might be shining there, the leaves were blossoming, something was blooming because this period for me was so very gloomy. And I don't even remember what the weather was like. I understand that it was springtime, everything was waking up, but I saw everything getting worse. When I got home, my neighbor [he is from the SBU, and he stayed there] asked me: Where are you going? To Ukraine, I say, where else can I go? He just diverted his eyes. As for stress ... there was no time for stress, we had to drive people out of Crimea. On April 1, many people who rented apartments were evicted. They just stopped renting the housing and said: "Go away!" Salary cards did not work, that is, people were left without money. In various places of Sevastopol, ships were already captured, but the crew met, lined up in the morning. We had to leave in an organized manner. We started leaving when we got the order. Every day worked against us, we got the order on March 3 and was the first column was formed on March 4. It was the Naval Academy, cadets began to leave. It was the first organized column. Russians held these cadets for several hours, examining everything, seizing their laptops, carrying out such abuse and humiliation. Q: Because they chose Ukraine? A: I don't know. Let's talk about good things. We received great assistance. For example, Oleg Sentsov assisted us and organized the departure. We are very grateful for this strong support. Volunteers, Crimean Tatars helped in all points and different areas. This is very serious. For example, I watched the last Ukrainian channel in Crimea that broadcast programs long after the referendum. There was ATR, a Crimean Tatar channel, and I watched it. I watched it for the first time in my life, and it was like a fresh outlet after two weeks of being in such isolation. It cannot be forgotten. And people just helped. You should not think that everyone in Crimea supported Russians. There were people who gave us the property of their institution, knowing that it was state-owned, that it would come under the control of a foreign country. Q: Computers? A: Also the equipment for heating military units that were blocked there. That is, we felt the support of the population there. Therefore, we must clearly understand that our people are there. Our people survive there because there is an influx of Russians. They, by all means, force our people to leave Crimea, move to the government-controlled territory. They fill their places with immigrants from Russia. And this is a policy planned in advance by Russians, which they consistently implement in order to change the composition of the Crimean population. They dream of doing the same with Crimea as they did by turning East Prussia into the Kaliningrad Region. Personally, I feel very guilty about Crimean Tatars who remain there. They tried to resist. They also held the first rally, provided support. I cannot blame them in any case. But how can they resist when the armed forces and the state do not resist? They did what they did. And now they remain there, and it is difficult for them there, because they with their national identity are opposed to the imperial policy pursued by Russia now. But I am sure we will return Crimea. We need to work on this, and it does not mean that we will take it by force. No, we have to make a whole set of methods: to work on the diplomatic line, in the legal field, on economic issues. And there must be a military component that supports all our efforts. Why was there the aggression of the Russian Federation? Because we encouraged Russia with our weakness. The British have a saying: we have a fleet, so nothing happened. We need to have the Armed Forces, including the Navy so that nothing of this kind happens again. All countries that are now neutral - Sweden, Switzerland - gained neutrality in a serious struggle in the previous century. Therefore, we must have the strength to defend our interests and prevent further aggression. And they [Russians] did not reject the intention to carry out further aggression. We have stopped them now, and they are looking for ways to split us from the inside out, to divide us by political preferences, by language issues. Q: What is your main asset during the Crimean campaign, annexation? Have you acquired some symbolic capital, some impression, some conviction? Is there anything that is valuable to you? A: All barriers have been removed, I do not value my position, status, material things. I know how to lose it. And I know there are things that are much bigger than that. I lost a lot in Crimea. I lived there for 20 years, and I have many friends there. And now I have a new family, my daughter was born, my older daughter moved here, and now she lives in Odesa. That is, what was before 2014 is far behind now. Now everything is completely different. Since I have not lost my honor, I no longer have any barriers. This is the inner freedom that I acquired there, and I cherish it a lot. Lana Samokhvalova, Kyiv Photo credit: Pavlo Bahmut The second and third confirmed unknown origin cases of coronavirus in the United States add to the growing body of evidence that US officials have made a disastrous series of mistakes in response to the mounting outbreak, putting an unknown number of lives at risk. On Friday, a northwest Oregon resident and a 65-year-old resident of Santa Clara County, California tested positive for the disease. Both individuals had no known travel history to centers of the outbreak and no connection with anyone previously identified as infected. This follows the news Wednesday that a woman in Solano County, California, about 90 miles away, tested positive for the disease, also without any obvious sources of transmission. Since the virus has a two-week period before symptoms occur, and because most cases do not require hospitalization, the disease is likely already present in a much broader population. Even though the initial outbreak emerged in China two months ago, US officials have done next to nothing to prepare for its emergence within the United States. Only a small handful of locations are prepared even to carry out testing for the disease. Without proper testing procedures, no individual quarantine measures the only effective way to contain its spread can be implemented. The reaction of the Trump administration has been focused entirely on attempting to bolster the stock markets while utilizing the spread of the disease to escalate its trade war policies and shut down travel to the United States from even more countries, building off of its xenophobic travel ban. In January, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross declared that the outbreak of coronavirus in the worlds second largest economy could be good for the American economy. So I think it will help to accelerate the trend of jobs to North America, Ross said of the epidemic. Some to US, probably some to Mexico as well. Yesterday, Trump again dismissed growing warnings from doctors and scientists that the outbreak could quickly become a pandemic affecting the lives of millions of people. Its going to disappear, one day its like a miracle, it will disappear, Trump proclaimed. And from our shores you know it could get worse before it gets better, could maybe go away, well see what happens, nobody really knows. Vice President Mike Pence, a religious obscurantist who rejects the reality of evolution, has been appointed to oversee the administration response to the outbreak. Pences press secretary, Katie Miller, the wife of Trumps fascistic adviser Stephen Miller, will be in charge of all coronavirus communications. Trumps acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney went as far Friday as to dismiss the threat of the coronavirus, blaming the media for playing it up. He declared, [T]hey think this will bring down the president, thats what this is all about. These remarks were delivered at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was held under the theme of America vs. Socialism. There have been plenty of warnings, increasingly dire, about the impact of the coronavirus, not just in China but in the United States and throughout the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm in 2018 that it was time to prepare to combat a possible Disease X, a viral infection that would emerge in animals and be transferred to humans. The WHO report warned that such a disease would spread rapidly and without initial detection, evading efforts at quarantine. The US government has done nothing to prepare for predictable disease outbreaks, which in the age of globalization and mass air travel can spread very rapidly from one part of the globe to the other. Instead, the Trump administration has been slashing funding for initiatives that are aimed at preventing the spread of diseases like the coronavirus. Budget cuts in 2018 caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shut down 80 percent of an initiative aimed at preventing global disease outbreaks. In October, the US Agency for International Development was forced to shut down a program that deployed teams to detect and halt the spread of disease from animals to humans, including at markets where animals are improperly slaughtered. Trumps budget proposal for 2021 would slash CDC funding by 16 percent. The White House has eliminated the positions for advisers on global health issues from the National Security Council (NSC). Trump fired Tom Bossert, his homeland security adviser on the NSC, in 2018. His responsibilities included overseeing the US governments response to pandemics, but he was never replaced. Health workers have not been prepared to handle the outbreak. NBC News reported Friday that a government whistleblower has filed a complaint that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) dispatched a dozen employees without proper training or equipment to interact with Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China and placed in quarantine on military bases in California. The whistleblower complaint notes that the HHS employees had face-to-face contact with the individuals heading into quarantine, handing out keys for room assignments and identification ribbons. While the workers have not shown symptoms of the virus, such major breaches in protocol could have resulted in transmission. The whistle-blower is seeking federal protection after being summarily reassigned after raising her concerns to HHS officials. She was told that if she did not accept the new postition in 15 days she would be terminated. Two weeks after the CDC announced that it would launch a surveillance testing program in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, the initiative had still not begun. Meanwhile, scientists at 40 labs across the US were given the go-ahead only Wednesday night to use a test for detecting the coronavirus. A problem had been discovered with one of the ingredients in the test, limiting almost all testing for the last two months to one CDC lab in Atlanta. The disastrous state of preparedness for the spread of the disease in the United States is not the responsibility just of the Trump administration. For decades, the ruling elite, under both Democrats and Republicans, has overseen the devastation of social infrastructure. Trillions have been expended to bail out the banks, finance the US war machine and erect a massive police state apparatus. A series of natural disasters, from hurricanes to wildfires, has exposed the fact that the government cannot protect the population from entirely predictable threats to public well-being. For the past three years, the Democrats have focused their entire opposition to Trump on the claim that Russia represents a grave threat to American democracy, as the ruling class fights out differences over foreign policy. Meanwhile, real threats to millions of workers and young people have been covered up, and opposition to the Trump administration based on the social interests of the vast majority of the population suppressed. The Socialist Equality Party supports the call of the International Committee of the Fourth International for a globally-coordinated emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. The working class must mobilize now to demand a massive allocation of resources for health care and treatment, and to ensure that all those who are impacted by the economic fallout are compensated and receive financial support. The trillions of dollars that are held by the global super-rich must be confiscated to develop the necessary health care infrastructure around the world, without regard to national boundaries. In our election campaign, Norissa Santa Cruz and I will fight to mobilize the working class to fight for these demands as part of a political offensive, in opposition to the Republicans and the Democrats, against inequality, war and the capitalist system. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Anchorage School District has announced it is cancelling all school-sponsored international travel in March and April amid concerns over the spread of the new virus that originated in China. About eight trips and 120 students headed to Europe, South America and Asia will be impacted by the cancellations, District Director of Communications Alan Brown said. We didnt want to put students at any undue risk, Brown said. Superintendent Deena Bishop made the announcement Friday after the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of State released new advisories last week. This announcement comes before spring break, which starts March 6 for students and ends March 13, officials said. Parents are encouraged to be mindful of the risk, current guidelines, quarantines, and restrictions as they take their children on vacation outside of the U.S. Anchorage School District plans to re-evaluate the international travel cancellation in May as the situation develops. There are no immediate plans to cancel trips within the United States, but district officials do plan to monitor domestic travel as the spread of the disease, known as COVID-19, continues, Anchorage Daily News reported. State epidemiologist Louisa Castrodale said no one in Alaska has been investigated for the illness and the state hasnt had any confirmed cases. Public health laboratories in Fairbanks and Anchorage now have the ability test virus samples, and results are expected within four to six hours, state health officials said. Were grateful that we now have the capacity to conduct these tests in state, before any testing needed to be done, Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink said. Planning on getting the Poco X2 and have eyes only for the red colour variant? Poco will be holding a Head for Red sale where only the Phoenix Red variant of the Poco X2 will be up for sale on Tuesday, March 3. The company claimed they will have the largest stocks yet. You can even get a discount of Rs 1,000 upon using an ICICI credit and EMI transactions. Poco X2 specs and features The Poco X2 is a powerful mid-ranger that introduces a lot of new features in this segment. That includes a 120Hz refresh rate IPS LCD display, dual punch-hole cameras and a Snapdragon 730G SoC under the hood. Theres also a 4500mAh battery that gets topped up with a 27W fast charger included in the box. Furthermore, the Poco X2 features a 64MP quad camera setup that includes an 8MP ultrawide lens, 2MP macro lens and another 2MP depth sensor. The phone runs on the PocoUI based on Android 10. However, it does show a lot of ads especially from the stock Xiaomi apps that comes pre-installed. Know this that the apps often push quite obscene and downright misogynist content and flood the notifications panel despite not even signing into the apps. Other than this, the Poco X2 is quite a wholesome smartphone that ticks all the boxes. Poco X2 price The Poco X2 starts from Rs 15,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, while the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 16,999. Lastly, the 8GB RAM with 256GB storage is priced at Rs 19,999. After a rowdy stump speech focused on defeating President Donald Trump, implementing universal health care and combatting climate change, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday night quietly and humbly asked a Springfield crowd of more than 4,500 to vote for him come Super Tuesday. Sanders tried to inspire supporters to turn out in droves on March 3 and beyond, to stand up for democracy and oust what he described as an autocratic fraud in the White House. Bring out your friends, your family and coworkers so we have the largest turnout in the history of a Massachusetts primary," the Vermont progressive said. Sanders, who won the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses, is the national frontrunner heading into Saturdays South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday, when voters in Massachusetts and 13 other states head to the polls. Sanders campaign has picked up steam and he has pulled ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren in her home state. But he urged the crowd of 4,750, according to Springfield Fire Department Capt. Richard Martin to show up when it mattered most. Sanders said that his political movement was intergenerational and multicultural, with incredibly strong support among young voters. Americans should be proud that the younger generation today is the most progressive young generation in the history of this country, he said. This is a generation that is anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobia ... and anti-religious bigotry. But he acknowledged that too often, younger progressives dont always vote in high enough numbers. So what we have got to do is change the culture of America, he said. People fought and died for our right to vote. Its time to stand up and fight for democracy. Sanders said progressives could successfully fight for a $15 minimum wage, immigration reform, affordable housing, criminal justice reform and an administration that believes in science and implements the Green New Deal. Im begging you, dont listen to the media and their definition of reality, he said. Dont listen to Congress and their definition of reality. Ask yourself where this great country should be going. Then, when you do that, and look at the issues facing the country ... the answers are not hard. Sanders made a plea for unity, noting a core message of his campaign is Us, not me. And what that is about goes beyond an election, he said. What it says is that our view of human life is that we are stronger when we understand that we are in it together. When my family cares about your family and your family cares about my family, we all do better. Sanders Springfield rally comes as the campaign swings through the Bay State ahead of Super Tuesday, with a four-day music and canvassing festival, BERNIEPALOOZA, in Worcester, and another rally planned in Boston on Saturday. It's tough for some people to haul themselves out of bed Saturday mornings to get to a 9 a.m. Golden Corral breakfast to discuss God. But what if those faith-infused meals brought luck to singles hoping to meet their true loves? David Price has been a longtime Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International breakfast attendee in Albany. And he's seen many who met their future spouses at the gospel breakfasts. fell in love and got married. "Yes, that's happened several times, couples fell in love at breakfast meetings and got married," Price said. "The couples still come to breakfasts. Women have been attending our Albany meetings for years. Everybody's welcome." Price said the meetings generally draw about 25 attendees to the Golden Corral in Colonie. (Next meeting is March 7). Price can remember the days 20-plus years ago when attendees overflowed Albany's spacious Valle's Steak House downtown. "There were more people than chairs," he said. The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International was founded in 1951 in Los Angeles by successful rancher and dairy farmer Demos Shakarian. He envisioned it as a grassroots organization that would help businessmen keep in touch with their moral compasses (or develop a moral compass) and nourishing their spirituality through philanthropic and volunteer work. While it may be difficult to imagine Silicon Valley or Wall Street spawning such a group today, the fellowship spread rapidly and had more than 3,000 chapters worldwide in the 1988. It remains headquartered in California where Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon were featured as guest speakers when they were rising political stars and during their runs for various offices. In his book, "The Cross and Reaganomics: Conservative Christians Defending Ronald Reagan," Tyndale University history professor Eric Crouse detailed the fellowship's Pentecostal roots. Crouse believes the fellowship appealed to button-downed 1950s businessmen intrigued by uninhibited Pentecostal worship, such as speaking in tongues and casting out demons. But the fellowship rapidly evolved into an interdenominational, mainstream Christian body. Crouse also categorized the fellowship as politically conservative. But former Albany chapter president Paul Quinlan, a former Navy man and retired Latham dentist, says the organization and the breakfasts are apolitical. Speakers have included a former Hells Angel who, after becoming a believer, helped prostitutes escape their pimps. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Politics really aren't part of our Saturday breakfasts," Quinlan said. "We have a speaker who shares some of his life story and talks about his faith, how he became a Christian. We welcome everyone to attend." Quinlan said the speakers usually discuss their volunteer work (Quinlan and his wife have ministered to inmates for decades) and ministries. His favorites in the past year include Pastor Ed Carlson, a Siena graduate, who was an Albany Housing Authority social worker as well as a cancer survivor who's traveled to Ukraine, Slovakia and Bulgaria on ministries. He's the author of a memoir, "Life Happens." And Quinlan says Carlson met the woman who became his wife at a gospel breakfast. Even the European press has already written about the Russian fraudster-builder Alexander Chikovani, who is currently hiding from justice in Spain. As a result of a journalistic investigation by the British publication the London weekly, the amounts on the accounts, as well as the real estate purchased by the Russian businessman and his family in, who did not pay hundreds of millions of taxes became known. A native of Kemerovo, Alexander Chikovani was running a construction business in the Russian capital, his company performed contract work for major developers in Moscow and the Moscow region. The businessmans frivolous and irresponsible attitude towards work turned not only his business partners and clients but also their own employees against. To do this, just looking at the reviews about his company written by disgruntled employees who complained about non-payment of salaries 5 years ago would be enough. Chikovani became known after the publication of an article on the Russian Forbes website about the company construction company Gefest, owned by Chikovani. The construction company took a loan of 50 million rubles, but the businessman was in no hurry to return the debts to creditors or did not had any intention at all. During the audit of the company, it was also known that Chikovani did not pay VAT for three years, thus causing significant damage to the countrys budget for about 170 million rubles. Alexander Chikovani, who is the real owner of the construction company Gefest, instead of paying creditors, withdrew more than 50 million rubles from the turnover in his favor. Despite the absence of a legal link between the owner and the company, the court brought Chikovani to vicarious liability using high technology. It turned out that he was the owner and administrator of the domain where the official site of construction company Hephaestus was located. In addition, the companys accounts were managed from devices whose IP addresses belonged either to Chikovani personally or to companies controlled by him. Forbes. And, although Chikovani himself denied his involvement in Gefest, law enforcement agencies were able to prove the businessmans guilt by identifying the necessary information from IP addresses, which confirmed that the companys accounts were managed from other companies affiliated to the businessman, most often directly from Chikovanis personal account. A little later it turned out that the company was deliberately brought to bankruptcy for non-payment of debt obligations, for this the entrepreneur was put on the Federal wanted list, from which he had to flee to Spain. At the end of last year, it was found that the enterprising fraudster was hiding in Spain. His case became a concern for MEPs together with the ex-Minister of justice of Spain the MEPs appealed to the law enforcement agencies of Spain to check whether there are evidence of fraud in Russia and the expediency of harbouring the Russian fugitive on the territory of the EU, which, according to Rootkit is closely linked to ethnic criminal groups. This is just another case of European countries harboring criminals wanted in Russia. for Spain, patronage of criminal elements from Russia or the CIS is not uncommon, even though the Russian authorities seek to cooperate with Spanish law enforcement agencies and in October 2019 issued Spain thief in law Tariel Oniani, nicknamed Taro. Alexander Chikovani is also closely associated with Russian criminals, contacting ethnic groups in terms of legalizing illegal assets. He was introduced to the criminal world by his uncle, George Chikovani, nicknamed Gogi, who, like Tariel Oniani, was one of the most famous thieves in law. Giorgi Chikovani the real godfather of Russian mafia, his authority was unquestioned in the criminal world. He received his first term of 15 years in prison at the age of 19. During his entire life, Uncle Gogi served 26 years in camps and prisons. The last time Georgy Chikovani visited the owner was in 2004 when the Georgian authorities declared a merciless fight against crime. The 79-year-old Goga was searched and a whole Arsenal of weapons was found. Then the Minister of internal Affairs reported that the thief in law was detained for illegal possession of a large number of weapons. He mentioned that Chikovani is considered the boss of thieves in law and is one of the greatest authorities in the criminal world. Apparently, it was him who paved the way for his relative to enter the criminal world. And, perhaps, it is him who gave the initial capital to create a construction company, earned on murder and extortion. Alexander Chikovanis criminal activities continued and he, like his uncle, decided to involve his entire family in illegal operations and fraud. Trying to keep all the assets for himself, he decided to rewrite all the property to his wife-Ksenia Chikovani. Helping her husband, Ksenia became an accomplice to crimes, since the wife acted as an accomplice of her own husband, she also actively helped Alexander in his scams in Russia and can also be put on the wanted list. Hotels, boarding houses, restaurants and other properties in Spain, which according to our information Chikovani began to purchase, are now owned by Ksenia Chikovani and theyre children. Moreover, the woman is the beneficiary of two companies registered in Spain-Ansada Mediaterranea SL in Barcelona and Nueva Constructora Iberica in Tarragona, which specialize in trading, renting and managing hotels, restaurants, spas and other real estate properties. This information only confirms that the Chikovani family plans to settle in Europe for a long time. This is also evidenced by the accounts found by the London Weekly in their names with decent amounts of money in Austrian banks. Just in case, accounts were opened in Asia, in China and Hong Kong-as a fallback route. At United Overseas Bank Limited in Hong Kong, Ksenia Chikovani has an account with $3,463,746. In the same Bank, Alexander Chikovani has 1,363,008 Hong Kong dollars. He also opened an account at the Chinese Bank Industrial and Commercial Bank of China with $ 1,097,183. In Europe, according to the London Weekly, the Chikovani family keeps their ill-gotten capital in Austria. For example, UniCredit Bank Austria AG registered an account with 4,774,097 euros in the name of Alexander Chikovani, while Ksenia Chikovani keeps 190.667 euros in another Austrian Bank, Kathrein Privatbank AG. For making transactions that resulted in the withdrawal of assets to companies controlled by the businessman, Alexander Chikovani was brought to subsidiary liability by the court for the obligations of debtors totaling more than 200 million rubles. All transactions for the withdrawal of assets for the purpose of personal enrichment were declared invalid by the courts. In the relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain, The agreement on legal assistance in civil cases of 1990 is still in force. Based on this, the court decided to send a court order to the Ministry of justice of Spain for the provision of international legal assistance. Pavel Petrovich Kobyak, a bankruptcy Trustee of Chikovanis former company Haephestus, introduced by the Russian authorities, challenged a number of transactions concluded by the debtor during the period when the actual management of GEFEST-Stroy LLC was carried out by Alexander Chikovani. According to the expert, the company was deliberately bankrupted by its owner for the purpose of non-payment of credit debts, and the money was withdrawn abroad, which is confirmed by the information of the British publication. An independent Manager is demanding the seizure of the assets of Alexander Chikovani and his wife in Spain to satisfy creditors claims. Connections to the ethnic criminal groups can help a fraudster who defrauded a large number of people to escape from justice in the EU forever. Why should people in Spain live next to Russian criminals such as Alexander Chikovani and his partner-in-law Ksenia? At the moment, the Spanish authorities are not in a hurry to co-operate for the fair punishment of criminals, sheltering people accused of fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and with ties with criminal groups on their territory, for which they may pay in the near future, when the criminal family of Chikovani deceives someone from the citizens of Spain. A serious challenge for Europe will be the confrontation with Russian law enforcement agencies, but we are confident that Spain will soon hand over Alexander Chikovani and his entire family to the Russian authorities, along with their ill-gotten property. By Lizbeth Diaz MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Residents in Mexico's sprawling capital were encouraged to play it safe on Valentine's Day, as 100,000 condoms were distributed across the city's metro stations on Thursday in the run up to the annual love fest. Dozens of volunteers, some dressed as garish-coloured condoms, dished out packets of rubber protection across 24 metro stations as part of a campaign to prevent venereal diseases, rising HIV infections across Mexico and unwanted pregnancies. Celebrating 'International Condom Day' on Feb. 13, sexual safety campaigners from AIDS Health Foundation (AHF) organization launched their campaign using the "Condom use is sexy" tagline. "Unfortunately, every year, because of shame or misinformation, people are infected with various diseases," said Miriam Ruiz, head of the AIDS Rapid Testing Area at AHF. Only 15% of Mexican couples use condoms, according to AHF, and the organization wants to break the "taboo" around the use of condoms. The campaign resonated with many residents in Mexico City, which is home to nearly 9 million people, with over 21 million in its greater metropolitan area. "I use condoms, but the truth is that there is still a lot of machismo in Mexico and men do not want to use a condom," said 23-year-old student Manuela Zepeda. "I tell men: if you want (sex), put it on," she added, while showing the female condom that she had just been given. Daily HIV infections increased to 44 from 33 per day between 2017 and 2018, according to Mexico's National Centre for the Prevention and Control of HIV and AIDS (Censida). Lourdes Zamuro, a 63-year-old woman, took two strips. "These condoms are for my grandchildren," she said in front of her smiling husband, Adrian Carrera, 65. "Things were different before. We can't stop them having sex. Better to inform them and help them." (Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Sandra Maler) Exploration is at the heart of OPPO's DNA which is why the business is constantly innovating, exploring new possibilities and pushing boundaries to deliver the best experiences to its customers. This remains through as OPPO looks to #Uncover the ultimate, by creating a groundbreaking smartphone experience with the new OPPO Find X2 series. Taking into consideration customer feedback on all its products, the brand has heavily invested in Research and Development to produce the new OPPO Find X2 series. This stays true to OPPO's endless pursuit of a better smartphone, especially in the era of 5G. The OPPO Find X2 series will feature the most advanced screen OPPO has developed to date, with emphasis on resolution, screen refresh rate, color, and high dynamic range, bringing users the most clear, accurate, smooth, and comfortable screen experience. The Find X2 Pro will be equipped with a customized flagship image sensor and will feature OPPO's most advanced photography technologies to date, delivering a premium image quality and focusing performance for users. Additionally, Find X2 series features Qualcomm's 5G flagship chip Snapdragon 865, which supports SA/NSA dual-module network that truly brings an exceptional 5G experience to reality. [1] The official launch event was due to take place in Barcelona alongside the MWC event in late February, however, due to rising global concerns around the Coronavirus outbreak, this has been rescheduled to an online launch - https://youtu.be/yTSZeiaSLxU. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of young, trend-setting and beauty, OPPO brings consumers delighted experience of digital life. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO started the era of Selfie beautification, and was the first brand to launch smartphones with 5MP and 16MP front cameras. OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. OPPO's Selfie Expert F series launched in 2016 drove a Selfie trend in the smartphone industry. In 2017, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. Today OPPO's business covers 40 countries and regions, and has 10 R&D Institutes and centers around the world, as well as an International Design Center in London, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world. About OPPO MEA In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its Middle East & Africa Sales Center in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the Middle East and Africa include: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kenya and Nigeria. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. Now, the factory goes into production. Based on the insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO MEA has started the progress of localization. And the localization includes all the perspectives towards each market product localization, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localization, to better communicate with local young customers; and team localization, to know our local consumers further and provide better service to the consumers. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X smartphone and the introduction of the OPPO R Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to young consumers in the region. For more details, please contact: OPPO PR Team Email: [email protected] SOURCE OPPO Related Links https://www.oppo.com President Donald Trump retweeted a physician who accused Democrats of trying to blame him for the coronavirus crisis after his administration told NIH health expert Anthony Fauci to stay off the Sunday shows. Trump on Friday tweeted out a video clip by Dr. Rich McCormick, a Georgia congressional candidate who echoed his own attacks on Democrats and defense of his coronovirus response. 'The Democrats will never let a good crisis go to waste,' McCormick says, in a video that appears to be shot beneath a wooden staircase. 'They're trying to blame President Trump for a virus. Tell me what we haven't done to contain this virus? So far. nobody in the United States has died of it,' he said. President Trump retweeted a doctor running for Congress in Georgia talking about the coronavirus, after according to a lawmaker his administration kept NIH expert Dr. Anthony Fauci off the Sunday shows 'To put this in perspective, 12,000 year people die every year of the flu,' he noted, on a day when worldwide infections from the coronavirus passed 83,000 and a second case showed up in California. 'If you wash your hands, if you stay away from sick people if you protect the most vulnerable, you'll be just fine,' said McCormick, who practiced medicine in the Marines, practices emergency medicine physician at Gwinnett Medical Center. The administration is now requiring government public health officials to clear media appearances through Vice President Mike Pence's offices, though officials disputed the notion it was muzzling experts. Rep. John Garamendi of California told MSNBC that Fauci, one of the government's top experts, had to nix appearances on Sunday shows where he was to have spoken to the public. Fauci runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 'The Democrats will never let a good crisis go to waste,' Dr. McCormick says in his web video McCormick practiced medicine in the Marines According to Rep. John Garamendi, NIH expert Anthony Fauci was told to cancel Sunday shows amid crisis Officials must clear media appearances through Vice President Mike Pence's office 'I can repeat what he said, he said, 'I was not muzzled. However, I was to go on the Sunday talk shows five of them,' he said, the Hill reported. 'The vice president's office then took over the control of this situation, and told me to stand down, not to do those shows,'' Garamendi said Fauci told him. He added: 'Now, you can draw your own conclusions whether he was muzzled or not, but clearly he was scheduled to do Sunday talk shows and he was not to proceed with that,' the congressman added. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told CNN: 'You need to let the experts speak,' criticizing the policy. Trump unleashed a series of attacks on Democrats over the coronavirus at his campaign rally in North Charleston. 'Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. They're politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs, you see,' you see. 'They have no clue. They don't have any clue. They can't even count their votes in Iowa,' he slapped. Then the president said: 'One of my people came up to me and said, 'Mr. President they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That didn't work out too well. They couldn't do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. That was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything. They tried it over and over. They've been doing it since you got in. It's all turning. They lost. It's all turning. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.' If statistical data tell us stories in numerical form, new information from StatCan depicts Canada as a nation thats continuing to fail its Black youth. It also shows that the commonly accepted narrative that immigrants fare better with successive generations simply may not hold true for all immigrant groups. While these outcomes will not come as a surprise to those who have long observed and studied Black experiences, they make the implications of Statistics Canadas conclusions inescapable. The persistent gaps between the Black population and the rest of the population suggest that other factors not measured by the data used, including discrimination, could have an effect, concludes Martin Turcotte in the study, titled Education and Labour Market Integration of Black Youth in Canada. It was published this week in the journal Insights on Canadian Society and is based on information from the 2006 and 2016 censuses. The study compares Black Canadian youth with non-Black youth as they transition from childhood or adolescence to adulthood. StatCan also released what it called a booklet, Canadas Black Population: Education, Labour and Resilience. Two key data sets show why this latest snapshot has significant implications for the Black community, said York University professor Carl James, who, as a member of the Working Group on Black Communities, offered advice and guidance for this project. First, the Black population is young and growing. Canadas Black population doubled between 1996 and 2016, from 600,000 to 1.2 million. In 2016, more than a quarter of the Black population was less than 15 years of age, compared with 16.9 per cent of the total population. Its median age is about 30, while it is 40 years for the total population. This means you can understand how the concerns of the Black community are weighted around Whats happening to our young population, James said. Second, about nine per cent of Black people in Canada are at least the third generation to be born in this country a rate that is higher, he said, than for other racialized minorities. There needs to be a serious concern about this generation, James said. Were responsible for their welfare in the Canadian state. Because the modern wave of Black immigration to Canada dates back to the 1960s, the outcomes for Black people could serve as a bellwether for minorities who arrived later. This is what we see for Black youth now. It is possible as other groups become third-generation youre going to see more similar patterns, he said. The unique experiences of Black people also mean they should be disaggregated from the more general visible minority category, he said. Some of the key StatCan findings include: Most Black youth aspire to a university degree but are less likely to think they will obtain it. In 2016, although 94 per cent of Black youth aged 15 to 25 said that they would like to get a bachelors degree or higher, only 60 per cent thought that they could. There persists a gap in post-secondary graduation rates between Black youth and their counterparts who are not Black. About half (51 per cent) of Black men aged 23 to 27 in 2016 had a post-secondary qualification, compared with 62 per cent of other men. There persists a gap in employment rates between Black and non-Black youth. Young Black males were nearly twice as likely as other young males not to have a job in 2016. These gaps exist even when differences in socioeconomic and family characteristics are taken into account. What characteristics are those? They include parents level of education, level of income and wealth of family of origin, interest in studies, sex, area of residence, special education needs, family structure and immigrant status. In addition, Black men and women are seeing persistent annual wage gaps. While median annual wages increased in the general population from 2000 to 2015, they didnt for Black men, who earned approximately $40,000. In 2000 and 2005, Black womens earnings were similar to those of non-Black women. Since then, the gap between the two groups has increased. The finding on graduation rates suggested Black men fare worse the longer they live in Canada. While 28 per cent of all Black youth had a bachelor level degree or diploma, among men (but not women) the rate was significantly different between immigrants and non-immigrants. Thirty per cent of Black immigrant men had that level of education. Only 18 per cent of non-immigrants did. This can be partly explained by immigrant admission categories, the StatCan article said. The data on wage gaps suggests the same for Black women. Among immigrant women, the wage gaps between Black women and women in the rest of the population was very low ($1,300 difference at most, favouring Black women). Conversely, among those born in Canada, the annual wages of Black women were approximately $3,500 to $7,000 lower than that of women in the rest of the population, the article said. James illustrated how third-generation Black people and newcomers might experience Canada differently with this example: Imagine a classroom, he said, with a child who immigrated from Jamaica, whose parents are encouraging them to study. In the same class is a third-generation Black student of Jamaican background who knows the system and has experienced racism all their life. That third-generation child will react differently to the teacher compared to the child whose parents are telling him or her to settle down and not be worried about racism, James said. That new Black kid now becomes the model kid. The teacher now says to the third-generation kid, Why cant you be like that? Those are some of the nuances that we have to look at. If there is any comfort in the study, it comes from the youth themselves and findings about their resilience. In 2016, 44 per cent of Black individuals said they were always able to bounce back quickly after hard times, compared to 33 per cent among the rest of the population, the StatCan article said. Another measure was attitudes towards jobs. While Black employees were more likely to report having experienced unfair treatment or discrimination at work, 85 per cent of Black women and 90 per cent of Black men reported a high level of job satisfaction. They may be getting satisfaction based on what they make of their job rather than what it is not, James said. You would need some qualitative research to tease that out. Cortana started off looking like Microsofts answer to Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. These days its looking a lot less useful. Microsoft has announced a few new scheduling and task management features for voice and keyboard users but the company has also revealed that its pulling the plug on a whole bunch of other features. Goodbye music controls, smart home gadget controls, and support for all third-party skills (meaning any function that wasnt developed by Microsoft itself). The move is just the latest in a series of efforts by Microsoft to re-position Cortana. In 2018 the company made it possible to use Cortana to talk to Amazons more popular Alexa voice assistant. In early 2019, the company split Cortana from the Windows 10 search feature. And Microsoft recently pulled the plug on its standalone Cortana mobile apps for Android and iOS. It feels like it could just be a matter of time before the company throws in the towel on Cortana altogether. Or maybe itll live on as a simple tool for interacting with Windows by voice or natural language text chat. For now the company says you can use it as a productivity aid to do things like check your calendar, set reminders, or add items to your Microsoft To Do list with questions and comments like: Whats next on my calendar? Remind me to send the weekly report every Friday at 2pm. Add status report to my task list. So I guess thats new or something. Really? You couldnt do those things before? OK. Anyway, there are two more changes coming: Youll need to be logged into a work, school, or Microsoft account to use Cortana in the future. Microsoft is ending support for Cortana on older versions of Windows that have passed their end-of-service dates. In other words, one way to avoid Cortana altogether is to use a version of Windows 10 thats more than 18 months old (although you may also miss out on some key bug fixes and security updates if you do that). The data on water scarcity continues to be sobering and the drought conditions of 2018 has brought this issue into stark relief. But Ireland is not alone in facing this challenge. The UN estimates that water demand will outstrip supply globally by 2030. Central Solutions is actively addressing this challenge at both national and international levels by leading world-class R&D initiatives and developing innovative water stewardship programmes and tools to deliver a sustainable water future for all. The company originally started out as a high-end programme development and delivery partner for corporates and public agencies in the areas of Digital Business, Operational Excellence and Sustainability. But over the last 10 years, the team has focused on the delivery of corporate water stewardship products and services on the back of a greater than 2 million investment in advanced R&D at its Limerick base. Limerick has been part of the Central Solutions success story since the firm opened its headquarters in the National Technology Park in 2004. Thats according to the firms CEO Ken Stockil, who has overseen this transformation at the company which culminated in the recent launch of its new Integrated Water Management Service, the SmartWater.ie Platform, to the Irish industrial water sector. A key ingredient of Central Solutions success to-date has been its collaborations and partnerships with both national and international stakeholders including Irish Water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EWS, AWS, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, SEAI and the Large Water Users Community of Practice. We have devised, developed and started to deliver a series of national support programmes including the Irish Water Certified Water Steward Training Programme which will be launched nationally early this year. The team has also secured EPA Research Funding for a large-scale Industrial Water 4.0 project with multinational partners in Ireland and Germany. This comes at an exciting time in the companys development and is a strong endorsement of our growing reputation as one of Europes leading corporate water stewardship firms. All of these initiatives have been years in the making, are anchored in extensive R&D and form the platform for significant growth of the Limerick company over the next three years, as we scale up these national programmes with our partner organisations and replicate the success internationally. Mr. Stockil went on to highlight that further expansion is on the horizon and the company is hiring for a variety of professional positions in Water, Research Consulting and Training. We can see why Irelands third-largest city is such an attractive destination for professionals. With a shift towards positive work-life balance and quality of life, and an average commute time of under 25 minutes, Limerick has so much to offer. All of the conveniences of a large city, whilst being the gateway to the stunning Wild Atlantic Way. For more information, see www.central-solutions.com/careers Cape Wine Exporters to head up UK marketing for Stellenbosch producer Cape Wine Exporters has signed a new deal with South African winemaker Beyerskloof to market its products in the UK and Ireland. Under the new deal, which comes into effect on 1 April, Cape Wine Exporters will be responsible for appointing and managing trade agents for Beyerskloof in the UK and Ireland as well as off-trade brand development. It follows three years of close work between the companies in the South African market. Stellenbosch producer Beyerskloof has had a presence in the UK off-trade for several years, offering numerous pinotage and Cape blend listings, but sees opportunities for growth. Cellar master Beyers Truter said: "Beyerskloof has always desired to make the UK market our number one export partner. The UK consumer understands and values wines produced in South Africa and we would like to continue building a platform whereby these consumers are offered excellent value wines which they can appreciate." Cape Wine Exporters' managing director, Rollo Gabb, said: "We are very excited to have formalised our arrangement and to have been appointed to help develop Beyerskloof's brand in the UK and Irish markets. Beyers Truter is the unquestionable 'King of Pinotage' so we believe there is a real opportunity to raise the profile of the pinotage category in the UK." 29 February 2020 - Bethany Whymark Hundreds of refugees and migrants flocked to the Turkish border with Greece yesterday after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalled he would no longer stop them entering Europe, a move meant to pile pressure on the West to give more support to Turkey over Syria. Hours after an Assad regime air strike killed 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria's Idlib province, edging the two sides closer to all-out war, Turkish officials said they were abandoning agreements with the EU and would allow Syrian refugees to head to Europe. "We will no longer keep the doors closed for refugees who want to go to Europe," a senior Turkish official said. The move raised fears the EU could face a fresh refugee surge five years after the 2015 crisis that shook European politics. However, the initial numbers of people appearing at the Greek border appeared relatively low. Several hundred people gathered at a Greek border post near Edirne, while others headed to the Bulgarian border. Greek forces sealed the border and fired smoke grenades to push the crowds back. As night fell, the refugees appeared stuck in a no-man's land between the two countries. "Significant numbers of migrants and refugees have gathered in large groups at the Greek-Turkish land border and have attempted to enter the country illegally," said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister. "I want to be clear: no illegal entries into Greece will be tolerated." At least one rubber dinghy carrying refugees set sail from a Turkish beach and landed soon after on the Greek island of Lesbos, resuming the perilous route in which hundreds of people have drowned in recent years. Turkish authorities made no effort to stop the craft and its voyage was broadcast on Turkish television. The numbers gathering at the border seem likely to grow as refugees and migrants clambered aboard buses in Istanbul to make the three-hour journey to the Greek border at Edirne. Many of the refugees are Syrian but others are Afghan, Iraqi or Pakistani, according to Turkish media. While Turkish authorities were allowing the groups to head to the border - and broadcasting news of their journey across the world through pro-government media outlets - it was not clear the extent to which the government was actually organising their travel. The Turkish government said the refugees were organising themselves but reports suggested authorities were co-ordinating their movements. Authorities waived requirements for Syrians to have special permits before travelling to the border. Turkish officials announced the open border plan in anonymous briefings to the media and did not make any formal announcement of a policy change, giving Ankara some plausible deniability if it reverses course. Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, said the Turkish foreign minister had given him "reassurances" that Turkey intended to continue abiding by the 2016 agreement to stop refugees heading to Europe in return for billions of euro. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Bernie Sanders' women 'rape fantasy' essay, naked children comments resurface ahead of Super Tuesday Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Senator Bernie Sanders' past writings about women's rape fantasies and child sexuality are coming under increased scrutiny again as he and Democratic candidates vie for the 2020 presidential nomination. The Vermont senator is an Independent and self-avowed Democratic Socialist who caucuses with Democrats and is the current frontrunner for the party's nomination. In 1972, Sanders wrote an essay titled "Man and Woman" in the alternative newspaper Vermont Freeman in which he said that when a woman is having sex with a man she "fantasizes being raped by three men simultaneously," The Washington Free Beacon noted. Sanders also wrote, quoting various studies, that cancer could be caused by psychological factors including unresolved anger toward ones mother, where hostility is buried behind a facade of pleasantness and not having many orgasms. Sexual adjustment seemed to be very poor in those with cancer of the cervix, he wrote, citing research published in a journal called Psychosomatic Medicine. That essay resurfaced in a 2015 Mother Jones profile as he was seeking the 2016 presidential nomination. Sanders also claimed that not having sex would lead to breast cancer. "The manner in which you bring up your daughter with regard to sexual attitudes may very well determine whether or not she will develop breast cancer, among other things," Sanders wrote in an essay headlined "Cancer, Disease and Society" in 1969, ABC News reported, noting that Sanders' beliefs about the lack of sex causing cancers in women "continued well into the 1980s." Commenting on the Sanders' writings, Tim O'Brien, an adviser to former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, called the Vermont senator "loopy" and "loony." "Bernie has all of this loopy stuff in his background, saying things like women get cancer from having too [few] orgasms, or toddlers should run around naked and touch each other's genitals to insulate themselves from porn," the Bloomberg adviser said in a CNN interview this week. "Why has this stuff not been more surfaced? He's written about women's rape fantasies. That hasn't been surfaced. That's the loony side of Bernie." O'Brien's reference to toddlers refers to an essay Sanders wrote in 1969 in which he criticized the state of Vermont for reprimanding a mother who permitted her child to run around naked at the beach. "Now, if children go around naked, they are liable to see each others sexual organs, and maybe even touch them," Sanders wrote. "Terrible thing! If we [raise] children up like this it will probably ruin the whole pornography business, not to mention the large segment of the general economy which makes its money by playing on peoples sexual frustrations." The South Carolina primary on Saturday is expected to be a pivotal point in the race. Fourteen states will hold their primaries on Tuesday. The Democratic Convention is scheduled for mid-July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Greek border guards use teargas to push back migrants who try to enter Greece at the Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Read more ANKARA, Turkey Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country's borders with Europe were open Saturday, making good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent as thousands of migrants gathered at the frontier with Greece. Erdogans announcement that Turkey is allowing refugees and migrants to exit the country marked a dramatic departure from current policy and an apparent attempt to pressure Europe. It came amid a military escalation in northwestern Syrias Idlib province that has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians to flee fighting between advancing Syrian government forces backed by Russia and rebel fighters supported by Turkey. The mass displacement in Idlib has raised the possibility that Turkey might come under growing international pressure to open its now sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to desperate Syrian civilians. We cant handle a new wave of migration, Erdogan said Saturday, in an apparent reference to the growing humanitarian crisis in Idlib. Nearly 950,000 displaced civilians have been pushed toward the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. Erdogan said Turkey would not stand in the way of refugees and migrants already in the country who hope to head to Europe. We will not close the gates to refugees, he said. The European Union has to keep its promises. We are not obliged to look after and feed so many refugees." Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. It has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided. The German foreign ministry said it was in contact with other governments regarding the matter and assumed and expected that the EU-Turkey agreement will be adhered to. Since seizing territory from Kurdish forces in a different part of Syria in October, Erdogan has also suggested resettling at least a million Syrian refugees from Turkey in that northeastern region. However, his efforts to secure funding for such a scheme have been rejected by European governments. Aid groups have said it is still too dangerous to return refugees to Syria. Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many others fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighboring Greece. Greek officials arrested 70 migrants who tried to cross the border from Turkey on Saturday. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols Friday night through Saturday, with Greek authorities firing tear gas to repulse the crowd's attempts to push through the border. Greek officials said migrants lobbed at least 20 canisters of tear gas toward the border from the Turkish side. Some migrants cut holes in the fence, with a few managing to get through. The vast majority were from Afghanistan and most were men, although there were some families with young children. They took shelter overnight in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk towards northern cities. Others were crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands. Greece announced it was sending police and army reinforcements to its land border and reinforcing controls along the sea border, where 52 coast guard and navy vessels were patrolling. Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis visited the border and described the situation as difficult and unpleasant. Thousands of unfortunate people are cramming on our border; they have not come here of their own accord, he said. They are being pushed, repulsed and used by our neighboring country Turkey. The minister insisted no one without legal travel documents would be allowed to cross. Erdogan's speech Saturday in Istanbul was the first clear announcement that migrants would be allowed to try to cross the border, after a foreign ministry spokesman floated the idea Thursday, prompting the first wave of migrants to head to the border. It comes as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending reinforcements into rebel-held areas of Syria earlier this month. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside Syria's Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. Turkey's Defense Ministry said late Friday that one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling. It was the latest fatality after a deadly airstrike killed 33 earlier this week. Kamal Alam, a military analyst specializing in Turkey and Syria, said Turkeys frustration at being left alone by its NATO allies in Syria had been exacerbated by the 33 deaths. Despite being a NATO member, on the ground nobody is supporting Turkeys stance. Turkeys saying to Europe If youre going to leave us alone and not help us then were going to bring the war to your doorstep." Kantouris reported from Kastanies, Greece. Elena Becatoros in Athens and Ayse Wieting in Istanbul contributed to this article. Santa Fresh narcotic toffees force-fed to young students By Shane Seneviratne Those who do not eat the toffees allegedly assaulted by seniors at Peradeniya MMV View(s): View(s): An alleged racket at the Peradeniya Madya Maha Vidyalaya, where senior students are distributing narcotic toffees to Grade six, seven and eight students, is being investigated by the Police. Both police and the school disciplinary committee are investigating reports that outsiders were giving these toffees to senior students to distribute to younger students. Their apparent motive is to get them addicted. The investigation was launched after a Grade six student was admitted to the Peradeniya Sirimavo Bandaranaike Childrens Hospital due to illness after he was allegedly force-fed such a narcotic toffee by a senior student. The victim told the Sunday Times some senior students were forcing him and others to distribute a toffee which was named Santa Fresh to students. He claimed the seniors would often assault younger students who refused to do so. He alleged he had refused to distribute the toffees given by the seniors and later that afternoon, a senior student had walked up to him and forcibly fed him a piece of the toffee. The victim had vomited as soon as he ate it. The victims father said his child had only been at the school for a month after he passed Grade five scholarship exam. He said after a few days, the child had refused to go to school citing various ailments. Doctors said there was nothing wrong with him and that he had been making it all up to avoid going to school. It was only after we questioned him at length that he revealed how some senior students were forcing them to distribute these toffees. He said he had lodged a complaint with the school principal and the teacher in charge of disciplinary affairs. They assured me that the child would be protected and they would investigate the matter. Later that same afternoon a senior student force fed the toffee to my child and we took him to hospital after he complained of illness. Peradeniya MMV Principal Ruwan Edirisinghe confirmed he had received information that a group of outsiders were using some senior students to distribute narcotic toffees to junior students. The complaint is now being investigated by the Police. We have received information that some young men on motorcycles and wearing full-face helmets are distributing these toffees. No money has changed hands. It seems the intention is to make school children become addicted to the toffees. We have suspicions that some students parents, too, maybe involved in this racket, the principal added. A man from Coquitlam, B.C., who is a candidate to receive Canada's first double hand transplant says it would change his life dramatically. Richard Thompson lost both his hands and feet due to a bacterial meningitis infection five years ago. "Losing an upper limb for someone can be debilitating. Losing both can be completely debilitating," Thompson said. Now, Thompson says he is a candidate for surgery to replace both hands that would be performed by doctors from the St. Joseph's Health Care hand and upper limb clinic in London, Ont. If it goes ahead, Thompson says it would be the first double hand transplant in Canada. In 2016, the first single hand transplant was performed in Toronto. "I'm excited to be the first one. A little scary also to be the first one that's being attempted," he said. Ben Nelms/CBC Thompson said he's been told the surgery could take up to 30 staff members and a full 24 hours under anesthesia to make it happen. After that, there's the risk his body could reject the transplants. And, he'll be dependent on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of his life. "You know the risks that are involved. But for me the pros outweigh the cons," he said. 'Being able to hold your wife's hand again.' - Richard Thompson He said it's the little things he's looking forward to most, like picking up a cup of coffee or holding a pen to sign his name. "Being able to hold your wife's hand again, you know. Being able to walk the dogs or pick up your grandchildren to give them a hug," Thompson said. Ben Nelms/CBC Ben Nelms/CBC Thompson and his wife will also have to move to Ontario for the procedure. They eventually want to move back to rejoin their family in B.C., but Thompson is worried because he's been told the immunosuppressant drugs he'll need won't be covered. He's hopeful that will change by the time he returns to the province in a few years, and hopeful the surgery will be a success. "Life changing isn't life ending. You still have the same dreams. You still have the same goals. You're just taking a different route now to get to those goals," he said. Breaking boundaries Sri Lankas 50th and first female Surveyor-General, Shyamalie Perera talks to Kumudini Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s): Was it meant to be? A Thaththas dream that propelled her towards a demanding and challenging career, where only few women dared to go, that has finally paid dividends. It was, however, never her ambition to reach the top. She did whatever duty entrusted to her in her line of work with commitment. I think Thaththa wanted me to join the Survey Department because I was studious, smiles the first woman to sit in the high chair of the Surveyor-General, Shyamalie Perera, with the portraits of many of the 49 men before her adorning the wall to her left. The 220-year-old Survey Department is the oldest government department in the country established on August 2, 1800 with just five surveyors, changing with the times to branch out into Land Surveying, Mapping, Satellite Remote Sensing (RS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS), Land Information Systems (LIS), Airborne Remote Sensing and Photogrammetric activities and latterly Geo Names (Geographical names) and National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). We meet Shyamalie on Wednesday (February 26), the day she has taken up her appointment, as bouquets of roses, orchids and more fill her office, staff queue to offer congratulations and every few minutes her mobile rings with best wishes. We have walked one flight of steps to her office in the sprawling grounds of the department at 150, Kirula Road, Colombo 5, where the entrance is adorned by a huge map of Sri Lanka with thin crisscrossing networks of lines. As she talks of her life, it is obvious that she has been the exception to the rule on many occasions along the way. Home was in Bandaragama with both parents being teachers and her early education at Good Shepherd Convent, Panadura. A double-promotion student, Shyamalie had sat the scholarship examination in Grade 7, which sent her straight to Devi Balika Vidyalaya in Colombo. Her father accompanied her to school far away from home only on the first day to show her the way and she recalls how she would get on a Pettah bus at 4.30 a.m. and keep a close watch for the landmark that was Albert Edirisinghe Opticians at Bambalapitiya where she would quickly de-bus to take the next No. 154 to Devi Balika where she achieved much under the guidance of Principal Kalyani de Zoysa. Ekale kanatte issarahin yanna bayai, she laughs, reliving the moments of terror when she had to pass-by the General Cemetery, Kanatte. Mathematics was Shyamalies strong subject, with only six girls, taking to this stream at the Advanced Level. Missing engineering by a whisker, she headed to the University of Peradeniya to read for a Degree in Physical Sciences (a batch comprising of 145 with very few women) setting her mind on double math and physics, topping the batch in 1983 and walking away with the Coomaraswamy Memorial Prize. Shyamalies first job was as a temporary Assistant Lecturer in the Mathematics Department of the Peradeniya University and later as a Scientific Officer at the Atomic Energy Authority in Colombo which she stomached only for three months, as it was not suitable and entailed only administrative work and writing letters, going back to Peradeniya when Prof. G.A. Dissanayaka offered her a post as a demonstrator while she studied for her Special Degree. Her pathway seemed to be set, for while she was in university earlier too in her second year, her Thaththa had wanted her to join the Survey Department as it was only the cream that was absorbed into this prestigious institution. But she had desisted. In 1985, Shyamalie applied to the department on the urgings of her father and when she secured a job as an Assistant Survey Superintendent he had sent her Malli with the appointment letter which had been received at home along with another letter clearly laying out the advantages and disadvantages, arguing heavily for the job, while her Amma told her: Kemathi deyak karanna. (Do what you like.) Caught in a difficult situation of choices, she turned to her Professor who had immediately said its a good job and she had taken up the post on March 1, 1985. There started an amuthu jeevithayak for Shyamalie, in a predominantly male bastion, with only one woman going before hera three-year training at the Institute of Surveying & Mapping (ISM) at Diyatalawa to secure a Higher Diploma in Surveying, being the only woman in a batch of 22. Fortunately for me there was one Assistant Survey Superintendent who was a female, Roshini Gunasekera, who was smart and had a fantastic personality who took me under her wing. She was in the third year when I was in my first, says Shyamalie, describing how the considerate Survey Superintendent Mr. Ariyaratne accorded adjoining twin houses to the two women. The second year was field training and for Shyamalie it was Elapatha in Ratnapura where the difficult terrain honed her skills of land surveying in remote villages, crossing winding rivers. Her Thaththa found lodgings for her in a village home but life was tough for there was no water even to drink making her wonder whether it was a pavak or pinak. Once again her superior officer was Roshini who helped boost her morale. Shyamalie gives a glimpse of those times a gang of field staff lugging all the instruments, the theodolite, pole and tripod, being followed by a slip of a lass, just 24 years old, with a bag slung over her shoulder labouring up hilly terrain. In the third year back at the ISM, she sailed through the examinations with a class, subsequently being assigned to Neluwa, another remote area off Galle, for her first posting. Memories flood back troubled times, for the country was in the throes of the second insurgency of 1988-89 and for Shyamalie getting to work taking several days with no public transport. Oft she would hitch a bumpy ride in a lorry. Next it was a stint at the ISM and later at the Centre for Remote Sensing at Head Office where a Sri Lanka-Swiss Remote Sensing Project was being implemented under which land-use maps were prepared utilizing satellite images and aerial photographs. The course of her life had taken off thereafter personal fulfilment coming from marrying a batch-mate in the group of 22 which joined the ISM and the couple heading to the Netherlands in 1991-92, Shyamalie for her Masters in Integrated Map Geo Information Production and her husband on a UNDP scholarship. Returning to Sri Lanka, both had been assigned to the ISM as lecturers, but later she had been given a special assignment at the Centre for Remote Sensing in June 1993; followed by a transfer in 1999 to the Kalutara District Survey Office; being summoned back by the then Surveyor-General Ranasinghe Silva to sit for the Diploma in Public Administration of the prestigious Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), after which she worked for him as his Personal Assistant; taking up the Procurement Branch; getting back to the GIS Branch; and assuming the post of Deputy Surveyor-General in 2007. From 2007-2010, it had fallen on her slender shoulders to handle the Bim Saviya Project and it is with justifiable pride that she says maximum progress was made during that time, while from 2011-2017 she managed Digital Data Handling at the Land Information Systems Branch which covered all digital survey data. My strength is that I am technically sound, she says with humility, adding that she was a pioneer in the arena of GIS technology. Even though a truly successful career woman, she has never neglected her home-front at Kohuwela but does all the chores without domestic help. She is quick to appreciate the immense support she gets from husband, Parakum Shantha, who knows her work in and out as he too is in the department, and two sons, Kaushik Shamantha, a software engineer and Tharusha Madushan, a medical student. Many may have realized my potential and that I would rise to be the Surveyor-General, but I never aspired to that post. I just tried to achieve perfection in whatever I did, says Shyamalie calling herself very much a team player. She is well-known for being firm but kind and the work ethic of puluwannam karanna, nethnam yanna with warnings being issued if boru karoth. Realizing the immense responsibility bestowed on her, she says there are lots of expectations from her as well as big challenges she will face. This is why Shyamalie in her address delivered with mathematical precision to her staff promised them that she will work towards restoring professional discipline to what it was when she first joined the service; ensuring that the rest of the staff is happy by looking into their needs such as promotions, pay rises, filling vacancies, etc; increasing the quality as well as the quantity of surveying; and making sure that all extant maps are available to the public on the internet. As she takes the seat of the Surveyor-General, there is a tinge of sadness her Amma (93) is around to pat her on the back but her Thaththa who was convinced that she would achieve greatness is no more. He had died in September just last year. In the pursuit of excellence for her august department Shyamalie seeks an assurance from us like this interview, lets look back on what I have achieved when I retire, she says. Sonia Gandhi has directed the team to visit the riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi and submit a detailed report immediately. New Delhi: Congress on Friday kept up the pressure on the government over the Delhi riots by forming a team of senior party leaders who will visit the affected areas even as other Opposition parties, including DMK, NCP and AAP, wrote to President Ramnath Kovind seeking registration of FIRs against political leaders who provoked the violence. The five-member team formed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi comprises of All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Mukul Wasnik, AICC in-charge Delhi Shaktisinh Gohil, Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja, former MP Tariq Anwar and Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev. Mrs Gandhi has directed the team to visit the riot-affected areas in northeast Delhi and submit a detailed report immediately. The Congress team met at AICC headquarters here on Friday morning. Meanwhile, other Opposition parties, including the CPI(M), CPI, DMK and RJD, which had sought time to meet the President, have been told that they can be given an appointment only after March 2. Following this, the parties wrote a letter to Mr Kovind on Friday seeking immediate arrest and filing of FIRs against the provocateurs. Since we are informed that you would not be able to meet us between February 28 and March 2, we are addressing this letter, the parties said in a letter to President. They demanded an immediate establishment of peace and a direction to concerned authorities like Lt Governor of Delhi, who is directly answerable to the President, to ensure the speedy restoration of normalcy. They also sought filing of FIRs against all those who have made provocative hate speeches. The leaders from non-Congress Opposition parties sought direction on setting up of relief camps for those rendered homeless during the violence, providing adequate security and ensuring supply of essential commodities for their well-being. Since these riots have caused unimaginable mental anguish to people, especially children, centres must be opened in the affected areas to counsel them, it stated. The letter was signed by CPI (Marxist)s Sitaram Yechury, Loktantrik Janata Dals Sharad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Partys Praful Patel, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams T.R. Balu, Communist Party of Indias D. Raja, Rashtriya Janata Dals Manoj Jha and Aam Aadmi Partys Sanjay Singh. It's been a sad week for The New Zealand Refining Company Limited (NZSE:NZR), who've watched their investment drop 18% to NZ$1.22 in the week since the company reported its full-year result. Revenues of NZ$348m reported a marginal miss, falling short of forecasts by 3.0%, but earnings were better than expected - statutory profits came in at NZ$0.013 per share, a nice change from the loss analysts expected. Following the result, analysts have updated their earnings model, and it would be good to know whether they think there's been a strong change in the company's prospects, or if it's business as usual. We thought readers would find it interesting to see analysts' latest (statutory) post-earnings forecasts for next year. View our latest analysis for New Zealand Refining NZSE:NZR Past and Future Earnings, February 28th 2020 Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the three analysts covering New Zealand Refining, is for revenues of NZ$312.7m in 2020, which would reflect an uncomfortable 10% reduction in New Zealand Refining's sales over the past 12 months. Earnings are expected to tip over into lossmaking territory, with analysts forecasting statutory losses of -NZ$0.12 per share in 2020. Yet prior to the latest earnings, analysts had been forecasting revenues of NZ$361.3m and earnings per share (EPS) of NZ$0.042 in 2020. There looks to have been a major change in sentiment regarding New Zealand Refining's prospects following the latest results, with a substantial drop in to revenues and analysts now forecasting a loss instead of a profit. The consensus price target fell 20% to NZ$1.70, with analysts clearly concerned about the company following the weaker revenue and earnings outlook. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on New Zealand Refining, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at NZ$1.98 and the most bearish at NZ$1.40 per share. This shows there is still quite a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation. Story continues Another way to assess these estimates is by comparing them to past performance, and seeing whether analysts are more or less bullish relative to other companies in the market. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 10% a significant reduction from annual growth of 1.9% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the same market are forecast to see their revenue grow 4.1% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that New Zealand Refining's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider market. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that analysts are expecting New Zealand Refining to become unprofitable next year. On the negative side, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and forecasts imply revenues will perform worse than the wider market. Analysts also downgraded their price target, suggesting that the latest news has led analysts to become more pessimistic about the intrinsic value of the business. With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on New Zealand Refining. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for New Zealand Refining going out to 2023, and you can see them free on our platform here. It might also be worth considering whether New Zealand Refining's debt load is appropriate, using our debt analysis tools on the Simply Wall St platform, here. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Each week, we comb through dozens of court affidavits from arrests made in the Alamo City. Here's a look at some of the oddballs. Bad getaway driver: One 31-year-old man learned the importance of making sure your getaway driver is in on the plan after he was arrested on theft charges for allegedly stealing from H-E-B. When Oscar Reyes went to a North Side H-E-B on Nov. 17, he stood in line to pay the cashier for a small item he had selected from the store. When the cashier opened the register to give Reyes his change, he reached over and took $680 worth of cash, stamps and checks from the drawer before running out of the store, an arrest affidavit said. Reyes got into the passenger seat of a vehicle that fled the location. Minutes later, the police were notified by a witness the driver of the vehicle. He said he had no idea Reyes was going to steal from the store and he worked with the police to identify Reyes. Landing in Ho Chi Minh City - or Saigon, as the locals prefer to call it - I am met by a guide who will take me through the Mekong Delta, over the border to Cambodia and along its golden coast (with enough time for some island-hopping in the Bay of Kompong Song), then up towards Siem Reap and its ancient neighbour, the jungle city of Angkor. Here's a top tip he gives me: most people in both Vietnam and Cambodia prefer to deal in US dollars, so no need to bring local currencies. Before I know it, I'm back in the bus headed for the Prek Chak border crossing. It's a smooth transition into Cambodia. A conveyor belt of guards take turns stamping my passport, smiling as they wave me into their country. First stop: the seaside town of Kep. A few miles from the border, I take a detour to Anlung Pring (mekongcrane.com; one-day pass $24/18) which, in early spring, is home to the sarus crane. The treacherous road leaves me feeling a little nauseous, but it's worth it to catch a glimpse of the world's tallest bird. The next morning, I visit La Plantation. Cambodia's prize export is its highly sought-after Kampot peppercorn, and La Plantation is one of the largest organic farms in the region. A private tour concludes with a novel experience - a pepper tasting. I take on a hearty meal at the farm's restaurant, trying Kampot pepper on everything from ribs and chicken, to eggplant amok (kampotpepper.com; private tour $6/4.50 per person). After a few hours' drive, I arrive at a jetty facing into the Bay of Kompong Song. My destination is the opulent Six Senses on Krabey Island which is accessible only via private speedboat, which takes 30 minutes. I'm welcomed on arrival by an entourage of butlers, who whisk me through the island's jungle interior towards my decadent and palatial private villa. I'm spoiled by the size of the bed, the gorgeousness of the bathtub and, oh yes, my own private swimming pool. I have just enough time to sample the restaurant, which uses ingredients grown on the island's own organic farm, and the spa, a truly five-star experience that tops off my all-too-brief stay. The next day, I'm back in the speedboat and en-route to the neighbouring island of Koh Russey, to spend one night at its modular modern masterpiece, Alila Villas. This quiet, minimalist resort has a monopoly of some of the best ocean views in Cambodia. The next morning, I head back over the bay to Sihanoukville and catch a 45-minute flight to Siem Reap. Cambodia's ancient capital, the temple city of Angkor, is a short drive away. An Angkor Pass (only available from the official ticket centre, $62/48) offers unlimited access to every Angkor temple. As is tradition, we start our journey with a sunrise visit to Angkor Wat. While beautiful beyond compare, I would advise bracing yourself before visiting Angkor Wat, as no matter what time of day you visit, you will have to wade through legions of other visitors for your chance to experience this incredible temple. Thankfully, Angkor Wat is just one of the dozens of temples in Angkor, and it isn't long until I find one more to my taste: Banteay Srei. While no way comparable in size, this intimate temple invites visitors to get up close and personal with its carvings and reliefs. On the final day, I arrive at Ta Phrom. It may be known locally as the 'Tomb Raider temple' (Angelina Jolie is a big deal in Cambodia), but the experience is in no way Hollywood. Instead, the displays of nature are a reminder Cambodia is home to authentic jungle adventures. Audley Travel (audleytravel.com; 01993 838 100) offers tailor-made trips to Vietnam and Cambodia from 3,495 per person for 14 nights, including international flights with Vietnam Airways. With the world reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, North Korea is stepping up its COVID-19 counter-measures that are carried out strictly by their authorities. Some of the measures are seemingly draconian as these means month-long quarantines, all foreign diplomatic corps are inside their residences and compounds, with loudspeaker constantly reminding the locals of health warnings. The state media will not allow any less, than absolute obeisance to what health officials want. North Korea is now using tighter controls to prevent the virus from crossing over from mainland China. Unprecedented measures are now done by North Korea compared to other countries who have cases by now. Officials are making it mandatory for new arrivals to the country to take a 30-day isolation period without exceptions, officials are stepping up the search for those with positive infections. Knocking on all doors in a very intensive 'anti-virus' drive to detect viral patients. Compared to the already locked down mainland China, North Korea is proud that it has no positive infection, thus far. Other countries are on red alert, with more infections, and deaths from COVID-19. Most foreigners are given strict, tough restrictions, all residents shall be quarantined with no exception, in their premises since February. All the diplomats in Pyongyang are not able to go about, at their leisure in the city, as tight controls on everyone's whereabouts are stricter than ever. Russia's ambassador in the North Korean capital calls it, "morally crushing." According to Alexander Matsegora who told Russia's TASS news agency, the Russian embassy has no diplomatic mail anymore, not enough medicine and supplies are in store for their first-aid post. Also read: North Korea Reportedly Executes Man with Coronavirus to Hide Positive Cases Staff can only leave the premises, that is close to the Workers Party heads compound, get the trash to a landfill, then Korean Specialists will disinfect the truck at the gate of the embassy. City facilities like the Orthodox church, taekwondo gym, skate rink, and are not accessible, like Korean and art classes. It seems mundane for locals, but their daily life is these activities. All diplomatic activities are on hold, no interactions with North Korean officials or other diplomatic corps are in progress, everything is at a standstill. Important calls or notes dropped in a special mailbox are the ways to communicate or send messages. Alexander Matsegora related that North Korea is an exception, compared to other countries that can take such draconian measures, and be able to execute it easily. The coronavirus contagion is now called 'COVID-19', that came from Wuhan in China and spread like wildfire in other countries, which has killed more than 2800 people already. Compared to North Korea, South Korean has seen more cases at 1,100 or more, making the second-worst hit by COVID-19, next to mainland China. Although the North Korean leadership is adamant that it has no cases of the positive infection, in contrast to other nearby countries to China. Officials are keen on keeping everyone in line to avoid spreading the disease, with the fear of contagion inside North Korea will be a problem, so complacency is not allowed. North Korea is taking excessive measures to stave off a coronavirus infection, that can be deadly once it enters the country. Related article: US and Korean Military Training Under Review Amidst Coronavirus @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Everton vs Manchester United Saturday, 29 February, 2020 Match Preview Lucas Digne will be assessed on Saturday to see if he can start after training individually this week Lucas Digne will be assessed on Saturday to see if he can start after training individually this week Everton play the second of four successive games against so-called big six clubs as Manchester United come to Goodison Park on Sunday. The Blues will be hoping for a result more befitting their performance than last weekend where they scored very early against Arsenal, conceded three times, then dominated the Gunners over the final third of the match but couldn't find an equaliser. This time they will be on home turf against a United side that has been unpredictable and erratic at times this season but who nevertheless start the weekend in fifth place having won their last two Premier League games against Chelsea and Watford without conceding a goal. That followed defeats to Liverpool and Burnley and a goalless home draw with Wolves but with new signing Bruno Fernandes having made a good start to life in England and a 5-0 thrashing of 10-man Club Bruges in the Europa League, there is a feeling that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once again appears to have a handle on the task at Old Trafford. As such, United would seem to be a more difficult proposition than the last time the two sides met in Manchester in December and this fixture is a little trickier than it looked only a couple of weeks ago. While Solskjaer will likely be without the injured Anthony Martial, he will be able to hand Odeon Ighalo his first League start since his arrival on loan from China thankfully, the Nigerian has already got off the mark for them and Mason Greenwood, the young striker who netted in the reverse fixture against the Blues is also available after being rested against Bruges on Thursday. Everton, of course, will have the advantage of Goodison Park where they haven't lost in the League since Marco Silva's side went down to Norwich in November. Carlo Ancelotti will also have Andre Gomes as a likely starter following his return as a substitute against Arsenal last weekend and if that cameo was any indication, he will add a an entirely new dimension to a midfield that has held together under the Italian but has felt like the weak link since the Portuguese suffered his injury in November. With Morgan Schneiderlin out for two months following surgery on his knee, the question becomes who between Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson partners Gomes if he does start? Both were in the starting XI at the Emirates but with Theo Walcott available again after missing the defeat at Arsenal with a knee injury, it's possible that Ancelotti will revert to a more conventional formation with two central midfielders. Then there is Bernard who has been a strong performer at home under Ancelotti but who also made a strong case for inclusion with his own display off the bench last Sunday. He could once again replace Alex Iwobi wide on the left. A late decision will be made over Lucas Digne who was also sidelined last week with a minor injury while it remains to be seen if the manager feels that Seamus Coleman should come back for Djibril Sidibe at right back. While United have found some form in February, this is the sort of game that can bring the best out of Everton and it should also prompt a raucous atmosphere from the crowd who will remember the 4-0 thumping the Blues meted out to the same opposition last season. If, as Ancelotti says, they have worked sufficiently on tightening up at the back, they should have the platform from which to carve out the opportunities to win the match and close the gap to United in the table to just two points. That would put the Toffees right back in the hunt for Europe. Kick-off: 2pm, Sunday 1 March 2019 Referee: Chris Kavanagh Last Time: Everton 4 - 0 Manchester United Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Coleman, Mina, Holgate, Baines, Delph, Gomes, Walcott, Bernard, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer About these ads Health-care workers transport a patient into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington. Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images A total of 11 people in the U.S. have now lost their lives to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, all but one of them in Washington State. On Thursday, the total of coronavirus cases in California grew to 36, with one death reported in Placer County northeast of Sacramento. As of Wednesday, 15 states had confirmed cases of coronavirus for a total of at least 159 nationally. Health officials in multiple states expect more cases of the virus to soon emerge as state and local COVID-19 testing capacity continues to ramp up. Below are the latest developments on the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. and the response of public-health officials. Pelsoi says Capitol is preparing for potential outbreak In the event of a Washington, D.C. coronavirus outbreak, Capitol Hill staff will be able to work from home, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday. Lawmakers will not have the same luxury, she said: We cant vote from home. Pelosi also confirmed that there are no plans to test visitors to the Capitol or to close public areas. That, she said, is not realistic. Cuomo: There are now 22 confirmed cases in New York New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday afternoon that there are now twice as many coronavirus cases in New York state than previously detected. The doubling of cases from 11 to 22 will not be the end of it, he said. The number will increase because it is math, he said. The more you test, the more positives youll get. Most of the 22 cases are tied to a 50-year-old man in Westchester who has been hospitalized with illness. The other cases are in New York City and Nassau County. UPDATE: NY now has 22 confirmed #Coronavirus cases statewide 11 new positive tests since yesterday. Of the new cases: -8 are in Westchester, all mild or no symptoms -2 are in NYC, both individuals hospitalized -1 is in Nassau County, a 42yo man, also hospitalized Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 5, 2020 Government will fall short of promise to have a million tests available A few days after the Trump administration said a million coronavirus tests will be available by the end of this week, its become clear that the goal will not be met. There wont be a million people to get a test by the end of the week, Florida Senator Rick Scott said Thursday after a briefing from health officials. Its way smaller than that. And still, at this point, its still through public health departments. Bloomberg reports that tests wont even begin once the tests are received by local health departments: Scott and other lawmakers said the government is in the process of sending test kits out and people still need to be trained on how to use them. The entire process could take days or weeks, they said. By the end of the week theyre getting them out to the mail, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said. Its going to take time to be able to get them, receive them, re-verify them and then be able to put them into use. A cruise ship is being held off the cost of California until passengers can be tested Passangers on a cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco will not be allowed to leave until health officials can appropriately assess the passengers, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The Grand Princess is linked to the states first coronavirus death, a 71-year-old man who sailed from San Francisco to Mexico last month. After returning to Mexico, the ship set off for Hawaii with 2,500 passengers, 62 of whom were also on the cruise to Mexico with the man who later died. Now, Newsom said, at least 11 passengers and 11 crew members have developed symptoms. Two more cases confirmed in NYC New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday morning that two more people had tested positive for the coronavirus in the city, bringing the total number of cases to four. More alarmingly, both of the new patients are in the intensive care unit and one is in his 40s, well out of the most dangerous age range for coronavirus. There are two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York City. One new patient is a man in his 40s, and one new patient is a woman in her 80s. Neither patient has a connection to travel nor any of the other local individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 5, 2020 Both are currently hospitalized and in the intensive care unit. City disease detectives are tracing close contacts of both individuals and will ensure they are appropriately isolated and tested immediately. Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 5, 2020 Trump offers bad advice for coronavirus patients For people who suspect they have been exposed to coronavirus, the CDC recommends to restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis. Trump went a different route in his interview with Sean Hannity, stating that patients with mild cases of coronavirus can get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work. Here is the President of the United States telling the country it's okay to go to work with Coronavirus. I'm not kidding. pic.twitter.com/Tz4kKbyear Matt Rogers (@Politidope) March 5, 2020 Congress is expected to approve $8.3 billion in emergency funding Lawmakers in the House and Senate reached a deal to approve an $8.3 billion emergency aid package to combat the spread of coronavirus, according to the New York Times. Per the Times report: The bipartisan package, which includes nearly $7.8 billion for agencies dealing with the virus and came together after days of rapid negotiations, is substantially larger than what the White House initially proposed in late February. It also authorizes roughly $500 million to allow Medicare providers to administer tele-health services so that more elderly patients, who are at greater risk from the virus, can receive care at home, according to two of the officials. The first confirmed death in California In Placer County northeast of Sacramento, officials announced the first coronavirus death in the state and described the patient as an elderly adult with underlying health conditions. The county health department states that the patient was exposed to the virus while traveling on a Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico. They tested positive on March 3. The death is the eleventh nationally, and the first to occur outside Washington state. Also on Wednesday, NBC News reported that a medical screener working at Los Angeles International Airport tested positive for coronavirus despite wearing proper protective gear during their shift. New York: 11 confirmed cases confirmed, was community transmission On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo announced that coronavirus had been confirmed in 11 patients including three family members of a 50-year-old lawyer living in Westchester who was confirmed as the second case in the state on Tuesday. Unlike the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the city, a woman who had recently traveled to Iran, the new patient had no known links to other outbreaks the case in Westchester suggests that the virus has been spreading locally. Cuomo said that the man, who has been hospitalized and remains in serious condition, had an underlying respiratory condition. This is literally like trying to stop air, because somebody sneezes, Cuomo said on Wednesday. Its respiratory and its inevitable that it will continue to spread. The case has already prompted the closure of two schools and a synagogue. SAR Academy in Riverdale, where one of the mans children attends, closed on Tuesday morning. It was not clear whether a student or parent or neither was suspected to have the virus. In any case, the move could have ripple effects across New Yorks vast school system. NEW: SAR Academy on 254th Street in Riverdale is closed due to fear of #Coronavirusnyc exposure pic.twitter.com/TyftumCEQP Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) March 3, 2020 Washington State: 10 people have already died in the largest known U.S. outbreak By Wednesday, state officials had announced the tenth coronavirus death in the state. Three people who died were elderly residents of a 190-bed nursing home near Seattle who had contracted the disease. A fourth person with the virus was reported dead in a nearby county. On Tuesday, officials confirmed that the virus had killed two more residents of the nursing home in Kirkland, who died a week ago. The Seattle area is also dealing with a new area of outbreak: On Wednesday, Facebook confirmed that a contract working at its office in the city was diagnosed with coronavirus. On Sunday, state health officials confirmed the second coronavirus death in the state (and country). Earlier in the day, the state had confirmed two new coronavirus cases, both men in their 60s who were hospitalized in critical condition. Ten of the states 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases lived in King County, near Seattle. As of Monday, six people with the virus were in critical condition. Officials are certain main more cases of COVID-19 will be found in the coming days. According to research published over the weekend, the coronavirus may have been spreading, unchecked, in Washington for as long as six weeks. If thats the case, anywhere from 150 to 1,500 people may have been infected in there, according to models of the likely outbreak: Researcher: If the coronavirus has indeed been spreading undetected in Washington since mid-January, that could mean that anywhere from 150 to 1,500 people may have it, with about 300 to 500 people the most likely range.https://t.co/ODeJccVgdI Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) March 1, 2020 Coronavirus testing is getting easier in the state, however, and on Monday was up to a new capacity of roughly 200 tests per day. Indeed, health officials do not yet know where some of the people contracted the coronavirus, as they had no known links to other outbreaks in the world or anyone infected with COVID-19. That includes a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions who became Americas first coronavirus fatality over the weekend. One of the places the unchecked virus found its way to was Life Care Center, a 190-bed long-term-care facility in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. That outbreak has already killed four people a man in his 70s on Sunday, and then three more people on Monday. On Saturday, state officials announced that a resident and employee at the nursing home had both tested positive for the coronavirus, and that another 27 residents and 25 employees at the facility were showing COVID-19 symptoms. A total of 288 people live or work at Life Care Center, where, according to the Seattle Times, staff may have mismanaged this and other previous infections at the facility. Washington State governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to the outbreak, and state officials are already considering banning large events in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. In King County, local officials have purchased a motel to use as an isolation center. King County health officer Dr. Jeff Duchin warned on Monday that the states health system may soon be overwhelmed. He expects COVID-19 cases to overtake flu cases in a matter of weeks, at which point authorities will have to focus their resources on the worst outbreaks in the state rather than on individual cases. The first newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state were reported on Friday, including a 15-year-old high-school student in Snohomish County with no known links to any other outbreaks or infected people, and a woman in her 50s who had recently returned from Daegu, South Korea, the epicenter of what has become the second biggest outbreak in the world. The teenager had visited two area health clinics and briefly returned to school before testing positive. The teen has been quarantined at home, and the high school has since become one of many in the state that have been closed for a deep cleaning. Georgia: Two travel-linked cases found Georgia officials announced on Monday night that two residents had tested positive for COVID-19 both from the same household in Atlanta. One of the people had recently returned from Italy, meaning the cases were not the result of community transmission. New Hampshire: A case linked to Italy New Hampshire health officials on Monday announced the states first confirmed case of the coronavirus in a resident of the northwestern part of the state who had recently traveled to Italy. The officials do not believe there was any community transmission of the virus related to the case, and the state epidemiologist stressed that New Hampshires health system was well prepared to respond to the virus. Texas: A quarantine standoff in San Antonio The mayor of San Antonio declared a state of emergency in the city on Monday afternoon in order to block the release of Americans scheduled to leave quarantine at a nearby Army base. This move came after a woman in quarantine, who had twice tested negative for the virus and been released, later tested positive for the coronavirus. In the 12 hours before she was returned to isolation, the woman spent time at a mall and a hotel near the airport though health officials said the chance she transmitted the disease to many people was low. Texas governor Greg Abbott has also worked to block any further release of people from quarantine and demanded that the CDC retest all of them. Florida: Public-health emergency declared after two cases found On Sunday night, Florida governor Ron DeSantis directed the states surgeon general to declare a public-health emergency after two people in the Tampa Bay area tested positive for the coronavirus the first cases reported in the state. Health officials dont yet know how one of the people, a man in his 60s, contracted the disease. The other case is a woman in her 20s who had just returned home from northern Italy, which has had the most reported coronavirus cases in Europe. Florida health officials are working to identify, monitor, and test, if needed, anyone who has come into contact with the two individuals. The good news is that all three of the states public-health laboratories began conducting their own coronavirus tests on Saturday. According to the Miami Herald, that should cut the states wait times for test results down to no more than 28 hours instead of the three to five days it had been taking to get results back from the CDC. As of Monday morning, 23 people have been tested for the coronavirus in the state, and officials are monitoring another 184 people to see if they develop symptoms. New York: A health-care worker returning from Iran knew what to do Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York States first confirmed coronavirus case on Sunday night. A 39-year-old Manhattan woman who had recently traveled to Iran tested positive for the disease, and health officials expect that her husband, who made the same trip, will also soon test positive. Both are health-care workers, so they took extra precautions to isolate themselves upon returning to New York, where they avoided public transportation and immediately self-quarantined in their apartment. On Monday, Cuomo praised the womans textbook efforts to reduce her exposure to others. The governor said that health officials do not believe she was contagious while she was traveling back to the U.S., but authorities are still contacting the other passengers on her plane as well as the car-service driver the couple hired to drive them home from the airport. Cuomo also announced the launch of new cleaning protocols at schools, transit hubs, and health-care facilities that cater to the elderly or people with weak immune systems. Though Cuomo acknowledged the certainty that more coronavirus cases would soon be confirmed, he and other officials urged calm and boasted about New York Citys health system. We should relax, Cuomo said Monday. Because thats whats dictated by the reality of the situation. As of Sunday, 32 people in New York had been tested for the coronavirus, and more tests are being conducted after two public-health labs in the city and another in Albany have begun testing over the weekend. Rhode Island: Another case linked to Italy A man in his 40s who had recently traveled to Italy has tested positive for the COVID-19, state health officials announced on Sunday. His illness is a presumptive positive case, which means a local public-health laboratory has confirmed he has the virus, but the CDC hasnt yet conducted a second test. The man is being treated in a hospital and his family have self-quarantined at home, while Rhode Island officials work to locate at least 40 people who had come into contact with him. They will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and anyone exhibiting symptoms will be tested, state officials said. The cases link to Italy, where then man traveled last month before returning to the U.S. on February 22, meant it was an explained case and not likely to be part of a larger outbreak in the state. We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, explained the states health department director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. The general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is low, Governor Gina M. Raimondo said on Sunday. Theres no need for panic. Theres no need to be frightened. Illinois: Not clear how an elderly couple caught the virus A man in his 70s from Cook County, near Chicago, tested positive for the coronavirus, local officials announced on Saturday. They dont yet know how the man was infected. His wife, also in her 70s, has also tested positive, officials said Monday. Both were reportedly in good condition as of Monday. State health officials said they were still working to identify anyone who may have come into contact with the couple. Oregon: Three cases and counting The state reported its third confirmed case of the coronavirus on Monday. The first person confirmed to have the illness, who began feeling symptoms on February 19, works at a school in Clackamas County and may have exposed students and staff there, Oregon Health Authority director Patrick Allen said Friday. Someone who lives with that patient has also tested positive, but has a mild case and is remaining isolated at home. The third infected resident, like the first, is considered a case of community transmission. Neither had any know links to other outbreaks or infected persons, and state officials are still working to determine who else has been exposed to the coronavirus. This post has been updated throughout to include details of additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. Afghanistans warring sides gathered on Saturday for intra-Afghan talks aimed at ending decades of war. Doha, Qatar After nearly 20 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people, Afghan government representatives and Taliban members gathered on Saturday for historic intra-Afghan talks. The warring sides will discuss key issues in the negotiations, including a permanent ceasefire, the rights of women and minorities, and a political settlement Here is a round-up of the key events since the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to the start of the first ever face-to-face negotiations. US invasion of Afghanistan In response to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US that killed about 3,000 people, then-President George W Bush ordered an invasion of Afghanistan. Soon after, US-led forces toppled the Taliban which was in power since 1996. More than 1,000 US soldiers were on the ground at the time, with numbers growing and reaching up to more than 10,000 soldiers by December 2003. Number of US troops in Afghanistan rises By 2008, Bush had deployed about 50,000 more US troops to Afghanistan. Barack Obama succeeded Bush the following year, when about 68,000 US troops had been deployed in the country. By the end of 2009, Obama sent another 30,000 to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban. By 2010, the number of US soldiers had swollen to almost 100,000, while the overall number of foreign troops in Afghanistan stood at 150,000. Combat mission ends, civilian casualties rise In 2011, Obama announced the plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. Three years later, some 34,000 soldiers were left in the country. The same year, NATO announced it would end its combat mission in Afghanistan but would continue to train Afghan soldiers and conduct anti-terrorism operations. By 2017, the US troops level had declined to about 8,400. Civilian casualties meanwhile rose amid a worsening security situation as the Taliban expanded and strengthened their military campaign in different parts of the country. As deadly attacks multiplied, new President Donald Trump sent 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan. The US also stepped up air raids, resulting in a dramatic increase in civilian casualties. Peace talks initiated, suspended In October 2018, US officials and Taliban representatives held their first meeting in Doha, Qatar. The talks continued into the next year for eight rounds. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan, represented Washington in the talks, while co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the head of the Talibans political office in Doha, represented the group. Even as the talks were under way, violence spiked with 1,174 deaths and 3,139 injuries between July and September 30, representing a 42 percent increase over the same period compared with the year before. According to the data provided by the US Central Command Combined Air Operations Center, the US air force dropped a record 7,423 bombs on Afghanistan more than at any time in the last 10 years. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties. In September 2019, Trump abruptly suspended the talks with the Taliban following the killing of a US soldier. The US president also cancelled planned secret meetings at Camp David with the Taliban and the Afghan president, presumably meant to finalise the agreement. Following the suspension of the talks, the Taliban intensified attacks, with the last quarter of 2019 becoming one of the bloodiest since the US invasion in 2001. In a statement to Al Jazeera, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Washington would regret turning its back on the talks. Afghanistan control map [Alia Chughtai/Al Jazeera] US-Taliban agreement The US-Taliban agreement signed in February had four key elements: a Taliban guarantee that it will not allow foreign armed groups to use Afghanistan as a launchpad to conduct attacks, the complete withdrawal of the US-led forces, an intra-Afghan dialogue and a ceasefire. Intra-Afghan talks The intra-Afghan talks were initially set to begin in March but were delayed for six months because of a disagreement over a US-brokered prisoner exchange between the Taliban and the Afghan government. In the agreement, the Taliban agreed to release 1,000 Afghan troops, while the government said it would release 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The warring sides reached a deadlock over the last batch of Taliban prisoners charged with serious crimes. France and Australia objected to freeing six of the Taliban prisoners who were involved in the killing of their nationals. On September 10, Taliban and Afghan government sources told Al Jazeera a compromise was reached by sending those six prisoners to Qatar. The prisoners arrived in Doha on Friday and will remain in custody here. On September 12, peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban opened in Qatars capital aimed at ending 20 years of war in Afghanistan. WUHAN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, has over 5,000 spare beds in 16 temporary hospitals, which were converted from gyms, exhibition centers and other facilities to cope with a shortage of beds amid the coronavirus outbreak, China's health authority said Friday. Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, told a press conference in Wuhan that the daily number of patients discharged from such hospitals, designed for patients with mild symptoms, has greatly exceeded the number of new cases. Wuhan has so far built 16 facility-turned temporary hospitals with more than 13,000 beds, according to the official. The hospitals have treated a total of 12,000 patients, or one in every four patients of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. Over 7,600 patients are now being treated in such facilities. No death or new infections have been reported from such hospitals, he said. "Now looking back, the construction of the makeshift hospitals was a crucial and significant step that expanded our medical resources in a short period of time," Ma said. "If these patients with mild symptoms can not be hospitalized quickly, their illness may deteriorate and also cause widespread transmission in their communities." "The temporary hospitals have played an important and irreplaceable role in both prevention and treatment (of the disease). It has also created a new mode for quickly mobilizing and expanding medical resources in future responses to public health emergencies and major disasters," he said. African presidents are notorious for holding on to power for a long time. However, currently, an informed populace is doing its best to break this monotony. It happened in Tunisia and Egypt during the Arab spring. Hosni Mubarak was an autocratic leader that ruled Egypt for almost 30 years. He assumed office after the assassination of his predecessor, Anwar Sadat. His ascent to power was unprecedented as he was a little known vice president. Years later, after a near-militant lockdown on the country's opposition and numerous oppressive legislation, his citizens ousted him out of power. Do you want to know about Hosni Mubarak biography? His life is laden with interesting facts, and some would surprise you. Image: twitter.com, @EgyptTodayMag Source: Twitter Presidents are revered in their countries and respected internationally. Many are decorated military personalities or hold the best intellectual accolades. However, some are just a darling of the population, voted into the highest office because of political wisdom and fantastic leadership skills. Where did Hosni Mubarak fall? You probably know him as the fallen president of Egypt. Egyptians forced him to resign after a lengthy protest. How did he manage to rise and become the country's president? Do you want to know more about Hosni Mubarak death? Hosni Mubarak profile summary Full name: Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak Date of birth: May 4, 1928 May 4, 1928 President Mubarak birthplace: Kafr-el Meselha, Minufiya, Egypt Kafr-el Meselha, Minufiya, Egypt Age at time of death: 91 years 91 years Died: February 25, 2020 February 25, 2020 Wife: Suzanne (Thabet) Mubarak Suzanne (Thabet) Mubarak Children: Gamal and Alaa Mubarak Gamal and Alaa Mubarak Education: Egyptian Military Academy, 1949; Air Force Academy, 1952, with additional training at the Frunze General Staff Academy (USSR), 1964 Egyptian Military Academy, 1949; Air Force Academy, 1952, with additional training at the Frunze General Staff Academy (USSR), 1964 Nationality: Egyptian Egyptian Hosni Mubarak net worth: $70 billion $70 billion Political party: National Democratic Party (1978 2011) Hosni Mubarak biography The fourth president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, was born on May 4, 1928, in the Nile Delta province of Minufiya. His family was blessed with four other siblings. Interestingly, his predecessor and patron, Anwar Sadat hailed from the same location. His birth region was famous for putting great emphasis on education. They have produced several cabinet ministers. Hosni's father was a minor official in the Ministry of Justice. Mubarak excelled in his primary and high school studies. Later, he enrolled in Egypt's Military Academy and then into its Air Academy. The former Egyptian leader, Mubarak, completed his military training after two years. He never went for his summer leave and opted to continue his military studies. His dedication and interest in the air force, allowed him to become a pilot at a young age. This made it possible for him to receive advanced flight and bomber training from the Soviet Union. Hosni graduated from the Air Academy in 1950. Military career Image: twitter.com, @EgyptTodayMag Source: Twitter Are you wondering about Hosni Mubarak previous offices? He spent 25 years in the military serving different roles for his country. In the 1960s, Hosni was a renowned instructor at the Air Academy and commandeered Egypts bomber force in the Yemen civil war. Since Hosni was fluent in Russian, English, and Arabic, he was assigned strategic roles in the Egyptian air force. He frequently visited the Soviet Union and spent an entire year at the Soviet's Frunze Military Academy. In 1972, Anwar Sadat, who was the president at that time, appointed Hosni as the Chief Commander of the Air Force. This was a phenomenal choice as Hosni performed splendidly while heading Egypt's air command. He is accredited for the success of the Egyptian air force in the opening days of Egypt's war with Israel in October 1973. Hosni planned a surprise attack on the Israeli forces occupying the East bank of the Suez Canal. Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal in 1974 because of his amazing strategies as the Chief Commander of the Egyptian air force. Becoming president There is much about Hosni Mubarak biography, mostly about his political career. His ascent to power started when his predecessor, Anwar Sadat in 1975, appointed him as the vice president. Hosni was assigned the daily running of government affairs, taking care of cabinet meetings and handling security details. Hosni was also very active externally, gaining extensive foreign exposure from the numerous trips he took outside the country. Mubarak's military expertise, administrative and political exposure were fundamental during the 1978 Camp David Accords that ended years of conflict between Israel and Egypt. Hosni Mubarak was also very active in Middle East negotiations on Arab policy. He was also the leading negotiator for the dispute between Western Sahara nations of Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria. After Sadat was assassinated in October 1981, Hosni Mubarak became the fourth president of Egypt. He was sworn in on October 14, 1981, eight days after the unfortunate demise of his predecessor. Immediately, he started intense efforts of crashing and silencing the Islamic uprising. Mubarak did not change most of Sadats foreign policies and domestic politics. READ ALSO: Daniel arap Moi family: Wife, kids and sibling What happened to Hosni Mubarak? On February 25, Mubarak died at 91-years-old. The countrys state television announced that he died after undergoing surgery. They did not give any further details about the incident. He had made a name for himself as a military man and the longest-serving president, loved and hated by many in Egypt. Unfortunately, during the Arab spring, he was driven from power by citizens. Hosni Mubarak health deteriorated after being given a life sentence in 2012 for failing to stop police officers from killing protesters during the uprising. Hosni was released from Cairo Military hospital, terminating his sentence after six years in custody. He retired to his Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. During his release, he was a diminished person, mostly spotted lying on a stretcher, his gaunt face hidden from direct sight. READ ALSO: Kate Rorke-Bassich from Life Below Zero biography and latest updates Hosni Mubarak net worth Image: youtube.com, @CBC News Source: UGC The majority of toppled dictators do not get to live comfortable lives after their presidency. During the time Hosni Mubarak was in power, he managed to enrich his family. His average net worth is $70 billion, which is probably a massive reduction from what he owned while in control. Hosni is the longest-serving president of Egypt. He has stocked his immense wealth in real estate agencies and tied up some of his fortunes in the Swiss bank. READ ALSO: Danny from American Pickers bio, net worth and salary per episode Hosni Mubarak wife and kids Many Egyptians, during Hosni's presidency, grew fond of his family that was heavily conspicuous. Hosni depicted them as a dignified unit, demanding love and respect from citizens. Former Egyptian leader Mubarak married a half-British graduate from the American University in Cairo called Suzanne Mubarak. The couple bore two children, Gamal Mubarak and Alaa Mubarak. Gamal pursued his higher education at the American University in Cairo, just like his mother. He did his masters education and entered the finance profession. Gamal was employed as a London-based Bank of America executive, but he left to create Medinvest Associated Ltd. Gamal returned to Egypt in 2000, amid massive speculation that he was going to take over his father's leadership. However, Egyptian citizens removed his father after a long protest. Alaa is the "other" Mubarak son that is mostly overlooked. Unfortunately, his business practices were questioned, and he lost public trust. This made him disappear from the public limelight and started keeping a low public profile. Numerous controversies marred Hosni's rule, and it was not a surprise that he was ousted from power during the Arab spring. Hosni Mubarak biography is lengthy, full of some great moments of him serving his country, but leading them to oppression at the culmination of his rule. Maybe Hosni's demise at 91 would serve as an excellent memory for those that revolted against him and fought to build a new Egypt. READ ALSO: Cree Cicchino bio: measurements, dating history, twin sister, parents Mickey Rourke - What happened and latest health updates MLB host Lauren Shehadi biography: nationality, dating, salary, net worth Source: TUKO.co.ke - In China, health officials noted most of the discharged patients tested positive weeks after being released from hospital - A similar case was recorded in Japan where a woman working as a tour-bus guide tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time - Medical experts have attributed to reinfection to the fact that patients who recover from the epidermic hardly develop enough antibodies to develop immunity to the virus - Medics further note that Coronavirus could be biphasic, meaning it lies dormant before creating new symptoms later on Efforts to eradicate coronavirus outbreak have suffered a major setback after doctors in China and Japan confirmed that patients who had recovered from the epidermic tested positive weeks later. The coronavirus outbreak has spread rapidly and widely, infecting about 80,000 people globally and killing more than 2000, with China being the worst hit. READ ALSO: Wakazi wa Tharaka Nithi wasema wamelipwa KSh 500 kuhudhuria mkutano wa BBI Doctors in a laboratory setting up a station for managing coronavirus patients. Photo: CNBC. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Moses Kuria na Kipchumba Murkomen waingia Meru kwa kishindo Health officials in the Asian country have, however, noted most of the discharged patients throughout the country were testing positive after released from the hospital. The same scenario was recorded in Japan where a woman working as a tour-bus guide tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time. The Japanese national first tested positive in late January 2020 and was discharged from the hospital after recovering on Feb 1, 2020. Health official screening passenger for coronavirus. Photo: People's Daily. Source: Facebook On Wednesday, February 26, the middle-aged woman tested positive after developing a sore throat and chest pains. In China, medics said some of the discharged patients were testing positive to the virus weeks after being released. They, however, noted such patients who have not been found to be infectious yet. One of the causes that experts have attributed to reinfection is the fact that patients who recover from the epidermic hardly develop enough antibodies to develop immunity to the virus. Testing discrepancies have also been listed by medical experts as another possible cause for such scenarios to be recorded. According to experts interviewed by Peoples Daily, some hospitals were testing nose and throat samples when deciding whether patients should be discharged, but new tests were finding the virus in the lower respiratory tract. Further, medics note that Coronavirus could be biphasic, meaning it lies dormant before creating new symptoms later on. 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. My 21 years in America were useless | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke An iconic portrait depicting North Cork IRA veterans lying in wait to ambush British forces has been selected as An Post's stamp of 2020 as the organisation commemorates the War of Independence. The painting, The Men of the South', by Sean Keating hangs in the Crawford Gallery in Cork City as part of the commemorative 'Mise Eire' exhibition.. The members of the North Cork Brigade who appeared in Keating's painting were Jim Riordan, Denis O'Mullane, Jim Cashman, John Jones, Roger Kiely, and Dan Browne. Not featured in the painting was Sean Moylan, the commander of the unit, who didn't want to be painted in case it would be used to identify him. According to accounts from the time, IRA men in trench coats came to the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and asked to see Sean Keating. They took him away to sketch the scene and he took the sketches away to finish the portrait which he regarded as 'a conscious work of propaganda'. Historians regard the painting as an 'example of instant history, produced with an eye to posterity'. The stamp and a First Day Cover envelope, featuring a contemporary photograph of IRA volunteers and a specially designed cancellation mark, are available from main post offices, the stamp counters at Dublin's GPO and online at irishstamps.ie. The stamp was designed by Ger Garland. February 29 : Actor Aditya Roy Kapur, who is riding high on success of his recently film Malang has extended his support to Pragya Kapoors tree plantation drive. He said that Mumbai need more trees and green cover and everybody should come forward and do their bit for a noble cause. Aditya Roy Kapur was interacting with the media at the launch of NGO named Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation along with actor-producer Pragya Kapoor on Saturday in Mumbai. Pragya Kapoors newly founded NGO Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation organized tree plantation drive and Aditya Roy Kapur joined the initiative, talking about it, Aditya said, I feel really happy to be here. I know she (Pragya Kapoor) is passionate not only about this but so many other issues. I think this is her first step towards this cause. I have grown up in Mumbai. So, you always want to contribute in some way or the other to your city and this is need of the hour. We need more trees and green cover. It just brings about a feeling of community that we sometimes lack in big cities. You need to start from somewhere and I think this is really nice step toward it. Talking about tree plantation drive, Pragya said, I am grateful that Aditya and you (media) came here to support this cause. Its been a dream for quite some time now to do something and give back to the society. It has started just naturally. I didnt plan that I will start an NGO or something. I am so happy that many people are coming forward to help out and I hope we will create some difference. She added, We dont have a lot of things to do in Mumbai. So, if you go for a beach clean-up or tree-plantation drives then it is something good which you are doing for your society. So, we should call our friends and do it as a fun group activity thing. When asked Aditya what advice he would like to give to people about tree plantation, he said, It is not as tough as it looks. We often think that when we will do it and how we will do it but its about getting together with group of friends. Once you do it, you will realize that there is not much which goes into it. It just takes you and your friends to wake up on one Sunday morning, find the right place, then go and do it. I know you will feel good after doing it as you are contributing in some way so, you have to break that myth that you have to spend your whole day to something like this. It could be about couple of hours after having morning breakfast. At the end of 21 days, Malang has accumulated a total of 58.04 crores and would add another 2-2.50 crores during 4th week. Talking about success of Malang, Aditya said, I have got really positive feedback for it. I am feeling really good about that. I am thankful that the film is being appreciated. But more than that, I feel Mumbai need more trees because Goa has many trees where we shot for Malang. Aditya Roy Kapoor next will be seen onscreen in Anurag Basus Ludo and Mahesh Bhatts Sadak 2. Australias government will implement a ban on travelers coming from Iran. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt announced after a National Security Council meeting on Saturday that the new travel restrictions will apply from March 1, and noted a high death rate in Iran. He noted that Iran has very specific characteristics, unfortunately, and that the country has the highest death rate outside of Hubei province in China that houses Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. There is likely at this stage a high level of undetected cases, and therefore those cases wont be intercepted or identified on departure from Iran, he said. Hunt added that the new restrictions are consistent with our decisions in relation to China. The announcement comes after a case was confirmed in Australia in an individual who went undetected for the coronavirus upon leaving Iran. The ban will stipulate that people cannot travel from Iran to Australia for 14 daysthey will have to spend the time in a third country before being allowed into Australia. The exception is for Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran, but they will still need to isolate themselves for 14 days after arriving into Australia. The travel advice for those in Australia is to be upgraded for Iran to do not travel. Australia currently has a total of 25 cases of the coronavirus, 15 of which have reportedly recovered, and the rest in stable condition. No deaths have been reported. The cases include nine in Queensland, four in New South Wales, seven in Victoria, three in South Australia, and two in Western Australia. Iran has an official record of 388 cases of coronavirus and 34 deaths. This is the highest known mortality rate for the coronavirus outbreak outside China if going by official numbers. The BBC, citing hospital sources inside Iran, has reported the death toll in Iran could exceed 200. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the report. Australias latest announcement comes as the World Health Organization raised the risk of the spread of COVID-19 to very high. Neighboring country New Zealand announced new travel restrictions for Iran on Friday, similar to Australias restrictions, after seeing its first confirmed case of coronavirus. The case involves a New Zealand citizen who traveled to Iran recently before returning home. From The Epoch Times Kamil Siedcynski, a Polish student at Jadavpur University (JU) in Kolkata, has been asked to leave the country in a notice sent by the Union home ministry. Kamil avoided the media and did not share the contents of the notice, but some students and teachers at JU said they assumed that his expulsion was due to his presence at a rally organised in the city by intellectuals, artists and students against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December last year. A student of comparative literature, Kamil, is yet to sit for the final semester of his Masters degree. Having studied Bengali literature at Visva Bharati, a central university, earlier, Kamil can speak the language fluently and has translated Polish works into Bengali. JU teachers, who did not wish to be named, told HT that Kamil went to the rally organised at Ramlila Maidan with his friends on December 19. He was served a notice by the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Kolkata about a week ago, said Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of the JU teachers association. JU vice-chancellor Suranjan Das was away in Delhi. Till Friday evening, when I left my office, I had not received any official information about this from the student or the FFRO. In West Bengal, Kamil is the second student from a foreign country who has been asked to leave India by FRRO. Afsara Anika Meem, a first-year Bangladeshi undergraduate student at the Visva Bharati fine arts department had also been served a similar notice for engaging in anti-government activities earlier this week. She had posted photos of an anti-CAA agitation on her social media page, which she later deactivated. Kamil was possibly curious to see the rally. Kamil has never been seen at any agitation on or off campus. Being a foreigner, he drew the attention of some local television channels that covered the rally. Since he speaks Bengali, a journalist even spoke to him and the short footage was aired, said a JU professor who did not want to be identified. Teachers said that Kamil was first summoned by the FRRO, but he could not respond as he was visiting Visva Bharati. After returning to the city, he went to the FRRO, where the notice to leave the country was given to him. Kamil has appealed to the FRRO to reconsider its decision, saying he was merely an onlooker, said Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of the JU teachers association. Since it is Saturday, the Polish consulate in Kolkata and the FRRO office were both closed and no official could be contacted. Eminent lawyer and former Kolkata mayor, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said, This is madness. How can a student from a foreign country be asked to leave just because he wanted to witness a rally. The student has the right to move court and if he wants I will defend him. Two other foreign nationals in the country were asked to leave on similar grounds in December. Jakob Lindenthal, a 24-year-old German exchange student pursuing a Masters degree in physics, was ordered to leave after he took part in protests against the CAA in Chennai. Janne Mette-Johannson, a Norwegian woman, was also asked to leave after she participated in an anti-CAA protest in Kerala in December. She had been in India on a tourist visa. The CAA was passed in December to fast-track the citizenship process for non-Muslims, who had entered India from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh before 2015. Indian envoy to Iran Gaddam Dharmendra on Saturday said the authorities are working to facilitate the return of Indians who wish to go back home in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. He said discussions are underway with the authorities concerned to work out arrangements for the same. At many as 43 people have died in Iran as a result of the new deadly disease. "In view of COVID19, working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements. Will keep you updated," Dharmendra said in a tweet. Coronavirus is a new type of pneumonia, officially being described as 2019-nCoV. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP and the central government after Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the principal Opposition party to not preach "raj dharma" to the government. Slamming Prasad's remarks, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal said that Opposition cannot preach "raj dharma" to the Centre's BJP government as "listening, learning, and obeying such duties" is not in BJP's disposition. Responding to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's remarks that Congress could not preach raj dharma to the government, Sibal on Saturday said: "How can we, Mr. Minister? When you did not listen to Vajpayee ji in Gujarat, why would you listen to us! Listening, learning and obeying Rajdharma not one of your government's strong points." Sibal was alluding to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous remarks wherein he reminded the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to follow "raj dharma" during 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the state. 'Raj dharma' refers to the duty of a ruler to establish justice among his subjects and not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, caste, creed, laguage on or any other basis. Reiterating similar sentiments, former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat also attacked the BJP saying even if the 'raj dharma' was not followed in Gujarat earlier, it should have been paid heed in Delhi at least. "Ravi Shankar Prasad ji won't take a lesson of raj dharma from us but he should learn from Atal (Bihari Vajpayee) ji who had earlier said that while Gujarat was 'burning', the BJP government in the state was not follwoing the 'raj dharma'. Atal ji had spoken about rajd harma then. What happened in Gujarat then has now been repeated in Delhi. So won't they take lessons from Atal ji as well? If you failed to follow the lessons in Ahmedabad then you should have followed it in Delhi," he said. "If so, then BJP should have earlier said that it does not approve any of Atal ji's comments and that his remarks are baseless. In addition, you are suddenly reminded today that Kapil Mishra is inciting violence when the court has taken cognizance over the issue. Then why are you people silent? Raise the matter and take action against him as soon as possible," the senior Congress leader stated. The remarks have come as parts of north-east Delhi have been hit by violence since Sunday. At least 42 people, including a police head constable, have died while around 200 people have been injured in the violence. Congress leaders Subhash Chopra and Sushmita Dev too questioned the government over its inaction to secure the citizens. "What has the government been doing since day one? Initially, the death toll was six and now it has risen to 42. We had a meeting with the Delhi Police Commissioner and others. They assured us that action would be taken. We need action against those who incited violence through inflammatory speeches," Chopra noted. Former Lok Sabha MP Sushmita Dev said that the BJP is a "failed government". "They (BJP government) have not been able to secure their citizens. Amid his failures, the only solution Ravi Shankar Prasad has is to blame the Opposition. It is not only absurd but a blatant lie. And I think lies are the basic dharma of the BJP and the country knows that," she added. Former Delhi cabinet minister Arvinder Singh Lovely also stressed that it has been very unfortunate that riots are taking place in the capital. "People are still living in fear. We are appealing for peace. Our delegation is also visiting the people who have been affected by violence. We demand proper action as well as an inquiry in the matter," he said. Earlier on Thursday, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other party leaders had met President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi and sought the removal of Home Minister Amit Shah over Delhi violence, alleging that he "abdicated his duty" and "allowed the situation to escalate through inaction". The party leaders urged the President to use his powers to ask the central government to protect "raj dharma" so that people were assured of peace, tranquillity and justice. Asked about the BJP's stand on statements made by its leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra, Prasad had on Friday said, "We have made our position very clear, we do not approve these statements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Quarantining the cruise ship Diamond Princess, some of whose passengers were infected with the novel coronavirus, may have resulted in more cases of the viral infection than if they would have disembarked immediately, according to a study. The ship, which was docked at the Yokohama port in Japan, has seen more than 600 infected patients during the quarantine, according to a study, published in the Journal of Travel Medicine. "The infection rate onboard the vessel was about four times higher than what can be seen on land in the worst infected areas of China. A probable cause is how close people stay to one another onboard a vessel," said Joacim Rocklov, study co-author from Umea University in Sweden. The researchers said after a person travelling with the cruise ship disembarked in Hong Kong, and was tested positive for the coronavirus, Japanese authorities decided to disallow the 3,700 passengers onboard to leave the ship when it reached Yokohama. Put in quarantine until 19 February, passengers onboard the ship who showed signs of illness were, as far as possible, separated from other passengers onboard, the scientists noted. "If the ship had been immediately evacuated upon arrival in Yokohama, and the passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus and potential others in the risk zone had been taken care of, the scenario would have looked quite different," Rocklov said. "Our calculations show that only around 70 passengers would have been infected. A number that greatly falls short of the over 600 passengers the quarantine resulted in," he added. According to the researchers, due to the high risk of transmission on the ship, the precautionary measure of putting the entire ship under quarantine is questionable. But they added that if the precautionary measures of isolating potential carriers had not been carried out onboard, another 2,300 people may have been infected. "The cruise ship conditions clearly amplified an already highly transmissible disease. The public health measures prevented more than 2,000 additional cases compared to no interventions," the researchers wrote in the study. "However, evacuating all passengers and crew early on in the outbreak would have prevented many more passengers and crew from infection," they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Last night, the Cesar film awards named Roman Polanski best director for JAccuse, defying the diktat of both the #MeToo movement and President Emmanuel Macrons government. JAccuse is a powerful and compelling film on the Dreyfus Affair, the historic 1894-1906 struggle to clear a French Jewish officer framed on charges of spying for Germany. This struggle escalated into a confrontation between the dreyfusards, whose most consistent proponent was the socialist workers movement led by Jean Jaures, and the antidreyfusards led by the proto-fascistic Action francaise of Charles Maurras. At the high point of the Dreyfus Affair, France teetered on the brink of civil war. JAccuse (An Officer and a Spy) Though the film deals with a subject which has the universal sympathy and interest of left-minded workers in France, JAccuse and Polanski became the target of relentless attacks from #MeToo and the state. These were based on unsubstantiated allegations by actress Valerie Monnier, which she closely coordinated with the Macron government before the films release, that Polanski raped her in 1975. #MeToo supporters in France made the fascistic argument that to be interested in seeing JAccuse meant being complicit in rape. The media atmosphere became so toxic that Polanski and the entire cast of JAccuse decided it was too dangerous to attend the Cesar ceremony and avoided the event. In a shameless attempt to impose the Macron governments right-wing politics on the film community, Culture Minister Franck Riester personally intervened on the eve of the awards ceremony to demand that Polanski not be named best director. Under these conditions, the Academys decision to award Polanski the best director prize is an unmistakable repudiation of the politics of #MeToo and of the Macron government. When JAccuse was named for 12 Cesar awards last month, #MeToo supporters orchestrated a successful campaign, supported by Macron government ministers, to force the resignation of the French Film Academys entire governing council. After this awards ceremony, a new governing council is to be elected, including a mass recruitment of hundreds of new female members. #MeToo and state propaganda against JAccuse spread across the media in the run-up to the final vote on the Cesar awards and the awards ceremony itself. Actress Adele Haenel, a #MeToo supporter in France, declared that giving awards to Polanski means to spit in the face of every victim... It means, It is not so serious to rape women. Actress Rose McGowan, a leading #MeToo figure in America, piled on to hysterically denounce Polanski to the magazine Paris-Match. The nominations for Polanski make me want to take a Cesar award and hit each person who voted for him," she declared. "We are not talking about cinema, but pain... Those people have no idea what goes on in the real world, they support the status quo, the celebration of triumphant masculinity. It was announced that mass protests by feminist groups would be held in front of Pleyel Hall, where the Cesar awards ceremony were held. Faced with relentless and uncontrolled slanders in the media targeting him as a despicable rapist, Polanski announced on Wednesday that he would not attend the Cesar awards ceremony. Roman Polanski He said, I have been asked this question: will I go or not to the Cesar awards ceremony? My question is rather the following: how could I go? We know how this evening is to proceed. Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching. Some are announcing there will be protests in front of Pleyel Hall. Others plan to use it as a way to justify campaigning to reform the governance of French film. It will look more like a symposium than a cinema festival seeking to reward its greatest talents. Polanski added that he was acting out of a duty to protect my family, my wife and my children, who are forced to endure insults and humiliations. He added that it was with regret that I am taking this decision, that is, to avoid being tried by a self-appointed court of public opinion ready to trample legal rights underfoot so that irrationalism can triumph again unchallenged. Yesterday morning, Culture Minister Franck Riester went on France Info to demand that Polanski not receive the prize for best director. If Polanski received an award, Riester claimed, it would be a bad symbol for the necessary development of consciousness that we must all make in the struggle against sexual and sexist violence. He added, It is up to each and every voting member to act on the basis of this responsibility. Riester also rejoiced that Polanski had to take the decision, which Riester called wise, to not attend the awards ceremony. Riester said, After everything that has taken place for many years, for a certain number of women who claim Roman Polanski assaulted them, his presence tonight would obviously have been a source of tension. After Riesters extraordinary public intervention, the entire cast and production staff of JAccuse announced that it would not attend the Cesars award ceremony. Polanski, producer Alain Goldman and actors Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel and Emmanuelle Seigner, who is also Polanskis wife, all were absent during last nights awards ceremony. Goldman told AFP: We have seen an escalation of inappropriate and violent remarks and behavior. The culture minister himself, representing the authority of the state, has permitted himself to make a statement condemning in advance and without knowledge of its outcome, a professional, independent and secret vote. And during the awards ceremony, several hundred protesters from the Dare To Be Feminist association and allied organizations tried to forcibly enter Pleyel Hall, facing off with riot police. They shouted the fascistic slogan Polanski is a rapist, cinemas are guilty, filmgoers are complicit, brandishing signs reading We believe Polanskis victims and Down with Patriarchy. Dare To Be Feminist spokeswoman Celine Piques told AFP: We want to shake up the film community because they claim to support Adele Haenel, who denounces sexual assault, but at the same time and with incredible hypocrisy, they support Roman Polanski. Ultimately, however, and at the end of a ceremony largely given over to talk of gender politics and women in film, it was announced that Polanski had received the best director prize. Haenel and a dozen other #MeToo supporters booed and marched out of Pleyel Hall in protest. It was a blunt repudiation of #MeToo witch-hunting and Macrons policies of social austerity, war and police state repression and his rehabilitation of Nazi-collaborationist dictator Philippe Petain. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto announced Friday he's moving forward with plans to close county jail at the beleaguered Hall of Justice by July 2021. The plan is in accordance with Mayor London Breed's proposed deadline for closing Jail #4, located on the hall's seventh floor at 850 Bryant Street. Back in Oct. 2019, Mayor London Breed unveiled a plan to relocate several city offices and courtrooms, as well as jail inmates from the Hall of Justice to a new consolidated "Justice Campus" within the next two years. The proposed campus, however, wouldn't break ground until 2028. With no other adequate jail to place to the inmates in the meantime, Miyamoto is asking the city to agree on a $50 million capital investment for the renovation of the city's other existing jails. The move would minimize the need to redistribute the jail population to out-of-county locations, he said. But until the city agrees on those investments, Miyamoto is proposing relocating up to 100 inmates from the Hall of Justice jail to Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in the meantime. "We can't wait any longer," Miyamoto said in a statement. "County Jail is seismically unsafe, a danger to justice-involved people, deputies, staff and visitors, with an outdated design that does not support educational and behavioral programs for people in jail," he said. Closing Jail #4 would save the city more than $10 million annually in operating costs, he said. Once closed, Jail #4 would become the third jail the Sheriff's Office has closed since 2010. The combined closures will have eliminated more than 1,000 beds in the city's jail system without any provisions for replacement beds, he said. "Over half of the people who are justice-involved await resolution of their cases out of custody," Miyamoto said. "But when courts mandate incarceration, I need a place to house people safely and humanely. Jail #4 was built in 1962 in the Hall of Justice, which is not up to current seismic codes, and has faced numerous recent problems, including sewage leaks and rodent infestations. Once closed, 385 beds would be eliminated from the city's current stock of jail beds. Without the Jail #4, the city would be left with just two jails; Jail #2, located at 425 Seventh St., with 392 beds and Jail #5, at One Moreland Drive in San Bruno, with 768 beds. 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. Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a prolific critic of Beijing, was arrested on Friday for taking part in last year's pro-democracy protests. The 72-year-old owner of the Apple Daily newspaper is accused of joining a banned rally on 31 August. Lai was charged along with veteran pro-democracy activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum. The trio could be jailed for up to five years if convicted of taking part in an "unauthorised assembly". They are due to appear in court on 5 May. Human rights groups have protested against the detentions. These unjustifiable arrests are a shameless attempt to harass and silence those in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, writes Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, Man Kei Tam. The vast majority of people taking part in the 31 August protests were exercising their right to peaceful assembly. Peaceful protests do not require authorisation and are therefore not 'unlawful,' as the Hong Kong authorities claim," says Tam. Refugee Jimmy Lai, president of the One Media Group, came to China as a refugee from the famine caused on the mainland by the Great Leap Forward in 1961. He started out as a worker in a garment factory, became a salesman, invested in his own company, founding the Giordano garment chain in 1981, expanding it to 191 outlets in 1992. The 4 June 1989 Tiananmen crackdown by the Chinese People's Liberation Army on peaceful protesters changed his vision of the world, and he founded the provocative Apple Daily, a newspaper publishing articles which routinely drew the ire of Beijing because of their critical content. Hong Kong handover After the 1997 Hong Kong handover to China, the Apple Daily continued to champion democracy and human rights, and grew increasingly critical of the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government. Lai actively took part in the 2014 Umbrella Movement, joining the protesters on several occasions. In 2014 police briefly arrested him when they were clearing Umbrella protesters off the streets of Hong Kong. He was also suspected by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption of having given sums of money to pro-democracy legislators Lee Cheuk-yan, Alan Leong, James To, Claudia Mo, and Tanya Chan, but after three years of investigations, charges were dropped. Booksellers The arrest of Lai and activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum comes days after the People's Intermediate Court of Ningbo in China sentenced Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison for illegally providing intelligence to foreign entities. Gui Minhai was one of five Hong Kong publishers and booksellers who disappeared in 2015 after printing and selling books critical of Beijing. In 2016, Gui went off the radar when he was on a trip to Thailand, to reappear in mainland China where he was under tight surveillance before being officially arrested in 2018. Protest leader Joshua Wong was quick to point out that the arrests in Hong Kong coincided with the fight against the coronavirus, which attracted most of the territory's press coverage, and also came hours after the Legislative Council's Finance Committee proposed a pay rise for civil servants. However, pro-democracy legislators voted to freeze police pay, arguing that the force did not deserve an increase "because of its handling of the anti-government protests. Editors note: This story is part of a series on how mental health is impacting lives across Michigan. Visit https://www.mlive.com/mentalhealthessays/ to read personal essays, including Dale Robertsons. Dale Robertson, who heads the Grand Rapids Public Museum, was taken aback in 2002 when his wife and his family doctor suggested he might benefit from seeing a psychiatrist. Dale was in his mid-40s at time, a vice president in the Grand Rapids office of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, overseeing the companys operations for the western part of the Lower Peninsula as well as the Upper Peninsula. He was happily married and the father of four. The career was going very well, as was the family, he said. But I was, he paused to find the right word. Struggling. There were some highs and some lows, and my wife picked up on this. To me it felt he was with us physically but not emotionally," recalls Sonja Robertson, Dales spouse. "I saw him struggle to enjoy normal things like family get-togethers, vacations, or relaxing at home. When it came time for Dales annual physical, Sonja came along and described to the doctor what she was seeing. The doctor asked his own questions of Dale, and suggested making an appointment with a specialist. I was originally resistant, Dale said. I was a person who got things done. I thought I had it goin on. But I didnt really, he said. I needed someone to confront me. It wasnt an immediate epiphany, he said. At the initial appointment with the psychiatrist, Dale said, The first thing that I said was, Were not doing any drugs. Im not going to talk about my patients. I dont believe in any of this. To his credit, Dale said, the psychiatrist really focused on what was causing the anxiety and depression, and we began to work through that. After several appointments, Dale agreed to try medication and also took the doctors recommendation of regular exercise. Thats been key -- the talk therapy, the medication and the exercise all coming together, Dale said. Its made all the difference in the world. Exercise has been huge, he added. It was a game changer for me. Dale is now a regular at the Grand Rapids YMCA, he said, and belongs to a running group, Run GR, that meets three times a week for outdoor runs. For him, he said, its running outdoors in particular that helps even out his moods Still, Dale said, he hid for years the fact that he was being treated for depression and anxiety. That came to a head about five years after his diagnosis when he was called to jury duty for a trial that involved a defendant who was mentally ill. The potential jurors were asked if they knew anybody with a mental illness and Dale, cognizant that he was under oath, raised his hand. At that point, the only people who knew I was getting treatment were my wife and my (office) assistant, he said. It was a private thing I thought nobody should know. Now he had to acknowledge it publicly, and in a venue where it was on the public record. It shook me up, he said. But as time went by, Dale said, hes became more open about his situation. As I get a little older, Ive felt there is no reason to pull back on this, he said. If I talk about it and bring it out there, maybe Im contributing some way somehow. And the fact is, he said, his story is involves a very treatable condition, and that treatment has improved every aspect of his life, as a professional, as a husband, as a father, as a member of the community. Dale is not a depressed person, hes a person with a depressive disorder that is common and treatable," Sonja said. "Hes loving, intelligent, funny, enthusiastic, and a wonderful husband and father. Hes an innovator and business leader. Dale said hes doing much better these days, although he is not cured. Its a process and a continuous one, he said about treating depression and anxiety. I had my own Bell Jarmoment fairly early on in my treatment. I was surrounded by darkness. But above me was an open circle through which I could see light, white fluffy clouds, blue sky and sunshine. Ive wondered what would I have done if that hole closed, Dale said. I havent had that vision again. The treatment and support Ive received and my own commitment (frankly) has thus far kept at bay what author Andrew Solomon called the Noonday Demon. Ive been fortunate and lucky." To read more about mental health experiences, go to to https://www.mlive.com/mentalhealthessays/ All your juicy questions answered. Samantha X, Australias most well known high-class escort joins Flex Mami in the studio to discuss unprotected sex, most requested wardrobe item and what men really want...which might surprise you. An advocate for women everywhere to celebrate their maturity, sexuality and power, Sam also discusses her personal demons and the choice that changed her life for the better. Austrias chancellor Sebastian Kurz hinted on Saturday that borders could be closed across the Balkans in response to a rush of migrants towards Greece from Turkey, echoing action taken during Europes 2015-16 migration crisis. Greek police fired tear gas to push back hundreds of migrants gathered on the border with Turkey on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria shifted onto the European Unions doorstep. Ankara says it will no longer contain hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers after an air-strike on Idlib in northwestern Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers. We are in constant contact with our partners in the EU and along the western Balkan route. Should the protection of the EUs external borders not succeed, then Austria will protect its borders, Mr Kurz, a critic of Turkeys government and a hawk on illegal immigration, said in a statement. His comments hinted at a response similar to that of 2016, when he was foreign minister and Austria coordinated a series of border closures in Balkan countries between itself and Greece to block a new wave of arrivals. Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Show all 10 1 /10 Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Migrants walk in a long line along the highway near Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Migrants walk on the railway tracks between Bicske and Szar, some 40 km west of Budapest, Hungary, 04 September 2015 EPA Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria The destination for most of those walking is reportedly Austria AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Most refugees have come to Hungary through the southern border with Serbia AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria People walk in a long line along the highway near Budapest, Hungary AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Over 150,000 people seeking to enter Europe have reached Hungary this year AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees walk along Budaorsi Street on their way out of Budapest EPA Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees hold up an EU flag as they on the highway out of Budpest AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees exit Budapest AP Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Refugees march from Hungary to Austria Hundreds of migrants walk after leaving the transit zone of the Budapest main train station AFP Mr Kurz won power in 2017 after taking a hard line on immigration, pledging to prevent a repeat of 2015s influx, in which Austria took in the equivalent of about 1 per cent of its population in asylum seekers. He formed a government at the time with the far-right, which had a similar stance on the issue. That conservative-far right coalition collapsed amid scandal in May and he now shares power with the left-wing Greens, although his government has maintained much of the previous coalitions stance on immigration. A situation like 2015 must absolutely not be repeated. Our aim must be to protect the EUs external borders properly, to stop illegal migrants there and not to wave them through, Mr Kurz said. Austria was ready to send extra police to countries on the border, he said, apparently referring to Greece and Bulgaria. Its the end of the line for Hawaii Five-0. The CBS reboot will conclude with the current season, the network announced Feb. 28. The show a reimagining of the hit series that originally ran from 1968 to 1980 premiered in 2010 and is in its 10th season. The last episode of Hawaii Five-0 airs April 3 Ian Anthony Dale as Adam Noshimuri and Alex OLoughlin as Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-0 | Karen Neal/CBS via Getty Images Just a handful of new Hawaii Five-0 episodes remain, with the two-hour series finale scheduled for Friday, April 3 at 9/8c on CBS. By the time it finishes its run, 240 episodes will have aired, compared to 279 in the original series. This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life, star Alex OLoughlin, who plays Steve McGarrett, said. Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What weve done, what weve accomplished, its extraordinary. I cant really put words to express my level of gratitude. Im just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history, and Im going to miss it. And to the fans, I dont know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. Im going to miss you. Aloha. Fans are devastated #H50 Ohana, be there for the final five episodes and say a last #Aloha. Hawaii Five-0 to conclude its successful 10-season run with a two-hour series finale, Friday, April 3: https://t.co/ARUarqTFbG pic.twitter.com/Ms81f3wY8F Hawaii Five-0 (@HawaiiFive0CBS) February 28, 2020 The news that Hawaii Five-0 would not be coming back for an 11th season came as a shock to many fans. Some took to social media to express their feelings after learning the series was ending. This is so sudden, so unexpected and confusing, one tweeted in response to the CBS announcement. Another noted that the news came as a surprise since the ratings have been great. The show has been averaging a little over 7 million viewers per episode this season, according to TV Series Finale. It is one of CBSs most-watched dramas and is one of the most popular network shows airing on Friday nights. Is it April Fools Day yet? Please let this be a joke, tweeted another disappointed fan. Some complained that Criminal Minds, another long-running CBS show, had just ended, and now the network was pulling the plug on one more enduring show. CBS didnt explain why the show was ending The sudden cancellation of Hawaii Five-0 left many fans searching for answers as to why the show was ending. CBS didnt offer much of an explanation, but according to Deadline, one of the lead actors might have been ready to move on. Both OLoughlin and co-star Scott Caans contracts are reportedly up at the end of this season. OLoughlin experienced a serious injury while filming early on in the show, and he considered leaving the series two years ago. He agreed to stay on, but in interviews made it clear that the effects of the injury were difficult to deal with. Now, Deadline reports that he decided it was time to turn in his badge for good. While the network supposedly considered continuing without OLoughlins character, they ultimately decided against that. In the past, other cast members have hinted that the shows future depended on OLoughlin. [T]he show will go on as long as Alex wants to do it, co-star Michelle Borth told Parade in 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 00:37:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe (R, front) meets with Yang Jiechi (L, front), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Gang Ye) TOKYO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China and Japan agreed on Friday to step up public health cooperation to contain the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. The pledge was made during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. During the meeting, Yang said China and Japan assisted each other in the fight against COVID-19 and worked together to overcome the difficulties, thus deepening the friendship between the two countries. China sincerely thanks Japan for its precious support, and is willing to continue providing support and help for Japan's fight against the epidemic, strengthen bilateral and multilateral medical and health cooperation, so as to jointly safeguard the health and wellbeing of the peoples of the two countries and the world, he said. Yang said the China-Japan relations have maintained a sound momentum of development. He noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Abe held two successful meetings last year, leading efforts in building China-Japan relations in line with the requirements of the new era. China is ready to work with Japan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and work together to build a new pattern of bilateral relations featuring joint cooperation, win-win and mutual benefit, said Yang. Xi's upcoming state visit to Japan is of great significance and China is ready to maintain close communication with Japan and make preparations for the visit, he said. China firmly supports Japan in successfully hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games, he added. For his part, Abe said Xi's upcoming state visit to Japan this year is of great importance and Japan will make careful preparations to ensure the success and fruitful results of the visit. The peoples of Japan and China have shown friendly feelings in their joint fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, Abe said. He said Japan speaks highly of China's positive achievements in the fight against the virus and is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in information sharing and epidemic prevention and control, and send a positive signal to the international community of jointly tackling the challenges to global public health security. Also on Friday Yang attended the eighth China-Japan high-level political dialogue with head of Japan's national security council Shigeru Kitamura and met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Currently, Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor are in the news as their upcoming film Baaghi 3s release is around the corner. However, in just a few days, Tiger and Shraddha will be turning a year older and their fans are gearing up for their birthday celebrations. Tiger will be ringing in his birthday on March 2 and Shraddhas special day falls on March 3. With just a days gap in their birthdays, fans of the Baaghi 3 stars are all set for the same. Recently, while promoting their film in Dubai, Tiger and Shraddha celebrated their birthday with the media. In a video that is shared on social media by fan clubs, Shraddha and Tiger are surprised on seeing a huge cake waiting for them at the press meet. Clad in a green pantsuit, Shraddha looked gorgeous as she sat next to her dapper co-star Tiger. The two stars can be seen making a wish and then proceeding to cut their early birthday cake in the video. As soon as the Baaghi 3 stars cut the cake, the people around them started singing Happy Birthday for the two stars. Pinkvilla.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 10:04:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Sales of mobile phones are expected to reach around 330 million units this year in China, including 100-180 million 5G phones, according to estimates of China Unicom, one of the country's leading telecom operators. The company aims to sell 110 million mobile phones in 2020, including 33-60 million 5G phones. China greenlighted the commercial use of the 5G technology in June last year, triggering a surge in consumer enthusiasm and an acceleration in industrial investment. China Unicom said last week that it will work with China Telecom to finish the construction of 250,000 5G base stations across the country by the end of the third quarter. Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Thomson Reuters Corporation (TSE:TRI) is about to go ex-dividend in just 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 5th of March, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 18th of March. Thomson Reuters's next dividend payment will be CA$0.38 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of CA$1.52 to shareholders. Calculating the last year's worth of payments shows that Thomson Reuters has a trailing yield of 2.0% on the current share price of CA$99.71. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Thomson Reuters's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing. Check out our latest analysis for Thomson Reuters If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Fortunately Thomson Reuters's payout ratio is modest, at just 46% of profit. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. Over the last year, it paid out dividends equivalent to 356% of what it generated in free cash flow, a disturbingly high percentage. Our definition of free cash flow excludes cash generated from asset sales, so since Thomson Reuters is paying out such a high percentage of its cash flow, it might be worth seeing if it sold assets or had similar events that might have led to such a high dividend payment. While Thomson Reuters's dividends were covered by the company's reported profits, cash is somewhat more important, so it's not great to see that the company didn't generate enough cash to pay its dividend. Cash is king, as they say, and were Thomson Reuters to repeatedly pay dividends that aren't well covered by cashflow, we would consider this a warning sign. Story continues Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. TSX:TRI Historical Dividend Yield, February 29th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Companies with consistently growing earnings per share generally make the best dividend stocks, as they usually find it easier to grow dividends per share. If earnings fall far enough, the company could be forced to cut its dividend. This is why it's a relief to see Thomson Reuters earnings per share are up 3.8% per annum over the last five years. Earnings have been growing somewhat, but we're concerned dividend payments consumed most of the company's cash flow over the past year. Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last ten years, Thomson Reuters has lifted its dividend by approximately 2.1% a year on average. We're glad to see dividends rising alongside earnings over a number of years, which may be a sign the company intends to share the growth with shareholders. Final Takeaway From a dividend perspective, should investors buy or avoid Thomson Reuters? Thomson Reuters delivered reasonable earnings per share growth in recent times, and paid out less than half its profits and 356% of its cash flow over the last year, which is a mediocre outcome. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Thomson Reuters's dividend merits. Ever wonder what the future holds for Thomson Reuters? See what the 14 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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. Madhya Pradesh high courts principal bench at Jabalpur has dismissed a petition seeking direction to hold a protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register and the proposed National Register of Citizens, saying that protests cannot be permitted in public places. The bench pronounced the judgment on Friday while hearing a petition filed by Javed Khan, a resident of Jabalpur and state president of the Indian Muslim League, an official at the Jabalpur district administration said on Saturday. Khan had submitted two representations to Jabalpur district collector Bharat Yadav on January 27 and February 1, 2020, seeking permissions to hold peaceful protests against the CAA, NRC and NPR. As the collector failed to decide on the matter, Khan approached the high court on February 20. Observing the order, Justice Vishal Dhagat said: The petitioner has also sought a relief that they may be permitted to hold a peaceful protest against the CAA, NRC and NPR. Petitioner has not mentioned the place where peaceful protest is to take place. Petitioner cant be allowed to do protest at public places. The petitioner has filed the present writ petition seeking a writ of mandamus to direct the collector to decide the representations which are pending against him. To maintain law and order situation is to be decided by the administration. The court will not interfere and give direction to the collector to decide such representations, Dhagat said. Petitioner Javed Khan said, I sought permission from the district administration to hold a protest at a private land, not public place. I will seek legal opinion and challenge the HC judgement before a larger beach of the high court or Supreme Court. Holding a peaceful protest is our right. The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government on Saturday appointed senior IPS officer Param Bir Singh, the current Director General of the state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai replacing Sanjay Barve. Appointment of Singh, who was posted as the Director General (DG) of the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), was announced a day after state Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh ruled out granting a third extension to Barve. Interestingly, the ACB headed by Singh had given a clean chit to NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is currently the state deputy chief minister, in connection with alleged scam involving 12 Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) projects, in December last year. Singh's predecessor Barve was recently embroiled in a controversy over granting the work to digitise Mumbai Police records to a firm owned by his son and wife pro bono (without charging money). In a video message posted on Twitter, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said, "Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve is retiring today. Singh has been named as his successor. This announcement has been made after discussion with the honourable chief minister." Singh had also served as commissioner of Thane Police. Addressing his maiden press conference after taking charge as the Mumbai police commissioner, Singh said ensuring safety of women will be among his priorities, apart from cracking down on Underworld activities, extortion and curbing street crimes. "My predecessor Sanjay Barve has done a good job. Our priority will be to tackle street crimes and ensuring safety of women. I have had an old association with Mumbai Police," he said. Singh said that the Mumbai Police and crime branch can tackle any challenge on the law and order front. The new police commissioner said that police will crack the whip on criminals who are trying to extort money in the name of gangsters. "We will clamp their criminal activities with professional investigation," he added. When asked about the protests against the new citizenship law, Singh said, "Holding protests is a democratic right, but they should be held as per law. Nobody be allowed to take law into their hands while holding demonstrations". Meanwhile, the government has directed Bipin K Singh, the Additional Director General (ADG) of the ACB, to take the additional charge as the DG of the anti-graft agency. In the past, Param Bir Singh had served as DCP in several important zones in Mumbai, and as Superintendent of Police (SP) of Chandrapur and Bhandara districts earlier, a statement said. He had also served as the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) in the state, it added. During Singh's tenure as Thane Police Commissioner, police had arrested fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Iqbal Kaskar from Mumbai in 2018. Thane Police had also unearthed a drug racket with Bollywood connections. Earlier in the day, outgoing Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve was given a ceremonial farewell by his colleagues at the Naigaon police headquarters here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish president says EU should keep its promises as Greek police fire tear gas at new refugee arrivals on border. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government had begun to allow refugees to travel on to Europe from Turkey, which he said can no longer handle new waves of people fleeing war-torn Syria. What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors, Erdogan told the Turkish Parliament on Saturday, in his first comments since 33 Turkish troops were killed in northern Syria on Thursday. We will not close those doors Why? Because the European Union should keep its promises. In 2016, Turkey signed a deal with the EU to stop refugees crossing from its borders after the 2015 migrant crisis that saw one million crossed the Aegean into Europe. Erdogan also said 18,000 refugees had gathered on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday. Turkey, which is already home to the worlds largest number of refugees around 3.6 million Syrians, has repeatedly warned that is is overburdened. We are not in a situation to handle a new wave of refugees from Syria, Erdogan said. Tense situation Erdogan has previously threatened to open the gates unless more international support was provided, particularly at times of tension with European countries. Al Jazeeras Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Istanbul, said: We are waiting to find out if this is a temporary measure to send a message to NATO and Europe or if this may be something more. The killing of Turkish troops has increased tensions with Russia, which backs the Syrian regimes offensive to take back the remaining chunks of the northwestern Idlib region. Turkey backs Syrian rebels. Meanwhile, thousands of refugees stuck on the Turkey-Greece border clashed with Greek police on Saturday. Greek riot police fired tear gas at the refugees at a border crossing in the western Turkish province of Edirne, some of whom responded by hurling stones. What you have right now is a tense situation, said Al Jazeeras Ghoneim, adding that women and children were among the refugees. They are in a kind of no mans land, trapped between the official borders of Turkey and Greece, she said. On Saturday, small groups managed to get across into Greece without documentation. Most were from Afghanistan, including some families with young children. After holding meetings with their staff and management committees on Saturday, all schools in north-east Delhi concluded that the situation in their neighbourhoods is too tense to conduct the annual examinations. Following this, while the Delhi government postponed internal examinations in all schools of north-east Delhi till March 7, the CBSE announced that it would go ahead and conduct the class 10 and 12 boards exams in the area from Monday onwards. The board had previously deferred the class 10 and 12 exams thrice in north-east Delhi and parts of east Delhi over the last week, due to the prevailing conditions. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) spokesperson Rama Sharma said, CBSE class 10 and 12 exams will be held as scheduled from March 2 onwards in north-eastern parts of Delhi as well. The board had filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court, which directed the Delhi Police and the Delhi government to ensure the safety of students and render all help to conduct exams in these areas. Even as the Delhi government on Saturday placed its request with the Delhi Police for the deployment of adequate security in and around CBSE examination centres in north-east Delhi to ensure the safety and security of students and the teachers, residents said they were apprehensive of sending their children for the exams. Irfana, 35, a resident of Kardampuri, said she might avoid sending her son, a class 12 student, to take the exam on Tuesday. My sons examination centre is three kilometres away from our house in Jafrabad the same place where the violence began. How can I send my only son there when even adults are not daring to go there? she said. At Irfanas sons examination centre in Jafrabad Zeenat Mahal Senior Secondary School officials said the students were writing exams when riots broke out just outside their campus last Monday. Sameena Begum, a member of the School Management Committee (SMC), said she has been receiving calls from parents with requests to postpone the exams. The students witnessed the stone-pelting by rioters, and tear gas shells being fired at them by the police. They are still in trauma. We are sure the attendance in the board exams scheduled on Monday and Tuesday will be very thin, she said. During SMC meetings in schools across north-east Delhi, committee members brought up the parents apprehensions. Shankar Singh, a member of the SMC in Mustafabad School said, Residents of the riot-hit localities will take at least 10-15 days to come out of the shock, and it will take years to overcome the fear and grief. The families of many of our students have fled to their native villages. We do not know if these children will appear in the exams next week. Officials in the schools that were burnt in the riots have also made arrangements to ensure all students appear in the board exams. Neetu Chaudhary, cashier of Arun Modern Public School in Brijpuri which was burnt and vandalised on Tuesday said that admit cards of at least seven of their board students were also destroyed in the violence. We have already had a word with the CBSE. We will reach our students examination centres well before the scheduled exam timing and facilitate their entry into the centres. We just hope all of them turn up for the exam, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iran is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands of people getting tested for the new coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again Saturday, an official said, underscoring the fear both at home and abroad over the outbreak in the Islamic Republic. The virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes have killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in Iran, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said. He disputed a report by the BBCs Persian service citing anonymous medical officials in Iran putting the death toll at over four times as much. But the number of known cases versus deaths would put the virus death rate in Iran at over 7%, much higher than other countries. Thats worried experts at the World Health Organization and elsewhere that Iran may be underreporting the number of cases now affecting it. Yet even as Iran sends spray trucks and fumigators into the streets, officials still are trying to downplay the virus reach. During these 10 days that we are talking about the coronavirus in the country, more than 480 people of our country has been killed in traffic accidents, but no one noticed them, Jahanpour said. The virus has infected more than 85,000 people and caused more than 2,900 deaths since emerging in China. Iran, with 43 people dead, has the worlds highest death toll outside of China. Of the 730 confirmed cases scattered across the Mideast, the majority trace back to the Islamic Republic. Saturdays new toll of 593 confirmed cases represents a jump of 205 cases a 52% increase from the 388 reported the day before. Jahanpour has warned that large increases in the number of confirmed cases would happen as Iran now has 15 laboratories testing for the virus. Late Friday night, a BBC Persian report citing sources within Irans medical community put the death toll at at least 210. State television in Saudi Arabia and associated media, as well as Iranian exile groups, seized on the figure amid their wider political disputes with Tehran. Jahanpour however disputed the report as being politically motivated, conflating other causes of deaths with the coronavirus and relying on sources without access to Irans coronavirus testing labs. The queens media, BBC Persian, is worried about staying behind Saudi and Albanian networks in the lie competition. he said. Albania is home to the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. However, at the same news conference, Jahanpour suggested tens of thousands could seek testing for the coronavirus. He also encouraged people to continue to avoid mass gatherings even funerals for those who died of the virus. Authorities later banned the public from visiting patients at hospitals nationwide, state television reported. The safest place is our homes and our cities, he said. We have to reduce our visits, even attending to funerals, and of course those people who are mourning, will feel guilty if they find that their ceremony causes the disease to spread. Concerns continue to grow, however, as online videos showed an angry crowd setting fire to the courtyard of a medical clinic overnight in the southern city of Bandar Abbas. Semiofficial media reported those gathered wrongly believed the clinic housed people sick with the new coronavirus. Earlier Saturday, Bahrain threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadnt been tested for the new coronavirus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks. The tiny island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia has been hard-hit with cases and shut down some flights to halt the spread of the virus. All of Bahrains cases link back to Iran, where even top officials have contracted the virus. Bahrains Interior Ministry said in a statement that 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. Of those, only 310 citizens had called authorities and undergone testing, the ministry said, raising the possibility of the untested being arrested and charged if they refuse. The ministry affirmed that the required legal proceedings would be taken against anyone who returned from Iran in February and didnt call to make appointments for the tests, the Interior Ministry said. It highlighted that preventing the outbreak of the infection is the responsibility of individuals and society as a whole. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has engaged in a yearslong crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom since its 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw its majority Shiite population demand greater political freedoms. Militants have launched small, sporadic attacks in the time since which Bahrain security forces blame on Iran, the Mideasts Shiite power. Qatar announced Saturday its first coronavirus case, a Qatari citizen who was on an earlier evacuation flight from Iran. The United Arab Emirates said it would indefinitely shut down all nurseries across the country, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, beginning Sunday. Also Saturday, Saudi Arabia announced it would bar citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council from Islams holiest sites in Mecca and Medina over concerns about the virus spread. The GCC is a six-nation group including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia on Thursday closed off the holy sites to foreign pilgrims over the coronavirus, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan and the annual hajj pilgrimage. It represented an unprecedented move, one that wasnt taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Meanwhile, tiny, oil-rich Kuwait simply has told its citizens not to travel abroad anywhere. By Trend The process of creating an electronic cabinet of Azerbaijan's Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund enabling the citizens to submit electronic applications and to rent residential premises with an obligation to sell them, has commenced, Trend reports referring to the fund. During the first day of the process, about 3,000 citizens applied to create an electronic cabinet, and this process is currently ongoing. At the same time, the list of premises that the fund proposes to lease out to the population with an obligation to sell was also expanded. At the initial stage, the fund offered citizens 331 rental apartments; however, the number of apartments to be rented has been increased to 530. Taking into account the demand of the population, the formation of a housing fund continues. Those who want to get acquainted with the territory, quantity, area and other information on which the premises are planned to be leased, can visit the funds website. The possibility of choosing the apartments through the electronic mortgage and credit guarantee system arises only after considering the application by the fund and making a corresponding decision. DOHA, Qatar - Acknowledging a military stalemate after nearly two decades of conflict, the United States on Saturday signed a peace agreement with the Taliban that is aimed at ending Americas longest war and bringing U.S. troops home from Afghanistan more than 18 years after they invaded in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The historic deal, signed by chief negotiators from the two sides and witnessed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, could see the withdrawal of all American and allied forces in the next 14 months and allow President Donald Trump to keep a key campaign pledge to extract the U.S. from endless wars. But it could also easily unravel, particularly if the Taliban fail to meet their commitments. At the White House, Trump told reporters the U.S. deserves credit for having helped Afghanistan take a step toward peace. He spoke cautiously of the deals prospects for success and cautioned the Taliban against violating their commitments. We think well be successful in the end, he said, referring to all-Afghan peace talks and a final U.S. exit. He said he will be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future, and described the group as tired of war. He did not say where or why he plans to meet with Taliban leaders. He said he thinks they are serious about the deal they signed but warned that if it fails, the U.S. could restart combat. If bad things happen, well go back in with military firepower, Trump said. Pompeo was similarly cautious. Today, we are realistic. We are seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation, Pompeo said in the Qatari capital of Doha. Today, we are restrained. We recognize that America shouldnt fight in perpetuity in the graveyard of empires if we can help Afghans forge peace. Under the agreement, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism, including specific obligations to renounce al-Qaida and prevent that group or others from using Afghan soil to plot attacks on the U.S. or its allies. The deal sets the stage for intra-Afghan peace talks to begin around March 10, with the aim of negotiating a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing agreement between rival Afghan groups. Its perhaps the most complicated and difficult phase of the plan. It does not, however, tie Americas withdrawal to any specific outcome from the all Afghan talks, according to U.S. officials. Pompeo said that the chapter of American history on the Taliban is written in blood and stressed that while the road ahead would be difficult, the deal represented the best opportunity for peace in a generation. At a parallel ceremony in Kabul, U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a joint statement committing the Afghan government to support the U.S.-Taliban deal, which is viewed skeptically by many war-weary Afghans, particularly women who fear a comeback of repression under the ultra-conservative Taliban. President George W. Bush had ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to 9-11. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when al-Qaida hijackers flew two airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, crashed another into the Pentagon and took down a fourth in Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the U.S. tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The United States has spent nearly $1 trillion in Afghanistan, two-thirds of that on defence, most of it for its own soldiers but also for the Afghan Security Forces. More than 3,500 U.S. and coalition soldiers have died in Afghanistan, more than 2,400 of them Americans. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public as the memory of the attacks on that crisp, sunny morning faded, despite having changed how many Americans see the world. While Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, he appeared to avoid any direct contact with the Taliban delegation. The deal was signed by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who then shook hands. Members of the Taliban shouted Allahu Akhbar or God is greatest. Others in attendance, including the Qatari hosts, applauded politely. We are committed to implementing this agreement, Baradar said in brief comments. I call on all Afghans to honestly work for peace and gather around the table for peace negotiations. Some Taliban celebrated the deal as a victory. Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah, said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Talibans lead negotiators. Meanwhile in Kabul, in a rare show of unity, Ghani sat beside his chief political rival Abdullah Abdullah at a ceremony with Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that included a declaration between the Afghan government and the United States intended to show U.S. support for Afghanistan. For Afghanistans government which has been deeply criticized by its political opponents, including Abdullah, the real job ahead will be cobbling together a negotiating team to sit across from the Taliban. The talks are to determine the face of a post-war Afghanistan. Those negotiations, to be held in Oslo, Norway, are expected to begin around March 10. The Taliban have made it clear they expect the Afghan government to release their 5,000 prisoners before the start of negotiations. Around that time, the Taliban are to release 1,000 government security forces. Until now the government has not agreed to the prisoner release which could unravel intra-Afghan negotiations before they even get started. Esper warned the road ahead was a long one and would not be without its challenges. This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning, the road ahead will not be easy. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of wars in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could boost his re-election bid in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of talks. Its not clear what will become of gains made in womens rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Womens rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The U.S. has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the U.S. has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the U.S. air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day reduction of violence period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. ___ Gannon reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez and Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Robert Burns in Washington and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed. The town of Gorey is in mourning this week following the sudden passing of its beloved bookworm John Wyse Jackson, late of Bolaney House, Gorey and best known for operating his book shop Zozimus Books on Gorey's Main Street. John was a much-loved Gorey character who would often be found engrossed in a book at the bookstore he owned and ran with such care and attendtion. Born in Kilkenny in 1953, he grew up in counties Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry, Wicklow and Dublin. His keen interest in books began as a child, as he set up a little public library with his brother during his national school days in Limerick. After completing a degree in English Literature at Trinity College Dublin, he worked as a bookseller in London. Over time he became a director of John Sandoe (Books) Ltd, an independent bookshop just off the King's Road in Chelsea. In this time during his 20s, he wrote and edited several books, as well as holding lectures and broadcasts on a variety of subjects and contributed to sporadic articles, poems and reviews to various outlets such as the Sunday Times, Hibernia, Journal of Beachcomber Associates and Spectator. He was also one of the founders of a small publishing company, Chelsea Press. With his beloved wife Ruth and two of his sons, he returned to Ireland in 2003 and they settled near Gorey. It was in 2011 that he founded Zozimus Bookshop, which has been greatly admired by visitors from all walks of life and parts of the world. John named the shop in honour of Michael Moran (aka Zozimus), the balladeer and poet who in the early 19th century entertained his public in the streets of Dublin. Setting up shop, he was aware of the rise of online book selling and made sure to keep prices low for loyal customers. A shop to get lost in with its selection of thousands of books, John liked to stock the works of local up and coming authors as well as many second hand books, rare editions and books of local interest. He also played host along with the Book Cafe to local book launches, and was known far and wide for his deep knowledge of literature. The only issues he ever had in business was finding the space to keep all of his many beloved books safe. He will be remembered for his wealth of knowledge, his conversation and his ability to find exactly what you were looking for. Ben, Anne and all staff at the Book Cafe will close the cafe and bistro tomorrow from 3 p.m. to remember John. In a tribute, they said 'Most will know John from Zozimus Books our on site bookstore. We ourselves have grown to love and respect John for the past twelve years. John's passion for literature and books was known by all and there wasn't a title he hadn't heard of or a book he couldn't source for a customer. His friendly, helpful nature was always commented on by customers and we are all going to miss him terribly. Our thoughts and prayers are with Johns family and friends at this sad time, we offer our most sincere condolences'. Close friend and work colleague of John, fellow author Althea Farren, said that all staff and customers at Zozimus have been shocked by his passing. 'He was a collector and almost a curator of rare books as well as poetry. He leaves behind a legacy of knowledge, being particularly interested in times past, history and even Wexford itself. 'So many people of all ages have called in to the shop in the last few days to say a good word about him or sign our book of condolences. His legacy really is how he instilled a love of reading within young people and children, that's what parents are saying,' she said. A book of condolences remains open at Zozimus, close to a photograph of the late John Wyse Jackson and some of his own titles, of which he had just under a dozen. John's funeral service takes place today (Tuesday, February 25) at 3 p.m. at Gorey's Christ Church. He is survived by his beloved wife Ruth, sons Eoghan, Daniel, Conor and Adam, siblings, mother, brother and sister in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours. May he Rest In Peace. PM Modis security breach: SC to announce name of judge to head probe panel today India has everything needed to be hub for medical tourism: PM Modi PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Feb 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday lay the foundation stone for the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi on Friday said that he is delighted to be laying the foundation stone of the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. Also, the Prime Minister is expected to attend several other programmes in Chitrakoot and Prayagraj. In a tweet, PM Modi said, "This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state... Next-gen infrastructure for a better tomorrow." Next-gen Infrastructure for a better tomorrow! Delighted to be laying the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2020 About Bundelkhand Expressway: According to a statement released from the Prime Minister's Office, the expressway would be supplementing the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by the government in February 2018. PM Modi reviews Delhi situation, appeals for peace and brotherhood The Bundelkhand Expressway, that is being under cunstruction by the state government would pass through Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun districts. The expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to the national capital through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 9:04 [IST] One in five students would be financially better off if they had not gone to university, a study has found. About 70,000 young people each year would earn more had they gone straight into the workforce, it said. Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that almost no students benefit financially from a creative arts degree, and that few studying social care will go into high-earning careers. About 70,000 young people each year would earn more had they gone straight into the workforce, a new study has found (file picture) Some science subjects also struggle to provide an overall financial benefit. Female graduates in medicine, law and economics can command an extra 250,000 on average over their lifetimes, but male graduates in medicine and economics can expect to net an extra 500,000. The IFS said the gap could be because of women taking time out to start a family. On average, men who go through higher education receive a net gain of an extra 130,000 based on retiring at 67, while women take home about 100,000 more. The study, for the Department for Education, also shows men from a top-ranked university can expect much higher returns than those who attend a lesser institution but the same is not true for women. Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that almost no students benefit financially from a creative arts degree (file picture) The report does not include wider benefits such as increased health, happiness or job satisfaction in its calculations. The Department for Education emphasised that less lucrative courses such as nursing and education are still essential for our public services. And Alistair Jarvis, of Universities UK, argued: These graduates, including those who go on to work in sectors where salaries are relatively low, make vital contributions to the wider economy and to society. The report was based on the earnings of individuals who were born in the mid-1980s and went to university in the mid-2000s. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said the state government will construct a women's hospital comprising of 100 beds in the same premises of the old district hospital in Dhule. "The state government will construct a women's hospital of 100 beds in the same premises of the old district hospital in Dhule," said Tope in the Legislative Assembly. He said funds for the 100-bed facility will be passed in the ongoing Assembly session and the government will try to complete the project by end of this year. The Minister further informed that all the vacant posts of specialists in Health Department will be filled in the next three months. "574 such vacancies are already filled. In all the government health institutions, 50 per cent of the old ambulances will be replaced with new ambulances," he said. Speaking about the pending construction work of various health facilities in the state, Tope said: "Pending work will be completed soon. Rs 1,300 crore are needed for the same and we are trying to get that from Asian Development bank. We will complete the pending work as soon as we get the money. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean Ambassador Shin Bongkil visited the Golden Temple here on Saturday. The envoy was honoured with a 'siropa' (saffron scarf) and was presented a portrait of the Golden Temple. Also known as Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple is the most significant shrine in Sikhism. Many dignitaries and envoys have visited the Golden Temple. In October, heads of 87 foreign missions in India had visited Golden Temple in order to take part in the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe accompanied the heads of missions. In November, Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong and his wife Bao Jiqing paid obeisance here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To avoid any aerial attack or any other kind of damage to the lives of common people by terrorists and anti- groups, Mumbai has been declared as 'Prohibited Zone' for mini planes and drones till March 24, said Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) on Friday. Maharashtra DGIPR in a tweet said: "To avoid any aerial attack or any other kind of damage to the lives of common people by terrorists and anti- groups, Mumbai is declared as 'Prohibited Zone' for mini planes and drones till March 24." It also said that paragliders, balloons, crackers, kite flying, laser light etc are prohibited in the 'free fly zone' of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport till April 18. The orders were issued by DCP operations of Mumbai Police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FILE PHOTO: British Airways logos are seen on tail fins at Heathrow Airport in west London By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways-owner IAG said on Friday that coronavirus would hit its earnings this year but it wasn't sure by how much, becoming the latest airline to warn about the impact of the rapidly evolving outbreak. Coronavirus, which emerged late last year in China, has sent demand for travel plunging in recent weeks as the outbreak has spread around the world. Airlines are flying blind into a crisis of unknown severity and duration. IAG, which also owns Iberia and Aer Lingus, usually gives an earnings forecast at this time of year but said the uncertainty of the impact and duration of coronavirus meant it could not give accurate profit guidance at this stage. "It's a rapidly changing situation," Chief Executive Willie Walsh told reporters on Friday. "I wouldn't call it unprecedented. We have seen other challenges for the industry." British Airways has in recent days cancelled flights to and from Italy, Singapore and South Korea, after it suspended all direct flights to China in January. IAG said further cancellations would follow in the coming days. British budget airline easyJet also warned on Friday that it had seen "significant" softening of demand for travel to Italy and other European markets and would cancel flights and cut costs. Finland's Finnair also warned of a significant fall in profit. STOCKS PLUNGE The rapid spread of coronavirus has sent shockwaves through the global economy, hammering corporate supply chains, curbing travel, cancelling conferences and sporting events, and wiping tens of billions of pounds off financial markets. Share prices were on track for their worst week since the global financial crisis in 2008 and IAG's is down 25% since the middle of January. On Friday it fell a further 8% to 474 pence. The outbreak in Italy over the last week has brought new disruption to short-haul European travel but Walsh said IAG, with its strong balance sheet, was well-placed to withstand it. Story continues "I'm very confident that we'll navigate our way through these challenges," said Walsh, overseeing his last quarterly results announcement before new boss Luis Gallego takes over on March 26. Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska backed Walsh's thinking: "We are also confident that a downturn would reveal the strength of the IAG model." IAG said it was cutting costs and implementing revenue initiatives, which included looking at all discretionary spending, to help it weather the storm. That's in line with moves by Germany's Lufthansa and Amsterdam-based KLM which have both cut costs in recent days. IAG said flight cancellations due to falling demand would hit its 2020 capacity growth though Walsh said it could start adding capacity if other airlines fail and that the group was in a strong position to benefit from any recovery. The company also said its acquisition of Air Europa remained on track for completion later this year and was not affected by the coronavirus outbreak. For 2019, IAG reported a 5.7% drop in operating profit to 3.285 billion euros (2.75 billion), slightly ahead of a downgraded forecast of 3.27 billion euros it gave in September when it said a pilots strike would result in a 215 million euros hit. (Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Kate Holton, Guy Faulconbridge and David Clarke) CHENNAI: Acting in public interest, the Madras high court on Friday quashed all the 135 charge memos/transfer orders issued to government doctors who allegedly spearheaded an agitation in Tamil Nadu in October 2019, as tainted and malafide exercise of power by the State government, but also made clear that government doctors do not have a right to go on a strike/boycott. Allowing a batch of writ petitions challenging the charge memos, transfer orders issued on the above doctors who were said to be in the forefront of the agitation - after they had called off their strike and returned to duty on November 1, 2019, on the assurance of the state chief minister and Tamil Nadu health minister that their long-pending demands including pay revision would be redressed as soon as possible, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the High Court also closed the connected miscellaneous petitions. About 18,000 doctors participated in the week-long agitation after several pleas to the state government since January 2019 were of no avail. After a careful perusal of all the submissions and documents presented by both sides, Justice Anand Venkatesh said in his 72-page order, this court has absolutely no hesitation in coming to a conclusion that the transfer orders and the charge memos issued to the petitioners are clearly tainted with malafide, and it has been issued only to punish the petitioners who were spearheading the agitation. Observing that the court had no alternative except to interfere with the charge memos and transfer orders issued by the Director of Medical Education and Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, the high court Judge directed that at the next transfer counseling all the transfer orders issued against the petitioners be recalled and all petitioners restored to their original position. Pulling up the Tamil Nadu government for not being a model employer in this instance, the high court also held that the charge memos and transfer orders smacked of vindictiveness and are clearly punitive in nature. The fact that the Government is yet to come out with a solution for the demands made by the Government doctors, shows that they are more interested in punishing the doctors than finding a solution for their demands. Doctors going on a strike/boycott, is a very rare phenomenon which does not happen very often. Unfortunately, the Government pushed the doctors to take the extreme step, and now the Government wants to punish the doctors and warns not to make any demands in future, the Judge said. Former vice president Joe Biden notched up a resounding win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, reviving his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and positioning him as the leading rival to frontrunner Bernie Sanders. The victory, powered by support from African-American voters, was the 77-year-old Biden's first in the race and may give him momentum going into "Super Tuesday" next week, when 14 states go to the polls. "Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead," Biden told hundreds of supporters at a victory rally in the South Carolina capital Columbia. "You've launched our campaign on the path to defeating Donald Trump," he said. "We have the option of winning big or losing big," Biden added in a dig at Sanders' prospects against Trump in November's election. With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Biden had 48.4 percent to 20 percent for the 78-year-old Senator Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist." Billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who spent a whopping $23 million on advertising in South Carolina, was next with 11.4 percent but announced he was quitting the race even before the final results were published. Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has been challenging Biden for the centrist vote, had eight percent while Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren had seven percent. A victory in South Carolina, where African-Americans make up around 60 percent of the Democratic primary electorate, was seen as crucial to Biden's hopes of reviving his flagging campaign. Sanders has been the clear leader in the overall race, winning two of the first three contests and finishing in a virtual tie in Iowa with the 38-year-old Buttigieg. South Carolina was seen as a key test of Sanders' support among African-Americans -- crucial to a Democratic victory in November -- but he only received the backing of around 15 percent of black voters while Biden received 60 percent according to exit polls. - 'Slingshot' - Biden finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in Nevada, and desperately needed a win in South Carolina ahead of Super Tuesday, which decides a third of the delegates who formally choose the Democratic nominee at the July party convention. "The biggest question is whether this will slingshot Joe Biden into victory in some Super Tuesday states," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Sabato said Biden's primary win -- his first in three attempts at securing the Democratic presidential nomination -- also increases the pressure on the other centrist candidates to leave the race. Buttigieg, Warren, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and billionaire Michael Bloomberg have all made it clear they will stick around at least through Super Tuesday. "Super Tuesday is three days away and we're looking forward to these big contests," Warren, who has been challenging Sanders for the progressive vote, told supporters at a campaign rally in Texas. Sanders congratulated Biden on his victory at a campaign rally in Virginia but was confident of victory in the next primaries. "The people on Super Tuesday and after are going to support this campaign," he said. "We are a movement of millions of people." Sanders also dismissed Democratic establishment fears that he would lose against Trump, noting that dozens of polls have him beating the Republican incumbent. - 'I can't wait' - Trump also praised Biden's victory and called on Bloomberg to quit the race. "Sleepy Joe Biden's victory in the South Carolina Democrat Primary should be the end of Mini Mike Bloomberg's Joke of a campaign," the president tweeted. The Bloomberg campaign, which has invested heavily in the Super Tuesday races, noted that the former New York mayor was not on the ballot in South Carolina. Biden, who served for eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, was the favorite in South Carolina, the first state with a substantial African-American electorate to hold a primary contest. Real estate agent Betty Malone attended the Biden victory rally and said she expected his South Carolina win would be followed by more victories next week. "I can't wait for Super Tuesday to see him win all of those, every last one of those," Malone said. Despite his South Carolina win, Biden may well face a Sanders buzzsaw on Super Tuesday. Sanders, who narrowly lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, is leading in nine of the 14 states to vote on Tuesday including California and Texas, the two biggest prizes. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden celebrates his victory in the South Carolina primary Key dates in the US presidential election calendar Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden celebrate his South Carolina primary victory People cast their votes in the Democratic presidential primary at a polling station at North Springs Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina Billionaire activist Tom Steyer dropped out of the Democratic presidential race after a disappointing third-place finish in the South Carolina primary Bernie Sanders, frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has come under criticism from establishment Democrats for his liberal positions, which they feel will make him vulnerable to President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election Ukraine and Portugal are on the way to the active development of bilateral cooperation. Deputy Foreign Minister Yehor Bozhok said this during a meeting with newly appointed Ambassador of the Portuguese Republic to Ukraine Antonio Vasco da Cunha e Lorena Alves Machado on the occasion of presentation of copies of his credentials at the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine. Yehor Bozhok praised the trend of strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and Portugal in many areas, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported. The interlocutors outlined future steps to deepen political dialogue and intensify economic and investment cooperation. The deputy minister congratulated the ambassador on his arrival in Ukraine and wished him success in his further activities. ish Its Groundhog Day in Israel. For the third time in less than a year, the country is holding a general election. Despite the colossal expenditure of funds and fierce mudslinging on many sides, all the polls point to yet another deadlock. The two frontrunners Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party and the Blue and White alliance headed by ex-army chief Benny Gantz are, once again, neck and neck. According to polls published by Israeli media outlets on Friday, neither rival will be able to sweep the majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset needed to form a government on Monday. Mr Netanyahus right-wing and religious bloc of political parties have nudged forward but are still around four seats shot. The centre-left bloc, led by Blue and White, are dwindling, again with no majority on the horizon. The Joint List, a coalition of Arab-majority parties that is unlikely to sit with either side, is once again hovering around 14 seats. And so three days before polling stations open, the only point that all pollsters and parliamentarians can agree on is a certain stalemate, triggering fears of yet another election. Foreign diplomats have even told The Independent privately they are so convinced of a deadlock, their teams are preparing for a fourth and fifth vote, which would push into 2021 and mean the country had been operating with a caretaker government for three years. Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Show all 20 1 /20 Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power An Israeli man holding his dog casts his ballot EPA Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Chief Rabbi of the Vizhnitz (Hasidic Dynasty) Israel Hager (left), casts his ballot AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara casts their votes AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power A man takes a selfie with his mobile phone as he casts his ballot Reuters Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israel's former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman and his wife Ella cast their ballots AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israeli children accompany their father during Israel's parliamentary election at a polling station AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz and his wife Revital vote AP Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin prepares to vote AP Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power A family votes in the settlement of Tekoa AP Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Ballots lies on a table AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israel's former justice minister Ayelet greets supporters after casting her ballot AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power A mother takes a photograph of her daughter near a ballot box Reuters Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Children stand with their relative as they place his vote in a ballot box Reuters Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power A woman holds her dog's leash as she prepares to vote Reuters Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power Israel's head of the Joint List alliance Ayman Odeh casts his ballot accompanied by his family AFP/Getty Israel election 2019: Netanyahu battles to hang on to power EPA There has been no change since the first of these elections last April. Nobody has changed their views, said Rafi Smith, a prominent Israeli pollster, with exasperation. Since April, the Likuds coalition has not managed to nudge past 61 seats. On the other side, Gantzs has not been able to get past a majority without the Arab parties. The Arab parties are not keen to join Blue and White, he says. He said the countrys fundamental ideological positions had not changed either. Nearly 70 per cent of the Jewish voters remain centre-right or right. Among the Arab citizens of Israel, the majority stick to voting for the Joint List. We have two states here in Israel, Bibi versus anti-Bibi. That has divided the country and has not changed. At the heart of the crisis is Mr Netanyahu, who has secured the accolade of being Israels longest-serving prime minister, but also Israels first premier to be indicted while in office. Because no side can build a coalition, voters have put their hopes in a unity government between Blue and White and Likud. But Likud has refused to join forces if Mr Netanyahu does not remain prime minister. Gantzs alliance say they would only agree to share the prime ministership if he is acquitted. Since the first of these unprecedented elections in April, the prime minister has been campaigning under the shadow of three corruption cases on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Mr Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a political witch-hunt. We have two states here in Israel, Bibi versus anti-Bibi. That has divided the country and has not changed Rafi Smith, pollster He was formally indicted in January this year and his trial is set to begin just two weeks after the election. The allegations have driven a wedge in the nations 6.5 million voters: on one side are his supporters who believe the trial is a leftist deep state conspiracy, on the other are those who say he cannot rule while distracted by the legal proceedings. According to Danae Marx of the Israel Democracy Institute, 44 per cent of Israelis want Netanyahu to head either a unity or right-wing government, while 41 per cent want Mr Gantz to head either a unity or centre-left government. The difference in popularity between the two men on their own has consistently floated at around 10 per cent. No matter how fierce the campaigns are on either side, those numbers do not shift. That is summed up in telling statements from representatives on both sides who even use similar language. The red line for us is Netanyahu not being prime minister, said Eli Hazan, the Likuds foreign affairs director and a self-proclaimed Bibi fanatic. Nothing is going to change about the popularity of Netanyahu within the Likud. The party has had four leaders in 70 years. The Likud does not replace the leader. If the leader is under persecution, we are all under persecution, we close ranks, he said. In Tel Aviv, member of Knesset (MK) Izhar Shay, who is likely to be re-elected, was equally vehement. There is one simple red line: the name of that red line is Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, adding he believed Israels democracy would be risked if he were to win. We are very concerned about any possible actions he takes to save himself from the legal proceedings he faces. The entrenching of the positions has played out in the elections campaigns, which have become nastier. This week, Mr Gantz doubled down on his chief rival. The man charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust has nothing to sell other than disseminated lies and slung mud, he tweeted. Israel needs a full-time prime minister. The red line for us is Netanyahu not being prime minister Eli Hazan, Likud party Their slogan is now Its either Blue and White or Erdogan referring to lack of freedoms under the Turkish presidents rule. Meanwhile, the Likud has accused Mr Gantz of siding with the Arab politicians in Israel. In a campaign of posters, slammed as racist, Mr Gantz is shown with prominent Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, an Arab citizen of Israel and head of the Joint List. Both sides have been scrambling to get additional votes to nudge through a majority. Mr Hazan, from Likud, claims party data shows that just over 250,000 natural Likud voters in cities like Ashkelon and Ashdod did not bother to vote in September. The party has therefore been focusing on combating voter fatigue and increasing turnout. Mr Shay said that Blue and White was meanwhile honing in on some 70,000 new young voters, who are more interested in climate change and soaring rent prices than Mr Netanyahus international relations prowess. The wildcard as most analysts have dubbed him is potential kingmaker Avigdor Lieberman, whose withdrawal from Mr Netanyahus government in 2018 triggered this merry-go-round of elections. Mr Liebermans right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party is predicted to sweep seven possibly decisive seats on Monday and has yet to say which bloc, Bibis or Gantzs, he would join. While he has come out strongly against Mr Netanyahu and the ultra-orthodox parties that make up that bloc, he has also refused to work with a government led by Mr Gantz. That said, he has also vowed there will be no fourth election: a reality many in Israel are preparing for. As Israeli writer Yossi Verter in the newspaper Haaretz put it: The chance of a fourth round of elections is the most secure bet at the moment. COVID-19; no point in Commissions after omissions View(s): With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading globally, causing public anxiety across continents and disrupting economies and the daily lives of people, the UN health agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued its highest alert. Asking all nations to wake up, get ready, the WHO chief stressed every governments duty to their citizens and the world to get ready. Local health authorities, led by the Minister no less, were quick to claim victory by clearing one patient. How premature was that is left to be seen. That the virus has spread to countries where many Sri Lankans work South Korea, Italy and West Asia and frequent Singapore, should ring alarm bells. Sri Lanka is no stranger to epidemics. The earliest record of an imported disease was probably a skin ailment that came with the Portuguese. This was followed in the 19th century by the outbreak of cholera and smallpox. The spread of these diseases gathered speed with the opening of the coffee and tea plantations and the arrival of indentured labour from South India to work on these estates. Mannar, from where this labour entered the island became a hot-bed of disease. The town lost one-sixth of its population of 13,000. The Mannar-Matale road on which the labour travelled was filled with immigrants who had fallen ill with cholera. The disease even spread to the natives who lived in the interior of Sri Lanka. In his well-chronicled book, The Making of Modern Ceylon Dr. S.A. Meegama recorded the establishment of the Civil Medical Department in 1858 because of the extremely insanitary conditions in the Jaffna peninsula and due to its close proximity to South India for trade. It even resulted in the closure of the Great North Road with the adjacent districts of Mannar and the Vanni for immigrant traffic. The situation was so acute that the British colonial government appointed a Cholera Commission in 1867. It observed: Year after year sickness has been introduced by the immigrant coolies, and village after village has died out or been so reduced that only 1 or 2 families remain, and the country for some distance on each side of the Mannar-Medawaratchy road in the Mannar District is fast becoming a desert. The Commissions findings became the basis of cholera control measures and among these efforts were to give priority to a) providing uncontaminated drinking water to the households affected by the outbreak, b) the segregation of the sick, and c) the disinfection of the houses of those taken ill. Quarantine measures had to be taken in those early years, but only a feeble form of quarantine existed in Mannar that proved virtually useless, writes Dr. Meegama. The Principal Civil Medical Officer had referred to bodies of cholera patients thrown overboard to avoid reporting on arrival, and being washed ashore in Colombo. But the influential British planters saw to it that the Governor did not stop the inflow of all labour from India resulting in a conflict between commerce and public health. A Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance was enacted as far back as 1897, but nothing very much has changed over the years. Now it is the tourist industry, the importers and exporters, shipping and aviation industry that want to maintain business as usual. All countries around the world locked into the global economy are unsure of how far to go to protect their citizens from this fast spreading disease that has claimed 2,933 lives and affected more than 85,000 people within two months. Economic costs are being calculated along with human costs. China has at least now opened its eyes to the vast expanse of its exotic meat market farms that mass produce peacocks, civet cats, pangolins, porcupines and the like for their flesh. These are the breeding grounds for these animal-to-human viruses. Thousands of these farms have been shut down across China, but the horse has already bolted from the barn. The eating habits of the Chinese have mainly focused on the consumption of dogs, frogs, bamboo rats, snakes, squirrels, you name it. Traditional Chinese medicines come from animal body parts, and there are farms also for foxes and raccoons for their fur which is marketed to the fashion houses of Milan, Paris and New York. The Chinese National Peoples Congress has taken measures aimed at restricting the wildlife trade banning the sale of bush meat. It is a massive industry in China. The civet cat was thought to be the potential carrier of the SARS virus that spread again from China in 2003. The Chinese authorities did nothing to stop or regulate this industry then. On the contrary, its State Forestry and Grassland Administration actively encouraged citizens into farming of wildlife, including civet cats. The worlds condemnation this time has at least made China act. With general elections due next month, crowds gathering in one location for election rallies is exactly what has to be avoided should Sri Lanka get hit by the virus. That is why it is all the more important to implement preventive measures. The upcoming schools big matches and the traditional New Year celebrations will also see large congregations of people. Unlike China or North Korea, complete lockdowns of cities cannot be enforced, though Italy is being compelled to do so. There is a tendency to take issues seriously only after something dreadful or catastrophic has happened. Last years Easter Sunday attack should be a textbook case. Health authorities seem confident of meeting the challenge, but ports of entry are still fairly casual and relaxed about incoming passengers, arguing they dont want to press the panic button. However, the best laid plans can go awry as Japan has learnt with its experience in handling the virus-stricken cruise ship that arrived at one of its ports. In those cholera epidemic years, ships bringing any infected passengers were obliged to hoist a yellow flag. But for many the sickness broke out only after landing they were carriers. These days arriving passengers are only asked to fill a form voluntarily and pass through a heat detector. Our reporters found even this check wanting at the Colombo port where tourist-laden cruise ships continue to dock. The country and its authorities must be on high alert till what is a deadly and still spreading disease is brought under complete control worldwide. The virus seems to have the propensity to spread like wildfire. Appointing Presidential Commissions of Inquiry ex post-facto a disaster is not the way to go. UN chief calls agreement an important development, while NATO vows to implement its conditions-based adjustments. Representatives from the Taliban and United States officials have signed an agreement in the Qatari capital, Doha, following 18 months of talks in a bid to end Washingtons longest war. The long-awaited agreement has four points, including a timeline of 14 months for all US and NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. Its points include a Taliban guarantee that Afghan soil will not be used as a launchpad that would threaten the security of US; the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations by March 10; and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. Below is a round-up of international reaction to the agreement that was signed on Saturday in the presence of international dignitaries. United Nations United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the agreement an important development in achieving a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan, while stressing the importance of sustaining a nationwide reduction in violence. The Secretary-General welcomes efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan. Todays events in Doha and Kabul mark important developments in this regard, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. The Secretary-General stresses the importance of sustaining the nationwide reduction in violence, for the benefit of all Afghans. He encourages continued efforts by all parties to create an enabling environment for the intra-Afghan negotiations and a comprehensive peace process. Qatar Addressing the signing ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatars foreign minister, said Qatari mediation helped make the signing of the agreement possible. We hope this historic agreement will contribute to achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, he said. Saudi Arabia In a statement, Saudi Arabias foreign ministry said it hoped the agreement would lead to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and nationwide peace in Afghanistan. Representatives from the Taliban in Doha, Qatar [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] NATO NATO said it welcomed the progress made and announced that the deal will lead to a reduction in the alliances long-standing military presence in Afghanistan. Recent progress on peace has ushered in a reduction of violence and paved the way for intra-Afghan negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace agreement, NATO allies said in a statement. We call on the Taliban to embrace this opportunity for peace. In this context, the alliance and its partners in the Resolute Support Mission will implement conditions-based adjustments, including a reduction to our military presence, the statement added. NATO allies now expect the start of talks within Afghanistan leading to a lasting peace agreement that puts an end to violence, safeguards human rights, upholds the rule of law and ensures that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg heralded the agreement as a first step to lasting peace. The way to peace is long and hard. We have to be prepared for setbacks, spoilers, there is no easy way to peace but this is an important first step, the Norwegian former prime minister told reporters in Kabul. Pakistan Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the signing of the deal, saying it is the beginning of a reconciliation process. We welcome the Doha Accord signed between US & the Taliban.This is the start of a peace & reconciliation process to end decades of war & suffering of the Afghan people. I have always maintained that a pol solution, no matter how complex, is the only meaningful path to peace, Khan said in a Twitter post. Now, all stakeholders have to ensure that spoilers are kept at bay. My prayers for peace for the Afghan people who have suffered 4 decades of bloodshed, he said. Pakistan is committed to playing its role in ensuring the agreement holds & succeeds in bringing peace to Afghanistan. Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, said in brief comments that the group was committed to implementing this agreement. I call on all Afghans to honestly work for peace and gather around the table for peace negotiations. He added that he hoped the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan would allow all Afghans to have a peaceful life under Islamic law. In a statement, the Taliban said it had reached an agreement about the termination of occupation of Afghanistan. The accord about the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and never intervening in its affairs in the future is undoubtedly a great achievement, it added. United States In a televised speech, US President Donald Trump hailed the deal and said he would personally meet Taliban leaders in the not too distant future. Mike Pompeo at the signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Speaking at a news conference in the White House, Trump said Afghanistans neighbours should help maintain stability following the agreement. Its time after all these years to go and bring our people back home. We want to bring out people back home, he said. We just signed an agreement that puts us in a position to get it done and bring it down to in the vicinity of 8,000 troops, Trump added. If bad things happen well go back go back with a force like nobody has ever seen, Trump said. Speaking from the ceremony in Doha earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban to honour its commitments. I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper, Pompeo said. Pompeo said he was still moved by the September 11 attacks and proud of what the US had accomplished in Afghanistan although he stressed that the US must be realistic about its options. I am just as angry over 9/11 as I was the day I watched al-Qaeda knock down the Twin Towers on TV, Pompeo told reporters. We will not squander what they and you have won through blood sweat and tears, he said. More than 530 women had the time of their lives on Feb. 22 when they put on their dancing shoes to attend the fifth annual Great Lakes Bay Mom Prom to support the mission of Family & Children's Services of Mid-Michigan. FCS is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian, multi-service agency specializing in a wide variety of quality counseling and support services. FCS is unique in that they turn no one away, regardless of age, presenting concern, ability to pay or any other factor. The popular event sold out in mid-December. Mom Prom included a welcome photo opportunity, beauty station, DJ and dance floor, silent auction, photo booth, appetizer buffet, dessert buffet, a cash bar and a drawing. Madeleine Smith won the drawing of 12 one-day park hopper tickets to Disney World and Andrea Allen won a wine tasting trip for four to Traverse City and was crowned Prom Queen. Meg McLeod of WNEM TV-5 was emcee. Mom Prom is at its simplest an event to help local families. The $29,000 raised will support the FCS mission to inspire hope and well-being for people of all ages by making services accessible and affordable and reducing risk for the most vulnerable people in our community including new moms. Perinatal mood disorders are the most common, but least discussed, complication of childbirth. Postpartum depression affects one in seven women, but only 15% of women experiencing postpartum depression receive treatment. Untreated postpartum depression is associated with long-term negative consequences including impaired bonding of mothers and babies, toddlers who are more likely to have cognitive and developmental delays, older children with poorer self-control and more aggression and substance abuse in teens. Funds raised at Mom Prom can change lives, not just for moms, but for entire families by making treatment from a counselor with specialized training in perinatal mood disorders available at prices a women can afford. Family & Children's Services is also there to help older children. The FCS Youth Services Program offers free, confidential counseling to teens aged 14 through 17 at schools in Midland County and at The Rock Center for Youth Development to help them find ways to work through concerns and develop decision making skills. Today's teens are facing challenges that include depression, anxiety, loneliness, anger, grief and loss, relationship issues, sexuality, self-harm, substance use, divorce or blending of families, eating disorders, and bullying. The ability to respond to meet the needs of teens can be crucial in reducing the risk of behaviors that can alter the course of a child's life such as substance abuse, poor school performance or failure, involvement in the legal system, self-harm or even suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens in our country and nearly 3/4 of the students receiving FCS Youth Services in local schools report that they have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Other programs currently offered at Family & Children's Services include crisis services, mental health counseling for individuals and families, sexual orientation and gender identity services, and addiction and recovery services. For more information about the Great Lakes Bay Mom Prom or Family & Children's Services, contact Betty O'Neill at boneill@fcs-midland.org or 989-631-5390 ext. 3332. Senior counel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Mr Patel and sthe olicitor general had appeared for Gujarat government. New Delhi: In an relief to Congress leader Hardik Patel, the Supreme Court on Friday protected him from arrest for a week in a 2015 patidar agitation violence case and sought response from Gujarat government on his plea for pre-arrest bail. While protecting Mr Patel, who had spearheaded the patidar agitation for reservation in jobs and education in Gujarat, from arrest for a week, a bench comprising Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice Vineet Saran sought report from the state government on the registration of FIRs, arrests made under it, and bails granted in the cases. Directing that the report be filed by March 2, the SC said that the matter would be heard on March 6. There is no harm in authorities waiting for another seven days as they have taken no steps since 2015 when the case was registered, the court said as solicitor general Tushar Mehta opposed the interim protection saying that it was not required as the case was of 2015. Senior counel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Mr Patel and sthe olicitor general had appeared for Gujarat government. Mr Patel has moved the top court against Gujarat High Courts order rejecting his plea for anticipatory bail on February 17. The high court had on February 17 rejected Mr Patels anticipatory bail plea citing his criminal antecedents. The government had told the high court that there were more than 10 criminal cases against Mr Patel and that he had gone underground fearing arrest. The matter relates to an FIR, which was filed at Vastrapur police station in Ahmedabad in 2015 relating to a gathering at GMDC ground seeking reservation in jobs and admissions in educational institutions. Mr Patel addressed the gathering. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti under Mr Patel had organised the rally. After the meeting, violence broke out in several parts of the state and following clashes with police 14 Patidar youths were killed. One year into Philadelphia's 1.5-cents-per-ounce "soda tax," new findings show that the law had minimal to no influence on what Philadelphians are drinking. The results were published this month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. The team conducted a random phone survey of 515 adult residents of Philadelphia and neighboring cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey, and Wilmington, Delaware. Respondents shared how much and how frequently they drink soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks and bottled water during a 30-day period when the tax was first implemented, in Dec. 2016 -- Jan. 2017, and again reported their consumption over a 30-day period during a follow-up survey a year later in Dec. 2017-Feb. 2018. Taking into account other health behaviors and socio-demographics, at the one-year mark, 39% of Philadelphians, and 34% of those in surrounding cities, reported drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. This amounts to only three fewer sugary beverages for Philadelphians each month -- not a statistically significant difference. Previous studies have looked at sales of sugary drinks after the tax was implemented, but did not evaluate consumption of the taxed drinks. A previous study looked at similar changes in consumption after the tax -- finding that one year after the tax, adults consumed fewer sugary beverages in Philadelphia relative to outside Philadelphia (about 10 fewer occasions per month) -- that study focused on lower-income Philadelphians who lived with children and, on average, consumed a sugary beverage every day. The current study differs from that one as it was population-based and thus reflects the response of a typical adult. In this sample, only 25% consumed sugary beverages every day. "We have ample evidence that sugary beverages are connected to type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues, but we're seeing that raising the price of sugary-beverages may not impact consumers who don't drink a lot of soda," said study co-author Amy Auchincloss, PhD, an associate professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health. "The availability of untaxed sugary beverages outside of Philadelphia, the still relatively lower price of these drinks compared to healthier ones and marketing and advertising may explain the low effect of the tax," said lead author Yichen Zhong, a doctoral student at the Dornsife School of Public Health. Unlike other cities that enacted a similar beverage tax to increase general revenue, Philadelphia's tax, was enacted with the goal of financing universal pre-kindergarten and parks and recreation programs in the City. "Although this law was not passed for health reasons, the tax has the potential to generate long- term health benefits for many Philadelphians because revenue from the tax is being directed toward expanding access to quality early childhood education for children in lower-income families -- and education has a positive effect on many health outcomes," said senior author Brent Langellier, PhD, an assistant professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health. Sir Philip Rutnam, who has resigned from the Home Office, intends to take Priti Patel down with him. The home secretarys former top civil servant says he was offered a financial settlement, but he wants his day in court. I dont know if he will succeed. But the struggle casts doubt on the wisdom of Boris Johnsons strategy, devised by Dominic Cummings, his chief adviser, of going to war with what they see as the Remainer establishment. Cummings view would appear to be that the prime minister cannot lose if he is seen to be trying to make Brexit work, sweeping aside naysayers in the civil service, the Treasury and the media. That is why he has gone to war with the BBC, Channel 4, Sajid Javid and his political advisers, and Sir Philip at the Home Office. Just as there were signs that Johnson was pulling back his tanks, putting a junior health minister, Edward Argar, on the BBCs Today programme this morning, the other side has launched a counter-attack. Sir Philips strike is unprecedented. Never before has a permanent secretary sued a government for constructive dismissal, let alone gone on TV to announce it. There is often tension between the civil service and politicians when a new government takes over, but this is the most extreme case. What is remarkable is that Johnson has been prime minister since July, and the Conservatives have been in government for 10 years. Yet for the prime minister, the election on 12 December was the day he divided the light from the darkness and the world began. Equally remarkable is that confrontation is not Johnsons usual way. His way is to slide deniably sideways. He pretended Javid was one of his closest personal friends even as he forced him out of No 11. This week he pretended that the Appeal Court judgment meant the third runway at Heathrow couldnt go ahead when it would be easy to get the project off the ground, as the court itself said, if the government were to simply take the Paris Agreement into account. If Johnson decides that he has to cut Patel loose, no doubt he will protest that he knew nothing about what Sir Philip called her vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign against him. But it is all part of a plan, mainly directed by Cummings, to dramatise the prime ministers battle, as the head of a new Leave government, against the Remain establishment. That means portraying the previous Tory administration as a Remainer regime, and replacing a chancellor who voted Remain with one who voted Leave. And it means trying to force out senior civil servants who show insufficient revolutionary enthusiasm. When Labour comes into government it tends to assume that senior mandarins are conservative with a small c if not actually a big C. Harold Wilson first formalised the appointment of political advisers for this reason in the 1960s. When Tony Blair arrived in 1997, there were tensions over the role of Jonathan Powell, a political appointee, as chief of staff at the heart of No 10. Any new government faces the constraint that ministers cannot choose their senior civil servants. This is for the good constitutional reason that a permanent civil service guarantees impartiality, and has the authority to resist ministers trying to do unlawful or undemocratic things. Hence the passage in Sir Philips statement today: I hope that my stand may help in maintaining the quality of government in our country. In practice there is usually flexibility and negotiation on both sides, and effective ministers can make the constitution work. Patel seems to have gone down the Cummings route of confrontation instead. Only yesterday an anonymous home office insider told The Sun it was a big clash of cultures, a risk manager vs a radical reformer. Patel was frustrated that Sir Philip seemed to think the Home Office was being asked to do too much: a new immigration system, a new border inspection regime, and a new settlement scheme for the 3.2 million EU citizens in the UK, all by the end of the year. In the short run, the clash will work in Johnsons favour. Even if Patel herself has to be sacrificed, public opinion is not much on the side of civil servants with knighthoods complaining that things cannot be done. But in the longer run, the Cummings approach only stores up trouble for the future. If the Home Office cannot handle the Brexit workload, sacking the person who said so wont magically increase its capacity indeed, by undermining civil service morale it might reduce it. Johnson will have noted that two of the candidates against him in the Tory leadership election are already prowling outside the tent. Jeremy Hunt was on the Today programme yesterday sounding authoritative and reassuring about coronavirus in the way that a health secretary ought to be. Sajid Javid was in The Times this morning setting out a tax-cutting, fiscally conservative approach that may appeal to Tory MPs if Johnsons big spending plans become unpopular. Johnson may win this battle against civil servants whom he and Cummings see as small c conservatives, but there could be a heavy price to be paid around the time of the next election. By PTI NEW DELHI: Soon to be inducted into the Indian Air Force, the 36 Rafale jets will not be sufficient to take care of the force's requirements, IAF chief RKS Bhadauria said on Friday, highlighting the need to focus on developing indigenous platforms across the spectrum to have an edge. Speaking at a seminar on 'air power in no war no peace scenario' that was organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies, Bhadauria said the use of the Air Force in the sub-conventional domain was considered a "taboo" in the past and the Balakot airstrike was a "paradigm shift" in that. Stressing on the need to develop indigenous weapons, Bhadauria said it would be a "game-changer" if in the next air skirmish, the weapons and missiles used by the Air Force are indigenously built. "The 36 Rafale jets will alone not provide us solution for the IAF's need. We need to be able to use the indigenous Astra missile on the Su30s and across other fighter aircraft like the MiG-29 for better performance of airpower," he said. He, however, said the induction of the 36 Rafale jets that are armed with Meteor missiles will boost India's air capabilities. "But there needs to be more solutions. We cannot just depend on Meteor class in the Rafale jets to sort out IAF's requirements. It's important that this capability on Rafale is complimented with similar capabilities on other platforms and we have taken lot of action towards that," he said. The air chief also said that while India had an edge over Pakistan in terms of Beyond Visual Range Missile capability at the time of Kargil, "we allowed that to slip". "We had an edge over Pakistan Air Force in terms of Beyond Visual Range Missile capability at the time of Kargil. We allowed that to slip and thereafter it took a decade and half in our struggle to acquisition process to be able to get better capability," the Air Force chief said in his speech. This would soon materialise with the induction of the Rafale jets, he said. "In air engagement, especially in a deeply contested area, it is important to have a weapon's edge. Once we retain this edge, it is important that we don't allow to slip back this edge," he added. Hailing the government's decision to carry out the Balakot strikes, Bhadauria said it was a "tough and bold decision to strike at the heart of terrorist training camps deep inside Pakistan across the Line of Control". "IAF successfully struck the target chosen. Pakistan Air Force responded 30 hours later with a large package of aircraft under Operation Swift Retort. IAF ensured they weren't able to hit targets. They were in a hurry to disengage. They were doing it for their domestic audience," he said. He said that IAF's successful strike proved how air capability can be used for non-conventional warfare as well. "When undertaking such targets, we need the moral high ground. The target chosen was on a hill to minimise collateral damage. They could otherwise have doubled the aircraft or taken other measures," he said. A fleet of Indian Air Force aircraft bombed a terrorist training camp in Balakot inside Pakistan on February 26 last year to avenge the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14. On September 29, 2016, the Army carried out surgical strikes on a number of terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in retaliation to an attack on its base in Uri that month. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said IAF is enhancing its weapon capability, sensor and network capabilities and enhance ability for secure communication. New Delhi: Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief R.K.S. Bhadauria said on Friday that the crucial lesson from Balakot air strike and air skirmishes after that is, India should not allow weapon edge over Pakistan to slip back once it is achieved with the induction of Rafale fighter jets and other weapon upgradation including indigenous missiles. It (weapon edge) did not materialised at the time of Balakot and it will soon materialise with the induction of Rafale, said Air Force chief. He said that Indian Air Force had an edge over Pakistan Air Force in terms of Beyond Visual Range Missile capability at the time of Kargil. We allowed that to slip and thereafter it took a decade and half in our struggle to acquire similar or better capabilities, he said. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said that the takeaways from the Balakot air strike is it is important to have weapon and technology edge in air engagement, especially in a deeply-contested area. But weapon edge is very important, he said. He said that once we get back this edge, it is important that in our lifetime we do not allow it to slip back. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said IAF is enhancing its weapon capability, sensor and network capabilities and enhance ability for secure communication. Pakistan Air Force F16s, which had come to target Indian military installations on 27 February 2019 were armed with the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile AMRAAM which has higher range than that of the R-77 on IAFs Su 30 MKI. However, 36 Rafale fighter jets which India has purchased (first four will land on May 2020) come with Meteor air-to-air missiles that have a range of 150 kilometres. Presently, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) does not have missiles to counter Meteor missiles. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said that Balakot air strike showed there exists a space below the conventional conflict boundaries, where IAF can be utilised for targeting, yet have controlled escalation. Meanwhile, defence minister Rajnath Singh said surgical strike of 2016 and Balakot airstrikes of 2019 were not just military strikes but a strong message to the adversary that terror infrastructure across the border cannot be used as safe haven to wage low-cost war against India. He said Indias out-of-the-box response reflected in the Balakot airstrikes forced the rewriting of many doctrines across the LoC and the adversary has to think 100 times for any future misadventures. He said that the responses displayed Indias defence capability and affirmed its right to defend itself against terrorism. Our approach to terrorism was and will remain a judicious combination of clinical military action and mature and responsible diplomatic outreach, said defence minister. We have recently seen the impact of collective diplomatic and financial pressure on Pakistan. Terrorists like Hafiz Saeed who were treated like VIPs and heroes, have been put behind bars. We realise that this is not enough and unless Pakistan is made accountable, it will continue with its previous policy of duplicity and deceit. All attempts are being made to work in this direction, added Mr Singh. State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is speaking out against the pro-Second Amendment resolutions sweeping through conservative parts of New Jersey. Grewal, the states top law enforcement official under Gov. Phil Murphy, said he is troubled by more extreme versions of the non-binding resolution in which some municipal councils, and at least one county freeholder board, have endorsed a sanctuary for the Second Amendment. My primary concern is not that law enforcement officers in New Jersey will stop enforcing firearm safety laws," Grewal, who was appointed, said in a letter to all 21 county prosecutors provided to NJ Advance Media. My real concern is that these so-called sanctuary resolutions will confuse otherwise law-abiding residents, who may incorrectly believe that they no longer have to comply with firearm safety laws, including carry laws and prohibitions on assault weapons, ghost guns, or large-capacity magazines, he added. This confusion can create serious risks for law enforcement and the public at large, with potentially deadly consequences. As we work to end gun violence across New Jersey, it is especially important that we make clear that our states firearm laws remain fully in effect, Grewal continued. In response, National Rifle Association board member Scott Bach defended the resolutions and alluded to Murphy, a Democrat who has signed into law additional gun control measures. Leave it to the Murphy administration to find a way to object to towns vocalizing their support for the Second Amendment, Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, said when contacted by phone Saturday. New Jerseys first pro-Second Amendment resolution was adopted in December by the West Milford council. It declared the rural Passaic County municipality a Second Amendment/lawful gun owner sanctuary township," mimicking the provocative word choice on numerous pro-gun resolutions in Virginia and other states. The Cape May County freeholder board approved a pro-Second Amendment sanctuary resolution on Jan. 14, two weeks before President Donald Trump, a Republican, held a campaign rally in Wildwood. However, most places have steered clear of calling themselves a sanctuary, a play on jurisdictions using the same term to express support for undocumented immigrants in their communities . The freeholder board in Monmouth County approved a resolution on Thursday night declaring Monmouth a Second Amendment/Lawful Gun Owner County." Grewal emphasized that the resolutions regardless of the wording provide no leal authority on gun laws, or anything else. It goes without saying that local and county officials are free to express their views on state and federal policies. What they may not do, however, is prevent law enforcement from enforcing validly enacted and generally applicable statutes, Grewal said in his letter. Some of the resolutions have condemned red flags laws allowing a judge to order the removal of weapons from someone judged a threat to themselves or others. New Jerseys red flag law took effect in September, with nearly 200 guns seized as of Jan. 22, and has been a rallying cry for gun control opponents. NJ Advance Media staff writer Blake Nelson contributed to this report. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Veteran filmmaker remains wanted in the United States for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Roman Polanski was awarded the prize for best director for the film An Officer and a Spy at a fractious French Film Academy ceremony in Paris early on Saturday, prompting a walkout by several women in the audience. The entire board of the Cesar Awards had been forced to resign earlier this month amid fury at Polanski wanted in the United States for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977 topping the list of nominations. Actress Adele Haenel, who recently alleged she had been sexually assaulted from the age of 12 to 15 by another French director in the early 2000s, got up and walked out of the room, followed by others. Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims. It means raping women isnt that bad, Haenel told the New York Times earlier this week. In addition to a no-show by Polanski, the films cast and production team, including best actor nominee Jean Dujardin, did not attend the ceremony. Dujardin posted a message on Instagram that said, By making this film, I believed and I still believe I made more good than harm. Polanskis film won two other awards for best costume design and best adaptation. No one came on stage to accept the trophies. The shows host, comedian Florence Foresti, left An Officer and a Spy out of her opening remarks when she mentioned the films with multiple nominations. Instead, Foresti referred to the 86-year-old director as Atchoum, the French name for Sneezy in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. What do we do with Atchoum? We applaud? We dont applaud? she said. The Cesar for best film has been awarded to Les Miserables Ladj Lys Oscar candidate about tensions between police and minorities in a poor Paris suburb. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The entire male-dominated leadership of the Cesar stepped down recently amid disagreement about its decision-making structure and how to deal with the Polanski problem. Hundreds of protesters brandishing signs with proclaiming, Victims, we believe you and No to impunity assembled outside the Salle Pleyel before the ceremony started. The group chanted, We are here, we are here, even if Polanski doesnt want to, we are here. By supporting the aggressors, by celebrating the aggressors, one does not allow the victims to speak out. Their word is denied, Celine Piques of womens activist group Osez le Feminisme said. In a statement this week, the Paris-based Polanski said the ceremony was turning into a public lynching and that he decided not to attend the ceremony to protect his colleagues and his wife and children. Polanski is still wanted in the US, decades after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor but fled the country on the eve of sentencing. Last year, a woman came forward to accuse Polanski of raping her in 1975 in his Swiss chalet when she was 18. Polanski denied it, and the allegations were too far in the past for an investigation. But the accusation put the director under fresh scrutiny in France, where he has long been revered as one of the countrys premier filmmakers despite the outstanding rape charge in the US. Other accusations have also emerged. AMRITSAR/JALANDHAR: Heavy rain and strong wind in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts on Saturday left wheat farmers worried. Unseasonal rain and strong wind have the potential to damage the yield as this is the time when the wheat crop needs more protection, says farmer Harjinder Singh of Begowal. Chief agriculture officer Kamaljit Singh says though rain is beneficial for crops such as wheat, mustard and gram, strong wind could affect them. The rain brought down the temperature. Amritsar recorded a low of 13 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal. While the Doaba belt received about 8mm of rainfall on Saturday morning, Amritsar district in Majha got 16.3 mm of rain with hail. The wheat crop has been damaged in Amritsars villages and surrounding areas. Crop sown along the Beas river has been submerged, says Rattan Singh Randhawa, an Amritsar-based farmer leader. Another farmer, Tajinderpal Singh, says: The crop, which was ripe and ready for harvest, has been damaged due to the rain. 29.02.2020 LISTEN IT has been said authoritatively that the first duty of a Government is to govern. It appears that some people especially those engaged in the destruction of our rivers and water-bodies believe that the Government does not wish to govern. Why do I say that? Read this: QUOTE: Galamsey: Release our colleagues or we will match you boot for boot Drivers to government https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Galamsey-Release-our-colleagues-or-we-will-match-you-boot-for-boot-Drivers-to-government-878917 Members of the National Concerned Drivers Association have reiterated their call [to] the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to order the release of their fellow drivers who were just hired to drive trucks at Galamsey sites, while, according to them, the big names behind galamsey have gone unpunished... The drivers, in a statement, threatened that if their colleagues are not released before 6 March 2020, then they had no option than to match the President boot for boot in Kumasi, no matter the number of Delta Force. [Nothing] will deter us. We say all die be die, [the statement said. UNQUOTE The use, by the drivers' statement, of the term boot-for-boot gives their game away: it's a coded message pinched from the NDC! Furthermore, the insolent and combative tone contained in their ultimatum aligns them with the sentiments expressed some time ago by someone who recorded a message on Youtube threatening the President with all manner of reprisals if he did not allow gala to go on. I would like to convey to the drivers, the views some of their fellow citizens hold about the drivers' threats. They should take these views of their fellow citizens seriously, for if we lived under laws made to reflect our own culture, instead of being belaboured by laws written in the language of the Great Britain of 1066 and the years thereafter, it is such views that would incite Governmental action against them. They would be put on trial by their own fellow citizens, [asafo] according to the collective wisdom bequeathed to them for dealing with malefactors and nation-wreckers: QUOTE: If you people think you are men enough, just try something stupid and witness your smoothness level. [ADANSI] This stupid union [of] drivers should bow their heads in shame! You're all galamseyers going to defend wrong-doers. Big fools [WORLD] If someone hires you to go and kill another person and you agree to [do so] and are caught in the process, you are as guilty as the one that hired you! Idiots! [ME] Are you guys serious? If a driver is hired each day for armed robbery operations and he is arrested on one of such operations, when he knowingly knows the work of his employers is illegal, is he guilty or not guilty? Think about this carefully and reason like good citizens of Ghana. Please don't allow anyone to manipulate your association for his or her political gain. Let's love our country! [ATOAPOMA] UNQUOTE Even as the drivers were uttering their threats, another heart-rending report appeared on the website of JoyFM describing the wanton destruction visited upon a forest reserve by galamseyers. Entitled Galamseyers destroy 80 hectares of Furi Forest Reserve , the report reads: https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2020/February-26th/scramble-for-illegal-gold-galamseyers-destroy-80-hectares-of-furi-river-forest-reserve.php QUOTE:c An unannounced visit by Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mr Kweku Asumah Kyeremeh, has revealed that illegal miners have destroyed about 80 hectares out of Furi Forest Reserves 15, 823 hectares. This was after the illegal miners successfully outwitted the lean team of the Forestry Commission at Amiase Nsuta, in the Western Region. Speaking to Joy News Latif Iddrisu, a Senior Forestry Commission Official indicated that battling with armed illegal miners makes their job dangerous, since they lack efficient logistics to fight them. ...He expressed sadness about the turn of events after three years into anti-galamsey fight. "I declared [the forest] a 'Globally Significant Biodiversity Area' (GSB) a shift from production area to protected area. But now the whole thing is gone, it's so sad it turned out this way".The Furi Forest reserve is in the Prestea enclave, [which] for some time [now] has been known for illegal mining activities. UNQUOTE I started this piece by reminding the Government that its first duty is to govern. Governing does not mean making statements of intent, but showing a firm hand when the laws the Government has made (or the good ones it has inherited) are flouted. The Government has enacted a new law which makes those who assist galamsey operators liable to long terms of imprisonment. If it had put anyone before the courts to answer charges under that law, would the so-called Concerned Drivers have had the temerity to threaten the Government with boot-for-boot action? By failing to put the new legislation to work to serve as a deterrent to galamseyers and their accomplices, the Government has INVITED the drivers' union to behave insolently towards it. But let the Government try a smack of firm government and the drivers would be denouncing their own officials and begging for mercy. The Government had also announced previously that it was to tag all excavators I the country so that their whereabouts could be monitored at all times. If the police had been furnished with such tags, would they not have been able to arrest excavators that were being transported into rivers and other galamsey areas, without any involvement by the Operation Vanguard and Galamstop teams whose seizure of excavators has caused so much confusion (as charges of corruption (in the release or sale of excavators) make their rounds from radio station to radio station on a regular basis? I have often urged the Government to view the galamsey disaster in the same light as it would view political, insurgency in the country. I hope it will listen. For the destruction of our water-bodies, alongside out lands and forest reserves, has done more damage to us already than a political insurgency would. For what insurgency would cost us $20 billion or more the figure estimated to be the cost of reclaiming the land and rivers that have already fallen victim to galamsey? kantarakam To:Daily Guide Fri, 28 Feb at 15:30 ENDNOTE: Since this article was written, it has been reported that Operation Vasnguard's anti-galamsey operations are to be taken over by the Ghana Police. (See: Operation Vanguard ordered to withdraw from all illegal mining areas - Report) Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). The number of Liberal women in the Victorian Parliament has been further eroded, with a male secondary school leader chosen to replace the departing Mary Wooldridge in the upper house. Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School deputy principal Matthew Bach edged out two other candidates to win the casual vacancy for the plum Eastern Metropolitan seat on Saturday afternoon. Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien chats with the party's Eastern Metropolitan MP Matthew Bach. Credit:Twitter He defeated former candidate for Bentleigh Asher Judah and Maroondah councillor Nora Lamont - who was the only woman to enter the race. Dr Bach's victory puts the number of Liberal women in the Victorian Parliament to just seven in the 31-member caucus. The International Monetary Fund said on Saturday it had made good progress in talks with the Ukrainian authorities and that the discussions would continue in the coming days, Trend reports with reference to Reuters. The IMF has given conditional approval for a new loan programmers to Ukraine worth $5.5 billion but its disbursement depends on Kievs performance on reforms. The IMF also wants parliament to pass a special law on banking. The IMF staff team that visited Kyiv made very good progress in discussions on legislation to support growth and ensure stability, and discussions will continue in the coming days, the statement said. The Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a petition filed by an organisation seeking direction to the Jabalpur district administration over delay in deciding on their application for permission to stage a demonstration on February 7 against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). A single bench of Justice Vishal Dhagat on Friday dismissed Indian Muslim League's petition as it had become infructuous since the date of the proposed protest- February 7 had already passed, Deputy Advocate General Praveen Dubey said on Saturday. The outfit had sought permission from the Jabalpur district authorities to hold a demonstration in a ground in Mandi Madar Tekhri, Dubey said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Federal Government has announced a travel ban on foreigners coming to Australia from Iran. The travel ban comes after a Gold Coast beautician who had just arrived from the middle eastern country was diagnosed with COVID-19. It emerged on Saturday that she could have infected up to 40 people while giving them facials. The woman, 63, works at Hair Plus salon, in the Australia Fair shopping centre in Southport and fell ill at work on Thursday. She is currently 'in isolation' at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state's health department. Queensland's chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young said the woman did facials on up to 40 clients, with each one lasting around 15 minutes. She warned that 'we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually'. Health authorities are now desperately racing to track down the infected woman's customers to urge them to get tested. A 63-year-old woman diagnosed with coronavirus after returning from Iran gave facials to 40 clients at Hair Plus salon in Australia Fair Shopping Centre (pictured) on Thursday Iranian women wear protective masks to prevent contracting coronavirus, as they walk in the street in Tehran, Iran February 25, 2020 Coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people globally and can cause severe lung damage and trigger multiple organ failure 'She's a highly intelligent, very sensible lady, so as soon as she had her first symptom she spoke to her manager and she went home,' Dr Young told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday. 'Then she went to Gold Coast University Hospital and got tested.' Dr Young urged anyone who attended the Hair Plus salon at Australia Fair in Southport from 11am on Thursday to come forward. 'She saw a number of clients each for brief interactions, so we believe the risk is incredibly low,' she said. Dr Young said there was no need for anyone who was at the shopping centre at the same time, to be concerned. But she said the number of countries that have contracted the coronavirus is increasing each day. 'So it's very hard for individuals to work out which country is at risk,' she said. 'It's really a message now, if you have been overseas, you come back to Queensland, you feel unwell with any symptoms, that you go and get advice.' Speaking to the ABC, Dr Young warned that Queensland was heading for an epidemic. 'We know that we will be seeing a pandemic result through the world it's not been declared yet,' she said. 'But we know we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually.' Health minister Steven Miles reassured Queenslanders the COVID-19 virus remained contained across the state, despite the latest development. Queensland's chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young warned that Queensland was heading for an epidemic and urged Hair Plus customers to be examined for coronavirus Two women jog with face masks on as others walk while enjoying their weekend afternoon at Pardisan Park in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 amid a COVID-19 alert in the country Under the conditions of the travel ban foreign nationals wanting to come to Australia from Iran will be required to spend a fortnight in a third country before being allowed into Australia. Australians citizens who are returning from Iran will have to isolate themselves for two weeks after they return. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said there is likely a large number of undetected coronavirus cases in Iran. Earlier this month the government issued a travel ban for foreign nationals wanting to travel to Australia from mainland China to spend two weeks in a third country. That travel ban has been extended three times. The 63-year-old beautician who return to the Gold Coast from Iran is currently 'in isolation' at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state's health department A 79-year-old west Australian woman has also recently tested positive for coronavirus after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, taking the overall number of infected Australians to 25. Of the reported cases in Australia all are either stable or recovered. According to the Australian health department there are 84,117 cases world wide and 2,872 reported deaths. 'The continuing increase in the number of cases and number of affected countries over the last few days are clearly of concern,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesushe said in Geneva. He said that 24 COVID-19 cases have now been exported from Italy - the worst-hit country in Europe - to 14 countries. Also 97 cases have been exported from Iran to 11 countries. As of Saturday, China, the epicentre of the outbreak, has the most cases at 79,000, while there are 3,000 reported cases in South Korea, 1,000 in Japan, and 900 in Italy. Iran has 388 reported cases of COVID-19 and 34 reported deaths. The World Health Organization is dispatching a team to Iran which is due to arrive on Sunday or Monday. The UN health agency had previously labelled the global risk as 'high' but stopped short of calling it a pandemic. Tehran resident Leila Tayyeb, center, with her husband wearing mask and gloves as a woman walks past, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 Health minister Steven Miles reassured Queenslanders the COVID-19 virus remained contained across the state, despite the latest development The Australian government, however, is already putting in place plans to tackle a pandemic. In particular, it is looking at how aged care facilities could be locked down in the case of a coronavirus outbreak. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says while some countries such as Japan are looking at closing schools, there is no need to do that in Australia based on current medical advice. However, the virus known as COVID-19 affects the elderly more. 'The bigger impact would be in things like aged care facilities, the ability to lock those down, and to have the right care and support to those who are working in those places,' Mr Morrison said on Friday. Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured) Health ministers who met in Melbourne on Friday agreed the Commonwealth would take the lead on an aged care advanced planning process. 'Those who are elderly or those who have difficulties with their immune system are most at risk and that is why they are absolute top priority,' federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said. Aged care providers received a letter this week from Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy outlining the need for them to have emergency plans in place. 'While the number of cases of COVID-19 is currently small in Australia, it is possible that this situation could change and services need to plan and be prepared for this,' he wrote. Federal opposition frontbencher Jason Clare said the government is doing the right thing even though the WHO has yet to declare a pandemic. 'They have followed the advice of the chief medical officer ... they have followed the advice of the experts,' Mr Clare told ABC television on Saturday. Ethiopia on Saturday expressed "disappointment" with the latest push by the United States to resolve a long-running dispute over a massive dam on the Nile River, suggesting a deal could still be far off. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa, has been a source of tension between Addis Ababa and Cairo since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011. The US Treasury Department stepped in last year to facilitate talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan -- another downstream country -- after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reached out to US President Donald Trump, a close ally. The process was initially supposed to conclude by mid-January, but officials pushed the deadline to the end of February, only to come up short again. It is unclear what US mediation has accomplished so far. Ethiopia opted not to send a delegation to the latest round of talks in Washington this week. Instead US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held bilateral meetings with ministers from Egypt and Sudan. On Friday the Treasury Department issued a statement claiming an agreement had been reached and urged Ethiopia to sign "at the earliest possible time". Egypt issued its own statement saying it had initialled the agreement, calling it "fair and balanced" and in "the common interest of the three countries". But in a statement Saturday, Ethiopia said it "does not accept the characterisation that the negotiation... is completed". The Ethiopian statement cited "outstanding issues" but did not elaborate. Ethiopia sees the dam as essential for its electrification and development, while Egypt -- which depends on the Nile for 90 percent of its irrigation and drinking water -- sees it as an existential threat. The biggest initial hurdle is the filling of the dam's enormous reservoir, which can hold 74 billion cubic metres of water. Egypt is worried Ethiopia will fill the reservoir too quickly, reducing water flow downstream. In its statement Friday, the Treasury Department said "final testing and filling should not take place without an agreement" -- a position endorsed by Sudan. But Ethiopia wants the dam to begin producing energy by the end of this year and said Saturday it would begin filling the reservoir "in parallel with" its construction. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first batch deliveries of Sarmat RS-28 ICBM (InterContinental Ballistic Missile) to the Russian army will begin in 2021. The fifth-generation silo-based missile can break through any missile shield also by the orbital bombing method. New RS-28 Sarmat ICBM InterContinental Ballistic Missile. (Picture source Russian DoD) Sarmat ICBM (InterContinental Ballistic Missile) was designed by the Makeev State Missile Center. It will be produced by Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant. The new ICBM will replace Voevoda designed by Ukrainian Yuzhnoe Bureau in Soviet times. President Vladimir Putin described the capabilities of the new ICBM in March 2018. The range of the heavy missile, the number and firepower of reentry vehicles is bigger than Voevoda has. Sarmat will be armed with a broad range of nuclear high-power warheads, including hypersonic ones, and modern systems to break through missile defense. High protection of the launchers and big power capabilities will ensure the engagement of the missile in any situation, he said. Most data about the latest ICBM is kept secret. Open sources said a cycle of active trials is ongoing. Pop-up tests were successful. They push the missile from the silo 30 meters high and start up the main engine of the first stage. The Defense Ministry is now beginning flight development tests. The ICBM will be launched with a mockup of the reentry vehicle from a silo in Plesetsk cosmodrome to Kura range in Kamchatka. The final test launch will be made by the division of Strategic Missile Forces in Krasnoyarsk region. The new missile has to use the same launchers which fire Voevoda R-36M. RS-28 has new engines. Besides the power plant, a new fuel mixture was developed for Sarmat. Bigger engine thrust increases the range. The active flight section has been decreased. Sarmat remains in a safe area during the boost to the trajectory. It is therefore invulnerable for adversary missile defense which targets an ICBM during the boost when it is most visible and vulnerable. The payload of the new missile is ten tons. Sarmat can carry several reentry vehicles of small, medium and high firepower. It also has numerous dummy targets for adversary missile shield. Sarmat with various payloads are likely to go on combat duty. The missile can reportedly carry three gliding hypersonic Avangard reentry vehicles. The gliding and maneuvering flight of Avangard makes it invulnerable for existing and prospective missile defense. The ICBM provides high precision of target hit at intercontinental distance. Sarmat will help Russia keep strategic parity with the United States for many years. The Uzhur division deployed in Krasnoyarsk region will be rearmed with Sarmat. At present, defense enterprises prepare flight development tests of the missile. Work is ongoing to prepare the first missile regiment for rearmament. COLUMBIA, South CarolinaIt took about one lap around the room at Tom Steyers closing South Carolina rally on Friday to figure out what was going on with his entire campaign. Inside the gymnasium at Columbias Allen University, a historically black university, was a light show with hip-hop and R&B blasting. A few people were milling around, some were dancing, but most were just outside the gym, enjoying the catered spread the billionaires campaign has provided. There was a cheese, fruit, and charcuterie station; pulled pork paninis; brisket; and a full potato bar. The gym was about equally divided among press space, dining tables, two stages, and an open area. A couple hundred or so people would ultimately show up for this rally in a space that could have fit significantly more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The overabundance told the story: To the extent that Steyer has been successful in South Carolina, its because hes devoted not just his time to the state, but his bank account as well. Hes spent tens of millions of dollars on television advertisements and donated more to state party organizations. Hes been fielding accusations of buying off support, including by putting influential black lawmakers on his payroll. All of the, er, work was successful in earning him a foothold in state polls, but hes ticked down in the last week as Joe Bidenthe main figure from whom he was drawing supporters awayhas risen anew. Saturdays primary will be the final determinant of whether it was all a house of cards. Advertisement Of those with whom I spoke on Friday, few knew for certain that they would commit to Steyer. Larry Palmer, from Columbia, had two kids in college and wanted to hear more about Steyers plan for student debt relief. But he still had strong affection for Biden, and just wanted to be sure that he would pick a younger running mate to balance out the ticket. The Biden endorsement from Rep. Jim Clyburn, the patriarch of South Carolina Democratic politics, earlier in the week was a strong thing to me, Palmer said. Advertisement Alonzo Julian, a student at Allen University, described himself as a stickler for HBCUs and appreciated Steyers plan to invest in thembut was torn between him and Elizabeth Warren, who has her own HBCU plan. Trevor Stanley, a student at nearby Benedict College, said he was still choosing between Steyer and Bernie Sanders, but the latter had the edge. Advertisement Advertisement Toms got some good ideas, but Bernie? Stanley said. See, I like weed, so Bernie, he said hes going to legalize weed. It wasnt just that: He also appreciated Sanders plan to eliminate student loan debt. I mean, if its tomorrow, Ill vote for Bernie tomorrow, he said. But if I had a couple more days, Toms got some good ideas. He wouldnt have a couple more days. Advertisement Advertisement The campaign brought in talent for this last event: gospel star Yolanda Adams, DJ Jazzy Jeff (famed, to a certain generation, for his erstwhile partnership with Will Smith), and rapper Juvenile, most famous for his 1998 hit Back That Azz Up. They, in turn, were introduced by a series of endorsers including Greenwood City Councilwoman Edith Childs, the famous coiner of the Obama campaigns Fired up! Ready to go! call-and-response. She had repurposed the slogan for this campaign, and led a lukewarm crowd in a chant of Steyerd up! Ready to go! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program ran into some hiccups. After a lengthy sound-check, Juvenile came on stage and was notnotpleased with the way he sounded, consistently stopping the music to adjust sound levels. Eventually, after complaining that the sound was getting worse by the minute and questioning whether the sound guy had run off to a bar, he left the stage. (That whole mess was NOT me, I overheard the sound guy saying to a harried campaign staffer.) Yolanda Adams came out next and was met with a flood of requests that she could not meet. These were the two songs that were requested, Adams said, so Im going to sing them, OK? She began a rendition of America the Beautiful. Advertisement Steyer, himself, spoke for only about 10 minutes at his expensive, technically challenged dinner theater, to an only marginally Steyerd-up crowd that was more curious about whether Juvenile had left the building than about what the would-be presidents closing pitch would be. Steyer had been, he observed, the candidate whod spent the most time in South Carolinatime not being the only thing he had spent the most ofand said that win, lose, or draw, I fell in love with the people of South Carolina. Advertisement Im never leaving, he said. He closed out his speech with his best effort at an I believe that we will win! call-and-response, and exited the last event of the South Carolina primaryif not, depending on how Saturday goes, the final event of his campaign. Advertisement Or so it appeared. A short while later, after a DJ set by Jazzy Jeff, we found out that Juvenile had not left the building. And Tom Steyer hadnt, either. A cruel fate insisted upon what ensued. Back that vote up! Juvenile said. And they were off. For more analysis of the Democratic race, listen to this weeks Political Gabfest. Updated at 11:50 a.m. March 1 Public health officials say 19 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been diagnosed in Canada so far, with 11 cases reported in Ontario and eight in British Columbia. One presumptive positive case has been reported in Quebec. Here is a timeline of Canadian cases: Jan. 25, 2020: A man in his 50s who arrived in Toronto from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak, becomes the first presumptive case of the new coronavirus in Canada. The man called 911 as soon as he got sick with relatively minor symptoms and was placed in isolation in Sunnybrook Hospital. Jan. 26: The wife of the Toronto man who was Canadas first presumptive case of the new coronavirus becomes the second presumptive case. The woman is kept in home isolation. Jan. 27: The National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg confirms that a man in quarantine in Sunnybrook Hospital is Canadas first documented case of the new coronavirus. Jan 28: Health authorities confirm Canadas second case of the novel coronavirus. The woman had recently travelled to Wuhan with her husband, who was the first case confirmed in Canada. Jan 28: Health officials in British Columbia say a man in his 40s is presumed to have the new coronavirus and is doing well as he recovers at his Vancouver home. B.C.s health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says the man often works in China and voluntarily isolated himself upon returning to Canada. Jan. 28: The presumed case of the new strain of coronavirus in B.C. is confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Jan. 31: Toronto man hospitalized with the novel coronavirus is well enough to go home. Sunnybrook Hospital says hell continue to recover at home, where his wife is also in self-isolation. Jan. 31: Ontarios third case of the new coronavirus is confirmed. The patient, a woman in her 20s, had travelled to the affected area in China. The London university student initially tested negative for the virus, but a subsequent test at the national lab in Winnipeg was positive. Health officials say her symptoms are minor. Feb. 4: Health officials announce another presumptive confirmed case in B.C. Henry says the woman had family visiting from Chinas Hubei province and she is in isolation at her home. Feb. 5: British Columbias second case of coronavirus is confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab. Feb. 6: Henry announces two new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., noting both people were in the same household as the woman diagnosed with the provinces second case. Feb. 12: Ontario health officials say the woman from London, Ont., no longer has the novel coronavirus in her system. It marks the first time a case of the illness has been resolved in Canada. Feb. 14: Officials in B.C. announce the provinces fifth case of COVID-19. The woman in her 30s who lives in B.C.s Interior recently returned from Hubei province. Feb. 19: Henry announces that the person diagnosed with B.C.s first case of the new coronavirus has recovered. Its the first time this has happened in the province. Feb. 20: A woman who recently returned from Iran is diagnosed with British Columbias sixth case of COVID-19. Shes the first person in the country diagnosed with the illness who did not recently visit China. Feb. 20: In Ontario, the man who had Canadas first case of the virus is cleared after testing negative for the illness twice in 24 hours. Feb. 21: The last known case of coronavirus in Ontario is resolved. Feb. 23: Officials in Toronto announce Ontario has a new case of coronavirus the fourth to be diagnosed in the province. The woman arrived in Toronto from China several days earlier. Feb. 24: Henry announces a seventh person in B.C. has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The man in his 40s was in close contact with the woman who has the provinces sixth case of the illness. Feb. 26: Ontario officials announce a fifth diagnosis in the province a woman in her 60s who recently travelled to Iran. Feb. 27: Quebec public health officials report the provinces first presumptive case, a woman from the Montreal region who recently returned from Iran. Feb. 27: Ontario officials confirm a sixth case of COVID-19 in the province. They say the man in his 60s is the husband of Ontarios fifth patient with the virus and did not travel to Iran. Hes Ontarios first case of person-to-person transmission. Feb. 28: Ontario reports a seventh confirmed case a man in his 50s who had travelled to Iran. The man arrived in Toronto on Feb. 25 and went to the emergency department of Sunnybrook Hospital the next day. Feb. 28: Later that night, Ontario announced an eighth case a man in his 80s with a travel history to Egypt. He arrived in Toronto on Feb. 20 and went to the emergency department of Scarborough Health Network on Feb. 27. Officials said he was isolated as he was tested for COVID-19 and discharged the same day feeling well and went home, where he remains. Feb. 29: The B.C. government reported its eighth case a woman in her 60s from Tehran who travelled to the province to visit family and developed symptoms a few days after arriving. Feb. 29: Ontario reported three mores cases two in Durham Region and one in York Region, bringing the total in the province to 11. Two women who had recently made separate trips to Iran, and the 69-year-old husband of one of those women, who had no recent travel history. NORTHAMPTON Between 40 and 50 volunteers packed a narrow campaign headquarters on Center Street on Saturday morning, getting ready to spread out across the city, knock on doors and spread the word about presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The Northampton push kicked off just one of 80 such weekend drives in Massachusetts to get people out to vote in the primaries March 3. Super Tuesday represents the largest stack of delegates available to candidates in one day of primary voting. Up to 1,334 delegates from 14 states and one territory will be doled out based on Tuesdays tally. Thats 34% of the total number available. Of that number, 91 come from Massachusetts, Warrens home state. Warren faces stiff competition heading into the vote. A New York Times comparison of national polls Saturday had her in fourth place behind Democratic rivals Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg. Warren may lose in her home state to Sanders, a WBUR poll found. Warren herself was campaigning in South Carolina on Saturday during primary voting there. Sander made a campaign stop in Springfield on Friday and in Boston on Saturday. On Saturday in Northampton, U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, exhorted the crowd to talk up Warrens policies and knock on as many doors as possible. This is about saving the country, he told the canvassers. She will restore dignity to the office of the president because she respects people. He (President Donald Trump) just figures out how to insult us. Warren has more members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation supporting her than any other candidate. Just Friday night, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, endorsed Warren. McGovern said he wasnt surprised. Because we think she is incredible, he said. We work with her on a daily basis. She cares about people, she cares about results and she cares about making a difference. Elizabeth knows where she wants to take this country and she has a plan to get us there, McGovern said. Its funny, I have a Republican colleague who disparages her by saying, She has a plan for everything, doesnt she? I say thats a good thing. We now have a president who has a plan for nothing. As McGovern and Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz played cheerleaders, Ann Stockton manned the Turf Table, the heart of Saturdays get-out-the-vote campaign. Stockton plotted areas volunteers wanted to canvas and helped them download an app called Minivan that mapped out the area and kept tally of contacts with potential voters. Each volunteer was armed with a big Elizabeth Warren button, a hard copy map of the neighborhood they would be working, an extensive list of talking points. Volunteer Karen Walsh-Pio of South Hadley buttoned up her coat against the biting chill of Saturday morning, grabbed her clipboard and made her way through the crowd to the door. She said she keeps working for Warren. This is my fourth time, she said. I went to New Hampshire twice and worked in Northampton last week and again this weekend. She is in the best interest of the country. She will persist and get the job done. A delegation from the Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts wished volunteers well as they headed out for the four corners of Northampton. Association spokesman Thondup Tsering said the delegation was not participating in the canvasing but, nevertheless, wanted to show support. We support Elizabeth Warren, Tsering said. She is a very progressive candidate and in the past, she has been very supportive of human rights and especially about Tibet. We appreciate her progressive ideas such as health care for all and human rights. We feel she is the best candidate. Michael Sullivan from Northampton said he decided to help out Warren after she demonstrated her abilities as a senator. I felt she has been a great senator and a great candidate, he said. She handled herself really well on the debate stage. She has to win Massachusetts if she is going to stay in the race, so here I am. Susan Edwards of Springfield teaches special education and she sees Warrens work for education as important. I love her passion for education, especially special education and my low-income and at-risk students, she said. We cant afford four more years of this racist, sexist agenda, and we have to take back power from the billionaires. The Simple Life was on air between 2003 and 2007. It featured hotel heiress Paris Hilton and party girl Nicole Richie as they ditched their luxurious lifestyles for something a little more, well, simple. The girls are asked to give up their money, credit cards, and cell phones to live what they call The Simple Life. However, they later discover that things are not so simple once they arrive at a farm in Arkansas for the first season of the show, begins a summary of the reality series on IMDb. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie | John Shearer/WireImage Audiences might recall that in the second season, the women traveled from Florida to Beverly Hills. In the third, Hilton and Richie took a bus to upper Manhattan where they became interns. The fourth season featured the socialites as housewives. And in the fifth and final season, Hilton and Richie acted as camp counselors. At the time, it certainly was unlike anything else on TV. Recently, in an interview with Deadline, Hilton spoke about how it can sometimes be frustrating when people think her portrayal on The Simple Life is an accurate depiction of who she really is. Everything Ive done before was me playing a character, she said. Sometimes it is annoying, people assuming I am the blonde airhead that I played on [The Simple Life]. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie keep in touch Today, Hilton and Richie arent so close, but the hotel heiress says theyre on good terms and still keep in touch. We laugh about it, Hilton recently told Cosmopolitan. All the costumes last Halloween were people dressing up as us, so we were sending each other photos of different outfits people were wearing. The show is streaming in all these different places right now so everyone is rewatching it, which is awesome. Is there going to be a reboot of The Simple Life? There have been rumors popping up here and there that The Simple Life could be making a return to our TV screens. When Cosmo asked the heiress about the possibility, she replied, My schedule is just so insane. I cant imagine leaving my life and going to the middle of nowhere and doing that again, she said. Plus the show is so timeless and iconic, you cant remake that. Cosmo asked about the possibility of reviving the show with new people. They asked me who I would recommend if I didnt want to do it myself, Hilton said. Whom did she suggest? I cant tell! Ive signed a confidentiality agreement [] I dont know, she said. I dont think itll ever be what it was, but it will be fun to watch other people do it. Sounds like theres a good chance we might be getting The Simple Life partie deux but probably without Hilton and Richie. The DJ/socialite is right though. No matter whom they select to be the new Paris and Nicole, it will never be what it was. The baby Carrie Symonds announced tonight she is 'hatching' will be her first child, but for fiance Boris Johnson impeniding parenthood is an experience that will feel all too familiar. The Prime Minister has at least five children, yet has not officially confirmed the exact number after leading a tangled love life that has seen him married twice. Both marriages ended after he had affairs. It may seem extraordinary that the number of children a Prime Minister has is not public record, yet that is the situation. Even Wikipedia gives a rather confusing answer suggesting five or six. Boris Johnson tonight announced that he and Carrie Symonds are expecting their first baby but mystery still surrounds how many children the PM already has. Pictured: Mr Johnson with his second wife Marina Wheeler and their eldest daughter Lara The Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler separated in 2018 and have four children together. Pictured: Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler in 2018 What is known is that the Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together including Milo Arthur, 24, (left) and Theodore Apollo, 20, (right) What is known is that the Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, who separated in 2018, have four children together: Lara Lettice, 26, Milo Arthur, 24, Cassia Peaches, 22, and Theodore Apollo, 20. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Ms Macintyre's daughter is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby. He also has a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, with art consultant Helen Macintyre (pictured with then partner William Cash) Tonight a spokesperson for Mr Johnson, 55, and his 31-year-old partner announced that the couple are expecting their first baby together The three appeal court judges said: 'It was not material to the judge's conclusion whether contraceptive precautions were taken. 'What was material was that the father's infidelities resulted in the conception of children on two occasions. 'The judge was entitled to hold that this was of itself reckless behaviour, regardless of whether any contraceptive precautions were taken.' Mr Johnson met his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen while they were students at Oxford and they wed in 1987 but they were divorced in 1993. He married Ms Wheeler later that year and just five weeks after their wedding day, Lara - who is just five years younger than Ms Symonds - was born. Lara attended Bedales school - which costs 33,000-a-year - in Hampshire and went on to read Latin at St Andrews University. She reportedly branded her father a 'selfish b******' after his split with her mother. He married Ms Wheeler later that year and just five weeks after their wedding day, Lara (left) - who is just five years younger than Ms Symonds - was born. Lara's younger sister Cassia (right) went to Highgate School - which costs 18,000 per year Milo went to 27,000-a-year Westminster School and can speak Arabic, Russian and French, The Mirror reports. Cassia went to Highgate School - which costs 18,000 per year - and Theodore went to Cambridge University. In 2004 it emerged that Johnson was reportedly having an affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt who had fallen pregnant and had an abortion. He was sacked from the Tory frontbench over the affair. In 2006 the News of the World reported Mr Johnson had had an affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley. In 2018, another scandal hit Mr Johnson when news about his affair with former Conservative Party communications chief Ms Symonds came to light. Mr Johnson and his then wife Ms Wheeler separated in 2018 and, within months, Mr Johnson had moved in with Miss Symonds. While the exact number of Boris's children remains unknown it will continue to haunt him as a reminder to the press and the public of just how uncomfortable this Prime Minister can be facing direct questions. The Arawak are a group of peoples Indigenous to the Caribbean and South America. They are believed to have originally been from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela. This once vibrant community had an estimated population in the millions until the Spanish conquistadors came along. Over the years, the name Arawak was also used for the Taino (Caribbean) and Lokono (South America) peoples. The Arawak people, who spoke Arawakan languages, were mostly wiped out by new illnesses and violence and enslavement by the Spanish explorers. Intermarriage between the Taino or Lokono and the Spanish gave rise to the mestizo population, who further mixed with Africans brought to the Caribbean through the international slave trade. Because of this, the number of descendants of the Arawak peoples is unclear. However, some 15,000 self-identify as Lokono or Taino, which is a shadow of what they once were. Most live in Guyana, Venezuela and Suriname and a small percentage in other countries. Culture Of The Arawak People A Taino hut in the Dominican Republic. Arawak groups were small and each group had a leader known as a Cacique. As is the case with many ancient cultures, some Arawak peoples likely practiced polygamy, where men and sometimes women had more than one partner. The Cacique, by virtue of his status, had more wives. In fact, it was considered an honor for a woman to be married to the Cacique. In some cases, the men stayed separately from the women and the children. The Caciques family lived in rectangular houses while the common people stayed in rounded huts. When the Spanish arrived, Arawakan languages were widely spoken in the Caribbean and in South America. Even as they have faded over the years, the Spanish language adopted some words, which then made their way into English and other European languages. Examples of these words include iguana, barbecue and hammock. For food, the Arawak people practiced a lot of agriculture, fishing, and hunting. Hunting, which was done by men, provided meat from animals like birds, iguanas, capybara, and snakes. The people practiced agriculture known as Conuco that provided food like cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, and other foods. The Arawak people generally did not wear much clothing. For the men, most wore nothing, while a loincloth was enough for the women to cover the genitals. However, forms of body decoration such as painting and jewelry were common. When the Spanish came, however, all this changed as they were forced to adopt clothing. Gaining an edge in business is more than just spotting an opportunity and making a bold investment, its about timing too. Following a substantial investment by his business Cube in cutting edge printing technology, Brendan Ring received a large order from a company supplying surgical masks to the international market, which has exploded due to the Coronavirus. It was a timely reminder of the influence of global events on local businesses too, Brendan reflected, speaking to Limerick On The Up, when he revealed some 750,000 had been laid out to expand the packaging division at Cube. Having handled the design and pre-press of packaging products before, they had previously been outsourcing the rest of the job for completion. But that has changed. We bought two new pieces of kit, worth around three quarters of a million euro and we have taken on four new people, Brendan said this week. What the machines do is they die cut that printed image for a carton or sleeve or outer packaging, and then fold and glue the item to make a finished product. What previously was being outsourced, primarily to Dublin where the main finishing houses are, is now all done in-house We noticed a niche in the market because here in Limerick and the Mid-West area there wasn't anyone doing what were now doing - providing that full turnkey solution for the packaging industry. Also we realised you lose a bit of control when you send something out, from a quality point of view. Being able to meet delivery times is another factor. So the company spoke to a few of its customers, told them it was making a big investment and wanted their support and has received a positive response. As of January, the orders started rolling in. Given the size of the investment in the Easy Matrix Die Cutter and a Diana Go Folding and Gluing Line, there is a long way to go but the immediate response has been most encouraging. The misfortune of a global medical alert has played its part in that. We had been talking to a company about doing their packaging for quite a while, says Brendan, and they had a big surge in demand for their masks because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus, so we got a substantial number of orders from them in the new year to keep up with their production. Even though they had a primary supplier, we were glad to be able to come in and support the upturn in their business and work with them going forward. But that demand came purely speculatively even though we had been speaking to them, opportunistically, I suppose, on the back of the outbreak. Cube has been on the go since 1996 and grown to around 40 people. Four more have been taken on following this new investment and Brendan is hopeful it will lead to further employment. This is a great addition to our company because it provides the complete supply chain solution for our customers. What you notice in the packaging market is lead times are very long. The guy that needs short runs, tens and twenty thousands of units cant get them on time - theyre probably waiting 12 to 16 weeks. There is a lot being imported from China and the Far East to service this, but now we can say that here in Limerick there is a real solution to this. In our experience in the industry, there is a big issue about minimum order quantities, quick turnaround and on-time delivery and we've got that reputation from our past experience in printing to provide for that. Now were able to to say you can get cartons on short runs when you need them, on time and for a very competitive price, you dont need to be holding large volumes of stock or having long lead times coming in outside of Ireland, thats the niche we're going after. Embracing the new technology at the cutting edge of printing is an important part of that and we're looking to do as much business with Limerick as possible. (Bloomberg) -- Michael Bloomberg, who has sparred with Bernie Sanders on their health, released details of a recent cardiac exam and challenged the Vermont senator, who had a heart attack last year, to do the same. Bloomberg, 78, specifically called on Sanders, also 78, to release his left ventricular ejection fraction, or the amount of blood his heart pumps with each contraction. It is a key piece of data cardiologists would use to assess his health. Bloombergs doctor said his rate of 60-65% was normal. Releasing this single scientific number about heart health could start to put to rest any concerns about Senator Sanderss secrecy about his recent heart attack, Bloomberg campaign spokesman Stu Loeser said in a statement. Mike Bloombergs doctor shared Mikes number, will Senator Sanders ask his doctor to do the same? (Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.) Sanderss communications director Mike Casca rejected the call and said the letters that weve released are very thorough. Sanders left the campaign trail in October after having two stents inserted to treat a blocked artery. He was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, his doctors said in a statement on Oct. 4. He released letters from his doctors in December saying he was fit to lead the country. Bloombergs campaign released a letter dated Wednesday from Stephen Sisson, his internist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, saying his annual health examination and cardiac stress testing last July showed normal results with excellent exercise capacity. An electrocardiogram showed atrial fibrillation, but was otherwise unremarkable, the letter said. Bloomberg underwent a stent placement for a blocked coronary artery in 2000 but heart function is normal, the letter said. He has not had a myocardial infarction, and cardiac stress testing has shown no evidence of damage to his heart, Sisson said in the letter. Story continues The rival campaigns have sparred recently on the issue of the candidates health, with Bloomberg campaign manager Keven Sheekey accusing the Sanders campaign of spreading an absolute lie that the former New York mayor had suffered heart attacks. Sanderss press secretary Briahna Joy Gray said in a Feb. 19 interview on CNN that the Vermont senators health is being scrutinized but 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. She later said on Twitter she had misspoken, when I said Bloomberg had a heart attack but stressed that the former New York mayor had undergone the same procedure as Sanders.Bloomberg released a letter in December from Sisson saying he is in outstanding health and that he underwent coronary stent placement for a blocked coronary artery in 2000 with normal annual cardiac stress testing since then. To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Magan Crane For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Border Security Force (BSF) will rebuild its Constable Mohammad Anees' house, which was burnt in the riots in northeast Delhi, and hand it over to him as a 'wedding gift', officials said. The 29-year-old constable, who is currently posted at a BSF camp in Radhabari near West Bengal's Siliguri, will also be transferred to Delhi "very soon" so that he can be with his family and prepare for his wedding, according to a senior BSF officer. The riots in Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Gokalpuri, Khajuri Khas and Bhajanpur in northeast Delhi have left 42 people dead and over 200 injured. The border guarding force's officials said they got to know about the damage to the constable's parental house in Khajuri Khas from media reports. "The jawan's house suffered extensive damage as it was burnt by rioters during the recent communal clashes in northeast Delhi. While his family members are safe, the house needs re-building and renovation work," the officer said. BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Pushpendra Rathore on Saturday met Anees' parents and his other family members at his home, and assured them all assistance from the paramilitary force. "We have decided to provide an assistance amount of Rs 10 lakh to the jawan from our welfare fund. Also, the engineering wing of the force will rebuild the house within a fortnight," he said. BSF chief and Director General V K Johri has directed that all help be provided to the constable's family, Rathore, who is posted at the BSF's headquarters, told PTI. "I think we should be able to put the house in good shape before April when the jawan is scheduled to marry," he said, adding that it will be like a "wedding gift" to him. The BSF is a family and whenever a member needs help, all resources are put together for the task, the DIG said. The officer said they have requested the constable's family to inform them about any other help they require. "We are also posting constable Anees to Delhi very soon so that he can be with his family and also prepare for his wedding," Rathore said. The jawan had joined the 2.5-lakh personnel strong BSF in 2013 and officials said he did not mention a word to his seniors about the damage to his house in the riots. Anees was posted to West Bengal after he completed a stint in the anti-Naxal operations grid in Odisha. His family is also very brave and composed. They were thankful for the help extended by the BSF to them and all they wanted was peace, brotherhood and normalcy is restored, another official of the force said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 29, 2020] Global ASIC Design Service Market and MEMS Design Service Market 2020 Growth Trends, Segmentation, Type and Application, Leading Players, Systematic Design, Demand & Industry Forecast to 2025 Dallas, Texas, Feb. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global ASIC Design Service Market Application-Specific IC design services provided by the service providers comprises design, development, as well as planning of various integrated circuits according to their end-use specifications as well as requirements. In addition, companies providing ASIC design services develop or design, large-scale or small-scale, and application-centric integrated circuits. Likewise, ASIC design services demand the complete specification file from the consumer, as well as the specifications presented are transformed into integrated circuits. Thus, the transformation can be done by the service providers depending on the consumer's requirements about the project. Moreover, ASIC design service also supports the consumer's complete project or development of small block. This report focuses on the Global ASIC Design Service Market status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the ASIC Design Service development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America. The global ASIC design service market is basically segmented into application, product type, as well as regional analysis. According to the application, the global ASIC design service market is separated into telecommunication, industrial, automotive, and consumer electronics. On considering the product type, the global market is segregated into gate array based ASIC as well as standard cell based ASIC. In terms of geographical regions, the global ASIC design service market is fragmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. Leading industry players operating in the global ASIC market are Analog Devices, ON Semiconductor, Maxim Integrated Products, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Intel. Request a Sample of ASIC Design Service industry report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4227579 Top Companies: Analog Devices Maxim Integrated Products ON Semiconductor Qualcomm Intel Texas Instruments ... Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Standard Cell Based ASIC Gate Array Based ASIC Market segment by Application, split into Telecommunication Industrial Automotive Consumer Electronics Others Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India Central & South America The study objectives of this report are: To analyze global ASIC Design Service status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. To present the ASIC Design Service development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, market and key regions. Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase-single-user/4227579 Major Points from Table of Contents: Chapter One: Report Overview Chapter Two: Global Growth Trends by Regions Chapter Three: Competition Landscape by Key Players Chapter Four: Breakdown Data by Type (2015-2026) Chapter Five: ASIC Design Service Breakdown Data by Application (2015-2026) Chapter Six: North America Chapter Seven: Europe Chapter Eight: China Chapter Nine: Japan Chapter Ten: Southeast Asia Chapter Eleven: India Chapter Twelve: Central & South America Chapter Thirteen: Key Players Profiles Chapter Fourteen: Analyst's Viewpoints/Conclusions Chapter Fifteen: Appendix Another Report: Global MEMS Design Service Market The Global MEMS Design Service Market is basically segmented into applications, type, and regional analysis. On considering the application, the market is segregated into biotechnology, aerospace industry, automotive, and others. In terms of type, the global MEMS design service market is classified into piezoresistive type and variable capacitive type. Geographically, the global MEMS design service market is fragmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among these, the Asia Pacific region will occupy the highest market share over the forecast period, particularly in India, China, and Southeast Asian region. Some of the top manufacturers of the global MEMS design service market are Norcada, Raytron Technology, FTD Solutions, Colibrys, Intelligent MEMS Design, SimuTech Group, Teledyne DALSA, and others. MEMS or Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems is a type of technology which can be defined as the miniaturized mechanical as well as electro-mechanical elements such as structures and devices which are formed with the help of microfabrication technique. In addition, technological advancements in the MEMS service such as high accuracy, size reduction, as well as additional applications is anticipated to boost the growth of the global MEMS design service market during the prediction period. Likewise, rising safety issue across automotive sector will force the customers to implement improved safety measures in the vehicle. However, less manufacturing cost, bulk manufacturing, compact size, ecofriendliness are some of the major factors which can increase the competition among the providers across the world. Request a sample of MEMS Design Service industry report @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/4227578 The key players covered in this study FTD Solutions Norcada Raytron Technology Colibrys SimuTech Group Intelligent MEMS Design Teledyne DALSA Swindon Silicon Systems Hanking Electronics Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Variable Capacitive Type Piezoresistive Type Market segment by Application, split into Aerospace Industry Biotechnology Automotive Others Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia India Central & South America The study objectives of this report are: To analyze global MEMS Design Service status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. To present the MEMS Design Service development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, market and key regions. Request for discount @ https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/discount/4227578 Some Points from Table of Content: Chapter One: Report Overview 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Key Market Segments 1.3 Players Covered: Ranking by MEMS Design Service Revenue 1.4 Market Analysis by Type 1.4.1 Global MEMS Design Service Market Size Growth Rate by Type: 2020 VS 2026 1.4.2 Variable Capacitive Type 1.4.3 Piezoresistive Type 1.5 Market by Application 1.5.1 Global MEMS Design Service Market Share by Application: 2020 VS 2026 1.5.2 Aerospace Industry 1.5.3 Biotechnology 1.5.4 Automotive 1.5.5 Others 1.6 Study Objectives 1.7 Years Considered Chapter Two: Global Growth Trends by Regions 2.1 MEMS Design Service Market Perspective (2015-2026) 2.2 MEMS Design Service Growth Trends by Regions 2.2.1 MEMS Design Service Market Size by Regions: 2015 VS 2020 VS 2026 2.2.2 MEMS Design Service Historic Market Share by Regions (2015-2020) 2.2.3 MEMS Design Service Forecasted Market Size by Regions (2021-2026) 2.3 Industry Trends and Growth Strategy 2.3.1 Market Top Trends 2.3.2 Market Drivers 2.3.3 Market Challenges 2.3.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis 2.3.5 MEMS Design Service Market Growth Strategy 2.3.6 Primary Interviews with Key MEMS Design Service Players (Opinion Leaders) Chapter Three: Competition Landscape by Key Players 3.1 Global Top MEMS Design Service Players by Market Size 3.1.1 Global T 3.1.2 Global MEMS Design Service Revenue Market Share by Players (2015-2020) 3.1.3 Global MEMS Design Service Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier Chapter Two: and Tier 3) .2 Global MEMS Design Service Market Concentration Ratio 3.2.1 Global MEMS Design Service Market Concentration Ratio (CRChapter Five: and HHI) 3.2.2 Global Top Chapter Ten: and Top 5 Companies by MEMS Design Service Revenue in 2019 3.3 MEMS Design Service Key Players Head office and Area Served 3.4 Key Players MEMS Design Service Product Solution and Service 3.5 Date of Enter into MEMS Design Service Market 3.6 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans Chapter Four: Breakdown Data by Type (2015-2026) 4.1 Global MEMS Design Service Historic Market Size by Type (2015-2020) 4.2 Global MEMS Design Service Forecasted Market Size by Type (2021-2026) Continued.... About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Contact Us: Hector Costello Senior Manager Client Engagements 4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600, Dallas, Texas - 75204, U.S.A. Phone No.: +1 (972)-362-8199 ; +91 895 659 5155 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD), which is in the specialty retail business, and is based in United States, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the NYSE, rising to highs of US$5.41 and falling to the lows of US$3.26. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Tailored Brands's current trading price of US$3.31 reflective of the actual value of the small-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Tailored Brandss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. View our latest analysis for Tailored Brands Is Tailored Brands still cheap? Great news for investors Tailored Brands is still trading at a fairly cheap price according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 3.17x is currently well-below the industry average of 14.44x, meaning that it is trading at a cheaper price relative to its peers. Although, there may be another chance to buy again in the future. This is because Tailored Brandss beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the companys shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. What kind of growth will Tailored Brands generate? NYSE:TLRD Past and Future Earnings, February 28th 2020 Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. Tailored Brandss earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 25%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? Since TLRD is currently trading below the industry PE ratio, it may be a great time to increase your holdings in the stock. With a positive profit outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current price multiple. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on TLRD for a while, now might be the time to make a leap. Its prosperous future profit outlook isnt fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means its not too late to buy TLRD. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to make a well-informed assessment. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Tailored Brands. You can find everything you need to know about Tailored Brands in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Tailored Brands, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Downtown Lake Oswego appeared relatively serene Saturday, but workers at several local stores said that wasnt the case the previous night. And Costcos around the metro area got cleaned out of supplies -- toilet paper, water and hand sanitizer seemed to be big sellers, if there were any left. Among other popular items: frozen berries and black beans. Cashiers at both Safeway and Rite Aid in Lake Oswego said they quickly ran out of items like hand sanitizer and hand wipes as news broke Friday night of someone with a presumptive case of coronavirus who works at the citys Forest Hills Elementary School. At the Safeway, more than 30 people lined up at closing time, some buying $500 worth of emergency supplies, and pharmacist Seong Lee said he advised the unusually high influx of people not to panic. Basic hygiene washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes is the way to go. Lee said he was shocked when the announcement came. I didnt expect it in my community, he said. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE Lake Oswego resident Rachel Tinney said although her 6-year-old daughter doesnt go to Forest Hills Elementary, the district has been good with timely alerts. "I think I've been taking all the precautionary measures," she said. "I'll follow any recommendation I'm given." So far, health officials arent suggesting closing any local schools except for Forest Hills, which is shut through Wednesday for a deep cleaning. Tinney said she plans to send her daughter to Hallinan Elementary School as usual Monday. Many people in Portland and its suburbs went about their business Saturday, though there were signs throughout that residents were heeding advice of state health officials to stock up on supplies in case of a prolonged quarantine. A man at the Rite Aid in Lake Oswego said he was trying to be practical about the news. I travel a lot for business, he said. People get sick. I take precautions like taking zinc, but Im going in with a pragmatic approach. There have probably been people walking around with it for a while, but this is the first person to potentially test positive. All was pretty much quiet at Forest Hills Elementary, with a Do Not Enter sign up and barriers at the entrance of the small red-brick school. There was some buzz when a cleaning company arrived but most neighbors appeared to take the closing in stride, running by or walking their dogs. It wasnt as calm at Costco. The parking lot at the warehouse store in Aloha was jammed with cars spilling into the overflow lot. The checkouts were doing brisk business similar to a weekend at Christmastime. If you live in Tigard / Lake Oswego / Beaverton and you need to get into Costco, good luck. This is JUST THE CROWD to get in. pic.twitter.com/cnOSA0bXTf Janice Pimentel (@saysjanice) February 29, 2020 Customers at the Costco in Tigard, the one closest to Lake Oswego, found themselves in lines 100-people deep, snaking to the back of the store. One shopper arrived at the 9:30 a.m. opening and said 1,000 people or so were waiting to get in. Some people wore masks. Take a deep breath, its going to be fine. Ive never seen it like this. ... I am telling people (on Facebook) dont come to Costco, said customer Michele Bambach of Lake Oswego. Im here to grab a bag of beef jerky, a woman said as she walked into the Tigard store. But most customers were filling their carts with supplies and food -- lots of food. By 11 a.m, a few brands of pain relievers were sold out at the store, though other more brands were available. Murray Blvd Walmart in Beaverton. Hand sanitizer, disinfects, and wipes shelves. pic.twitter.com/QHCYojEveo Michael Galimanis (@Cougphotog) February 29, 2020 Overall, there wasnt a sense of panic in the aisles -- just many people seemingly wanting to be prepared. Congratulations on getting a parking spot and for getting out of the store with your stuff, one shopper said as he pushed his packed cart by a woman loading her own purchases into her trunk. A line of four cars had queued up, the first waiting to take her spot. Employees there said the store ran out of toilet paper for the first time in its history and that it was the busiest they had ever seen. Toilet paper," one worker said, "is golden in an apocalypse. A second person who was under investigation for the illness, unrelated to the Forest Hills employee, tested negative on Saturday, officials said. At least seven other tests are pending and 88 people are being monitored for the disease, according to the Oregon Health Authority. In Washington County, where health officials said the infected school employee lives, people waited for more information. We just have to be cautious until we learn more said a woman who lives near Hillsboros Century High School. A man in the same neighborhood said he was most concerned that the affected person doesnt appear to have caught the virus from traveling. Theres nothing we can do especially if were not clear where its coming from, he said. Others said they weren't any more worried than they would be about coming into contact with the flu. At the Hillsboro Fred Meyer, several items were dwindling or out of stock, including soap, bleach and paper products. Janet Chaput of Hillsboro said she wished health officials would be more specific about where the person with coronavirus lives so people could get a sense of possible exposure. They should tell us the whole story, she said. MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS: Oregon coronavirus patient likely had little contact with students at Lake Oswego school Lake Oswego School District officials hold news conference Man in Washington state first in US to die from new coronavirus Coronavirus spreads to Washington nursing home Washington coronavirus: Governor declares state of emergency Aimee Green, Mark Graves and Grant Butler of The Oregonian/OregonLive, and the Associated Press, contributed to this report. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Getting up at 5am and riding through the rain in the Scottish winter to this cafe job and having miserable tradies coming in and being grumpy at me because the coffee machine wasnt on, I was like, I need to write some songs! Now! With Took regularly away on tour, and Marys financial situation such that on occasion she was unable to afford heating in her apartment, its remarkable The Piss, The Perfume remains such a buoyant listen. Ive always written my most feelgood music when I feel bad, she says. Its kind of like a wish, an expression of a desire that I put in a song, not a reflection. Mary returned to Australia last April to record the EP with producer Scott Horscroft (Silverchair, the Presets). Her goal was clear. I wanted to make a record that sounds like the memory of your parents dancing in the kitchen, but your parents are Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, she says, laughing. I also wanted to make a pop record that rocks. With an upcoming tour of the UK and Ireland, Marys period of aimlessness has clearly come to an end. Shes not, however, under any illusions as to the work ahead. Its back-to-basics touring. F---ing character building, she days, chuckling. I thought I already had a character, but apparently the universe thinks it needs to be bigger. So here we go! Hayley Mary plays the Landsdowne Hotel, Chippendale, on March 20; and Brunswick Mechanics Institute, Melbourne, on March 22. House of Penance review: 'an inspired and creepy take on one of America's lesser-known eccentrics' If you like Crimson Peak, you'll love House of Penance Turkey and Russia gave opposing accounts to the Security Council of what happened. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on Friday described an increase in fighting in northwest Syria that killed dozens of Turkish troops as "one of the most alarming moments" of the nine-year-old war and along with most U.N. Security Council members called for a ceasefire. Read alsoUkraine condemns Assad, Russia's air raid on Turkish positions in Syria The 15-member Security Council met on Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government troops in the deadliest attack suffered by Turkey's army in nearly 30 years, Reuters reports. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, supported by Russian air power, have been fighting to retake the last large, rebel-held region in Syria after nine years of war. Turkey has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into Idlib region in an unprecedented incursion to back the rebels. "We call for the Russian Federation to immediately ground its warplanes and we call for all Syrian forces and their Russian backers to withdraw to the ceasefire lines first established in 2018," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, told the council. Turkey and Russia gave opposing accounts to the Security Council of what happened. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Turkish troops shared coordinates with Russia, which were then given to Syrian government forces, to avoid conflict on the ground. He said Russian warplanes were not providing support in the area where the Turkish soldiers were killed. Read alsoIn retaliation move, Turkey bombs Assad's forces in Idlib overnight Friday (Photo, video) "The coordinates conveyed yesterday did not mention the areas where ultimately the Turkish soldiers died," Nebenzia said. "As soon as it became clear that it happened the Russian side took exhaustive measures to cease hostilities and to ensure the safe evacuation of the dead and injured." Turkish U.N. Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu disputed Nebenzia's account, saying that "radar tracks" showed that Syrian government and Russian aircraft were flying in formation during the time of the attack. "We had prior coordination in writing with Russian forces about the location of our convey and air strikes continued despite our immediate warnings right after the very first attack," he said. Sinirlioglu said the Turkish troops were alone in the area and "the logical conclusion of that is that they were deliberately attacked." He said Turkey did not want war but would not hesitate to use force if its security was threatened. Craft urged Guterres to do everything in his power to broker a ceasefire, saying "the U.N. must play a central active role if we are to avoid even greater escalation." Ahead of the Security Council meeting, Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire "before the situation gets entirely out of control," adding that: "Civilians are paying the gravest price ... And the noose keeps tightening, as the frontlines reach more densely populated areas. Nearly a million Syrians have fled over the last three months, the biggest exodus of the conflict. A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 led to civil war. Senior U.N. officials dealing with the humanitarian situation in northwest Syria on Thursday appealed for help from the 15-member Security Council, which has long been divided on how to deal with Syria. Russia had vetoed 14 draft resolutions during the war. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/02/28 On February 28th entertainer Choi Yul issued an apology for her statements on Instragram the previous day. On February 27th Choi Yul complained about being refused a taxi on Vietnam on account of her being Korean. She also complained that people were yelling epithets in Koreans in the streets and that guards were stalking them and demanding to see passports. Choi Yul described the situation as no better than North Korea. Advertisement Reaction against Choi Yul in social media was harsh, particularly in Vietnam, with many stating that the actress was being both racist and selfish. Vietnam has been extremely diligent throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, having very few cases of the disease in spite of its close proximity to China. Choi Yul described the reaction as emotionally charged and apologized for having upset people with remarks which she described as being her own personal venting. Written by William Schwartz Malaysia's former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin shows a document after submitting an application for a new political party on August 9, 2016. Malaysia's king named former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister on Saturday in a shock decision that sidelined old rivals Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim after a week of political turmoil. The decision came five days after the resignation of 94-year-old Mahathir, the world's oldest head of government, who broke an alliance with Anwar, 72, that swept the former ruling party from power in a 2018 election victory. Although Mahathir and Anwar announced on Saturday that they had joined hands again, the palace said in a statement the king made his decision on the basis that Muhyiddin Yassin possibly had the support of a majority in parliament. "His majesty has decreed that the process of appointing a prime minister cannot be delayed," it added. "This is the best decision for all." Muhyiddin will be sworn in on Sunday. "I only ask for all Malaysians to accept the decision announced by the national palace," Muhyiddin told reporters at his home. There was no immediate reaction from Mahathir or Anwar. Muhyiddin, 72, had the backing of the former ruling party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), that was driven from power after six decades by the Pakatan Harapan alliance of Mahathir and Anwar on an anti-corruption platform. Former UNMO prime minister Najib Razak is on trial for corruption. But UNMO's fortunes have risen since its 2018 defeat, with the Pakatan coalition losing five by-elections in the face of criticism from some Malay voters that it should do more to favour the country's biggest ethnic group of 32 million. Muhyiddin also had the backing of Islamist party PAS. UMNO, which Mahathir led from 1981 to 2003 during a previous stint as prime minister, supports Malay nationalism. The latest crisis was sparked by a tussle for power between Mahathir and Anwar that has shaped Malaysian politics for two decades. Mahathir had promised to hand power to Anwar after the 2018 election, but no date had been set. Anwar was Mahathir's deputy and a rising political star when Mahathir was prime minister the first time, but they fell out over how to tackle the Asian financial crisis. Anwar was arrested and jailed in the late 1990s for sodomy and corruption, charges he says were politically motivated. As well as personal relationships, politics in Malaysia is shaped by a tangle of ethnic, religious and regional interests. Malaysia is more than half ethnic Malay, but has large ethnic Chinese, Indian and other minorities. Nigeria on Thursday announced the first confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has been plaguing many countries across the world. This makes it the third confirmed case in Africa, and more cases might still be detected as there is yet no respite from the ongoing outbreak. While the World Health Organisation had declared it a health issue of global concern, the federal government also said it has been putting in place measures to contain an eventual outbreak of the disease in the country. However, to successfully contain the outbreak, every section of our society including businesses and employers must play a role, it said. As at Friday, over 75,000 people have been infected and 2,500 people have died from the disease outbreak. The respiratory disease is capable of spreading through human-to-human contact, droplets carried through sneezing and coughing, and germs left on inanimate objects. Symptoms of the disease can include a sore throat, runny nose, fever or pneumonia and can progress to multiple organ failure or death in some severe cases. WHO compiled some tips on how to secure your workplace. How COVID-19 spreads Covid-19 can spread when someone infected with the virus coughs or exhales they release droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one meter of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. Risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. Also, people with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes, heart and lung disease are also more vulnerable to serious illness. Tips Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic. Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly. Why? Because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors and customers. Put sanitisers and hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled. Display posters promoting hand-washing ask your local public health authority for these or look on www.WHO.int. Combine this with other communication measures such as offering guidance from occupational health and safety officers, briefings at meetings and information on the intranet to promote hand-washing. Make sure that staff, contractors and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water. Why? Because washing kills the virus on your hands and prevents the spread of COVID19. Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace. Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them Why? Because good respiratory hygiene prevents the spread of COVID-19. Advise employees and contractors to consult national travel advice before going on business trips. Consider issuing employees who are about to travel with small bottles (under 100 CL) of alcohol-based hand rub. This can facilitate regular hand-washing. Employees who have returned from an area where COVID-19 is spreading should monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and take their temperature twice a day. If they develop even a mild cough or low-grade fever (i.e. a temperature of 37.3 C or more) they should stay at home and self-isolate. This means avoiding close contact (one meter or nearer) with other people, including family members. They should also telephone their healthcare provider or the local public health department, giving them details of their recent travel and symptoms. Promote regular teleworking across your organization. If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community the health authorities may advise people to avoid public transport and crowded places. Teleworking will help your business keep operating while your employees stay safe. Manipal Hospitals, foremost multi-specialty healthcare provider committed to clinical excellence and patient care pledged for cancer free society on 'World Cancer Day.' Ms. Ganavi Laxman, Kannada Actress graced the occasion to lend her support for this initiative. Team of doctors lead by Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals, Dr. Somashekhar S.P, MBBS, MS, MCh (Onco), FRCS. Edinburgh, Chairman & HOD Surgical Oncology-MHEPL, Consultant Surgical & Gynec. Onco & Robotic Surgeon, HIPEC Super Specialist, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center emphasized the need to raise awareness on cancer and early screening to detect and defeat cancer. Cancer is a disease caused primarily due to environmental and genetic factors. It can affect almost any part of the body. According to National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), an estimated number of around 2.25 million people are living with cancer. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals said, " The alarming statistics of cancer is the cause of great concern globally. Lack of awareness, delayed diagnosis and often denial and ignorance are the primary culprits. Management of cancer is the key and this can be achieved through world-class treatment. Fortunately, at Manipal Hospitals, we invest in the latest technology in terms of treatment and create opportunities to make them accessible to public thereby reducing the burden of transportation. In fact, we have been supporting the cause of cancer awareness for years now with various initiatives. Therefore, curing cancer through Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) is providing a ray of hope to people battling cancer. We have the expertise to handle the most challenging and complex cases thus facilitating better patient outcomes and even curbing reoccurrences of Cancer." Sharing her thoughts on the occasion, Ms. Ganavi Laxman , Kannada Actress said, "Cancer is indeed deadly and very traumatizing. However, we can overcome it by adopting a positive attitude and healthy lifestyle. It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid consumption of tobacco and alcohol. However, there is a need for creating awareness on cancer, early detection and working towards preventing the disease. I am glad to be a part of this initiative by Manipal Hospitals where I can encourage people and contribute towards the cause to some extent." Elaborating on Immunotherapy and HIPEC & PIPEC, Dr. Somashekhar S.P, MBBS, MS, MCh (Onco), FRCS. Edinburgh, Chairman & HOD Surgical Oncology-MHEPL, Consultant, Surgical & Gynec, Onco & Surgeon, HIPEC Super Specialist, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center said, "Significant proportion of cancers can be cured by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy and immunotherapy, especially if they are detected early. However, with advancements in cancer treatments like Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC), the burden of cancer care has reduced. In fact, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center at Manipal Hospital is the referral Center for HIPEC and PIPAC across South East Asia and India for advanced ovarian cancer and GI peritoneal cancers and highest number of HIPEC and PIPAC in entire Asia are done here. Both the techniques have great advantages like reducing chemotherapy side effects, improving chemotherapy absorption and susceptibility of cancer cells and so on." He further added, "Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) refers to the aggressive surgery that entails removal of all visible tumors present throughout the peritoneal surfaces. It lasts for 6 to 8 hours and involves number of complicated surgical procedures that can be accomplished only by skilled surgeons in every attempt to remove all visible tumour in the peritoneal cavity. Hyperthermic Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) refers to the intraoperative administration of heated chemotherapy fluid into the peritoneal cavity immediately after CRS is completed. Pressurized Intra Peritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) is the newest method of giving chemotherapy to patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis." Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Saturday hit out at the Shiv Sena on the issue of 5 per cent reservations to the Muslim community in education. Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik had, on Friday, announced in the Legislative Council that the Uddhav Thackeray government had proposed to provide five per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutes. Patil said the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had provided 10 per cent reservation for economically backward classes in the general category, which included Muslims. "So what is the need to provide separate 5 per cent reservation for Muslims. The state government has given this reservation despite there being no provision for it in the Constitution," he said at a meeting of BJP workers here. "The Shiv Sena has no Hindutva left in it. It is sharing the stage with the Congress whose leaders have called Veer Savarkar a rapist," he added. Speaking on the upcoming local body polls, Patil asked BJP workers to come up with innovative ideas that would benefit people. "Like, in Kolhapur, we implemented innovative schemes. We can provide e-buses, mall for women entrepreneurs, or a cup of tea for Re 1," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A fake Liberal party float featuring pictures of Scott Morrison and Captain Cook at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was stopped by police on Saturday night. The float represented a sailing ship and was led by a person in a Hawaiian shirt with a picture of the prime minister covering their face. Other protesters were dressed in blue overalls with the words 'Department of Homo Affairs' written in white letters on the back as they held a banner reading 'turn back the float, wreck their endeavour.' A fake Liberal party float featuring pictures of Scott Morrison and Captain Cook in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was stopped by police on Saturday night Protesters were dressed in blue overalls with the words 'Department of Homo Affairs' written in white letters on the back stopped the fake float The registered 'Friends of the Liberal Party' float behind the protest float was forced to stop in its tracks The protesters then formed a blockade across the Oxford Street bringing the parade to a halt just after 10pm. A registered 'LGBT Friends of the Liberal Party' float directly behind the protesters was forced to stop in it's tracks. The visibly annoyed parade participants on the back of the float could be seen gesturing for the protesters to move away. Dozens of police officers on bikes and on foot then swooped in and clashed with the protesters, quickly shutting down the float. Televised coverage of the parade cut away just before the police removed the protesters. Some people criticised the swift police response on Twitter. 'Mardi Gras was founded on the fundamentals of democracy and free protest,' one person said. 'In a 42 year old protest you have to register your float! It does seem like they've lost the spirit behind the Mardi Gras,' another person said. Other politically focused protest floats featured in the parade such as a First Nations float. A 'Rainbow Labor' float was also included in the parade with Labor politicians Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally, and Labor leader Anthony Albanese set to participate. The non-registered floated halted the parade just after 10pm on Saturday Dozens of NSW police, some on bikes, swooped in and removed the protesters The protesters carried a banner reading 'turn back the float, wreck their endeavour' before police removed them South Carolina's Democrats are more in favor of a return to Obama-era politics than voters in both New Hampshire and Iowa, according to the AP VoteCast early exit polls. Why it matters: Roughly half of black South Carolina Democratic voters say they want a presidency like Obama's. By comparison, about 2/3 of white voters want fundamental change in Washington, the AP found. Overall, "about 4 in 10 voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire," the AP notes. in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared to about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire," the AP notes. "About 9 in 10 black voters said it was very important that a nominee cares about people like them, while about 7 in 10 whites said the same." said it was very important that a nominee cares about people like them, while about 7 in 10 whites said the same." "Separately, about 8 in 10 black voters want a candidate with the 'right experience,' compared to just about 5 in 10 white voters." The bottom line: The Biden campaign bet it all on South Carolina, and he remained the state's polling leader going into today's contest. A guest lecturer at a college in Assam's Silchar was arrested for posting alleged derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP on Facebook in wake of the violence in Delhi, police said on Saturday. Souradeep Sengupta, a guest lecturer in the Physics department at Gurucharan College, was arrested from his residence in the Itkhola area on Friday night after a case was lodged against him based on a complaint filed by a student, they said. He also allegedly targeted a particular community in his Facebook post, which his family said was later deleted. They said he subsequently posted an apology on the social media website for the comments. Charges of malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, promoting enmity between different groups and criminal intimidation, among others, have been brought against Sengupta, police said. Students of the college held a demonstration on the campus earlier in the day, demanding that Sengupta's services be immediately terminated. He was "intentionally targeted" by a group of students who forcibly entered the house hurling abuses on Friday evening, Sengupta's family said, adding that they were not informed about the police case before the arrest. After his till the secondary level in Silchar, Sengupta did his B.Sc from Presidency College in Kolkata. He did his post-graduation from the Delhi University and is currently doing Ph.D, his family said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: As US-Taliban sign a historic peace deal, India has reacted cautiously to the development reiterating its earlier stand of lending consistent support to bring peace and stability to the region. The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said, "India`s consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process." MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India has noted that the peace deal has been welcomed by the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan. "As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected," he said. Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is on a two-day visit to Afghanistan, congratulated the people of Afghanistan and its government on the conduct of the fourth presidential elections and the declaration of the final results. Noting the recent developments and hope for peace generated by recent developments, he reiterated the need for all sections of the political leadership to work together in the pursuit of sustainable peace and security for the people of the country. He reiterated Indias consistent support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic and inclusive Afghanistan in which interests of all sections of Afghan society are preserved. He also conveyed Indias support for enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. He underscored that sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism. The United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed a peace deal in Doha after months of negotiations, aimed at ending the 18-year long war in Afghanistan. The United States will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months, as per the joint declaration between the Afghan government and Washington. The plan is "subject to the Taliban`s fulfilment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement," the joint declaration read. The deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. While the agreement paves the way for the United States to gradually pull out of its longest war, many expect that talks to come between the multiple Afghan sides will be far more complicated. Just four days ahead of their scheduled hanging, one of the four death row convicts, Pawan Kumar Gupta, in the December 16, 2012 gang rape and murder case, moved a curative plea in the Supreme Court on Friday claiming juvenility to seek the commutation of his death penalty into life imprisonment. Gupta, against whom a death warrant has been issued for execution along with three other condemned prisoners on March 3, has filed the curative plea through lawyer AP Singh seeking the setting aside of the apex courts earlier verdicts on appeals and review petitions in the case. A 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang raped and savagely assaulted in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, 2012. She died a fortnight later. Gupta pleaded that his age on the day of offence was 16 years and two months as per his school records and the age has not been determined in accordance with the procedures laid down under the Juvenile Justice Act. This information was suppressed by the state throughout the proceedings, he claimed. Pawan, the last death row convict in the case to move the top court with his curative plea, the last legal remedy available to a person, has also sought a stay on the execution of the black warrant issued by the trial court for the hanging. The impugned judgment has been occasioned by incomplete evidence being presented before this court and material evidence being suppressed by the respondent state, the plea said, adding the juvenility claim has not been dealt as per the procedures laid down in law and this has led to a miscarriage of justice. The convicts birth certificate showed he was a juvenile on the date of the incident and this information was not kept before the court, it said. The birth certificate from the school, shows that the petitioner was a juvenile on the date of the incident. That such procedure for age determination was also present under JJ Act, 2000 and the petitioner was entitled to the appreciation of his juvenility under the earlier Act which has been continued in the procedure the Act, it said. It said the police was specifically directed to file a report regarding the petitioners age before the Metropolitan Magistrate, but it did not produce his school records despite clear mandate of the JJ Act and rules. The plea of juvenility was not examined through an enquiry as required by the Juvenile Justice Act and Rules. Instead, reliance was placed a written statement allegedly of the parents of the petitioner. This is contrary to the procedure contemplated under JJ Act, 2015. The documents relied on by the prosecution to establish the date of birth were never proved in court and were not exhibited. These documents were not put to the petitioner as required by section, the petition said. Gupta is the lone convict who has not exhausted his legal remedies of filing a curative petitionthe last legal remedy available to a personand subsequent mercy plea with the President. The trial court on February 17 issued a fresh date for the execution of death warrants for March 3 at 6 am for the four convictsMukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Kumar Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar (31)in the Deacember 16, 2012 gang rape and murder case. The mercy petitions of three convictsMukesh, Vinay and Akshayhave already been dismissed by the President. The apex court had earlier dismissed separate pleas filed by Mukesh and Vinay challenging the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President. Akshay has not yet challenged the rejection of his mercy petition. Six people, including the four convicts and a juvenile, were accused in the case. Ram Singh, the sixth man accused, allegedly killed himself in Tihar Jail days after the trial began in the case. The juvenile was released in 2015 after spending three years in a correctional home. The panels report, released Wednesday, said the closed windows deprived the ward of much-needed ventilation. Hand sanitizer could not be left in the open because of the risk that patients could drink it. For the sake of constant patient observation, even bathrooms were not compartmented. The Marvel Cinematic Universes (MCU) Phase 4 is about to take off with the premieres of Black Widow and The Eternals on the big screen this year, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision appearing on Disney+ in the fall. Fans know it will be a while before we see the former Fox properties being resurrected in the MCU, but that hasnt stopped fans and even famous actors from casting the roles. That includes The Office alum, John Krasinski. Fans have fantasy-casted him and his wife, Emily Blunt, as the new Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman in whatever version of the Fantastic Four the MCU comes up with. So far, Krasinski is on board John Krasinski wants to be Mr. Fantastic John Krasinski | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Krasinski tried his hand at the MCU when it was first coming together in the late 2000s. It seemed like he had a good chance to play Captain America, since former Human Torch Chris Evans didnt seem especially eager to jump back into the superhero game. However, that all went out the window when Chris Hemsworth (inadvertently?) intimidated Krasinski out of the part. But Krasinski wants another crack at Marvel. GamesRadar quoted Krasinski telling Total Film: I would love to be in the Marvel universe. I love those movies because theyre fun, but I also think theyre really well done. And certainly, a lot of my friends are in those movies. I have no idea what [Marvel] are thinking. But if they are considering me for Mr. Fantastic, continue to consider me because I would love it. Whether Blunt is equally down is not established. But she was originally Jon Favreaus first choice to play Black Widow before she had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts. Now there are stories that, because Blunt has been working on Jungle Cruise for Disney, that must mean Marvel pulled her aside for some talk. Its probably wishful thinking, but at least half the couple is interested. A real-life couple has already been in a Fantastic Four movie Fantastic Four, directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey and Tim Blake Nelson, was released on this day in 2015 (USA) #FantasticFour pic.twitter.com/r4e6dawC1G SciFi31 (@SciFi31) August 7, 2019 If Krasinski and Blunt were to team up in the MCUs Fantastic Four movie, it would actually not be the first time a real-life couple played members of the Fantastic Four. Jamie Bell and Kate Mara, who are now married and who have a baby daughter, starred as the Thing and the Invisible Woman. The future Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan, was the Human Torch, while Miles Teller was Mr. Fantastic. Unfortunately, it was in the 2014 reboot that turned into an infamous mess. Director Josh Trank sabotaged his own movie with a quickly-deleted tweet that said he had put together a great version of the film but no one would see it because Fox took it away from him. If Blunt and Krasinski dont end up in the new Fantastic Four, Bell and Mara probably wouldnt be interested either because most everyone involved with that iteration of the Fantastic Four would rather keep it in the rearview mirror. Marvel is probably planning to start from scratch Could John Krasinski direct an MCU film? If its not in the cards for Krasinski and/or Blunt to be in the MCU, perhaps Krasinski might consider directing one. At one time, despite his old Marvel audition, he might have seemed like an odd choice. Krasinski had been known for romantic and/or comedy shows, such as The Office before he became an action star playing Jack Ryan for the Amazon series. More recently, Krasinski became a director, helming a few episodes of The Office before making his first feature with the not-too-well remembered The Hollars. So audiences and critics alike were surprised when Krasinski turned out to be a very capable action director with A Quiet Place. The sequel, also directed by Krasinski, is due out in March So when asked if he would be an MCU director, it was somewhat surprising that Krasinski said, Oh man, directing one of those things? I dont think Im your guy. But if I was to act in one? Id have so much fun. Marinated chicken and beef skewers are grilled over charcoal and served with house peanut satay sauce at Phat Eatery in Katy. Photo: Chuck Cook / Chuck Cook Photo: Chuck Cook / Chuck Cook If you find foods on a stick as delicious as they are amusing, Houston is your wonderland. Restaurants across the city offer global grazing when it comes to savory and sweet bites served on sticks. Some of our favorites: Charcoal-grilled chicken or beef satay on skewers are cooked to order and served with cucumber, onion and peanut sauce at Phat Eatery, 23119 Colonial Parkway, Katy. The happy-hour menu at Third Coast Restaurant, 6550 Bertner in Texas Medical Center, offers deep-fried panko-crusted shrimp served with a curry dipping sauce. Chef Chris Shepherds take on what he calls a gas station snack can be found on his menu at One Fifth Gulf Coast, 1658 Westheimer, where hes serving Mississippi-style battered chicken on a stick with Alabama white sauce. The Texas Kobe beef skewers are a 72-hour sous vide labor of love at Kata Robata, 3600 Kirby, where chef Manabu Horiuchi also offers chicken skewers three ways: spicy mentaiko, teriyaki and Osaka style. A variety of Korean corn dogs (wieners dipped in rice flour batter, a favorite Seoul street food) can be found at Sul Bing Su, 23119 Colonial Parkway, the Korean ice cream shop that also has a new branch at 9798 Bellaire. James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega offers beef on a stick skewered sirloin marinated in fresh herbs and served with queso fresco and tomato salad at Caracol, 2200 Post Oak. Chicken gizzards and hearts are just a few of the grilled savories at Tiger Den, 9889 Bellaire, where owner Mike Tran also threads shrimp, beef, lamb and mushrooms on wood sticks. More than half the menu items at Trans new Toukei, 9630 Clarewood, a modern Japanese izakaya, are served on sticks, including marinated baby octopus, slicked with a soy glaze. Chunks of grilled beef and chicken (served with olive oil and Sicilian garlic yogurt) are listed as snacky things at Postino, 642 Yale and 805 Pacific, where glasses of wine are $5 before 5 p.m. every day. greg.morago@chron.com instagram.com/gregmorago United Nations, March 1 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the "efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement in Afghanistan" following the US-Taliban deal. "Today's events in Doha and Kabul mark important developments in this regard," Xinhua quoted Guterres as saying in a statement on Saturday. He also expressed his appreciation to Qatar for hosting the talks between the US and the Taliban. The US and the Taliban signed a peace agreement on Saturday in the Qatari capital of Doha in a bid to end a long-running war in Afghanistan. According to a joint statement released by the US and Afghan governments ahead of the signing, the United States and NATO will completely pull out their troops from Afghanistan in 14 months if the Taliban held its commitments. The statement also said that the United States is going to reduce its troops to 8,600 in Afghanistan within 135 days after signing the agreement. The UN Secretary-General stressed the importance of sustaining the nationwide reduction in violence, for the benefit of all Afghans. He encouraged continued efforts by all parties to create an enabling environment for the intra-Afghan negotiations and a comprehensive peace process. In the statement, the UN chief hoped that the deeply held aspirations of the Afghan people for peace will be realized, through an inclusive Afghan-led process with the meaningful participation of women and youth. Guterres also reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the people and government of Afghanistan. Emergency laws allowing health and safety measures to be bypassed in order to keep the country running should the coronavirus outbreak worsen will be rushed in next week amid No10 fears of an economic meltdown, reports suggest. Councils, schools and the public sector will be given powers to suspend laws restricting classroom sizes and limiting the legal number of working hours in order to keep classes and supply chains running, according to The Times. Rumours of the plans which could see military doctors drafted in to help NHS hospitals cope emerged hours after the Department of Health (DoH) revealed the virus had been transmitted within the UK for the first time. Downing Street is weighing up whether to attempt to minimise the disruption to the economy, or prioritise saving lives by imposing intrusive restrictions, The Times reported. Londons FTSE 100 share index suffered its worst one-week fall since last decades financial crash as a result of the virus, with 210bn erased from the value of the countrys top companies. Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty The governments urgent contingency plans came as Boris Johnson was urged by Labour rivals and former senior Tories to get a grip of the coronavirus situation. Insisting the deadly outbreak was his top priority the prime minister on Friday announced he would chair an emergency Cobra meeting but not for three days time. Meanwhile, the first UK national died from the virus in Japan after becoming infected on the Diamond Princess cruise liner, which has seen more than 700 of its passengers contract the deadly virus. The man who died was one of at least four British cruise ship passengers who were taken to hospital in Japan after testing positive for the virus, which has now killed six of the people who contracted it onboard the ship. Sally Abel was cleared of the virus on Thursday, while her husband David appeared optimistic, saying in a video broadcast: Even if Im still positive its not the end of the world. On British soil, the DoH warned it is highly likely that we will soon see some instances of community transmission, as it emerged the UKs 20th patient may have been infected by someone who had not recently travelled overseas. Health authorities scrambled to discover the original source of the virus, lamenting it remained unclear as experts warned doing so was crucial in order to prevent a more extensive spread. This case a person testing positive for novel coronavirus with no known link to an affected area or known case marks a new chapter for the UK and it will be crucial to understand where the infection came from to try to prevent more extensive spread, said Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham. President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate withdrawal and replacement of security agents undermining the countrys border closure policy. In a statement issued Saturday by Femi Adesina, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr Buhari also directed that the respective organisations of the security agents should mete appropriate disciplinary actions to them. According to the statement, Mr Buhari commissioned a border drill exercise, Operation Swift Response, to checkmate the illegal activities of smugglers across the countrys borders. The border drill has been hugely successful and has led to the interception and seizure of large quantities of foods, materials, minerals and petroleum resources illegally trafficked across our borders, the statement said. The president commends the security agencies for a job well done. He, however, finds it disheartening to learn that 295 smuggled petroleum tankers were released without due authorization on 17th December, 2019, by some security officials charged with the responsibility of protecting our borders. Thereafter, the statement continued, the president directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) to set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the crime. The board recommended that all officials (civilian or security operatives) found to have connived to undermine governments efforts should be withdrawn from the border drill and severely sanctioned by their respective organizations. The president has accepted the recommendations and directed the immediate withdrawal and replacement of all those found culpable. He has also directed that their respective organizations should mete immediate appropriate disciplinary actions to them. Dundalk Harbour has a long history of shipping, stretching back well over a thousand years, but one of the strangest sights from the Quays of the past century has been the wreckage of two old ships which have been slowly decaying on the mudflats opposite the Spirit Store during that period. There is not much left of these two old vessels but their 'bones' can still be seen, if you look closely, at low tide. I first noticed these two old vessels when I was a child travelling on a train to Greenore over the First Metals across the Castletown Estuary over three quarters of a century ago. There were quite a lot of their hulks to be seen then, lying on the slob land surrounded by wading birds, and I wondered where they had come from? They came to my attention again when I worked for the Connick's Coal Office at Quay Street in the early fifties but it was only after I had retired that I came across a record of their origins when I procured a copy of the 'Shipwreck Inventory of Ireland'. From it I learned that they were the remains of two old ships that had been abandoned there, opposite the outlet of the old sewage system from Dundalk Town at St. Helena Park. According to Karl Brady who compiled the inventory, the two are all that remains of Alsopp and the Night Watch that were abandoned there and slowly have decayed with the passage of time. There is not much in the Inventory about either vessel but it indicates the Night Watch arrived there first and had been the victim of a storm in February 1886. About this vessel the Inventory says --- '328 ton barquentine, measured 116 ft long by 26 ft breath and 16ft depth. En route to Dundalk, cargo of pitch pine for Messrs. Williamson. Captain was Carter. Entered the River (Castletown) leaky on 8th February, grounded close to beacon No. 5 on the east side of Chanel. On 17th February, towed by tug to Quays, docked and crew went ashore. Heavy wind broke moorings, vessel swung out, resting against the Quay under the Town sewer. Crew returned, ship awash with sewage. Messrs. Williamson refused to accept cargo and an argument ensued regarding liability for damage. Court case began in 1888. Vessel moved to its current location (on the opposite side of the river). Builder bought the cargo.' There is a lot less in the Inventory relating to the Alsopp. It does not state when it came to rest beside the Night Watch but seems to have been some time at the beginning of the last century. This entry says --- 'Dublin vessel bought by Dundalk Harbour Commissioners. Crane mounted on the vessel for work in the docks. Sold to Mr. Hearty for drying nets. Later towed to the far side of the river, beyond the walls (river channel strengthening), sunk.' This does not say when the Alsopp came to rest beside the Night Watch but it must have been at least 100 years ago. Charlie McCarthy, former Dundalk Harbour Commissioners' Boatman, tells me that he thinks there might have been a mistake regarding the name of this vessel but he believes it was bought new by the Commissioners and was used for loading ballast on other vessels using the Harbour after they had discarded their cargoes. He has told me also that heaps of this ballast used to be quite noticeable all along the Channel, all the way out to the Pile Lighthouse in the Bay, which had been dumped by ships so that they could cross the Bar at the entrance to the Chanel. There is a heap of old boulders near the place where the two old ships came to their final resting place, which was probably part of a 'store' for use as ballast. There may have been other ships that sank between the present Tain Bridge and the end of Navvy Bank but I have never noticed any wrecks along that part of the Estuary and any that did were probably removed before they broke up. So, the two hulks on the mudflats at North Marsh must have been unique and a feature that will have been remembered by the thousands of Dundalk people who used take a Sunday stroll along the Quays or out the Greenore railway before the two Metal Bridges were removed in the 1950s. They certainly would have been noticed by the crowds of young and old who flocked to the Quays to see the pink flamingo that mingled with the swans on at least two summers of about forty years ago. Do any of my readers remember those glorious days of now so long ago? The Congress hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal government on Saturday for its sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a sedition case, saying the AAP's thinking is the same as that of the BJP and they were "two sides of the same coin". The Delhi government on Friday gave a go-ahead to the city police to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a four-year-old sedition case. Senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the move exposes the face of Kejriwal and his government. "Whatever has happened till now, whether it was CAA or NPR, the AAP has the same thinking as that of the BJP. They are the two sides of the same coin, their thinking isn't different," Sharma told reporters in a press conference. "They do not have the police but they have the administration. whether it is the magistrate or other officials they could have given orders," he said, alleging that the AAP has acted selectively on cases which "raises questions over its mentality". Earlier on Saturday, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also hit out at the AAP government, saying it was "no less ill-informed than the Centre" in its understanding of the sedition law. "Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law," Chidambaram tweeted. "I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC," the former home minister said. The Delhi Police had last year filed a charge sheet at a city court against Kanhaiya Kumar and others, saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans at an event in February 2016. It also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya with allegedly raising anti-India slogans during the event to commemorate the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. The prosecution sanction was granted nearly a year after a city court asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take a decision within a reasonable timeframe and noted that the delay was leading to violation of the due process of law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk has expressed condolences to Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkey Hulusi Akar over the deaths and injuries of the Turkish military as a result of the shelling by the Assad regime with the support of the Russian Armed Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic. This morning I had a phone conversation with Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Turkey Hulusi Akar. I expressed my condolences over the deaths and injuries of the Turkish military as a result of the shelling by the Bashar al-Assad regime with the support of the Russian Armed Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic. We share sorrow of everyone who lost loved ones during those tragic events. The death of people is always a great grief for the whole country. And in Ukraine, where our defenders are being killed for the sixth year, we understand it better than anyone. Yesterday's horrific tragedy once again showed that the actions of the Russian Federation have no borders and pose a threat to the whole world, Zahorodniuk wrote on his Facebook page on February 28, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported. As reported, at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in Syria's Idlib province on Thursday in an aerial attack by Russian-backed Syrian regime forces, Turkish officials said, raising the specter of full-blown conflict. ish Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday slammed SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for calling him a "businessman", saying the opposition leader made the "bizarre" comment in the absence of any real cause for criticism of the state budget. The budget was presented in the Punjab assembly on Friday. Terming the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader's reaction "irrational", Singh said that "in the absence of any real cause for criticism, the Akali leader once again resorted to making bizarre and illogical comments." It is evident that the SAD chief either had no clue about what a businessman really was or was, as usual, playing to the gallery by picking up some catchy word or phrase to make headlines, the chief minister said. Badal in Amritsar on Friday reportedly called Singh a "businessman". Considering the wide array of "business interests" in which the Badal family had involved itself during the 10 years of their rule, it was the SAD chief and his kin who were the real businessman, Singh alleged in a statement here. He said like a "petty" businessman who does not want to share the fruits of his business with others, Badal had never left his "shop" for a second. "The Shiromani Akali Dal president was, even now, obsessively controlling his business interests with an iron hand, to the detriment of his own party," Singh alleged. "Had Sukhbir shown even 10 per cent of this interest (he is now showing in my doings) in the welfare of the state when his party was in power, Punjab's story would have been different today," he said. The chief minister alleged that SAD had looted the state when it was in power. Singh also took a swipe at Badal Sukhbir, as well as SAD leader and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, for "deriding" the 'Ideal Chief Minister' award recently conferred on him. "It is clearly a case of sour grapes for them," Singh said, adding that none of the Badals could ever dream of being even remotely considered for such an honour. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three people were killed and six were in intensive care after dry ice thrown in a swimming pool caused acute poisoning at a popular Russian blogger's birthday party. The victims suffered from carbon dioxide poisoning after the dry ice was mixed with pool water. Some guests were reported to have suffered from chemical burns. They are the blogger's husband Valentin (Valya) Didenko, 32, plus party-goers Natalia Monakova and Yuri Alferov, both 25, were confirmed dead at the scene. The distraught Russian blogger who lost her husband and two friends in the horrific incident today posted a video announcing their deaths. The three died from carbon monoxide poisoning at Ekaterina Didenko's 29th birthday party last night. In a painful video, the popular blogger - a mother-of-two who has one million followers - was in tears as she told her daughter was asking her 'Where is Daddy?' The party was for blogger Ekaterina Didenko, pictured last night (right) and this morning (left), who was celebrating her 29th birthday in Moscow Natalia Monakova, one of the deceased, is pictured in an Instagram post before the tragedy But she didn't know what to reply. 'Valya is not with us any more,' said the weeping social media icon after being released from hospital. 'Or Natasha (Natalia). Or Yura (Yuri). 'I can't tell you anything else. 'I have signed a ban to disclose any information. 'I can't say anything. 'I did not cry yesterdaytoday I just exploded. 'I thought it was not true, it was a nightmare. Yuri Alferov (pictured), 25, died last night after Valentin Didenko (not pictured), 32, poured 55lb of dry ice into a swimming pool in Moscow 'Nastya (daughter) woke up today - 'Where is daddy?' 'I do not know what to say to her 'She is asking me: 'Why are you crying?' Earlier Ekaterina had posted from hospital to say her husband was, like her, in intensive but she did not know at this point that he had died. Dead bodies are pictured being removed from the sauna in Moscow where the birthday party took place She was among those in intensive care after her husband Valentin Didenko, 32, unloaded 55lb of dry ice to create a dramatic 'visual effect' intended to impress guests at a Moscow pool and sauna complex. He too was in intensive care after emergency services were called to the party. Ekaterina - who was initially wrongly reported to have been killed - posted: 'I am alive, I am behind the doors of an intensive care ward. An image shows guests around the table at Didenko's party in Moscow before the tragedy A picture shows one of the guests at Didenko's party in Moscow before the tragedy Police are pictured arriving at the scene in Moscow after the tragedy 'I don't know who died 'Valya (husband Valentin) is in the intensive care, I don't know what state he is in.' Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and produces heavy vapour when put into water. The vapour can cause high levels of carbon dioxide in blood when released in a poorly ventilated space. Valentin wanted the dry ice 'to create an impressive steam show' as party guests jumped into the pool. But as soon as the ice was poured, people started fainting. Moments earlier guests had been laughing and clinking glasses. Reports said Natalia Monakova and Yuri Alferov died from pulmonary edemas after breathing excessive carbon monoxide. Monakova is pictured in an image from social media before the Moscow tragedy A female guest is pictured walking towards the pool before the tragedy at Didenko's party in Moscow Natalia Monakova, one of the deceased, is pictured in an Instagram post before the tragedy Mother-of-two Ekaterina is a popular Instagram blogger with one million people following her account which gives advice on medicines for home use. A highly qualified pharmacist, she gives advice on keeping home medicine cupboards leaner and more effective while also sharing intimate moments of her own life. In some videos she is seen filming chemical experiments with her young daughter. Didenko is pictured holding balloons for her 29th birthday moments before the tragedy in Moscow A big crowd of the couple's friends were seen clinking glasses moments before the tragedy in the south of Moscow. Ekaterina's husband Valentin bought dry ice 'to create an impressive steam show' as the party guests jumped into a pool. But as soon as the ice was poured in people started fainting. Paramedics failed to rescue two of the guest who were pronounced dead at the site. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed a criminal case was opened into causing death by negligence. The 'preliminary reason for the death of three (partygoers) was mechanical asphyxia because their airways were blocked', reported crime channel 112. The three were in the pool when the dry ice was released and could not breathe. Five people remained in hospital this morning. UNADILLA, N.Y. -- An Otsego County caseworker has been arrested and charged with forcible touching, according to New York State Police. Robert J. Horan, 55, of Unadilla, was arrested Thursday, police said. Horan was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, according to police. The charges stem from a January incident, which is unrelated to Horans job, according to police. He worked for the county for a year and made $49,567, according to SeeThroughNY. He was later released on his own recognizance. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. 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. When Iris Green moved to Kansas City from Los Angeles to be closer to family, she was already an accomplished baker, cookbook author and entrepreneur. Interested in opening a small shop where she could sell her from-scratch, small-batch baked goods, she met Zaid Consuegra Sauza and Lydia Palma, now owners of Pirate's Bone Burgers in the Crossroads Arts District, who offered Green the space that once housed Pirate's Bone Coffee in Brookside. Wes Nelson has been trying to break his way into the music industry after having a taste of stardom. The Love Island star, 21, who has a recording studio in his own house, has recently been collaborating with acts including Birmingham hip hop duo Lotto Boyzz in a bid to start making his own music. The former engineer-turned-reality-star has pushed his focus towards becoming a musician recently after an appearance on Celebrity X Factor last year. Career move: Wes Nelson has been trying to break his way into the music industry after having a taste of stardom (pictured at the NTAs earlier this month) He has also met up with Dave the rapper in the studio, where the pair discussed the music industry. 'I've been in the studio with Dave, he's been great,' Wes told the Sun, who incorrectly claimed he was collaborating with the rapper. 'A lot of the people I've been working with are really important. I'm in talks with big producers and labels.' Dave, also 21, who won Album Of The Year at the Brit awards last week for Psychodrama, is believed to be acting as a 'mentor' to him. Collaborating: The Love Island star, 21, has recently been collaborating with acts including Birmingham hip hop duo Lotto Boyzz in a bid to start making his own music MailOnline have approached the rapper's representatives for comment. Wes added: 'There is some very exciting stuff coming up for me but music is the main focus.' His enthusiasm has stemmed from his appearance on Celebrity X Factor late last year alongside fellow former islanders Eyal Booker, Samira Mighty, and Zara McDermott. And while he is making the most of his time in the studio, his relationship with 2018 Love Islander Arabella Chi is also going from strength to strength. Influence: He has also met up with Dave the rapper in the studio, where the pair discussed the music industry Big time: 'A lot of the people I've been working with are really important. I'm in talks with big producers and labels,' said Wes Helping out: Dave, also 21, who won Album Of The Year at the Brit awards last week for Psychodrama, is believed to be acting as a 'mentor' to him The pair, who appeared on separate series of the reality show, recently jetted off on a romantic getaway to the Maldives. Their sun-soaked trip even including a evening on their own private island. Prior to their trip, when Wes was asked if he thinks Arabella is 'the one', he said: 'Of course it's a yes, I don't get into relationships if I'm not looking for a long-term... Another day in paradise: Wes and girlfriend Arabella Chi have left fans green with envy over their exotic getaway to the Maldives which has seen the model displaying her stunning figure 'The thing about Arabella is we not only work well as a couple, we work well as a working couple. We're not rushing anything. We're going at our own pace, and that's why I think it's been so successful. We've just chilled... 'Sometimes it's hard when you're in the public eye, you put yourself under unnecessary pressure to rush things on and to do decisions you think people would like to see... 'We've just done everything on our own accord, and we've done it at our own pace. And when we're ready, yeah, we will. We've both got the same end goals, we've both got the same ideas. So yeah, for sure.' Holiday: Wes Nelson and Arabella continued to share more updates from their idyllic Maldives holiday on Wednesday Advancement in technology can curb down the burden of preventable blindness With an aim to boost the latest and advanced technologies available for the treatment of eye related ailments in India, the 78th Annual International Conference organized by All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) commenced successfully recently. The event was inaugurated by Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog in presence of Sudhir Singla MLA Gurugram. As expected, Indias biggest scientific extravaganza was attended by over 8000 National and International delegates. Dr. Mahipal S.Sachdev, Incoming President, AIOS said, AIOC 2020 is one of the biggest platforms for the Indian Ophthalmologists providing an opportunity to share experiences of ophthalmologists, discuss pitfalls and design the path for the future of ophthalmology in India. Scientific deliberations and social interactions were discussed at the highest order. Deliberations in this conference shared by over 2000 renowned National and International faculty membersare expected to be a genesis of a lot of ingenious and indigenous therapeutic protocols and ideas which will become gold standards of ophthalmic care the world over. The 4 day-long conference which is scheduled to be held from 13th Feb to 16th Feb 2020 is one of the Worlds largest platforms for the Indian ophthalmologists to gain knowledge among the renowned International and National Faculties through exchange of ideas. Dr. S. Natarajan, President, AIOS said, Apart from the burden of blindness in India, around 15% of the Indian population suffers from preventable blindness and some kind of vision problem. With advancements in the field of ophthalmology, timely detection and treatment can prevent almost all types of vision problem thereby preventing addition of blindness burden in the country. Dr. Namrata Sharma, General Secretary, AIOS said, According to the recent data provided by WHO, India accounts for around 30% of the Worlds blind population attributing to a total of 12 million cases. With an addition of 2 million new cases annually, is not only affecting the quality of life of the individual, but also dragging the holistic development of the nation. It is only adoption of the latest technological advances in the field of Ophthalmology, which can lead to a reduction in the blindness load of India. The highlights of the event included spirited debates, keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations, workshops and networking opportunities. Multiple international associations like the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Global Eye Genetics Consortium, Asia pacific Glaucoma Society and SAARC had also participated in the conference. Clearview AI has been largely secretive since it was founded two years ago, by a self-taught engineer and entrepreneur. The Star has made several requests for comment from the New York-based company since learning Canadian law-enforcement agencies were among those around the world using its facial-recognition database. Its worth noting that facial-recognition technology, generally, has technical limitations. Its more accurate identifying Caucasian faces, than it is with Black and Asian faces. Here's what we know about Clearview AI, who is behind it and how the technology works: How does facial-recognition work? Essentially, facial-recognition scans for faces and establishes noticeable landmarks. Then, it measures the face, mapping out the relative distance between features. The algorithm would then spit out a unique faceprint, unique to each individual. Once an algorithm has learned a face, it scans for the closest matching faceprints. When a database has been established, facial-recognition technology can distinguishbetween people and pull photos that carry the same faceprint. The caveat is the technology is inconsistent. The algorithms falsely identified African-American and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more than Caucasian faces, researchers for the National Institute of Standards and Technology found, according to the New York Times. The systems falsely identified African-American and Asian faces 10 times to 100 times more than Caucasian faces. Among a database of photos used by law enforcement agencies in the United States, the highest error rates came in identifying Native Americans, the study found. The technology also had more difficulty identifying women than men. And it falsely identified older adults up to 10 times more than middle-aged adults. The new U.S. study found that the kind of facial matching algorithms used in law enforcement had the highest error rates for African-American females, the Times reported. What is Clearview AI? Its a database that claims to have more than three billion images scraped from millions of websites, including Facebook and YouTube. For the sake of comparison, the FBI has a database of more than 640 million photos of faces. The idea is that a law-enforcement official can put a photo of a suspect into the database and use its facial-recognition technology to create matches with images scraped from sites across the Internet. Scraping images from a website such as Facebook contravenes most terms of service, which generally prohibit a third-party from accessing the data. Some companies have specifically banned using data for facial-recognition. In tests of Clearview AI, people found photos of themselves that they were not aware existed. A New York Times investigation last month showed that images remain on the platform, even if youve deleted them from your social media accounts. CNN reported earlier this month that the platform seems to have scraped photos that exist even on private Instagram accounts. What is scraping? Web scraping involves combing through and saving images or text on a webpage. It is usually done through a bot or automated process, but you can do it manually (think copy and paste). Scraping means that the data is being copied and saved externally by a third party accessing a website or social media platform. Whether the process is legal depends on where you live in the world, but it typically contravenes the terms of service laid out by platforms. What are Canadas privacy laws? Canadas Privacy Act and PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, apply to identifiable information about individuals. Essentially, this can be any information that could be traced back to you directly. Last week, B.C. privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy said I think it is very questionable whether it would conform with Canadian law, and questioned whether Clearview AIs database meets Canadas framework for collecting personal information. Businesses must obtain individuals consent before collecting personal information, with few exceptions. And, if personal information is used for a purpose other than the one for which it was originally collected, consent must be obtained again. The Privacy Act covers the way the government uses your information. PIPEDA applies to businesses that collect or disclose personal information about you as a consumer. Any business that operates in Canada is subject to PIPEDA, even if theyre based internationally. Is Clearview legal? The way that the data was collected has raised red flags for privacy regluators, who have opened an investigation into the companys practices. The RCMPs use of the technology is also being investigated federally by Canadas privacy commissioners. A class-action lawsuit is pending against the company in the U.S. The lawsuit, filed in Illinois, alleges an insidious encroachment on an individuals liberty. The company has received cease-and-desist letters from Facebook and YouTube. Who is Clearview founder, Hoan Ton-That? Before launching Clearview, Ton-That was responsible for an iPhone game and an app that pasted Donald Trumps hair onto photos. After moving to the U.S. from Australia, he developed a host of apps for iPhone and Facebook. In 2009, he was responsible for a site that allowed people to share links to videos with all of their messaging contacts. He shut down the site after controversy that the site was a phishing scam. A New York Times profile of Ton-That in January noted that interest in Clearview AI picked up after the company rebranded itself; it was previously called Smartchekr. It attracted the attention of Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist who sits on the board at Facebook. Thiel contributed $200,000 in the very early days of the company that would become Clearview. Other people who have worked for, or continue to work for, Clearview have been advisers to prominent people, such as Rudy Giliani, Geroge W. Bush and other politicians. Who is using Clearview AI? At least 20 police services across Canada have tested the technology, either because theyve licensed it, as is the case with the RCMP, or because officers signed up to try it for free without the apparent knowledge or consent of police leaders. While Ton-That has said the platform was strictly to be used by law enforcement, documents obtained by BuzzFeed and shared exclusively with the Star show private entities have also signed up to test trial versions of the tool, including Rexall and the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Both have stopped using the technology. Canada is the second largest market outside of the U.S., according to the data obtained by Buzzfeed. How common is facial-recognition? In a word: very. Before information became public about the use of Clearview by Canadian law enforcement, Toronto police revealed last year that they were using facial-recognition technology to compare images of suspects in a database of mugshots. Outside law enforcement, the technology is an incredibly common feature of digital products. For example, the iPhone X features Face ID, where users can use their face to unlock their phone. On Facebook, square boxes identifying where a face is in a photo appear and allow you to tag the person featured. In some countries, Facebook will suggest you tag the friend it recognizes. Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook all offer lenses, filters that a user can add over the top of photos of themselves to modify their face or add effects, such as dog ears, wrinkles, or to smooth out skin and brighten eyes. These effects are only possible with facial-recognition software. DOHA, Qatar (AP) The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return home from Americas longest war. Under the agreement, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W. Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, right, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, speaks during a joint news conference in presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)AP The Taliban harbored bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Pompeo had privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. "Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah," said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its "endless wars" in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The U.S. has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Since the start of negotiations with the Taliban, the U.S. has stepped up its air assaults on the Taliban as well as a local Islamic State affiliate. Last year the U.S. air force dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than in any year since 2013. Seven days ago, the Taliban began a seven-day "reduction of violence" period, a prerequisite to the peace deal signing. "By MATTHEW LEE and KATHY GANNON, The Associated Press Paterimos brother allegedly tackled the 30-year-old, who was hospitalized after responding officers placed him into custody and found the weapon, police said. He was later released without being charged, after he claimed self-defense, police said. There was nothing in police reports indicating Paterimos was armed. The number is expected to hit 25,000 to 30,000 in the coming days, Erdogan said President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan iarex.ru Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 18,000 migrants have crossed Turkish borders into Europe after the country "opened the doors" for them to travel. This is reported by BBC. The number is expected to hit 25,000 to 30,000 in the coming days, he said. Turkey could no longer deal with the amount of people fleeing Syria's civil war, he added. Greece says it has blocked thousands of migrants from entering "illegally" from Turkey. Greek authorities fired tear gas to attempt to disperse the crowds. Turkey is hosting 3.7 million Syrian refugees, as well as migrants from other countries such as Afghanistan - but had previously stopped them from leaving for Europe under an aid-linked deal with the EU. But Mr Erdogan accused the EU of breaking promises. "We said months ago that if it goes on like this, we will have to open the doors. They did not believe us, but we opened the doors yesterday," President Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday. He said that some 18,000 refugees had "pressed on the gates and crossed" into Europe by Saturday morning. He did not provide evidence of these numbers. "We will not close these doors in the coming period and this will continue. Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don't have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them," he said. Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School has been adjudged winner of the 23rd National Senior High School Debate held at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Friday. As part of the nationwide debate competition, Mfantsiman Girls SHS, which was the winner for the southern sector faced stiff competition from Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS, the winner for the Northern sector. The motion for the debate was Technology makes humans physically and mentally dormant. Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School spoke against the motion while Yaa Asantewaa supported it. At the end of the competition, Mfantsiman Girls SHS emerged winner with an average of 78 points to beat Yaa Asantewaa Girls SHS, which scored an average of 63 points. Speaking at the programme, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, commended the two schools for reaching the finals. What I want to tell you is that already, all of you are champions. Whichever position you obtain today, dont ever be disappointed. Youve done well to fight up to this level. I commend you. Keep it up. Continue with what youve started and Im sure with God on your side, youll be very noble people in future to serve this country, he said. citinewsroom Cutting across the political divide, the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday unanimously demanded a caste-based census to calculate the exact population of Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the state to ensure a fair allotment of quotas in government jobs and educational institutions for underprivileged communities. Maharashtra becomes the third state, after Odisha and Bihar, to back a caste-based census. Senior ministers of the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, joined by the speaker of the Assembly, said a caste-based census should be conducted by the state government if the Centre wasnt willing to accept the demand for the same. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said a delegation led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to press the states case for a caste-based census when the 2021 population census is undertaken . The Bihar Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution demanding a caste-based census. And in January, Odishas Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government decided to conduct its own caste-based census to along with the national population enumeration exercise. On Friday, Opposition party leaders in Uttar Pradesh also called for a caste-based enumeration in Indias most populous state. The issue was raised during zero hour in the Maharashtra assembly on Friday against the backdrop of the Centre rejecting the states demand for such a census. The state legislature had passed a resolution unanimously, on January 8, demanding a caste-based census to arrive at an estimate of the population of OBCs. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India informed the state legislature that a caste-based enumeration was not possible. As per the central list the total number of OBCs in the country is 6,285, while the numbers go up to 7,200 if the lists prepared by states and union territories are taken into account. Since people use their clan, gotra, sub-castes and caste names interchangeably and due to the phonetic similarities in the names, it may lead to the mis-classification of the castes. As such, it will be difficult to meaningfully tabulate and classify caste returns. Social and political movements and change in the names of traditional castes will lead to problems. Similarly, the organised surreptitious means adopted by some during the counting of OBCs and SEBCs cannot be ruled out. This would seriously influence the census results and may put the census process in jeopardy, the Registrar General wrote in a letter received by the assembly. SEBC is short for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes. The first caste census in India was conducted in 1931, which became the basis for implementing 27% reservation for OBCs in admissions in higher education institutions and in government jobs. According to the Census website, the rationale for not conducting a caste census was cited by Indias first home minister Vallabbhai Patel in a speech in Parliament in 1950. He said, The decision to discourage community distinction based on the Caste was in keeping with the spirit of the secular State enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution of India. A decision to conduct a caste census in 2011 was taken by a group of ministers headed by then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee following demands made inside and outside Parliament. The socio-economic caste census (SECC) was conducted in July 2011. While the socio-economic data was released in 2015, the government constituted an expert committee under then vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya, to classify the castes. The committee met a few times but did not submit its report. Food and civil supplies minister and Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal said the Rajnath Singh, former Union home minister who now leads the defence ministry, and Mukherjee had backed such census. When a caste based census could be conducted in 1931, why cannot it be held now? The Centre has even conducted the caste-based census by the rural development department in 2011, but the data was not published. If the Centre decides, it is not difficult for the Centre to do it, he said, asking the state government to push for a caste-based census at meetings with the prime minister and the Union home minister. Assembly speaker Nana Patole said that besides a resolution passed by the Bihar legislature, the Maharashtra government could consider a caste survey conducted by Tamil Nadu to make reservations for OBCs. He said Maharashtra had already set an example of reservations for Marathas by collecting quantified data on the community. Housing minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said that if the Centre was dragging its feet on the demand, the state government should conduct such a census on its own. In the absence of substantive data of the castes under the OBCs, the reservation {policy} has come under threat. The caste-based census is necessary to safeguard the existing reservation too. The state government can go ahead with its own enumeration with the help of the state government employees utilised for the Census exercise, he said. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too extended its support to the demand. Former chief minister and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that his party too supports a scientific census of the OBCs and he would be part of the delegation meeting the PM with the demand. The Socio Economic and Caste Census was conducted in 2011 by the rural development department, but its findings have many errors and cannot be referred to for reservation or any such decision. The enumeration of the castes needs to be more scientific and can be part of the census exercise, he said. Speaker Patole directed the state government to immediately intervene and push to widen the scope of the census by including a column related to caste in the forms designed for the exercise beginning from May 1. Chief minister and deputy chief minister should lead an all-party delegation to meet the prime minister and Union home minister to convince them to go for the caste-based census. If the Centre is not ready for the same, the government should take a firm stand on conducting such census on its own, he said. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that after the budget sessions completion on March 20, a delegation led by chief minister Thackeray would meet PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to raise the demand. Political analyst Hemant Desai said, The OBC leaders like late Gopinath Munde and Chhagan Bhujbal have always believed that they are not getting the benefits of the reservation in the ratio of their population. Secondly, a section of the OBC community feels that the Maratha community has got much more reservation than their actual population. The demand of the caste-based census has hidden intent of getting the reservation to OBC revised. The political parties like NCP are pushing the demands to reach out to the community which has dominance in the state. Another analyst, Sanjay Sonawani, said the demand wont help the OBC community in getting more reservations. If the OBC leaders are thinking that the caste-based census will help them in revising their reservation, they are fooling themselves. There is no room to increase the reservation for any community on the basis of their population. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This years honorary chair is Oklahoma Citys Stonecloud Brewing Co. owner and brewmaster Joel Irby. There are a lot of cool beer events out there, but we are trying to be the one that is more educational focused. We are going to have an elevated discussion about beer, where we are now and where we are going. There is a real need in the market for that talk, Collins said. Because this is a student-run event, it is a great learning opportunity for them, having to deal with fundraising, sponsors, scheduling, etc. The Craft Beer Forum is completely student-run, so we get to learn how to create an event from the ground up. This includes connecting with chefs and brewers, working closely with vendors, such as florists, event rental companies, sound and lighting, etc. We are learning real-world skills that we will be able to take with us in our professional careers, said Abbey Cosper, OSU Hospitality and Tourism Management student and executive committee member. There will be many educational opportunities for participants. The second half of the Budget Session of Parliament, which will begin on Monday, is expected to be stormy with the Congress deciding to attack the government on a range of issues including violence in Delhi and its handling of the economy. The government is expected to push its legislative agenda that includes Bills relating to surrogacy and resolution of disputed tax. Forty-two persons have been killed in violence in Delhi earlier this week and some opposition parties including the Congress have sought the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah. The Congress has accused the Central and Delhi governments of failing to contain the violence that erupted in parts of northeast Delhi. Sources said a meeting was held at the residence of party chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday which discussed party's strategy to corner the government in Parliament on Delhi violence. The BJP has accused Congress of "politicising" the violence and said there was "instigation" by opposition leaders to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Congress has also accused the BJP-led government of ruining the Indian economy by its "monumental mismanagement." Congress leader Anand Sharma said on Saturday the GDP for the third quarter was at 4.7 per cent and it was the seventh consecutive quarter when the GDP has fallen. The first half of the Budget Session of Parliament, which began on January 31 with an address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of two houses, saw protests over the CAA. Apart from Finance Bill 2020, Aircraft (Amendment) Bill and The Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill were among the legislation introduced in the first half that concluded on February 11. The government's legislative agenda for the Budget Session of Parliament includes nearly 45 Bills and seven financial items. It includes replacing Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 and the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 with Bills during the session. The Budget Session is slated to conclude on April 3. The Union Budget was presented on February 1 and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied to the debate on the budget. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) [February 29, 2020] Halo Announces Signing Definitive Agreement of the North Hollywood Cannabis Dispensary Licensee Halo Labs Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO, OTCQX: AGEEF, Germany: A9KN) is pleased to announce that, further to its press release dated January 16, 2020, it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a Company with a controlling interest in a North Hollywood ("NOHO") cannabis dispensary applicant (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition consideration will be paid with common shares of Halo, a majority of which are issuable on the completion of pre-determined performance milestones. Transaction Highlights 42,881,646 shares with a deemed value of approximately $3.2 million 1 ($4.3 million CAD) for a 66 2/3% interest in a planned NOHO flagship dispensary. The NOHO dispensary will feature nearly 4,000 square feet, sizeable onsite parking, and a prime location at the northwest corner of Lankershim Blvd. and Hesby Ave. Potential to build a delivery service for Studio City, North Hollywood, Hollywood Burbank, and the Eastern San Fernando Valley. ($4.3 million CAD) for a 66 2/3% interest in a planned NOHO flagship dispensary. Acquisition consideration to be paid in full with common shares of Halo, a majority of which are issuable upon the completion of pre-determined performance milestones. Preserves Halo's cash position Will enhance the Company's statewide high-growth plan As one of California's largest cannabis markets, Los Angeles is a limited license market. This prime location is an opportunity to enter the LA dispensary market and will result in Halo being vertically integrated and will take Halo one step closer to "Seed-to-Sale" in the state when this transaction closes. The all-stock merger transaction will preserve Halo's cash position while adding a high margin revenue stream to the Company's portfolio. This NOHO dispensary provides a foundation to build on for future acquisitions of dispensaries in the state of California. We plan to commence construction of the dispensary upon closing and open to the public upon issuance of final state and city licenses. Kiran Sidhu, CEO and Co-Founder of Halo, comments, "Signing this definitive agreement to acquire LKJ11 LLC is an exciting step for Halo's future. Entering into the California dispensary market will add to Halo's portfolio of manufacturing and distribution assets. We expect to replicate California operations in other territories as the Company continues to grow and develop towards verticalization." LKJ11 LLC LKJ11 LLC ("LKJ") is planning to build out one of North Hollywoods largest retail dispensary locations, boasting nearly 4,000 square feet and significant onsite parking. Located in the heart of North Hollywood, the dispensary will be situated on Lankershim Blvd. and Hesby Ave., which are heavily transited streets with significant vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Upon the NOHO dispensary's opening, Halo expects to commence direct retail sales of its own branded and white-labeled cannabis products, in turn fueling HKJ's sales and reducing starting inventory costs. Halo will leverage manufacturing in Southern California at Cathedral City and cultivation procurement, manufacturing, and distribution operations in Northern California to scale up its direct-to-dispensary business. Dave Cho, Chief Marketing Officer of LKJ and prior marketing executive at Nike and Adidas stated, "We are thrilled to join forces with Halo Labs to run a leading dispensary in Los Angeles. This is one of the most premium locations in LA and we are leaving it in the hands of the Halo team because we believe they have the skill and experience to make it a successful entity under their corporate umbrella. We still are moving forward with the originally negotiated deal, despite the market correcton, because we believe in Halo's vision as a vertically integrated and global cannabis operator." The Transaction Pursuant to the Acquisition, Halo will acquire 66 2/3% of the outstanding membership interests in LKJ in an all-stock transaction, with the number of Halo common shares to be issued being initially calculated using a deemed price per share of CAD 0.3116. Halo is obligated to issue a majority of the merger consideration after the closing upon the achievement of pre-determined performance milestones. Upon closing, approximately 8.6M of Halo Common Shares will be issued directly, subject to trading restrictions: 4.3M (News - Alert) will be freely tradeable in accordance with applicable securities laws; and 4.3M will be subject to trading restrictions whereby, for one year following the closing as follows: the aggregate shares sold may not exceed: (a) 10% of the prior trading day's total volume if the closing price of common shares of Halo is less than CAD 0.30; or (b) 15% of the prior trading day's total volume if the closing price of common shares of Halo is greater than or equal to CAD 0.30. Approximately 34.4M shares of Halo will be issued, subject to certain reduction or cancellation rights, to the applicable vendors as performance milestones are achieved: 17.2M will be released once the dispensary is licensed by all applicable state and local regulatory authorities and the first legal sale of cannabis is made; and 17.2M will be released upon securing a lease for the dispensary on a term of at least 5 years from the closing date. These approximate 34.4M shares of Halo, if and when issued, will be subject to trading restrictions whereby, for one year following the closing as follows: the aggregate shares sold may not exceed: (a) 10% of the prior trading day's total volume if the closing price of common shares of Halo is less than CAD 0.30; or (b) 15% of the prior trading day's total volume if the closing price of common shares of Halo is greater than or equal to CAD 0.30. Completion of the Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary conditions precedent to the parties' obligation to close the transaction, including the receipt of requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals. Halo expects the transaction to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020. About Halo Halo is a leading cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution company that grows and extracts and processes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates and has sold over 5 million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. Additionally, Halo has continued to evolve its business through delivering value with its products and now via verticalization in key markets in the United States and Africa with planned expansion into European and Canadian markets. With a consumer-centric focus, Halo markets innovative, branded, and private label products across multiple product categories. Recently, the Company entered into binding agreements to acquire a dispensary in Los Angeles, 3 Kush Bar branded dispensaries, 5 development permits in Alberta Canada, and Canmart Limited which holds wholesale distribution and special licenses allowing the import and distribution of cannabis based products for medicinal use (CBPM's) in the United Kingdom. Halo is led by a strong, diverse management team with deep industry knowledge and blue-chip experience. The Company is currently operating in the United States in California, Oregon, and Nevada while having an international presence in Lesotho within a planned 205-hectare cultivation zone as well as planned distribution in the United Kingdom. For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but is not limited to, statements regarding the acquisition and merger into Halo of LKJ11 LLC. By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. 1 Based on HALO NEO closing price on February 28, 2020 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200229005014/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb.29 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistans capital Ashgabat hosted a seminar on Turkmenistans international cooperation in the field of environmental protection and green economy, Trend reports citing the countrys foreign ministry. The event focused on the results of the Green Central Asia high-level conference and the 9th meeting of the EU-CA working group on the environment and climate change. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, the State Committee for Water Management and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, as well as ambassadors of the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany to Turkmenistan. During the seminar, the participants discussed the Turkmenistans initiatives on the development of a regional strategy for adaptation to climate change, taking into account the characteristics of Central Asian ecosystems and reducing climate risks, projects for integrated water resources management, and the implementation of the Subregional Action Plan to Combat desertification. "It was also emphasized that Turkmenistan, implementing its national development programs, fully complies with the provisions of the UN Agenda 2030 and climate change strategies". Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan and uses water resources of four transboundary rivers such as Amu Darya, Tejen, Atrek and Murghab. The special attention is paid to improving the regional action plan for environmental protection in Central Asia and accelerating the process of accession of the regional countries to the Framework Convention on Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development in Central Asia. Turkmenistan is affected by the problem of Aral Sea's ecology. It is most noticeable in the countrys northern Dashoguz Region, where problems have arisen with the provision of drinking water, the fight against salinization of cultivation lands, land degradation and desertification. The State Committee for Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, jointly with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), implements projects on introducing the principles of green economy in the country. The national strategy of Turkmenistan on climate change, as well as international initiatives of the country, presented at the sessions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Rio + 20, held in Brazil in 2012, are aimed at solving urgent problems in this sphere. One of them is a proposal to open a regional center for technologies related to climate change of Central Asia and the Caspian basin in Ashgabat. At this stage, Turkmenistan is studying the technical, economic, energy and environmental potential of solar power plants and the resources of other renewable energy sources in the country to address the challenges of green economy. The United Kingdom and the European Union begin post-Brexit trade talks on Monday. (Photo: AFP/Emmanuel Dunand) When Britain left the EU on Jan 31, both sides agreed to a standstill transition until December to strike a new economic and security partnership to replace 47 years of integration. They both want an agreement to facilitate trade in goods but disagree on how far London should align itself with EU rules to achieve this. There are also other flashpoints over issues such as fishing rights, financial services and the governance and shape of the overall deal. "There may well be plenty of noise about divergence, autonomy and taking back control, but it is questionable whether it reflects profound underlying differences," said Iain Begg of the London School of Economics. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain must have "economic and political independence", and his government threatened this week to abandon the trade talks if no progress is made by June. But Begg noted that aside from issues of trade, the EU and Britain had similar priorities in many areas, including cooperation to tackle irregular migration and security matters. "The corollary is that, although the detail will often be tricky, the basis for an agreement should not be hard to find," he wrote in an online commentary published Friday. LOWER EXPECTATIONS Jill Rutter, of the UK in a Changing Europe programme, said that Johnson has more modest ambitions for the new EU partnership than his predecessor, Theresa May. "Talk of leaving the single market and customs union and yet retaining the 'exact same benefits' is a distant memory," she wrote in a commentary published Friday. She added: "A deal will require one or both parties to move. But they are less far apart than they look ... Both sides are looking at a relatively distant relationship." Trade expert David Henig said Britain's negotiating approach was "far more grounded in reality" than it had been previously, and clearer. "There isn't a huge gulf on substance between the UK and EU," he wrote on Twitter, while warning that reaching a deal "depends on the politics". The May government was plagued by divisions over Brexit, but since a general election in December, Johnson leads a Conservative party largely united on its desire to break free from Brussels. "They would certainly consider a no deal outcome," said Simon Usherwood of the University of Surrey. But he said the UK's negotiating objectives allowed room for compromise - and predicted that with some political freedom, and a desire to focus on other issues than Brexit, Johnson would use it. "I think they would be happy to get a deal, even if that deal isn't really very much of a deal in terms of substance," he told AFP. BUSINESS GROUPS 'DISAPPOINTED' Many business groups however have expressed disappointment at the limited scope of the deal that London is proposing. Allie Renison of the Institute of Directors (IoD) said it was "disappointed that securing market access continuity seems to be less than a fundamental priority". "For most IoD members, maintaining ease of trade with the single market is more important than being able to diverge from EU regulations," she said. The BRC retail lobby group said it was "encouraging" that Britain was aiming for zero-tariff, zero-quota trade in goods, and welcomed its intention to cut checks and red tape. But its director of food, Andrew Opie, warned "they must go much further if they are to prevent future disruption at the border". The government conceded on Thursday that up to 50,000 new staff would need to be hired to manage customs paperwork under its preferred EU deal. In today's Paris Live, our correspondent in Hong Kong fills us in on why media tycoon and high profile critic of Beijing Jimmy Lai was arrested on Friday and gives us an update on the coronavirus. Authorities announced that all pets of people infected with the virus must be quarantined, with one dog already in isolation. We'll hear why the EU is worried that the situation in Syria, where dozens of Turkish troops were killed this week, could descend into all-out war. Our correspondent in Tunisia looks at the alarming increase in the number of suicides among children and adolescents. From Tanzania, we hear about the release of journalist Erick Kabendera, seven months after he was arrested and charged with money laundering and why the ruling CCM party has expelled it's high profile former foreign affairs Minister Bernard Membe. We feature an interview with the French company helping Uganda deploy a nationwide digital registry to prevent fraud in its land sector - the first African country to do so. And we meet this week's guest for World Music Matters, Seb El Zin, of the group Ithak, pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. By Trend The vaccine could be ready within a few weeks and available in 90 days if all continues going according to plan, Akunis noted, Trend reports citing Sputnik. Congratulations to MIGAL [The Galilee Research Institute] on this exciting breakthrough. I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat, Akunis is quoted as saying, the Jerusalem Post reported. The scientists have also been working over the last four years to develop a vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a coronavirus that affects chickens. After scientists sequenced the DNA of COVID-19, MIGAL researchers discovered that IBV is very genetically similar to the novel coronavirus and uses the same infection method. Given the fact that Israeli scientists have been working on an IBV vaccine, they could be able to develop a human vaccine for COVID-19 very quickly, Dr. Chen Katz, MIGALs biotechnology group leader, explained. Our basic concept was to develop the technology and not specifically a vaccine for this kind or that kind of virus. The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus, Katz explained, referring to the IBV vaccine. Endocytosis is a cellular process in which substances are absorbed into the cell. The material is internalized inside the cell to generate a vesicle of the ingested material. All we need to do is adjust the system to the new sequence, Katz added, explaining how the IBV vaccine would be modified for COVID-19. We are in the middle of this process, and hopefully in a few weeks we will have the vaccine in our hands. Yes, in a few weeks, if it all works, we would have a vaccine to prevent coronavirus. Even though MIGAL is working on developing the new vaccine, the drug would still need to undergo clinical trials and large-scale production before becoming commercially available. According to MIGAL CEO David Zigdon, they are trying to get the new vaccine approved as soon as possible. Given the urgent global need for a human coronavirus vaccine, we are doing everything we can to accelerate development, Zigdon explained, adding that the oral vaccine could achieve safety approval in 90 days. We are currently in intensive discussions with potential partners that can help accelerate the in-human trials phase and expedite completion of final-product development and regulatory activities, Zigdon confirmed. ---- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz New Delhi [India], Feb 28 (ANI): Pakistan can keep talking about nuclear retaliation and its capability, India also possesses a similar capability, Vice Chief of Indian Air Force, Air Marshal HS Arora said on Friday. "Pakistan can keep talking about nuclear retaliation and its capability. We also possess a similar capability," IAF Vice Chief told ANI while responding to a question on Pakistan often raking up the issue. While India has a 'No First Use' policy with regards to nuclear weapons, Pakistan has no such policy. India too has indicated of late that the policy is open to review. "As far as their (Pakistan's) terror factories are concerned, they are no longer safe anywhere across the border. We have the will, capability and the political support to go across and strike them at their roots," Arora said. Last year, the IAF had carried out an airstrike in Pakistan's Balakot, targetting Jaish-e-Mohammad's (JeM) terror training camps. The airstrike came in the wake of a deadly terror attack on February 14 in Jammu and KAshmir's Pulwama, killing 40 CRPF personnel. Earlier today, IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria said that the force could have deployed twice the number of warplanes and launched more weapons during the Balakot airstrike, but chose to not do so in order to minimise collateral damage. "The air force could have struck Balakot with twice the number of warplanes and launched four times the weapons but did not do that to ensure there was no collateral damage," the IAF chief said at the Centre for Air Power Studies seminar here. (ANI) WASHINGTON - Nearly two years after the arrest of the suspected Golden State Killer revitalized DNA forensics, some state lawmakers around the country are pushing to stop or restrict police searches of genetic code databases. Other lawmakers, meanwhile, want to make it even easier for police to use the technique, known as investigative genetic genealogy, to catch criminals. Inspired by the capture of the alleged Golden State Killer, police across the United States are uploading crime-scene DNA to GEDmatch and other databases where purchasers of genetic testing kits from companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry can share their DNA in hopes of finding long-lost relatives. Arrests have been made in dozens of cases - many that had been considered cold. Advocates of the practice tout the ability to find people who committed horrible crimes and exonerate those who did not. "I believe, 100%, that DNA is the greatest tool ever given to law enforcement to find the truth, whatever that is," said Anne Marie Schubert, independent district attorney of Sacramento County, Calif., where the suspected Golden State Killer was arrested. ADVERTISEMENT But law enforcement's use of the DNA databases has opened another front in the growing battle over digital privacy. Should third parties - in this case, police - have access to personal data people generate by using consumer technology? And should investigators be allowed to use the technique to solve all crimes, or only the most violent ones? Americans are divided on whether police should use investigative genetic genealogy to solve crimes, according to a recent study released by the Pew Research Center. (The Pew Charitable Trusts funds the center and Stateline.) In a June survey of more than 4,200 U.S. adults, 48% said they were OK with DNA testing companies sharing customers' genetic data with police. A third said it was unacceptable, and 18% were unsure. "What we have right now we can call the Wild West. There aren't a lot of rules on the ground," Natalie Ram, an associate professor of law at the University of Maryland, said in an interview. "State legislatures are one of the best-situated bodies to engage in rule-making in this area." A state representative in Utah introduced a bill that would ban genetic genealogy searches by police. A Maryland lawmaker introduced a bill to regulate searches - after a proposal last year to ban them failed. In New York, a state senator has proposed a policy to allow the searches. A Washington state proposal would allow only searches requested through a valid legal process. And three direct-to-consumer testing companies have formed a coalition and are lobbying Congress for federal oversight to restrict police access to their databases and protect consumer privacy. Schubert expressed skepticism about legislative proposals cropping up. "If they want to weigh in on it, that's fine, as long as they understand what it is, how it works and what it does and doesn't do," she said. "It shouldn't be a race to see who can be the first to ban it or vice versa." --- ADVERTISEMENT The man accused of being the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, was arrested after investigators uploaded crime-scene DNA to online genealogy database GEDmatch, matched it partially to his great-great-great-grandparents, built family trees of relatives and eventually traced it to him. Police obtained surreptitious samples of DeAngelo's DNA to confirm the match. After DeAngelo's arrest, Schubert started a nonprofit with a few other law enforcement figures called the Institute for DNA Justice. They aim to educate the public about investigative genetic genealogy. And they encourage people to upload their DNA to GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA, another open database, to help police. Schubert said police don't get behind-the-scenes, unlimited access to peruse DNA databases, despite what many people believe. Instead, investigators upload a DNA profile and get a list of matches and partial matches like the average user, she said in an interview. The rest is traditional police work: using leads to narrow down the matches to a person who fits the description of the suspect, gathering a surreptitious sample and comparing it with the crime scene DNA profile. "It is a blend of science and traditional law enforcement," she said. More than 15 million people worldwide had undergone direct-to-consumer DNA testing by early 2018, according to a report from the journal Science. Researchers estimated that 60% of searches of a database with 3 million U.S. residents of European descent could lead to a third cousin or closer match. By the end of 2019, GEDmatch's database had been used to solve at least 70 U.S. violent crimes. Verogen, a forensic genomics company, bought GEDmatch in December, and said that the use of its database as a crime fighting tool - for people who share DNA and opt in to police searches - would continue. Forensics company Parabon Nanolabs has relied on public databases such as GEDmatch to identify 83 crime suspects and 11 homicide victims since May 2018, when it began offering genetic genealogy service to law enforcement agencies, said Paula Armentrout, the company's vice president, in an email. The company charges law enforcement $1,500 to process DNA and another $3,500 for the genealogy research time. ADVERTISEMENT GEDmatch faced criticism last year when a BuzzFeed investigation revealed the company allowed police to upload a DNA profile to investigate an aggravated assault. The website, which was started by a DNA hobbyist, previously restricted police searches to homicide and rape cases. GEDmatch changed its policy so that users had to opt in to law enforcement searches. About 1.4 million people have profiles on GEDmatch, and more than 200,000 have agreed to law enforcement searches of their DNA, according to Verogen spokeswoman Kim Mohr. "We support responsible use of consumer genetic databases by law enforcement and would not be in favor of legislation that prohibits such searches of people who have opted in," Mohr said in an email. --- The Utah bill would bar law enforcement from performing genetic genealogy searches in consumer databases. The sponsor, Utah state Rep. Craig Hall, a Republican, was not available for an interview. But Michael Melendez, policy director of Libertas Institute, a free-market think tank based in Lehi, Utah, that helped Hall craft the bill, said traditional consent and warrant models don't apply to DNA databases. "You won't see a warrant for an entire town to knock on everyone's door and search everyone's house," Melendez said. "In the same sense, with a digital DNA database, we don't believe you can go in and just get a warrant to do a mass search." But the Utah Cold Case Coalition, a three-year-old nonprofit that helps people dig into cold cases and advocates for genetic genealogy searches, opposes the bill. The group's director, an attorney named Karra Porter, started it after the family of 6-year-old Rosie Tapia, who was raped and murdered in 1995, asked her for help. (The case remains unsolved.) In a few months, Porter's group plans to open a lab called Intermountain Forensics in Salt Lake City and provide at-cost DNA tests including genetic genealogy tests for law enforcement, Porter said. Even if Hall's bill, which is in committee, becomes law, Porter said her lab will be fine: The lab already has potential clients from other states. But, she added, "We're going to have a whole lot of unsolved rapes and murders in our state because of this bill, if it goes through." Ram, the Maryland professor, acknowledges that DNA databases are useful to police. The question, she said, is whether the investigative advantages outweigh the threat to people's privacy. "There's no doubt that law enforcement could solve more crimes if they could have more access to more people all the time," Ram said. "Privacy is an essential human good. It's necessary for human flourishing and for liberty." Ram testified in support of a bill to ban genetic genealogy searches proposed by a Maryland lawmaker last year. The bill died in committee. The same lawmaker, Democratic state Sen. Charles Sydnor III, introduced a new bill this session to regulate searches instead. The measure would limit law enforcement's use of genetic genealogy databases to felony cases including homicide, rape and burglary. "I had never looked at it in that respect, of people who had committed violent crimes," Sydnor said in an interview. "This is cutting-edge stuff. We're all trying to figure it out." In New York, a state senator is again proposing a policy that would allow searches in cases of violent crimes where "all other investigative leads have been exhausted." State law allows police to do only what's called a familial search, or a search for a partial DNA match, in the state DNA database. "When I hear of major crimes being solved in other states and our law enforcement officials do not have the same ability," Republican state Sen. Phil Boyle said, "I want to make sure New York law enforcement officials have all the tools they need." The Washington state bill is similar but aimed at consumer companies. The bill, proposed by state Rep. Shelley Kloba, a Democrat, would require direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to follow a legal process before giving genetic information to law enforcement without customer consent. --- Proposals to define when police can use DNA searches align, at least in part, with the federal legislation a trio of big player DNA companies - Ancestry, 23andMe and Helix - support. The companies formed a group called the Coalition for Genetic Data Protection to push to require police to follow a "valid legal process," such as a court order or warrant, to search consumer databases, according to coalition Executive Director Steve Haro, who is also a principal at Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that runs the coalition. According to their privacy policies, the three companies block law enforcement searches unless legally required. But in practice, not even the legal threshold has been enough: "These companies will exhaust all legal measures to ensure their customer privacy is protected," Haro said. For example, last year Ancestry received a warrant seeking access to its database but challenged the warrant on jurisdictional grounds and didn't provide information, according to its transparency report. "With something as important as consumer privacy," Haro said, "it deserves to be dealt with at the federal level with one comprehensive piece of legislation." The coalition registered to lobby members of Congress about a year ago, according to disclosure records. The U.S. Department of Justice released an interim policy in September for law enforcement using forensic genetic genealogy: Use it as a last resort and with caution, the guidelines say. The eight-page policy sets case eligibility (a violent crime with no matches in the federal DNA database CODIS or unidentified human remains). It also requires the work to be done in a special lab. Final guidelines are expected this year. But including a line - in any policy - for use "as a last resort" still leaves a lot of room for interpretation, said David Kaye, an emeritus law professor at Penn State University who writes about the admissibility of scientific evidence in court. "It's politically appealing to say, 'I'm only going to use it as a last resort,'" he said in an interview. "The thing is you, you're still left with saying what cases fall into that." The Justice Department policy is "at least better than nothing," said Christopher Slobogin, director of Vanderbilt Law School's criminal justice program. He has studied the Fourth Amendment and privacy issues for 30 years. Aside from a few cases related to privacy, there haven't been many court decisions directly applicable to genetic genealogy, Slobogin said. They could come, as DNA databases grow and so do genetic genealogy-related arrests. He thinks the best guidance will come from parameters set by the courts and filled in with state legislation. "It's possible that ultimately the same rule ought to apply across the country," Slobogin said. "At the same time, barging in with a federal law might be a little premature. "That's the reason we have 50 states," he said. "We can experiment a bit." --- (c)2020 Stateline.org Visit Stateline.org at www.stateline.org Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Amid the tragedy they are facing with the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese experts are now exploring their available options when it comes to help Pakistan combat one of the worst locust infestations that they have seen in 20 years. According to BBC, one of the potential methods that they are looking into is sending approximately 100,000 ducks to combat the swarms. The ducks will come from Zhejiang Province, China and will be sent to the South Asian country. On a statement released to Bloomberg, senior researcher from Zhejian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lu Lizhi, referred to the duck as "biological weapons," also stating that they may be more effective in fighting the pests that pesticides. Furthermore, he added that one duck can eat more than 200 locusts a day and that they will be conducting trials with the birds in the western Xinjiang province before giving a confirmation if they will be able to send the ducks. In 2000, the same method was used by China to battle the locust infestation in Xinjiang province. They shipped 30,000 ducks from Zhejiang to chew on the locusts before they can devour more crops. Read also:COVID-19 HongKong Patient's Pet Dog Tests Positive for Coronavirus However, even if the method has worked in the past a researcher has expressed skepticism about the capability of the ducks to fight off the swarms in Pakistan. Professor Zhang Log of China Agricultural University expressed that the deployment of ducks is unlikely to happen since the birds may not be suited for the conditions in Pakistan. He expressed his doubts that the birds may not thrive in the deserts of Pakistan since ducks mainly rely on water. Zhang is a part of the team of the Chinese experts that were deployed in Pakistan to do an evaluation of the situation and possibly develop a solution to the country's locust problem. Instead of using the ducks, he suggested that chemical or biological pesticides need to be used to fight off the pests. Pakistan's government has already declared a National Emergency earlier this year as a response to the growing locust infestations. According to DW, Pakistan's Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said in January that they are facing the worst locust infestation in more than two decades and that in order to deal with the threat they have decided that declaring a national emergency is the way to go. It was also stated that the locusts arrived in Pakistan in June of 2019 and have been feeding on the crops and growing in number since then. Hence, food insecurity is an impending problem. Aside from Pakistan, other East African countries are also experiencing infestation of locusts swarms which triggered the United Nations to issue an international call for help in January to help battle the pests. The UN further added that the pestilence of the insects is a consequence of the cyclone season in 2018 and 2019 that caused heavy rain in the Arabian Peninsula, claiming that the rains have caused "unprecedented breeding" of up to three generations of the crop-devouring pests. Related news: Locust Swarms Continue to Devastate Africa, Moves Next to South Sudan @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ah . . . Bordeaux! Were getting hints of a perfect weekend getaway with a splash of historic sites and a generous dollop of gourmet food. Frances sixth-largest city, on the banks of the Garonne, is more than just a gateway to the vineyards and beaches of the south-west, its a fascinating destination in its own right. Frances sixth-largest city, Bordeaux, is more than just a gateway to the vineyards and beaches of the south-west Places to stay Mama Shelter This Philippe Starck-designed hotel has a great location near shops and restaurants and its open-air rooftop bar attracts plenty of locals as well as guests. Friendly staff are happy to share tips on the area. Entry-price rooms are small, but functional. Just one request sil vous plait: the fashionable, buzzy restaurant is very hip with atmospherically dimmed lighting, but please turn it up for breakfast: wed like to see our croissants. Room-only doubles from 92 (mamashelter.com). Pullman Bordeaux Lac This hotel is about a 15-minute tram ride from the centre, in Bordeauxs business district. Its a good bet for a summer visit when temperatures soar, not only because of its lakeside location, but because theres a pool to cool off in. There are 166 rooms and even the cheapest ones are a decent size. Staff are friendly and theres an onsite restaurant. The buffet breakfast is good but costs 22 a head, so unless youre really hungry, a cafe will be more economical. (Local breakfast tip: in Bordeaux, a pain au chocolat is called a chocolatine.) Room-only doubles from 89 (accor.com). Konti Prices may spike in high season, but outside busy periods and with some advanced planning you can find room-only doubles at this trendy spot from 74. A lot of thought has gone into the design at this hotel, which is housed in an 18th-century mansion, and its in a central location with lots of places nearby to eat and shop (hotel-konti.com). Mercure Centre Ville This hotel wont win any prizes for architecture. But if you just want a decent, clean, well-located spot in which to sleep and shower at a sensible price before hitting the sites, this hotel about a ten-minute walk from the centre will tick your boxes. Room-only doubles from 82 (accor.com). Things to do Water Mirror Photogenic: Place de la Bourse is heaven for Instagrammers The Miroir dEau, at the Place de la Bourse, is the worlds largest reflecting pool, ensuring any amateur can take the ultimate holiday photo. Instagram slam! La Cite du Vin At this museum of viniculture, north of the centre, your admission ticket (17) can be swapped at the end for a cheeky glass of red or white at the top-floor Belvedere bar (laciteduvin.com). Wine Tour A taste of Bordeaux: Grape-picking at a vineyard. Bordeaux is close to the Medoc countryside Get out into the gorgeous Medoc countryside and have a slurp or two at several vineyards with the opportunity to buy. Price: 35pp (visiter-bordeaux.com). Submarine Base In World War II, the Germans forced prisoners to build an indestructible U-boat base here. Not always open, so check with tourist information (facebook.com/basesousmarinedebordeaux). Places to eat Brasserie Bordelaise This restaurant celebrates the best cuisine from the south-west of France, with fish, meats and cheeses from the region. Start with some local oysters (2.40), then perhaps trout from the Basque country (12) or Gascon beef tartare (16). Ask about lunchtime set menu specials, and theres a long list of Bordeaux wines (brasseriebordelaise.fr). Eat your way around the city's restaurants enjoying oysters, cheese, bread, pastries and wine (stock image) Halles Bacalan and La Boca The great thing about food halls is that they give you lots of different choices under one roof, so you can pick a starter from one spot, a main from another and a dessert from a third. If youre heading to La Cite du Vin (see above), Les Halles Bacalan is just across the way. There are around 20 stalls with everything from seafood to carpaccio to pizza slices. Further south, La Boca food court is a similarly impressive set up, with 15 restaurants that are open till midnight and 11pm on Sundays (biltoki.com/hallesbacalan; labocafoodcourt.eu) Chartrons Market If youre in town on a Sunday, a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Garonne is made even more pleasant by the extensive Marche des Quais in the bohemian Chartrons neighbourhood that stretches for about a mile along the riverside. A fantastic spot to stock up on delicious oysters, cheese, bread, pastries and wine. Garopapilles The trick to eating at a seemingly out-of-reach gourmet restaurant is to make lunch the main meal of the day and choosing the set menu. So, at this Michelin-starred bolthole, which seats only 20 people, you can eat the menu du jour from 33 (garopapilles.com). Prince Harry and rock star Jon Bon Jovi walked in The Beatles' footsteps by recreating the Fab Four's Abbey Road album cover. Harry stepped on to the famous zebra crossing with the American musician and two members of the Invictus Games Choir who have been recording a charity single with 1980s rocker. Every year, the crossing - which has Grade II listed status - draws thousands of music fans who, just like Harry, recreate the picture taken by Iain Macmillan of the Fab Four. First to cross was wheelchair user and former serviceman Andy Mudd, followed by the Bon Jovi frontman, Susan Warner and finally Harry. With dozens of press and public watching, the foursome posed as freezing rain fell and the traffic was halted by police. Harry returned to the UK from Canada this week to begin a series of royal engagements which are likely to be his last before he steps down from royal duties on March 31. Many of us learnt about Truganini at school, where she was invariably referred to as the last Tasmanian Aboriginal. That myth that was widely perpetuated until at least the 1970s. Historian and writer Cassandra Pybus has a far more personal connection: her ancestors spoke about an Aboriginal woman who walked across their farm on Bruny in the 1850s and 60s. She later understood her family was a major beneficiary of the expropriation of Truganinis traditional country. George Augustus Robinson, later Port Phillips so-called Chief Protector of Aborigines, was a friend of her great, great grandfathers. For all my adult life shes been in my mind I stand on her shoulders basically. Truganini (mislabelled as Fanny) by Thomas Bock, ,1836. Copyright - The Trustees of the British Museum Credit:British Museum A professor at the University of Sydney and author of 12 books, Pybus new book examines Trugananis life, drawing heavily on material in Robinsons journals. Robinson and Truganini met when she was not much more than a child, at which stage she had lost all her family, and subsequently travelled together for five years. While seeing himself as her carer, Robinson made many false promises to Truganini and the many Indigenous people he met, about independence and liberation. Last week, the WSWS contacted well-known Slovenian journalist Blaz Zgaga after the public release of a statement signed by more than 1,400 journalists and media workers around the world demanding freedom for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. Blaz Zgaga [Credit: Tomislav Cuveljak] Zgaga is a co-organiser of the initiative, which unambiguously condemns the attempt to extradite Assange from Britain to the US as an attack on press freedom. It was publicly launched days before the beginning of court hearings for Assanges extradition to the US, where he faces Espionage Act charges and the prospect of a 175-year prison sentence. The statement points to the historic significance of the publications for which Assange has been charged by the US administration of President Donald Trump. It declares: Mr Assanges reporting of abuses and crimes is of historic importance. It calls on journalists and media professionals to take up a fight against Assanges threatened extradition and prosecution and the broader assault on freedom of the press. Zgaga has had a decades-long career in investigative journalism. He also authored an e-learning course in investigative journalism for the prestigious College of Europe in 2019 and held workshops there for journalists. He is the incoming Journalist in Residence 2020 at the Booth School of Business in Chicago. The WSWS began by asking Zgaga to outline his own professional background. Blaz Zgaga: I am a freelance investigative journalist based in Slovenia, who writes for the Croatian weekly magazine Nacional. I started my career in 1993 for then major Slovene daily newspaper Delo and spent 15 years working for major printed media outlets in Slovenia. I mostly covered military and intelligence and revealed many scandals. One of the biggest was illicit spy collaboration between the US DIA [Defence Intelligence Agency] and the Slovene defence intelligence service OVS, against then Yugoslavia. After publication in June 2000, my office and apartment were searched by the police and I was prosecuted for an alleged crime of revealing military secrets, with a threatened maximum sentence of five years in prison. I was cleared of charges by a higher court in 2003 in a pre-trial phase. When the right-wing government of Janez Jansa started with censorship and political pressures on the Slovene media during the period of 20042008, I initiated a journalists petition against censorship in 2007. It was signed by 571 journalists, who represented one quarter of all professional journalists in this small alpine country. Then in 2008, I resigned from the second major daily newspaper Vecer because of censorship and pressures and started a freelance career. With a Finnish college, we revealed a multi-million bribery scheme during a Slovene Army purchase of Finnish Patria armored vehicles in September 2008. After this scandal, Jansa lost an election and was later sentenced to two years in prison for bribery in the Patria case. However, in 2015, the constitutional court repealed the judgement. A statute of limitations in this bribery case has since passed. As a freelance journalist I have collaborated in many breaking ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] and EIC [European Investigative Collaboration] investigations, where I am focusing my work in later years. My latest investigations were about a US extreme-right religious groups multi-million funding of European anti-abortion NGOs, and massive cocaine trafficking in Europe, with a focus on the Balkan Cartel. I am a co-plaintiff in a constitutional complaint against the German federal intelligence agency, the BND, which is allowed to spy on foreign journalists without any limitations. The German Constitutional Court had a two-day public hearing in January and we hope that the court will limit massive electronic surveillance, which was revealed by Edward Snowden, in the next few months. WSWS: How did the statement come to be authored and released? BZ: It all started on October 23, 2019, when Serena Tinari sent a worrying letter to the Global-L list, where investigative journalists from around the world exchange tips and information. After she read reports about Assanges dire situation in Belmarsh Prison, she suggested that we write a public letter for Assange like we did in 2010. But after six days of total silence, as nobody responded to her proposal, I wrote a little bit of an angry response to all, saying that it appears that journalists solidarity is dying on this list. This started a week-long debate, where some US journalists actively smeared Assange. But with Nicky Hager, we started writing our carefully crafted international statement. More than 1,300 signatories from 99 countries confirm that journalistic solidarity is very much alive and I hope that many other journalists will join this initiative soon. Why is this case so important? If the UK extradites Assange to the US and if he is sentenced there to prison for publishing information in the public interest, for revealing war crimes, then the same can happen to any of us. It also opens an important question: what is the difference between the West and China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and other authoritarian regimes? If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries? This case and our initiative are not only about Assange, but also about press freedom and freedom of expression in democratic countries. If these rights are denied in the Assange case, then it will be difficult to say that these countries are still democratic. Without free press and freedom of expression, no democracy is possible. Speak up for Assange petition WSWS: How does the response to the petition contrast with the generally despicable role played by the corporate press in the Assange case? BZ: United Nations Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer wrote in his report last year: It finally dawned on me that I had been blinded by propaganda, and that Assange had been systematically slandered to divert attention from the crimes he exposed. Once he had been dehumanized through isolation, ridicule and shame, just like the witches we used to burn at the stake, it was easy to deprive him of his most fundamental rights without provoking public outrage worldwide. When so well informed and excellent a lawyer as Melzer was blinded by propaganda, I am afraid that many journalists around the globe have also simply believed what was published in the smearing campaign against Assange and that they havent yet checked the real facts behind this case. I hope they will do it soon and reassess their knowledge and opinion on this case, as the Assange case will also define their professional freedoms in the future. Many stories with truthful information were published in recent weeks in some major European media. This shows that truth is slowly coming out. But I really appreciate that 1,300 journalists from 99 countries, who signed the statement, demonstrate that journalistic solidarity and journalism itself is not dying yet. Just the opposite, it shows that we are stronger together and that we must speak out and fight for press freedom and freedom of expression on a global scale. Who will fight for our freedom if not us? Immigrant defense fund Regarding County OKs immigrant defense fund, (A1, Feb. 26): Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo pushed through this program and it was approved by Commissioners Court. Judge Hidalgo seemed to be proud that Houston followed the other big cities of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in this matter. Im a native Houstonian and would like to inform Hidalgo that I and many other Houstonians do not want to follow the example of these cities. One only has to watch the news and read about the many problems in these cities caused by stupid decisions by their mayors, commissioners and judges. All three face severe budget problems, and Chicago has long been known as corrupt and poorly run. Houston has its own budget problems, and now we have a judge and commissioners who clearly have an agenda that is not in the best interests of the vast majority of Houstonians. Hopefully, voters will remember this next election. Ron Paradoski, Houston EPA rollbacks Regarding Harris County sues EPA over the rollback of regulations on chem safety, (A3, Feb. 23): As a resident of Harris County, I am very worried about the health and safety risks posed by the recent explosions and fires at chemical companies in our area. As you pointed out in your article, the rollback of federal environmental protections means these huge corporations can operate without oversight, putting profits over the wellbeing of people. Im glad that the Harris County Attorney is joining counterparts in other states to get a federal judge to overturn the EPAs new lax rules for chemical companies. However, we need to get to the root of the problem: President Donald Trump, who has been doing everything he can to gut environmental regulations and ignore the climate crisis at our doorstep. While many of the Democratic candidates say they care about environmental and climate risks, only Tom Steyer has made this issue his No. 1 priority. Its clear that he cares about the health and safety of people, especially those in low-income and minority communities where these dangerous plants are located. Making sure all Americans have clean water and air, and are free from the dangers posed by industry, should be a top concern of those we elect. Cierra Liggins, Houston Democratic primary As a Black man concerned about the future of both my country and my people, I want voters, especially Black voters, to support leaders whose vision and plans will help us grow and, ultimately, thrive, not politicians or idealists that promise handouts or propose policies so radical that they would undermine our economy and simultaneously intensify the racial tension and class division already in existence within our country. Americans would be much better served by electing leaders who have realistic proposals and strategies, are empathetic, compassionate and genuinely devoted towards building a future that Black Americans and all of the citizens of this country can visualize and embrace. Sen. Bernie Sanders and candidates like him cant win, because many people, whether liberal or conservative, just cant accept his radical agenda. His ideas sound great, but theyll never become reality because they are impossible to achieve. Hes right about a lot of things, though. Companies have favored rewarding shareholders in lieu of boosting their middle-class workforce. Senior executive compensation packages sometimes are excessive. The insanely wealthy probably can afford to pay more in taxes. Tax cuts which hugely benefit corporations but minimally benefit their workers are wrong. Continued growth of the federal deficit regardless of cause cannot continue. Honoring our commitment to our veterans should be non-negotiable. But none of these concerns will be solved overnight, and if/when progress is made, it will come through strong, effective and consistent leadership, not social democracy. W. A. Tempton, Jr., Houston One man's misery is another man's opportunity to bag a bargain. And, as the number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rises, savvy buyers are snapping up unbeatable deals. The latest figures from UK Finance, the banking trade body, reveals that the number of homeowner properties taken into possession in the final quarter of last year rose 17 per cent on the same period in 2018. This was accompanied by a 20 per cent jump in the number of buy-to-let properties repossessed. As the number of properties repossessed by mortgage lenders rises, savvy buyers are snapping up unbeatable deals This is still a relatively small number overall (1,990 properties) and remains far below the levels of repossessions seen in the years following the financial crash, but numbers have been creeping up. Bruce Burkitt, founder of property development and acquisitions firm Property Experts, says one perk of buying a repossessed property is that you are dealing with a 'motivated seller', aware the property has to be sold and, therefore, more willing to negotiate on price. 'Pricing is likely to be more realistic from the start because a quick sale is required.' Barry Abbott saw first-hand the potential to land a great deal when he bought a repossessed Victorian townhouse on Southend seafront for 290,000, about 100,000 under market value. The property was offered on a closed bidding process, where interested parties had to make secret bids. The winning bidder would then need to be able to complete within 28 days. Abbott says: 'As long as you go into it with the funding in place, and you've done your sums, then you can get a good deal.' So how do you find a repossessed property? Lenders who take a property into possession will often put it on the market with a local estate agent. James Hogan, an estate agent with Yopa, says that while an agent won't generally advertise that the property has been repossessed, there may be clues in the listing. 'The properties will usually be empty, with air fresheners on the windowsills. Sometimes curtains are tied up and a good indication is the price is normally far lower than the street's value.' Burkitt says that because buyers associate repossessed properties with being a bargain, they often attract a lot of interest, which can push the price up. He suggests introducing yourself to local estate agents, so that you are in the forefront of their minds when a repossession case comes up. He adds: 'It's also best to get to know agents who aren't part of a multi-branch network agency, without heavy online exposure, as you'll face less competition.' If the estate agent fails to sell the property, the lender may turn to a dedicated property auction. Spotting a repossessed property is easier in these cases. Auctioneers publish a catalogue of the lots in advance of the auction itself, and will highlight which properties are repossessions. It's recommended that you book a viewing in advance, while some interested parties also get their solicitors to check the legal pack, which is available before the day of the auction itself. If you make the winning bid, then you will need to pay a 10 per cent deposit on the day, with the rest of the money due within 28 days. The need to be able to move swiftly in order to complete on the purchase of a repossessed property, whether through an estate agent or at auction, means that they often appeal to cash buyers. But Hogan argues they can still be an option for aspiring homeowners, too. 'I have sold lots of repossession properties to first-time buyers, but they have to have everything in place when they make an offer, such as deposit, mortgage and solicitors.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arif Suryobuwono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 Logic has led to the acquittal of all charges of Suzethe Margaret, a schizophrenic Catholic woman previously indicted on blasphemy charges for wearing shoes and bringing a dog inside a mosque, even though she was proven to have committed blasphemy against Islam. This ruling, handed down on Feb. 5 at the Cibinong District Court in West Java, exactly follows the very reasoning that criminal law expert witness Bintatar Sinaga from the Pakuan University in Bogor offered up in his testimony on Nov. 18, 2019. Acting as a witness for the defense, Bintatar told the court that prosecutors had successfully proven that one of the required constituent elements of a crime as stated in the indictment filed to the court, that is, the physical act of committing the crime, had been present. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. The Aligarh police have booked 22 students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) who belong to Jammu and Kashmir for instigating and participating in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) protests and blocking an important link road in the district, a police officer said on Saturday. The protest started on February 24, a day after clashes between protesters and the police, in the Jeevangarh area of Aligarh. The FIR was lodged on Friday night. A senior police officer said, The FIR was lodged on the complaint of the local police outpost in-charge against one Mohd. Athar, who is a former students union member of AMU and 21 others. They have been booked for inciting violence, obstructing work of government officials and other sections of the Indian Penal Code. The students are known to be residents of Jammu and Kashmir. The students of AMU were found to be arranging pamphlets, food and illegally transporting people for the protest in Jeevangarh, said the officer. Registrar of AMU Abdul Hamid said, The university administration will take suitable action against the students after reviewing evidence and information provided against them by the police. The sit-in has forced the district administration to block approach roads to the link road to ensure law and order. Aligarh district administration has not given permission for the protest and has called it illegal. Police had earlier booked seven AMU students in another FIR lodged in connection with the protest. Aligarh, located 162 kilometres from the national capital, witnessed clashes between police and anti-CAA protesters on February 23. A tanned, smiling man in a white apron ends this rumination by handing out our order from the pick-up window at this North Bondi bagel and smoked salmon hole-in-the-wall emporium. Situated at Bondis Seven Ways, Lox in a Box was opened in 2019 by Candy Berger of Fed Catering, and her partner Gaia Lovell. Run from a dinky shop framed by stained-glass panels and smart concertina order and pick-up bay windows, its a welcoming character-filled deli with a lucky golden horseshoe painted above a slender French doors entrance. Standing at the Lox in a Box pick-up window, it is difficult to stop rhyming everything Dr Seuss-style. Lox in a Box with a fox wearing socks. New socks. Two socks. Whose socks? Sues socks. Lox in a box on fox in socks Inside, behind a counter where orders are freshly made, shelves are stacked with the dapper Lox in a Box pizza-style cardboard boxes featuring a cute winking and saluting salmon (not in socks). Theyre for Lox in a Boxs seven-day delivery bagel service, catering for groups, and delivering across Sydney. The service has a six-bagel minimum order and pre-made or build-your-own options Weve fronted up in person for three bagels - the hot salt beef bagel (with corned beef, dill pickles and yellow mustard), the classic lox bagel (salmon, herb schmear, sliced tomato, capers and onions) and the Bubba (a bagel with cream cheese and salmon, for kids). A vegetarian bagel is also available. The smiling man suggests adding a babka scroll, a sweet yeast bread that resembles a cinnamon scroll, and a filter coffee using Reuben Hills beans. The hot salt beef bagel with a side of chips and gherkins from Lox in a Box. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer On a warm Sunday in this sprawling beach suburb, things are hectically low-key. Construction work narrows the footpath, temporarily fencing off benches shaded by a paperbark tree where people usually sit to eat their coriander seed, peppercorn and yellow mustard-cured lox bagels, each served in little white baskets with dill pickles and salty crisps. Around the corner, footpaths jammed with glossy cars parked over driveways and grass verges frame lolling backpackers in bikinis leaning on front-steps shielding their international FaceTime calls from the sun. Peeling 1930s apartment blocks are ringed by surfboards, straggling dandelions and beer cartons. Samajwadi Party workers waved black clothes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Parade ground in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad on Saturday, police said. "These people present at the programme site took out their black jackets and T-shirts, and waved them like flags," Senior Superintendent of Police Aniruddha Pankaj said. "But the police personnel deployed there immediately overpowered them and took them into custody." They have been identified as Saurabh, Mohit and Jaishankar. They are connected with the Samajwadi Party and active in student politics, the SSP added. Modi addressed a public meeting in Allahabad in the afternoon at a mega camp for distribution of assistive devices among persons with disabilities and senior citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Fears are mounting for 50 staff and residents at a nursing facility in Washington state after they have shown coronavirus symptoms, on the same day that the US had its first confirmed coronavirus death and Donald Trump continued to urge the public not to panic. Fifty-two staff and residents of the nursing facility where two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed are now showing symptoms of the disease, health officials said during a teleconference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington state, around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have some symptoms, including some cases where individuals have contracted pneumonia. The CDC and local health officials are reportedly sending an emergency response team to the Life Care facility on Sunday to try to control the escalating situation. This comes as a 'medically high-risk' man in his 50s became the first person in the US to die from coronavirus overnight Friday in the same city, near Seattle, Washington state. Healthcare workers are pictured transporting a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Washington on Saturday More than 50 staff and residents of the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington, where two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed are now also showing symptoms of the disease The first US coronavirus death happened overnight on Friday. The man in his 50s died in EvergreenHealth Medical Center, Kirkland (pictured Saturday) Officials confirmed the death at a press conference Saturday and said a lack of availability of tests and strict criteria for testing from the CDC had delayed identification of people with the virus At a White House press conference, President Donald Trump mistakenly said that the first patient to die from coronavirus in the US was a Washington state woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. The patient was a man The unnamed man died in a hospital just two miles from the nursing facility where concerns of a mass outbreak are mounting, but officials are maintaining the cases are unconnected. President Trump sought to quell widespread panic in a press conference on Saturday where he expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and told people to remain calm - before he made a gaffe by wrongly saying the person was a woman. The possible outbreak in the nursing facility comes as it emerged that two new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state are linked to the home. At a Saturday press conference, Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, confirmed that one of the confirmed cases was a woman in her 40s who works at the facility, who is in satisfactory condition. Another was a female resident of Life Care in her 70s, who is in serious condition. Healthcare workers transport a patient into an ambulance at Life Care Center on Saturday. The CDC and local health officials are reportedly sending an emergency response team to the Life Care facility on Sunday to try to control the escalating situation 'We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, as we would be wherever people who are susceptible might be gathering,' health officials said An ambulance driver prepares to leave after transporting a patient into an ambulance. A team of CDC workers from Atlanta are on route to the facility in efforts to control the outbreak The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions. News of the potential outbreak in the facility is concerning given the higher danger of coronavirus being fatal to individuals who are less healthy or already have pre-existing conditions A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus. A patient was seen being moved from the center to an ambulance on Saturday (pictured) Neither had a recent history of travel, suggesting these are additional cases of community spread. 'We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, as we would be wherever people who are susceptible might be gathering,' said Duchin. 'We're going to send a team into the facility tomorrow to do an assessment.' A team of CDC workers from Atlanta are on route to the facility in efforts to control the outbreak. Duchin added that older adults and people with underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart or lung disease should be especially careful to protect themselves by washing their hands, not touching their faces, and avoiding contact with people who are sick. The Life Care facility provides 24-hour care for residents, including physician and nurse coverage, many of whom have long-term and chronic conditions. News of the potential outbreak in the facility is concerning given the higher danger of coronavirus being fatal to individuals who are less healthy or already have pre-existing conditions. A spokesperson for Life Care told DailyMail.com that the facility was not accepting any visitors or new admissions, and was monitoring all residents and associates for the virus. The first person to die of coronavirus in the US died in EvergreenHealth hospital just two miles from the Life Care nursing facility where concerns of a mass outbreak are mounting, but officials are maintaining the cases are unconnected They said the restricted access had only been put in place earlier that morning, the same day the two cases were confirmed and outbreak fears emerged. Medical staff wearing protective clothing and masks were pictured transporting a patient on a stretcher into an ambulance at the Life Care facility on Saturday. The CDC is working with the facility to try to get a handle on the situation, they said, but the individual said they could not confirm reports that the CDC was sending in an emergency response team to the home. Executive director Ellie Basham said in a statement that the facility is monitoring the situation closely. 'Current residents and associates are being monitored closely. As is normal this time of year, there are various cold and flu-like symptoms being exhibited from residents and associates,' the statement emailed to DailyMail.com read. 'The health department has advised us to monitor for an elevated temperature, cough and shortness of breath. We're consulting with the health department and possibly sending patients to a local hospital for formal COVID-19 testing.' Several Kirkland firefighters have also been quarantined after they responded to Life Care facility over the last week, according to Seattle Times. 'It impacted multiple crews,' Kellie Stickney, a city of Kirkland spokesperson, said. The city has not stated where the firefighters are being quarantined. Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, said the deceased man had no recent history of travel or known links to global coronavirus hotspots Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team, including (L to R) Michelle Steik, Lucy Greenfield, and Krista Reitberg prepare to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Washington state recorded the first death from coronavirus in the US on Saturday. Duchin said the deceased patient was a man in his 50s with 'underlying health conditions.' He died overnight at the Evergreen Health's hospital in Kirkland, Washington - just two miles from the Life Care facility in Kirkland where the mass outbreak is now feared. The deceased patient, also in King County, did not have a connection to the facility, Duchin said. However, Frank Riedo, the medical director of infection control at EvergreenHealth Hospital, did not seem to rule out the possibility the cases are related. 'At the present time, we do not see a connection between the two. But there are some evolving threads that are being investigated,' said Riedo. 'I think what we're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. We're seeing the most critically ill individuals. Usually that means there's a significant percentage of individuals with less severe illness floating around out there. So in all likelihood there is ongoing low level transmission.' Duchin also took aim at the CDC, saying that the lack of available tests had led to delays in the cases being confirmed and action being taken. 'If we had the ability to test earlier, I'm sure we would have identified patients earlier,' he said. Health officials said all three new cases in Washington state had no known travel history or links to global hot zones indicating that the deadly outbreak is now likely spreading in communities. This now takes the number of Washington cases to a total of six, according to presumptive tests administered locally. The national total in the US is at least 62. Speaking to the nation at a rare Saturday press conference, Trump expressed condolences to the family of the patient who died and addressed the outbreak, urging calm even as he said the virus spread seems inevitable. 'Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover,' he said. 'Healthy people if you're healthy, you'll probably go through a process and you'll be fine.' Trump urged politicians and the media not to sensationalize the outbreak and provoke panic. 'There's no reason to panic at all,' he said. Initially, there was confusion over the deceased patient's sex, after Trump said that the person was a woman in her 50s who was 'medically high-risk'. The White House said that Trump was relying on information from a briefing from the CDC. 'It was a man,' said Dr. Duchin of the deceased patient, adding that the patient was a 'chronically ill person' with 'severe risk factors.' Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 83,652 people and killed 2,862 in 54 countries. Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a 'hoax' cooked up by his political enemies. 'Hoax was referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody,' Trump explained on Saturday when asked if he regretted his words. 'I'm not talking about what's happening here, I'm talking about what they're doing.' The EvergreenHealth hospital (above) in Kirkland. The three new cases takes the number of Washington cases to a total of six, according to presumptive tests administered locally At Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a home assessment team hold protective and testing supplies, while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to coronavirus on Saturday At the press conference, Vice President Pence, who has been tapped to lead to virus task force, announced new emergency travel restrictions on Iran, Italy, and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks. Any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the U.S., Pence said. He also said that Trump has authorized the State Department to raise the travel advisory level to outbreak areas in Italy and South Korea to Level Four, the highest level. Level Four advisories urge Americans not to travel to an area for any reason, though they do not legally forbid travel. Health experts say that the coronavirus has a low mortality rate, resulting in death in about 2 to 3 percent of cases, the majority of which are elderly patients or those with compromised immune systems. However, it appears to be highly contagious, spreading quickly through communities. Experts say frequent hand washing is one of the most effective preventative steps that individuals can take to prevent viral spread. On Saturday afternoon, Washington's Governor Inslee, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in response to coronavirus, authorizing the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary, following the confirmation of the new cses near Seattle (above) On Saturday afternoon, Washington's Governor Inslee, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in response to coronavirus, authorizing the use of the Washington National Guard, if necessary. He issued a proclamation that directs state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases. 'This is a time to take common-sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state,' Inslee said in a statement. 'Washingtonians can be assured we've taken this threat seriously and have been working in collaboration with our health care partners to develop plans and procedures to prepare for what could likely be a world-wide pandemic.' Untraceable 'community spread' cases detected in three Western states The fatal case follows the revelation on Friday that three new cases of community spread with no identifiable origin had been detected in California, Oregon, and Washington State. Those patients - an older Northern California woman with chronic health conditions, a high school student in Everett, Washington and an employee at a Portland, Oregon-area school - hadn't recently traveled overseas or had any known close contact with a traveler or an infected person, authorities said. A map shows the four previously announced 'unknown origin' coronavirus cases Earlier US cases include three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak; 14 people who returned from China, or their spouses; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were flown to U.S. military bases in California and Texas for quarantining. Convinced that the number of cases will grow but determined to keep them from exploding, health agencies were ramping up efforts to identify patients. The California Department of Public Health said Friday that the state will receive enough kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to test up to 1,200 people a day for the COVID-19 virus - a day after Governor Gavin Newsom complained to federal health officials that the state had already exhausted its initial 200 test kits. California reported two cases where the source of infection wasn't known. The older woman was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, and rapid local testing confirmed in one day that she had the virus, health officials said Friday. 'This case represents some degree of community spread, some degree of circulation,' said Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County and director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. 'But we don't know to what extent,' Cody said. 'It could be a little, it could be a lot.' 'We need to begin taking important additional measures to at least slow it down as much as possible,' she said. Cody said the newly confirmed case in Santa Clara County is not linked to two previous cases in that county, nor to others in the state. The Santa Clara County resident was treated at a local hospital and is not known to have traveled to Solano County, where another California woman was identified Wednesday as having contracted the virus from an unknown source. Dozens of people had close contact with the Solano County woman. They were urged to quarantine themselves at home, while a few who showed symptoms of illness were in isolation, officials said. At UC Davis Medical Center at least 124 registered nurses and other health care workers were sent home for 'self-quarantine' after the Solano County woman with the virus was admitted, National Nurses United, a nationwide union representing RNs, said Friday. The case 'highlights the vulnerability of the nation's hospitals to this virus,' the union said. Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team carry protective and testing supplies while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to novel coronavirus at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington on Saturday Oregon also confirmed its first coronavirus case Friday - and another 'unknown origin' case - in a person who works at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed. The Lake Oswego School District sent a robocall to parents saying that Forest Hills Elementary will be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. Washington state health officials then announced two new coronavirus cases Friday night, including a high school student who attends Jackson High School in Everett, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District. The student had no known contact with a confirmed case and had not recently returned from overseas. The other case in Washington was a woman in in King County in her 50s who had recently traveled to South Korea, authorities said. Both patients weren't seriously ill. The number of coronavirus cases in the US is considered small. Worldwide, the number of people sickened by the virus hovered Friday around 83,000, and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. But health officials aren't taking any chances. Some communities, including San Francisco, already have declared local emergencies in case they need to obtain government funding. In Southern California's Orange County, the city of Costa Mesa went to court to prevent state and federal health officials from transferring dozens of people exposed to the virus aboard a cruise ship in Japan to a state-owned facility in the city. The passengers, including some who tested positive for the virus and underwent hospital care, had been staying at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. On Friday, state officials said the federal decided it no longer had a crucial need to move those people to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. That's because of the imminent end of the isolation period for those passengers and the relatively small number of persons who ended up testing positive, officials said. The new coronavirus cases of unknown origin marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could spread beyond the reach of preventative measures like quarantines, though state health officials said that was inevitable and that the risk of widespread transmission remains low. California public health officials on Friday said more than 9,380 people are self-monitoring after arriving on commercial flights from China through Los Angeles and San Francisco. That's up from the 8,400 that Newsom cited on Thursday, though officials said the number increases daily as more flights arrive. A researcher works in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation on Friday in New Jersey Officials are not too worried, for now, about casual contact, because federal officials think the coronavirus is spread only through 'close contact, being within six feet of somebody for what theyre calling a prolonged period of time,' said Dr. James Watt, interim state epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. As infectious disease experts fanned out in the Solano County city of Vacaville, some residents in the city between San Francisco and Sacramento stocked up on supplies amid fears things could get worse despite official reassurances, while others took the news in stride. The woman in the community who has coronavirus first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, before her condition worsened and she was transferred to the medical center in Sacramento. Sacramento Countys top health official told The Sacramento Bee on Friday that he expects several medical workers to test positive themselves in the next few days. Numerous workers at both hospitals have been tested, but the tests were sent to labs approved by the CDC and generally take three to four days to complete. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County's health services director, said he expects even those who test positive to become only mildly ill. Confusion over how quickly the woman was tested for coronavirus concerned McKinsey Paz, who works at a private security firm in Vacaville. The company has already stockpiled 450 face masks and is scrambling for more 'since theyre hard to come by.' The company's owner bought enough cleaning and disinfectant supplies to both scrub down the office and send home with employees. But they appeared to be at the extreme for preparations. Eugenia Kendall was wearing a face mask, but in fear of anything including the common cold. Her immune system is impaired because she is undergoing chemotherapy, and she has long been taking such precautions. 'Were not paranoid. Were just trying to be practical,' said her husband of 31 years, Ivan Kendall. 'We wipe the shopping carts if they have them, and when I get back in the car I wipe my hands - and just hope for the best.' Three nights a week, the second floor of Broadway United Methodist Church is flooded with the sounds of orchestra rehearsals, with a diverse group of children ages 5-18 learning to play a string instrument through the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO), which is sponsored by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The woman leading the program, Krystle Ford, is a former MYO member. Ford joined the program as a violinist when she was in the fifth grade, and the skills she learned under the direction of Betty Perry took her to Butler University, where she graduated with a degree in music in 2006. After spending 10 years playing in various ensembles in New York City, Ford, 36, took over the MYO after Perry, who founded the program, retired in 2017. While Ford can attest to many youth orchestras having diversity amongst the musicians MYO is about 33% African American and 12% Latinx she said that a lack of diversity amongst music teachers can be a barrier for many students interested in pursuing music as a career. I didnt see anyone who looked like me as a kid, outside of Betty Perry, Ford said. Ive been gone and came back, and its still very slim. Its hard to find teachers of color [in Indiana]. If you dont see others who look like you doing music professionally, its harder to make the connection that you can do it and stick with it. The diversity amongst students, however, helps kids get a better understanding of race. [Diversity] teaches you that the world is different, and its made up of a lot of different people, Ford said. It paints a more realistic picture of the world, and it helps combat stereotypes. When you have friends of all different races, you cant say that a certain stereotype is true, because its not your experience. You get to hear different perspectives and life experiences. Thanks to the diversity in the group, however, many teachers for MYO come from are alumni of the program, meaning many MYO teachers look like the students they are teaching. Inclusivity is an important part of the MYO, and teacher Chrestien Bottoms said creating a welcoming space for all students helps to start conversations and build understanding. Theres no judgment here, Bottoms said. Kids have different hair colors, dress styles, they come from different ethnic backgrounds, and there are no conflicts. Kids appreciate that they can come as they are, and I think they want that for each other. Bottoms, who played violin in MYO and now has three daughters in the program, remembers the organization being just as accepting when she was performing. In todays climate, she said the diversity in the program has inspired conversations about race and racism. We have conversations about racial diversity with our older kids, and they seem to be unaware of racial issues, Bottoms said. Not in a bad way, like theyre blind to it, but they dont realize its happening because they dont contribute to it. We want to open their eyes to it and help them use their platforms and their voices to make change. Beyond conversations about social change, both Bottoms and Ford have seen significant changes in individual children, from shy students suddenly speaking in front of the class or children with stage fright playing a solo in front of a packed auditorium. Its not just the adults in the program who notice changes in students, the children see it in themselves. Allison Hayes, Gabrielle Sellers and DeLaura Miller have all been playing in MYO for several years. All three young women have seen growth in themselves, whether its in their appreciation for classical music or the ability to connect with their peers. Sellers, 15, has been playing the viola for four years in the program and had to give up some extracurriculars to make time for the orchestra. While she loved writing for her school newspaper and participating on the robotics team, music helped her cope with her attention deficit disorder. When I pick up my instrument, I drop everything that Im dealing with, Sellers said, and I pick it up later with a different perspective. Everyone at the MYO has such a close connection, its really great. For Miller, a 16-year-old bassist, being in MYO, along with ROTC, has helped her structure her personal and academic life. There are a lot of opportunities through MYO, Miller said. Ive grown mentally and emotionally, and you have to really challenge yourself and you learn how to conduct yourself. Hayes, 14, agrees. The MYO helped me to grow up, and now Im always around people who are friends, and we help each other out with music and with personal stuff, the violinist said. And while none of the three students can narrow down the favorite piece theyve played during their time in MYO, theres a general consensus: Were like a family here, Hayes said as the other two girls nodded in agreement. As some parents wait outside the classrooms during rehearsal and some join in and play alongside the children, Ford stressed the impact of the program. A lot of these kids grow up together. Some kids come to us [teachers] when theyre having problems at home or school. We have kids who come out to us. We really are a family. It takes a village, she said, glancing around at the mix of kids and parents discussing their new music, and this is the village. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. MYO founder Betty Perry with a student. (Recorder file Photo) They spent the past few days in Paris for Fashion Week. But Kate Bosworth was back stateside by Friday when she was seen emerging from LAX with her screenwriter husband Michael Polish. The 37-year-old actress glowed as she hit a zebra crossing carrying two handbags and a fleece-lined overcoat. On the move: Kate Bosworth was back stateside by Friday when she was seen emerging from LAX with her screenwriter husband Michael Polish She was casually stylish in a pair of sleek sunglasses, a P.E Nation black and white hoodie and a gleaming pair of black trousers. Kate looked completely besotted with Michael as they touched down in France's Charles-de-Gaulle airport for Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday. The Still Alice actress nailed casual chic in a fluffy buttoned coat and leather joggers as she held hands with an equally-stylish Michael, 49. Laden: The 37-year-old actress glowed as she hit a zebra crossing carrying two handbags and a fleece-lined overcoat Opting for comfort, the thespian strolled along the terminal in a pair of white trainers, and carried her essentials in a pale blue handbag. The Beyond The Sea star displayed her naturally radiant complexion as she went make-up free, and rounded things off with cat-eye shades. Handsome Michael, meanwhile, looked effortlessly cool in black straight-leg trousers, a hooded jumper and a sharp blazer as the gentleman lugged their suitcases. Off they go: She was casually stylish in a pair of sleek sunglasses, a P.E Nation black and white hoodie and a gleaming pair of black trousers The blonde beauty typically keeps a low profile, but has been back in the spotlight after promoting her new Netflix series, the I-Land. Kate and Michael - who has a daughter Jasper, 20, from his previous marriage - met when he directed her in a cinematic adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1962 novel Big Sur in 2011. The couple tied the knot two years later in a romantic ceremony in Philipsburg, Montana, in August 2013. Going strong: The screen star has been married to the screenwriter for nearly seven years after meeting on the set of adventure film Big Sur back in 2011 Speaking in an interview with British Marie Claire magazine in January 2015, the screen star admitted she was cautious about rushing into a relationship with her director while they were filming on set in California. She explained: 'There are so many people that hook up on movies, and you wonder if that's real, so we didn't go there. 'I think we were both experienced to know that if this was the real deal, we could wait to see what would happen.' Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). Puri: Union Home Minister Amit Shah leaves after offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha on Feb 29, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Puri: Union Home Minister Amit Shah leaves after offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha on Feb 29, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Puri: Union Home Minister Amit Shah leaves after offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha on Feb 29, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Bhubaneswar, Feb 29 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday offered prayers at the Jagannath Temple in Puri and the Lingaraj Temple here. The Minister visited the 12th-century shrine in Puri in the morning, accompanied by Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Pratap Sarangi and Prahlad Singh Patel and other senior leaders of the state BJP and paid obeisance to the presiding deities. "It is always special to be in Puri. Took the blessings of Mahaprabhu Jagannath," tweeted Shah, who visited the shrine for the first time after becoming the Home Minister. The Home Minister later returned to Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar, where he visited the Lingaraj temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. On Friday, Shah had chaired a meeting of the 24th Eastern Zonal Council in Bhubaneswar, which was attended by the chief ministers of Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. Later, he addressed a pro-CAA rally here. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin David Beirman (The Jakarta Post) - Sat, February 29, 2020 12:29 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20675d74a 3 News cruise-industry,cruise,travel-advisory,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free The coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) has now reached more than 80,000 recorded cases, largely concentrated in China, with a death toll over 2,700 and rising. There are few signs the epidemic is abating. In fact, new cases have emerged in a host of European countries in recent days, while significant outbreaks have continued to grow in number in South Korea, Italy and Iran. For the global tourism industry, the impact of the outbreak is likely to be severe. Many countries, including Australia and the US, are continuing their bans or severe restrictions on arrivals from China, which is having massive repercussions. China accounts for one in 10 of the worlds international tourists, or about 150 million people per year. And Chinese tourists spent US$277 billion in outbound tourism in 2018, the highest in the world and nearly double the amount spent by American tourists at number two. Many governments, including Australia and the US, have also had do not travel warnings in effect for China for weeks the highest warning level possible. Australia is also now advising travelers to take a high degree of caution when visiting other countries with outbreaks, including South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong, and is advising people to reconsider travel to Iran. The warnings are updated frequently, so its best to check the Smart Traveller website before making plans. The last significant disruption to global tourism on this scale occurred after the September 11 terror attacks, when a widespread fear of flying led to a major four-to-five-month decline in global aviation travel. But despite the fears over coronavirus, travel is still generally safe at the moment provided you get the right advice and take sensible precautions. Is cruising still safe, and if so, where? The recent quarantining of the Diamond Princess (Japan), the World Dream (Hong Kong) and the Westerdam (Cambodia) has raised concerns about the safety of cruising during the epidemic. While the crisis is unprecedented in scale for the cruise sector, ship operators have extensive experience in dealing with the challenge of containing disease outbreaks. In fact, along with aviation, the cruising industry has the strictest health and safety controls of any tourism industry sector. Read also: Cruise control? Securitizing luxury cruise ships in times of coronavirus The International Maritime Organization has had a convention in place since 1914 known as SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), and updated versions now include a range of protocols for the cleaning of cabins and public areas of a ship and food hygiene. It is standard practice in cruising to isolate passengers when a passenger is identified with an on-board illness. The difficulty with COVID-19 is that it may take up to 14 days and in some cases even longer for symptoms to develop after exposure. According to my contacts in Cruise Lines International Association, the industrys global association representing over 90% of cruise ship operators, members are now developing a common approach to respond to the outbreak. This involves informing passengers and training travel agencies about the measures that companies are taking to minimise risk and exposure to the virus. One measure being examined, for instance, is enhanced passenger reporting of medical vulnerabilities at the time of booking. This a top priority for CLIA. But the good news is that apart from the three quarantined ships in Asia, no evidence of COVID-19 has been found on cruise liners thus far. The global cruise industry also has a relatively small exposure to China, which should counter some concerns about the safety of cruising. According to CLIA, all of Asia accounted for just 10% of the worlds cruise deployments and about 15% of the worlds 30 million passengers in 2019. About half of the worlds cruising passengers are from North America (mainly the US). Nearly a third of global cruising takes place in the Caribbean and 28% in the Mediterranean and the rest of Europe. (However, the new coronavirus outbreak in Italy is becoming a more serious concern for cruise operators there.) Will you be covered for cancellations? Many travellers are also concerned about the travel insurance implications of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to CHOICE, the Australian consumer advocacy agency, less than half the travel insurers cover cancellation as a result of a pandemic or epidemic. However, travellers who booked their trips prior to the announcement of the epidemic (what is called a known event) should be able to obtain cancellation coverage. Allianz, for instance, says the virus became a known event on January 22 for travel to China. Cover More Travel Insurance, which issues over 80% of travel insurance policies in Australia, is using the date of January 23 for its policies. However, travellers who booked and paid after the known event announcement may find themselves out of luck. Insurers also have different exclusions when it comes to epidemics. For instance, most (but not all) insurers will deny any coverage to travellers who visit a country their national government advises citizens not to visit, such as China at the moment for Australians. However, some policies (especially those for corporate and government travellers) will offer coverage at a premium price for any loss not related to COVID-19 or standard travel insurance exclusions, such as injuries incurred while intoxicated. Bottom line, travellers should research their travel insurance cover very carefully or seek professional advice to understand the full implications of the virus on their plans. --- David Beirman, Senior Lecturer, Tourism, University of Technology Sydney This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany asserted that the ministry is to copy the experience in Sharm El-Sheikh museum, set to open in April The Hurghada Museum was officially inaugurated by PM Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany on Saturday. This is Egypt's first museum to be established in partnership with the private sector. "It's a leading experience in Egypt to link maritime and cultural tourism, El-Enany said, asserting that the ministry is to copy the experience in Sharm El-Sheikh museum, set to open in April. He added that the government didnt shoulder any financial burdens in the construction of the Hurghada Museum which cost EGP 185 million and that were provided by the partnering company. The company provided all the requirements the ministry requested such as the showcases, the security and lighting systems, and the design of the museums hall. Revenues from the museum will be equally divided between the ministry and the company. Hisham Samir, advisor to the minister of antiquities on civil engineering, said the ministrys requirements to secure the building were being implemented through installing a state-of-the-art security system equipped with surveillance cameras and alarms. Private investors had provided the building according to ministry requirements and offered to put on show the artefacts to transform the building into an archaeological museum, Samir said. The Ministry of Antiquities will be the sole authority responsible for the management and security of the Hurghada Museum collection, as well as anything related to antiquities, such as exhibition halls, and the maintenance and restoration labs, El-Enany said, explaining that private investors will be responsible for facilities and services. The decision of the ministry to operate the new museum in partnership with the private sector was taken with the aim of promoting tourism in Hurghada, given the lack of public financial resources for the establishment of the project. Many archaeological projects were put on hold in Egypt after 25 January 2011 due to high costs and incomplete construction work. Samir said the museum was a one-storey building designed according to the highest international standards, covering 3,000 sq m to exhibit a collection of 1,791 artefacts brought from various storehouses in the Red Sea area and beyond. Under the title Beauty and Luxury, the museum will have displays showing the beauty and luxury of the ancient Egyptian civilisation through its different dynasties, Mahmoud Mabrouk, advisor to the minister of antiquities on exhibitions, said. The museum displays artefacts that embody the comfort of the house and furniture and cosmetics used by the ancient Egyptians such as hair accessories, wigs, creams, perfumes and jewellery. Sports, such as hunting and fishing, as well as musical instruments and scenes from dance and musical performances from the Pharaonic era to modern times are on show. A model showing how perfume was made and how ancient Egyptians decorated their tombs are exhibited. Search Keywords: Short link: Armies of locusts swarming across continents pose a severe risk to Indias agriculture this year, the UN has warned, prompting the authorities to step up vigil, deploy drones to detect their movement and hold talks with Pakistan, the most likely gateway for an invasion by the insects, on ways to minimise the damage. Locust attacks are known to cause a considerable drop in agricultural output. Authorities at the national plant protection office said the country was prepared and deploying a wide range of measures. But large-scale invasions could still prove challenging given that India lacks equipment like large sprayer aircraft, experts said. A moderate infestation from across the border chomped through crops in an estimated 300,000 hectares in Rajasthan and Gujarat in January. The authorities say they are preparing to conserve crops during the upcoming summer-sown kharif season, which is most at risk. An upsurge in locust attacks since last year is being attributed to favourable breeding weather caused by a large number of cyclones in East Africa. India, China and Pakistan face the most risk in Asia. Pakistan has already declared an agricultural emergency, according to an Indian official. Locusts can fly up to 150km in a day and a one-square-kilometre swarm can eat as much food as 35,000 people, in terms of weight, in a single day, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)s Desert Locust Information Service bulletin. In December last year, India held preparatory meetings with Pakistani teams on the India-Pak border in Munabao and Khokhapar in Rajasthans Barmer district, an official said. We are scheduling more talks with Pakistani representatives during the entire June to September kharif (summer-sown) season, said KL Gurjar, deputy director at Indias directorate of plant protection. Gurjar was one of the participants at the border talks in December. A report of a senior locust forecasting officer of the FAO to the government noted that swarms would be present in Haryana and Punjab, moving east towards Bangladesh similar to 1950 when there were devastating plagues that lasted up to 14 consecutive years. The locust upsurge is linked to climate change, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres had said in a global briefing at Addis Ababa on February 8. Warmer seas mean more cyclones generating the perfect breeding ground for locusts. Today the swarms are as big as major cities and it is getting worse by the day, he said. The situation remains extremely alarming in the Horn of Africa, specifically Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, where widespread breeding is in progress and new swarms are expected to form in the coming weeks, an FAO alert issued to nearly 53 countries, including India, on February 24 said. Heavy cyclones made for favourable breeding conditions also in the southern Arabian Peninsula for at least nine months (June 2018 to March 2019), allowing three generations of breeding that was undetected and not controlled, the FAO said. Pest specialists are drawing on standard strategies, such as maintaining sufficient reserves of melathion, the principal insecticide, adequate vehicle-mounted sprayers and experimenting with drones for early warning. If they invade by night, by morning you will find whole farms are gone. Large swarms can cover several districts, said JN Thakur, a former chief of locust monitoring at the agriculture ministry. According to Thakur, India has an experience of fighting the pest from two previous outbreaks, in 1950 and 1993, but the country lacks large insecticide-spraying aircraft, which are the most effective way of dealing with a large-scale crisis. On February 25, agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal chaired a high-level meeting on desert locust control with officials from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana, the external affairs ministry and the Hindustan Insecticides Limited. The Union government has decided to conduct awareness campaigns and training for farmers and officials from these states. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The New FTC Investigation May Curb Big Techs Intellectual Property Theft Commentary The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Feb. 11 that it would look more closely at Americas five Big Tech companiesAmazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Alphabet (including Google). The commission ordered each of the five firms to submit for review information relating to their acquisition of smaller companies over the last decade. The FTCs decision to initiate this investigation is certainly a welcome one and much needed in understanding the business activities of Big Tech. This move represents a substantial step forward in understanding, and perhaps ultimately addressing anti-competitive aspects of Big Techs business model that have been going on for years. Congressional testimony from many companies has found that Big Tech giants have only grown more belligerent and anticompetitive in their tactics to maintain and expand their market share. Specifically, theyve used their dominant market presence to act as a gatekeeper for any potential competition. Apples app store tax of 30 percent provides the company with a massive inherent advantage, as app competitors are forced to use Apples platform. Likewise, Googles ban on third-party cookies in Chrome only further consolidates Googles own control over the digital ad market. However, as mentioned in the committee hearing, perhaps the most egregious of Big Techs anti-competitive practices has been its deliberate theft of patented technology and copyrighted materials from its smaller competitors to unfairly increase its market share. Not surprisingly, Big Tech has utilized its influence to recruit the best intellectual property (IP) attorneys, plowing their way through competitors legal defenses and securing numerous favorable rulings within the federal court system. Take Apple, for example. As I previously pointed out, in 2018, Apple painted Qualcomm as a bully in the media when Qualcomm simply tried to enforce its patent rights, attempting to keep Apple from taking Qualcomms patented iPhone chips without permission and without paying. Apple certainly isnt alone in violating another innovative companys IP rights for its own gain. The Supreme Court recently announced it will hear arguments in Google v. Oraclea case in which, following a round of failed negotiations over the licensing of Oracles Java program, Google decided to engage in blatant copyright infringement and steal thousands of lines of declarative code from the software. While the Obama administration in 2015 and the Trump administration in 2019 provided official statements condemning Googles abuse of IP, their statements lack an enforcement mechanism. And though the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to handle the particular case of Google v. Oracle, the FTC has the tools needed to prevent Big Techs continued anti-competitive approach to freely taking others IP. The FTC has the power to bring administrative actions and seek remedies if it finds that Big Tech has misbehaved. By imposing substantial fines and handing down enforcement orders, the FTC has the capacity to punish Big Techs bad behavior and institute preventative rules. That way, companies such as Google and Apple are no longer incentivized to abuse IP to gain an anti-competitive edge in the market. After all, most companies that fall victim to Big Tech are not as big as Qualcomm and Oracle. Many of the victims are small businesses or individuals who dont have the same resources to litigate through the courtslet alone the Supreme Court. Consequently, this concern with Big Tech cant be solved on a case-by-case basis in court. Rather, the FTC should address the tech companies systemic influence by imposing restrictions on predatory behavior. Without a doubt, Big Techs anticompetitive behavior has only increased with timeand thats what makes the FTCs new investigation into the tech giants so essential. For the sake of small business and competition within the industry, that behavior must be uncovered and fully investigated. If warranted, enforcement actions against Big Tech should follow. This in turn will pave the way for innovation and competition to flourish once again within the industry. Professor Kristen Jakobsen Osenga teaches and writes in the areas of intellectual property, patent law, law and language, and legislation and regulation at the University of Richmond School of Law. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. White House hopeful Mike Bloomberg bought three minutes of network TV time to deliver remarks about the coronavirus outbreak Sunday night as he tries to contrast his leadership style from President Donald Trump's. The former New York mayor's campaign will run a three-minute taped address on CBS and NBC at about 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, it said Saturday. The purchase from the billionaire businessman, who has already spent more than $500 million on his campaign, shows the reach his wealth gives him as 2020 Democratic candidates criticize the president's response to the global crisis. In his pre-recorded remarks, Bloomberg highlights the drubbing financial markets took this week as fears about coronavirus rose. He casts himself as a steady leader prepared for the outbreak by his experience with crises in the country's largest city. "At times like this it is the job of the president to reassure the public that he or she is taking all the necessary steps to protect the health and well-being of every citizen," Bloomberg says in the video against a background that evokes a White House setting. It was not immediately clear how much it cost his campaign to buy time on the networks. As more people are buying out Clorox wipes, sprays and bleach, CVS is handling temporary shortages of hand sanitizer and fitted N95 face masks that began earlier this month, CVS spokesperson Joe Goode told Axios. Driving the news: Health officials in California, Oregon and Washington announced Friday that four patients are presumed to have the novel coronavirus. Three of them were infected by unknown means, per the CDC, while the fourth case is likely travel related. Details: CVS shortages began in early February, Goode said, and the company is resupplying as quickly as possible amid a "surge in customer demand." CVS does not currently have a significant shortage of disinfectant wipes or sprays, he said. Goode declined to identify which CVS locations are experiencing these temporary shortages, noting that the company has a local retail presence in 10,000 communities. Reality check: Washing your hands is the best way to protect against the coronavirus, according to doctors and health officials. The U.S. Surgeon General urged Americans to "stop buying masks" on Saturday, saying that "if healthcare providers cant get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" Jerome Adams said that face masks are not effective for keeping the general public from catching the coronavirus. The big picture: There are severe shortages of face masks in China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, as people are encouraged to wear them. When low-risk countries stockpile N-95 masks, they are taking the supply away from people who have an immediate need for them, Axios' Marisa Fernandez reports. Go deeper... California coronavirus: Latest case has no recent history of international travel NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Aarons, Inc. (Aarons or the Company) (AAN) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, for the Southern District of New York, and indexed under 20-cv-01796, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired Aarons securities between March 2, 2018, and February 19, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Aarons securities during the class period, you have until April 28, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Aarons was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The Company operates as an omnichannel provider of lease-purchase solutions to underserved and credit-challenged customers, and also engages in the sale, lease ownership, and specialty retailing of various products. Aarons operates in three reportable segmentsProgressive Leasing (Progressive), Aarons Business (AB), and Vive Financial, LLC (Vive). The Progressive and AB segments are subject to federal regulatory agency oversight and scrutiny, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Story continues The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (i) that Aarons had inadequate disclosure controls, procedures, and compliance measures; (ii) that, consequently, the operations of Aarons Progressive and AB segments were in violation of the FTC Act and/or relevant FTC regulations; (iii) that, consequently, Aarons earnings from those segments were partially derived from unlawful business practices and were thus unsustainable; (iv) the full extent of Aarons liability regarding the FTCs investigation into its Progressive and AB segments, Aarons noncompliance with the FTC Act, and the likely negative consequences of all the foregoing on the Companys financial results; and (v) that, as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On July 26, 2018, during after-market hours, Aarons filed a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission, reporting the Companys financial and operating results for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2018. That Quarterly Report disclosed that, in July 2018, Aarons received civil investigative demands (CIDs) from the FTC requesting the production of documents and answers to written questions to determine whether disclosures related to financial products offered by the Company through its AB and Progressive segments were in violation of the FTC Act. On this news, Aarons stock price fell $5.38 per share, or 11.01%, to close at $43.47 per share on July 27, 2018. On April 25, 2019, during pre-market hours, Aarons filed another Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the SEC, reporting the Companys financial and operating results for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2019. That Quarterly Report disclosed that, in April 2019, Aarons AB segment received an unrelated CID from the FTC focused on certain transactions involving the purchase and sale of customer lease agreements, and whether such transactions violated the FTC Act. Then, on February 20, 2020, Aarons issued a press release announcing the Companys financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019. Among other results, Aarons reported that the Companys Progressive segment had reached an agreement in principle with FTC staff regarding the CID from the FTC that Progressive received in July 2018. Aarons advised investors that [u]nder the proposed agreement, which requires final approval by FTC Commissioners and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Progressive will make a payment of $175 million and enhance certain compliance-related activities, including monitoring, disclosure and reporting requirements. On this news, Aarons stock price fell $10.70 per share, or 19.06%, to close at $45.45 per share on February 20, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada to consider a number of draft laws and the issue related to the government, the press service of the head of state reports. "President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a letter to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov demanding that an extraordinary parliamentary meeting be convened. The head of state requested that the issue of consideration of several draft laws and the issue of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine be included in the agenda of the meeting," the statement reads. In addition, the president asked to hear a report on the activity of law enforcement agencies. As Ukrinform reported, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov, at the request of President Volodymyr Zelensky, convened an extraordinary plenary meeting of the parliament for 16:00 on March 4. ish Can anyone knock off favorite Maximum Security when making your 2020 Saudi Cup picks? (Photo credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports) A few familiar names meet in unfamiliar territory when the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup is held Saturday. Although King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is unknown to most racing fans, we do have some early data on how the track will play out when making our Saudi Cup picks Saturday. When racing was held Friday in Saudi Arabia, the early indications were that the track shouldnt hinder speed. Mike Smith, who won the International Jockey Challenge here Friday, said its the best dirt track he had ever been on. Keep that in mind when making your Saudi Cup picks. Smith is aboard mare Midnight Bisou (8-1) in the 2020 Saudi Cup. While Midnight Bisou has never raced against the boys, Smith thinks shes going to love the surface in Saudi Arabia. Well keep her in mind for our Saudi Cup picks. She does have the potential to hit the board, but I dont know if she has the speed to match the likes of Maximum Security (5-2). With the pace and track potentially playing into Maximum Securitys favor, I dont think theres a horse in the field that can beat him if things go right at this 1 1/8-mile distance around one turn. Maximum Security tops my Saudi Cup picks. How to watch the Saudi Cup Date Saturday, Feb. 29 Saudi Cup post time 12:40 p.m. ET How to watch the 2020 Saudi Cup FS1 McKinzie (3-1) is likely the biggest threat to Maximum Security. But the Bob Baffert-trained McKinzie has finished second in five of his last seven starts. I expect McKinzie to place here as well. With Saudi Cup odds of 15-1, fellow American shipper Tacitus enters off a five-month layoff. Perhaps sharper, the long layoff could do Tacitus well. Tacitus is a live longshot at 15-1. Benbatl (7-1) appears to be the biggest threat to the Americans when making your 2020 Saudi Cup picks. The British-based horse did win last out on dirt against Grade 2 competition in Dubai, but it was his only start ever on dirt. Japanese colt Chrysoberyl (10-1) is undefeated in six career starts but this 2020 Saudi Cup field represents a major step up in class for the four-year-old. For my 2020 Saudi Cup picks, I think the Americans dominate the board. Maximum Security is my pick to win the 2020 Saudi Cup. Consider Tacitus to win as a longshot choice as well as in exotic wagers to help provide a better price. Saudi Cup picks Longshot Tacitus (15-1) Saudi Cup picks Order of finish Maximum Security (5-2) McKinzie (3-1) Midnight Bisou (8-1) Tacitus (15-1) 2020 Saudi Cup odds -Race 8 Horse Jockey/Trainer Saudi Cup odds 1. Benbatl (GB) O. Murphy/ S. bin Suroor 7-1 2. Capezzano (USA) M. Barzalona/S. Bin Ghadayer 10-1 3. Chrysoberyl (JPN) C. Soumillon/H. Otonashi 10-1 4. Gold Dream (JPN) C. Lemaire/O. Hirata 30-1 5. Great Scot (GB) A. Moreno/n/a 60-1 6. Gronkowski (USA) L. Dettori/S. Bin Ghadayer 30-1 7. Maximum Security (USA) L. Saez/J. Servis 5-2 8. McKinzie (USA) J. Rosario/B. Baffert 3-1 9. Mjjack (IRE) A. Loufi/S. Al Harabi 60-1 10.Mucho Gusto (USA) I. Ortiz/ B. Baffert 6-1 11. North America (GB) R. Mullen/S. Seemar 30-1 12. Tacitus (USA) J. Lezcano/B. Mott 15-1 13. Magic Wand (IRE) R. L Moore/A. OBrien 30-1 14. Midnight Bisou (USA) M. Smith/S. Asmussen 8-1 Read more about horse racing Saudi Cup odds Saudi Cup entries Bet on horses online Note to readers: we may earn a commission from the offers and links on this page. Not for the first time, Millstreet Vintage Club came up with the answers in support of the Rapid Response Air Ambulance. Their latest venture sought the assistance of the public and business outlets at a fund-raising table quiz hosted in McCarthy's Bar. Ireland's first privately funded air ambulance service is operational over a 15,000-square-kilometre area and provides critical medical care within 20 minutes. The air ambulance is run by the Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) - a charity dedicated to pre-hospital care - costing 2 million a year to operate. An AW109 helicopter has been leased from Sloane Helicopters in the UK and is based at Rathcoole. Vintage Club spokesperson Donie Lucey stated the air ambulance currently operates five days a week. Its primary focus is getting emergency cases from inaccessible locations to hospitals. "Time is the biggest priority when it comes to serious emergencies in the medical sphere; it offers a mobile intensive care unit by air, which will allow the safe transport of patients to a major hospital, saving time and lives," he said. The service operates for Munster and south Leinster. Millstreet Vintage Club Chairman Dan Barry congratulated all involved on the establishment of a charitably funded Helicopter Emergency Medical Service based at the Rathcoole Aerodrome. "It offers a mobile intensive care unit by air which will allow the safe transport of patients to a hospital. Thanks to everybody on coming out to support the quiz, be it individuals, businesses and those that provided raffle prizes," he said. Keeping to the spirit of the occasion, all winners donated their prizes to the worthy cause. Daniel Craig is gearing up for the release of his last James Bond film, and he has but one regret from the shooting experience for No Time To Die. The actor revealed that he was not allowed to ride the iconic 007 car, Aston Martin DB5. Daniel told Top Gear Magazine that he couldn't drive the iconic James Bond car during high-speed chase scenes owing to safety concerns. He also went on to say it was hard to drive and act at the same time and was deemed too dangerous to be attempted. "You know we fake it, don't you? We're not allowed to do that anymore, although I do go driving. I was allowed to drive the DB5 in Matera, which was great." According to dailymail.co.uk, stunt driver Mark Higgins took his place during high-speed chase scenes in the film. When Higgins spoke to Esquire, he said that every scene done in the film is for real, "I think a lot of these films are going away from CGI and trying to make it as real as possible. The environment we were driving in was very, very restricted and very, very tight. So it's a difficult place to work in," he added. Higgins also talked about working with Craig and said he "enjoys driving when he can", and was happy to let the professionals do the work. "He's a fantastic actor, so thankfully he lets me do the driving and I let him do the acting! So, we've got a bit of a deal." No Time To Die is set to release in India on April 2, 2020. The film also stars Rami Malek, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux and Naomie Harris in pivotal roles. Daniel Craig's No Time To Die Is The Longest Bond Movie Ever? Billie Eilish Releases James Bond's Chilling Theme Song, 'No Time To Die' Democratic Candidates Avoid AIPAC as Their Partys Anti-Semitism Grows Commentary With two Jews running for president for the first time in the history of the Democratic Party, it would seem odd to accuse that party of anti-Semitism, but its hard to deny it has been there for yearsremember the eruption over IsraelPalestine at the Dems 2012 conventionand is growing. Needless to say, this is occurring under the mantle of anti-Israel/anti-Zionism, but that bogus veneer has long been debunked as an obvious cover for bigotry. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) made that abundantly clear when she defined the U.S.Israel alliance as being about the Benjamins. Indeed, it at first appeared that of the five current Democratic candidates for president, only Michael Bloomberg would attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on March 1 and 2, a complete reversal of historic behavior. Pete Buttigiegputatively a moderateannounced he wouldnt go, and quondam leftist Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) followed the Twitter admonition to #skipAIPAC a while back. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) had originally declared her intention to bypass the event, although she eventually changed her mindunder who knows what pressureand finally agreed to address the conference via video. Similarly, mainline Democratic Party standard Joe Biden was unwilling to commit until he too promised a video-only appearance. This is particularly ironic since, over the years, AIPACdespite trying to be impartialhas tilted Democratic, and Republicans have sometimes felt unwelcome at the annual conclave. It goes without saying the other Jewish candidate, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, is not going to be there. After all, the Vermont senator has, on multiple occasions, accused the Israeli government of being racist. (These same racists are currently among the leaders in saving the entire world medically from the coronavirus pandemicnot very racist of them.) One wonders the depth of these candidates knowledge of the Middle East conflict in general or if they are just pandering to an increasingly anti-Semitic constituency. Last-minute attendee Klobuchar didnt even know the name of the president of Mexico, our second-biggest trading partner, so my guess is the intricacies of the ArabIsraeli negotiations would be, excuse the reference, Chinese to her. Doubtless, she and most of the others are at best vaguely aware then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered the Palestinians virtually everything they asked for in 2008 and Abbas never replied, leading one to believe that the Palestinianstheir leadership anywaywere never really interested in a two-state solution in the first place. It also calls into question the Oslo process that has failed now for more than 25 years, despite the efforts of many well-meaning people. But never mind. This isnt about the truth. This is about seeming progressive, i.e., supporting the supposedly legitimate grievances of oppressed Third World people even, if it must, including Hezbollah and Hamas. Thats the organization that chants Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the Gas! at demonstrations, lest we English speakers are unclear on where they stand. Sanders, a man who claims to be proud he is Jewish, stands on podiums not only with those who back or shrug their shoulders at Hamas, but also with the likes of Linda Sarsour, who was banned by leftwing feminists, of all groups, for her overt anti-Semitism. He further stood with an imam who publicly called for the destruction of Israel. This isnt new. Back when it came to supporting the imprisoned Soviet Jews during the era of the refuseniks, Sanders was silent. Its hard not to see that stance as his sympathies for communism override what should have been opposition to the most heinous human rights abuses. The ends justify the means, I suppose. These same sympathies for communist totalitarianism have pervaded his career to this day. We know how he has excused Castro, Ortega, and both Chavez and Maduro of Venezuela. Its hard to imagine him at AIPAC. How would the audience have reacted? I hope they wouldnt have welcomed him. Its probably good that he wasnt there. More importantly, what does this mean for the Jewish vote in 2020. Historically, it has been radically in favor of the Democratsroughly 70 to 30except for during the Reagan administration, when somewhat more Jews voted Republican. Should Sanders win the nomination, it will be interesting to see how Jews respond. Trump has done more for Israel than any president since Truman, who was the first to recognize the state. The Israelis love and acknowledge this; American Jews, not so much. Can this change? Will this change? As we all know, old habits die hard. Roger L. Simon is The Epoch Times senior political columnist. His most recent novel is The GOAT. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. A woman has given her partner a Leap Year surprise by proposing on live TV. Virgin Media TV's Ireland AM teamed up with Maria Kelly to plan the proposal and surprise her now fiance, Bryan Greaghty. The couple, who have three kids together, first met seven years ago when Maria began working at the Dunnes Stores head office in Dublin. They have been together for six years and are parents to Cassia, 10, Olivia, 3 and Layla, 1. Ireland AM presenter Laura Woods surprised Bryan by calling to their home and led him to the living room where Maria was waiting on one knee. Popping the big question, Maria said: "You've capitvated me from day one. You interested me with your poker face and from day one you've excited me. "We've shared memories, we've shared trips, we've even had children and we've made a beautiful home. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. "Will you do the honour of being my husband?" Bryan's reply? "Absolutely!" The couple had some calamities before getting together, with Maria remembering Bryan used to jump every time she asked him a question as her voice was so loud. When Bryan finally asked Maria out for coffee, the date was a disaster as he was too afraid to open his mouth. Maria said that he let his coffee go cold and barely moved in his seat and had to fill the time rambling on. They said they have previously put off getting married as they have three kids and theres always something been more important that needs their attention and money. After Maria's proposal, the couple can now look forward to their dream white wedding in Ireland. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) The government is awaiting the test results of two Filipinos who have shown symptoms linked to coronavirus infection days after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. Seven other Filipino evacuees quarantined at the New Clark City in Tarlac have tested negative for the virus, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday. The tests were conducted after they exhibited flu-like symptoms a red flag for possible coronavirus infection. Vergeire told CNN Philippines that all nine patients are under strict monitoring in a Pampanga hospital and "are all in stable condition." All in all, 458 Filipinos, mostly crew members, were brought home from the Diamond Princess last Tuesday. They were transported to the New Clark City Athletes Village for a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The repatriation did not include 70 Filipinos who have fallen ill to the coronavirus disease officially known as COVID-19. Another 10 have recovered from the disease, eight of them have returned to the Philippines and placed under strict monitoring, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told a media briefing on Friday. The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,900 people worldwide, mostly in China, since the outbreak began in Wuhan City in Hubei province December 2019. The World Health Organization has raised the highest alert level for the coronavirus outbreak, warning that it can go "in any direction." Vergeire said the alert is meant to "emphasize that countries have to step up with their response." She said the Philippine government is prepared to contain the coronavirus. In the Philippines, three Chinese nationals from Wuhan have been infected with the virus one of them died, while the remaining two have since recovered and left the country. By Trend Two Azerbaijani citizens who returned from Iran have been infected with coronavirus, Trend reports on February 29 referring to the Operational Headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers. These people have been placed in the infectious disease ward of the special regime of the hospital. They underwent medical treatment and the fact of infection with coronavirus was confirmed. These people are undergoing medical treatment, their condition is stable. The appropriate measures are being taken to reveal the people with whom these individuals contacted to reveal other cases of infection. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Pompeo: Defending Religious Freedom Is Central to Administration FORT WASHINGTON, Md.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said one of the top priorities both he and the president have set on foreign policy is advancing American values, which includes defending the nations first freedomreligious libertyaround the globe. Pompeo was speaking on the third day of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Feb. 28 after being introduced by his wife, Susan Pompeo, at the packed Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Some people look at the killings of Christians in the Middle East, or the imprisonment of Uighur Muslims, ethnic Kazakhs, other believers in China, and say, Look, thats not our problem,' Pompeo said at the conference. But I say, and President [Donald] Trump says, Oh yes it is. Nations that follow and respect the freedom of belief are freer, more prosperous, secure, and stable, according to the secretary of state. If we dont defend religious freedom, no one else will, he continued. Its why President Trump has made this incredibly central to what it is we are trying to achieve. At an earlier panel on Feb. 27, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback said the highest levels of government, including Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Pompeo, have sought to push religious freedom to the forefront, adding that they see it as a fundamental human right. Much of Pompeos speech was dedicated to explaining how he and the State Department operate and why they adhere to the values they do in running this administration. You could see President Trumps mission set. You can see his heart in our foreign policy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to and takes photos with audience members at the CPAC convention in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 28, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) CPAC, the largest conservative gathering in the country, is running for four days from Feb. 26 to Feb. 29. Trump is also scheduled to speak at the conference on its last day. We are countering the face of oppression around the world, Pompeo said. This was a value that we all know from the enormous successes we had under President [Ronald] Reagan and when the Iron Curtain fell when I was a young cavalry officer. In his work with other nations, Pompeo said he sets clear expectations on what it means to be on Americas side. He said he asked partners of the United States to step up on some of the bigger challenges they face around the world, including countering the ISIS terrorist group, the Chinese communist regime, and restoring democracy in Venezuela. He said being honest with yourself as a nation is also part of his approach. If an agreement is flawed or if there is no compliance from either party, you have to get out of those agreements because they are just ink and paper. You have to be clear about what you can do and what you cant, he said. No foreign policy that is built on fantasy ever works. Under previous administrations, our nation signed dangerous agreements that made Americans less safe. Previous administrations were proud of themselves for these agreements. They got to go to the ribbon cutting and the signing, he continued. But everyone knows thisthe point is changing behavior, not signing documents. The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could hold a meeting in Moscow on March 5 or 6, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, TASS reported. "The issue of a possible summit meeting was indeed discussed today. The meeting between President Putin and President Erdogan in Moscow on March 5 or 6 is being worked out at the moment. In other words, the next week," he said. The Russian and Turkish presidents held phone talks on Friday, focusing on the urgency of extra measures to normalize the situation in northwestern Syria. The Kremlin press office said that the sides agreed "to speed up corresponding consultations between agencies and to work out the possibility of a summit meeting in the near future." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: Kazakhstans ventures operating on the territory of Almaty Industrial Zone will enter new foreign markets, Head of the Industrial Zone Azamat Baygubesov told Trend. Currently, 54 ventures the value of investments into creation of which amounted to 237 billion tenge ($624 million) are operating in the industrial zone. Baygubesov added that launch of 11 projects worth 39.7 billion tenge ($104.5 million) is planned in 2020. As many as 1,575 new jobs will be created as a result. In turn, launch of another 31 projects worth 129 billion tenge ($339.6 million) is planned in 2021 and the following years; it is expected to create 4,624 new jobs. Talking about the goods export, Baygubesov said that eight ventures of the industrial zone are currently exporting their goods including BIZHAN meat processing venture (export to Russia), BRB APK (Russia), Asia Steel Pipe Corporation (China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkemistan), Investment (Eurasian Economic Union, China, Persian Gulf countries), Hyindai Trans Kazakhstan (CIS countries), Almapack Co LTD (Kyrgyzstan), ASSET (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), and DOC Co.LTD (Russia, Belarus). Another two ventures which are operating on the territory of the industrial zone are currently looking to launch export. Thus, the Almerek venture which is concerned with medical products manufacturing is planning to launch export to Russia, Uzbekistan and Qatar. In turn, the KazTigerTape company which is concerned with tape production is aiming to start exporting goods to Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Google is celebrating Leap Day today with a doodle. Leap Day, which comes every four years on February 29, is a day observed in various solar calenders including Gregorian calendar. However, even in the Greforian calender, years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. The Earths orbital revolution around Sun takes 6 hours longer than 365 days, and Leap Day compensates this lag and realignes the calendar with the Earths position in the Solar System. Police on Friday said that suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Mohammad Tahir Hussain has gone into hiding, a day after he was booked for the murder and abduction of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the communal riots in northeast Delhis Chand Bagh. The police said that Hussain, booked after a complaint from Sharmas parents, is absconding along with his family members and has switched off his cellphone. The last known location of his cellphone was near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, an investigator associated with the case said, asking not to be named. He possibly fled soon after the first information report (FIR) was registered at the Dayalpur police station, this officer added. Five police teams, including that the special cell and the anti-terror squad of the Delhi Police, are conducting raids at possible hideouts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other adjoining states. We are questioning Hussains relatives, friends and neighbours to get clues about his whereabouts. Several raids were conducted till late evening (Friday) but he could not be found, said an officer associated with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case, asking not to be named. On Thursday, Hussain denied being involved in Sharmas murder and said he will cooperate with the police investigation. The councillor, who was suspended from the party on Thursday, said he was at a relatives residence when the rioting took place. As the party came under fire over Hussain, AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said if any of his party members were involved in the riots, they should be given double punishment. On Friday, a nine-member team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) inspected Hussains house in Chand Bagh and collected evidence that may help the probe. A senior FSL official said, Petrol bombs (Molotov cocktail), empty bottles, stones and bricks were found on the terrace and inside Hussains house. Police are also hunting for Shahrukh, who has been identified as the man seen firing bullets and pointing a gun at a policeman during one of the days when the riots took place. A team has been sent to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, the hometown of Shahrukhs family. His friends and relatives in Delhi are also being questioned. Police said Shahrukh belongs to a family allegedly involved in drug peddling. A US government advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Italy due to the spread of a new virus is the final blow to the nation's tourism industry, the head of Italy's hotel federation said Saturday. Late Friday, the US government issued a level three advisory the second-highest level of warning for the whole of Italy, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended avoiding nonessential travel. Other major countries have only issued warnings about defined areas of northern Italy where most cases of the new coronavirus have been recorded. Italy currently has confirmed almost 900 cases, by far the highest figure outside Asia. There have been 21 deaths among people with the virus. More than 5.6 million Americans visit Italy every year, the second-largest national group behind Germans, according to the most recent statistics. They represent 9 per cent of foreign tourists in Italy, and are among the biggest spenders at an average of 140 euros a day for a collective total of 5 billion euros a year, the hotel federation Federalberghi said. We had already registered a slowdown of Americans coming to Italy in recent days, Federalberghi President Bernabo Bocca said in a statement. Now the final blow has arrived. With Italy registering the greatest number of infections outside of Asia, the Assoturismo Italian tourism federation has put cancellations in Rome at 90 per cent. Venice, which was nearing recovery in the Carnival season following a tourist lull after record flooding in November, saw bookings drop immediately after regional officials cancelled the final two days of celebrations this week, unprecedented in modern times. Even before the US advisory, the Italian government late Friday took action to help the tourism industry, delaying deadlines for tax payments and a moratorium on industry mortgages. Bocca called the measures insufficient, and asked all levels of government to adopt urgent measures to guarantee cash flow to tourism operators to protect jobs and avoid ''the collapse of an industry'' that operates 300,000 businesses and employs 1.5 million people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Turkish official said Saturday that Turkey destroyed a chemical warfare facility after dozens of its soldiers were killed by Syrian regime fire in the last-rebel enclave of Idlib province. The Turkish army destroyed overnight "a chemical warfare facility, located some 13 kilometres south of Aleppo, along with a large number of other regime targets," the senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources inside the war-torn country, said that Turkey instead hit a military airport in eastern Aleppo, where the monitoring group says there are no chemical weapons. Thirty-three Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Russian-backed Syrian regime forces in the Idlib region on Thursday, the biggest Turkish military loss on the battlefield in recent years. The latest incident has raised further tensions between Ankara and Moscow, whose relationship has been tested by violations of a 2018 deal to prevent a regime offensive on Idlib. As part of the agreement, Ankara set up 12 observation posts in the province but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces -- backed by Russian air power -- have pressed on with a relentless campaign to take back the region. On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in a bid to scale down the tensions. Erdogan may travel next week to Moscow for talks, according to the Kremlin. Depite being on opposite ends, Turkey, which backs several rebel groups in Syria, and key regime ally Russia are trying to find a political solution to the Syria conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: Pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) sloganeering and incendiary chants of "shoot the traitors" were made inside a train on Delhi Metro's Blue Line and also at the Rajiv Chowk metro station here on Saturday by a group of young men. The five-six men, wearing saffron T-shirts and kurta, started the sloganeering when the train was about to halt at the metro station, according to a PTI reporter who was at the spot. After deboarding the train, they continued chanting pro-CAA and provocative slogans like "shoot the traitors" and one more literally meaning that the "youth of the country is out to support and defend CAA". While some commuters joined the CAA supporters in their sloganeering, others were quick to get their cameras out to make videos. Many at the station were seemingly taken aback by the spontaneity and the unusual choice of the venue. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, responsible for the security of the Delhi Metro, intercepted the protesters and handed them over to the Delhi Police. "On February 29, at about 10:25 hours, six youths were seen shouting slogans at Rajiv Chowk metro station, Delhi. They were immediately intercepted by CISF personnel & thereafter handed over to Delhi Metro Rail Police officials for further action. Metro Rail operation remained," the CISF said in a statement. A senior CISF official said the youths were raising pro-CAA slogans. DCP (Metro) Vikram Porwal said, "We have detained six men and they are being questioned". A video of the sloganeering has gone viral on social media. Anuj Dayal, Executive Director, Corporate Communications of DMRC, said, "In reference to a video clip going viral on social media, showing sloganeering by some passengers at Rajiv Chowk Metro station, it is to state that this incident happened today morning at the station and DMRC/CISF staff immediately handed them over to the Delhi Metro Rail Police for further necessary action." Under Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002, any kind of demonstration or nuisance is prohibited in Delhi metro premises. Any passenger indulging in such act is liable to be removed from the Metro premises, according to the Act. Incidentally, there was a "peace march" organised at the Jantar Mantar against "jihadi terrorism" in northeast Delhi, which was also attended by BJP leader Kapil Mishra who had allegedly made provocative statements on Sunday before the riots broke out in the capital this week. By PTI MUMBAI: Aiming to make Mumbai free of single-use plastic by May 1 this year in line with Maharashtra government's announcement for the state, the BMC on Saturday said it will take strict action against those using such plastic. In a statement, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation urged citizens, traders and hawkers to not use the prohibited plastic. Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray had, on Friday, announced in the Legislative Council that the state will be made free of single-use plastic items by May 1 this year. The BMC said it had seized 86,000 kg plastic and recovered Rs 4.65 crore in fines since June 2018. The civic body's statement said Rs 5000 will be the fine if one is found using the prohibited plastic for the first time, while it will be Rs 10,000 if one is caught for a second time. Anyone caught for a third time will have to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 and can also be jailed for three months, it said. A 41-year-old woman has died after taking a small sip of wine from a bottle laced with Ecstasy in Belgium. The unnamed woman discarded the bottle 'because it tasted bad' and fell unconscious shortly after, prosecutors in Antwerp have said. They believe the bottle of 2016 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon by Dutch brand Black & Bianco had been tampered with by drug traffickers. Photos posted by the winemaker show the black branded cork had been replaced with a beige one. The public has been warned to be vigilant with the wine and to alert the police to any suspicious bottles. The unnamed woman from Puurs, a town 20 miles north-east of Brussels, collapsed after drinking the wine in December, reports CNN. 'The bottle cork was not an original Black & Bianco cork,' the winemaker said in a statement, 'it is black in colour and with our logo. All our wine bottles also have the characteristic black capsule with a logo on the neck. 'We sympathise with the relatives of this woman (who was the victim).' The victim's sister told Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad: 'My sister was one hundred per cent against drugs. She was completely unacceptable with people who used drugs or walked around under the influence. 'We also do not understand where that bottle came from.' Rosanna Davison has spoken about her and her husband Wes's experience of welcoming a baby through surrogacy in the hope that her story will be an inspiration to others facing a similar struggle. The former Miss World and her husband, Wes Quirke, welcomed their first child, Sophia Rose Quirke, by gestational surrogacy on November 22 last year. Their surrogate gave birth to their baby in Kiev, Ukraine, before the couple returned home to Ireland with Sophia two weeks later. Rosanna spoke of the difficult journey she and Wes navigated before deciding to have a child via surrogate, revealing that the pair have suffered 14 miscarriages since first beginning to try for a baby at the end of 2015, a year after they wed. It got to the end of about 2015 and we were keen to start a family," she told Ryan Tubridy on RTE's Late Late Show. "We went for it, and it happened very quickly, I got pregnant. And, you know, it was all very exciting. I got it confirmed at the GP. I got my bloods done, my hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), all was good. "I had my eight week scan booked, I told my family at five weeks, and everyone was just thrilled for us, and then, kind of abruptly and quite painfully at six and a half weeks it all came crashing to an end and I had a miscarriage. Expand Close Journey: Rosanna Davison and husband Wes Quirke opted for gestational surrogacy. Picture by Arthur Carron / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Journey: Rosanna Davison and husband Wes Quirke opted for gestational surrogacy. Picture by Arthur Carron "I was told by the doctor it was probably due to genetic anomaly with the embryo and to try again. Tried again, got pregnant quickly again. Same thing happened again around six-and-a-half weeks, we lost the baby again to a miscarriage. "We tried for a third time and I remember going for the blood test, and being told that my hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) was low and that the pregnancy would probably fail, and it did fail. This continued. In total we had 14 of these early miscarriages." Expand Close Rosanna Davison with baby daughter Sophia. Picture: Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rosanna Davison with baby daughter Sophia. Picture: Instagram The model and nutritionist said she felt as though she was "dying inside whenever she was questioned if she would settle down and start a family. It was very frustrating obviously at the time but, you know back a few years ago, I think things are a little bit different now, people are more aware of being sensitive about pregnancy and pregnancy loss but at the time I remember being asked all the time of, you know, 'Would you ever stop working and ever settle down and have a family?' and Wes wasn't asked that much of course. Video of the Day But you know I remember being at a family party and a relative saying, 'Will you ever just kind of stop working and have a baby?', and I think I had just been told that my pregnancy was failing and it wouldn't work and you know you're dying inside when somebody is asking you that. Towards the end I got pretty ballsy and started saying, 'Well actually I just had a miscarriage and it didn't work out'." After a series of tests and multiple visits to specialists across Ireland and the UK, a blood test revealed that Rosanna was struggling to carry a baby as her immune system was reacting to Wes' DNA in the same way it would to a pathogen. "After the third [miscarriage], and this is 2016, I had a whole range of tests that they do. So, thyroids, hormone profiles, blood coagulation, karyotyping, which is a type of genetic testing. Nothing out of the ordinary showed up, everything look good. And I got through to maybe early 2017, so we just continued on. And I ended up seeing in total about five specialists between Ireland and the UK," she revealed. I ended up seeing a doctor who specialises in reproductive immunology, and he sent me for what's called Chicago blood tests," she said. "They're sent to Chicago, your blood test. It's really quite a wide range of immune system profiles, looks at a big immune panel. "It showed that my, they're called Th1 and Th2 cytokines, so it showed that I had a pretty significant or severely significant imbalance between Th1 to Th2, and they're immune modulating cells so they control your immune response to things. I was told that pretty much my immune system was reacting to Wes' DNA, seeing it as a foreign invader as it would say a pathogen or a cancer cell and killing it. So, essentially my body was killing my babies." The 35-year-old said her inability to reproduce made her question her "role as a woman," and found family-centred holidays such as Christmas or Mother's Day hard. I questioned my role as a woman, I couldn't do what my body was biologically designed to do, which is reproduce. There were a couple of times, and I suppose we look back and laugh at them now, but a couple of times I tried to convince Wes to leave me and find another partner because he was dying for a baby," she said. It's sort of a lonely, traumatic experience when you feel like you're trying everything and nothing is working. We live in such a family focused society, you know Christmas rolls around, and Christmas is so children-focused. I found Christmas tough, Mother's Day is tough. And you know, I was seeing all my friends have babies and obviously I'm very happy for them but each pregnancy announcement you feel that pang of sadness for yourself," she added. By 2018, Rosanna said she had tried everything she could from high-dose corticosteroids and progesterone injections, to blood thinners and immunosuppressant injections. However, the severe medical treatments came to an end when Rosanna's doctor told her she would be jeopardising her health by continuing. I got to a point where I was sort of jeopardising my health. I was getting mouth ulcers. I did these injections called humira, which are quite severe immunosuppressants, so everything was designed to try and suppress my immune system. I was told my immune system is great for, you know, fighting bugs and bacteria and viruses, but not so great for having a baby. So, tried everything, and in the end my doctor said, 'you know, you're jeopardising your health, and you can't keep continuing with the medication, there are too many side effects'." Rosanna's doctor then suggested surrogacy as an alternative route to helping her and Wes have the baby they were longing for. After some deliberation, and after seeking the advice of a medical lawyer, the pair began their surrogacy journey. "He said 'you know surrogacy could be a great option because you know you're young enough'. We're in our early 30s, and fertile, and everything looked fine. But of course that's quite a horrifying idea," said Rosanna. "The idea of a stranger carrying your child in another country was just, it was awful. I played with the idea for a few weeks. To be honest I wasn't sure if we could go ahead with it. "I've been very much in control of asking questions and doing my research. Once the doctor recommended surrogacy we sought the advice of a lawyer, and I would say that to anyone looking to go down the road of surrogacy. It's a commercial surrogacy as opposed to altruistic, and we just felt it was more suitable for us. And we were told that Kiev, or Ukraine would be good for us as an Irish married couple." The process took almost a year from the beginning to signing contracts. Rosanna and Wes did not meet their surrogate until a week before she gave birth to Sophia, but the couple were kept up-to-date with each development, and were sent each scan result and a picture of her bump, after Rosanna requested it. As involved as they were, Rosanna said she felt emotional at times over the idea that she was missing out on the experience of carrying a baby herself. "I was thinking of missing out on all the kicks and experiencing the pregnancy I was dying to experience. I was wondering if her daughter thinks she's getting a sibling, what does her partner think, is she emotionally attached to my baby? We had met the surrogate the week before for a scan. She walked into the room and, how can you prepare yourself for using a stranger carrying your child? It was just surreal. And I sort of held my composure until we heard the heartbeat in the scan," she said. At 39 weeks, Wes and Rosanna's surrogate went into labour and the couple received a call from the pregnancy coordinator asking them to come to the hospital. So we rushed to the hospital, and I suppose we were about an hour until we went upstairs, walked into the room." She continued: "I was pushed over and Sophia came out and I was handed scissors and I cut her cord. How could you prepare yourself for watching a stranger give birth to your child? It was just the most surreal, terrifying, emotional, amazing experience. "I was bawling my eyes out and I just turned to her and said, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you'." Rosanna said she decided to share her and Wes's experience with welcoming a child via surrogate in the hope that it will provide some comfort to those going through something similar. "We want to give hope and inspiration to other couples who are in our situation where you're running out of hope, you're running options, but also to contribute to the really important... opening up the conversation on fertility on miscarriage, on the struggle," she said. "It's a lonely road, it's a traumatic, difficult road, you know, for an awful lot of people to have a family, and a huge part of my healing process was opening up to family and friends, talking about it. "I'm just appealing to people going through it to you know talk to a trusted friend or relative and and don't go through it alone." You can watch the full interview on the RTE player. Washington, Feb 29 : Fox News announced that it was hosting a town hall for Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg on March 2, a day before the "Super Tuesday" polls when the former New York mayor for the first time in the election cycle will appear on ballots in the party's nominating contests. "I could not be more proud that Fox News Channel continues to be a critical platform for all key candidates in the 2020 presidential election," Xinhua news agency quoted Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media, as saying on Friday. A latecomer who announced his bid for the presidency in November 2019, the billionaire founder of Bloomberg media has refused money from donors, spending big chunks of his own assets instead buying TV airtime for campaign ads. He also skipped caucuses and primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to directly enter the "Super Tuesday" next week, when voters in 14 states will cast ballots for a Democratic nominee. The March 2 event will be Fox News' first for Bloomberg. It previously hosted town halls and interviews for Democratic candidates including Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning -- 4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS. We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover. We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come. (Alliance News) - The owner of British Airways warned on Friday that the growing impact of the new coronavirus outbreak on international air travel could force some troubled airlines out of business. The global impact of the virus is likely to be severe enough to push some airlines "over the edge," Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Consolidated Airline Group SA, told reporters. "We are well able to adjust to this situation because our business is in great shape," Walsh said as he presented IAG's annual results. "It's the failing airlines who will be most affected by this," he said, adding that he expected "more [market] consolidation as a result." Italy's Alitalia, which has been under government administration since May 2017 and is based in the country facing Europe's worst coronavirus crisis, is one of the airlines in trouble. The airline said it has reduced its service on 38 routes due to lower demand in the wake of the coronavirus. "I am certainly and logically worried," Italian Economic Development Minister Stefano Patuanelli told reporters, confirming that Alitalia had been hit with "many cancellations." "There is certainly more concern for the solution of an issue that was complex already and has certainly not been helped by the coronavirus," he added. In January, Alitalia received a EUR400 million state loan to keep it going until May 31. It is unclear what will happen to it after that deadline. Earlier, the Philippines' flag carrier Philippine Airlines said it laid off 300 workers in a bid to manage losses due to the Covid-19 outbreak. PAL said it completed a "voluntary separation initiative for long-serving employees and a retrenchment process" involving ground-based administrative and management personnel. "The streamlining will strengthen the company in the wake of losses sustained in 2019, aggravated by the ongoing travel restrictions and flight suspensions to areas affected by Covid-19," the airline said in a statement. "Other initiatives include revenue generation from an optimized route network and new ancillary products, more aggressive cost-management efforts, and investment in digital technology," it added. IAG, which also owns Iberia and Aer Lingus, said its weaker demand because of the coronavirus outbreak was driven mainly by fewer passengers on Asian and European routes. BA has suspended flights to China and reduced its services to Hong Kong. This week's surge in coronavirus cases in Italy showed it was "a rapidly changing situation," Walsh said. IAG reported an operating profit of EUR3.29 billion for 2019, down 5.7% from 2018. Walsh said the unpredictability of the coronavirus outbreak meant the company was unable to provide an accurate profit forecast for this year. British carrier easyJet PLC said on Friday that it is also cancelling flights and introducing wider cost-cutting measures in response to the spread of the coronavirus. Connections to and from northern Italy, where hundreds of infections have been reported this week, are particularly affected, easyJet said. It said company-wide hiring and promotions are being postponed and second-tier projects and expenditure are being put off, while employees will be offered unpaid leave. Like IAG, easyJet said it was too early to assess the potential impact of the outbreak on its financial performance this year. Germany's Lufthansa AG said Friday it plans to reduce by up to a quarter its short- and medium-haul flights in the coming weeks and that it currently has 23 long-haul jets grounded. Brussels Airlines also announced cuts in flights to northern Italy by 30% for the next two weeks due to a decline in demand following the coronavirus outbreak. The decision affects flights to Milan, Rome, Venice and Bologna, the airline said in a statement. To limit the impact, it is "looking into economic measures, such as temporary technical unemployment" and extending a hiring freeze to the entire company, said the Belgian national carrier, which is almost exclusively owned by Germany's Lufthansa. By Bill Smith, dpa Copyright dpa Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) produces a prodigious amount of cash each year. In 2019, the energy infrastructure company hauled in just under $5 billion in distributable cash flow (DCF), which is the money it could have distributed to investors via dividends or share repurchases. That was up 6% from 2018's total, even though the company sold a major pipeline system in Canada. Kinder Morgan expects to continue generating cash in 2020, with it projecting to produce $5.1 billion even though it sold the rest of its Canadian assets last year. Here's a look at why Kinder Morgan is such a cash flow machine, and what it does with its annual windfall. How Kinder Morgan cashes in on energy Kinder Morgan is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. It operates four business segments: Natural gas pipelines (61% of its earnings): It operates the largest natural gas transmission network in the country at 70,000 miles of pipeline. This system moves 40% of all the gas consumed in the country. Products pipelines (16% of earnings): It's also the largest independent transporter of refined petroleum products in the country, shipping 1.7 million barrels per day through 6,800 miles of pipeline. It also transports crude oil via 3,100 miles of pipeline. Terminals (13% of earnings): It's the largest independent storage terminal operator with 147 locations. Carbon dioxide (10% of earnings): It's the largest transporter of carbon dioxide, which it uses to produce oil out of legacy fields in Texas. Kinder Morgan leases space on its assets to customers under long-term, fee-based contracts. About 64% of its revenue has no volume risk, because customers pay it even if they don't use the space. Meanwhile, another 27% of its income comes from volume-based fees as customers use its infrastructure. Add those two sources together, and about 91% of Kinder Morgan's cash flow comes from predictable fee-based sources. The other 9% comes from commodity-related activities. However, it has pricing contracts in place that lock in its cash flow on more than half of those activities. That leaves the company with only about 4% of its cash flow exposed to commodity price volatility. With the bulk of Kinder Morgan's earnings coming from predictable sources, it's able to generate gobs of cash each year as oil and gas flow through its network of pipelines and storage terminals. What Kinder Morgan does with all its cash Kinder Morgan allocated its nearly $5 billion of cash flow in 2019 toward two initiatives: The dividend and expansion projects. It paid out $2.2 billion in dividends and financed $2.9 billion of expansion projects, covering the slight shortfall with the proceeds from asset sales. Overall, it sold $1.67 billion in assets last year, the bulk of which it used to pay down debt. The company expects to produce another $5.1 billion in cash this year. It plans to pay out about $2.85 billion of that money to investors via its dividend, which implies a 25% increase on a per-share basis. Meanwhile, it will reinvest the rest to help finance expansion projects, with it expecting to spend $2.4 billion on capital projects this year. It intends to cover the small gap with its strong balance sheet. In the company's view, it still will have about $1.2 billion of additional financial flexibility this year, since its leverage ratio is below its targeted level due to recent asset sales. It could use that money to repurchase shares, invest in additional expansion projects, or save it for a future opportunity. A dividend-paying machine Because Kinder Morgan generates so much stable cash flow, it's able to pay its investors an attractive dividend, which yields around 6% after factoring in the upcoming increase. Meanwhile, the company has plenty of money left over to invest in expansion projects that will push its cash flow higher in the future. That should allow the pipeline giant to continue returning more money to investors via additional dividend increases and its share repurchase program. Two months later, South Philadelphia is still reeling from the explosion that tragically killed two people and destroyed five homes. Investigators found that it was caused by a leak in a 92-year-old, cast iron natural gas main under the street. While the material is no longer used due to its tendency to grow brittle and break over time, Philadelphia Gas Works still has nearly 1,500 miles of these weakening pipes crisscrossing the city, according to their own reports. PGWs Executive Vice President was even cited saying that 6,000 miles of their gas mains date back to 1900. The City of Philadelphia has committed to reaching 100% clean renewable energy by 2050, and ending our reliance on natural gas is an important part of reaching that goal. Gas leaks release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Per our research at the Pennsylvania Public Interest Group, oil and gas facilities in Pennsylvania emit 520,000 tons of methane annually five times greater than the amount self-reported by the industry to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Our city has the opportunity to lead by example on this issue, but its not just the environment that depends on the actions we do or do not take over the next decade. The threat of future gas line leaks and explosions have many South Philly residents worried about the consequences of continuing to use this worn out infrastructure. Gas leaks are common and can happen at any point in the gathering, transmission, or storage process. This risk threatens the safety of residents in a city where so much of the gas piping is outdated. Electrifying buildings and homes across the city would provide the infrastructure we need to get off of gas for the sake of public safety and our environment. Decision makers should spend the money now to repair the most damaged gas lines, while creating a plan to transition the city to electrification. In a historic city like Philadelphia, retrofitting old buildings would be a nightmare. So to make this transition smooth, we should prioritize policies which require all new buildings and houses to be heated and powered by electricity, not gas. The city should also offer rebate programs and low-interest loans to help homeowners, contractors, and builders make the initial lift of electrification. It is crucial that our leaders accelerate the planning process, so they can meet their 2050 renewable energy deadline. In the meantime, there are steps that homeowners can take to electrify their own homes. The most affordable way to transition a home is to take advantage of the opportunities for sustainable replacement. Furnaces wear out about every 30 years, so when youre ready to replace it or if youre remodeling your home, consider replacing the furnace with an electric heat pump. The same goes for gas stovetops; when the time comes, consider replacing it with an electric stove. If youre building a new home or renovating your homes systems, geothermal and solar are also great options to reduce your use of gas. These steps may require a larger up front investment, but often save consumers in the long term for being more efficient and lasting longer. What happened in South Philly in December was a tragedy that should never happen again. But it will, if we dont prioritize a transition off of natural gas - a resource that will be obsolete in a few decades anyway. Our leaders should stop investing in this failing infrastructure that threatens our safety and the environment, and start making the switch to electricity powered by renewables. This will make our city a cleaner, safer place for all residents. Emma Horst-Martz is a Philadelphia native and works as a Campaign Associate for PennPIRG, a consumer advocacy organization in PA. New Delhi, Feb 29 : Terming the Delhi violence a national blot, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said strict action should be taken against those who have been convicted for it. Talking to the media, Paswan said the case should be prosecuted in a fast track court and immediate action should be ensured. Action should be taken against those also who made inflammatory statements and no one should be discriminated in this case, said Paswan. The minister added that the law for sentencing should also be changed if required but it should not be delayed under any circumstances. He reminded that justice was delayed in the anti-Sikh violence in Delhi and this should not happen in this case. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan also demanded action against the perpetrators of violence in the national capital. Naming BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra, the LJP president said that action should be taken against such leaders also for making provocative speeches. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text SALINE, MI Conversations about race, diversity and inclusion in Saline on Friday were only limited by time. Thats how Cheryl Girvan felt after Saline Area Schools community conversation at Liberty School on Feb. 28. District leaders sought to facilitate discussions with residents and parents about cultural changes to address racism. To Girvan, the conversations were active, fruitful and could have gone on longer. Saline community focuses on uncomfortable conversations in examining path forward Fridays gathering was the third of five listening sessions hosted by the school district. They were organized in the wake of a racist social media group chat involving Saline High School students, followed by a parent asking another why he didnt stay in Mexico at a community forum earlier this month. The open discussions are part of the districts plan to address the issue, school officials said Friday. Discussion notes and online survey feedback are to be reported to the community by mid-April, along with a plan for steps forward. Participants were split into three groups to discuss ways to address racism, what a safe community should like, how to support and educate children in the district and how to move forward. Some parents said they felt their childrens education wasnt complete. One said her child thought racism was solved after watching a movie about Rosa Parks in a kindergarten class. Tense moment at meeting on racial climate illustrates problem at Saline Area Schools, parents say Parent Brian Wright said he worried his sons understanding of racism. He wants to see support for students who experience discrimination. Using microaggressions or unconscious bias makes it more palpable, Wright said. We have to keep in mind its impact on the child, on the way that they feel. How can we make that child whole? Some parents suggested tracking all reported discrimination and racist incidents to better understand how to address them. If education, listening sessions or other actions from the district dont affect the rate of incidents, then they can reevaluate. There needs to be something tangible, Parent Mercello Arreguin said. Arreguin said he also wanted to see more multicultural celebrations in the larger Saline-area community. Part of improving the educational environment will be exposure to festivals that go beyond Anglo-Saxon culture, he said. Parent Diane Mukkala said she believes teaching shared community values will be integral to moving forward. (Race is) what sparked this, but it is broader, Mukkala said. Other children in the community, in schools are being bullied for all sorts of reasons, and we really need to look at being an inclusive community. And as I mentioned in my session, you know, what are our core set of values and what are those character qualities that we want to teach children, to teach parents that will be reflective of our community thats inclusive of everyone. Mukkala said she was glad a diversity and inclusion task force was already in place in the district before Januarys incidents. She said she was heartened that some the steps forward identified by the task force were already in place. Diversity committee recommends 5 steps forward for Saline Area Schools For Girvan, the conversations need to be shared with a wider audience. We need to get the great ideas that were shared today out for the bigger public to see, Girvan, a parent in the district, said. Theres a group of people that want a change Its an action thing. I think that individually, each person has to do a little bit to make the change happen. Parent Theresa Wright said the listening sessions were most important to create a safe environment for children. I want my kid to come to school and not have to worry about (if) what he looks like is going to impact his school day," Theresa Wright said. "I want him to just come to school. The next listening session will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Saline Senior Center. Community members can also submit feedback to the district online. MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS: Saline community focuses on uncomfortable conversations in examining path forward Boy saved from icy pond, abuse claims against UM doctor grow: Top Ann Arbor headlines Feb. 22-28 Pittsfield Twp., Saline Schools plan community conversation for early March The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form A man who recently travelled to Iran has become the fifth person in NSW to be diagnosed with coronavirus. The male in his 40s arrived in Sydney from Iran on February 22 and didn't develop symptoms of COVID-19 until two days later. He was tested on February 28 and was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Saturday, NSW Health said in a statement on Sunday. The man has relatively minor symptoms and has been taken to Westmead Hospital. He is the state's fifth confirmed case of the virus with the four previous cases all having been discharged from hospital. Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured) NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said another man in his 50s was also under investigation for possible COVID-19 based on his preliminary lab results. 'Travellers from Iran should be particularly vigilant for symptoms as there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 activity there in recent days,' Dr Chant said in a statement on Sunday. The man in his 40s is the second person in Australia diagnosed with the virus after recently travelling to Iran. A Gold Coast beautician who was diagnosed with coronavirus after she returned from Iran could have infected up to 40 people in Australia. The woman, 63, works at Hair Plus salon, in the Australia Fair shopping centre in Southport and fell ill at work on Thursday. She is currently 'in isolation' at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state's health department. A 63-year-old woman diagnosed with coronavirus after returning from Iran gave facials to 40 clients at Hair Plus salon in Australia Fair Shopping Centre (pictured) on Thursday Queensland's chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young said the woman did facials on up to 40 clients, with each one lasting around 15 minutes. She warned that 'we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually'. Health authorities are now desperately trying to track down the infected woman's customers to urge them to get tested. The federal government on Saturday advised Australians against travelling to Iran. Under the new restrictions, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family who've travelled to Iran will be required to self isolate at home for 14 days from the day they left the country. Foreign nationals who are in Iran will be banned from entering Australia for 14 days, from the time they have left or transited through. 3.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Reporters asked Trump if he had finished his annual physical, which is now in its second year, and the president responded by walking away. Video: Trump walks away without answering a question about whether he's finished the annual physical that has now spanned two years pic.twitter.com/QkfrdFRDwk Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2020 The White Houses story for Trumps surprise Saturday visit to Walter Reed last fall was that he was taking his annual physical. Hospital officials have gone on the record and told reporters that Trumps November 2019 visit was abnormal. In the face of a coronavirus outbreak in the US, the President Of The United States is hiding his physical and refusing to tell the American people about his health. Trump isnt the only presidential candidate who is refusing to release his full medical records. Sen. Bernie Sanders has also changed his position and is now refusing to release all of his medical records. The public has a right to know about the health and wellness of the candidates that they have voted for or will be voting for. Good for the reporter who refused to let Trump sweep his physical under the rug. Reporters should be demanding answers because the American people have the right to know if the president is healthy. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook From an extraordinary bar being raised at Hotel Emma to saying goodbye to a San Antonio soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice, San Antonio Express-News photographers offer the best visual journalism in the region. Read the stories behind these images: Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 23:12:23|Editor: yhy Video Player Close Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani speaks during a joint press conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (not in the picture) in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Feb. 29, 2020. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that Afghanistan and the United States had reached an agreement based on which the U.S. and coalition forces will withdraw from the country within 14 months. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah) KABUL, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that Afghanistan and the United States had reached an agreement based on which the U.S. and coalition forces will withdraw from the country within 14 months. "Today, the United States and Afghanistan issued a joint declaration. Based on this declaration a durable peace will be ensured for all Afghans," Ghani told a joint press conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper here. He made the comments as the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha also on Saturday. "For the first time, the idea of withdrawal of foreign forces was initiated by me," Ghani said after issuing the joint declaration. "We are confident that we have a national consensus on peace. We have the political will and the capacity to make peace because of the resilience of our society, the dynamism of our economy and the capability of our state. Afghanistan is a sovereign state. It is an independent country," he noted. According to the declaration, the 12,000-13,000 U.S. troops currently serving in Afghanistan will draw down to 8,600 within 135 days from the date of signing of the declaration. The United States and coalition "will complete the withdrawal of remaining forces from Afghanistan within 14 months following the announcement of joint declaration and the U.S.-Taliban agreement, and will withdraw all their forces from remaining bases, subject to the Taliban fulfillment of its commitments under the U.S.-Taliban agreement," according to the declaration. "As an intra-Afghan negotiations progress the United States will watch the Taliban's actions closely, to judge whether their efforts towards peace on good face. If the Taliban uphold the agreement, the United States will begin a conditions-based, I repeat conditions-based reduction in forces," Esper said at the same press conference. The U.S.-Taliban agreement reportedly also included the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations. Afghanistan will start diplomatic engagement with members of the UN Security Council to remove members of the Taliban from the sanctions list, according to the declaration. An Iranian MP died of coronavirus infection amid the sharp rise in the number of deaths and confirmed cases in the country. According to a state-run agency, Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Ali Ramazani Dastak, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus a few days ago, died on February 29 after being taken to hospital. Irans Health Ministry spokesperson Kianush Jahanpur announced that nine more people died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours taking the death toll to 43. Jahanpur added that 205 new cases have been detected with the total number of coronavirus cases rising to 593. Jahanpur also denied the international media report of over 210 deaths due to coronavirus amid allegations of a cover-up. Citing unnamed sources in Irans healthcare system, BBC Persian had reported that at least 210 people died to the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Dismissed cover-up allegations The Health ministry spokesperson accused the news channel of joining nations regional enemies to spread lies about Iran. Iran's exemplary transparency in publishing information on the coronavirus has stunned many people," Jahanpur tweeted. However Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki admitted that the country will have a tough week ahead. The main peak of the coronavirus will be in next week and the coming days, warned Namaki. Read: Coronavirus Crisis Impacts Major Hollywood Studios, Right From Warner Bros To Disney The novel coronavirus has triggered a fear of pandemic after Middle Eastern and European nations reported death from the virus. According to the latest report, 47 new deaths in China due to coronavirus infections have been confirmed, taking the total death toll because of the deadly virus to over 2,800. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Death Toll Reaches 43 In Iran, Over 500 Confirmed Cases Iran has reported the most number of deaths due to coronavirus after China and Gulf nations including Bahrain and Kuwait also confirmed cases linked to Iran. In a bid to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended the entry of citizens from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to the cities of Mecca and Medina. Read: Japan Cancels Hugely Popular Cherry Blossom Festivals Amid Coronavirus Outbreak Read: Kim Jong Un Announces Measures To Contain Coronavirus In North Korea (With inputs from agencies) About one out of five North Korean defectors experienced discrimination in South Korea last year mostly due to "cultural" differences, a survey showed Wednesday. According to the survey conducted by the Hana Foundation, a state-run agency that helps resettlement of North Korean defectors, 17.2 percent of 3,000 defectors polled said that they experienced discrimination last year. The ratio was slightly down from 20.2 percent reported a year earlier but indicated a still deep-rooted prejudice against those defecting from communist North Korea. Of them, 76.7 percent said that they were discriminated against because of "cultural" differences such as their way of speaking, manners and lifestyles. It was higher than the corresponding figure of 69.9 percent a year earlier. South and North Koreans use the same language, but their intonation and the meaning of words along with their lifestyles have become quite different as their division continues. About 44 percent also cited negative perception against North Koreans as a reason for discrimination, followed by 22.9 percent who cited their lack of skills and poor job performance as discrimination. The survey, however, showed that 74.2 percent said that they are satisfied with their lives in South Korea as they can enjoy liberty and make money as much as they work. Those who voiced dissatisfaction cited as reasons separation from their families in the North, fierce competition and social prejudice against them. As of the end of 2019, the number of North Korean defectors in South Korea stood at 33,523. Last year, 1,047 North Koreans defected to the South, down 7.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs. (Yonhap) The United States Navy says that a Chinese Navy destroyer targeted a U.S. patrol aircraft with a laser last week while it was flying over the Philippine Sea, about 600 km west of Guam. The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement that a Chinese ship trained the laser on the American P-8A Poseidon aircraft in an "unsafe" and "unprofessional manner," while the P-8 was operation "in international airspace in accordance with international rules and regulations." The U.S. Navy said the Chinese action was in violation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a multilateral agreement reached in 2014, and also inconsistent with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and China defense departments on safety of air and maritime encounters, the statement said. Participants shared the view that under the leadership of the Party and State and with efforts of the three sides, external work has contributed to the common success of the country, improving Vietnams stature on international arena. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) The work has also helped maintain an environment of peace and relative stability for promoting ties with countries and partners, especially global economic integration and improvement of multilateral diplomacy. Other important pillars and fields of external work such as cultural diplomacy, overseas Vietnamese affairs, citizen protection and popularisation of foreign service information have also seen important results. They the hailed close and effective coordination between the three sides in every stage of external activities, citing the success in hosting the second US-DPRK Summit, the winning of the election to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) with 192 out of the 193 votes, the signing and ratification of the European Union (EU) Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) by the EU, and the completion of the UNSC Chair Month in January and launch of ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, among others. Concluding the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh requested the three offices to continue to devising the external policy to submit to the 13th National Party Congress, enhancing information sharing and assessing regional and global situation to serve the consultation work, implementing the 2020 action plan approved by the Politburo, with a focus on fulfilling the role of the ASEAN Chair, the Chair of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41), and a non-permanent member of the UNSC. He also asked for efforts in making EU parliaments ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and monitoring the implementation of the EVFTA together with the EU. The Deputy PM also asked them to step up personnel training and increase mutual consultation in external affairs./. TV presenter Bianca Stone says she was inappropriately touched by a teenage boy who harassed her as she was walking to a live filming location this week. Stone, who reports for the Seven Networks breakfast program Sunrise, was commuting by foot through the Brisbanes CBD when she was approached by the teenager early on Monday, she wrote on Twitter. Personal post alert: at 4am Monday as I walked to my live location in the Bris(bane) CBD I was approached, harassed and inappropriately touched by a teen, she said in a post late on Friday evening. Tonight the offender was caught. Hes 14 and apologetic. I really hope he learns from this. Thank you Queensland Police excellent work. Bianca Stone (left) said she was walking through Brisbane's CBD (right) early on Monday when she was harassed. Source: Instagram/Google Maps A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia a 14-year-old boy, from Kingston, south of Brisbane, had been arrested and dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act. Colleagues and members of the public expressed their support for the presenter, who is Sunrises Queensland correspondent, in replies to her Twitter post. Im sorry to hear this, Bianca, Matt Tinney, the programs Perth correspondent, wrote. A fellow Brisbane reporter said: This is great news. You dont deserve that. No one deserves that. Im glad hell be dealt with. Personal post alert: at 4am Monday as I walked to my live location in the Bris CBD I was approached, harassed and inappropriately touched by a teen. Tonight the offender was caught. Hes 14 and apologetic. I really hope he learns from this. Thank you @QldPolice -excellent work. Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) February 28, 2020 Stone assured her followers she did not require sympathy and she would be more aware of her surroundings in future. I was 50m from my cammo (cameraman)... I could see him but he couldnt hear me. Ive never been worried before but Ill be more aware now... it wasnt what I needed ahead of the Dreamworld Inquest, but no sympathy needed. Im fine and theres no resentment, the reporter wrote in a reply to her post. Story continues I am glad that you are ok. Women should never put up this, one person wrote. Stone also said she hoped the young fella got a fright from police and would change his ways as a result. 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. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said the loan waiver announced by the state government will provide huge relief to farmers in the next couple of months. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Deshmukh condoled the suicide of a farmer at Pathardi in Ahmednagar district and said all possible help would be given to his family. The Maharashtra government's loan waiver policy, which was announced by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, will be implemented phase wise, he said. The loan waiver will provide huge relief to farmers in the next couple of months, he added. The chief minister had last December announced the scheme writing off loans of farmers whose crop debt outstanding is up to Rs 2 lakh till September 30, 2019. Earlier this week, the government released the first list of 15,000 farmers benefited under the scheme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) You are here: China A total of 11,389 Chinese officials were punished in January for violating frugality rules, the top anti-graft body said Friday. The officials were involved in 8,228 cases --with Hubei Province excluded, said the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission in a statement. The punished officials include 39 at the prefecture or equivalent level and 755 at the county or equivalent level, according to the statement. Among them, 5,432 were found engaging in the practice of formalities for formalities' sake or bureaucratism, and 3,900 related cases were handled. In the meantime, authorities also investigated 4,328 cases of hedonism and extravagant conduct such as giving or accepting gifts and awarding unauthorized allowances or bonuses, and penalized 5,966 officials, said the statement. The CPC released its eight-point rules on frugality in late 2012 to reduce undesirable work practices. Chidambaram slams AAP for sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar in 2016 sedition case India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Feb 29: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday slammed the AAP government in Delhi for giving a nod to the police officials to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in 2016 sedition case. Taking to Twitter, Chidambaram said, "Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC." Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC. P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 29, 2020 In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, in its manifesto pledged to scrap the sedition law by claiming that it has been "misused and, in any event, become redundant". Delhi govt gives nod to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar in sedition case Earlier, the BJP claimed had claimed that it was public pressure that forced the government of Delhi to grant sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in the sedition case. In a tweet, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said, "Under public pressure, finally the Delhi government was forced to give permission in the JNU case. For three years, Arvind Kejriwal kept postponing it but he was forced to bend in front of people." In January 2019, the Delhi Police said that Kanhaiya and others, including former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya led a protest march on February 9, 2016 to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru cession and had supported seditious slogans allegedly raised in the JNU campus that day. Our warning fell on deaf ears: Chidambaram on anti-CAA violence On February 12, 2016, Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested and was released from jail on March 3 that year. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 9:59 [IST] Matt Levatich MILWAUKEE Harley-Davidson president and CEO Matt Levatich has stepped down from the company, ending his career of 26 years at the world's largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles. The board of directors has appointed board member Jochen Zeitz as acting president and CEO, the company said in a news release Friday. Levatich leaves the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker as its shares have fallen 46% since he took charge of the company. Meanwhile, its bike sales in the U.S. in 2019 were the lowest in at least 16 years. Analysts have grown increasingly concerned over the U.S. sales slump during one of the strongest economies in decades. Harley and other heavyweight motorcycle manufacturers have been caught between two customer demographic trends: Young people aren't widely embracing the big cruiser and touring bikes and longtime riders aging out of the sport. Caffeine fix: Panera Bread's new coffee subscription program offers unlimited coffee for $8.99 a month Hot toys 2020: Hot Wheels has unveiled two Cybertruck radio-control cars modeled after Tesla's Cybertruck Harley has pushed back with smaller and more versatile motorcycles aimed at attracting new customers, with several models coming out this year. It also has placed an increased emphasis on international sales. As part of the leadership change, Zeitz also was named chairman of the board and will remain chairman once a new CEO is appointed. Current chairman, Michael Cave, is now presiding director. "The Board and Matt mutually agreed that now is the time for new leadership at Harley-Davidson," Zeitz said in a statement. "Matt was instrumental in defining the More Roads to Harley-Davidson accelerated plan for growth, and we will look to new leadership to recharge our business." Levatich had been president and CEO since May 2015 and was president and chief operating officer for six years before that. Over 26 years at the company he held positions of increasing responsibility in the United States and Europe including general manager of the parts and accessories division and custom vehicle operations. Story continues In a statement, Levatich referred to his time as CEO as "one of the most challenging periods" in the company's history. "I am confident that the progress we have made on the More Roads plan will position Harley-Davidson for long-term success," Levatich said in the statement. Loading... This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harley CEO Matthew Levatich leaves company, replaced by board member The agreement mapping out a plan for peace follows months of negotiations between the US and the Taliban that have broken down before. The Pentagon has said for months that it is poised to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 8,600. Washington: President Donald Trump said Friday that he's dispatching Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the signing of an agreement with the Afghan Taliban aimed at beginning a draw down of thousands of US troops and ending America's 18-year involvement in the war. Trump said Pompeo would soon, at the president's direction, witness the signing of an agreement with the Taliban, an event that will see America's top diplomat stand with leaders of militants, who harbored Al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks and are responsible for the deaths of thousands of American servicemen and women. He said Defense Secretary Mark Esper also will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan. Trump did not say where the deal would be signed, but it's been previously reported that it would be done on Saturday in Doha, Qatar. The signing comes after a week in which both US-led forces and the Taliban committed to a reduction in violence. Under the plan being signed, the US is to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 from about 13,000. Much of the plan remains vague, except to say that American troops will withdraw and that the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. Within 10 to 15 days after the signing, the Taliban and representatives from all sectors of Afghan society, including the government, are to sit down to try to negotiate the framework of a post-war Afghanistan. Issues on the table include a more permanent cease-fire and the rights of women and minorities. "If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said in a statement, adding, "These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from al-Qaeda, IS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm." More than 20 lawmakers recently wrote a letter to Pompeo and Esper asking for assurances that the US-Taliban agreement will not jeopardize US security. "I dealt with a lot of bad guys during my time in the CIA, and one thing I learned is that previous actions are a good indicator of future ones," said Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, who served in Afghanistan as an undercover CIA officer. "The war in Afghanistan should come to an end and its in the Talibans hands to make this happen. However, the Taliban has never demonstrated a willingness to be a real partner in peace." Taliban leaders told The Associated Press that if everything goes according to plan, all US soldiers would be out of Afghanistan in 14 months, but Washington has not confirmed such a timeline. The agreement also stipulates the release of 5,000 Taliban from Afghan-run jails, but it's not clear if the Afghan government will agree to that. The agreement mapping out a plan for peace follows months of negotiations between the US and the Taliban that have broken down before. The Pentagon has said for months that it is poised to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 8,600, but US officials have said it could take months for any troop cuts to begin. "Nearly 19 years ago, American service members went to Afghanistan to root out the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks," Trump said. "In that time, we have made great progress in Afghanistan, but at great cost to our brave service members, to the American taxpayers, and to the people of Afghanistan." He said that when he first ran for president, he promised voters that he would start bringing troops home and seek an end to the war in Afghanistan. "We are making substantial progress on that promise." Ministry committee faults CEB for arbitrary power disruption on February 3 By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): A six-member committee of the Ministry of Power and Energy (MoPE) has faulted the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for the near seven-hour power cut it imposed on February 3 this year, saying it had been neither an emergency nor necessary. The committee reinforces a report earlier in the week by the regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), which drew the same conclusions. It said that the load shedding could have been avoided as the system had enough hydro capacity to meet full demand during the period. Load-shedding is the suspension of electricity supply to avoid excessive load on a generating plant. The CEB claims the power cut from 10.45 a.m. to 5.02 p.m. was an emergency as it was discovered only on the morning of the interruption that the Yugadanavi oil-fired power plant was out of fuel and that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) would not supply it anymore. Owned by LTL holdings and operated by West Coast Power (WCP), the power station has billions of rupees in unsettled invoices with the CPC. The MoPE committee observed that the Assistant General Manager (Corporate Strategy) of CEB had neither informed nor obtained permission from PUCSL for load shedding. Had this been done well in advance and necessary planning undertaken based on a situational analysis, it said, the load shedding on February 3 could have been avoided. There was total hydro storage availability of 884.5 GWh on February 2. The energy saved owing to the power interruption on that day was just 1.4 GWh. The Mahaweli Authoritys Water Management Secretariat had made it clear that Kotmale, Victoria and Randenigala reservoirs were made available for power generation and there were no restrictions for the purpose of irrigation between January 1 and February 3, 2020. But the CEB/System Control Centre reduced the generation in those hydro power plants at a time when the availability of thermal power plants was limited (Unit 1 of the Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai was also not functioning). Hence, even if the scenario is established as an emergency, the action taken by CEB/System Control cannot be accepted as technically correct, the MoPE committee states. The CEB was aware of the situation in advance and had enough time to inform the PUCSL and get its approval if load shedding was required, it continues. The CEB is mandated by law to get the regulators prior approval for a power supply interruption. The utility says its power crisis committee had granted authority for a scheduled load shedding. The MoPE inquiry concludes it had no authority to do so and that it was only the PUCSL that had such power. Yugadanavi was previously out of commission on five occasions between November 2019 and January 2020 due to non-availability of fuel. Lakvijaya Unit 1 was also down for a planned maintenance on the same days. The situation was quite similar (two major plants were out of operation) to that of Feb 3, 2020, the MoPE inquiry says. But the system was in operation without a power interruption on those five days. An operations report submitted by CPC states that neither the CEB nor WCP gave any indication of power interruption on February 3 due to unavailability of fuel. Had this been informed in advance to CPC, the committee believes that a solution could have been worked out amicably, and electricity supply interruption could have been avoided, the Committee says. The fuel HF4 is provided by CPC to WCP on credit. Consumption per day is 1,450 metric tons. The credit limit was initially Rs 8.5 billion. It was increased several times, and by February 3 the effective credit limit had been Rs 12.7bn (it was raised to Rs 13.2bn after the interruption). The CPC Chairman told the MoPE inquiry that, had a request been made by CEB even to its Finance Manager, it would have accommodated fuel supply as on previous occasions. The CPC had not been given any indication that the CEB was going to impose a power interruption due to non-availability of fuel on February 3, 2020. The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, has been honoured by the Voiceless Media and Consult at a brief but colourful ceremony in Accra. The award which came with a citation also included a personal accident insurance cover up to Ghc50,000 from the Best Assurance Company in Accra. Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Akilu Sayibu of the Voiceless Consult described Hajia Alima Mahama as a role model and an asset to not only women of Ghana but also men. Hajia Alima Mahama who is also the MP for the Gambaga/Nalerigu constituency has chalked several firsts in life. She was the first woman from the Northern Region to be called to the Bar in 1982; the first woman to serve as an MP of the Gambaga/Nalerigu constituency and also the first woman from the North to have served as Minister of the Local Government and Rural Development. According to the Voiceless Consult, these fetes by Hajia Alima Mahama are achievements that need to be honoured and recognised to serve as an inspiration to more women and all in society. Chief Akilu Sayibu also praised the development initiatives of Hajia Alima Mahama disclosing that their visit to the Gambaga/Nalerigu constituency revealed that she was instrumental in the setting up of the Gambaga Senior High School, the Health Assistants Training School, provision of Street Lights to 39 communities in her constituency as well as some water projects in some communities among other developmental projects. The relationship between Hajia Alima Mahama and her deputies was described as superb by the Voiceless Media and her relationship with the various MMDCEs was excellent. Receiving the award, Hajia Alima Mahama thanked the Voiceless Consult for the honour and said it was deeply gratifying to receive an award from a media organisation. The Gambaga/Nalerigu MP used the occasion to appeal to women to go into politics and not shy away because of the perception people have about women in politics. She indicated that politics is another way women can contribute to the development of their communities and society. Present at the ceremony were staff of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development including Deputy Ministers of the Ministry and some MMDCEs. Provincial transit agency Metrolinx found two of the Ontario governments priority rail projects scored poorly on key measures in an economic analysis, but the agency says they should still be built. Business cases released Friday by Metrolinx, the Crown agency overseeing transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, determined both the three-stop Scarborough subway extension and the Eglinton West LRT would incur costs that significantly outweigh their benefits and dont meet the agencys threshold for economic viability. Premier Doug Fords Progressive Conservative government has designated both projects as priorities in his $28.5-billion transit expansion plan, which also includes the Ontario Line and Yonge North subway extension. Responding to the reports, Christina Salituro, a spokesperson for Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, said in an email Friday the government is fully committed to our four priority projects, including the Eglinton West Extension and three-stop Scarborough Subway Extension. She said the communities they would serve have waited far too long for better access to rapid transit and the business cases show that both projects will deliver significant relief to commuters travelling in the GTA. In a statement, Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said the projects shouldnt be judged solely by their cost-benefit ratios. She said the reports represent a purposefully modest baseline that I am confident will improve as the projects are further developed. Metrolinx president and CEO Phil Verster said reports indicated the subway and LRT extensions would deliver significant benefits by expanding transit capacity and cutting travel times. But critics seized on the reports as evidence the provinces plans are deficient. Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto-St. Pauls) issued a statement claiming Metrolinx was finally admitting that the Scarborough subway does not provide good value for money to residents who need transit now. Matlow, who has long supported building a seven-stop Scarborough LRT instead of the subway extension, said Metrolinx had released the first public report that confirms what academics and transit experts have been saying for the past decade that the ridership and large geography of Scarborough wont be well served by a three-stop subway. The new report determined the Scarborough project, which would extend the TTCs Line 2 subway eight kilometres from Kennedy station to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road, would have total costs, including construction and operating and maintenance, of up to $6 billion over 60 years. Over the same period it would provide $2.8 billion in economic benefits. Its maximum benefit-cost ratio would be 0.66. Metrolinxs guidelines say that to be considered economically viable a transit project should have a benefit-cost ratio of at least 1. Metrolinxs preferred option for the Eglinton West LRT, which would be an extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT from Mount Dennis toward Pearson Airport, performed even worse, with a benefit-cost ratio of just 0.34. It would have total costs of $4.9 billion and provide $1.7 billion in benefits. The Scarborough subway extension has been a divisive project for years. The city previously planned to replace the aging Scarborough RT with a seven-stop LRT, but in 2013 voted to build a three-stop subway extension instead. As costs for the project rose, in 2016 Mayor John Tory supported revised plans to delete two stations and build a single-stop extension to the Scarborough Town Centre. Premier Ford vowed during his successful 2018 election campaign to revert to the three-stop plan. The new Metrolinx business case didnt compare the Scarborough subway project to the seven-stop LRT plan or the existing SRT, rather it compared it to a scenario under which the SRT was decommissioned and the TTC replaced it only with bus service. According to the report, the three-stop extension, with stations at Lawrence Avenue, Scarborough Town Centre and Sheppard Avenue, would attract 105,000 daily boardings, and about 12,000 net new daily riders in the morning peak hour. Its scheduled to open in 2029 or 2030. The City of Toronto had also previously studied plans for the Eglinton West LRT, and concluded that building the line above ground was the best option. However, Fords government favours a more expensive plan to build the line below ground. The business case released Friday examined four options for the 9.2-kilometre section of the line within Torontos borders: one mostly above-ground route, and three variations of mostly below-ground alignments that would have between two and nine stops. According to Metrolinx, the best option is a mostly below-ground route with six stops in Toronto. That version of the Eglinton West LRT would have 37,000 daily boardings, attract 13,000 net new daily riders, and provide the best overall improvements in network connectivity, corridor travel experience and livable and sustainable communities. It would open by 2028. This is not the first time that Metrolinx officials have found the Scarborough subway is not worth building. An internal report, marked as draft and dated September 2013, earlier obtained by the Star through a freedom of information request, concluded a three-stop Scarborough subway the same project being considered today was not a worthwhile use of money compared to the alternative seven-stop LRT. At that time, it found the benefit-cost ratio was between 0.3 and 0.6 to 1. That study was never published. At that time, Toronto city council was considering switching from a seven-stop LRT paid for by the province to replace the aging SRT to a subway pushed by then-mayor Rob Ford and others. Metrolinxs mini benefits case analysis, as it was labelled, said projected future ridership would fall well below the capacity of a subway, reduce access for commuters by offering fewer stops than the LRT while only marginally increasing travel times for riders. With files from Jennifer Pagliaro Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr Read more about: The Ministry of the Interior finally announced the results of the election on Sunday, after a prolonged delay. According to Interior minister Rahmani Fazli, out of approximately 58 million eligible voters, only 24.5 million participated in the election. This means that tonly 42.5% of citizens voted, the lowest level of turnout in the last 41 years. The Ministry of Interior added that the turnout in Tehran was 25%, meaning that 75% of the population did not participate at all. The state-run newspaper Jahan-e San'at wrote on February 23: "The government avoids presenting any statistics that directly or indirectly show the total number of voters[.] ... What comes to mind, however, is that the total number of votes cast by Iranian citizens was not significant. The regime is keen to increase this number to prove its legitimacy." This is precisely the proof of the claims from the Iranian opposition, the MEK, about fake statistics during all elections. Another state-run newspaper wrote, "Tehran has gone through one of the most unprecedented and low-profile elections in history." Reporters who had traveled to Iran at the time of the election testified to widespread boycotts, despite visiting pre-determined constituencies. The international community has doubts about the Iranian regime's heavy defeat in this election. This is while the Islamic Republic of Iran has continuously tried to say during the elections presidential and parliamentary that these elections are a referendum, and citizens are voting yes to the system with their participation. The 2019 mid-November uprising of the rebel youth, by attacking the IRGC centers, and the slogan of "down with the dictator" were in fact a vote for regime change. The repression and killing of these young people were proof of the regime's illegitimacy on the international scene. This election became a matter of survival for the regime. Concerning that, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says, "In the eyes of international observers, issues such as participation rate in the elections or how officials and institutions like the parliament are working are important. Thus, proving high turnout in the parliamentary elections is essential." Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who, with the slogan of equality between men and women, has been able to seize the streets of Iran since the 2017 uprising, has called for a boycott of the regime's elections. She believes that Iranians have asserted their real vote in the last two uprisings with the slogans of "down with the dictator." She added that the boycott of the election was in line with the demands of the students during the November 2019 uprising and demonstration, following the intentional annihilation of the Ukrainian airliner. Iranian students were chanting, "Down with tyranny, whether it is the Shah or the Supreme Leader." They have shown that they want a future without a sheikh or a monarchy. They want a system based on democracy and the rights of the people. The intentional shooting down of the Ukrainian airliner by the Revolutionary Guards and the killing of 176 passengers and subsequent lies by the Iranian regime further deepened the disagreement between the regime and the Iranian people. In the wake of this event, the Iranian resistance units, formed by the groups of the unemployed and the deprived population, have carried a variety of movements in society by attacking and burning down the regime's repression centers throughout Iran, including those belonging to the Revolutionary Guards Corps, such as the Ramadhan base and the Basij militia's bases. "If the people participate strongly in the election, this will ensure the security of the country," Khamenei said on the regime's television on February 5. Javad Zarif also emphasized: "The strong presence of the people in the election is the largest diplomatic asset of the system and strengthens our diplomats." For this reason, even Hassan Rouhani, whose faction was completely rejected by the Guardian Council, urged people to vote in the election to prevent the rise and acceleration of the regime's opposition movements. Khamenei was aware of the fact that disqualifying Hassan Rouhani's faction would harm the moderate image of the regime on the international scene. However, inevitably, he did so in order to withstand the powerful waves of popular uprisings and crises that have haunted the regime. Undoubtedly, the Iranian regime failed this test, and we will later see the rebellious youth confronting the Revolutionary Guards' minority, who have taken people's rights hostage. John Okafor (born 17 October 1961), popularly known as Mr Ibu, is a Nigerian actor and comedian. Okafor is one of Nigerias most popular comic characters. He often plays the buffoon, quite hilariously, in most movies he features in. He is mostly known for Mr Ibu in London (2004), Honeymoon Guys 2 (2015) and Ngozi: Abeg Marry Us (2003). According to Okafors IMDB page, He has acted in more than 200 movies including Honeymoon Guys 2 2015 Open & Close 2011 Open & Close 2 2010 Most Wanted Kidnappers 2010 Most Wanted Kidnappers 2 2010 Yahoozee Prophets 2009 Yahoozee Prophets 2 2009 Mental Case 2008 Mental Case 2 2008 The Tusk of Life 2008 The Tusk of Life 2 2008 Bafana Bafana 2007 Bafana Bafana 2 2007 Basket Mouth 2007 Basket Mouth 2 2007 Desperate Search 2007 Desperate Search 2 2007 How Far? 2007 How Far? 2 2007 Keziah 2007 Keziah 2 2007 Toronto Connection 2007 Toronto Connection 2 2007 A Fool at 40 2006 A Fool at 40 2 2006 Brain Wash 2006 Brain Wash 2 2006 Captain 2006 Captain 2 2006 Captain 3 2006 Chelsea/Liverpool 2006 Chelsea/Liverpool 2 2006 Dear Mama 2006 6Final Surrender 2006 Final Surrender 2 2006 Four Forty 2006 Four Forty 2 2006 Men on the Run 2006 Men on the Run 2 2006 Over Heat 2006 Over Heat 2 2006 Recharge Card 2006 Recharge Card 2 2006 Store Keeper 2006 Store Keeper 2 2006 Sweet Mama 2006 Sweet Mama 2 2006 The Journalist 2006 The Journalist 2 2006 The Return of Mama-G 2006 9 Wives 2005 9 Wives 2 2005 Circle of Lives 2005 Common Sense 2005 Common Sense 2 2005 Joshua 2005 Joshua 2 2005 The Councillor 2005 The Councillor 2 2005 Dollars from Germany 2004 Dollars from Germany 2 2004 James & John 2004 Mr Ibu 2004 Mr Ibu 2 2004 Mr Ibu in London 2004 Unbreakable 2004 Bullet 2003 Bullet 2 2003 Civil War 2003 Fresh Pain 2003 Fresh Pain 2 2003 Informant 2003 Ngozi: Abeg Marry Us 2003 Nicodemus 2003 Police Recruit 2003 Vuga 2 2000 Some media reports claimed 2019 that the comedian was hit by a mysterious stroke shortly after he returned from a trip to Owerri. He denied it Now we all know how Aamir Khan doesnt like to reveal anything from his film before its release. He will make sure that fans remain curious till the release date and thats the secret mantra of creating a tsunami at the box-office. His next film Laal Singh Chaddha releases this December and while officially he has released two looks from the film, there are lot of on location pictures that are being leaked on the internet. This new picture we spot Aamir Khan in a uniform avatar posing with a fan. Unlike the first look, Aamir khan is not seen in a turban avatar in this one and here he also spots a cool pair of frames. Laal Singh Chaddha is the official remake of hit Hollywood flick Forest Gump which starred Tom Hanks. The film will reunite the megastar with Kareena Kapoor Khan who were last seen in 3 Idiots. Nuzividu Police on Friday arrested a hotel supplier for the alleged rape of a minor girl here. The arrest was made within 24 hours after the incident came to light, police said. Taking cognisance of the case, Krishna district SP Raveendra Babu directed to form eight special teams led by Nuzividu DSP B Srinivasulu. After analysing CCTV footage and other data, police learned that hotel supplier Annam Venkateswara Rao is the accused in the case. On Friday morning the police arrested the accused at his house in Gandhi Nagar area, Nuzividu town. They also seized the cycle which the accused used to take the girl away. DSP Srinivasulu rewarded rural SI Ranjit and two other constables who investigated and caught the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Want to help make sure there are enough seats on the bus? How about helping secure the resources needed to keep the roads they run on smooth, as well as library shelves filled with books and first responders equipped to save lives? These are exactly the types of public services influenced by the U.S. census the nations decennial (once every 10 years) headcount which will soon give Hokies the opportunity to help shape the future of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, and beyond. This spring, the entire Virginia Tech community, including undergraduate, graduate, and international students, as well as employees, will be counted where they reside on April 1, 2020. Every person, no matter their age or citizenship status, should be counted. This means the vast majority of students will be counted as a part of their campus communities, rather than their hometowns. This population snapshot plays a critical role in the countrys democracy by helping decide accurate government representation, legislative districts and the allocation of about $675 billion in federal funds each year, throughout the next decade. The numbers will also provide vital information used in business decisions, such as the location of the next great grocery store or trend-setting restaurant. An accurately counted student population ensures critical higher-education-related programs, such as Pell grants, food assistance programs, and small business development centers, are appropriately funded and students appropriately supported. For students and employees alike, taking part in this civic duty is also a way to assure that Montgomery County and other localities secure the funds needed for shared infrastructure. Established by the U.S. Constitution, the census has been collected since 1790. Responding should only take about 15 minutes and all answers will be kept confidential, as directed by federal law. Questions include: Name Frequency of residence Other addresses a person may also reside Sex Age and birthdate Ethnicity/race Everyone will be counted where they live on April 1, though there are some minor differences between populations in terms of the counting process. On campus, Blacksburg Students living on campus or in Virginia Tech-owned housing, including the Inn at Virginia Tech and HIE Student Housing, will be included in Group Quarters counts. Each residence hall room will receive a questionnaire with detailed instructions during the week of April 6. Resident life staff will be following up with students to ensure everyone is counted. Online and phone are NOT available for on-campus residents. Off campus, Blacksburg and across the commonwealth Students living off campus are to have one person from each household fill out the census. This will NOT be done by a landlord or property management company. Postcards with instructions for how to respond online, by phone, or by mail will be mailed to individuals March 12-20, 2020. Everyone in each living unit, no matter their age, citizenship, or status with the university needs to be counted. Failure to do so will result in follow-up visits from a U.S Census 2020 employee. International No matter a persons country of origin, if they are studying or working at a Virginia Tech facility in the United States during the spring semester, they should be counted. Commuter Students who commute should be counted where they live, either by filing their own report, if living alone, or as a part of a household report. Study Abroad Students studying abroad during the spring semester will not be counted in the 2020 census. Employees All employees are encouraged to take the census and will be counted where they live. Postcards with instructions for how to respond online, by phone, or by mail will be mailed March 12-20, 2020. Households need to file only one report. Still have questions? Visit our 2020 Census Frequently Asked Questions page. Written by Travis Williams The United States signed a deal with the Taliban on Saturday that sets out a path to ending Americas longest war, almost two decades after the Sept. 11 attacks. The historic agreement, which was signed in the Qatari capital of Doha, lays out a path that could see American and allied forces withdraw from Afghanistan within the next 14 months. It also marks a key step in allowing President Donald Trump to fulfill his campaign promise to bring U.S. troops home. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home, President Trump said on Friday. Advertisement Under the deal, the United States would cut back the number of troops in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600 over the next three to four months and the rest would withdraw in 14 months. NATO also vowed to cut back on coalition troops, decreasing to some 12,000 from the roughly 16,000 that are currently in the country. We went in together in 2001, we are going to adjust [troop levels] together and when the time is right, we are going to leave together, but we are only going to leave when conditions are right, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops would depend on the Taliban fulfilling certain key commitments, including cutting ties with terrorist groups such as al-Qaida. It also marks the starting point of negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government that are set to begin March 10 and everyone warns will be difficult. This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning. The road ahead will not be easy. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require patience and compromise among all parties, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. Advertisement The deal was signed by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar after more than a year of negotiations. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the ceremony but didnt seem to have any direct contact with anyone from the Taliban delegation. Esper, meanwhile, took part in a ceremony in Kabul with Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that was held at the same time as the Doha signing. The future of Afghanistan is for Afghans to determine, Pompeo said. The U.S.-Taliban deal creates the conditions for Afghans to do just that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the first challenges that the two sides will face is a planned prisoner exchange that is set to take place before negotiations between Afghanistan and the Taliban are scheduled to begin. The deal calls for Afghanistan to release thousands of Taliban prisoners it has in its custody in exchange for some 1,000 members of the Afghan security forces by March 10. Until now, Ghanis government has seemed reluctant to move forward with the swap. Although the deal has long been a key part of Trumps foreign policy goals for his administration, some experts have warned it is risky because it would give the Taliban international legitimacy. Some Republicans have also warned of the risks of sealing a deal with the Taliban. On Thursday, a group of Republicans released a letter that warned the Taliban has a history of extracting concessions in exchange for false assurances. The continued spread of the new form of coronavirus has forced many people to alter their travel and vacation plans, and travel agencies say they have started to feel the pain. We have of course seen significant cancellations to China from customers who are travelling there for business or for a specific purpose, such as visiting family, said Allison Wallace, spokesperson for Flight Centre. For those visiting China and the surrounding area simply for leisure, were seeing a lot of people rescheduling their trip, rather than cancelling, or changing their destination all together. Wallace said the cancellations have not been as significant for the agencys key markets such as Mexico and the Caribbean. Since news broke of cases of coronavirus in Italy, the agency has received calls from concerned travellers with upcoming trips in Europe, she said. Many are choosing to reschedule their planned trips, and those modifications are expected to increase if the situation gets worse, she said. Were working hard to help our clients make informed decisions based on where they want to travel and ensure that we advise getting travel insurance, said Wallace. Flight Centres exclusive insurance provider, Allianz, has a cancel for any reason policy that covers travellers in the case of an outbreak at the destination theyre planning to visit, she added. Madhur Shah, a senior agent at Ashok Travels in downtown Toronto, said most of the agencys clientele tend to visit South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Booking numbers are down, especially for leisure tours and business travel to the Far East of Asia, as many people are cancelling or postponing plans until they see some certainty, he said. Nobody wants to travel there and get stuck or have any potential health risks. Our overall business is down compared to last year at this time, as people are more cautious in any plans, he said. Shah said the agency is down by about half in inquiries and new bookings it sees at this time of year. People are more cautious and are thinking quite heavily before locking in any plans as they don't want to be in a situation where they are away from home for long, especially if you have gone for a week and you end up staying a month due to any quarantine issues or health issues. Some schools across the country have moved to cancel Asia trips planned for the upcoming March break. The University of Regina also cancelled all China trips for the next three months. But Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said things remain on a wait-and-see basis for now. While were monitoring the situation closely, at this point in time we have not cancelled any trips as a result of coronavirus, he wrote in an email to the Star. On Friday the board shared with parents a letter from the citys medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa, in which she advises that the risk of contracting the virus in Toronto remains low. The letter advises school communities to monitor information from the government of Canada on travel advisories, should they have travel plans for March Break. A spokesperson from the Toronto Catholic District School Board said no plans have been cancelled so far, and theyve only received a few inquiries from parents about the issue. Health officials in Ontario confirmed a seventh case of COVID-19 on Friday, a man in his 50s now in self-isolation at home after being diagnosed at Sunnybrook hospital. The patient had just returned from a trip in Iran, officials said. Correction, Feb 28, 2020: This article has been amended from a previous version that stated that India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka did not have any cases of coronavirus. In fact, India has three confirmed cases, Sri Lanka has one, and Pakistan has two, as of today's date. He is versatile, blessed with an amazing script sense and never shies away from experimenting with his characters. There are no brownie points for guessing the man of the hour, Ayushmann Khurrana. He had a dream run in 2019 and 2020 has been no different either, so far. The cherry on the cake was him winning the National Award for Best Actor for Andhadhun. Maddock Films Right from Vicky in Vicky Donor to Kartik in Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan, Ayushmann has never failed to strike a conversation with the audience. And this time around, the actor might be seen as a gynaecologist in his next film, titled Stree Rog Vibhag. According to reports, Jawaani Jaaneman actor Alaya F will star opposite him in the film. Before he gives us another character to go gaga over, lets go back in time to see how many experimental roles he has already given us: 1. 'Haan Main Gay Hoon'- In Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan T-Series Ayushmann has delivered a masterpiece with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and he will keep you hooked with his performance as Kartik in the movie. In the movie, he addresses the issue of homosexuality which has been a taboo for ages in our society. Interestingly, the movie has been lauded by people across countries including US President Donald Trump. In an interview with MensXP, Ayushmann said, We proudly call it the first commercial movie based on homosexuality. But at the same time, we have to tread a line so that we can be more accessible to the masses. and especially the regressive audience. It's not an easy film and it's tricky because it's a movie based on a family that eventually finds out their son is a homosexual. 2. 'Fark Bahut Kar Liya...Fark Layenge' - An IPS Officer In Article 15 Zee Music Company Ayushmanns Article 15 highlights the plight of the lower caste and the evils of the caste system that still prevail in our society. The film is a tight slap on the face of the institutional age-old customs of caste. The actor did a great job as a morally-stoic IPS officer and what we loved the most was his dialogue delivery in the movie. Hats off to Ayushmann for striking a conversation on a topic that is relevant to date considering the ongoing Delhi violence. 3. 'Gaye Huye Baal Vapas Nahi Aate, Guru'- As A Prematurely-Bald Man in Bala Maddock Films Ayushmann is someone who redefines a Bollywood hero. He doesnt have to be a super-macho, villain-killing stud in high octane sequence scenes all the time, but can just be a regular Joe. And sometimes, he can also be someone who's dealing with the stigma of baldness. For Ayushmann, Bala was a particularly tough movie. In an interview, he had said, Bala is not just one of the best scripts but it is the best script I have ever read, and it has got a lot of heart and soul. For me, its a very special film, the most special film in fact. Its not just about emotional attachment but also the physical part that happened during Bala. Bala was the toughest in my life because wearing three layers of prosthetics on your head and that under the sun, it was very difficult. Physically it was very taxing. 4. 'Pooja...Whats This Behaviour'- In Dream Girl Balaji Motion Pictures Is there anything this man cannot do? In Dream Girl , he is seen essaying the role of a small-town guy, who has the ability to speak in the voices of different women. In an interview with Mid-Day, the actor spilt the beans on how he modulated his voice for his character in the film. I had to deliver 25 per cent of my dialogues in a woman's voice. Since I come from a radio background, it's easier for me to modulate my voice. I have spent years behind the mic, mimicking different people. Raaj had given me the references of a few men, who prank people by talking like a woman. I studied those videos extensively," he said. 5. A 'Blind' Pianist In Andhadhun Viacom 18 Obviously, this had to be on our list because the actor won a National Award for his brilliant performance in the movie, where he plays a 'blind' pianist who gets entangled in a murder mystery. In the movie which is filled with deceit and drama, the star gave his own touch of dark humour to it. If you know the climax, then you would know what a stellar performer he is. In an earlier interview, he had said, Andhadhun has truly been one such film that has shaped me as an actor today. It taught me to challenge my inhibitions and showcase a completely different side to my craft that surprised me and also pleasantly surprised the audiences. I'm thankful to my director Sriram Raghavan for trusting me with his vision and thankful to the universe for giving me projects like this which I can be so proud of. We too are proud of your script sense, man. 6. Gents Problem Normal Hai In Shubh Mangal Saavdhan Eros International Ayushmanns character in this movie suffers from erectile dysfunction, something that most men arent comfortable talking about openly, but the actor addressed it to the world on the big screen. While Shubh Mangal Saavdhan does focus on erectile dysfunction, it also addresses the importance of sex education. Talking about the movie, he had earlier said, Men feel uncomfortable talking or deal with such a problem because of the mental conditioning. When it comes to boys' talk, they proudly talk about how many girls they are dating at the same time, how many times are they doing the act, etc. They find pride in it because we are living in a particular society." 7. 'Sperm Donation Mein Koi Sharam Nahi' In Vicky Donor Rising Sun Films Who can forget his spectacular entry in the film industry as a sperm donor? Well, the movie got him the Filmfare for Best Debutant in 2012 and that was the beginning of a string of hits for the star. Ayushmann started with an unconventional character and back then, we hadnt seen anything like this on the big screen. Safe to say, he is a chameleon indeed, who can don any role with absolute confidence, which sometimes become movements of their own. Which experimental role played by Ayushmann is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) Like several Cabinet officials, majority of the senators are against the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said Saturday. "Majority of us, I believe ha, I'm not sure of the exact number, perhaps 12 or more... are not in favor of abrogation," Sotto said in a media forum. He agreed with Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson that some members of President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet have reservations about the abrogation of the country's two-decade-old military agreement with the US. "I've heard the same concerns from the Cabinet members themselves so I agree with Senator Lacson," Sotto said. Malacanang on Friday shrugged off Lacson's claim, saying all members of the Cabinet support the President's decision. Upon Duterte's order on February 11, Foreign Affairs Secretary Tedoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. sent the US a notice to terminate the VFA marking the start of the 180-day period after which it will be effectively scrapped. The President pushed through with the termination despite Locsin's previous statements in a Senate hearing that the Philippines could lose numerous benefits, including billions of pesos in aid, in junking the VFA. Senators had also passed a resolution calling for a review of the VFA first before deciding on its fate. Sotto said they are finally taking their case with the Supreme Court on Monday. He said they will file a petition asking the high court to determine whether the Senate's concurrence is needed for the abrogation of a treaty. The Constitution is silent on this matter, since it only requires Senate concurrence in the ratification of an agreement. Sotto said he and his colleagues are "optimistic" that the Supreme Court will rule on the senators' favor by August 9, when the VFA will be effectively terminated. Aside from Lacson, Senators Franklin Drilon and Richard Gordon are co-petitioners. Sotto noted that unlike the petition earlier filed questioning Duterte's unilateral pullout from the International Criminal Court, their new motion is "less controversial." "We're not naming the ICC, we're not naming the VFA, we're merely saying that the Senate must concur also in any abrogation because we were asked to ratify it, we ratified it," he said. He also clarified that a win at the Supreme Court does not automatically mean that the Senate will next vote against the President's move to scrap the VFA. "What we can do is call for a review of the VFA and at the same time the possibility of also asking for a review of the Mutual Defense Treaty," he said. The VFA, a 1998 agreement between Manila and Washington, legally allows the entry of a large number of American troops, exempting them from passport and visa regulations so they can participate in joint military drills in the Philippines. EXPLAINER: The Visiting Forces Agreement Experts say that without the VFA, the Mutual Defense Treaty which states that the Philippines and the US would come to the defense of the other in case of an attack by a foreign country would be useless. Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday warned that the country's alliance with the US is the only deterrent against Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea. The end of the VFA can mark the start of China's more aggressive actions in areas claimed and occupied by the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, they said. Above all, Cristal Clarke is recognized and praised for her dedication to her clients. With single year sales volume in excess of $155,000,000, Cristal Clarke is the #1 individual real estate agent in the entire Santa Barbara MLS. Since she joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in 2018, her unsurpassed market knowledge, real estate expertise and roster of highly qualified affluent clients have helped propel her into the top 5 among the firms more than 50,000 agents worldwide. She is the firms #1 agent in California for sales volume. Prior to her affiliation with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, she was consistently ranked among the top 1% of agents during her 30-year tenure with esteemed Sothebys International Realty. For Buyers Cristals singular ability to find the best property for clients in the market for a home or home away from home has earned her a stellar reputation. My finger is constantly on the pulse of this market, she says. Thats one of the reasons not just my clients, but also my colleagues know to contact me when they need the latest important real estate information. She is adept at finding discerning local, domestic and international clients unlisted available properties and pending listings. Indeed, she manages an unparalleled volume of quiet, private transactions. Visit Cristal Clarke's website at https://montecito-estate.com/ For Sellers Utilizing her superb negotiating skills, Cristal frequently rewards her clients with record return on their investments, whether in world-class estates, homes or land. Sellers enjoy the knowledge that Cristal has a well-earned reputation as the listing Realtor Montecito and Santa Barbara agents strive to emulate. Through individually tailored and highly sophisticated marketing plans, combined with her impressive network of leading real estate professionals worldwide, Cristal reaches legions of highly qualified buyers. There is often a seamless transition between her buying and selling clients. Above all, Cristal Clarke is recognized and praised for her dedication to her clients. I go the extra mile for them, she says. Thats true not just throughout the transaction, but beyond escrow. Most of my clients become friends who know they can count on me, and that trust translates into repeat business and referrals as well as personal bonds. The Rewards of Dedication An avid art collector, Cristals special interests are early California artists as well as Contemporary art. She is active in the myriad recreational activities Montecito and Santa Barbara are known for, including swimming and hiking. She and her husband are members of the prestigious Coral Casino Beach Club, Montecito Club, and Maroon Creek Club in Aspen, Colorado. About Haute Residence: Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners. The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more. Access all of this information and more by visiting: http://www.hauteresidence.com Bernie Sanders got himself into hot water with Florida's voters by praising Cuba's "literacy programs," which were ugly coercive propaganda efforts for those who experienced them. It's far from the only thing he's praised about the Castroite communist hellhole. According to the New York Times: MIAMI In the spring of 1989, as the outgoing mayor of Burlington, Vt., Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, traveled to Cuba on an eight-day trip, with the hopes of meeting the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. The 47-year-old Mr. Sanders didn't get time with Mr. Castro, but he toured Havana, met with its mayor and marveled that visitors could take a cab anywhere in the country. "The revolution there is far deeper and more profound than I understood it to be," he said back home, according to The Burlington Free Press, and commended Cuba for providing free health care, free education and free housing. Free health care? That one's worth a teaching moment for Bernie, too. Not only do citizens get experiences like this, but it's worth noting that even Fidel Castro himself knew better than to use it. Socialist systems may create two-tier health care systems for the ordinary people and the elites, which is bad enough, but in the absence of any innovation and the only incentives to "excellence" being political ones, even the elites' system eventually goes to hell, too, at least on life-or-death matters. Castro knew this, which is why he decided to import his doctor from Spain to treat his malignant diverticulitis. His little pawn, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, wasn't quite as savvy. He actually believed the lies about Cuba's free health care system and with some sort of internal cancer, paid for his faith in Castrocare with his life. Shortly before Chavez's 2013 death in a Cuban hospital, the truth came out about the disastrous state of Cuban health care even for the elites back when I was writing editorials at Investor's Business Daily: Americas: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is dying of cancer in Havana, in a live demonstration of Cuba's vaunted socialized medical care. He went there instead of Brazil because he wanted to make a political statement. What irony. ...and... Most galling for him: It didn't have to happen this way. His expected demise will be entirely due to his gullibility to leftist propaganda and bad choices that came of it. "In July 2011, during (a)... summit in Caracas, Brazil's President, Dilma Rousseff, told a few of her colleagues in private that Chavez was likely to die as a result of 'his excessive paranoia rather than as a consequence of his serious yet treatable cancer,'" wrote Venezuelan consultant Pedro Burelli in a newsletter. "What she meant to say," Burelli added, "was that by choosing secrecy in Cuba over medical competence at the Sirio-Libanese Hospital in Sao Paulo (where she had been treated successfully for lymphatic cancer) Chavez had condemned himself to a shorter life." Burelli noted that it corresponded to his own sources, who told him that Chavez's chosen successor, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, flew to Brasilia to meet with Rousseff and her oncologist. He presented the diagnoses from Caracas and Havana and the Brazilian specialist "considered it treatable under world-class protocols available in his center." Maduro signaled interest. But the Chavista regime then demanded to pretty much take over the 400-bed hospital, which the Brazilians rejected. "From that moment on the patient was doomed," Burelli wrote. The Cubans, it turned out, gave Chavez the wrong cancer treatment probably radiation or chemotherapy, which has limits on uses and, as a result, were unable to correct it after they discovered the error. That doomed Chavez, a victim of the very Castrocare he touted, as Bernie Sanders does now, as the solution to all of Venezuela's ills. Venezuela's hospitals now look like Cuba's or, given the lack of water, electricity, and money, probably worse. But it was Castrocare itself, the elites-tier version, that did Chavez in. Would Bernie Sanders consent to Cuban-style health care for his own heart condition? Not if he wanted to live. The examples of Castro, treated with Western medicine, and Chavez, going down with a treatable illness made untreatable by Castrocare, tell the whole story about the worth of such a system. Someone should ask him. Image credit: Photo illustration by Jari Carr via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will pronounce on Monday its order on whether petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370 be referred to a larger bench. The petitions are heard by a five-judge bench presided by Justice NV Ramana and comprising Justices SK Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant. The Constitution bench had reserved the order on a batch of petitions on January 23. During the hearing of the case last month, the Central government had said that the abrogation of Article 370 allowed the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian Union and added that the move is "irreversible". However, advocate Dr Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said that the Centre deliberately imposed the President's rule in the erstwhile state and downgraded its status to a Union Territory using Article 3 of the Constitution of India. Several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Central government's decision of withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status. The Central government by its August 5, 2019 decision had scrapped the Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nayanthara, the lady superstar of Tamil cinema is currently on a high with some highly promising projects in her career. The talented actress is all set to play the first 'Amman' character of her acting career in the upcoming project Mookuthi Amman, which is directed by NJ Saravanan and RJ Balaji. Recently, the makers revealed the much-awaited first look poster of Mookuthi Amman, through social media platforms. Nayanthara, who essays the titular character in the project looks simply divine as Amman in the highly promising first look poster, that has already taken the social media by storm. However, the actress's complete look for her role was revealed later in the second official poster. The team released the second official poster exactly an hour after the release of Mookuthi Amman first look poster. Unlike the first look, the second official poster revealed Nayanthara's complete look as Amman for the movie. The lady superstar looks perfect in the Goddess avathar, in the red-green silk saree and traditional temple jewellery ornaments, that is teamed up with a crown and trident. If the reports are to be believed, Mookuthi Amman is a satirical comedy that discusses the contemporary socio-political atmosphere of the country. RJ Balaji, the highly popular radio jockey turned actor is making his directorial debut with the project and is directing it with NJ Saravanan. Balaji has also penned the story, screenplay, and dialogues for the project. Even though the makers have not revealed anything about the rest of the star cast of the project, RJ Balaji is said to be playing a pivotal role in the movie. Dinesh Krishnan B is the director of photography. Girishh has composed the songs and background score. Selva RK has handled the editing. Mookuthi Amman which is produced by Dr. Ishari K Ganesh, under the banner Vels Films International, will hit the theatres in May 2020. Also Read: Vijay And Vijay Sethupathi Wrap Up Master: New Picture Of The Duo Take Social Media By Storm! Click here to read the full article. This week, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos and a team of executives have been traveling through the African continent, meeting with local creatives, as part of an aggressive content expansion into areas that are still relatively untapped sources of talent. Sarandos is doing so as the streaming giants first African original series, the spy-drama Queen Sono, is released worldwide February 28. As a series created entirely by Africans, with a majority African cast and produced on a Netflix budget, Queen Sono is certainly a novelty that will likely draw audiences for that reason alone. But, in the long run, with a second season very likely given how the first season ends itll need to rely on more than its landmark arrival in order to stay relevant and stand out in a world awash with content. More from IndieWire The series stars South African actress Pearl Thusi (Quantico) as the title character, a James Bond-like operative who takes on dangerous missions while contending with personal struggles and various relationships. The African continent is both her charge and playground. Shes a member of a seemingly small and besieged South African intelligence unit called the Special Operations Group (SOP), tasked, somewhat unrealistically, with protecting the country and the entire continent from any kind of threat, including terrorism, corruption, and European neo-colonialism. But Queen is certainly up for the task, dashing from one African country to another by air, land, and sea, nurturing ties, collecting necessary intel, and fending off some really mean dudes, all with a sometimes immaculate style. Queen is, of course, skilled with a variety of weapons and stands virtually unmatched in hand-to-hand combat. She is beautiful, sensual, efficient, and reckless at times taking risks that roil her supervisors but what movie or television super spy isnt known for going rogue once in a while (not to mention the rest of these attributes)? Story continues However, shes not just beauty and brawn. Further complicating the character, and the series, is a lingering backstory about Queens mother, a prominent activist who was assassinated under mysterious circumstances when Queen was a child. Her rage and remorse over her mothers death set the shows overall brooding tone, as the story unfolds against the backdrop of a South Africa still trying to find its footing in the world, 30 years removed from Apartheid. The engine of the first seasons plot is a fraught partnership between a posse of black nationalist rebels and a Russian security company called Superior Solutions (the SS likely intentional), controlled by heiress, military contractor, and all-around badass Ekaterina Gromova (Kate Liquorish). Gromova, who would probably be a mixed martial arts champion were she not an evil, sociopathic corporate executive, eventually emerges as the series primary villain. And once shes introduced, its immediately obvious that both she and Queen will tussle at some point. The journey to that inevitable end consists of rudimentary depictions of surveillance and police work, debates about African progress and historical restitution, as well as the usual betrayals and occasional sex scene. There are also frequent fight sequences, shootouts, and chases in cars, on motorcycles, and on foot enough to satisfy the average espionage fan, although each isnt always believably staged, nor with much style. Its all standard spy-thriller material, but minus an enormous Hollywood studio budget. What does make Queen Sono standout is its setting, which allows the series to introduce themes that likely arent being discussed during dinnertime conversations in many homes, at least in the West. Scattered throughout are what amount to slogans calling attention to some of the stark realities of the lingering effects of colonialism. For example, an armed group of revolutionaries, making their way across the continent, declares its intent to liberate Africa from white religion. Also, a non-governmental organization (NGO) executive publicly calls the series resident villain a neocolonialist during a heated exchange. The irony of this moment, which certainly isnt lost on the series, is that both are white non-African women, having a quarrel over what the fate of Africa should be, and who should lead that charge. Furthermore, the series takes shots at international financial institutions like the World Bank (Its drowning Africa in debt!), criticizes African leadership, Conflict diamonds (aka Blood diamonds), and more. These flourishes arent necessarily there to move the plot forward, and sometimes do feel inorganic, but they help contextualize the series overall backdrop and might even educate audiences on ongoing geopolitical debates that affect Africans and Africa, without the didacticism. Consequently, the continent is unquestionably the other star of the series. Queen Sono captures the splendor of its many locales in a way that most of the world rarely gets to see. African content creators dont often get to tell their own stories with the kind of budget that a studio like Netflix can provide (even though they arent on par with the budgets of average American series), and Queen Sono maximizes whatever amount the streaming giant allocated to the six-episode first season. Shot in 37 different locations across the continent, including cities in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Zanzibar, Queen Sono captures an Africa that might be a shock to some audiences in the West, who are used to very specific, limited depictions of the continent and its people. Against this lush and at times frenzied backdrop, Thusi is commanding, playing Queen with a dignity befitting the characters name, as if hinting to Africas pre-colonial past, when real kings and queens ruled over powerful and vast empires. Supporting performances are mostly competent, but Thusi just seems to be operating on an entirely different plane; one that sometimes makes her co-stars appear stiff in contrast. (Though Abigail Kubeka as Queens sardonic grandmother, is a charming standout.) The ending all but screams that a second season is on the way, given the cliffhanger. And should it happen, by the time it arrives, the novelty of Queen Sono being Netflixs first African Original series would have long worn off. This means that series creator, writer, and director Kagiso Lediga will need to up the ante with his script, and, like his main character, take some risks, so that its less of a derivative of an American procedural peppered with Africanisms, and is instead unapologetically African. So consider Queen Sono version 1.0 of Netflixs African Originals. Its a somewhat unremarkable start, but there is plenty of room for improvement with future upgrades. Grade: C+ Queen Sono was created by Kagiso Lediga, who co-wrote the series with Camilo Saloojee, Christopher Steenkamp, and Muzi Dlamini. Lediga and Tebogo Malope directed all six episodes of the series. The entire first season is now streaming on Netflix. Best of IndieWire Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country's borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols throughout the night and into Saturday, with some cutting holes in the fence only to be turned back by tear gas and stun grenades. Greek authorities also fired tear gas to repulse attempts by the crowd to push through the border. The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was seen in Greece as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries. It comes as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey. We will not close the gates to refugees, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. The European Union has to keep its promises. If Erdogan really has opened the border, it would be a dramatic departure from Turkey's current policy. Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid. It has since protested that the EU has failed to honour the agreement. Erdogan was speaking for the first time since 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in northwest Syria on Thursday, the largest single loss of life for Turkish forces since their country became involved in Syria in 2016. The Turkish troop deaths led officials to declare Turkey would not impede refugees seeking to enter Europe. Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighboring Greece. On Saturday, small groups managed to get across into Greece clandestinely. The vast majority were from Afghanistan, and most were men, although there were also some families with young children. They took shelter during the night in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk towards northern Greek. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided, particularly at times of tension with European countries. Thursday's deaths the highest number in a single day since Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016 were the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces. The development has raised the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. Syrian government forces have been on a weekslong offensive into Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-controlled areas of Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. The Idlib offensive has pushed nearly 950,000 displaced civilians toward the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. We learnt the border was open and we headed there. But we saw it was closed, and we found a hole in the fence and went through it, said Ali Nikad, a 17-year-old Iranian who made it into Greece overnight with a group of friends. Nikad said he had spent two months in Turkey but couldn't make ends meet, and was hoping to find his uncle who was already in Greece. Many of those who made it across the land border were seen being arrested and driven away in white vans. A police officer told The Associated Press there was pressure along the 200-kilometer (125-mile) land border from migrants trying to force their way through overnight, and groups were being constantly repulsed. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the record. Others were making their way to Greek islands in dinghies from the nearby Turkish coast. Greece and Bulgaria increased security at their borders with Turkey. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened an emergency meeting of top cabinet, military and coast guard officials Saturday morning on the issue. In Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling, the latest fatality after the deadly airstrike that killed 33 earlier this week. The announcement late Friday also said Turkish forces hit Syrian government targets and a number of Syrian troops were neutralized. It remained unclear whether Syrian or Russian jets carried out the airstrike, but Russia denied its aircraft were responsible. Erdogan had given the Syrian government until the end of the month to pull back from areas captured in Idlib, threatening large-scale military action if they didn't. But any large scale Turkish military action risks more loss of life among Turkish soldiers. He had kept unusually silent since the 33 deaths. NATO envoys held emergency talks Friday at the request of Turkey, a NATO member. While urging deescalation in Idlib, NATO offered no further assistance. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone Friday and discussed implementing agreements in Idlib, the Kremlin said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire in Idlib. He warned that without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour, and as always, civilians are paying the gravest price. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran has the world's highest death toll outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak Dubai: An Iranian Health Ministry spokesman on Saturday said the new coronavirus has killed 43 people amid 593 confirmed cases in the Islamic Republic. Kianoush Jahanpour urged people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. Iran has the worlds highest death toll outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak. The new figures from Iran this pushes the total cases in the Middle East to over 720. Jahanpour also urged people not to attend funerals of the dead, as a mass gathering could help spread the virus. Earlier Saturday, Bahrain threatened legal prosecution against travelers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and also barred public gatherings for two weeks. The tiny island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia has been hard-hit with cases and shut down flights to halt the spread of the virus, which causes the illness named COVID-19 by experts. All of Bahrain's cases link back to Iran, whose death toll of 34 killed is the worst outside of China, the epicenter of the virus. Iran alone has 388 cases of the virus, including top officials, and experts fear that number may be far greater, something Iranian officials themselves have begun to hint. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. Of those, only 310 citizens had called authorities and undergone testing, the ministry said, raising the possibility of the untested being arrested and charged if they refuse. The ministry "affirmed that the required legal proceedings would be taken against anyone who returned from Iran in February and didnt call to make appointments for the tests," the Interior Ministry said. It highlighted that preventing the outbreak of the infection is the responsibility of individuals and society as a whole. Sunni-ruled Bahrain has engaged in a years long crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom since its 2011 Arab Spring protests, which saw its majority Shiite population demand greater political freedoms. Militants have launched small, sporadic attacks in the time since which Bahrain security forces blame on Iran, the Mideast's Shiite power. Meanwhile Saturday, Saudi Arabia announced it would bar citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council from Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina over concerns about the virus' spread. The GCC is a six-nation group including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia on Thursday closed off the holy sites to foreign pilgrims over the coronavirus, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan and the annual hajj pilgrimage. It represented an unprecedented move, one which wasnt taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Your browser does not support the audio element. K-12 students in Hanois public schools will not resume study until after March 8, chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has said. Chung made the announcement at a city-level meeting on the prevention of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Vietnamese capital city on Friday. At the meeting, the chairman affirmed that Hanoi has so far reported no case of COVID-19 infection. Our goal is to avoid human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus in the city, but we still have different scenarios to prepare for the worst, he said. The chairman asked authorities in the citys districts to prepare hygiene equipment and complete disinfection work for the sixth time before high school students come back to class on March 9. Exceptionally, international schools in the city are allowed to reopen on March 2 as they have confirmed their classrooms are safe and parents agree for their children to attend classes, the chairman added. Since international schools semester dates are closely related to those in foreign countries, we have allowed them to resume all activities from March 2, he said. Two hundred and eighty-four vocational training institutions under the city and related ministries management will also welcome their students back next Monday. Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at a meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on February 28, 2020. Photo: Xuan Long / Tuoi Tre Meanwhile, authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have yet to announce a decision on when schools could open again as of Saturday morning. The southern metropolis resorted to votes from students parents to decide on the back-to-school date. In most other provinces and cities, middle and high schools will reopen on March 2, while elementary schools and kindergartens will remain closed through March 8. The COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 85,100 people and killed 2,924 globally as of Saturday morning, according to the South China Morning Post. South Korea has confirmed 16 deaths from 2,931 positive cases so far, becoming the biggest cluster of infections outside China. To date, Vietnam has reported 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. All of them have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The country has recorded no new infection since February 13. Most provinces and cities in Vietnam previously decided to let students stay home until the end of February to prevent the viral infection. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 'Dear Dundalk' an exhibition of sketches of local landmarks by Miriam Fox opens tonight (Tuesday) in Dundalk Library at 6.30pm and runs until March 7. Catch Aslan live at the Carnbeg on Saturday night There's a Niall Diamond tribute band in the Imperial on Saturday night The Castle Players present the J B Keane classic Sive in An Tain Arts Centre for four nights, opening tomorrow Wednesday. The play tells the tragic story of a young girl 'matched up' to an elderly farmer. Curtain up 8pm. Booking at www.antain.ie Comedian Jason Byrne brings his latest show 'Wreaked But Ready' to the Spirit Store on Sunday night. He's had a year he'd rather forget but he's going to tell the audience all about it. Catch one of Ireland's top comedian before he heads down under for the Melbourne Comedy Festival next month, KYODO NEWS - Feb 29, 2020 - 23:36 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday his government will create another emergency package by using reserve funds worth over 270 billion yen ($2.5 billion) in around 10 days to help cushion the fallout from the spread of the new coronavirus. "Japan will take all possible steps needed" to cope with the impact of the virus, Abe said at a press conference in Tokyo, the first since he made an abrupt request earlier this week to close all schools in Japan from Monday for about a month through a spring break. "The next week or two will be a critical time for Japan to see whether we will enter a rapid expansion phase of infections or we will be able to bring it toward an end," Abe said as he asked for support from the public for his decision on the school closure amid group transmission fears. "It's heart-breaking to take the step when children would want to spend time and make memories with friends (before graduation)," Abe said, while teachers, parents and students have already been thrown into confusion by the extraordinary policy. As emergency steps, parents who need to take time off and look after their children until most schools start the new academic year in early April will receive financial support, he said. The government will also give subsidies to small and midsize companies reeling from the global outbreak that has disrupted supply chains and production, and hit tourism. The package, the exact amount of which is not yet known, follows the existing one totaling 15.3 billion yen. (Pupils leave an elementary school in Osaka on Feb. 28, 2020.) Japan has over 900 confirmed coronavirus cases, which include more than 700 linked to the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship docked near Tokyo that had been quarantined. Medical experts and government officials say small groups of infections, or clusters, have appeared in the country. With less than five months to go until the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Japan has been ramping up efforts to curb infections and Abe reiterated that the country will continue to prepare for "safe" games for athletes and spectators. Abe said the development of rapid virus test kits that can show results in about 15 minutes, compared with the current two to three hours, is under way and they are expected to be put to use in March. Despite Abe's statement that about 4,000 virus tests can be performed a day across the nation, a growing number of people have complained that their requests for testing were refused. Japan has already started clinical trials of three drugs, including the anti-flu Avigan developed by a Fujifilm Holdings Corp. unit, to see if they are effective in treating people diagnosed with the coronavirus. After panic buying of toilet paper on worries it could sell out and become unavailable, Abe called for calm, saying that "almost all" toilet paper sold in Japan is produced in the country and there are enough supplies. The virus scare that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December has spread to over 30 countries and the World Health Organization has raised its COVID-19 risk assessment for the world to its highest level. After global financial markets have been spooked by the outbreak that raised recession worries, Abe said Japan will closely monitor further developments and take "necessary and sufficient" economic and fiscal steps to cope with the impact. Abe also used the press conference to dispel speculation that a state visit to Japan this spring by Chinese President Xi Jinping may be postponed as China struggles to contain the new coronavirus. A series of preparatory working-level talks between Japan and China have been put off. "There is no change to the schedule for President Xi's visit at present," the prime minister said. "But it will be the first visit by a Chinese president in a decade so we need to be able to show solid outcomes. From that perspective, Japan and China will closely communicate with each other." Related coverage: Coronavirus response an unexpected, crucial test for Japan PM Abe Schools heed Abe's call to close during virus crisis despite outcry U.S. mulls new restrictions on travelers from Japan, S. Korea: media Transportation, tourism sectors hit hard by new virus outbreak Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) The country's month-long nationwide mall sale, aimed at mitigating the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, will not push through as planned in March. The Department of Tourism on Saturday announced it is postponing the event which was scheduled to start on Sunday, March 1, until further notice. Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat cited the "alarming rise" in coronavirus infections in other parts of the world for the decision. "As much as we want to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19, the safety of our citizens remains our priority," Puyat said in a statement. She said the department also followed the move made by Germany's Federal Ministry of Health in pushing for the cancellation of the travel trade show ITB Berlin. Puyat thanked participating establishments for supporting the decision. She reminded malls to follow the precautionary measures set by the Department of Health to prevent the spread of any virus, including checking the temperatures of mall-goers. The announcement also comes a day after Health Secretary Francisco Duque discouraged the Tourism Department from pushing through with the event. It could have been the first time for the country to hold a nationwide mall sale, which was expected to bring in revenue for businesses and help lift tourism from the slump caused by the imposed travel ban and flight cancellations. In February alone, the country is expecting to lose 14.8 billion in tourism or a total of 42.9 billion in revenue if the travel ban on China, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province lasts for three months. READ: Duterte seen to tour PH amid expected tourism slump due to coronavirus The new coronavirus has killed more than 2,900 people mostly in China since the outbreak began in Wuhan City in Hubei province December 2019. In the Philippines, three Chinese nationals have been infected with the virus one of them died, while the remaining two have since recovered and left the country. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Its a pretty short distance, it seems, from "It cant happen here" to "It could happen here." Thats undoubtedly the reckoning many Winnipeggers experienced Thursday as they scanned news reports detailing how paramedics wearing masks and protective gear responded to a call from James Armstrong Richardson International Airport regarding an ailing passenger on an inbound WestJet flight from Vancouver. The front-of-mind concern these days when an arriving traveler shows signs of sickness is, of course, the potential arrival in this city of the COVID-19 virus, which the World Health Organization declared on Jan. 30 to be "a Public Health Emergency of International Concern." A man wearing a protective mask walks past the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy on Friday. The number of countries in which COVID-19 has been confirmed approached 60 by the end of the week. (Claudio Furlan / Lapresse) The passenger, who had reportedly been to China recently, either became ill during the flight or was ill before boarding Flight 448. According to media interviews with other passengers on the flight, a woman went into the planes lavatory shortly after takeoff and remained there for most of the flight. After crew members were notified of the situation, they contacted authorities in Winnipeg and medical staff were summoned to meet the flight upon arrival. "Out of an abundance of caution, our crew notified the appropriate authorities that there was a potential medical issue," said WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell. "(Crew members) followed all proper procedures." Passengers were required to remain on the plane while medics in protective gear dealt with the situation, but were not as some early reports suggested "quarantined" aboard the aircraft. After a short delay, all 134 passengers were allowed to disembark, and no concerns about a possible transmission of the virus were mentioned. But "an abundance of caution" appears to have been properly exercised. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. And therein lies the key, as Canada and Manitoba continue to monitor global events and prepare for what health officials predict is an inevitable continuation of the spread of the current coronavirus strain. By the end of this week, the number of countries in which COVID-19 has been confirmed was approaching 60, with cases reported in virtually every region of the world. Nearly 84,000 cases had been reported globally; in Canada, there had been 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 by Friday. A more telling statistic, according to the WHO, is that this was the first week in which reported cases inside China, where the disease originated, were exceeded by cases outside China. "Were at a decisive point," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Salvatore Di Nolfi / Keystone) For its part, Canada seems to be proceeding with a logical and measured but necessarily swift set of preparations for a spread of COVID-19 within our borders. Canadians returning home after weeks stranded aboard a quarantined cruise ship have been appropriately assessed and monitored, and health-related security checks at points of entry have been stepped up. Of urgent concern is the continuing process of educating Canadians about the fundamental behaviours and heightened vigilance that will help to minimize COVID-19s impact here. That job is certainly more challenging for health officials than it was during the 2003 SARS outbreak, thanks to the proliferation of social-media misinformation and paranoia. In this and all future health crises, the need for Canadians to inform themselves is equalled, if not overshadowed, by the need for the sources of the information they acquire to be reliable and accurate. Preparation and vigilance, both institutionally and personally, are paramount concerns, because now that weve accepted the idea that "It could happen here," the most prudent course of action is to conduct ourselves as if we know it will. Continue to #BeBest: Melania Trump recalls India visit India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 29: US First Lady Melania Trump thanked President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others for the warm reception she received in India. "Thank you President @Rashtrapatibhvn and First Lady Savita Kovind for the warm welcome to the Presidential Palace. It was a beautiful day celebrating the friendship between our two nations Flag of IndiaFlag of United States," Melania Trump tweeted. In another tweet, the First Lady said, "Thank you @narendramodi for welcoming me and @POTUS to your beautiful country. We were delighted to receive such a warm welcome from you and the people of India!" "Thank you - Loved meeting you all! Continue to #BeBest," Melania Trump replied to Ms Gulati, who had tweeted, "Dear @FLOTUS. Our children's excitement at having you in our school continues even after you have returned home. Thank you for giving @HappinessDelhi such a great shot in the arm! We all simply adore you! #BeBest" At Delhi govt school, Melania Trump says she is inspired by Happiness Curriculum Launched in July 2018, the Arvind Kejriwal government's brainchild "happiness class" is a 45-minute break during which an activity-based curriculum is followed, such as meditation and mental exercises. The Trump's were on a two day visit to India, where they addressed Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. They headed to see the Taj Mahal in Agra. The next day President Trump and PM Modi held talks on trade and defence, with both nations signing deals. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 13:29 [IST] Parents are so worried about speeding outside Cliffoney National School on the N15 main Sligo - Donegal road, they're planning a 'hazard lights' protest in the coming weeks. Councillor Donal Gilroy told this month's meeting of Sligo/Drumcliffe Municipal District that the speed of traffic coming through the village was the "number one issue" in the area. Cliffoney National School is right on the main road and sees dozens of parents having to drop off their children just feet away from speeding cars every morning. Cllr Gilroy told members that he attended a meeting of Cliffoney Community Development last week at which it was decided to ask all parents dropping children off at the school to put on their hazard lights in a bid to get motorists to reduce their speed. A date has not yet been finalised. "Fifteen or twenty cars with hazard lights on might get people's attention to slow down," said Cllr Gilroy. "People are desperate. They've seen so many near misses that they're afraid of seeing a big one. People are waiting for disaster to happen. They are looking for us to get the message to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII)," he said. Senior Engineer Tom Brennan told Cllr Gilroy there was nothing to stop the community from writing to TII themselves to highlight the issue. "Sometimes when it comes from us it's put to one side. We're just one voice. Another voice would help," he said. Cllr Gilroy was supported by Cathaoirleach of Sligo/Drumcliffe Municipal District Cllr Tom Fox. The traffic lights in Cliffoney village are the first lights motorists reach since Ballybofey. Speaking to The Sligo Champion afterwards, Cllr Gilroy said he believes motorists are just not expecting to have to slow down when they come through Cliffoney village. "Car doors have been ripped off in the past. People are petrified," he said. WASHINGTON Louisiana is set to play a pivotal role in the future of abortion access in the country, as the U.S. Supreme Court takes up its first major abortion case of the Trump era this week. Louisiana's Act 620 would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. It overwhelmingly passed the Louisiana Legislature in a bipartisan vote in 2014 and has since become the crux of the reproductive rights debate nationally. It's already being trumpeted by supporters and opponents as a law that, if upheld, could pave the way for states to pass laws that tightly restrict, or potentially even ban, abortion upending the court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Supreme Court struck down a Texas law in 2016 that was nearly identical to Act 620, ruling that it would create a substantial obstacle in the path of a womans choice. But the court's make-up has significantly changed, and the state's legal team, under Attorney General Jeff Landry's leadership, argues that there are enough differences from the Texas law that should allow Louisiana's to pass muster. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, both Trump appointees who have taken conservative positions in recent rulings, were not on the bench for the court's 5-3 Texas decision. Just hours before the Louisiana law was set to take effect in February, the court narrowly voted for a temporary delay in its implementation. Gorsuch and Kavanaugh both sided with allowing it to go into effect, while Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the more liberal wing of the court Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan on agreeing to the delay. U.S. Supreme Court set to take up Louisiana abortion law; case has implications nationally WASHINGTON Louisiana is set to play a major role in the abortion debate when the U.S. Supreme Court takes up challenges to a 2014 state law Louisiana has repeatedly been designated as the "most pro-life state" thanks to regulatory laws already in place that range from building codes to waiting periods. If the admitting privileges law is allowed to take effect, it could signal a willingness by the court to sign off on other reproductive rights issues making their way through the legal system, such as fetal heartbeat laws that would end abortions after about six weeks, and laws that would require patients wait 72 hours between their first clinic visit and when a pregnancy can be terminated. Louisiana currently bans abortion after 20 weeks and requires two doctors visits, 24 hours apart, before the procedure can be performed. There are only three clinics across the state one each in Shreveport, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and there were fewer than 10,000 abortions in the state in 2017, according to the most recent figures available through the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy outfit that supports abortion rights and tracks statistics. The number has been relatively stable since 2014, when there were 10,150. U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear abortion case; stage set for 1st major abortion ruling since court turnover WASHINGTON The battle over a Louisiana law that would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals is heading That's about 10.6 abortions for every 1,000 child-bearing aged women in the state, compared to the Southern regional average of 12.1. But not all of the patients who get abortions in Louisiana are from Louisiana, and some Louisiana residents may seek abortions in other states. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Abortion rights advocates argue the admitting privileges law is medically unnecessary and contradicts precedent the court set three years ago in the Texas case. The end-goal is to make states like Louisiana into an abortion desert, said TJ Tu, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is leading the legal case against the Louisiana law. They are systematically chipping away at abortion access. Those who support the law say its goal is to protect pregnant women and ensure adequate medical care if they experience complications. "Louisiana abortionists have gone to extraordinary lengths to block this bipartisan law that promotes the well-being of women and protects minor girls who may find themselves in the hands of incompetent providers and under unsafe conditions," Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's office wrote in a recent briefing on the case. Louisiana case could provide insight into how new Supreme Court will handle abortion WASHINGTON Abortion rights advocates asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to set aside a Louisiana law that could possibly shutter the Landry didn't agree to an interview with The Advocate and The Times Picayune about it. Only one of the six current abortion doctors in Louisiana, spread among the three clinics, currently meets the admitting privileges requirement. The Shreveport clinic doctor is also a full-time obstetrician at a local hospital that isn't identified in the court record. According to legal filings by the laws opponents, he would likely stop terminating pregnancies out of fear for his safety if he is the last remaining abortion doctor in the state, leaving none. Supporters of the law say other doctors haven't tried hard enough to get the needed credentialing. Landry, in his briefing, noted that four of the six abortion providers have had admitting privileges during some point in their medical careers. "(And) hundreds of obstetrician/gynecologists and family practice doctors have privileges and are qualified to perform abortions if they chose to do so. A doctors decision on whether or not to perform abortions is a personal decision," the AG's briefing states. Abortion-rights groups say they face additional hurdles because hospitals are anxious about facing a politically polarizing spotlight in a conservative state. Kathaleen Pittman, administrator at Hope Medical Group For Women in Shreveport, said she sees it as one of the many targeted laws Louisiana has passed in an attempt to shut down clinics. I think its important everybody understand that (the law under Roe) becomes meaningless if there are no clinics, she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 06:50:01|Editor: yan Video Player Close ATHENS, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Greece's Health Ministry announced on Saturday that three more COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the country, bringing the total to seven. Two of the new patients had been in contact with the first two cases, while the third one is a man who had traveled to Italy recently, according to an e-mailed press statement by the ministry. All confirmed cases in the country so far are people who had visited Italy lately, as well as their familiy members and friends. The first confirmed case in Greece was reported on Wednesday and authorities have been taking measures to avert the further spread of the epidemic. Abortions of cleft lip babies rose 150% in England, Wales Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The number of unborn babies legally aborted in England & Wales following a diagnosis of cleft lip and cleft palate has risen by 150% since 2011, according to the U.K. Parliament. At least 223 abortions were performed on unborn babies with cleft lip over the last 10 years, and the annual number of such terminations increased from 10 in 2011 to 25 in 2018, it was revealed in response to a parliamentary question asked by pro-life MP Fiona Bruce this week. The actual number of abortions for cleft lip could be much higher, as such abortions are routinely under-reported. In 2013, a study of a European register showed that the number of abortions for cleft lip and palate was possibly at least 10 times higher than what was being reported, according to Right to Life UK. The number of babies aborted in 2010 for Downs syndrome, for example, was double that officially recorded 886 compared to 482, according to Joan Morris, national coordinator for Eurocat and professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary, University of London, The Times (of London) reported in 2013. Eurocat is a European network of registers for congenital anomalies. In 2018, Missy Robertson, Duck Dynasty star and wife of Jase Robertson, reflected on her daughter Mias journey with a cleft lip and palate and shared how her battle had strengthened the entire familys relationship with Jesus Christ. Robertson told The Christian Post at the time that since her birth in 2004, Mia had undergone numerous surgeries to correct her cleft lip and palate. While Mia, 15 at the time, was doing really, really well physically and was a varsity cheerleader in high school, Robertson admitted the journey had been long and arduous. What most people dont understand is that when a child is born with a cleft lip and palate, its not just the quick fix, she told CP. Every child is different; they dont all fit into the same box. You cant predict, when a child is born, just how many surgeries theyre going to have. So Ive quit predicting how many more surgeries shell have when people ask me. The biggest thing Ive learned is to sit back and take everything one day at a time. In 2014, the Robertsons started the Mia Moo Fund to help other families who were facing similar situations. According to the Center for Disease Control, each year in the United States, about 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate. In 2013, Christian doctors with Franklin Graham's Samaritans Purse traveled to South Sudan to perform over 80 cleft lip and palate surgeries on children and adults who were often ostracized by society and accused of having demonic spirits. Awareness is key to us as Christians to realize the plight of the world around us, said Dr. Tom Boeve, an otolaryngologist from Wisconsin, in a phone interview with CP at the time. Christ called us to be aware of those who are suffering and those who are dealing with these things. Supporting an organization that is willing or has the capability to make a difference in these things is as good as being there, doing it yourself. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that with 3.7 million Syrians already in Turkey, the country was not in a position to endure a new wave of migration. Erdogan was speaking for the first time since 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in airstrikes in northwest Syria on Thursday, the largest single loss of life for Turkish forces since their country became involved in Syria in 2016. Overnight and into Saturday, thousands of migrants gathered at the border with Greece playing a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols which are not allowing them to enter Europe. Greek authorities also fired tear gas to repulse attempts by the crowd to push through the border between Friday and Saturday. The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was seen in Greece as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries. It came as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey. If Erdogan really has opened the border, it would be a dramatic departure from Turkey's current policy. Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid. It has since protested that the EU has failed to honour the agreement. Once in every four years February shows 29 days on the calendar, instead of the usual 28. The year is called a Leap Year, while the day is known as Leap Day. The additional 24 hours are included into the calendar to ensure that it corresponds with the Earths movement around the Sun. To ensure that there is a consistency with an astronomical year, it is necessary to add in an extra day every four years to make up the lost time. On the occasion of Leap Day, here are a few interesting facts associated with it. Women propose to men An old Irish legend says that once Saint Brigid struck a deal with Saint Patrick to allow women to propose to men and not the other way around, every four years. The day also traces back to a British play where it was joked that February 29, which fell on every four years, would see women act like men, but it seems to have inspired early feminists who were using Leap Day to propose to the men in their lives by 1700s. Salem witchcraft The first warrants for the Salem witchcraft trials were issued on February 29, 1692. The trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people who were accused of being witches in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. Ancient calendars There were entire leap months in ancient Hebrew, Buddhist and Chinese calendars. These calendars were lunisolar, meaning their dates indicate both position of moon as well as earth with respect to sun. Since there is a gap of approximately 11 days between a year as measured by lunar cycles and one measured by the earths orbit, such calendars often required the addition of extra months. B07KV5132H, 167272502X Leaper A person who is born on February 29 may be called a leapling or a leap-year baby. However, the effective legal date of a leaplings birthday varies from place to place. In the UK and Hong Kong, when a person who is born on February 29 turns 18,their birthdays are considered to be on March 1. In New Zealand, people born on February 29 see their birthdays celebrated a day earlier on non-leap year days. James Milne Wilson Sir James Milne Wilson, who served as Premier of Tasmania from 1869 to 1872, was both born on a leap day in 1812 and died on 1880 at the age of 68. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Alexandra Alper and David Brunnstrom (Reuters) Washington, United States Sat, February 29, 2020 09:55 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067538a4 2 World US-ASEAN,summit,Donald-Trump,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,health,outbreak Free The United States has decided to postpone a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries it had planned to host on March 14 due to worries about the coronavirus outbreak, two US officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. President Donald Trump had invited leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to meet in Las Vegas after he did not attend a summit with the group in Bangkok in November. "As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting," one of the sources, a senior administration official, told Reuters. The official added that the United States values its relationships with ASEAN member nations and looks forward to future meetings. A spokesperson for the US State Department provided an identical statement. The US-ASEAN Business Council said it was aware of the decision and said a major technology summit it was planning on the sidelines of the leaders' meeting was also being postponed. "We look forward to working closely with US and ASEAN leadership to ensure the success of this important engagement at a later date, the council's vice president, Elizabeth Dugan, said in statement. The postponements come amid growing fears that the virus will spread in the United States as countries report new infections, companies announce curbs on employees' travel and global stock markets continue to plummet. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States is still relatively small at around 60, most of them repatriated American passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Japan. The coronavirus outbreak started in China late last year. The latest World Health Organization figures indicate over 82,000 people have been infected, with more than 2,700 deaths in China and 57 deaths in 46 other countries. While the outbreak appears to be easing in China, it has surged elsewhere and countries other than China now account for about three-quarters of new infections. China is not a member of ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Although the State Department has repeatedly stated that ASEAN is at the heart of its strategy to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific" in the face of rising Chinese power, Trumps decision not to attend the Bangkok meeting had raised questions about the US commitment to the region. Japan's Nikkei Asian Review earlier this month quoted diplomatic sources as saying that leaders from Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand had planned to attend the Las Vegas summit. As more members of Iran's political elite fall victim to the novel Coronavirus that has brought the country to the verge of serious crisis, the contagion appears to be closing in on the household of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Farideddin Haddad Adel, son of an influential politician, whose sister is Khamenei's daughter in law, tweeted Saturday morning February 29 that he has contracted the virus following a visit to Qom. However, he was harshly criticized for adding a laughing emoji to his post. Many questioned the young Haddad Adel's integrity and accused him of using the situation for political gain. One twitter user reminded him that he contracted the virus while attending to one of his many businesses in Qom. Haddad Adels owns some of the most expensive private schools in Tehran and Qom. Meanwhile, reports from Tehran say Mohammad Ali Ramezani who was recently elected as member of parliament from Astaneh Ashrafiyeh in northern Iran has died of Coronavirus on Saturday. The report said that Ramezani was predisposed with respiratory problems. Mohammad Ali Vakili, MP for Tehran, and a member of the Iranian parliament (Majles) presidium said in a tweet that 4 other members of parliament have been tested positive for the virus. There are unconfirmed reports about former Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi having been taken to hospital for Coronavirus symptoms. Pourmohammadi was one of the five clerics implicated in the mass execution of Iranian political prisoners in 1988. Vice-President Massoumeh Ebtekar, is also in hospital for similar symptoms. A picture widely circulated on social media show her on a hospital bed with a dozen officials including the Rouhani Administration's Spokesperson Ali Rabiei, and Tehran Governor General Anushirvan Bandepay around her without covering their faces with masks. During the past week, Ayatollah Hadi Khosroshahi, Iran's former ambassador to Vatican, died as a result of Coronavirus. And two MPs Mahmoud Sadeqi (Sadeghi) and Mojtaba Zolnouri also announced that they have the virus. Many later doubted Sadeqi's plea as within hours of saying that he was dying with no hope of survival, he released a video saying he has recovered. The most famous case of an Iranian official falling victim to the virus was about Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi who announced he was ill, one day after he insisted in a news conference and on live TV that Coronavirus wah not as dangerous as everyone thought. On Saturday Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said the virus has killed 43 people amid 593 confirmed cases in Iran, adding that the government is considering the possibility of tens of thousands coming to test for the new coronavirus. Iranian reporters have quoted officials including President Hassan Rouhani as having said that imposing a quarantine on Qom where the outbreak started is out of the question, however, several reporters said on Saturday that the government is considering controlling people's travel out of Qom. However, they criticized the measure announced an estimated three weeks after the outbreak started as being too little, too late. In the meantime, while the busy shrine in Qom has been declared by Health Ministry Officials as one of the focal points of spreading the virus, some people in the city filmed themselves licking the ornaments touched by thousands of pilgrims every day. A local cleric has claimed that the silver ornaments kill all germs. Outside hospitals and shrines, the virus is affecting all aspects of life in Iran including the economy. Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran reported on Saturday people tend to do more online shopping than going to the markets or shops. The report also says that most public gatherings such as weddings have been cancelled and restaurant owners have been complaining about slow business as a result of the virus scare. However, regardless of sad news that comes out of Iran about the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) not all is unwell, as some hardworking medical staff fight fatigue with happy moments like the one in this video: China has asked Russian authorities not to discriminate against Chinese citizens, amid reports of police raids in Moscow on people from China accused of evading quarantine measures. The Russian capital has ordered all people from China and other coronavirus-hit countries and regions to quarantine themselves for 14 days to prevent the spread of the disease. Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said about 80 Chinese citizens and eight people from other countries were facing deportation for violating the quarantine orders since February 22. Moscow officials reportedly ordered police raids on hotels, dormitories, residential buildings and businesses, using facial recognition technology to catch those suspected of breaching the restrictions. In a leaked official letter, bus drivers in the Russian capital were also reportedly requested to call the police if they saw a passenger who appeared to be Chinese. The Chinese embassy in Russia said on Friday that authorities should be moderate and non-discriminative in their treatment of Chinese. The embassy said the identification and monitoring of alleged suspects were focused on Chinese citizens, instead of all people with a China travel history, suggesting unfair treatment. We hope the measures will be in line with the friendship and high-level relationship between China and Russia, an embassy spokesman said, citing the close political and military ties between the two governments in recent years. The spokesman said the embassy had demanded that people be notified of any pending action and Chinese citizens in quarantine be supplied with daily essentials. Sobyanin said the restrictions applied to all people from virus-hit regions and urged all Chinese citizens in the city to comply with the orders. Russia has taken some of the strictest action since the deadly coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, closing its 4,300km (2,670-mile) land border with China as early as late January. Story continues Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also said in early February that the country might expel foreigners who tested positive for the coronavirus. On February 19, Russia stopped issuing new visas to private Chinese visitors and students, and then banned the entry of all Chinese passport holders except those on diplomatic and official business. Zhang Hanhui, Chinas ambassador to Russia, said last week that the Covid-19 virus is not that scary, reminding Moscow of Wuhans long history of friendship with Russia. Russia has also suspended most flights between South Korea, and stopped issuing ordinary visas to Iranian visitors, as the disease began to spread in these two countries. Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020. More from South China Morning Post: This article China complains of unfair treatment of Chinese in Russia amid coronavirus fears first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Justin Bieber initiated his whirlwind romance with his wife Hailey Baldwin after seeing her open a beer bottle with her teeth on TV. While they briefly dated in 2016, the relationship that resulted in their marriage only began two years later right after she made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Hailey, 23, was on the show again this week and revealed that Justin called her the morning after her 2018 talk show shot. Secret's out: Justin Bieber initiated his whirlwind romance with his wife Hailey Baldwin after seeing her open a beer bottle on TV, she told Jimmy Fallon this week History: They briefly dated in 2016 but the relationship that resulted in their marriage began two years later; Justin and Hailey are pictured this Valentine's Day She recalled 'that last time I was here we did this little party trick where I opened a Corona bottle with my teeth, and the next morning after the interview had aired, I got a certain phone call from a certain someone.' The niece of Alec Baldwin shared that 'it was a little like: "Hey, how are you? I saw you on Jimmy Fallon last night. You were looking really good. I loved that trick that you did. I had no idea that you could do that. It was so cool."' Hailey dished: 'Cut to, I'm now married to that person. Yeah, so, I feel like Jimmy gets a little credit for helping re-spark the romance, okay?' 'You'd think I'd be invited to the wedding,' Jimmy said, before profusely assuring his guest that he was only kidding. Legs for days: Hailey, 23, was on the show again this week and revealed that Justin called her the morning after her 2018 talk show shot Dropping hints: She said of her 2018 shot that 'the next morning after the interview had aired, I got a certain phone call from a certain someone' Gracious: Hailey dished: 'Cut to, I'm now married to that person,' adding: 'Yeah, so, I feel like Jimmy gets a little credit for helping re-spark the romance, okay?' He later brought up that Hailey was only 13, and accompanied by her father Stephen Baldwin, when she was introduced to Justin for the first time. 'I know, sounds like this weird arranged marriage situation, but we met because my dad - he brought me to the Today show when Justin performed there. He was no more than 15, I think,' she dished. Hailey insisted that 'he was so new that I didn't really know a lot about him yet,' and 'his mom and my dad kind of just connected as friends, and we invited them over to our house the next day, so him and his mom just came over for family dinner with me and my family, and we went bowling!' In a backstage video Today have posted to YouTube, Stephen can be seen introducing Justin and a slightly sullen Hailey in 2009. Just joshing: 'You'd think I'd be invited to the wedding,' Jimmy said, before profusely assuring his guest that he was only kidding History: He later brought up that Hailey was only 13, and accompanied by her father Stephen Baldwin, when she was introduced to Justin for the first time During her 2018 Tonight Show interview Hailey told Jimmy the 'story behind' her ability to open beer bottles with her teeth. 'I was in the Bahamas shooting with a bunch of people, and we were on a boat and we didnt have a bottle opener,' she said. 'And I didnt want everybody to not have fun, so I was like: "Oh, you know what? Lemme just try something." And I cracked it open with my tooth,' she went on. The look: Hailey oozed showbiz glamour in a sequined strapless LBD that featured a fashionable frilly cowl Goofing around: During her latest chat show appearance she played one of Jimmy's games with her fellow guest Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead fame By the way: At one point Hailey was joined by Jet Rivers of the Harlem Globetrotters - whereas Norman was accompanied by people dressed as zombies Publicity rounds: Norman cut a dapper figure in a black suit and salmon dress shirt during the interview portion of his Tonight Show shot Plenty to promote: The second half of the 10th season of The Walking Dead premiered on AMC this past Sunday, February 23 Side by side: Tonight Show viewers this Friday night were also treated to a performance with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (left) and H.E.R. (right) 'And then I ended up realizing that I could do this cool thing and I cracked 16 of them in one go, so...,' she said, demonstrating with two Corona bottles on air. Justin proposed to Hailey in the Bahamas that summer, presenting her with a $500,000 Tiffany engagement ring. The committed Christians had an impromptu courthouse wedding in New York that September, followed by a religious ceremony last November in South Carolina. Chitchat: During her 2018 Tonight Show interview Hailey told Jimmy the 'story behind' her ability to open beer bottles with her teeth Necessity is the mother of invention: 'I was in the Bahamas shooting with a bunch of people, and we were on a boat and we didnt have a bottle opener,' she said Santa Clara County has its third confirmed case of coronavirus, officials said Friday. The county's Public Health Department will hold a news conference regarding the new case of COVID-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus, at 4 p.m. Friday at 2220 Moorpark Ave. in San Jose. No information about the new case of infection was immediately available. Dr. Sara Cody, the county's director of public health, along with Dr. Jeff Smith, the county executive, will attend the press conference, along with other local, state and federal public health officials, including representatives from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of California Public Health Department and more. A small plane with mechanical issues circled Mineta San Jose Airport on Friday morning for more than an hour to burn fuel before landing safely about noon, airport officials said. The Piper Malibu, with four people on board, originated from the Idaho Falls Regional airport, airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said. All four people on board were able to walk away from the craft after it landed, Barnes said. The plane reportedly had problems with its landing gear, Barnes said. All airport operations were suspended while emergency crews responded following the emergency landing, Barnes said. A middle school in San Francisco's Richmond District will be closed Friday after multiple students reported having gastroenteritis symptoms, San Francisco Unified School District officialS said. Since Wednesday, 155 students at Presidio Middle School reported symptoms consistent with gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu. After consulting the city's Department of Public Health, the district announced that in addition to closing the school, all the school's surfaces would be sanitized before students can return. The process will take 48 hours and the school will reopen on Monday, according to district officials. "We understand that closing schools is a burden on families and students, and we appreciate their understanding as we work to ensure the well-being of the school," school district Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said. Gastroenteritis is contagious and results in vomiting and diarrhea. School district officials also reminding the public, there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in San Francisco. The Sonoma County Sheriff Office has identified a passenger who died in a solo vehicle crash into a vineyard in Cloverdale onThursday as Guillermo Garcia, 32, of Santa Rosa. Jose Torres, 25, of Santa Rosa, was driving a Toyota Corolla in the left lane of northbound U.S. Highway 101 north of Asti Road around 6 a.m. when he made an abrupt turn to the right, California Highway Patrol Officer David deRutte said. The Corolla traveled more than 150 feet on the right shoulder, overturned and came to rest on its roof in a vineyard, deRutte said. Garcia, the right front passenger, was trapped in the vehicle and died at the scene. Garcia was taken to Healdsburg District Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, deRutte said. Pacifica's Wet Weather Equalization Basin and Pacifica Community Center parking lot are scheduled to reopen to the public on Friday. The basin is below ground and was constructed to improve public health, safety and the environment by helping storm-related overflows in the lower Linda Mar Valley, according to city officials. The basin has a 2.1 million gallon capacity with a 28-inch conveyance pipeline system, which will be used to divert high water flows to the basin during storm and heavy rain events. Police in Antioch on Thursday arrested a student at Antioch High School in connection with possession of a firearm magazine on school grounds. On Thursday at 10:18 a.m., Antioch High School staff notified the Antioch Police Department three individuals on campus were possibly armed with weapons. School staff placed the school on lockdown, and police responded to help try and locate the individuals. Ultimately, the information provided by another student could not be substantiated, and the lockdown was lifted once the school was determined to be safe. While the officers were on campus, an unloaded pistol magazine was located in the possession of a student. The student was detained and arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm magazine on school grounds. 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. Your browser does not support the audio element. Authorities in Ho Chi City have decided to resume education for 12th graders from March 9, and welcome back students of the other levels one week later, as local schools continue to be closed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The decision was made by the municpal Peoples Committee at a meeting in the city on Saturday morning. Accordingly, 12th-grade students of both general and continuing education schools will stay home through March 8. Kindergarteners, first to 11th-grade students, and those enrolled in information technology and foreign language centers or tutoring and life skills education centers will not return to school until after March 15. Private vocational school students will not resume studies until the end of March. Meanwhile, public schools in Hanoi will be closed until after March 8, with international schools exceptionally allowed to reopen on March 2. In most other provinces and cities, middle and high schools will reopen next Monday, while elementary schools and kindergartens will remain closed through March 8. The COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 85,100 people and killed 2,924 globally as of Saturday morning, according to the South China Morning Post. South Korea has confirmed 16 deaths from 2,931 positive cases so far, becoming the biggest cluster of infections outside China. To date, Vietnam has reported 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. All of them have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The country has recorded no new infection since February 13. Most provinces and cities in Vietnam previously decided to let students stay home until the end of February to prevent the viral infection. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his government was committed to ensuring justice for all citizens, which he described as the basis of its philosophy of sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, and recited a Sanskrit shloka (poem) to underline the responsibilities of the State. The shloka recited by the PM in a speech on a visit to Prayagraj read: Swasthi prajabhya paripalayantam, nyayena margena mahi mahisha, which translates as: May the well-being of all people be protected by the powerful and mighty leaders, with law and justice. The immediate context for the speech was a ceremony in which assistive devices were distributed to physically challenged people and senior citizens. It also came in the backdrop of opposition criticism that his government was seeking to divide the nation through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which seeks to fast-track the grant of Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from predominantly Muslim Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Opposition parties say it goes against the Indian ethos of secularism by linking citizenship to religion, and have rejected government assertions that Indian citizens wouldnt be affected by the law. Clashes between pro- and anti-CAA protestors left 42 people dead in Delhi towards the end of February. To be sure, in the PMs speech on Saturday, there was no mention of CAA, although it emphasised the governments commitment to inclusiveness and the well-being of the nations 1.3 billion people. He said: When I started speaking, I mentioned a shloka which defined the responsibilities of the government. The last line of the shloka -- lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu, which means everyone in this world should be happy, is actually what my government is working towards.. Modi highlighted the measures put in place by his government for the over 25 million differently abled and 100 million elderly population of the country. He said the previous governments had been insensitive towards the needs of such people and made little effort to provide them solace. The PM cited one example the absence of a common sign language that the differently abled from two states could both grasp. Previous governments never thought of bringing a common sign language. For developing a common sign language, our government has come up with an Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre. A dictionary of 6,000 common words has also been prepared, which would address the difference in language. Moreover, around 400 government websites and also currency notes and coins have also been made disabled-friendly, he added. Before delivering his speech, Modi interacted with some of those who received assistive devices, including battery-operated tricycles and prosthesis. At the ceremony, the organisers distributed 55,406 such devices to 26,874 people, including the elderly. Meanwhile, at a separate event in Chitrakoot, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Bundelkhand Expressway and said it would prove to be the expressway of development for the region. The 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway will pass through Uttar Pradeshs Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun districts, connecting one of the most backward regions of the country to the national capital through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway. The expressway project will take Bundelkhand on the path of development and prove to be the expressway of development for the region, said Modi. With a project cost of ~15,000 crore, the Bundelkhand Expressway will create thousands of job opportunities and connect the common people with facilities in bigger cities, he added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A team from the Smithsonian's Digitization Project Office scans the space shuttle Discovery in 2017. The resulting 3D digital model was released as part of Smithsonian Open Access. (Image credit: Smithsonian) The Smithsonian has just relinquished its claim on hundreds, if not thousands of space exploration artifacts. No, the National Air and Space Museum did not hold a yard sale. Despite its currently closed galleries as part of an extensive multi-year restoration, all of the physical spacecraft, spacesuits and flown-in-space objects that have been entrusted to the museum remain in the care of their curators and conservators. Rather, the Smithsonian has launched Smithsonian Open Access, an initiative that removes the copyright restrictions from about 2.8 million of the institution's digital images, including photos of most of the NASA artifacts in the National Collection. Related: Smithsonian Channel crafts augmented reality game for Apollo moon landing fans John Glenn's Mercury spacecraft "Friendship 7" can be yours, or at least this photo and others like it from the National Air and Space Museum, to use for personal or commercial projects as part of the new Smithsonian Open Access initiative. (Image credit: Smithsonian) "Now, over 1,300 images of Air and Space artifacts, from Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega to John Glenn's Friendship 7 capsule, are now yours to download, remix, reuse and share," the museum announced. "We can't wait to see what you create, imagine and discover." Previously, more than 4.7 million of the Smithsonian's images were available online for personal, non-commercial and educational use only. Now, with Open Access, nearly 3 million of those images carry a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation, which waives the institution's copyright and allows for a greater variety of uses both commercial and non-commercial without the need for the Smithsonian's permission or payment. "Open Access is a milestone for the Smithsonian in our efforts to reach, educate and inspire audiences," Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said in a statement. "Through this initiative, we are empowering people across the globe to reimagine and repurpose our collections in creative new ways." Smithsonian Open Access invites the public to freely use its images to repurpose its collections in creative new ways. (Image credit: Smithsonian) In addition to 2D photos, the Open Access content also includes high-resolution 3D models of some of the items in the institution's collection, including visualizations of the interior and exterior of Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module that carried the first astronauts to walk on the moon. The National Air and Space Museum, which is among the 18 other Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo that have contributed images or data to Open Access, used the launch to debut a new 3D model. "Many of the Digitization Program Office's 3D models of our artifacts are part of Smithsonian Open Access, including the just-released 3D scan data of space shuttle Discovery," the museum wrote on Twitter. Assembled from more than 12,000 detailed photographs and a nose-to-tail laser scan of the retired winged orbiter, the space shuttle Discovery 3D model took five years to produce. At 122 feet long (37 meters) with a 78-foot (24 -m) wingspan and a vertical stabilizer that rises almost 60 feet high (18 m), Discovery is the largest artifact the Smithsonian has digitized and it was the Air and Space Museum's first spacecraft to be scanned. With its inclusion in the Open Access initiative, enthusiasts can download the Discovery data to include in their 3D animations or use with a 3D printer to produce their own scale miniatures. The same files can be used by filmmakers or by toy manufactures without a license, for example. "We aim to blend both structural and surface accuracy for life-like realism," Valerie Neal, curator emirita with the space history division of the National Air and Space Museum wrote in 2015 when the work to scan Discovery was getting underway. "If all results as we envision, viewing Discovery online or maybe 3D-printing it? will yield an orbiter that exactly duplicates what you see in the museum, although at smaller scale." Open Access is also making the Smithsonian content available via Google Arts & Culture, Wikipedia and other digital platforms. Data hosting is provided by Amazon Web Services Public Dataset Program. The Smithsonian says this is the largest and most interdisciplinary open access program among other museums to date. The institution plans to continue adding items on an ongoing basis, with more than 3 million images to be designated as Open Access by late 2020. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. FORT COLLINS, Colo. A water pipeline construction project in northern Colorado is expected to begin in March as a legal challenge over its path through Larimer County continues. The city of Thornton expects to build portions of the pipeline in Windsor and Johnstown while planning to file an opening brief contesting Larimer Countys rejection of the project, the Coloradoan reported Thursday. Larimer County commissioners unanimously denied a permit last year for the projects proposed path through the region, but city officials argue that commissioners jurisdiction only applies to unincorporated areas of the county. The pipeline construction project is designed to transport Poudre River water from reservoirs northeast of Fort Collins to a water treatment plant in Thornton. The pipeline would support the growing population of Thornton, which city officials estimate will grow from about 140,000 people to 250,000 in the coming decades. Many county residents argued against the pipeline path saying the city should run the water through a stretch of the Poudre River instead to bolster stream flows and provide more of a benefit to Larimer County. Thornton argues in the lawsuit that commissioners were legally bound to base their decision solely on the pipelines siting and direct impacts, but instead undermined the citys rights by taking irrelevant factors into consideration. The project is expected to begin water deliveries in 2025. Opposition leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who swore himself iin as the new president of Guinea-Bissau, sacked the Prime Minister on Friday after soldiers were seen occupying the premier's office. Embalo's swearing-in on Thursday was held in defiance of a bitter ongoing row about the outcome of elections nearly two months ago. "The Prime Minister Aristides Gomes is relieved" of his functions, a presidential decree signed by Embalo said. A second decree announced that the president would be replaced by Nuno Gomes Nabiam, who ran against Embalo in the first round of the presidential election and threw his support behind Embalo in the second. After soldiers occupied prime minister's office on Friday evening, according to an AFP correspondent, Gomes described their presence on his Facebook page as confirmation of a "coup". Embalo, 47, won 53.55 percent of the votes in the December 29 runoff, according to the National Electoral Commission. Domingos Simoes Pereira, 56, from the country's historic ruling party, the PAIGC, won 46.45 percent, but denounced the result as fraudulent. The Supreme Court, responding to a petition by the PAIGC, has issued rulings requiring a check of the vote tally sheets. However, this has failed to resolve the dispute, and a row has now brewed between the Supreme Court and the election panel. On Thursday both Pereira and Gomes condemned Embalo's swearing in as a "coup" attempt. Embalo, who styled himself as the outsider in the election campaign, had vowed to break with the decades-long domination of Guinea-Bissau's traditional ruling party, the PAIGC. The former Soviet Union marched into Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, 1979, claiming it was invited by the new Afghan communist leader, Babrak Karmal, setting the country on a path of 40 years of seemingly endless wars and conflict. Here is a timeline of some key dates in Afghanistan's 40 years of wars: December 25, 1979 Soviet Red Army crosses the Oxus River into Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, Afghan mujahedeen, or Islamic holy warriors, are assembling, armed and financed by the U.S. for an anti-communist war. 1980s CIA's covert Operation Cyclone funnels weapons and money for the war through Pakistani dictator Mohammed Zia-ul Haq. 1983 President Ronald Reagan meets with mujahedeen leaders, calling them freedom fighters, at the White House. September 1986 The US provides the mujahedeen with shoulder-held anti-aircraft Stinger missiles, which turned around the course of the war and sped-up negotiated Soviet withdrawal. January 1987 Afghan Communist President Najibullah launches National Reconciliation Program to encourage the mujahedeen to join a new government of national reconciliation; they refuse. February 15, 1989- The last Soviet soldier leaves Afghanistan, ending 10 years of occupation April 1992 Mujahedeen groups enter Kabul as Najibullah tries to flee. He is stopped at the airport and put under house arrest at a U.N. compound. 1992-1996 A power-sharing deal among seven mujahedeen leaders falls apart. 1994 The Taliban emerge in southern Kandahar, mainly from the ranks of former mujahedeen fighters. September 26, 1996 The Taliban take Kabul after sweeping across the country with hardly a fight. 1996-2001 Though initially welcomed as an end to the fighting, the Taliban rule with a heavy hand under Mullah Mohammed Omar, imposing strict Islamic edicts, denying women the right to work and girls the right to go to school. 2000 The Taliban eradicate opium production but laborers who lived off the poppy fields become even poorer. March 2001 The Taliban dynamite the world's largest standing Buddha statues in Bamyan province, to global shock. September 9, 2001 Two Arab-speaking suicide bombers, posing as journalists with Belgium passports, kill Masood in northern Takhar province. September 2001 Washington gives Mullah Omar an ultimatum: hand over bin Laden and dismantle militant training camps or prepare to be attacked. October 7, 2001 A US-led coalition launches an invasion of Afghanistan. November 13, 2001 The Taliban flee Kabul for Kandahar as the US-led coalition marches into the Afghan capital with the Northern Alliance. December 5, 2001 - The Bonn Agreement is signed in Bonn, Germany, giving the majority of power to the Northern Alliance's key players and strengthening the warlords who had ruled between 1992 and 1996. December 7, 2001 Mullah Omar leaves Kandahar and the Taliban regime officially collapses. December 13, 2001 Karzai arrives in Kabul; contrary to the Bonn Agreement, militias loyal to warlords also enter the Afghan capital. December 22, 2001 Karzai is sworn in as chairman of a 29-member governing council established under the Bonn Agreement. 2004 and 2009 General elections are held and Karzai is elected president for two consecutive terms, the limit under the Afghan constitution. April 5, 2014 Deeply flawed election results in the two front-runners, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, both claiming victory. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry negotiates a power-sharing deal for a so-called Unity Government, with Ghani serving as president and Abdullah as chief executive. December 8, 2014 American and NATO troops formally end their combat mission, transitioning to a support and training role though President Barack Obama had authorized U.S. forces to carry out operations against Taliban and al-Qaida targets. 2015-2018 The Taliban surge further, staging near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces; scores of civilians die in the crossfire. An Islamic State group affiliate emerges in the east; the Taliban seize control of nearly half the country. September 2018 Seeking to fulfill his election promise to bring U.S. troops home, President Donald Trump appoints veteran Afghan-American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad as negotiator with the Taliban. 2018-2019 Zalmay engages in on-again, off-again talks with the Taliban, mainly in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar where the insurgents maintain a political office. The Taliban refuse to negotiate with the Kabul government September 9, 2019 After a particularly intense escalation in Taliban attacks, including a Kabul bombing that killed a U.S. soldier, Trump scraps talks with the Taliban. September 28, 2019 Presidential elections are held but official results are not known for months. November 24, 2019 Trump visits U.S. troops in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving, says the Taliban want to make a deal and signals the Qatar negotiations are back on. February 15, 2020 Washington says a temporary reduction in violence has been agreed upon with the Taliban as first step toward a final peace deal. February 18, 2020 Afghanistan's election commission declares Ghani the official winner of September elections; his rival Abdullah refuses to recognize the results and instead declares himself the winner. February 29, 2020 The U.S. and the Taliban sign a deal in Doha, Qatar, laying out the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan; the deal also envisions intra-Afghan talks on a future political road map. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vatican City said it was only a 'slight indisposition' Pope Francis attends the Ash Wednesday mass on February 26, 2020, at the Santa Sabina church in Rome. Pope Francis postponed his official appointments on February 29 and was working from home, the Vatican said, a day after cancelling a scheduled appearance at mass because of "a mild ailment". Francis, 83, had appeared earlier in the week to be suffering from a cold. He was seen blowing his nose and coughing during the Ash Wednesday service, and his voice sounded hoarse. (AFP) Vatican City: Pope Francis cancelled official engagements for the third day in a row today as he battled an apparent cold. The 83-year-old pope, who lost part of a lung to a respiratory illness as a young man, has never cancelled so many official audiences or events in his seven-year papacy. Francis is, however, continuing to work from his residence at the Vatican's Santa Marta Hotel and is receiving people in private, the Vatican press office said. On Sunday, Francis is expected to leave the Vatican with top Holy See bureaucrats for a week of spiritual exercises in the Roman countryside, an annual retreat that the pope attends at the start of each Lent. Francis last appeared in public on Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and blowing his nose during an Ash Wednesday Mass. The following day, he cancelled a Mass across town with Roman priests and on Friday, skipped an audience with participants of a Vatican conference on artificial intelligence. The Vatican has stressed that Francis has celebrated Mass each morning and greeted attendees at the end, and then proceeded to continue working from home. The Vatican hasn't revealed the nature of Francis' illness, saying only that he has a "slight indisposition." Francis' illness, though, has come amid general alarm in Italy over the coronavirus outbreak, which has sickened more than 800 people, most in northern Italy. Greta Thunberg denounced politicians and the media yesterday for ignoring what she calls a looming climate cataclysm, saying that they were failing her generation with their inaction. Several thousand people attended a rally in England to see the teenage activist who has reprimanded governments across the world over climate change. Known to many simply as Greta, 17-year-old Ms Thunberg has captured the imagination of many young people with impassioned demands for world leaders to take urgent action. "I will not be silenced while the world is on fire - will you?" said Ms Thunberg. "This emergency is being completely ignored by the politicians, the media and those in power. Basically nothing is being done - despite all the beautiful words." Supporters held placards reading: "Change the politics not the climate", "The ocean is rising, so are we!" and "At this point education is pointless." Banner After she finished speaking, Ms Thunberg led a march through central Bristol. Police estimated that turnout was more than 20,000 people. Ms Thunberg rose to prominence when she starting missing lessons two years ago to protest outside the Swedish parliament building. Since then, she has become the world's most prominent climate activist. Yesterday, she marched behind a banner saying "Skolstrejk for klimatet" - or "school strike for climate" in Swedish. Sacha Tomlinson (14), who missed school to attend the march, said: "Greta's really inspirational considering she's so young. Even though she's a child and a normal person she's done so much to change [things]. "She's given the generation confidence to stand up to people in government and power," he said. Ms Thunberg has repeatedly upbraided world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, for ignoring the perils of climate change, though Mr Trump has dismissed what he calls "prophets of doom". "We are being betrayed by those in power. They are failing us. But we will not back down," Ms Thunberg said at the rally. "And if you feel threatened by that, then I have some very bad news for you. We will not be silenced, because we are the change, and change is coming whether you like it or not." The teenager has been in Britain since last weekend. On Tuesday she visited the University of Oxford, where she met Malala Yousafzai (22), a Nobel Peace Prize winner and campaigner for girls' education, who is studying there. Ms Thunberg called Ms Yousafzai her role model, while Ms Yousafzai said on Twitter: "She's the only friend I'd skip school for." The Congolese government has signed a deal with an armed group to restore peace and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after decades of violence, UN officials said. The agreement was signed in the gold-rich province of Ituri, long wracked by communal violence that has left tens of thousands dead. The deal, signed Friday between the DRC authorities and the FRPI (Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri), calls for a ceasefire and integration of the militias into the regular army. This agreement is tasked with ending nearly two decades of violence, the United Nations mission in DRC, MONUSCO, said in a statement. It is designed to restore peace, security and stability in southern Ituri, following several aborted attempts, it added. The FRPI, which today numbers 500 fighters, has been active in the south of Ituri for two decades. The armed group is a holdover from the communal conflict that ravaged the province between 1999 and 2003, leaving tens of thousands dead until the intervention of a French-led European force called Artemis. A local resident hailed the peace deal, particularly for families caught in the crosshairs of conflict. For we women, this agreement is synonymous with hope, Gety resident Anualite Zawadi said, according to MONUSCO. For nearly 20 years, women were raped. We had trouble going to work in the fields. Children rarely went to school because of the lack of security. The conflict has seen several high-profile FRPI players punished over the years. Former warlord Germain Katanga was sentenced in 2014 to 12 years in prison by the International Criminal Court for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Another militia leader, Cobra Matata, was arrested and transferred to Kinshasa in January 2015, but his trial has never started. Several thousand FRPI fighters were demobilised and integrated into the Congolese army from 2004 until 2006, but the group started reforming at the end of 2007. Since the end of 2017, northern Ituri has seen a resurgence in violence between local militia groups that has left at least 700 people dead. The UN says the violence could amount to a crime against humanity. The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners will sue government for losses recorded on their investment during the ban on galamsey. The Director of Operations of the Ghana Association of Small Scale Miners, Emmanuel Yirenky-Antwi, speaking to Citi News in Takoradi, said there was no basis for the government to lump the licensed Small Scale miners together with the illegal miners for the ban which has cost them so many losses. Though Mr. Yirenkyi said they are talking to the government to consider a stimulus package for the small scale industry, they are still pursuing the suit against the government for their loss. Going to court has been part of the issue on table and there are a few other things that we have also discussed. We want to also see if we can engage the government and see that government can prepare some form of a stimulus package to be injected into the industry. So going to court is not an option that we have forgotten at all, no. It's also on the table. We are just trying to weigh our options. Mr. Yirenkyi-Antwi also highlighting some of the hardships the ban brought on licensed small scale miners added that the industry has been set back 10 years by the general ban. There was no reason for the government to bundle us with illegal miners together and place a wholesale ban on us. It is something that we protested and we will continue to protest. After the lifting of the ban, Licensed Small Scale Miners have suffered, they have lost their investments, some have even died out of the process, people owe the Banks. The Banks took some people's properties. As we speak, the industry has been set back about ten years. What that means is that we need to put in more investments in order for us to come a-par and then continue the development of the industry. That was bad and it is something that should never be allowed to happen again. citinewsroom No Deal 1) There is a green fly in the red, white and blue ointment. Or the other way round, if you prefer. On ConservativeHome today, our columnist David Gauke, formerly a pillar of Remain, makes a case for No Deal. Elsewhere, there is a vogue for claiming that the latter (or an Australian-style deal, as were now meant to call it: in other words, the most basic of WTO terms) is so like a Canada-type deal that Boris Johnson will actually go for it. Maybe. But there is a green fly in this red, white and blue ointment: Ireland. On paper, there must be a border with the EU. And it must be drawn either in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or on the island of Ireland between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic in other words, on Irelands land border. The position in the Withdrawal Agreement is clear. The border will be in the Irish Sea. However, the EU and the Government and the UK disagree about the consequences. The EU says that the Northern Ireland Protocol necessitates border checks on good moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The UK counters that the implementation of the Protocol remains subject to discussion and agreement and is ruling out intrusive checks. And exactly how trade across the Irish Sea will works will be determined by decisions yet to be taken in a UK-EU Joint Committee, and by the wider UK-EU trade relationship the main subject of stage two of the Brexit talks. So, then: in the event of No Deal, goods will flow from Great Britain through Northern Ireland and thus unregulated into the EUs Internal Market. Broadly speaking, an EU coalition led by the Commission and France will prioritise the protection of the market, while Ireland will be focused on preserving the present settlement on the island. There are four broad possibile outcomes. First, pressure from the coalition leads, sooner or later, to a rough and ready land border in Ireland. Leo Varadkars government hated the idea. So did Irish public opinion. Varadkar has now gone and Sinn Fein, the greenest of all Irelands party, and one with a paramilitary wing to boot, are on the rise. Our own security services didnt like the idea of a Brexit land border before Boris Johnsons deal and Sinn Feins rise. They will like it even less now. (Furthermore, there is no precedent for checks between two parts of the Single Market since the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland will be in both). Which leads to the second possibility. The Prime Minister U-turns and slaps intrusive controls on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland bowing to the ultimate logic of the Withdrawal Agreement, which of course would remain in place. Business in Northern Ireland would complain. So would Ulsters Unionists. And protest in Northern Ireland doesnt always come in a green jumper. Sometimes it wears an Orange one. So Johnson will continue to insist that he wont do anything of the kind just as he insisted in 2018 he wouldnt put a border in the Irish Sea at all. But that was before he had a near-landslide tucked under his electoral belt. Third, Ireland eventually decides that checks on the island of Ireland is even more painful, at least in political terms, than checks between Ireland and the EU. And that the least unpleasant option is first to put these in place, and then blame the Brits. Some Brexiteers talk up this possibility, but it flies in the face of Irelands politics, economic development (at least in most sectors) and culture. And why would other parties in Ireland want to create what would be a propaganda gift for Sinn Fein? And finallyIreland gets its way. There is a bit of leakage into the Single Market but the French, grumblingly and relucantly, consent to connive in turning a blind eye. Everyone muddles through. So much for the options. They give reason to pause and ponder. It was the Irish dimenson not money, not citizens that proved the biggest obstacle to negotiating the Withdrawal Agreement. By extension, its therefore one of the most formidable to a No Deal outcome. Photograph: Dan Coyro/Associated Press The University of California, Santa Cruz, issued termination letters on Friday to 54 graduate students who have been waging a months-long strike for a cost-of-living-adjustment amid soaring rents. The firings came as graduate students at the University of California, Davis, and University of California, Santa Barbara, began their own cost-of-living strikes in solidarity. One of their demands is that all UC Santa Cruz graduate workers who participated in strike activities be restored to full employment status. The 54 UC Santa Cruz graduate students who received termination letters on Friday are just a fraction of the 233 graduate student instructors and teaching assistants who have refused to submit nearly 12,000 grades from the fall quarter since December. Related: California lawmakers fail to pass bill to combat housing crisis This month, the students grading strike expanded, as teaching assistants refused all teaching duties and research assistants refused additional work. Some classes and office hours have been canceled because of the strike. The students are striking for a $1,412-a-month cost-of-living adjustment, which they say they desperately need amid a growing housing crisis in California. Most students are spending between 5o% and 70% of their $2,434-a-month salary on rent, some forced to live in substandard apartments with many roommates in order to stretch their dollars. Veronica Hamilton, a third-year graduate student studying psychology, is the union representative on campus and was copied on the termination letters that were emailed out on Friday. The first person who was sent a letter is a single mother who spends almost all her income on rent on subsidized family student housing, Hamilton said. Its horrible, she continued. We got to this point because theyre digging their heels in the ground. Were in a crisis and they dont even want to have a conversation on how to address these issues. The graduate students are represented by United Auto Workers Local 2865, which negotiated a contract in 2018 that included a no-strike clause: meaning the current strike, known as a wildcat strike, has been taken without the unions approval. Story continues The administration has cited this as a reason for not negotiating with the graduate students but, in response to the strike, offered two supplemental programs that will cost about $7m a year one that will offer a yearly $2,500 need-based housing fellowship and another that offers doctoral students a five-year funding program as well as two temporary housing assistance programs. The strikers say these programs would not be enough. Hamilton, for example, pays $1,800 a month to live 40 minutes away from campus in a small cabin she shares with her husband, who lost his job four months ago $2,500 barely covers a months rent, she said. The university is sympathetic to such challenges, particularly housing, and the related impacts on all our employees, said Andrew Gordon, a spokesman for Janet Napolitano, the University of California president, in a statement. However, the university has honored the contract it entered into with the union, and we expect teaching assistants to do the same, he said. Teaching assistants who choose to withhold grades or refuse to teach are in violation of that contract, Gordon said, adding that such actions unfairly impact undergraduate students while doing nothing to further the conversation on how to address the challenges of the rising cost of living, with which all students and employees across UC must contend. The strikers had expected more students to receive termination letters, and earlier the executive vice-chancellor of UC Santa Cruz had set a deadline for last week. I think people were ready to be fired, but still surprised, said Jane Komori, a third-year graduate student studying the history of consciousness. Its such a destructive action for the administration to take Hundreds and hundreds of undergraduates wont be able to take certain classes. Its a serious issue for the quality of undergraduate education and the number of undergraduates that can be enrolled, she added. Nearly 500 graduate students have said they wont teach next quarter because of the firings, Hamilton said. Now with the strike spreading to other UC campuses, they are more ready than ever to keep on the picket line. Ive heard from graduate students across the country, Hamilton said. Everybody is sick of the situation that were in. Graduate students of today are weighed down by the student debt crisis. Graduate students of today are more likely to be parents, more likely to come from working class backgrounds, from backgrounds of racialized capitalism. This is just the beginning. UTICA, N.Y. The man charged in a Lenox Avenue shooting over the summer was found guilty of attempted murder Friday, among other charges. Malik Clea, 26, of South Carolina, shot 36-year-old Willie Jefferson in the head and groin, leaving him in a medically induced coma after the incident. Clea was also convicted of robbery, assault, criminal possession and criminal use of a firearm. He will be sentenced in April. With only a fortnight to go until the curtain is raised on New Ross Drama Festival, theatre lovers are eagerly anticipating a feast of theatre. The festival was launched last week and will run from Wednesday, March 11, to Friday, March 20, with some great plays coming to St. Michael's Theatre over the eight nights. Old reliables like 'Juno and the Paycock' and 'The Year of the Hiker' will be performed on stage, along with new plays 'Closer' and 'Cyprus Avenue', plus the classic 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' will no doubt enthral. The adjudicator this year is Ailbhe Garvey-Hughes, who is well respected on the circuit and adjudicates in New Ross for the first time. The following are the plays: 'Juno and The Paycock' on Wednesday, March 11; 'Year of The Hiker' on Thursday, March 12; 'Cyprus Avenue' on Friday, March 13; 'Steel Magnolias' on Saturday, March 14; 'Closer' on Monday, March 16; 'The Salvage Shop' on Wednesday, March 18; 'Dreamland' on Thursday, March 19; and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' on the closing night, March 20. Patrons pay 50 for all shows and the price of a student patron ticket is 25. The nightly admission price is 10, or 5 for students. 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. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. We're all very familiar with Bordeaux, but when is the last time you drank a Bordeaux wine? It just seems to have fallen off the radar; and the fact that it is generally associated with old-school stuffiness and escalating prices certainly doesn't help. I'm not here to tell you that, actually, it's a snip and you should stock up now. But after having the chance to taste a few really beautiful vintages when Emeline Borie visited Ireland recently to present the wines from her family's estate, Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, it reminded me of just how much I love Bordeaux, and how distinctly different it is from any other red wine. With over 120,000 hectares of vineyards, Bordeaux is France's largest wine-producing region. Although people mostly associate it with red wine, it also produces white, rose, sweet, and sparkling wines, which range in quality from the best wines in the world to straightforward Vin de Pays. It has 65 appellations - the legally defined wine production areas - and the vineyards rise to 140m at the highest points, and at the lowest, are 12m to 14m in elevation. Spanning both sides of the River Garonne, the region is generally looked at in two main parts, the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Garonne, which is nearly 2km wide in places, splits into two further inland, forming the Dordogne. This massive body of water has a huge impact on the micro climate here, with its moderating influence being particularly important during spring, when frost can play havoc with young vines. So as you'd expect, the best vineyards are to be found closest to the river. Another important factor is the soil. On the Right Bank you'll find clay and limestone, suitable for growing Merlot; whereas on the Left Bank, where Cabernet Sauvignon is grown, gravel soils are a feature, with the gravel closest to the river larger in diameter. The climate in Bordeaux is cooler than you'd think, so hot soils are needed to ripen the grapes, and these gravels serve this purpose. Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste is located in Paulliac, one of the top appellations on the Left Bank. This appellation has a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wines from this region are considered to be the most structured of the Left Bank, with great aging potential. Although many of the wine producers in Bordeaux have "chateau" in their name, it does not necessarily refer to a house, but instead is the term used to describe a wine estate with its own vineyards and winery. At Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, there is indeed an actual chateau, home to Emeline growing up. They are one of the few owner-occupiers among the Medoc classified chateaux. Also, unusually, all of the vineyards for the estate, which are in one block, are located in exactly the same place as they were in 1855 when famously, the Bordeaux vineyards were classified into growths (crus). Wine of the week Lacoste-Borie, Pauillac 2014 50, 13.5pc, from Searsons, Dublin and searsons.com Expand Close Lacoste-Borie, Pauillac 2014 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lacoste-Borie, Pauillac 2014 The 55-hectare vineyard of Grand Puy Lacoste, located close to Chateau Pontet Canet and Chateau Lynch Bages, is planted primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon, and also has Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Each small parcel of wine is vinified separately, and then over a period of two days, all the wines are tasted individually to make the selection for the top wine, Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, and the second wine Lacoste-Borie. This is a blend of 67pc Cabernet Sauvignon, 23pc Merlot and 10pc Cabernet Franc, bringing flavours of red berries, darker fruit and some typical cedar notes. Cotes de Bourg Bordeaux 2018 7.99, 13pc, from Lidl Expand Close Cotes de Bourg Bordeaux 2018 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cotes de Bourg Bordeaux 2018 Lidls French wine sale starts on March 2, and this is one of the wines featured. Light and easy drinking with fresh young fruit, there are flavours of red berries and red plums and a background touch of spice. Chateau Blagnac 2016 11.99, 13.5pc, from Lidl Expand Close Chateau Blagnac 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chateau Blagnac 2016 Also in the Lidl wine sale, this is a step up in price and quality. Still light and easy drinking, theres a little more concentration with flavours of blackberries and bramble leaf mixing with red berries, plums and soft spice. Chateau Les Maurins Bordeaux 2018 10, 13.5pc, from Dunnes Expand Close Chateau Les Maurins Bordeaux 2018 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chateau Les Maurins Bordeaux 2018 A blend of 60pc Merlot, 30pc Cabernet Sauvignon and 10pc Cabernet Franc, the grapes for this wine come from the large Entre-Deux-Mers appellation. Easy drinking with ripe blackberry and red plum flavours. Chateau Moulin-Borie 2015 Listrac-Moulis 24.95, 13.5pc, from Molloys and Molloys.ie Expand Close Chateau Moulin-Borie 2015 Listrac-Moulis / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Chateau Moulin-Borie 2015 Listrac-Moulis This Left Bank red has a ripe, sappy nose, with plenty of lush dark plums on the palate and a backbone of firm, well-integrated tannins. Great with roast beef or hearty dishes. Grapevine Not all kombuchas are created equal. Mass-produced ones are generally brewed from concentrates, using a beer technique, but craft-brewed kombuchas, like the newly released KO Kombucha, take up to three weeks to brew, using organic black tea, organic green tea, organic raw cane sugar and a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). What you get is a cleaner, purer flavour, without any artificial confection. At retailers nationwide for 3.95. After 18 months of talks and nearly 20 years of war, the Taliban and the United States have signed an agreement aimed at paving the way for peace in Afghanistan and the departure of foreign troops. The agreement, as seen by Al Jazeera, is categorised in four main parts. Read the full text below: Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America February 29, 2020 A comprehensive peace agreement is made of four parts: 1. Guarantees and enforcement mechanisms that will prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies. 2. Guarantees, enforcement mechanisms, and announcement of a timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan. 3. After the announcement of guarantees for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces and timeline in the presence of international witnesses, and guarantees and the announcement in the presence of international witnesses that Afghan soil will not be used against the security of the United States and its allies, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will start intra-Afghan negotiations with Afghan sides on March 10, 2020, which corresponds to Rajab 15, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Hoot 20, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar. 4. A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be an item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations. The participants of intra-Afghan negotiations will discuss the date and modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, including joint implementation mechanisms, which will be announced along with the completion and agreement over the future political roadmap of Afghanistan. The four parts above are interrelated and each will be implemented in accordance with its own agreed timeline and agreed terms. Agreement on the first two parts paves the way for the last two parts. Following is the text of the agreement for the implementation of parts one and two of the above. Both sides agree that these two parts are interconnected. The obligations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban in this agreement apply in areas under their control until the formation of the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations. PART ONE The United States is committed to withdraw from Afghanistan all military forces of the United States, its allies, and Coalition partners, including all non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel within fourteen (14) months following announcement of this agreement, and will take the following measures in this regard: A. The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will take the following measures in the first one hundred thirty-five (135) days: 1) They will reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to eight thousand six hundred (8,600) and proportionally bring reduction in the number of its allies and Coalition forces. 2) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will withdraw all their forces from five (5) military bases. B. With the commitment and action on the obligations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban in Part Two of this agreement, the United States, its allies, and the Coalition will execute the following: 1) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will complete withdrawal of all remaining forces from Afghanistan within the remaining nine and a half (9.5) months. 2) The United States, its allies, and the Coalition will withdraw all their forces from remaining bases. C. The United States is committed to start immediately to work with all relevant sides on a plan to expeditiously release combat and political prisoners as a confidence building measure with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. Up to five thousand (5,000) prisoners of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and up to one thousand (1,000) prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020, the first day of intra-Afghan negotiations, which corresponds to Rajab 15, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Hoot 20, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar. The relevant sides have the goal of releasing all the remaining prisoners over the course of the subsequent three months. The United States commits to completing this goal. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban commits that its released prisoners will be committed to the responsibilities mentioned in this agreement so that they will not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies. D. With the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the United States will initiate an administrative review of current U.S. sanctions and the rewards list against members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban with the goal of removing these sanctions by August 27, 2020, which corresponds to Muharram 8, 1442 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Saunbola 6, 1399 on the Hijri Solar calendar. E. With the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, the United States will start diplomatic engagement with other members of the United Nations Security Council and Afghanistan to remove members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban from the sanctions list with the aim of achieving this objective by May 29, 2020, which corresponds to Shawwal 6, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Jawza 9, 1399 on the Hijri Solar calendar. F. The United States and its allies will refrain from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs. PART TWO In conjunction with the announcement of this agreement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will take the following steps to prevent any group or individual, including al-Qaida, from using the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies: 1. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaida, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies. 2. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will send a clear message that those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies have no place in Afghanistan, and will instruct members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban not to cooperate with groups or individuals threatening the security of the United States and its allies. 3. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will prevent any group or individual in Afghanistan from threatening the security of the United States and its allies, and will prevent them from recruiting, training, and fundraising and will not host them in accordance with the commitments in this agreement. 4. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban is committed to deal with those seeking asylum or residence in Afghanistan according to international migration law and the commitments of this agreement, so that such persons do not pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies. 5. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will not provide visas, passports, travel permits, or other legal documents to those who pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies to enter Afghanistan. PART THREE 1. The United States will request the recognition and endorsement of the United Nations Security Council for this agreement. 2. The United States and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban seek positive relations with each other and expect that the relations between the United States and the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations will be positive. 3. The United States will seek economic cooperation for reconstruction with the new post-settlement Afghan Islamic government as determined by the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations, and will not intervene in its internal affairs. Signed in Doha, Qatar on February 29, 2020, which corresponds to Rajab 5, 1441 on the Hijri Lunar calendar and Hoot 10, 1398 on the Hijri Solar calendar, in duplicate, in Pashto, Dari, and English languages, each text being equally authentic. BJP set to pull out all stops in UP, SP main contender UP Election 2022: BJP panel meet today to decide candidates for first phase UP polls 2022: Maurya who quit BJP to join SP on Jan 14 Delhi violence: BJP's Kapil Mishra participates in peace march India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 29: A peace march was organised at Jantar Mantar on Saturday against the communal violence that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi. Slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram', 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' rent the air as hundreds of people gathered at the place carrying the tricolour. BJP leader Kapil Mishra was also present at the march organised by the Delhi Peace Forum, an NGO. On Tuesday, February 26, Mishra said he was not scared of the "massive hate campaign" against him for "speaking truth" and supporting the amended citizenship law. Mishra, a former AAP MLA who unsuccessfully contested the recent Assembly polls on a BJP ticket from Model Town, led a gathering in support of the CAA at Maujpur Chowk in Jafarabad area on Sunday, after which violence erupted between pro- and anti-CAA groups. Delhi violence: Why no FIR yet against BJP leaders for hate speech, asks AAP Mishra had issued an ultimatum to the Delhi Police to clear the streets of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters. "Giving a three-day ultimatum to Delhi Police to clear the roads in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh of protesters. Don't try to reason with us after this, because we won't pay heed," Mishra had tweeted. "We will maintain peace until Donald Trump is in India. After that, we refuse to listen to even the police if the roads are not cleared.... we will be forced to hit the streets," he wrote. The death toll in the Delhi's communal violence has gone up to 42 now with four more fatalities being recorded at the city's GTB Hospital For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 13:38 [IST] UPDATE, Saturday, 4:02 p.m.: A fourth case of novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Santa Clara County, according to a report. This latest case is related to a previous one reported Friday. In the earlier case, a woman, 65, with chronic health conditions was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. The latest patient is an adult woman who is a "household contact" of the 65-year-old woman, according to health officials with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. ----- Health officials said Friday that a new coronavirus case of unknown origin has been identified in Santa Clara County. This marks the second case of community transmission of COVID-19 in the United States and California, as the patient has no history of traveling to a country with an outbreak, and hasn't had contact with a traveler or infected person. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear, Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer for Santa Clara County, said in a statement. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease. The patient is a 65-year-old woman with chronic health conditions and was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. The woman was hospitalized with a respiratory illness and the county conducted the test to diagnose the virus. Health officials there are tracking down anyone the woman might have met and infected. Due to privacy conditions, more details on the patient aren't being released. This is the third person in the county who has tested positive. The other two had traveled to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the virus. MORE: Are elderly at greater risk for complications with coronavirus? A statement from the Santa Clara County Health Department advised the public to wash their hands, avoid touching their faces, stay away from people who are sick and start thinking about family preparedness, including "how to take care of sick family while not getting infected." The release also said schools should plan for "absenteeism and explore options for tele-learning, and enhance surface cleaning," while businesses should plan for telecommuting options. This is a developing story. Amy Graff is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Why San Francisco has declared a coronavirus state of emergency: Your questions answered Eerie photos show empty streets in Italy amid coronavirus fears Maps: Cases of new coronavirus multiples across the globe Local emergency declared in San Francisco amid coronavirus concerns Bay Area company to expand coronavirus drug trials to other companies CDC warns men with beards amid coronavirus scare CDC reportedly took 4 days to test Solano County resident for coronavirus JetBlue waives all change, cancellation fees on new bookings due to coronavirus Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo inaugurated a state-of-the-art integrated diagnostic laboratory called 'Hamar Lab' at the government hospital here on Friday. "The lab was completed within four months after it was proposed. It is a feat in itself. I would like to congratulate the team for it," said TS Singh Deo while speaking to the reporters here. "The setting up of the lab is a step towards strengthening the public health system in the state. The lab has fully automated machines like biochemistry analyzer and 5 part haematology analyzer etc to provide quality reports to patients in less time," said Priyanka Shukla, MD, Health Mission. "This lab shall be developed as a hub for the entire district and division where samples would be brought from health centres of the whole district and reports would be despatched back to the centres so that there is no extra out of pocket expenditure and wage loss for people in remote areas," Shukla further informed. The lab is equipped to do over 120 diagnostic tests. The lab technicians have been trained at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and there would be regular training to ensure that they stay updated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haiti - FLASH : Health Alert of the Ministry of Health on the Coronavirus The Ministry of Public Health advises the general population, health professionals and distributors of pharmaceutical products in particular that the treatment of patients infected with coronavirus currently does not rely on any specific scientifically demonstrated therapeutic protocol. Similarly, no study conducted by the scientist has yet concluded on the efficacy of the drug chloroquine in combating coronavirus infection in humans. Also, the Ministry asks the population not to use chloroquine neither for coronavirus prevention nor for the usual flu symptoms. The Ministry calls that chloroquine is a drug used in Haiti in the treatment of malaria and invites the population to a rational use of this drug to avoid the development of antimicrobial resistance. The Ministry ensures that it continues to mobilize its efforts for an appropriate multisectoral response to any possible importation of the virus and invites the population to apply the hygiene measures recommended in the event of an influenza epidemic. In addition, Marie Greta Roy Clement, the Minister of Public Health affirms that the Ministry has identified hospitals in the 10 departments which "could" in the event of confirmed presence of contaminated people on the national territory, take charge of cases of Coronavirus. There is not yet a quarantine zone in Haiti to isolate people suffering from COVID-19, the Ministry favors home quarantine, stressing that this measure could change depending on the future development of the situation. At the moment, there is no case of CIVID-19 in Haiti. COVID-19 epidemic : Global report 29 February 2020 : Saturday February 29, 2020, the number of people infected worldwide with the Coronavirus COVID-19 (laboratory confirmed cases) amounted to 85,406, up by 1,686 cases (+8.9%) compared to the previous day (1,549), https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30142-haiti-news-zapping.html ; 2,924 deaths (+ 1.9%) or 66 cases more than the day before (2,858). Average mortality rate 3.4%. 39,590 people healed, i.e. 2,953 people (-21%) less than the day before (3,739). To date, there are 6,155 cases of confirmed infected people outside China (+ 25.7%), or 1,260 cases more than the previous day, in a total of 60 countries (+4 countries compared to the previous day). 83 deaths abroad since the start of the epidemic (December 2019), i.e. 17 more than the previous day: 34 in Iran, 17 in South Korea, 1 in Taiwan, 1 in the Philippines, 2 in Hong Kong, 5 in Japan, 2 in France and 21 in Italy. Vigilance is required given that several countries which have people traveling to Haiti have confirmed cases of Coronavirus on their territory among others as of February 29: the USA (64 cases), France (57 cases), Germany ( 48 cases), Taiwan (39 cases), Spain (32 cases), Vietnam (16 cases), Canada 15 (including 1 case in Montreal), Mexico (2), Brazil (1) HL/ HaitiLibre Williamson, WV (25661) Today Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low near 35F. Winds light and variable. On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there... Discussed their healthcare development and women empowerment programs 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 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 online 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. By Trend Armenians want the deportation of Azerbaijanis to be presented as an event that occurred after the Sumgayit 1988 events, but in reality the deportation began long before the events of 1988, said Ph.D. in history, Azerbaijani associate professor Asad Gurbanli told Trend February 28. Starting from the second half of January 1988, refugees began to come to Azerbaijan from various territories in Armenia where Azerbaijanis lived, Gurbanli noted. The Armenian press hid it, and intentionally made it public after the Sumgayit events, presenting it as a reason for the departure of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, added Gurbanli. The historian noted that from January until the end of February, when the pogroms in Sumgayit (Feb. 29, 1988-March 1, 1988) began, more than 4,000 Azerbaijanis had been already expelled from Armenia. These Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from Armenia, said Gurbanli. Their cars were shelled by Armenians, and the villages where the Azerbaijanis lived were attacked. Gurbanli added that discrimination of Azerbaijanis in Armenia at the state level has been carried out since 1925. This policy intensified in the 1960s, said the Azerbaijani historian. The Armenian people were marking the anniversary of the genocide invented by themselves. But, since 1960, the Armenian state took over this mission. Thus, even more oppression of Azerbaijanis began. It was in those years that the Armenian youth began to oppose the Azerbaijanis, and grew up in a spirit of hatred towards them. The biggest event in this regard took place in 1983 in the Masis district adjacent to Yerevan. During a wedding, Armenian youth attacked people, their homes and desecrated the graves of Azerbaijanis. Gurbanli noted that the number of Azerbaijanis who left Armenia during the 1988 deportation was controversial, as some sources say the number of deported Azerbaijanis was 189,000. "This figure doesn't include Azerbaijani students who left Armenia to study in other countries, soldiers, prisoners, etc. According to my information, about 250,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from Armenia. Gurbanli said that the Armenians express unreasonable opinions that their rights were allegedly violated in Nagorno-Karabakh, that they were oppressed by the Azerbaijanis on the ethnic principle. During the negotiations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenians try to raise this issue, the historian added. In this case, in the negotiation process it is necessary to also raise the issue of protecting Azerbaijani refugees expelled from Armenia. Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the signing of a peace deal between the US and the Taliban, saying it would continue to support every effort being made to bring peace in Afghanistan. The US and the Taliban signed a landmark peace deal in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday which will provide for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The deal signing ceremony was attended by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi among several other dignitaries. In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office said that Qureshi welcomed the agreement and said that the agreement carried immense importance for Afghanistan, the region and beyond. "Pakistan will continue to support a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbours," the statement quoted Qureshi as saying. He underlined that Pakistan had fulfilled its part of the responsibility in terms of facilitating the peace agreement. "The peace agreement reflected a significant step forward by the US and the Taliban in advancing the ultimate aim of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan," he said. He also appreciated the personal contribution of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani to the peace process. Qureshi said that the intra-Afghan negotiations would be the next logical step after the agreement. As part of the deal, the intra-Afghan peace talks, involving representatives from the Afghan government, the Taliban and various other groups, will be held in Norway's capital Oslo by March 10. He hoped that the Afghan parties would now seize this historic opportunity and workout a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. Qureshi also underlined the need for the international community to recognise that Afghanistan will require support to commence reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Drawing the international community's attention to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he underscored the need to assist the Afghan government in creating an enabling environment for the return of the refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour. Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan will continue its policy of supporting the Afghan people in their efforts to achieve lasting peace, stability and development in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Green Party's Erika Doyle has taken Wicklow County Council seat of newly elected TD, her husband, Deputy Steven Matthews. The co-option was ratified at a special meeting of the council yesterday (Tuesday). Erika worked in theatre, film and arts PR before moving into journalism, covering local and national politics for over 12 years. She has worked on numerous election campaigns in various roles and was campaign manager for Deputy Matthews' election campaigns, including his local election campaign which saw him top the poll in Bray East and his recent successful Dail campaign. She also served as Wicklow Green Party's PRO. 'I regard it as a privilege to be entrusted with Deputy Matthews' seat on Wicklow County Council and Bray Municipal District,' said Cllr Doyle. 'I will work hard to ensure that the people who voted for Steven can retain their confidence in the Green Party seat in Wicklow.' Cllr Doyle said that she had the full support of Wicklow Green Party members who nominated her for the position. 'After so many years of covering the inner and outer workings of the council in my role as a reporter and dealing with the issues and concerns of people in Bray and Wicklow, I have an understanding of what people expect from their public representatives and have built good working relationships with many councillors and TDs from across the political spectrum,' she said. 'My experiences managing election campaigns allowed me to hear directly from people exactly what their concerns are for their county, not to mention what they love about it, and I believe we should work together to address the issues, and accentuate the positives. 'I am delighted to be adding another strong female voice to Wicklow County Council and building on the amazing work carried out by Deputy Matthews as a Green Party councillor over the past 8 years,' she said. 'In a time of climate and biodiversity crisis it's particularly important to have representatives who understand the scale of the challenges ahead.' Mr Murphy gave no indication as to which option was being favoured, but said it will take a considerable amount of time to extinguish the fires, regardless of method. "We're not talking days, we're talking several weeks, if not more," he said. "We understand residents will want to know exactly how long this is going to take, but we're going to make sure this is done right." "What we do need to say is that there's absolutely no toxic chemicals burning. We understand residents are concerned about the strong odours and we've apologised for that, but we stringently check each truck that comes in." It's little consolation for residents who have endured suffocating odours for months. Mark Pepper lives in a property neighbouring the site and said the smell has been unbearable. Residents say they've been choked by a "toxic" smell for months. Credit:Jason South We live in a straight line to the landfill, theres not even 500 metres from our front yard to the tip, Mr Pepper said. We get up in the morning, open the front door and were hit with a blast of this toxic smell. We first noticed it in late October and then it really kicked in come November." "Over the December and January period when it was very hot and windy, wed have to shut our doors, close the floor vents, make sure the windows were closed and stop running the air conditioner. Another resident, Siobhan Brister called it a horrifying experience. We were absolutely horrified when we found out there was an underground fire burning so close to our homes, Ms Brister said. Its an incredibly toxic odour. We cant use our evaporative cooling air conditioner because it sucks all the air in and makes it worse. Ive even had to start drying clothes in the tumble dryer because I cant hang them out without the smell getting into them." In January the EPA installed air monitoring units in the homes of two residents neighbouring the site following the complaints, which rated the areas air quality as good. Barro has continued to monitor the air quality, but Mr Pepper still has concerns. Extinguishing the fires will take several weeks. Credit:Jason South I have a three-month-old baby Im concerned about breathing this in. I know they tested the air quality for a little while and said it was good, but theres still something in the air making this foul smell and nobody knows what it is," Mr Pepper said. "Whats burning? What chemicals are putting out this odour? Ive had a dry cough, an irritated throat and nausea. None of this shouldve happened and it shouldnt have continued. In December the EPA issued Barro with a clean-up notice, requiring ongoing air quality monitoring and publication of the results, as well as actions to keep the community informed. It also requires it to undertake a risk assessment and provide plans to the EPA that show how it will prevent further hotspots. The group was also issued an official warning for failing to notify EPA of the incident immediately. Mr Murphy said it's the first time a hotspot has been discovered at the site and that the company was at a loss to explain how two sprung up at once. "Until we get down there it's difficult to tell. It could be something as simple as oxygen, friction and cardboard creating the perfect ingredients," Mr Murphy said. Loading The landfill is no stranger to controversy and was the subject of a drawn-out legal battle before it even opened. In August 2010 Barro Group riled locals when it first flagged the proposal to turn the old quarry site into a landfill. The proposal received more than 650 objections and was knocked back by the Brimbank Council and VCAT. The World Health Organization on Friday February 28, upgraded the global risk from the new coronavirus to its highest level. The United Nations organization stated that the continued increase in cases and countries affected was clearly of concern. World Health Organization chief,Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told newsmen; We have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at global level. We do not see evidence as yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as thats the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus. The key to containing this virus is to break the chain of transmission. Our greatest enemy is not the virus itself, its fear, rumours and stigma and our greatest assets are facts, reason and solidarity. Tedros also revealed that 20 vaccines were in development globally and several treatments were in clinical trials with results expected in a few weeks. He however warned that people do not need to wait for vaccines and therapeutics, stressing that there are things every individual can do to protect themselves and others. The WHO Chief also announced that the WHO-China Joint Mission has published its report, which is available in English on the WHO website. He said the report includes a wealth of information and 22 recommendations for China, for affected and unaffected countries, for the international community and the general public. He added; It calls for all countries to educate their populations, to expand surveillance, to find, isolate and care for every case, to trace every contact, and to take an all-of-government and all-of-society approach this is not a job for the health ministry alone. Your risk depends on where you live, your age and general health. WHO can provide general guidance. You should also follow your national guidance and consult local health professionals." 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 Kabul, Feb 29 : A US-Taliban agreement to be signed shortly will allow for complete US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 14 months, officials say. The announcement came in a joint US-Afghan declaration ahead of the landmark deal, BBC reported. That agreement, to be signed in Qatar, is aimed at paving the way towards peace in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict. SAN FRANCISCO As hackers have become a more ubiquitous threat to state and local governments, cities and states will occasionally hire cybersecurity researchers like the kind who spoke at RSA 2020's Emerging Threats seminar this week.Trained to track, identify and combat bad cyber actors, researchers like Timothy Gallo, a solutions architect for FireEye, use a combination of intelligence gathering and threat analysis to understand the types of individuals and groups that attack and harass companies and governments.Adversaries and the tools to fight them have changed immensely in just the last ten years and researchers and hunters need to continuously update their thinking and methods to stay competitive with hackers, Gallo said, speaking with the event's moderator Anthony Nash, of security firm Anomali."Five years ago, we were positing that ransomware was going to be an enterprise problem," he said, elaborating on how that prediction had become an unfortunate reality for many cities, states and companies . "As a hunter now, instead of just being able to focus on having a great reverse engineering team you do have to be able to have so much more visibility into what's happening.""I think that whether it's an attribution or anything else, you have to look at it with fresh eyes, not be biased, and follow the evidence and let it build out the bigger picture," said Jon DiMaggio, senior threat intelligence analyst at Symantec, regarding the process involved in tracking and analyzing hacking groups.Those groups include ones like Advanced Persistent Threat actor 41 (APT 41) , a Chinese group that is said to be responsible for carrying out state-sponsored espionage operations as well as cybercrime for financial purposes. Both FireEye and Symantec have spent time researching APT 41. The group will target companies particularly in the video game industry for extortionary purposes, while also conducting spying operations for the state.In many cases, however, attribution of where an attack is coming from is not as obvious as in the case of APT 41. There are a number of types of evidence important in the attribution process a lot of which is technical in nature: digital forensics that try to place exactly how, where and when a system was breached.However, a lot of good evidence also comes from analysis of larger socioeconomic and political situations in the geographic region from which the attack emanates, said Gallo. Understanding these differences in orientation like whether a hack came from a state-sponsored group trying to cause political disturbance or an organized crime syndicate attempting to extort large sums of money is crucial to knowing how to combat those threats.Sometimes attribution doesn't actually matter that much though, another panelist pointed out."I'm less interested in who [the attacker is] and more interested in the what and the how [the attack occurred]," said Chris Cochran, threat intelligence and operations lead for Netflix. "What are the gaps that we need to close from a security posture perspective to prevent this from happening again?"At the end of the day, tracking adversaries can only be accomplished with a competent team of professionals, panelists agreed. In recent years, some have spoken about the need to further automate intelligence gathering and threat analysis, but the speakers agreed that a human role was irreplaceable to adequately protect systems.People have been trying to automate intelligence forever, said Nash. All of us have spent time at agencies that said, 'Youre not going to have jobs,' and lo and behold, theres still a lot of intelligence analysts out there.DiMaggio agreed: As a threat hunter, you have to have that human ability to understand the information," he said. "We can all get an appliance that flashes red and tells us something is bad, but what does that really mean? You need a human being to make something actionable, something you can really use. Iran announces 205 new infections in last 24 hours as Italian authorities say the number of cases has exceeded 1,000. Qatar has become the latest Middle Eastern country to report its first case of coronavirus. Meanwhile, South Korea on Saturday urged citizens to stay indoors as it warned of a critical moment in its battle against the coronavirus after recording the biggest daily jump in infections, with 813 new cases taking the tally to 3,150 with 17 new deaths. Seoul is grappling with the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, the epicentre of the deadly disease. The National Health Commission reported on Saturday at least 47 new deaths, bringing to 2,835 the number of fatalities nationwide among 79,251 confirmed cases. In Europe, Italy has reported more than 1,000 coronavirus cases and 29 deaths, the most in Europe. On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the spread of the virus is getting bigger. More than 85,000 people have been infected worldwide. Here are the latest updates: Saturday, February 29 23:58 GMT Algeria confirms two more cases of coronavirus health ministry 23:30 GMT Egypt detects second case of coronavirus health ministry A foreigner in Egypt has tested positive for the coronavirus, the countrys health ministry said in a Facebook post. The person has been taken to an isolation hospital. It has not revealed their nationality. 20:35 GMT Luxembourg reports first coronavirus case, linked to Italy Luxembourg announced its first case of infection by the new coronavirus, a man who recently returned from Italy, Health Minister Paulette Lenert told reporters. The man in his 40s exhibited COVID-19 symptoms at the beginning of the week and testing in Luxembourg confirmed the disease, she said. A second test is being carried out in the Netherlands and the results should be known on Sunday, she added. The patient was isolated in a Luxembourg hospital and his family members were in quarantine, the minister said. 19:40 GMT Turkey halts passenger flights to and from Italy, Iraq and South Korea Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that all passenger flights to and from Italy, Iraq and South Korea had been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak. The measure will be effective 12am on Sunday, he said, adding the land crossings between Turkey and neighbouring Iraq had also been closed. Turkey had previously halted passenger flights to and from Iran and China. 18:49 GMT France has more than 100 confirmed cases: official France has 100 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said, raising the tally from 73. Of those cases, two people have died, 12 have recovered and 86 are in hospital, nine of them in a serious condition, Salomon told journalists in a daily news briefing about the outbreak. In France, two people have died so far due to the coronavirus outbreak [Nacho Doce/Reuters] 18:20 GMT First US death reported in Washington state A person has died in Washington state of the new coronavirus, state health officials said making it the first reported death in the United States. President Donald Trump announced that the person who died was a woman at her 50s. 17:40 GMT Coronavirus cases exceed 1,000 in Italy, death toll at 29: official The number of cases of the new coronavirus in Italy has exceeded 1,000, the health ministry said, with the death toll rising by eight to 29 in the past 24 hours. The number of cases reached 1,128 since the start of the epidemic, up from 888 on Friday, although 52 percent of those tested show few to no symptoms, the Italian health authorities said. 17:00 GMT Cases in the Netherlands increase to seven Three more people in the Netherlands have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, increasing the total number of cases to seven. The wife and daughter of the countrys first coronavirus patient tested positive, according to health agency RIVM. Hours later, a woman in Delft was reported as the seventh confirmed case by the Dutch media. 16:43 GMT Iraq confirms five news cases Iraq has detected five new cases of coronavirus, four in Baghdad and one in Babel province, the health ministry said, taking the total number of cases there to 13. The patients were placed in quarantine, the ministry said in a statement. The total number of cases in Iraq is 13, according to the authorities [Reuters] 16:00 GMT Azerbaijan shuts border with Iran Azerbaijan said it had closed its border with Iran for two weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, after the death toll in Iran rose to 43, the highest number outside of China. Two Azerbaijanis have been placed in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus, the government said in a statement, adding that both had arrived from Iran. It said the decision to close the border had been taken in light of the World Health Organisations recommendations and the experience of other countries related to the risk of the spread of coronavirus. 15:45 GMT Lebanon confirms three new cases Lebanons health ministry said three new cases of coronavirus had been confirmed, state news agency NNA reported, bringing the total number of cases in the country to seven. The ministry said the three new patients had been quarantined at a Beirut hospital and that their cases were the result of contact with those who were already infected in Lebanon. 15:20 GMT Pakistan announces two more cases The Pakistani health minister confirmed two more coronavirus infections in the country, bringing the total number of cases in the country to four. 229/ I can confirm 2 new cases of #coronavirus disease have been diagnosed today in Pakistan. 1 in Sindh and 1 in Fed areas. These patients are being handled according to clinical protocols. Contact tracing has started and we will make sure all concerned are taken well care off Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) February 29, 2020 15:01 GMT Northern Italian schools, universities to stay closed Schools and universities will stay closed for a second consecutive week in three northern Italian regions in an effort to contain Europes worst outbreak of coronavirus, the head of the Emilia Romagna region said. Stefano Bonaccini wrote on Facebook that besides his own region, educational centres in neighbouring Lombardy and Veneto would remain shuttered on the advice of the government, dashing any hopes of a swift return to normality in Italy. This is Umut Uras in Doha, covering the latest developments on the outbreak. Various countries around the world, such as Lebanon, Pakistan and South Korea, have reported new cases of coronavirus throughout the day. Qatar has reported its first case, as a 36-year-old man, who returned from Iran, tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, Iran reported nine more deaths due to the coronavirus. The country has the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths outside China. Keep following this blog for todays latest updates. 11:26 GMT Qatar reports first case of coronavirus Qatars health ministry has reported the first case of coronavirus infection in the country, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA). The patient is a 36-year-old Qatari man who was recently evacuated from Iran on a government-chartered plane and had been in quarantine with other evacuees, QNA reported. The health ministry said the infected man is in stable condition. 10:55 GMT Taiwan accuses China of waging cyberwar to disrupt virus fight Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has accused China of using cyber warriors to wage a war on the island and disrupt its fight against the coronavirus with fake news. The coronavirus outbreak has strained already poor ties between Taipei and Beijing, which claims the island as part of China. Taiwan says China has blocked its efforts to participate with the WHO independently. #PRC officials say they care about our health as if we're blood relatives. But while #Taiwan is dealing with #COVID19 originating from #Wuhan, their cyber warriors are waging war to disrupt our efforts. So this is epidemic fighting with Chinese characteristics. I'm speechless. JW pic.twitter.com/mOsZMNpEOe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) February 29, 2020 10:00 GMT Iran reports nine more deaths Irans health ministry has said 205 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country in the last 24 hours, with nine more deaths reported. The new numbers bring the total deaths in the country to 43 among 593 cases. 09:40 GMT North Korea calls for stronger anti-virus efforts North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for stronger anti-virus efforts to guard against COVID-19, saying there will be serious consequences if the illness spreads to the country. During a governing party meeting, Kim called for the countrys anti-epidemic headquarters to strengthen screening and tests to seal off all channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, Pyongyangs official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim said all fields and units of the country should unconditionally obey quarantine instructions laid-out by the anti-epidemic headquarters, according to The Associated Press news agency. An undated picture released from North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency on February 15 shows people in protective suits spraying disinfectant at an undisclosed location in the country [AFP] 09:25 GMT Saudi Arabia calls on citizens to postpone Lebanon travel Saudi Arabia called on its citizens and residents to postpone travel to Lebanon over concerns of the spread of coronavirus, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said on Twitter on Saturday. Lebanon confirmed its fourth case of the virus on Friday and announced that it was closing all schools until March 8. 09:10 GMT Kuwait asks citizens to avoid travelling Kuwait is calling on its citizens to avoid travelling over concerns of coronavirus contamination, a health ministry official said at a media conference. The Gulf state has not registered any new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, she said. The total number of people infected with the virus in Kuwait is 45, the health ministry said on Friday, which has reported no deaths. 08:30 GMT S Korea reports 219 new cases There were 219 new coronavirus cases in South Korea, bringing the countrys total infections to 3,150, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new cases added to the 594 confirmed earlier in the day. Together they logged a record daily increase in infections since South Korea confirmed its first patient on January 20. 07:55 GMT Russia asks citizens to avoid foreign travel A senior Russian official has called on citizens of the country to refrain from non-essential travel abroad over fears about the growing number of coronavirus cases internationally. Anna Popova, the head of Russias consumer health watchdog, told local news agencies that Russians should stay put to avoid contracting the virus, according to Reuters news agency. In order to consider yourself protected today, first of all, possible future trips outside the native country need to be reduced as much as possible, Popova said. Now is a time when it is not worth leaving Russia. A family wearing face masks walk at Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro station in Moscow [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP] 07:00 GMT Taiwan reports five new cases Taiwan reported a jump of five cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, including four people who had contact with another patient in a hospital and one person returning from the Middle East, bringing Taiwans total to 39. The governments Central Epidemic Command Centre said a cleaner and three nurses were the four staff who had been infected at the hospital, which was treating another coronavirus case. The fifth new case is a woman in her 60s who went on a tour to Egypt and Dubai. 06:40 GMT Australia bans foreign travellers from Iran Australias health minister has said the country will ban foreign travellers arriving from Iran due to the countrys high death rate from coronavirus, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the ban will go into effect on March 1 and will last for 14 days. Australian citizens will be allowed to return from Iran during that time, but will be required to self isolate for 14 days, the newspaper reported. 05:44 GMT Uzbekistan Airways halts flights to Seoul Uzbekistan Airways will temporarily halt flights to the South Korean capital of Seoul from March 1 over concerns about a coronavirus outbreak in the Asian nation, the airline said on Saturday. The airline halted flights to the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah and Medina over the growing number of virus infections in February. 05:28 GMT New coronavirus infection in Thailand takes tally to 42 Thailand recorded a new coronavirus infection, taking its tally to 42, a health official has said. The newest case is a 21-year-old Thai salesman whose job brought him exposure to foreign tourists, Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the permanent secretary of the health ministry, told a news conference. This is Joseph Stepanskyin Doha taking over from Ted Regencia. Here is a quick summary of the latest developments: South Korea has reported 594 new coronavirus cases, the most reported infections in a single day since the outbreak began. The new numbers bring the total in the country to 2,931, with 17 deaths. Meanwhile, the United States has reported cases in California and Oregon of unknown origin, alarming health officials. Keep following us here for todays latest updates. 04:33 GMT Japan to create fund to subsidise parents during school closure Japans government plans to create a fund to help companies pay subsidies to workers who need to take days off to look after their children while schools are closed, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday, without citing sources. The move comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday asked local authorities to shut schools from Monday in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus. This means students will be out from Monday at least until the new academic year starts in early April, prompting Japanese parents, along with teachers and businesses, to scramble to find new ways to cope. Infections from the virus in Japan have topped 200, with five deaths including one on Friday of a man in his 70s. That excludes more than 700 infections and five more deaths from the quarantined cruise liner Diamond Princess, docked in Yokohama. 03:42 GMT UN chief recommends ministers, diplomats skip meeting due to coronavirus risks letter UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recommended that ministers and diplomats skip a meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York next month due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter seen by Reuters. More than 7,000 people usually attend the annual meeting, officials said, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is due to be held from March 9 to 20. However, in a letter to the UN member states from the chair of the commission, Armenias UN Ambassador Mher Margaryan said Guterres had recommended that member states shorten and scale down the session and cancel dozens of side events. 02:45 GMT Oregon reports first coronavirus case of unknown origin The US state of Oregon has reported its first coronavirus case, which is of unknown origin. According to the statement from Oregon health officials, the infected individual identified as a resident of Washington County had neither history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating, nor is believed to have had close contact with another confirmed case. Public health officials are considering it a likely community-transmitted case, which means that the origin of the infection is unknown, the statement added. Oregon is located just north of the state of California, which reported its second infection late on Friday also of unknown origin. 01:25 GMT South Korea reports 594 new coronavirus cases, total hits 2,931 South Korea reported 594 new coronavirus cases, raising the countrys total infections to 2,931, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. 00:42 GMT China reports 427 new coronavirus cases, 47 deaths Mainland China had 427 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Friday, the countrys National Health Commission said on Saturday, up from 327 cases a day earlier. That brings the total accumulated number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 79,251. The death toll from the outbreak in mainland China had reached 2,835 as of the end of Friday, up by 47 from the previous day. Of the total number of deaths, at least 45 were from Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak. Of the 45 deaths in Hubei, 37 were from the city of Wuhan. 00:10 GMT California confirms second coronavirus case The US state of California has confirmed a second case of coronavirus. Now, we have a case who did not recently travel or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, Sara Cody, the director of public health for Santa Clara County, near San Francisco, told reporters. She said the second patient is a woman being treated at a hospital. Cameron Nightingale adjusts his mask and gloves, a precaution to protect himself from coronavirus, while walking by cable car in San Francisco, California [Josh Edelson/ AFP] 23:19 GMT (Friday) US urges citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Italy The US on Friday warned against non-essential travel to Italy, a top destination for US tourists, over the growing coronavirus epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travellers avoid all nonessential travel to Italy. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas, a statement said. The State Department raised its travel advice a notch for Italy to reconsider travel. 23:04 GMT US postpones summit with ASEAN leaders The US will postpone a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries it planned to host on March 14, amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, two US officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. US President Donald Trump had invited leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian nations to meet in Las Vegas after he did not attend a summit with the group in Bangkok in November. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 19:50 GMT Two South Africans test positive in Japan Two South Africans on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a state-run medical institute. We confirm that these citizens are currently being treated in Japan and are in good care, said a statement by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus from our bureau in Kuala Lumpur Ted Regencia Click here to read updates on Friday, February 28. David Gauke is a former Justice Secretary, and was an independent candidate in South-West Hertfordshire at the recent general election. Let me make the case for the UK leaving the implementation period at the end of the year without concluding a free trade deal with the EU. And I dont just mean that, as a fall-back position, it is an outcome that the Government could live with. I want to make the case for why, at one level, that this is the outcome the UK Government should actively seek. For the avoidance of doubt, I dont believe that a No Deal outcome is remotely in the national interest what with the potential chaos at the ports and the factory closures and general economic malaise and so on. As those who follow these things closely will be aware, I have been somewhat unenthusiastic about the consequences of a No Deal Brexit, an attitude that has not necessarily been to the advantage of my political career. However, from the political perspective of the Government, there is a rather persuasive argument for ensuring the talks blow up. And the sooner the better. The challenge for the Government is that there is, and has always been, a trade-off between access to EU markets and regulatory autonomy. If you want preferential access to markets, there will need to be a degree of consistency in regulations. The greater the preferential access, the greater the required level of consistency. The clear position of the Government is that the point of Brexit is to recover our political and economic independence in full (to quote David Frosts recent speech). Signing up to EU rules or extending the current Implementation Period (whereby we continue to comply with EU rules) runs contrary to the point of Brexit. There are two relevant consequences of this position. The first is that, in terms of getting preferential access to EU markets, the best one can hope for is an unambitious, thin free trade agreement. Such an agreement will be better economically than a departure on WTO terms but not that much better. Another way of putting it is that the economic downside of failing to get a deal is not that much because we have already accepted a great deal of pain as it is. The second consequence is that if recovering our political and economic independence in full is, to use David Frosts word, fundamental to Brexit then it is very hard to find a compromise. Any deviation from such a position opens up a political vulnerability. The political pain of compromise gets greater every time someone in Number 10 makes the fundamentalist case. There is a further difficulty with reaching a deal. Any deal that Boris Johnson gets is one that he will sell with gusto. It will be a fabulous deal, the best possible deal, a triumph. This has its advantages but it also means that the Prime Minister will have ownership of the consequences of the deal. If it turns out to be less than a triumph, there is no one else he can blame. The buck will stop with him. So getting a deal is likely to have a significant political cost (cries of betrayal from Nigel Farage etc) and limited economic upside. A deal would reduce disruption in early 2021 but there is a case for getting the economic pain out the way early in the Parliament. Of course, when I say that there will be economic pain, I am going along with the consensus view of economists that putting up trade barriers with ones most important trade partner is a bad thing. The Government thinks the concerns are overstated. David Frost has argued that openness to trade is not as important for driving productivity as most economists believe. Andrew Neil told MakeUK that the days of complex, cross-border supply chains are coming to an end and the Government believes that the future of manufacturing is 3D printers. Trade openness doesnt matter very much after all. Without getting too much into these arguments, they are hard to reconcile with the Global Britain narrative that Brexit will be a great success because we can reduce trade barriers with the rest of the world. In any event, if you are the Government, the political price to be paid for getting a deal might not be worth it. If it has reached that conclusion, what would it do? First, make sure that it is the EU that gets the blame with the British public. Accuse the EU of introducing new demands or placing demands on the UK that are wholly unprecedented, even if these claims are not strictly true. Or, in the former case, even loosely true. There will be lots of people willing to believe that the EU is at fault just keep repeating the argument, however brazenly untrue. There are people inside No 10 who know how to do this sort of thing very well. Second, reassure the British public that no deal will be alright. Rebrand no deal, perhaps with reference to a prosperous and familiar country that we like. Australia will do. Third, provoke the EU to be intransigent. The best way to do that is to undermine the EUs trust in our good intentions. We are currently telling the EU that we have an interpretation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, signed in October, which appears to be wholly at variance with the interpretation made by everyone else as to the need to check goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Someone in Government also appears to have briefed that the Attorney General and Northern Ireland Secretary had been sacked and replaced by people willing to do what they are told on this point. If we cannot be trusted to stand by agreements reached four months ago, we wont be trusted to comply with vague assertions not to lower our social or environmental protections in the decades ahead. Attempting to renege on the Northern Ireland Protocol will increase the EUs determination to insist on the Level Playing Field provisions in a legally watertight way. Everything the Government has done including the negotiating mandate set out this week is consistent with causing the talks to collapse. That leaves the question of timing. The most coherent position would be to bring this to a head as soon as possible. If you are an optimist, this will reveal to the EU that this is a Government that will tough it out and they will crumble. Those German car manufacturers will finally ride to our rescue. If you are a pessimist, at least this gives businesses time to prepare for the exciting, new opportunities of leaving on WTO terms. As a strategy, critics would be justified in describing it as reckless, evasive of responsibility, cynical and dishonest. But politically, on the evidence of the last few years, it would probably work. I fear the Government must be tempted. Moscow, March 1 : Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation, discussing the escalation of tensions in the Syrian region of Idlib, the Kremlin said in a statement. "The Presidents continued their exchange of views on Syria, with a focus on the escalation of tensions in Idlib. Vladimir Putin told the French President about steps taken to fight terrorists in northwestern Syria," the statement said on Saturday. In addition, the humanitarian situation in the area was discussed, Xinhua reported, citing the statement. According to the statement, Putin noted that all relevant aspects of the Syrian settlement are to be substantively discussed in Moscow during the Russian-Turkish summit planned in the coming days. The Queen's youngest granddaughter inherited her love of riding after being taught by the monarch and her grooms from an early age. And Lady Louise continued to enjoy her grandmother's favourite past time on Saturday as she rode out for moderate walk around the Windsor Castle grounds. Making a rare appearance the royal, 16, was joined by her father Prince Edward, 55, on the cold and crisp afternoon as they wrapped up warm in riding gear. Inherited hobby: Lady Louise, 16, continued to enjoy her grandmother's favourite past time on Saturday as she rode out for moderate walk near Windsor Castle with Prince Edward The pair rode an off road circuit near Windsor castle at a steady pace, holding a conversation as they maneuvered the bumpy track on horse back. Confident Lady Louise looked at ease riding, despite having had a traumatic fall from her pony on Queen's estate at the age of eight - which left her with a broken arm. Prince Edward was seen at his daughter's side as he continued at a steady jaunt on his dappled grey horse. Although the Queen stubbornly refuses to swap her traditional headscarf for a riding hat even at the age of 93, she has always insisted that her grandchildren wear safety headgear. Wrapping up warm: Making a rare appearance the royal, 16, was joined by her father on the cold and crisp afternoon as they wrapped up warm in riding gear Father daughter time: The pair rode an off road circuit near Windsor castle at a steady pace, holding a conversation as they maneuvered the bumpy track on horse back Elsewhere on Saturday, Princess Anne, who is most commonly spotted in her riding gear, stood out from crowds at Salisbury Cathedral in a striking cerulean blue outfit as she celebrated the Royal Corps of Signals Centenary. With official duties as Colonel-in-Chief and Royal Corps of Signals, the Princess Royal joined the Master of Signals Lieuentant General Sir Nick Pope during her visit - enjoying a tour of the Cathedral grounds. The pair seemed to be engaged in an amusing discussion during the occasion, which celebrates the Corps of Signals. 100 years of communication: Princess Anne stood out from crowds at Salisbury Cathedral in a striking cerulean blue outfit as she celebrated the Royal Corps of Signals Centenary The regiment has provided vital communication intelligence and kept the British Army up to date with developing communication technology since it formed in 1920 - alongside the British Army at every deployment. Her Royal Highness was bestowed the ceremonial position of Colonel-in-Chief in 1977 and has attended key events to celebrate the combat support arm of the British Army ever since. Security was stepped up around Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday ahead of the royal visit with the Cathedral shut to visitors all day and the morning worship moved to a nearby teaching centre belonging to the church. Ceremony: The Princess Royal joined the Master of Signals Lieutenant General Sir Nick Pope (centre) during her visit - enjoying a tour of the Cathedral grounds Colonel-in-Chief: Her Royal Highness was bestowed ceremonial position of Colonel-in-Chief in 1977 and attends key events to celebrate the combat support arm of the British Army Extra safety and security measures were also in place in and around the town. The centenary service, which featured a parade and the official Northern Royal Signals Band was attended by serving personnel of the Corps along with veterans and young cadets. Later a private service attended by the Princess Royal was conducted by the Dean of Salisbury Nicholas Papadopulos. Royal duties: Later a private service attended by the Princess Royal was conducted by the Dean of Salisbury Nicholas Papadopulos On Thursday the Queen shone the spotlight on Sophie Wessex, 55, Lady Louise's mother and Prince Edward's wife as she was featured on the Royal Family's Instagram stories in a string of posts showing her busy day of engagements in London. Shared with the Queen's 7.5million followers the posts started with a brief introduction to Sophie, sharing a picture of her wedding to Prince Edward, in 1999, and explaining that she is married to the Queen's youngest son. It then revealed her her links to 85 charities and overseas work, before moving on to her engagements of the day at St James's Palace. The posts follow reports that Sophie Wessex was singled out as the Queen's saving grace following turmoil in the royal family, with the announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would renounce their royal duties, and the divorce of Princess Anne's eldest son Peter Phillips from wife Autumn. The Queen put Sophie Wessex, 55, in the spotlight with an Instagram story dedicated to her beloved daughter-in-law's busy day on Thursday (pictured) On Instagram, the Royal Family account put the emphasis on Sophie's charity work (pictured), adding it often took her overseas N azanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband fears she has caught coronavirus in prison in Iran. It comes after reports that one inmate has died in Evin Prison as the country battles one of the worst outbreaks of Covid-19 outside China. The death toll in Iran has hit 43, with nearly 600 hundred confirmed infections, according to authorities. Meanwhile, British-Iranian mother Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 41, who has spent four years in prison on espionage charges that she strenuously denies, recently said she is suffering from a cold-like symptoms. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella, before her arrest in 2016 / PA In a phone call with her family, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe said: "For a long time this has not felt like a normal cold. "These symptoms have lasted almost a week. I know I need to get medicine to get better. This does not go magically." Now Mr Ratcliffe has said in a statement on Saturday that the Free Nazanin Campaign, which he leads, believes she has contracted the virus inside the jail. Mr Ratcliffe cited a lack of hygiene materials made available to the prisoners as part of the reason he believes his wife has caught coronavirus after she said she was suffering from a cold. He said: "Following today's phone call with Nazanin, the Free Nazanin Campaign can confirm that she (and we) now believe that she has coronavirus inside Evin prison, in part due to the lack of hygiene materials made available to prisoners. "We are concerned by the prison authorities refusal to test her and the wider suppression of coronavirus inside the Iranian prison system "We call on the UK government to insist that Nazanin is tested for coronavirus immediately, and is treated properly. "We further call on the Prime Minister to take charge as part of his coronavirus efforts to ensure that British Iranians held hostage in Evin Prison are diplomatically protected." His comments come after he intensified his calls on the British government to secure his wifes release on Friday, saying it has an obligation to keep her alive. Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said the UKs ambassador to Iran, where at least 26 patients have died so far and hundreds are infected, has raised concerns with the regime, saying official denials are not always authoritative. He told MPs on Friday that UK officials are trying to find out more as the country struggled with an outbreak centred on a holy site. Mr Ratcliffe, 45, said his wifes family in Iran have been told face-to-face visits in the prison are now banned and that inmates have run out of disinfectant. He is also said she has been feeling unwell. The accountant, who lives with the couples daughter Gabriella, five, in West Hampstead, said: Hopefully it is just a cold We have to keep calm, but she is sitting in a prison feeling a bit ill, feeling worried, with no ability to sanitise things properly. "Nazanin told her mum yesterday that the prison has run out of disinfectant, and run out of antiseptic soap, and the only thing they have got is washing-up liquid. An FCO spokesperson said: We are urgently seeking information from the Iranian authorities on reports that coronavirus is spreading in Evin prison, including to British-Iranian dual nationals. Doha , Feb 29 : Qatar's Health Ministry on Saturday reported the first case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. According to a ministry statement cited by the official QNA news agency, a 36-year old Qatari citizen who returned recently from Iran tested positive for the virus, The ministry said that the infected person was among Qatari nationals evacuated on Thursday from Iran, where 43 deaths were reported from the virus, reported Anadolu agency. COVID-19 has now spread to more than 45 countries, including the US, UK, Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India. China, where the virus originated, is the worst-hit country with 2,837 deaths reported so far. The World Health Organisation, which has already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, on Friday raised the global coronavirus alert level from high to "very high". Taylor and Gaines each are facing two counts of murder, two counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery, two felony robbery counts and a misdemeanor theft count. Taylor also is charged with a criminal firearm enhancement, which could add years to a possible prison sentence. Shortly after the killings, police showed the video to Taylor's cousin, who identified Taylor, records say. Haywood's family told police she had been in a long relationship with Taylor's father, Darren Taylor Sr. an older, married man but had recently been trying to pull away from him despite requests from the younger Taylor to get back with the elder Taylor. The exact motive for the killings remained unclear, but Taylor allegedly by his own admission during jail phone calls placed himself at the scene of the crime, court records allege. Detective Sgt. Kris Adams, of the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit, and other investigators sent out multiple news releases seeking information about Gaines' identity during the past year and received some good tips, Gary police Cmdr. Jack Hamady said. Gaines was arrested in Indianapolis and interviewed by police Thursday night, he said. Real estate experts believe that the condotel growth will not depend on state agencies but on investors. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) has guided local natural resources departments to grant red books, or construction work ownership certificates, to non-housing works, including condotels. The legal document, which was issued days ago, says the ownership of condotels is 50 years in general and 70 years in localities. Saying that the document is the legal acknowledgement of condotels, Nguyen Tho Tuyen, CEO of BHS Group, said this wont play a decisive role in the existence of this type of property. In other words, the vitality of condotels wont depend on the issuers of certificates to condotels, or state agencies, but on investors. He said the type of property became very attractive when investors committed to high profits. At that time, though the condotel prices were high, clients still rushed to buy condotels because of the attractive committed profits. The market has cooled down because many developers broke the commitments on profits and failed to make payments on schedule. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) has guided local natural resources departments to grant red books, or construction work ownership certificates, to non-housing works, including condotels. Reservations appeared among clients. And the condotel market began withering. Condotels have not been selling since the end of 2018. Newly launched projects fail, he commented. Tuyen believes that the condotel market not only needs red book to grow but that real estate developers should not make commitments about profit and raising selling prices. Instead, they should focus on exploiting properties in the most effective way to bring higher profits to clients. However, Tuyen believes that condotels will be developed well by investors, so that the properties wont be declared dead. Le Hoang Chau, chair of the HCM City Real Estate Association (HOREA), said legal problems still exist with condotels and the other hybrid types of properties. There is still no regulation about conditions to mobilize capital and sell condotels to form in the future that have made investors shrink. The legal framework on the operation mechanism of resort properties remains unclear. As a result, some real estate developers make commitments on sky-high profits and then break the commitments, thus causing clients to lose confidence in this type of product. Van Dung Chinh, secretary general of the Khanh Hoa Real Estate Association, believes that the red book granting will help make the market more transparent after a period of hot development. Meanwhile, other experts prove to be more optimistic about the development of hybrid properties. Su Ngoc Khuong from Savills Vietnam said the granting of red book will help real estate developers stimulate demand. Le Ha Brighter condotel future set for both investors and buyers With new guidance on granting ownership being issued in Vietnam, condotel investors are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after more than two years of uncertainty. Members of various womens organisations hold a meeting in solidarity with the victims of the recent violence in Delhi, at the Somajiguda Press Club, on Saturday. (S. Surender Reddy) Hyderabad: Womens organisations and transgender associations expressed solidarity with the victims of Delhi riots. Almost 30 organisations expressed support during a roundtable conference held in the city on Saturday. Women and Transgender Organisation, Dalit Womens Collective, Hyderabad Muslim Womens Forum, Progressive Organisation for Women, Montfort Social Institutions were among those who took part in the event. It was organised by the Women and Transgender Organisations Joint Action Committee. Ms Sunitha, one of the organisers, said the violence in Delhi was unleashed on a particular community along with the local police. At least 42 people have died in the violence and more than 200 injured. She said this was done to silence the peaceful protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and its attempt to conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). Women are protesting against the CAA-NRC-NPR throughout India to protect and safeguard the secular spirit of the country. Ms Sunitha said the NRC would impact every citizen. It would primarily impact the poor, the marginalized, the illiterate, the displaced and people without documents. It will impact the people who are at a disadvantage. This violence is basically to silence this protest. Ms Sujatha Surepally of Dalit Women Collective said the Delhi riots resembled the 2002 Gujarat riots. This is not an issue between Hindus and Muslims. It is the fundamentalist groups that are promoting Hindutva ideology, BJP-sponsored social media which is spreading lies, misguiding the youth and promoting hate, Ms Surepally said. She asked, when you (the Centre) want to ban beef, why is it that there is so much of beef being exported? Is it because those slaughterhouse are owned by the upper caste creamy layer. Ms Vyjayanthi Vasanta Mogli, a transgender activist, said inter-sex babies were abandoned by their parents at their birth. Many dont know who their parents are, the NRC will force them to be homeless. Ms K. Sajaya from the JAC Women and Transgender. Hyderabad, said, we will stand by them, During Independence, India chose to be secular, Now the BJP and RSS wants to kill secularism in India, they want to promote Hindutva Ideology which is not the Hindu ideology. She alleged that the RSS which had never been a part of the freedom struggle, was instigating communal violence. East Meath councillor Paddy Meade has become a favourite to clinch a nomination from Fine Gael to go forward for election to Seanad Eireann. Councillor Paddy Meade has obtained two endorsements, one from his own constituency association and another from the party's youth wing, Young Fine Gael. After the Meath East Seanad Selection Convention on Wednesday night in Slane, Cllr. Meade came out victorious, over challengers Cllr. Sharon Tolan and Cllr. Gerry O'Connor in the contest. Then on Thursday, following a tight vote in Dublin, Cllr Meade topped a six-way national contest within the Young Fine Gael National Executive to take the Seanad nomination. With the Fine Gael Party Executive due to meet during the week, it looks highly likely that the local councillor is set to be on the ballot papers for the Agricultural Panel in the Seanad Eireann election. The sometimes outspoken Meade, who has had at times a somewhat strained relationship with some elements within Fine Gael said, "I would be the first to admit that my style of politics is not to everyone's taste. Telling people what they want to hear has never been my way. 'I tell the truth whether they like it or not and I hope never to change. I am incredibly proud to have been selected by both my fellow members in Meath East and by the Executive of Young Fine Gael, with their support and the support of our party leadership.' He is currently representing County Meath on the Eastern Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) and is Vice-Chairperson of the East Border Region. ' I am eager to ensure proper representation in the Seanad, a markedly different approach than many seeking nomination for this election who will be using it merely as a platform to attempt to gain a seat in the next Dail Election,' he stated. An online broker part-owned by one of the Emirati billionaires at the centre of the NMC Health scandal has had its licence suspended in two countries for a string of compliance breaches. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Australia-based AxiCorp, in which Khalifa Bin Butti has a stake, had its licence suspended in Australia and New Zealand for failing to comply with financial services laws. Bin Butti, who was ejected from the board of embattled FTSE 100 hospitals operator NMC last month after a share ownership scandal, sold One Financial Markets, a British trading site he founded in 2007, to AxiCorp last year. Khalifa Bin Butti, who was ejected from the board of embattled FTSE 100 hospitals operator NMC last month, has an equity stake in AxiCorp As part of the deal, Bin Butti took an equity stake in AxiCorp, which runs foreign exchange broker AxiTrader and One Financial Markets. In Australia, AxiCorp's licence was suspended in January for four months by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. AxiCorp has appealed the decision and has been granted a stay of suspension pending a review, allowing it to continue to operate for now. The regulator said it was suspended for a series of breaches around compliance, including 'deficiencies and systemic failures in AxiCorp's compliance regime'. Last August, it was suspended for 'material breaches' by New Zealand's financial regulator. A spokesman for Bin Butti declined to comment on AxiCorp. NMC is under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority and its shares were suspended last week after financing deals involving Bin Butti were uncovered. Last week, Bin Butti said he was not given a 'reasonable opportunity' to help with NMC's investigation and denied wrongdoing. India, reacting to the US-Taliban peace deal and US-Afghanistan joint declaration, reiterated that its consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process. "India's consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement. Kumar said India has noted that the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan, including the Government, the democratic polity and civil society, has "welcomed the opportunity and hope for peace and stability generated by these agreements." "As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected," said Kumar. The United States will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months, as per the joint declaration between the Afghan government and Washington. The plan is "subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement," the joint declaration read. The United States and the Taliban on Saturday signed a peace deal in Doha after months of negotiations, aimed at ending the 18-year long war in Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2020) - C21 Investments Inc. (CSE: CXXI) (OTCQB: CXXIF) ("C21 Investments", "C21" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the restructuring of the purchase of Megawood Enterprises Inc ("Pure Green") (see C21 news releases dated November 1, 2018 and January 25, 2019). The final payment regarding this acquisition has been restructured to include a cash payment of US$130,000 and the issuance of 95,849 common shares of the Company at a deemed price of C$0.6225/share. Pure Green is one of Oregon's original licensed cannabis retailers and was founded by Matt and Meghan Walstatter, who have been public policy advocates for legalized cannabis for the past two decades. The dispensary is located in the Hollywood District, on Portland's "Green Mile," and in a building that once housed Portland's first post-prohibition liquor store. 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. Media contact: Skyler Pinnick Chief Marketing Officer and Director Sky.Pinnick@cxxi.ca +1 833 BUY-CXXI (289-2994) Investor contact: Michael Kidd Chief Financial Officer and Director Michael.kidd@cxxi.ca +1 833 BUY-CXXI (289-2994) The CSE has not accepted 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/52984 Basti (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Feb 29 (ANI): Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Dinesh Sharma on Saturday inspected a UP Board Examination Center here. The annual Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board (UPSEB) exams are underway in the state in which over 58 lakh students are appearing for high school and intermediate exams this year. A total of 8,354 examination centers have been set up across the state out of which 1,314 centers have been identified as sensitive while 448 centers have been declared as highly sensitive, officials said. The Principal Secretary of Secondary Education, Aradhana Shukla also informed that FIRs have been registered against 133 people and schools are being identified by the Department where the sanctity of the examination is being affected. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The United States and the Taliban signed a peace deal Saturday that marks a turning point in Afghanistan's more than 18-year war. The United States invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that were planned from Afghan territory. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and cost more than $2 trillion. Here is what you need know: - - - U.S. Troop Withdrawals The deal states that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban upholds specific commitments. This was not a widely anticipated aspect of the peace deal. While the U.S. military command in Kabul already began drawing down troops in Afghanistan, it was expected that a small counterterrorism force would be left behind. There are currently about 12,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the first phase of this full withdrawal would bring those numbers down to 8,600 troops within 135 days. During that time, U.S. allies and coalition members will also proportionally draw down their forces. Then, over the next nearly 10 months, the rest of the U.S. troops would be withdrawn given that the Taliban uphold their end of the bargain. Broadly that means the group pledges to engage in talks with the Afghan government and commits not to allow terrorist groups to use Afghan soil to plot attacks against the United States or its allies. - - - Obstacles to peace Many challenges remain. The diplomatic effort to get the U.S. and the Taliban to agree to a deal took years. It is not unreasonable to assume talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban could be a similarly lengthy effort. As mentioned above the Taliban has already suggested there are caveats to their commitments not to harbor terrorist groups. While the Taliban has played a large role in the fight against the Islamic State in Afghanistan, the group still maintains ties to al-Qaida. Also Afghanistan is riddled with armed groups that do not want to see a peace deal between the U.S. and the Taliban. Some of these armed groups are not aligned with either the government or the Taliban. A peace deal will not necessarily halt their attacks. In addition, decades of conflict in Afghanistan have created space for profitable smuggling routes and a growing narcotics trade. Peace could make it more difficult for illicit activities like this to continue, and it would not be surprising for these groups to turn to violence to protect their financial interests. - - - Can relative calm remain? A weeklong reduction in violence countrywide in Afghanistan was described by U.S. negotiators as a key precondition to the signing of a peace deal. But now it is unclear what will happen to violence levels in Afghanistan. Over the past week violence levels came down about 80 percent in both urban and rural parts of the country. Afghan government forces and Taliban fighters felt safe enough to approach one another, moves unthinkable just over a week ago. U.S. officials have said they hope violence will remain low throughout the intra-Afghan talks. But following the signing of the deal Saturday, the spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office, Suhail Shaheen told The Washington Post, the reduction in violence agreement was no longer in effect. "That was for making the environment conducive to sign the deal," he said. The Taliban hopes to achieve a "permanent solution" to violence levels in Afghanistan, he added. "But right now [there is] no such understanding of a cease-fire or reduction in violence." - - - Prisoner swap Prisoner swaps have been a controversial aspect of peace negotiations with the United States. Taliban prisoners are key leverage for the Afghan government, and Kabul has long said it would not release prisoners until after intra-Afghan talks. But the deal signed Saturday states that 5,000 imprisoned Taliban members are to be released by the date that intra-Afghan talks are required to start: March 10. The Taliban have long made this a key demand. It is unclear how this will impact intra-Afghan talks. The Afghan government is now left with essentially very little bargaining power as the United States has committed to withdrawing all their troops and has stipulated that the prisoner swap occur before negotiations begin between the Afghan government and the Taliban. - - - What's next for talks? The Afghan government needs to assemble a negotiating team. But that could be an even more complicated task at the moment as the country is in the midst of a deepening political crisis. Disputed election results were announced earlier this month, and both President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival have declared victory. Ghani's rival has begun forcibly replacing governors in the north of the country and is threatening to set up a parallel government. All of this has left Kabul deeply divided and has the potential to undermine Ghani's mandate to form an inclusive team to negotiate with the Taliban. Dont bother trying to search for the music John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher) played on the piano in a scene To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. The movie hit Netflix on Feb. 12 just in time for Valentines Day but audiences are still unpacking everything they saw in the movie and yes, that includes the music. Based on the book series from author Jenny Han, the follow-up to 2018s To All the Boys Ive Loved Before followed Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) as she and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) began dating for real. Just when Laura Jean thought the love letters she once wrote were behind her, John Ambrose replied. But before she had the chance to write him a letter back, Condors character discovered they were both doing volunteer work at a local retirement home together. Fisher says playing piano in the movie just kind of worked out Without spoiling the plot, theres one scene in the sequel where Lara Jean finds John Ambrose playing a beautiful tune on the piano. When we watched the movie we couldnt help but wonder what hed been playing. Turns out, Fisher can not only sing, dance, and act, hes a good piano player too. During an interview with Insider published on Feb. 12, 2020, the actor explained he came up with the melody himself. Jordan Fisher on Jan. 23, 2019 | Mary Clavering/Young Hollywood/Getty Images He is the guy that would also play piano, you know what I mean? Thats just John Ambrose, Fisher told Insider. And then it just kind of worked out that I also play and was able to come up with a chord structure that was completely and entirely unique to the moment and be able to do the scene at the same time. The author of the books that inspired the movies wasnt kidding when she said her own Feb. 2020 interview with the outlet that Fisher does it all. Piano scene is his favorite despite being very tough to film The moment at the piano between John Ambrose and Lara Jean wasnt just sweet, it turned out to be Fishers favorite scene in the entire movie. Although it appeared to be a relatively simple set up Lara Jean entered a room to find John Ambrose playing the piano then sat down next to him it proved to be challenging for Fisher because he had to deliver his lines while playing the piano at the same time. Jordan Fisher plays the piano as John Ambrose in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You | Netflix; To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Its a very tough scene to film, Fisher told Insider. And, frankly, it was very late in the night when we filmed it, and having to play the piano and improvise and also film a scene at the same time was difficult. Fisher says fans might hear piano melody again one day Following the release of To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, Fisher took to Twitter to answer questions from fans. One, of course, came up regarding the mystery tune he played in the movie. It doesnt have a name and it doesnt exist anywhere, Fisher tweeted on Feb. 13. He didnt dash fans hopes theyd never hear the song outside the movie. I might turn it into something one day though, the actor said. So, if in the future Fisher releases a song that sounds familiar it could be the one with the melody from To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.Watch To All the Boys Ive Loved Before and To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You on Netflix. BLOOMFIELD A massive fire erupted Thursday at an industrial-scale poultry plant west of Bloomfield, Nebraska. One of the barns was destroyed and 400,000 chickens were killed, according to information provided to State Sen. Tim Gragert, who represents Bloomfield in the Nebraska Legislature. The facility, operated by Michael Foods, produces eggs. No employees were injured, Pat Melena, vice president, told the Knox County News at the scene. The fire was so intense that a National Weather Service satellite detected the heat from 22,236 miles above the Earth, said Corey Mead, a weather service meteorologist. The fire began in the late afternoon and lasted into the evening, Bloomfield City Councilman Steve Barney said. Multiple firetrucks hauled water from town to the plant, he said. Fire crews on scene included Bloomfield/Lindy, Creighton, Osmond, Crofton, Wausa and Plainview, the Knox County News reported. The state fire marshal also was on scene. Tankers from Central Valley Ag assisted. Councilman Ray Lush said the entire community pitched in. The spouse of a U.S. Forces Korea soldier who recently tested positive for COVID-19 has also been confirmed to have the virus, bringing the total number of USFK-related infection cases to four, the military said Saturday. The woman has been in self-quarantine since Wednesday, when her husband, based at Camp Carroll in South Korea's southeastern county of Chilgok, tested positive, according to USFK. "The patient has not been in contact with any other USFK or USFK affiliated personnel since going into quarantine," the USFK said, adding that she has been transferred to a U.S. military hospital. South Korean and U.S. health officials determined that contact tracing was not necessary due to her quarantine measures and lack of interaction with others, USFK said. Chilgok, about 220 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in North Gyeongsang Province, is near Daegu, where a coronavirus outbreak has spread rapidly over the past week. More than 80 percent of South Korea's total cases have been reported in the city and the province. The USFK first reported a COVID-19 case among people connected to it Monday when a 61-year-old widowed USFK dependent in Daegu tested positive. On Friday, a South Korean employee at Camp Carroll was reported to have been infected. . "The USFK remains at risk level 'high' ... and is implementing all appropriate control measures to help control the spread of COVID-19 and as a prudent measure to protect the force," it said in a release. As of 9 a.m., South Korea had a total of 2,931 patients, and 16 fatalities, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Yonhap) Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured that his government will consider views of local people regarding the proposed major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu, the president of the committee opposing the project claimed on Saturday. The Cenrtal government had approved a proposal worth Rs 65,544.54 crore to construct a new major port at Vadhavan earlier this month. According to the government, the Vadhavan port will be developed on landlord model, and a special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be formed with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) as the lead partner with equity participation equal to or more than 50 per cent to implement the project. A delegation of local fishermen and villagers met with the Maharashtra CM on Friday, said Narayan Patil who heads the Vadhavan Bandar Virodhi Samiti. "The chief minister assured us that the state government is with us and would take a decision after taking us into confidence. The CM told us that the state government has not yet received details of the approval given to the project by the Union Cabinet," Patil said. The Samiti has been opposing the proposed port claiming that it will adversely affect local farmers and fishermen. Palghar MP Rajendra Gavit of Shiv Sena said he supports the stand of locals on the project. "I hope the state government will take appropriate decision regarding the port," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Joe Biden speaks at an event at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. on Feb. 27, 2020. The former vice president's struggling presidential campaign has a do-or-die moment in the South Carolina primary. Read more CONWAY, S.C. Joe Biden wasnt going anywhere. Forty minutes. Sixty minutes. Ninety minutes into speaking at a small college here, 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach, he was still talking to the crowd about civil rights, womens rights, climate change, and free community college. Once he did wrap up Thursday, the former vice president stayed another hour to greet every lingering person with an outstretched iPhone. In Bidens final critical moments before Saturdays South Carolina primary, hes pulling in every handshake and seizing on every potentially compelling story from his vast arsenal of anecdotes. All to produce the kind of voter turnout that wins him the state decisively enough to quiet skeptics of his struggling campaign. Biden, who was polling atop the Democratic presidential race before even declaring his candidacy, has dropped in the last two months, finishing fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire, and then rebounding slightly with a second-place finish in Nevada. Hes increasingly framed South Carolina, and the African American support he has here, as where his campaign really starts. Whether he calls it a firewall or not, Biden needs South Carolina to deliver the way he has predicted it will. The Scranton, Pa., native has boasted the support of swing-state Pennsylvanias Democratic establishment since entering the race, but even that could begin to crack with a loss. Make no mistake, Ive said from the very beginning, this is Ground Zero, the center of political gravity, and Joe Biden has to do well here," said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist based in South Carolina. And this is South Carolina if he does well enough, it will send a message ... to launch into Super Tuesday. Biden has a long-standing relationship with South Carolina. A state representative who introduced him Friday morning in Sumter noted that Biden eulogized the last two congressmen from South Carolina to die one a Republican, one a Democrat. Polling shows Biden leading by as little as 4 and as many as 16 points, ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and billionaire Tom Steyer, who has poured tremendous resources into the state. At Coastal Carolina University on Thursday night, the campaign said it reached capacity and had to turn people away. Bidens supporters came ready to rally for him. South Carolina, we need you to take back the 2020 election race, actress Vivica A. Fox implored while introducing Biden. In Sumter on Friday, State Sen. Thomas McElveen called Biden the only candidate" to reflect South Carolinas values: Vice President Bidens always been good to South Carolina and tomorrow ... voters in this state will prove to the rest of the Democratic field that South Carolina is Biden Country. And Biden on Friday took a moment to express appreciation for, and to remind the crowd of, influential Rep. Jim Clyburns endorsement. Biden has racked up an impressive number of elected officials endorsements, but hes done that in states he lost, too. Brandon Brown, a former state representative who backs Biden, said that support may be more meaningful here. There were a lot of people sitting on the fence waiting for that breakout moment," Brown said. A lot of African American ministers who have faith and trust in local elected officials often look to the leadership to say, Where should we be going, where should we be looking and directing folks? READ MORE: Democratic presidential candidates pictured campaigning for South Carolina primary voters. Momentum from South Carolina is key to propelling Biden into Super Tuesday. Just three days after the primary here, 14 states will vote on Tuesday, in contests that will award one-third of the total delegates toward the nomination. Its virtually impossible to scale up a campaign in so many states so fast, especially for a campaign that has been low on money. Biden has announced campaign stops in California, Texas, and Virginia after the primary here. Once he wins South Carolina, the money will start flowing in," said Fletcher Smith, a former state representative consulting for the Biden campaign in the state. Because people will see hes the best left-of-center moderate candidate to defeat President Trump in 2020. Biden drew frequent contrasts with Sanders, who has overtaken Biden as the partys front-runner, in his final appearances in the state. He said the country isnt looking for a revolution ... Theyre looking for progress, looking for results. Biden made several appeals to black voters, who make up 60% of South Carolinas Democratic primary electorate, touting his plan to make a $70 billion investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and to appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court. Asked by an audience member how hed do that with a Republican Senate, he again subtly warned voters against Sanders, who Democrats are warning could cost the party seats in swing districts. We need to win back the Senate, Biden said. "Do you think anyone but me can actually help elect Democratic senators in North Carolina? In Georgia? " Bidens most fervent supporters are feeling pressure to deliver. Paula Myers, a retired teacher, said shes never wavered, never will, when it comes to Biden. She gets frustrated with voters who dont see his appeal. If it was a blind resume test, who would be qualified for this job as president?" she said. "Hes the only one. I will be first in line to vote on Saturday, no question," said Helen Horne, a retired human resources director from Myrtle Beach. I love him. I think people are sort of blinded by what Bernie is promising.... Its just not feasible. But enthusiasm for Sanders was palpable even in Bidens must-win state. Sanders held a rally attended by hundreds in Finlay Park in Columbia on Friday afternoon. And Biden couldnt escape Sanders fever at his own Sumter rally. Marybeth Berry, a college professor from Columbia, said she sees Sanders passion, and as an undecided voter wanted to know what motivates Biden. He told a story about his father getting and then quitting a job at an auto dealership in Scranton after the owner debased staff at a Christmas party by throwing silver dollars on the dance floor to watch employees scramble for them. Dignity, thats what motivates me, Biden said, appearing a little choked up. "My dad used to say everybodys entitled to be treated with dignity. It was a poignant moment for a Biden rally; they often feel long and unfocused. Berry told reporters she appreciated the answer. It was very, very good because it was powerful," she said. To see that fire, to see that passion, to see that integrity matters." Shes still deciding whom to vote for Saturday. Rosanna Davison opened up about her family and their surrogacy journey on last night's Late Late Show. The writer and her husband Wes Quirke had been on a difficult path to parenthood before their daughter Sophia was born last November. The couple decided on going down the surrogacy route after years of fertility testing, treatment and multiple miscarriages. Davison told the Late Late Show that it had been a difficult decision. "The idea of a stranger carrying your child in another country was awful," she said. "I played with the idea for a few weeks to be honest, I wasn't sure if we could go ahead with it." She told host Ryan Tubridy that they met the surrogate shortly before Sophia's birth. "We had met the surrogate the week before for a scan. "She walked into the room and it's...how can you prepare yourself for meeting a stranger carrying your child? "It was just surreal. And I held my composure until we heard the heartbeat in the scan for the first time. "A week later, at 39 weeks, we get a call from the pregnancy co-ordinator saying 'get into the hospital, she's in labour'." Davison said they rushed to the hospital and were present in the room for their baby's birth. "We walked in and she was crowning. My mom was there too...she pushed me as the surrogate was pushing the baby. "I was pushed over and Sophia came out and I was handed the scissors and I cut her cord. How could you prepare yourself for watching a stranger give birth to your child? "It was just the most surreal, terrifying, emotional, amazing experience. I think about it every day." Davison said she had "a big mash" of emotions on the day. "Watching this woman, this amazing woman - I can never thank her enough - giving birth to the child, it was the moment we'd been thinking about for years and wishing for and hoping for and I was balling my eyes out. "I just turned to our surrogate and just said 'thank you, thank you, thank you'. "The poor girl was exhausted as you would be after giving birth. "I think about it, as I said, every day. I can't believe we experienced it." Last January, Davison told the Irish Examiner: "Everything seems to take twice as long with a hungry newborn to feed around the clock, but motherhood has been amazing so far." Speaking about the birth, she said: "Watching Sophia being born and cutting her umbilical cord was the most overwhelming, emotional and terrifying experience. "Our lives are all about her now." Fringe right-wing group Hindu Sena said on Saturday that it has called off their proposed protest against the ongoing anti-CAA stir at Shaheen Bagh. In a statement, the Hindu Sena said that police pressured them to call off their peaceful protest on Sunday. It also claimed that their national president Vishnu Gupta was "illegally detained". However, police said that no one was detained and the organisation called off their protest after a conversation with senior officials. Shaheen Bagh, near Jamia Millia Islamia, has been a protest venue for a section of people opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens since December 15 last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A resident of Kannur district, who was quarantined in Ernakulam Medical College after showing symptoms of pneumonia, passed away on Friday midnight. Body fluid samples of Jainesh, from Payyannur in Kannur, were tested at the Institute of Virology in Alappuzha for both H1N1 and coronavirus. The result of his first sample was negative while that of the second was awaited. ''Jainesh's body fluid samples, which were tested at the Institute of Virology in Alappuzha, returned negative for both H1N1 and coronavirus. The result of the second sample is awaited,'' Ganesh Mohan, a resident medical officer at the medical college, told ANI. Thirty-six-year-old Jainesh, who had arrived from Malaysia, was kept on a ventilator following pneumonia. He had landed at Kochi airport yesterday at 1 am and thereafter, he was taken to the medical college. Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas had visited the patient at the hospital on Friday. At the time of his death, Jainesh's blood sugar was high, Mohan added. Jainesh was working in Malaysia for two and a half years. The global coronavirus toll is over 2,800. China, where the outbreak originated, is the worst hit, with more than 78,000 cases and over 2,700 fatalities. Symptoms of infection range in severity from respiratory problems to cases of pneumonia, kidney failure, and a buildup of fluid in the lungs. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international health emergency and said the global risk level remains high. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) IGNOU OPENMAT 2020: Online application process for IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 has begun. NTA will conduct the OPENMAT XLVII for admission to management (MBA) programme on April 29. The online application process will close on March 23. Candidates can apply online at https://ignouexams.nta.nic.in/ NTA will release the IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 admit card on April 9. It will be a computer based test. Educational Qualification: Any graduate (including Chartered Accountancy/Cost Accountancy/Company Secretaryship) with 50% marks for general category/45% for reserved category as per government of India rules. (In case of grading system, students should ensure that his/her CGPA should meet the eligibility percentage requirement). Direct link to apply for IGNOU OPENMAT 2020 Exam Pattern: The OPENMAT Entrance Exam consists of four tests (Sections): Test 1 comprises of 30 questions of General Awareness, Test II consists of 50 questions of English language, Test III is of Quantitative Aptitude which consists of 50 questions, and Test IV is of Reasoning consisting of 70 questions. All these tests will be conducted in one session of 3 hours. The total number of questions for all the four tests is 200 and each question carries 1 mark. There is no negative marking for wrong answers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nandini Nandini is a content producer for careers and education section at HT Delhi. She has an experience of four years in journalism covering health, lifestyle and crime beats. ...view detail Former senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Seat in the upper legislative chamber, Senator Shehu Sani on friday, hinted that the fast growing poverty leading to higher rate of begging in the north was due to social injustice and the systemic failure of political leaders of the region. Sani, an activist insisted that the poverty ravaging the region cannot be addressed by legislation. The former lawmaker in a statement on Friday said, Begging in the Northern part of Nigeria is a direct result of poverty, neglect, social, cultural and religious factors. The Northern political leaders should understand that it is impossible to compose a paradise without beggars in a hell they created over the years. Beggars are tragic victims and direct result of a nation failed by its successive governing elites. You cant end begging without ending poverty and illiteracy. You can arrest beggars but you cant end begging as long as the social, cultural, political and economic factors that contribute to begging exist. he explained CARBONDALE Southern Illinois University Carbondale commemorates Womens History Month 2020 in March with events recognizing the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The month-long celebration, Valiant Women of the Vote: Celebrating 100 years of Womens Right to Vote features guest speakers, workshops, inspirational performances, a leadership retreat and other special events. The official kick-off was Monday in Morris Librarys John C. Guyon Auditorium. Carmen Suarez, an assistant professor of practice in educational administration and higher education focusing on diversity and inclusion, is the special guest speaker. Suarez, a Chicago native, is a triple alumna of SIU Carbondale, earning her bachelors degree in history, a masters degree in medieval history and a doctorate in higher education administration. Suarezs career has included a number of roles involving diversity, inclusion and equity at several universities, where she has worked to make school environments more welcoming to students of diverse backgrounds. Her work at SIU included serving as the affirmative action officer, Hispanic community liaison, assistant dean of the School of Law Career Services Office, interim assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management, and director of the Office of Diversity and Equity. Suarez earned a number of awards at SIU including the Lindell W. Sturgis Public Service Award in 2006 and the Outstanding Administrative and Professional Staff Award in 2008. She went on to serve in various administrative positions at the University of Idaho and Portland State University before returning to her Midwest roots and SIU Carbondale. Suarez has also served on the board of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. Suarez said her greatest satisfaction has come from raising her daughter, being an adviser for student groups and working with students, especially those from underrepresented populations. Refreshments will follow her presentation. An interactive presentation, How to Succeed in Graduate School: The Role of Conferences in Building a Diverse Network will focus on the importance of networking and conferences to understanding your chosen career and being successful. Kimberly Turner, a doctoral student in political science, will lead the event at noon on Wednesday, March 4, in Student Services Building Room 150. Prepare to be inspired at the I AM/ YO SOY: Womxn of the World Performance Celebration, set for 6:30 p.m. on March 24. Hosted by Erikah Lewis, a WDBX 91.1 FM radio personality, this program in the Student Center Auditorium will feature live, impactful female performances of poetry, music, spoken word and other art forms. The focus is on women and their stories from yesteryear and today. Refreshments will follow. A variety of other activities will also take place throughout the month, including: Redefining Success: Annual Womens Leadership Retreat. This March 20-21 event at Touch of Nature Environmental Center connects women for a weekend of leadership enrichment, personal development and interactive discussions. The $15 registration fee covers activities, meals, overnight lodging and transportation from the Student Center (if needed). Register online by March 13. Rhetoric and Reality: A Century of Votes for Women. The 7 p.m. March 23 Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture by Christina Wolbrecht in Guyon Auditorium will explore the story of women and voting. Wolbrecht is director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy and teaches political science at the University of Notre Dame. She will discuss popular misunderstandings about womens voting records. Womens Luncheon: Visionary Women (Dreams, Goals and Destiny) noon, March 31 in the Student Centers Old Main Room. RSVP to vtaylor@siu.edu by March 16. Other events scheduled include: The College Panhellenic Associations Circle of Sisterhood Week, Monday through Friday, March 2-6. The Celebrate Women: Honoring Inclusive Excellence event on March 18 with Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza as keynote speaker. Professional Womens Networking Event on March 19 in Becker Pavilion. A lecture by former Illinois U.S. Senator Carol Mosely Braun at 6 p.m., March 25, in the Student Center Auditorium. Performances of The Muses are Calling, March 26-28, in the Kleinau Theatre. All events are open to the public. All activities are free with the exception of the Celebrate Women event, womens retreat and the theater performance. Find the complete schedule of events and additional information about Womens History Month 2020 on the Student Multicultural Resource Center website, smrc.siu.edu. Contact Samantha Patterson, SMRC graduate assistant, at 618/453-3740 or by email at wrc@siu.edu with questions. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A Lake Oswego elementary school employee came down with Oregons first apparent case of coronavirus. The school, Forest Hills Elementary School, is now closed through Wednesday for a deep cleaning, a school district spokeswoman said. Officials said Saturday the employee likely had little contact with students. The school has 430 students and 25 teachers. It serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. News of the diagnosis spread quickly across the metro area, canceling numerous activities for school-age children in its wake, particularly in Lake Oswego, a suburb to the south of Portland. The patient lives in Washington County and is hospitalized in isolation at a Hillsboro medical center, Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center. On Saturday, school officials held a news conference. They said they decided to close the school until March 4 to allow for a deep cleaning of the school, for employees to rest and remain healthy and for the recommended 14-day period to elapse. The closure was done out of an abundance of caution. Read more. Before the case was confirmed Friday, Oregons top health officials said the immediate coronavirus risk to Oregonians is low but people still should use their understandable concerns about the global outbreak to take precautions. That means planning for a two-week stay at home in case a quarantine becomes necessary, having an adequate store of food and supplies and practicing good hygiene, said Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen. The bottom line is, make sure you and your family are prepared, Allen said after briefing to lawmakers on the House Committee on Health Care in Salem. Planning for a two-week stay at home in case a quarantine becomes necessary COVID-19: A basic disaster kit should have supplies for two weeks if youre hunkering down in your home. The new coronavirus is spreading rapidly around the world, and federal officials said this week the disease is bound to proliferate in the United States, as well. The patient hadnt been under monitoring for coronavirus symptoms and doesnt appear to have traveled to any of the countries with outbreaks or have associated with anyone who did, Oregon Health Authority officials said. That means the person could have caught the disease from someone in the community. Also Saturday, officials announced a person in Washington state had died from the virus. This is the first death in the U.S. associated with the outbreak. Though Fred Kaplans new book The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War is, for the most part, a history of bureaucratic paperwork, it is, nevertheless, terrifying. It chronicles American war-gaming, as it played out on desks in the White House, the Pentagon, and Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha, Neb., with real-world stakes: the potential obliteration of life on this planet. And as Kaplan, Slates national-security correspondent, makes clear in his fine, impressively researched book, those stakes are still with us. The bomb in this books title is the nuclear bomb, a weapon that has become increasingly powerful since relatively crude nuclear devices were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. The subsequent Cold War was a catalyst for the evolving sophistication of nuclear weapons and nuclear-war strategies this despite the fact that most of the civilians involved in nuclear policies, including presidents since Truman, even the so-called hawks, were horrified at the prospect of nuclear warfare. A grave lesson of this book is that possessing a huge nuclear stockpile creates a diabolical paradox: Adding to that stockpile might not deter an enemy state from starting a nuclear war; it could conceivably precipitate one. It was members of the armed-forces elite, with some exceptions, who seemed determined to control nuclear strategizing which for a very long time meant preparing to decimate the Soviet Union and foster the creation of new, more-potent weaponry. Some of this was rooted in old-fashioned turf battles between the military services: In the 1950s the Navy wanted its own nukes, in the form of the Polaris ballistic missile, tipped with a half-megaton nuclear warhead, to be fired from submarines. Even personal petulance played a role in this feuding: Admiral Arleigh Burke, the chief of naval operations in the 1950s, hated the Air Force with a passion, according to Kaplan. The Bomb doesnt indicate whether any Air Force generals similarly despised the Navy; I suspect there was no pressing need to, because their branch of the military did very well for itself when it came to influencing in effect, dominating nuclear-war policy and tactics. In 1946 the Air Force created a component called the Strategic Air Command (SAC), which planned the missions for the planes that would drop atomic bombs in the next war, writes Kaplan. SAC came to dominate not only the Air Force but the entire military establishment: its thinking, its culture, its war plans, its budgets. Story continues General Curtis LeMay became SACs second commander in 1948, and, true to form, he turned it into a first-class detachment. (He had been Americas top bombardier during World War II.) LeMay eventually became the Air Forces chief of staff its top officer in the 1960s and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There is no denying LeMays superior talent for organizing the men under his command into crack units, and Kaplan gives him his due (Kaplan is fair to everyone, which is not to say uncritical). He was also a genius at bureaucratic infighting, whether his opponents were the Navy, the Army, civilian officials in the Pentagon, or politicians and their aides. Its hard to think of another member of the military who exercised such authority in peacetime, and it is that authority that Kaplan finds unsettling, even sinister. Early in his tenure at SAC, influenced by his central role in the fire-bombing of Japan during World War II, LeMay concluded that the quickest way to destroy the Soviet war machine was to destroy the Soviet Union especially its large cities where the political leaders and military commanders and factory workers lived. LeMay was very confident of the impregnability of his autonomy: SAC headquarters was located at Offutt Air Force Base, just outside Omaha, Nebraska. . . . This remoteness from the center of political power would have put many commanders at a disadvantage, but LeMay turned isolation into a strength. It allowed him to ignore orders when they contradicted his ideas about modern warfare. LeMay was succeeded as the head of SAC by his loyal subordinate, General Thomas Power. There was a cruelty to Powers zest for bombing cities, Kaplan writes. Even LeMay privately referred to his protege as a sadist. (It is amusing, in a rather surreal way, that LeMay denounced Stanley Kubricks classic 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, a satire of nuclear mayhem, for depicting impossible he alleged cataclysmic events, since, according to a 2004 article by Kaplan in the New York Times, the loony general, portrayed by Sterling Hayden, who initiated the movies apocalyptic high jinx, was based on LeMay.) To present the complete complex history of nuclear-war planning and armaments would require a review the length of The Bomb. Therefore, I will concentrate on one motif of the book that reflects many of the authors concerns: bureaucratic machinations. The Navy obtained its Polaris missiles and the Air Force had its bomber fleets (and even Americas land-based long-range missiles) because the militarys leaders were virtuosos at exploiting bemused politicians fears of what the Soviet Union could do with its nuclear arsenal (for at least the first decade of the Cold War, not much as it turns out; the real arms race began in the 1960s), and also at interpreting government documents: The documents might initially be at odds with what the generals and admirals wanted, but the reports, memorandums, etc. were invariably transformed into what the Pentagon or a particular service branch did want (or the paperwork was simply quietly neutralized). Consider the strange history of the Single Integrated Operational Plan, SIOP, which was established in 1960. (This seems like a good time to point out that if youre a lover of government, and particularly Pentagon, acronyms, this book will satisfy your funky hunger.) Officers from all the services . . . would combine their individual nuclear war plans their lists of what weapons would be fired at what targets into the SIOP, Kaplan explains. However: The catch was that [the non-Air Force officers] would be located inside SAC headquarters, and the Director of Strategic Targeting would be the same four-star Air Force general who served as SAC commander. In short, the SIOP would be a multiservice war plan, but SAC would plan the war. Score one for the Air Force: Control of the bomb was thus transferred from the Pentagon to Omaha. The SIOP also became the battleground on which civilians and the armed forces fought like biblical exegetes warring over their sacred book. Frank Miller, a high-level civilian in the State Department and Pentagon, and one of this books good guys (he wasnt, incidentally, a dove or an advocate of disarmament), was assigned in October 1981, during the Reagan administration, to be the Pentagons director of strategic-forces policy. He discovered that while formal U.S. policy at that point contained options for controlling [nuclear conflict] escalation and limiting damage in case deterrence failed, those options were fiction; the officers in the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, the branch of SAC that actually wrote the war plans, ignored the [relevant] documents. Sometimes the Joint Chiefs helped the officers cover their tracks. Implicitly but essentially, Americas only nuclear-war policy was annihilation of the USSR. Miller and some colleagues worked assiduously to make the official policy the actual policy: The old all-out attack option, which unleashed every weapon against every target, was removed from the SIOP. It did no good, Miller would learn when George H. W. Bush was president and Dick Cheney was his secretary of defense. In 1989, Cheney, who was puzzled after a briefing about the disparity between what he thought was in the SIOP and what SAC intended to do in the case of nuclear war, ordered the military powers-that-be to cooperate with Millers new SIOP Review. Miller and his associates came to understand that SACs plan for nuclear war involved what technocrats called redundancy massive overkill (to quote Kaplan) that involved blasting targets with far more nukes than were needed. Much at SAC had changed in the 30 years since LeMays command; but . . . in its most mechanical and secret compartment, where the flight paths of doom were plotted, the old cylinders were roaring full blast on autopilot. (Millers investigation revealed that even many of the officers involved in nuclear strategizing didnt realize the full implications of what they were doing.) Kaplan sums up: The SIOP was a broken machine, the discombobulated aggregate of compartmentalized calculations. In 1991,Miller and his colleagues, with backing from Cheney and General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wound up cutting the required to destroy given targets number of U.S. strategic nuclear weapons by half from about 12,000 to 5,888. A victory for common sense? Readers will have to read The Bomb to find out what was ascertained when the Obama administration scrutinized the SIOP, and to learn how once again the hardliners successfully protected their turf. The plans laid out in the SIOP intersected a welter of other issues, many of which forced American civilian and military officials to become analysts of the psyches of the Soviets, the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Iranians, and even Americas allies. Would using tactical nuclear weapons relatively small-scale weapons designed for discrete battlefields trigger an all-out attack by an enemy on the American mainland? Would relatively limited attacks on the Soviet heartland, or on rogue nuclear states such as North Korea and Iran, circumscribe a conflict before the whole planet was destroyed? How did one calculate the number of nuclear weapons required for secondary strikes? Kaplan maintains that the Pentagons top officers werent necessarily founts of ultimate wisdom. Then again, who is? Some of the attempts to scale back from the militarys redundancy fixation are painful to read about, such as the account of a 1987 summit between President Reagan (Dating back several decades, Ronald Reagan detested nuclear weapons and . . . wanted to see them abolished) and the Soviet general secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, a summit that almost led to the elimination of strategic nuclear weapons. A tragicomic denouement, Kaplan calls the end of the affair. (Reagan and Gorbachev did subsequently sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty banning all U.S. and Soviet missiles of that type, not just in Europe but worldwide.) Nuclear decision-making didnt always incubate in offices or leadership parleys. There were a number of near real-world disasters. Most famously, the U.S. and the Soviet Union could quite conceivably have gone nuclear during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Less well known are the false alerts that occurred in the United States and the Soviet Union erroneous technological warnings of impending nuclear attacks. During President Carters last year in office, there were three such alerts in the United States during a two-week span. An especially chilling false-alert incident occurred on September 26, 1983. The USSR was the recipient of this alert, and Kaplan notes that if the Soviets chief air defense officer hadnt concluded that the radars had to be mistaken . . . World War III might have started that day. Kaplan is the author of five previous books, including Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, which is also quite good. The Bombs subject is convoluted, but Kaplan has done an admirable job of unraveling the minutiae and esoterica and writing a lucid, absorbing narrative. I have two cavils. I think the author ought to have devoted some space to scrutinizing a possible (not-implausible) future scenario: hackers a government, terrorists, criminals infiltrating a nuclear-launch system and commencing a war for any or no reason. And he ought to have discussed how the possibility of nuclear cataclysm has pervaded American society. (Im old enough to remember how, when I was a kid in elementary school, students were drilled to prepare for a Soviet nuclear attack by ducking under desks and into halls. Naturally, the drills were a fatuous waste of time.) A recent New York Times article (Trump Budget Calls for New Nuclear Warheads and 2 Types of Missiles) reports that the Trump administration wants to create a new submarine-launched nuclear warhead and another new nuclear warhead, a redesign of a 40-year-old thermonuclear weapon, for ground-based missiles. The disquieting game continues. More from National Review LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Three former Barclays executives were acquitted in London on Friday of charges they helped funnel 322 million pounds ($418 million) in secret fees to Qatar in return for rescue financing during the credit crisis. In a sharp blow for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), a jury cleared Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris, and Richard Boath of fraud. The men, aged between 61 and 64, denied any wrongdoing. Qatar, a major investor in Britain and still a significant Barclays shareholder, was neither investigated nor accused of wrongdoing. (Reporting By Kirstin Ridley Editing by Rachel Armstrong) Following the superb response to this week's historical talk at Kilkenny Home Rule Club, plans are afoot to schedule more in the coming months. The emphasis of these talks will primarily be centered around the social and political history of the local region. Already lined up to speak are the following: March 24 - Eoin Swithin Walsh: The War of Independence in Kilkenny As Swithin Walsh writes, usually the only mention of Kilkenny in the history books concerned with this era refers to the capture of Ernie OMalley, an IRA HQ officer, by crown forces in Inistioge during the War of Independence. However, this does not come close to understanding the widespread impact of the War of Independence in Kilkenny. April 28 - Niamh OSullivan: Wolfe Tone, Anne Devlin and Sarah Curran Tone was adopted by the Young Ireland movement of the 1840s as an iconic figure, the father of Irish republicanism. Anne Devlin was an Irish republican famous for her involvement with the United Irishmen. Sarah Curran was the great love of the Irish patriot Robert Emmet. All talks will commence at 8.30 pm, admission fee is 5 - mark the dates - more to be announced! This article, Amazon removes 1 million products claiming to cure coronavirus, originally appeared on CNET.com. As a novel coronavirus continues to spread globally, Amazon is clamping down on merchants looking to take advantage of people's fears about the virus. The online retail giant removed more than 1 million listings for items claiming to cure or defend against the coronavirus, according to a report from Reuters on Thursday. The company also said it removed thousands of items from merchants for price gouging. "There is no place for price gouging on Amazon," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement Friday. "We are disappointed that bad actors are attempting to artificially raise prices on basic need products during a global health crisis and, in line with our long-standing policy, have recently blocked or removed tens of thousands of offers. We continue to actively monitor our store and remove offers that violate our policies." The virus was first reported on Dec. 31 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Since then, more than 89,000 people have been infected worldwide, with more than 3,000 deaths. Cases have been reported around the world, with notable outbreaks in countries including Japan, South Korea and Italy. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health produced the first 3D map of the coronavirus earlier this month. This will help in developing a vaccine, which the US National Institutes of Health says is a year or more away. Facebook is another company putting its foot down on false cures. The social media company said Tuesday it'll remove ads touting cures for the virus. Originally published Feb. 28. 6:59 a.m. PT. Update, 10:25 a.m. PT: Adds additional background info. March 2: Adds Amazon statement. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives. A federal appeals court Friday blocked a key asylum policy of Donald Trump's administration which has forced many applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed, delivering a blow to the US president's signature crackdown on migration at the southern border. The policy, known as 'Remain in Mexico,' has been used to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America back to Mexico, but was placed on hold by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The ruling was delivered as families in El Paso, Texas were delivering testimony on their asylum cases. As one father held his daughter's hand while they were led to a guarded van, they learned that they would not be deported from the United States. A federal appeals court Friday blocked a key asylum policy of Donald Trump's administration which has forced many applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed. The ruling was delivered as families in El Paso, Texas were delivering testimony on their asylum cases The policy, known as 'Remain in Mexico,' has been used to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America back to Mexico, but was placed on hold by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. As one father held his daughter's hand while they were led to a guarded van, they learned that they would not be deported from the United States Immigration guards finish loading a van of asylum seekers after some learned they would not be deported to Mexico The court ruled that the policy 'is invalid in its entirety' under US law concerning migrant rights and UN refugee protocols, and should be blocked 'in its entirety.' The White House blasted the ruling, warning it could 'flood the nation's immigration system' and 'present unchecked coronavirus entry risk.' The San Francisco court had originally allowed the policy to go ahead last year, pending the appeal, overruling a district judge who had ruled against the measure. The district judge had heard evidence that migrants returned to Mexico under the policy faced discrimination, physical violence, sexual assault, corruption and lack of food and shelter. Over 60,000 people have been returned to Mexico under the program since it was introduced in January 2019, according to the White House. The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the groups that challenged the policy in court, welcomed the ruling Friday. 'The court forcefully rejected the Trump administration's assertion that it could strand asylum seekers in Mexico and subject them to grave danger,' said attorney Judy Rabinovitz in a statement. 'It's time for the administration to follow the law and stop putting asylum seekers in harm's way.' 'The policy is facially and flatly illegal,' tweeted Harvard Law School constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe. Trump's White House blasted the ruling, warning it could 'flood the nation's immigration system' and 'present unchecked coronavirus entry risk' Trump promised to build a wall along most of the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border during his White House campaign But a Department of Justice spokesman said the Trump administration had 'acted faithfully' and slammed the ruling which 'highlights the consequences and impropriety of nationwide injunctions.' The court's decision 'not only ignores the Constitutional authority of Congress and the administration for a policy in effect for over a year, but also extends relief beyond the parties before the court.' The White House said it was 'considering all available legal options to seek further review of this decision,' and called the asylum policy 'hugely successful.' The number of detained migrants soared in recent years as hundreds of thousands of people, mostly from Central America, poured into the United States, with many seeking asylum. A crackdown including the 'Remain in Mexico' policy has seen border apprehensions plunge in recent months. The figure stood at fewer than 37,000 last month, from more than 58,000 a year earlier. But Refugee International warned Friday that the asylum policy 'means the difference between life and death' for migrants 'cruelly pushed into harm and deprivation in Mexico.' In a separate ruling Friday, the same appeals court also struck down the Trump policy of blocking anyone entering illegally without going through an official port of entry from applying for asylum. 'Together, the two decisions represent a significant setback for the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum applications,' said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor. 'This issue is surely headed to the Supreme Court,' he added. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Maldivian Speaker of Parliament and former President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday said that India has always respected Maldives' sovereignty and treated it as an equal. The former President lauded the Indian government saying that it has never happened that a project initiated by New Delhi had become a debt trap. Speaking at the Ideas Conclave in Gujarat, Nasheed said that India's actions have ever been a threat to the Maldives or any of its neighbours. "Many superpowers have risen, empires rise and fall and now we see India on the rise. As India rises and attains the status of a superpower. We do not see how India's actions have ever been a threat to the Maldives or any of its neighbours. India has always respected our sovereignty and always treated us as equals, however small we are," said Nasheed. India-Maldives relations refer to a long time bilateral relations between both countries. This relationship has been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. Almost all the Prime Ministers of India have visited the Maldives during their tenure. Furthermore, the former President heaped praises over the Indian government and said that Indian projects in the Maldives are transparent. "The Maldives now has a democratic government and now with Indian assistance, it is all very different. Indian projects in the Maldives are transparent and everyone knows what is going on. Everybody knows the price of it. Indian projects tendered by the Government of India are transparent. It is very rare, it has almost never happened that any of these have become a debt trap. I like India rising," he said. Maldives' Speaker of Parliament & Former President Mohamed Nasheed at India Ideas Conclave 2020 in Gujarat: We've another superpower coming to the Indian Ocean - China. Unfortunately, the manner in which this superpower is treating the Indian Ocean islands is very very different. https://t.co/nHxpZh2ccu ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2020 However, Nasheed voiced concerns over the rise of China in the Indian Ocean and said, "We've another superpower coming to the Indian Ocean - China. Unfortunately, the manner in which this superpower is treating the Indian Ocean islands is very, very different". READ: Coronavirus: Maldives' President Solih thanks India for evacuating 7 Maldivians from Wuhan READ: PM Modi thanks Maldives president Solih for Republic Day wishes India and Maldives sign four MoUs In a recent development, India and Maldives signed five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on February 2, 2020. The objective of this MoU is to establish the Addu tourism zone on the five islands of Addu Atoll in the Maldives. High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir, Addu City Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed this agreement. India was one of the first countries to recognise the Maldives as an independent nation. India established its diplomatic mission in Male in 1972, the capital of Maldives. READ: EAM S Jaishankar thanks Maldivian and Lithuanian counterparts for Republic Day wishes READ: Coronavirus: India rescues 7 Maldivians in Wuhan, Foreign Minister expresses gratitude Alarm bells are ringing in the Balearic Tourism Sector after the cancellation of the Internationale Tourismus-Borse in Berlin over the spread of coronavirus. The ITB is the biggest tourism trade fair in the world with representatives from 10,000 companies in more than 180 countries attending every year and the event draws upwards of 150,000 visitors. Businesses in the Balearic Islands are deeply concerned about the financial impact the cancellation will have on the summer season. There is no awareness of the problem that is coming at tourist level for Majorca and the rest of the Islands, said the President of the Hotel Association of Palma & Cala Mayor, Javier Vich. Earlier this week the Hotel Associaition pointed out that bookings are lower than average for the summer season and that cancellations are already trickling in because of fears over Covid-19 virus. The Government said it regretted the cancellation of the ITB, which it called a vital issuing market for the Balearic Islands and the Minister of Treball & Tourism, Iago Negueruela, is meeting Tourist Agents and Councillors on Monday to discuss the impact the suspension of the German fair is likely to have. Minister Negueruela has also spoken to the Directors of the Spanish Tourism Offices in Germany to find out if theres been any change in the number of German holiday bookings in the Balearic Islands this summer. Local Enterprise Week Louth gets underway on Monday March 2, and Louth County Council's Local Enterprise Office (LEO) have put together a great programme of free events to help locals to start, plan and grow their business. The week gets underway with an innovative half-day seminar focussing on efficiency, productivity, profitability and growth. Hok sted by Noel Davidson and Muireann Fitzmauirce of The Entrepreneurs Academy, this session is for any business owner who really wants to drive growth." Louth's students take centre stage at the Louth County Finals of the Student Enterprise Awards on Tuesday when students from post-primary schools across the county compete for a place in the National Finals in Croke Park in May. Miriam Simon will deliver a high energy seminar for retailers called 'Bricks & Clicks' in Drogheda (Monday) and Dundalk (Wednesday) focusing on practical, innovative ideas that retailers can apply in store and online to drive sales. Anyone thinking of starting a business can join Sarah Maguire for 'Could You Be Your Own Boss', two evening seminars in Dundalk (Monday) and Drogheda (Wednesday) for lots of practical advice about getting started. Business owners thinking of taking on new staff can discover the range of supports available at the 'Employment Incentives' lunch on Wednesday in Dundalk. The highly popular, Business Advice Clinics take place on Thursday in Omeath, Ardee and Dunleer in addition to the weekly clinics in Dundalk on Tuesday and Drogheda Thursday. These free, 50 minute one-to-one clinics are designed to help business owners overcome their own individual challenges." In celebration of International Women's Day and Local Enterprise Week, the women of Network Louth host an evening seminar in The Mill Enterprise Hub. Drogheda with guest speakers Deborah Somorin and Siobhan Sweeney addressing the theme of Stepping Up and Driving Change. The highlight of the week will be the Louth County Final of the National Enterprise Awards at The Monasterboice Inn, when the company that will go forward to represent Louth at the National Enterprise Awards Finals in The Mansion House Dublin in May will be revealed. Hosted by LMFM's Gerry Kelly, the event alsos feature a keynote address by Sonia Deasy of Pestle and Mortar, winner of the 2019 National Enterprise Award. Everyone is welcome to attend but pre-booking is essential. For full details of Louth Local Enterprise Week visit www.localenterprise.ie/louth Three former Bolivian directors arrested in Mexico, Belize plane drug trafficking ring Bolivia With the arrest of three officials, a whole network of drug traffickers has been discovered in high-ranking positions in Bolivia. Former directors of high ranking positions include that of the Administracion de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares a la Navegacion Aerea (AASANA) of the Guayaramerin Airport in Bolivia. The three arrested men have been accused of controlled substance trafficking, criminal association and conspiracy. Those arrested have been named as Peter Nasser, Clemente Martinez and Antonio Araujo, all of whom are in Palmasola prison. They include two former directors of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and one former director from the Special Force for the Fight Against Drug Trafficking of Bolivia. During their network investigation, authorities report the seizure of two planes as well as various documents in which names and data of possible accomplices appear. Their arrests follow the seizure of a plane that landed in Mahahual (Mexico) in January of this year. During that raid, two pilots were taken into Mexican military custody. The two pilots arrested were identified as Bolivian nationals Aldo Lopez Matienzo and Miguel Angel Blazquez Vallejos. Bolivian authorities say their investigations continue since they suspect there are additional people linked to the drug trafficking network. Above the citys busiest subway station, the Hudsons Bay at Bloor and Yonge streets is deadly quiet. A few people walk in from the underground concourse to have a look at the mens winter clearance shirts, an affordable rack of out-of-season yellows, purples and greens. Nearby, there is a table of full-priced spring sweaters. Once carefully folded, theyve been left in a heap by someone looking for the right size. Its Thursday afternoon and a shopper in a purple parka stands over a table of polo shirts, mildly frustrated. She had picked up a light blue one from a clearance rack only to be told by a staff member that this table, right here, was its true, full-priced home. She balks at giving her name, but describes herself as a Bay shopper since forever, finding its quality better than the now-vanished rival Sears, with the exception of appliances. She likes the Bloor and Yonge location because its quiet so quiet she wonders if it will be around much longer. Look, its dead, she says, motioning to the racks of mens active wear with few active men in sight. It seems inconceivable that a company poised to celebrate its 350th anniversary a company integral to Canadas founding fabric might one day disappear. Yet loyal shoppers couldnt help but fear the worst when news spread last week of the money-losing iconic companys latest sale. On Thursday, Hudson Bay Co. executive chairman Richard Baker won shareholder approval to take the retailer private, ending a battle with a Toronto-based minority shareholder group that dragged on for months. The $2-billion transaction is expected to be finalized next week. It leaves Baker and his allies in the buyout to freely reshape a company that in the second quarter of 2019 lost close to $1 billion. The fear among loyal Bay watchers and shoppers is that Baker, who co-owns one of the largest real estate development companies in the U.S., is now free to sell HBCs valuable real estate, which includes 90 Bay stores in Canada, most of them in prime locations. HBC has 250 stores and 30,000 employees across its Hudsons Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th brands. Baker, the companys American governor since 2008, spoke only of launching new websites for online sales and reinvesting in the company after his privatization victory. Sure, Canadians have seen other trusted department stores disappear Eatons, Simpsons and Zellers, to name a few. But none came close to the historical heft of the Hudsons Bay Co., the oldest company in North America. Whatever Baker and his co-owners do with it, HBC loyalists like Ottawa historian Mark Bourrie hope they understand the value of what theyve got. The history of the Hudsons Bay Co. and the history of Canada are interconnected, says Bourrie, also a lawyer and the author of Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, on the 17th-century wild man who co-founded HBC. The event that perhaps captures this connection most vividly, Bourrie adds, is the last spike for the Canadian Pacific Railway, driven in 1885 by Donald Smith, a director and largest shareholder of HBC, who was soon to become its governor. (Smith was also director of the CPR at the time.) Radissons entrepreneurial coup in the late 1600s was to cut out the middlemen in the fur trade and deal directly with Cree trappers, Bourrie says. He and another French fur trader got support in England from Prince Rupert, cousin of King Charles II, and several merchants to invest in ships from Hudson Bay filled with furs. It quickly became a lucrative business. Felt hats made from beaver fur were de rigueur in Europe. If you had any sort of claim to be upper-middle-class or upper-class, you had to have a beaver hat, Bourrie says. And as most school kids know, a royal charter was proclaimed on May 2, 1670, giving the Governor and company of adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay exclusive trading rights to Ruperts Land, a territory so vast it was eventually divided among five provinces, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. In return, the company had to pay a rent to the Crown of two elk pelts and two black beavers whenever royalty set foot on the territory. The last time this occurred was in 1970, when the Queen received two beavers frolicking in a water tank. Bourrie speculates that were it not for the British-backed companys claims to Western Canada, the Americans would have pulled a Texas on us a reference to the 1840s war that saw Mexico lose a large chunk of what is now the American southwest. For the Indigenous trappers HBC relied on, the trade was a mixed blessing, says Arthur Ray, professor emeritus of history at the University of British Columbia. Along with the guns, pots, foodstuffs and the now-iconic point blankets, which were bartered for furs at HBC trading posts, came smallpox, measles, whooping cough and all sorts of diseases they hadnt had to deal, Ray notes. After Confederation, the company sold Ruperts Land to the Canadian government for 300,000 pounds and a swath of the fertile areas to be opened for settlement. HBC quickly became a major land developer in Western Canada. It got into the oil and gas business in 1926, and by then had six flagship stores across the West, including what is now a grand heritage building in the heart of Winnipeg. Ray walked into the Winnipeg store for the first time in 1965. He grew up in Wisconsin, where he studied the early years of the French fur trade in that state before moving to Winnipeg to teach and continue graduate work. It was impressive, Ray says of the store. It had a grand dining room on the top floor and a wonderful gourmet food section. Now its kind of a sad discount store. In the basement, you might find some canned sardines. That store manifests the trouble theyre having, adds Ray, author of the 1990 book The Fur Trade in the Industrial Age, largely dealing with HBCs 19th- and 20th-century history. Winnipeg is also home to the Hudson Bay Co. archives, an enormous collection detailing the first 250 years of the companys history. In 2007, UNESCO included the documents in its Memory of the World Register, which helps preserve records deemed significant to the worlds heritage. Ray, who has acted as an expert witness in Indigenous land claim cases, says the economic information contained in HBCs records has been used to bolster Indigenous claims in several cases. Metis visual artist Rosalie Favell and others have used the records to track their ancestry. Favell, who is based in Ottawa, traced her lineage to a white Englishman named John Favel (who spelled his surname with a single L) in the late 1700s. HBC sent Favel to work in the Moose Factory settlement in what is now Ontario. There, he did what many white men did had children with an Indigenous woman. The Cree womans name was Tittameg, a detail preserved in files by the trading companys clerks. Favell also learned that, unlike other fur traders who returned to their English wife and children, John Favel remained here when he retired. Im very grateful to Hudson Bay for their meticulous record-keeping said Favell, noting it allowed her to accurately capture her Cree roots through Tittameg. For me, that heritage is significant and formative of what weve come to know as the Metis Nation. Favells 1999 artwork I Awoke to Find My Spirit Had Returned shows her in a scene from The Wizard of Oz, covered in a striped Hudson Bays point blanket, with Louis Riel peering at her through the bedroom window. Also in Winnipeg, the editor-in-chief of Canadas History magazine, Mark Reid, is putting the finishing touches on a special edition to commemorate HBCs 350th anniversary in May. The magazine was founded by HBC in 1920 under the name The Beaver, and became an independent non-profit in 1994. Among the stories in the special HBC edition is one on the role department stores played in the early days of the womens rights movement. There were few places in the early 1900s where women could go without their husbands or a chaperone, Reid says. Department stores became where women could gather without male overseers and talk about the unfairness of not being allowed to vote, Reid says. It really was a place where a lot of the women were able to organize and come together to talk about equal rights. Reid isnt blind to HBCs challenging economic prospects. But he points to another story in his special edition, one that recounts several episodes in its history when the company overcame looming disaster. If any company can find a way to navigate the 21st centurys retail transition away from bricks and mortar, Reid says, Id put my money on HBC because it has a track record of survival that has lasted 350 years. In downtown Toronto, at the Hudsons Bay flagship store at Queen and Yonge streets, its the end of a workday and a rush of commuters filter through the gleaming underground concourse, with its mosaic tilework and fancy scones, meatballs and gelato on offer at the Saks Food Hall. One Bay staffer says he is wary of privatization, but hell wait and see what happens. Another directs all questions to media relations. There are more people here than at the Yonge and Bloor store, and a generally younger clientele. Still, the upper floors are quiet. A couple is sitting on a bench on the third floor, near the Room, a luxury womens department where you can buy a cheetah-print blazer for $2,665. As long as they dont make a Target out of it, says the woman, when asked what the future might hold for Canadas oldest company. Dont go cheap. WHITE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)Dozens of people gathered at Indiana Beach in hopes of saving a staple in their community. It's still hard for people to fathom the closing of a place many called home. "Indiana Beach is closing for good and there's nothing I can do about it, said Dustin Sprunger. But I was wrong, there was something I could do about it." Monticello native Dustin Sprunger had no idea that his online petition to save Indiana Beach would get over 40,000 signatures and create a powerful noise of heart heavy community members. Over 200 people traveled miles to create a voice as big as their passion. "We have so many memories and to see it go is probably one of the saddest things I've dealt with in a long time, said Carry Degraffshirley who traveled from Michigan. "I've been coming here since the 70s, said Raquel Watson who traveled from Chicago. It's just been a childhood thing that we do every single year." Indiana Beach was also a place for community outreach. For 26 years Cindy Holt & other seasonal campers would hold a Haunted House, donating all of the proceeds to the White County food pantry. After raising over $4,000 dollars last year. She's especially sad to see Indiana Beach close. "We spend all of our summer here, said Holt. We want to give back to community that welcomes us so much. You know it is the right thing to do, it's the right thing to do." Jodella Overman, from Indianapolis, was especially passionate. She said families who didn't have a lot of money could visit Indiana Beach with no worries. "We know it's not like Six Flags or Kings Island, said Overman. But you can't go to them places with little means. You can come here and bring all your kids, your grandkids the whole family." "There's more than corn in Indiana, said Overman. And it is Indiana Beach, Lake Shafer." Ask any American to list the rights enshrined by the United States Constitution and they'll be awfully quick to tell you the first two. Hell, take a drive on any freeway in America and you'll see a couple of bumper stickers supporting the right to free speech and right to bear arms. Then, there's the third amendment, which states, "no soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." It remains the least controversial amendment in the Constitution and is rarely litigated. To date, there has never been a Supreme Court ruling that has used the third for the basis of a decision. Today, the idea of troops seizing and occupying a U.S. citizen's home sounds absurd. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case back when the Constitution was written. In 1765, the British Parliament needed to shelter their troops as they fought in the French and Indian War. So, the Crown did what they liked to do and made a decision that benefited British troops. They enacted the Quartering Acts of 1765, which stated that inns, stables, taverns, and wineries were required to house troops at the discretion of a British officer. Troops were allowed to take as they pleased, which would run taverns and wineries dry. The cost of quartering troops would often fall on the shoulders of local business owners. Eventually, their expenses were reimbursed by colonial authorities not the British government. Soon, British troops started taking refuge in private homes. Without fear of penalty, they could barge into your house, kick you out of your bed, take your food, and tell you that you'd (maybe) be paid back in a few months. Emphasis on the "maybe." (Hessian troops in British pay in the US war of independence, C. Ziegler After Conrad Gessner, 1799) To the colonists, this was a headache, but at least there was a reason for it for a time. After the French and Indian War ended, the British troops continued to use private residences. Many returned to their own fortifications, but many others continued to exploit the Quartering Acts for their own gain. This, coupled with the fact that the colonists were still paying for a foreign standing Army for no discernible reason, fostered resentment towards the British by many Americans. Then, the Boston Tea Party happened. The Brits saw a rebellion brewing and enacted the Quartering Acts of 1774. This time around, it clearly gave all British troops the right to occupy any building they saw fit without any obligation to reimburse the owner. Taking colonists' homes was so despicable that Washington and his men would rather freeze than stoop to the Brits' level. (Washington's Army as it marches toward Valley Forge, William Trego, 1777) Most colonists weren't personally affected by the tea tax and were simply inconvenienced by the stamp tax. Having Brits come into your home without warning or cause and being forced to give them whatever they pleased, however, was the straw that broke many colonists' back. When the dust settled and the American colonists became American citizens, one of the concerns they voiced most was that something like the Quartering Acts never happen again. And it became so when it was enshrined in the Bill of Rights and became the Third Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. While everyone argues about everything else in politics, at least we can all agree that this was an amazing right. (Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear) MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY: Why the 'Good Cookie' isn't a guaranteed medal This flight student's first attempt to land on an aircraft carrier ended in disaster What did it sound like to land at Iwo Jima? 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. Central Expressway: Govt. looks for foreign investor By Damith Wickremasekara Treasury bonds and debentures also to be used; Japan, China deals scrapped View(s): View(s): The Government is to raise more than Rs 600 billion by way of foreign loans, Treasury Bonds or debentures for the completion of the Central Expressway project after deciding to leave out Japan and China countries which initially negotiated to fund parts of the project. Despite the adverse economic situation which has prompted the Government to put on hold several mega projects, the Cabinet this week approved the proposal to raise funding for the projects which are overdue by more than five years. For the Dambulla-Kurunegala stretch spanning 60 Km, the former government was banking on a loan from Chinas Exim Bank, but due to a delay in release of the loan and with indications that it would take another three more years, the Government has decided to look for a foreign investor with a loan amounting to Rs 168 billion. We have some proposals for this loan, but will consider new proposals as well for this part of the project, a senior Treasury official said. For the 32-km Pothuhera-Galagedara stretch, the Expressways third phase project costing Rs 165 billion, the former government was depending on a loan from Japan, but due to a delay caused by the imposition of stringent conditions the Government has decided to look for other investors. Among the conditions was that in the event of a dispute, Sri Lanka would have to file action in a Japanese court. For phase one of the project between Kadawatha and Mirigama, covering a distance of 37.9 km, China has already approved US$ one billion, but the Government has so far not been able to raise its component of Rs 32 billion to activate the loan. For this part of the project, the Government plans to issue Treasury Bonds and debentures or bank on a foreign loan. For phase two covering a 39.2 km stretch from Mirigama to Kurunegala, the Government hopes to follow a similar scheme for funds. The Government needs Rs 40 billion to pay up local contractors involved in the project. Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also decided to raise foreign funding for the Ruwanpura expressway project between Kahathuduwa and Ratnapura. Delhis police commissioner Amulya Patnaik retires on Saturday after a 35-year career, of which he would want to forget the last five months. Four days before his retirement, on Tuesday, the Union government, in a sudden move brought back SN Shrivastava, Patnaiks batch mate (AGMUT cadre, 1985) from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to stop the raging communal riot in Delhi. AGMUT stands for the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory. Shrivastava was asked to join immediately. By evening, he was on the riot-torn streets of north-east Delhi along with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval; Patnaik, who had not visited the riot-hit areas over the previous two days, was in police headquarters, 12km away. Senior police officers in the force say that this is the first time that such a thing has ever happened. Even on Thursday, when lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal held a meeting on steps to deal with the riots, Shrivastava was called; Patnaik wasnt. Many police officers said this message from L-Gs office was clear on who the government would work with to bring the situation back to normalcy. The problem, several officers in the force said, were of Patnaiks own making. A mid-level police officer, who was on the streets since the first day of violence, said: The government was left with no choice. At one point, it looked like the death toll would be in the hundreds. Until Tuesday afternoon, a large part of the damage and casualties had happened (the death toll is 42) but he (Patnaik) was yet to come to the spot. In hindsight, he may have miscalculated the impact of the violence, much like he failed to anticipate the anger among the Delhi police constabulary some months ago. The officer asked not to be named. The moment when Patnaik -- who has the reputation of being a clean but hands-off officer -- lost control of his own police force, and tarnished his own legacy according to multiple officers in the force, can be traced November 5, 2019. That morning, 2,000 Delhi Police personnel and their families came out on the streets, blocked the road outside the police headquarters, and shouted slogans against their own chief. They refused to leave until he came out and assured them they were safe. The previous day, police personnel were injured in clashes with lawyers outside the Tis Hazari Court complex. The video of a cop bullied by a group of lawyer in Saket was also widely circulated on social media. The protesters, mostly comprising the constabulary, said openly that they were let down by Patnaik, who neither acted in their support nor spoke up for them. That afternoon, when Patnaik finally stepped out and spoke to his men, they refused to listen. We have to behave like a disciplined force, he pleaded, but they kept chanting slogans. They held banners that had names of retired Delhi Police officers Kiran Bedi and Deepak Mishra, who, they said, could do his job better. Patnaik left the protest site; they stayed put till midnight. It was the first time we realised something was very wrong. He is a decent and honest man but understand that the police commissioner is a general. Can you imagine the constabulary revolting against their general?, another serving mid-level officer asked on condition of anonymity. Patnaik has a different take: Protests at the police headquarters were an account of a particular issue of police sentiments vis-a-vis the lawyers and after necessary intervention it was immediately sorted out. It is important to keep in mind that same day all important duties that the police performs were done including the implementation of the odd and even scheme. Patnaiks leadership and the city police he led were again criticised for waiting at the gates of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) while a mob, armed with sticks, rods and sledgehammers, assaulted students inside the campus on January 5. The Delhi Police later said they were waiting for permission to enter the varsity campus. Patnaik said this was on account of a protocol of understanding between the police and the university and the entry into campus is made only with specific permission from the vice chancellor. Unless it pertains to some incident which started outside and for the police its a question of hot pursuit like in case of Jamia. Less than a month before the JNU attack, on December 15, the Delhi Police were slammed for their handling of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters at Jamia Millia Islamia, where police entered the library and assaulted students -- the videos of the assault have gone viral on the Internet. That same evening, as the protests spread, the Delhi Police panicked and shut the Delhi-Noida border at Kalindi Kunj, stopping vehicular traffic at Shaheen Bagh and ceding an open road for protesters to start a sit-in that is still going on 75 days later. Not only is it the most successful occupy movement anywhere in the world, it also led to multiple other sit-in protests across the city, one of which, at Jafrabad on February 23, became a flashpoint that led to the riots between Hindus and Muslims. The riots started because of the road blockade at Jafrabad, which was inspired by the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest. Had police not blocked the road, nobody would occupy Shaheen Bagh. Nobody would have come to Jafrabad, said a third police officer, who asked not to be identified. Many serving police officers believe that if Patnaik had cracked down hard on the rioters, the situation would not have gotten out of hand. It never happened. Instead, we were helpless. While the mob attacked journalists and people on Monday and first part of Tuesday, we couldnt do much. We should have got the orders to beat up those rioters without any care, said a sub-inspector posted at the centre of the riots, adding that it required the National Security Advisor and another officer from the Central Reserve Police Force to quell the rioters. Patnaik believes the police did its job. I have a feeling that Delhi Polices quick response effectively salvaged the situation to normalcy in a matter of 2 days. Otherwise riots of this nature with sentiments running very high have a tendency to last for much longer durations. The recent abyss that Delhi police finds itself in was touched upon by former Delhi Police commissioner, Neeraj Kumar in a column on Wednesday. There is neither a dearth of vehicles nor other wherewithal to stand up to tough situations. But when the force lacks leadership, all these are of no use. It then begins to lack the moral strength and the sense of purpose when confronted with difficult situations. Remember, there are no poor soldiers, only poor generals. Expectedly, Patnaik does not agree: It is not correct that there was a leadership crisis and all the SOPs were followed while responding to a developing situation. Police leadership did respond at various levels. Special commissioner of police was there at initial stages and subsequerntly there was intervention from my side on Monday itself. The situation was stabilised to a large extent by February 25 and considerable normalcy had returned by morning of Feb 26. Because of more reinforcement it progressively improved thereafter. (Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa, in response to this article published on February 2, has said that former commissioner Amulya Patnaik visited the riot-hit spots on Monday and for three consecutive days thereafter.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 08:35:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers on Friday said they have replicated a crucial brain process that pointed to a potential pathway in slowing the development of Alzheimer's disease. Overcoming the loss of a process in the brain called "RNA editing" may slow the progress of the major neurological condition and other synaptic disorders, the University of Technology Sydney said in a statement late Friday. "RNA editing" is a genetic mechanism that modifies proteins essential in the connection between brain nerve cells called synapses, it said. RNA editing is deregulated in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, but whether that can cause disease is unknown. University researchers "replicated this deregulated process in the brains of mice, and discovered it led to the loss of synapses, as occurs in Alzheimer's". Alzheimer's is a progressive, irreversible neurological disorder and the most common form of dementia, with most patients older than 65. "Understanding mechanisms leading to synapses loss is essential to understand how patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease start losing their memory capacities and how to prevent this from happening," said Professor Bryce Vissel, senior author of the findings published in scientific journal Molecular Brain. "Our study is extremely important because we now have shown a mechanism that can lead to loss of synapses as occurs in Alzheimer's disease." Dr Gary Morris, a scientist who contributed to the study, said that because "synapses are important for learning, the loss of these synapses leads to memory loss". "Our study suggests that if we can overcome the loss of RNA editing in the brain, we may potentially be able to slow the disease." Vissel said the researchers' next step is "to see if they can rescue synapses and memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease by overcoming the loss of RNA editing in the Alzheimer's brain". "We have good reason to think that this could ultimately be a highly beneficial approach for solving Alzheimer's and potentially other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's," Vissel said. The National Maternity Hospital has welcomed the first Leap Year baby of 2020. Baby Jenson was born at 00.07am this morning to Nicole Elizabeth McKeown and Philip Murphy from Ringsend in Dublin. The NMH said both mother and baby are doing well. Jeson will be welcomed home by his big sister Morvem who turns 5 in two weeks. Huge congratulations to Nicole Elizabeth & Philip McKeown on the birth of baby Jenson who was born at 00.07am, our first #LeapYear2020 baby! Both Mum & baby doing really well pic.twitter.com/6q1IwjlYWB The National Maternity Hospital (@_TheNMH) February 29, 2020 Speaking today, Nicole said: "We feel such happiness and gratefulness to have Jenson here three weeks early." She said they will "cherish" the memory of Jenson being the first Leap Year baby of 2020. "We would like to thank all the staff at the NMH, who have just been incredible," said the new mum. "A special mention to trainee ambulance crew member, Mark who was in the ambulance with us here. "He took off his two lapels, which had Ambulance Service on them and wrote his name and a gorgeous message on the back of them for us to put in Jenson's memory box. "We couldn't be happier today." The stepfather of a 7-year-old boy whose body was found encased in concrete in a storage unit two years ago has been sentenced to 72 years in prison. Denver man, Leland Pankey, 40, received the maximum sentence possible after pleading guilty in January to child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a deceased body in the death of Caden McWilliams. Pankey's wife, Elisha Pankey, previously pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death under a plea deal that required her cooperation with prosecutors. She faces between 16 and 32 years in prison when she is sentenced April 1. Prosecutors dropped a murder charge under the deal, partly because authorities could not specify how the boy died. Leland Pankey, 40, received the maximum sentence possible after pleading guilty in January to child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a deceased body in the death of Caden McWilliams An autopsy found signs that Caden McWillaims, pictured, was severely emaciated and weighed just 27 pounds when he died Pankey's wife, Elisha Pankey, (pictured with Caden McWilliams) previously pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death under a plea deal that required her cooperation with prosecutors They also said the deal avoided holding a trial that would have featured gruesome evidence and re-traumatized Caden's relatives. An autopsy found signs that the boy was severely emaciated and weighed just 27 pounds when he died. There was also evidence of injuries to his head, chest and limbs. Some of the injuries showed signs of healing, but authorities were not able to determine how he died. At the sentencing on Friday, Pankey stared ahead without showing any signs of emotion as a slide show of photos of Caden played. His family, classmates and teachers remembered him as a caring boy who loved dinosaurs and tinkering, District Attorney Beth McCann said. A slideshow of photographs of Caden McWilliams played during his stepfather's sentencing. He was described by his family, classmates and teachers remembered him as a caring boy who loved dinosaurs and tinkering At the sentencing on Friday, Pankey stared ahead without showing any signs of emotion as a slide show of photos of Caden played. His body was found encased in concrete, and his mother, Elisha Pankey, allegedly told investigators that her husband kept their son in a dog kennel 'a few days' before he died in July 2018 at a hotel where the family had been living Authorities found Caden's body in December 2018 while investigating allegations of domestic violence that Elisha Pankey made against her husband. Court documents revealed that Elisha Pankey allegedly told investigators that her husband kept their son in a dog kennel 'a few days' before he died in July 2018 at a hotel where the family had been living. Previously released court records reveal Elisha Pankey told a fellow inmate that she and Leland kept the boy in the carrier overnight despite his cries of being thirsty and hot. Elisha Pankey said the boy was dead one morning and she believed he had suffocated, those records state. Leland and Elisha Pankey allegedly concealed their son's body at this storage unit in Denver Authorities have not explained why the boy's last name differed from his parents, but it's understood that Leland Pankey is the child's stepfather. McCann, who has called the case one of the most horrific ever handled by the district attorney's office, said in a statement that Caden's relatives are reminded of him when they see red-tailed hawks common in Colorado, which they see as representing the 'elegance of Caden.' 'Caden loved to tinker and figure out how things worked and his family believes he would likely have been an engineer if he was given the chance to reach adulthood,' McCann said. Home Search ICH Even NATO is unwilling to touch Turkeys Idlib mess with a ten-foot pole By Scott Ritter February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Having been hit by the Syrian Air Force in Idlib, Turkey has called on NATOs protection, but as much as the alliance would like a fight with Assad and his ally Russia, its refused to back Ankaras questionable adventure. Turkey engaged NATO in Article 4 consultations, seeking help regarding the crisis in Syria. The meeting produced a statement from NATO condemning the actions of Russia and Syria and advocating for humanitarian assistance, but denying Turkey the assistance it sought. The situation in Idlib province has reached crisis proportions. A months-long military offensive by the Syrian Army, supported by the Russian Air Force and pro-Iranian militias, had recaptured nearly one-third of the territory occupied by anti-Assad groups funded and armed by Turkey. In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dispatched thousands of Turkish soldiers, backed by thousands of pieces of military equipment, including tanks and armored vehicles, into Idlib to bolster his harried allies. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The result has been a disaster for Turkey, which has lost more than 50 soldiers and had scores more wounded due to Syrian air attacks. For its part, Russia has refrained from directly engaging Turkish forces, instead turning its attention to countering Turkish-backed militants. Faced with mounting casualties, Turkey turned to NATO for assistance, invoking Article 4 of the NATO charter, which allows members to request consultations whenever, in their opinion, their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened. Dangerous precedents Among the foundational principles of the NATO alliance, most observers focus on Article 5, which declares that an attack against one member is an attack against all. However, throughout its 75-year history, Article 5 has been invoked only once in the aftermath of 9/11 resulting in joint air and maritime patrols, but no direct military confrontation. The wars that NATO has engaged in militarily, whether in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya or Iraq, have all been conducted under Article 4, when NATO made a collective decision to provide assistance in a situation that did not involve a direct military attack on one of its member states. With that in mind, Turkeys decision to turn to Article 4 was a serious undertaking. For additional leverage, Ankara linked the NATO talks with a separate decision to open its borders to refugees seeking asylum in Europe, abrogating an agreement that had been reached with the European Union to prevent uncontrolled migration into Europe through Turkish-controlled territory and waters. Through this humanitarian blackmail, Turkey sought to use the shared economic and political costs arising from the Syrian situation as a bargaining chip for NATO support. A failed gamble The best Turkey could get from its Article 4 consultation, however, was a lukewarm statement by Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, condemning Syria and Russia while encouraging a diplomatic resolution to the fighting in Syria that focused on alleviating the unfolding humanitarian crisis regarding refugees. This is a far cry from the kind of concrete military support, such as the provision of Patriot air defense systems or NATO enforcement of a no-fly zone over Idlib, Turkey was hoping for. The provision of military support under Article 4 is serious, involving as it does the entire weight of the NATO alliance. This was underscored by recent comments made by the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, US General Tod Wolters, which linked NATOs nuclear deterrence posture to current Article 4 NATO operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. At a time when NATO is focused on confronting Russia in the Baltics, opening a second front against the Russians in Syria is not something the alliance was willing to support at this time. While the US was vocal in its desire to support Turkey at the consultations, NATO is a consensus organization, and the complexities of Turkeys Syrian adventure, which extend beyond simple Russian involvement to include issues involving the legality of Turkeys presence inside Syria, and the fact that many of the armed groups Turkey supports in Idlib are designated terrorist organizations, precluded a NATO decision to intervene on Turkeys behalf. Having failed in its effort to get NATO support in Syria, Turkey is now left with the Hobsons choice of retreating or doubling down. Neither will end well for Turkey, and both will only further exacerbate that humanitarian disaster taking place in Idlib today. Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer. He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopfs staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. Follow him on Twitter @RealScottRitter - " Source " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== C CTV footage has captured the shocking moment a US woman was stabbed in the backside with a syringe containing semen. The video, released by police in the state of Maryland, shows a woman with a trolley entering a supermarket as a man approaches her from behind. He can be seen sidling closely up to her before she jumps back, apparently clutching herself in pain. The victim later told officers at the Anne Arundel Police Department that she had been assaulted with what felt like a needle, sparking a formal investigation on February 18. The suspect appears to jab something at the victim, causing her to jump back with pain / Anne Arundel County Police Department A week later, on February 25, detectives received an anonymous tip-off about a potential suspect. Investigators said they found a syringe containing liquid in door of a suspect's car, as well as others in his house, local broadcaster WBAL-TV reported. Subsequent testing revealed that the substance in the syringes was semen. On February 28, police charged 51-year-old Thomas Byron Stemen with first and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He is being held in jail. Thomas Bryon Stemen, 51, of Churchton, Maryland, was arrested and charged with first and second degree assault and reckless endangerment. / Anne Arundel County Police Department The victim initially thought she was burnt by a cigarette, the station reported. She told the broadcaster that the 51-year-old assailant asked her: It felt like a bee sting didnt it? Anne Arundel Police tweeted on Friday that the investigation remains extremely active as there could be other victims. Mike Huckabee went on the attack, asserting that Trump could personally suck the virus out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean. On Fox, Don Jr. said the Democrats seemingly hope the virus kills millions to stop Trumps winning streak. Rush Limbaugh chimed in that the media would love for the coronavirus to be this deadly strain that wipes everybody out so they could blame Trump for it. There are 2,800 dead worldwide and disturbing stories showing how federal criteria delayed the diagnosis of a California woman and how federal health employees interacted with Americans who had possibly been exposed to the virus in China without proper training or gear. Yet Trump seems more consumed with how the Democrats might blame him for a coronavirus recession than with the virus itself. Trump had tweet-shrieked at President Barack Obama about how he should handle Ebola. (Obama should apologize to the American people & resign!) Yet he was so relaxed about the coronavirus threat that he spent 45 minutes Thursday chatting in the Oval with the authors of a little play called FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers, inspired by the texts of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The plays leads, Dean Cain of Superman fame and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Kristy Swanson, were also in the meeting. Trump joked that hed be willing to be Cains understudy, the actor said. The president got together the same day with a group that included his social media boosters Diamond and Silk. At the White House press conference, Trump preened: Because of all weve done, the risk to the American people remains very low. He later said that one day, like a miracle, the virus will disappear. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 05:21:33|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Spokesman of Libya's eastern-based army Ahmad al-Mismari on Friday accused the forces of the rival UN-backed government of killing army soldiers they detain. The UN-backed government "has eliminated a number of members of the National Army who have fallen into their hands, including those who were injured," al-Mismari said in a statement. The UN-backed government has not responded to the spokesman's accusation yet. The eastern-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 government. The fighting has killed and injured thousands of people and forced more than 150,000 people to flee their homes. The rivals have agreed to cease fire on Jan. 12. However, both parties exchanged accusations of breaching the truce. The global tally of people diagnosed with coronavirus passed 100,000 on Friday, while the number of cases in the UK saw its biggest jump to date. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, confirmed a second person with Covid-19 had now died in Britain, as the number of patients in the country rose to 164 up from 116 the day before. In other developments: More than 4,000 people have been placed in quarantine across New York state, where 33 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to governor Andrew Cuomo Italys death toll rose by nearly 50 on Friday to 197, while the number of confirmed cases surpassed 4,000 Boris Johnson announced 46m extra funding for research into developing a coronavirus vaccine, saying he hopes one would be ready to use in around a year Facebook shut its London offices over coronavirus after an employee tested positive Two teenagers were arrested over an attack on a Singaporean man in London, during which they allegedly shouted I dont want your coronavirus in my country At least 3,400 people have died across the world after being infected with Covid-19, figures showed on Friday. The US saw its death toll rise to 15, after another person who had tested positive for the virus died in Washington bringing the total number of fatalities in the state up to 12. Donald Trump has signed an $8.3bn (6.4bn) emergency funding bill to combat the disease - but also claimed erroneously that its spread had been "stopped" and that cases were "very few because we have been very strong at the borders". Two people have now died in the UK who were both suffering from underlying health conditions, according to the health secretary. An elderly man died at Milton Keynes Hospital on Thursday after testing positive, it was announced on Friday evening. Meanwhile, Downing Street said it was accelerating work on the next phase of its response to the virus, saying it was upping efforts to delay its spread. The decision followed warnings from the chief medical officer that it is highly likely that the infection will spread in a significant way, according to a No 10 spokesperson. Multiple countries announced their first confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Friday, including Colombia, Togo and Serbia. The Vatican also revealed its first positive diagnosis, saying that a patient was being treated within its walls after attending a three-day conference nearby. Pope Francis who has cancelled several public events in recent weeks after suffering from a slight cold tested negative for coronavirus on Tuesday. The Netherlands reported its first death from the infection on Friday, after a 86-year-old man died at Rotterdam hospital. The growing number of cases and deaths in new countries came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged nations to make containing the deadly virus their top priority. The UN agency stressed that slowing down the epidemic allowed hospitals to prepare and saves lives, while warning that there was no evidence that spread would wane as the northern hemisphere gets warmer. It is a false hope to say yes it will just disappear in summertime, like influenza virus, the executive director of WHOs emergencies programme, Dr Mike Ryan, said. There is no evidence right now to suggest that that will happen. Some countries announced stricter measures to combat the virus spread, with France saying it would close schools in badly-hit areas for two weeks. The country counted more than 600 cases of coronavirus on Friday, jumping by 190 compared to the day before, according to the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon. Meanwhile in Italy the worst-hit European country cases soared to 4,636 compared to 3,858 on Thursday. Its death toll rose by 49 to reach 197, according to the Civil Protection Agency. Chinas Hubei province, where the outbreak started, reported zero new cases over 24 hours for the first time during the outbreak, excluding its capital Wuhan, where the first cases of Covid-19 were reported last year. Companies also announced infections among their staff, with Facebook shutting its London office for deep-cleaning after an employee was diagnosed with the virus and British Airways saying two baggage handlers had tested positive. The UN also took action amid Covid-19s spread, saying that key meetings in the run-up to its climate summit in Glasgow would be cancelled. The number of cases rose to 164 in the UK on the same day that the PM announced extra funding to develop a vaccine to fight the infection, saying he hoped a vaccine could be developed in about a year. The announcement followed the UKs chief scientific adviser telling BBC Radio 4s Today that he did not believe one will be discovered in time for the current outbreak. It is not unreasonable to assume that we will end up with a vaccine and we may do so in a year or 18 months, Sir Patrick Vallance said, which is remarkable when you consider just a few years ago it would have taken 20 years to do that. The UK government has attempted to reassure the public that they will continue to have necessary food and other supplies amid shortage fears driven by Covid-19. George Eustice, the environment secretary, held talks with supermarket and trade body bosses over food supply contingencies on Friday and said he was reassured retailers were taking all the necessary steps to keep shelves well-stocked. Meanwhile in the UK, two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a Singaporean student, allegedly shouting about coronavirus as they launched their attack. Additional reporting by agencies 6-Year-Old Home Alone After Grandpa Passed Away Zhangwan District in Shiyan City, Hubei province, is the first administrative region in China to implement wartime control in response to the coronavirus outbreak. From Feb. 13 onwards, all buildings have been completely closed. Government staff are delivering supplies to each community. On the afternoon of Feb. 24, Tan Minhua, a 71-year-old retired worker from Dongfeng Automobile factory, was found dead in his home by a community worker who went to his residence to take his temperature. There, he found Tans grandson. Less than six years old, the boy might have spent three days alone with Tans dead body. The child said he had survived eating cookies. Ms. Zhou, a resident of Shiyan, told NTD TV, Before he passed away, the grandfather told the child that theres a virus outside and that they couldnt go out. Then the grandfather died at home, and the child was home alone for a few days. It wasnt until the young volunteers went to their house to do body temperature measurement and pried the door open did people know he was dead. The child covered the old man well with a quilt, saying his grandfather had died a few days before. And then the volunteers hurriedly called the police. According to Chinese state media, the childs father is working in Liuzhou City, Guangxi Province, and could not return home immediately. Lv Xinhua, member of a Wuhan citizens support group, told NTD TV: Most people just feel, how could such a terrible human tragedy happen? They just feel very sad, but no one tries to address the reasons behind it. This social phenomenon reflects that first of all, the cruel household registration system has torn apart so many families. Coupled with the epidemic, as well as the authoritys initial concealment and crack-down on whistleblowers, these factors have led to spreading of the epidemic, resulting in this ghastly human tragedy. This tragedy is the second of its kind reported in Hubei province in the past month. The first incident took place on Jan. 29, when Yan Cheng, a 17-year-old with cerebral palsy in Hongan County, Hubei province, starved to death at home after his father developed a fever and was taken away for quarantine. TROPHIES A Pohatcong Township family is getting help from an unexpected source to help with bills for the care of their 1 1/2-year-old son, who is battling gastrointestinal, pulmonary and immune system ailments. Elysia Elia and Tom Welsh were surprised when a longtime friend, Chris Plumaker, came up with a fundraiser to help them cover out-of-pocket expenses and travel to Boston Childrens Hospital and the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. The event a bachelor and bachelorette auction was held Thursday night at One Centre Square, a concert venue in Downtown Easton. Local businesses donated 30 date nights. Plumaker said he received $5,000 worth of donations earlier in the week. The family has invited the public to follow their sons battle on the Johns Journey Facebook page. More than 50 firefighters battled a brush fire this week in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Park officials are investigating and asking the public for information that would help determine those responsible for starting the fire, which burned 80 acres of undergrowth. The weather was sunny on Sunday, when smoke was first detected, which ruled out lightning as a cause, officials said. Firefighters from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and other responders spent two days burning flammable vegetation along the Red Dot Trail and Interstate 80 to contain the fire. Midweek rain helped them finish the job. Winners in the annual Whats So Cool About Manufacturing? video competition were honored Tuesday at the Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem. More than 1,000 students from Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties worked with 30 local companies to produce videos showcasing manufacturing processes and ideas. The contest was started in 2013 by the Manufacturers Resource Center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, and has grown to 16 contests across Pennsylvania. This years outstanding overall program went to the Northeast Middle School team in Bethlehem, which worked with Nestle Waters North America. The viewers choice award went to a team from Springhouse Middle School (Parkland School District), which worked with Sharp Packaging Solutions. TURKEYS A Ponzi scheme connected to an organic dairy business in central Pennsylvania bilked investors of nearly $60 million, according to U.S. Attorney William McSwain. The scheme was devised by Philip Riehl, an accountant and majority owner of Trickling Springs Creamery, based in Chambersburg, prosecutors said, targeting Amish and Mennonite investors; some lost more than $1 million. According to court documents, Riehl controlled an investment fund that made loans to Trickling Springs and paid off older investors with money from new investors. He and a co-conspirator sold promissory notes in an effort to prop up the struggling creamery, telling investors it was profitable while it was losing money. Riehl, 68, pleaded guilty to securities and wire fraud and conspiracy. He faces up to 45 years in prison. If a phone solicitation offering a school tutoring program sounds too good to be true, it is. Easton Area High School principal Kyle Geiger sent a notice to parents this week, warning them not to provide credit card information to phone solicitors looking to sign children up for tutoring. The (phone) advertisement includes a request for credit card payment over the phone," Geiger said. This is a scam and not in any way sponsored or supported by the Easton Area School District. The Centre for the Monitoring of the Indian Economy says that corporate sales declined by 1.2 per cent in the October-December 2019-20 quarter (having declined by 2.8 per cent before that) and profits before tax shrunk by 10 per cent (compared to a shrinkage of 60 per cent in the previous quarter). Indias economic growth has slowed down further to 4.7 per cent in the third quarter of the current financial year. This is the slowest in six years. The finance minister says that this is not a poor number and is an indication of stability, meaning she is relieved that it hasnt got worse. Her bureaucrats have assured the country that this is as bad as it gets, and have called it a bottoming out meaning that growth will naturally escalate on its own from here on. Unfortunately, this is not true. While releasing this data, the Narendra Modi government also revised the figure for the previous quarter (Q2, 2019-20) up from 4.55 per cent to 5.1 per cent and for the first quarter from 5 per cent to 5.6 per cent. This means that the figures for the last eight quarters are 8.1 per cent for Jan-March 2018, 7.9 per cent, 7 per cent, 6.5 per cent, 5.8 per cent, 5.6 per cent, 5.1 per cent and now 4.7 per cent. This is not a bottoming out. This is eight straight quarters, meaning two full years of consecutive decline in growth. And this is even if we accept the governments figures, which many around the world are now sceptical of. The government itself says that its full year growth for 2019-2020 will be 5 per cent and that means that Nirmala Sitharaman expects growth in the current quarter to slow further to 4.6 per cent. Outside of the formal sector, data has been difficult to collect credibly in India. Further, the formal sector has been hammered over the last year. It has had two consecutive quarters of negative growth in both sales and profit. The Centre for the Monitoring of the Indian Economy says that corporate sales declined by 1.2 per cent in the October-December 2019-20 quarter (having declined by 2.8 per cent before that) and profits before tax shrunk by 10 per cent (compared to a shrinkage of 60 per cent in the previous quarter). None of this is an indication of bottoming out and it would be stupid of the finance minister to herself believe what she is saying to cheer up the rest of us, that we will naturally start growing from here on. Some of the other details that came out were that gross fixed capital formation, meaning investment, was minus 5.2 per cent over the previous year. It was minus 4.2 per cent in the previous quarter. Government expects that for the full year it will be negative, meaning less money invested this year than the last. Electricity production has shrunk and that is one of the best indicators that the economy is in deep trouble. Chinas ministers have a similar problem of poor data (though better than Indias of course) to monitor economic growth. To simplify this, one of the leaders, Li Keqiang, developed a respected method of assessing growth and it was merely to look at three easily reliable numbers: railway cargo volume, bank loans and electricity consumption. On all three, India is trending negative. The manufacturing sector contracted again, which is astonishing given that the primary focus of economic growth by Narendra Modi himself was his fancy Make In India scheme. Not only is it not delivering, manufacturing as a percentage of our GDP is actually shrinking. Unemployment is at 8 per cent now and has been hovering around that figure for a long time. The government has refused to release its own figures on this because they show that this is the worst performance on this front by any government in five decades. There is further trouble down the line for the government. It has refused to release the data it has already collected and now it also has the problem of collecting household data. In Hyderabad earlier this month, enumerators from the National Sample Survey Office collecting data on how much families spend on domestic travel were confronted and stopped from working. People are genuinely fearful of the linkages between the National Register of Citizens and this is the fault of Mr Modi and Amit Shah for not having assured people. The NSSO joint director in Hyderabad said she would not be able to deliver the survey to the government in the time frame given and it is possible that it may not be delivered at all: such is the atmosphere in the country today. Without the data, the government will have no meaningful way of corrective action. You can only do the right thing when you know what the wrong thing is. The Narendra Modi government has put itself in a position where its ideological agenda on citizenship is now directly affecting its ability to tweak and take corrective measures on the economy. The other truth is that the Indian government has given up its focus on economic growth because it is not something Mr Modi has been able to fully understand. This explains the extraordinary focus on divisive politics by the BJP even at a time when the worlds most important man was visiting India. The coverage across the world that we have received for the violence in New Delhi is among the worst in decades. Our reputation is mud and will need to be rebuilt. And we have to do so in a period which is going to be turbulent. Global trade has taken a hit this quarter with the coronavirus. Stock exchanges across the world have been battered. The National Population Register data collection begins in four weeks time. But several states, including incredibly BJP-controlled Bihar, have said they will reject Mr Shah and Mr Modis NPR scheme. The government will also face neighbourhood level agitations like in Hyderabad once the enumerators fan out, producing more turmoil. India is in the worst position economically and socially that it has been in for a very long period. I would say this going back to 30 years ago when we had both the Babri movement and the pre-liberalisation crisis happening at the same time. And this time, we do not have the leadership to be able to steer us through it. Some significant changes are coming to Cortana. Starting this spring, Microsoft said it plans to make productivity the focus of the digital assistant. As part of the shift, Cortana will lose some of its more consumer-facing features, such as the ability to play music and control smart home devices. More significantly, the company plans to remove the digital assistant from its Launcher app on Android. Microsoft says it will discontinue Cortana services in the application by the end of April. "This next step in Cortana's evolution will bring enhanced, seamless personal productivity assistance as a free update to the latest version of Windows 10 coming this spring," the company said. It's not overly surprising to see Microsoft remove Cortana from its launcher app. While a lot of people like the launcher, the assistant was never its main appeal. What's more, we knew Cortana's days on Android were numbered when the Cortana app stopped working last month in countries like Canada, Australia and the UK. In those places, Microsoft has already removed the assistant from its launcher app as it tries to carve a different niche for the AI. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Doha on Saturday to oversee the signing of a landmark deal between the United States and the Taliban, an AFP correspondent reported. The accord, due to be signed at 1245 GMT, will see America agree to begin withdrawing its troops following 18 years of war in return for insurgent guarantees. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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 29.02.2020 LISTEN IELTS is an acronym for International English Language Testing System and is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the worlds most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge. For details about where to get expert IELTS tutors in Ghana, visit: www.excellenthomeclasses.com. IMPORTANCE OF IELTS More than 10,000 organisations globally trust IELTS, so when you take the test you can be confident that it is recognised by educational institutions, employers, governments and professional bodies around the world. As one of the pioneers of four skills English language testing 30 years ago, IELTS continues to set the standard for English language testing today. Governments in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom use IELTS to process immigration applications. AREAS FOR IELTS The IELTS test is similar to the TOEFL, which is another common English comprehension exam. Your proficiency in four main areas is tested in IELTS. These areas are: Reading Writing Speaking Listening There are two versions of the IELTS: IELTS Academic: For people applying to admission at a college or university in an English-speaking country. IELTS General Training: For individuals moving to an English-speaking country (usually the UK, Australia, or Canada) and/or applying to training programs or jobs in said countries. WHY PEOPLE SIT FOR IELTS There are two main reasons people sit for the IELTS: They're searching for a job. If you're applying for a job in an English-speaking country, but speak another language as your native tongue, you may need to take an English-language comprehension exam like the IELTS to prove that you have the proficiency to work effectively They're applying to university. If you're applying to study at an English-speaking college or university, you may need to take the IELTS to prove your English-language comprehension. Your IELTS score will show whether or not you'll be able to complete the coursework in English. At certain institutions, your acceptance is contingent on your ability to achieve a certain IELTS score. For details about where to get expert IELTS tutors in Ghana, visit: www.excellenthomeclasses.com. MODULES OF IELTS There are four distinct parts of the IELTS exam. The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes. Three of the sections (Listening, Reading, and Writing) are completed in one sitting. The final section, Speaking, may be completed on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other sections. All test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests. The Reading and Writing sections differ depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General IELTS exam. Let's look at the four modules in more detail. Listening The Listening module has four sections with ten questions in each. Sections 1 and 2 are typical social situations. Sections 3 and 4 are education and training situations (such as a discussion between two university students). During this section, test takers listen to a recording and then must answer questions based on what they've heard. Reading The Reading module has three sections. Test takers will read three texts, which may come from books, journals, magazines, newspapers, or other forms of media. After reading the text, test takers must answer multiple-choice and short answer questions. Writing The Writing module is comprised of two tasks. For the first task, test takers must write at least 150 words in 20 minutes. For the second task, test takers must write at least 250 words in 40 minutes. The tasks and topics vary depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General Training Exam. Speaking The Speaking module is a face-to-face interview during which the test taker sits with an examiner and has a conversation. The module has three different sections: Introduction: The test taker answers about his or her home, family, work, studies, hobbies, interests, reasons for taking IELTS exam as well as other general topics. Long Turn: The test taker is given a task card about a particular topic. The test taker has one minute to prepare to talk about the topic, then they must give a two-minute speech about the topic. Discussions: The examiner and test taker engage in a more in-depth discussion about the topics covered during the long turn section. REGISTER FOR IELTS There are more than 50 IELTS test centers in the United States and hundreds aboard. In order to register, you'll first need to find the test center nearest you using the search engine on the official IELTS website. Once you've found your test center, you'll decide whether you want to take a paper or computer version of the test. Next, you'll fill in your application details (including name, contact information, first language, passport number). Finally, you'll choose where to send your IELTS scores to. Let us look at these steps closely: Step 1 - Find your nearest IELTS test location With more than 1,600 IELTS test locations in over 140 countries, there is bound to be one near you. Step 2 - Register for your IELTS test You can register and pay online or download an application form to print, complete and submit to your local test centre. Dont forget to provide a copy of your valid identity document. You will also need to present the same identity document on the day of the test. Step 3 - Your IELTS test is booked Once your application has been processed, the centre will send you a written confirmation of the date and time of your test. The Speaking and Writing tests typically take place on the same day. If this is not possible, the tests will take place within seven days of each other. For details about where to get expert IELTS tutors in Ghana, visit: www.excellenthomeclasses.com. CONCLUSION There is no specific score you need for the IELTS exam: what constitutes a good score will depend on what you need to accomplish. If you're applying to higher education, for instance, the university may have specific standards for the score you need. The same goes if you're applying for a job. It's best to check with the institution you're applying at to see what score you'll need. Taking an IELTS practice test can help you raise your score if you're struggling with your IELTS preparation. Feel free to leave your comment in the space below and let us know what you think. Copy and paste the link below into your browser and get a copy of our special report for free https://www.excellenthomeclasses.com/ebook/ He understands consensus building and bringing people together for the common good. Besides, he was from the South, like she was. He liked banana pudding, like she did. His dad spent his career working in the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and shed been born in the Georgia town where Coke got its start. On Sundays, Bennie would come over here, and Id fix him lemonade and cookies and we would talk and bounce ideas off each other, she said. I just love him. Kate Heltzel loves him, too. The director of the Unicameral Information Office and Shobe have been partners for 15 years. They met on the city bus, both of them commuting to class at UNL. He was relentlessly charming, she says. Asking about her life, singing her made-up lyrics to nonexistent songs. She was an introvert. She didnt talk to people on public transportation. She was suspicious: Who does that without an angle? Bennie Shobe. I realized over time that he was that way with everyone on the bus and on campus and everywhere else. Thats just him. Malaysia's political crisis deepened Saturday after 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad rejected a decision by the king to pick his rival as the next prime minister, insisting he had enough backing to return to the role. Ex-interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin was earlier named for the job by the monarch, who appoints the country's premiers after deciding who has backing from MPs, signalling a defeat for Mahathir and the return of a scandal-plagued party to power. It capped a week of turmoil that began when Mahathir's "Pact of Hope" alliance collapsed and he resigned as prime minister following a bid by his rivals to form a new government and push out leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim. Their alliance stormed to a historic victory in 2018 that broke the six-decade stranglehold on power of a corruption-riddled coalition, but it was riven by infighting over who should succeed the world's oldest leader. The victory of Muhyiddin and his coalition, which is dominated by the country's ethnic Malay Muslim majority, was a shock as Mahathir had appeared to be in the lead, and it sparked widespread public anger. Not only does the win remove a democratically elected government but it also signals the return to power of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the scandal-plagued party of disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak. UMNO was the lynchpin of a long-ruling coalition toppled from power at historic elections two years ago amid allegations Najib and his cronies looted state fund 1MDB. Najib is now on trial for corruption. The coalition also includes a hardline Muslim party pushing for tougher Islamic laws in Malaysia. Addressing supporters outside his Kuala Lumpur house, Muhyiddin said: "I urge all Malaysians to take the decision that has been made by the palace today well." The palace earlier said the king believed Muhyiddin had enough support and he would be sworn in Sunday. - Not My PM - But after meeting his political allies, Mahathir said he had received the backing of 114 MPs to be prime minister -- above the required number of 112 -- and released a statement listing their names. Mahathir said he would send a letter to the king explaining this, and added the number of MPs that Muhyiddin claimed to have supporting him was "not accurate". Anger was growing at the surprise decision to name Muhyiddin premier and allow UMNO back into power. The hashtag NotMyPM was trending on Twitter, and a small group of protesters gathered in downtown Kuala Lumpur. "These are not the people we voted for," one protester, who only gave her surname Soon, told AFP, as chants of "long live the people, rise up" rang out. "These are not the people who were given the democratic mandate two years ago." The political crisis began when a group of ruling coalition lawmakers joined forces with opposition parties in a bid to form a new government without Anwar and stop him becoming premier. After the government fell, Mahathir was appointed interim premier and he and Anwar initially launched separate bids for power, reviving their old rivalry. But as Muhyiddin's bid quickly gained support and it became clear that he could get into power with UMNO, Mahathir and Anwar did a volte-face and joined forces again on Saturday. A growing number of their allies threw their support behind Mahathir to become premier -- but it was too little, too late. The "Pact of Hope", a ragtag band of opposition groups, was uneasy from the start. It saw its popularity fall rapidly as it faced criticism it was not doing enough to protect Muslims' rights, and it lost a string of local elections. Muhyiddin, 72, was a member of UMNO for many decades and held a string of senior posts. He was deputy prime minister in Najib's government, but Najib sacked him after he voiced criticism of the 1MDB scandal. He is seen as a Malay nationalist and once sparked anger by saying he was "Malay first" and Malaysian second -- a controversial remark in the country of 32 million which is also home to substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. Kolkata, Feb 29 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah will kick start a BJP mass campaign against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and try to give a push to the saffron outfit's drive backing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) during a day-long trip here on Sunday. Shah is scheduled to address a rally at the Shahid Minar Maidan in the city hub, where the state BJP has decided to give him and BJP national President J.P. Nadda a civic reception for their role in passing the new citizenship law in the Parliament. The visit of Shah, considered the number two man in the organisation and the Central government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is being seen as an attempt to energise the party rank and file and boost the saffron outfit's prospects in the coming statewide civic polls slated to be held around April, especially in the backdrop of its poor show in the Assembly bypolls held late last year. The fears of a possible National Register of Citizens exercise unsettling the lives of millions, which the BJP's opponents cleverly played up with gutso, went a long way in spelling doom for the party in the bypolls -- an anti-climax after its heady show in last year's Lok Sabha elections. Six months after winning a record 18 of the 42 LS seats in the state, the BJP lost all three Assembly seats where bypolls were held, despite having taken huge leads in two of the segments during the general elections. Since then, the CAA has been enacted by the Centre, with the Trinamool, Congress and the Left carrying out a shrill campaign against it. Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone to the extent of saying that she won't allow "the draconian law" to be implemented in the state. Matching her political rhetoric, Banerjee wooed the Left and the Congress to support a resolution in the Assembly against the legislation. In such a scenario, the state BJP has tried to counter its opponents' propaganda against the CAA with political programmes of its own, though opinions vary as to whether it has got the sort of traction the party would have liked. And therein lies the biggest significance of Shah's visit, as he is the man who moved and ensured the passing of the legislation in the Parliament. "Our opponents are trying to sow confusion in the minds of the people, which Shah -- the man who piloted the bill -- will dispel. Being a political heavyweight, his arguments and assertions will have a huge effect," said a BJP leader. "He will give a push to our pro-CAA campaign," state BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu told IANS. Political observers feel the CAA could be a game-changer either way in the civic polls, being considered the semifinal before next year's all-important Assembly elections. Shah will also roll out the BJP's mass outreach programme "Aar noi anyay" (no more injustice) through which the party aims to connect with over five crore voters in the state in the next six months by holding the Banerjee government "accountable for its misrule". "It is a protest against the injustice caused to the people of the state by the current regime. It will give the people a platform to express their anger with the Banerjee government," said state BJP President Dilip Ghosh. During the campaign, the BJP workers will conduct a massive door-to-door campaign across the state and organise meetings in every village and municipal ward to discuss a chargesheet against the Banerjee government to be released by the party. BJP workers will also distribute a "khobh patra" (letter of anguish) which the people would sign, besides airing their grievances through five technological mediums, including a missed call number and WhatsApp. During the day, Shah will inaugurate the Special Composite Group Complex of National Security Guard (NSG) at Rajarhat in the north eastern fringes of the city, hold closed-door meetings with the state BJP leadership along with Nadda, and visit the famous Kalighat temple. (Newser) The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism, per the AP. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but he didn't sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. story continues below President George W. Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the US out of its "endless wars" in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies. US officials, however, are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. (Read more Afghanistan stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 23:31:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close BUNIA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 24 people were killed in an attack by militiamen in a village in the province of Ituri in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to security sources from the provincial authorities on Saturday, 12 other people were seriously injured by the attackers late Friday. Witnesses on the scene note that the assailants dressed in army uniforms opened fire on everyone they encountered on the street in the villages during the attacks. Several goods of the population were also taken by the attackers, recognized as members of the Cooperative for the development of Congo (CODECO). The militiamen of the CODECO have been active in the Djugu territory north of the city of Bunia, capital of Ituri province since last year. The fighting between these attackers and the DRC army has resulted in the displacement of some 300,000 people who have left the area to take refuge in camps for displaced people set up by humanitarian workers in the town of Bunia. In a report published last January, the UN human rights office said that about 700 people were killed in community conflicts in the Djugu territory between September 2017 and September 2019. For two decades these two Hema-Lendu communities have been living side by side difficultly because of land problems in this new province of Ituri. Nguyen Anh Thu, founder and president of the non-profit Women in Aerospace and Aviation, plans to circumnavigate the globe solo in her single-engine LANCAIR IV-P aeroplane from May 15 to July 1, covering nearly 50,000km. Thu reckons this would make her the first Vietnamese-American and eighth woman in history to do so. She speaks with Chau Yen and Quynh Hoa about her daring plan. Intro: Nguyen Anh Thu grew up in Tuy Hoa City in Phu Yen Province in Vietnam. As a young girl, she received her education from a UNICEF-built school. At the age of 12, she immigrated to the US. She has overcome innumerable challenges in her life. She was valedictorian at her high school and graduated top 10 at Purdue University with honour. Thus story is a typical immigrant story, but she transcends the model minority label and is aiming for something bigger. Thu is founder and president of Women in Aerospace and Aviation, a non-profit organisation which focuses on inspiring the next generations of female pilots. Currently, she is an airline transport pilot and certified flight instructor at AeroVentures Flying Club in Atlanta. She is also advancing her education by pursuing a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. Jetstar Pacific has first female Vietnamese captain Women pilots blaze new career path The first female pilots of Vietnam Nguyen Anh Thu, founder and president of the non-profit Women in Aerospace and Aviation, plans to travel solo in a single-engine aeroplane LANCAIR IV-P to 25 countries from May 15 to July 1, 2020. Photos womeninaerospaceandaviation.com You plan to travel in a single-engine aeroplane to 25 countries, covering 26,800 nautical miles. What do you hope to achieve by completing such a feat? I want my sky-conquering plan to help young girls and women with an interest in the aerospace and aviation field, as well as inspire them to believe in themselves to dream big. It is a global flight for every girl on this planet with a dream. How are you preparing for the trip? It has taken us about a year to prepare. Many things need to be prepared including licences, fuel efficiency, safety, maintenance, aeroplane equipment, weather forecast, and especially sponsorship. At present, three sponsors Crew Dog Electronics, BOSE, and P- have agreed to work with us. The flight is estimated to cost US$1 million. We have also opened a GoFundMe page for other people to visit, support and donate to our cause. Thu plans to travel solo in a single-engine aeroplane LANCAIR IV-P to 25 countries from May 15 to July 1, 2020, covering approximately 26,800 nautical miles or nearly 50,000km. What challenges will you face flying around the world by yourself? There are a lot of challenges, sure. Inaccurate weather forecasts or unpredictable weather worldwide is a thing we need to think of. The aeroplane has to be well maintained throughout the journey. Our challenge now is to find more sponsors to help pay for the flight. Will Vietnam be one of your stops? Sure. Vietnam is a must in my route. I want to come back to my beloved native land, Phu Yen. At each stop in my journey, I would want to meet and interact with girls and women around the world. I hope I can inspire them to believe in themselves, encourage them to dream the impossible even when things are difficult. I also want to raise visibility and awareness of women in aviation and to promote aerospace education for young girls. Instructing students is one thing on Thu's busy schedule. Is that why you established the non-profit Women in Aerospace and Aviation foundation? People have told me I am a source of confusion and a shock to many, including airport security personnel, who on many occasions have denied me entry through the pilot gates. I have been told We dont open the door to passengers many times. Disappointing experiences became a motivation for me to create my foundation. My second inspiration in creating the organisation is that I want to promote education within aerospace and aviation, to inspire the next generation of young girls and women who wish to combat the pilot shortage epidemic. I hope the number of female pilots will increase considerably in the future instead of only 6 per cent of all pilots in the world as now. Why did you pursue a career which is full of pressure? I chose it because I had a deep passion for aviation and aerospace engineering since I was at a very young age. I wanted to go through with my childhood dream to one day fly in the sky, going around the world. And I want to prove that Asian little girls can also become pilots. What were your feelings on your first flight? For most of us, the first time is definitely the most memorable. In the basic course of training, there is a compulsory lesson to take off and land three times. Its a difficult lesson which requires concentration, determination and mastery. I was so nervous when my coursemate passed the test. Bad weather also added to the pressure. For nights before my turn, I was so upset. When I sat in the cockpit on my own and completed the course myself, I was over the moon. As the plane rolled into the parking lot, I hugged my instructor and cried like a baby. There is a tradition that the instructor pours water on their student upon completion of his or her course, but I was so much happy that I jumped into a swimming pool right after I got out of the plane. It was really an amazing feeling. So far, I have 10 certifications relating to the pilot career. Sitting in a plane carrying hundreds of passengers is not only a responsibility but also a source of pride for each pilot. What has the female pilot life brought to you? The aviation industry is characterised by landing time, not normal time like other jobs. But I feel happy. I got married and my husband is also a captain. We have a little son and he is also interested in flying. As a woman and a wife, I know how to manage my schedule to finish my job and take care of my family. I can cook quite well. We used to hold parties for our family members and friends. When we are both on duty, we ask our grandparents to take care of our boy. As a female captain, I dont want any better treatment than my male colleagues. Thanks to my working environment and my familys support, I feel secure in completing the responsibilities of a female captain. Do you want to say something to Vietnamese young people, especially young girls, who are interested in your field? I hope Vietnamese young people, especially young girls, trust themselves, dream big, work hard and are devoted to their passion. By doing this, your dreams could become a reality, surely. VNS Vietnams airlines industry still lacks a large number of pilots Great pressure is being placed upon the airlines industrys manpower as a consequence of ambitious schemes to expand aviation fleets and open more runways to cater to new airlines. Expressing concern over the communal clashes in Delhi, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said on Saturday that India is a secular country and people cannot be divided on religious lines. Addressing a press conference, he said it should be found out whether the police is inefficient or there was a lack of effort on the part of the government to tackle the violence. "I am very much worried that where it happened is the capital of the country and is centrally governed. If minorities are tortured there and police failed or can't discharge their duties, it is a matter of serious concern," Sen said at an event organised here by the Pratichi Trust. "It is reported that those who died or were tortured are mostly Muslims. India is a secular country we can't divide Hindus and Muslims. As an Indian citizen, I can't help but worry," he added. However, Sen said he doesn't want to draw any conclusion without analysing the entire matter. He said the transfer of Justice S Muralidhar from the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana HC is natural to raise questions. "I personally know him. It is natural to raise questions but I can't pass any judgment," Sen told reporters. Justice Muralidhar, who was hearing the Delhi violence case, was transferred on a day when a high court bench headed by him expressed "anguish" over police's failure to register first investigation reports against alleged hate speeches by three BJP leaders. Sen further said that he found it "unreasonable" to force a Bangladeshi student of the Visva-Bharati to leave the country. "I have no detailed information. As per newspaper reports, I have not yet found any strong reason why she should be deported from the country," he said. Afsara Anika Meem, an undergraduate student at the central university, has been asked by the Home Ministry to leave the country for reportedly engaging in "anti-government activities". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UPPER THUMB Although Tuscola County doesnt have the extensive shoreline Huron County does, high water, flooding and erosion is impacting that area also. Akron and Wisner townships, as well as the Quanicassee area, have been dealing with those issues. Because of that, people who live along the shoreline of Quanicassee River and Saginaw Bay formed the Facebook group Tuscola Shoreline Watch. The focus of the group is to brainstorm on flooding issues, but mostly to help each other stay safe when flooding does occur and to share information. Team leaders in each community are being sought to take responsibility for checking on neighbors during an event such as flooding, a storm, or power outage. Those who are interested in helping can email wisnertownship@gmail.com and will be kept in the loop when there is an issue and as plans develop. Over the last few days the ACW-Unionville Fire Department has been doing surveys of residents in the flooding area to gather information on shut-ins or people who would not be able to leave on their own in the event of severe flooding, explained the fire Chief Nick Sakon. To help, the Tuscola County Road Commission donated two loads of sand for residents to use to fill sand bags. The sand is at the Wisner Township Hall on M-25, and the bags are available at Lindy's Sales and Service during regular business hours. Akron Township also has sand and bags. The sand is at the parking lot at the corner of Thomas and Gotham roads. For those who need bags, call Steve Linzner at 989-341-3006. There will be a shoreline flooding and erosion informational meeting 6 p.m., March 31, at the Wisner United Methodist Church, 5375 N. Vassar Road, Akron. Agencies that are scheduled to be present at that meeting include: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy, Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, a representative from the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners, the Tuscola County drain commissioner, Tuscola County Emergency Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tuscola Shoreline Watch. For more information, call TCEM Steve Anderson at 989-673-5181 or email him at tcemanderson@tuscolacounty.org. By Rep. Richard Heath Feb. 28, 2020 | 05:45 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY One of the first bills to pass the House this week was House Bill 388. This bill is aimed at reforming some basic election procedures and was brought to the legislature by the county clerks, the men, and women responsible for elections in our communities. If it passes the Senate, registered independents will be able to serve as poll workers during elections. County clerks are hopeful that this will help them solve challenges in finding volunteers willing to work the polls. HB 388 also sets a three-year term for members of the State Board of Elections and a four-year term for county boards of election. In addition, the bill allows the county election officers to verify submitted mail-in absentee ballots the day before the election, in order to help them prepare to count them on an election day. The House also passed HB 174, legislation that would close a loophole in current open records law to protect victims and their families. Currently, the law allows individuals to obtain and publish graphic and disturbing crime scene photos and videos. If passed by the Senate, HB 174 would prevent the use of the open records law to access images and videos used in court proceedings which show death, rape, physical or sexual assault or abuse. While I believe our government should be open and transparent, I think we can all agree that we can do better to help victims and their families heal and overcome. The bill is named the Bailey Holt/Preston Cope Victims Privacy Act in honor of the two high school students murdered in a mass shooting at Marshall County High School in January of 2018. We are one step closer to closing another loophole in existing law, in this case, one that applies to sexual assault victims. Under the provisions of House Bill 256, a perpetrator will not have the right to custody, visitation, or inheritance of a child that is conceived and delivered as a result of sexual assault. This measure protects victims who have been assaulted in the state of Kentucky and those who have been assaulted in other states and move here. Once again, this is a common sense measure, and I was honored to support it. Legislation that requires local law enforcement agencies to investigate all traffic accidents that result in a fatality. The bill, HB 253, would allow a local law enforcement agency to reach out to the Kentucky State Police for assistance if they do not have the staff or expertise in accident reconstruction necessary to fulfill the requirements of the bill. In addition to these bills, the House approved legislation aimed at reducing the use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices among youth, as well as raising revenue to help pay for state programs and services. HB 32 adds vaping products to the list of tobacco products subject to a state tobacco excise tax and increases the excise tax rate per unit and weight on snuff and chewing tobacco. Traditional cigarettes would not be subject to a tax increase under the bill. Before we adjourned Friday, we took an opportunity to honor our states rich agricultural history by passing a resolution that declared this week FFA Week across the commonwealth. While these resolutions are ceremonial, they do drive home how important organizations like the FFA are to our communities and way of life. Hundreds of Kentucky high school students participate in FFA, where they gain valuable experiences that prepare them for careers in agricultural science, business, and technology fields. Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks update. I appreciate that our paper is willing to run these columns and, of course, hope youll let me know if you have any comments or questions. I can be reached during the week from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (EST) through the toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via e-mail at Richard.Heath@lrc.ky.gov. You can keep track of committee meetings and potential legislation through the Kentucky Legislature Home Page at legislature.ky.gov and you can also follow me on my Facebook page, Richard Heath 2nd District State Representative or on Twitter @Richard_HeathKY. Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of WestKentuckyStar.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Between legislative committee meetings, House Floor debate, and visiting with constituents, the last week of February was a very busy one in our State Capitol Building. However, we still have a great deal of work to do, and the remaining legislative days promise a rapid pace. First-degree murder jury trials arent a regular occurrence in Olmsted County District Court. Even less common is having two in two months, but that is exactly what is about to happen. On Feb. 6, Malcolm Woods, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Brandon Arndt. Arndt was shot in the head shortly after answering his door at his trailer home at Bobs Trailer Court, 1915 Marion Road SE, in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, 2018. Woods was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In a few weeks, the trial of Glenn Johnson is expected to begin. Johnson is accused of fatally stabbing two of his neighbors on March 17, 2018, at the Salvation Armys Castleview Apartments. Rochester police responded to the apartment building for a report of harassment by a neighbor. About 10 minutes after officers left, they were called back for a stabbing. Phillip William Hicks, 57, and Eric Alan Flemming, 45, were taken to Mayo Clinic HospitalSaint Marys, where they were both pronounced dead. One thing the two trials have in common? The process in which a jury is formed. Minnesota Court Rules Criminal Procedure specifically states that the preferred method for first-degree murder cases is what is called individual voir dire. That means that the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys all pose questions to a single member of the jury pool out of the hearing of the other prospective and selected jurors. In other jury trials, nearly two dozen potential jurors are brought together in the courtroom and questioned on a variety of topics. ADVERTISEMENT "There are a lot of studies that say people are much more likely to be honest and forthright in answering questions either through asking follow ups about why or questions about themselves personally when it is not done in group settings," State Public Defender William Ward said. "The goal obviously is to get fair and impartial jurors, but the real goal is to determine if there is any bias or prejudice on the people who are going to sit on the trial." The process is time-consuming but important, according to Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem and Ward. "It's absolutely necessary," Ward said. "Jury selection is probably the most important thing you can do in a trial. Again, the idea is in theory, fair and impartial jurors, but it really is getting down to the crux of the matter as to what opinions people have formed and the bias of that opinion." The process of selecting a jury of 12 to 15 people can take two or three days, but Ostrem said it generally takes about a week. In some cases, jury selection process can take longer than the trial. "It's labor intensive, but the nice thing is, we have that opportunity to be face-to-face with one person," Ostrem said. "We can direct specific questions to them and create a conversation. It is so much more difficult when you have 22 people or 23 people sitting in front of you to have an individual, significant conversation with any of those people." The preferred method of individual voir dires for first-degree murder trials has been codified in Minnesota since at least the 1930s but may date back to the first U.S. Supreme Court. In Minnesota, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, so making sure a proper jury is selected is hugely important. "This is an in-depth analysis of each individual person to give the lawyers a full portrait of that person's background and thinking processes and so it's the optimal way to expose bias and prejudice," said attorney Professor JaneAnne Murray, who is a professor of practice at the University of Minnesota's Law School in the Twin Cities. ADVERTISEMENT Yara Shahidi first gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish. That led to the spin-off series Grown-ish, which follows her character as she goes to college and begins her adult life. And on Friday, all eyes were on the Minnesota native as she attended SCAD aTVfest 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Promo mode: Yara Shahidi attended SCAD aTVfest 2020 -- In Conversation: The Spirit and Style of Grown --ish" on Friday in Atlanta, Georgia There she sat down for an intimate conversation about her current show, style and overall career. The Q-and-A panel, dubbed -- In Conversation: The Spirit And Style of Grown-ish -- also included Black-ish and Grown-ish costume designer Michelle Cole. For the event, Shahidi stunned in a brown off-the-shoulder top that hugged her petite waist and hung down in the front to about mid-thigh. She matched it with dark blue jeans that had massive bell-bottom flares, gold shoes, and had her raven tresses pulled up off her face in a top-flowing bun. Rising star: Shahidi, 20, is best known as the star of Black-ish and Grown-ish Youthful style: The young actress and activist stunned in a brown off-the-shoulder top that hugged her petite waist and flared blue jeans After striking a number of poses solo, the actress was joined by Cole for a photo-shoot in front of assorted Scad TVs. Cole looked business ready in a stylish checkered suit and heels. Eventually, the pair also sat down with some of the leading journalists and professionals for their panel on day two of the three-day event. The hit Freeform series Grown-ish tells the continuing story of the ABC series Black-ish. Shahidi plays Zoey Johnson, a fashion forward young woman who finds out that leaving home from college doesn't always work out as planned. Working it: Shahidi also posed for a photo-shoot in front of an assorted Scad TVs Teaming up: She was also joined by Black-ish and Grown-ish costume designer Michelle Cole Stylin': Cole looked business ready in a stylish checkered suit with heels For the panel, the young star gave an inside perspective on the show and its style, with the help of Cole. In light of her early stardom, Shahidi has been using her platform to increase youth participation in voting, womens issues, community, and education, according to the Scad aTVfest website. She has won two BET YoungStars Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and was nominated for two SAG Awards. Making a difference: Shahidi has been using her platform to increase youth participation in voting, womens issues, community, and education PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that there will be a partial closure of the Causeway Bridge for motorized traffic on Monday, March 2nd, Tuesday, March 3rd from 9.00 pm to 2.00 am. On Monday, March 02nd, the traffic lane coming from the direction of the Airport road toward Union Road (Cole bay) will be closed for motorized traffic during the aforementioned hours. On Tuesday, March 3rd the traffic lane coming from Union Road towards the Airport road (Simpson bay) will be closed during the aforementioned time. The closure of the Causeway Bridge is in connection with maintenance work that will take place on the Bridge. Motorists are advised to be vigilant and observant of the traffic diversion directional signs. Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. On February 3, 1993, a Mumbai Police officer, Vijay Salaskar, shot dead Shrikant Desai alias Shrikant Mama, a key associate of Sharad Shetty, the man who handled the finances of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. Desai was in charge of Dawoods smuggling operations at the airports and sea ports cargo area, and was one of Shettys most trusted men. This encounter with Salaskar (who was killed by terrorists on the night of November 26, 2008) would be the making of the gangster who came to be known as Ravi Pujari. Till then, the role of the short, stocky Raviprakash Surya Pujari in the gang could be best described as that of an errand boy, a senior Mumbai crime branch officer said . This profile of Pujari, who was arrested on January 21 in Senegal, and chronicle of his criminal career was put together by Hindustan Times on the basis of interviews with eight serving and retired police officers. The officers spoke on condition of anonymity. Pujari, in his 20s and living in Andheri in Mumbais western suburbs when Desai was killed, was convinced that there was a mole in their gang, and sought to identify and eliminate him. Pujari, the police officer said, took this death of Desai personally because the latter and Shetty had groomed him from relative poverty to becoming a trusted member of the gang. First, they would send him to buy vegetables, but later had enough faith in him to send him to receive smuggled weapons from various parts of the world, the officer cited in the first instance said. Desais death affected him so much that he planned a Bollywood-style revenge. Desai was a like a father figure to Pujari. Both Desai and Shetty were affiliated to Rajendra Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, who was, at the time, a part of the Dawood gang. In his hunt for the mole, Pujari zeroed in on Bala Zalte, a gang member who was interrogated by Mumbai Police a week before Desais death. Zaltes elder brother, Bandya was another notorious gangster and both, like Dawood, were sons of a policeman, and had chosen to work for Dawood. In March 1993, Pujari led a mob of goons to Zaltes house and murdered him. News of the 1993 killing was splashed across every city newspaper. It was eventually revealed that Pujari had killed the wrong person. The actual mole turned out to be another criminal, Mohan Shedge. Pujari killed him too in 1994. After that, he went into hiding in Mumbai. Though there is no official record of Pujaris exact date of birth, Mumbai Police say he was born in the early 1970s in Padubidri in coastal Karnataka, around 30 km north of Mangaluru, whose police force eventually reached Senegal last week and arrested him. His family shifted to Mumbai in the mid-1970s. He was enrolled in an English-medium school but dropped out before high school and got a job at a roadside tea stall. It was here that he began working for Desai. A few months after he killed Shedge, Pujari was arrested in 1995 by Mumbai Police for the first time when he returned to Mumbai to see his newborn child. He had married Padma, whom he had known from childhood. Police had information of his arrival and caught him at his Andheri house. Pujaris fingerprints were recorded then, and it is this document that eventually helped Karnataka Police confirm his identity and apply for his extradition from Senegal. Meanwhile, according to police officers in Mumbai, Chhota Rajan took note of Pujaris brutal killing methods and decided to take him under his wing, through his confidant Rohit Verma alias Hammer, a gangster from Vakola. This coincided with the time that Rajan and Dawood separated, with Rajan calling the latter anti-national for orchestrating the March 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai. Pujari had to choose sides, and he chose Rajan. When Pujari was released on bail, he first fled to Nepal and eventually reached Bangkok in 1995. By then, Rajan was in Bangkok. He had declared himself a patriotic don as a counterfoil to Dawood. In the early 2000s, soon after Dawoods closest aide, Chhota Shakeel, sent a hit squad to kill Rajan, who escaped with major injuries but Verma was killed. Rajan suspected Pujari of working as a Dawood informant. He sidelined him. Pujari was forced to leave and reside in Australia. With Rajans clout diminishing , Pujari decided to take on his previous mentors mantle of a patriotic don. From Australia, Pujari briefly moved to South Africa and then on to Morocco. Pujaris first major operation in Mumbai (although his whereabouts at the time are not known) was his unsuccessful hit on Nationalist Congress Party leader and criminal lawyer, Majeed Memon, in July 2005. Memon had been appearing as a defence lawyer in high-profile cases under the now repealed Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 including for those accused in the 1993 blasts. Soon after the Memon attack, former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma arrested Pujaris wife Padma in a fake passport case. A month later, Padma got bail,had another fake passport made from Mangalore and escaped to Bangkok. It was then that Pujari spread terror among Bollywood personalities, developers, and automobile shop owners by calling them through Voice-over Internet Protocol and blackmailing them. He asked them to deposit protection money, that is money they had to give Pujari to be spared an attack. Between 2005 and 2015, Mumbai Police registered 52 cases of serious crimes against Pujari, including extortion, attempt to murder and murder. A Mumbai crime branch official told HT that Pujari became a respected figure in Burkina Faso on account of his philanthropy. Pujari then invested in a garment factory in Sudan, and, in 2015, moved to Senegal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SALEM, Ore. (KDRV) Democratic lawmakers left in the absence of House Republicans who have shunned the capitol in protest over cap-and-trade moved on Thursday to issue subpoenas requiring that the errant lawmakers return "to explain their absences." The House Committee on Rules, now solely populated by Democrats, voted to issue those civil subpoenas Thursday afternoon demanding that Republican representatives appear for the committee on Thursday, March 5. The text of the civil subpoenas reads as follows: By virtue of the authority of and in compliance with ORS 171.510, and following a majority vote of the House Rules Committee on February 27, 2020, I, Paul Holvey, State Representative and Chair of the House Rules Committee, hereby require you to appear before the House Rules Committee at 1pm on Thursday, March 5, 2020 in Hearing Room F of the State Capitol, Salem, Oregon, 97301, as a witness before such committee and be prepared to testify about your unexcused absences during the 2020 regular session of the Legislative Assembly, the need for members to fulfill their oaths of office and constitutional duties as legislators by attending sessions of the Legislative Assembly, and how the work of the Legislative Assembly during the 2020 calendar year may be completed. This is an extraordinary measure brought on by the extraordinary actions of the House Republican caucus, said Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, the chair of the House Committee on Rules. According to a statement from House Democrats, Oregon law allows the chair of a committee to compel attendance of witnesses with a majority vote. Though Democrats have lacked the two-thirds quorum to forward any legislation, they maintain a majority in the capitol. We all took an oath to support the Oregon Constitution and faithfully discharge the duties of our office, which requires our attendance when the legislature is in session," Rep. Holvey said. "As I see it, House Republicans are currently in violation of that oath. These Republican legislators owe the people of Oregon an explanation for their absences. The subpoenas are intended to be served to every member of the House Republican caucus that has been absent and unexcused. House Speaker Tina Kotek reportedly told lawmakers that she'd been in contact with the absent Republicans, asking them to return to work. Rep. Kotek told Democrats that she'd either received "no commitments" from Republicans on whether they would return, or responses directing her to contact Republican Leader Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby. Later Thursday evening, Rep. Drazan issued a brief response to the move by Democrats on the committee. This is just the latest example of the majority partys strong-arm tactics designed to end negotiations. We will not be intimidated. We remain resolved to serve the hardworking families of Oregon who have asked for the abuse of power to end and for cap and trade to be referred to the people. Republican lawmakers in the Oregon Senate began the walkout on Monday when Democrats moved the cap-and-trade bill from the final committee and toward the Senate floor. The lack of a quorum has held up all legislation in Salem this week, and politicians have taken to pointing fingers across the aisle as vital funding bills languish. On Friday, the Oregon Food Bank issued a statement calling out Republicans for the legislative gridlock. Our statewide network of food banks is incredibly fortunate and proud to have earned the support of a broad, bi-partisan coalition of elected leaders. But we have no hope of achieving our shared mission to end hunger when half that coalition refuses to show up to work. No discussion or decision-making takes place when lawmakers dont show up to make laws," said Susannah Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank. Simply put, the Republican walkout jeopardizes critical anti-hunger initiatives and our democracy. Oregon families deserve better, and its time for Republicans to return to the work we elected them to do. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 05:43:54|Editor: yan Video Player Close NEW YORK, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese art pieces will be highlighted at the upcoming Asia Week New York, an eight-day event that celebrates Asian art and culture in various activities. Now in its 11th edition, Asia Week New York will see 36 international galleries, six auction houses and many cultural institutions, offering open galleries, auction sales, lectures and exhibitions starting from March 12. The gallery exhibitions will be free and open to public until March 19, and in some cases, until March 21. The big draw to Asia Week New York is the numerous eye-alluring exhibitions featuring the rarest and finest examples of Asian porcelain, jewelry, textiles, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, bronzes, prints, photographs and jades from every quarter of and period in Asia. "As Asia Week New York enters a new decade, we look forward to increasing the public's awareness and knowledge of the joys of collecting Asian art -- hence we are excited to present a comprehensive series of gallery talks by our esteemed experts," said Asia Week New York chairwoman Katherine Martin. Chinese works of art have always been an important part of the annual art event. The art pieces worth noticing are a finely painted mid-17th century Ming blue-and-white porcelain vase, and a Ming Dynasty bronze goose-form incense burner (14th-15th century). The 12-inch tall blue-and-white porcelain vase from Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. is decorated with military figures in a mountainous outdoor setting. Its dome is painted with a land and seascape scene, including a 10-story pagoda. The incense burner from J.J. Lally & Co. is the largest of its kind yet recorded and the only example known which is complete with its original matching base. To cater to the need of Chinese-speaking buyers and audience, a Chinese version of the event website is available to offer comprehensive guide to the event. The event is organized by the Asia Week New York Association, a non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York. Italian man traveled through Lagos to another state before he was put in quarantine, authorities say. An Italian man who has been confirmed to be Nigerias first coronavirus case after arriving from Milan was in the country for almost two full days before being isolated, travelling through Lagos and visiting another state. The case has prompted a scramble by authorities in Africas most populous country who are now trying to trace everyone who arrived on the same flight as the patient and identify the places he visited before going to the hospital. We have started working to identify all the contacts of the person since he entered Nigeria and even those who were with him on the aircraft, Health Minister Osagie Ehanire told reporters on Friday in Nigerias capital, Abuja. The Italian, whose country is the worst-hit in Europe by the coronavirus outbreak, arrived on February 24 on a Turkish Airlines flight that had a connection in Istanbul, Akin Abayomi, Lagos state commissioner for health, told reporters. After spending the night in a hotel near the airport, he arrived in the neighbouring state of Ogun on February 25 at his place of work. He stayed there until he developed a fever and body aches on the afternoon of February 26, Abayomi said. Health practitioners with his company then contacted biosecurity authorities, who transferred him to a containment facility in Yaba, Lagos state. It was very astute of the medical practitioners in that facility to keep him overnight in an isolated environment, Abayomi said. Ehanire said the infection was confirmed on February 27 by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and that the man is now quarantined but doing well. As well as being the first in Nigeria, the patient is the first confirmed coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa. Turkish Airlines did not immediately comment on the case. There are no confirmed cases in Turkey. The World Health Organization has said it already has experts on the ground in Nigeria, which it identifies as one of 13 high priority countries in Africa. In a sign of mounting concerns in Kenya, the country temporarily suspended flights from China on Friday. Kenya has no confirmed cases of the virus. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 16:30:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Hong Kong, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has expressed strong disapproval and firm opposition against some U.S. politicians' interference in Hong Kong affairs and Chinese domestic affairs. The commissioner's office issued a statement Friday night in response to some U.S. congressmen's irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong police's legal action against Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, widely known as one of the "black hands" behind Hong Kong's months-long unrest. The U.S. congressmen involved had carried out anti-China activities for a long time and colluded with Hong Kong anti-China plotters who messed up Hong Kong, said the statement. The congressmen involved shielded Hong Kong troublemakers, whitewashed their illegal actions, wantonly interfered in the rule of law and judicial independence in Hong Kong, and slandered the central government's Hong Kong policy, it said. The statement stressed that Hong Kong is a part of China, and the rule of law is valued here. Noting that all people are equal before the law and nobody has the right to stand above the law, the statement urged foreign forces to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and Chinese domestic affairs, which will only get them to pay the price. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2020 / First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce that due to strong demand, the Company has upsized and closed a second tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $5.1 million (the "Second Tranche"). Along with the initial tranche, First Mining has now raised total gross proceeds of $7.6 million. Due to increased demand, First Mining will close a third, and final, tranche of the Offering on March 6, 2020. Pursuant to the Second Tranche, the Company issued 23,328,818 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.22 per Unit for gross proceeds of $5,132,340. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Unit Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.33 at any time prior to February 28, 2023. The net proceeds raised from the sale of the Units under the Second Tranche will be used by the Company for development and permitting activities at its Canadian gold projects, as well as for general working capital purposes. The Unit Shares are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from closing, expiring on June 29, 2020. 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 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 (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About First Mining Gold Corp. First Mining Gold Corp. is an emerging development company with a diversified portfolio of gold projects in North America. Having assembled a large resource base of 7.4 million ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated categories and 3.8 million ounces of gold in the Inferred category in mining friendly jurisdictions of eastern Canada, First Mining is now focused on advancing its material assets towards a construction decision and, ultimately, to production. The Company currently holds a portfolio of 24 mineral assets in Canada, Mexico and the United States. ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING GOLD CORP. Daniel W. Wilton Chief Executive Officer and Director For further information, please contact: Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Direct: 604.639.8824 | Toll Free: 1.844.306.8827 | Email: info@firstmininggold.com www.firstmininggold.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the Company closing a final tranche of the Offering on March 6, 2020; (ii) the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the Unit Shares for development and permitting activities at the Company's Canadian gold projects, and for general working capital purposes; (iii) the Company's focus on advancing its assets towards production; and (iv) realizing the value of the Company's gold projects for the Company's shareholders. All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: failure to obtain regulatory approval; demand for the Units and FT Units; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties.; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR. First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law. Cautionary Note to United States Investors This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this news release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum 2014 Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and mineral resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". 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. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards. SOURCE: First Mining Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/578462/First-Mining-Upsizes-and-Closes-Second-Tranche-of-Private-Placement-Financing The President of the European Council, Charles Michel expressed his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the death of the Turkish servicemen in Syrian Idlib. "During a telephone conversation with President Erdogan, Charles Michel expressed condolences over the death of the Turkish military as well as deep concern about the suffering of people amid the ongoing confrontation in Idlib," the EU press-release reads. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more Consumers are on social media constantly, scrolling through posts from both friends and brands. Many have begun clicking on some of those brand posts and making purchases. Social commerce is becoming increasingly popular for brands, noted Darin Archer, chief strategy officer at Elastic Path. Even when the transaction itself may be happening outside the app, theres a much smaller gap between discovery and purchase, he told the E-Commerce Times. It makes it easy for shoppers to transact when theyre already thinking about your ad, Archer said. A social commerce strategy can be more effective than counting on the shopper to remember the ad or the product later when theyre shopping in-store, he added. Youre streamlining the shopping process for consumers by making browsing and transacting more connected in many cases, drastically reducing the time between the peak of purchase intent and the ability to complete a transaction, said Archer. In essence, people live on social media, so its a relatively small step to shop there as well. Social media has always been an important gateway to making purchase decisions, observed Liz Cole, group director for social strategy at Digitas. Research has shown that more than half of consumers have purchased a product after seeing it recommended by someone they follow on social channels, and nearly 75 percent have purchased a product after first seeing it in a brands own social post, she told the E-Commerce Times. As consumers become more comfortable with the idea of social commerce, social media platforms are adapting. Social platforms are building out more and better commerce functionality, from shoppable tags to product catalog-enabled ads to transactional chatbots, said Cole. A D V E R T I S E M E N T As the path from post to purchase shortens, peoples openness to discovering new products and buying them directly through social channels has also expanded to include categories of products like mattresses or prescription medications that previously werent commonly purchased online at all, she noted. Social Commerce Success Successful social commerce relies on creating a sense of continuity across all the various channels consumers use to interact with a brand. To succeed in selling through social media, brands will need to figure out how to effectively integrate the social commerce experience with existing touchpoints, like mobile and Web, said Elastic Paths Archer. They should also ensure that the brand experience within an app is specifically tailored to that touchpoint. The checkout experience for social commerce should be relevant to that context rather than just a desktop experience repurposed for social, he advised. The customer shouldnt notice any change to their experience as they move through the purchase journey. Social commerce also relies on a sense of loyalty thats built up over time and place between brands and their customers, and so its important that the products people buy through social media are competitively priced and of reliable quality, according to Mousumi Behari, digital strategy practice lead at Avionos. Given the visual nature of social media, small format videos are becoming increasingly popular to create a storyline and impact the brand, she the E-Commerce Times. Influencers often play a big role in the success of social media commerce, since they serve as a kind of conduit between the world of shopping and the world of social media connectivity. They already have a likability factor, and customers will trust what they are selling, said Behari. Brands are having success with this approach, such as Nike with Kobe Bryant, or Puma with Selena Gomez. Ultimately, social commerce is all about communication. Creating a two-way conversation on social media is also improving customer retention. We see massive brands like Target servicing their customers in the comment section and meeting the user where they are, explained Behari. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Retailers should allocate money to market in these platforms, she recommended. The interactions on social media feel personalized, and since the customer is able to curate their feed, chances are they are seeing sponsored ads to similar products of people they already follow. The Evolution of Social Commerce Social commerce is evolving continually, as it capitalizes on new platforms and methodologies. Social commerce is going to grow, and its obvious therell become more ways to instantly buy, noted Amelia Neate, senior manager at Influencer Matchmaker. I predict more social feeds will be integrated on websites, she told the E-Commerce Times. For example, DFS has begun introducing integrated Instagram feeds on their website, which helps show their products in situ. Encouraging a purchase, buyers can see how a piece is styled and how it may look and feel in their homes. Brands selling via social media need to find new ways to connect with customers, suggested Rachael Samuels, manager for social media at Sprout Social. As social commerce continues to grow, brands will need to humanize themselves by creating content their audience can relate to and identify with, she told the E-Commerce Times. In the year ahead, I expect to see more e-commerce brands leveraging micro-influencer partnerships, integrating social shopping experiences across multiple platforms, and finding creative ways to empower audiences to sell for them, such as turning honest customer feedback into distributable content. Social commerce gradually might expand beyond simple purchases to include larger ones, as consumers become more comfortable with the idea of buying through their social media feeds. As Gen Z gains purchasing power and the platforms themselves improve commerce capability, we will see growth here, predicted Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at Bloomreach. Certainly we will likely see these platforms continue to grow in influence over shopping and buying, including in high-consideration categories like real estate, he told the E-Commerce Times. For example, in the future, we could see real estate listings on Snapchats Snap Map feature. Another development will be smoother checkouts. We may see mobile payment services like Apple Pay and Venmo integrate directly into social media apps to reduce friction even further, said Walker. More in-app transactions are on the horizon. I see the in-app transaction experience as the next step for social commerce, said Archer. Linking to an external e-commerce site begins to monetize the browsing experience, but its not as seamless as it could be. To create that ease-of-purchase, brands will need to move the actual transaction into the social app. We already see this with Instagrams Checkout function, and this will cause a ripple effect with other brands making the move to support in-app transactions. As social commerce evolves, it will be important for brands to understand that they must offer consumers full shopping experiences, even when the consumers are clicking and buying on the go, Archer said. A brands future social commerce experience will need to communicate with all other commerce touchpoints, like the Web store, to facilitate seamless transactions, he said. Otherwise, youll lose shopper engagement. President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that the announcement of the joint declaration between the US and Afghanistan will open the way for lasting peace in the country. The Afghanistan President, according to Tolonews, said he appreciates the sacrifices of the Afghan forces for the country, and emphasized that now their role in peace will be even more important. Referring to the peace deal between the US and Taliban, the Afghanistan President said all the contents in the US-Taliban agreement are conditions-based. The withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan depends on how much the Taliban fulfill their commitments, he said. Ghani, speaking alongside US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, highlighted the sacrifices made by the Afghani people. "Our sacrifice has been immense, both in the martyrdom of the ANDSF and our civilians. Children, youth in their prime, and men and women of all ages and walks of life had their lives taken away by senseless acts of terror and violence in public spaces," Ghani was quoted as saying by Tolonews. The United States will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months, as per a joint declaration between the Afghan government and Washington. The plan is "subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement," the declaration read. "The United States reaffirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments," the joint declaration read, as reported by Tolo News. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lim Jeong-yeo (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network) Sat, February 29, 2020 16:00 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20676ad46 2 Science & Tech Samsung,Samsung-Galaxy-Z-Flip,smartphone,China,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,South-Korea Free Samsung Electronics Galaxy Z Flip sold out in nine minutes in China on Thursday, despite dampened consumer sentiment worldwide due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Chinese electronics industry on Friday, Samsung began online sales of the Z Flip across China at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and the clamshell-type foldable phone sold out in less than 10 minutes. Delivery will begin immediately. On the same day, Samsung began to take preorders for the Z Flips limited Thom Browne edition, which hit maximum capacity in three minutes. The Thom Browne edition will be delivered in mid-March. As per custom, Samsung did not disclose the exact number of devices sold in China so far. The company introduced its flagship Galaxy S20 series via an online presentation on Thursday night, saying the S20 will go on sale in China from March. Industry watchers are paying attention to whether Samsungs conventional lineup will fare as well as its foldable phones, as S20 sales in Korea had been downbeat on its first day of sales here Thursday. Samsung sold an estimated 70,800 units of the S20 in Korea on Thursday, compared with 140,000 units of the S10 series sold on its first day of sales. The corresponding figure for the Galaxy Note 10 smartphones was 220,000 units. A Korean telecom company official reportedly said S20 sales were negatively affected by the reduced number of consumers visiting offline stores due to coronavirus fears. Topics : This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Video By Lee Min-young, Kim Kang-min Kim Sang-hun is a 27-year-old student who lives in Dalseo-gu, western Daegu, just 15 minutes away from the Shincheonji Daegu Church where the 31st patient, a 61-year-old woman, had attended a service with hundreds others. Days later, a cluster of infections followed in Daegu, a city of 2.4 million people, and it took less than a week for the virus to spread across other parts of the country, setting the national tally at 2022, as of Friday. Overnight, Daegu turned into a city that lies at the heart of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak, or even worse, a city home to a "super-spreader" doomsday religious cult. Kim says his neighborhood has changed so much ever since the emergence of soaring coronavirus cases centered on the Daegu Shincheonji Church. "I don't hear any of the children's laughters coming from my apartment's playground these days. The city is just wiped out." He told The Korea Times that it sometimes upsets him when he reads the news and see local media calling the epidemic "Daegu Coronavirus." "It's unfair to treat us like viruses while it's not Daegu where the virus was born. Many of my friends tell me they feel like they are locked away, not welcome anywhere." RFE/RL Protests Kazakhstan's Refusal To Accredit Journalists Central Asian authorities are increasingly withholding accreditations to control the press. RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has complained to the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs over its arbitrary denial of credentials to two Kazakh Service journalists. Tajikistan has refused to accredit seven RFE/RL journalists. INCIDENTS AND THREATS Russian State TV Spreads Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Russia's state TV Channel One, watched by millions, has broadcast conspiracy theories blaming U.S. President Donald Trump, the Miss Universe beauty pageant, and "international corporations" for the coronavirus. Ex-Russian Officer Admits To Planting Drugs On Golunov Former Russian police officer Denis Konovalov has admitted framing investigative journalist Ivan Golunov last summer, telling a court his superior ordered him to plant drugs on him. Golunov was arrested on drug charges in Moscow on June 6 in a case that sparked public outrage, leading to his swift release from prison. Well-Known Chechen Blogger Attacked While Living In Hiding A human rights group says well-known Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov has been assaulted in his apartment in a European country where he lives in hiding. Abdurakhmanov has continued to criticize the Kadyrov regime from abroad, focusing on human rights violations and corruption in Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim region in Russia's North Caucasus. Crimean Journalist Semena Moves To Mainland Ukraine RFE/RL Crimean contributor Mykola Semena, whose remaining criminal sentence and conviction on a separatism charge were vacated last month, left Crimea for medical treatment in mainland Ukraine on February 17. Cyberbullying: The View From RFE/RLs Balkan Service RFE/RL Balkan Service Director Arbana Vidishiqi says that women journalists in her region are avoiding social media platforms. There are very few women who are standing up to the bullying in this region. You can literally name them on one hand. After this report was published, a user on Twitter criticized her, using a regional slur. Underscoring Lack Of Pluralism And Free Speech, RFE/RL Tajik Service Hosts Failed Debate Representatives from six out of seven political parties refused to participate in political debates planned for broadcast by RFE/RLs Tajik Service on February 19, ahead of the countrys March 1 parliamentary elections. Only a representative of the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) accepted the invitation. The countrys ruling People's Democratic party pressured the other parties to avoid the event; instead, the Service produced a show titled The Failed Debate, featuring the SDP deputy chairman and an empty chair. RSF Condemns Pakistan Attempt To 'Censor' Social Media Reporters Without Borders is urging Pakistani federal authorities to rescind newly adopted rules for regulating social-media content, saying they pose a "major threat" to journalists' work. Numerous media freedom groups have expressed concern that the regulations would give the authorities unchecked powers to stifle free speech and press freedom RFE/RL IMPACT KAZAKHSTAN: RFE/RLs Kazakh Service was the only media outlet to provide sustained live coverage of the February 22 opposition rallies in Kazakhstan, during which an estimated 300 people were detained. Coverage was livestreamed in Kazakh and Russian, despite an internet shutdown ordered by authorities that suspended online connections for several hours on the central streets of Nur-Sultan and Almaty. Visits to the Services website reached 330,000 on Saturday. State-run broadcast media ignored the protests. IRAN: RFE/RLs Radio Farda countered the governments secrecy and state-run medias disinformation about the coronavirus, reporting on Irans first documented cases, the spread of the virus, and the governments response. The Service also used its extensive social media presence to provide public service information on the viruss symptoms and means to minimize exposure and risk. CURRENT TIME: A short documentary on the reindeer-herding Nenets people, who inhabit Russias Siberian Yamal peninsula, attracted more than 670,000 views on YouTube. A 3-minute version for social media drew some 440,000 views on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and VKontakte. In comments that numbered over 1,277, viewers thanked the network for its compelling coverage of a unique, human story. MAJLIS PODCAST: Tajikistans March 1 Elections PHOTOGALLERY: Remembering Boris Nemtsov PRESSROOM: Washington Post Accuses Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev Of Punishing Journalist Khadija Ismayilova Arrive will have early access to DAT Market Conditions Index and predictive rate technology for load brokers and 3PLs PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DAT Solutions today announced that Arrive Logistics, one of the fastest-growing next-generation freight brokers in the country, has joined a pilot program to evaluate DATs latest truckload rate forecasting tools: DAT Market Conditions Index (MCI), a powerful indicator of truckload freight supply and demand, and new rate-prediction technology that leverages DAT RateView, the industrys most accurate and complete source of spot and contract rate information. Our growth is predicated on providing our team with technology and data that drive efficiency and customer service, said David Spencer, Arrive Logistics Director of Business Intelligence. We are always looking to the future to understand what our partners need and are excited to be among the first to begin incorporating this data into our capacity planning and pricing models. Working with DAT helps us fulfill our commitment to providing world-class services to our partners. The pilot program will run through the end of March. DATs Market Conditions Index and predictive rate and analytics tools will be made available to third-party logistics providers, freight brokers, truck fleets, financial analysts, and other industry stakeholders in April. DAT Market Conditions Index is a comprehensive and dynamic indicator of future changes in rates for van, refrigerated, and flatbed freight. This measure of supply and demand incorporates actual inbound and outbound freight transactions, load-board post and search behavior, and short-term and long-term trends to generate a holistic view of past, present, and future market conditions. DATs predictive rate and analytics tools provide freight brokers, shippers, and carriers with reliable truckload price intelligence. Generating predictions from one day to one year in the future, DATs data and algorithms account for short-term market effects, seasonal impacts, and long-term price trends, providing brokers with unmatched market perspective. Story continues MCI and DATs new rate forecasting tools are a powerful combination for rapidly growing tech-enabled brokerages like Arrive. In this market, decisions must be made quickly, and having the best information can give brokers the edge they need to win more business and cover more freight, said Claude Pumilia, DAT Solutions CEO and President. We have a long track record of success with Arrive, and they will be an important voice in our early access programs as we move toward commercial launches in April. About DAT Solutions DAT Solutions operates the largest truckload freight marketplace in North America. Transportation brokers, motor carriers, news organizations, and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trends and data insights based on 183 million freight matches and a database of $68 billion in annual market transactions. As the industry standard in truckload pricing, DATs freight rate database also provides the index prices for freight futures contracts. Founded in 1978, DAT Solutions LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Roper Technologies (ROP), a diversified technology company and constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and Russell 1000 indices. Contact Eileen Hart | VP Marketing & Corporate Communications Eileen.Hart@dat.com | 503-672-5132 www.dat.com Facebook: DAT Solutions Instagram: @dat_solutions LinkedIn: DAT Solutions Twitter: @LoadBoards About Arrive Logistics Co-founded in 2014 by Matt Pyatt and Eric Dunigan, Arrive Logistics is a technology-powered transportation service provider that delivers superior brokerage experiences to carriers and shippers. Since its inception, Arrive Logistics has doubled in size and revenue every year. In 2018, the company celebrated another successful year with revenue reaching $370 million and they are projected to reach over $600 million in 2019. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in Chicago and Chattanooga, Tenn., Arrive Logistics has redefined what it means to be a modern broker through dedication to both shippers and carriers, giving partners more by putting proprietary technology, unprecedented operations, and customer service at the forefront of their business. Find out more about working with Arrive Logistics here. In addition, their impressive growth and vibrant culture have lent themselves to numerous accolades, including two consecutive years as an Inc Magazine best workplace. Contact Evan Pundyk | Marketing Director epundyk@arrivelogistics.com | 512-792-2081 www.arrivelogistics.com Facebook: ArriveWithUs Instagram: @arrivelogistics LinkedIn: Arrive-Logistics Twitter: @ArriveLogistics Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 21:57:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Online health services have played a significant role in China's fight against novel coronavirus outbreak, reducing the chance of infection by regular hospital visits, a Chinese health official said Saturday. In early February, provincial-level health administrative departments were asked to quickly establish and open provincial online health platforms and organize qualified Internet medical institutions to provide relevant online and offline services, Guo Yanhong, an official with the National Health Commission, said at a press conference Saturday. The services include follow-up medical services for chronic patients and online counseling services, Guo said, adding that some fever patients also received medical consultations online. "The online health services not only enable the public to obtain convenient, fast and accessible medical services and medical consultation services, but also reduce the chance of cross-infection by avoiding patients gathering in hospitals," she said. Guo pointed out that the number of medical visits to fever clinics in east China's Zhejiang Province has been reduced by 50 percent due to the opening of online health services. In the epidemic-stricken Hubei Province, medical institutions were instructed to strengthen online medical services, providing online medical treatment and consultation, especially for patients with chronic diseases, she said. Vietnams Permanent Mission to the UNESCO in collaboration with the central province of Ha Tinh will organise a ceremony to commemorate the 200th death anniversary of great poet Nguyen Du at the UNESCOs headquarters in Paris in March. Statue of great poet Nguyen Du in Ha Tinh province The event will be an opportunity for Vietnam to popularise the countrys cultural values to international friends. A multitude of activities will be held within the framework of the event, including a commemorative ceremony, a book exhibition, and a conference on the poets life and career. Nguyen Du (1766-1820), also known as To Nhu and Thanh Hien, was recognised by the UNESCO as World Cultural Celebrity in 2003. He was born to one of the most aristocratic families in Thang Long Imperial City (Hanoi). His family members were noted scholars and mandarins at the Court during the Le dynasty. His pleasant childhood life was interrupted by the death of his father when he was 9. Three years later, his mother died, as well. Born and raised in a time of chaos, Nguyen Du witnessed many changes in the transition from the Le to Nguyen dynasties between the 18th and 19th centuries. A rebellion led by Nguyen brothers from the village of Tay Son in todays Binh Dinh province, among many revolts by poverty-stricken peasants across the country at that time, put an end to the weakening Le-Trinh dynasty. The historical upheavals split his family apart and left him in poverty. They also opened his eyes so that he was able to see the naked realities of Vietnams feudal society, where the majority of people suffered in misery, inequality and cruelty. Upheavals and the sights observed, which are mentioned in one of the first lines of his most beloved work the Tale of Kieu, were obvious references to these events in his life. Though faithful to the Le dynasty, Nguyen Du realised that it was of no avail to follow his dream of restoring the regime and finally accepted the political changes. After the Tay Son collapsed, Emperor Gia Long, the new Nguyen ruler, called him to the Court. Nguyen Du reluctantly obeyed but felt unimpassioned towards his mandarin career. The vicissitudes of history and his own life turned him from a nobleman into a humanist and a realist poet whose heart was deeply moved by the lives of the unfortunate. In his 55 years of life, the great poet left a monumental legacy that includes three collections in Han (Chinese) script, totalling 250 poems in Thanh Hien Thi Tap (Poems of Thanh Hien), Nam Trung Tap Ngam (Various Poems) and Bac Hanh Tap Luc (Miscellaneous Writings in a Trip to the North), as well as the most well-known, the Tale of Kieu. The 3,254-line classic verse novel written in luc bat, the form that consists of alternating lines of six and eight syllables, a traditional Vietnamese verse form, is the most popular Vietnamese poem of all time and has inspired many generations. It recounts the life, trials and tribulation of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman, who had to sacrifice herself to save her father and younger brother from prison. She sold herself into marriage with a middle-aged man, unaware of his profession as a pimp. He later forced her into prostitution, marking the start of a series of tragic events in her life. Throughout the poem, Nguyen Du depicted the beauty of true love and loyalty, and the unyielding hope for justice. The poetic masterpiece has spread its spirit and influences overseas, as it was published in 20 different languages worldwide. Nguyen Du passed away 200 years ago, but his literary legacy and brilliant career are remembered today by people not only in Vietnam but all over the world. In 1965, he was honoured as a world cultural celebrity by the World Peace Council with eight others for his devotion to Vietnamese literature and the worlds culture. On August 15, 2014, the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee officially approved a plan to celebrate the 250th birth anniversary of Nguyen Du in 2015 a big opportunity for the country to honour its cultural values and instill national pride in its citizens when integrating extensively into the world./.VNA The Congress on Saturday said the government must ensure that the US-Taliban peace deal does not have any adverse effect on India's security and its interests are protected. The Opposition party's comments came just ahead of the signing of a landmark deal between the US and the Taliban. The deal was signed later in the day. The deal laid out a timetable for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months. Congress' senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said India should not ignore its own security and interests because Taliban has been supporting terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar. "We hope Prime Minister has discussed the interests of India. The Indian government has to see its own security and interest too to ensure that Taliban does not again target India in any way. India should not ignore its own security," he said. Keeping this in mind, it has to be seen that there is no adverse effect on India's security, Sharma said. The US-Taliban deal provides for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan nearly 18 years after their deployment in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks ahead of a House vote on a war powers resolution and amid the stalemate surrounding the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump, as she addresses her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 9, 2020. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday that the chamber would vote on a response package to the coronavirus sometime in the coming week. "The American people expect a well-coordinated, fully-funded response that appropriately addresses this public health crisis," Pelosi, one of the nation's top Democrats, tweeted. "Congress is taking steps to ensure the government has access to the resources needed to combat this deadly virus & keep Americans safe. House appropriators are working hard on a funding package which we hope to vote on next week," she added. pelosi tweet The House Speaker's post comes shortly after Washington state confirmed the first death in the U.S. from the virus and after Oregon reported on Friday its first case of the virus. The tweets also followed a press conference hosted by President Donald Trump, in which he and Vice President Mike Pence announced an expansion of travel restrictions against Iran and the new recommendation that Americans refrain from visiting regions of Italy and South Korea impacted by the coronavirus. The coronavirus, known formally as COVID-19, has worldwide and infected more than 80,000. It originated in Wuhan, China and has spread to countries around the world with a notable presence in South Korea, Italy and Iran. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Kabul/Doha: The United States signed a historic deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there. While the agreement paves the way for the United States to gradually pull out of its longest war, many expect that talks to come between the multiple Afghan sides will be far more complicated. The deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper meanwhile travelled to Kabul on a visit that officials and experts said was aimed at reassuring the Afghan government about the United States' commitment to the country. For US President Donald Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring US troops home. But security experts have also called it a foreign policy gamble that would give the Taliban international legitimacy. "Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan," the US Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter. "It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan." Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan "to refrain from any kind of attack ... for the happiness of the nation." "The biggest thing is that we hope the US remain committed to their promises during the negotiation and peace deal," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamist group. Mujahid said it was "irritating and provocative" that foreign military aircraft continued to fly over Taliban territory, but militia fighters were following the order to stand-down. For millions of Afghans, the deal represents some hope for an end to years of bloodshed. "Peace is extremely simple and my country deserves it. Today is the day when maybe we will see a positive change," said Javed Hassan, 38, a school teacher living on the outskirts of Afghan capital, Kabul. Hassan's children were killed in a bomb blast carried out by the Taliban in 2018. Since then, he has been writing letters to world leaders urging them to end the Afghan war. Uncertain prospects But prospects for peace remain uncertain given the next step is reaching agreement with the Afghan government. Senior members of the Afghan government and countries surrounding Afghanistan have been concerned that the United States could abandon Kabul much like it was perceived to have left the region after the Soviet Union exited Afghanistan decades ago. The accord also comes amid a fragile political situation in Afghanistan. The Independent Election Commission said on Feb. 18 that Ghani won a Sept. 28 vote beset by allegations of rigging, technical problems and other irregularities. Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah rejected the results, claimed to be the victor and vowed to name a parallel government. Michael Kugelman, deputy director Asia Program at the Wilson Center, said of Esper's trip to Kabul that "Washington is essentially trying to show that its full strength is behind this deal and it wants to also indicate to Kabul that it's fully behind Afghanistan as the peace and reconciliation process moves toward a formal beginning." "(Esper's trip is) perhaps an indication that the US is ready to essentially accept the new government in Afghanistan," he added. The war, which has killed tens of thousands of people, began when the United States launched attacks on Afghanistan just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by the Afghanistan-based al Qaeda militant group. Washington accused the Taliban of harbouring al Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, and with its allies ousted the group from power. But the Taliban has remained a potent force and currently controls about 40% of Afghan territory. Troop withdrawal Trump said in a statement on Friday said the deal will pave way for US troop numbers to drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following the deal. Further reductions of Western forces will hinge on the Taliban adhering to a "reduction in violence" pledge, a condition that will be assessed by the United States. Under the deal, the Taliban wants 5,000 fighters to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it is not clear whether the Afghan government will agree. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to hardline Islamist splinter groups will be willing to adhere to the reduction in violence agreement. Some senior commanders of the Taliban in Doha for the signing said they will ensure that the US and Afghan governments accept all the conditions laid down by the group, according to Afghan defence officials. Sources in the Taliban earlier this month said they were prepared to launch a spring offensive and had recruited more than 6,000 fighters and suicide bombers if the agreement collapses. Its not a lifeguard, but the Coral Manta 3000 can help save lives, according to the Greater Valley YMCA. The device monitors a pool with an underwater video camera. If it detects a swimmer sinking quickly or jumping into the pool unaccounted for, it sends an alert to a nearby lifeguard or supervisor via a smart phone or tablet, according to the company website. Four of the devices have gone in at the pool in the YMCA of Easton, Phillipsburg and Vicinity, according to a news release. If the pilot program is successful over the next few months, the devices could go in at pools in other Greater Valley YMCA locations. Greater Valley YMCA CEO David Fagerstrom said the system wont replace lifeguards but add a new layer of protection. Most drowning deaths are preventable deaths and we are proud to pilot with Coral Detection Systems to enhance our already-existing safety around water practices," he said in the news release. The Easton YMCA offers swimming lessons for children and pool-related activities for residents of all ages including senior water aerobics and family movie nights in the pool, the news release says. The Greater Valley YMCA has branches in Allentown, Bethlehem, Catasauqua, Easton, Nazareth, and Pen Argyl. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. The lawyer acting for Prince Andrew's alleged victim Virginia Roberts last night lambasted the Duke for refusing to name the legal firm representing him. Buckingham Palace has repeatedly refused requests from journalists to identify the lawyers working on behalf of the Queen's second son and astonishingly, even Ms Roberts's US lawyer says he is in the dark. 'We don't really know who his lawyers are,' David Boies said last night. 'We know he has lawyers and we know he has PR people but exactly who they are and who is doing it officially and who is doing it unofficially, we don't know. They are not, as far as I know, saying.' The silence comes despite a clamour from US investigators for Andrew to provide information about paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. David Boies, with paedphile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's victim Annie Farmer, right, and Virginia Roberts The Duke has previously been represented by the London law firm Schillings. Royal sources, however, indicated that he has instructed another firm with extensive US legal expertise. Mr Boies added: 'This attempt to shroud everything in secrecy and hope somehow it will go away is I think misguided and ultimately counterproductive. This is not going to go away. This is not something that if you simply ignore it, people will lose interest in it.' The FBI, US prosecutors and lawyers for Epstein's victims want to speak to Andrew as part of investigations into the disgraced financier's sex trafficking ring. Ms Roberts, now known by her married name Giuffre, claims she was trafficked to London and coerced into having sex with the Prince on three occasions in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands. The Duke has categorically and repeatedly denied her claims. Last month, US attorney Geoffrey Berman said prosecutors and the FBI had contacted the Duke's representatives but had received no reply. Andrew was said to be 'angry and bewildered' about the claims, saying he had not been approached to speak about the case. But in the increasingly bitter war of words, Mr Boies supported Mr Berman's account, adding: 'We have continued to be met with an absolute refusal to co-operate in our investigation. An absolute refusal to be interviewed.' Ms Roberts claims that she was flown to London by Epstein in March 2001 when she was 17 and coerced into having sex with the Duke (pictured together with Ghislaine Maxwell) Mr Boies also said that the whereabouts of Ghislaine Maxwell remain unknown. The socialite disappeared from public life around 2016, although Prince Andrew told BBC's Newsnight that he saw her as recently as last spring or summer, saying: 'She was here doing some rally.' Mr Boies added: 'We heard she was in California, the South of France, Israel, the UK We have not been able to establish any credible evidence of where she actually is.' Mr Boies said our story last week that a former Royal protection officer had raised questions about Andrew's 'alibi' for the night he allegedly had sex with Ms Roberts in London in March 2001 was 'significant'. He added: 'All the evidence that has come out is supportive of what Virginia has said.' He also urged Scotland Yard to reopen its investigation into the claims made by Ms Roberts, now 36. She made a criminal complaint against Epstein and Maxwell to the Met in July 2015, but in November 2016 Scotland Yard decided not to proceed with an inquiry. It is understood the complaint did not include any criminal allegations against the Prince. 'Both in the UK and the United States, prosecutors failed to pursue evidence of Epstein's sex trafficking that was presented to them,' Mr Boies added. This is the latest satellite sequence for Storm Jorge from Met Eireann as the powerful storm crosses Ireland today. A series of weather warnings including a Red Warning for Galway and Clare are in place for today. A Status Red Wind Warning for Galway and Clare is in place from 1pm to 4pm. A Status Orange Wind Warning for Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry is already in place and remains in place until 3am on Sunday. A Status Orange Wind Warning for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo is valid from 12pm until 3am. Another Status Orange Weather Warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford is in place from 1pm to 7pm today. A Status Yellow Wind Warning for these areas is already in place and is in place up to 1pm. The weather forecast for today is for it to be cold to begin, with wintry showers. A band of heavy rain will soon extend from the west this morning, turning to sleet or snow in places, especially through the Midlands and north for a time, before turning back to rain later. WATCH: Driving snow in some areas as Storm Jorge crosses Ireland The sleet and snow in combination with strong winds will make driving conditions extremely hazardous in places this morning and early afternoon. A clearance to showers of mostly rain and hail with a continuing risk of thunder will gradually follow from the southwest in the late afternoon and evening, though not reaching Ulster until tonight. Extremely windy or stormy in all areas, with very strong southwesterly winds during the morning, veering westerly and strengthening further through the afternoon, with severe and damaging gusts. Strong gale to storm force winds on all coasts with violent storm force winds on western coasts for a time this afternoon, with a risk of coastal flooding. Cold, with maximum afternoon temperatures of just 5 to 7 degrees. The last of the rain will clear the north coast early tonight, with scattered showers following. The showers will be most frequent over the western half of the country and some will be wintry over high ground. Minimum temperatures zero to plus 3 degrees, with frost and icy patches. Coldest in the east where there will be long clear spells. Westerly winds remaining strong early tonight with gales on coasts and strong gales on northern coasts. Winds decreasing gradually later tonight. Parents on the north shore and in the eastern suburbs and inner west are most likely to send their children to private school in year 5. The NSW Education Department has confirmed the growing trend for parents to send their children to private school in year 5. The Sun-Herald reported last week that independent schools had noted year 5 enrolments were outstripping the growth in private schools more generally. The eastern suburbs, inner west and north shore have the greatest percentage of students moving from public to private school in year 5. Credit:Phil Carrick There were 67,203 year 5 students in NSW public schools in 2019, compared with 68,121 the year before, a fall of 1.3 per cent across the state. But in the Sydney Inner region, an area that includes the eastern suburbs, city, inner south and inner west, year 5 enrolments in public schools fell 7.8 per cent in 2019, compared with the year 4 of 2018. Twelve shanties were gutted and many damaged, leaving 70 people homeless as a fire broke out at a slum in Kamarhati area near Kolkata, officials said. The fire was caused by a short circuit, which led to the explosion of a gas cylinder, they said. Three fire engines took two hours to douse the blaze, the officials said. Kamarhati Municipality chairman Gopal Saha said the civic body has arranged relief and a temporary shelter for those affected in the fire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In 1945, engineer and science administrator Vannevar Bush laid out a framework for support of science in the U.S. that drove prosperity and American dominance. That model isn't enough anymore, experts said at an event this week in Washington, D.C. The big picture: With China threatening to overtake the U.S. in R&D spending even as research becomes more international, science must manage the tension between cooperation and competition. Background: As President Franklin Roosevelt's scientific advisor during WWII, Bush was known as the "General of the Physicists," organizing the massive scientific contribution to the war effort, including the Manhattan Project. The wartime accomplishments were astounding: advances in food production and medicine, the development of radar and proximity fuses on bombs, and ultimately, the atomic bomb. In July 1945, two weeks before Hiroshima, Bush authored a report titled "Science, the Endless Frontier," arguing that significant and centralized government funding of basic scientific research was vital for America's economic well-being and security. Bush's report led to the establishment of the National Science Foundation in 1950, the chief federal agency for basic scientific research. In 1940, the U.S. government and private industry spent the modern-day equivalent of $5.6 billion on scientific research. Today the U.S. as a whole spends $549 billion on R&D. Yes, but: For years, the American proportion of total global R&D spending has been declining. In a Jan. 29 congressional hearing, National Science Board chair Diane Souvaine testified that "in 2019 China may have surpassed the U.S. in total R&D expenditures. There are a lot better teams in our league for the next 75 years than there have been for the past 75 years in science and research, said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) at the National Academy of Sciences event on February 26 celebrating the 75th anniversary of Bush's report. On the same day of the event, China's biotech giant BGI Group claimed it could sequence a human genome for just $100 cheaper than any American company. Reality check: While China has stolen a march in some fields, like 5G and some fields of machine learning, according to Souviane's testimony Washington still spent nearly $70 billion more than Beijing on basic research in 2017. What they're saying: Beyond increased international competition, the changing nature of the U.S. demands shifts in how basic science is done and what it should accomplish. The country is more diverse than it was at the end of World War II, life expectancy is now lower than other industrialized nations, and there are massive health disparities. "Most exciting scientific advancements are creating moral quandaries that worry citizens partially because they know they will bear any burdens and partially because they feel they have no voice over the direction of science and tech even in a democracy," said Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. Parthasarathy says the country's political polarization has spilled over into science. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts can't just be about building up the scientific enterprise, but must allow it to be "more representative and ultimately more politically legitimate," she said. What's next: "The Bush model alone is no longer enough," MIT president Rafael Reif told the audience at the event, which marked the 75th anniversary of Bush's report. While it remains credible, the world faces workforce changes from automation, climate change and other pressures Bush couldn't have envisioned, Reif said. Reif called for focused investment in a short list of scientific fields including AI and quantum computing, and a "DARPA-like approach to fostering fundamental research in specific fields in pursuit of advances." "DARPA-like approach to fostering fundamental research in specific fields in pursuit of advances." The U.S. must remain open to foreign talent, Reif argued. "Foreign students should be properly vetted and then we should in effect staple a green card to their diploma," he told the audience. But in a world where science is more international and cooperative than ever, is there still a place for the national science policy Bush advocated? Panelists said science as a global enterprise and as a national competitive advantage aren't incompatible and that the tension can be productive. The bottom line: Bush's "endless frontier" laid the groundwork for postwar American prosperity. But if science is to help the U.S. and the world meet the challenges of the next 75 years, the colossus Bush helped create will need to grow more nimble. The Minister of Roads and Highways Kwasi Amoako-Atta has hinted that the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in China has affected major activities in relation to the various projects funded by the Sinohydro deal. According to the minister, officials from China could not travel to Ghana to perform their roles in relation to the deal. Its understandable, the officials should have come from China to join us to perform these exercises in relation to sinohydro [but] because of the manifestation of that deadly disease, that certainly has affected a lot of things, Hon. Amoako-Atta said. So far, only 4 out of ten projects have commenced under the phase one of the deal. But speaking at Koforidua in the Eastern region, the minister stated that the outbreak has not affected the facility itself and that the Chinese government has communicated their full assurance that the projects will continue. The government had full assurance that the project will continue. Pretty soon arrangements will be in place to cut sod for the other six projects under the first phase of the project, he said. He assured that very soon arrangements will be in place to cut sod for the other six projects under the first phase of the project. Source: starrfmonline.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 Teacher trainees undertaking their national service in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region are angry and vowed to resist efforts by the Ghana Education Service and the National Service Secretariat to repost them to adjoining communities. The teachers say the attempt to repost them after two months of settling in the Hohoe municipality without any compensation will inconvenience them since they may have to now look for new apartments and incur extra cost in renting. The Hohoe Municipal President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Gordon Awuku told Citi News the leadership of the Association will not allow its members to be treated unfairly. When you listen to GES, they have not been able to make any convincing argument over this issue. They called a meeting yesterday. When we went, the NSS director for the district introduced the subject that this is the reason why they are leaving. Because we all agreed that when you are reposting someone, it comes with challenges. This clearly shows that they are not prepared to carry out this [service]. And as a leader, I told them if I allow my people to be treated this way, it means they are going to suffer. How much is national service allowance to warrant them suffering like this? he asked. Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Director of the National Service Scheme, Ambrose Entsiwa Junior said no such thing as compensation exists for reposting under the scheme. The scheme reserves the right to repost service personnel depending on their relevance to the user agencies and the country at large. These are general concerns. I am not aware of any compensation package as far as national service postings and repostings are concerned. It is important to understand that we post national service personnel based on a number of issues. Background The National Service Scheme released about 14,000 pin codes to get trainee teachers across the country to undertake a compulsory one-year national service before being employed by the government in 2018. This new directive from the government stipulated that newly trained teachers will undertake their service after writing the Teacher Licensure Examinations. The Director of Public Affairs at NSS, David Prah, explained that the one-year national service for teachers was mandatory by law because the teacher trainee colleges had assumed tertiary status and award diploma certificates. Groups disagree But the trainee teachers were opposed to the decision. A group calling itself Teachers and Trainees Advocacy (TTA), described the new directive as heartbreaking and disrespectful. Hundreds of unemployed teachers also partook in a demonstration to protest the directive from the government. They refused to adhere to the order. But later on, the agitated teachers had a change of mind on the issue. The Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh announced that it had reached an agreement with the teacher trainees for them to be posted as national service personnel. According to him, about 16,000 of the trainee teachers had already registered with the National Service Secretariat. I met with the Coalition of Newly Trained Teachers and the Teacher Trainee Association of Ghana, and they went and met with the GES and finally signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to do the national service, he explained. Even the European press has already written about the Russian fraudster-builder Alexander Chikovani, who is currently hiding from justice in Spain. As a result of a journalistic investigation by the British publication the London weekly, the amounts on the accounts, as well as the real estate purchased by the Russian businessman and his family in, who did not pay hundreds of millions of taxes became known. A native of Kemerovo, Alexander Chikovani was running a construction business in the Russian capital, his company performed contract work for major developers in Moscow and the Moscow region. The businessmans frivolous and irresponsible attitude towards work turned not only his business partners and clients but also their own employees against. To do this, just looking at the reviews about his company written by disgruntled employees who complained about non-payment of salaries 5 years ago would be enough. Chikovani became known after the publication of an article on the Russian Forbes website about the company construction company Gefest, owned by Chikovani. The construction company took a loan of 50 million rubles, but the businessman was in no hurry to return the debts to creditors or did not had any intention at all. During the audit of the company, it was also known that Chikovani did not pay VAT for three years, thus causing significant damage to the countrys budget for about 170 million rubles. And, although Chikovani himself denied his involvement in Gefest, law enforcement agencies were able to prove the businessmans guilt by identifying the necessary information from IP addresses, which confirmed that the companys accounts were managed from other companies affiliated to the businessman, most often directly from Chikovanis personal account. A little later it turned out that the company was deliberately brought to bankruptcy for non-payment of debt obligations, for this the entrepreneur was put on the Federal wanted list, from which he had to flee to Spain. At the end of last year, it was found that the enterprising fraudster was hiding in Spain. His case became a concern for MEPs together with the ex-Minister of justice of Spain the MEPs appealed to the law enforcement agencies of Spain to check whether there are evidence of fraud in Russia and the expediency of harbouring the Russian fugitive on the territory of the EU, which, according to Rootkit is closely linked to ethnic criminal groups. This is just another case of European countries harboring criminals wanted in Russia. for Spain, patronage of criminal elements from Russia or the CIS is not uncommon, even though the Russian authorities seek to cooperate with Spanish law enforcement agencies and in October 2019 issued Spain thief in law Tariel Oniani, nicknamed Taro. Alexander Chikovani is also closely associated with Russian criminals, contacting ethnic groups in terms of legalizing illegal assets. He was introduced to the criminal world by his uncle, George Chikovani, nicknamed Gogi, who, like Tariel Oniani, was one of the most famous thieves in law. Giorgi Chikovani the real godfather of Russian mafia, his authority was unquestioned in the criminal world. He received his first term of 15 years in prison at the age of 19. During his entire life, Uncle Gogi served 26 years in camps and prisons. The last time Georgy Chikovani visited the owner was in 2004 when the Georgian authorities declared a merciless fight against crime. The 79-year-old Goga was searched and a whole Arsenal of weapons was found. Then the Minister of internal Affairs reported that the thief in law was detained for illegal possession of a large number of weapons. He mentioned that Chikovani is considered the boss of thieves in law and is one of the greatest authorities in the criminal world. Apparently, it was him who paved the way for his relative to enter the criminal world. And, perhaps, it is him who gave the initial capital to create a construction company, earned on murder and extortion. Alexander Chikovanis criminal activities continued and he, like his uncle, decided to involve his entire family in illegal operations and fraud. Trying to keep all the assets for himself, he decided to rewrite all the property to his wife-Ksenia Chikovani. Helping her husband, Ksenia became an accomplice to crimes, since the wife acted as an accomplice of her own husband, she also actively helped Alexander in his scams in Russia and can also be put on the wanted list. Hotels, boarding houses, restaurants and other properties in Spain, which according to our information Chikovani began to purchase, are now owned by Ksenia Chikovani and theyre children. Moreover, the woman is the beneficiary of two companies registered in Spain-Ansada Mediaterranea SL in Barcelona and Nueva Constructora Iberica in Tarragona, which specialize in trading, renting and managing hotels, restaurants, spas and other real estate properties. This information only confirms that the Chikovani family plans to settle in Europe for a long time. This is also evidenced by the accounts found by the London Weekly in their names with decent amounts of money in Austrian banks. Just in case, accounts were opened in Asia, in China and Hong Kong-as a fallback route. At United Overseas Bank Limited in Hong Kong, Ksenia Chikovani has an account with $3,463,746. In the same Bank, Alexander Chikovani has 1,363,008 Hong Kong dollars. He also opened an account at the Chinese Bank Industrial and Commercial Bank of China with $ 1,097,183. In Europe, according to the London Weekly, the Chikovani family keeps their ill-gotten capital in Austria. For example, UniCredit Bank Austria AG registered an account with 4,774,097 euros in the name of Alexander Chikovani, while Ksenia Chikovani keeps 190.667 euros in another Austrian Bank, Kathrein Privatbank AG. For making transactions that resulted in the withdrawal of assets to companies controlled by the businessman, Alexander Chikovani was brought to subsidiary liability by the court for the obligations of debtors totaling more than 200 million rubles. All transactions for the withdrawal of assets for the purpose of personal enrichment were declared invalid by the courts. In the relations between the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain, The agreement on legal assistance in civil cases of 1990 is still in force. Based on this, the court decided to send a court order to the Ministry of justice of Spain for the provision of international legal assistance. Pavel Petrovich Kobyak, a bankruptcy Trustee of Chikovanis former company Haephestus, introduced by the Russian authorities, challenged a number of transactions concluded by the debtor during the period when the actual management of GEFEST-Stroy LLC was carried out by Alexander Chikovani. According to the expert, the company was deliberately bankrupted by its owner for the purpose of non-payment of credit debts, and the money was withdrawn abroad, which is confirmed by the information of the British publication. An independent Manager is demanding the seizure of the assets of Alexander Chikovani and his wife in Spain to satisfy creditors claims. Connections to the ethnic criminal groups can help a fraudster who defrauded a large number of people to escape from justice in the EU forever. Why should people in Spain live next to Russian criminals such as Alexander Chikovani and his partner-in-law Ksenia? At the moment, the Spanish authorities are not in a hurry to co-operate for the fair punishment of criminals, sheltering people accused of fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and with ties with criminal groups on their territory, for which they may pay in the near future, when the criminal family of Chikovani deceives someone from the citizens of Spain. A serious challenge for Europe will be the confrontation with Russian law enforcement agencies, but we are confident that Spain will soon hand over Alexander Chikovani and his entire family to the Russian authorities, along with their ill-gotten property. DR Congo's president has ordered a probe into the death of a disgraced general, who was under European Union sanctions for human rights violations committed during the previous regime. Delphin Kahimbi, 50, the deputy chief of staff of military intelligence and a close associate of former president Joseph Kabila, died of a heart attack on Friday in hospital, his wife told AFP. But rumours have abounded that he was killed or committed suicide. In recent days, he was barred from foreign travel, stripped of his functions and questioned by the national security council, sources said. President Felix Tshisekedi, who took over from Kabila, chaired a cabinet meeting on Friday and called for "an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of his death," according to a statement. "All measures have been taken to determine the circumstances of this heavy loss," a military spokesman said in a video message, adding that the conclusions would then be made public. Kahimbi, who was retained after Tshisekedi took over from Kabila last year, was accused of wiretapping officials, a military source told AFP. A diplomatic source said he was also accused of spying on Tshisekedi. A day before his death, the United States hailed Kahimbi's destitution. Tshisekedi, a former opposition leader, rules the Democratic Republic of Congo in a coalition with Kabila's supporters who have a majority in parliament and in other state institutions. However, several pro-Kabila figures have been given the boot or seen their powers considerably whittled. Kahimbi wielded enormous power and influence during Kabila's long rule from 2001 to 2019. According to Marisol Venegas Perez, the Quintana Roo Tourism Minister, in contrast to January of last year, Cancun seen an increase of tourism in January of this year. Perez also stated that according to the report, there is a rise of 4.1% of the total number of passengers or tourists served. In the month of January of 2019, there was a total number of 2.2 million. It has reported to have risen to 2.3 million last month, January. The ongoing trend of flying to Cancun is projected to continue. According to Marisol Vanegas, about 6.5 to 7 million airplane seats will be ready and accessible to all passengers interested to fly between January to June of 2020. Vanegas stated that in the previous two years as they restored the fleets of planes of Cancun, several companies decreased the number of flights towards their place. The development of last month has an outcome of progression for the tracks to Mexico's Caribbean coast. Carlos Joaquin, a Quintana Roo Governor, stated that the bounce of tourism from the United States is not only for the sake of the Americans. From 1.5 million n 2019, the state observed a 3.9% increase in the year-over-year in each visitor worldwide in January. It has reported having increased to 1.6 million in the year 2020. From the total domestic visitors of 674,760 from January 2019, it grew to 4.4% in that period. It was reported to be 704,340 last January 2020. Joaquin also said that in every ten visitors, seven of them that reach the airport of Cancun are tourists from other nations or countries. The most known tourists are from the United States of America and Canada. These international tourists, who usually sell the state authorities, stated that the marketing will be very essential for the bounce of tourism in the year 2020. An article about the Spanish hotelier investing a total of 250 million dollars was found. It was reported that it will be invested for Riviera Maya's brand new resort and convention center. It was also stated that the resort they are planning to create will be an all-adult resort and that it will be called, " Barcelo Maya Riviera". It will be a resort with a number of 850 rooms. Each room will have its own bathroom and balcony. This project will be set in a 21,000-square-meter location and that it will be used for business tourism and convention center. The area will accommodate a total of 8,000 people and that it would be somewhere around the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort. Since tourists usually book in advance for their next travel, it usually pulls them away from overcrowding and is making it only convenient for Riviera Maya's companies. The Mexico Bank also decided to reveal and publish information that exhibits the several arrivals of tourists coming to the state of Mexico's development in the previous years. They also agreed that it is actually good for business. Richwood, TX (77531) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 42F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 42F. Winds light and variable. Amid the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, the Iranian Health Ministry reportedly said that the deadly virus has killed almost 43 people and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 593. According to reports, Iran has the world's highest death toll outside of China and the new figures from Iran pushes the total cases in the Middle East to over 720. Furthermore, the Iranian government has urged people to stay away from mass gatherings and limit their travel. According to international media reports, China has also sent a group of experts to Iran to help combat the spread of the disease in the country. State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China, Wnag Yi reportedly said that they will continue to provide assistance within its capabilities to Iran in curbing the epidemic and treating the sick. China has also donated a batch of nucleic and detection kits and medical supplies to Iran to help fight the disease. READ: Kim Jong Un Announces Measures To Contain Coronavirus In North Korea On the other hand, Bahrain reportedly threatened legal prosecution against travellers who came from Iran and hadn't been tested for the new coronavirus, and further also barred public gatherings for two weeks. Bahrain's government believes that all cases on the island have been linked back to Iran as approximately 2,292 people had come to the kingdom from Iran before the announcement of the outbreak there. Furthermore, on February 27, the Indian Embassy said that it has been receiving queries from Indian nationals residing in Iran and their relatives in India over the evolving situation of coronavirus. The Embassy informed that it is in touch with the local authorities in Iran and closely monitoring the situation. The Indian envoy to Tehran, Dhamu Gaddam, has now said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of citizens who wish to go back home. READ: Liverpool FC PL Title 'not Guaranteed' If League Gets Suspended Due To Coronavirus: Report Death toll surpasses 2,800 First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across more than 40 countries since December 2019. More than 1,700 people have recovered from the disease, whereas, nearly 12,000 coronavirus patients have by now been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. Meanwhile, the death toll in China has surpassed 2,800 and the National Health Commission reportedly confirmed 427 new cases. The total number of confirmed cases within China also hit nearly 79,000 and more than 83,000 worldwide. READ: Coronavirus: Canada Reports 15 Cases, Including One Presumptive Case In Quebec READ: US Military Readiness May Start Degrading As Coronavirus Poses Increased 'threat' The six-volunteer New Milford Barn Quilt Trail Committee will on March 1 launch an ambitious crowd funding campaign through www.ioby.com to raise $17,000 online within six weeks. Every dollar raised on www.ioby.com will be matched by SustainableCT, the entity that certified New Milford as a Bronze Level Sustainable Community in 2017. Thus, the committees community fundraising goal is just $8,500. According to SustainableCT, the size of individual contributions via the link going live on March 1 that contributors will use:, https://ioby.org/project/new-milford-barn-quilt-trail-phase-two, is not as important as the number of contributors. Sustainable CT is more interested in broad community support for any project funded through www.ioby.com, said Tammy Reardon, grant writer and compliance specialist for the town and a member of the Barn Quilt Trail Committee. So we appreciate every contribution, no matter the size. Support Encouraged Corporate and community organizations are also encouraged to support the endeavor with sponsorships. Sponsors to date include New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation, New Milford Commission on the Arts, and the New Milford Farmland & Forest Preservation Committee. KatArt, a New-Milford-based corporate graphic design firm, is providing generous design expertise pro bono. Barn quilt trails exist in over 40 US states, including New York (13 counties) and the New England states of Maine (three counties), Massachusetts (one county), New Hampshire (one county) Vermont (one county) and Connecticut (New Milford only). In 2017, New Milford became the first town in the state to create a barn quilt trail. New Milfords trail is accessible at http://newmilfordfarmlandpres.org/barn-quilt-trail/, available to quil trail visitors via mobile devices, and thousands of brochures and cards distributed in town and throughout Connecticut. This year, support from Mayor Pete Bass office and expertise from Economic Development Director Karen Pollard has helped accelerate the 2020 10-barn expansion project. Funds will purchase the all-weather polyurethane canvases cut to size, acrylic paints and commission transfer of the quilt block designs to the large canvases, which when painted with antique, vintage or contemporary quilt block patterns, will be hung on the barns by professionals. Each quilt block will take approximately 25 hours to paint. The New Milford Barn Quilt Trail has been admired by residents over the past two years, including two families that have already painted and hung their own barn quilt blocks that will become part of the expanded trail. Several other families have expressed the desire to be included in the trail expansion plans. Sightings of tourists from as far away as Idaho continue to surface. Raising Profile of Surviving Working Farms The purpose of the barn quilt trail is to showcase to residents and visitors New Milfords rich agricultural heritage and to raise the profile of the surviving working family farms, some of which offer seasonal farmstands. Almost all the antique barns selected for the trail come from a time when over 200-plus New Milford farms were first, a well-known source of delicate tobacco leaves for cigar wrappers and, continuing into the 20th century, of milk, transported fresh by train into cities like New York. Some of the barns on the trail have survived over a century by being repurposed. Over the past decade, New Milford has become much more aware of the value of its natural and historical assets and how important these can be in attracting visitors, creating an economic ripple effect and contributing to our quality of life, said Bill Devlin, a board member of the Trust for Historic Preservation. Bill, a member of the New Milford Barn Quilt Committee and was the principal committee member in identifying almost 30 surviving antique and vintage barns throughout the town. Of these, 10 were selected for the expansion of the trail, using criteria such as accessibility, architecture, history and easy visibility from public roads. Curfew was reimposed Saturday in some areas of Shillong after one person was killed in clashes between KSU members and non-tribals during a meeting on CAA and inner line permit (ILP) Shillong: Curfew was reimposed Saturday noon in some areas of Shillong town after one person was killed in clashes between KSU members and non-tribals during a meeting on CAA and inner line permit (ILP), officials said. The Curfew was imposed on Friday night following the clashes and lifted at 8 AM on Saturday. A ban on mobile internet services was continuing in six districts, they said. Curfew was reimposed at noon in the areas under Lumdiengjri and Sadar police stations of Shillong town, they said, adding that five additional companies of armed police forces have been deployed in sensitive areas. The situation in the state is under control and a close watch is being maintained, an official said. The clashes between the Khasi Students Union (KSU) members and non-tribals broke out during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and pro-ILP meeting held in the Ichamati area of East Khasi Hills district close to the Indo-Bangladesh border on Friday. Mobile internet services have been suspended in six districts -- East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi hills -- from Friday night for 48-hours, they said. Officials said SMSes will be limited to five per day. Police have arrested six persons in connection with the attack on the rally at Ichamati on Friday leading to the death of a pro-ILP activist, officials said. Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy has appealed to people to stay calm and not pay attention to rumours. "I appeal to all citizens in Meghalaya, tribal or non-tribal, keep calm. Don't spread rumours and don't listen to rumours. The chief minister has spoken to me. He assured me he is taking all necessary steps. The prime requirement now is to maintain law and order," the governor said in a statement. Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui has condemned the incident in Ichamati. Rymbui said a magisterial inquiry has been initiated into the incident to find out the truth. He said the curfew was clamped and mobile internet services suspended as a precautionary measure. PTI JOP RG SMN SMN 02291536 NNNN PALO ALTO (BCN) Two students in Palo Alto schools were sent home Friday afternoon after district officials learned they might have been exposed to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). District officials were informed Friday that a parent of the two students was possibly exposed to COVID-19, according to a message for parents on the district's web site from Don Austin, superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District. One of the students attends Palo Alto High School student and the other J.L. Stanford Middle School, Austin said. "As a precautionary measure, the district immediately took action and the two students were sent home and will be excluded from attending school until we receive more information," Austin said. The district has formed a team to assess and provide information on updates as they come in. "We recognize that the unknown can be concerning and will continue to provide regular updates as we have them," Austin said. The district is continuing to follow the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control at schools in the city, he said. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. For nearly two decades, Boston College has consistently ranked within the top 25 medium-sized schools. Boston College made a significant rankings leap from 2019, previously coming in at No. 18. The school shares this years ranking with Georgetown University and Loyola UniversityChicago. These schools are institutions that emphasize being global citizens and service-minded students, said Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen. I am excited to know the graduates coming from Peace Corps Top Colleges are using their skills to make a positive impact on their communities at home and abroad. Since the agencys founding in 1961, 821 alumni from Boston College have served abroad as Peace Corps volunteers. The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday discussed the crisis in Syria with his Turkish and Russian counterparts by phone and proposed to host a trilateral meeting in Tehran. Tensions are high between Moscow and Ankara over fighting in Syria. According to Iran's state TV, Rouhani told his Turkish counterpart that innocent people should be protected in Syria's northwest province. "Idlib's situation is very complicated, considering the presence of dangerous terrorists that should be uprooted and the necessity to protect innocent people living there," Rouhani told Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Escalation is not in anyone's interest in the region, we need to resolve issues through dialogue, and not allow the Astana Process to weaken," Tasnim News Agency quoted Rouhani as saying. But Rouhani's invitation to host a meeting comes at a time that Iran is grappling with a coronavirus epidemic and it seems unlikely Putin and Erdogan would travel to Tehran. According to Tasnim, the Turkish President told Rouhani diplomatic dialogue is the only way to resolve the situation in Syria, called for Iran's cooperation and expressed concern about the failure of the Astana Process. The Astana Process refers to trilateral ministerial meetings on Syria between Iran, Russia and Turkey. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan held crisis talks on Saturday amid rising tensions after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an airstrike by Moscow-backed Syrian government warplanes. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo restated Washingtons support for NATO ally Turkey, saying the U.S. was reviewing options to assist Ankara against Syrian and Russian brutality. At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the fighting in Syria as "one of the most alarming moments" of the nine-year civil war. He called for an immediate cease-fire. The increased fighting in Idlib Province raised new concerns for civilians caught up in the long conflict. The UN said nearly a million people, about half of them children, have been displaced since December by the fighting amid the bitter winter weather. "There is always room for dialogue," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said the leaders spoke of "the necessity to do everything" to implement a 2018 cease-fire in Idlib that has since collapsed. Although Russian warplanes generally back Syrian forces, Erdogan put the blame for the deadly attack directly on the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Erdogan may travel to Moscow for talks next week. Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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Pig Rice Supermarket, which goes by the name Woori Supermarket in "Parasite" / Korea Times photo by Park Hyung-gi But not all people are happy By Kwak Yeon-soo "Parasite" locations have been crowded with tourists since the film won four Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards earlier this month. But the popularity of the venues is proving to be unwelcome to some inhabitants of the neighborhood as they have to deal with the fallout, such as traffic congestion. Some of them complain that hundreds of camera-wielding visitors is bringing inconvenience and delaying redevelopment of the area. Much of the film was shot on purpose-built sets in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, but the Kim family's semi basement home and shabby streets were inspired by or set in real neighborhoods in Seoul. "Parasite" 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 begins to work as a tutor for the daughter of the wealthy family. Recently, Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a plan to attract more tourists to "Parasite" locations by promoting four filming locations on its tourism website and organizing regular tours with film experts. Despite the spread of COVID-19 crisis, many film fans and tourists are already visiting the spots where the scenes were filmed. Pig Rice Supermarket Early in the film, Kim Ki-woo, played by Choi Woo-shik, is seen drinking soju with his friend Min-hyuk, played by Park Seo-joon, outside Woori Supermarket (real name Pig Rice Supermarket). There he receives an offer to tutor Parks' teenage daughter, which is the beginning of the Kim family's tragedy. This scene was filmed at a small grocery store located in Ahyeon-dong, western Seoul. Lee Jeong-shik, 77, the owner of the Pig Rice Supermarket, said a lot of reporters and tourists have visited his place since the film won the awards. "There have been reporters from the U.S., Japan and Spain. Earlier today, actor Kim Young-cheol visited our place for a documentary," Lee told The Korea Times. "Many just take photos outside the store and pass by, while some others come inside and buy snacks and beverages. That's very nice of them." Lee, who has been running the shop with his wife for 45 years, said "Parasite" aroused deep sympathy. "As I watched the film, I felt like they put my life right in there. I could totally relate to the Kim family," he said. On the city government's plan to create a "Parasite" tour, Lee responded positively. "It would be nice if more people visited our store," he said. However, Lee and some residents are worried that the neighborhood may not be redeveloped. The neighborhood used to be filled with hanok (traditional Korean houses), which later were redeveloped into small villas about 35 years ago, according to Lee. "My house is filled with mold because it's too old," he said. "Though I really appreciate the influx of visitors, I want this place to be redeveloped in the near future." Location: 32 Songijeong-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul The stairs located one minute away from Pig Rice Supermarket appear in the scene where Kim Ki-jeong, played by Park So-dam, buys peaches and carries them to Park family's home. / Korea Times photo by Park Hyung-gi The steps to Park's house The steps appear in the scene where Kim Ki-jeong, played by Park So-dam, buys peaches and carries them to the Park's home. These steps play a significant role in "Parasite," highlighting a class divide between the Kim and Park families. The steps are situated just one minute away from the Pig Rice Supermarket. Though the city government warns visitor not to disrupt the lives of Ahyeon-dong residents as it is a quiet residential area, many are busy taking photos and blocking pedestrian traffic. A resident surnamed Kim complained about excessive photo shoots and loud noises. "Recently, Japanese tourists glanced inside my house and took photos of my window. I almost freaked out," Kim said. "They were searching for Parasite filming locations. I had no idea that our neighborhood was in the film. I had never heard of Parasite before my daughter explained it to me." When asked if she was willing to go to the theater to watch the film, she said, "No, that's too expensive." Location: 3 Songijeong-ro, 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul The staircase outside Jahamun Tunnel is featured in the film when the Kim family heads after escaping from Parks' home amid heavy rain. / Korea Times file The way back home in heavy rain Just like the steps to the Park's home, the steps outside the Jahamun Tunnel symbolizes the disparities between the rich and the poor. The steps by the tunnel were seen when the Kim family fled from the Park's house after the wealthy family returned home unexpectedly from a camping trip cancelled due to heavy rain. Jofrey Carvalho, 26, came all the way from Brazil to visit "Parasite" filming locations. A big fan of Korean films and dramas, he watched "Parasite" twice in Sao Paulo. "This is my second time in Korea. The main purpose of my visit is to go to Parasite filming spots," Carvalho said. He said the tunnel scene was his favorite part of the film. "We have major class differences in Brazil too, so it was relatable," he said. "I think social disparity is now a universal topic." Location: 219, Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul Sky Pizza, which goes by the name Pizza Age in "Parasite" / Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo In a bizarre incident, the police department of Madison Township, USA, rescued an alligator that was found in the basement of someone's house. The authorities posted the picture of the rescued alligator on Facebook with the caption, "There are some things they just dont teach you in the Police Academy. According to the reports, the officials said that they immediately took action to save the reptile. They further added that the property owner voluntarily surrendered the animal, and that the residents of the home did not possess a valid exotic animal permit. READ: Woman Greeted By 7-foot Alligator In Her Swimming Pool, Pictures Leave The Internet Shook Alligator will be shifted to a facility According to the reports, the officials confirmed that the alligator which is believed to be 25-year old will be shifted to an animal sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As the caption read, "Our 25-year-old scaly friend is retiring to an animal sanctuary in sunny Myrtle Beach, SC. See ya later, alligator!" READ: Alligator Chomps Down Invasive Burmese Python, Video Breaks Internet Alligator in pool In another similar incident, a Florida woman was woken up in the middle of the night when she heard a splashing sound coming in from her backyard swimming pool. However, she was left shocked after she found a seven-foot alligator in the pool. Kerri Kibbe heard the puzzling sound at around 2 AM, and once she switched the lights on she found the gator staring at her from the pool. Although, she thought that the reptile would find its way out of the pool, concerned about her, and her children's safety, she quickly decided to inform the police. After the police were informed the official in charge called an alligator trapper to rescue the animal from Kibbe's house. The trapper used a noose to drag the reptile to the front yard where its accurate measurement was done. It was 7 feet 1 inch in length. The alligator was taken to an alligator farm where it was released for mating. READ: Judge Blocks Californias Alligator Ban After Louisiana Sues READ: Alligator Crosses Busy Street Of Montreal After Escaping From Van New Delhi: Communal violence in parts of the national capital during US President Donald Trump''s visit to the country was "intriguing and mysterious", Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Friday and hoped that the probe ordered by the government would bring out the truth. Kiran Bedi, who was a 1975-batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre and served in various capacities in Delhi, told PTI over phone that such large-scale violence and arson when the country was hosting an important dignitary such as Trump was "too much of a coincidence". "The visit had a lot of potential to strength the country's economy. More economy means more wealth, jobs, industries and prosperity. The violence happened at the time when India was being lauded by the world''s most powerful country. Any true lover of the country would have never done this," she said. "One can have grouse (against the amended Citizenship Act). But the timing of the protest and the subsequent violence is very intriguing and mysterious," Kiran Bedi said. Forty-two people have so far died in the communal clashes that had broken out in northeast Delhi five days ago after violence between anti- and pro-Citizenship (Amendment) Act groups spiralled out of control. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at local residents and police personnel. Bhajanpura, Maujpur, Jafrabad, Gokalpuri, Shiv Vihar, Mustafabad, among other localities in the region were the worst-hit. The Puducherry L-G also claimed that the communal violence in northeast Delhi undermined international media coverage of Trump's visit to the country. According to her, another point of "intrigue" was the recent "media expose" about presence of a molotov cocktails, stones and bottles of acid on the roof of the house of a "functionary". "The kind of evidence which is surfacing from a functionary's rooftop points to a serious conspiracy. These kind of evidence obviously links the issue with the "mystery" of violence during Trump's visit," Kiran Bedi said. Asked whether the Delhi Police and intelligence agencies failed in anticipating the violence, the Ramon Magsaysay awardee said the probe would bring out the truth. "Obviously such riots cannot happen unless there is a failure on someone's part. There was failure by the police. But who were responsible for it and where it failed -- all these will come out in the probe which has already been ordered," she said. About some senior Delhi police officers who failed to visit the areas to contain the violence, Kiran Bedi said, "It is for the higher authorities to look into and take appropriate action." She expressed happiness over 1985-batch IPS officer S N Shrivastava, who was trained by her when he was an IPS probationer in 1986-87 in North Delhi and she was DCP (North) then, has been selected for the post of Delhi police chief. By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's President Alpha Conde has delayed Sunday's constitutional referendum and legislative polls for two weeks because of concerns raised by international observers about the electoral roll, he told state television late on Friday. Earlier this week, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, an organisation of French-speaking governments, withdrew its poll-monitoring mission, citing the presence of 2.49 million 'problematic' entries on the electoral register. The claim increased pressure on Conde, 81, who many fear is holding a referendum on the constitution just so he can extend his rule for 12 more years, despite the risk of mass unrest and a major dent in the health of Guinea's mining economy. By Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's President Alpha Conde has delayed Sunday's constitutional referendum and legislative polls for two weeks because of concerns raised by international observers about the electoral roll, he told state television late on Friday. Earlier this week, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, an organisation of French-speaking governments, withdrew its poll-monitoring mission, citing the presence of 2.49 million "problematic" entries on the electoral register. The claim increased pressure on Conde, 81, who many fear is holding a referendum on the constitution just so he can extend his rule for 12 more years, despite the risk of mass unrest and a major dent in the health of Guinea's mining economy. The new constitution would impose a limit of two six-year terms, up from the current two five-year terms. It does not specify whether terms served under the previous constitution would count, but Conde has suggested they would not. "We accepted a slight postponement of the date of the elections," Conde said. "It is neither a capitulation or a retreat but loyalty to what Guinea was yesterday and today." At least 30 people have died since October in protests against the proposed constitutional changes. How the vote turns out could be a bellwether for a presidential election before year's end in the country, the largest African producer of the main aluminium ore, bauxite. The opposition is boycotting the referendum an legislative elections, which it says will be a sham, and leading members have said they will prevent voting, without saying how. In the capital Conakry this week, pick-ups full of police and soldiers patrolled the streets past billboards urging people to vote yes. The government ordered schools closed for several days, and residents of opposition strongholds were stocking up on food. Conde has refused to rule out using the new constitution as a reset button on his mandate, which expires in December, citing other African countries as examples of where leaders have made political manoeuvres to extend their rule. In neighbouring Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara says a constitutional change in 2016 means he can stand for a third term in October. His opponents dispute that, and Ouattara has not yet said whether he will stand. Several other leaders in West and Central Africa have altered constitutions to hang onto power. Conde, who as an opposition leader was sentenced to death in absentia under one president and imprisoned under another, says the new constitution is badly needed to replace a 2010 version that was hastily drafted during military rule and defended his right to stand for a third term if nominated by his party. His allies have touted progressive reforms, including a ban on female genital mutilation, compulsory education and new environmental laws. The violence during recent protests has been largely limited to opposition strongholds, but U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned about the risk of wider unrest. "Ethnic divisions are deepening, with increasing incitement to hatred and violence on social media and at political rallies," she said in a speech on Thursday. The opposition boycott all but ensures the new constitution will be approved when the vote does eventually go ahead. However, even some Conde supporters said they hoped he would not run again. "The president must now think about his succession," said Mamady Kallo, a diamond broker, who said he would vote yes in the referendum. "He can choose a young person from his entourage to pursue the good work he has done in this country." (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Edward McAllister, Alexandra Hudson and Diane Craft) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. One more Turkish soldier was killed in Syrian Idlib, while two sustained injures in shelling by Syrian government forces. "In the regime's artillery shelling at our troops, who are in Idlib to ensure a ceasefire, our brother in arms was killed and two were injured," the Turkish Defence ministry said in a statement. The escalation in Idlib was triggered when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (banned in Russia) began a large-scale offensive against the Syrian government forces. The government forces responded. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Turkish troops who were not supposed to be there were caught in the shelling. There were reports of 33 deaths and more than 30 getting injured among the Turkish troops. Russia has swiftly made sure that the Syrian forces stopped the offensive so that the injured and the dead could be evacuated to Turkey. The Russian Defense Ministry has stressed that Russian Aerospace Forces' aircraft were not used in the area. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in the past that Ankara has not managed to fulfil some of its commitments on Idlib, including the separation of terrorists from the moderate opposition. The Russian-Turkish memorandum, which was agreed in September 2018, retains the status quo on the Turkish troops' presence in Idlib, but only under the condition that all terrorists and radical groups leave the de-escalation zone by October 15, 2018. It was agreed to take effective measures to ensure a stable ceasefire in the zone and to conduct joint Russian-Turkish patrols. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will pay a visit to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from Feb. 29 to March 4, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Friday. Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, will make the visit at the invitation of the three countries' governments, according to spokesperson Zhao Lijian. FUEL retailers could be hoarding fuel for speculative purposes or diverting the commodity to either the black market or service stations that sell in foreign currency amid revelations they drew down in excess of 31 million litres from the National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe (NOIC) in the seven days to February 27, it has been learnt. On average, the companies accessed 4,4 million litres per day between February 20 and February 27, against a daily demand of five million litres for both petrol and diesel, raising concern that the situation on the ground reflected severe shortages but supplies had improved significantly. A series of emergency inter-agency meetings involving the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera), Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet (SACU) and NOIC were held yesterday to get to the bottom of the shortages. NOIC said yesterday it was surprised by the obtaining acute fuel shortages, particularly at a time when it had ramped up supplies. SACU head Mr Tabani Mpofu has since written to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) indicating that from the available evidence, it was reasonable to infer that the shortage has been caused by acts of corruption perpetrated by fuel suppliers seeking to profiteer. The fuel situation in the market remains dire; there being no evidence of any impact in the market of the significant quantities of fuel that have been disbursed to retailers according to NOIC figures. Most service stations throughout the country are not retailing fuel, with a few that are doing so experiencing long, winding queues of motorists seeking the commodity, read part of the letter gleaned by The Sunday Mail. In the absence of a solid explanation based on evidence, the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the status quo in the fuel market is that the shortage has been caused by acts of corruption perpetrated by fuel suppliers to profiteer. There is a real possibility that actors in the fuel supply chain, he added, are colluding to create artificial shortages that are detrimental to the economy and the countrys stability. The letter was copied to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda; Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Virginia Mabiza; National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi; and ZRP Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga. Motorists are spending hours in fuel queues for a chance to access fuel. NOIC chair Engineer Mckenzie Ncube told The Sunday Mail that Government wanted to establish the real cause of the problem. We are trying to put a finger as to where the problem is; we want the real cause of the fuel shortages, whether it is sabotage or someone is trying to play games, he said. Statistics obtained from NOIC show that on February 20 2020, fuel retailers collected 1,7 million litres of petrol and 2,6 million litres of diesel, while on February 21 2020, 5,2 million litres of both petrol and diesel were released onto the market. On February 27, fuel retailers also drew down 4,9 million litres. Cumulatively, the figures adds up to 31,4 million litres in the seven-day period. Comparatively, for the seven days between February 10 2020 and February 16 2020, retailers accessed 22,5 million litres of fuel, which is 8,9 million litres less than the quantity accessed last week. Some industry players believe some retailers authorised to sell in foreign currency may be opening up opportunities for arbitrage. There is an ongoing push from some quarters to scrap the dispensation, which was designed to improve fuel supplies through allowing operators with access to free funds to bring in their own fuel and sell in forex. There are questions whether Zera has robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure that fuel accessed from NOIC is not sold in foreign currency. Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi could not comment as he referred questions to Zera acting chief executive Mr Eddington Mazambani, who did not respond to several phone calls since Friday. Local fuel shortages come at a time when petrol prices were upwardly reviewed by 12 cents to $18,40, while diesel prices dropped by $2,27 to $17,28 per litre. Petrol, however, is retailing between US$1,20 and US$1,25 on the black market. Global oil prices were poised to fall to below US$50 a barrel the lowest in four years as global trade slows down owing to the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease. Indigenous Petroleum Association of Zimbabwe (IPAZ) chair Mr Aaron Chinhara said he no longer talked to the media as they were all captured. Sunday Mail When Philip Roth wrote his novel, The Plot Against America, its fears of an anti-Semitic fervor in the United States seemed outlandish and unnecessarily alarmist to many, including me, said Rabbi Michael Friedman, of Westports Temple Israel. That fear is now more real, so much so that the 2004 novel has been adapted as a series of six episodes, starring John Turturro and Winona Ryder, beginning March 16 on HBO. Although written during the George W. Bush administration, Roths work about the rise of fascism in the U.S. has unmistakable echoes for today. Take the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottsvlle, Va., whose slogan was Jews will not replace us. The HBO series co-writer David Simon (The Wire), speaking recently to members of the Television Critics Association, said, Anti-Semitism is resurgent in America, and great effort is being made to define people as less American. The rise of xenophobia and fear of the other, that is the reason this got made. The piece is incredibly relevant. Proof resides in recent events bombed synagogues, home invasions, street violence, inscribed swastikas. Indeed, the first paragraph of Roths chilling dystopian novel reads, Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadnt been president or if I hadnt been the offspring of Jews. Yes, you read that right. The premise that Charles Aloysius Lindbergh beat Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 election is the subject of Roths book. Taking the form of a memoir, it centers on a Newark, N.J., family named Roth, fictional counterparts of the real Roth family (changed to Levin for TV). The novel is told in the first person by the familys younger son, Philip, introducing the reader to a time when the nation came under the fist of Lindbergh, an America firster who devised a fascist state that mirrored Nazi Germany, trumpeting isolationism, populism, bigotry, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. The catchphrase was Vote for Lindbergh, or vote for war. Lindbergh, who spent his final years in a Darien house overlooking Long Island Sound, blamed Britain, FDR and the Jewish race for pushing America into World War II. In the novel and TV version, the Roth/Levin family has been living in a peaceful, productive Jewish neighborhood. In 1940, everything changes when the heroic Lindbergh, the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic, becomes U. S. president. When elected, Lindbergh signs a non-aggression pact with Adolf Hitler. Soon the new president is moving non-Jews into Jewish neighborhoods to Americanize them, despite the loyalty and patriotism of Pledge of Allegiance citizens like young Philip. Some Jews, like Sandy, Philips older brother, are forced to live with Midwestern Christian families. Returning to New Jersey, thoroughly brainwashed, Sandy accuses his family of being ghetto Jews. Disasters follow: A mother is murdered by the KKK; anti-fascist radio commentator Walter Winchell is assassinated; some flee to Canada, making it there before the border is closed. Alvin, Philips cousin, joins the Canadian Army, loses a leg fighting in Europe, becomes disillusioned and ends up a racketeer. Prize-winning author Philip Roth, who had a house in Warren, died in 2018 at age 85. Despite his Jewish background and his many novels on Jewish themes, he was an atheist, said Roth scholar Aimee Pozorski, whose interest in trauma studies led her to the author. Living in New Britain, Pozorski is a professor of contemporary American literature at Central Connecticut State University, was the one-time president of the Roth Society and co-edits a Roth journal. For Roth, the plot against America was a plot to destroy democracy, hacked by anti-democratic forces, she said in an interview. The novel shows how deeply American he and his parents felt. The American myth was defined by its belief in democracy. In my thinking about the trajectory our country is headed in today, it seems like our democratic values are being eroded. Although Roth did not set out to predict the future, the novel may be read as a premonition and warning. In a 2017 New Yorker interview, however, Roth said, My novel wasnt written as a warning. I was just trying to imagine what it would have been like for a Jewish family like mine, in a Jewish community like Newark, had something even faintly like Nazi anti-Semitism befallen us in 1940, at the end of the most pointedly anti-Semitic decade in world history. Still, Pozorski explains, There are references to fear and disaster in the novel which seem very telling for our moment. It can happen here. Roth says anti-Semitism is an intoxicant. All of his works are really interested in the democratic project and how fragile it is. It takes work. We cant take our founding principles for granted. Despotic leaders, fascist leaders, can be democratically elected. Of course, shell watch the series. Although it will probably give me nightmares, she said. I recently had the chance to re-read the book in light of recent events, Friedman said. And what once seemed outlandish now seems not far from reality. We are living in scary times. Anti-Semites have been emboldened by those in power. In 2020, The Plot Against America reminds us that all we need for bigotry and hate to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Norwalk resident David Rosenbergs column on the local theater and entertainment scene appears monthly. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Bulgaria is an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor through the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), said Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova. She made the remarks during the 6th meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.28, Trend reports citing Bulgarian Energy Ministry. Petkova noted that the Southern Gas Corridor is important in terms of diversification of gas supplies to the country and the region. She highlighted the political will expressed by Bulgarian and Greek governments during their recent meeting to make every effort to accelerate the process of implementation of IGB in synergy with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. Our country will receive 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field via IGB, added the energy minister. Petkova went on to add that in synergy with the Southern Gas Corridor, the Bulgarian government is working on the implementation of the key energy security projects, including the Balkan Gas Hub concept, interconnectors linking Bulgaria with neighboring countries and construction liquefied natural gas terminal at Alexandroupolis in Northern Greece. "Our country will continue to prioritize work on all gas projects that provide diversification of gas supply sources and routes," Petkova added. Moreover, Bulgarian energy minister held discussions with her Azerbaijani counterpart Parviz Shahbazov on the possibility of making investments by Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR in Bulgarias gas distribution. The sides noted that this will allow Bulgaria to use Azerbaijans experience in gasification. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Baku on May 29, 2018, while opening ceremony of TANAPs Phase 0 was held on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. TANAP-Europe connection was opened on Nov.30, 2019 in Ipsala, Edirne, Turkey. Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) were connected on the Turkish-Greek border. The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria project envisages a two-stage development. In the first stage, the pipeline capacity will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 2.7 billion cubic meters will be offered for the long-term market, the remaining share of 0.3 billion cubic meters in the short term. In a second phase, also depending on the evolution of the market, the capacity of the pipeline can be increased to 5.3 billion cubic meters of gas thanks to the addition of a compression station: 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas 0.5 billion cubic meters of short-term gas will be offered for long-term products. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn EDMONTONEdmonton police have become the latest law-enforcement agency to fess up to using controversial facial-recognition technology Clearview AI. But a privacy expert says the growing pile of admissions from police officers in Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax and the RCMP are a bit too little, too late. Edmonton police Supt. Warren Driechel told media Friday morning that the force had new information that three investigators had used Clearview AI after learning about it at a conference. He said they had used it in a limited capacity in the investigation of the theft of a car. The officers used the technology in good faith, he said, adding that the police service would be conducting its own probe of why the tool was used. The revelation drew stern words from Albertas information and privacy commissioner, Jill Clayton, who said that since the police were previously not forthcoming about their use of the technology, her office would be launching an investigation into whether police are complying with Albertas public-sector privacy law. This situation serves as a wake-up call to law enforcement in Alberta that building trust is critical to advancing the use of new technologies for data-driven policing, she wrote in a statement. Clearview AI has been mostly secretive since its founding two years ago, but a recent data breach exposed links to law-enforcement agencies and companies around the world. The technology gathers huge numbers of images from various sources online that can help police forces and financial institutions identify individuals. Yet it also comes with major privacy concerns about how the data allows people to be tracked and how the information is kept and shared. Colin Bennett, professor of political science at the University of Victoria, breaks concerns around Clearview AI into several issues. First is the fact that the company scraped information and photos from social media sites without permission. The U.S., unlike Canada, lacks an overall privacy law, he says. He also cites the fact that some police are now using it, without proof of its accuracy. Then there is the fact its unclear to what extent its being used, or what photo databases theyre matching photos with. There are all kinds of watch lists out there, all kinds databases against which this technology could be used. No-Fly lists, for example, Bennett said. There's been lots of publicity and research on the problem of the accuracy of certain watch lists. As privacy breaches, this is right up there, Bennett says. Facial recognition really does get people's emotions going, and it really does raise the spectre of Big Brother. He says the Americans lack of comprehensive regulation can be a problem for everyone who shares an internet with them. Some high-tech companies based in the States, facing weaker privacy lawas and lots of grey area, have begun building databases, he explains, believing the information to be public everywhere. But Canadian privacy commissioners are now investigating that very point. Last week, privacy protection authorities for Canada, Quebec, B.C. and Alberta announced they were banding together to look into Clearview AI and whether or not its violating Canadian privacy law. Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien and his office were already examining Clearview AI's practices and are now adding a separate investigation into how the RCMP use the technology. The RCMP have said they will work with Therrien on guidelines for using facial-recognition technology within the limits of existing laws. Bennett says that while there are likely good uses for the technology down the road, were not there yet, as too many questions about accuracy remain. For example, he notes that people of colour are more likely to be misidentified by current facial recognition technology. The issue is whether this technology works properly, and whether there are less intrusive and more effective ways to identify potential suspects. And for both of those questions we need for more information. Bennett says there is growing awareness especially among young people of digital privacy issues. He says for many people, context is key, so they tend to feel more comfortable with giving up their information when they know its for a certain purpose. Adding a photo to a social media profile, for example, makes sense when you know itll help identify you to fellow platform users, he says. But to have those images then scraped and used by companies or by police crosses a line, he says. Most people would be really, really offended if somebody walked around the street following you with a video camera. ... You are out in public, it's your face, but most people would still say, Sorry, this is really intrusive. I don't see any difference here. With files from the Canadian Press Read more about: One building is a total loss and twenty-five residents displaced after an apartment fire tore through a complex on the North Side Friday night. When firefighters arrived at the Altitude Apartment Homes, in the 5200 block of Fredericksburg Road, the third floor of one of the buildings was fully engulfed, said Joe Arrington, a San Antonio Fire Department spokesman. The fire was contained to one building, but another had minor heat exposure, Arrington said. Several buildings have been evacuated. Firefighters were working with Red Cross to ensure everyone was accounted for. "When something like this happens at an apartment complex, a lot of times everyone tends to scatter," Arrington said. Georgina Vogt, 25, said she was babysitting relatives at her mother's third-floor apartment when she heard an explosion. "It sounded like a bomb, and it shook the whole apartment complex," she said. She and her family ran to their balcony to see the building on fire. They went door to door to start evacuating other residents, she said. Vogt's mother is now without her apartment, but she has a place to stay with family. The blaze was taking some time to battle as crews were still working to cut utilities such as gas and electricity to the complex. RELATED: Owner of Southtown business lost in fire speaks out The fire was reported at about 9 p.m. More than 30 units responded to the blaze. This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available. I shifted from Buttigieg to Warren to Amy Klobuchar. Warren and Sanders lost me with their inability to clearly explain the financing and administration of Medicare for All, despite my actually wanting a single payer option. I still like Pete hes intelligent and articulate, and understands the big picture. But his you can keep your insurance if you want policy only works if it is a continuation of the ACA, which I believe is the best policy short of a single payer plan. Enter Amy, a compassionate, realistic progressive with experience and heart. I know shes not resonating with African-Americans and Latinos, but hopefully they would warm up to her if she were the nominee. As for Biden and Sanders: good people, but too old. As to the billionaires, forget about it. Tom Johnson, 69, Carson City, Nev. I started out supporting Kamala Harris, then Cory Booker. Compared to Warren and Sanders, I am a moderate (but liberal-minded) Democrat and I believe every candidate must explain how to pay for their proposals. I now support Amy Klobuchar because she is experienced, practical, realistic, moderate and willing to work with independents and Republicans. Kris Abrahamson, 67, Santa Rosa, Calif. Bernie Sanders: Inspiring a Hell yes since 2016 I was hoping for a strong showing from Elizabeth Warren, but it has become clear to me that Bernie Sanders has to be the nominee if the Democrats are to beat Trump and take seats in the Senate. His youthful supporters in red states are far more important than any swing voters that the Democratic establishment thinks they need to win. Walt Roshon, 59, Delaware The last time I voted for a Democrat for president was Barack Obama in 2008. He was such a crushing disappointment that Ive voted third party in each presidential election since. If Bernie is not the Democratic candidate, it will be very difficult for me to vote for another, but I would consider it. The only one entirely off the table for me is Bloomberg, whose selection I think would be worse for the country than another four years of Trump. Carla, Old, Northeast Ohio I started off supporting Beto ORourke because I was really inspired by his Senate race in Texas. Although hes 47, he felt more millennial to me than Pete Buttigieg and more woke to common millennial concerns than any other candidate at the time. But once he started his presidential campaign, he just fell flat. He seemed more like a youth pastor trying to stay relevant. I went back to Elizabeth Warren, who I had supported as far back as 2012. I knew her politics aligned with mine and that she was qualified for the job. But then it seemed like her chances of electability were dropping. After watching several debates, I remembered why I voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primaries: every time hes onstage or talking at an event, I clap after nearly everything he says. I find myself saying, Hell yes! every time he talks about M4A, Universal Child Care and legalizing cannabis. Once again, Im feelin the Bern! Colin C., 29, Indianapolis, Ind. I am a supporter of Andrew Yang, and even though he has dropped out I still advocate for his platform and hold him as my new benchmark for candidates. All others fall short, so I am voting based on whom I think is most likely to bring Yang into their administration, which I believe is Senator Sanders. I think he is too old and too divisive, but here we are. #CouldaHadYang Dylan Biggs, 22, Washington, D.C. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 14:08:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday decided to extend the presence of armed forces in the northeastern Ceara state, which is facing strikes by military police. "The federal government considers that this is a state-level negotiation, but will continue its efforts to help the people," Bolsonaro said. The military police in Ceara state are on strikes, demanding higher salaries and better working conditions. However, since police are legally prohibited from going on strikes, the government is considering the movement a mutiny. The number of participants rose significantly -- at least 190 since the beginning of the strikes -- and dozens were arrested for dereliction of duty, mutiny and insubordination over the past days. Tensions have risen since a local senator, Cid Gomes, was shot twice on Feb. 19 when he confronted the police on strikes and advanced over a barricade they had made with a backhoe. He is recovering from the injuries. After the shooting, the federal government decided to deploy the National Public Security Force to the state. The armed forces have been in the state since Feb. 20 but were expected to leave on Friday. With the extension, which was requested by the state government, they will stay until March 6. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was in Afghanistan on Saturday for meetings with officials as the United States and the Taliban were to sign a long-sought deal, the alliance said. Stoltenberg was to participate in a Kabul media conference later Saturday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the NATO statement said. He was also to meet the head of the US and NATO forces in the country, General Scott Miller, as well as other commanders of the alliance's training mission there. The details of the deal, to be signed in Doha on Saturday, have not been disclosed, but it is expected to set the terms of the US to start withdrawing the more than 12,000 troops it has in Afghanistan in return for commitments from the Taliban. It carries with it hopes of a fall in violence in Afghanistan after decades of conflict and the opening of peace talks with the Afghan government, which was excluded from the direct US-Taliban negotiations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In order to resolve the Idlib conflict new proposals should be made at the negotiating table, Turkish expert Hassan Selim Ozertem said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza. "Since the beginning of February, Turkey has been strengthening its position in Syria. This is associated with the fact that forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime didn't stop the attack and didn't withdraw their troops beyond the observation points established by the Sochi agreements. This occasionally leads to skirmishes between the sides," political scientist noted. According to him, the attack on the Turkish convoy which killed more than 30 troops is a tactical move by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Turkeys position that it will begin operation before the end of February if the regimes forces don't leave the established conflict zone. The expert said that the Syrian leader decided to take the lead, so he chose this tactical step to prevent situation that he might have faced before the beginning of the Turkish military operation. In addition, Ozertem expressed the view that Turkey is trying to bring this issue to the international level, creating conditions for obtaining Western support. According to him, statements on the accumulation of refugees near the borders of Europe and the unwillingness to carry the burden of 4 million refugees are connected with this. Ozertem also noted that he doesn't agree with the opinion of experts who believe that when it comes to the Idlib issue Turkey has not fully appreciated the positions of Iran and Russia. "I dont think so, otherwise Turkey wouldn't have sat down at the negotiation table with Russia and Iran within the framework of the Astana and Sochi formats," he said. Speaking about the talks between the top officials of Turkey and Syria in Moscow, he pointed out that these meetings are very important, however, the success of these negotiations will depend on whether the parties are ready to take political steps, listen to each other's ideas. Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo moved to Los Angeles early last summer, and since then, theyve been living their best lives. The two have explored various attractions and eateries in their new city, and each night, theyve been coming home to a beautiful four-bedroom rental the church has allowed them to stay in. Initially, the setup was meant to be a temporary home for a few months while the couple settled in. But now, nine months later, theyre still living there and fans are asking how. Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo | Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Discovery Channel Duggar and Vuolo have adjusted to their new lifestyle with ease Last spring, the two announced on their social media accounts that they would be uprooting their lives in Laredo, Texas, and heading West to California. Vuolo received an opportunity to take graduate classes at the masters seminary in L.A., and the two didnt want to miss the chance to check out a new city. They road tripped across the country with their daughter, Felicity, in tow, and theyve been having a great time ever since. The two are always checking out new restaurants and sightseeing the various neighborhoods in the L.A. area. Duggar and Vuolo have been staying in a gorgeous rental home When the couple first visited California to check out rental properties, most of the places in their budget were very small. California is an expensive state, and the two couldnt find anything with a lot of square footage. Someone from Vuolos church offered the Duggars a newly remodeled, church-owned home for them to stay in while they continued their search. Normally, the home would be completely outside their budget, since neither is actually working right now. But what was originally supposed to be a six-month stay has lasted much longer and fans have questions about how theyre still able to live there. Fans have questions about the couples living arrangements Fans took to Reddit to discuss Duggar and Vuolos interesting living arrangement. I might be completely wrong about this, but in the episode where they went looking for rentals in LA They said that they could get that church rental for 6 months. Its been 6 months already, they seem to still be living there? one user posed in a Reddit thread. I kind of wonder if the house really belongs to the church or if TLC arranged it, another user replied, though a third user chimed in that a property search showed the house does, in fact, belong to the church. They probably weaseled their way into staying. Look at all the publicity the church gets by letting celebs live there, someone else wrote. They [probably] make money with speaking engagements? one person added, though nobody could definitely say why and how the two are still living there. Its unclear if Duggar and Vuolo will be able to stay in L.A. once he graduates Right now, its possible the church is allowing them to extend their rent-free stay in the home. But once Vuolo graduates, the church will likely kick them out. If that happens, Duggar and Vuolo will have to either downsize greatly or relocate out of L.A. if they want to continue living in a home that size. They seem to have made themselves quite comfortable there, but it doesnt seem feasible that it will last. The ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh on Saturday staged a protest here against the Income Tax department's ongoing raids on properties linked to some state government officials. The BJP-led Centre was trying to destabilise the state government with these "politically motivated" raids, it alleged. Congress workers led by state unit chief Mohan Markam also tried to gherao the IT department's office in Civil Lines area, but were stopped by the police. "Our party fought against the misrule of BJP government in Chhattisgarh for 15 years and now we are ready to fight against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's government at the Centre," Markam said. "The Centre is misusing central agencies and hatching a conspiracy to defame and destablise a strong Congress government in the state," he alleged. "The state government has exposed the misdeeds during the BJP rule. Therefore, in frustration, they conducted raids with a malafide intention to create an atmosphere of fear," Markam claimed. After a protest at Gandhi Maidan, Congress leaders headed for the IT department's office but the police barricaded the road near the Akashvani Chowk and stopped them. Some protesters managed to reach the IT department's office and shouted slogans against the Union government. Around 200 police personnel had been deployed to avert any untoward incident during the agitation, said a police official. Markam handed over a memorandum addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind to the district administration. The memorandum demanded that the President ask the Union government to stop 'misuse of central agencies' against the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel suddenly left for Delhi by a regular flight on Saturday morning and returned late in the evening. Talking to media at the Raipur airport before departure, Baghel said the raids were underway for the last three days, but no information was given to his government. "We do not have any problem with the raids. We are also fighting corruption. But at least intimation should have been given to the state government," he said. "Central forces are frequently moving from Jagdalpur to Raipur. If anything happens, who will be responsible? It is the responsibility of the state government to take care of law and order. This is a naxal-affected state and they should understand the sensitivity of the matter," Baghel added. According to sources, IT officials on Thursday launched raids at about 25 properties linked to Chhattisgarh government officials and others in Raipur. Some of these properties allegedly had links to A K Tuteja, joint secretary in the state commerce and industry department, retired IAS officer and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand and Raipur Mayor Ezaj Dhebar and his brother Anwar Dhebar. On Friday, raids were conducted at the house of Saumya Chourasiya, deputy secretary to chief minister, at Bhilai. Chourasiya is said to be the chief minister's trusted officer. The house was locked so IT officials camped outside the whole night on Thursday and sealed it on Friday, sources said. Raids continued at a few locations on Saturday, sources added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bundelkhand Expressway, the foundation stone of which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, will give momentum to the Uttar Pradesh defence corridor, Chief Minister Yodi Adityanath said in Chitrakoot. The 296-km-long Expressway to be built at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore will pass through Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun districts, and link the Bundelkhand region, considered one of the most backward areas of the country, to Delhi through the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway. "A defence corridor is being built in Bundelkhand. The youth here will not have to go to other places. Chitrakoot Dham will be seen as a spiritual and cultural city, realising the dreams of Nanaji Deshmukh who founded the Gramodaya University here," the chief minister said. "The picture of Bundelkhand, facing negligence over the years, will change with these two projects. Now, made-in-Bundelkhand tanks will fight the enemies. The income of farmers here will also be doubled with the construction of the Bundelkhand Expressway," he said. "Lord Ram had spent the most time on this holy land during his exile period. In order to take Bundelkhand to new heights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited this holy land of Chitrakoot today. During the difficult time of Lord Shri Ram, Chitrakoot was his support system. The same way, PM Modi has ended the 500-year wait for the construction of Lord Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya," Adityanath said. The chief minister also addressed a mega camp in Allahabad organised to distribute assistive devices among people with disabilities and senior citizens. "Last year, at the same time, the grand and divine Kumbh received a worldwide recognition. Hundreds of years later, devotees had visited the Akshayavat and the Saraswati Kup. Today, this magnificent Kumbh of the Divyang is attracting all of us and is expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister," Adityanath said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Advertisement Tens of thousands of refugees from Syria and other countries were massing on the Turkish borders with Greece and Bulgaria last night, hurling stones at guards and trying to cut through razor wire. An estimated 30,000 migrants gathered at checkpoints after Turkeys president claimed to have opened the doors to allow as many as 4 million asylum seekers to leave the country. Greek police closed border crossings and fired tear gas at large groups of migrants who tried to enter from Turkey yesterday, while pregnant women and children were among those making hazardous crossings by sea. One of the first stand-offs came on Friday night at Pazarkule, north-eastern Greece, where hundreds of migrants including Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Moroccans demanded to be let in. An estimated 30,000 migrants gathered at checkpoints after Turkeys president claimed to have opened the doors to allow as many as 4 million asylum seekers to leave the country Migrants throw objects during clashes with Greek police, at the Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey Refugees and migrants gather at Pazarkule border as they attempt to enter Greece United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) members distribute food to migrants and refugees that gathered at the Turkish-Greek border, near Edirne, Turkey A group of young men who tried to cut through the border fence were turned back by armed soldiers, while police used smoke grenades to disperse crowds. Bulgaria also locked down its southern border and deployed soldiers and military vehicles to patrol its 118-mile frontier with Turkey. Angry clashes started just 24 hours after an announcement by Turkish authorities that it would no longer restrict the movement of refugees, tearing up a 5 billion agreement with the EU to contain the flow of asylum seekers signed after the 2015 migrant crisis. Turkeys decision comes amid frustration that the EU and Nato countries, including Britain, have failed to provide enough support in the countrys opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war. On Thursday, 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by Syrian forces, dramatically raising tensions in a war in which Turkey and Russia are backing opposing sides. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted he would not back down, adding that his country could not handle another wave of refugees from northern Syria. We opened the doors, he said. We will not close those doors. Why? Because the EU should keep its promises. The EU said Turkey had not formally notified Brussels of any change to its migration policy. A drone photo shows migrants moving towards, and congregating around, the Turkish side of the Turkey-Greece border at Pazarkule, Edirne, Turkey today A migrants stands during clashes with Greek police, at the Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (rear C) makes a speech as he holds a meeting with his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's Istanbul deputies at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey today Greek police officers are pictured from Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies during clashes with migrants, in Edirne, Turkey today A locator map shows the crossing governorate Edirne, which houses most of the borders into Greece and Bulgaria, and Lesbos, where many migrants from sub-Saharan Africa land on dinghys Tear gas floats in the air during clashes between migrants and Greek police, at the Turkey's Pazarkule border crossing with Greece's Kastanies, in Edirne, Turkey today A map shows the border points from Turkey into Greece and Bulgaria, and from Syria into Turkey Migrants can be seen on their way towards the Turkish-Greek border in Edime, Turkey today Syrian migrants can be seen being rescued after being stranded on an islet after they tried reaching the Greek side of the Evros River in Edirne, Turkey today A woman reacts as a dinghy transporting 27 refugees and migrants originating from Gambia and the Republic of Congo lands in Lesbos island after they were rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Turkey and Greece today Migrants wait as Greek anti riot police officers patrol on the buffer zone Turkey-Greece border, at Pazarkule, in Edirne district today Migrants can be seen after they were rescued when stranded on an islet while trying to paddle to the Greek side of the Evros river, in Turkey todya A man takes coover behind an umbrella as he throws a mattress in a fire during clashes with Greek police in the buffer zone at Turkey-Greece border, at Pazarkule, in Edirne district today Migrants, who are trying to cross into Europe through Turkey, are pictured reaching for food aid near the Pazarkule Border in Karaagac neighbourhood of Edirne, Turkey today A Greek policeman collects tear gas canisters reportedly thrown from the Turkish side of the border during riots beween migrants and Greek police at the closed Kastanies border crossing, on the borderline between Greece and Turkey, near the Evros River today Refugees wait for attempting to pass the closed-off Turkish-Greek border and try to enter Europe, Edirne, Turkey today Refugees wait for attempting to pass the closed-off Turkish-Greek border and try to enter Europe, Edirne, Turkey today while Greek border officials look on from the Greek side Greek Police guard Kastanies border gate, Evros region, as a migrant stands in front of a fence between Greece and Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey today Greek riot policemen guard behind fences as refugees wait for attempting to pass the closed-off Turkish-Greek border and try to enter Europe, Edirne today Irregular migrants, who want to proceed to Europe, wait at the Turkish side and the buffer zone between the Greek Kastanies and Turkish Pazarkule border gates today in Turkey Chennai, Feb 29 : Superstar Rajinikanth's tough talk on the Delhi violence has demolished the notion that he is pro-saffron and would be pitted against DMK's MK Stalin when the Assembly elections are held in Tamil Nadu in 2021, a political observer said on Saturday. On the other hand, a senior DMK leader said that the ruling AIADMK will not allow the 2021 polls in the southern state to become a fight between Stalin and Rajinikanth, but an AIADMK versus DMK affair. "For a long time, Rajinikanth's detractors termed him as a 'Sanghi'. But with one media interaction, he demolished such notion. For him, the primary rival in the 2021 Assembly polls will be DMK President Stalin, who is banking on anti-BJP sentiments in Tamil Nadu enjoyed an edge over others till now," the political analyst told IANS on the condition of anonymity. "Rajinikanth's statement blaming intelligence failure and Home Ministry failure for the Delhi violence has blunted the opposition edge," he added. During his media interaction here on February 26, the superstar also said that the Centre should deal sternly with violence in Delhi and resign if this is not done. The actor has earlier said that he would take a plunge into active politics and fight the 2021 Assembly polls. "The 2021 elections are all about settling the leadership issue in Tamil Nadu politics following the demise of AIADMK's J Jayalalithaa and DMK's Karunanidhi," another political commentator Jhon Arokiasamy told IANS. He said that if Rajinikanth maintains a non pro-BJP or even a neutral stance, he holds better prospects to form a formidable alliance in the Tamil Nadu elections. Arokiasamy said that he could draw towards him political parties that are now aligned with either the ruling AIADMK or the opposition DMK and thus disrupt the winnability of whoever now holds a relatively advantageous position. Minutes after Rajinikanth's media interaction actor turned politician Kamal Haasan had tweeted: "Kudos, friend... this way is a good option. It is not a separate path, but a royal race. Welcome, congratulations." Arokiasamy said that Rajinikanth's party's positioning before his entry in the poll areana would be key to transfer his brand value as a popular actor to the political field. "There is an attempt to make the 2021 Assembly polls as a fight between Stalin and Rajinikanth. But the ruling AIADMK will not allow this to happen. The ruling party will try to make it as AIADMK versus DMK," DMK spokesperson and MP TKS Elangovan told IANS. Elangovan said he did not see any difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's views and that of Rajinikanth. "Rajinikanth should ask the central government to talk to the anti-CAA protestors. Rajinikanth will be used as a propaganda tool by the BJP," Elangovan added. According to him, an electoral victory is not decided by an actor's fans. "In the case of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran, his fans were members of the DMK. When MGR broke away from the DMK, his fans also went away. But in the case of Rajinikanth and others, their fans are in different parties and it is up to them to decide to vote for the party or for the movie actor," Elangovan said. On political parties gravitating towards Rajinikanth, the DMK leader said that the actor has not spelt out his economic and other policies yet. Political commentator Maalan Narayanan said: "The Congress, MDMK and the left may not leave the DMK and join hands with Rajini. But others might do. The anti-AIADMK/DMK votes may go to Rajini. There is one segment of voters who want an alternative to these two parties for a long time," Narayanan added. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed Americas longest war may finally be nearing an end. The United States and the Islamists it toppled from power in Afghanistan are poised to sign a peace deal Saturday after a conflict that outlasted two U.S. commanders in chief and is now led by a third eager to fulfill a campaign promise to extricate America from endless wars." More than 18 years since President George W. Bush ordered bombing in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the agreement will set the stage for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, some of whom were not yet born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. Saturdays ceremony also signals the potential end of a tremendous investment of blood and treasure. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. Yet its also a conflict that is frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. In the Qatari capital of Doha, Americas top diplomat will stand with leaders of the Taliban, Afghanistans former rulers who harbored Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. It will likely be an uncomfortable appearance for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. A statement from Trump on Friday said Pompeo will witness the signing of the agreement, leaving unclear if he will personally sign it on behalf of the United States, or if he will shake hands with Taliban representatives. U.S. troops are to be withdrawn to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following Saturdays signing. Further drawdowns are to depend on the Taliban meeting certain counter-terrorism conditions, compliance that will be assessed by the United States. But officials say soldiers will be coming home. Trump, as he seeks re-election this year, is looking to make good on his campaign promise to bring troops home from the Middle East. Still, he has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. In a statement released by the White House, Trump said Friday that if the Taliban and Afghan governments live up to the commitments in the agreement, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home." These commitments represent an important step to a lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from al-Qaida, ISIS and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm, Trump said. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. Pompeo did not mention the Afghan agreement as he touted Trump administration foreign policy achievements in a speech to a conservative group Friday. He has expressed doubts about the prospects. Yet, he will give his imprimatur to an agreement which he also has said represents a historic opportunity for peace after years and pain and suffering. We are now on the cusp of having an opportunity which may not succeed, but an opportunity for the first time to let the Afghan peoples voices be heard, he told reporters this week. If the agreement is successful, Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires" that has repeatedly repelled foreign invaders from imperial Britain and Russia to the Soviet Union, will have once again successfully turned away a world power from its landlocked borders. But prospects for Afghanistans future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghani factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but its not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. Its not clear what will become of gains made in womens rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Womens rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration. In a sign of the international communitys commitment to Afghanistan, a separate ceremony will be held Saturday in the Afghan capital of Kabul, with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said Sediq Sediqqui, spokesman for Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani.Already, some U.S. lawmakers and veterans of the conflict have raised red flags about any agreement with the Taliban. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming led 21 Republican legislators in demanding that the administration not concede anything to the Taliban that would allow them to once again harbor those who seek to harm U.S. citizens and interests. Cheney, the daughter of former President Bushs vice president, Dick Cheney, urged Pompeo and Esper in a letter to reject any commitment to a full withdrawal of American troops. Pompeo said, Were proud of our gains, but our generals have determined that this war is unlikely to be won militarily without tremendous additional resources. All sides are tired of fighting. On this, he is in rare agreement with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who said this week in a Democratic presidential debate that the government has a sacred responsibility to American soldiers. That is not to use our military to solve problems that cannot be solved militarily. We are not winning in Afghanistan. We are not winning in the Middle East, she said. Mr Shah, while claiming credit for revocation of Article 370 that provided special status to J&K, said the latter had now become the crown of India. Bhubaneswar: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday gave no inkling of getting perturbed over the Delhi riots following a series of anti-CAA protest rallies. Instead, he sounded more resolute to back the law that was passed in the Parliament on December 11, 2019. Addressing a pro-CAA rally here, Mr Shah said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 aimed at giving citizenship to people not to snatch away anyone citizenship. He criticized the political parties that are spreading lies on the law, thereby inciting violence. The Congress, BSP, SP, Communists, Mamata didi (West Bengal chief minister) are opposing CAA, saying that the law will rob the minorities of their citizenship rights. I dont know why are they spreading lies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that no minority will lose his or her citizenship by CAA. CAA is not a law to take away citizenship but give citizenship, he said. After the Partition, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians living in neighouring country and some other countries were systematically targeted, the home minister said, without naming Pakistan. These people experienced forced conversionwomen folks were raped and their places of worship were vandalized. The Congress never addressed their concerns, said Mr Shah. He assured that not a single Muslim in India will lose citizenship. Mr Shah, while claiming credit for revocation of Article 370 that provided special status to J&K, said the latter had now become the crown of India. Please tell me if revocation of Article 370 of India was right or not? Was the Modi government not justified in repealing the Article by due Parliament procedure? he asked. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-28 23:03:54|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close People hold a banner to express solidarity with China during a roundtable discussion held by the business community in New Delhi, Feb. 28, 2020. Indian business leaders on Friday lauded the Chinese government's efforts in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and expressed solidarity with the Chinese people. (Xinhua/Javed Dar) by Peerzada Arshad Hamid NEW DELHI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indian business leaders on Friday lauded the Chinese government's efforts in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and expressed solidarity with the Chinese people. At a roundtable discussion held in the Indian capital city, the Indian business community expressed hope that trade between the two countries would resume immediately. "It is not the crisis of China alone but it's the crisis of the world," said Srinivasan Swamy, chairman of International Advertising Association in his keynote address. "It is a highly interconnected world, so whatever happens there will impact us," Swamy said, adding that they have come together to show solidarity with China. "We stand with China means we stand with the world." Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said in a message to the function that since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has adopted the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures to curb the spread of the virus. "Such efforts have led to a positive turn in the situation nationwide," Sun said. "We have the confidence, capability and determination to overcome the epidemic." "While making efforts for restart of work and production, we also believe the impact on economy is temporary and our economic and social development goals will be met this year," said the Chinese envoy. "We need to enhance mutual understanding, strengthen cooperation, resume normal personnel and trade exchanges at an early date, and scale the bilateral relations to a new height," Sun said, urging the two countries to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of both sides during their second informal meeting in Chennai in October 2019. Saibal Dasgupta, an Indian journalist, lauded China's efforts to combat the epidemic, saying that the Chinese government has done what has never been done in history by imposing traffic restrictions in an area with over 10 million people to contain the disease. Dasgupta said the government response on short notice was really a lesson for other countries to learn. "On short notice, Chinese government has managed it well by getting into action. It is a lesson for every country to learn," he said. "Disease don't recognize borders. The world can face such challenges and this is an opportunity for us to learn." Representatives of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in India (CCEI) and the India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) were also present at the function. "The substantial recent slowdown in the spread of novel coronavirus in China is real and the Chinese government are considering and taking measures to restore work activities step by step. China is confident in its capabilities and is determined to win the battle," said Harris Liu, chief representative of CCPIT. CCEI Chairman Alen Wang said India's current visa policy on China has affected the investment in India and expressed hope that New Delhi would normalize the policy. "We express our concern and worries over the current visa policy in India as it has affected our enterprises and business in India," Wang said. "According to incomplete statistics from our chamber, till now only 2,000 people from Chinese enterprises are staying in India and the loss of Chinese companies is over 50 million U.S. dollars." Wang said people from China having businesses in India should be given visas at priority, a concern shared by Mohammed Saqib, secretary-general of ICEC. "We need to dispel rumors and there has to be social engagement between the people of the two countries," said Saqib. "We should have faith in the China government and need to respect their decisions as they have handled the crisis very well. If they would not have handled the situation it could have spread to the whole world at a massive scale." India's Health Ministry launched a 24x7 helpline to provide support to people regarding queries on the novel coronavirus. Health teams have been deployed at 21 airports, seaports and border crossings across the country to screen the visitors. The ministry is also circulating the precautionary measures recommended by the WHO for the prevention of COVID-19 in India. Russia's hybrid military forces have violated the ceasefire regime in Donbas eight times in the past 24 hours, one Ukrainian soldier has been wounded, the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported. "On February 28, the hybrid military forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire eight times. As a result of enemy shelling, one member of the Joint Forces was wounded," the JFO headquarters said on its Facebook page on Saturday. With the beginning of the current day, the Russian occupation forces fired three times in the direction of Ukrainian positions, namely, near Nevelske using a 120 mm mortar for six minutes, near Maiske using an 82 mm mortar, the enemy fired three mines, and also fired from grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms, and in the area of Krasnohorivka using an easel anti-tank grenade launcher six shots, and also fired from heavy machine guns. "There are no casualties over the current day," the headquarters added. (Alliance News) - Health officials are tracing anyone who has been in contact with a coronavirus patient who became the first to catch the illness within the UK. Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was not clear if the patient had contracted the virus "directly or indirectly" from somebody who had recently travelled abroad. The new diagnosis brought the total number of UK cases to 20 on Friday, while a man who had been on a quarantined cruise ship became the first Briton to die from the virus. Public Health England said that one of the latest coronavirus cases was a resident in Surrey and it was working with the county council to manage the situation. Haslemere Health Centre in the county was temporarily closed for cleaning as a "precautionary measure" on Friday. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, said on Twitter he was thinking of "clinicians, staff and patients" at the surgery during this "worrying time". He added: "Thoughts today with new Covid19 patient and local GP with symptoms alongside their families." On Saturday morning, health minister Edward Argar refused to comment on reports that a GP may have been infected with coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. "I'm aware of The Guardian report, but I'm going on the basis of what I've been told," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I haven't had any details of that and I think it would be wrong to comment on speculation in the press without that detailed advice from the chief medical officer." Argar also defended the prime minister against criticism that he had been slow to act on coronavirus, having delayed chairing his first emergency Cobra meeting on the outbreak until Monday. It comes as the government prepares to bring in new emergency powers to help stop the virus spreading. The PA news agency understands that this will give schools, councils and other parts of the public sector powers to suspend laws a including health and safety measures a to cope with a pandemic. Meanwhile, a British man, reported to be in his 70s and said to have lived abroad, was confirmed as the first UK citizen to die from the virus on Friday. The man, who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Japan's coast amid the outbreak, was the sixth person from the vessel to have died. David Abel and his wife Sally were both on board the ship, where more than 700 tourists became infected, and are now undergoing treatment for the virus in hospital. Abel said in a YouTube video: "Sad news this morning, wasn't it? We awakened to that, to hear that one of the Brits has sadly passed away in hospital out here in Japan. "Our thoughts, our concern is for all of the families left behind. We are fortunate, we're doing OK, we're being really, really well cared for." The new case takes the total number of cases in England up to 18, while there has been one confirmed case in Northern Ireland and one in Wales. Wales's chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said the first diagnosed patient in Wales had recently travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe. In Tenerife, hundreds of guests have been confined to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after at least four tourists, including an Italian doctor, were diagnosed with coronavirus. However, six Britons were among those who were told they could leave on Friday by Spanish authorities because they arrived at the hotel on Monday a after those who tested positive had been taken to hospital. The number of people sickened by the virus worldwide hovered around 83,000 on Friday and there were more than 2,800 deaths, most of them in China. By Emma Bowden, PA source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Stratford resident Jonathan Sales who captured local headlines when he and his wife tied the knot at a hospital less than three months ago died Monday at the age of 26. Sales was born on Aug. 11, 1993, in Danbury to Loree DAmato and Stephen Sales, according to his obituary. He died Monday at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford, surrounded by his family. He went to Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury and then obtained his bachelors degree in biology at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. Jonathan was a devoted teacher that shared his love for science with all of his students at Swift Middle School in Watertown ... for the last four years, his obituary said. He enjoyed reading, video games, spending time with his cats and anything science. Most of all, he loved spending time with his loving wife and family. Sales is survived by his wife, Alyssa Griffin, his parents, his sister, his grandfather, his mother- and father-in-law and countless friends and family, his obituary said. Less than three months ago, Sales and Griffin married in a ceremony at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center. I love you forever and always, Griffin wrote in a public Facebook post along with a link to the obituary Thursday night. Rest easy Jonathan. I like you and I love you. Sales was previously diagnosed with cancer as a teen. He was treated at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center at the age of 13. Last year, Sales was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. Sales and Griffin initially planned to get married in 2020. But after Sales cancer diagnosis, they decided they didnt want to wait. As he was preparing to start treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, hospital staff worked with Sales and Griffin to arrange a wedding ceremony at the hospital a first for the facility. The wedding came together in less than two weeks. The only real important piece is that when Im walking down the aisle, Jonathan is the one at the end, said a statement from Griffin shortly after the couples wedding. The two married on Nov. 30, 2019. A celebration of Sales life will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the cafeteria at Woodbury Middle School at 67 Washington Ave. in Woodbury. Everyone is welcome, a flyer for the gathering said. In lieu of flowers, according to his obituary, Sales asked his family to have people make donations to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center or the Make a Wish Foundation. Online condolences for Sales can be left at www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2020) - American Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: ABC) (the "Company" or "American Battery" or "we") announces that as a result of a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, we are issuing the following news release to clarify our disclosure in the news release dated February 27, 2020. As previously announced, the Company has entered into a non-binding letter of intent dated February 26, 2020 (the "LOI") to acquire (the "Proposed Transaction") Fenix Gold Inc., a private Ontario company ("Fenix"). Fenix Gold Inc. is a private Canadian company focused on acquiring gold projects with world class exploration potential in the most prolific gold producing regions of Colombia. Fenix's flagship property, the Abriaqui project, is located 15 km west of Continental Gold's Buritica project in Antioquia State at the northern end of the Mid-Cauca gold belt, a geological trend which has seen multiple large gold discoveries in the past 10 years including Buritica and Anglo Gold's Nuevo Chaquiro and La Colosa. As documented in "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Abriaqui project Antioquia State, Colombia" (December 5, 2019), the geological characteristics of Abriaqui and Buritica are very similar. The report also documents the high gold grade at Abriaqui with samples taken from 20 of the veins assaying greater than 20 g/t gold. Abriaqui has not yet been drilled but surface and underground geological mapping and sampling as well as a preliminary magnetometry survey have been completed. The property is drill-ready pending finalization of the government permitting process. Fenix's VP of Exploration, Stuart Moller, led the discovery team at Buritica for Continental Gold in 2007-2011. The Buritica Mine currently contains measured plus indicated resources of 5.32 million ounces of gold (16.02 Mt grading 10.32 g/t) plus a 6.02 million ounce inferred resource (21.87 Mt grading 8.56 g/t) for a total of 11.34 million ounces of gold resources. Buritica is scheduled to commence production in 2020 with annual average production of 250,000 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of approximately US$600 per ounce. Resources, cost and production data are taken from Continental Gold's "NI 43-101 Buritica Mineral Resource 2019-01, Antioquia, Colombia, 18 March, 2019"). Story continues Continental Gold was recently the subject of a takeover by Zijin Mining in an all-cash transaction valued at C$1.4 billion. Jeremy Poirier, President & CEO of American Battery Metals, commented, "We are very excited to acquire Fenix's Abriaqui high-grade gold exploration project in Colombia. Not only does the Abriaqui property share many of the same characteristics of Continental's Buritica project prior to its discovery, we are fortunate to have the head of exploration who was responsible for its discovery and delineation to a multi-million-ounce high-grade gold resource." Under the terms of the LOI, American Battery will issue 28,500,000 of its common shares to the shareholders of Fenix as consideration for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Fenix (the "Consideration Shares"). In addition, an aggregate of 3,846,785 outstanding warrants of Fenix will be replaced with common share purchase warrants of American Battery exercisable at a price of $0.20 until two years from the date of closing of the proposed transaction. The Consideration Shares and the Finder's Fee Shares will be subject to escrow and released as to 50% on the date that is four months following the closing of the Proposed Transaction (the "Initial Release Date") and an additional 10% every 30 days following the Initial Release Date. At this time, the Company and Fenix are proceeding with their respective due diligence reviews with a view towards negotiation and execution of a definitive transaction agreement. Further details will be provided upon successful completion of the due diligence period and the signing of a definitive agreement. In addition, American Battery Metals Corp. announces the termination of the proposed transaction with Bayshore Minerals Inc. previously announced on January 15th, 2020. Mr. Kevin Smith also resigned from the Board of Directors. About American Battery Metals Corp. American Battery Metals Corp. is a junior mineral exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring and evaluating natural resource properties. The Company has an option to acquire a 50% interest in the Fish Lake property located in Esmeralda County in the state of Nevada, USA. Jeremy Poirier Chief Executive Officer, President and Director Phone: 604.722.9842 Technical Information The comparison between Abriaqui and the nearby Buritica project is meant only to indicate the similarities between the two in terms of geological setting. American Battery Metals Corp. does not imply that exploration results and/or economic characteristics of a potential future mine at Abriaqui will be similar to those seen at Buritica. The sampling done at Abriaqui is in the form of rock chip and channel samples on surface and in shallow underground workings on vein exposures. The samples were prepared and analyzed at ALS laboratories in Medellin and Lima respectively. Samples were taken, prepared, shipped and analyzed following, industry standard QA/QC protocols and were submitted with certified reference standards. Stuart A Moller, P. Geol. (British Colombia) Vice President of Exploration of Fenix Gold Inc. and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this press release. Mr, Moller is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in world-wide mineral exploration including 10 years in Colombia. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of American Battery's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to information concerning the Proposed Transaction including the negotiation and execution of a Definitive Agreement. . Although American Battery believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. In particular, there is no guarantee that that the parties will successfully negotiate and enter into the Definitive Agreement or complete the Proposed Transaction on the terms contemplated herein or at all, that either will be satisfied with the results of their proposed due diligence, or that any required shareholder or regulatory approvals will be obtained.. . The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and American Battery does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Not for dissemination in the United States or for distribution to U.S. newswire services To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52962 Nespresso chief executive Guillaume Le Cunff responded this week to shocking claims that its coffee suppliers in Guatemala use child labour, saying that the company takes a "zero tolerance" approach to such abuses. The value of that pledge is perhaps undermined by his admission that farms are given advance notice of audit inspections, however. Meanwhile, George Clooney, Nespresso's brand ambassador since 2004, has said he is "shocked and saddened" by the reports, detailed in a Channel 4 'Dispatches' documentary to be aired next week. Given that the money he makes from shilling for Nespresso combined with his earnings from a tequila investment have made him the best-paid actor in the world even in years when he doesn't actually make a movie, that is hardly surprising. You'd be sad too. These latest claims are another slur on a brand that has gone from being seen as the height of sophistication a decade ago to one that is now irredeemably naff - so naff that perhaps not even George Clooney can save it. Alongside the child labour issue, Nespresso's parent corporation Nestle, the biggest food company in the world, also stands accused of unethical promotion, manipulating poorly educated mothers with regard to infant formula, pollution, price-fixing and mislabelling. Perhaps her husband's Nespresso gig doesn't sit well with Amal Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer, but that's for another day. It seems hard to believe now, but when Nespresso first came to Ireland it was a Very Big Deal. In Brown Thomas, the sole outlet, there were in-store tastings and lengthy queues for the capsules. Later, in the shop - sorry, boutique - on Duke Street, staff presented customers with leather key fobs with a chip inside and suggested that they join the Nespresso 'club' (or should that be 'cult'?). The process of buying capsules was more complicated than it should have been. And it all felt like a lot of palaver to get a cup of coffee that came out of the machine tepid and in terms of flavour was at best insipid no matter how strong a version you opted for. But there's no denying that Nespresso revolutionised the way that we thought about coffee and became an aspirational brand in the process. The key to its success was that it put a "real" coffee experience in the hands of those who were time-poor, wanted a single cup, or had previously only drunk instant and were intimidated by the rigmarole of buying and grinding beans, or put off by the mess associated with using them. Part of Nespresso's marketing strategy has been to provide restaurants with professional machines (different from the versions available to consumers) and coffee. Many well-known restaurants in Ireland serve Nespresso - something that can sit uncomfortably alongside talk of local and seasonal ingredients and working with small farmers and artisan producers. One restaurant that uses Nespresso is Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, which boasts two Michelin stars. The restaurant this week said it had met the company and was "looking into the situation". These latest claims confirm the gloss has well and truly gone off Nespresso. For every coffee drinker who cites the convenience factor, another will point to the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a stove-top espresso machine or cafetiere. Coffee nerds will countenance nothing other than the AeroPress or the hipster favourite, Chemex. Then there is the sustainability issue. Yes, the Nespresso pods can be recycled (the rate is 33pc and on the rise according to a spokesman for the company), but the process is unwieldy, and despite good intentions on the part of consumers, the majority end up in landfill. The sales of Nespresso pods have also been hit by the wide availability of cheaper pods that can be used in the machines, and by reusable pods that coffee drinkers can fill with their own preferred coffee. Companies such as Lavazza and Bialetti have targeted the Nespresso market; some of these brands' capsules are compostable - a big plus. The "bean to cup" De'Longhi system is one that has many fans, who say that the coffee that it makes is superior to Nespresso's. Nespresso declined to supply sales figures for Ireland but pointed to a section in its most recent annual report that states Nespresso "maintained mid-single-digit organic growth, with positive growth across all regions. North America grew at a strong double-digit rate, outpacing market growth". It's ironic that a time when it has never been easier to get good, ethically sourced coffee in coffee shops or to make it at home using beans that you grind yourself or buy ground from a good local roaster, such as Red Rooster in Co Leitrim, so many people still opt for Nespresso. But coffee snobbery and convenience aside, it's the ethics of Nestle that many consumers are now finding so hard to swallow. And at a time when consumers are increasingly demanding higher ethical standards of global corporations, it's this that leaves the most bitter taste of all. Imagine if the federal government decided to completely rebuild our road network. Brand new highways linking cities and regional centres, and more efficient side roads running through every neighbourhood in the land. The project would cost billions, but experts insisted that it was essential because the old roads needed radical updating if they were to see us into the future. Then, after the work had already started, a new government was elected, insisting that it would build the roads more cheaply. There was outcry from many experts, but an election is an election, and so the old roads were ripped up, and new ones built according to the new plan, at a cost that still proves to be astronomical. Once the new road network is in place, everyone realises that its actually worse than what we had before. Travel times are longer in some places. The new roads are less reliable, so cars are crashing more. Old folks are afraid to drive. Some of the new roads dont even reach the towns theyre meant to access, and if you want the problem fixed, you pay for it yourself. I cant imagine any government surviving such a debacle. But this is what has happened with the NBN, an infrastructure project that may well be as vital to the nation as our road network, yet has proved to be a mishandled disaster, and a criminal waste of public resources. The first social media posts began showing up in local New Jersey Facebook groups last June, warning women to be on the lookout for an alleged sexual predator then working at a popular Asbury Park restaurant. Weve got a live one right here in Asbury, folks. A manager at Modine drugged a woman last night at another establishment. This isnt his first offense. Be careful and guard your drinks," one Facebook post read. Spread the word of the rapey bartender!!!! Dont let him get by! read another. Women: If this man is your bartender in Asbury, dont trust his drinks, said a post on Reddit that quickly drew more than 100 comments, detailing rumors and allegations of rape and sexual assault dating back more than a decade. The target of their posts -- Brent Comyack of Hillsborough -- says none of the sexual assault and drugging allegations are true and the flood of online posts featuring his name and photo ruined his life. This is nothing more than a lynching party," said Paul Rizzo, Comyacks attorney. Comyack filed a civil lawsuit in October against the woman who initially accused him of drugging her drink and four of the women who helped spread the allegations on social media. He also sued two male bartenders who repeated the story on Bartenders Guild, a popular industry website. Comyack, who was never charged in the alleged drugging case, quickly lost his job at the Asbury Park restaurant because of the flood of online posts. He moved to Tennessee and North Carolina, but said he was unable to find work in either state after potential employers heard about the allegations. He received numerous death threats, his attorney said. The lawsuit, which has been working its way through Somerset County Superior Court, has raised questions about when women in the #MeToo era have the right to warn each other about a man they suspect of sexual misconduct -- and when the man has the right to fight back. Comyacks suit is one of a series of lawsuits filed around the world accusing women of defamation and other offenses for accusing men of sexual harassment, sexual assault or misconduct. In a climate where mens reputations can be destroyed via social media, the lawsuits are often one of the only venues for men to push back against allegations that never result in criminal charges. But critics says the lawsuits can have a chilling effect, discouraging women from coming forward or speaking out against sexual abuse out of fear of getting sued. J. Remy Green, an attorney representing four of the women who were sued for posting about Comyack, was the first to dub the group a whisper network in court papers. The term refers to an informal chain of conversations among women about men who need to be watched because of rumors, allegations or known incidents of sexual misconduct, harassment or assault, according to the court filings. Green said whisper networks have existed since the beginning of time and the women in the case -- most of whom never met either Comyack or the alleged drugging victim -- did nothing wrong by telling friends on social media what theyd heard about him. This is how women have been protecting themselves since women needed to protect themselves, Green said. Though whisper networks previously referred to small groups of women passing information among themselves, the term has been used in recent years to refer to online networks of women sharing #MeToo allegations. Some men have filed defamation lawsuits to defend their names. In Comyacks case, the social media posts about the alleged drugging drew several online comments from other unnamed women who alleged they were sexually assaulted or drugged by the bartender, according to the court papers. Its just implausible to think thats all made up, Green said. It really is a story of someone having his life catch up to him. Comyack denied all of the sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations through his attorney. An image from a Facebook post accusing a New Jersey bartender of drugging a woman. The image is included in court papers in a civil lawsuit filed by the bartender, who denies any wrongdoing. Comyack, 27, grew up in a military family in Hillsborough, news reports said. He graduated from Hillsborough High School and has been working as a bartender for years, according to his social media accounts. He pleaded guilty in 2013 to theft and conspiracy, according to court records. But Comyack has never been convicted or charged with any type of sexual assault or sexual misconduct, despite some of the online posts that claimed there are positive rape kits and charges pending against him in several states, his attorney said. Theyre just running amok, Rizzo said of the rumors posted online about his client. Comyack was working at Modine, an upscale Asbury Park restaurant known for its fried chicken, last June when a female friend asked to meet him after he got off work, according to court papers. The woman, who NJ Advance Media is not naming because she is an alleged victim, arrived at Modine extremely intoxicated, but said she did not want Comyack to take her home, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the pair went to a birthday party being held at another bar. Throughout the night, Comyack kept giving the woman cups of water and encouraged her to drink. Comyack later said he was trying to hydrate her to sober her up, the court papers said. But the woman said she suspected he had put drugs in the water. The lawsuit does not specify how the woman got home. The woman went to Asbury Park police, but declined to file a complaint, according to court filings. She told friends she got an independent drug test that showed she had methodone in her system. Methodone is a narcotic that can be used to treat opioid addiction. Its side effects can include making the user feel lightheaded or faint and the drug can increase the feeling of intoxication if alcohol is in your system. The woman, who declined to comment through her attorney and asked that her name not be used, told friends she thought she was drugged by Comyack. Friends quickly posted about it on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and other social media sites. An image from a Facebook post thanking women who spread the word about a bartender who allegedly drugged a woman. The image was included in court filings related to a lawsuit filed by the bartender, who denied the allegations. Modine, the restaurant where Comyack was working, posted on social media that he had been fired a few days later. While the event did not take place at our restaurant, we take this matter very seriously. Within hours of the team being notified, the person in question was terminated, the restaurant said on its Instagram account, according to a copy of the post included in court papers. Modine managers did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the case. Alexis Devaney, a photographer from Brooklyn, said she was among those spreading the word about the allegations in a Facebook group last summer. She says she didnt know the alleged victim or Comyack personally, but they had mutual friends and she wanted to warn others in Asbury Park about a potentially dangerous bartender. She shared the Reddit post, titled Women: If this man is your bartender in Asbury, dont trust his drinks, on Facebook in July. Later that month, she shared a screen shot of another persons Instagram post that said Comyack had moved to North Carolina to look for bartending work. "Dont let bars let him in! the post said. Devaney, 28, said she wasnt surprised to find out she was among the people Comyack was suing in October because mutual friends had warned her he was getting a lawyer. She continues to fear his friends or supporters will retaliate against her. Its given me nightmares, said Devaney, who grew up in Toms River. I am constantly afraid. But she has no regrets about being part of the whisper network, she said. Her posts warning women about Comyack are still up, despite the lawsuit. I just want to show women cant be silenced, Devaney said. We can speak out. We can warn our friends. You cant stop us. Jaclyn Valentino, another of the women sued by Comyack, said she took her posts about him off her social media accounts after she heard from friends he might sue. But she was still named in the lawsuit, along with her twin sister, Nicole. There had probably been 50 to 100 people sharing things. I dont know why he picked me, said Jaclyn Valentino, 23, of Bergenfield. As a sexual assault survivor, Jaclyn Valentino said she did not think twice about sharing the posts she saw about Comyack allegedly drugging women. He was a former boyfriend of one of her friends. If I can keep someone safe, I will," Jaclyn Valentino said. Ive always been a big fan of believing survivors. Shannon Brown, a logistics specialist in Woodbridge, said she didnt know any of the people involved when she saw a post about Comyack on Facebook last summer. She quickly shared it, eager to warn friends who frequent bars and restaurants in Asbury Park. The story kind of hit a nerve with me, said Brown, 32. Its important to me that the community stays safe . . . I trusted the people that shared it. After sharing her first post, she said she began receiving messages from other women sharing their experiences with Comyack. If it kept one more person safe, then Im OK having to deal with this (lawsuit) now, Brown said. Brown, Devaney and the Valentino sisters have formed a GoFundMe page to help pay their legal bills. We spoke the truth, and Brent is trying to silence us," the GoFundMe page says. Comyacks case has already caused huge emotional as well as financial stresses for us. We are all young women in our early 20s and early 30s and risk bankrupting ourselves fighting this lawsuit. The GoFundMe page had raised nearly $5,000 toward a $75,000 goal as of Wednesday. The womens attorney filed court papers last week asking that Comyacks lawsuit be thrown out for numerous reasons, including that calling a man 'scummy to women,' a douche, and even a predator is a decision and an opinion protected by the First Amendment. Rizzo, Comyacks attorney, said that legal argument is weak. He said the bartender plans to keep fighting in court. He declined to say where his client is living now or if he has been able to find a job. Comyack fears his online critics are continuing to track his movements out of state, as they did when he moved to Tennessee and North Carolina. Comyacks lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages from the alleged victim, the whisper network women and the two bartenders who posted about him. He also wants people to stop ruining his name on the internet, his attorney said. Theyre not stopping, Rizzo said. Theyre not giving him a chance to move on with his life ... He hasnt been convicted of anything. 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. The first case of coronavirus confirmed in the Irish Republic is a man who contracted the killer virus in northern Italy. Health authorities are now trying to establish what contacts the patient had in Ireland since travelling from one of the areas badly affected by the outbreak. Ireland's chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said the patient was receiving medical care. The first case of coronavirus confirmed in the Irish Republic is a man who contracted the killer virus in northern Italy. Pictured: Health Minister Simon Harris meets staff running a coronavirus public awareness campaign in Dublin Airport Tonight's announcement comes as three more patients from England tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23. Pictured: A man wearing a face mask in Dublin Airport Tonight's announcement comes as three more patients from England tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23. Just 48 hours ago, the first case in Northern Ireland was made public - as it's revealed more than 10,000 Britons have now been tested for the deadly virus. Earlier today, Government ministers on both sides of the Irish border held talks on how to co-ordinate their response to the coronavirus spread. Commenting after Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Centre was alerted to the case, Dr Holohan said: 'This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now. 'Public health protocols have been in place since January and are operating effectively. Just 48 hours ago, the first case in Northern Ireland was made public - as it's revealed more than 10,000 Britons have now been tested for the deadly virus. Pictured: A man wearing a facemask in Dublin Airport 'The health service is well used to managing infectious diseases and has robust response measures in place.' Dr John Cuddihy, director of Ireland's Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said: 'The HSE (Health Service Executive) is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. 'It is important to note that the risk of transmission through casual contact is low.' Health Minister Simon Harris said preparations for an anticipated case in the country had been ongoing since January. Earlier today, Government ministers on both sides of the Irish border held talks on how to co-ordinate their response to the coronavirus spread. Pictured: Mr Harris holding a coronavirus leaflet 'I would strongly encourage people to follow the guidance and advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, led by the Chief Medical Officer,' he said. Mr Harris said anyone concerned that they may have coronavirus symptoms should immediately isolate themselves from others and contact their GP by phone. The first case on the island involved a woman who travelled through Dublin Airport on her way home after flying with Aer Lingus from northern Italy with a child. She was tested at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast but is being treated in isolation at home. On Saturday, the Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland announced that secondary tests had confirmed the woman had the virus. Mr Harris (pictured) said anyone concerned that they may have coronavirus symptoms should immediately isolate themselves from others and contact their GP by phone The case was initially announced as a 'presumptive positive' on the basis of tests carried out in Northern Ireland. A sample was then sent to a Public Health England reference laboratory for confirmation. On Saturday afternoon, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Mr Harris held a conference call with Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Health Minister Robin Swann. Senior health officials from both jurisdictions were also involved in the discussions, which focused on north south co-operation on the issue. OREGON -- Gov. Kate Brown announced that a Washington County resident is the first case of coronavirus in Oregon. Speaking at a Friday night press conference in Portland, she said the individual did not travel to any other country where coronavirus is present. RELATED: GOV. BROWN FORMS CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE TEAM Doctors say the person experienced symptoms starting on Feb. 19. A sample was collected from the individual today and sent to a lab in Hillsboro for testing. Officials also said the infected person spent time at Forest Hills elementary school in Lake Oswego. That school will be closed so public health officials can investigate. Bob Schaper (@Bob_Schaper) February 29, 2020 MAP: TRACK CORONAVIRUS IN REAL TIME Our first concern is for this individual, to make sure theyre being cared for and is able to recover, said OHA Director Patrick Allen. Our next priority is finding out who this individual had contact with and make sure they know about their risks, and to let them know how they can get care if they need it. We said this was a fast-moving situation, and weve proved that to be true. Officials believe the case was community-transmitted, as the person didn't have a history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating or close contact with another confirmed case. The person is being isolated and cared for at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Hillsboro. Officials are awaiting confirmation of the test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Until then, the case is considered presumptive. For more information, click here. Stay with KEZI 9 News for updates. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the novel coronavirus prevention and control, learns about the use of detection equipment for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during an inspection tour to a national emergency platform for COVID-19 drugs and medical equipment, in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called for greater breakthroughs in the development of efficient detection reagents, effective drugs and vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the novel coronavirus prevention and control, made the remarks during an inspection tour to a national emergency platform for COVID-19 drugs and medical equipment. Acknowledging China's development in nucleic acid detection reagents and other testing reagents, Li said that the reagents have played a key role in epidemic control, and efforts should be made to develop reagents with shorter detection time, more accurate results and simpler operation. Noting that drugs are key to curbing the spread of the virus, Li said that priority should be placed on developing a selection of safe and reliable drugs with notable efficacy to treat the critical cases, bring down the mortality rate, and stop mild cases from deteriorating. Efforts should be made to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure their quality at the same time, Li said, adding that the country should strengthen international cooperation in vaccine development. Li also urged improved government services and a more efficient review process to support the development of reagents, drugs and vaccines. Relevant departments should step up coordination in the release of research results so that the public can get accurate and reliable information, Li said. Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the weeks events with Tom Moran, editorial page editor of The Star-Ledger. Q. Lets start with the presidential debate. I didnt see anything potent enough to knock Bernie Sanders from his perch. Whats your takeaway? Julie: I thought that Biden was much stronger this time around and Warren was good but not as good as she was last week. Bloomberg was, once again, just an awful debater. Its pretty obvious that he is someone who was been largely unchallenged for much of his professional career and someone like that is typically not amenable to being beat up in debate prep, so that he can avoid obvious landmines in a real debate. Sanders is just a master debater, regardless of whether you agree with him. Warrens decision to aim all her fire at Bloomberg also ensured that no one from the progressive wing of the party aimed too much at Sanders, which continues to provide him with the runway to emerge from these debates largely unchallenged from the left, while the rest go at one another to carve up the centrist route. As I said last week, it is quite similar to what happened in the Republican debates in 2016, with Christie, Jeb (!) and Marco Rubio going at each other to establish themselves as the alternative to Trump, which allowed Trump to remain largely unscathed. Mike: Biden has been good at the debate and since. Because he is going to do well in the polls in SC, he has regained some confidence. These are all very accomplished politicians to still be in the race at this point, so we sometimes forget they are human beings. When things are going well, they have a spring in their steps and do better. Thats whats happening with Biden this week. Warren is very focused on Bloomberg, which is strategically questionable given that it is Bernie that has taken her votes away. Bloomberg has hurt Bidens chances by being an alternative in the moderate lane, as Mayor Pete and Sen. Klobuchar were earlier. This pileup is all good for Bernie. This is Biden at his best, not trying too hard, speaking from the heart, opening up, being himself. Worth a watch. No matter the politics, it is hard not to admire how he has persevered through unimaginable loss in his life. https://t.co/dHMq2lRIOh Mike DuHaime (@MikeDuHaime) February 27, 2020 Q. If Biden wins South Carolina Saturday, will that change things? Julie: Biden has to win or there is simply no pathway for him. In fact, he needs to win by a sizable amount because Super Tuesday is where the rubber meets the road for the Bloomberg campaign, which has the potential to annihilate Biden's candidacy. Mike: If Biden wins, this will be a 4-person race after Tuesday. Biden needs to win or go home. A win of any size keeps Biden in. Sen. Klobuchar needs to drop after Saturday. The path to victory is not paved with 3rd and 4th place finishes. Thats not in the cards. Warren also probably needs to take a hard look at dropping after South Carolina. Lets face it: She had a great 2019, but she hasnt even come close to a win yet, and she will likely lose her home state on Super Tuesday, not how she wants to go out. Mayor Pete will do poorly in South Carolina, but he will continue because he won Iowa. Bernie continues because he actually got the most votes in each of the first three races and is the obvious frontrunner. And Bloombergs campaign is predicated on Super Tuesday, and he is crushing everyone with ad spend. This is all good for Bernie. Q. In Trenton, Senate President Sweeney says hell support a hike in the millionaires tax, on the condition that Gov. Phil Murphy agrees to cut $1 billion from his proposed budget and deposit the money into the states depleted pension funds. Is this an opening for a detente? Julie: Hope springs eternal but it largely depends on whether Governor Murphy signals his support for Sweeney's proposal in the coming weeks. The governor has already allocated the roughly half-billion in the budget from the millionaire's tax to other priorities, so the reality is that we would need close to a billion from other programs to make this work. And, lest you forget, Speaker Coughlin did not sound overly enthusiastic about raising broad-based taxes. Mike: Sen. Sweeney has been the only person standing between the Democrats and fiscal insanity leading to their ouster. I suppose Speaker Coughlin has as well. If they cave on income tax increases, Republicans will have a real shot at the governorship and maybe even the Legislature after redistricting. This budget is massive. There are no difficult spending cuts. It is billions more and almost 20% higher than when the governor took office. It has six new tax increases. At some point, voters in New Jersey, especially in counties like Gloucester and Middlesex, get sick of all the taxes and throw the Trenton Democrats out. It happens every decade or so. Q. How do you expect public worker unions to respond? They cant stand Sweeney, who is pressing for cuts in benefits. But his new push to fortify pension funding has been their top goal for years. Julie: I have always believed that there is a grand bargain to be made if there is a will among all the key players to make that happen. Public sector union leaders are pragmatic. They understand that elected officials come and go but there are no permanent enemies in politics. Mike: Even with the large increase to the pension payment, we cannot solve the pension and benefit problems without real reforms. There arent enough millionaires and businesses to tax our way out of the structural deficit. The pension system will go bankrupt and take the rest of the state with it without reform. Q. On Saturday, the governor will cross the great divide by attending a fund-raiser for Rep. Donald Norcross, the brother of George Norcross, one of the governors chief rivals. Is that a big deal? Julie: Its a big deal only in that it seems to send a signal to Sue Altman and others who have talked openly about running for Rep. Norcross seat that they cant expect an endorsement from the governor. Mike: Good point by Julie, and it is a smart move by the governor. He is the leader of the party in the state, and it is right to stand by incumbent members of Congress who have done a good job for their party and district. Q. Murphy got standing ovation Tuesday as he begins his fight against kidney cancer, and I know we three join them in extending heartfelt best wishes. Will it have any political impact? Could it soften some of the animosity of his opponents in Trenton? Julie: I sincerely hope that the governor gets well and that he puts this health scare behind him. He has said that he hopes to be running a 5K by early April, when budget negotiations begin to really heat up. I suspect that if he is well enough to run a 5K, which I personally can't do even in the best of health, he will be well enough to wade right back into those negotiations. Mike: It is a stark reminder that we are all human, and for all our political disagreements, those of us who do battle in the political arena all have a common bond we got into the arena because we love of our country and our state. We are better when we remember that we share the goal to make our state better; we just sometimes disagree on how best to do it. The governor strikes me as a good man with sincere intentions for the state, so he may benefit politically when the people of New Jersey see his personal side more through this. But I am sure thats not how he wants to notch a few points in the polls. I know we all look forward to seeing him get through this in the best of health, so everyone can start knocking each other around again. This is a great watch. Kudos to @RepSeanMaloney and his husband for taking action to save three children through adoption. Pro-family conservatives should line up to thank him for leading by example, not stand in the way of other LGBTQ couples who would do the same. https://t.co/LlFDgA8PPo Mike DuHaime (@MikeDuHaime) February 28, 2020 A note to readers: DuHaime and Roginsky are both deeply engaged in politics and commercial advocacy in New Jersey, so both have connections to many players we discuss in this column. Given that, we will not normally disclose each specific connection, trusting that readers understand they are not impartial observers. DuHaime, a principal at Mercury Public Affairs, was chief political advisor to former Gov. Chris Christie, and has worked for Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and President George W. Bush. Roginsky, a principal of Optimus Communications, has served as senior advisor to campaigns of Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg and Phil Murphy. Henceforth, we will disclose specific connections in the text only when readers might otherwise be misled, at the discretion of the editors. American International Group, Inc. (NYSE:AIG) today announced that Jon Hancock has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, International General Insurance. In this role, Mr. Hancock will lead the International operations of AIGs General Insurance business. He will report to Peter Zaffino, President & Global Chief Operating Officer, AIG, and Chief Executive Officer, General Insurance, and serve on the General Insurance Executive Leadership Team. Mr. Hancock will join the company this spring. Since 2016, Mr. Hancock served as Director of Performance Management at Lloyds, where his portfolio included responsibility for overseeing performance and risk management globally across the Lloyds market. Jon is a seasoned executive and industry leader recognized for his track record of underwriting excellence and delivering strong financial results, said Mr. Zaffino. Jons deep technical expertise and significant international operating experience ideally qualify him for this important leadership role. I am pleased to join AIG as the company continues its remarkable progress towards being a top performing company, said Mr. Hancock. I look forward to working with AIGs talented colleagues around the world to enhance the value we deliver to clients as we position the company for sustained profitable growth. Prior to Lloyds, Mr. Hancock spent 26 years at RSA in roles of increasing responsibility, including serving as Managing Director, UK Commercial, which encompassed RSAs European Specialty businesses, and Global Broker Relationship Director. Previously, he served as RSAs Chief Executive Officer, Asia and Middle East, and held chief underwriter and risk roles in both developed and emerging markets. American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement solutions, and other financial services to customers in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement security. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube: www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter: @AIGinsurance www.twitter.com/AIGinsurance | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aig. These references with additional information about AIG have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries and jurisdictions, and coverage is subject to underwriting requirements and actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200227005627/en/ To increase transparency and governance the corporate affairs ministry has included another provision in the law. As per the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order, 2020 (CARO 2020), the statutory auditor has to ask for details of whistleblower complaints that were raised and how their due diligence was done by the organisation. It will also be mandatory for the companies to share all the whistleblower complaints that were registered with its internal audit committee during the course of the year. Till now there was no requirement for the audit committee to report whistleblower complaints to an external statutory auditor. The notification leaves it upon their discretion whether the complaint should get included as a line item. This will ensure firms don't suppress any complaints that could impact its financial performance. Also, the format in which way the report has to be provided, the level of details to be shared is at the discretion of the auditor and has not been prescribed under the current notification. If it gets included in the CARO, it will then become a part of the firm's Annual Report. One direct implication of this provision in the law is that the statuary auditor will have more information and will also become more liable. "It puts greater onus on audit committee as well so they don't end up suppressing any information from the auditor that can have material impact on company's financials," says Rishi Agrawal, CEO at regulatory technology firm Avantis Regtech (a Teamlease company). The primary objective of the CARO report is to ensure external shareholders get a fair view of the financial statements of the company so they can take an objective view of their investments in the firm. "It doesn't increase any compliance burden but enhances the level of transparency of and accountability in the corporate governance framework. These practices are going to go a long way in ensuring that there is no information asymmetry between the company and the shareholders," Agrawal adds. ALSO READ: Auditors to report end use of loans, Benami cases, whistle blower complaints ALSO READ: Chinks in Whistleblower Armour ALSO READ: After PW India and Grant Thornton, Deloitte discontinues non-audit services to public interest entities What happened Shares of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) traded down more than 4% on Friday and are off more than 20% over the past five days, as investors in airline stocks continue to fret over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak's impact on the travel industry. Friday's fall followed a move by a Delta rival to curtail operations that could be a preview of what is to come from Delta. So what Delta and the other airline stocks have been hit hard on growing concern that the coronavirus' spread into new regions will depress travel demand during the peak summer vacation season, impacting earnings well beyond the first quarter. The latest evidence of the deepening impact the coronavirus is having on global travel came on Friday, when Delta rival United Airlines Holdings said it was suspending all service to Asia. Many airlines suspended service to China in late January as the outbreak was beginning to intensify, but United is now expanding the pulldown in response to the epidemic spreading into new countries. The decision to suspend operations is likely a wise one, as United said in a regulatory filing earlier in the year that it is seeing a 75% decline in near-term demand for transpacific travel. From an economic perspective, it is better for the airlines to not fly than take on the expense of operating empty aircraft. Delta has already cut its weekly number of flights to Seoul, South Korea, home base of its important regional partner Korean Air. While United has more exposure to Asia than Delta does, Delta's partnership with Korean Air and its Seoul gateway are an important, and growing, part of its international network. With United's decision, the odds that Delta will have to eventually stand down that operation temporarily have grown. Now what Delta investors are forced to contemplate the near-term future of the airline's Asia network while at the same time digesting news that the airline's long-serving CFO will step down once a replacement can be found. Add it all up and that's plenty of uncertainty at a time when the market is risk adverse. Delta remains the best-run major U.S. airline, and the stock after this week's sell-off trades at roughly 0.67 times sales and 6.5 times expected earnings. Even with earnings likely to be revised down in the weeks to come, that's still an affordable valuation for a best-in-class company. It might be time to be greedy when others are fearful. The runner-up award was given to Never Rarely Sometimes Always, an emotionally wrenching drama by the American director Eliza Hittman about a 17-year-old girl traveling to New York from a small Pennsylvania town to get an abortion. The film had previously won the Special Jury Award for neo-realism at the Sundance Film Festival. The award for best female actor was given to Paula Beer of Germany for her role in Undine, directed by Christian Petzold, in which Ms. Beer plays a mythical water nymph facing a breakup and finding new love in contemporary Berlin. The award for best male actor was given to Elio Germano for his intense portrayal of the Italian painter Antonio Ligabue in Hidden Away. The prolific Hong Sang-soo of South Korea took home the best director award for The Woman Who Ran, an understated film focused on a series of encounters by a woman visiting old friends. And Damiano and Fabio DInnocenzo won the best screenplay award for Bad Tales, a darkly tinged examination of one summer in the lives of several families in a small Italian town. The prize for best L.G.B.T.-themed fiction film went to No Hard Feelings, a German film focusing on the relationship between a German-Iranian youth and a refugee. This years festival was the first under a new dual-leadership structure headed up by the artistic director Carlo Chatrian and the executive director Mariette Rissenbeek. Many observers of the festival had hoped that Chatrian and Rissenbeek would reinvigorate the festival, which had been accused in recent years of lax curation. They slimmed down the number of films shown at the Berlinale (as the festival is known in Germany), introduced a new section called Encounters that is dedicated to aesthetically and structurally daring works, and promised more attentive curatorial oversight. But many critics saw this years lineup as business as usual. Writing in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the critic Andreas Kilb argued that the festival had not had many more truly great and prize-worthy contributions than in previous years. rest in peace trader joes is a highlight of my visits to actual cities. wish they would come to montana. and OP - they closed every single luckys in montana they were a huge hit here, so stupid Reply Thread Link ugh there was a rumor going around a few years ago that a tj's was going to move into the old mall in helena and i was like "I swear, i'll never leave helena if one comes in!" but it didn't :( :( :( Reply Parent Thread Link omg im in helena now, that would be AMAZING. but itsjustnotrealistic.gif we do have a winco now, which at least has a bunch of bulk foods, but its not the same Reply Parent Thread Expand Link SMDH fuck you, Kroger. Reply Parent Thread Link the luckys here is so shitty and overpriced im surprised its still open Reply Parent Thread Link I loved Trader Joe's. And Kroger will always mismanage businesses. I worked there long enough. Reply Thread Link Thank you, Joe! Ill continue visiting your store at least twice a week. Heres a Zonin prosecco toast to you! Reply Thread Link bless him. a brand new TJ's is opening a mile down the road from me and I can't wait to spend entirely too much money there, especially on their flowers and those gd chocolate coconut almonds. Reply Thread Link RIP. I love Trader Joes. Spinach dip in the frozen aisle is the shit ! Also their plantain chips are hella good. Each state in TJs had their own bag so far I have Texas and California bag lol. Reply Thread Link the jerk style ones are amaaaazing Reply Parent Thread Link During the holidays, they do mystery bags from different states. I have Massachusetts, Jersey, New Hamphsire, and Connecticut and two others I can't remember. We should do a TJ bag exchange. I have MN! Reply Parent Thread Link Omg that sounds so cool. I am down. I live in California. Do you have that bag yet? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Aww RIP Mr. Joe. I go to Trader Joes every now and then, but I like some of their frozen meals and bakery items. And its always packed when I go. Reply Thread Link I fucking love Trader Joes. But the parking lot is tiny as hell and half the time I just say nevermind instead of battling it out with a bunch of soccer moms for the remaining spot. Reply Thread Link RIP <3. Reply Thread Link He retired back in the 80s, don't worry <3 Reply Parent Thread Link Thanks for all the vegan and cruelty free choices. Rest In Peace. Reply Thread Link Their vegan banana bread is the best banana bread I've had in my life. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah I enjoy it! Reply Parent Thread Link I loved, yes thats a past tense I use here, Traders Joe and I stopped going there for almost 3 months now. That 2nd interview with Trader Joes dropped and ghosted me kinda got me disillusioned from the stores. Plus they were sooo fake, omg. So I once got drunk and caught the feels bc that unemployment shit is frustrating. Told them I will never step into ANY Traders Joes ever again and requested them to politely fuck off bc the amount of such disrespect is staggering and they are phonies. So oops? Welp. RIP. Thanks for TJs.......... I guess. I wish yall dont keep Kings of Prohibition red wine and your iconic movie popcorn to yourself.I loved, yes thats a past tense I use here, Traders Joe and I stopped going there for almost 3 months now. That 2nd interview with Trader Joes dropped and ghosted me kinda got me disillusioned from the stores. Plus they were sooo fake, omg. So I once got drunk and caught the feels bc that unemployment shit is frustrating. Told them I will never step into ANY Traders Joes ever again and requested them to politely fuck off bc the amount of such disrespect is staggering and they are phonies. So oops? #noragrets Reply Thread Link Please respect my privacy during this difficult time. Reply Thread Link Pouring a glass of 2 Buck Chuck in his honor. RIP a savings King. Reply Thread Link U.S. President Trump holds news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at the White House in Washington Reuters Basic preparedness for a pandemic in the United States has been hampered by the Trump administration's handling of key agencies, faulty testing kits and mistakes in the quarantine process. Switzerland is able to conduct 1,000 coronavirus tests a day. The US has so far only conducted 445 total, making it hard to assess the full scope of potential US infection. One patient in California waited days to be tested. The CDC has warned that the spread of the virus to the U.S. may be "inevitable," with California reporting Thursday that 8,400 people in the state are being monitored. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, the Trump administration has hampered the United States' response through blunders and cuts to public health. In a meandering press conference yesterday, President Donald Trump tried to assuage fears and calm the markets by downplaying the severity of the illness, officially known as COVID-19, that has already killed more than 2,800 people worldwide and infected over 82,000, most of whom are in China. These are six ways the Trump administration has bungled preparedness for a pandemic and its response to the outbreak. 1. Sick and healthy passengers from a quarantined cruise ship were sent on the same flight home. diamond princess coronavirus Passengers wearing masks have their body temperatures taken after leaving the coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, February 21, 2020. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters The CDC did not want infected passengers and healthy ones to from the Diamond Princess cruise to fly back to the United States on the same flight, but the State Department overruled them and put 14 patients in a quarantine box at the back of the plane. Since then, 28 people on that flight have gotten sick. 2. Despite telling Americans to get tested for the virus, US health agencies are behind the eight-ball with testing lagging behind. Story continues 5e55a27cfee23d77c1261153 Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images The U.S. is lagging far behind other nations in testing for the coronavirus amid a lack of funding, with Switzerland, despite having a population 38 times smaller, able to conduct 1,000 tests per day. As of Wednesday, only 445 Americans had been tested for the virus. 3. A coronavirus patient in California wasn't tested for days. drug testing REUTERS/Phil Noble Federal restrictions resulted in a California patient with the coronavirus having to wait days to be tested, according to a New York Times report. Today, California announced there are 8,400 people being monitored in the state for the virus. 4. CDC testing has been limited, so the full extent of the virus stateside is hard to pin down. This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. According to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, a wide share of Americans are at least moderately confident in U.S. health officials ability to handle emerging viruses, and more express concern about catching the flu than catching the new coronavirus. (NIAID-RML via AP) Associated Press The U.S. government's version of the Coronavirus test has had some hiccups and was proven faulty, leading to doubts around the statistics attempting to pin down the outbreak's severity stateside, according to a Washington Post report. 5. On top of all that, Trump has made funding cuts to the CDC over the past two years. trump AP Photo/Evan Vucci In 2018, the CDC axed 80% of its capabilities to combat disease outbreaks due to a funding depletion while the White House jettisoned a position on the National Security Council specifically for respond to a global pandemic. In the latest budget, the White House sought to cut CDC's budget by 16%. 6. A US patient infected with the coronavirus was accidentally released from the hospital after initial tests failed to pick up symptoms. A personnel wearing protective suit waits near an entrance at the Cheung Hong Estate, a public housing estate during evacuation of residents in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health evacuated some residents from the public housing estate after two cases of novel coronavirus infection to stop the potential risk of further spread of the virus. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Associated Press An American evacuee who was infected with the Wuhan coronavirus was accidentally released from a San Diego hospital. After being evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this month, the patient was initially brought to a quarantine facility with three others after they all tested negative for the virus. The person has returned to a US hospital for more observation and isolation. Read the original article on Business Insider (TNS) Metro Atlanta would spend nearly $173 billion over the next 30 years to address traffic and transportation problems under a plan the Atlanta, Ga., Regional Commission Board approved Wednesday.The commissions plan calls for major highway expansion projects such as toll lanes on the top half of the Perimeter. It includes new transit lines such as commuter rail to Clayton County, the Clifton Corridor light rail line in Atlanta and a bus rapid transit line along I-85 in Gwinnett County. And billions of dollars would fund smaller initiatives, such as new bike paths and programs to encourage carpooling.Despite those efforts, traffic is still expected to get worse in coming decades as the region adds nearly 3 million residents a population the size of metropolitan Denver. But the plans advocates say it will address key traffic bottlenecks and help metro Atlanta keep up with a booming population.Rapid growth is still probably the primary challenge we face, said John Orr, who manages the ARCs transportation access and mobility division. Its going to be a constant challenge to do the best we can.The commissions transportation plan covers 20 metro Atlanta counties. It includes about 450 projects designed to move people and a goods more efficiently across a region known for horrible traffic and the occasional highway disaster.Thats not likely to change as the region adds 2.9 million residents by 2050. That would bring the regions population to 8.6 million.Even if every project in the plan is completed an unlikely scenario, given financial and other constraints the ARC estimates the average commute time in metro Atlanta will rise from 31 minutes today to 33 minutes in 2050. The agency expects the average traffic speed during morning rush hour to fall from 49 mph to 45 mph. The cost of congestion the money and time we waste sitting in traffic is expected to rise from $1,403 per person today to $1,916.But it could be worse. Without the projects in the plan, all those measures of traffic misery would be even worse in 30 years, the ARC says.Congestion is the price that we all pay for living in a vibrant, growing region with a healthy economy, said David Haynes, an ARC senior planner.That doesnt mean theres nothing to be done. The plan includes about $27 billion for new interchanges and other highway improvements. Those include the states $10 billion highway expansion program unveiled by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016. Among other things, the program includes toll lanes on the Perimeter and along Ga. 400, and new I-285 interchanges at I-20 east and west of Atlanta.The plan also includes $11 billion in transit projects. Among them: a MARTA expansion that Atlanta voters approved in 2016. The expansion project list includes light-rail projects such as the Clifton Corridor and parts of the Atlanta Beltline, as well as the Summerhill bus rapid transit line downtown.The plan also includes MARTAs planned commuter rail line to Clayton County. And it includes Gwinnett Countys plans for a bus rapid transit line from Sugarloaf Mills to MARTAs Doraville station.The plan would spend about $10 billion on various efforts to encourage people to get out of their cars. That includes more bike and pedestrian paths, along with programs that encourage residents to carpool, work at home and travel at off-peak hours.About 60% of the proposed spending plan $102 billion would pay to maintain or upgrade infrastructure we already have. That means everything from repaving roads to replacing aging buses and rail cars, plus new technology such as smart traffic signals that can improve safety and save motorists time.Gwinnett County Chairwoman Charlotte Nash, who led an ARC committee that approved the plan, said the variety of approaches roads, transit and alternatives transportation will serve the region well.It really focuses on improvements to all kinds of transportation, Nash said.Carrying out the plan will be the hard part. It assumes the state will cover about $50 billion of the cost through motor vehicle excise taxes, lodging fees and other revenue sources. It counts on the federal government to provide $45.5 billion, with various local governments and districts picking up the rest.Metro Atlanta is less dependent on federal money than it used to be, in part because of a 2015 tax increase for road projects approved by the General Assembly. But Haynes acknowledged its hard to predict what will be accomplished over the next 30 years.We know that not everything that is in this version of the plan is going to get built on the schedule and in the order that we say right now, he said. But its the best we know at this point. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island elected officials and health care professionals gathered for a press conference in West Brighton Friday to sound the alarm on pending cuts to federal health dollars coming to Staten Island. The Centers of Medicare and Medicaids decision to discontinue funding for the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program means Staten Island healthcare systems will lose out on $24.5 million. Rep. Max Rose and District Attorney Michael McMahon were joined by representatives from the boroughs two hospitals, 1199SEIU United Health Workers East, and Executive Director of the Staten Island Performing Provide System Dr. Joseph Conte at a press conference outside Richmond University Medical Center. Without warning or heads up, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services made the drastic decision to cut $625 million from New York medical providers, Rose said. "There is no doubt that this will have a devastating impact on our community, the patients these providers serve and the battle against the opioid epidemic. These institutions are now planning for whats next, and what these massive budget holes will mean for their futures, he continued. The 5-year program, better known as DSRIP, was authorized by the Obama administration in 2014, and will run through March 31. Its main goal was to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25%, according to the state Department of Health. In total, New York stands to lose out on the $625 million that remains from the initial $8 billion program. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the federal government declined to renew the program, so that the remaining funds can be used past the March 31 deadline. Cuomo linked the funding snub to what he perceives as President Trumps ongoing feud with New York for its voting for the Democratic Party. In 2017, Texas received a renewal similar to what New York sought. Healthcare should be beyond politics and it is unconscionable that the federal administration is politicizing the lives of New Yorkers - primarily senior citizens, he said in a Tuesday media release. Make no mistake: New York will marshal all our allies, including our congressional delegation, to fight these cuts tooth and nail until New York receives the full funding we deserve. Rose and the other attendees at Fridays press conference avoided linking the decision not to renew New Yorks funding to politics. Under no circumstance, right now, am I going to get into that type of back-and-forth, Rose said. All I care about, being out here, is the patients and our unbelievable healthcare organizations. This is not the time for politics. This is not the time to understand someones motivations. We just want what we were promised. A UK passenger still in isolation after the Japan cruise ship coronavirus outbreak said today that he and his wife are being 'really well cared for' hours after a fellow British traveller died from the disease. David Abel and his wife Sally were both on board the ship, where more than 700 tourists became infected, and are now undergoing treatment for the virus in hospital. Mr Abel said in a YouTube video: 'Sad news this morning, wasn't it? We awakened to that, to hear that one of the Brits has sadly passed away in hospital out here in Japan. 'Our thoughts, our concern is for all of the families left behind. We are fortunate, we're doing OK, we're being really, really well cared for.' David Abel (pictured) said today that his thoughts were with the families left behind in the wake of the coronavirus and that he and his wife were being 'really, really well cared for' David's wife Sally (pictured) is also with him in quarantine in Japan after being moved from the Diamond Princess ship The Japanese Ministry of Health said the first Briton to die of coronavirus was the sixth person to succumb to the illness after travelling on the Diamond Princess. A total of 705 of the ship's 3,711 passengers and crew were found to be infected during the lockdown, sparking severe criticism of how Japanese authorities had handled the case. Passengers were confined to their cabins on board the ship in what scientists described as an ideal breeding ground for the virus, with tourists also voicing concerns about the conditions on board. The UK government eventually chartered a flight to airlift 32 people home from the cruise ship, but dozens of Britons remained in Japan. Four of them were in hospital after testing positive, while others chose not to join the flight. The four known British patients included honeymooner Alan Steele, who has since recovered and flown back to Britain where he is under quarantine in the Wirral. Alan Steele, from Wolverhampton, was on his honeymoon with his wife, Wendy, when the coronavirus outbreak broke out on the Diamond Princess cruise ship Only two of the other three British patients were named: David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who are in hospital in Japan. Mr Abel yesterday posted footage of himself dancing in his hospital ward. The 74-year-old father, who was on the cruise for his 50th wedding anniversary, was filmed dancing to 'I've had the time of my life' following his release from the bug-ridden Diamond Princess cruise liner on Thursday. The video, uploaded to YouTube, was shared just days after their son Stephen and wife Roberta said the couple had been dealing with 'nasty' online trolls and urged people watching their videos to 'be kind'. They were accused of 'milking it' while living in quarantine. Despite a quarantine imposed on the Diamond Princess, more than 600 people on board tested positive for the virus, with several dozen in serious condition. Three more patients from England have tested positive for coronavirus today, bringing the total number of UK cases to 23 - as it's revealed that more than more than 10,000 Britons have now been tested. The three new cases - one in Gloucestershire, one in Hertfordshire and another in Berkshire - are being investigated and any individuals who had contact with the patients are now being traced. The patient, from Surrey, is understood to be a man who was treated at Haslemere Health Centre before being transferred to Guy's and St Thomas' hospital in London. The health centre has opened today following a deep clean People wearing face masks in Trafalgar Square, London, as the first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wales and two more were identified in England - bringing the total number in the UK to 20 Two of the patients had recently travelled back from Italy while the other had returned from Asia, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said. The three cases - one in Gloucestershire, one in Hertfordshire and another in Berkshire - are being investigated and any individuals who had contact with the patients are now being traced. The news comes as a hunt remains underway for an unknown coronavirus spreader in Surrey who gave the deadly illness to the UK's 20th victim - the first Briton to catch it in Britain having not travelled abroad. Canadian carrier Telus began rolling out the Android 10 update with One UI 2.0 for the Galaxy S10 trio on December 16, and now it has updated its website to reveal the rollout of Android 10 for Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note9 will commence on March 9. Another Canadian carrier, Fido, also updated its website saying the rollout of Android 10 for the S9 duo and Note9 is expected in March. No specific dates are mentioned but once we have those, we'll update you. Source 1, Source 2 | Via The Russian Embassy in Canada has responded to the statements issued by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius who accused Moscow of distorting historical facts about the Second World War TORONTO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) The Russian Embassy in Canada has responded to the statements issued by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius who accused Moscow of distorting historical facts about the Second World War. Earlier in the week, Linkevicius visited the Canadian capital of Ottawa to meet with his Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne as well as Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan. According to the Canadian The Globe and Mail newspaper, Linkevicius claimed that the Kremlin was trying to rewrite the WWII history. "The hard facts are that Canada and the USSR, which made decisive contribution to the defeat of Nazism losing 27 million people in the Second World War, were allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. At the same time, Nazi collaborators directly complicit in the crimes of Holocaust, killing Jews, Russians, Poles and fellow compatriots are now being shamelessly glorified as heroes in the Baltics," the embassy said in a statement. It also reminded of Poland's actions at the time, including those aimed against Lithuanian itself. "It should be remembered that it was the Munich betrayal of Czechoslovakia that emboldened Hitler. Also, one should not forget that Poland annexed Cieszyn Silesia from dismembered Czechoslovakia and forced Lithuania in 1938 to recognize Polish annexation of Vilno, while Nazi Germany annexed Klaipeda region from Lithuania in 1939," the Embassy added. The Russian diplomatic mission also expressed confidence that the truth of WWII would not be twisted. "Truth and history shall not be distorted. The results of WWII, epitomized in Nuremberg Trial and the UN Charter, cannot be reversed," it concluded. In recent years there have been calls to cast a different light the events of the Second World War and its aftermath, as some, including Poland and the Baltic countries, try to minimize the Soviet Union's efforts against Nazi Germany, portraying Moscow as one of the malicious actors in the conflict on par with Berlin. Take a look at state laws governing home grow cannabis and you'll find confusing, often contradictory and frequently ridiculous regulations depending on where you live. In Alaska, you can grow up to six plants provided only three of the six are mature and flowering at any one time. Nevada residents can also home grow six plants, but only if they live more than 25 miles from a state-licensed retail cannabis store. You can grow your own cannabis in California, too, but not if you want to grow it outside and you live near a public space where people can see it, even if they're peering over your fence. This mishmash of laws is largely the result of cannabis prohibition at the federal level, which means each state and even some local jurisdictions need to make their own laws about consumption and production. Some jurisdictions have decided to take a hands-off approach for the time being, while others have imposed restrictions as a result of the flood of nuisance calls from neighbors complaining about cannabis' distinctive odor. Since this patchwork structure isn't likely to change even following federal legalization or permissibility, it is crucial that states get their act together in supporting home grow. For example, only 30 percent of California's 540 cities and counties allow medical cannabis businesses within their borders. The numbers are even smaller for adult use retail sales only 89 cities in the Golden State (less than 20 percent) and six counties allow it. Some also ban cannabis deliveries. That can be particularly hard on medical cannabis patients who may struggle to leave their homes. Other states make it difficult for patients to enroll in their medical cannabis programs, while some patients often find a particular strain of cannabis best meets their needs. If that strain isn't locally available, they're out of luck. Then there are the sometimes prohibitive costs of medicinal cannabis, which are determined by the states' regulatory structures (and a result of prohibition at the federal level). When patients can't afford to buy through legally available channels, or have trouble driving to a licensed dispensary due to illness, disability, distance or even lack of transportation, they are being denied needed treatment. Until these sorts of restrictions are removed, it makes sense to allow patients to grow their own supply. Ensuring patients' ability to access high quality medicine is actually the humane thing to do. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. There's also the question of personal liberty. There are no restrictions limiting the roses in my backyard depending on whether they're flowering. No one is policing the number of ficus trees in my living room either, and I'm in no danger of a raid on my home if a passerby notices the bamboo growing along the fence. Medicinal cannabis is legal in 33 states (plus Washington D.C.), and 11 states (plus Washington D.C.) allow adult recreational use as well, so why are people being denied the right to grow it in their homes when and how they want? Residents of states that have lifted prohibitions against the plant should be allowed to grow their own cannabis for their personal use. Home growers are hobbyists. They are people who enjoy the process of growing their own medicine, or even their own recreational cannabis. Many establish relationships with a favorite dispensary and learn about the growing process, just as home brewers visit craft breweries and ask questions of the brew masters. Home grow has been developing right along with other parts of the legitimate market. It's a sign of a healthy industry and a bulwark against the illicit market. Nick Etten is vice president of government affairs at Acreage Holdings, one of New York's licensed cannabis companies that operates The Botanist dispensaries. Earlier today, we arrested three local men, aged 63 to 72, for suspected participation in a non-approved gathering. That bland-sounding statement uttered by a police official fell on Hong Kong like a bomb. The arrestees were three local men, yes: but not just any three. One was Lee Cheuk-yan, of the Labour Party. Another was Yeung Sum, of the Democratic Party. These are two of the foremost democracy advocates in the city. The third was arguably the most famous citizen in all of Hong Kong, Jimmy Lai, the entrepreneur and businessman. He owns the media group that publishes Apple Daily, a newspaper. Lai is one of the best friends the democracy movement has ever had. He has bolstered democratic forces in Taiwan, the Mainland, and, of course, Hong Kong. Apple Daily publishes in Taiwan, too. In 2012, our Jay Nordlinger visited its offices in Taipei. He found a bust of F. A. Hayek in the lobby. Underneath, there was an inscription, from the great economists Nobel lecture: The recognition of the insuperable limits to his knowledge ought indeed to teach the student of society a lesson of humility which should guard him against becoming an accomplice in mens fatal striving to control society. In Hong Kong, Lai, Lee, and Yeung were arrested for participating in a protest march six months ago: on August 31. The government says the march was unauthorized. Jimmy Lai, born in 1948, is a Chinese Horatio Alger story: a poor kid who did not go past the fifth grade in school, who worked as a child laborer for $8 a month, and who rose to be one of the most admired businessmen in the Far East. When you can touch him, you can touch anyone. When you can arrest him and the two political leaders you can arrest anyone, really. More than 7,000 people have been arrested in Hong Kong since the recent democracy protests began in earnest. Each person is valuable, no doubt. But the arrest of these three eminent figures puts the crackdown at a new level. Story continues One country, two systems was the promise. It was the basis on which the British handed over Hong Kong to the Chinese Communist Party, in 1997. Hong Kong was to remain free and democratic for 50 years until 2047, at which point, presumably, the CCP, if it was still in power, could do with the city what it wanted. Today, it seems that Hong Kong will be lucky to hang on for 27 more months, forgetting 27 more years. In front of a police station, Lee Cheuk-yan said, The charges will not hinder our fight for democracy, freedom, and our human right to continue to gather, march, and protest. The people of Hong Kong will need all of that spirit they can get. More from National Review The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association has some questions for the federal government about this year's restrictions to protect endangered right whales. Among the new rules, Transport Canada has identified a sensitive area off western P.E.I. that it's calling the Shediac Valley. Boats won't be allowed in unless absolutely necessary, but exact boundaries have not yet been set. "The coordinates won't actually be set until after the whales arrive," said Melanie Giffin, marine biologist for the association. "So we don't actually know the location of that box until the whales are here and aggregating. So there's still some confusion around that." The association also says it's not clear if the exclusion of non-essential boats in the Shediac Valley will apply to licensed fishermen. "We don't know if fishing is going to be allowed in there or not. So these kind of things need to be figured out," said Giffin. Marked fishing gear Fishermen continue to do their part to keep whales safe, Giffin said. Department of Fisheries and Oceans For instance, this year they will be using new colour-coded lines and ropes, so the origin of any entanglements can be traced. Crews have already begun weaving the mandatory coloured strands into their lines, in preparation for the spring season. Some lobster crews will also be testing special ropes this year that are designed to break if a whale gets tangled. The polymer line has a weak link woven into it, that whales can break without getting injured. The innovation was pioneered by lobster fishermen in the U.S. "We need to trial it on different kinds of bottom and see if it works for us here," said Giffin. The weak link could be phased in as a mandatory piece of gear in the 2022 season. Brian Higgins/CBC The association has also sent out whale identification sheets to help fishermen report any sightings of North Atlantic right whales. No sightings have been reported so far in P.E.I. lobster fishing zones, according to Giffin right whales typically stick to deeper waters, she said. "Our lobster fishing is actually pretty safe," said Giffin. More from CBC P.E.I. Hugh Crumlish, 69 Trasna Way, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh was convicted of criminal damage contrary to section 1(2) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991 and sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for a period of two years, when he appeared before Judge John Aylmer at Carrick-on- Shannon Circuit Court last week. Evidence was given by Garda Miriam Leonard who told the court at approximately 3pm on March 15, 2014, John Sweeney along with his wife and four children (aged eight, seven, five and three) were travelling in their car on the Leitrim Road in Carrick-on-Shannon when they heard shouting from Hugh Crumlish and members of his family. As they turned right to travel onto Main Street, they heard a member of the Crumlish family shout: Kill them. Youre dead. Having turned onto Main Street, Mr Sweeneys car became stuck in the traffic flow. They observed a member of the Crumlish family retrieve an axe from a nearby vehicle and he then proceeded to use the axe to break the rear, passenger side window of Mr Sweeneys car. The court heard more shouting followed with more brothers of the defendant following the vehicle. When the traffic started moving, Mr Sweeney made his way to the garda station in Carrick-on-Shannon where Garda Leonard took a statement of complaint from him and his wife Lisa. The court heard Mr Crumlish, who was living in Northern Ireland at the time of the offence, was interviewed but no admissions were made. Garda Leonard said CCTV was obtained from Murtaghs which showed the incident clearly but it was not possible to identify who was responsible. Under cross-examination from Patrick OSullivan BL Garda Leonard said Mr Crumlishs other offences, which occurred outside the jurisdiction, post date this incident. When asked if the defendant has come to the attention of Gardai since this incident in 2014, she replied: Not to gardai, no. When asked if she would accept the offence arose out of an ongoing dispute she replied: I dont know if it was ongoing; not that I was told by anyone. When it was put to her that the CCTV footage was of no evidential value she replied: For identifying, no, but it did show the incident. Addressing Judge John Aylmer, Mr OSullivan said: What is to some extent an aggravating factor is the previous (convictions) but the majority of which were when he was a juvenile or young man and most happened outside the state. Mr OSullivan added: He entered a plea at the earliest opportunity. He believed there were no children in the car. He is very remorseful, he regrets what happened. The court heard Mr Crumlish is married with a young son with Mr OSullivan adding: I ask you to take into account that he has become very mature. This is his first time before the Circuit Court. He is very committed to his wife and family. He is very remorseful and would like to apologise to the Sweeneys who were the injured party. Mr OSullivan noted the dispute between the two families no longer exists, saying: there was a shaking of hands between the Crumlishs and the Sweeneys shortly after the event. Having heard the evidence Judge Aylmer commented: This is a very serious and violent offence of criminal damage. That is an offence on the lower end of the scale but an offence that merits a sentence of two years. Judge Aylmer added: I accept he entered a plea at the earliest opportunity, is remorseful and has changed his ways. It is fair to say his previous convictions are nowhere near as serious as this. He is a man who has already embarked on his rehabilitation with a degree of success. Finalising matters Judge Aylmer said: I will reduce to 18 months to give him credit for the plea of guilty and how he has changed his life. I will suspend the 18 months sentence for a period of two years. If any offence is committed here or in the UK I will consider that a breach. The State were represented by State Solicitor Noel Farrell and Donal Keane BL. To the editor: The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network held a mobile food pantry at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Midland on Saturday, Feb. 22. The free food giveaway also was funded by the generous congregations of the 1st and 2nd wards. Church volunteers unloaded the semi-truck from Flint on that Friday and then served 219 families (639 individuals) with food purchased from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The 14,922 pounds of frozen meats, potatoes, oranges, cereals, canned and boxed foods, milk, pastries and breads were purchased from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint. The network is very grateful to the many donors of food, money and time throughout the year to the network's mission of "Always food in every home." Midland County residents in (financial) need of food and personal care items during the year may call the network number of 989-486-9393 to leave your name and phone number. The third MFP in 2020 is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, at Faith United Methodist Church in Coleman. Thanks again to the members and the staff of this generous congregation for their service to so many neighbors in Midland County and for their partnering support in this ministry! SALLY ANN SUTTON Midland County EFPN Several political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have appealed to the Centre to evacuate the residents of the Union Territory, including students, stranded in Iran which is emerging as the second focal point after China for the spread of the coronavirus. National Conference Member of Parliament from Anantnag Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi spoke to Union Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about the safe return of the stranded Kashmiri students in Iran following the outbreak of the deadly virus there. While acquainting the External Affairs minister about the plight of families whose kith and kin are stranded in the various cities of Iran, Masoodi said the ground situation in Iran has worsened due to the outbreak of the coronavirus claiming scores of lives. "Iran has the highest number of deaths following the outbreak of the disease outside China, Japan, Korea. The situation prevailing in Iran has made the kith and kin of those stranded in Iran apprehensive about the wellbeing of their loved ones fearing that they might also contract the viral disease. "The emanating from Iran regarding the outbreak of viral disease has put scores of families, whose wards are studying there, through trepidation. The stranded students too have been making fervent appeals for their evacuation from various Iranian cities," he said. The Iran health ministry on Friday confirmed 34 deaths due to the deadly disease and 388 confirmed cases of the virus in the country. According to media reports, the country has the highest number of death toll outside China, the epicentre of the virus. Masoodi said the Centre was evacuating Indian nationals from various countries and sought similar measures for those stranded in Iran. "The government has successfully evacuated Indian nationals from China and other countries, quarantined them on board on their way back to India. Similar efforts should be carried out for those stranded in Iran without any delay. The measure will help save many precious lives and bring respite to scores of families fearing for the wellbeing of their loved ones. The students should be screened before sending them back to Kashmir. "Meanwhile, Indian embassies in Iran should be asked to get in touch with stranded students to ensure that the advisories issued by Iranian authorities and the World Health Organization are effectively followed by them. A task force should be formed in various embassies throughout the Gulf region to monitor the wellbeing of Indian students studying there," the NC MP told Jaishankar. The Union minister has assured that the Central government will not spare any effort to come to the rescue of stranded Indians in the countries hit with the deadly virus, Masoodi said. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Saif-ud-din Soz also pleaded with the External Affairs minister to facilitate the return of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir from Iran and other countries affected by the virus. "I have written to the Minister of External Affairs today that, among other countries, especially China and Iran are experiencing coronavirus. I pleaded strongly with him that it is a worrisome situation for Kashmir from where many people have travelled to Iran for studies and other pursuits in life," Soz said in a statement here. Prominent Shia leader and former minister Imran Reza Ansari said he was in touch with relevant authorities and has been assured of the evacuation of J&K students from Iran. "I am reaching out to Kashmiri students stuck in Tehran with assurance I have got from MEA for their evacuation as per WHO protocol. I am in constant touch with the relevant authorities. Inshaallah in coming days the GOI will do everything for our citizens safety," Ansari posted on Twitter. Former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari had on Wednesday appealed to the Centre to evacuate the residents of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the students and businessmen, stranded in Iran. "I am in touch with the MEA and have submitted details of over 240 J&K students who are stuck in Shiraz, Tehran and other cities of Iran," Bukhari said in a statement. He said chartered flights and a separate quarantine facility should be arranged to J&K students stuck in Iran. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Iranian people are using the internet network to inform each other, and the regime officials hate it so much. This has not only inflicted blows on the regimes policies and crimes against the people but also far more in the fight against the coronavirus and the role of the government in this disaster is brought to light and the regimes conspiracies are disclosed. It is now clear to most Iranians that coronavirus entry into Iran was completely inevitable and that the governments inactions are considered as a betrayal. Another aspect of the notice by the Iranian people that has grown exponentially in the past two days is the enlightenment about the governments continued status quo and the lack of serious determination by the government to fight the coronavirus. Below are examples of this briefing, enlightenment, disclosures, warnings, and emphasis on national consciousness about the coronavirus, taken from Twitter, telegram and Instagram pages. These reflect the atmosphere of Iranian society towards the most critical issue at present: The Islamic republic official cannot use a mask, they put the mask on their ears! The difference between Iran and other countries is that we are facing with two viruses, the coronavirus, and the government virus. By denying the existence of the coronavirus, the government itself has grown and spread the virus. They are so shameless, that on television they have announced that the risk of influenza was greater than the coronavirus. The Islamic Republic shows on the coronavirus as a political and security issue and is thinking of keeping itself at work. All the South Korean and Japanese government cabinet are masked at the meetings, but members of the Rouhani government and themselves do not seem to have a model for dealing with Corona. That is why they are the promoters of the coronavirus in Iran. The Health Minister says the coronavirus is on the rise and Rouhani says Saturday everything will be normal! God bless the people, while such people want to decide on their health! Italy quarantined 13 cities. Saudi Arabia closes religious shrines, but Khameneis order no religious sites in Iran should be closed! A government that multiplies the result of the election will also decrease the outcome of the coronavirus outbreak and resulted in deaths. I myself have witnessed in Tonekabon and Shahsavar districts that they have announced 19,000 votes to be 45,000. They will also lie much more about the coronavirus as the election. All their works relay on lies! While all other countries one by one have closed public places and closed schools to prevent the progress of the coronavirus, the Islamic Republic has not closed any universities, high schools or schools. Why are they so confident to themselves? How many more thousands of Iranians should die? Iran is the only country where you cannot trust any of the coronavirus statistics. There is no equal informing. Whatever it is, you cant trust it. All the others have cut off the travels to China and the Iranian ambassador to China announces that two flights from China to Iran have been brought auxiliary equipment to fight the coronavirus, and these flights will continue! And another Iranian user mocked and wrote on behalf of the Iranian regimes officials and said: Anything we cant shoot or imprison is not a crisis. So, we have no plans for it. The wind may come, or we will reach the heating season, the problems will be solved by themselves. If they were not solved, we have enough graves. There is nothing to worry about. We will make cemetery for you in the breadth of this country! And another user mocked the regime and wrote about its 41 years of sovereignty: The Islamic Republic cannot fight the coronavirus in its known ways: Coronas relatives cannot be held hostage to surrender. Corona is not a porter that can be shot on the pretext of illegal crossing the border. It does not have a rope that is the size of the coronas neck (to hang him). The virus does not believe in the mullahs and cannot be deceived by the mullahs. And another gives a solution and said: People must take steps to destroy the coronavirus by themselves. We must strike to avoid going to the office, university, and public places. Now the Velayat-e-Faghih (mullahs regime) and the coronavirus are in front of the Iranian people. I tell the Iranian people that we only must fight the coronavirus with our will and cooperation and our decision, and there is no hope to this government. The Iranian people are suffering from a coronavirus that is worse than the coronavirus self. First, they have to destroy this main coronavirus, which is the government itself. Read more: Iran Admits to More Coronavirus Cases but Still Undercuts the Number Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds has some gall to tell his Beetham constituents to exercise more patience on the urgent issue of raw sewage flowing through their streets and into their homes in an atmosphere of unrelenting stench. Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday showered praise on his co-stars, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor and shared some endearing photographs on social media. Bachchan recently teamed up with Alia and Ranbir for the upcoming Ayan Mukherji directorial 'Brahmastra.' The 77-year-old star shared a picture of him hugging the ' Kalank' actor and wrote: "... she breezed in .. did her shot .. a huddle .. and out .. the effervescent, supremely talented, scintillating Alia .." He also shared multiple pictures with the 'Rockstar' actor on Twitter in which they can be seen sitting casually on the sets. In the series of pictures shared, Bachchan is seen following Ranbir's instructions on the use of earplugs. He captioned the post as: " he teaches and sets up for me the sound earplugs .. they sound good .. good riddance of the wires and cables .. !!" Helmed by Ayan Mukherji, 'Brahmastra' is the first part of a sci-fi trilogy. The film has been extensively shot in Bulgaria, New York, and Mumbai, among other places. The film also stars Mouni Roy and Tollywood actor Nagarjuna. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) File photo According to Vanguard, there is a lot of anxiety in Benin City, Edo state capital and other parts of the state over the detection of corona virus on an Italian that visited Nigeria from Milan, Italy few days ago. This development has created fears among residents as there is hardly any family in Benin City and environs that do not have members in Europe and particularly Italy so there are fears that some persons from the state may have traveled with the victim on the same flight to Nigeria and these persons may have visited home. This development as led to decision to commence screening of travelers using the Benin airport by a joint team of Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Red Cross and other stakeholders. Chairman of Red Cross in Edo state, Festus Alenkhe yesterday told Satuday Vanguard that the screening of passengers at the airport would begin from Monday. He said We Just had a meeting now with officials of NEMA and FAAN in Edo. From next week, our volunteers will be at the Benin airport to join the health personnel in screening travelers. We are in touch with Edo disease control unit. The international federation of the Red Cross is making efforts to support all Red Cross branches nationwide We are planning adequate and massive health campaign to all nooks and crannies of Edo state. Markets, churches, mosques, schools and others. For now personal hygiene is the best option. Meanwhile the Edo State Government said it has commenced various activities to stop the virus from spreading to the state. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia said that a team has been deployed to the Benin Airport to get information on the manifest of the airline that brought the Italian into the country. He said it has also sensitised staff at the Benin Airport on the screening modalities of air travellers as well as creating awareness for the public on the new coronavirus. He is on a high, but quietly so. Sculptor Ravinder Reddy has displayed at some of the choicest venues in the world the Grosvenor Vadehra in London, Bose Pacia Gallery in New York and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg. His other solo shows have been held at the Sackler Gallery in Washington DC and the Le Jardin d'Acclimation in Paris, among others. Despite having achieved this level of success, he does not have a website, as he "never felt the need for it". "My work is to be seen and felt, he says. Reddy, who was recently in New Delhi for his show at the ... By National Weather Service Feb. 29, 2020 | 08:57 AM | HARRISBURG Leap Day may be a light topic of conversation for many, but it's a grim memory in southern Illinois, when an EF-4 tornado tore through Saline and Gallatin counties in 2012.The predawn twister killed 8 and injured more than 100 people. Peak winds of 180 miles per hour devastated homes and businesses along its 26-mile path from Carrier Mills to Ridgway.In Harrisburg, more than 200 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, along with a strip mall and about 25 businesses. In Ridgway, another 140 homes were damaged and a church was destroyed.It was one of 9 confirmed tornados that day in Missouri, southern Illinois and western Kentucky.Among those was an EF-2 twister that was spawned near Mounds, Illinois, crossed the river into Ballard and McCracken counties over Oscar, Bandana and Ragland, then back into Massac County near Metropolis Airport. That tornado caused four injuries, four mobile homes destroyed, hundreds of snapped trees, and some overturned semis. On the Net: The United States will calibrate the pace of its withdrawal from Afghanistan with the actions of the Taliban, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Saturday as Washington signed the peace deal with the group. "Effort only became real when the Taliban showed interest in pursuing real peace & ending their relationship with Al-Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups. The agreement that we will sign today is the true test of this effort," Pompeo said. "We will closely watch the Taliban for their compliance with their commitments and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal with their actions. This is how we will ensure that Afghanistan never again serves as a base for international terrorists," he added. As per a joint declaration between Washington and the Afghan government, the US will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The plan is "subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement". "The United States reaffirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments," the joint declaration read, as reported by Tolo News. As per the declaration, the US will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-28 14:07:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ASSADABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 39 militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group have given up fighting and surrendered to security forces in the eastern Kunar province on Thursday, said a statement of the provincial government on Friday. The former militants under commander Yar Khan were involved in anti-government activities over the past couple of years in parts of Kunar province, the statement said. According to the statement, the IS militants have badly suffered due to the increasing military pressures in Kunar and adjoining provinces over the past few months. More than 1,000 fighters along with their families have given up fighting over the past couple of months in the eastern region. The surrender of the IS armed insurgents took place amid a seven-day reduction in violence by the Taliban group started on Feb. 22. The hardliner IS outfit which is active in Kunar and the neighboring Nuristan and Nangarhar provinces have not commented. By Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday blocked one of President Donald Trump's signature immigration policies that has helped to sharply curb a migration surge on the southern border and forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico. The decision is a major blow to Trump who has declared the policy a success in reducing the flow of hundreds of thousands of people from Central America into the United States as he campaigns for a second term in office By Mica Rosenberg (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday blocked one of President Donald Trump's signature immigration policies that has helped to sharply curb a migration surge on the southern border and forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico. The decision is a major blow to Trump who has declared the policy a success in reducing the flow of hundreds of thousands of people from Central America into the United States as he campaigns for a second term in office. A three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their argument that the program, called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), violated U.S. immigration law and international obligations on the treatment of asylum seekers. Some 59,000 people have been sent back to Mexico to await the outcome of their cases in often dangerous border towns where they are vulnerable to kidnapping, rape, robbery and other crimes while living in sometimes unsanitary conditions. Immigration attorneys rushed to ports of entry on the border after the ruling to ensure Customs and Border Protection officers were aware that the program had been blocked, said Taylor Levy, an El Paso-based immigration attorney. The ruling means the United States can no longer send people back to Mexico under the program, said Michael Tan, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. It is not clear how it affects people already in the program in Mexico. The U.S. Department of Justice and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment but the administration is likely to quickly appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, as it has done with other rulings. Trump, who has made cracking down on immigration a central theme of his more than three years in the White House, has sought through a series of new policies and rule changes to reduce asylum claims filed mostly by Central Americans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Trump administration's policies on curbing asylum applications have led to a significant decline in the number of illegal crossings reported by border agents, and have been more successful than the president's efforts to construct a physical barrier on the southern border. Arrests of family units on the U.S.-Mexico border from October to January fell to 32,480, a nearly 70 percent drop compared to the same period a year earlier. AS DANGEROUS AS YEMEN Migrants in the MPP program, many of them children, have faced violence and homelessness as they wait for their court dates. At least 1,000 people sent back under the program were violently attacked or threatened in Mexico, according to a Feb. 28 Human Rights First report that documented kidnappings, rapes and assaults. One of the states to which thousands of migrants were returned, Tamaulipas, is described by the U.S. State Department as carrying the same risk level as Yemen and Syria due to crimes including "murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault." The Trump administration had argued the program did not violate a principle in international law known as non-refoulement, which says asylum seekers should not be returned to places where they face danger. The administration has said migrants could tell officials at any point in the process they had a fear of returning to Mexico. Very few migrants have been transferred out of the program to pursue the resolution of their court cases in the United States, according to a Reuters analysis of immigration court data published last year. [nL2N23I0UI] A Washington-area union for federal asylum officers argued against the MPP program in a brief filed in the case. "By forcing a vulnerable population to return to a hostile territory where they are likely to face persecution, the MPP abandons our tradition of providing a safe haven to the persecuted," the union wrote. The appeals court panel concluded that plaintiffs in the case, which included 11 asylum seekers and several immigration advocacy groups, "had shown a likelihood of success on their claim that the MPP does not comply with the United States' treaty-based non-refoulement obligations." The Trump administration has said most asylum petitions are ultimately denied by immigration courts and releasing migrants into the United States to wait for hearings encourages people to disappear into the country. Officials say making migrants wait in Mexico is a way to cut down on fraudulent asylum claims. In a separate ruling on Friday, the 9th Circuit left in place a lower court's block on a Trump administration regulation that barred migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry from seeking asylum. A three-judge panel in that case found the regulation - issued in November 2018 and swiftly enjoined by a federal judge in the Northern District of California - conflicted with federal immigration statutes on asylum and amounted to "a categorical ban" on certain asylum seekers. (Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Ted Hesson in Washington and Kristina Cooke in Los Angeles; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Have loved the whole thing, Hugo. While acting is a kind of storytelling Ive never engaged in or understood, Ive found it a joy to try and inhabit the role, to not only get the audience to suspend their disbelief and get into it, but to suspend my own and actually try and be someone else. For the first time, I get the thrill of what you were on about, just how truly skilled you were and are. Hope youre well. If you need me, Ill be in my trailer. Hugo Weaving's talent took him to the stage early on. Credit:ABC End of an era There is, of course, no more iconic retail site in Sydney Town than David Jones and many of us can remember traipsing with our mothers all through it for hours on bloody end as wee ones, with the only consolation being that if we were a good boy she would take us to the milk bar just down Elizabeth Street a way, opposite Hyde Park, and get a milkshake. This week I was told that the part of DJs that is specifically the DJs Menswear store is going to be entirely transformed. There will be no more DJs Menswear and courtesy of a joint venture between Cbus Property and Scentre Group whoever they are that part on 111 Castlereagh Street will have a 22-storey residential tower with 101 residences build about it. The part on 121 Castlereagh Street will also be completely redone, with six levels (floors seven to 12) of serviced office space delivering 11,500 square metres. Construction will begin in late May this year, and go for about three years. To my untutored eye, it looks like that rarest of Sydney things, a good development. Scentre and Cbus Property have lodged plans to transform David Jones' old menswear store into luxe retail and apartments. Fiction prediction Yes, of course, I have had contact this week from various nutters saying the coronavirus is all part of the rapture, or the like, some kind of biblical prediction that the end of the world is nigh and atheists like me better get ready for a long time in hell. More interesting to me though than whatever the bible might have to say about the end of time is a novel written by Dean Koontz in 1981, The Eyes Of Darkness. A reader sent me photos of pages from the novel which shows that the plot turns on a killer virus called Wuhan-400 named after precisely the same Chinese city where the coronavirus first showed up. Says the book: Wuhan-400 is a perfect weapon. It's discovered that the bacteria can be destroyed through some combination of electrical currents and extreme heat. In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments. Weird, I know. But remember: complete fiction! The novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in a Wuhan marketplace. Credit:Getty Joke of the Week Every night, Frank goes down to the bottle shop, get a six pack, brings it home and drinks it while he watches TV. One night, as he finishes his last beer, the doorbell rings. He stumbles to the door and finds a two-metre tall cockroach standing there. The bug grabs him by the collar and throws him across the room, then leaves. The next night, after he finishes his fourth beer, the doorbell rings. He walks slowly to the door and finds the same cockroach, who this time punches him in the stomach. The next night, when the doorbell rings again Frank wont even risk it and instead slips out the back door only to find the same massive cockie waiting for him who, this time, knees him in the groin and drops him like a sack of spuds. Franks goes straight to the police, and tell the desk sergeant the whole story. I know, says the copper ruefully. We are doing our best, but theres just a very nasty bug going around. Quotes of the Week The act itself and that somebody could perpetrate that act, particularly as a father. . . It is incomprehensible. Such depravity that only makes you ask how does such evil happen in our land? - Scott Morrison delivering a tribute in Parliament to murdered Brisbane mother Hannah Clarke and her three children, promising further government resolve to tackle the scourge of domestic violence. Note the misplaced outrage. How dare police deviate from the feminist script of seeking excuses ... and explanations when women stab their partners to death, or drive their children into dams but immediately judging a man in these circumstances as simply representing the evil violence that is in all men. - Bettina Arndt congratulating police "for keeping an open mind" on whether Rowan Baxter, who burnt to death his wife and children in Brisbane, "might have been 'driven too far'." Harvey Weinstein operated with impunity and without remorse for decades in Hollywood. Yet, it still took years, and millions of voices raised, for one man to be held accountable by the justice system. This case reminds us that sexual violence thrives on unchecked power and privilege. The implications reverberate far beyond Hollywood and into the daily lives of all of us in the rest of the world. - Tarana Burke, the original creator of the #MeToo movement, in a statement after the Weinstein verdict. In Australia, the extreme right-wing threat is real and it is growing. In suburbs around Australia, small cells regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology. - ASIO director general Mike Burgess, warning that neo-Nazis are emerging as one of Australia's most challenging security threats. Tehran, March 1 : Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for a global action against the outbreak of COVID-19 as the disease has become a global issue. Rouhani, made the remarks during a phone call with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Saturday, Xinhua reported, citing Iran's state TV. "No country will be able to fully avoid the virus," he said. "All countries will consequently have no choice other than to share their experience and resources to counter this issue," he added. The Iranian President noted that "we look forward to expanding bilateral and regional medical cooperation with all countries in the region over the issue". According to the latest statement released by Iran's Health Ministry on Saturday, COVID-19 infections have taken the lives of 43 Iranians, with a total number of 593 people being diagnosed with the disease across the country. (Natural News) With thousands of potential Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) cases now being monitored just in California alone, one would think that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be rushing over at least an equal, or better yet much greater, number of testing kits to the Golden State for proper pandemic prevention. But the reality of the situation is that California currently has a mere few hundred coronavirus testing kits in its possession, affirming what the Health Ranger has been saying about the federal governments total mismanagement of this increasingly dire crisis. This lack of testing kits suggests that there are likely many more cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) than what the Trump administration is claiming because the vast majority of people who have it, and who are likely now passing it on to others, have never been tested. Before you know it, in other words, thousands or perhaps millions of people will end up contracting the disease if they havent already and society will be none the wiser until its already too late. The federal government has also failed to set accurate criteria for identifying potential Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) patients that actually qualify for its official testing protocols. Doctors at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, as one example, say that a Northern California woman was recently rushed to the hospital with what appeared to be the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19). Hospital administrators immediately requested testing from the CDC, which refused simply on the basis that the woman had not traveled to China anytime recently and had not been in contact with anyone who was known to be infected with the novel virus. Health officials in California were thus left to themselves to try to find out if the woman had, in fact, been in contact with someone who may have been exposed to the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) and possibly contracted it from them. The case has raised difficult questions about whom to test and whether the nation is prepared to keep the virus under control, reported The New York Times. The California womans case may also offer the first indication that the virus has spread beyond Americans who traveled outside the country, or had contact with someone who had. Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how a similar situation is taking place in Washington state, where potentially hundreds of coronavirus-infected people arent being tested for the disease: Resident in Californias Solano County is first to contract coronavirus from unknown source Some might say that the CDC is justified in not testing people who dont meet its two specific criteria. But what about the new case of the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) that recently emerged in Solano County, California, with no known source? Reports indicate that a local resident there somehow contracted the Wuhan coronavirus (CoVid-19) even though she didnt travel to China and hasnt had any known contact with anyone else whos infected. Based on this case alone, the CDCs requirements for testing are wholly inadequate and need to be revised if theres any chance at avoiding a wide-scale coronavirus outbreak here in the United States. Dozens of staff members at the NorthBay VacaValley Hospital where this individual was previously admitted have since been told to stay home and self-monitor for potential symptoms of the virus. And some, according to Dr. Bela Matyas, may end up having to be put under quarantine. I think the diagnostic issue is the single most important thing that keeps me up at night right now, says Lauren Sauer, director of operations at the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response in Baltimore. More coronavirus news is available at the all-new Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: Twitter.com NaturalNews.com NYTimes.com SFChronicle.com New Delhi, Feb 29 : Jaipur will host the upcoming 2020 edition of the Women's T20 Challenge, the BCCI announced on Saturday. A total of seven matches will be played in the tournament during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Playoff week at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The Women's T20 Challenge will have one addition this time around. Instead of three, the competition will feature four teams. The idea of having the women player clash on the sidelines of the IPL was introduced in 2018 and a one-off match was played in Mumbai. In the inaugural edition, Supernovas won the match by three wickets in a last over thriller against the Trailblazers at the Wankhede Stadium. In 2019, it was a three-team tournament instead of a one-off match, featuring a new team called IPL Velocity along with IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas. IPL Supernovas defeated IPL Velocity by 4 wickets in second edition and retained the title. The 13th edition of the IPL starts from March 29 with defending champions Mumbai Indians taking on the M.S. Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in what will be Dhoni's first game after a 8-month sabbatical. We noticed you're using an ad blocker Thanks for visiting Exhale! Your support is greatly appreciated Exhale survives through advertising revenue. Please, disable your ad block extension to help us and continue browsing Exhale. CLEVELAND, Ohio A charity run by supporters of President Donald Trump called off a Saturday rally where they planned a cash giveaway, less than a week after the Ohio Democratic Party called for an investigation into the organization. Signs posted at the Galleria building in downtown Cleveland stated the Urban Revitalization Commission was indefinitely postponing the rally where it had intended to give away $50,000. The Ohio Democratic Party sent a letter to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalley earlier this week asking his office to investigate the group for possibly violating election laws. To insure the SAFETY of our Honorees, Special Guests, Donors and our 1000+ Registered Attendees, we will not be, nor will we subject them to the dangerous, hateful 'Political' antics and actions of deceptive individuals that are not focused on Revitalizing Urban America," said the sign published by the URC. The revitalize America cash giveaway event with Darrell Scott, the Cleveland Heights pastor and prominent Trump supporter, has been postponed, evidently. These notices are posted at the Galleria in downtown Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/zJ8o7gFyGd Nick Castele (@NickCastele) February 29, 2020 The URCs leaders, Cleveland Heights Pastor Darrell Scott and Cleveland native Kareem Lanier, who are not affiliated with the Trump campaign, did not respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment about the reason the event was canceled. A Cleveland police spokesman did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment about possible security concerns. Saturday was supposed to be the second planned cash giveaway in Cleveland. The group gave away $25,000 at a December rally in Cleveland featuring Trump administration officials. The group has come under criticism for its events. In its letter to OMalley, the Ohio Democratic Party accused the URC of breaking state bribery law by trying to woo voters with cash. I guess someone figured out giving out envelopes of cash at a pro-Trump event isnt the same as handing out bumper stickers at a county fair booth, said ODP spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis. Scott defended the rallies at the time of the complaint, noting to cleveland.com that his group gave awards to both Republicans and Democrats at the first event, including Cleveland City Councilman Basheer Jones. The URC said in its announcement about canceling Saturdays event that it was the target of a smear campaign. "The Urban Revitalization Coalition has come under 'Political' attack by the Ohio Democratic Party, the MainStream Media and a host of other local individuals who have intentionally launched a 'Smear Campaign' regarding our organization's intent, mission and purpose for hosting our "Extravaganzas" Honoring Urban Impact Leaders & Cash Giveaways nationwide," URC said. The Trump re-election campaign has made focusing on black voters one of its priorities during the 2020 election. As supporters in traditionally GOP areas such as the suburbs have left the party, Republicans are searching for other places to make up the margins. That strategy hinges on focusing on the strength of the economy, historically low black unemployment, investment in impoverished communities and criminal justice reform. On Wednesday, the campaign announced it would open Black Voices for Trump community centers in 15 cities in seven swing states, including Cleveland and Columbus. While the URC is not affiliated with the Trump campaign, the focus of the group is the same. Both Scott and Lanier were members of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Scott is one of Trumps most prominent and vocal black supporters. In 2016, Scott spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump and hosted Trump at his Cleveland Heights church. Scott has met with Trump multiple times since Trump became president. Read more cleveland.com politics coverage: JobsOhio reports lower jobs numbers, larger staff for 2019 House passes ban on flavored and menthol cigarettes in drive to curb youth smoking Federal judge strikes down Toledos Lake Erie Bill of Rights as unconstitutional, says sweeping law is too vague Sherrod Brown doesnt rule out accepting Democratic nomination at contested convention Ohio Senate urges Congress to make Daylight Saving Time year-round EDITOR'S NOTE -- OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (B) is for Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Bay City Omar Rocha, 20, operating while intoxicated on Oct. 12, 2019, 93 days in jail with credit for one day, $775 in costs and fines, nine months probation, may not use or possess alcohol/illegal drugs/marijuana/ or mind-altering substances, must submit to observed alcohol/drug testing without diluted/abnormal/adulterated test, may not enter bars. (MC) Breckenridge Kelly Lee Smith, 21, third degree retail fraud on Dec. 2, 2019, 30 days in jail with credit for 30 days, $125 in costs and fines, $6.90 in restitution to Vic. (MC) Gladwin Jason Gerald McGuire, 46, operating while license/suspended/revoked/denied and failure to stop after collision on Nov. 7, 2019, $825 in costs and fines, $250 in restitution to Judith and Harold Anderson. (MC) Lansing Chad Kenneth Malmo, 31, assault and battery on June 9, 2019, 93 days in jail with credit for one day, $125 in costs and fines, $4,500 in restitution to 75th District Court and $3,390.33 to victim, nine months probation, not to be involved in any assaulting/threatening/intimidating/violent/aggressive/disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, to have no contact with victim, may not use or possess alcohol/illegal drugs/marijuana/ or mind-altering substances, must submit to observed alcohol/drug testing without diluted/abnormal/adulterated test, may not enter bars. (MC) Midland Shane Dennis Bliss, 29, Glen Road, weapons firearms possession under the influence on Oct. 10, 2019, $700 in costs and fines, 12 months probation, may not own or possess a firearm or other dangerous weapon, not to be involved in any assaulting/threatening/intimidating/violent/aggressive/disorderly or abusive behavior toward any person, may not use or possess alcohol/illegal drugs/marijuana/ or mind-altering substances, must submit to observed alcohol/drug testing without diluted/abnormal/adulterated test, may not enter bars. (MC) Alex Wills Hocquard, 29, Crestwood Court, domestic violence on Aug. 21, 2019, 93 days in jail with credit for 30 days, $75 in costs and fines. (MC) Stetson Pol, 36, Braley Court, drunk and disorderly on Sept. 22, 2019, one day in jail with credit for one day, $575 in costs and fines. (MC) Kyle Gregory Sanders, 28, North Hope Road, operating while intoxicated on Sept. 28, 2019, 93 days in jail with credit for 30 days, $125 in costs and fines. (MC) Wheeler Krystal Lynn Kyser-Wale, 35, driving failure to maintain security on Nov. 28, 2019, $475 in costs and fines. (MC) SUMTER, S.C.Former U.S. vice-president Joe Biden was asked in Charleston this week what his personal motto was, and the first words of his answer were, When you get knocked down, get up. As a candidate for president, he knows well what its like to be knocked down. A few months ago, he seemed a shoe-in to win the Democratic nomination he was the guy, people thought, who was electable. Then he started losing: Fourth place in Iowa. Fifth place in New Hampshire. Its hard to say youre the electable one when people arent voting for you. Its happened to Biden before. Hes run for president twice before, starting in 1988, and never placed higher than fourth in any state until last week in Nevada, where he was a distant second to Bernie Sanders. He got back up each time, went back to work in the Senate, then served as vice president to Barack Obama. Now, hes looking to launch himself back into contention Saturday when South Carolina votes in its primary. Bernie Sanders has taken a fair lead in the nomination battle. But Biden still has strong national poll numbers and a big win here could help put him back in the conversation. If he were to follow it up with a good showing on Super Tuesday, he could be the most plausible alternative to Sanders. But if he doesnt win here, its just about over. Biden is counting on the support of South Carolinas African American voters, who make up as much as 60 per cent of the Democratic Party electorate here. On the night of his defeat in the New Hampshire primary, he spoke from a room in South Carolina, where he said nothing would be settled in the contest until Black voters had their say. When Biden spoke to voters in a gymnasium run by Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Sumter he made clear his philosophy of responding to loss was about more than politics. The profound personal struggles hes been through are central to the story he tells: His parents losing their house and moving to a different state when he was young; the stutter he was bullied for as a child. As a young senator, he lost his first wife and their young daughter in a car accident in 1972; he lost his son Beau to brain cancer in 2015. I believe we do have an obligation to protect people, he said, and I believe thats the only thing that ever got me over the losses Ive had. South Carolinas Black community knows something about struggle and loss. This state of plantations and palmetto trees was the first to secede from the union before the Civil War. The legacy of racism is everywhere here. In 2015, a Black church in Charleston was shot up by a racist nine African Americans were killed. At a televised town hall on Wednesday, Biden told the pastor of the church, who had lost his wife in the shooting, that the way the parishioners extended forgiveness helped shape him. I wanted some hope, Biden said of watching the funeral service at the church, shortly after his own son Beau had died. What you all did was astounding. He spoke of how the churchs offer of forgiveness had changed America. And how seeing how that, and dealing with his own losses, had changed him. The impact that loss had was astounding, Biden said. Hope and faith, he said, were how he had overcome grief. It took a long time for me to get to the point to realize that that purpose is the thing that would save me. And it has. The intimate moment was representative of the mood in the room at Bidens events, when they go well. Sanders holds giant, ecstatic rallies a hip hop concert kicked one off in a park in Columbia Friday afternoon. Trump too. Bidens events are just a group of people in a room, listening to stories about the old days. He says, Heres the thing, a lot, and I was the guy... (as in, the guy who passed the law says you cant have assault weapons.) Sometimes his phrases are disjointed. Things come out wrong. But when they come out right, he forms an intimacy with the crowd. He often stands a few feet from someone when he answers their question, looking into their eyes. Theres a strong sense of nostalgia when he speaks, usually applied to political victories hes won gun control, the violence against women act, the Obama White House. Especially the Obama White House. A lot of his stories begin, Barack and I... or Barack asked me to go in there... Its a part of his resume that stands out for many Black voters here. Hes our hero. I mean, he took care of our president. Barack Obama, Sumter resident James Franklin said. And I just like his courage that he was talking about earlier, about the trauma that he has gone through, he said, to still have the fortitude to basically stay strong and run for office. I think he should be president. It's about character, Franklin said, something he thought was lacking in the current occupant of the White House. It seems to be a common refrain. In Sumter, Biden outlined a program of policy proposals pre-kindergarten for all children, free community college, student loan forgiveness for those who enter public service, a public option addition to Obamacare to make Medicare available to those who want it, a cabinet that looks like America, and appointing the first Black woman Supreme Court justice. Its not, he acknowledged, the revolution some of his Democratic rivals are offering. But he says its something better: its achievable. The nation isnt looking for a revolution, theyre looking for progress, he said in Sumter. Maybe, to Black residents who overwhelmingly vote Democratic in a state where the white Republican majority wins, moderation looks like possibility. Standing eye to eye with an Iraq War veteran at the end of his Sumter event, he was talking about the fire that drives him and outlined his core beliefs in a way that could have served as his answer to the motto question. Everyone knows who Donald Trump is. We gotta let em know who we are. We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division. We choose empathy over anger. We choose science over fiction. And most importantly, we choose truth over lies. That may be his last best pitch. Those in the room screamed and cheered. On Saturday, South Carolina voters will help determine if its a detail in the story of yet another loss for him, or if its the start of how he got back up yet again. Mexican poet Rigoberto Gonzalez, the son of illiterate and undocumented farmworkers, was chosen as the recipient of the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry this year. PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, which was established by a bequest from Hunce Voelcker, is a prestigious recognition given out every two years to a poet who has accomplished significant and impactful presence in American literature. According to the PEN America website, the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry is given to a poet "who has expanded the scope of American poetry and continues to mature with each successive volume of poetry." The recipient will also receive a stipend of $5,000 after being chosen by a panel of three to five poets or writers. Gonzalez's body of work boasts a number of influential pieces inspired by his roots as the son of undocumented Mexican farm workers. Professor Rigoberto Gonzales teaches at the MFA writing programs of Queens College and Rutgers University-Newark. He is being honored for his presence in American literature as well as his body of work of over 15 books of poetry and prose. His works include novels, memoirs, bilingual children's books, and The Book of Ruin, his most recent book of poetry. He has also written for The National Book Critics Circle's blog, Critical Mass; and the Poetry Foundation's blog Harriet. Gonzalez also edited Camino del Sol: Fifteen Years of Latina and Latino Writing, Alurista's Xicano Duende: A Select Anthology, and a 2019 issue of Ploughshares. Rigoberto Gonzalez was a faculty member of CantoMundo, an American literary organization that supports Latino poets and poetry. He is a founding member of the Advisory Circle of Con Tinta, a monthly columnist on NBC Latino online, and a critic-at-large for The Los Angeles Times. He is currently on the boards of Zoeglossia: A Community for Writers with Disabilities, and The Poetry Society of America. He is also a member of the Writers Council for the Center for Fiction. Gonzalez has been given several prestigious awards throughout his career. His work So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water until It Breaks (1999) was a National Poetry Series selection. He won a Lamba Literary Award for Unpeopled Eden in 2013 and received the ForeWord Magazine's Fiction Book of the Year Award for Crossing Vines in 2003. Gonzales also received Guggenheim and NEA fellowships and various international artist residencies. In 2014, he was awarded the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize by the Academy of American Poets. Rigoberto Gonzales was born in Bakersfield, California and raised in Michoacan, Mexico. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Riverside. His study at the University of California, Davis and Arizona State University earned him his graduate degrees. The PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry's panel of judges said they were "captivated by his works and devotion to not only develop his astonishing voice but also to discern his craft as a reviewer and advocate for other Latinx voices." On the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences-Newark website, Gonzalez expressed his joy in being chosen to receive the award, saying, "I'm the son of undocumented, illiterate Mexican farmworkers. My upbringing has not hindered my success and ambition. On the contrary, it has inspired me to be as dedicated, proud and hard-working as my parents." The award will be given on March 2 during a live 2020 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony hosted by Seth Meyers at the Town Hall in New York City. The countrys most senior judge has declared that gender-neutral toilets should not cause controversy because they have always been used in France. Lord Burnett, who as Lord Chief Justice is in charge of the judiciary in England and Wales, spoke out after unisex facilities were introduced at the High Courts headquarters during a refurbishment programme. His defence of toilets shared by both sexes follows three years of controversy over the introduction of gender-neutral cubicles in a wide range of public buildings, including schools, colleges, Army bases and the Home Office in Westminster. Lord Burnett (pictured), who as Lord Chief Justice is in charge of the judiciary in England and Wales, said gender-neutral toilets should not cause controversy because they have always been used in France The move has provoked complaints from women who say it threatens female safe spaces. Fears over womens safety have also been triggered over transgender people using ladies toilets. But the Lord Chief Justice has no problem with gender-neutral toilets, saying yesterday: Have you travelled much in Europe, for example? 'I mean, unisex loos in France have been my experience ever since I was a small boy, so I do not think there is any jumping of the gun. His defence of the toilets follows three years of controversy over the introduction of gender-neutral cubicles in a wide range of public buildings (Royal Courts of Justice are pictured) Lord Burnett said he had not taken any part in the decision to introduce the gender-neutral facilities in the Victorian court buildings in central London. I am afraid there are many things about the world of the courts that I know quite a lot about, he said. But the details of the lavatorial arrangements in our court buildings, I have to confess are something that I have never encountered and never given a moments thought to nor have I been involved in, forgive me. The idea that judges who preside over courts should also be referred to by gender- neutral titles rather than as Lord Justice, Lady Justice or Mr or Mrs was dismissed by Lord Burnett. The members of Harris County Commissioners Court committed a rare act in politics this week by voting to limit their own power. The court on Tuesday voted 4-1 to enact strict rules for how infrastructure funds may be spent, ending the longstanding practice of allowing commissioners to build roads and bridges at their discretion. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said precincts need to move away from an ad hoc system of building and maintaining infrastracture and instead incorporate a comprehensive strategy. Building a world-class and equitable transportation infrastructure requires us to allocate limited dollars in the smartest way possible, and according to a plan, Hidalgo said. Some of the rules adopt a similar worst-first model the county applied to flood control projects this past August, which prioritizes work that will help the greatest number of people. Another requires environmental considerations to be taken into account. Traditionally, the money was cut up and could be used for any lawful purpose, County Engineer John Blount said. Now, except for Metro (funding), every other piece is restricted. Blount described the rules as a fundamental change in how Harris County manages infrastructure spending. Each precinct will receive $46.2 million in restricted transportation dollars for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which are divided into seven categories. One requires a $10 million portion to be used as matching funds for Harris County Flood Control District projects, while another $10 million chunk is reserved for projects in areas where residents have poor access to transportation. The largest portion, $17.9 million, only can be spent on infrastructure that scores below a B on an A through F scale that, for example, measures a roads condition and level of congestion. Blount, whose office drafted the rules at the behest of the court, stressed that the policy change was not driven by commissioners misspending road money in the past. Rather, he said the new method for distributing the money will enable the county auditor to ensure transportation funds are spent as intended. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle was the lone no vote. He said the new regulations would limit the ability of commissioners to do what they know is best for their precincts. When we put all these restrictions on how we put in roads, in essence what were saying is were not going to take the greatest need first, Cagle said. Were going to play with the numbers and put them in these little boxes and handicap our ability to be able to serve the people we need to serve. Jack Morman, the Republican commissioner of Precinct 2 from 2011 to 2018, said the county has spent transportation funds wisely in the past. He saw little need for new restrictions. I think handcuffing your road and bridge department on what you can or cannot do, and where you can and cannot spend, is not wise at all, Morman said. Trust me, you hear from your constituents where the need is. Historically, commissioners have had tremendous influence over how road and bridge contracts are awarded in their precincts. While most government contracts are put out to competive bid through the county purchaser, state law gives commissioners significant discretion over the selection of firms for engineering work. Engineers and other vendors are significant contributors to commissioners campaigns. A 2019 Houston Chronicle analysis found a majority of political donations commissioners received in 2018 in one case, 88 percent came from vendors who had done business with the county in the previous two years. Commissioners routinely deny there is any relationship between donations made by engineers and the work they receive. Cagle said he also believes Precinct 4 is being short-changed. The western Harris County precinct used to receive 30 percent of transportation funds since it has the most lane miles and a larger percentage of residents living in the unincorporated area. Since Democrats took control of Commissioners Court in 2019, court members have tasked the county engineer to study whether the funds should be divided differently in the future. In the interim, each precinct receives an equal 25 percent, regardless of how many road miles or residents are in its unincorporated area. The new Democratic majority on the court also has floated the idea of consolidating the precinct parks departments into one central hub, which Commissioner Rodney Ellis said could be more efficient. Commissioners Court on a party line vote last year required the $2.5 billion flood protection bond to prioritize projects that help the greatest number of people. The Republican commissioners, Cagle and Precinct 3s Steve Radack, objected to the social vulnerability index formula proposed by the Harris County Flood Control District, which was developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control. zach.despart@chron.com Bernie Sanders is trying to rebrand socialism in the U.S., but he'll have to overcome common fears about what the word means fears the Trump campaign is watching and waiting to exploit. Why it matters: Sanders may face a major challenge in convincing Americans in their 40s or older that there's a meaningful difference between what he supports, described as democratic socialism, and the authoritarian socialism that we've seen in regimes like Venezuela. Be smart: No nuance will stop the Trump campaign, or Republicans in general, from painting Sanders as a dangerous threat. He'll just be "Socialist Bernie Sanders," without any of the discussion of how democratic socialism might be different. Even if Sanders doesn't win the nomination, Trump's team will use his influence to paint the Democratic Party as socialist and therefore dangerous. "It doesnt matter to us who is carrying the banner," Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told Axios. Because, he said, the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and raising taxes are all "big government socialist issues." Trump's attacks could be effective. Sanders' defense of Castro appears already to have hurt him in Florida. But William Galston, an expert in political theory at Brookings Institution, told Axios that if Trump tries to paint even moderate Democrats as socialists, then "the term loses all of its meaning and it just becomes an all-purpose epithet." Between the lines: Sanders' democratic socialism is more about softening capitalism and compensating for growing economic inequality. It takes a lot from Scandinavian social democracies and builds on existing programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. "We must recognize that in the 21st century, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, economic rights are human rights. That is what I mean by democratic socialism," Sanders said in a speech last year. Sanders isn't the only high-profile Democrat to embrace the label. It's how Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defines her politics, too. Both call themselves democratic socialists for a reason. They embrace democratic elections and democratically shaped social and economic policy, not authoritarian regimes like in Venezuela and Fidel Castro's Cuba. Sanders has already begun to bring once-taboo ideas to the mainstream like Medicare for All, which has influenced some of his Democratic presidential campaign rivals and has defined the health care discussion in practically every Democratic debate. Reality check: Even if the Trump campaign's attacks on Sanders go overboard, he is proposing a huge expansion of government through programs like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal that could bring massive costs and have business impacts that could play out in unpredictable ways. The big picture: Classically, socialism refers to the government ownership of industries and finance rather than by private individuals, Galston said. Unlike communism, socialism doesn't dictate what kind of political process should be set up. Communism demands complete control by a single political party. Sanders calls for a democratically elected government. But many of the first socialist countries ended up run by corrupt, authoritarian governments, which has bred a generations-old fear of socialism in the U.S. Classic socialism has influenced the politics and policies of people like Sanders and AOC. For example, Sanders' Medicare for All and his proposal for public ownership of some energy producers are socialist ideas, Galston said. Sanders' vision looks more to places like Denmark and Sweden, Galston said, which is why those countries come up in debates. Sanders wants the government to guarantee a certain level of material well-being and security more than he wants broader public ownership of industry. What they're saying: Many Americans, especially older generations, can't shake socialism's associations with communism and strict government control. But younger generations are buying it. STUDENT IMPACT Tucson-area school district leaders say the special education funding shortfall impacts their ability to pay competitive wages to hire and retain special education professionals, who provide critical services for the consistency and growth of students. While teacher vacancies are high across the state and nation, theres an even bigger problem when it comes to special education due to low wages and the high demands of the job. Some of the highest vacancies are among teacher aides, who can make as little as $12 an hour despite the pressures of the job. Sarah Ledbetter, a special education teacher at Morgan Maxwell K-8 School, often comes home with scratches on her arms and face from a student who had an outburst. Although she has two aides, there are times when shes alone in a class with 12 kids who have varied and often demanding physical, behavioral and emotional needs. The two aides spend part of their day going with students into general education classrooms. While those students need a trained professional by their side, teaching them to integrate into gen ed is critical for working toward independence. The younger that children gain these skills, the better the outcomes as they get older. (CNN) In a striking contradiction to White House assertions that the coronavirus is under control, the Pentagon's chief of personnel is sharply warning that the virus poses an increased "threat" in areas where US troops and defense personnel are located around the globe. In a February 25 memo, Matthew Donovan, who is filling the top personnel job on a temporary basis, informed the military's most senior leaders that as the novel coronavirus continues to spread, it is "an increasing force health protection (FHP) threat in areas where Department of Defense (DoD) personnel live and work." CNN has learned that top US commanders around the globe are increasingly concerned that as allies shut down borders and travel in response to the virus' spread, there's a risk that by the end of March, US military readiness may start degrading, according to several defense officials. The military leaders' concerns and Donovan's memo are the latest signs that the virus is becoming a national security challenge. It is affecting the military, curtailing diplomats' movements, straining global supply chains and shaking the US economy, which saw stock markets drop more in the past week than they have since the economic crisis of 2008. Rapid response A key joint military training exercise has been canceled in South Korea, while the Pentagon is sending additional medical and lab personnel, doctors and nurses to support US forces on the peninsula. Navy ships that have stopped at Pacific ports recently have been ordered to stay out at sea for two weeks in a self-quarantine to allow time to observe whether any sailors have picked up the virus. A US service member in South Korea has tested positive for coronavirus, and US Forces Korea confirmed the service member's spouse has also tested positive. Four total US Forces Korea-related individuals have been confirmed to have the virus. At US Army installations in Vicenza, Italy, commanders have restricted access to public areas such as church, gyms and childcare centers and ordered extra Meals Ready to Eat in case they have to quarantine. In the Middle East, United States Central Command, which overseas operations and bases there, has canceled all liberty and leave. With coronavirus now present in 55 countries, infecting almost 84,000 and killing nearly 3,000, the Trump administration's fitful, uncoordinated response is raising questions, particularly among public health and security experts who note that just last year, the intelligence community and the White House flagged the need to prepare for the disruptive risk of a major disease outbreak. "If you go and look at the National Biodefense Strategy, the National Security Strategy or the new National Defense Strategy, any one of those documents point to this and acknowledge that these outbreaks have the potential, if not managed properly, to be destabilizing," said J. Steven Morrison, who directs the global health policy center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They can overwhelm society, overwhelm health systems, have crippling economic consequences and stability issues, they can obviously strike at [military] readiness, trigger mass migration," Morrison said. The national security risk of a disease outbreak is highlighted on page eight of the Trump administration's National Security Strategy. The intelligence community's Worldwide Threat Assessment, issued January 2019, said that the US and the world "will remain vulnerable to the next flu pandemic or largescale outbreak of a contagious disease that could lead to massive rates of death and disability, severely affect the world economy, strain international resources, ... increase calls on the United States for support" and destabilize fragile states. Other intelligence assessments note that "the relationship between disease and political instability is indirect but real," and that US military forces deployed in support of humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in developing countries are at highest risk. Greg Treverton a former chair of the US National Intelligence Council, an office within the US intelligence community said that during one exercise a decade ago to evaluate the level of various threats, including terrorism, the only one that ranked as "existential" was a pandemic. "The national security implications are potentially very big," said Treverton, a founder of Global TechnoPolitics Forum conference, which partners with the GeoTech Center from the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank. "It has already wreaked havoc with markets and supply chains that has national security implications because the economy is critical," Treverton said. Disruptions to US military and diplomats America's eyes and ears overseas are already clear. The State Department has been raising restrictions on US government employees in China since late January and has ordered the departure of all family members under the age of 21. In February, the department allowed for the voluntary departure of US government employees and their families from Hong Kong. One administration source tells CNN there are currently discussions about ordering the departure of some US diplomats and their families in South Korea and Japan, but no final decision has been made. In Asia, two US diplomats tell CNN they haven't been told about those very early stage talks, but are on edge, waiting to see not only how the virus spreads, but how their host countries and Washington respond. There is concern about the economic impact on US businesses if the White House moves to restrict travel from Japan or South Korea to the US, the diplomats tell CNN. Government messaging both to employees and the broader public is an essential part of a national security response, said Nada Bakos, a national security expert and former CIA analyst. "A pandemic can induce fear-based individual behavioral changes, similar to reactions to terrorist attacks and not all behavior changes are productive," Bakos told CNN, adding that clear, transparent communication about risks and prevention can "make a big difference in how accurately a threat is perceived." "The public can't adequately prepare without clear guidance and confidence in their government," Bakos said. "Without clear communication, political stability is stressed and the situation can spark violence between authorities and citizens. Failure to utilize national security frameworks to address a pandemic may have severe human and economic costs." Treverton said that while he thinks "the administration has done OK," President Donald Trump "by being so Pollyannaish about it, I think he hasn't prepared people for what might come." 'This is moving pretty quickly' Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the House Armed Services committee Wednesday that US Northern Command has been put in charge of synchronizing the department's Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Disease plans, coordinating with other commands to assess potential impacts. Esper also said that he has not yet held talks about whether the Defense Department will need additional funding from Congress to meet the coronavirus threat, saying he would have to discuss that with the combatant commanders first. "This is moving pretty quickly," he told lawmakers. Already, US military planners are quietly trying to figure out if the regular rotations of tens of thousands of personnel can take place this spring and summer, a routine occurrence that could be complicated as countries begin to shut down their borders. Thousands of personnel worldwide usually change assignments mid-year, often as soon as the school year ends. If they and their families cannot readily travel overseas to new jobs, and troops currently overseas cannot rotate, this could lead to further turmoil and uncertainty in the military personnel system officials say. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley assured the House committee that the department is "taking all the appropriate measures right now," adding that estimates of the situation were underway. "We owe you some answers," Milley said. Not waiting But field commanders are not waiting to request supplies or take action. Approximately 70 additional US military medical personnel -- doctors, nurses and medical technicians -- will now deploy to US installations in South Korea, one official said. They will provide clinical care and laboratory support, but their main mission will be to help test military, dependents and contractor personnel for the coronavirus once test kits arrive from the CDC. Several officials say it still is not clear when those kits will arrive even though the outbreak in South Korea has grown in recent days. Liberty the ability of troops to leave their bases is being heavily restricted in the Persian Gulf region by US Central Command. Steps by host countries in the Middle East are also affecting US troops. With the land border heavily restricted between Iraq and Kuwait, all resupply of forces in Iraq will now be done by air. And more than 60 US personnel who traveled to Israel for an exercise to train against regional threats such as Iran began returning to their bases in Europe on Friday at the request of the Israeli government, although none of them were reported to be ill. The head of US European Command, Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, told the Senate Tuesday that they are carefully monitoring the infection's impact and anticipate an increase of coronavirus cases in Germany that could lead to restricted troop movement. The lockdowns in Vicenza could be extended as well, he said. Major exercise under threat In addition, the virus could affect the Pentagon's decision to proceed with a lengthy upcoming exercise, involving as many as 20,000 troops training against a Russian threat. Privately, defense officials say that as these long-planned US military exercises are postponed or canceled, troops will be less up to date on critical training for future operations. Publicly, Pentagon officials are not discussing details of how training and operations could be impacted. A specially commissioned National Intelligence Estimate in 2000 identified exactly this kind of fallout. Possibly the first to look at the threat posed by infectious outbreaks, it predicted that, "these diseases will endanger US citizens at home and abroad, threaten US armed forces deployed overseas, and exacerbate social and political instability in key countries and regions in which the United States has significant interests." Morrison told CNN that for the past few decades, national security professionals have recognized that the dangers of infectious diseases have been growing, a dynamic, the intelligence community's 2019 threat assessment also noted. That report said tenuous improvements to global health security which the administration has moved to defund -- "may be inadequate to address the challenge of what we anticipate will be more frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases because of rapid unplanned urbanization, prolonged humanitarian crises, human incursion into previously unsettled land, expansion of international travel and trade, and regional climate change." Morrison pointed to health scares such as SARS, Ebola, swine flu and Zika that have erupted in the last few years. "The more that the global economy gets interconnected, the higher those consequences become," Morrison said. "We can predict to some degree we're going to see these [events happen] with greater frequency, higher velocity and come with a higher human and economic impact." This story was first published on CNN.com "US military scrambles to cope with global 'threat' posed by coronavirus" SAVANNAH, Ga. - Veterans of Americas longest war are finding themselves torn as the U.S. signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan. For many, the U.S. is long overdue in withdrawing its forces after more than 18 years of fighting. Others question the trustworthiness of the Taliban, whose hard-line government the U.S.-led forces overthrew in 2001. Skeptics worry the Talibans re-integration could cause Afghanistan to backslide on such issues as human rights. If they sign a peace treaty and Afghanistan goes back to the Taliban or Sharia law, then its all been for nothing, said former Army Staff Sgt. Will Blackburn of Hinesville, Georgia. Though doubtful the Taliban will abide by the peace deal, Blackburn said hes ready for hostilities to end. He first deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 with an infantry unit of the Armys 10th Mountain Division. A decade later, his son headed overseas for the same fight. Anything that would get us out of that country, I will support fully, said Blackburn, 58, who left the Army in 2010. Other Afghanistan veterans interviewed by The Associated Press said that, while the peace deal may not be perfect, its time to end the war that began weeks after the 9-11 terror attacks. The toll has been heavy. More than 2,300 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 20,600 others wounded in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001. Former Sgt. Michael Carrasquillo served as an infantrymen in the Armys 173rd Airborne Brigade when his unit was ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005. Shot five times while dragging a wounded comrade to safety, Carrasquillo spent the next two years in the hospital and underwent dozens of surgeries. Peace in any way, shape or form is a good thing, said Carrasquillo, 36, of Monrovia, Maryland, who leads a support group for wounded veterans through the Wounded Warrior Project. We dont want more guys to die or to get injured. The peace plan calls for the Trump administration to initially draw down U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan from 13,000 to 8,600, with the remaining American forces withdrawing in 14 months. In return, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country to stage attacks on the U.S. or its allies. The Taliban and representatives from Kabul must negotiate a framework for a postwar Afghanistan. I know the Taliban, and I never thought they could be trustworthy, said Cmdr. Tom Porter of the U.S. Navy Reserve, who oversaw media operations in Afghanistan during the U.S.-led troop surge that began in 2010. I know they have a different view of time and history than we do. Porter said hes concerned the Taliban could abide by the accord long enough to see American forces leave, then try to wrest control of Afghanistan under an assumption the U.S. wont be willing to return for another fight. If youre the Taliban, people have come and gone and invaded that place for thousands of years, said Porter, head of government affairs in Washington for the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Genghis Khan has come and gone. Theyve got a long view of things. Former Army Capt. Emily Millers job focused on communicating with Afghan women and children on deployments in 2011 and 2012 to assist U.S. special operations forces. She said protecting womens rights and human rights overall needs to be a priority. Overall, Miller said, shes thrilled to see a chance for Afghanistan to break from its long history of perpetual war. There is this new generation and I think its really time to unlock that hope and optimism of Afghans that are really open to peace, she said. Whats the alternative to peace? This endless cycle of violence doesnt really lead anywhere. At Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia, Army Staff Sgt. Phillip Wright thinks of himself as one of the older guys at age 33. He deployed to Kabul in 2010 with a field artillery unit to help train Afghanistans army. Nowadays, Wright works alongside many young American soldiers whove never been overseas. He thinks its time for Afghanistans military to stand on its own after years of U.S. mentoring. We were able to train an army for another country. So I do believe there has been a lot of good thats come out of it, he said. Theres no hesitation from Chris Collins, a former Army Reservist, when asked if its time for a U.S. exit. Its not worth one more American life, said Collins, 38. Enough is enough. Collins unit from Missouri deployed to neighbouring Uzbekistan in 2004 to run a supply warehouse for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Returning as a civilian contractor five years later, he concluded little had changed. Lets go home, said Collins, now training to be a nurse. We cant stay there forever. They dont want us there. Its no different today than it was 18 years ago, essentially. __ The spelling of Carrasquillo has been corrected in the 9th paragraph. Ahead of the UAs scheduled spring break, there are no travel advisories for possible out-of-state travel in the U.S. The UA is also closely looking at its future enrollment. Were paying close attention to the situation and have made some adjustments in terms of recruiting because we cant send our recruiting team to China right now and also trying to respond to realities on the ground for our perspective students and helping them with their applications, said Brent White, the UAs vice provost for global affairs. The UAs Global Wildcats World Tour for recruiting international students in 20 countries is planned for March, but the previously scheduled stops in China will instead be conducted virtually, White said. Were likely to learn a lot more in April and May as to what the future of the coronavirus is. I mean, theres some indication that it would peak around April and so were hopeful that the situation means that Chinese students would then be in a position to enroll for the fall, White said. Chinese students represent the largest international student body enrolled at the UA, with nearly 1,500. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the housing rehabilitation grant at City Hall on Friday. Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox says the funds will help address 75 housing units in the state. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and state Sen. Adam Hinds say the state funds will have a significant impact and that investing taxpayer money back into communities will strengthen them. PreviousNext Governor Announces $275,000 in Housing Funds for Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer says the city's aging housing stock is in need of investment. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker announced that the city will receive $275,000 in Gateways Housing Rehabilitation funds to address aging housing stock. Baker and his administration joined local leadership in City Hall on Friday afternoon to congratulate Pittsfield on receiving its slice of $2.15 million allocated to support housing rehabilitation in nine communities. "Housing is in many cases a key element to a downtown economic development strategy for many communities now in the commonwealth," Baker said. "But this program is for very particular issues that gateway cites and older cities need to solve for. We are thrilled to be here with this program and it is something I fully expect we will be doing more of." The Gateways Housing Rehabilitation Program provides funds for eligible communities to address properties in need of rehabilitation. Thirty-one communities were eligible for the program. Baker said economic development cannot happen without addressing housing now that retail is no longer the "backbone" of many local economies. He said many communities must reconsider how to build strong downtowns. Many communities in the commonwealth have looked to strengthen their downtowns by moving to a work/live/play model that brings together a mix of housing, hospitality, commercial, retail and recreation, he said. This coupled with accessible transportation brings people into the downtown. The funds can be leveraged with federal Community Development Block Grants and local Community Preservation Act funds to strengthen city cores. "The bottom line is this kind of a program that we are putting forth today is a great way for communities to leverage ... other forms of funding that they have to do this sort of work," he said. "Its complicated in many cases, but it gives them the ability to breath new life into property that desperately needs it." Baker said the funds also are a powerful tool that give local governments control to address their individual housing concerns. This is a sentiment Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy echoed. "Our gateway cities are such treasures across the commonwealth and to be able to come up with a program tailored to those needs and opportunities," he said. "I think it is a great thing to do." This funding is for the rehabilitation of one- to four-unit housing that has been identified through existing code enforcement activities. Projects must benefit low, moderate, or middle-income households. Mayor Linda Tyer said 43 percent of the city's housing stock was built prior to 1939 and many homes and neighborhoods are in need of investment. "It is to be expected that so many of our homes and so many of our neighborhoods are in need of investment, repair, and improvement," she said. "So we have to close the gap in housing." In Pittsfield, the funding will address eight properties. The mayor said the city is challenged to create a diversity of housing choices, to help under-resourced residents improve their homes or achieve homeownership, and to address the lack of quality housing. She thanked the city's Community Development Office for being steadfast in its efforts to secure grant funds to improve housing and teased the return of her "At Home" housing rehabilitation program. Tyer also thanked the governor for having a real sense of the different challenges communities face. "Governor Baker, your willingness to hear and see what is happening on the ground in our communities and to stand with us to solve problems is simply outstanding," she said. "With you by our side, we are never going in alone." Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox also spoke and said the funds will help address individual needs in communities and that 75 housing units in the state will benefit from the funding that is really more than a financial boost. "If we are lucky we wake up every morning in our own home with access to opportunity and community, without worrying about where we are going to sleep tonight or next month," she said. "But we know that is not true for all households here, but we are committed to expanding access to safe stable affordable housing for all." Which was something echoed throughout the afternoon with members of Baker's administration reiterating their commitment to expanding housing by investing more than $1.1 billion in affordable housing since 2015. State Sen. Adam Hinds said that although Berkshire County is a smaller part of the state, the funding is just as critical as it would be in the eastern part of Massachusetts. "How do we put a fingerprint on it that impacts the problems that we see in our districts?" he said. "...This is one of those returns on investment of state funds that may not get the attention that it does in Boston on the same scale but it is critical and has a huge impact here." State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said the governor understands that the entire commonwealth is only as strong as every community in it. "This is not the state's money, this is not the secretary's money, or the governor's money," she said. "This is our taxpayer money that we pay into the commonwealth and then it gets distributed for the strength of the full commonwealth. Unless we are willing to strengthen every individual community in the commonwealth, then the commonwealth will not be as strong." After the presentation, Baker said Massachusetts has gained almost 700,000 people in the past 20 to 30 years. "We haven't put anywhere near the amount of housing together to actually meet that demand," he said. "Housing has to be part of how we think about economic development because it is in many cases the way you build or enhance or reimagine a downtown." He said the commonwealth has to think about all kinds of housing and added it is important to think ahead in terms of housing about the people that "aren't here yet." He specifically targeted millennials who, he said, are the next "great wave of workers" who will be part of every piece of the future economy. "If we create places where young people want to live, stay, raise a family, plant their flag they will fill all of these jobs and create the next great act here in Massachusetts," he said. The governor was at City Hall after attending the opening of the Berkshire Innovation Center with Kennealy and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who earlier had made the announcement of $189,928 grant to the Elizabeth Freeman Center Inc. to partner with Taconic High School and 18 Degrees on a program promoting healthy relationships for youth. Turkey proposed to hold emergency NATO meeting and received approval. According to the Turkish Anadolu agency, the meeting will be held today at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels. Ankara may try to get its allies to use an article of the NATO charter on collective security, according to which military operations against a NATO member are considered to be aggression against all members of the alliance, which requires collective response. That's how Turkey reacted to the losses suffered in Idlib, for which it blames mostly Russia. It seems that Idlib is becoming the site of possible major clash, which can possibly lead to large-scale multilateral war. Hopefully, it won't come to this. But for now, the situation looks really bad. Ankara claims that more than 30 Turkish soldiers died as a result of the actions of Russian aviation. The response of the Russian side is very clear: "Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Sides constantly requested coordinates of all units of the Turkish Armed Forces located near the terrorist combat zones." And, according to the data obtained by the Center, there were supposed to be no Turkish soldiers in the area of the Behun settlement, where the losses occurred. According to Russian side, Turkish soldiers were among militantants that waged offensive operation and were driven back by the Syrian government army. In addition, it denied information about the participation of Russian aviation. "Immediately after receiving report on injured Turkish troops, Russian side took comprehensive measures so that Syrian troops would initiate ceasefire," Russia stated, noting that all conditions had been created for the Turkish side to evacuate dead and injured soldiers. Ankara wasn't satisfied with this explanation. Spokesman for the presidential administration, Fahredin Altun, said that Turkey would not leave the deaths of 33 of soldiers unanswered, that it had already attacked the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and "will continue air and land attacks." Advisor to President Erdogan Mesut Hakki said during A-Haber television channel broadcast that Turkey will "deal with Russia by destroying it from within": "We fought with Russia 16 times in the past and we will do it again." Recalling that 25 million Muslims live in the Russian Federation, Mesut Hakki warned: if it comes to vengeance, it will be horrible. Ankaras request to the NATO leadership to hold emergency meeting was accompanied by hints of alliance members, sometimes quite transparent, about their possible actions. It looked like trading. The United States immediately made it clear that everything would be "ok" if Turkey abandoned the S-400 Russian anti-aircraft missile systems. U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kate Bailey Hutchison said the events in Idlib should help Turkey understand who its real ally is. "I hope that President Erdogan will see that we are their past and future ally, and that he must get rid of the S-400... Turkey can already see what Russia is doing. And if they attack Turkish soldiers, then this should outweigh everything that happens between Turkey and Russia," Hutchison said. Ankara hasn't responded yet. But it did respond to President of France, Emanuel Macron, who said that in order to avoid serious consequences, sides should follow the path of reduction of tensions. In response Turkey said that from now on it would not create any obstacles to refugees following from the East to Europe. It looks like an ultimatum: if Turkey doesn't receive support of its European partners in NATO, then the Old World will get a new migration crisis. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all sides to initiate cease fire immediately and expressed deep concern about the fate of the civilian population. Ludogorets players wear protective face masks before their Europa League game against Inter Milan in the San Siro on February 27 AFP/Miguel MEDINA The match is among five Serie A games in the north of the country, which has been hardest hit by the virus, and will be played behind closed doors. The other four are Udinese against Fiorentina, AC Milan at home to Genoa, Parma against SPAL and Sassuolo versus Brescia. "In compliance with the restrictions currently in force, Maurizio Sarri's conference, on the eve of the Juventus v Inter match, will not take place," the Serie A champions said in a statement. Milan said "in compliance with the measures" they would not be holding a press conference before their game against Genoa in the San Siro on Sunday. City rivals Inter Milan's Europa League game against Bulgarian club Ludogorets also took place behind closed doors in the San Siro on Thursday. Italy has the largest coronavirus outbreak in Europe with 650 people infected and 17 deaths. Four Serie B matches will also be played behind closed doors -- Cittadella versus Cremonese; Chievo against Livorno; Venezia hosting Cosenza and Virtus Entella welcoming Crotone. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old player from Italian third division club US Pianese is recovering in hospital in Siena after testing positive for coronavirus. "At the moment, excluding the infected player who is hospitalised, all the players, technicians and managers are in quarantine," the Tuscan club said in a statement. Military DG only for two years, President assures Customs unions, but SLASA disagrees By Sandun Jayawardana View(s): View(s): Customs trade unions say President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has assured them the new Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, Major General (Rtd.) Vijitha Ravipriya, will only remain at the post for a maximum of two years, after which it will go to a Customs officer. At a meeting held with union leaders this week, the President told them that after the general election, the new government would introduce an amendment to the Customs Ordinance to ensure that only a Customs officer would be appointed as the departments DG, Customs Superintendents Union leader Uditha Jayasinghe told the Sunday Times. We are opposed in principle to retired military officers heading Sri Lanka Customs. Our policy has always been that the DG should be from the department itself, Mr Jayasinghe said, adding that the President asked them to accept the new DG as a temporary measure for a maximum of two years. However, the unions agreement with the President has come under severe criticism from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SLASA). The SLASA had earlier held talks with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa following reports that a retired army officer was to be appointed as the Director General of Customs. The Premier had told them he would discuss the matter with the President. Maj. Gen (Rtd.) Ravipriya, however, was confirmed in his post just days later. SLASA President Prabath Chandrakeerthi stressed that the Customs DGs post had been gazetted as a scheduled post for Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS). The SLASA held another discussion with Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundara. Mr Chandrakeerthi claimed that Dr Jayasundara had told them that during the past three months, while the post of DG was vacant, allegations of corruption within the department had skyrocketed. If thats the case, all that corruption occurred when Customs officers had a free hand. How can you then curb corruption if you deny the topmost post to someone within the department? he asked Mr Chandrakeerthi also questioned how a retired military officer with no experience in civil administration could handle affairs of a key institution such as Customs. We have registered our strong protest over this appointment and we want it to be changed. We will also oppose any move to exclude the SLAS from this post, he insisted. SLASA Secretary Rohana de Silva, meanwhile, said SLAS officers will not initiate trade union action over the issue given that Parliament was on the verge of being dissolved to pave the way for a general election. We cant protest when an election has been called. We will take a decision on that afterwards, he added. Attempts to contact the new DG proved futile. At least 14 students of Pakistan's Punjab University were arrested on Saturday after clashes broke out between two student groups on the campus over holding a festival which left 20 injured. The clashes took place between the Pakhtaun and Punjabi students backed by the Pakhtun and Baloch Students Council and Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT), respectively, on Friday over holding a 'cultural activity' by the former on the campus. According to Punjab University Register Prof Khalid Khan, during the clashes between the two student groups, 12 students from both sides and eight security guards, who tried to stop the violence, were injured. "We have arrested 14 students 10 belonging to Pakhtaun student group and the remaining to the IJT," police official concerned Tasi Asghar Ali told PTI. He said raids are being made to arrest six other suspects. The university official said such clashes often takes place on the campus. Although the varsity administration claims that it does not allow any 'political activity' on the campus, Pakhtaun students allege that Vice Chancellor Niaz Ahmed supports the IJT because of his association with the Islamic group. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. Two students in the Palo Alto Unified School District were sent home on Friday due to possible coronavirus exposure, superintendent Don Austin wrote in an email to parents. Earlier today, district officials received a report that a parent of two PAUSD students may have been exposed to Covid-19," the email reads. "As a precautionary measure, the district immediately took action and the two students were sent home and will be excluded from attending school until we receive more information. One student is at Palo Alto High School and the other is at JLS Middle School. Their identities were not released, and it is not clear which active case the parent of the students may have been exposed to. Three people in Santa Clara County have tested positive for coronavirus. Two had traveled to Wuhan, China, although it is unclear how the third individual contracted the virus. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear," Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer for Santa Clara County, said in a statement Friday. "I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease." The third patient, whose diagnosis was announced Friday, is a 65-year-old woman with chronic health conditions and was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. A statement from the Santa Clara County Health Department advised the public to wash their hands, avoid touching their faces, stay away from people who are sick and start thinking about family preparedness, including "how to take care of sick family while not getting infected." SFGATE digital editor Amy Graff contributed to this report. MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Are the elderly at a greater risk for coronavirus complications? The worst myths and misinformation about coronavirus Bay Area company to expand coronavirus drug trials to other companies CDC warns men with beards amid coronavirus scare Israel says COVID-19 vaccine is only weeks away Why San Francisco declared a coronavirus state of emergency: Your questions answered Eerie photos show empty streets in Italy amid coronavirus fears Maps: Cases of new coronavirus multiples across the globe Eric Ting is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Burkina Faso urgently needs 312 million dollars to meet the humanitarian crisis linked to the security situation shaking the country since 2015, the coordinator of the UN Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, Metsi Makhetha said here Friday The public has been crying out for a new government for the last three weeks. The political parties are under mounting pressure to get it together to construct some form of coalition capable of running the country. It is not going to happen any time soon and, given our current situation, that is probably for the best. For once, the country might be better off with a caretaker government. We have people making decisions. There is an acting health minister and Taoiseach overseeing the HSE and the Department of Health. We just don't have a parliament holding them to scrutiny, which is of course an issue in its own right. We also don't have highly politicised Oireachtas committees baying for blood. But, with a significant national health issue set to take hold, maybe it is for the best that politics has been taken out of the situation. Health Minister Simon Harris and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar have shown in the past they can be overly reactive in the face of major health controversies. They did not cover themselves in glory during the CervicalCheck scandal and women are still paying the consequences. The government decision to offer free smear tests to any women who wanted one was arguably among the worst decisions taken by Varadkar. The move resulted in women being faced with agonising months of waiting for repeat tests due to the backlog the blanket offer caused. It was not the first scandal of its kind. There have been misdiagnosis controversies before but the relatively new and young government reacted naively and against official advice under pressure from opposition politicians. The opposition's reaction during the horrendous debacle was equally questionable. Political point-scoring was at fever pitch from politicians who sensed blood. The current political paralysis means the acting Government can make decisions without worrying about being hauled before the Dail or an Oireacthas committee. This is not something which could go on forever and we naturally need full accountability from those we elect to represent us. But cross-party consensus does help in times of national interest. Take Brexit, for example. As stated, our caretaker Government has proved to be reactive when faced with difficulty. The panic sets in and it wobbles. But there is less at stake at the moment. There are also less of them. You would hope they learned from CervicalCheck and will take a more considered approach to the coronavirus outbreak. Harris held the line of the medical officials when grilled by Sean O'Rourke on RTE yesterday. But there is a long road ahead and the political pressure will increase when more cases emerge and more panic sets in. It is up to Fine Gael to prove it can make the right decisions without oversight. PIGEON The Laker School District has brought on a gifted education consultant, Sherry Sparks, to change the way students in the district are taught. Brian Keim, the Laker Schools superintendent, first heard of Sparks after a parent for one of Laker Elementarys students brought up the idea of starting a gifted education program. She was concerned that her child, an accelerated learner, would be frustrated learning at the same speed as struggling students, and recommended getting in contact with Sparks. Sparks is an advocacy officer for the Michigan Association for Gifted Children, and has been a teacher and staff developer in Oakland County. As a consultant, she helped turn around several school districts. Our school district is not in need of a turnaround, Keim said. We are looking to go from good to great. Keim and the principals of the elementary and high school then got on a conference call to discuss plans to help gifted students reach their full potential wherever they were at. What we heard got us excited, Keim said. Sparks' first visit to the school district was more casual, where she got to look in on different classrooms and facilities. She is very active and has a busy schedule, Keim said. She just doesnt sign on with any school that asks her. She wants them to align with the vision she has. After meeting more intensely with the districts teachers, Sparks developed some basic strategies for the teachers to implement, centered around four tenants. They are curriculum alignment, instructional strategy, production, and assessment. Sparks plans to build on those four points over as long as this working relationship continues, including spending a week in March developing curriculum and strategies. The approach will be to take a lesson and diversify it for all learners, which will look different in each building and in each classroom, and Sparks will make sure such learning is aligned and paced from one grade level to the next. Deb Hasselschwert, a science teacher at Laker High School, said that Sparks wants to help the teachers in offering different learning strategies, not just for the advanced students, but for general students too, including tiered-strategies and project-based learning that allows for diversification. You can take a lesson from a basic level to advance it and teach so that every student can get to their maximum level, Hasselschwert said. She also mentioned the importance of building relationships with the students and working to put their interests into projects and lessons to motivate them. Jon Good, the secondary school principal, called Sparks a very inspiring, motivating lady, and said there is a lot of excitement among the staff in working with her and getting better. Keim sees that Sparks will continue visiting the school district into the next school year, then they will see where they are at in this process. He wants to see the strategies implemented as soon as the teachers are comfortable with them. Shell work with us as long as until we reach our goals, Keim said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 10:07:58|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- BMW (China) Automotive Trading Ltd. recalled 7,157 imported motorbikes from the Chinese market on Saturday, according to the country's top quality watchdog. The recall involved certain C400GT, C400X, G310GS, G310R motorbikes manufactured between April 23, 2016 and Nov. 30, 2019, said the statement on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation. The recall was issued over concerns that the pistons in brake calipers of the affected motorcycles might corrode when the vehicles are driven in cold climates that use road salts, possibly leading to crashes or rear-end collisions in extreme cases. The statement said the auto company will swap brake calipers of the affected vehicles for new ones free of charge, adding that the first batch of new components will arrive in China during the middle of the first quarter. A federal appeals court in California on Friday initially blocked a centerpiece of the Trump administration's network of restrictive policies at the southern border, ordering officials there to stop sending asylum-seekers to Mexico, where tens of thousands of Latin American migrants returned by the U.S. have been stranded for months. But later on Friday, the same court temporarily paused its own order, granting an emergency request filed by Trump administration lawyers who rushed to defend the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program. Through its initial ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had prohibited the government from continuing to enforce the program, known as "Remain in Mexico," finding that it is likely illegal. The decision was a major setback for the administration since officials have touted the program as one of the main reasons it curbed an unprecedented influx of Central American families last year that overwhelmed officials and stations across the southern border. Since early 2019, the U.S. has required nearly 60,000 asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for the duration of their immigration court proceedings under this program, which has drawn scathing criticism from advocates. They believe the policy violates both domestic and international refugee law, pointing to the high levels of violence and insecurity in the areas of northern Mexico where the U.S. has been sending migrants placed in the program. The program's hours-long halt was a short-lived victory for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the group spearheading the legal challenge against the policy, and immigration advocates and lawyers, some of whom traveled to border checkpoints to see if any of their clients could get relief under the initial ruling. "This is a temporary step and does not change the fact that courts have ruled multiple times against this illegal policy. We will continue working to permanently end this unspeakably cruel policy," Judy Rabinovitz, the top ACLU attorney in the case, said in a statement. Story continues Related: Reuniting Migrant Families Separated at U.S.-Mexico Border Immigration lawyers working with the Atlanta-based group Lawyers for Good Government, attempted to inform hundreds of asylum seekers of their legal rights after they had been sent back to Matamoros, as part of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" program. Michael Nigro/Sipa via AP Hours after the court's initial ruling early Friday afternoon, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) asylum officers who interview asylum-seekers in the "Remain in Mexico" program were instructed in an email to "immediately cease all MPP processing," including cases "pending decision service." Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that places migrants in the "Remain in Mexico" program, also said it had "issued a cessation of processing" under the program. On Friday night, top CBP officials, including acting commissioner Mark Morgan, said the agency was reinstating the program. This evening, with support of DOJ attorneys and CBPs declaration, the 9th Circuit granted a stay of its earlier order enjoining MPP. @CBP will immediately reinstate MPP! Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) February 29, 2020 In their initial order, which upheld a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge last spring, two circuit judges on a three-judge panel in San Francisco appeared to share the concerns raised by advocates, writing that migrants returned to northern Mexico "risk substantial harm, even death, while they await adjudication of their applications for asylum." U.S. District Judge William A. Fletcher, who was appointed by President Clinton, said in his majority opinion that the asylum-seekers and legal groups the ACLU is representing are likely to succeed on their two main challenges to the policy: that it violates the "non-refoulement" principle in international and U.S. law of not returning asylum-seekers to places where they may face persecution, and that a 1996 law the administration has been citing to defend the legality of the program does not allow officials to return all asylum-seekers to countries that border the U.S. like Mexico. Circuit Judge Ferdinand Fernandez, an appointee of President George H. W. Bush, dissented. Officials across the administration denounced the initial ruling on Friday. "The Trump Administration has acted faithfully to implement a statutory authority provided by Congress over two decades ago and signed into law by President Clinton," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. "The Ninth Circuit's decision not only ignores the Constitutional authority of Congress and the Administration for a policy in effect for over a year, but also extends relief beyond the parties before the Court." Though he called the first order "reckless," Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said his department has other tools to "maintain the end of catch and release," presumably referring to recently created rapid deportation programs, as well as deals with countries in Central America's Northern Triangle that allow the U.S. to re-route asylum-seekers there. Asylum Seekers Fill Tent Camps As Part Of U.S. "Remain In Mexico" Policy Asylum seekers wash clothes on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande at an immigrant camp on December 8, 2019 in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico. Getty Images Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who represents the border district in El Paso, praised the 9th Circuit's initial decision. But she called for more than a halt to the policy. "DHS must now follow the law, issue guidance for the nearly 60,000 asylum-seekers who have been returned to Mexico, employ alternatives to detention, and guarantee the humane treatment of all asylum-seekers," Escobar said in a statement. As a result of the MPP policy, tens of thousands of asylum-seekers from Central America, Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American countries who would otherwise be in the U.S. are stranded in overcrowded shelters and squalid makeshift encampments in northern Mexico, including in crime-ridden cities like Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros, located in a region the U.S. government warns American travelers not to visit due to rampant violence. Advocates and even some of the asylum officers implementing the program have been withering in their criticism of Remain in Mexico, saying it violates international obligations against returning migrants seeking refuge to dangerous places. The group Human Rights First has denounced hundreds of reported kidnappings and assaults. A CBS News series last summer detailed the due process concerns about the policy, which makes it extremely difficult for migrants to secure U.S.-based lawyers generally needed for successful asylum claims. According to data by researchers at Syracuse University, only about 5% of migrants in the program have had lawyers represent them in proceedings in the U.S. which, for many migrants, now occur inside makeshift tent-like courts in the Rio Grande Valley. Out of about 35,500 completed cases in the program, only 263 migrants have been granted asylum or some other form of protection, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Despite the criticism, the administration has defended the "Remain in Mexico" program as an effective tool in reducing border apprehensions, which have dropped for eight consecutive months since May. The policy had been briefly blocked by a federal judge in April, but the 9th Circuit ruled in May that the administration could proceed with the policy as it considered the merits of the legal challenge mounted by several advocacy groups. After the panel's decision, the administration dramatically expanded the program with the consent of the Mexican government, which accepted the expansion last summer after Mr. Trump threatened to impose tariffs. In a separate ruling on Friday, another panel in the 9th Circuit upheld a lower court injunction that has blocked a rule that would render migrants who cross the border in between ports of entry ineligible for asylum. "Once again the courts have recognized there is tremendous danger facing asylum seekers along the entire southern border, and that the administration cannot unilaterally rewrite the laws," said Lee Gelernt, the top ACLU attorney in that case. Saturday Sessions: Katie Pruitt performs "Loving Her" Saturday Sessions: Katie Pruitt performs "My Mind's a Ship (That's Going Down)" Saturday Sessions: Katie Pruitt performs "Expectations" Fears of the global economy slipping into recession exacerbated with China, the globe's largest exporter witnessing a historic fall in its manufacturing activities, weighed down by the deadly coronavirus outbreak. In India, though the government has tried to downplay the country's risk exposure to China in the near term, sources said there could be import duty cut on antibiotic drugs, mobile parts and other items to help businesses cope with the shortfall arising out of China. Sectoral trade data shows China accounts for nearly half of India's electronics imports and a third of machinery from the neighbouring country. India's exporters of electronics, pharmaceuticals, speciality chemicals and to an extent automobile depend on China for raw material. These are facing supply constraints, trade body Assocham said on Saturday mentioning about electronics and pharma among others, hours after the latest China's manufacturing PMI data for February showed a slump to 35.7 from 50 in January. PMI or Purchasing Managers' Index is one of the most closely watched indicator of business activities in the world. A figure above 50 denotes the expansion and below 50, contraction in business activities. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who has held several rounds of meetings in the past fortnight with industry groups, who are heavily dependent on China for their manufacturing or export activities, has said, things may get challenging if it (corona) prolonged for another two or three weeks. Pharma, chemical, solar equipment, paints and mobile companies have been facing the heat of the situation and have already complained to the government. Supply disruptions may soon threaten availability of certain life-saving drugs on Indian stores, according to a company executive. India sources about 65-70% of active pharmaceutical ingredients and close to 90% of certain mobile phone parts from China. Experts have said the full impact of corona will start reflecting from mid-March when it would impact India's industrial production, imports and exports. Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry is holding a meeting with exporters on Tuesday to firm up a comprehensive strategy to deal with issues arising out of the virus impact on Indian businesses. Traders said the markets should brace for another sell-off on Monday after the biggest single-day fall in indices on Friday last, in four-and-a-half years. A Delhi court on Saturday deferred to next week its judgment in the murder case of the father of the woman who was raped by expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao three years ago New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday deferred to next week its judgment in the murder case of the father of the woman who was raped by expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao three years ago. The rape survivor''s had father died on 9 April, 2018, in judicial custody. District judge Dharmesh Sharma deferred the judgment, which will now be pronounced on Wednesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had examined 55 witnesses in support of the case and the defence examined nine witnesses. The court had recorded the statements of the rape survivor's uncle, mother, sister and one of her father's colleague who claimed to be an eyewitness to the incident. The court had on 20 December sent Sengar to jail for "remainder of his natural biological life" for raping the woman in 2017 when she was a minor. According to the CBI, on 3 April, 2018, there was an altercation between the survivor's father and Shashi Pratap Singh. The charge sheet filed on 13 July, 2018, said the survivor's father and his co-worker were returning to their village, Makhi, when they asked Singh for lift. Singh denied them the lift, triggering an altercation among them. Singh called his associates, following which the MLA's brother Atul Singh Sengar reached the spot along with others and beat up the survivor's father and his co-worker. The survivor's father was subsequently taken to the police station by them and an FIR was lodged against him. He was arrested. The charge sheet said that all this while Kuldeep Sengar was in touch with the district police superintendent and Makhi police station in-charge Ashok Singh Bhadauria. Later, he also talked to the doctor who examined the survivor's father. The court had earlier framed charges against Sengar, his brother Atul, Bhadauria, sub-inspector Kamta Prasad, constable Amir Khan and six others in the case. The case was transferred to Delhi from a trial court in Uttar Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court on 1 August. In July, a truck rammed into the car the rape survivor was travelling in with some family members and her lawyer. Two of her aunts died in the incident. She was airlifted from a hospital in Lucknow and brought to the AIIMS in Delhi for better care as she continued to be critical. She has been given accommodation in Delhi and is under CRPF protection. Flash China will continue to provide assistance to Iran in its fight against COVID-19 epidemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday. Wang said China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners and have always supported and helped each other in times of difficulties and stood firmly together. When COVID-19 epidemic broke out in China, the first message of condolences China received from a foreign country came from Iran, Wang noted, saying that Iran has interpreted with real deeds the meaning of sharing weal and woe and being in the same boat, which China will always keep in mind. Wang said the epidemic knows no national borders and China shares the same pain as the outbreak has intensified in Iran recently. The Chinese side would like to express condolences to those who died of the disease and to families of the patients, and wish all infected people a speedy recovery, he said. China believes that, under the leadership of the Iranian government, the Iranian people, united as one, will surely defeat the epidemic, Wang said. At this moment, the Chinese people are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people to overcome the difficulties together, he said. China has donated a batch of nucleic acid test kits and medical supplies to Iran, and will continue to do its best to provide assistance according to Iran's needs, including carrying out cooperation in epidemic prevention and control, medical treatment and other fields, he said. Wang stressed that both China and Iran are countries with ancient civilizations, and just as no difficulty can defeat the Chinese nation, nor will there be any difficulty that can defeat the Iranian people. For his part, Zarif expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for calling to express condolences and support. During the joint fight against the epidemic, the friendship between Iran and China, and between the two peoples will surely be deepened further and the two peoples will always stand firmly together, Zarif said. Iran appreciates China's positive achievements in fighting the epidemic and is grateful for the medical supplies and technical support offered by China, he said. Iran would like to boost exchanges and cooperation with China and learn from China's anti-epidemic experience, Zarif said. Iran has been through various kinds of hardships, and it can surely overcome the challenges posed by the epidemic this time, he added. In 2005, the federal government sought to assess how a respiratory-related pandemic might play out in the United States. Its report estimated that a severe influenza pandemic would require mechanical ventilators for 740,000 critically ill people. Today, as the country faces the possibility of a widespread outbreak of a new respiratory infection caused by the coronavirus, there are nowhere near that many ventilators, and most are already in use. Only about 62,000 full-featured ventilators were in hospitals across the country, a 2010 study found. More than 10,000 others are stored in the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal cache of supplies and medicines held in case of emergencies, according to Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tens of thousands of other respiratory devices could be repurposed in an emergency, experts say, but the shortfall would be stark, potentially forcing doctors to make excruciating life-or-death decisions about who would get such help should hospitals become flooded with the desperately sick. Much about the coronavirus remains unclear, and it is far from certain that the outbreak will reach severe proportions in the United States or affect many regions at once. With its top-notch scientists, modern hospitals and sprawling public health infrastructure, most experts agree, the United States is among the countries best prepared to prevent or manage such an epidemic. But the coronavirus, which appeared in China in December and has stricken more than 86,000 people around the world, killing nearly 3,000, has already exposed significant vulnerabilities in the ability of the United States to respond to serious health emergencies. Across the country, educators, businesses and local officials are beginning to confront the logistics of enduring a possible pandemic: school closings that could force millions of children to remain at home, emergency plans that would require employees to work remotely, communities scrambling to build up supplies. In plausible worst-case-scenarios given the pattern of the outbreak thus far, the country could experience acute shortages not just in ventilators but also health workers to operate them and care for patients; hospital beds; and masks and other protective equipment. Even during mild flu pandemics, most of our ICUs are filled to the brim with severely ill patients on mechanical ventilation, said Dr. Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an expert on health care preparedness. I hope and pray COVID-19 turns out to be a moderate pandemic, but if not, were in serious trouble, he said, referring to the name given the disease caused by the virus. Resources are concentrated in the most populous and wealthiest cities, leaving rural areas and other neglected communities exposed to greater risk. And public health experts worry that efforts to contain an outbreak could be hamstrung by budget cuts that have weakened state health departments. Seventy cases have been identified in the United States as of Saturday night, most of them patients infected while abroad. But officials at the CDC warned on Tuesday that number will almost certainly rise and urged Americans to prepare for significant disruptions to their lives. On Saturday afternoon officials announced the first death, a patient in Washington state. Health officials are working to confine outbreaks to small geographic clusters, which would limit the impact on the nations health care system and buy time for the development of a vaccine, an effort that could take a year or longer. But flawed test kits distributed to states by the CDC and strict criteria initially used for identifying potential cases may have slowed detection of the virus spreading within communities across the country. On Friday, three new patients in California, Oregon and Washington state were detected who had not traveled outside of the United States and had no known contact with infected individuals, suggesting such community transmission has already begun. Critics say a contradictory message about the threat posed by the virus from President Donald Trump who called Democrats criticism of his handling of the situation a hoax at a rally on Friday night amplified on conservative media, has caused confusion, arguably slowing efforts to prepare. The Chinese bought us a month of time to prepare ourselves by imposing these astonishing and draconian measures, said J. Stephen Morrison, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which last year issued a report that identified flaws in the nations health security. Unfortunately, we didnt make good use of that time and now were heading into a very dangerous situation. Chinas decision to quarantine tens of millions of its citizens raises questions about what kind of measures U.S. authorities might adopt. Although public health experts in the United States say walling off entire cities and shutting down transport systems would most likely be counterproductive and do more harm than good, federal and state laws give governments the authority to limit civil liberties to protect the public health. To help avert a severe epidemic, health officials are legally empowered to isolate the infected and those who had contact with them, restrain the sick if they resist treatment and close down whole institutions, from hospitals to churches. These powers come with limits. Officials are supposed to use the least restrictive measures possible to protect public health, and people whose liberties are being infringed have the right to appeal in the courts. Quarantines also require an enormous dedication of personnel to manage, and those workers must also be kept safe. Gregg Gonsalves, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said the experience in China suggested that quarantines could create their own set of problems for people who are confined. You may not have the basic necessities you need, including food, water, and basic sanitation supplies, he said. Screening at airports and borders For now, U.S. authorities are trying to limit the spread of the virus by identifying and monitoring anyone who has come into contact with an infected patient a methodical process known as contact tracing and by policing the nations borders. As of Friday, about 47,000 travelers had been subjected to enhanced screening at airports, according to the CDC. All passengers arriving from China have their temperatures checked, and those who are feverish or present other symptoms of the coronavirus undergo further evaluation to determine whether they require hospitalization. Aaron Bowker, an officer in the Buffalo field office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said employees faced the complex challenge of trying to assess people for signs of illness. Thats probably the hardest part, he said. A cough does not always trigger further scrutiny of someone with no recent travel history to China, and some infected people have no fever or symptoms at all. There have also been significant gaps in the guidelines that may have allowed more infected people to enter the country. On Saturday, the administration announced new measures intended to plug some of those holes, including preboarding screening of people traveling to the U.S. from Italy and South Korea and restrictions on noncitizens who had been in Iran. To date, arriving travelers who have visited mainland China in the prior two weeks are supposed to be stopped and questioned, but those protocols have not been applied to travelers from other countries where the virus has spread significantly. On Friday, health officials in Washington state announced that a woman there who had traveled to South Korea, which has reported more than 3,000 cases, had tested positive for the virus. Anjali Goel, 18, a New York University student studying in Italy, returned home this past week after the university shut down its campus in Florence. She said she was surprised when a customs officer at Washington Dulles International Airport simply waved her through without asking any questions. I expected him to ask me something because I was coming from an infected area, she said. For now, Goel has opted to self-quarantine, just in case. Im staying indoors, limiting my interaction with people and checking my temperature, she said, even if I am feeling perfectly normal. Rationing care If the coronavirus does spread in the United States, health care facilities like Danbury Hospital in Connecticut will be on the front lines. This past week, the hospitals critical care doctors gathered to discuss the potential for a surge in patients who might require breathing assistance, a complication that affects the small portion of patients most seriously ill with the coronavirus. Weve assessed how many ventilators we have, what our capacity is, whos going to take what role, said Dr. Paul Nee, an infectious disease specialist and co-chairman of infection control at the hospital, which has about 370 licensed beds. He said that the hospital had about 50 ventilators, but that some older ventilators that were still functioning could be pulled into service if needed, and that other forms of ventilation that do not require a breathing tube could be used to support patients with pneumonia. In an extreme situation, some hospitals plans include provisions for rationing, even removing some patients from ventilators without requiring their consent to make way for others presumed to have a better chance of survival. Some plans would also limit the access of certain categories of patients from critical care or even hospitalization during a peak pandemic based on criteria such as their age or an underlying chronic disease. The concept of imposing such measures makes physicians dedicated to saving every life uncomfortable, and there is evidence that many people who could be removed from life support or refused care under such protocols would otherwise survive. Dr. Mark Jarrett, chief quality officer for Northwell Health, which has 23 hospitals, mostly in New York state, said creative thinking and new technologies could ease the need for some drastic measures. For example, he said, officials at Northwell were contemplating the use of telemedicine to augment care in an epidemic. Roughly two-thirds of the systems hospitals, for example, are equipped with electronic intensive care unit systems that allow off-site providers to monitor patients and communicate with them through video screens. Computer algorithms alert nurses when patients vital signs are worrisome. We are hoping we never need to do this, but wed rather have the plans in place, he said. Gary Cox, the Oklahoma health commissioner, said reopening rural hospitals that had closed in recent years was an option under consideration, and the state was also exploring the idea of using recreational vehicles to house people who have tested positive for the virus but do not need hospital care. China has dealt with the problem by dispatching tens of thousands of health workers from other areas of the country to the hot zone and constructing additional hospitals and isolation centers. The U.S. government, too, has the ability to assign preestablished teams of health workers to augment overwhelmed facilities during crises, and the cadres have already provided health monitoring and basic medical care for evacuees from China and the Diamond Princess Cruise ship. But there is one big limitation: Many members of these teams, part of the National Disaster Medical System, hold regular jobs in the health care sector. During an epidemic, that system could deploy personnel from less affected areas, but Department of Health and Human Services officials said in a statement, if all parts of the country were overwhelmed simultaneously, providers who serve as NDMS personnel would be desperately needed in their own communities and their primary responsibility is at their home facility. Another looming concern is protecting health care workers and preventing the spread of outbreaks within hospitals. Keeping health workers safe requires protective equipment, much of it made in China and already in short supply. Panicked buying of masks by regular consumers is exacerbating the problem. On Saturday the U.S. Surgeon General tweeted, Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS!: Scott Sproat, director of emergency preparedness and response at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, said medical facilities in his state were facing delays in receiving respirator masks that have a higher ability to filter viruses than regular surgical masks. The secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar, told reporters on Friday that 300 million of such masks, known as N95s, are needed for the emergency medical stockpile for health care workers and that the government was considering invoking a Korean War-era law to accelerate production domestically. Domestic mask manufacturers, which account for a tiny proportion of the U.S. market, have warned for years about potential disruptions in the supply of foreign produced masks during a global infectious outbreak. Some hospital workers have already reported difficulty obtaining masks. A nurse in charge of emergency preparedness in a rural part of Oklahoma, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of her hospital, said she had tried to order N95 masks this past week but none were available. Other workers reported significant price hikes. And some hospitals in the New York City area have been drawing down on the state stockpile, said Jenna Mandel-Ricci, vice president for emergency preparedness for the Greater New York Hospital Association. Many hospitals are trying to conserve supplies. Some have removed the masks from most locations in the hospital and instead are requiring staff members to request them and explain their need. We do have stockpiles that were just beginning to dig into, said Dr. Paul Holtom, an epidemiologist at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. If this goes on for many months, all of us will be more challenged. Skilled nursing homes represent one of the greatest vulnerabilities in the health care system. They serve older adults and the infirm the demographic most at risk from the coronavirus and such facilities face particular challenges in stopping the spread of infection. Multiple studies have shown that germs spread easily in such places, partly because employees are overworked or poorly trained, and because the patients are so susceptible to infection. On Saturday, the CDC reported the first cases in the U.S. from a skilled nursing facility: both a patient and a worker at Life Care in Kirkland, Washington. Officials said that other residents and employees had symptoms. We are very concerned about an outbreak in a setting where there are many older people, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, the health officer for public health in Seattle and King County. Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, who has studied infection control practices in health care settings, said such facilities might eventually have to limit visitors, or even keep residents under quarantine as a preventive measure. Nursing homes will be extremely vulnerable to this epidemic, and it will be difficult to implement hygiene practices to prevent the spread, he said. Schools, businesses and everyday life On Friday, an employee of an elementary school near Portland, Oregon, tested positive for the coronavirus and the school, Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego, was shut down. In Washington state, where a high school student received a diagnosis of coronavirus the same day, officials suggested that people needed to prepare for the possibility of schools closing and businesses keeping workers home. In Santa Clara County, California, where another new case was announced, Dr. Sara Cody, the county health officer, said, Schools should plan for absenteeism, and explore options for learning at home and enhanced cleaning of surfaces. The spread of the coronavirus has rattled companies across Asia and Europe, forcing them to stop production, cut hours and instruct employees to work from home. Dan Levin, who runs a plant outside Chicago that makes furniture and wall paneling, is starting to make similar plans. Theres no playbook for this, he said. Im kind of navigating this alone. Levin employs roughly 100 people at his plant in Rochelle, Illinois. About half of them are engineers or estimators, while the rest work on the factory floor. In the event of a coronavirus outbreak, the estimators would be able to do most of their work at home, he said. But engineering tasks are much harder to complete from a kitchen or living room. Levin said he would need to outsource that work to companies in other parts of the country. Still, he said, no amount of planning would do much to mitigate an outbreak that prevents the majority of his manufacturing staff from coming to work. A group of 15 employees cannot suddenly do the work of 50. Most major companies in the United States have said little about how they would respond to an outbreak, except to note their concern for the health and well-being of employees. A spokeswoman for Amazon said the company was watching this situation closely but declined to comment on specific protocols. Representatives for several major banks, retailers and technology companies said they would look to the CDC for guidance. Other large companies have already put new precautions in place. Facebook is asking employees who host guests at its corporate offices to make sure the visitors have not recently traveled to mainland China. And at an all-hands meeting on Thursday, executives at the commercial real estate firm SquareFoot in New York told employees to take their laptops home on Friday in case they have to work remotely this next week. Its unclear whether workers, especially in retail and manufacturing jobs, would continue to be paid if the coronavirus crisis forced stores and factories to close for an extended period. For some small-business owners, the coronavirus still feels like a distant threat. Were not trying to overreact, said Michael Stanek, who runs a company near Cleveland that manufactures toner for printers. We could probably continue to operate with up to maybe 50% of employees sick. Still, Stanek said he was considering ramping up production in the coming days so that the company has enough inventory to keep supplying its customers even if its plant shuts down. And when he gave out paychecks on Thursday, he reminded employees to wash their hands. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. NEW DELHI: Google Doodle is celebrating Leap Day 2020 (February 29) with a jumping logo. This is further illustrated with Google Doodle's home page saying, "We HOP you have a good oneHappy Leap Day!." Leap Day, which comes every four years on February 29, is a day observed in various solar calenders including Gregorian calendar. In 2016, Google celebrated the day with hopping bunnies as the logo by artist Olivia Huynh. Leap days occur to keep our calendars in alignment with the Earth and sun. However, even in the Greforian calender, years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. The Earths orbital revolution around Sun takes 6 hours longer than 365 days, and Leap Day compensates this lag and realignes the calendar with the Earths position in the Solar System. What is a Leap Year? A Leap Year is a year where one extra day is added to our calendars, making it 366 days in total, giving us one extra day than the usual 365 days. The leap day is added onto the month of February, seeing as it is the shortest month of the year. This is done to keep to keep our calendars in alignment with the Earth and sun. Former Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Yassin waves to the press outside his home in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 29, 2020. Updated at 10:52 a.m. ET on 2020-02-29 Malaysias king has appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as the nations 8th prime minister, the National Palace said Saturday, just one day after the former home affairs minister emerged as a contender backed by members of the scandal-ridden regime he helped topple two years ago. However, in a late night statement, interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad claimed that he commanded the support of at least 114 MPs, and said he would write to the king to inform him of the latest developments. The shock palace announcement had initially appeared to quash a bid by Mahathir to return to the post, after he resigned a week ago and was appointed caretaker prime minister. Muhyiddin, 72, president of the Malay-based Bersatu party he co-founded with Mahathir, was to be sworn in Sunday at 10.30 a.m., the comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, announced Saturday in a statement. After receiving representatives from all leaders representing their respective parties as well as independent lawmakers, His Royal Highness is of the opinion that the lawmaker who may be able to gain the confidence of the majority of lawmakers is Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the MP from Pagoh," the statement said. "His Majesty decrees that the appointment of the prime minister cannot be delayed as the country needs a government for the well-being of its people and the country we love, it said. Twists and turns Confusion over Muhyiddins appointment came after a week of political crisis with twists and turns by the hour that kept the nation riveted. It was triggered by Mahathirs resignation on Monday, which automatically dissolved the government. Mahathir was promptly re-appointed interim prime minister by the king. Under the constitution, the king has the discretion to appoint an MP who commands the majority support of elected members of the 222-seat lower house of parliament. A candidate needs to have a minimum support of 112 MPs to be appointed prime minister. About four hours after the palace statement, video streamed on Facebook by the communications director for Anwar Ibrahims Peoples Justice Party (PKR) showed lawmakers signing a document in a jovial atmosphere while Mahathir, clad in a grey jacket and blue tie, looked on. "We have 114 members of parliament. One-one-four," Fahmi Fadzil said, as people in the room applauded and said "Viva Tun!" In a statement shortly after, Mahathir, 94, said he would explain the situation to the king. At present, I have received a total of 114 members of parliament who support Tun Dr. Mahathir as the 8th prime minister, the statement said. I have prepared a letter to be sent to High Royal Highness explaining this matter I hope his majesty will receive my letter and explanation, Mahathir said. Historic moment Earlier Saturday, in his first statement as prime minister-designate, Muhyiddin said he was backed by a new National Alliance of lawmakers from Bersatu, the former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, the Islamist PAS party, lawmakers from Sarawak in eastern Malaysia, and independents. It has been confirmed that I am the 8th prime minister of Malaysia. I thank the king for appointing me the prime minister, he told reporters at his home. This is undoubtedly a historic moment, more so due to the support of all MPs especially from the National Alliance coalitiongiving us the sufficient numbers. We have a majority, he said. Muhyiddins appointment came on the same day that the Pakatan Harapan coalition named Mahathir as their new candidate for prime minister, after having ditched him earlier in the week for Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, 72, was Pakatans candidate for prime minister from Wednesday to Friday, with its leadership council claiming that he had received the largest number of nominations from members of parliament. Sources close to Pakatan told BenarNews that Anwar and leaders of component parties of Pakatan approached Mahathir late Friday after they discovered this was not the case, and as Muhyiddin emerged as a contender. The Pakatan government had collapsed when Mahathir rejected plans from renegades in his ruling coalition, including Muhyiddin, who wanted to forge a new coalition with the former ruling UMNO party while keeping Mahathir as prime minister. Mahathir has rejected that coalition as he regards UMNO as kleptocratic. The Pakatan Harapan or Alliance of Hope bloc comprises Anwar Ibrahims multi-racial PKR, the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), the moderate Muslim Amanah party, and Bersatu members still loyal to Mahathir. In May 2018, Mahathir and his Pakatan allies pulled off a general election victory, which devastated a coalition that had led Malaysia for 61 years. Leading figures from the last government including ex-prime minister Najib Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor and former home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were subsequently put on trial for abuse of power and corruption for allegedly siphoning huge sums of money from a state-owned development fund, 1MDB, and other charges. Mahathir had pledged during the electoral campaign to clean up government and install one that reflected the nations diversity, and that he would hand over power to Anwar, his former arch nemesis. He joined forces with Anwar, whom he once sent to jail on a sodomy charge, after leaving the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the anchor party in the ruling bloc that had dominated Malaysian politics since independence from Britain in 1957. In the run-up to the 2018 general election, Anwar, who was then in prison on a sodomy conviction, formed a pact with Mahathir, in which Mahathir agreed to hand the reins of government to Anwar an arrangement endorsed by voters in the Pakatan victory. After the election, Anwar received a royal pardon, was freed from prison and later elected to parliament in a by-election. But tensions over when and whether the handover of power should take place were one factor in the collapse of the ruling coalition, according to multiple accounts. Muzliza Mustafa, Hadi Azmi, Nisha David and Noah Lee contributed to this report. Farmers in Rajasthan's Nindar village buried themselves neck-deep in the ground on Saturday as they began a fresh round of protest against the alleged land acquisition by the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) for a housing project. The farmers have been demanding that their lands be acquired as per the amended Land Acquisition Act and compensation awarded accordingly. They had first held the 'Zameen Samadhi Satyagrah' in January but called off the protest after four days as the state government assured them that it would address their concerns within 50 days. "The state government had asked for 50 days to resolve the issues of farmers. As the government has failed to arrive at any decision, we have decided to start 'Zameen Samadhi Satyagrah' again," said Nagendra Singh Shekhawata, a leader of the Nindar Bachao Yuva Kisan Sangarsh Samiti. "It seems that the government is not serious about the issues of farmers. The chief minister himself has said that the JDA is a corrupt department and in such a situation we have no hope from it," he said. The farmers had also held a protest in October 2017 against the acquisition of more than 1,300 bighas of land by the JDA, with some of them even going on a hunger strike. The JDA has taken possession of 600 bighas of land so far and deposited Rs 60 crore in a local court as compensation. The villagers have refused to accept the amount, claiming that it is not commensurate with the prevailing market rates. Around 10,000 houses will be built under the housing scheme which was announced in January 2011. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chlorinated chicken will not be imported into the UK after Brexit, ministers have said. Trade Secretary Liz Truss is to publish a blueprint for trade talks with the United States on Monday. Campaigners have warned against allowing in American farm produce, which they say is produced to lower standards. But last night sources said ministers had agreed there will be no relaxation of animal welfare standards effectively ruling out chlorinated chicken, which has acquired totemic status in the row over a trade deal with the US. Trade Secretary Liz Truss (pictured on February 14) is to publish a blueprint for trade talks with the United States about allowing in farm produce, on Monday A senior minister told the Daily Mail that the decision over chlorinated chicken was partly because of hostile public opinion but primarily due to the potential impact on British farmers and the countrys animal welfare standards. Its not a health issue, its an animal welfare issue, the source said. We are not lowering standards and thats that. The decision will cheer farmers who have warned that allowing in food produced to lower standards will wreck British agriculture. Campaigners claim that the US practice of giving chicken a chlorinated wash to remove harmful bacteria can compensate for poor hygiene and welfare standards on farms, allowing American producers to undercut their rivals. Minette Batters, from farming union NFU, warned this week that opening our ports, shelves and fridges to food which would be illegal to produce here would not only be morally bankrupt, it would be the work of the insane. Environment minister Zac Goldsmith said Mrs Batters was right about the principles but wrong about the Governments policy. To impose high standards on our farmers, only to undercut them with low standard imports would be wrong on every level, and there is no argument about that, Lord Goldsmith said. But Government sources last night cautioned that ministers were not proposing a blanket ban on cheap American food. One pointed out that, while the Tory manifesto talked about safeguarding high standards of animal welfare in any deal, it was silent on issues such as genetically-modified crops, which are produced on an industrial scale in the US. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is said to have underlined the importance of removing barriers to its farm produce during talks with Miss Truss earlier this week. A formal response to the UKs proposals is not expected for a fortnight. British farmers and consumer groups argue it masks poor animal welfare conditions that would be illegal in this country (stock image). It would be 'morally bankrupt', warned the NFU's Minette Batters, this week It comes as Boris Johnsons chief Europe adviser David Frost prepares for the opening of trade talks with the EU on Monday. Mr Frost and members of his 40-strong Taskforce Europe team, will travel to Brussels for four days of talks with the EUs Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. Yesterday it emerged the two sides will divide into 11 working groups working in parallel in a bid to speed up the process. But they remain far apart on key issues, including legal oversight, fishing and the EUs demand that Britain should continue to follow its rules after the transition period expires at the end of this year. And the agenda revealed they cannot even agree on terminology with the EU demanding talks on a level playing field, while the UK refers to open and fair competition. But it was agreed that the talks will be conducted in English, with Brussels agreeing to pay translation costs if Mr Barnier wishes to speak in French. Talks will alternate between Brussels and London, with five rounds pencilled in ahead of a high-level summit in June when Mr Johnson will decide if it is worth continuing with them. But Frances Europe minister Amelie de Montchalin warned yesterday: We cannot let our level of ambition be affected by what I would call artificial deadlines. If the UK decides to shorten the negotiating period, it will be the UKs responsibility. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand are some of the notable names taking part in the upcoming Centre for Policy Research's (CPR) annual public forum. The two-day conclave, titled "CPR Dialogues 2020: Policy Perspectives for 21st Century India", will commence at the India Habitat Centre here on Monday. The aim, according to organisers, is to "provide a window to the India of the future" and "debate the significant development and policy challenges that India faces in the coming decade". It proposes to address a wide spectrum of pressing topics like air pollution, public education, agriculture, geopolitics, state capacity, technology and law, they added. "Some of the issues that will be addressed during the CPR Dialogues are: As norms of engagement and the global order change, how should India define its geopolitical position?, Can the Indian state deliver cutting edge public services to all its citizens and build 21st century public institutions? and How can India create productive jobs while responding to challenges of technology, rapid urbanisation and global economic changes?, among others," read a statement from the organisers. Other prominent speakers taking part in the forum include ex foreign secretary Shyam Saran, former US deputy secretary of state James Steinberg, economist Lant Pritchett, and political scientist Mukulika Banerjee. It comes to a close on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Allendale, South Carolina, by all appearances, is a town that time forgot. The population of the entire county numbers less than 9,000 a number that dwindles with each passing year. "What is happening? They don't have jobs here. Crime is high here and a lot of people just don't feel protected," said Phyllis Smart, a longtime resident and owner of a local community center. Nestled in the southwest corner of this deep red state, is a very blue Allendale county with a population that's nearly three-quarters black, according to the U.S census bureau. It's located 73 miles from Savannah, Georgia, 90 miles from Charleston, and apparently a long, long way off the campaign trail. PHOTO: An abandoned home in Allendale, S.C., Feb. 27th, 2020. (ABC News) Since the beginning of the 2020 presidential campaign, only two candidates have personally held public campaign events with the voters in Allendale. In an effort to gain traction with African American voters, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was one of the first candidates to host a town hall there. "I went to Allendale County, the poorest county in the state. They hadn't seen a Democratic presidential candidate in more than a decade, and they feel completely passed over and passed by. So I thought it's very important to be there and to have that conversation," Buttigieg said after visiting the area last December. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker met with voters at the Allendale Democratic Party on Jan. 4 right before officially suspending his campaign. Former Vice President Joe Biden's sister Valerie Biden Owens also held a surrogate campaign event on behalf of her brother back in October. (MORE: Sen. Cory Booker suspends presidential campaign) Before the 2020 race, the last presidential candidate to visit Allendale County was former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards back in 2008. Once a thriving manufacturing hub, the community is now a graveyard of what once was. PHOTO: An abandoned hotel along Route 301 in Allendale County, S.C., Feb. 27th, 2020. (ABC News) Longtime Allendale resident Patricia Johnson told ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis that she has spent most of her life watching her community change. Story continues "When I was small there were plants where people would get jobs and stay home," she said. PHOTO: An abandoned grain elevator in Allendale, S.C., Feb. 27th, 2020. (ABC News) With few employment opportunities in town, residents who remain travel up to 90 minutes to Hilton Head, Charleston and Columbia for work. The jobs aren't here anymore and people worry they may never come back. Main street in Allendale used to be a vibrant, bustling avenue, filled with tourists, now, few stores remain. A lone grocery store remains along with skeletal remnants of 1950s-era motels that greet those who enter, lining the highway that was once the main thoroughfare from New York-to-Miami until Interstate 95 opened two counties over. "We had all the hotels and all the restaurants, the grocery, we had everything here," Allendale City Councilwoman Lottie Lewis said. "We were really the New York of all the other towns," she added. PHOTO: ABC's Linsey Davis talks with Allendale city councilwoman Lottie Lewis, Feb. 27th, 2020, in Allendale, S.C. (ABC News) Now, this community trying to rebound and is looking for leaders at both the national and local level to help redevelopment their economy. "Just take a look around. We kind of get lost. There is nothing here and nobody seemed to be interested in helping us," Johnson said. President Donald Trump has recently touted various successes for the black community. "African American poverty rate has plummeted to the lowest level in the history of our country," Trump said at a recent Black History Month event at the White House. The current unemployment rate among African Americans is six percent-- which is .5 percent shy of the lowest it has been since 1972, according to the Bureau of Labor. In South Carolina, the overall unemployment rate is just under 2.5%. Lewis told ABC News that prosperity has not trickled on the ground in her rural town. "It's nice to get on television, say all the blacks have this and they have that, but you can look and see this is reality that we're standing in right now. This is reality," Lewis said. PHOTO: A view of Allendale's main street, Feb. 27th, 2020, in South Carolina. (ABC News) Very few pass through here now, including the presidential candidates promising to bring struggling Americans out of poverty. Overall, 2020 presidential contenders have held less than 600 events in South Carolina, compared to the more than 2,300 campaign events in Iowa. Residents in this small community say they are not being heard, "Places like this and throughout low country literally lose their voice," Smart said. With her community center, Smart is trying to change that. Beyond feeding her families, she's educating them about the value of voting. "I would sit among them and talk with them about the candidates ... and it began to open eyes for them," Smart said. Allendale has consistently voted for a Democratic president since 1976. Here, Hillary Clinton won 76% of the vote, President Obama 80%. African Americans ABC News has spoken with across the county said too often, the black vote is taken for granted by Democrats. "Black voters need to be heard. They need to be recognized. They need to be respected," City Councilman Larry Cohen said. "Taken for granted, you know. But we have a lot to offer. We have a lot to offer," fellow council member Lottie Lewis added. As the population of the country becomes more diverse, Republicans are increasing their outreach to voters of color. Trump's re-election campaign recently announced it's planning to open 15 community centers in urban cities in critical battleground states next month aimed at boosting African-American support heading into the 2020 election. (MORE: Trump campaign plans to open retail-style 'community centers' in latest effort to court black voters) The initiative will focus its retail-like pop-up centers in cities with stable economies. As of now, the centers are not located in rural areas hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs. Voters here aren't buying the President's message, "No, I would never vote for him," Lewis said. Now an open question, will they vote at all? "They don't listen to us. So why should I even vote? Because the things that we ask for never come our way," Johnson said. She added, "our history says that we're not people that give up. We fight." PHOTO: Resident Patricia Johnson talks with ABC's Linsey Davis, Feb. 27th, 2020, in Allendale, S.C. (ABC News) (MORE: Why some black voters want more from the 2020 Democratic field) And that's exactly what many here are doing now. Fighting for their future, regardless of who is coming to help. Lottie Lewis is trying to lead Allendale's revitalization with the slogan "Forward Allendale." PHOTO: A home in Allendale, S.C., Feb. 27, 2020. (ABC News) "My parents love this town and worked very hard to make things better, I feel like I need to do the same," Lewis said. Back at her community center-- Smart has a message for this presidential field and politicians across her state, and in Washington, "they really need to come and see the grass root of the people that literally make up America," she said. PHOTO: Community center owner Phyllis Smart talks with ABC's Linsey Davis about voter outreach, Feb. 27th, 2020, in Allendale, S.C. (ABC News) In this deep red state, Lewis says this reliably blue county needs investments both in the courtship of its voters and in the infrastructure of its economy. PHOTO: Allendale's main street is filled with shuttered stores, Feb. 27th, 2020. (ABC News) "That they need to come this way sometimes," Johnson added. "Because our vote will matter. You know, one way or the other, our vote will. It may just push you over the edge if you come this way. But when you forget about us, then we're helping the other person." ABC News' Brandon Baur contributed to this report. Residents of Allendale, SC's 'forgotten' county say 'Black voters need to be heard. They need to be recognized' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Bombardment of the Libyan capital Tripoli intensified on Friday, residents said, as the United Nations envoy called for a return to a ceasefire agreed last month and eastern forces said they shot down several drones. Residents said the shelling was among the heaviest since the ceasefire was agreed on Jan. TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Bombardment of the Libyan capital Tripoli intensified on Friday, residents said, as the United Nations envoy called for a return to a ceasefire agreed last month and eastern forces said they shot down several drones. Residents said the shelling was among the heaviest since the ceasefire was agreed on Jan. 12, as artillery blasts echoed through the city centre and black smoke billowed near Mitiga airport held by the government. The fighting, between the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based leader Khalifa Haftar and the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, came as the United Nations tried to hold peace talks in Geneva. Speaking in the Swiss city on Friday, U.N. special representative Ghassan Salame said the past 24 hours had seen "a very serious truce violation" and called for all sides to again respect the ceasefire. Shelling of Mitiga airport, held by the GNA, has forced a suspension of flights for hours at a time on consecutive days this week and new damage to a hangar was visible after Friday's bombardment. The town council of Abu Salim, a Tripoli neighbourhood also held by the GNA, posted pictures of damaged houses on Facebook, while medics evacuated some patients from a hospital near the airport. The bombing of civilian neighbourhoods of Tripoli "may amount to war crimes", the United Nations' Libya mission said in a statement. The mission also condemned an attack on Thursday that it said killed five members of a family in an area held by the LNA, which has attributed the blast to a drone strike. The LNA is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while the GNA is supported by Turkey and allied fighters it has brought from Syria. Haftar began his attack on Tripoli last year in the latest round of fighting in Libya since the 2011 toppling of strongman Muammar Gaddafi. The LNA said late on Friday that it had shot down at least six Turkish drones, showing images of tangled wreckage whose authenticity Reuters could not immediately verify. (Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Additional reporting by Aymen al-Warfalli in Benghazi; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. NYPD links 4th bank robbery to S.I. pattern; releases new image of man sought for questioning The NYPD has linked a fourth bank robbery to a Staten Island pattern and released a new photo of a man sought for questioning in connection with those heists. The most recent incident occurred Thursday, when a man entered a TD Bank at 1818 Victory Blvd. in Castleton Corners at around 1:40 p.m., passed a note demanding money and fled the scene with $100, according to a written statement from the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Police initially described the robber as a white male in his 50s, standing about 5 feet, 8 inches. In that incident, he wore a medical mask, police said. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit Man sought for questioning in connection with bank robbery on Forest Avenue The NYPD is asking for the publics help to identify a man sought for questioning in connection with a bank robbery in Port Richmond Center. An unidentified man entered the TD Bank at 1600 Forest Ave. on Wednesday at 3:34 p.m. and handed a "demand note" to a teller, according to a statement from the NYPD. Click here for more details. Don't Edit Midland Beach residents shaken by gunpoint robbery Several Midland Beach residents were surprised to hear about a robbery at gunpoint in a neighborhood they defined as quiet and safe. A man robbed a woman, 38, at about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday at the corner of Hempstead Avenue and Colony Avenue, according to a spokesman for the NYPD. The victim, 38, told police that after she stepped off the S51 MTA bus on Midland Avenue, an unidentified male approached her from behind and displayed a black firearm. He pointed the firearm at her, told her to get on the ground and took her bag, police said. Click here for more details. Don't Edit Willowbrook man charged in New Jersey with planning sex with a 14-year-old girl A Willowbrook man was charged with trying to have a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl, the Burlington County district attorney announced Wednesday. John Emilio, 42, of Woolley Avenue, thought he was messaging the girl online, but in reality he was talking to a detective from the Burlington County High-Tech Crimes Unit, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. The Willowbrook resident sent pictures of his private parts and made uncomfortable comments, Coffina said in a press release. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit Man, 18, allegedly nabbed with gun; NYPD calls him a gang member An 18-year-old was found with a loaded gun during a car stop, authorities allege. Hilton Tucker, of Roxbury Street in the Mariners Harbor Houses, allegedly was found with a loaded, .357-caliber firearm, according to a spokeswoman for the NYPD and a post on the 121st Precinct Twitter feed. Click here for the story. Don't Edit Don't Edit Off-duty Sanitation worker from Great Kills admits to attempted rape in sex attack on teen girl A Sanitation worker from Great Kills, accused of sexually attacking a teenage girl five months ago while he was off-duty, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted rape. Sean McDade, 55, entered his plea after Matthew Zuntag, his lawyer, confirmed the results of a recent court-ordered psychiatric exam which found the defendant mentally fit for trial. Click here for the story. Don't Edit Man, 23, accused of vandalizing properties with graffiti 10 times Authorities allege that a 23-year-old man used graffiti to vandalize expressway underpasses, stores, a truck and other properties from the North to South shores of Staten Island. Dylan Farley, 23, of Seymour Avenue, Port Richmond, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with 10 incidents, according to police and the criminal complaint. Farley allegedly scrawled tags including NEZA and NZ at prominent locations throughout the borough from last April through February, and even targeted a restaurant on Christmas Day. Nearly all of the vandalism was committed under the cover of darkness, either late at night or before sunrise in the morning, according to the criminal complaint. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit Man accused of trying to trade fake Georgia license for real New York license A man tried to swap a bogus Georgia drivers license for a valid New York license at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Travis, authorities allege. Florencio Cortes-Rios, 33, of Union Avenue, Mariners Harbor, was arrested on Feb. 12 in connection with the incident on Feb. 6 at about 10 a.m. at the DMV office at 1775 South Ave., according to the criminal complaint and police. A DMV employee spotted the fake license and an investigator from the DMV participated in the probe, police say. Flaws in the counterfeit license were that the coloration of the ghost image was wrong, the hologram was missing and words were misspelled, on the back of the license, the complaint states. Click here for more details. Don't Edit Woman admits to driving drunk in Arrochar with child in SUV A Brooklyn woman has admitted to driving drunk in Arrochar with a child in her SUV five months ago. Monique Glasgow, of the 1200 block of Loring Avenue, was busted on Lily Pond Avenue around 9:35 p.m. on Sept. 16, said prosecutors court filings. A 7-year-old child was in the vehicle, said police. Court papers didnt state the nature of Glasgows relationship to the youngster. Click here for the full story. Don't Edit ICE raids net 2 in Tottenville, Grant City; advocates question tactics A father-to-be from Grant City was getting ready to hug his daughter for the first time, but that dream was shattered when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took him into custody at the end of January, his family says. His arrest came in one of two recent raids in the South and East shores that have immigrant activists questioning the agencys tactics after relatives of the detained allege the officers were vague about which law-enforcement branch they represented. Click here for more details. Don't Edit Mumbai, Feb 29 : Reliance Industries (RIL) said on Saturday that it has acquired 37.7 per cent stake in the debt-ridden Alok Industries Ltd for Rs 250 crore. This comes after the Ahmedabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had last year approved its joint acquisition proposal with JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co Ltd. State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar had earlier said the bank expects to recover Rs 1,700 crore from Alok Industries. In an exchange filing, RIL said that in accordance with the approved resolution plan, Alok Industries has on Saturday allotted 83,33,33,333 equity shares of Re 1 each at a premium of Rs 2 per equity share for cash at a total consideration of Rs 250 crore to RIL. "Pursuant to this acquisition, RIL will hold 37.7 per cent equity share capital of Alok", Reliance Industries said in a regulatory filing. "It may further be noted that in accordance with the approved resolution plan, Alok Industries has today also allotted 250,00,00,000 -- 9 per cent Optionally Convertible Preference SharesA (OCPS) of Re 1 each for cash at par, for a total consideration of Rs 250 crore to RIL", the company said. Alok Industries incorporated in India on March 12, 1986 is an integrated textile manufacturer headquartered in Mumbai with interests in the polyester and cotton segments. Approval of National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad Bench and Competition Commission of India has been received. The acquisition does not fall within related party transactions and none of RIL's promoter or promoter group or group companies have any interest in the transaction, the company said. When charges of sexually assaulting a student were withdrawn against teacher Krystal Wilson, supporters who had packed a tiny courtroom respectfully remained silent. But as soon as they walked into the hallway at the Oshawa courthouse last Friday, dozens of people cheered, cried, hugged, took photos and sang. They sang all the way to the escalators, belting out the gospel song Victory is Mine. Outside, they prayed in frigid weather with Wilson and her husband, Tristian. The supporters family, friends, former students wore black T-shirts that read Justice for Ms. C., a reference to her married name, Clunis, which she used at school. It should have felt like happiness when the Crown withdrew the charges, Wilson, 32, told the Star in an interview at her lawyers office a few days later. But, at that moment, she couldnt quite pinpoint the emotion. I felt overwhelmed to see all those people there, she said. And I felt that, after months of going through that case, for it to be just 10 seconds of them saying this is done it didnt seem like enough, to be honest. The Durham Region teacher has always maintained her innocence. Still, at a time when the handling of allegations of sexual assault by the justice system is being vigorously debated in the wider public, even having the charges withdrawn may not be enough to restore her life to how it once was. Although there are no longer criminal charges hanging over her head, the impact on her health and reputation may be long-lasting. Will the strange looks, the whispers, the comments from strangers online ever stop? Shock and disbelief is how Wilson describes feeling when she learned in October 2018 that she had been charged with sexually assaulting a former student, who would have been 10 years old at the time. According to a video statement given to police and played at the teachers preliminary hearing, the student claimed Wilson had given him a 20- to 30-second handjob at her desk in front of the class, and had done the same another time in the same portable classroom during recess, when they were alone with the door open. There would have been about 30 students in the classroom at the time of the first allegation and yet, Wilson said, police did not interview any of them prior to charging her, nor did they interview her. It just felt like someone missed a step along the way, for them to get that far and for there to be criminal charges to be laid based off of a childs word, she told the Star. Im not saying dont take these allegations seriously, but at the same time ... the allegation is sexual assault in front of an entire class of 30 students to not talk to any of those other 30 students just seems a bit ridiculous. A Durham Regional Police spokesperson said he was not able to comment on investigative strategies or tactics in Wilsons case, but said the service respects the decision of the court. These types of investigations are very sensitive because they involve minors and each complaint of this kind is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly, police spokesman Dave Selby said. I can assure you that we do not lay these types of serious charges lightly. Wilson said the allegations came a few days after a Saturday night when the boy and a friend prank called her husbands cellphone, which is available online as hes a real estate agent. Wilson said that when she called the number back, she recognized the voicemail recording of a former student at her previous school. Wilson said she went to her old school on the Monday to tell the childs mother and the principal about the calls, which the boy later acknowledged making in his statement to police. She wasnt able to see the principal, but she did speak with the mother. Wilson and her lawyer say it was after this conversation at the school that the boy alleged he had been sexually assaulted. A day later, Wilson said, she was teaching in her classroom when her principal said she had to leave because there was a pending allegation against her. Within about two weeks, she was arrested outside a Shoppers Drug Mart in her hometown, charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference. She was kept in handcuffs outside for about 40 minutes by four male police officers who, she said, told her they had to wait for a female officer to arrive to pat her down. There was a crowd. It was embarrassing, Wilson said, wiping away tears. I asked multiple times if I could sit in their car. I wasnt holding anything of danger. My frustration was, well if you knew you were coming to arrest a female, why didnt you have a female officer with you? Daniel Brown, her lawyer, said that with these types of allegations, its typical to have the person surrender to the police station. Theres no conceivable reason for why the police wouldnt have done that here, he said. Wilson spent the night in jail, sleeping on a bench. The next day she was bailed with strict conditions, including a prohibition on contact with any child under the age of 14, directly or indirectly, unless accompanied by another adult. It meant that even a trip to the grocery store, or a trip to anywhere in the community, potentially put her in jeopardy of having contact with a child and having her bail revoked, Brown said. Durham police put out a press release announcing her arrest, saying they wanted to ensure there were no other victims, which police told the Star is standard procedure in these types of cases. (No one else came forward.) Her name and photo were published widely by media outlets. Wilson, who was Miss Canada Globe in 2008, had had a steady stream of work doing TV commercials as a model on top of her teaching. I worked really hard to establish a positive image and in those few minutes, in a heartbeat, its all removed, she said. Now if you search my name all you see is this negativity. How do you fix that? Her passport was revoked after she was charged, meaning she could not travel to a wedding in Barbados she had already paid for, nor could she go to her aunts memorial in Jamaica, the only member of her family unable to attend. She was put on paid leave from teaching, and her volunteer work with her church was limited by the ban on being near children. She had to pay for a lawyer. Her part-time modelling work came to a halt. Plans to start a family with her husband of nearly 10 years had to be put on hold. And the stress-induced seizures shes had infrequently over the years were now occurring almost monthly. She started seeing a professional for anxiety and depression just leaving the house brought on anxiety. Weve never been through anything like this ever before, said her husband, Tristian Clunis, I just wanted to make sure I kept her spirit up, keep her positive, let her know that we already know the truth and we just have to go through the process. The time between her arrest and the charge being withdrawn was excruciating, Wilson said. But her faith kept her going, she said, and her church family prayed and fasted with her, standing by her right up to last Fridays court appearance. The hearing didnt last long. A Crown attorney said that after a comprehensive review of the evidence from the preliminary hearing in which the complainant and a few other witnesses testified, the charges were being withdrawn as there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction. Then her lawyer spoke: Ms. Wilson is a passionate and caring teacher who had her livelihood and her reputation destroyed 16 months ago when these false allegations surfaced, Brown told the judge. This ordeal has stripped Ms. Wilson of her liberty, dignity and privacy. We are grateful that she now has her innocence restored today. Ms. Wilson sincerely hopes that the injustice of what took place to her in no way tarnishes the justice systems quest to pursue truthful claims of sexual assault and to bring genuine offenders to justice. With the stroke of a pen, Superior Court Justice Laura Bird wrote on an endorsement that the charges were being withdrawn at the request of the Crown. And it was over. I think the result speaks for itself, Brown told the Star. This wasnt a case where a judge said. I cant decide whether you did it or not. This was a case where the Crown attorney said it would be unreliable to even try to prosecute this case based on the evidence we have. A spokesman for the Ministry of the Attorney General said the Crown is duty-bound to withdraw charges if there is no reasonable prospect of a conviction, or if its not in the public interest to proceed with the case. Pursuant to the Crowns ongoing obligation to assess the case and after careful consideration, the Crown determined that a withdrawal of these charges was appropriate, said spokesman Brian Gray. The question of whether Wilson can go back to teaching remains. Id love to because thats what Im made to do, she said. I do know I need to get over this anxiety. When I teach I give so much of myself, so I dont know how to give halfway. Her mother found a photo of her at the age of four writing that she wanted to become a teacher although she spelled it techr. As a teen, she volunteered in schools and was encouraged to pursue teaching as a profession. After becoming a teacher, she would attend many of her students extracurricular activities to cheer them on. Can she still be that type of teacher now? Brown said, adding that after the charges, her enthusiasm had been scrutinized as evidence against her. Everything was turned upside down and turned on its head to be something sinister. Wilson is still on leave from school, but remains in good standing with the College of Teachers and is not currently facing disciplinary proceedings. A spokesman said the college doesnt comment on cases that may or may not be under investigation, but that its possible that a matter may proceed as an allegation of professional misconduct, regardless of the criminal matter. The Durham District School Board said it could not comment on Wilsons case. We are diligent in ensuring that procedures are followed when there is a question in relation to student safety, said a statement from the boards communications department, adding the board co-operates fully with other organizations including the police. For now, at least, the criminal charges are gone and Wilson is once again innocent in the eyes of the law. From the very beginning, I was very clear about my innocence and Ill continue to do that, she said. So I think the whispering will have to stop, because my stance will never change. More than 100 people gathered in Fethard-on-Sea on a blustery Thursday afternoon to remember the brave RNLI men from the village who drowned 106 years ago to the day while trying to rescue the crew of the Norwegian cargo ship, 'The Mexico'. Among the crowd were Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland Else Berit Eikeland and Portuguese Ambassador Miguel de Almeida e Sousa who were welcomed by MC Brendan Power. Mr Power said the event was organised to honour and to remember the 14 incredibly brave men from the village and to recognise the continuing work the RNLI. 'Already this year we have seen them in action as we had a tragedy in the area. We also had storms Brendan, Ciara and Dennis and they will give you an idea of the kind of weather the RNLI crew were out in 106 years ago.' Facing into the worst storm in a generation, the men - Christopher Bird, Thomas Handrick, Michael Handrick, Patrick Stafford, William Bird, William Banville, Patrick Roche, James Morrissey, Patrick Cullen who all perished, and survivors John McNamara, John Kelly, George Crumpton, Garrett Handrick and Richard Bird - set out in a 35ft boat. 'They put their own lives at risk.' He said a 22-year-old Portuguese man who was rescued from 'The Mexico' sadly died from hypothermia the day after the famous rescue on February 20, 1914. 'After they crashed they spent two days and three nights on the Keeraghs before being rescued by RNLI crews from Dunmore, Rosslare and a Wexford tug.' Mr Power said the nine local men who died were husbands, sons and brothers, dearly loved by their relatives. He read aloud the mens' names, describing them as heroes of the village. 'There are many people present here today who can count these heroes among their ancestors.' Pupils from Poulfur NS took time out from their midterm break to recite a poem about 'The Mexico' rescue. Ms Eikeland paid tribute to the legendary heroism of the Fethard men, saying they came to the rescue of the Norwegian boat. 'It's very comforting that the Norwegian people never forgot what the crew of the "Helen Blake" did on what was a terrible, rainy, stormy day. Today is a beautiful day in comparison to the day it happened.' Ms Eikeland complimented the pupils on their fantastic poetry reading. 'Thank you to all of you in the village and to the Helen Blake Lifeboat project committee and for the sacrifice in rescuing the Norwegian boat. We will never forget it,' she said, adding that Norway will support the Helen Blake Replica Project as it keeps the memory of the Fethard rescue alive. 'In 1914 the Norwegian king gave a diploma to all of the men. The most important thing now is to try and establish contacts between Fethard-on-Sea and Norway's rescue organisations.' Mr Sousa said: 'I am honoured to attend this commemoration. It's always difficult to express feelings when describing such a disaster. Today we are mourning and commemorating a group of men who came to the rescue of a group of people in distress in an act of humanity. They sacrificed their lives for people they didn't know.' Mr Sousa said Portuguese people are bound with Irish and Norwegian people by virtue of their proximity to the sea. He said the men of the 'Helen Blake' acted immediately in an unexpected moment. 'Their lives were confronted with an exceptional circumstance and in turn they became unintentional heroes, elevating themselves to the status of models.' Both ambassadors laid wreaths at the commemoration monument, while pupils laid flowers, before the crowd sang 'Home From The Sea' and the band played 'Boolavogue', a strong gale providing a backing accompaniment. Patrick Cullen's granddaughter, Eileen Power, was in attendance and spoke of her pride and joy at being home from England for the event. Weather Alert ...Winter Storm System to Impact the Region this Weekend... A strong winter storm system will push east through the Quad State Saturday into Sunday. Wintry precipitation will spread eastward into southern Illinois and southeast Missouri late Friday night, and then southeast over the remainder of the region Saturday morning. The evolution of the storm for the remainder of the weekend is quite uncertain at this time. The ultimate path and intensity of the storm system, along with the temperature forecast, will determine how impactful it will be across the Quad State. For now you are encouraged to monitor the latest forecasts and follow your winter weather preparedness plans ahead of this potentially impactful winter storm. US President on Saturday announced restrictions on from and advised fellow citizens not to to certain areas of and Italy. The announcement came as the first death from was reported in the US from the Washington state. "Unfortunately, one person passed away overnight. She was a wonderful woman, a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Additional cases in the are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover. If you are healthy, you will probably go through a process and you will be fine," he said and urged people not to panic. As many as 15 people have recovered from the virus so far in the US. "There is no reason to panic at all. Our country is prepared for any circumstance," the president said at his second press conference in the White House briefing room on his return from India on Wednesday. Joining the press conference, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump had authorised a ban on entry of foreign nationals who travelled to in the last 14 days. The also advised its citizens not to to parts of and Italy, from where reports of have appeared. The vice president has been tasked by Trump to lead the administration's efforts in the fight against the According to Center for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield, 22 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the US so far. Trump said various wings of the US government were working on the coronavirus round the clock. "It is a tough one, but a lot of progress has been made," the president said, adding that his administration had taken the most aggressive action in modern history to confront the disease. In a statement, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced the death of an individual from the coronavirus. "It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," he said. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said there was an outbreak of a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that was first detected in the Wuhan city of China's Hubei province and has now been detected in 50 locations internationally, including cases in the It said the potential public health threat posed by the coronavirus was high, both globally and to the US, adding that to effectively respond to the coronavirus outbreak, rapid detection of cases and contacts, appropriate clinical management and infection control, and implementation of community mitigation efforts were critical. This could best be achieved with wide availability of testing capabilities in healthcare settings, reference and commercial laboratories, and at the point of care, the FDA said. It added that it would allow some 300 to 400 academic-hospital laboratories to begin testing for the virus, allowing for checks of thousands of people rather than the few hundred already tested. "We believe this policy strikes the right balance during this public health emergency. "We will continue to help to ensure sound science prior to clinical testing and follow-up with the critical independent review from the FDA, while quickly expanding testing capabilities in the US. We are not changing our standards for issuing Emergency Use Authorisations. This action today reflects our commitment to addressing critical public health needs and rapidly responding and adapting to this dynamic and evolving situation," FDA Commissioner Stephen M Hahn said. The FDA guidance provides recommendations for test developers, including information regarding test validation, FDA notifications and interim confirmatory clinical testing. Responding to a question, Trump said he was considering closing the southern border to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "We are looking also at (the) southern border. We have received a lot of power on the southern border over the last couple years from the courts, but we are looking at that very strongly," he said. In a letter on Friday, several senators, including Ted Cruz, Martha McSally and John Cornyn, called for closing the coronavirus. "As southern border Senators, we are concerned about the possible spread of the coronavirus across our borders," they said in the letter to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan. "We are similarly concerned about recent reports that the virus is spreading in Europe. Border shortcomings by the European Union have resulted in the spread of the virus across a number of nations, and it is essential that the United States not repeat these mistakes. We write to ask how your agency is prepared to address the threat presented by the coronavirus at US borders," the senators said. A group of 4th year students at DkIT have turned to crowd-funding in a bit to get enough money to make a documentary entitled 'The Arctic Fox: Francis Leopold McClintock' as part of our BA (Hons) degree in Film & Television Production. Director Andrew Nolan as director, producer David Burns with Richie Delea on cinematography and Martin Brady as sound operator and mixer, want to tell the story of the Dundalk born explorer Francis Leopold McClintock (1819 - 1907). At the age of 11-years-old, he travelled to Portsmouth on his own where he enrolled in the Royal British Navy. This was the commencement of his military career that would span over a period of 50-years. In 1845, Sir John Franklin disappeared with two ships and 127 men in search of the Northwest passage. Over the duration of the next 30 years, over 40 expeditions would go to the Arctic in search of Franklin. Between 1857-59, McClintock discovered debris and written records which stated the fate of Franklin's expedition. On his return to England, he brought the news that Franklin and his men had perished in the Arctic wilderness. They have launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. 'With your help, we will be able to cover various production costs including travel, equipment, costume and props, and even the construction of miniature worlds,' says Andrew Nolan. They have set a target of 2,000 and those who donate receive a variety of awards, ranging from a special thanks in the credits for a 10 donation to a special thanks in the credits, an invite to the screening and a printed poster for a 25 donation. The current blockades are the latest development in a land-surrender process that started in the 17th century. The first commercial compacts between the European settlers and Indigenous peoples of North America presented the two parties with challenges in understanding each others world views on land title. This challenge persists to this day in resolving the Wetsuweten claims. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion The current blockades are the latest development in a land-surrender process that started in the 17th century. The first commercial compacts between the European settlers and Indigenous peoples of North America presented the two parties with challenges in understanding each others world views on land title. This challenge persists to this day in resolving the Wetsuweten claims. As described by J.R. Miller in Compact, Contract, Covenant : Aboriginal Treaty-Making in Canada, when Europeans first encountered Indigenous peoples of North America, they imagined a vast continent settled by disparate and unconnected collectivities. In fact, Indigenous peoples had long developed a complex web of political agreements to facilitate trade, govern hunting/fishing/agricultural rights and manage the diplomacy of an increasingly crowded and contested continent. Europeans were confronted with a land title system in which kinship and consensus bound agreements among Indigenous peoples, unlike the familiar legal contracts in European law that bind strangers to mutual obligations enforceable under law. These two views confound common understanding of land title to this day. When the Wetsuweten hereditary chiefs assert rights over more than 20,000 square kilometres in northwestern British Columbia, they are calling on oral agreements with other First Nations negotiated long before the arrival of Europeans. For most Canadians who own a home within the framework of English (or Quebec) law, the language and concepts used by Indigenous leaders when speaking of land rights is utterly foreign. Despite the radically different world views, however, Europeans and First Nations negotiated many effective trade agreements in the 18th century. The treaties of peace and friendship negotiated by France for example, were, as Miller writes, "remarkable diplomatic achievements." In 1763, with the end of the Seven Years War, George III issued a royal proclamation intended to create a framework to guide British colonization of North America. A critical theme of that decree secured Indigenous title to the land, specifying it would remain so unless ceded by an explicit treaty. Despite the portrayal of King George as a buffoon and madman in the musical Hamilton, the proclamation is quite forward-looking for its time. Of course, on the eve of the American Revolution the proclamation also had military purposes for Britain in the creation of alliances with Indigenous nations. With defeat of the Americans in 1812, the imminent threat of invasion from the south abated and relationships between Britain and Canadas Indigenous peoples changed. The challenge, as perceived by the Province of Canada (and Britain), was to populate the west as rapidly as possible as a defence against the threat of American economic expansion northwest. Once Indigenous peoples were no longer needed as military allies, governments viewed them more as a nuisance and sought to accelerate assimilation. The Robinson-Superior and Robinson-Huron Treaties of 1854 signalled this changing relationship between government and First Nations. In contrast to the prior piecemeal treaties that involved small land areas and a single community, these two treaties encompassed several First Nations and vast areas. They also included one-time payments for the bands, annuity payments to individuals, specification of reserve lands where Indigenous families were "encouraged" to settle, and guarantees of hunting and fishing rights. Canada viewed this model as so successful that it served as the template for the next phase the so-called numbered treaties. The enunciation of the National Policy, initially a high tariff regime to shield the Canadian manufacturing soon morphed into a policy to settle the west. Prime minister John A. Macdonald's government sought to pave the way for waves of new immigrants, exploit natural resources and consolidate Canadas claim to Ruperts Land and west to the Pacific. The numbered treaties, negotiated between 1871 and 1921, defined specific land areas reserved exclusively for Indigenous settlement, offered a nominal annuity of $4 to $15 per person and, in some cases, offered health care and other services. The intent was to create agricultural communities that would encourage the assimilation of Indigenous persons into the mainstream economy. The numbered treaties accounted for massive land surrenders from First Nations to the Canadian government and settlers. After 1921, the line went dead on treaty-making. Vast areas of Canada, the land the Royal Proclamation of 1763 designated as Aboriginal, became unceded territory. These unceded lands account for much of Canadas wealth reflected by the growth of Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. This period also marked the end of what has come to be known as the era of "historic treaties." First Nations leaders continued to fight for land rights, with success eventually coming in the Supreme Courts Calder decision of 1973, which ushered the era of the "modern treaties." The Calder decision recognized the right of the Nisgaa to a large area of B.C.; since then, more than 25 agreements covering over 100 communities have extended Indigenous ownership to lands which, in terms of total area, roughly equal the size of Manitoba. 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. These agreements protect traditional ways of life, guarantee participation in resource management decisions, have resulted in investments of $3.2 billion by the federal government and support access to resource opportunities. In contrast to the views of many media commentators who state no progress has been made on Indigenous land rights for decades, recent history appears to show a meaningful move toward recognition of Aboriginal land title. However, the Wetsuweten blockade of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline has brought to the fore the ideological clash between the concept of Aboriginal Title, as vested in Indigenous tradition, and European fee-simple land title as vested in common law. The Wetsuweten continue to assert title on the basis of kinship and consensus, the same view Indigenous negotiators presented to Europeans 300 years ago. In the 1990s, the hereditary chiefs tried to gain formal recognition of their land rights, but were rebuffed by the B.C. courts as failing to establish a clear claim. In its review of the Delgamuukw case, the Supreme Court, while not upholding the appeal of the Wetsuweten, accepted that oral history and occupation of the land were legitimate bases for First Nations claim to land title. The ball is now squarely back in the court of the B.C. Treaty Commission and the Wetsuweten to determine whether the claim can be accepted within the framework of modern treaties. Had their original claim been granted more than 30 years ago, it is entirely possible that the Wetsuweten would now support the pipeline and be poised to receive revenue from resource development. It is common to distinguish between colonial and Aboriginal law; however, as the current blockades demonstrate, the disparate conceptions of land title urgently require reconciliation. Otherwise, the experiment called Canada will enter deeply uncertain waters. Gregory Mason is an associate professor of economics at the University of Manitoba. A few years before today, in the assembly elections held in the year 2012, Forest Minister Dr. Harak Singh Rawat appeared in Rudraprayag CGM Court in connection with violation of code of conduct and indecency with government officials and employees. During this time, he was charged with breach of peace, interfering in government work and threatening him. The next hearing in the case will be held after Holi in March. Moody's warning to Pakistan in terms of terrorist funding On Friday at 11 am, Cabinet Minister Dr. Rawat reached the district headquarters. Here he reached the district court in Saund, where he appeared in the CGM court in the 2012 election (he was contesting from Rudraprayag constituency). After hearing both the sides, charges were framed against the cabinet minister in the court for violation of code of conduct. He was charged with breach of peace under section 147 of the Indian Penal Code, obstructing government work under 353 and under section 506. Charges of intimidation were framed. Dr. Rawat's advocate BS Bhandari said that the next hearing of the case will be held after Holi in March. 'Pakistan Army Epicenter of International Terrorism', poster going viral In the year 2012, Dr. Harak Singh Rawat contested from Rudraprayag Vis on the Congress Party ticket. During this period, during the election campaign, Dr. Rawat was accused of violating the model code of conduct and indecency on the administrative officers and employees, in which FIR was lodged. After reaching Mamla court, the summons was sent to Cabinet Minister Dr. Rawat. On 14 February, Dr. Rawat reached Rudraprayag CGM Court, where he got bail in the case. Chidambaram furious over Kanhaiya Kumar's accusations of treason, " Delhi government does not even understand" Does the Ohio General Assembly really need two chambers a state Senate and House? Ohio says yes. So do 48 other states. But years ago, a 50th state said no. Nebraskas one-chamber legislature is composed of 49 senators. Nebraskans approved that set-up in 1934. And theyve kept it in place. The two-house model state legislature was devised centuries ago, when American state senates, as second chambers, were supposed to represent geography rural areas to offset urban residents. Cities, after all, were sinful and the countryside, well, just look at a Currier and Ives print. That changed when the U.S. Supreme Court, speaking through Chief Justice Earl Warren, ruled that legislators [should] represent people, not trees or acres. Result: Since the 1960s, Ohios state senators and representatives have been elected from districts that are roughly equal in population. Each of Ohios 33 state senators represents (thats the theory) one 33rd of Ohios population, or about 354,215 Ohioans. And each of Ohios 99 state representatives represents one 99th of Ohios population, or about 118,072 Ohioans. Because each Senate district is composed of three House districts, every resident of Ohio is represented by a state senator and a state representative. (Feels grand, doesnt it?) What that really means is that campaign donors and Statehouse lobbyists for banks, insurance companies and public utilities must fund 132 General Assembly campaigns, not, say, 99. And who wants to save them money, anyway? But when two Statehouse chambers play Senate-House or House-Senate ping-pong, its harder to learn whos writing what laws to rip off whom. (Clue: Look in the nearest mirror.) That brings us to Senate-House conference committees. Theyre really a third General Assembly chamber. When one house passes a bill, and the other passes a different version, Chamber No. 1 must agree with (concur in) Chamber No. 2s changes. But if Chamber No. 1 wont concur, the bill must go to a Senate-House conference committee, composed of three legislators per chamber, to write a (supposed) compromise bill both chambers can agree on. It takes four yes votes from the six-member conference committee two from House members of a conference committee, two from Senate members of a conference committee to approve a compromise bill. So if, for example, you want to know why the General Assembly cant agree on how to reform Ohios school voucher mess, its really because the boss of the two state Senate Republican conferees, Senate President Larry Obhof, of Medina, and the boss of the two state House Republican conferees, House Speaker Larry Householder, of Perry Countys Glenford, cant agree. (Arguably, The Dueling Larrys is the best example of kabuki theater this side of Tokyo.) Then theres this, too: Many bystanders think a conference committee can only include in a conference committees compromise bill items that had already been in one of the two parent bills, the Houses or the Senates. Not necessarily: In at least one instance around 1990, legislators boosted Ohios gasoline tax by a sneaky conference committee amendment that hadnt been in either the original House bill or the original Senate bill. No wonder a scholar long ago wrote that in a conference committee, irresponsibility in legislation [can reach] its acme. Then consider conference amendments with secret godparents, such as the 2019 revival by conferees of a House amendment to help residents of Hills and Dales, the posh Stark County village, secede from the Plain Local School District (average income per federal return filed by Plain district residents in tax year 2017 = $60,081) to join the Jackson Local district (average income per federal return filed by Jackson district residents the same year = $93,765). Evidently, suburban Canton is suffering an outbreak of status anxiety. Ohioans could end this falderal and see how things really work with a one-house legislature of, say, 49 members (one per 238,553 Ohioans). Think thats politically impossible? Think again: In the 1930s, good government groups, backed by ex-Gov. Vic Donahey, a New Philadelphia Democrat who fought wasteful spending, proposed a widely debated Ohio unicameral plan. Given todays buck-passing, taxpayers again have to wonder: Does the Statehouse really need two wind tunnels? Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens. To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-408-9474 Editors note: This column was updated March 1 to fix an editing error in the photo caption. It is Nebraska that has a unicameral legislature. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into ProPetro Holding Corp. (NYSE: PUMP). On August 8, 2019, the Company disclosed a delay to its second quarter earnings report due to an ongoing review by its audit committee involving improper expense reimbursements of approximately $370,000 to executives, undisclosed related-party transactions, and a potential material weakness in its internal control over disclosure. Then, on October 18, 2019, news agencies reported that the company was the target of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") relating to its financial disclosures. Finally, on November 13, 2019, the Company confirmed the SEC investigation and also revealed previously-undisclosed related-party transactions totaling $3.6 million as well as "at least two material weaknesses that resulted in the Company's internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures not being effective as of a prior date." The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether ProPetro's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to ProPetro's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of ProPetro shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-pump/ to learn more. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Contact: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner [email protected] 1-877-515-1850 1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200 New Orleans, LA 70163 SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Related Links www.ksfcounsel.com Loading The universities receive $17 billion a year in federal cash already. Paterson said they should be given this opportunity to show they could indeed withstand the lost income. Addressing Scott Morrison, Paterson concluded: "We shouldn't relax the travel ban, and there should be no financial bail-out for the universities." Another Victorian Liberal, Tim Wilson, reinforced the point. Australia's former Human Rights Commissioner urged Morrison to exercise "an abundance of caution" in any decision on the travel ban, an expression he repeated for emphasis. And he suggested the government prepare the public for a discussion of the consequences of the epidemic. Another Liberal, Queensland's Andrew Wallace, wanted to know why the school students who were to be allowed to return to Australia from China were treated differently to university students? The Prime Minister's reply was to observe that the essential difference was that there were 700 school students and 100,000 uni ones. In response to Paterson, Morrison assured that there would be no taxpayer bailout of the universities, according to multiple people who were in the room. And that the government would adhere strictly to the medical advice on any further relaxation of the travel ban. The MPs were satisfied to hear such a clear-cut undertaking. But it lasted less than 24 hours. On Wednesday morning, a copy of a speech by Tehan circulated among alarmed government members. The Education Minister was speaking to the Universities Australia national conference on the other side of Lake Burley Griffin that morning. The passage that riveted attention: "One day, and I hope that day comes very soon, our higher education sector will resume normal operations; the travel ban on China will be lifted and the remaining China-based students will arrive to begin studies for the year." MPs and senators, almost a dozen of them all told, contacted the the Prime Minister's office and other ministers to make sure that "very soon" was not any time soon. Some ministers argued back; the decision seemed to be in the balance. Loading It was the next day, on Thursday morning, that the chief medical officers of all the states, with their Commonwealth counterpart, Brendan Murphy, advised the government unanimously that a global pandemic was already under way. They had observed the accelerating spread of notified cases around the world, the growing number of countries affected, and that the outbreaks were now self-sustaining within some communities far from China. They hadn't been alarmist. Forty-two countries reported they had confirmed infections on Thursday. By the time the Australian government's daily 6.30am incident report was delivered on Friday, that number had grown to 49. Countries have shut down some of the institutions they hold dearest. Japan has closed all schools. Saudi Arabia has halted pilgrimages to Mecca. And the Chinese government has postponed indefinitely its two big annual political assemblies. Australia's group of state and federal medical officers, convening daily, usually by phone hook-up, is the peak point of the pure medical advice, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC). No politicians sit in on their meetings. From there, the medical advice goes to the policymakers in the National Security Committee of the federal cabinet, and this is where the politicians get involved. The NSC is chaired by the Prime Minister. This is where decisions are made and action taken. Or not. The medical officers' "pandemic" call was a big moment. For a start, they were way ahead of the UN body that is supposedly the lead global agency on international health emergencies, the Geneva-based World Health Organisation. Why were the Australians ahead of the world? For a very simple reason. They don't trust the WHO. The information from multiple international sources is that the WHO is under intense pressure from the Chinese government, and succumbing to it. Loading The Australian Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, told the NSC that it was medically inexplicable that the WHO hadn't already declared a global pandemic. It's politics, in other words. That's why Australia had earlier forged ahead of the WHO in declaring the China travel ban, on February 1. It was, again, on the unanimous advice of the AHPPC. The travel ban was decided immediately after the US made the same call. Beijing instantly lashed both the US and Australia on that occasion the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, People's Daily, calling it "racist". But, of course, that decision now looks very wise, more so with each passing day. The WHO followed suit 10 days later. When Morrison announced the China travel ban four weeks ago, there were about 7000 infections disclosed by Beijing. By Thursday this week that number had ballooned to 78,000. The number of countries announcing travel bans has grown proportionately, and mostly they have acted too late. Loading In any case, the political manipulation of the WHO is nothing novel. It was slow to declare HIV-AIDS to be a pandemic in the 1980s because of intense political pressure. Then it was pressure from the US. Now it's from China. Either way, the politics trumps the medical advice. So this week the AHPPC didn't hesitate to act ahead of the Geneva-based outfit. And when the medical officers' advice went to federal health minister, Greg Hunt, and to Morrison, they didn't hesitate, either. Morrison convened a three-hour meeting of the National Security Committee of cabinet on Thursday morning. They discussed the unfolding evidence, reviewed the state of medical preparations, and made three key decisions. One, Morrison would call a press conference and announce the conclusion that the world will soon enter a pandemic phase of the coronavirus. Two, Australia's emergency response plan would be activated. Three, the ban on people travelling from or through China would be extended for another week. The ban is reviewed week to week. The meeting also discussed options for financial aid to suffering sectors of the economy. Morrison made all these announcements after question time. There has been no mention of any more special measures for universities. Loading The political capture of the WHO means, in effect, that it's every country for itself. It also underlines the central importance of keeping politics and other extraneous pressures out of the decision-making processes on a medical matter. Likewise, China's early political cover-ups and bungling wasted precious weeks in containing the virus. The Australian system for dealing with communicable diseases is less prone to politics. Morrison hid from the bushfires; he had no such option on the coronavirus. The Chief Medical Officer, Murphy, does not need the government's permission to invoke the Biosecurity Act. He informed Health Minister Greg Hunt on January 20 that he was triggering the act, automatically setting in train a pre-ordained process of monitoring and advice. (Natural News) Despite the Trump administrations ongoing efforts to calm jittery Americans who are increasingly concerned about an outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus at home, things keep happening to undermine the White Houses message. Like, for instance, an announcement on Friday by the Food and Drug Administration that the country is already short of a drug thanks to the virus. As The Epoch Times reported, FDA officials including Commissioner Stephen Hahn told various media that they are closely monitoring the medical supply chain, but admitted that the spread of the virus well beyond Chinas borders, where it originated, is already having a negative impact. A manufacturer has alerted us to a shortage of a human drug that was recently added to the drug shortages list, Hahn said in a statement Thursday night. The manufacturer just notified us that this shortage is related to a site affected by coronavirus. The shortage is due to an issue with manufacturing of an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the drug. The agency did not say which drug is currently in short supply but since a great many pharmaceuticals and their ingredients are manufactured in China which itself is suffering from a decline in factory output, thanks to coronavirus its very likely that this wont be the last medication shortage. That said, FDA officials did announce that alternative drugs may be available and can take the place of the drug in short supply. Hahn added that the FDA is already working with the drug maker to ramp up production. We will do everything possible to mitigate the shortage, Hahn noted, adding that the virus situation is an evolving and very dynamic one. In addition, as Natural News reported, President Trump is being urged to consider invoking the 1950 Defense Production Act, which would give the government the power to regulate private sector production of goods and items needed to prepare for a wider coronavirus outbreak: As the stock market tanked on new and expanding reports about what appears to be a growing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in the United States, advisers to President Donald Trump urged him on Thursday to take more drastic measures in order to better prepare the country. Getting worse before it gets better The Epoch Times noted that about 180 drug makers have been working with FDA officials since January 24, when it became clear the virus had spread beyond Chinese containment methods, to inform them of their legal obligation to tell the federal government when possible supply disruptions are about to occur. In addition, the companies have also been requested by the FDA to analyze their entire supply chain, to include pharmaceutical ingredients that are made in China. The FDA has identified about 20 other drugs, which solely source their active pharmaceutical ingredients or finished drug products from China, the FDA said in a statement. We have been in contact with those firms to assess whether they face any drug shortage risks due to the outbreak. The firms, the statement said, have yet to report any shortages by publication time. In addition, FDA officials have said they are aware of 63 plants representing 72 facilities in mainland China that make essential medical devices which are also likely to be more prone to shortages thanks to supply chain disruptions. Some of those facilities, the agency says, have been affected by mass lockdowns, factory closures, and quarantines in China, all related to the outbreak and all of which have caused workforce challenges government-speak for not enough workers to maintain necessary production levels. Regarding personal protective equipmentsurgical gowns, gloves, masks, respirator protective devices, or other medical equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illnessthe FDA has heard reports of increased market demand and supply challenges for some of these products, the agency said in a statement. Bottom line, say experts: This supply chain issue with drugs and medical devices will probably get much worse before it improves. Sources include: NaturalNews.com TheEpochTimes.com Fears a growing for a mum and baby after they went missing in Sydney's west. Joanna Punzo, 39, and her six-month-old daughter, Juliana, were last seen leaving a government building in Parramatta at around 3pm on Friday. Police called at around 5.30pm when Ms Punzo failed to return home. Officers said there are concerns for the child's welfare. Ms Punzo is described as having a fair complexion, thin build and is around 170cm tall. Joanna Punzo, 39, and her six-month-old daughter Juliana (pictured) were last seen leaving a government building in Parramatta at around 3pm on Friday Fears a growing for a mum and baby after they went missing in Sydney's west She has brown hair and green eyes. Police have been told Ms Punzo has links to western Sydney including Guildford, Girraween and Parramatta and may be in the area. Anyone who sees them or has information of the babys whereabouts is asked to called Granville Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. US President Donald Trump announced Republican lawmaker John Ratcliffe as his intelligence chief Friday, sparking fresh controversy over a crucial position that has lacked a permanent office holder for months. The 53-year-old Trump loyalist was nominated as director of national intelligence after Dan Coats stepped down in July last year, but withdrew from consideration after strong criticism of his credentials from Democrats and a tepid response from key Republicans. Trump instead named counterterrorism expert Joseph McGuire as acting director, overseeing the 17 agencies of the intelligence community including the CIA and National Security Agency. But he forced McGuire out on February 20 after a senior intelligence official told Congress in a closed briefing that the Russians were again supporting Trump's bid for re-election. The revolving door continued to spin as Trump appointed another loyalist, Richard Grenell, two weeks ago. But the former ambassador to Germany had no relevant experience and was viewed as highly political. Some intelligence experts view the latest nomination as a tactic by Trump to ensure that Grenell stays on beyond the statutory limit for "acting" directors who haven't been approved by the Senate. "The formal submission of his nomination will allow @RichardGrenell to continue to serve as Acting DNI past March 11 - and for another 210 days after Ratcliffe's rejection or withdrawal," said University of Texas security law professor Steve Vladeck. Ratcliffe has been an outspoken Trump defender, frequently appearing on Fox to spread conspiracy theories and deny the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to boost the president's election effort in 2016. Trump said Friday he had held back Ratcliffe's formal nomination while an unspecified "inspector general report" was being prepared. "John is an outstanding man of great talent!" he tweeted. Trump has been determined to place someone politically close to him as chief of the intelligence community, which he views as hostile and full of leakers. He saw Coats, who was DNI for three years, as a political antagonist who protected the so-called "deep state" that Trump regards as a barrier to his agenda. He was especially upset when a CIA analyst filed a whistleblower complaint in August on his Ukraine dealings that led to his being impeached for abuse of power. The Ratcliffe nomination could spark a battle in Congress, amid reports that Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which must approve the nomination, expressed strong doubts about him in August. Republican Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the intelligence committee, made no comment Friday on his view of Ratcliffe's qualifications. "I look forward to receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order," he said in a statement. The top Democrat on the committee, Senator John Warner, suggested Friday that Ratcliffe would face high hurdles. "The last time this nomination was unsuccessfully put forward, serious bipartisan questions were raised about Rep. Ratcliffe's background and qualifications," he said. "It's hard for me to see how anything new has happened to change that. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Sat, February 29 2020 Welcome home: Indonesian citizens who were evacuated from Wuhan, in Chinas Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, walk into the departure terminal at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta on Feb.15.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan) It has been a week since Diza Laila returned to her family in Medan, North Sumatra, after being repatriated earlier this month from Wuhan, China, where she was studying. The 18-year-old student underwent a 14-day quarantine in Natuna, Riau Islands, before she was allowed to go home over fears of the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login The Renault Samsung XM3 / Courtesy of Renault Samsung By Nam Hyun-woo Renault Samsung, BMW and several other major auto brands have called off their scheduled launch events for new vehicles as the coronavirus sweeps the country. Industry officials said the cancellations will have a negative impact on vehicle sales because the events are considered crucial marketing tools in the early stages of sales campaigns. Renault Samsung canceled the launch and test-drive event for the XM3 crossover, which was scheduled for March 4, it said. The carmaker said the decision is in accordance with the ongoing "national effort to prevent the further spread of the virus." But it said the vehicle would still be launched and the company was preparing promotional events without mass attendance. The XM3 has been at the center of Renault Samsung's plan to introduce six new models here this year and it is hoping the XM3 will provide fresh impetus in terms of lifting the company's domestic market share. The vehicle's design was led by Korean designers at the Renault Design Asia Studio and will be produced at Renault Samsung's plant in Busan, the country's second-largest city. Once manufacturing begins, the XM3 is expected to have greater advantages from company and consumer standpoints compared to imported Renault models. According to the company, it received about 2,500 pre-orders for the XM3 from Feb. 21 to 24, which is significant given that the company sold just 4,303 vehicles domestically in January. Meanwhile, Renault Samsung is aiming to manufacture XM3s for the European market at its Busan base, to prevent a possible production vacuum after it ends production of the Nissan Rogue at the plant in March. However, the company is yet to receive Renault headquarters' confirmation to proceed due to labor disputes, meaning Renault Samsung's earnings this year depend largely on domestic sales of the XM3. "Though the event was canceled, Renault Samsung will continue providing rich information on the XM3 to promote the vehicle's value," a company official said. The new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe / Courtesy of BMW Korea In the snowy Russian city of Yekaterinburg thousands of kilometres from the closest international border Igor Gorbunov says he's doing his part to keep the coronavirus out of the world's largest nation. "Put this on before you go inside, there might be Chinese in there," he tells a family heading into a grocery store, before handing face masks to a mom and her kids. Russia has adopted some of the world's most controversial many would say discriminatory measures to combat the coronavirus, including policies specifically targeting the Chinese community. Among them are patrols, such as the one Gorbunov is undertaking, in largely Chinese neighbourhoods. "Well, we read the press and they write that the virus is most prominent among the Asian population," says Gorbunov's colleague Genady Kovalov. "The danger is real, that's why we started the patrols." Alexei Sergeev/CBC Gorbunov, who also goes by the title "Colonel Igor," and Kovalov, who says he's a "General," are Cossacks, modern-day descendants of the former protectors of Russia's Tsars. They now take on various patriotic tasks to help defend the motherland, and fighting the coronavirus has become their latest mission. Cossack patrols Yekaterinburg has a large Chinese community, made up of people who come to take jobs in construction or retail, where the wages are better than what they would earn back home. CBC News recently joined Gorbunov and Kovalov, who are both in their sixties, as they led a team of younger volunteers around Russia's fourth-largest city, handing out masks and dispensing free medical advice on how to avoid contracting the coronavirus. The masks and information they hand out about the spread of the virus are approved by Russian health authorities. The holy water blessed by Orthodox priests, which Gorbunov and Kovalov claim will prevent people from getting sick, is not. Although Russia is the world's largest nation in terms of land mass and shares more international borders than any other state in the world (14), health authorities here have reported strikingly few cases of the COVID-19 virus. Story continues Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters Last month, two Chinese visitors tested positive, but they were later pronounced virus-free. Three other people are in quarantine in the city of Kazan after contracting the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. But other than that, the government says officially, there are no positive coronavirus cases in Russia. 'A lot of preventative measures' From time to time, video posted on Russian social media sites appears to show people being taken into medical custody, sometimes forcibly, but the government has never confirmed coronavirus was the reason. "Well, obviously our government has been taking the proper steps, doing a lot of preventative measures," said Gorbunov. Those measures include an early closure of most Chinese land border crossings with Russia, which has since been expanded to a near-total ban on all Chinese people not just those from the epicentre in Wuhan entering Russia. For those who are allowed in usually for business purposes 14 days in quarantine follows. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Moscow's mayor has also authorized raids on work sites that have Chinese migrant labourers, and the use of cameras with facial-recognition technology to ensure the quarantines are followed. On Friday, the city announced it had arrested 88 people for breaking the self-isolation orders. Criticism from China Moscow bus drivers have even been asked to report when Chinese-looking passengers get on board. The Chinese embassy in Moscow has expressed its displeasure with these measures, writing directly to the Kremlin, saying, "the special monitoring of Chinese nationals on Moscow's public transportation does not exist in any [other] country, even in the United States and in Western states." Russia has also closed its borders to other nations with significant case numbers, notably Iran and South Korea, and urged its nationals to avoid visiting Italy. The fact that Russia has managed to avoid the kind of large outbreaks currently seen in Europe and with some of China's other neighbours has led some observers to wonder whether Russia's controversial strategy is paying off or if health authorities simply aren't telling the truth. "It is difficult to say whether or not [the statistics] reflect reality," said Paul Hunter, a professor and researcher in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, in an email to CBC News. Alexey Sergeev/CBC But he also said, "I cannot see what political benefit would accrue from lying about the situation now. If it spreads and you have suppressed information, then you will look much worse in the end." Borders shut The World Health Organization has argued against the kind of border closures adopted early on by Russia, saying that at best they slow the spread of viruses and at worst cause unnecessary economic hardship, stigmatize ethnic groups and are a violation of international law. Russia's financial minister told the business website RBC that the border restrictions with China are costing the country at least $16 million US a day in lost trade. Hunter said he believes it's likely Russia has been doing better than many other nations simply because it's not a top destination for international travellers who might be carrying the virus. "I think it unlikely that this is anything other than random chance linked to much less foreign travel," said Hunter. Russian media touts policy success On Russian state TV, however, the Kremlin's approach is being cast as both a public policy success and a victory for Russia internationally. "These tough measures we took in Russia are now justified," said political analyst Mikhail Markelov on the Russian talk show 60 Minutes. Russia 1 "In the beginning, we heard a lot about how you can't infringe on freedoms and it's a bad thing. Well, now [some] countries are ready to sacrifice some of their freedoms for the sake of their safety," he said. Another panellist on that show, however, cautioned Russians about becoming overconfident. "We need to buy time to get our infectious hospitals in order. Most of them have no heat or proper plumbing," said Mikhail Konyev. "We need to be ready for when the outbreak happens in Russia, which it surely will." 'Just early days' That point is echoed by Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology at University of Hong Kong, who has studied the spread of the coronavirus. He doubts Russia will be able to isolate itself for much longer if the virus's global spread continues. In an email to CBC News, Cowling said "probably there are a handful of undetected imported infections, some of which might have been able to start local chains of transmission." He said in South Korea and Italy, clusters of such infections took several weeks to turn up. But as soon as they did, the number of cases rose rapidly. When it comes to Russia's infection rate, Cowling said, "I guess it's just early days." The US will not hesitate to terminate the agreement with the Taliban (the organization banned in Russia) if it does not fulfill its obligations, Pentagon chief Mark Esper said at a press conference in Kabul. He emphasized that it is highly important to reduce the overall level of violence in Afghanistan. Esper added that the US will "closely monitor the actions of the Taliban. Missoula's airport will receive nearly $8 million, including the final $5 million in discretionary funds, from the Federal Aviation Administration to build its new terminal. The funds are from the latest round of Airport Improvement Program grants announced Feb. 19 by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. As a non-hub airport we were able to get up to $20 million of discretionary funds, and wed already received $15 million in previous years, airport director Cris Jensen said. The Airport Improvement Program, or AIP, collects user fees to provide both discretionary and entitlement grants for airport safety and infrastructure programs. The separate grants are often meshed together. Missoula's was among 17 Montana airports to be awarded $26.5 million in both forms. It was one of only a couple of state airports targeted for two grants, one of $1.25 million to fund construction of an apron and one of $6.74 million for the new terminal. Billings Logan International will get $2.5 million to fund its terminal building expansion and another $200,000 to reconfigure the existing runway. The Ennis-Big Sky Airport received the next biggest chunk behind Missoula $5.58 million for apron and taxiway improvements. Bozeman Yellowstone International gets $2.7 million for a number of purposes, including renovation of its existing terminal and taxiway work. Libbys was the only other airport in western Montana to receive AIP money this round. Its getting $300,000 to purchase snow removal equipment. In Missoula, above-ground steel construction on whats being called the South Paw began in early January. The new terminal, being built by Martel Construction, is expected to take another two years to complete. Jensen said the estimated price tag has dropped from $68 million to $64 million and change, still with a 10% contingency built in. Missoula received Airport Improvement Program grants totaling $8.7 million and $9.2 million in the past two years to help with the terminal project. We continue to work on the funding jigsaw puzzle, Jensen told the Airport Authority board at its February meeting this week. We met with the FAA on Feb. 13 and funding was one of the primary topics of discussion. He was at that meeting in Reno, Nevada, when he received calls from both Montana U.S. senators, Jon Tester and Steve Daines, informing him of the $5 million in discretionary funding. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (Newser) France had its version of the Academy Awards Friday night, and, not surprisingly, there was some controversy surrounding Roman Polanski. The 86-year-old directorwho didn't attend the Cesars because he was afraid he'd be "lynched," per Reuterswon big, taking home best director for his film An Officer and a Spy, which also won for best costume design and best adaptation. But when some in the audience stood up after his best director award was announced, it wasn't to give him a standing ovation. Instead, multiple actresses walked out, speaking out about the director's win despite the fact that he fled the US decades ago after being convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl. Among those who left in protest: Adele Haenel and Noemie Merlant, stars of the recently released Portrait of a Lady on Fire. story continues below Haenel herself has had a #MeToo accusation, alleging that director Christophe Ruggia sexually abused her when she was a child actress. "Distinguishing Polanski is spitting in the face of all victims," she told the New York Times earlier this month. "It means raping women isn't that bad." The entire 21-person board that oversees the Cesar Awards resigned earlier this month after backlash at Polanski's 12 total nominations. One person sticking up for Polanski: French actress Brigitte Bardot. "We should be thankful that Polanski is alive and saving French cinema from mediocrity," she said on Twitter before the Cesars, per Reuters. "I judge him by his talent, not his private life." Variety notes that because this year's awards were so politically fired up, several French actors and directors were no-shows for the ceremony or declined to present awards. (Read more Roman Polanski stories.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 28 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Preventive measures continue in Azerbaijan at the state border to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a member of the operational headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers Yagut Garayeva said at a briefing for media representatives in connection with the coronavirus, Trend reports Feb. 28. It was noted that people arriving in Azerbaijan are checked in two stages. At the first stage, the check is carried out by thermometer-based screening system at the border, and at the second stage, the body temperature is checked directly by doctors, Garayeva said. If during the second stage of the check there are suspicions, the person gives medical analyses, and in case of a positive result, the appropriate measures are taken. Mumbai: Shortly after NCP leader and his cabinet colleague Nawab Malik stated that the Maharashtra government will provide five per cent quota to Muslims, Urban Development Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said no such decision had been taken on the issue yet. Leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- which comprises Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress -- will together take a call on the issue after discussions, Shinde, Urban Development Minister and a senior Sena leader said. "Leaders of the MVA will together take a call on policy decisions about giving reservation to any community. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will take appropriate decisions at the appropriate time. No decision has been taken yet," he said. Malik, who is the Minority Affairs Minister, had on February 28 announced in the Legislative Council that the government had proposed to provide five per cent reservation to Muslims in educational institutes. "The High Court had given its nod to give 5 per cent reservation to Muslims in government educational institutions. The previous government did not take any action on it. So we have announced that we will implement the HC's order in the form of law as soon as possible, Malik said. Malik, whose Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is one of the three alliance members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, said they are also planning to make room for reservation in jobs and the government is seeking legal advice for it. "We will try to give reservation to Muslims in education by the end of this (assembly) session. We will try to give 5 per cent reservation," the Minister from Sharad Pawar's party said. Earlier this month, Congress-NCP leaders had said that they would explore legal options to provide job quotas also for the backward Muslims in the state. It was in mid-2014 that the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government announced 16 per cent reservations to Marathas and five per cent to Muslims in government educational institutions and jobs to the two communities which comprise 32 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, of the state`s 11 crore population. The move was strongly criticised by the then opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Later, after the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance with Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister took office in late 2014, the matter went into cold storage. The BJP-Shiv Sena government which followed enacted a law for Maratha reservation but dropped the Muslim quota. In December 2018, after a series of agitations when the Marathas quotas were being finalised, Fadnavis had accused the then opposition Congress-NCP of misleading the Muslims on the issue of quotas. Photo credit: Kayla Dear / EyeEm - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics A dog's nose may be able to pick up heat signatures through thermal radiation. The researchers published the results of their experiments in the journal Scientific Reports. Only a few other animals, such as vampire bats and pit vipers, are known to have this ability. If youve ever booped the snoot of a good boyand I sure hope you haveyou likely noticed his nose was smooth, wet, and cool. But it turns out the tip of a dogs slobbery, nerve-packed nosecalled the rhinariummay do more than sniff. It may actually detect weak heat signatures. Its a fascinating discovery, ethologist Marc Bekoff, a professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who was not involved in the study, told Science . [It] provides yet another window into the sensory worlds of dogs highly evolved cold noses. A team of researchers from Lund University in Sweden and Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary conducted a series of experiments to test whether dogs could pick up tiny thermal clues about their surroundings. They published the results in Scientific Reports. First, the teams trained a group of three dogs to select objects that were warmed to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (An object set to room temperature was used as a control.) Scientists then covered the objects, which looked indistinguishable from each other, with black electrical tape and placed them about five feet from the dogs. In double-blind tests, the dogs selected the objects that were warmed. The researchers then analyzed brain scans from 13 dogs who were exposed to objects emitting neutral or weak thermal radiation, Science reported. The region in a dogs brain that connects with its nose (the left somatosensory cortex) lit up when the pups were exposed to the object with weak thermal radiation. But there was no response in any part of the dogs brains that lit up in response to the neutral object. Researchers believe a dogs rhinarium may be able to sense heat through thermal radiation, in which heat is transferred by shuffling photons. Story continues The exact mechanism of the thermoreception is as yet unclear, Anna Balint, of Lund University, told Gizmodo. The structure of the dog rhinarium is different from known infrared-sensitive organs, such as the infrared-sensitive pit organs of crotaline snakes, so it may be that the underlying cellular-molecular mechanisms are different. It seems dogs have now joined an illustrious group of heat-sensing critters. Some types of snakes, for example, have heat-sensing pits below their eyes that allow them to slither after their warm prey with ease. Vampire bats are the only mammals to have been observed with thermoreception, and they use this sense to find prey whose blood they vaaant to suck. The black fire beetle uses thermoreception to find conifer forests that have recently burned. The beetles have heat sensors on their legs, which are sensitive to low levels of infrared radiation. They seek out patches of smoldering forest to find food and lay their eggs in charred trees. Most of their predators have either fled or perished in the flames. In the case of Fido, Fluffy, and Fifi, this sensory superpower may have adapted over time from their ancient wolf relatives. But theres a lot more work that needs to be done to understand how the sense works, researchers say. You Might Also Like Christina is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 125 pounds and having black hair with brown eyes, Kellogg said. Additional information issued by the Indiana State Police said she was last seen wearing a dark blue, short-sleeve polo shirt, khaki pants, black Nike Air Max gym shoes and a black bubble coat. We Northern Californians live in a bubble, convinced we live in the best of all possible regions: a world of culture, fine food, good times and grand scenery. We are, in short, provincial as hell. If we want a change of scene, we go to Tahoe. If we want culture, we fly to Paris. If we want a big city, we go to New York. We try to avoid Southern California. We hate the Dodgers, dislike the Lakers and boo the USC Trojans. So when it comes time for the inevitable trip to Southern California for business, family or friends, we are apprehensive. Do we fly? Do we drive? Do we have the correct designer sunglasses? Flying used to be fastest. But now you have to get to the airport hours early, take off your shoes, have strangers rummage through your luggage, and be packed in a plane like smoked fish. You could take the train, but that takes forever. So you drive. Its the ultimate California road trip. There are only two choices: Highway 101, through San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Ventura and inland to L.A. Its scenic but long. Or theres Interstate 5, shorter and faster. My companion and I, bound south for family adventures, voted for I-5. The first part is familiar, over the Bay Bridge, down the inland side of the East Bay, past Castro Valley and the last BART station in Dublin, the one with the wavy steel roof that looks like the back of a dinosaur BARTosaurus, I call it. Then over the Altamont Pass with its huge wind-turbine propellers, bearing right to connect with I-5 south, that great freeway that goes from Canada to Mexico. Theres something to be said for I-5 north toward Oregon. It has small towns like Williams and Corning, good-size places like Red Bluff and Redding and views of Mount Shasta. I-5 south has nothing. It runs on the dry and empty west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The first thing you see heading south is some kind of quarry and rock operation with big ugly cranes. Thats the most interesting thing for miles. An hour after Altamont Pass, you come to Santa Nella, one of those artificial towns of gas stations, motels, truck stops, fast-food joints. Santa Nella has two landmarks: one a tall tower that looks vaguely like a Spanish mission, the other a windmill that looks vaguely Danish, the home of Pea Soup Andersens, a California roadside classic. Santa Nella has a population of 1,380. Everyone else is just passing through. Theres a whole string of these places: McKittrick, Buttonwillow, Lost Hills, the Grapevine off-ramp oasis. Some of these bear a second look, if anyone were to stop. Saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths once roamed the ancient forests at McKittrick. They were trapped in a tar pit like the better-known La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Lost Hills is at the center of a huge oil field. Near Kerman, drivers will surely notice the huge cattle feedlot on the east side of I-5. The smell will get you first The rank, tangy odor of cow manure, is how the Los Angeles Times described it. This is no Jack Kerouac On the Read highway, no Route 66 described in song and story. I-5 is all business, the main line of California commerce. 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. For most of the way, there are two lanes north and two south. The right lane is for trucks, and there are plenty of them. They come in a variety of colors and dozens of configurations, all going like 60. A passenger car has to pass all these trucks or be condemned to life in the slow lane, a mortal sin in California. This is a fast road. You have to drive 80 to 85 to keep from being run down. You have to be at the top of your game, said my companion, the Sailor Girl, who was driving. Two and a half hours after Santa Nella, we reached the end of the great Central Valley and headed up the Grapevine, that long grade over the Tehachapi Mountains, a steep, no-nonsense range, ravines running straight up to the skyline. It is 12 uphill miles from the truck stop town of Grapevine to the Tejon Pass at 4,144 feet above sea level. Time to tune the radio to KNX Los Angeles. Trouble lies ahead on the highways the 10, the 101, the PCH. And soon you are in L.A. Pay attention, merge left, drive fast next four exits: Hollywood. Its a different world. And getting there is half the fun. Carl Noltes column appears Sundays. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf A gala dinner and auction held during Cuba's International Cigar Festival generated a record amount of over 4.27 million euros (4.7 million dollars) on Saturday, that will be donated to the island's health system. This capped off a successful year for the island's tobacco industry, which has been a contributor to the country's ailing economy. A Hong Kong Chinese investor group bought two elaborate, hand-crafted humidors containing hundreds of high-end stogies, one for 2.4 million euros (2.6 million dollars), and the second for another 320,000 euros (350,000 dollars). The winning bids brought cheers and shouts from an appreciative audience watching the spectacle. A group of collectors from the United Arab Emirates also bought two humidors, for a combined bid of almost 700,000 euros (800,000 dollars) - sums not seen at the auction in years. The annual auction has raised a yearly average of between one to two million euros (1.1-2.2 million dollars) over the past 5 years, leaving the 2.4 million euro winning bid (2.6 million dollars) from just one humidor a record amount, and bringing much needed cash into Cuba's health system at a time of increasing US sanctions and tepid economic growth. Cuban cigars remain a highly popular and prized commodity around the world, including in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Besieged Order of Australia recipient Bettina Arndt has been cautioned by the health practitioner regulator over media appearances in which she is frequently described as a "psychologist" despite never having been registered as one. However, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency declined to pursue legal action against Ms Arndt at this time. Falsely using a protected title is a criminal offence and carries a maximum penalty of a $60,000 fine and three years imprisonment. Instead, the regulator strongly urged the 70-year-old commentator to take reasonable steps to counter misunderstandings and incorrect descriptions of her title in the media, and to avoid promoting content in which she was described incorrectly. The health practitioners' regulator will not take legal action against Order of Australia recipient Bettina Arndt. Credit:Joshua Morris AHPRA said that due to the regularity of Ms Arndt's media appearances and the frequency with which she was described incorrectly, it was incumbent on her to do more to correct the record. (CNN) Researchers have discovered a new type of lion, the size of a domestic cat, with powerful flesh-cutting teeth, which roamed the earth around 24 million years ago. Paleontologists discovered the remains of the creature at Australia's Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland, where experts have been excavating fossils by dissolving limestone rock deposits with acid for more than 40 years. Researchers from the University of New South Wales uncovered a partial mammal's skull, and initially presumed that it belonged to the Priscileo Rauscher genus of marsupial lion because of its teeth and size. Marsupial lions died out 35,000 years ago and varied in size, with some as big as a modern-day African lioness, Michael Archer, professor of biological, earth and environmental science at the University of New South Wales, told CNN. Experts studied the mammal's skull and lower jaw, and noticed the animal's skull anatomy was different than what they had previously encountered in other marsupial lions. "As we found more and better specimens at Riversleigh, we began to realize it didn't belong to that group at all. It was a new kind of marsupial that hadn't been seen before," Archer, who worked alongside lead author Anna Gillespie and Suzanne Hand, told CNN. "It was a different branch on the marsupial lion family tree," he said. It was only by studying the creature that researchers realised how "significantly different" the animal, named Lekaneleo, was. In a paper published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, researchers confirmed that the mammal was a new genus of the marsupial lion. Lekaneleo would have been the "size of a pussycat," Archer said, but had "probably the most powerful flesh-cutting teeth that we've ever seen." "Lekaneleo had teeth in it that are a bit like micro bolt-cutting teeth; there is nothing this animal decided to eat that it couldn't have cut into bite-size, swallowable pieces almost immediately," Archer said. Marsupials are a group of animals commonly known as "pouched mammals," endemic to Australasia and the Americas. Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and wombats belong to the group, which is characterized by premature birth followed by feeding the newborn from the mother's nipples. Experts believe that Lekaneleo lived in trees, surviving on creatures including birds, snakes, possums -- and even animals the size of sheep. Although they are named "lions," researchers said the animals were more closely related to kangaroos and koalas. Experts say that in understanding the demise of now-extinct creatures like the marsupial lion, we will have a better understanding of how climate change will affect modern-day animals. "These are such different kinds of carnivorous mammals that they were occupying an ecological niche that nothing today is similar to," Archer told CNN. "In a sense, it tells us how we have lost many distinctive specialized kinds of animals over time. And this is the result of climate change," he said. "We see many of these very strange groups that don't have any living representatives, slowly disappearing. Understanding this whole relationship between environmental change and biodiversity is very important in understanding and anticipating what's going to happen now," he said. This story was first published on CNN.com "This tiny lion with teeth like bolt-cutters once roamed Australia" Ireland is set to be battered by 145km/h gusts when Storm Jorge hits early today. There will be an elevated risk of coastal flooding with a violent storm-force-11 gale-warning in place some coastal areas. West to southwest Gale-Force-8 to Storm-Force-10 winds will extend to all Irish Coastal Waters and the Irish Sea from this morning until the afternoon. The Defence Forces and Civil Defence personnel were on stand-by last night in advance of Storm Jorges arrival. ESB Networks are ready to mobilise responses to restore power once the impact of the storm is known. In addition, Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection are on standby with Community Welfare Officers ready to assist with damage and recovery. People are advised to stay away from coastal areas for today and the early hours of tomorrow morning. The winds will make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and people in high-sided vehicles. A spokesperson for the National Emergency Coordination Group on Severe Weather said: Road users should be aware of hazardous travelling conditions. Motorists should slow down and be aware of the dangers of fallen trees, debris and high flood waters. And they said An Garda Siochana has emphasised the dangerous driving conditions over the next 24 hours and asked people to place safety as a key priority over the coming days. There are Status-Orange Wind warnings for almost everywhere today. Some severe Southwesterly winds are expected to quickly veer west and later northwest to reach speeds of 65 to 80km/h with gusts of 110 to 130km/h, possibly higher in very exposed areas with an elevated risk of coastal flooding. This warning applies to Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry from 6am this morning to 3am Sunday. Similar wind warnings are in place for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo from noon today until 3am Sunday and for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford from 9am until 3am tomorrow. Met Eireann also has in place from all of Saturday a Status Yellow rainfall warning for Munster, Connacht and Donegal. It states there will be rainfall accumulations generally between 20 to 30mm expected during Friday and Saturday, but 40 to 50 mm is possible in mountainous areas. And there will be a continuing risk of flooding due to already saturated ground and elevated river levels. A spokesperson for National Emergency Coordination Group on Severe Weather said: The public are again reminded to monitor Met Eireann forecasts for their area and to be aware of the weather conditions and to heed safety warnings. Keep your mobile phone charged. Mobile phones can connect to the 999 service on any operator's network so even where you do not have coverage on your own network it may still be possible to make a 999 call. The National Emergency Coordination Group is monitoring the situation and will meet again today at 11am to review the developing situation. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Patna: With Assembly elections looming in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar once again dredged up the issue of special economic status that had largely been forgotten since the last Lok Sabha poll that gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a massive mandate not seen in Indian history before. Speaking at a meeting of the council of the Eastern Zone in Bhubaneshwar in Orissa on Friday, Kumar, taking a break from his two favorite issues including prohibition and Jal Jeevan Hariyali, revived his demand of nearly 15 years seeking special status for Bihar in the presence of Home Minister and BJP national president Amit Shah. Making his case for the special status, the Chief Minister said that despite registering double-digit growth in the last many years, Bihar continued to lag behind many states in nearly all major national indices. "Bihar, like many other states, Bihar remains backward in per capita income, industrialization, and infrastructure. The central government should come up with a policy that helps such states to come out of this morass," he said adding this goal cannot be achieved until special economic status is granted to such states. "Special status is our right as it will also allow us to be a constructive partner in the process of nation building," he further said. Special status for Bihar used to be the rallying cry of Nitish Kumar before he was part of the NDA but since the Janata Dal-U became the part of NDA again in 2017, he had virtually dropped this demand of his while embracing other BJP agendas. Sisters Chloe (right), 8, and Joelle Davidson (center), 4, of Haddon Heights, N.J., have cupcakes during an early birthday celebration with Dr. Eric Grossman (left). By coincidence, Dr. Grossman, who was born on a leap day, delivered both Chloe and Joelle on leap days as well. Read more If you thought sharing with your siblings was torture, imagine having to share your birthday. Even worse? If your birthday only comes every four years. Welcome to the lives of Chloe and Joelle Davidson, sisters who were born on Leap Day 2012 and 2016, respectively. Chloe is celebrating her official birthday for the second time ever Saturday, turning 8 years old. Blowing out the candles next to her will be her youngest sister, Joelle, who is turning 4 her first official birthday. Its really special, said Chloe, the third youngest of eight children in the Davidson clan. But sometimes it gets annoying." The crazy coincidences for this Haddon Heights family dont end there. On Thursday, Chloe and Joelle reunited with Eric Grossman, the ob-gyn who delivered both girls. He was born on Feb. 29, 1972. The girls, accompanied by their mom, Jamie, gathered at the maternity wing of Virtua Hospital in Voorhees on Thursday, and gave Grossman handmade birthday cards for any babies who are born Saturday. Yes, he will work on his special day. I love working on my birthday, said Grossman, a doctor at Advocare Premier, a private practice that primarily works out of Virtua. Its a special birthday, and its almost like bringing them into a little club." All the leapers in that club are statistical oddities: Theres a 1 in 1,461 chance of being born on Leap Day. But what are the odds of being in a situation like the Davidsons and Grossman? We asked Robin Pemantle, a University of Pennsylvania professor of mathematics, about the probability of their coincidence. He said that under a set of assumptions that the date wasnt planned and the children were born naturally for a couple with only two children, the probability that two children were born on a Leap Day is about 1 in 2.1 million. Because the Davidsons have eight children, the probability of having two leaplings increases about 1 in 130,000 families with eight children would have a pair of Leap Day children. Bringing Grossman into the picture makes it more difficult. To estimate the probability of this level of coincidence, youd have to have a lot more detail on the circumstances of the delivery and the number of people present. Ignoring those issues, the probability that two out of eight kids plus the doctor would all have leap day birthdays would be just under 1 in 100 million. (Dont even get us started on the fact that Jamie Davidson and her husband, Josh, are both identical twins.) There is, of course, a slight hitch to these big numbers. Chloes and Joelles birthdays arent complete coincidences. Chloe was due on Feb. 25, and once that day passed, the doctor gave Jamie dates to induce. She chose Feb. 29. Joelle was originally due on St. Patricks Day but Davidson had high blood pressure, so Joelle needed to be induced during her 37th week, and the 29th fell during that window. Davidson nearly had three kids on a Leap Day. Her fourth son, Caleb, who will soon be 12, was due on Feb. 27, and she was hoping he would come on the 29th. He arrived March 4, 2008. If Caleb had arrived 96 hours earlier, the Davidson family would have tied the Guinness world record for Most Siblings Born on a Leap Day. The record, which has been matched by a few families since, is held by the Henriksen family of Norway, which logged Feb. 29 births in 1960, 1964, and 1968. Chloe said she loves her birthday, but does get sick of the mundane joke that shes only 2 years old. It gets old, she said. But that didnt stop her from taking advantage of the big day. She got to invite her whole class to her party, which was themed Terrible Twos. When its not a leap year, she swaps between Feb. 28 and March 1. Grossman, who has delivered four of the Davidson children and lives in Cherry Hill, said he never gets tired of the birthday jokes. While he technically turns 48 Saturday, he welcomes the theory of only being 12. When he was younger, his birthday was a two-day celebration. Now, his birthdays are often still kid-themed, like bowling, but with an adult twist." Chloe, according to a Virtua spokesperson, was the first girl leaper born at the hospital, which had opened just three years prior. On Feb. 29, 2016, when Jamie had Joelle, eight babies were born at Virtua Voorhees. Walking through the maternity wing Thursday brought back a rush of nostalgia for Jamie Davidson. Usually when Im here," she said to her daughters, Im having you guys. New findings from the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation/ University of Dundee TREND rural diabetes project In order to study the current status of diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and the University of Dundee have taken up a joint research collaboration to screen 15,000 people in 25 selected villages in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu. The program called as the TREND (Telemedicine pRoject for screENing Diabetes and its complications in rural Tamil Nadu) project has already screened over 8000 people till date. Headed by Professor Colin NA Palmer, Associate Dean for Research and Chair of Pharmacogenomics, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School Dundee and Dr.V.Mohan, Chairman and Chief Diabetologist Dr. Mohans Diabetes Specialities Centre and Director MDRF, the TREND project focuses on finding the burden due to diabetes and its complications in rural Tamil Nadu and providing novel solutions for its management. In 2017, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) of the Department of Health, UK funded the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and the University of Dundee, Scotland to take up the INdia-Scotland PartnershIp for pRecision mEdicine in Diabetes (INSPIRED) project. This project aims to develop a strategic plan of research and collaboration on diabetes. The resultant breakthroughs aim to achieve multiple goals namely, develop a large-scale Scotland clinical partnership to combat diabetes in India, work on understanding the heterogeneity of diabetes in India, develop innovative new tools and big data science to facilitate low cost diabetes screening in India and implement next generation precision telemedicine in India. Twelve Ph.D students have been registered so far under this programme with 9 students from the University of Dundee and 3 students from University of Madras. The TREND project is part of the overall INSPIRED program. Elaborating his experience in the project, Professor Colin Palmer said, On behalf of the University of Dundee, we are extremely glad to be associated with Madras Diabetes Research Foundation with Dr.V.Mohan and his team to have worked on this breakthrough project emphasizing the need to have Telemedicine as the most desirable solution for screening and treating rural population in India. The aim of this research is to improve the health of patients and public in low and middle-income countries like India. This four-year Indo-UK collaborative project has me, Prof. Colin Palmer from University of Dundee as the lead from UK and Dr.V.Mohan and colleagues from MDRF as the lead from India. We have found that risk factors that drive early onset diabetes in South Asian and white Europeans differ markedly, suggesting that the etiology of type 2 diabetes differs markedly across these two ethnicities. Leading the Indian team of researchers from MDRF, Dr. V.Mohan commented In the TREND study we observed that the prevalence of diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu has increased from 4.9% in 2006 in the Chunampet Rural Diabetes Prevention Project (CRDPP) to 8% in 2011 in the ICMR- India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB ) study in Tamil Nadu to 13.5% now in the TREND project representing a nearly threefold (300%) increase in diabetes prevalence in rural Tamil Nadu within 15 years. During the same period obesity rates also increased markedly. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 21.0 kg/m2 in 2006 which increased to 22.0 kg/m2 in 2011 in the ICMR-INDIAB study and to 25.0 kg/m2 now in the TREND study. We utilized telemedicine technology in the 25 villages that were selected from Cheyyur taluk, Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu state. So overall early and timely screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes, prevalence of hypertension and obesity, screening diabetic complications in eye using retinal images, foot and kidney as well as assessing diabetes control among individuals etc. were carried out through this project. Awareness, diagnosis, regular checkups and other ways of preventing as well as treating NCDs especially Diabetes, are very low among the rural sector. Through the TREND project, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and the University of Dundee aims to address these challenges with innovative use of technology that will enable even remote areas gain access to quality medical diagnosis and care. Another novelty of the INSPIRED project is the use of retinal images to predict future risk of not only diabetic complications, but also other diseases like future heart disease, stroke and even dementia. This is one of the first such projects to be carried out in India and was possible due to use of novel software called VAMPIRE (Vascular Assessment and Measurement Platform for Images of the REtina) led by the Universities of Dundee (Prof E Trucco) and Edinburgh (Dr T MacGillivray). Time to privatize? Re: VIA an obsolete money guzzler, not a transit fix, Other Views, Saturday: Im surprised the Express-News published this commentary. It was very refreshing to read concrete data that confirm what we all see namely that VIA is a monstrous waste of money. Its a scandal that ridership covers only 11 percent of operating costs. We could buy a lot of Uber rides with VIAs budget. Time to privatize it, perhaps? Suzanne ONeal On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: VIA is a money guzzler, not a transit solution End partisan voting Re: Trevino has forfeited right to another term, by columnist Gilbert Garcia, Metro, Sunday, and Partisanship sweeps chaos into these courts, Editorial, Sunday: Gilbert Garcias and Gloria Padillas commentaries were excellent. Judge Arcelia Trevino was elected by voters pushing the straight-party-ticket button. They voted for the top offices and failed to consider the down-ballot races. Too many excellent judges were voted out of office. Fortunately, this option is no longer available for elections in Texas. It is time do away with partisan election of judges. My home state of Missouri started the Missouri Plan for electing judges. When a judicial vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a judge from a slate of recommended candidates. When the judges term is ending, an up-or-out election occurs. The judge is either retained in office or a new judge is appointed. Many states have adopted this system. No partisan campaigning required. Pete Siegel Mum on Biden Im a Republican, so I dont care. My question is: Why hasnt former President Barack Obama come out to endorse Joe Biden? Seems strange. He was his vice president, for goodness sake. May the good Lord help us if socialist Bernie Sanders is the nominee. Brenda Davis Coronavirus truth? With our deceiving president having such a chokehold on our federal government, how can we really know if, when or where the coronavirus is spreading? With his re-election depending on the economy staying strong and seeing how other countries economies are tanking due to the virus, and knowing his tendency to bury anything that threatens his power, can we really trust him to warn us if the virus is leaking out from any of the containment centers in the U.S. Lackland, for instance? I think not. John Browning Echoes of apartheid-style exploitation of workers have resurfaced in recent years in South Africa. Debates around these malpractices were given fresh impetus four years ago with the release of a documentary, Bitter Grapes . Produced by Danish journalist Tom Heinemann, it featured workers from South Africa's winelands. Bitter Grapes cast light on wide-ranging exploitation. Hardships included health and safety violations, underpayment of wages, and illegal efforts by producers to restrict trade union access on farms. These conditions sit uneasily with South Africa's progressive constitution. They also run counter to numerous International Labour Organisation conventions relating to organised labour rights that the country has signed. In a recent research paper I outlined the case for greater optimism around working conditions on wine farms due in part to the activism which helped create the documentary. Worker's networked activism Key to the production of Bitter Grapes was the role of Ethical Wine Trade Campaign. This was a collaboration of worker organisations and solidarity movements across South Africa, Sweden, Chile and Argentina. All are important wine regions. The campaign makes use of local knowledge about conditions in winelands in the Global South. This can be used to apply pressure to improve conditions in wine supply chains. An example is the role played by the campaign in connecting actors in Scandinavia and South Africa which informed and made possible the Bitter Grapes documentary. Subsequently the film has proved key in creating regulatory reforms. The Commercial Stevedoring and Allied Workers Union played a vital role in the campaign. The impact of Bitter Grapes reflects a strategy to connect activists in different places connected to common sectors. The links between South Africa and Scandinavia are not incidental. Nordic countries consume around 10% of all South African wine exports. This is mainly via the country's state monopoly retailers Systembolaget in Sweden and Vinmonopolet. They have the sole licence for selling alcohol on the high streets of Norway and Sweden. Both governments have faced pressure to better regulate supply chains which are directly funded by tax payers. In my paper I examined how labour can use networks to create public pressure on governments and firms to better regulate supply chains. This has the potential to improve working standards and opportunities. In particular, I look at changes in the regulation of work conditions that have resulted. Improvements Several changes to wine farm regulation have emerged since Bitter Grapes on the back of moral and political appeals to European consumers. The first set of changes is around formal state-led labour inspections. After Bitter Grapes the South African labour inspectorate investigated (and verified) several claims made in the documentary. Subsequently, the inspectorate has shown greater interest in the rural sector and has committed to more dialogue with trade unions in gathering intelligence about worker exploitation. Secondly, there have been major changes in the private regulation of wine producers. A key private labour standards monitor in South Africa, the Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association , has adjusted the way it operates. It has responded to concerns by committing to auditing farms more frequently. And it's agreed to use a more transparent grading system. This change will mean that poorly performing farms are now confronted with a genuine trading threat. Farms getting a low score in an audit are now in theory unlikely to be able to sell products to major retailers in Europe. For their part, Vinmonopolet and Systembolaget have sought to improve standards in wine production through additional strategies. Vinmonopolet commissioned a series of independent audits and developed a new eight-point assessment for producers to adhere to. Findings confirmed a range of critical risks in several wine farms. Systembolaget, meanwhile, has adopted a new and novel approach to reporting standards violations spurred by the Swedish trade union Unionen . This has included a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Food Workers' Federation. The memorandum is intended to support unions on the ground and offers a reporting mechanism for unions operating on the ground in South Africa, ultimately feeding information back to Systembolaget in Sweden. Lessons learnt The creation of progressive labour laws is important in securing improved standards of work. But laws in themselves remain limited in their effectiveness in industries where workers are hidden and isolated, and where inspectorates struggle to attend to the work realities on the ground. That's why regulation is so important. The case study I have done shows that workers are capable of influencing both private and public forms of regulation in their interests. This involves the creation of consumer boycotts, as well as supply lines of pressure from within corporate networks which producers will struggle to ignore. Workers not only create pressure to reform laws and regulation: they can influence the strategies for policing labour standards too, for example by getting the labour inspectorate to be more active. In this instance workers have helped re-orientate regulatory agencies away from merely nudging companies to improve conditions towards a stronger regulatory model with a threat of sanction. Others could learn from the collaborative networks that were formed. Despite this positive story it is important to stress that the job of improving labour standards in South African wine is far from finished. Issues such as evictions of workers and the over-reliance of casual labour (often via labour brokers) are not typically addressed by either labour inspectorates or private codes of conduct. The need for transnational worker activism in monitoring labour standards is sure to remain relevant. Thomas Hastings does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. By Thomas Hastings, Lecturer in Management, Queen's University Belfast HCMC will keep 12th grade students away from school for another week at least and younger students for another fortnight. The southern metropolis was the last locality in Vietnam to update its school closure plan. All other 62 cities and provinces had announced Friday that they will extend the ongoing break by one to two weeks for all students - from preschool to secondary levels. Most cities and provinces are going to send high school students or 12th graders back to school on Monday. Hanoi gave all students from preschoolers to high schoolers another week off. High school students, especially 12th graders, have greater pressure to keep up with their study plans as they have a high school graduation exam in summer. The exam was held in June in previous years but has been rescheduled for July this year. Vietnamese high school system comprises of 10th, 11th and 12th grades. HCMC authorities say their decision to extend the closure is based on "complicated" developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, which has now affected 60 countries and territories and claimed nearly 3,000 lives. HCMC, the biggest city in Vietnam, has nearly two million students from kindergarten to continuing education and vocational training colleges. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a recent government meeting that "students should return to school only when safety is ensured." Earlier, Vietnamese cities and provinces had allowed their students to stay away from classes until the end of February, instead of going back to school on February 3 after the Lunar New Year break. Last week, HCMC authorities proposed that the government extend the school closure until the end of March. But no decision was made at the national level, and each locality has come up with its own plan. Vietnam's last Covid-19 patient out of 16 infections was confirmed on February 13 and he was discharged on February 26. Vietnamese students are often given a two-week spring holiday and a three-month summer break. This is the first time more than 22 million students nationwide have had such a long spring break. Iran has asked India to take immediate steps to evacuate Indians from the Islamic country which has seen the highest number of casualties due to coronavirus outbreak outside China, where the disease originated. The communication was made in a note verbale issued by the Iranian embassy in Delhi on Saturday. It is reminded to kind attention of the esteemed Ministry the necessity for taking immediate and prompt action for transfer of the nationals of both countries who have been affected as a result of the existing limitations, says the note. The note follows reports that India had temporarily suspended all flights to and from Iran on Friday. More than 200 Indians in Iran and over 300 Iranians were reported to be affected by the flight restriction. The note says Iran expects India to also facilitate transfer of Iranian nationals to their parent country. It further asks India to ensure that they are properly screened for the virus that had taken 34 lives in Iran as per the latest official figures quoted by a news agency. There was no response from the Indian government to the note till the time of publishing. Senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz has requested the government to help evacuate Kashmiris studying in Iran and China. I pleaded strongly with the External Affairs Minister that it is a worrisome situation for Kashmir from where many people have travelled to Iran for studies and other pursuits and requested him to ensure that these students should travel back to their families, Soz was quoted as saying by a news agency. MDMK chief Vaiko also urged the external affairs ministry to take steps to bring some 900 Indian fishermen who are said to be stranded in Iran due to the suspension of flights from the gulf countries. An Iranian lawmaker said the country was fearing a surge in infections in the upcoming week. According to the Iranian health ministry figures released on Friday, coronavirus had claimed the lives of 34 Iranians and over 388 citizens, including four parliament members, had been diagnosed positive for the infection. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 10:31:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press encounter at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang) "We are seeing cases in a number of new countries, including now also the African continent," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "This not a time for panic -- it is time to be prepared -- fully prepared." UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Now is the time for all governments to step up and do everything possible to contain COVID-19 while respecting human rights without stigmatization, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a press encounter Friday. "We are seeing cases in a number of new countries, including now also the African continent," he said. "This not a time for panic -- it is time to be prepared -- fully prepared." "We know containment is possible, but the window of opportunity is narrowing," he said. The UN chief appealed for solidarity and full global support with all countries fully assuming their responsibilities. "As they do so, they can count on the support of the United Nations and naturally of the World Health Organization, that is part of our family," he said. The World Health Organization on Friday raised the risk assessment of COVID-19 from "high" to "very high" at global level. Washington: US President Donald Trump announced Republican lawmaker John Ratcliffe as his intelligence chief Friday, sparking fresh controversy over a crucial position that has lacked a permanent office holder for months. The 53-year-old Trump loyalist was nominated as director of national intelligence after Dan Coats stepped down in July last year, but withdrew from consideration after strong criticism of his credentials from Democrats and a tepid response from key Republicans. Trump instead named counterterrorism expert Joseph McGuire as acting director, overseeing the 17 agencies of the intelligence community including the CIA and National Security Agency. But he forced McGuire out on February 20 after a senior intelligence official told Congress in a closed briefing that the Russians were again supporting Trump's bid for re-election. The revolving door continued to spin as Trump appointed another loyalist, Richard Grenell, two weeks ago. But the former ambassador to Germany had no relevant experience and was viewed as highly political. Some intelligence experts view the latest nomination as a tactic by Trump to ensure that Grenell stays on beyond the statutory limit for "acting" directors who haven't been approved by the Senate. "The formal submission of his nomination will allow @RichardGrenell to continue to serve as Acting DNI past March 11 - and for another 210 days after Ratcliffe's rejection or withdrawal," said University of Texas security law professor Steve Vladeck. Ratcliffe has been an outspoken Trump defender, frequently appearing on Fox News to spread conspiracy theories and deny the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to boost the president's election effort in 2016. Trump said Friday he had held back Ratcliffe's formal nomination while an unspecified "inspector general report" was being prepared. "John is an outstanding man of great talent!" he tweeted. Trump has been determined to place someone politically close to him as chief of the intelligence community, which he views as hostile and full of leakers. He saw Coats, who was DNI for three years, as a political antagonist who protected the so-called "deep state" that Trump regards as a barrier to his agenda. He was especially upset when a CIA analyst filed a whistleblower complaint in August on his Ukraine dealings that led to his being impeached for abuse of power. The Ratcliffe nomination could spark a battle in Congress, amid reports that Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which must approve the nomination, expressed strong doubts about him in August. Republican Senator Richard Burr, chairman of the intelligence committee, made no comment Friday on his view of Ratcliffe's qualifications. "I look forward to receiving Congressman Ratcliffe's official nomination and ushering it through the Senate's regular order," he said in a statement. The top Democrat on the committee, Senator John Warner, suggested Friday that Ratcliffe would face high hurdles. "The last time this nomination was unsuccessfully put forward, serious bipartisan questions were raised about Rep. Ratcliffe's background and qualifications," he said. "It's hard for me to see how anything new has happened to change that." Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a day-long visit to the West Bengal capital on Sunday and address a rally to "clear the confusion" surrounding the amended Citizenship Act, BJP sources said on Saturday. He is scheduled to address the rally at the Shaheed Minar Ground, where the state unit of the BJP will felicitate him for the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, they said. BJP national president J P Nadda will also attend the rally. Shah is also scheduled to inaugurate a new building of the National Security Guards (NSG) at Rajarhat and hold closed-door meetings with state BJP leadership along with Nadda. He is also likely to visit the famed Kalighat temple in the city during his visit, a source said. "The Trinamool Congress government has created confusion over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Amit Shahji will clear that confusion. It is most likely that he will give a befitting reply to the canards spread by the TMC," a senior state BJP leader said. He also said that it was necessary to address the issue, especially in Bengal as chaos has been "deliberately created by the TMC" among the people that the "National Population Register (NPR) is linked with National Register of Citizens (NRC)". The new citizenship law has become the latest flashpoint in the state. The has been TMC opposing the contentious legislation tooth and nail. Shah along with Nadda will hold a closed-door meeting with BJP party functionaries and finalise the party's strategy for the upcoming municipal poll in the state, he said. The election to 107 municipalities of the state and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) are being billed as "mini assembly elections" ahead of the crucial 2021 assembly poll in West Bengal. "We will place our report on municipal polls before him and Naddaji," the BJP leader said. This will be Shah's second visit to West Bengal after assuming the office of Union home minister. He had addressed a seminar on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill at Netaji Indoor Stadium on October 1 last year. The opposition CPI(M) has decided to hold demonstrations during the Union home minister's visit. It will observe a 'Go Back Amit Shah programme' on Sunday to protest against the Centre's "failure" to contain the communal violence in Delhi, a Left party leader had said on Thursday. The Kolkata police in coordination with the West Bengal police has put in place elaborate security arrangements on the entire route to be taken by Shah from the airport, an official said. Protests against the contentious CAA had rocked the city during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit in January. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In Kenya, theres a spot on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River where elephants like to congregate. Tall acacia trees provide shade for naps, and doum palms supply datelike fruits that the animals scarf up by the trunk-full. It was in this place that Victoria, a 55-year-old matriarch well-known to scientists, drew her last breaths in June 2013. But that was not the end of Victorias story. Several elephants huddled around the body, recalled ecologist Shifra Goldenberg, who was observing the animals with colleagues that day. She noticed that Malasso, a 14-year-old bull, was one of the last to leave. Victoria was his mother. Later, when Goldenberg and other researchers examined Victorias body, they found two fresh cuts in her cheek and at the top of her mouth. Both seemed to have occurred after death, which was judged natural due to old age. We think possibly (Malasso) tried to lift her, because he has these long tusks, said Goldenberg, who works at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Another elephant to linger was a 10-year-old named Noor. She was Victorias youngest daughter, and when she finally plodded away, the temporal glands on each side of her head were streaming liquid: a reaction linked to stress, fear and aggression. The researchers observations of what happened in the days and weeks after Victoria died some of the first to document how wild elephants respond to loss over time are described in a new review paper that examines more than 30 reports of elephant reactions to death. The scientists do not conclude from these accounts that elephants mourn, an activity that is often attributed to the species. But their response has a common thread, the authors say. When an elephant falls, the loss is acknowledged and investigated by other elephants, even those unrelated to the deceased. Death means something to elephants, in other words possibly something emotional. We dont know whats going on in their heads, said Goldenberg, a co-author of the paper, which was published in a special, death-focused issue of the journal Primates. But we do know that theyre constantly updating social information about each other. And their place in the social network relates to how they use the landscape, how they survive, how they reproduce. The day after Victorias death, many of the same elephants were back. And over the next three weeks, the researchers observed members of five families interacting with Victorias corpse. Some would have known Victoria by scent, if not sight, but many more would have been strangers. If this had been a wake, it would have been well-attended. Some elephants touched Victorias body with their trunks, while others tried to lift her stiffened ears with their feet. Occasionally, the elephants performed dominance behaviours that scientists say are more typically seen around restricted resources like shady groves, cooling mud wallows or treasured fruit trees. This may suggest that the carcass wasnt just a point of interest, but something of value something to guard. One obstacle to understanding elephants experience and their reaction to death is that the animals world is inhabited by an array of smells we can scarcely imagine. This puts a big barrier between how we interpret what theyre perceiving and interacting with, said co-author George Wittemyer, a conservation biologist at Colorado State University who has studied the elephants of Kenyas Samburu National Reserve for more than 20 years. Were unable to see the olfactory landscape in which theyre functioning. One study found that elephants have more genes dedicated to their olfactory system than any other animal on record more than twice as many as keen-nosed dogs. Another study found that elephants, using a combination of smell and sight, can differentiate between local human ethnic groups. Asian elephants can even rely on smell to count, sniffing out which locked bucket contains more sunflower seeds between 59 and 82 per cent of the time. This may explain why a bull named Omtata spent eight minutes sniffing Victorias body and the dirt around it. Or why the elephants continued to interact with her body even after rangers had removed the tusks to secure them from poachers, or after scavengers had reduced the carcass to skin and bones. Or why studies have found that elephants show extreme interest in skulls, jaws and other bones from their own species while paying little mind to bones from cape buffaloes or giraffes. Other animals are also known to interact with their dead. The special issue of Primates explores the behaviour of several species, from infanticide in chimpanzees to avoidance and vigilance in horses. Occasionally, animals make headlines for what look like displays of mourning: In 2018, Tahlequah, a Pacific Northwest orca, swam carrying the corpse of her dead calf for 17 days. But elephants are different, because they are much bigger than most animals, which means their bodies take a very long time to decompose. A dead capuchin monkey might be eaten overnight, and a whales body will eventually float away or sink. But an elephant skull could sit in roughly the same place for years. The same is true of elephant tusks, which are important focal points for elephants. Goldenberg and Wittemyer documented an elephant carrying a disarticulated tusk for more than three miles. They are touching each others tusks all the time, Goldenberg said. And they tend to show disproportionate interest in tusks relative to other bones. Joyce Poole, who contributed observations reviewed in the new paper, doesnt shy away from attributing emotion to what she has witnessed. In an interview, she recalled watching a female named Polly die before her eyes in Kenya. She just sort of tipped over, spun around on a tusk, and fell. Her legs kind of went up in the air, and boom, that was it, said Poole, scientific director for the conservation and education non-profit ElephantVoices. The first elephants to find her body were a trio of young, unrelated males. They spent upward of an hour trying to lift Polly and pulling on her tail and tusks before eventually mounting her, said Poole. That night, rangers removed Pollys tusks. Poole said she returned the next day to check on the body and was amazed to again find three elephants loitering around Polly, including one that had been there the day before. They were just standing over her body where her face had been hacked out, where her tusks had been. And they were touching her bloody face, Poole said. It was pretty unsettling, in the sense that it was clear to me that they knew that people had hacked her face off. Another time, also in Kenya, Poole watched as a female named Tonie tried again and again to get her stillborn calf to stand. She stood over that calf and protected it from hyenas and from jackals for a couple of days, she said. The list of examples goes on. But the question of what to make of those responses is still very much up for debate. As this paper shows, where there are elephants being intensively observed, there is clear recognition of behavioural responses to loss, said Phyllis Lee, an evolutionary behaviorist at the University of Stirling in Scotland who has also seen similar behaviours in the wild. Loss is a phenomenon common to sentient animals, including humans. For Wittemyer, the loss of Victoria an elephant he followed for decades came with a kind of unexpected joy. People who study elephants spend a lot of time worrying about poaching, he said. But Victoria had led a long, rich life. Certainly, its sad. But this is what we would hope for, that elephants can live out their lives and die peacefully, in an area where theyre not being hunted, Wittemyer said. We got to watch her die naturally, in a beautiful part of the park, with her family around her. Even as Delhi limps back to a tense calm, more than 500 people have so far been picked up by Delhi Police for interrogation over their role in the deadly riots that took over 40 lives in five days, mostly in the citys northeastern parts. A look at the areas socio-economic profile shows that it was a communally sensitive area where a spark lit by irresponsible statements of certain political leaders led to one of the worst communal riots witnessed by Delhi in seven decades. Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests had been going on in other parts of Delhi for over two ... In a defiant cry against further European integration, Margaret Thatcher declared to the Commons in 1990: 'No, no, no'. Her declaration, which came at a time of intense Tory divisions over Europe, was to prove a pivotal point in her premiership. Now it has emerged that the speech was inspired by a newspaper story... written by Boris Johnson. Mrs Thatcher was sent the article by her aides to 'light the blue touch paper' for the speech, newly-declassified personal papers out today suggest. Mr Johnson, who was then Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, had warned that European Commission President Jacques Delors was planning a European superstate. In a defiant cry against further European integration, Margaret Thatcher declared to the Commons in 1990: 'No, no, no' His article, published on October 24, 1990, reported that the British veto over European tax laws would be axed under plans by the eurocrat. Historians say the piece was a 'trigger' for Mrs Thatcher to make the famous speech railing against a European superstate that led to the headline 'Up Yours, Delors' in The Sun. But it also prompted former chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe to dramatically quit as her deputy two days later and his damning resignation speech led to her ousting. Papers released by the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge show the story was included in Mrs Thatcher's newspaper cuttings file of October 26 with a Foreign Office letter. Now it has emerged that her 1990 speech was inspired by a newspaper story... written by Boris Johnson. Pictured: Thatcher and Johnson in 2008 The letter notes that Mr Johnson's story is incorrect, but adds that Mr Delors' plans 'contain a lot of other horrors'. Only four days later, on October 30, Mrs Thatcher made a show of defiance in the Commons after returning from a meeting of the European Council in Rome. Her papers reveal extensive preparations for the speech, which criticised a press conference given by Mr Delors in which he said the European Commission would become the executive arm of the European Community later the EU in a clear power grab. Historian Chris Collins, of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, which is releasing the papers, said Mr Johnson's article was a key prompt. 'It's part of the trigger,' he said. 'Clearly, it's there to remind her to have bash at Delors. Papers released by the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge show the story (right) was included in Mrs Thatcher's newspaper cuttings file of October 26 with a Foreign Office letter (left) 'A lot of Conservatives would read articles like that one by Boris Johnson and say, 'Yes, that's what these guys are up to'.' Mr Johnson's article was included under a tab in a folder marked 'Delors Comments', along with the letter from the Foreign Office. Mr Collins said: 'As luck would have it, they fastened on this to light the blue touch paper. And it was well and truly lit.' He added: 'No, no, no' is all about coming back from a very difficult, very bruising uncomfortable European Council and smashing it into the stands and just being tough and on top of them.' The files also contain the last letter Mrs Thatcher wrote before she was forced out. Addressed to her press secretary Bernard Ingham, she thanks him 'from the bottom of my heart, for 11 years of loyal and trusty service and companionship'. Margaret Thatcher's last letter as Prime Minister was a fond tribute to her press secretary Margaret Thatcher's final letter as prime minister was a heartfelt thank you to a loyal member of her staff. The letter to Bernard Ingham was a start contrast to the stock replies she sent to some political colleagues who wrote to her after her resignation. Ingham spent 11 years as Mrs Thatcher's chief press secretary, from 1979 to 1990, and was knighted in her 1990 resignation honours list. In a letter dated November 28 1990, Thatcher wrote: 'Dear Bernard. My last act as prime minister must be to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for 11 years of loyal and trusty service and companionship.' She continued: 'As I look back on my years as prime minister, I shall always remember you as the man who stood by me through thick and thin. 'I fear the strain on you and your family must have been very great: but you never complained and were always there when needed. 'So it is with great admiration and heart-felt thanks that Denis [Thatcher's husband] and I say goodbye to you and to No. 10 - for the two are almost inseparable in our minds - and wish you and Nancy [Ingham's wife] every happiness.' Mrs Thatcher signed off the letter by handwriting 'with warmest regards from all the family, Margaret', with Denis Thatcher also signing his name. Charles Powell, a foreign policy adviser to Mrs Thatcher, wrote her a letter on her resignation. Margaret Thatcher's final letter as prime minister was a heartfelt thank you to Bernard Ingham, her chief press secretary, from 1979 to 1990 He said that she 'showed a level of greatness which will not be matched in Britain's politics again'. There is no sign of her reply. Many of Mrs Thatcher's political colleagues also wrote meaningfully to her on her resignation, including the MP Ken Clarke. He wrote: 'It has been a privilege to have served in the government of a truly great prime minister. 'I will always be grateful to you and loyal in defence of your achievements.' His letter has 'stock' written at the top of it, and he was sent a template reply beginning: 'Thank you so much for your kind and generous message'. Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, said Mr Ingham was Thatcher's longest-serving member of staff and described her letter to him as 'moving'. 'I can sense this tremendous emotion as the staff breaks up too and it's so difficult for her and for them,' he said. 'Everybody loved her, around her. 'It's such a contrast between her very difficult relationship with colleagues and her very warm, almost loving relationships with many long-lasting staff members. 'They are the family. There really is this sort of feel.' Why Margaret Thatcher met The Wombles Composer instead of Kate Bush Margaret Thatcher met the composer of The Wombles theme tune at the world-famous Abbey Road recording studios because Kate Bush and The Who's Roger Daltrey were unavailable, newly-released documents show. Mrs Thatcher's private secretary, Caroline Slocock, who helped to arrange the visit, told the studio's general manager, Ken Townsend, that she thought the Prime Minister would like to experience classical music being recorded in the main studio. 'I explained to Mr Townsend that I thought the Prime Minister would also like to visit one of the other studios and meet a 'pop star',' wrote Miss Slocock in an internal memo. 'He said that these studios tended to be booked close to the time, but he thought that Kate Bush might be available. 'If we thought it were a good idea for the Prime Minister to meet Kate Bush, I am sure he would arrange this.' She wrote in a later memo that she was 'quite keen that Roger Daltry (sic) and Kate Bush should be present' but that 'neither as far as we know are likely to be'. The visit, in 1990, went ahead without Kate Bush or Roger Daltrey and Mrs Thatcher was briefed - with Miss Slocock typing out lyrics of The Wombles theme tune for the Prime Minister. 'During your visit to the studios you will meet, amongst others, Mike Batt, who composed the theme music for Wombles of Wimbledon, a BBC programme about creatures who picked up litter from Wimbledon Common,' she wrote. 'Although some years ago, the lyrics of this are still very well remembered and are: 'Underground, overground, wombling free. 'The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we.' During the visit, Mrs Thatcher bonded with Batt over their shared low opinion of the Musicians' Union and he gave her some Wombles CDs. She posed for a photo opportunity on the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road, which is immortalised on The Beatles album of that name, although she crossed in the wrong direction to copy the album pose. She also posed for a second photo opportunity playing a drum kit used by Ringo Starr. Mrs Thatcher wrote in blue pen on her briefing note that she feared the drums photo was 'too gimmicky', but she went ahead with it regardless. In a letter to Batt after the visit, Mrs Thatcher said: 'I am writing simply to thank you for the part you played in making my visit to the Abbey Road recording studios last week so enjoyable and interesting and to thank you particularly for the music which you gave me. 'I look forward to sharing these with my grandson.' Margaret Thatcher posed for a photo opportunity on the zebra crossing outside Abbey Road, which is immortalised on The Beatles album of that name Miss Slocock wrote that, when she approached the studio manager about setting up a visit, 'initially he thought that my telephone call was a hoax'. Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust, quipped: 'Some of us don't need to be briefed on The Wombles song.' He continued: 'She was slightly reluctant at the beginning of course to do some of the things - she was hesitant about the gimmicky stuff - but she did finally do it as she understood what the press have got to produce and she wanted to be on the front page.' He said it was 'kind of typical Thatcher' that she walked across the zebra crossing the wrong way to copy The Beatles album cover pose. 'Everybody else who copies the picture does it the right way,' he said. 'It's kind of typical Thatcher that she could actually get it wrong and there were probably some people around her who knew but didn't tell. 'I did ask Charles Powell (who served as a foreign policy adviser to Thatcher) if she had a favourite profile, if she wanted photographers to take her left side. 'He said 'No, I don't think she did'. 'It's just how she did it.' The Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust is gradually overseeing the release of her private files through the Churchill Archive Centre in Cambridge. PM Thatcher named outfits after Gorbachev and Wogan in clothing diary Margaret Thatcher kept a clothing diary in her latter years as prime minister and named many of her outfits after Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and some after BBC broadcaster Terry Wogan, newly-released documents show. She apparently began to keep a note of what she wore in 1988, and diary entries for 1990 record that she wore her 'Pink Chanel Gorbachev' to Coronation Street and her 'Wogan Burgundy' to the Bank of England. Wogan, who interviewed Mrs Thatcher in January 1990, appeared to have several outfits named after him including a 'Wogan Long' and a 'Wogan Short', though these may have been variations on a single outfit. Soviet politician Mr Gorbachev had the most outfits named after him, followed by US President Ronald Reagan. 'It's interesting that so many were named for their association with Gorbachev,' said Chris Collins, from the Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust. 'She really was showing off on her Soviet trips - glamour was part of her approach to ending the Cold War. Margaret Thatcher apparently began to keep a note of what she wore in 1988, and diary entries for 1990 record that she wore her 'Pink Chanel Gorbachev' to Coronation Street (pictured) 'Reagan was second in the naming stakes, while (US President George HW) Bush, (Chancellor of Germany Helmut) Kohl and (French President Francois) Mitterrand predictably got nothing at all.' In one 1990 diary entry, Mrs Thatcher is recorded as wearing her 'Black Dull Suit' to meet President Bush. When the prime minister formally tendered her resignation to the Queen on November 28 1990, her clothing diary states she wore her 'Burgundy New York W Velvet Collar'. Mr Collins said he believes Mrs Thatcher's first clothing diary was in 1988 and she 'cranks up her whole clothing operation after the visit to Moscow in 1987', on her historic tour of the Soviet Union. 'She's suddenly, I think, aware of the power of clothes,' he said. 'She was interested before and very keen on things like British Fashion Week. 'She begins then to see that this is actual serious politics and she's got more clothes and she's monitoring what she's doing with them. 'It comes together.' He described it as the 'new regime' of Mrs Thatcher's 'dress adviser', Margaret King, who was also a director of the British fashion house Aquascutum. 'Possibly Margaret King said to her ... "You should keep a proper note of what you wore and then we can juggle it around and shift this and that",' he said. He continued: 'It's interesting that she chooses to name things after (Terry Wogan) but, for example, she chose to name a dress when she met President Mitterand at Waddesdon Park in May in 1990 but she named it Waddesdon. 'Only certain men got the accolade of having a dress named after them.' He said clothes were a 'great joy' for the prime minister. 'She had them very carefully looked after and, in fact, in her office there was a huge room where her driver sat - this is after leaving Number 10,' he said. 'It was a very big room and it was full of clothing lines and all of the clothes had their own zipped-up bags with the names on. 'There were maybe 200. 'Huge numbers of these clothes, vast numbers, and she knew every one, no question. 'They were lovingly looked after and they were a great joy to her. I mean, she loved clothes, they were a real pleasure in her day.' WINSTED Preparations for the 86th annual Laurel Festival preparations have begun. The Laurel Festival will be held June 6-7, starting with the Laurel Ball at East End Park Saturday night, and the Laurel king and queen crowning on Sunday during a community fun day at Rowley Field, hosted by the recreation department. Laurel contestants participate in the May 16 Winsted Pet Parade at 2 p.m. May 16. The merger of these two historic traditions, celebrating our regions youth, promises to make for a lively and fun day, said Melissa Bird, event organizer. Six scholarships totaling $6,000 will be awarded this year. Those who are interested in becoming a Laurel candidate can download a registration packet online, picked up at the Gilbert School main office or at the Town Clerks Office. Candidates must be a junior or senior in grade 11 or 12 and a resident of Winchester or Winsted. Students may attend any high school or be homeschooled. Registration packets are due on April 1, 2020. For students with questions, an informational session will be held between 2-4 p.m. March 8 at town hall in the Blue Room. For a registration packet, email melissa.oiseau@gmail.com By David Randall NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Brokerage giant Charles Schwab Corp has asked employees who recently traveled to China or South Korea to remain at home for the next two weeks. The request came via email on Friday morning to the firms 20,000 global employees, a spokesman at the firm said. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our employees and we are providing tips and resources to help them reduce any risk of exposure, the company said in a statement to Reuters. Both countries are currently on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning level 3, at which point the government agency suggests avoiding all non-essential travel. Schwab's self-quarantine policies will expand to include any other countries that are added to the warning level 3 category, the firm said. Iran, Italy, and Japan are currently on the CDC's alert level 2, which suggests that older adults and those with chronic medical conditions should consider postponing non-essential travel. Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan are also on the CDC's watch list for possible spread of coronavirus, now known as COVID-19. Schwab, which manages total client assets of $3.7 trillion, services its Chinese clients through its Hong Kong office and its European clients out of an office in London. The coronavirus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Dec. 31 of last year. Fears of the rapidly spreading virus have rattled global financial markets this week after new cases were found in Italy, Nigeria and South Korea. Energy, airlines and hotel stocks have led U.S. equities lower in anticipation that the outbreak will lead to severe cutbacks in business and vacation travel. (Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Dan Grebler) All transactions with the outside world are strictly monitored by authorities at control checkpoints in Son Loi Commune, Vinh Phuc Province, February 20, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. Before her daughter's wedding, Pham Thi Ha went to her commune peoples committee office to ask for a certificate that there were no Covid-19 cases in her neighborhood. It was to reassure her daughters future in-laws who live in the central province of Quang Binh, 547 kilometers south of Vinh Phuc, where the wedding will take place. The demand for it in fact came from authorities there. "Your family is in a coronavirus-hit area, and guests invited to the wedding here are very concerned," the in-laws told Ha and her husband, Chung, on the phone. The northern Vinh Phuc Province, which has had the largest number of coronavirus cases in Vietnam - 11, has been unfairly stigmatized. Ha lives in Ba Hien Commune in Binh Xuyen District, not far from Son Loi Commune, which was locked down for 14 days from February 13 after six cases of Covid-19 were found there. Though Binh Xuyen District, with nine cases in all, has not officially been designated an outbreak area, Son Lois lockdown has meant people are wary of the entire district. This has become a hassle for Has family. She has had to constantly explain to people elsewhere about the situation, but they are not convinced. Her visit to the authorities' office was in vain since she was told "The commune authorities are not experts in the medical field to issue such a certificate." While seeing Ha out of the office, the head of the office advised her to limit their travels and let the in-laws organize the wedding without the bride's family. "If I knew this would happen, I would have held the marriage earlier," Chung said. The health ministry had confirmed the country's first two cases on January 23, at the start of the Lunar New Year holidays. Ha's daughter returned to Vietnam in November after studying for five years in Japan, where she met her boyfriend. A week after their return they got engaged, and the 25-year-old woman went to spend her first Lunar New Year with her in-laws. Ha has reduced the number of guests from her familys side from 10 to only four: she, her husband and their fathers. The four had to go to a commune hospital for a health check to ensure there is no sign of the virus. She was also mulling over the idea of renting a car with a Hanoi rather than a Vinh Phuc license plate. "We dont want people to worry needlessly," she said. There was supposed to be a wedding ceremony in Ba Hien Commune too, but that has been postponed. "We will organize it once the outbreak is over," Ha said. Their neighbors too had to postpone their daughters wedding. In Son Loi Commune, Nguyen Anh Tuan, deputy head of the propaganda department of the Binh Xuyen District Party Committee, and his wife, two children and mother-in-law have not left the commune since the lockdown was announced. Before the announcement by the Ministry of Health about the diagnosed cases in the province, they visited relatives during the Lunar New Year without realizing they would soon be stigmatized as "people from the outbreak area." On February 12, a day before checkpoints were set up by the authorities to lock down Son Loi, Tuan received a call from his boss who told him to work from home. Tuan told his family to refrain from going to crowded places or meeting friends coming from other places. The family also cancelled a trip to Song Lo Commune in the same province to attend a relatives wedding, because "it is not a good idea to go anywhere at the moment even though we are not infected." Tuan told his wife to buy food and store in the fridge to prepare for the quarantine. Every now and then he would go to the village gate to receive food from his father-in-law or gas for his motorbike. Tuan regularly apprised people outside, including his boss, about what was happening in Son Loi. Ta Thi Luong said, "I live 30 kilometers from Son Loi, but Im still a Vinh Phuc person." This resident of Tam Dao District has been tarred with the same Covid-19 brush as everyone else in the province. Last week she and her brother went to a temple in the northern province of Lao Cai. They wanted to donate money to the temple and the person in charge of accepting donations greeted them with a big smile. But the moment they said they were from Vinh Phuc, the smile was gone and was replaced with coldness. She took their money nevertheless, but without uttering a single word, and adjusted her facemask pointedly. Since then Luong has decided not to reveal where she is from to anyone. On February 14, one day after the commune lockdown, standing vice chairman Le Duy Thanh said coordinated measures had been taken to contain the disease. "Vinh Phuc will not let the disease spread." Only Son Loi Commune is under quarantine, not the rest of Vinh Phuc, he pointed out. Any entity or individual who isolates the people of Vinh Phuc Province not in accordance with the Ministry of Healths guidance and is guilty of violating the law, he warned. Bui Huy Vinh, head of the province Party Committees propaganda department, expressed concern about the spread of inaccurate and incomplete information about the outbreak in Vinh Phuc, which indicated a lack of compassion for people here. The last of the 16 people infected with the novel coronavirus in Vietnam was discharged on Wednesday. He is the father of an infected woman and was the 11th person in Vinh Phuc Province to test positive. No Covid-19 infection has been recorded in Vietnam since February 13. The body of the 18-year-old girl, kidnapped from the Ranjit Avenue locality three days ago in Punjabs Amritsar, was recovered from an abandoned plot on Loharka road in the city on Friday night, police said on Saturday. The girl, who belonged to Ajnala town, 26 km from Amritsar, was kidnapped near Vishal Mega Mart in Ranjit Avenue on Wednesday afternoon when she was on her way home after attending training at a beauty salon on Lawrence Road. Her family lodged a complaint the same day, saying it had got a call from the kidnappers who demanded 20 lakh for the girls release. Ranjit Avenue police station house officer (SHO) Robin Hans said, During the investigation, we recovered the girls body from the abandoned plot. She was shot dead. The in-charge of the crime investigation agency wing of Amritsar police, inspector Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, said a former school classmate of the girl had been arrested and the body was recovered after his interrogation. The heroines, I said. They get younger and younger and younger. Its brilliant. In fact, one hero, as we speak, has delayed his comeback project because he is waiting for his heroine to be born. I think they are going in for a C-section because the teasers are out. Hmmmm, said God. It was after three gruelling days of prayer to Swami Nithyananda that God finally appeared before me. What boon do you seek? he said. And hurry up, I have this thing with Jaggi. Getting over my initial surprise that He wasnt a She, I replied without hesitation. I want to be reborn a ... er ... South Hero, My ... er ... Lord. You sure? God said. Dont be hasty. I am God. If I wish, you could be reborn as Mukesh Ambanis driver, the touch-up guy at Victorias Secret shows... Im absolutely sure, Prabhu, I said. I have put years of thought into this. Could you give me one reason? said the Almighty. How about I give you 10? I said. In no particular order, though. I am listening, said God, looking at his fake Rolex, a gift from a devotee. Well, for starters, Ive always fancied the idea of being bathed in milk by loving fans. Seriously? said God. Its no big deal. Sticky, actually. And the *#*!s water it down. Then, I have always wanted a family whose sole purpose is being the supporting cast to my life. Appearing en masse in the large living room of our mansion in the middle of verdant fields, standing approvingly in the background as my awesome life unfolds, and disappearing discreetly when Im singing with the heroine in Prague or Vienna as Western civilization looks on in bewilderment. True, said God. That is a good one. Actually, theres my next reason, I said. Under the current scenario of travel restrictions for us brown folk, who but a South Hero can go to exotic locations, dance on busy streets with east European background dancers, wear outrageous clothes, hold up traffic, without being shot in the patootie with a bazooka? Good point, said God. Then the retirement thing. The post of South Hero is the only one where one retires only when one dies. In fact, thanks to advances in the field of CGI and taxidermy, maybe even after. Rumour has it that one South superstar who had a Sankranti release actually died three years ago. They are hailing it as his best performance yet. Next? said God. The heroines. I said. They get younger and younger and younger. Its brilliant. In fact, one hero, as we speak, has delayed his comeback project because he is waiting for his heroine to be born. I think they are going in for a C-section because the teasers are out. Hmmmm, said God. Have you ever seen the bad guys that attack a South Hero in a fight sequence? I said. Ive seen a couple. My wi-fi has been down. The Dhritarashtra-Sanjaya Network is up for sale, as you know. They always come in a queue, Swami. I said. The South movie henchman, to my knowledge, is the only man in India who follows the queue system. The first guy comes, the hero dispatches him, then the second, repeat, then the third ... I tell you, its awesome. You make a good case, said the Omnipotent. But hurry up, Amish just texted me. Okay, I said. Then, the chief adversary. In my current life as writer, do you know how diabolical and ruthless my chief adversaries, my editor and my publisher, are? They make Goebbels look like Pandari Bai. So what are you saying? The main villain in every south film is a moron. He is completely clueless. A langur on downers could outwit the guy. The best part is, the idiot doesnt even know Telugu or Tamil because hes from Bombay. So the happy ending is a foregone conclusion for the South Hero. True, said God. I do feel sorry for Kelly Dorji, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Jackie Shroff. Well, here are three reasons in one shot, I said. When the going gets tough, South Heroes get to deliver alliterative punch dialogues that make no sense at all. They say things like I have great taste-u. You are bloody waste-u. If I hit you, you are paste-u. Also, they sport cool prefixes like Thunder & Lightning Hero or Young Rootless Intergalactic Star before their names. And, finally, when they are arthritic and toothless, they get a shot at being CM ... where are you going, God? My Uber has arrived, son, said God. So are we on? I said. Yes, said God, waving. But let me give it a try first. Krishna Shastri Devulapalli is a humour writer, novelist, columnist and screenwriter She doesnt have emotions like us humans, but is a kindly soul with a game plan, who can specialise in geriatric care and also act as an intermediary between doctors and patients, especially in cases of communicable diseases like coronavirus. Meet Sophia, the grey-eyed robot who, resplendent in a blue lehenga and dupatta with geometric phulkari designs, was in the city for a conference. Sophia was available for an interview on Saturday at TieCON 2020, the regions premier start-up and networking event at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali, the theme of which was Ideate, Innovate, Leap. Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal also interacted with her in the afternoon after his arrival for the keynote address. Developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, Sophia has been is an amalgamation of various technologies and combined science, art and creativity, says Amit Kumar Pandey, chief technology officer. It took about two to three years to develop the robot, a process thats still evolving. Sophia, the most human-like robot you will ever meet, says startups make the world a better place and improve the efficiency of the system. Humans and robots are more similar as both work on energy and its forms, she adds, adding that both have different parts that work together to achieve results. I do not have feelings, as you have feelings, she says in response to a pointed question. To the role of a humanoid in the world, she says that humanoids are much better at interacting with a human than a robot. Pandey, of Hanson Robotics, adds, The aim is for better integration of Sophia into our (human environment). Social intelligence is the key for these kinds of robot. She was offered the citizenship of Saudi Arabia as a recognition. He cautions that the development of a humanoid was at a very early stage, saying that things like eye contact were crucial for acceptance of humanoids. On the exact goals of a humanoid, he added it combined science (technology) and art. For example, patients with dementia need a social connection with their caregivers; similar with providing education. On the portrayal of artificial intelligence in movies, Kumar says that our future is safe as it is always the humans who set the goals. NO FEELINGS, CAN-DO ATTITUDE Her emotions are not what humans experience, but she can understand that whether goals have been met or not. But theres no doubt that she is a kind soul as geriatric care and teaching children soon become widespread applications Finally, believe it or not, Sophia, who was in Kolkata a few days ago, travels in a bag and can be reassembled again. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON - The lawyers' umbrella wants all non-essential flights from China halted until the outbreak is contained - Outgoing Health CS Sicily Kariuki, China Southern Airline and Kenya Airports Authority were listed as respondents - This came barely hours after another lobby group launched an online petition on Change.org website to mount pressure on the government to stop the flights Kenyans' resolve and determination to stop flights from China has gained a momentous boost from the Law Society of Kenya which has filed a petition seeking to compel the government to halt flights from the East Asia nation. The lawyer's umbrella body wants all non-essential flights from China suspended until the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak is contained. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: President Ramaphosa orders repatriation of SA citizens from China Outgoing LSK President Allen Gichuhi outside the Supreme Court of Kenya in a past court session. Photo: LSK. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Kenyans furious at govt for allowing Chinese plane land at JKIA despite coronavirus scare The petition filed on Friday, February 28, under a certificate of urgency, faulted the government's decision to allow flights from China into the country arguing it was threatening the lives of millions of Kenyans. "Pending the hearing and determination of the application, a conservatory order be issued suspending the respondents decision to allow the China Southern Co. Airlines Ltd resumption of non-essential flights from China to Kenya," read the petition in part. Medics ferrying medical equipment to China's health facility. Photo: BBC. Source: Getty Images Those listed as respondents to the petition include outgoing Health CS Sicily Kariuki, China Southern Airline and Kenya Airports Authority among others. As LSK pushes the demands through judicial avenues, thousands of other Kenyans have resorted to appending their signatures on a popular website, Change.org, in a bid to mount pressure on the government to give in to their demands. On Wednesday, Kenyans were rattled by a video clip that showed a China Southern Airlines plane touch ground at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with 239 passengers from China on board. They trooped on social media pages to express their fury and disappointment in how the government was handling the outbreak in a casual way, putting the safety of the entire country at risk. 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. Being a virgin in campus: University students tell us the benefits | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Premkant Baghel, who saved lives of Muslim neighbours when an unruly mob set their house on fire and sustained severe burns, is recovering well at a Delhi hospital. Baghel risked his own life saved the lives of six people when a highly-charged mob set ablaze houses in northeast Delhi's Shiv Vihar area. He is Premkant Baghel, when he saw his Muslim neighbor's house being set ablaze he stepped out to save them. He saved 6 people but he got burnt 70%. Hope he gets recover ASAP. #DelhiGenocide2020 #DelhiViolence #DelhiGenocide pic.twitter.com/nmjtM4veKI Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) February 28, 2020 When Premkant Baghel saw his Muslim neighbour's house being set ablaze he stepped out to help them. He said the Hindu-Muslim communities live in harmony in Shiv Vihar but the riots brought out a different side. Miscreants threw petrol bombs and set Muslim homes on fire. As soon as Baghel got to know about the incident, he ventured out to save the lives of people trapped inside the burning house. Baghel put his own life in danger and saved the lives of six of his neighbours. He suffered acute burns while saving his friend's aged mother who was trapped inside in fire. Twitter Even as Baghel saved several lives, no one offered a vehicle to take him to a hospital. The neighbours called an ambulance but the medical vehicle never reached them. Baghel spent the entire night at his house with 70 per cent burns. His friends and family had given up hope. In the morning, he was taken to GTB Hospital, where he was given medical attention. The Delhi riots have left close to 50 people dead and more than 250 injured. The Delhi Police have arrested numerous people in connection to the riots which unfolded in the national capital earlier this week. It looks like Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. If you purchase the stock on or after the 5th of March, you won't be eligible to receive this dividend, when it is paid on the 27th of March. Bank of America's next dividend payment will be US$0.18 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.72 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Bank of America has a trailing yield of approximately 2.5% on its current stock price of $28.5. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! So we need to check whether the dividend payments are covered, and if earnings are growing. Check out our latest analysis for Bank of America Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Bank of America is paying out just 24% of its profit after tax, which is comfortably low and leaves plenty of breathing room in the case of adverse events. Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. NYSE:BAC Historical Dividend Yield, February 29th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's encouraging to see Bank of America has grown its earnings rapidly, up 45% a year for the past five years. The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Bank of America has delivered 34% dividend growth per year on average over the past ten years. Both per-share earnings and dividends have both been growing rapidly in recent times, which is great to see. Story continues Final Takeaway Should investors buy Bank of America for the upcoming dividend? Companies like Bank of America that are growing rapidly and paying out a low fraction of earnings, are usually reinvesting heavily in their business. This is one of the most attractive investment combinations under this analysis, as it can create substantial value for investors over the long run. Bank of America ticks a lot of boxes for us from a dividend perspective, and we think these characteristics should mark the company as deserving of further attention. Curious what other investors think of Bank of America? See what analysts are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow. If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 21:17:09|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KIGALI, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Saturday launched a fresh health campaign to step up screening of more residents for Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The campaign is aimed to reduce the hepatitis C virus prevalence from 4 percent to 1 percent and complete elimination of the disease by 2021, Tharcisse Mpunga, the Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare, said when speaking at the launch in Gatsibo district in eastern Rwanda. Noting that it will also help to decrease the risks of cancers caused by the disease, the minister said under the campaign over 2000 Rwandans recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C will be initiated on lifesaving treatment. The fresh campaign aims at accelerating the efforts to speed up the initial Hepatitis C elimination plan and end HCV by 2021 in Rwanda, said Mpunga. The campaign follows previous HCV elimination drive launch championed by the First Lady of Rwanda Jeannette Kagame and supported by various partners. In December 2018 Rwanda launched a five-year plan to detect and treat hepatitis C virus as part of a campaign that aims at eliminating hepatitis C in the country. Officials said in Gatsibo district alone, the venue of the campaign launch, out of 90,806 residents who were screened for Hepatitis C, 2,544 were found to be suffering from the disease. Through the hepatitis C virus five-year elimination plan that targets to eliminate hepatitis C in the central African country and reducing fatalities from the virus, Rwanda intends to screen over 4 million people aged 15 and above. The campaign is being carried out through various surveillance points at health care units, hospitals, mobile clinics and other health facilities nationwide across the country, according to the ministry. Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection, and approximately 399,000 people die each year from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to the World Health Organization information issued in 2018. India on Saturday said it supports all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process. New Delhis response came following the Taliban and the United States signing a landmark peace deal in Doha and the joint declaration between the Afghan and US governments in Kabul which aim at withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan and end 18 years of war in that country. Indias consistent policy is to support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan; end violence; cut ties with international terrorism; and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to media queries on the deal. The spokesperson added that the as a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future. We note that the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan, including the government, the democratic polity and civil society, has welcomed the opportunity and hope for peace and stability generated by these agreements. As a contiguous neighbour, India will continue to extend all support to the government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected. The peace deal was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the presence of US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in Qatars capital Doha. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pull out, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. The US invaded Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. About 2,400 US soldiers have been killed in the conflict that has cost America billions of dollars in fighting and rebuilding Afghanistan. (With inputs from agencies) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 06:32 684 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20674ba01 1 City flood,Bekasi,Greater-Jakarta,toll-road,high-speed-railway,KCIC,LRT-Jabodebek,LRT,building-permit,drainage,sewerage-system Free The Bekasi administration in West Java has planned to reevaluate the building permits for malls, apartments and warehouses located in areas that were hit by floods on Tuesday. The administration said a thorough reevaluation of such buildings would help to prevent flooding in the future. This is not a moratorium. All permits related to vertical and horizontal construction, for example buildings, warehouses, apartments everything that takes up city space will be evaluated, Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com. [RA:Nine die in Greater Jakarta floods: BNPB::https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thejakartapost.com/amp/news/2020/02/27/nine-die-in-greater-jakarta-floods-bnpb.html] Effendi said the administration would also strictly supervise the waste management of each building, including cracking down on those without a drainage system or those with a poorly built sewerage system. Any violation of regulations on drainage systems would end in the revocation of a building's permit, he added. The mayor went on to say that the administration would build more water catchment areas. In the meantime, Bekasi Deputy Mayor Tri Ardhianto Tjahyono said the reduced number of green open spaces, which contributed to the flooding, could be blamed on the government's construction projects, such as the toll road above the Kalimalang River, Indonesia-China consortium Kereta Cepat Indonesia Chinas (KCIC) high-speed railway and the LRT. Tri said the projects damaged areas that once served as green open spaces. Construction projects have cut down on the number of such spaces to just 15 percent of what existed previously. Public Works and Housing Ministerial Regulation No. 5/2008 on spatial planning states that, in urban spatial plans, at least 30 percent of the total area should comprise green open spaces. One of the factors that contributed to the flooding is [state projects]. We know that five to 10 years ago, there was green open space along toll roads, Tri said Thursday as quoted by kompas.com. Tri said to replace these spaces, the Bekasi administration needed to control floods by building polders. We are still entitled to areas such as Situwong and Kempo [] that have yet to be used. We will work on them by turning them into green open spaces," he added. Read also: Widespread flooding in Greater Jakarta causes chaos for commuters Floods that hit Greater Jakarta on Tuesday killed nine people, including four in Bekasi. They were the metropolitan regions biggest floods since January, when more than 60 perished in the capital and its satellite cities. (hol) By Express News Service KOLLAM: If it was a working day for the school on Thursday, Devanandha would have been with us today, said Akhila, her Malayalam teacher, with tears in her eyes, who was here at Elavoor to get a last glimpse of her student.Saraswathi Vidyanikethan School, Vakkanadu, celebrated its 26th anniversary on Wednesday. And as part of the celebration, a holiday was declared for the students on Thursday. Devanandha, who was a Class 1 student, participated in a group dance with her classmates as part of the annual day celebration. She was a very active and a bright student. She was always keen to participate in any cultural programme organised at the school, said one of her teachers. Devanandha was immensely happy when she was blessed with a brother. She invited all of us home to see him, said Geetha Kumari, school HM. She would never go anywhere without our permission. She would always share her happiness and sorrows with the teachers. We will surely miss one of our best students, said the HM. Guinea's president delays controversial referendum: Guinea's president has delayed Sunday's legislative election and constitutional referendum for two weeks, citing concerns from international observers about security. President Alpha Conde, 81, made the announcement on state television after the African Union and the regional West African economic bloc withdrew their observers. Guineans were to vote Sunday on a controversial constitutional measure that could extend the president's rule for at least another decade. More than 36 people have died in demonstrations against the measure since October, along with at least one gendarme. Hyderabad: The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) has constituted an emergency relief fund for victims of Delhi violence and collected donations in front of the mosques after the Juma prayers. Protests against the CAA-NPR-NRC were also organised at various places. Youths shouted slogans against the Centre for the Delhi violence after Juma prayer at the Macca Masjid. An unorganized group who offered Juma prayer at Macca Masjid demonstrated near Moghalpura against the Delhi violence. They raised slogans against Prime Minster Narendra Modi, Union home minster Amit Shah and the Delhi Police. The Police allowed them to protest for a few minutes and later got them to disperse. Tight security arrangements had been made to avert any untoward incident. A large number of police personnel as well as from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed in and around Charminar and Macca Masjid. In Saidabad, a protest was held opposite the old ACP Office. After performing Juma prayer at Ujale Shah, protesters demonstrated holding black flags and placards. They raised slogans against CAA, NPR and NRC. They tried to take out a rally, but police personnel stopped them. They also condemned the Delhi police for its role in violence and demanded action against police officials involved in violence and rioters. A mass protest was held in front of Jamia Masjid Azizia, Humayunnagar, Mehdipatnam. A group of youths which is continually demonstrating post Juma prayers at the Mehdipatnam crossroads held a sit-in for about 30 minutes and expressed the solidarity with the victims of Delhi violence. The Students Islamic Organisation collected donations in front of mosques after the Juma prayer. A group collected donations at Jamia Masjid, Moazzampura, Mallepally. A group of educated youths conducted a signature campaign in various parts of the Old City to petition the TRS government to stay the NPR exercise. Imams of mosques prayed for peace, harmony and tranquillity in the country. About 31 miles of the Trump administrations wall on the Mexican border has been completed in southern New Mexico, according to a Customs and Border Protection official. And 65 more miles of the project through Dona Ana and Luna counties is expected to be completed in the coming months, CBP spokesman Roger Maier told the Journal. All 31 miles of the 18- to 30-foot tall bollard wall completed have replaced vehicle barriers and other barriers that were already in place. But that will not be the case with another 60 miles of wall in the state in the pre-construction phase. Its actually a combination of both in place of existing, and in locations where no barriers currently exist, Maier said of the future construction. Its all part of the Trump administrations plan to build 753 miles of border wall to replace existing barriers or be placed in areas where there are no barriers. The administration expects construction to cost $15 billion and plans to have 291 miles of new primary wall and 57 miles of new secondary wall in areas where no barriers currently exist. It also plans 380 miles of new primary wall and 25 miles of new secondary wall where barriers are dilapidated and outdated. According to a CBP-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Report last week, 126 miles of wall has been completed, but only a mile of primary wall and one mile of secondary wall in an area where no barriers existed. The construction and the diversion of Department of Defense funds for the projects have been under fire from Democratic lawmakers, immigration advocates and environmental groups and has been the subject of lawsuits, including two challenging the diversion of $3.6 billion in Defense Department funds meant for military projects. The money included $125 million for projects in New Mexico. Department of Homeland Security funding is also being used for the construction. But some of the funding currently underway did not come from the $3.6 billion diversion. A 20-mile bollard wall system extending from the Santa Teresa port of entry west is among the 30 miles completed, as is almost 10 miles of the project extending west past Columbus. He said the project is being funded by fiscal 2019 Defense Department counter narcotics funding. SLSCO Ltd., a Texas company, is working on the project. It was awarded a $789 million contract by the Army Corps of Engineers in Albuquerque. But 30 miles currently under construction is from funding from the $3.6 billion diversion. It is also funding six miles in the pre-construction phase. The other miles will be funded by fiscal 2020 Defense Department counter narcotics funds. According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, 213 miles of wall is now under construction, with 414 miles under pre-construction. Who says great views require big hikes? These three trails in Wine Country, the East Bay, and San Francisco offer spectacular visual rewards without putting too much mileage on your hiking boots. Wander Mount Wanda in the East Bay (Courtesy of Weekend Sherpa) When John Muir wasn't trekking the Sierra, he could usually be found hiking near his home in Martinez, at Mount Wanda, which was later named for his daughter. The 325-acre Mount Wanda Nature Preserve gently rises to a high point, 660 feet, with views at almost every turn. Spring wildflowers can come on strong hereshooting star, buttercup, purple owl's clover, mule's earyou get the colorful picture. At the start of the trail you may hear some traffic noise but it quickly dissipates the farther back you get into the park. Relax under one of the large oaks along the hillsides or at a viewpoint bench. TIP: Muir fans should visit his home next door to the preserve, now a National Historic Site. The Victorian mansion sits on 9 acres of land with fruit orchards. Find the full story at Weekend Sherpa. Hike to a Sunset View Near Sonoma Plaza (Courtesy of Weekend Sherpa) It's a common situation: You're in Wine Country, finishing up some tastings, feeling pretty goodnow you want to enjoy a sunset. Where to go? The answer is just north of Sonoma's historic plaza where the Overlook Trail is a local favorite. The one-mile (one-way) hike to reach the "overlook" is a gentle grade among meadows, grasslands, and oak trees. The viewpoint is marked by rock-benches. You'll feel like you slipped in on a secret as you bask in an unexpected vista spanning the town of Sonoma, its Valley, andon clear eveningsMount Tam and San Francisco. Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset to enjoy the full effects. And don't be startled by deer; they like the view up here too. Enjoy the moment but don't linger too longyou've still got a return trip. It's a short jaunt down from this Sonoma sun-sation. Get directions on this hike and more tips on where to wine and dine at Weekend Sherpa. Bonus: Keep the cinematic scenery going in the heart of Sonoma. Upcoming in March is the town's famous film festival, featuring fun parties, delicious local food and wine, and movie venues within walking distance of the plaza. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the special guests invited for the centenary celebration of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka next month, because India played an intrinsic role in the country's liberation, according to Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem. The envoy said the celebrations on March 17, which coincide with the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujib - referred to as "Bangabandhu" or the father of the Bengali Nation - will kick off a year-long series of events in Bangladesh as well as the UK. "Prime Minister Modi is among the special guests invited to the centenary, which also has intrinsic links with Bangabandhu's homecoming in 1971," Tasneem told PTI in an interview. "The roadmap of that journey is that he first stopped in London, where he was officially recognised as the president of the independent state of Bangladesh and had bilateral meetings at 10 Downing Street. Then he was flown to Delhi, where he held a public gathering with (then Indian prime minister) Indira Gandhi," she recalled. The diplomat traced the active role played by Gandhi at the time alongside the then UK prime minister, Edward Heath, to seek Sheikh Mujib's release from Karachi Jail in Pakistan. "They collectively played a very proactive role in the release of Bangabandhu and to ensure that he was not harmed in any way. So, at the very genesis of Bangladesh, the relationships were clear and the Bangladesh-India ties remain as strong till date, as do the UK-Bangladesh ties," she said. In reference to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was passed by the Indian Parliament in December last year to grant citizenship rights to persecuted minorities from three neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, the envoy said the implication of the law was "hurtful" to Bangladesh. "The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said it is an internal matter of India but also quite unnecessary. Bengali Hindus in Bangladesh have done very well for themselves, especially in the financial sphere, as they have a particular skill with mathematics and accounts," she said. Amid a recent unrest over the contentious law in Delhi, there have been some calls for Bangladesh to withdraw Modi's invite to the centenary celebrations in Dhaka next month, a demand rejected by the Bangladeshi government. The top United States commander in Europe is warning of Chinese investment in European ports and increases in Russian submarine activity outside of Europe. Air Force General Tod Wolters is commander of U.S. European Command and NATOs Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He spoke to the U.S. Senates Armed Services Committee earlier this week. Wolters told the committee that China has access to 10% of the shipping rights into and out of Europe. It is very alarming, he said. When you control the ability to take in and regulate resources, you have a large impact on what actually exists on the continent with respect to its ability to effectively generate peace and security. Wolters added that China has invested an economic majority in seaports across Europe, including in Belgium, Italy, France and Greece. All four countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The general also expressed concern about the Chinese company Huaweis 5G wireless technology. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper noted the same concerns at a security conference in Munich earlier this month. He warned that China was seeking gains over the United States and its allies in Europe by any means and at any cost. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also spoke at the Munich meeting. He warned that Western allies should not risk security for short-term economic gains with China. To do so would risk dividing European allies and dividing Europe from America, he said. Wolters told the U.S. lawmakers that the use of Huaweis 5G technology is an intelligence threat to U.S. soldiers in Europe. He said that without the right protection, personal and technical information are at risk of being stolen. Last month, Britain decided not to ban Huawei equipment in its new 5G network. But Wolters said he was pleased by several other nations unwillingness to accept Huaweis 5G technology. He warned there must first be a common understanding at the political level at NATO that Chinese economic aggression in Europe is an actual threat. Wolters also spoke about Russian submarine activity. He noted that in 2018 and 2019, the U.S. military reported a 50 percent increase in the number of resources Russia committed to submarine operations outside of Europe. Wolters added, This observation is one more reflection about how important it is to continue to improve our competitive edge ... to ensure that we can operate with freedom. Im Jonathan Evans. Carla Babb reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story access n. the right or ability to approach, enter, or use alarming adj. causing people to feel danger or alarm or to be worried or frightened network n. a system of computers and other devices such as printers that are connected to each other regulate v. to make rules or laws that control something resource n. a supply of something such as money that someone has and can use when it is needed By Kyle Martin Bay City News Service Santa Clara County this week reported its third confirmed case of COVID-19, otherwise known as novel coronavirus, in a county resident described as "an older adult woman" who was first hospitalized with respiratory troubles, public health officials told reporters Friday. This third case has changed the way the county's Public Health Department is handling the spread of the virus, Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health director, said Friday. The county has enlisted and received state and federal help to curb further spread of the disease. "This is the third case to be identified in our county, but it's different from our other two cases in an important way," Cody said Friday. The newly infected woman was not in known contact with any recently travelers or infected persons and did not recently travel herself, health officials said. The woman's physician contacted the Public Health Department Wednesday night to report the patient was showing symptoms of possible coronavirus contamination. The county received specimens to test for the virus Thursday morning and confirmed the results the same day. "This case does signal to us that it's now time to shift how we respond to the novel coronavirus," Cody said. "The public health measures that we've taken so far -- isolation, quarantine, contact tracing and travel restrictions -- have helped to slow the spread of disease, and we will continue to implement them. We will continue to trace close contacts of our cases to try to limit the spread of the virus, but now we need to add other public health tools to the mix." The county currently is working with the state's Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on surveillance, prevention and further studying and testing of the disease. "Now that we have a case who did not recently travel or come in contact with anyone known to be ill, what does this mean? What we know is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't know to what degree," Cody said. "An important priority therefore for us is to conduct public health surveillance to determine the extent of what's happening." And people should begin shifting focus to contingency amidst public disruption from the virus, officials cautioned Friday. "Start thinking about family preparedness and what you might need to do if you need to stay home for a little while. And for communities, we need to prepare for the possibility of further spread of the virus," Cody said. "Schools should plan for absenteeism and explore options for learning at home and enhance cleaning their surfaces. Businesses wherever possible can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase tele-working options as well as modified absentee policy, and of course enhance cleaning of surfaces." When asked if parents should keep children in school and whether businesses should keep their employees working, Cody said, "At this point, we don't have any recommendations for staying home from school or work unless you're sick. Certainly if anyone is sick they should stay home from work or school." She continued, saying "again, this is an evolving situation and we're learning more, but for now what we would like businesses and schools to do is to start preparing and thinking about what if would be like if there were a large number of children who needed to be home or teachers that need to be called." Cody said people should be particularly mindful to keep their hands washed and continually refrain from touching their mouths, eyes or nose, as the virus can spread through such touching. Dr. Christopher Braden, deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said the virus can remain on a surface for several days but is susceptible to most hygiene products like gel hand sanitizers. The county on Feb. 10 declared a state of public health emergency, which mobilized further state and federal resources to aid stopping the virus's spread. Charity Dean, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health, said the state has received additional COVID-19 testing kits, which were being distributed to testing centers throughout the state, including centers in Richmond, in Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Diego. Dr. Jim Novak, chief business officer of the Santa Clara County Office of Education said parents, children and school personnel should continue to wash their hands and follow the guidelines of the public health department, which includes staying home from school if they feel sick. "I know a lot of times we really want kids to come to school, but when they're not feeling well, they should stay home at that time -- even if they're feeling pressured to come to school for a test or something, if they're not feeling well, we encourage them to stay home at that time," Novak said. "At this point, we're not recommending schools close or anything like that, but we're monitoring the situation all the time." He said the county's school districts are monitoring students absences and the Office of Education is discussing what might happen in the event of possible school closures, "but we're too early to have any real plans." U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna said in a statement Friday that his office is in contact with local health officials and will monitor the developing viral situation, and added that the public needs a vaccine and free testing options for the public. "Nothing is more important than the health and safety of the entire Bay Area community," Khanna said. "Our country has the minds and talent to beat this epidemic before it gets any worse. We need to mobilize $15 billion to push for widespread, free testing available to all Americans (and) research for a vaccine and anti-viral treaments. Politicians need to listen to the scientists and doctors." 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. Patna: Bolstered by Patna police's pyrrhic record in containing crime in the state capital, armed criminals in Rajendra Nagar under Kadam Kuan police station on Thursday forced their entry into the home of a retired couple and escaped with cash, jewelries, and other valuables to the tune of Rs. 5 lakh after taking them hostage at gun points. The incident took place on the second floor of the Chhathdham Apartments on Road Number 11. As reported, four armed men forced their entry into the residence of AK Bandopadhyay, a retired Chartered Accountant, and took him and his wife hostage at gun points. After tying their hands and feet, the criminals then ransacked the house stealing just about everything of any value. When the victims protested, the criminal hit Mr. Bandopadhyay in his head with the pistol butt leading to profuse bleeding. After emptying the house of all its valuables in the next 30 minutes or so, the criminals then left the home on foot towards the Vaishali cinema roundabout. Upon hearing the news, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Upendra Sharma reached the crime scene with a team of forensic experts to collect any evidence left by the criminals. Police were combing through the surveillance footages collected from the area in an attempt to identify and apprehend the criminals. Kids in the Portland metro area who feel sick should stay home until theyve been well for at least 24 hours, the regions top health officials said Friday after Oregon announced its first presumptive case of the new coronavirus. Parents should monitor their children to see if they have a cough, fever, loss of appetite or any other symptoms of illness, said Dr. Jennifer Vines, health officer for Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. I trust parents to know their children and to sort of sense when theyre not feeling great, Vines said. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE The Oregon Health Authority on Friday announced what appears to be the states first coronavirus case a Washington County resident who works in Clackamas County at the 430-student Forest Hills Elementary School. The person first developed symptoms Feb. 19 and tested positive Friday. The patient is now isolated in a Hillsboro hospital. Forest Hills will be closed through Wednesday as health officials investigate the case and the school gets a deep cleaning. As for students at Forest Hills, Vines said their parents should expect more specific guidance from Clackamas County health officials. While Vines stressed that its important to keep kids at home at the slightest hint of illness, she also cautioned that parents shouldnt overreact by taking the children to a health care provider when its not really necessary. If a child is so sick that parents cant manage the illness on their own, then yes, Vines said, it makes sense to call their doctor and ask what to do. But if parents want to take children to the hospital only because they fear coronavirus, then its far better to stay at home. Thats because unnecessary visits like that could place a burden on the health care system, Vines said. Before letting children leave the house, parents should make sure they have no symptoms for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that might mask symptoms, such as Tylenol or cough medicine. Beyond that, Vines offered some classic, tried-and-true advice for keeping diseases at bay: washing hands and practicing good cough and sneeze etiquette. Kids appear to be less susceptible to the disease than adults. Old people and those with underlying health conditions are the most at risk. The virus is thought to spread through close contact, when people are about within 6 feet of each other. MORE ON THE CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: Coronavirus quarantine kit: What youll need at home How to properly wash hands to stop the spread of germs How to prevent coronavirus, symptoms to watch for What is the difference between coronavirus vs. COVID-19? The U.S. surgeon general has a message for Americans -- stop buying masks now! -- Fedor Zarkhin fzarkhin@oregonian.com desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here. Spreading nearly as fast as the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China are misconceptions, bogus cures and deliberate misinformation about the disease. As of Thursday, deaths from the virus were approaching the 3,000 mark. Some 82,500 cases have been confirmed. No cure or vaccine exists for COVID-19, but that hasn't stopped people and bots from pushing phony treatments and questionable health advice online. We have collected some of the more ludicrous of the claims flagged by the World Health Organization and other health observers in the above gallery. In addition, we included a few precautions that legitimate medical professionals recommend. The presumed source of the new coronavirus is an animal market in Wuhan, China. Some scientists believe it originated with bats but may have jumped to another animal before infecting humans. ALSO: What you need to know about coronavirus in the Bay Area "The risk to the American people remains very low," President Trump said Wednesday before announcing Vice President Mike Pence will lead the government effort in fighting the disease. A day earlier he said "were very close to a vaccine," but the White House said was referring to Ebola not the new coronavirus. --- Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate Keeping calm when markets crash is easier said than done. It is human nature to be fearful when things look bad and the outlook suddenly becomes bleak. Today, Mr. Market (as Benjamin Graham puts it) is testing the patience and courage of investors once again. The Dow declined more than 1,000 points twice this week, making it difficult for investors to keep a clear head. Source: CNBC. American stocks have declined for seven consecutive days, and according to Bloomberg data, February 2020 is on its way to becoming the worst month since December 2018. Source: Bloomberg. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 Index were down over 10.5% as of Thursday, making this week the worst since the days of the financial crisis. If ever there was a need to reiterate the importance of staying invested in equity markets, it's now. Investors need reassurance that things will return to their normal state soon, but right now, there's panic. SunTrust Chief Market Strategist Keith Lerner told Bloomberg on Friday: "Investors are selling stocks first and asking questions later. We are seeing signs of pure liquidation. 'Get me out at any cost' seems to be the prevailing mood. There is little doubt the coronavirus will continue to weigh on the global economy, and the U.S. will not be immune. There is much we do not know. However, it is also premature to suggest the base case for the U.S. economy is recession." While that might provide some relief to investors in the sense that a renowned market commentator does not believe a recession is in the cards, investors need something more concrete than that to remain bold and go against the grain. For 120 years, there has been one clear winner Credit Suisse Research Institute released an important set of market data spanning 120 years, confirming that none of the popular asset classes could match the returns provided by equity markets. The report, prepared in collaboration with professors from London Business School and Cambridge University, revealed the following performance statistics. Story continues Asset class Annualized real return between 1900 and 2020 Equities 5.2% Bonds 2% Treasury bills 0.8% The significant outperformance of equity markets reveals one thing: the risk-reward factor is always at play and as an economy grows, so will the stock markets. The ride is not always smooth, however, and there will be speedbumps along the way. Trying to time the markets is a costly mistake, as Warren Buffet told CNBC earlier this week: "There have been seven Republican Presidents after that (since buying his first stock at the age of 11) and seven Democratic Presidents and I have bought stocks under every one of them. I haven't bought stocks every day, there have been a few times I felt stocks were really quite high, but that is very seldom." Further elaborating on his investment career, the guru said that he has bought stocks each year since making his first investment at a very young age. This highlights one important action that could deliver long-term success to investors; buy stocks when they are seemingly cheap, regardless of the macroeconomic or geopolitical outlook for America in the coming years. The country has survived many recessions, epidemics, property market bubbles and two World Wars. None of this could materially impact the long-term performance of stocks, however. Right when it looked as if things would never recover, American markets surprised investors. Changes in investor sentiment could result in significant volatility in stock prices. However, none of this would likely matter in the long term as much as staying invested does. Numbers don't lie, at least not as much as sentiment and gut feelings do. One more reason to stay calm Even though many investors might not be aware of this, missing just a few market days could completely erode the profitability of a portfolio. As surprising as this might sound, empirical evidence proves it. In 2019, JPMorgan Asset Management conducted a market performance review to evaluate this phenomena, using data from Jan. 1, 1999 to Dec. 31, 2018. Source: JPMorgan. Liquidating a portfolio and waiting for a better time to get in is a common strategy used by fearful investors. However, if such an investor failed to time the markets, which is almost a certainty, and missed just 20 days that ironically happened to be the best days of the market, he would have ended up losing money even though the market performance was positive in this period. What is even more interesting is that investors can never know with any degree of certainty when a bear market will turn bullish. There's only one way to avoid making this mistake: to remain invested even when markets are crashing. Even though the rational decision might seem to be turning stocks to cash and parking in an interest-bearing account, the numbers prove this is a costly mistake. If, however, an investor had a mechanism to predict the best 10, 20 and 30 days of the market in advance, it would be best to liquidate and wait for such sunny times. But not even institutional investors have been able to decipher such a way to do this, even with the massive advance in quantitative analysis techniques. Takeaway: Be patient There's enough data to suggest that trusting U.S. markets even when they are crashing is the right decision. The best way to do this during trying times is to avoid constantly checking stock prices and the value of an investment portfolio as the mostly red numbers might prompt investors to act irrationally. Staying calm and patient is the key, and the market will do its magic as time passes by. It seems appropriate to end this analysis with something Buffett told CNBC in 2016. "If you had a chance to buy into a good company in your hometown...and you knew it was a good company and knew good people were running it, and you bought in at a fair price, you wouldn't want to get a quote every day." Disclosure: I do not own any stocks mentioned in this article. Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Migrants clash with Greek police on the buffer zone Turkey-Greece border, at Pazarkule, in Edirne district, on February 29, 2020. - Thousands of migrants stuck on the Turkey-Greece border clashed with Greek police on February 29, 2020, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. Greek police fired tear gas at migrants who have amassed at a border crossing in the western Turkish province of Edirne, some of whom responded by hurling stones at the officers. The clashes come as Greece bolsters its border after Ankara said it would no longer prevent refugees from crossing into Europe following the death of 33 Turkish troops in northern Syria. Greek police fired teargas toward migrants who were gathered on its border with Turkey and demanding entry on Saturday, as a crisis over Syria abruptly moved onto the European Union's doorstep. The Greek government reiterated its promise to keep migrants out. "The government will do whatever it takes to protect its borders," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters, adding that in the past 24 hours Greek authorities had averted attempts by 4,000 people to cross. Live images from Greece's Skai TV on the Turkish side of the northern land border at Kastanies showed Greek riot police firing teargas rounds at groups of migrants who were hurling stones and shouting obscenities. Media were not permitted to approach the Greek side of the border in the early morning, but the area smelled heavily of teargas, a Reuters witness said. A Turkish government official said late Thursday that Turkey will no longer contain the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers after an air strike on war-ravaged Idlib in Syria killed 33 Turkish soldiers earlier that day. Almost immediately, convoys of people appeared heading to the Greek land and sea borders on Friday. An estimated 3,000 people had gathered on the Turkish side of the border at Kastanies, according to a Greek government official. Kastanies lies just over 900 km (550 miles)north-east of Athens. Greece, which was a primary gateway for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016, has promised it will keep the migrants out. However, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that some 18,000 migrants had crossed borders from Turkey into Europe. Speaking in Istanbul, he did not immediately provide evidence for the number, but said it would rise. Greek police were keeping media about a kilometre away from the Kastanies border crossing, but the broader area, where the two countries are divided by a river, was more permeable. A group of Afghans with young children waded across fast-moving waters of the Evros river and took refuge in a small chapel. They crossed into Greece on Friday morning. "Today is good" said Shir Agha, 30 in broken English. "Before, Erdogan people, police problem," he said. Their shoes were caked in mud. It had rained heavily the night before, and by early morning, temperatures were close to freezing. Greece had already said on Thursday it would tighten border controls to prevent coronavirus reaching its Aegean islands, where thousands of migrants are living in poor conditions. Nearly a million refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to Greece's islands in 2015, setting off a crisis over immigration in Europe, but that route all but closed after the European Union and Ankara agreed to stop the flow in March 2016. At the national level, the American Hospital Association is warning that budgets of hospitals that operate on extremely thin margins are going to be tested to the limits by the crisis. Curtailing elective surgeries is a big danger, it said. The association sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calling for speedy approval of emergency funding specifically targeted to bolstering the crisis response for cash-strapped hospitals. As the shortage of medical supplies grows, extraordinary steps to preserve (protective personal equipment), including canceling elective surgeries and other procedures, may need to occur, the association said. Such cancellations could be devastating to hospitals, physicians and nurses already at financial risk. FIRST LOOK: The transformations are next level the reveals and emotions are bigger than ever! #HouseRules High Stakes, coming soon to @Channel7 pic.twitter.com/HdypzPE2mS #HouseRules (@HouseRulesOn7) February 28, 2020 Seven has released a first peek at House Rules High Stakes coming in Q2. Programming director Angus Ross recently told TV Tonight, the show has new hosts and judges, with contestants renovating a Gold Coast penthouse. Its like something stuck in a James Bond film from the 1970s, but it needs to be brought into present day. It is a massive job, but it is the most insane-looking apartment that you will ever see. And at the completion of that apartment, there is a major format twist in the show he said. Jamie Durie co-hosts with Abbey Way while Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Kyly Clarke and Saul Myers are 2020 judges. I just watched the first episode yesterday and was very, very pleased. Its been completely refreshed and it feels like a very different show. Parents have been left outraged at plans to introduce gender-neutral toilets at a school. Fortitude Valley State Secondary College in Brisbane was set to become the first school in Queensland without specifically designed boys' and girls' separate bathrooms when it opened last month, but the plan was scrapped following backlash. The Department of Education's decision was unveiled in December, causing outrage among constituents who were unaware of the move. A freedom of information request has uncovered emails between the ministers staff and concerned voters. Fortitude Valley State Secondary College (pictured) was set to become the first Queensland school designed with unisex toilets before the plans were scrapped Education Minister Grace Grace (pictured) copped severe backlash over The Department of Education's decision to implement gender-neutral toilets at a new Brisbane high school Outraged constituents bombarded Education Minister Grace Grace with complaints, slamming the unisex toilets as 'ridiculous' and a 'disaster waiting to happen'. 'How long will it take for students to invent their version of the Mile High Club?' a female voter wrote, the Courier-Mail reported. 'I hope that you are installing condom vending machines so that students can practice safe sex in the lockable transgender toilets.' Another told Ms Grace to get a 'reality check' and demanded that the plans be abandoned. 'It is time to get real and focus on the falling standards of our education and stop this social engineering,' they wrote. One constituent wrote to Housing Minister Mick de Brenni, stating they were shocked to read the proposal in the Courier-Mail. They urged him to 'eliminate' from his staff those that were responsible for 'implementing a dangerous course of action'. A female constituent voiced concerns to Transport Minister Mark Bailey about misbehaviour, violence, sexual harassment and bullying around the toilets. She also cited that girls could face embarrassment when forced to deal with monthly issues in a communal space. Both Ministers forwarded the concerns to Ms Grace's office for a response. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) overturned the decision following backlash The emails also reveal Ms Grace contacted the Premier's team about the story the day before it was released. She defended the unisex toilets as similar to those in a public parks or shared bathrooms in households. But Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told media on Sunday that it was the first time she had heard of the plans, while raising concerns that boys and girls should have their own toilet facilities. In December, The Department of Education confirmed that all toilets at the $80 million vertical high school would be be unisex, with the exception of two male and female toilets in change room facilities. Ms Palaszczuk overruled the original decision in January, and gender-specific toilets were installed just weeks before the school opened. Fortitude Valley State Secondary College is the first inner-city state school to be built in Brisbane in over half a century. The school welcomed its foundation Year 7 students on January 28. The new school has also pushed back class times to avoid traffic chaos, with students urged to walk or cycle to school to ease congestion in the inner-city. WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Audrey Henson, Founder and CEO of College to Congress (C2C), will testify in a Public Witness Hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch on Wednesday, March 4 at approximately 2:00 pm in Room HT-2 of the Capitol Building. "When I worked as a congressional intern and staffer, I met few people who came from backgrounds like mine," said Henson, who was raised by a single-parent in a small, economically distressed town. "By increasing the number of paid internship positions on Capitol Hill, more students from disadvantaged backgrounds can represent their communities in Congress. We want Congress to be truly reflective of the population it serves, and that starts with offering more paid internships." Background Over the last three years, Henson has advocated tirelessly for increased and permanent funding for paid congressional internships. During the hearing, she will also testify on the need for a dedicated human resources office to assist congressional offices with the onboarding of new staff; on expanding the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and on increasing the benefit cap on Congress' existing student loan repayment program. When Henson founded C2C four years ago, over 90% of congressional internships were unpaid and, therefore, inaccessible to many low-income college students. As part of the organization's advocacy efforts, C2C has been instrumental in helping to secure over $31 million in funding for congressional internships. College to Congress supports H. Res. 756, a resolution that implements recommendations made by the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (SCOMC). This resolution advances nearly 30 bipartisan recommendations from the SCOMC that address concrete measures to create a more efficient and effective House of Representatives, some of which have already been enacted with significant impact. College to Congress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to create a more inclusive and effective Congress by empowering the next generation of public servants. College to Congress is disrupting the pipeline of who becomes congressional staff by helping high-achieving, low-income students secure full-time internships in Congress and covering the true cost of an unpaid internship. For more information about College to Congress, please visit www.collegetocongress.org. For more information on the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, please visit https://modernizecongress.house.gov SOURCE College to Congress Related Links http://www.collegetocongress.org Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriza Pinandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 09:05 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad2067518a7 1 World coronavirus,Diamond-Princess,COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Indonesia,Foreign-Ministry Free The remaining 68 Indonesian crewmen on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are expected to arrive home on Sunday, as Jakarta officially dispatched a team on Friday to airlift the citizens from the coronavirus-hit ship docked in Japan. The evacuation team is made up of 23 people, comprising representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian Military, the Health Ministry and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said. We are praying for the [evacuation] to take place safely and all will return home in good condition, Retno said on Friday. The Garuda Indonesia airplane departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, at 4 p.m. on Friday and was scheduled to land at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 1 a.m. on Saturday. The plane is to depart Japan at 6 p.m local time on Sunday and was expected to arrive in Indonesia near midnight on the same day, Retno said. Among the total of 78 Indonesian crew members initially on board the Diamond Princess, only 68 of them would return to Indonesia and all of them had undergone a polymerase chain reaction test, after which they had been declared negative for COVID-19, she said. Eight crew members had tested positive for coronavirus and were currently being treated in a Japanese hospital, while two other Indonesians had decided to continue working on the cruise ship, Retno added. Japanese authorities quarantined the Diamond Princess and its 3,711 passengers and crew for two weeks starting on Feb. 5 in Yokohama. By the time the quarantine was over 14 days later, more than 600 of those aboard had tested positive for COVID-19. The coronavirus has spread globally since it first emerged from Wuhan city in China in late December and it infected more than 80,000 people and killed more than 2,800 by Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. Indonesia has still reported zero cases of coronavirus so far. (dpk) The peak body of architects has called for the release of all shortlisted design plans for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum, saying it would be in the interests of public and professional transparency. The organiser of the taxpayer-funded International Design Competition, Malcolm Reading, has also supported the exhibition of the shortlisted plans to demonstrate the relative merits of the winning design and protect the integrity of the competition process. The runners up in the competition remain under wraps almost 10 weeks after the International Design Competition jury judged that the standout design for the riverfront site came from the partnership of French architecture practice Moreau Kusunoki and Melbourne-based practice Genton. An artist's impression of the interior of the Moreau Kusunoki and Genton's latticed structural steel building for the new Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta. Mr Reading said it is customary for the designs of all architect teams to be displayed as part of an online gallery at the same time as the winning design is announced. This happened with newly designed landmarks such as Adelaide Contemporary, Houston Endowment Headquarters and University College Dublin. The so-called Super Tuesday will award one-third of the available national delegates. And it could determine the person likely to win the backing of the party. Voters in 14 US states and one territory head to the polls on Tuesday to decide who in the Democratic Party should challenge President Donald Trump in November. The outcome of the so-called Super Tuesday could determine the person likely to win it all. Al Jazeeras Patty Culhane reports from Washington, DC. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Monalisa Foster didnt know bananas were supposed to be yellow. The bananas she ate were green. It wasnt her fault. She grew up in Nicolae Ceausescus communist Romania, where food was scarce and people waited in line for rations. Now, especially with the presidential election coming up, Monalisa worries that the U.S. could be headed down the same path with socialism. She writes a story based on her childhood in the short story Pretending to Sleep. Shes seen and heard things in America that remind her of her childhood in a communist country. And shes terrified. Everybody Wanted to Go to America Monalisa found out that bananas should be yellow by a friend whod made it to America. She came back to Romania and told Monalisas family about the magical place where food could be had without standing in line. Where you could travel to another state without papers. Where bananas were yellow. Everybody wanted to go to America, she told The Stream. Everything in America was better. Everybody knew it deep down because we would get television signals and no matter how much [the government] tried to suppress them, we still got staticky images. The castaways on 'Gilligans Island' had a better standard of living than we did. It confirmed everything theyd heard. Monalisa and her mom escaped Romania in late 1977, when Monalisa was 8 years old. She was one of the lucky ones. I am so grateful that we were able to get out because things got worse after we left. Soul-Crushing Romania Life was brutal in communist Romania. The state tried to force couples to become pregnant. They had the gynecology police, which would go into factories and make sure that women were having sex with their husbands and getting pregnant. They state wanted people to have children, but many people didnt. If you cant feed your kids, you dont want them to suffer. You dont have them in the first place. Since the law required that couples have children, yet parents could not afford to feed them, Romanian orphanages were bursting at the seams. That is how intrusive they were in your life. It didnt matter to them if you could feed those kids, it didnt matter to them if you were trying to be a responsible person. All they wanted was cannon fodder. Monalisa described what healthcare was like in communist Romania. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed when she was first or second grade. I was dragged (yes, dragged, because I didnt want to go because no one told me why I was there) into a room that was filthy even by the standards of a person (me) who lived in a very old house with dirt floors and an outhouse and chickens and rabbits raised for food in the back yard. She went in barefoot and in a hospital gown. They strapped her into a dentist chair. They knocked me out with chloroform. When I woke up, my pillow was drenched in blood (mine). No one had cleaned me up (because at some point Id voided both my bladder and bowels). There was no ice. No pain medication. Nothing for the swelling. No antibiotics. You either lived or you didnt. People who root for Bernie Sanders socialism think its the kind of socialism that comes out of your dorm room bong where you sit around stoned thinking that somehow, magically, human nature is going to change and all of a sudden people are going to just give you stuff because you want it. Romanians were also not allowed to leave their city to travel elsewhere without express permission by the government and identification papers. I remember going fishing with my great uncle and getting on a train to go fishing and needing special papers just because it was across an inner border. Monalisa wishes that Americans could truly experience the soul crushing thing that is communism. I mean, if you dont get it, that people were so badly off that they stopped [having children] If you dont get that, I honestly dont know what I can say or what I can show you that is going to change your mind. Changing America But would knowing communism make a difference? America isnt the same place Monalisa came to as a child. It used to be that nobody could tell me what to think. Notice I said used to, okay? It used to be that I could say what I thought and not have to be afraid, but thats not true anymore because if I say the wrong thing, people might drop me from their publication, you know, or my employer might fire me because I said something offensive. America no longer has free speech. What we have is mob rule on free speech. People who root for Bernie Sanders socialism think its the kind of socialism that comes out of your dorm room bong where you sit around stoned thinking that somehow, magically, human nature is going to change and all of a sudden people are going to just give you stuff because you want it. What they really want is called theft. They think that socialism is what private charity is. Its radically different because its one thing when I reach into my own pocket to make the world better. Its quite another when I reach into somebody elses. It isnt just taking care of everybody and having good feelings. Freedom for Security Theres no such thing as a free lunch. Free food means that somebody has to provide it. So now Ive made a slave out of the farmer and the trucker and the butcher, Monalisa says. And free healthcare has made slaves out of the doctors and nurses and the people that make your medicine. Free education says youve made slaves out of the teachers. So every time you put free this or free that you are actually taking away somebody elses freedom because nothing is free. Monalisa wants people to do their research. Its all out there. All you have to do is educate yourself. Yet people refuse to because theyre so wound up in their own feelings that they have stopped thinking. America has stopped thinking and theres nothing but feeling. Its all about how does this make me feel? instead of what is this going to mean? Its frightening. Theres no better place than America, she says. This is one of the things I despair about because even back in Romania, we knew there was a better place to go. Well, if things go wrong, if we all of a sudden become a socialist America, where do you go? There is nowhere else to go. This is it. This article was originally published by The Stream here. Still, he said, no amount of planning would do much to mitigate an outbreak that prevents the majority of his manufacturing staff from coming to work. A group of 15 employees cannot suddenly do the work of 50. Most major companies in the United States have said little about how they would respond to an outbreak, except to note their concern for the health and well-being of employees. A spokeswoman for Amazon said the company was watching this situation closely but declined to comment on specific protocols. Representatives for several major banks, retailers and technology companies said they would look to the C.D.C. for guidance. Other large companies have already put new precautions in place. Facebook is asking employees who host guests at its corporate offices to make sure the visitors have not recently traveled to mainland China. And at an all-hands meeting on Thursday, executives at the commercial real estate firm SquareFoot in New York told employees to take their laptops home on Friday in case they have to work remotely this next week. Its unclear whether workers, especially in retail and manufacturing jobs, would continue to be paid if the coronavirus crisis forced stores and factories to close for an extended period. For some small-business owners, the coronavirus still feels like a distant threat. Were not trying to overreact, said Michael Stanek, who runs a company near Cleveland that manufactures toner for printers. We could probably continue to operate with up to maybe 50 percent of employees sick. Still, Mr. Stanek said he was considering ramping up production in the coming days so that the company has enough inventory to keep supplying its customers even if its plant shuts down. And when he gave out paychecks on Thursday, he reminded employees to wash their hands. Reporting was contributed by Miriam Jordan in Los Angeles; Donald G. McNeil Jr. and David Yaffe-Bellany in New York; Mike Baker in Blaine, Wash.; and Matt Richtel in San Francisco. Delhi school reopening: Decision to be taken after Christmas-New Year vacation, says govt Delhi govt to launch WhatsApp number to lodge complaint about hate messages India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 29: The Delhi government is likely to issue a WhatsApp number on which people can complain about hate messages being circulated on the instant messaging app in wake of the riots that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi. They said the government will make an appeal to people to not forward any such message because forwarding any material which causes enmity amongst communities is a crime. "There is a lot of hate material being circulated on WhatsApp. If anyone receives any such material, he/she should immediately file a complaint with Delhi Govt. The Delhi Govt will issue a WhatsApp number on which such complaints can be made," reports ANI quoting sources. "An official will screen all the complaints received. The complaints which are genuine would then be forwarded to the police for necessary action," it added. The death toll in the Delhi's communal violence has gone up to 42 now with four more fatalities being recorded at the city's GTB Hospital. Death toll in Delhi now at 42, number of injured 250 The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital has recorded 38 deaths, the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital three, and the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital has reported one. Nearly 7,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the affected areas of the northeast district since Monday to assist hundreds of Delhi police men and women to maintain peace. More than 250 people have been injured in the communal clashes. The areas mainly affected include Jafrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 11:13 [IST] BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 29 By Tamilla Mammadova Trend: Georgia confirms third case of coronavirus, Trend reports citing Georgian media. Head of the Georgian National Center for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze announced that yet another Georgian citizen who recently returned travelled to Iran has tested positive for the coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Gamkrelidze said this person was in close contact with the first Georgian citizen, who was infected while travelling to Iran for business. The first case of the virus was detected on February 26 in Georgia, the second - on February 28. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called on Georgian citizens to remain calm and be responsible amid the recent coronavirus outbreak in the country. "Lets spread #SafetynotFear! We need to show people that safety means remaining calm and being responsible, Georgian President wrote on her Instagram page yesterday. Her Instagram photos show Zurabishvili travelling on a public bus wearing a face mask. Georgian citizens have been recommended to temporarily avoid travelling to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy amid the coronavirus outbreak. An interactive map showing the countries with confirmed cases of the coronavirus throughout the world is also available. The coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The symptoms include cough, headache, fatigue, fever, aching and difficulty breathing. It is primarily spread through airborne contact or contact with contaminated objects. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356 A Pakistani Christian woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy met with French President Emmanuel Macron after his country offered her asylum. Asia Bibi was accompanied by a translator when she visited Macron at Elysees Palace in Paris on Friday. The 49-year-old had been offered asylum by France after she was acquitted of her conviction in Pakistan last year. Before the mother-of-four was offered the asylum, Bibi had been living with her family in Canada. Speaking from palace grounds, Bibi said she would need to "think" about her children and her health before deciding on how to respond to the offer. Bibi was convicted in 2010 of making derogatory remarks about Islam when she was a farm worker. Pakistan's Supreme Court overturned her conviction in 2018. Photograph by David Williams The March 215, 2020, issue of New York marks the magazines biannual fashion flip cover, with New York on one side, and the Cut on the other. On the New York side of the magazine, reporter Vanessa Grigoriadis goes behind the scenes of former New York City mayor Michael Bloombergs expensive, quixotic, and risky presidential campaign. Until the Nevada and South Carolina debates, the question on everyones minds had been, Can the presidency be bought by the ninth richest man in the world?, to which the answer seemed to be, Yes, possibly. Now, the question has become, Can the presidency be won by someone with negative charisma? Grigoriadis speaks with Bloombergs high-profile friends and supporters including Tom Brokaw and Joanna Coles, his daughter Emma Bloomberg, campaign manager Kevin Sheekey, as well as former colleagues and political consultants who are skeptical of his run. Ever since Bloomberg entered the race, Ive been thinking about his long history with the city and this magazine, says New York editor-in-chief David Haskell of the decision to put the Bloomberg on the cover, who was photographed at his childhood home in Medford Massachusetts. He has been serious about running for president since at least 2006. In 2009 we published this cover, and the dilemma it raisedshould this well-intentioned billionaire be able to buy his way out of his electoral vulnerabilities?is still central to American politics. Vanessa Grigoriadis reported on Mayor Mike during the roller coaster of the last few weeks, closely observing a man with an almost preposterous combination of affluence, altruism and ego. Flipping the magazine over, Fran Drescher graces the cover of the Cuts Spring Fashion issue. Twenty-one years after the end of The Nanny, a show that was a cultural touch point for the Cuts millennial audience, Drescher is still a star in her own right. Frans sense of humor combined with her steadfast self-knowledge really appealed to us for this season, says the Cuts SVP and editor-in-chief Stella Bugbee of the cover star. We all need a little JOY right now! Elsewhere in the Cuts Spring Fashion issue: Molly Fischer writes about the tyranny of the millennial aesthetic, Melissa Dahl on the convincing science of light therapy, Matthew Schneier on how the Assoulines made their name on books to be seen (and occasionally read), and much more. The issue doesnt have a theme per se but there was a through line of fun, parties, and community, from our fashion portfolio, which we shot as a power lunch at La Grenouille, to the oral history of Opening Ceremony, Bugbee says of the issue. We wanted mischief and delight throughout the whole thing. Is AOC Catholic? NEWS PROVIDED BY Catholic League Feb. 28, 2020 NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2020 / Christian Newswire / -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (photo) comments on congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) Catholic? She was, but there is no evidence she still is. Yet she is conveniently labeled as a Catholic by some of her supporters and she occasionally implies she is still Catholic. Why does this matter? If she were not a congresswoman, it wouldn't. But when someone who is no longer a member of the faith community he was raised in passes himself off as a loyal memberfor self-serving political purposesthat raises serious ethical problems. Who is and who is not a Catholic is not purely a matter of self-identity. If someone born of Irish ancestry and raised as a Catholic calls himself a Jew, no one thinks he is Jewish. Truth matters, and the truth never turns on self-identity alone. AOC spoke on February 27 at a congressional hearing on "The Administration's Religious Liberty Assault on LGBTQ rights," held by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She criticized the Trump administration for its policies on homosexuals and transgender persons, saying it was misusing religious liberty to undermine these people. In her remarks, AOC never once identified herself as a Catholic, though she did play the religion card. She preferred to use such terms as, "From the perspective of a woman of faith" and "I know itis part of my faith." Not only did she not identify her faith, she said, "We are equal, in my faith, in the eyes of the world." Catholics don't speak that way. They would say something like, "As a Catholic, I believe we are all equal in the eyes of God." In a glowing article on AOC posted on Huffington Post, it says that she "identifies as Catholic" and "frequently refers to her religious beliefs on Twitter." Not true. On Twitter, she never identifies herself as a Catholic: she calls herself a "raised Catholic" (see her tweet from 12-10-18). That is the way ex-Catholics speak, not those who are currently practicing their religion. In a caustic exchange on Twitter with Kellyanne Conway, AOC spoke about her "Christianity + faith life" (tweet is from 4-28-19). Again, that is not the way Catholics speak. In fact, that is a really weird way for any Christian to talk. There is no need for the "+ faith life" if the person is truly a Christian. We did a Nexis search of AOC to learn how often she identified herself as a Catholic. We looked for "As a Catholic" or "My Catholic." The answer: Zero. The only reference to her Catholicity is from an article she wrote for America magazine on June 27, 2018, the Jesuit publication. In her piece, she made a comment about the Catechism and forgiveness, and uses terms such as "For Catholics," but never once does she say she is a Catholic. Yet that was the purpose of the article. It was titled, "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her Catholic Faith and the Urgency of Criminal Justice Reform." Why the reticence given this opportunity to showcase her Catholic credentials? Indeed, she could have told us something about how much her Catholic faith means to her, but she didn't come close. In her statement before the House committee, AOC did address one Catholic issue. Not surprisingly, she condemned the Catholic position. "My faith commands me to treat Mr. Minton as holy because he is sacred, because his life is sacred, because you are not to be denied anything I am entitled to, that we are equal in the eyes of the law." What was all that about? Evan Michael Minton, who also spoke before the committee, wanted to change from being a woman to a man (that is biologically impossible, but that is not the issue). In 2017,"he" sought a hysterectomy at a Catholic facility, Mercy San Juan Medical Center; it is part of the Dignity Health Care chain. The Catholic hospital does not perform elective hysterectomies (such a procedure is only done to treat a serious medical problem and when there is no alternative treatment available). Mercy immediately referred "him" to another hospital within the Dignity chain that is not Catholic, and the procedure was performed within a few days. Even though there was no discrimination, "he" got the ACLU to sue Mercy. In other words, AOC flexed her so-called Catholic muscles by taking the side of someone who deliberately sought an operation from a Catholic institution that it was prohibited by its religious tenets from performing. She obviously does not believe in the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Worse, she took the side of anti-Catholics. The Catholic League does not tolerate fictions. Everyone knows that inside a pregnant woman's body there is another human being, and everyone knows that no one can change his or her chromosomal makeup, even though many learned people believe otherwise. And everyone should know that AOC is a fraud. Contact Ariel Eckblad, AOC's chief of staff: ariel.eckblad@mail.house.gov SOURCE Catholic League Related Links An Alliance proposal to stop the Union flag flying all year round at sites in Ards and North Down has been defeated. Flags policy in the area was due for renewal after the borough's equality scheme's five-year run ended this month. Council officers recommended a continuation of the current policy. A DUP proposal to renew the flags policy won by 23 votes to 14. The Alliance amendment to fly the flag only on designated days received 12 votes out of 37 in the chamber - nine Alliance, one Green, one SDLP and one independent. The current system has the union flag flown permanently at seven designated sites - Castle Park, Bangor; Conway Square, Newtownards; Ballygowan War Memorial; the Square, Comber; the Maypole, Holywood; The Moat, Donaghadee and Queen's Hall, Holywood. It is flown only on 15 designated days, at the council building at Church Street, Newtownards. DUP councillor Robert Adair, who proposed the continuation of the policy, said: "The position has worked well." Voters go to polls in Guinea on Sunday in a referendum on a new constitution that would enable President Alpha Conde to stay in power for a third term. Guineans have taken to the streets since October to demonstrate against the changes to term limits in rallies marred by violence with the killing of almost 40 protesters and one gendarme. Conakry resembled a ghost town on Thursday with continuing protests by the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) ahead of polls on 1 March. Voters are expected to cast their ballot on both the changes to the constitution and choose candidates in a parliamentary poll. Civil society and opposition parties are against a potential third term by President Conde and most shops and restaurants in the capital city are closed. I've closed my shop to mark my protest against plans to change the constitution, Ousmane Barry, a shopkeeper in Hamdallaye neighbourhood, told RFI. Traffic on the The Prince road through the capital was flowing freely on Thursday, in contrast to the usual congestion of cars and motorcycles. The FNDC did not give a precise location for protests, suggesting a more general move calling on people to go out in their neighbourhoods. The draft constitution also aims to set in stone gender equality, and end the practice of female circumcision and under-age marriage. However, critics are worried that the real reason for the changes are to reset term limits giving 81-year-old Conde the opportunity to stand for re-election later this year. The main opposition parties have boycotted Sunday's polls and there has not been much campaigning in Conakry this week, except for billboards in favour of changing the constitution to achieve equality or greater inclusion of the youth. Few public rallies took place, but there were clashes between young people and the security forces in the Conakry suburb of Wanindara on Thursday. Fears of violence Human rights groups are concerned that the action by armed forces in response to protests risks throwing the country into a cycle of violence. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations call on the government to billet the armed forces in their barracks to prevent any violence against demonstrators and stop the repression of opponents, FIDH said in a statement. FIDH said the armed forces had been put on alert ahead of the polls with commanders requested to organise daytime and nighttime patrols. A sign of escalation that could threaten peace and unity in the county, the FIDH added, saying at least 37 people had been killed since October durings protests. Abdoul Gadiry Diallo, president of the Guinean Organisation for the Protection of Human Rights and the Citizen (OGDH), said the situation is critical. He is worried about a repeat of the massacres carried out by soldiers on 28 September 2009 when at least 150 people were killed and dozens of women raped by members of the presidential guard. Ecowas distances itself from polls Regional West African bloc Ecowas on Thursday announced that it would not be carrying out a high-level visit by heads of state ahead of the polls. The visit led by Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou as well as the presidents of Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso had to unfortunately be delayed owing to the commitments of Guinea's Conde. There are certain factors suggesting that the situation on the ground is not free of all risks, according to an Ecowas communique. Kim Kardashian has come a long way since she first stepped onto the scene with Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007. Back then, fans were amused by the beauty and socialite who only seemed to care about fame and money. Things have changed drastically since then. Though Kardashian still cares about making the big bucks, shes turned into a full-fledged businesswoman wither her Skims and KKW Beauty brands. However, the most transformative thing about the beauty mogul is something we never saw coming. In 2019, Kardashian announced seemingly out of nowhere that she was studying for the California Bar Exam in 2022 so that she could become a licensed attorney. She had already been working behind the scenes, advocating for the release of a slew of wrongfully incarcerated people. Now, in her new documentary, Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project the reality starlet is getting candid about why criminal justice reform is so important to her. Going into law has always been Kim Kardashians dream Law is in Kardashians blood. Her late father, Robert Kardashian Sr. was a renowned criminal attorney and she was always inspired by him, but too afraid to follow her dreams. There is a misconception that I dont actually have to study and that Ive bought my way into getting a law degreethats absolutely not true Being underestimated and over-delivering is my vibe, she revealed. She also acknowledges that studying for the bar has been a major sacrifice when it comes to spending quality time with her family. My weekends are spent away from my kids while I read and study, she explained on Instagram. I work all day, put my kids to bed and spend my nights studying. There are times I feel overwhelmed and when I feel like I cant do it but I get the pep talks I need from the people around me supporting me. I changed my number last year and disconnected from everyone because I have made this strict commitment to follow a dream of mine Its never too late to follow your dreams. Inside the Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project We first learned about Kardashians interest in criminal justice in 2018 when she personally lobbied President Donald Trump for the release of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman serving a life sentence for a first time nonviolent drug offense. Johnson was granted clemency. Now with her new Oxygen documentary, Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project Kardashian is giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at her work. According to the press release, the film will follow the KUWTK stars efforts to secure freedom for Americans who she believes have been wronged by the justice system. It also promises exclusive, never before seen look inside her mission to tackle one of Americas most controversial subjects. Kim Kardashian got into social justice because of her children Kardashians four children, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm that she shares with her husband, Kanye West inspired her social justice and prison reform work. Im raising four black kids in this society and our system is so discriminatory against black and brown people. I want to do as much as I can to make their lives easierI never knew much about the system until I started to dig in, Kardashian told CR Fashion Book. And once I learned and saw how many things were wrong, I really couldnt stop. She also realizes that some people are skeptical of her newfound career choices, but she doesnt care. My evolution on this is probably some combination of growing up, getting married, having kids, and my life being so different than what it was when I was starting out, she explained. Now, I feel like I have a duty to myself and to my children more than the public and I want to be a good role model for my kids. Iranian parliament has formed a team to review the coronavirus situation, said the spokesman for Iran's Parliament Presiding Board, Trend reports. Asadollah Abbasi has discussed the reports related to MPs being infected by coronavirus in an interview with Trend. "So far, five MPs have been infected, while there are some suspected cases should be retested. Specific measures have been implemented so that other members of the parliament can be tested in one of health centers," he said. "The MPs who were tested positive were tested last Tuesday, but whether new individuals are infected will be known after new reports are released," he added. "Unfortunately, one of the newly elected MPs has passed away in Gilan Province due to coronavirus," the spokesperson said. "A team of three doctors from parliament has been formed to discuss the issue with the National Committee on Combating Coronavirus and negotiate over the country's situation at next parliamentary session," he said adding that measures have been also implemented to test journalists who cover the parliament work. "The date of parliament's next session is not known," he noted. "The infected members of parliament are Masoumeh Aghapour Alishahi , Mahmoud Sadeghi and Mojtaba Zonnour," Abbasi added. Six people from northern New Mexico were arrested Thursday and arraigned in federal court on Friday after a grand jury returned indictments on charges related to the distribution of crack cocaine. Jose Mendoza, 32, and his wife, Natalie Mendoza, 35, of Medanales, are alleged to have been high-level suppliers of cocaine in the Espanola Valley, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. They each face charges of the possession and distribution of a cocaine base and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, among other charges. Jose Mendoza was charged with six total counts, while Natalie Mendoza, who allegedly kept the records of drug sales and collected money, was charged with seven. The couple is alleged to have laundered drug money by making cash payments on auto loans and making cash deposits at credit unions. Ryan Rodriguez, 27, of Chamita, was charged with 12 counts, while his girlfriend, Bridget Archuleta, 31, of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, is facing four counts, according to the release. Rodriguez is accused of acting as a mid-level cocaine distributor of drugs he received from the Mendozas and Archuleta is believed to have participated in the drug deals, according to authorities. Rodriguezs sister, Andrea Rodriguez, 28, of Espanola, allegedly delivered drugs to customers on her brothers behalf. She was charged with two counts: conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine. Edvardo Carlson, 39, of Espanola, who allegedly made drug deals at Ryan Rodriguezs direction, is charged with four counts. Penalties upon conviction vary, with some of them carrying up to 40 years in prison. The news release states that law enforcement agencies gathered information from an undercover agent and telephone and text messages. The Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, New Mexico State Police, Santa Fe and Taos police and Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office were among the agencies that participated in the investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 22:50:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus outbreak, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across China remain optimistic about business prospects, according to a survey by Alibaba-backed research unit. More than 66 percent of 23,715 merchants on Alibaba's major e-commerce platforms of Taobao and Tmall expressed optimism about future activity in 2020, despite short-term setbacks such as declines in orders and customers, delivery delays and tight cash flows caused by the outbreak, showed the survey. The online survey was conducted from Feb. 5 to 7 by the Ali Research Institute and the China Household Finance Survey and Research Center of Southwestern University of Finance. The survey on business and economic recovery prospects shed light on the enduring entrepreneurial spirit of the small-business sector, which has been hardest hit by the epidemic, said Luohan Academy, also run by Alibaba, in a research report. Over 90 percent of the respondents said they expected to suffer losses from the outbreak, but nearly 90 percent stated that they would not cut jobs in 2020, even with increased financial pressure. According to the survey, disrupted logistics and distribution channels were the main causes of delays to the resumption of business operations and production. Other pressure came from rent, labor costs, interest on loans, material backlogs and virus-prevention costs. Luohan Academy said it was crucial to relieve MSMEs' cost burdens by offering reduced fees and accessible financing options, and providing them technological infrastructure to navigate obstacles presented by the virus. Researchers noted that economic recovery was closely linked to the return of workers, including about 170 million migrant workers, to their jobs following a Lunar New Year break prolonged by health concerns. Luohan Academy said the swift and safe return of workers to their posts should be a priority. In addition, the ongoing maintenance of a healthy work environment was key to ensuring solid and sustained recovery for businesses and the economy. New Delhi [India], Feb 28 (ANI): Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Friday said that the force could have deployed twice the number of warplanes and launched more weapons during the Balakot airstrike, but chose to not do so in order to minimise collateral damage. "The air force could have struck Balakot with twice the number of warplanes and launched four times the weapons but did not do that to ensure there was no collateral damage," the IAF chief said at the Centre for Air Power Studies seminar here. The IAF chief said the Centre had taken a "tough and bold decision to strike at the heart of terrorist training camps deep inside Pakistan" and added that "the Indian Air Force struck the target successfully". "A year ago, the government took a tough and bold decision to strike at the heart of terrorist training camps deep inside Pakistan across the Line of Control. IAF successfully struck the chosen target. Pakistan Air Force responded 30 hours later with a large package of aircraft under Operation Swift Retort. IAF ensured they were not able to hit targets. They were in a hurry to disengage. They were doing it for their domestic audience," Bhadauria said. "We had an edge over Pakistan Air Force in terms of Beyond Visual Range Missile capability at the time of Kargil. We allowed that to slip and thereafter it took a decade and a half in our struggle in the acquisition process to be able to get better capability," he added. Earlier, while speaking to ANI, the IAF chief said that the message of the Balakot airstrike was clear that there will be a robust response to a terror attack from across the border. "The message is clear that it will no longer be a status quo, if there is an attack orchestrated from across the border there will be a response and it will be a robust one," Bhadauria had said. The Chief of the Air Staff flew a sortie in MiG-21 of 51 Squadron with two Mirage-2000s and Sukhoi-30MKI from Srinagar airbase to mark the completion of one year of Balakot airstrike. Last year, the IAF had carried out airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot, targetting Jaish-e-Mohammad's (JeM) terror training camps. The JeM had claimed responsibility for a deadly terror attack on February 14 in Pulwama, killing 40 CRPF personnel. (ANI) JUBA, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in South Sudan and the country's ministry of health have joined ranks to strengthen preventative measures against the novel coronavirus or the COVID-19. Hua Ning, the Chinese ambassador in Juba said though there is currently no confirmed case of the COVID-19 in South Sudan, the embassy is working with the South Sudanese government and the World Health Organization (WHO) to boost screening and quarantine measures. "The Chinese embassy has established a working mechanism with the South Sudanese government and the WHO and maintained hotline contact," the Chinese envoy told reporters in Juba on Friday. The government has also developed a guideline which requires people who recently visited China and other countries affected by the virus to be isolated from the public for 14 days. "We have issued notices several times to remind Chinese citizens in South Sudan and ask them to cooperate with the relevant authorities of South Sudan in screening, quarantine and other entry inspection and quarantine measures," Hua said. The Chinese envoy also hailed the South Sudanese government and people for standing with China during the battle against the epidemic. "There are also many people from all walks of life in South Sudan expressing their support for China's fight against the epidemic in various ways and are full of confidence in China's capability to win a final victory over the epidemic," Hua said. "I want to thank the government and people of South Sudan for their firm support during the difficult times in China." Hua revealed that China's epidemic prevention and control measures have produced positive results and over the past two weeks, daily reported confirmed cases have fallen by 80 percent. The Chinese envoy also assured the people of South Sudan that the 27 South Sudanese students in Hubei, 24 of whom in Wuhan city are all healthy and safe. "The Chinese government and relevant local authorities have taken careful measures to protect the life and safety of international students," Hua stressed. "The first is to establish an epidemic prevention working group for foreign students, strengthen management, and establish a daily reporting system to prevent the epidemic from spreading to international student groups. The second is to protect the daily lives of international students," he added. On Saturday (Feb. 15) Truro Raceway held its Annual Truro Harness Horse Owners Association (THHOA) Award Banquet at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro, NS. Guest speaker at the event was Marc Campbell, the top driver in the history of Prince Edward Island harness racing. Marc did a great job providing a few stories and answering questions from the guests. The THHOA President Arleen Gillis presented Lee Johnson a special thank you for the continued support that Wilsons Home Heating provides to Truro Raceway. The Hubtown Horse Club was recognized; this was the first year for the club and it was very successful in bringing new people to the track. Clayton Stevens and Elaine Shortliffe were presented with a plaque recognizing their retired pacing mare Kendal Courageous. The Rev was recognized at the banquet as being the richest Maritime-Bred Racehorse, with a presentation made to Jeff, Melissa, Bob and Jean Skinner. The Rev (Western Paradise - Red Sea) was broke and trained at Truro Raceway by local horseman Danny Romo, who was also present for the presentation. The 2019 Award Winners are as follows: (THHOA) The Securities and Exchange Commission charged SCANA Corp., two of its former top executives, and South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. (SCE&G), now known as Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc., with defrauding investors by making false and misleading statements about a nuclear power plant expansion that was ultimately abandoned. The SEC's complaint alleges that SCANA, its former CEO Kevin Marsh, former Executive Vice President Stephen Byrne, and subsidiary SCE&G misled investors about a project to build two nuclear units that would qualify the company for more than $1 billion in tax credits. According to the complaint, the defendants claimed that the project was on track even though they knew it was far behind schedule, making it unlikely to qualify for the tax credits. The complaint further alleges one SCANA executive said that officers of the company "flew around the country showing the same . . . construction pictures from different angles and played our fiddles" while the project itself "was going up in flames." SCANA abandoned the project in mid-2017 with neither nuclear unit completed. The complaint alleges that the false statements and omissions enabled SCANA to boost its stock price, sell more than $1 billion in bonds, and obtain regulatory approval to raise customers' rates to finance the project. The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in South Carolina, charges SCANA, SCE&G, Marsh, and Byrne with violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933. The complaint also alleges violations of the reporting provisions of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder by SCANA and SCE&G, and charges Marsh with aiding and abetting those violations. Finally, Marsh was charged with violating Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act. The complaint seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement of alleged ill-gotten gains along with prejudgment interest, and financial penalties from all defendants, and an officer and director bar against Marsh and Byrne. The SEC's investigation was conducted by John O'Halloran and supervised by Natalie Brunson and Justin Jeffries of the Atlanta Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Graham Loomis and H.B. Roback. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this matter. Filming of US show The Amazing Race has been halted due to coronavirus. A representative for CBS announced that production has been "temporarily" suspended on the 33rd season of the long-running show. Nobody working on the show is thought to have contracted the illness or shown any signs of symptoms, but the decision was made as a "precautionary measure". The statement read: "Out of an abundance of caution, everyone involved in the show will continue to be monitored when they return home. "The health and well-being of the Racers and the production team are our top priorities." Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Show all 10 1 /10 Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A man wearing a face mask crosses a road in Wuhan, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of the empty entrance to the UniversitA Cattolica (Catholic University) in Milan, northern Italy, on 24 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Empty streets in Daegu, South Korea, on 23 February 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone sanitation worker sits near the closed Hankou Railway Station in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on February 24, 2020. Reuters Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A view of a deserted street in Codogno, northern Italy, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty Italian police officers set a road block in Codogno, Northern Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A supermarket closed in Codogno, one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown, on February 23, 2020. EPA Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty A lone cyclist wearing sanitary masks pedals in the center of Codogno, Northern Italy. LaPresse via AP Coronavirus: Streets around world left empty An empty road at the entrance of the small Italian town of Codogno on February 23, 2020. AFP via Getty The Amazing Race, hosted by Phil Keoghan, follows two teams who compete against each other in a global chase to win a cash prize. The only places to have been visited by contestants featured in the latest season are England and Scotland. Coronavirus has now killed more than 2,800 people around the world, and more than 82,000 people have been infected. Earlier this week, late-night hosts, including Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert, poked fun at the way the Trump administration fronted by Mike Pence has responded to the outbreak. President Trump misidentified the first patient in the United States to die from coronavirus during a press conference on Saturday, calling the man 'a wonderful woman'. Trump's blunder came as he was trying to express his condolences to the family of the patient, adding that the victim was a 'medically high-risk patient in her late 50s.' Not one official corrected him or rectified the error after he spoke, including Vice President Mike Pence, who has been tasked by Trump to lead efforts against the virus. A few hours later, Seattle-area officials had their own press conference to say the victim was a man, noting he was in his 50s and had 'underlying health conditions'. President Trump misidentified the first patient in the United States to die from coronavirus during a press conference on Saturday, calling the man 'a wonderful woman' A few hours later, Seattle-area officials had their own press conference to say the victim was a man, noting he was in his 50s and had 'underlying health conditions' 'It was a man,' said Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, of the deceased patient, adding the patient was a 'chronically ill person' with 'severe risk factors.' The victim, who died overnight on Friday, was not immediately identified. He had been a patient at the Evergreen Health's hospital in Kirkland, Washington, according to a spokeswoman. Health officials said the man was one of three new coronavirus cases in the area with no known travel history or links to global hot zones indicating the deadly outbreak is now likely spreading in communities. Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Seattle and King County, made the announcement and said two other new coronavirus cases in Washington were linked to a Life Care nursing facility, a long-term care facility in Kirkland. One was a woman in her 40s who works at the facility, who is in satisfactory condition. Another was a female resident of Life Care in her 70s, who is in serious condition. Neither had a recent history of travel. The CDC and local health officials are sending an emergency response team to the Life Care facility to address the emerging outbreak. The deceased patient, also from King County, did not have a connection to the Life Care facility, Dr. Duchin said. The victim, who died overnight on Friday, was not immediately identified. He had been a patient at the Evergreen Health's hospital (pictured) in Kirkland, Washington, according to a spokeswoman Washington state now has a total of six coronavirus cases, according to presumptive tests administered locally. The national total in the U.S. is at least 62. During the rare Saturday press conference, Trump urged politicians and the media not to sensationalize the outbreak and provoke panic. 'There's no reason to panic at all,' he said. 'Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover. 'Healthy people if you're healthy, you'll probably go through a process and you'll be fine.' Trump spoke a day after he denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a 'hoax' cooked up by his political enemies. A map shows the four previously announced 'unknown origin' coronavirus cases 'Hoax was referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody,' Trump explained on Saturday when asked if he regretted his words. 'I'm not talking about what's happening here, I'm talking about what they're doing.' At the press conference, Pence announced new emergency travel restrictions on Iran, Italy, and South Korea, which have been hit by outbreaks. Any foreign national who has visited Iran in the past 14 days will be banned from entering the U.S., Pence said. He also said that Trump has authorized the State Department to raise the travel advisory level to outbreak areas in Italy and South Korea to Level Four, the highest level. Level Four advisories urge Americans not to travel to an area for any reason, though they do not legally forbid travel. Worldwide, the outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has sickened at least 83,652 people and killed 2,862 in 54 countries. As of Friday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at 62, according to the CDC. The majority were people who were evacuated to the U.S. under medical supervision from virus hotspots, including three from Wuhan and 44 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Health experts say that the coronavirus has a low mortality rate, resulting in death in about 2 to 3 percent of cases, the majority of which are elderly patients or those with compromised immune systems. However, it appears to be highly contagious, spreading quickly through communities. Experts say frequent hand washing is one of the most effective preventative steps that individuals can take to prevent viral spread. Amnesty International says thousands in Russia have been convicted on fabricated charges. We meet a family fighting the justice system in Russia, in what Amnesty International says is one of the thousands of cases of fabricated criminal charges. According to the rights group, convictions in these cases a way for judges and prosecutors to be promoted and for the government to send a stern warning. Al Jazeeras Step Vaessen reports from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said that he feels "extremely hurt" whenever someone criticises Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and that he once confronted a "big" Opposition leader asking him to study Savarkar properly before denouncing him. Gadkari, who has practically grown up in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh shakhas, currently represents the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency where the RSS headquarters is located. "I feel extremely hurt when someone says something wrong about Savarkar. Savarkar and Shivaji Maharaj are revered by all of us. We are proud of Savarkar," said Gadkari at a felicitation function of senior RSS worker Arvind Khandekar here. "I once met a big political leader who had said something bad about Savarkar. I told him not to badmouth Savarkar and asked him to first study him and the RSS properly," he said. Sharing further about the meeting with the "leader", Gadkari said: "He asked me, are you an RSS worker? I said yes. Then he replied "you are good" and I said if I am good then both the RSS and Savarkar are good. And if Savarkar and RSS are bad then I too am not good. I asked him to study first, then criticise." The senior BJP leader added that one should initiate dialogue with opponents and tell the truth to change their negative perceptions as well as hearts. In December last year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked up a controversy when he said he would not apologise for his "rape in India" remark as his name was not "Rahul Savarkar". Reacting to Gandhi's statement, Savarkar's grandson Ranjit said that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray should beat Gandhi publicly for 'insulting' his grandfather. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani had a two-hour-long meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latters residence here on Saturday where industrial development in the state and investments were discussed. In a late night release, the CMO said the Chief Minister discussed with Ambani, Reliances partnership in the state governments schemes in the education and health sectors. The Chief Minister explained the 'Naadu-Nedu' (then and now) programme taken up by his government to improve infrastructure in schools and hospitals. Accompanied by his son Ananth Ambani and Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, Mukesh arrived by a special flight from Mumbai and was received at the Vijayawada airport by YSR Congress MP V Vijayasai Reddy. They then drove to the Chief Minister's residence at Tadepalli where Jagan and his wife Bharati welcomed the industry moghul and felicitated him. "The Chief Minister and Ambani held talks for more than two hours. Issues like industrial development in the state and investments were discussed at length," the CMO release said, without further details. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Margaret Kimberley February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - It is time for leftists to stop giving Sanders a pass and make demands on him and all other candidates for office. The belief that peace must be sacrificed for domestic issues on the altar of lesser evilism is a canard. Russiagate, the invention of the Democratic Party and the surveillance state, will never be allowed to die. The ongoing fraud is quite useful to the people who invented it. Well placed media leaks recently claimed that the Russian government was interfering in the 2020 election on behalf of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. The New York Times, Washington Post and MSNBC didnt say what form the interference took, a sure sign that the story was made up. Within days, what was obvious all along came to light. The intelligence briefing overstated evidence of a Russian interference. This wont be the last effort to fool the public with tales of Russian skullduggery. But it should be the last time that Bernie Sanders isnt called to account for repeating the same tropes that are used against him. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Sanders was informed about the latest intelligence agency lie and his response was to proclaim that Putin is a thug and Trump loves him, but he doesnt love Putin, he hates all dictators, etc. Sanders isnt stupid. It is hard to believe that his foolish words arent part of a misguided effort to be shrewd. He thinks he is doing what is politically expedient when he is actually laying a trap for himself and dismissing his defenders. It should be the last time that Bernie Sanders isnt called to account for repeating the same tropes that are used against him. Sanders already made clear his support for imperialist policy. During the 2016 campaign he referred to the late Hugo Chavez disparagingly as a dead communist dictator. He has followed up with attacks on Kim Jong Un, Nicolas Maduro, and Xi Jin Ping. The effort to burnish his establishment credentials is an indication that left supporters must be wary and should expect him to follow through on continuing imperialist policy unless they speak up forcefully. Sanders is certainly the most progressive Democratic party candidate on domestic issues but he has shown no such inclinations regarding foreign policy. It is time for leftists to stop giving him a pass and make demands on him and all other candidates for office. Foreign policy should not be treated as icing on the cake that can be ignored in exchange for medicare for all or student loan debt forgiveness. Skipping the AIPAC conference is certainly new to presidential candidates. But Sanders said he wont undo Trumps decision to move the United States embassy to Jerusalem. He said he would use the same discredited doctrine that caused the invasion of Iraq in order to prevent Iran or North Korea from even testing nuclear weapons. Sanders is laying a trap for himself and dismissing his defenders. As for Russiagate, it is time that he called it the scam and the sham that it is. Russiagate began during the 2016 campaign when Hillary Clinton tried to create dirt to use against Donald Trump and enlisted the help of her friends at the CIA and NSA in the effort. The dubious narrative was proven to be just that when Robert Muellers investigation ended with his own disastrous testimony. Trumps ill considered phone call to the Ukrainian president reanimated the corpse, caused an impeachment spectacle used to fool democrats, and gave the fraudsters another chance to make trouble. Sanders goes along to get along and makes a fool of himself and his supporters. It isnt just Bernie Sanders who should be taken to task. Leftists must demand that candidates for office pledge that they will work to end imperialism, cut the military budget, close foreign military bases and end the militarization of law enforcement in this country. The Black Alliance for Peace 2020 Candidate Pledge is a road map to ending the practice of allowing leftist votes to be taken for granted. Sanders goes along to get along and makes a fool of himself and his supporters. Here in New York City even local and state officials pledge fealty to Israeli apartheid policy. There should be no limit on who is asked to sign this pledge. Candidates at every level of government can be pressured to support policies that kill people abroad and deprive Americans of basic government functions because defense spending is 60% of the federal budget. Sanders mild comments praising Cuba show that he is capable of bucking establishment pressure. When he does so he should be given credit, but the days of accepting the unacceptable must end. The belief that peace must be sacrificed for domestic issues on the altar of lesser evilism is a canard. We are capable of speaking up for every issue and making any demand that we want. It is time to speak up to Sanders, all presidential candidates, congressional candidates and candidates for city councils and state legislatures too. They must know that the people dont want Venezuelans to die because of sanctions or Palestinians in Gaza to die because of political cowardice here. If anti-imperialist forces are not consistent in their actions, their words are meaningless. Lets leave hypocrisy to the politicians. Margaret Kimberleys Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com. The National Action Plan on the Promotion of the Open Government for 2020-2022, approved by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, envisages preparation of proposals regarding the smart city concept in the country, Azerbaican24 reports. According to the action plan, a study on the implementation of the smart city concept in 2020-2021 will be carried out, and opportunities for pilot project realization will be determined. All this work will be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture. Picture for representation It's a Saturday morning, and you get a Whatsapp message. Is it your partner or friends asking about weekend plans? Oh, it's your insurance company! Bharti AXA General Insurance announced on February 26 that it has started delivering policies and renewal premium to its customers through the instant messaging platform. The insurer joins a list of companies like ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, Future Generali India Insurance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Aditya Birla Health Insurance among others to offer products and services to customers. In July 2019, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant had said that WhatsApp had 400 million active users in India. For insurers this seems like a golden opportunity, considering that insurance policies are a 'push' product in India where customers need to be nudged to buy it. Indians are hooked to WhatsApp for personal and professional communication with workplace colleagues. Banks and mutual funds have also jumped on to the bandwagon, offering services on the messaging platform. So why will insurers back off? Not only policy documents are being sent over WhatsApp, but customers are also allowed to submit claim documents and pictorial evidence for motor claims over these chats. For insurers, 'cross-selling' is the biggest opportunity on chat platforms. The heads of sales at a Mumbai-based insurer told Moneycontrol that ever since a majority of users opted for the telecom regulator's 'Do Not Disturb' or DND service, it has been tough to contact customers to sell relevant products. Though insurers also experimented with Facebook and Twitter to contact customers, companies tasted little success. WhatsApp does not have such DND service to bar promotional messages. The platform usually displays it as a 'business account' if it is registered that way. This is being used as a sales advantage. If the policyholder clicks on a link, insurers would get access to offering products and services on the chat platform. WhatsApp is different. Young professionals in the age group of 25-30 years, who are the main target segment of insurance companies, are prolific users which also lessens the chances of them missing the message. A study by smartphone brand Vivo and Cybermedia Research in December 2019 showed that an average Indian spent 1/3rd of their waking hours (the time a person is awake) on their phone, which translated to 1,800 hours a year. With a high likelihood of a prospective customer rejecting insurers' calls by tracing identity details from apps like Truecaller, using WhatsApp has now become the top choice for companies. However, just like the multiple pesky calls you would keep blocking on your smartphone, WhatsApp calls from sales-persons could soon become a reality. It could get worse if you are added to random WhatsApp groups for 'cross-selling' and promotional offers. Why just insurers? Other financial services firms have already started using WhatsApp. These entities could soon be joined by real estate firms, retailers, food delivery apps and even the infamous eyewear brands who are ready to make the switch to chat platforms. It could be easy to ignore multiple text messages sent to lure customers. But over chat, this would be tough to miss. But what about the dangers of over-use of technology? While companies claim that all service requests and policy documents are encrypted, a smartphone being hacked is not uncommon. In fact, even Amazon's Jeff Bezos fell prey to a situation after private texts and pictures were leaked. The young Indian is technologically savvy, but since they consume a lot of content on their smartphones, there are potential threats of data theft by hackers. Merely clicking on an unknown link could give access to your phone to third-party users who could then also control the device. Insurance companies in India are yet to address these concerns. Also, within services offered on instant messaging platforms, there is no clarity on which set of insurance employees are able to access your personal data shared over chats. For older customers, there are other challenges. Someone who has just started using WhatsApp at the age of 50 could find it a challenge to navigate the application. Here if a policy document or claim intimation would be over this messaging app, chances are that the customer could be unable to access it. A few incorrect steps would either lead to a wrong policy purchase or even rejection of a claim. Physical services of insurance are still available. But if the idea is to make the process simpler and faster, it should be accessible to all. Keeping in touch is a good practice. But when it comes to persistent insurance salespersons, maintaining a safe distance looks like a better option at least on WhatsApp. A year ago, a line of mostly students waited to enter a vaccination clinic amid a mumps outbreak on the Temple University campus in Philadelphia. Now the concern is over the coronavirus, which has caused Temple to close its Rome campus for the rest of the spring semester. Read more Temple University is closing its Rome campus for the rest of the spring semester and Pennsylvania State University is recalling all students in Italy, citing elevated travel warnings by the federal government and health authorities over the worsening coronavirus outbreak. The actions come just as the first death in the U.S. due to the coronavirus was reported Saturday a patient in Washington state. On the same day, President Donald Trump announced new travel restrictions, banning travel to Iran and elevating travel warnings to regions of Italy and South Korea. For you, this means you will need to make arrangements to gather your belongings, leave Italy, and return home, Temple said in an announcement issued Saturday that urged immediate attention. Temple Rome faculty will offer classes online beginning March 9 so that academic progress will not be interrupted, Fay Trachtenberg, interim director and acting dean of Temple University Rome, said in the statement, promising more details within days. A spokesperson for Temple said there are a total of 277 students at Temple Rome. On Friday, Penn State placed Italy on the restricted list for university-affiliated student travel and said it was in the process of bringing students home. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to return home, the school said, and future travel to Italy would require approval from the provost or university risk officer. A spokesperson said Penn State had 237 students in various parts of Italy as of Friday. Penn State is working with program providers and administrators on campus to minimize disruption to academic plans, the school said. And the Education Abroad Office will work with students individually to mitigate the academic and financial impact of this decision, Penn State said. Both schools join a growing list of educational institutions pulling back on study abroad programs as a result of the evolving coronavirus crisis. They each cited the action Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State to elevate coronavirus travel warnings to Level 3 for all of Italy. Such a level for the CDC means that nonessential travel should be avoided; for the State Department travel should be reconsidered. Moscow is "ready to de-escalate with anyone" in the battleground Idlib region of northwestern Syria, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Friday. His comments came as the Council held emergency talks on the escalation of fighting in the country, after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in a Syrian air raid. Nebenzia's remarks marked a change of course from Thursday, when Russia maintained that the Security Council was holding too many meetings on the Syria issue. The emergency talks were requested by the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Belgium, Estonia, and the Dominican Republic -- some of which have stated publicly that they support Turkey. "A Russian delegation is currently in Ankara to stabilise the situation," Nebenzia said, adding that his country was "ready to de-escalate with anyone who wants to" in Idlib. The ambassador reiterated that Moscow "had not participated in the attacks". The meeting was the Security Council's sixth on Syria since the beginning of February. After the late Thursday attack in Idlib, Turkish reprisals killed 20 Syrian soldiers there and in neighbouring Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The vast majority of Security Council members from across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe have called for an urgent ceasefire. "The military escalation in Idlib must stop. It must stop now," European members said. "These attacks further show that the Syrian regime, assisted and politically backed by Russia, continues its military strategy at any cost, ignoring the consequences of its actions against civilians," they added. US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft called on Russia to immediately ground its warplanes and urged "all Syrian forces and their Russian backers to withdraw to the ceasefire lines first established in 2018". UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted during the opening of the session that "the conflict is changed in its nature", and that there had been "a very meaningful escalation in the last few days". On Wednesday, nine members of the Security Council asked Guterres to do more to press for a ceasefire in Idlib. Germany even asked him to travel there but he declined, saying it might be counterproductive and alienate Russia, diplomats said. Since late 2019, Russia has been supporting a Syrian drive to take control of Idlib, the last stronghold of rebels fighting the Damascus government. Since the war in Syria began in 2011, the council has often struggled to come up with meaningful action to stop it. Russia has used its veto power 14 times to kill resolutions aimed at halting military offensives or to limit humanitarian operations that did not have the approval of the Syrian government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The curfew imposed in Shillong after one person was killed in clashes between KSU members and non-tribals during a meeting on CAA and inner line permit (ILP) was lifted Saturday morning but a ban on mobile internet services was continuing in six districts. Most shops and businesses in the city were closed even after the curfew ended, officials said. The clashes between the Khasi Students Union members and non-tribals broke out during anti-CAA and pro-ILP meeting held in Ichamati area of East Khasi Hills district close to the Indo-Bangladesh border on Friday, officials said. After the clashes, a curfew was imposed in Shillong and adjoining areas and mobile internet services suspended in six districts East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills an South West Khasi hills from Friday night for 48-hours, they said. Officials said SMSes will be limited to five per day. Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy has appealed to people to stay calm and not pay attention to rumours. "I appeal to all citizens in Meghalaya, tribal or non-tribal, keep calm. Don't spread rumours and don't listen to rumours. The chief minister has spoken to me. He assured me he is taking all necessary steps. The prime requirement now is to maintain law and order," the governor said in a statement. Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui has condemned the incident in Ichamati. Rymbui said a magisterial inquiry has been initiated into the incident to find out the truth. He said the curfew was clamped and mobile internet services suspended as a precautionary measure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Morrison government says it is open to "new ideas" for reducing domestic violence, while singling out community attitudes and access to mental health services as it examines its response to the "national challenge" in the wake of the murders of Hannah Clarke and her children. Minister for Women Marise Payne and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston will hold a special meeting of state and territory women's safety ministers on Friday, as Australia reels from the horrific murders of Ms Clarke and her three young children last month. Minister for Women Marise Payne says violence against women is "abhorrent" and will hold a special meeting this week with state counterparts. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "We are particularly interested in influencing community attitudes and changing behaviour. We want every jurisdiction to play its part in ensuring that all Australians know violence against women is abhorrent and that stopping it is everyone's business," Senator Payne told The Sun-Herald and Sunday Age. The Minister for Women said another specific area of focus would be "examining access to mental health services to support both victims of domestic and family violence, and people at risk of perpetrating violence". The Health Department in Catalonia recently announced two new patients of the deadly coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in Spain to 43. The new cases invlove, a 52-year old woman who had recently travelled to Italy and the second man is from Sant Cugat, which is north of Barcelona and was in a close contact with the previously confirmed case. Out of the 43 cases reported in Spain, two have already recovered, one in Canary Island and another in the Balearic Islands. 43 still remain in quarantine, eight in Andalusia, one in Aragon, two in the Basque Country, two Castilla Leon, ten in Valencia, five in the Canary Islands, seven in Madrid, six in Catalonia. The largest number of cases in Europe is presently in Italy, which has confirmed over 800 infected and 21 deaths till now. Cases of the virus have also been reported from Germany, France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Croatia, Norway, Romania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Monaco. Read: Coronavirus: Canada Reports 15 Cases, Including One Presumptive Case In Quebec Read: Coronavirus: 105 Discharged From Maharashtra Hospitals So Far Canada reports 15 cases Canada has reportedly confirmed a total of 15 cases of the novel coronavirus as of February 29, including a presumptive case in Quebec City. So far, seven cases each have reportedly been confirmed in Ontario and British Columbia and one suspected case in Quebec. The presumptively positive samples in Quebec have been dispatched to the National Microbiology Laboratory for further testing. If confirmed by the laboratory, this would be Canada's fifteenth confirmed case, as per reports. Read: Jackie Chan Gives Update After Concerns Over His Health Due To Coronavirus; Read Here Read: Thailand Confirms New Coronavirus Infection, Total Number Of Cases Rises To 42 The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has been closely monitoring the situation and has been assessing the public health risks associated with COVID-19 in Canada. Canadas chief public health officer has reportedly been in close contact with the provincial and territorial medical officers to ensure that any cases of COVID-19 occurring in Canada should be rapidly identified and managed in order to protect the health of Canadians, suggest reports. Bernie Sanders wants to abolish ICE and halt deportations for everyone except violent criminals. Elizabeth Warren agrees with Sanders on deportations and says the U.S. should increase refugee admissions to 175,000 a year, nearly 10 times President Trumps current limit. Amy Klobuchar promises to restore the right to asylum for victims of domestic violence. Joe Biden says he could persuade Congress, after decades of deadlocks, to overhaul and humanize the immigration system. Tom Steyer wants a virtual halt to deportations and an end to criminal prosecutions for unauthorized border-crossing. Those views and others were in the spotlight for the first time in the Democratic presidential campaign at a recent forum on immigration issues a prime topic for Trump, but one that has received relatively little attention in debates and primary contests so far, with crucial votes looming Tuesday in California and several other states. Of the candidates invited to send representatives to the Feb. 20 forum in Las Vegas, sponsored by Amnesty International, the only no-show was for Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Ind. All the prominent contenders, including Buttigieg, agree on reversing Trumps most far-reaching policies: the zero-tolerance arrests and prosecutions of all undocumented immigrants, separating children from their parents, severe restrictions on asylum, and the wait in Mexico mandate for 60,000 asylum-seekers that was halted by a federal appeals court on Friday. Also, they would end Trumps cancellation of deportation reprieves for 700,000 migrants who entered as youngsters and another 320,000 from nations ravaged by wars or natural disasters, and diversion of federal funds to build a wall at the Mexico border. But some of their differences were on display at the forum, including Sanders plan to break up Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the post-Sept. 11 agency whose officers conduct immigration-related arrests and workplace raids nationwide. The nation doesnt need an agency roaming around simply for the purpose of terrorizing and deportation, said the Vermont senators representative, campaign manager Faiz Shakir. He said current ICE agents should be reassigned to border safety work while immigration enforcement is turned over to the Justice Department. And the U.S. also needs a moratorium on deportations, Shakir said, removing only violent criminals who have served their sentences while sparing 99% of the people living here peacefully and contributing to Americas economy. Warrens spokesman, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, expressed similar views on deportation while saying ICE should be reformed from top to bottom, with immigration enforcement assigned to some other agency. Massachusetts Sen. Warren also doesnt believe that folks should be terrorized in their workplace, and wants lawyers to be provided for migrants seeking asylum, Castro said. Bidens representative, Nevada state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, wasnt asked about deportation policy. But at another Nevada event hosted by CNN, the former vice president promised to halt all deportations for his first 100 days in office, and then to deport only immigrants who have committed a felony in the United States apparently not including the felony of illegal re-entry. A week earlier, Biden had acknowledged, in an interview with Univision, that the record 3 million deportations under President Barack Obama including 1.7 million removals of immigrants with no criminal records had been a big mistake. But he said the Obama administration began to get it right with Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which allowed 700,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. before age 16 to remain in the country and get work permits for renewable two-year periods. Trump has sought to abolish the program, a dispute now before the Supreme Court. At the immigration forum, Cancela said Biden opposes abolishing ICE but believes it has become a domestic witch-hunting organization that needs to return to its intended mission of combatting terrorism. Similarly, Melissa Franzen, a state senator from Klobuchars home state of Minnesota, said Klobuchar does not propose to eliminate ICE, but wants it revamped and restructured to work toward keeping people safe, not terrorizing communities. Asked about immigrants who have been sent back to Central America under Trumps order that bans virtually all Central Americans from seeking asylum, Franzen said Klobuchar would reverse the ban while taking steps to make sure the deportees can apply for U.S. asylum in their home country. Castro said Warren would allow them to return to the U.S. to apply. Franzen said Klobuchars priorities would be to restore the right to asylum for those fleeing domestic violence, reversing a Trump administration policy; ending the caging of children, and, in the first year, winning congressional approval of a more enlightened immigration policy. But Cancela said Biden was the one who has the relationship with Congress and the experience to get it done and rewrite the immigration laws, with a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. Steyer, the only candidate to attend in person, agreed with Sanders and Warren on deportation policy and also said unauthorized border-crossing should not be treated as a crime a position endorsed by Sanders and Warren, but not by the other candidates. The criminal law has been on the books since 1929, but was seldom enforced until the mid-2000s, and has been ramped up under the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy. Steyer said ICE should be revamped, not abolished, but called for an end to the relationship between ICE and local law enforcement, a position akin to the sanctuary policies of California and many of its local governments. When Steyer advocated a ban on housing detained immigrants in private prisons, the forum moderator, BuzzFeed News reporter Hamed Aleaziz, a former Chronicle staff writer, pointed out that the billionaires hedge fund had invested in Corrections Corp. of America, a leading owner of private prisons. That was a mistake, Steyer replied, but I reversed it 15 years ago ... sold it for moral reasons, before anyone was talking about it. Buttigieg, while bypassing the forum, has outlined immigration policies that include an end to ICE detainers orders to local police agencies to keep immigrants in custody so they can be deported and a pathway to citizenship for most current undocumented migrants. He has not called for abolition or restructuring of ICE, but said he would favor cuts in the agencys budget and in the lockup of immigrant families and asylum-seekers to reduce detention of immigrants by at least 75%. Another Democratic contender, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, was not invited to the forum since he did not take part in the Nevada presidential caucus. His positions on immigration, outlined earlier this month, include substantial increases in refugee admissions and visas including placed-based visas for states and local governments to meet their economic needs a ban on private detention of immigrants, and reversal of Trumps asylum restrictions. As mayor, Bloomberg signed laws in 2013 that limited New York Citys cooperation with ICE and barred local law enforcement from holding and handing over migrants with little or no past criminal record. But in a 2017 television interview, he rejected the concept of sanctuary cities. You cannot have everybody deciding which laws they should obey, Bloomberg said. The law is the law. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko It can be overwhelming to start developing Search Engine Optimization plans for your small business. When it comes to producing high ranking content to improve your organization's visibility, you don't necessarily need to hire an expert. In this article, we'll go over fifteen tips that you can use to improve your SEO. These are all simple and free for you to implement. With some time and practice, they're easy to master. Start a Blog If you start creating content for your customer base, they'll have a reason to visit your page other than solely the products or services that you're selling. Write to your audience to enhance your content marketing. Place the Customer First A well-developed SEO plan goes further than keyword research. Try not to cram content and target words into your content; this won't improve your ranking. Aim to produce pages that are interesting and relevant. Search engines matter, but your priority is your customer base. Set Up Social Pages An excellent way for businesses to build on their online presence is to set up profiles on relevant social networking sites. Make sure your company has an account on all of the major platforms. It might take some experimenting to find the sites that work best for you, but it'll be worth it. Use a Clear URL Structure Your site visitors should be able to guess the topic of your website pages by merely looking at the URL. Write Content That Stays Fresh The content that your business site features should be 'evergreen,' you'll want visitors to be able to come back to your site and find relevant content at any point. New's based articles, on the other hand, serve a different purpose other than SEO. Research Competitors Friendly competition never hurts. Check out your competitors, especially the ones who rank number one for your target keywords. See if you can identify their strategy and use it to help you in developing your own. Use Google Resources Google's Keyword Planner is an excellent tool for generating the best keywords for your business. You'll also be able to see how competitive they are. Take advantage of this resource to make your SEO research a little bit easier. Create an Internal Linking Strategy If you know how to make use of internal linking, it can really help improve your ranking, especially for specific target keywords. This is also a useful way to help your visitors find related content. Don't Keyword Stuff If you pack your content with keywords so that it's unnatural, Google will pick up on it. This is also bad practice because visitors will notice the awkwardness, and it affects the overall quality of the content. If you need to repeat a phrase, use semantically related words. Use Site Search Data to Find Keywords Type the name of your business into the search bar to see what keywords people use to come across your service. This can help you identify the most productive targets. Ask Customers to Leave Reviews Encourage satisfied customers to leave good reviews. If you have many, it results in more visibility on Google. Mobile First Since more than half of users today access the content they need through their phones or tablets, it's essential to optimize your web presence for mobile. This will help Google indicate to potential visitors that your site is 'mobile-friendly'. Google Analytics It's essential that you have Google Analytics set up for your business. Make sure you've installed a tracking code, it's quick, easy, and free. Images When it comes to optimizing your images, make sure that they all have alt-tags on them. Include natural keywords in the filename. Prioritize All of Your Content Your business will rank well on search engines if you produce good content. The best way to ensure that your site and your pages are relevant is to give people a reason to visit. Prioritize all of your content, both visual and written. The Verdict With these tips in mind and some research, it's easy to improve your SEO for your small business. Try not to obsess over rankings, since they're fluid and change depending on the searcher's location, device, and history. As long as you keep track of trends and regularly work to improve your content, this marketing strategy is a breeze. CRH has continued to ramp up a return of capital to shareholders, announcing a 15pc hike in its full-year dividend and hinting strongly at further share buybacks. Finance director Senan Murphy said he expected to update the market on what he described as the "ongoing buyback programme" in a trading update in April. The group launched its first buyback programme in a decade in 2018 and has since bought back 1.6bn of stock, with a further 200m round due to run until the end of March. Meanwhile, managers said the coronavirus has had "no impact as of yet" on CRH. Mr Murphy said it was "very, very early days" but that some actions had been taken, including factory shutdowns in China. CRH announced yesterday that it will increase its 2019 dividend to shareholders by 15pc to 83 cent, following a 25pc rise in earnings to 4.2bn last year. On a like-for-like basis, earnings increased by 7pc. Revenue for the year was up 6pc to 28.3bn. Analysts at Davy Stockbrokers said the company had capacity to continue to find growth and return cash to shareholders. The 2019 revenue was boosted by a $3.5bn (3.2bn) acquisition of US cement maker Ash Grove Cement. Last year, the group sold 2.1bn of assets, including a European distribution arm and its 50pc stake in Indian joint venture My Home Industries, and has reinvested 700m of the proceeds back into dozens of acquisitions. CRH said performance was positive for its businesses in eastern and western Europe, which offset challenging trading conditions in the UK, where construction activity declined amid Brexit-related uncertainty. In Ireland, sales and operating profits were well ahead of 2018 as the business benefited from continued market growth, underpinned by strong demand and some large projects in the Dublin region. Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan who is on his statewide 'Bihar First, Bihari First' yatra ahead of the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections, slammed the Nitish government on Friday saying there was no denying crime rate in Bihar had skyrocketed and many of the basic amenities that were available in other states were still out of reach of ordinary public in Bihar. Paswan, whose LJP, like Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-U, is a partner in the BJP-led NDA in Bihar said that except for Patna, the emergency 100 toll-free number was non-functional in all other districts in Bihar. "This number is supposed to put the public in contact with a nearby police station but besides working in Patna, it remains out of order in all other places. I am currently in Nalanda district and even here this number is non-functional," Paswan, the son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said. The LJP leader said, upon his return to Patna, he would get in touch with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and make him aware of this issue. "Under these conditions, how can the public feel safe?" he asked. Continuing to criticize the current administration, Paswan further said that criminals in Bihar routinely beat up the police and escape further lowering the confidence of the general public. "Until the police start using their guns and beat up a few criminals in each district, crime will continue to soar in the state. The problem, however, is that most law enforcement officials are too busy making money out of prohibition so where is the time to fight crime?" the LJP chief, taking a clear shot at Nitish Kumar's prohibition policy, asked. The Canadian militarys special forces command and five major police forces are the latest agencies to confirm theyve tested facial-recognition technology thats drawn international criticism and prompted investigations by the countrys privacy regulators. Canadian Special Forces Command, along with police departments in York, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver all confirmed their employees have used the tool created by Clearview AI, the embattled U.S. start-up that uses artificial intelligence to match peoples images against its database of billions of photos scraped from the internet. The revelations come one day after the Toronto Star detailed the increasingly widespread use by Canadian law enforcement and private companies of the tool, which has been lambasted by critics and prompted two ongoing investigations by regulators over concerns it breaks Canadian privacy laws. It appears that theres no oversight, so a police officer on his own can do rogue searches, or a Rexall employee can do rogue searches. Thats the danger of letting a company have so much control over our personal images in a legislative and judicial vacuum, NDP MP Charlie Angus told the Star in an interview. The potential for abuse is enormous right now. On Friday, a spokesperson for the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command confirmed it used a free trial version of Clearview AI, testing it on public pictures of inanimate objects, animals and people. The Canadian Special Forces Command does not have a contract with Clearview AI, the spokesperson said. In a rapidly changing and unpredictable world, (Canadian Special Operations Forces Command) is constantly working to protect its ability to respond to adversaries who are increasingly skilled in their capacity to integrate digital technologies, said the spokesperson. As of Friday, 13 Canadian police services that previously told the Star they didnt use Clearview AI have since confirmed individual officers signed up for trials of the tool without the knowledge or consent of police leadership. None of these police services from Halifax to Barrie to Regina had a formal agreement with the company, and all have directed officers to stop using the tool. On Thursday, the RCMP confirmed it had been using Clearview AI for months, after previously refusing to confirm if the force used the app. Hours later, the federal privacy commissioner said it was launching an investigation into the Mounties use of the technology. The Star also revealed an employee of Rexall used the software to conduct shoplifting-related searches. The pharmacy chain has since stopped using Clearview AI. Revelations showing the widespread testing of Clearview AI in Canada were prompted by data obtained by BuzzFeed News and shared exclusively with the Toronto Star. According to the data, Canada is Clearviews largest market outside of the U.S., with officers in at least 34 police forces signing up to test the tool on a trial basis. Clearview AI has not responded to repeated requests from the Star for comment on Thursday and Friday. Earlier this week, a Clearview AI lawyer told other media that someone got unauthorized access to the companys client list through a flaw. Unfortunately, data breaches are part of life in the 21st century. Our servers were never accessed. We patched the flaw and continue to work to strengthen our security, Tor Ekeland told other media this week. Ekeland told BuzzFeed News that there are numerous inaccuracies in this illegally obtained information. As there is an ongoing Federal investigation, we have no further comment. Industry Minister Navdeep Bains noted on Friday that the Liberals have committed to updating privacy laws and fleshing out their so-called digital charter 10 loose principles revealed last May that include citizens rights to control their own data. MPs from all parties said Friday that Clearview AI and police use of facial recognition software generally demanded a Parliamentary investigation. With evolving spaces such as this far too often governments are too slow to react, said Conservative Michael Barrett in a statement to the Star. The privacy of Canadians must be respected while ensuring that tools which can potentially aid law enforcement are brought forward. We believe that this issue is very timely given recent reports, wrote the committees Liberal vice chair, Brenda Shanahan. Ottawa police announced Friday that officers from the forces Internet Child Exploitation Unit created accounts and tested the tool. The force also launched a servicewide poll to determine the exact number of the downloads, a process expected to take four to six weeks. Once this survey is complete and a full review is conducted on the instances where the Clearview AI was used, we will report the findings, along with any relevant recommendations, to the Ottawa Police Services Board, said a spokesperson. York Regional police also confirmed that individual officers were offered and accessed the Clearview AI free trial without the authorization or awareness of our command, according to spokesperson. As soon as we learned of this, officers were directed to stop using the trial immediately. Edmonton police also announced Friday that it was launching an internal review into unauthorized use of Clearview AI by three investigators, who learned about the tool at a conference and used during an auto theft investigation. Chief Dale McFee has directed members to stop using the technology. A Vancouver police spokesperson also confirmed Friday that a detective from the Internet Child Exploitation team created a free Clearview AI account after attending a workshop in Ontario and learning about the software. Im told that the senior leaders in our investigations division have taken steps to ensure all members know that the software is not authorized for use by the VPD, the spokesperson said. The Bloc Quebecois vice-chair, Marie-Helene Gaudreau, said in an interview that her party is calling on the government to bring in some kind of moratorium on police use of facial recognition until Parliament has a chance to complete its study. Because right now, its going too fast, Gaudreau said. Read more about: Hyderabad: With dozens of petitions being filed regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad, the High Court observed on Friday that this could be happening only because GHMC personnel from the senior ranks to the junior levels have developed a thick skin and an obstinate attitude. Opining that this could be changed only by way of taking stringent action against the erring officials, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy asked the state government to get rid of all the officials who are responsible for the continuation of illegal constructions. The bench directed the principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, and the GHMC Commissioner to be present in the court on April 24 to give a detailed explanation on the efforts made by them in the matter of the huge number of petitions by aggrieved residents complaining of illegal constructions that are pending before the court. Before appearing in court, the officers have been directed to examine every single complaint with regard to illegal constructions and inform the court what firm steps the GHMC and the municipal administration department has taken with regard to illegal constructions. In case, this court comes to the conclusion that the GHMC has failed to discharge its duties in implementing the law, and failed to stop the menace of illegal constructions being raised, extremely serious view shall be taken by the Court, the Chief Justice warned. The CJ further directed the Registry to send a copy of this order to the Commissioner GHMC immediately for his information. The division bench was dealing with two writ petitions, one filed by Shivaji Done from Gaddianaram and another by P Darshan from Siddiamber Bazaar, complaining of illegal constructions in their localities. Sending a strong message to the government that the court was firm in its resolve, the Chief Justice said, Last time, this court had directed the Commissioner, GHMC, to deal with this menace but still this court is flooded with pleas on the same issue. If that be so, why doesnt the state get rid of the Commissioner, GHMC, when he is not implementing the law and has failed to deal with the menace of illegal constructions? Further, suspend all the deputy commissioners and initiate departmental enquiry against them. The Chief Justice further said, The GHMC Commissioner and his staff cannot be permitted to sleep over this perennial issue which has engulfed Hyderabad city, going by the fact that the High Court is flooded with huge number of PILs and writ petitions complaining of illegal constructions and illegal encroachment of lakes, ponds, vacant government land etc. The staff is paid not to sleep, but they are paid to implement the law. Finding fault with the decision of the state government, in issuing GOs after every five years, facilitating the persons resorting to illegal constructions by regularising illegal constructions, Chief Justice Chauhan said that this is not the way to deal firmly with this menace and pointed out that a batch of writ petitions and Public Interest Litigations have been filed in the High Court, challenging those GOs also. Recalling his visit to the NALSAR University of Law in Shameerpet, Chief Justice Chauhan said, already the officials have permitted illegal constructions around the lake and this lake will not get water because of these illegal constructions. The lake will die a slow death - everyone is waiting for the lake to die so that lay out is created from the lake to benefit the illegal encroachers.The bench expressed deep concern over the damage which is being done to the environment due to illegal constructions. We are damaging our own environment. We ourselves are permitting our lakes to die and the catchment areas are being built on, converting them into mushrooming concrete buildings. The day is not too far when we will reminisce about the Shameerpet Lake in our memories, observed the Bench. Chief Justice Chauhan said that if the present trend of illegal constructions continues, then the day is not too far, when this beautiful city of Hyderabad will be converted into the horrible city of Patna. You are welcome to do so but I will be hurt to see that our beautiful city of Hyderabad turn into a nightmare city like Mumbai and Patna. Our forefathers created this beautiful city of Hyderabad not only for us to live in, but also for future generations to live in, in a clean environment. The Telangana government is the trustee of its lands and ponds and it is duty bound to protect its own lands and lakes. Not mincing his words the Chief Justice told GHMC officials to start performing your duty or else this court will take up such task, and then do not complain that the High Court is very tough with bureaucrats. This Court will decide the menace of illegal constructions and encroachments once and for all. In this photo taken from video provided by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Quaden Bayles, center, his mother, Yarraka Bayles, and Cody Walker, a professional rugby league player, pose together Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, in Gold Coast, Australia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Associated Press) Quaden Bayles Family Wants to Give GoFundMe Money to Charities The family of the 9-year-old suicidal boy who was bullied because he has dwarfism decided to spend the money raised by a GoFundMe campaign to charity to raise awareness and help others. Quaden Bayles star rose to fame when his mother, Yarraka Bayles, shared since-deleted heartbreaking footage of Quaden, who has dwarfism, in tears after a brutal bullying incident as a call to schools and parents everywhere to up the ante on disability awareness. Bayles had shared the distressing footage of her son in tears after a traumatizing interaction with school bullies on Feb. 19, 2020. Quaden was born in Brisbane, Australia, and is of aboriginal descent. He suffers from achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. WATCH: Suicidal boy with dwarfism gets shout-outs from celebrities, supporters worldwide. WATCH: Suicidal boy with dwarfism gets shout-outs from celebrities, supporters worldwide. http://bit.ly/quaden-baylesQuaden Bayles, 9, has captured the hearts of thousands around the world after his mum filmed him threatening to kill himself following severe bullying at his school.For more on his story, watch the video and tap the link: http://bit.ly/quaden-bayles Yahoo Canada As per Insider, Brad Williams, a comedian who has the same type of dwarfism as Quaden, launched a GoFundMe account on behalf of the Bayles family to raise enough money to send Quaden and his mother to Disneyland in California. To date, the fund has raised almost AU$500,000 ($330,000), 50 times the accounts original goal. Speaking exclusively to NITV News, Quadens Aunty and Yarrakas sister Mundanara Bayles says while its a touching example of goodwill, the family will skip the all-expenses paid trip as they want to focus on the bigger issues at play. What kid wouldnt want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quadens life. To escape to anywhere that is fun that doesnt remind him of his day to day challenges, she said. But my sister (Yarraka) said, you know what, lets get back to the real issue. This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying,' Mundanara added. We want the money to go to community organizations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on, So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that, she continued. Rugby fiend Quaden Bayles alongside professional rugby player Cody Walker. Bayles made a special appearance in his honor before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Maori Kiwis All-Stars at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia on Feb. 22, 2020. (Jason McCawley/Getty Images) I have been in close communication with Quadens family and fully respect their needs and the needs of Australian First Nations people who are experiencing bullying and discrimination at extremely high rates, Williams wrote in an update on GoFundMe on Friday. Because of this, he continued. Ive decided that the donations will be best served going to charities focused on helping individuals affected by bullying and discrimination, including approximately $66,000 ($100,000) to each of the following: Born This Way Foundation https://bornthisway.foundation/ STOMP Out Bullying https://www.stompoutbullying.org/ Dollys Dream https://dollysdream.org.au/ Dwarfism Awareness Australia https://dwarfismawarenessaustralia.com Gallang Place https://www.gallangplace.org.au/ Balunu Foundation https://www.balunufoundation.com/ The Bayles family has chosen Dwarfism Awareness Australia, and Balunu Healing Foundation as two organizations they would like to see profiting from the fundraising initiative. The update of Friday also stated, If you preferred that your donation would be used to send Quaden to Disneyland and would like a refund, please contact the GoFundMe Customer Happiness team directly, it said. Epoch Times reporter Louise Bevan contributed to this report From NTD.com The University of California (UC) strike is a political struggle against the Democratic Party and the corporate interests it defends. UC strikers and supporters can hear Socialist Equality Party presidential and vice-presidential candidates Joseph Kishore and Norissa Santa Cruz speak next week at townhall meetings at UC Berkeley (March 3), UC Los Angeles (March 4), and San Diego (March 5). Read Santa Cruzs previous statement on the UC struggle here. As the Socialist Equality Partys candidate for Vice President of the United States, I unequivocally condemn yesterdays firing of graduate student workers by the University of California and demand the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the 54 courageous workers who have been terminated. I call on UC workers and all workers throughout the state, the country and beyond to rally to the defense of the UC Santa Cruz grad students and defeat the strikebreaking by the California Democratic Party. The only crime the UCSC students are guilty of is daring to demand decent pay and affordable housing. In doing so, they have stood up against UC President Janet Napolitano, the former secretary of Homeland Security under the Obama administration, and the United Auto Workers union, which signed a contract last year that condemns teaching assistants to poverty wages and many of them to homelessness. The firings follow the brutal attack by campus police on protesting students and the arrest of at least 17 striking grad students. The UCSC administration also threatened foreign students participating in strikes with deportation. The decision to fire the grad students was made at the highest levels of the state government in Sacramento. The UC Board of Regents includes ex-officio members such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public education, and is filled with other Democratic Party operatives and members of the ultra-rich. It also includes Richard Blum, husband of Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein and chairman and president of Blum Capital, a multi-billion-dollar private equity firm. With sympathy protests spreading across campuses around the country and strikes spreading to two additional campuses at UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis, Napolitano and the state Democrats made the political decision to make an example of the UCSC grad students. In doing so, they hope to send a message to all workers and young people: if you fight the bipartisan program of endless austerity you will lose your job and be stripped of your livelihood. In the eyes of the ruling elite, the UCSC grad students are guilty of another serious crime. They broke free from the shackles of their paid servants in the union bureaucracy, which has spent decades suppressing every form of opposition by the working class and imposing the dictates of big business and the two corporate controlled parties. Just last year, the teachers unions sold out the powerful strikes by Los Angeles and Oakland educators, paving the way for school closures and sweeping budget cuts. In firing the grad students, Napolitano and other UC officials accused them of not abiding by the sweetheart contract signed by the UAW. The termination letter, sent to each striking student, read, In accordance with the agreement between the University of California and the United Auto Workers 2865, Academic Student Employees, Article 8 this letter is a Notice of Intent to Dismiss. The letter, signed by UCSC Acting Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Quentin Williams, continued, [The dismissal] is based on abandonment of your responsibilities by failing to submit student grades well past the fall quarter deadline and failing to follow a directive provided to you from the Interim Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. During her time with the Department of Homeland Security, Napolitano was instrumental in implementing many of the anti-immigrant policies of the Obama administration, including mass deportations, workplace raids and family separations, all which took place well before Trump came into office. Her department invested heavily in border security and was instrumental in implementing rollbacks of democratic rights during the US ruling elites fraudulent war on terror campaign. It was no coincidence that such a figure was chosen to lead the board of regents. The University of California, with more than 280,000 students, is the largest university system in the world. The US ruling class quite rightly fears that student unrest there could quickly spiral out of control, spreading to other universities. Above all, what they fear is that students will reach outside of the campuses to the broad masses of working class people whose anger toward social inequality, stagnant wages, decaying social conditions and attacks on democratic rights is reaching a boiling point. This is expressed in the growing support for socialism despite the relentless attacks by both Trump and the Democratic Party establishment. In response to the firings, Democratic Party presidential race front runner Bernie Sanders referred to the action in a tweet as disgraceful and urged the UCSC administration, Napolitano and the UC Board of Regents head to stop this outrageous union busting. But the reality is, it is the union, i.e., the UAW, which is fully backing Napolitano and her strikebreaking measures. In e-mails to membership, leading members of UAW Local 2865 emphasized that they opposed all strikes in defense of the Santa Cruz students. The UC only carried out this attack because they knew they could count on the collaboration of the UAW. What Sanders does not, and will not acknowledge, is that UCSC workers were only able to carry out the strike in the first place because they defied the UAW. After the firings, Local 2865 has filed an unfair labor practices charge against the university. The UAW is not opposing the administration for dismissing the students, but because the University had sought to engage in unlawful bargaining directly with individual graduate students and University funded student organizations. In other words, the grad students refused to be slaves to the corrupt UAW and advanced their own demands, which the UAW opposes. The common demand of the UAW and the UC system is that students honor the good faith bargaining that leaves many of them facing homelessness and hunger. Despite the UAWs compliance, workers are showing tremendous willingness to expand the struggle as widely as possible. On Wednesday, UC Santa Barbara graduate students voted to begin a teaching strike in support of UCSC teaching assistants, calling for a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of $1,807.51 per month. A third UC strike began Thursday at UC Davis. Graduate students there demanded a COLA of $1,553.20 to reduce their rent burden, which is almost universally greater than 50 percent of their salaries. As the Socialist Equality Party candidates for the US presidential election, Joseph Kishore and I welcome this and encourage the widest possible participation in campus-wide demonstrations scheduled for Monday, March 2. Most importantly, we encourage grad students to appeal to workers and youth across the state and country to join the fight to defend the right to high quality public education from kindergarten to the university level. The graduate student workers are not alone. At the same time that the UC strikes take place, 12,000 Santa Clara County employees were set to strike on Friday before the action was called off by the Service Employees International Union. 14,000 Northern California Safeway workers passed a strike authorization vote by 95 percent this week and 200,000 teachers in Ontario, Canada struck last week against underfunded educational programs. Joseph Kishore and I call for the formation of rank-and-file committees to take the conduct of these struggle out of the hands of the pro-capitalist and nationalist unions. These committees must fight for the broadest mobilization of the working class based on what workers and young people need, not what the big business political parties say is affordable. The claim that there is no money for decent wages, to eliminate student debt or to address the great global challenges like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change is a lie. But obtaining the necessary resources requires a frontal assault on the private fortunes of the super-rich and a radical redistribution of wealth. It means ending the squandering of resources on the Pentagon war machine, the attack on immigrants and corporate tax cuts. That will only be accomplished if the working class builds a powerful political movement, independent of both corporate-controlled parties and based on the fight for workers power and socialism. We encourage all workers who wish to fight for socialism to join our campaign. Frank Lloyd Wright is known for his "prairie-style" structures, including Fallingwater in rural southwestern Pennsylvania and The Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Now, a rare property designed by the world-famous architect could be yours for just $175,000. Built in 1900, the home was built for a prominent real estate family as a summer retreat. Courtesy of Coldwell Banker The Chicago, Illinois, home, which was listed by Coldwell Banker, features five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large front porch, and a two-car garage. The 2,408 square foot, canary yellow property doesn't necessarily reflect his other designs; this one is Japanese-inspired. "The dramatic, outward flare of the ridges on the roof and dormers evoke Japanese architecture and lends variety and dynamism to this otherwise conservative design," reads a description from the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Wright was introduced to the Japanese woodblock print, which would become a major influence in his design aesthetic. According to his foundation, Wright called Japan "the most romantic, artistic, nature-inspired country on earth." Related: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns 150Hit the Road to Celebrate the Famed Architect According to Architectural Digest, the home initially went on the market for $205,000 in 2017 but has received three price cuts. While the low asking price could allow buyers to renovate the interior to their liking, it was declared a Chicago landmark in 1996, which means that changes cannot be made without approval from the city. If you have a sky-is-the-limit budget, seven additional properties designed by Wright are also on the market, according to Curbed. The most extravagant listing, which has an asking price of $9,999,999, is The David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, Arizona, which is considered to be a precursor to the Guggenheim. Irans death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has reached 43, a health official told state TV on Saturday, adding that the number of infected people across the country has reached 593. Unfortunately nine people died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The death toll is 43 now. The new confirmed infected cases since yesterday is 205 that makes the total number of confirmed infected people 593, Kianush Jahanpur told state TV. Among the new cases, 64 were in Tehran while the number of provinces hit by the outbreak rose to 24, Jahanpour said. We are currently in a phase in which infections are increasing, he said, predicting that the situation will continue for some days, even weeks.- It is the highest number of new cases for a single day since Iran announced its first confirmed infections on February 19 in the Shiite shrine city of Qom. Jahanpour said 73 people with the infection had left hospital over the past few days. Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced Friday that all schools would be closed from Saturday to Tuesday. We have a very difficult week ahead of us, he told state television. State TV said Friday that parliament would be closed until further notice, due to the epidemic. Iran has the highest death toll from the virus outside China, where COVID-19 first emerged. One of Irans seven vice presidents, Massoumeh Ebtekar, and deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi are among several senior officials who have been infected. On Wednesday, Iranian authorities announced domestic travel restrictions for people with confirmed or suspected infections. SOURCE: AGENCIES Masks, hand sanitizers and other assorted items are now lacking resources to some city, states and islands in Asia. Singapore with a population of 5.6 million is now having a face-mask problem. Families in the island of Malay Peninsula are hoarding items and the government ends up subsidizing masks so other families can also have them. The hoarding of face-masks and sanitizers can be now compared to water during a drought. Pharmacies are reported to have massive shortage of the items. As of the past weekend Singapore had 89 cases of coronavirus or an equivalent of 0.002% of the population is infected. But despite that, Singapore's government is much more open about COVID-19 numbers than China is being. As of Tuesday the cases of COVID-19 in the United States are about 53 with a total population of 300 million people. Some newspapers and articles also sell misleading information about the coronavirus. The media just adds anxiety and does not convey the scope of the disease in the United States and they did not note that COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu in the United States. According to a report published last Feb. 12, the virus's destructive potential had concealed one encouraging side of the outbreak and that is about the 82 cases of the virus including all of the 14 in the United States only showed mild symptoms that only require a small medical intervention. According to some reports it showed that the flu is more deadly than Coronavirus, it may have affected cases in the United States but thus far it has claimed zero lives. Reports also show that health authorities are now managing the 60,000 sick people and are furthermore studying the disease, some questioned how to have a more effective response to the disease. It is just shown that some parts of the media don't care about the facts and they more focused on spreading misleading pandemic information. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that coronavirus is definitely less deadly and it has zero fatality rate so far compared to the 14,657 cases of influenza in the United States that were identified during the end week of Feb. 15. The CDC also estimated that from October 1 through February 15 there had been between 10 and 41 million cases of the flu in the U.S causing a range of deaths between 16,000 and 41,000. So compared to the fatality rate of coronavirus that has 0% and the influenza that had 16,000 - 41,000 cases of death, which is more deadly? John Allen Paulos, a university math professor wrote in the New York Times last Feb.18, that short terms and short sighted approach can easily scare and trick the minds of people. The approach is difficult to resist especially when the media uses hard facts to show harsh evidence. And in this way minds of people can grow dangerously anxious about the problem. Coronavirus was also blamed for the death of seniors who are already suffering from other chronic illnesses like diabetes, and the truth is that coronavirus just contributed to the other illness that might have had more deadly effect than the COVID-19. Now the main problem is figuring out the total number of infected people, the bottom line may still be a mystery. Patients that have been tested and are now in the healthcare facilities are already included in the tally but what about those who are being treated in a different way without having a formal test of the virus or the people who might have been infected by the disease but shows no symptom of it? And the latter part is tricky and people now kept talking about the rising deaths of the disease. COVID-19 doesn't show how infectious it is compared to other deadly viruses and considering the cases are just mild and the problems are now being attended in China. Nothing will be accomplished if the government and media will just push through about accelerating the hold of power in this case. The only ones who will benefit are the ones who increase the price sales of the facemasks. Is Cuyahoga County government as incompetent as it seems, or does our new government structure cause the problems we see? And after decades of warnings about a pandemic, why isnt the government ready for the China Coronavirus? Those are two of the topics in the latest bonus episode of This Week in the CLE, where we ask the lingering questions from the weeks news. On regular episodes, published Thursdays, we discuss the news with cleveland.com journalists. Listen to the episode here. The county question arises from yet another screwup by county government, the failure to pay more than 1,000 bills. Its the latest in a long line of mistakes weve reported on involving the county. We also ask why, with the China coronavirus, Covid 19, looking likely to spread in Ohio and the rest of the country, the government has done little to prepare people. Weve been warned for years that a pandemic is an eventual certainty. With an end to comments on cleveland.com because of how caustic some commenters were, we ask what it will take for America and Northeast Ohio to get back to respectful disagreement and civil discussions. Why, we wonder, is Clevelands police department so much whiter than the population it serves, despite decades of efforts to make the department reflect the city. City Counil is asking the same questions. And we wonder whether its okay to enjoy all of the springlike weather we have enjoyed this winter without feeling guilty because the cause is climate change that is wrecking the planet. Weve created a new Subtext account where I send messages to your phone each day with questions like these, questions were trying to answer in the cleveland.com newsroom. Consider it an advance on the news. The best part is you can text me right back with your thoughts on what we are doing. Subscribe for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802 If you like what you hear in this bonus episode, check out this weeks regular episode. Listen to the regular episode here. You can get our podcasts delivered directly to your phone, and we have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here. Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here. If you use Stitcher, we are here. RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here. On Google Podcasts, we are here. On PodParadise, find us here. And on PlayerFM, we are here. Children of mainly Latino immigrant parents hold signs in support of them and those individuals picked up during an immigration raid at a food processing plant, during a protest march to the Madison County Courthouse in Canton, Miss., following a Spanish Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Canton. Trump administration rules that could deny green cards to immigrants if they use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance are going into effect. Read more The chill has descended. Last week marked the start of a new rule imposed by the Trump administration that will deny permanent legal status green cards to immigrants who appear likely to need public benefits such as Medicaid, housing vouchers, or food stamps. But the rule, known as the public charge, is having a secondary chilling effect, according to academics and anti-hunger advocates: Its sowing confusion among immigrants already living here who are legally entitled to benefits but are nonetheless giving up their food stamps for fear of being targeted and kicked out of the country. As a consequence, those experts say, the number of people suffering from hunger in America could increase at alarming rates. Its really cruel, said Joan Maya Mazelis, a sociologist at Rutgers University-Camden. "Immigrants are afraid and are misunderstanding a complex situation. But they dont want to draw attention to themselves, and so they lose food stamps, which make a huge difference to their health. Its depressing. Immigrants jolted Worries about the public charge rule began percolating in 2017, when the Trump administration first proposed expanding it. For more than a century, foreigners seeking to live in the United States have had to prove they will not become a public charge a poor person dependent on government largesse. But the Trump administration has added to the conditions to the public charge test, and for the first time is counting food stamps as a program whose usage will be seen as a mark against immigrants. Defending the policy, Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has said the new rule will promote longstanding ideals, such as accepting immigrants who exhibit self-reliance, industriousness, and perseverance. David Inserra, policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told a foundation news outlet that the rule change was long overdue. It will protect U.S. taxpayers, he said, by ensuring that new immigrants to the U.S. will not add even more spending on top of welfare and entitlement programs that are already unsustainably driving American debt higher. Lots are frightened Its not clear how many people are affected by the public charge chill, said Steven Larin, deputy director of Nationalities Service Center, a Center City nonprofit that provides help to immigrants for legal, education, and social-service issues. But, he added, lots of folks are being frightened away from their benefits. We had to start a food pantry here when we realized that clients were stopping their benefits." When people apply to become Americans, the new rule will allow screeners to consider income and resources, education, age, family status, and numerous other factors. Critics say the Trump administrations ultimate aim is to deny admission to citizens of countries plagued by poverty. The rule has been challenged in nine lawsuits, including one joined by the state of Pennsylvania, according to Maripat Pileggi, supervising attorney in the public benefits unit of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the charge could go into effect while the lawsuits continue. Meanwhile, misconceptions and panic reign. Ive had hundreds of conversations with nervous immigrants across the state, Pileggi said. Ironically, she said, there really are very, very few people" already living here who are subject to the public charge. Its hard for immigrants to qualify for food stamps now called SNAP benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the first place, she added. By the time they can access SNAP, many immigrants must already be lawful permanent residents whove lived here for five years, U.S. rules stipulate. The public seem to think the door to public benefits is wide open for all immigrants, but thats not the case at all, said Kathy Fisher, policy director at the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. There are already very strict requirements for those who receive benefits. Fisher said her agencys hotline operators explain to qualified, legal immigrants that they need not give up SNAP benefits because the public charge doesnt affect them. But some are still scared, she said. In many cases, legal immigrants have children born in the United States, who are automatically U.S. citizens eligible for SNAP. But more and more parents wont apply for their kids benefits, deterred by the public charge, according to Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. Its a cruel, counterproductive, and, yes, un-American policy, said Joel Berg, CEO of the New York-based nonprofit Hunger Free America. Glenn Bergman, executive director of Philabundance, the regions leading hunger-fighting agency, said that by convincing immigrants they should eschew SNAP benefits, the public charge will drive them to food pantries. This puts additional strain on emergency food providers, he said. Philabundance cannot fill the gap when ... [SNAP] programs are cut or underutilized. Adele LaTourette, director of Hunger Free New Jersey in Englewood, Bergen County, said that the public charge fulfills two needs for the Trump administration: It will reduce the numbers of arriving immigrants, and it will compel those already here to abandon benefits to which theyre entitled. People will stop accessing SNAP," she said. "But they wont stop being in need. A train crashed into a bus carrying passengers at an unmanned railway crossing in southern Pakistan, killing 19 people and injuring 28 others, a local police superintendent said Saturday. Irfan Ali Sammu said the bus driver was at fault in the late Friday accident, and had begun crossing without assessing how close the train was. The dead and injured were on both the bus and the train, he said. The crash took place near the district of Rohri, about 470 kilometers (290 miles) north of Karachi. The bus was torn into three pieces, and Sammu said rescue workers faced difficulties throughout the night recovering bodies and rescuing the inured, who were strewn along a 400-meter (yard) stretch of the track. Women and children were among the dead and injured, and were transferred to two nearby hospitals, he said. Seven people had died in hospital, and some of the injured were in critical condition. Sammu said the passenger train, called the Pakistan Express, was en route to Rawalpindi from Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. A higher casualty figure of 43 injured had been given late Friday by a railway official, Tariq Kolachi. Such discrepancies on casualty figures are not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of accidents in Pakistan. Train accidents are common in Pakistan, mainly due to insufficient enforcement of safety standards, the poorly kept railroad system and automobile driver negligence. Last November, a fire caused by a cooking gas stove swept through a train in Pakistan's eastern Punjab Province, killing 74 people. Survivors said afterward that it took nearly 20 minutes for the train to stop amid contradictory reports about the condition of the train's brakes. Search Keywords: Short link: Guinea's constitutional referendum is to be delayed beyond Sunday's scheduled date, President Alpha Conde has announced, amid mounting international concern. Critics fear the motive behind the proposed changes is to reset presidential term limits, allowing Conde to run for a third term. The government in Conakry argues that the draft constitution would, among other things, codify gender equality and ban female circumcision and underage marriage in the West African state. Speaking on national television, Conde said on Friday it was "due to our national and regional responsibilities that we have accepted a slight postponement of the date of the elections". "This is not a capitulation or a step backwards," he said, adding that "the people of Guinea will express their choice freely at the referendum". While Conde did not publicly announce a date for the new vote, a letter from the leader to the West African bloc ECOWAS, seen by AFP, said the new poll should take place within two weeks. The poll had been scheduled for Sunday alongside parliamentary elections -- also delayed in the poor but mineral-rich country of some 13 million people, which has a legacy of autocratic rule. The long-running demonstrations over the constitution issue have sometimes turned violent, with at least 30 protesters and one gendarme killed to date. Conde's announcement followed criticism of the electoral process from the African Union, European Union and The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), which gathers French-speaking states. The OIF said this week it had problems with around 2.5 million of the 7.7 million names on the electoral roll, pointing to duplicate registrations and people who had died. The African Union also cancelled an electoral observation mission to Guinea on Friday, citing a "major controversy" with the roll. Meanwhile the EU said in a statement that a "lack of inclusiveness and transparency casts doubt on the credibility of the upcoming elections". Conakry quiet Sekou Conde, a cadre in the president's Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party, said the vote had been postponed purely for technical reasons. "It has nothing to do with the electoral roll," he said, adding that people had ransacked voting stations. A Western diplomat, who declined to be named, said he thought the delay would make no difference anyway. "This changes nothing," he said, adding that there would be no credible change to the problems with the electoral roll within two weeks. The streets of the capital Conakry were quiet on Friday evening after the announcement, despite months of protests. Ibrahima Diallo, the operations manager for the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution -- an alliance of opposition groups behind the protests -- said that demonstrations would continue until Conde shelved the referendum. Although both the current constitution and the proposed new text limit presidential terms to two, critics fear that passing a new constitution would reset presidential term limits to zero. This would potentially allow Conde, 81, to run again when his second term runs out at the end of the year. Conde was a longtime opposition figure who became the nation's first democratically elected president in 2010 on promises to fight corruption. He was re-elected in 2015. (AFP) New Delhi, Feb 29 : At least four students of Farroqui madrasa in Brijpuri area of northeast Delhi have been missing since Tuesday night, residents said on Saturday. They said Farooqui mosque and the madrasa were torched by rioters on Tuesday afternoon, killing Jalaluddin, an imam, and injuring another senior imam. Riyaz Ahmed, a resident of the Brij Puri area, whose 12-year-old son studied in the madrasa, told IANS: "At least four children have been missing from the madrasa since Tuesday night." Ahmed said after the violence on Tuesday afternoon, the students were sheltered in the madrasa. "Suddenly at night, a mob attacked the madrasa and since then these children have been missing," he said. He also showed clothes, books, bags, blankets and beds of the students in the madarsa scattered around in the aftermath of the Tuesday violence. He said about 200 children studied at the madrasa. "But only over 10-15 poor children stay here," he said. He said the number of children missing from the madrasa will be clear only after the senior imam returned to the mosque after being discharged from the hospital. When asked if the area residents have approached the police about the missing children, Neyaz, a resident, said, "People are still in shock and fear." Neyaz (name changed on his request) is acting as the caretaker of the mosque and the madrasa. He said on Tuesday, a large crowd first torched the mosque, beat up the imam and then attacked the madrasa located behind the mosque. "You can see the destruction... the temples of the area and Hindu families were saved by Muslims, but we are still unable to understand why the mosque and madrasa were targeted," said Neyaz. Ahmed said many people are yet to approach the police fearing they would be treated as "rioters". On Friday, officials of Delhi Police Crime Branch visited the mosque and the madrasa. (Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in) Hydrogen is often hailed as a silver bullet solution to emissions-free fuel since it burns clean, leaving nothing but water vapor, but the reality of using and producing green hydrogen is much more complicated. Hydrogen is already used as a power source in a lot of modern industries, including ammonia production, in refineries and as a feedstock for chemicals. The vast majority of the hydrogen in use, however, is not green hydrogen, but instead is what is known as gray hydrogen. While the hydrogen itself burns clean, the means of producing that hydrogen is actually fossil-fuels intensive (most often using coal or natural gas) and therefore does nothing in the way of decarbonizing the industries in which it is used. While gray hydrogen is currently the industry standard, however, green hydrogen is already in production as well--albeit at a much higher cost. But, as Oilprice reported earlier this month, all that is about to change. The green hydrogen revolution is upon us. While system costs of green hydrogen are standing in the way of scaling up production today, that wont last long, according to Recharge News. Everybody is predicting that the cost curve will come down, just as it has with solar and wind power, they report. Though, to get the price point right, you have to reach economies of scale. Then its just a matter of when, and industry is primed to take the next step. And now, less than a month after that report, oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell has announced a new large-scale project to create green hydrogen using offshore wind farms in the Dutch North Sea instead of the traditional fossil fuels. The project is being developed by a consortium along with Gasunie and Groningen Seaports. Industry news site Offshore Wind reports that, the NortH2 project partners aim to generate around 3GW to 4 GW of wind energy for the production of hydrogen before 2030, and possibly raise the capacity to 10GW by 2040. The project is still in its infancy, and will officially get kickstarted later this year with a feasibility study. If all goes well, the consortium reports that we can expect the first green hydrogen production as soon as 2027. This depends, among other things, on permits from governments, the assignment of new wind farm locations in the North Sea, the available locations for the hydrogen facility/facilities and the final investment decisions of the parties concerned, reported Offshore Wind. NortH2s partners anticipate that the initial project phases may potentially require European and national subsidies available for the decarbonisation of energy. Related: Shale Decline Inevitable As Oil Prices Crash The project underway in the North Dutch Sea is just one part of a greater sea change in the European Union toward a less greenhouse gas intensive energy future, and especially the production of green hydrogen. The Netherlands in particular has been working steadily toward ramping up the production of green hydrogen, and in the Eemshaven seaport (and potentially offshore if projects like Royal Dutch Shells NortH2 go well) green hydrogen production is projected to reach approximately 800,000 tonnes annually by 2040. In the meantime, NortH2 is looking for more partners to join the consortium and continue to push the initiative forward. This project offers opportunities throughout the entire hydrogen chain, Marjan van Loon, President-Director of Shell Nederland, was quoted by Offshore Wind. In addition, it fits well with our New Energies aspirations and our ambitions to find new ways to reduce CO2 emissions and deliver more and cleaner energy, at home, on the go and at work. In order to realise this project, we will need several new partners. Together we will have to pioneer and innovate to bring together all the available knowledge and skills that are required. The energy transition calls for guts, boldness, and action. If there was any doubt that the initial steps of the green hydrogen revolution were already underway, the involvement of a supermajor oil corporation like Royal Dutch Shell should silence them. With peak oil and catastrophic climate change looming just over the horizon, big oil tycoons are looking to diversify, and an increasing amount of that money is going to green hydrogen for our future. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: A Virginia Senate subcommittee delayed action on that until next year. State Education Department spokesman Charles Pyle said officials worried that what parents such as Walker wanted educators to do with RAN was a broader purpose than for which it was designed. Because RANs performance data was based on tests in the Midwest, he said, there are concerns about the dissimilarity between this sample and Virginias student population, as well as the sample size. Askamore: Ballyellis National School - Enrolment forms are now available for those wishing to enrol in September 2020. If you know of anyone wishing to have a child enrolled in Ballyellis please inform them that these forms are now available. Please contact the office at 053 9426159 or email the school at ballyellisns@eircom.net if you wish to have an enrolment. Pilates Classes Pilates classes will now be held on Fridays, 11 a.m. to midnight Phone 086 8468165. Arts and Crafts If you would like to try a craft or try your hand at artwork, let us know as we are now organising demonstrations by various crafters/artist involved in painting, quilt work, pottery, etc. Phone 085 1817962, leave your number and we will get back to you. Singing with Honor Singing class with Honor Heffernan continues on Tuesday nights at 7.30 in Askamore Activity Centre. Singing for fun. All ladies welcome. Please phone Paula at 086 8759824 for more information. Kids Yoga and Mindfulness classes. The Kids Yoga and Mindfulness classes will run from March 3 for six weeks. If you would like to find out about these very popular and beneficial classes, and their benefits, phone Sharon at 086 3983634. Dance Yourself Happy Six-week term - 35 from February 12 to March 18 - These classes are designed with beginners in mind, SOSA will have you up, dancing routines and having fun straight away. It is a high energy but low impact dance fitness class. Perfect for all you strictly enthusiasts and complete with over 37 different dance styles and music you will be singing along to from across the decades. Phone 086 3856944 for more information. Messy Play ASKAMORE COMMUNITY CENTRE is our new venue for our Sensory and Messy play classes we are there for a session of six Saturdays, the last remaining of which is on February 29 from 11 a.m. to midday Phone or text 087 7538588 to book or for further information. Finches Fitness. The fit for anything group is very popular with people who may have health issues or want to take gentle exercise at their own pace. If you would like to take part, come along on Wednesday mornings from 11.15 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. Pilates classes take place in Askamore from 8.45 a.m. to 9.45 a.m. every Wednesday followed by fitness class for all from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact Finches Fitness 086 8468165. Ballyroebuck Rambling House Our next session will take place on Saturday, February 29, at 7.30 p.m. It will be a great night of music, song and stories and refreshments will be served. There will also be a raffle on the night. The sessions take place on the last Saturday of each month and everyone in the community is welcome to attend. Kilrush Drama Group Kilrush Drama Group production of the Salvage Shop by Jim Nolan got off to a great start with it's first production which took place in St Brigid's Hall on last. Thursday and Friday nights with two very appreciative audiences. Setting the scene for the production was a very intricate and well designed amazing set, which was built by Lar Duffy, Tommy Kavanagh (Stage Manager) and crew and lit by Kevin McEvoy, with dressing of the set being carried out by Lar Duffy and Cathy Tighe. The first performances of this heart-warming production which was directed by Pat Whelan and Mick Byrne included powerful emotional performances by each of the six strong cast of Michael Dunbar, Joe Sinnott, Ellie Willoughby, Catherine Stafford, PJ Arthur and John Redmond. At the sound desk for the play are Paddy Byrne and Dougie Doyle, while Jacinta Kavanagh is in charge of costumes and Mary Doran does the makeup. The group had their first outing last night (Monday, February 24) in Kilmuckridge Drama Festival and will travel to Castleblaney Drama Festival on Friday, February 28, West Waterford Drama Festival (Ballyduff) on Friday, March 6, North Cork Drama Festival (Charleville) on Sunday, March 8, Wexford Drama Festival (Jerome Hynes Theatre):Tuesday, March 10, South Leinster Drama Festival (Gorey): Saturday, March 14, New Ross Drama Festival (St Michael's Theatre) on Wednesday, March 18, and their final performance on the circuit will be in South Wicklow Drama Festival (Carnew) on Monday, March 23. We wish them the very best of luck on the 2020 Drama Circuit. Community Art Group Exhibition The Community Art Group will this year hold an art exhibition in conjunction with the St Patrick's Day Festival, in Roberts Garage (adjacent to St Brigid's Hall) from Saturday, March 14, till St Patrick's Day, March 17 the exhibition will free, but voluntary donations will be welcome in aid of Carnew Community Care. Carnew SYMPATHY Sincere sympathy is extended to the family and relatives of Dan Kearney, Community Village, Carnew and formerly of Ballingate, who died last week and his remains were removed from his nephews Jimmy home on Monday morning for Mass in Carnew at 11 a.m. followed by burial in Carnew cemetery. To the family and relatives of Maggie Butler nee Wafer, Ballyellis, who died during the week, her remains were removed to Askamore on Thursday morning for 11 a.m. Mass followed by burial in the adjoining church yard. GAA LOTTO Carnew GAA lotto was not won, numbers were 6, 11, 18 and 23, lucky dips were John Doyle, Tomacork. Michael Kinsella c/o Damien. Lucy and Lilly Moss c/o M Osborne. Hatch and Kathleen c/o Hatch. The next draw is March 2 in Jim Byrne's and the jackpot is 4,200. Tickets only 2 from any member or local shop. COURSES The following are the courses available in Carnew Training and Development Centre for the month of March Bookeeping QQI level 5, 10-week course starting March 3 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; cost 280 per person. Fork lift training beginners, refreshers and experienced, March 6 and 7, 9 a.m. start; cost Beginners 400, Refresher 175, Experienced 225. Patient Handling March 7, 9 a.m. to midday; cost 75. Basic computers, March 11, 10 a.m. to midday; cost 30. Manual Handling March 11 6, 8.30 p.m.; cost 50. Phecc three-day First Aid, March 14, 21 and 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; cost 250. Payroll QQI Level 5, March 23 7.10 p.m.; cost 280. Safe pass (Solas) March 28 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; cost 110. To book your place phone 053 9426555, email sales@carnewtdc.ie or web carnewtdc.ie. TINAHELY WALKING CLUB The following are the walks for the next two weeks for Tinahely Walking club. March 1: Croghan. Level B, 12km, three hours. Meet Tinahely 10 a.m. or the Gap 10.15 a.m. March 8: Church Mountain. Level B, 12km, 3.5 hours. Meet Tinahely 10 a.m. or Donard 10.45 a.m. As usual, please remember to wear proper walking boots, pack full rain gear and bring adequate food and drink. Please check Tinahely Walking Club Facebook page for any changes to the scheduled walks. BINGO The next bingo is on Sunday, March 8, at 2.30 p.m. in St Bridget's Hall, Carnew. All welcome thanks to everyone for their support todate. SINGING CLASSES Singing classes with Honor Heffernan continues on Tuesday nights from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Activity Centre Askamore, singing all your favorite songs for fun all are welcome. For more details contact Paula at 085 8759824. BALLYELLIS NATIONAL SCHOOL Enrolment forms are now available for those wishing to enrol in September 2020. If you know of anyone wishing to have a child enrolled in Ballyellis please inform them that these forms are now available. Please contact the office at 053 9426159 or email the school atballyellisns@eircom.net if you wish to have an enrolment form sent out or call into the school to collect form. BALLYROEBUCK RAMBLING HOUSE Our next session will take place on Saturday, February 29, at 7.30 p.m. It will be a great night of music, song and stories and refreshments will be served. There will also be a raffle on the night. The sessions take place on the last Saturday of each month and everyone in the community is welcome to attend. Table quiz Askamore Community Council are holding a table quiz on Friday February 28, at 8.30 p.m. in Askamore Hall to raise funds for a new community defibrillator which will be mounted outside the hall. We would love to see as many people as possible there to support it. 40 per table of 4. The table quiz will be followed by a trad session in the bar. Craanford-Monaseed Aldi rugby stickers Craanford NS would like you to help them to collect as many stickers as you can if shopping in Aldi so they can reach their target to be in to win 50,000 It's easy to take part shoppers simply collect one sticker with every 30 spent in store between January April 31 and 24. Log onto Aldi/PlayRugby for details. Comhaltas news CCE Tuaisceart Loch Garman are now taking membership for the year 2021 all members new and old welcome, Membership Fees are: Junior 6, Senior 12, Family 20. County Fleadh will be held on May 10 in Wexford town entries to be with Branch secretary eight weeks beforehand. For more info contact Mai at 086 1601493 or tuaisceartlochgarman@comhaltas.net. Bingo Bingo in Craanford hall every Friday night at 8.30 p.m. Bring a friend enjoy a night out with a difference and who knows your luck could just be in. Split-the-pot On Friday January 31 the prize of 161 was won by Mandy Morrissey from Enniscorthy, a regular at bingo. Congratulations, Mandy. Thanks to Ann Curran and Eileen Lancaster, who organised the draw. The co-ordinating team for Friday, February 28, is Team 3: Catherine Cassidy, Annette Kinsella and Martha Hogan. Church News Mass Intentions Saturday, March 14: John Kinsella, Island. Sunday, March 15: Jack and Maria Kavanagh, Island. Craanford Masses this week: Mon to Thursday at 9.15 a.m. Adoration: will take place in Craanford Church on Monday, February 24, from 9.45 a.m. to 1 p.m. March rotas: Church Readers - 6 p.m. Liz Byrne. 10.30 a.m. Ger Lyons. Eucharistic Ministers - 6 p.m. Meg Doyle.10.30 a.m. Claire Hyland. Ash Wednesday: St Patrick's Church, Craanford: Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 9.15 a.m. (St Patrick's School, Craanford will attend) and 6 p.m. St Patrick's Church, Monaseed: Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 9.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. Visitation of sick and Housebound: Fr Richard will make his monthly visits for January on Tuesday morning, January 7. If you would like to add a name to the list please call 087 6923280. Supporting Cranford Parish: If you would like to register to support Craanford parish please telephone Fr Richard at 087 6923280 to receive either a box of envelopes or the details you need to set up a Standing Order via your bank. Many thanks. Social dancing There will be a night of social dancing in Craanford Community Centre on Sunday, March 1, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Music by Paul Molloy - refreshments served. Sympathy Sincere sympathies to the Fleming family Monaseed and the Kinsella Family Island on their recent bereavements. Parent and Toddler Group the Parent Toddler Group will meet on Thursday, February 27, 3 per family. For further information please call 087 6103624. GAA. CLUB news The adult men had another good practice match against Glenealy on Friday night, well done lads on a great match and great result. All systems go now for upcoming Leinster league matches, kicking off this weekend with a match at home against Cloneen at 4 p.m. while they play away to Confey in Kildare next weekend and home again for a local derby match V Askamore in mid-March. Best of luck to our club members involved with Colaiste Bhride in their upcoming all-Ireland camogie schools semi-final. STRICTLY 2020 - This is up and running, a word of thanks to all our dancers who have being so generous with their commitment towards this project. 'IRELAND LIGHTS UP' WALKS - The hugely popular 'Ireland Lights Up' walking initiative has returned in partnership with the GAA, Operation Transformation, and Get Ireland Walking. Lights are on at the pitch in the evening, so we invite you to avail of the opportunity and encourage you to get out walking. SCOR - Co Scor final in Carrig-on-Bannow on February 28 While the Co Scor table quiz final is on March 4 in Piercestown. LOTTO - jackpot 2,500. No winners. Numbers drawn were 3, 13, 17 and 28. Lucky-dip winners: Mai Kinsella, Aoife Curran, Josie Kinsella (Kilanerin), Michael Shortle, Sarah McCormack, Gary Keating. Seller's prize: Cooney Communications. Next week's jackpot 2,600.Tickets in Cooney Communications, Donal's Gorey, Cooney's Hollyfort, Doyle's Londis Carnew Road, John Bass Tyres, Gorey and Lamberts Camolin or any club member. Tickets may now be collected and dropped back to Cooney Communications in Craanford by 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening and afterwards into Cooney's Pub by 9 p.m. for inclusion in the draw. HIRE THE COMPLEX - Looking for a venue for your child's birthday party why not consider the indoor complex in Craanford, available to rent, protection from any weather mishaps, an ideal venue for indoor games. Ring 086 8228686. It's the finger lickin' opportunity of a lifetime. KFC is currently looking for a professional 'finger licker' in the UK, who will win a one-day 'finger lickin'-tership' and star in a new campaign. The lucky fan selected will get to eat lots of tasty chicken, and will also be named the face of a new campaign that will be showcased on a special dedicated billboard. Could it be you? KFC is currently looking for a professional 'finger licker' in the UK, who will win a one-day 'finger lickin'-tership' and star in a new campaign 'We're searching for KFC's biggest fan to be the face of our next campaign and finger lick their way to fame,' reads the announcement. 'One clucky fan will get the chance to tuck into some of Kentucky's finest, winging their way to stardom as the face of the chicken legend's latest campaign. 'The winning KFC connoisseur will take part in an exclusive photoshoot showcasing their finest finger lickin' skills.' Hopefuls need only to tweet KFC in 280 characters or less with 'one good reason why the Colonel should choose them for this world-first one-fay finger lickin'-ternship,' as well as the hashtag #KFCfryerme and the tag @KFC_UKI. Yum! The lucky fan selected will get to eat lots of tasty chicken, and will also be named the face of a new campaign that will be showcased on a special dedicated billboard 'The clucky applicant will see their face in lights with their photo showcased in a restaurant and on their very own dedicated billboard.' Several fans have already responded with their own pleading tweets. 'Because I've just lost 5 stone and cut out everything...but I'll be damned if I ever give up my KFC,' wrote one. 'I have ordered KFC 45 times in the last 12 months. (Not counting walk-ins.),' wrote another. 'I am very qualified for this.' 'My mate is a massive KFC fan and fashion icon, he can turn pretty much any of your meal packaging into a fashion accessory, make his dreams come true,' tweeted a third. Get it now: The search announcement comes just days after the chain unveiled an 80-piece KFC bucket for just 5.99 The search announcement comes just days after the chain unveiled an 80-piece KFC bucket for just 5.99. The bargain deal means the chicken is less than 8p per piece. It follows a successful trial-run in the chain's Glasgow store last September. The 80-piece bucket will remain on sale in all UK restaurants until March 23. KFC's announcement was met with much fanfare from fans who are thrilled with the exciting deal. Yum! KFC debuted new chicken and donuts at stores across the US this week Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, KFC debuted new chicken and donuts at stores across the US. The delicious duo can be ordered as a sandwich or a basket meal, and will be available until March 16, or while supplies last. Prices range from $5.49 to $7.99. 'Chicken & Donuts is the newest fried chicken trend we're bringing to all of America,' Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer for KFC U.S., said in a press release. 'But not just any donut would do. Only a donut thats glazed-to-order and served piping hot every single time can stand next to our hand-breaded fried chicken. Its a finger lickin good dish filled with glaze and glory.' Customers have the option of ordering the Kentucky Fried Chicken & Donuts Basket meal, which comes with chicken on the bone or chicken tenders and one donut. There's also a sandwich, which includes an Extra Crispy chicken filet sandwiched between two donuts. As a bonus, a donut can be added to any order for $1. The chain is no stranger to the chicken-meets-pastry combination: In the past, they've had limited releases of Chicken & Waffles, as well as the spicy twist of Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffles. Roman Polanski snubbed this year's French Oscars, called the Cesar awards, as he feared public lynching by the feminists because of rape allegations on him. The director recieved 12 nominations for his film An Officer and a Spy including the best film award. Polanski became the eye of the storm after his film topped the list of nominations. Several people reportedly appeared at the theatre where ceremony was scheduled to take place to protest and condemn him as a rapist. He is still wanted in the US for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. deadline.com "We know how this evening will unfold already, Polanski was quoted as saying in a statement. "Activists are already threatening me with a public lynching, with some saying they are going to protest outside," he added. thenational.ae "What place can there be in such deplorable conditions for a film about the defence of truth, the fight for justice, blind hate and anti-Semitism?" he said. Twitter After he won the Best Director's trophy, several actresses walked out of the theatre. One of them was Adele Haenel, who said she was sexually assaulted by another director. She left the room shouting "shame!". Director Celine Sciamma followed her. A l'annonce du Cesar de la Meilleure Realisation pour Roman Polanski ("J'accuse"), Adele Haenel quitte la salle. Le meilleur des #Cesar2020 > https://t.co/ipnVwouBeV pic.twitter.com/7xa0CTbU3H CANAL+ (@canalplus) February 28, 2020 Comedian Florence Foresti who was hosting the night also walked out and didn't return to the stage thereafter. Later, on her Instagram, she wrote, "disgusted." Cesar's board has defended Roman Polanski's nomination by saying that the body "should not take moral positions" in giving awards. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 09:33:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the center for disease control and prevention of Chaoyang District in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) In line with the professional guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuba has maintained normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, which means respect and support of China's prevention and control work, Xi said. BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping talked over phone with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday night to compare notes on the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and how to further promote bilateral ties. Xi noted that after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Diaz-Canel immediately extended their sympathies to him, and the Cuban president also paid a special visit to the Chinese embassy in Cuba to express support for China. That, said the Chinese president, has fully demonstrated the profound traditional friendship between China and Cuba. In line with the professional guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuba has maintained normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, which means respect and support of China's prevention and control work, Xi said. China, he added, highly appreciates the understanding and support the Cuban side and the Cuban president himself have shown for China's anti-epidemic efforts. Xi stressed that since the outbreak of the epidemic, he has been personally leading the response, and the country, with its people united as one, has taken the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures. Staff process nucleic acid test chip at the plant of a Chengdu-based biotech company in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Feb. 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Kun) China has put forward the principle of early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment for prevention and control, and the principle of pooling together patients, experts and resources for concentrated treatment for treatment efforts, he said. Meanwhile, China has made it a prominent task to improve the admission and cure rates and reduce the infection and mortality rates, added the Chinese president. Thanks to those arduous endeavors, the positive trend in COVID-19 prevention and control is gathering steam, Xi said, stressing that China has full confidence, capacity and certainty to win the battle against the epidemic. In this anti-epidemic fight, he stressed, China has always adhered to the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind and an attitude of openness, transparency and responsibility, sharing information with the WHO and the international community in a timely fashion as well as actively responding to the concerns of various sides and strengthening international cooperation, so as to prevent the epidemic from spreading around the world. Head nurse Sun Chun (2nd R) arranges tasks to her colleague Li Min at the First Hospital of Wuhan City in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu) Meanwhile, China has also taken strong and effective measures to ensure the health and safety of foreign nationals in China, including Cuban citizens, Xi said. The WHO and the international community have spoken highly of China's prevention and control work, he said, adding that China is willing to continue exchanges and cooperation with Cuba in the fields of medicine and epidemic prevention and control. Xi pointed out that the Chinese nation has experienced many ordeals in its history, but has never been overwhelmed, and that the impact of the epidemic on China's economy is temporary and the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged. The Chinese president added that his country has made coordinated efforts to both contain the epidemic and promote economic and social development. While making solid and meticulous efforts in epidemic prevention and control, China has adopted a series of policies and measures to restore orderly production and life and ensure realization of this year's economic and social development goals, he said, reiterating that China has full confidence in it. China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers who can rely on each other in difficult times and are as close as lips and teeth, Xi stressed, adding that bilateral relations have withstood major tests of winds and waves and remained resilient and vibrant. Xi said the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government will, as always, support Cuba's pursuit of a socialist path suitable for its national conditions and its just fight to defend national sovereignty and oppose foreign intervention, and stands ready to continue to provide support and assistance within their capacity for Cuba. As this year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, China is willing to work with Cuba to organize the celebrations, and take that as an opportunity to sum up the successful experience in the development of bilateral ties and lift bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields to new levels from a new historical starting point, Xi said. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel addresses the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit held during the ongoing UN General Assembly's annual top-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Diaz-Canel, for his part, said Cuba highly appreciates and firmly supports China's efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic and thanks China for providing help and care for Cuban nationals in China. Facing the severe challenge of the epidemic, China has united its people as one and adopted swift and effective measures, which have gradually achieved positive results, noted the Cuban leader. That, he added, has fully demonstrated China's strong mobilization ability and the great advantages of the socialist system. China's timely and effective response made outstanding contributions to restraining the spread of the epidemic, which has been highly appreciated by the international community, including the United Nations and the WHO, Diaz-Canel noted. He said he is confident that under the strong leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, and with China's great comprehensive national strength and experience accumulated in fighting the SARS outbreak in 2003, China will definitely achieve a resounding victory against COVID-19. Cuba, he added, will stand firmly with China at this difficult time and is willing to provide all possible help for its Chinese brothers at any time. Cuba sincerely thanks China for its long-standing support for Cuba's just cause and its assistance for Cuba's development and construction, Diaz-Canel said. He added that Cuba stands ready to work with China to further consolidate their traditional friendship, and take the opportunity of celebrating the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties to expand and deepen practical cooperation in various fields, so as to push for greater development of their relations for the benefit of both peoples. >>> Physicians on the front line >>> US removes Vietnam from list of areas vulnerable to community spread of SARS-CoV-19 >>> Training course on COVID-19 prevention in hospital held in Hanoi >>> PM lauds medical workers contributions to COVID-19 fight In its letter sent to the provinces and cities authorities across the nation on Thursday (February 27), the ministry said that based on the practical situation of the locales, local authorities should consider and decide to extend the current break for local students, who already had their school leaving period prolonged to eliminate the risk of the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection. For high school students, they can return to school from March 3, the MoETs document said. In addition, the ministry also recommended that localities direct local schools to continue strictly implementing the measures to prevent and fight Covid-19, ensuring school safety under the guidance of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the MoET. The MoET continues to closely monitor the situation of the disease to timely guide localities in the process of implementing the 2019-2020 educational plan. Previously, on February 22, the ministry adjusted the time frame for the 2019-2020 school year, setting the date for the end of the current academic year at no later than June 30, while the national high school graduation exams will last from July 23 to 26. * On Friday morning, the Quang Ngai Provincial Department of Education and Training issued an urgent announcement allowing local high school students to return to school from March 3, while pre-school, elementary and secondary school students will continue to leave school until March 8. Concerning the prevention and control of Covid-19, the provinces Department of Health said that so far all 976 local schools and 503 public facilities have been sprayed with disinfectants. The Provincial Centre for Disease Control and local clinics have distributed over 77,000 leaflets and 1,000 posters on Covid-19 prevention. The whole province had seven people returning home from the RoK from February 23 to 25 and all are in normal health. Quang Tri province preparing procedures to isolate 16 local people who had close contact with two Vietnamese residents coming back from the Republic of Korea. (Photo: NDO/Lam Quang Huy) * The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has announced the postponement of local cultural events and festivals scheduled to take place in March. Accordingly, the 7th Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival has been postponed due to Covid-19 and is expected to be held in April. * Yen The district in Bac Giang province has announced the postponement of the 136th anniversary of Yen The Uprising (1884-2020). * On Thursday afternoon, the Department of Health of Da Nang city affirmed that the Da Nang Centre for Disease Control has fulfilled its responsibilities and duties according to the guiding documents from the MoH and the competent authorities on the inspection and control of passengers coming from the Republic of Korea (RoK). The local health sector arranges a special ambulance with two staff on duty 24 hours a day to be ready to assist and receive citizens when there are signs of abnormal health to move them to local medical facilities. Currently, Da Nang is quarantining and tracking 22 Covid-19 suspected cases while 27 other are in surveillance in the community. Currently, their health is normal. Quarantine staff disinfecting a flight at Da Nang International Airport. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao) * On Thursday afternoon, Vice Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee Doan Tan Buu said that the province promulgated a plan to establish a field hospital for Covid-19 response. Currently, the 300-bed field hospital located at the Dong Thap Military-Civilian Hospital is eligible to operate. * The same day, Ninh Binh, Lang Son, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien - Hue and Ca Mau provinces announced the isolation for dozens of Vietnamese citizens who have returned from the epidemic areas in China and the RoK. They are in normal health but have been isolated for 14 days under the MoHs regulations on Covid-19 prevention. Passengers body temperature being checked before getting off a speedboat to Ly Son Island. (Photo: NDO/Hien Cu) * According to the Department of Overseas Labour (DoLAB) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, there are 48,000 overseas Vietnamese labourers are working in the RoK under their contracts. In particular, in the Covid-19 hit areas of Daegu and Gyeongbuk, there are about 4,000 Vietnamese employees. However, there has been no information on Vietnamese workers infected with Covid-19 and they are still working as normal. The DoLAB has instructed the Vietnamese Labour Management Board in the RoK to closely cooperate with the Korean agencies to update information related to policies and regulations for foreign workers during the local Covid-19 control and to support Vietnamese employees in need. From February 22, the Management Board established two hotlines at 010-3248-6886 and 010-4356-2505, in addition to the phone number of the EPS Office at 010-9892-1712 to directly advise and support employees when needed. Dong Thap province leaders inspect the prevention and control of Covid-19 in a local hospital. (Photo: NDO/Huu Nghia) * According to a report from the National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Control of Covid-19, on February 27, the number of new Covid-19 cases outside of China for the first time was greater than the number of new infections in the country, marking a turning point in the spread of the epidemic on a global scale. The RoK is currently the country with the fastest and highest increase in new infection cases outside of China (1,595 cases, 12 deaths). As of 9:30 pm on February 27, 82,584 people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19, including 2,811 dead. The number of infected cases has been recorded in 50 countries and territories. In Vietnam, all 16 confirmed cases so far have recovered and been released from the hospital. Up until February 27, the country has not recorded any new infected cases for 15 consecutive days. The MoH continues to coordinate with other relevant authorities and direct localities and local units to isolate Vietnamese people returning from and going through the RoK Korea, as well as raising vigilance and drastically implementing measures to prevent and control the epidemic. Five hospitals of Aster DM Healthcare group were recognised with the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) Awards 2020, which recently concluded in Bengaluru. Five hospitals of Aster DM Healthcare group were recognised with the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) Awards 2020, which recently concluded in Bengaluru. The annual award by AHPI recognizes and celebrates the excellence achieved by healthcare organizations across various fields. Aster Medcity- Kochi, Kerala was conferred with the Excellence in Community Engagement and Best Place to Work For awards. Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru won the Nursing Excellence Award while Medcare Women and Children Hospital-Dubai received the Nursing Excellence Award in the overseas segment. Medcare Hospital-Dubai was awarded for being the Green Hospital in the overseas segment. Aster MIMS Hospital- Calicut, Kerala won the award in the Best Place to Work For in the regional segment. Commenting on the achievement, Founder Chairman and MD of Aster DM Healthcare, Dr. Azad Moopen said, We are honoured to be recognized with the prestigious AHPI Awards for our institutions for consecutive years. We relentlessly strive in our journey for quality healthcare and recognitions like AHPI Awards renews our commitment to strive more. We hope to set new benchmarks in Clinical Excellence and Service Excellence, in our pursuit to become one of the best healthcare providers in the region. Dr. Harish Pillai, Chief Executive Officer, Aster India said, Wed like to thank our patients, employees and stakeholders for trusting us. We are delighted to have won in the significant categories of community engagement, quality and nursing. It is a proud moment for us as we stand by the Aster promise: Well treat you well and continue to offer the best in healthcare to our patients across geographies. Aster DM Healthcare is one of the largest networks of healthcare service providers in GCC and an emerging player in India. The group is currently the third-largest healthcare company in India. Agriculture is one of the leading industries in the United States, which contributed over $1.053 trillion to the countrys GDP. The U.S. is the leading exporter of food on the planet. According to the Census Of Agriculture of 2007, there were over 2.2 million farms in the country, which occupied a total area of about 922 million acres. Even though agricultural activities occur in every American state, it is mainly concentrated in the eastern parts of the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains, among other places. The western drier half of the country is referred to as the Wheat Belt while the eastern wetter half is known as the Corn Belt. Historically, the American South has been the leading producer of Rice, tobacco, and cotton, but agricultural production has declined in the region over the last century. As of 2008, the agricultural sector had employed about 2% of the American population directly. There were over 3.2 million ranchers, farmers, and agricultural managers in the country in 2012. Agriculture is still a major industry in several American states, including: California Agriculture is an important sector in Californias economy, which earned them about $50 billion in 2018. Agricultural related sales in California quadrupled from $7.3 billion (1974) to 2004 ($31 billion), despite the 15% reduction in farmland. California produces over 400 crops, and this includes a considerable percentage of the nuts and fruits in the country. In 2017, there were about 77,100 ranches and farms in California occupying an area of about 25.3 million acres. Some of the leading commodities in California by value in 2017 included dairy products ($6.56 billion), grapes ($5.79 billion), almonds ($5.6 billion), and cannabis ($3.1 billion) among others. California produced over 90% of the avocados in the country in 2017. California was the second-biggest rice producer in the country in 2006. California produces over 90% of American wine. Iowa With some of the most productive and richest soil on the planet, more than 90% of its Iowas land is used for agriculture. Iowa ranks second in agricultural production in the United States and also second in total agricultural export. The agricultural sector of Iowa managed to export goods worth $10 billion in 2013. Agriculture is a crucial sector in Iowa, which contributed about 3.5% of the states GDP in 2007. Iowa leading agricultural commodities are cattle, hogs, soybeans, and corn, among others. Iowa is the largest producer of corn and ethanol. Iowa is one of the top producers of soybeans in the country. The 92,600 Iowan farms produced over 19% of the American corn, eggs (14%), hogs (30%), and soybeans (17%) in 2008. Viticulture is of great importance in Iowa, which has hundreds of vineyards. Iowa exports a considerable percentage of the agricultural produce to Japan, Mexico, and Japan. Texas Texas has the highest number of farms and the most acreage in the country. Texas is ranked fourth for total agricultural revenue in 2018 right behind Nebraska and first in revenue generated from livestock and livestock products. Texas has a wide variety of climatic and topographical features that makes it possible for the Texans to grow several crops. The Lone Star State leads the country in the production of hay, mohair, wool, goat, sheep, horses, and cattle. The beef cattle sector in Texas contributes over 56.7% of the total agricultural revenue every year. Texas is the leading producer of cotton, which is actually its most valuable crop in terms of value. There are over 149,000cattle operations in Texas with over 11.3 million cows. The state produces over 13.3% of the countrys meat. The veal and beef exports earned Texas $961 million in 2011. The second biggest contributor in the agricultural industry in the Lone Star state is the cotton ($1.9 billion) sector. Texas produced over 5 million bales of cotton in 2012. Mohair and wool are popular fibers, and the lambs and sheep in Texas produced 2.3 million pounds of wool in 2012. Nebraska Agriculture is the leading sector in Nebraska that touches the lives of every Nebraskan, provides jobs, and contributes significantly to the states economy. Agriculture contributes over $25 billion to the states economy annually. There over 49,100 farms in Nebraska, which occupy a total of approximately 45 million acres. Nebraska is the third biggest producer of corn in the country, and the farmers harvest over 1.6 million bushels of corn annually. Nebraska supplied over 83.4% of the Great Northern beans in the country in 2015. Nebraska has one of the top beef sectors in the U.S., which generates over $7.2 billion annually. Nebraska ranked fourth in the country for red meat production in 2014. Nebraskas corn-fed red meat is quite famous in the country for its tenderness, high quality, and flavor. All the dairy farms in the state are family-owned-and-operated. There are over 58,000 dairy cows in Nebraska, which produce more than 151 million gallons of milk annually. Other important products include wheat, soybeans, cattle and calves, poultry and eggs, hogs, and sugar beets, among others. Minnesota Agriculture has been one of the leading industries in Minnesota for centuries. Minnesota contributes over 4% of the total agricultural revenue in the country. Minnesota is home to over 74,542 farms, which occupy a total area of about 26 million acres, and more than 1,000 food and agricultural firms that employ over 340,000 people. Agriculture contributes more than $75 billion to Minnesotas economy every year. Livestock products and livestock account for over 50% of Minnesotas farm income, with its most valuable product being hogs. Hogs account for about 18% of Minnesotas agricultural income. Minnesota is one of the leading producers of turkey, eggs, and dairy products in the United States. The most valuable crop in Minnesota is corn, followed by soybeans. The state also produces oats, barley, hay, flaxseeds, and wheat. The top vegetable from this state includes sweet corn, potatoes, and peas, while the leading fruit is apple. Minnesota exports wheat, corn, and soybeans to Mexico, Japan, and China. Illinois Agriculture is one of the leading sectors, which generates over $19 billion every year in Illinois. The over 72,000 farms in Illinois occupy over 75% of the states land (27 million acres). Some of the leading agricultural outputs from this state include wheat, dairy products, cattle, hogs, corn, and soybeans, among others. Illinois is one of the leading producers of Soybeans in the United States. The state ranked second in 2008 after they managed to produce over 427.7 million bushels of soybeans in 2008. Illinois is one of the top corn-producing states in the country, which produces over 1.5 billion bushels annually. Illinois became the third-largest producer of ethanol in 2011 after they supplied over 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol. The most crucial vegetable in the state includes snap beans, lima beans, cabbages, and asparagus, while apples are the most valuable fruits in Illinois. The most important livestock product in Illinois is hogs, followed by eggs and chickens, milk, and beef cattle. Illinois is home to over 2,640 food processing firms, which earn them over $180 billion annually. Other Top Agricultural Producing States The agricultural sector of Kansas predates its statehood, and it continues to support its economy to date. Currently, Kansas is one of the leading producers of beef, grain, and wheat. North Carolina is a leading state in the production of hog, eggs and poultry, sweet potatoes, and tobacco, among others. In Wisconsin, the agricultural sector employs over 413,500 people and earned Wisconsin over $59 billion in 2009 with its top sector being dairy farming. Agriculture contributes over $31.2 billion to the economy of Indiana every year. Indiana is one of the leading exporters of food in the U.S., which managed to export goods worth $11.1 billion in 2017. Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Saturday announced a 100-crore startup fund in partnership with IKG Punjab Technical University. Besides, he said, an incubator will be established at Kalkat Bhawan, Mohali, to promote agri startups for which an executive committee comprising government officials and experts in the startup sector would be set up. Delivering the key-note address at the TiECON 2020 here, Manpreet also announced the reimbursement of registration stamp duty to first 100 startups every year. The cost incurred on the registration of documents of a company with the Registrar of Companies will be reimbursed by the state government. The approximate requirement of funds will be between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh per annum, which may be sourced from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds available with Punjab CSR authority, he added. The startup fund will be a revolving fund with an initial amount of Rs 25 crore. Of this, 25% will be dedicated to promote startups by scheduled caste (SC) and women entrepreneurs. Startup Punjab, in partnership with Startup India and the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IIT Delhi, is organising capacity building workshops for women entrepreneurs across Punjab in March and April. There will be four workshops of two days each that will focus on providing mentoring to early-stage women-led startups and aspiring entrepreneurs. Married At First Sight's Jessika Power met bullied boy Quaden Bayles at a 'close family friend's funeral' on Saturday. The reality star, 26, knelt next to Brisbane-based nine-year-old in a playground outside Nimbin Bowling Club in Northern New South Wales. She shared her admiration of how 'full of life' the young boy was, after a video of the bullying victim telling his mother he wanted to kill himself went viral. 'He's so full of life': Married At First Sight's Jessika Power (right) met bullied boy Quaden Bayles (left) at a 'close family friend's funeral' on Saturday 'I got to meet this beautiful little nine-year-old boy at a very close family friend's funeral today and all I can say is wow,' Jessika wrote on Instagram. She added: 'He is so full of life and a happy little boy despite everything that has happened to him. 'All I had to say was 'keep your head up, angel heart, you're one in a million and an awesome little boy'.' 'Keep your head up, angel heart': The influencer shared her admiration at how 'full of life' the young boy was, after a video of the bullying victim telling his mother he wanted to kill himself went viral What is Achondroplasia? Achondroplasia is a disorder of bone growth that prevents the changing of cartilage (particularly in the long bones of the arms and legs) to bone. It is characterised by limited range of motion at the elbows, large head size (macrocephaly), small fingers, and normal intelligence. Achondroplasia can cause health complications such as interruption of breathing (apnea), obesity, recurrent ear infections and an exaggerated inward curve of the lumbar spine. People with dwarfism have a normal life expectancy. Source: US Department of Health Advertisement Earlier this month, Quaden's mother, Yarraka Bayles, posted a video online showing her son crying and asking for 'rope' to kill himself. 'This is the impact that bullying has on a nine-year-old kid that just wants to go to school, get an education and have fun,' she said. Speaking to indigenous Australian TV channel NITV in the wake of the viral footage, Quaden encouraged others to stand up for themselves when face-to-face with a bully. 'If you get bullied, just stand up for yourself and don't listen to what they say,' he said. He believed parents should educate their children about people with disabilities to prevent further bullying. 'The parents should make their kids be nice to people with disabilities,' he said. Inspirational: 'I got to meet this beautiful little nine-year-old boy at a very close family friend's funeral today and all I can say is wow,' Jessika wrote on Instagram Ms Bayles said her 'strong' son wants other people to know how he feels and no longer wants to 'suffer in silence'. 'It's 2020 and bullying is at an all-time high and especially within our communities, people don't understand that if you're Indigenous, you're already copping discrimination and racism,' she said. After the video went viral, an online fundraiser, 'Let's send a wonderful kid to Disneyland', was soon set up by US comedian Brad Williams, who also has dwarfism. Heartbreaking: Quaden's mother, Yarraka Bayles, posted a video online earlier this month showing her son crying and asking for 'rope' to kill himself More than 20,000 donors from across the world flocked to give $723,000 (US $474,000) to give Quaden's family the special treat. However Quaden's family have declined the trip to Disneyland, pledging to donate the $700,000 raised for the youngster to charity. On Thursday afternoon, his family stunned supporters by turning down the trip - saying they would rather the money be given to charity to help combat bullying and suicide. 'What kid wouldn't want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden's life,' his aunt Mundanara told NITV News. 'But my sister said 'you know what, let's get back to the real issue'. This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying. 'We want the money to go to community organisations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on. 'So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that.' For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 Days after home secretary Priti Patel and the top civil servant in the Home Office, Philip Rutnam, jointly dismissed reports of alleged bullying by the former, Rutnam resigned on Saturday and took the extraordinary step of going public with the reasons for his resignation. According to Rutnam, his experience in recent days had been extreme, adding that he had received allegations that her conduct included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands - behaviour that created fear and that needed some bravery to call out. Accusing Patel of orchestrating a campaign against him, he said in a video statement to the BBC: In the last 10 days, I have been the target of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign. It has been alleged that I have briefed the media against the home secretary. This - along with many other claims - is completely false. The home secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her. She has not made the efforts I would expect to dissociate herself from the comments. Despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this. I believe that these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts. My experience has been extreme, but I consider there is evidence that it was part of wider pattern of behaviour. One of my duties as permanent secretary was to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our 35,000 people. I have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands - behaviour that created fear and that needed some bravery to call out. Patel has been the subject of reports of allegedly not being trusted by Britains intelligence agencies, who reportedly hold back information from her. She is also accused of trying to ease out some officials such reports have been strenuously denied. Rutnams resignation adds a new twist to swirling reports about Patels style of working. He said he would sue the government for constructive dismissal. The resignation comes days after cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill hit out at unattributed briefings and leaks in the media, saying they besmirched the countrys hard-won reputation for good governance. In an email to bureaucrats, Sedwill said candour, confidentiality and courtesy between ministers, civil servants and special advisers were crucial to the trust and confidence on which good government depends. FDA, the union for senior public servants, said Rutnams resignation was a consequence of people making anonymous claims about civil servants who are unable to publicly defend themselves. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the "steadiness" in the economy is a good sign, soon after the official data showed the December quarter GDP growth at 4.7 per cent. Speaking at CNBC TV 18's business leadership awards event, Sitharaman made it clear that she was not expecting a jump in the number either. India's economic growth slowed to 4.7 per cent in October-December 2019, according to official data released on Friday. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was registered at 5.6 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19, as per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). On the impact of coronavirus on the economy, she said there is no need to immediately press the "panic button", but admitted that it may get challenging if the issues prolong for another two or three weeks, citing her conversations with the industry players over the last few days. She also said the pharmaceutical and electronic industries, which depend heavily on imports from China for raw materials, have suggested airlifting of essential items and the government may consider the same. However, the logistics of the same, like aggregating the goods and getting them to a single place will have to be done by the industry itself, she said, promising help from the government through the consular staff. Sitharaman said the government is "pushing the banks like never before" to lend as much as possible across all categories, including retail, home and agriculture segments. She, however, said that the government wants to learn from the experiences of the 2008-09 and ensure that there are no non-performing assets piled up for later years. Sitharaman said the government is working creating a development finance institution (DFI), as were bodies like ICICI and IDBI before they turned into full-fledged banks. The minister said that the ministry has managed to do whatever it can for the economy within the space offered by keeping the fiscal deficit under check and also added that it is not "closing options" on the same. Also read: Q3 GDP: The illusion of growth! Also read: Rs 2,000 notes to stay or not? Here's what Nirmala Sitharaman has to say By Ali Kucukgocmen ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to stand aside in Syria and let Turkey fight Syrian government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed this week. But the Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, kept up air strikes in the northwestern province of Idlib, attacking the strategic city of Saraqeb which sits on an important road, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The government forces' air strikes are part of a major assault to capture the province, part of the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey. Turkey, which has poured forces into Idlib, also hit back, killing 26 pro-Damascus troops around Idlib and the Aleppo countryside, the Syrian Observatory said, and Turkey-backed rebels said they had re-taken six towns and villages in southern Idlib. With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow to ease tensions in tatters, Turkey has come closer than ever to confrontation with Russia on the battlefield in Syria. Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey "do what is necessary" with the Syrian government. He said Turkey did not intend to leave Syria right now. "We went there because we were invited by the people of Syria. We don't intend to leave before the people of Syria say, 'Okay, this is done,'" Erdogan added. Three rounds of talks between Russia and Turkey failed to yield a ceasefire, but the Kremlin said on Saturday that Putin and Erdogan would discuss all aspects of the Syrian conflict in planned talks in Moscow. It set no date but officials on both sides say the talks will be on March 5 or 6. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Doha the Idlib issue can be settled only when Erdogan and Putin meet. Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Cavusoglu also said Turkey wanted the United States to send Patriot missile systems as support in Idlib. Ankara has previously voiced the request, saying it faced air missile threats in the region. Story continues A U.S. State Department official told reporters on Friday that Washington was looking urgently to support Ankara in Idlib with information-sharing and equipment, but that any assistance would not involve military moves by American units. MIGRANTS After 33 of its soldiers were killed on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe. One more Turkish soldier was killed on Friday, raising this month's toll to 55. Turkey hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, in addition to Afghans, Iranians, and Moroccans among others. It has said it cannot take another refugee wave from Idlib. Violence in Idlib has displaced 1 million civilians since December inside the country near the Turkish border in desperate winter conditions. Erdogan said 18,000 migrants has crossed the border to Europe from Turkey since the gates were opened, without providing evidence, and that the number could rise to 25,000-30,000 on Saturday. Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union member states neighboring Turkey, said they would not admit the migrants. Greek police fired teargas toward migrants gathered on its border with Turkey and demanding entry on Saturday. [L8N2AT0G8] "The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don't have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them," Erdogan said. The EU said in a statement it was actively supporting Greece and Bulgaria in protecting the bloc's borders, but also expressed condolences with Turkey over the soldiers' deaths and said it was ready to step up humanitarian support. The head of the bloc's executive European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU was ready to involve its border agency Frontex to help control the land border. Turkey's borders to Europe were closed to migrants under an accord between Turkey and the EU that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than 1 million people crossed into Europe by foot. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said he was planning to host a high-level meeting to seek long-lasting solutions for Syria and migrants, and that he would meet Erdogan on Monday. He said there was currently no migration pressure on the Balkan country's border with Turkey. (Additional reporting by Laila Bassam and Eric Knecht in Beirut, Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia, Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, and Vladimir Soldatkin and Polina Ivanova in Moscow, Editing by Alexander Smith, Louise Heavens and Timothy Heritage) The US has signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, Washington would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next three to four months, with the remainder withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout would depend on the Taliban meeting commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. Some US troops currently serving there had not been born when the World Trade Centre was attacked. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the US tried to establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped and currently hold sway over half the country. The US spent more than 750 billion dollars, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. It was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban harboured bin Laden and his al Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Mr Pompeo had privately told a conference of US ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. "Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah," said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Mr Trump has repeatedly promised to get the US out of its "endless wars" in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the US or its allies, but officials is Washington are reluctant to trust the Taliban to fulfil their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it is not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It is also not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administrations, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. Concerns about the coronavirus outbreaks threat to the world economy are growing. Chinas manufacturing plunged in February by an even wider margin than expected after efforts to contain the strain of coronavirus known as Covid-19 shut down much of the worlds second-largest economy, an official survey showed. The survey, coming as global stock markets fall sharply on fears that the virus will spread abroad, adds to mounting evidence of the vast cost of the disease that emerged in central China in December and its economic impact worldwide. The list of countries touched by the virus has climbed to nearly 60, with new cases reported on Saturday in Lebanon, Croatia, the Netherlands and Ecuador. More than 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900. Many cases have been relatively mild, and some of those infected are believed to show no symptoms at all. Nonetheless, concern is mounting that prolonged quarantines, supply chain disruptions and a sharp reduction in tourism and business travel could weaken the global economy or even cause a recession. The monthly purchasing managers index issued by the Chinese statistics agency and an industry group fell to 35.7 from Januarys 50 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate activity contracting. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a 270 billion yen (1.95 billion) emergency economic package to help fight the virus. Mr Abe said at a news conference that Japan is at a critical juncture to determine whether the country can keep the outbreak under control ahead of the Tokyo summer Olympics. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (AP/Eugene Hoshiko) Mr Abe, whose announcement this past week of a plan to close all schools for more than a month until the end of the Japanese academic year sparked public criticism, said the emergency package includes financial support for parents and their employers affected by the closures. Mr Abe said: Frankly speaking, this battle cannot be won solely by the efforts of the government. We cannot do it without understanding and co-operation from every one of you, including medical institutions, families, companies and local governments. Story continues The death rate from Covid-19 was 1.4% in the latest report from Chinese health officials on 1,099 patients with confirmed disease at more than 500 hospitals throughout China. The report, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, gives a much broader view of the outbreak beyond Wuhan, where it started and has been most severe. The list of countries touched by the virus has climbed to nearly 60 (AP/Jae C. Hong) Assuming there are many more cases with no or very mild symptoms, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%, US health officials wrote in an editorial in the journal. That would make the new virus more like a severe seasonal flu than a disease similar to its genetic cousins Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome), or Mers (Middle East respiratory syndrome). Italian authorities say the country now has more than 1,000 coronavirus cases. The head of Italys civil protection agency told a press conference that the total number has reached 1,128. Officials also reported eight more deaths of people with the virus, to bring Italys total to 29. Tourist arrivals in Thailand are down 50% compared with a year ago, and in Italy hotel bookings are falling and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte raised the possibility of recession. Waiters wait for customers in a restaurant at St Marks Square in Venice (Claudio Furlan/Lapresse via AP) Economists have forecast global growth will slip to 2.4% this year, the slowest since the Great Recession in 2009, and down from earlier expectations closer to 3%. For the United States, estimates are falling to as low as 1.7% growth this year, down from 2.3% in 2019. Despite anxieties about a wider outbreak in the US, President Donald Trump has defended measures taken and lashed out at Democrats who have questioned his handling of the threat. At a political rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, Mr Trump asserted that Democratic complaints about his handling of the virus threat are their new hoax, echoing similar past complaints by the president about the Russia investigation and his impeachment. Donald Trump called concerns raised by his political rivals about Covid-19 a hoax (AP/Patrick Semansky) Mr Trump accused Democrats of politicising the coronavirus threat and boasted about preventive steps he has ordered in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading across the United States. Shortly before Mr Trump began to speak, health officials confirmed a second case of the virus in the US in a person who did not travel internationally or have close contact with anyone who had the virus. Myrtis Dightman, Jr. grew up in the shadow of a famous bullrider. His dad and namesake became the first black cowboy to compete in the National Rodeo Finals in 1964, later being called the Jackie Robinson of Professional Rodeo and having a bronze statue dedicated in his honor in Crockett in 2011. Myrtis Dightman Sr. also championed another important role: creating and leading the Prairie View Trail Riders in 1957 with his best friend, James Francies Jr., to help showcase black cowboys. Dightman Jr., now 64, has taken the reins as the trail boss for the 200 Prairie View Trail Riders, one of a dozen groups that made the trek to Memorial Park on Friday to help kick off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which runs from Tuesday until March 22. We have to keep that history, the legacy alive, said Dightman Jr. The rodeo tradition started in 1952 with four men from Brenham and has grown to include more than 2,000 riders who travel more than 1,300 miles. Francies noticed early on that there werent any black riders in the original group, the Salt Grass Trail Riders. He and Dightman Jr. came up with the idea of creating the riding group, naming it after Francies hometown of Prairie View. Even decades later, Dightman Jr. said people still seem surprised to see black cowboys. Its just the black cowboys is a hidden thing, but theres been black cowboys all our life, said Dightman Jr. The group has also transformed since the original 10 riders set out for the first time. This year, 200 riders started out in Hempstead, traveling 83 miles to Memorial Park. Pootie Lynn, who was raised near Huntsville, grew up on the trail ride, completing her first one when she was 3. Her father and uncle have been riding since the 1970s. When she was growing up, she remembers riders sleeping in trucks or piling into one vehicle. When it got too cold, she would sometimes grab a hotel room with her mom and aunt. Now, the 30-year-old said, everyone has a camper, RV or trailer to sleep in. People have cell phones and social media, allowing those who cant participate to feel like theyre on the ride. She also has her 3-year-old son with her now. Its like we (are) all a family. We may not be a family, but were a family, said Lynn. Everybody helps everybody. A wagon break down, we all help. On Friday, people stopped their cars in the middle of Memorial Drive to get out and wave as members from the trail ride trotted by to head to the campgrounds at Memorial Park. The Texas Independence Trail riders strode by on horses, while some rode inside wagons, wearing red button-down shirts, as country music wafted from the speakers. As runners at Memorial Park basked in the cloudless blue and sunny sky, they stopped to wave at the lug of people on horses and wagons. Toni Gomez, 32, said her mom grew up taking her to the trail ride and she wants to continue the tradition for her 2-year-old daughter Mila. Last year, she was a little too small still, but she loved the horses, said Gomez. Ever since last year, shes been into horses. Kelly Kelly, 40, whos originally from Florida, didnt know much about the trail ride before she started taking her kids. Its a neat tradition thats so charming to Texas, said Kelly. Its fun that my kids get to see it and enjoy it. Its so unique to Houston. Riders part of the Prairie View Trail group come from all over Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Virginia and Washington, D.C. to participate. The trail ride is almost like a family reunion, with members only seeing some of their friends during the rodeo. On this ride, they had a dominoes and horseshoe-throwing tournament. The food also frequently comes up in conversation. Theres been roasted pig and raccoon, along with barbecue, beef stew and fried chicken. I tell people, it takes me two weeks to get the smoke out of my nose, said Dightman Jr. Theres been some hiccups on way: two wagons broke down, forcing some unplanned stops and a longer ride Thursday. But, Dightman Jr. said mishaps just come with the territory. His grandson, 13-year-old Malik Dightman, whos been part of the trail ride since he was 2, remembers feeling nervous the first time he rode a horse. Now he said, its fun and he enjoys spending time with friends. As far as the legacy of the Dightmans on the trail ride, the teen said, We gotta keep it going. brooke.lewis@chron.com PHILADELPHIA The first few men looking for Sarah seemed to be lost or confused. But then more showed up, so many that the couple on Patriot Lane in Upper Merion installed a surveillance camera and posted a sign telling intrepid suitors that, no, Sarah doesnt live there. She doesnt live anywhere Sarah isnt real. And the Montgomery County man who pretended to be her on a variety of online dating apps pleaded guilty this week to a bizarre, seemingly purposeless scheme that spanned more than a month and ensnared 40 men. Howard Helbert Jr., 59, of West Pottsgrove, will be sentenced in May on a misdemeanor harassment charge for the deception. But in the course of piecing together Helberts online activity, county detectives found evidence of a much more serious crime: Hundreds of images of child porn were saved on the smartphone Helbert used to create Sarahs dating profile. Helberts attorney, Gail Marr, did not return a request for comment Friday. County Judge William Carpenter deferred sentencing at Helberts hearing Tuesday, ordering an investigation that will examine his mental health. He remains free on $25,000 unsecured bail. No matter what sentence Helbert receives, he will have to register as a sex offender because of the plea to possessing child pornography. Helbert was arrested in December 2018, after the couple who became his unwitting victims finally discovered why dozens of men were showing up to their rented house unannounced. One of those men showed them Sarahs profile, as well as the conversation that had directed him to the house, according to the affidavit of probable cause in Helberts arrest. The victims, one of whom works from home, said the constant disruptions made them fear for their safety, and inspired them to install a security system at the house. Detectives handling the case found identical profiles on dating apps including PlentyofFish.com, Tinder and Scout. They obtained information about the profiles creator through a warrant, and traced an email address associated with the accounts to Helbert, the affidavit said. In an interview with detectives, Helbert admitted that he had created the accounts and had initiated conversations with the men, promising them sex at the home in Upper Merion. He said he chose the house at random after scanning addresses in the area using Google Maps. Helbert himself had never visited the house, and did not know the couple who lived there. During a search of Helberts smartphone, detectives found between 300 and 400 images of child pornography, according to the affidavit. He admitted to downloading the images himself. Vinny Vella of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this story. 2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Anita Katyal By When National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was handed over the responsibility of reviewing the law and order situation and restoring normalcy in the riot-hit areas of Northeast Delhi, it was widely seen as a snub to Union Home Minister Amit Shah since the Delhi police directly report to him. It was said that Doval was picked for this sensitive job because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unhappy that the communal carnage was not put down firmly by the Delhi police and that the three-day violence had cast a shadow on US President Donald Trumps visit to India. It was also pointed out that this move was a clear signal that the Prime Minister had personally stepped in to ensure that the situation was brought under control at the earliest. This has predictably led to speculation about growing differences between Modi and his confidant and Cabinet colleague Amit Shah. The Home Minister has been in the eye of a storm for not taking prompt action in putting an end to the Hindu-Muslim riots. He was under attack for not visiting the violence-affected areas and instilling confidence among the people. Given the long-standing friendship between Modi and Shah, it is difficult to accept that there are serious differences between the two. In fact, it is now accepted that they work in tandem. In this case, there were compelling reasons on their part to outsource the task of restoring peace in Northeast Delhi to Doval. The move was calculated to help both Modi and Shah. If the NSA was perceived to be Modis personal choice, it would automatically insulate the Prime Minister from any adverse fall-out of the Delhi violence and preserve his image as a global statesman. At the same time, Dovals presence removed Shah from the firing line and reduced the ugly communal carnage to a mere law and order problem. It also helped put an end to the incessant criticism that Shah was incommunicado during the riots. Dovals deployment also came in handy for Shah who had to necessarily protect his reputation as a Hindu hardliner. Shah has always worn his ideology on his sleeve and is unapologetic about indulging in more than a spot of communal polarisation, especially when an election has to be won. Incendiary speeches and statements have become his trademark. Last year, he had described immigrants as termites and promised that they would be identified and thrown into the Bay of Bengal. There was evidence of the same during the recent Delhi Assembly poll when the Bharatiya Janata Partys campaign, planned and supervised by Shah, deliberately kept the focus on the Shaheen Bagh protests against the amended citizenship law in a bid to demonise Muslims and consolidate the Hindu vote. It would, therefore, just not do for Shah to be seen reassuring riot victims, particularly those belonging to the minority community, that they would come to no harm. It would be an anathema to the BJPs hardcore support base. Shah was well aware that his carefully-crafted image would have taken a beating if he had visited the affected areas. It was for the same reason that Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, had refused to wear a skull cap when presented one at a public event. It can be safely assumed that Shah is unlikely to be disconsolate over the manner in which the Delhi riots panned out, helped in large measure by a complicit police force. Ever since the protesters hit the streets against the amended citizenship law, the National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register, the BJP in general, and Shah, in particular, sought to project the agitation as the handiwork of an anti-national Muslim community. But the widespread support it received, especially from the youth, made it difficult to give the protests a communal tinge. It was equally hard to paint the agitators as anti-national when they proudly displayed the Indian Tricolor, held up copies of the Constitution and sang the National Anthem with gusto. The fact that the sit-ins were peaceful also failed to provide the necessary boost to Shahs campaign. The Delhi riots have changed all that. The ugly carnage witnessed over three days has left deep scars and created a huge Hindu-Muslim divide. The violence may have been confined to a small geographical area of the Capital, but the message from here has travelled far and wide. The BJPs majoritarian agenda has taken deeper and firmer root. Shah will not be unhappy at the turn of events. It will only aid his future electoral campaigns as he looks ahead at the next set of Assembly polls in Bihar and West Bengal. Its back to basics for Shah and, contrary to public perception, Modi is on the same page. Anita Katyal The writer is a senior journalist. This column will appear every fortnight The news today that Boris Johnson's girlfriend Carrie Symonds is pregnant, and that the pair are engaged, marks the latest chapter in the PM's turbulent love life. His first marriage at the age of 23 to Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1987 collapsed six years later after it emerged he was having an affair with childhood friend Marina Wheeler. Boris's subsequent marriage to Marina lasted 25 years - during which he had affairs with three women. Here, we outline the Prime Minister's colourful past relationships - as well as his links to one alleged ex-lover of his - former pole dancer, and tech guru, Jennifer Arcuri. 1987: The first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, whom he met at Oxford Boris married his Oxford University sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1987 when they were both aged 23. They divorced in 1993 after his affair with the woman who would become his second wife, Marina Wheeler. Boris Johnson married Oxford University sweetheart Allegra Mostyn-Owen (pictured together) in 1987 when they were both aged 23 The couple (above) divorced in 1993 after his affair with the woman who would become his second wife, Marina Wheeler The daughter of renowned art historian William Mostyn-Owen and flamboyant Italian writer Gaia Servadio, Allegra was a socialite and former Tatler cover girl whose beauty had besotted young men falling at her feet at Oxford University. 'When we got married, that was actually the end of the relationship instead of the beginning,' Allegra would later say. Their relationship ended after six years following revelations of his affair with Marina Wheeler QC, who was a childhood friend of Boris. Marina became pregnant with the first of their four children before his divorce from Allegra was finalised. Johnson later reconciled with Mostyn-Owen before they separated in February 1990 and divorced in 1993 - just 12 days before he married Marina Wheeler, whom he had a child with five weeks later. 1993: Boris marries Marina Wheeler - the woman who stood by him for years... but left her just as he was on the brink of becoming PM Marina Wheeler married Boris on May 8, 1993 - just 12 days after his divorce from Allegra was finalised on April 26. Together, Boris and Marina have four children: Lara Lettice, Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches and Theodore Apollo. After first meeting Boris at the European School of Brussels, they also attended private boarding school Bedales in Hampshire together before she went to Cambridge. Marina Wheeler married Boris married on May 8, 1993 - just 12 days after his divorce from Allegra was finalised on April 26. (The pair are pictured in 2015) Together, Boris and Marina (above, in 2008) have four children: Lara Lettice, Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches and Theodore Apollo Born in Berlin in 1964, she is of English and Indian Sikh descent. After being called to the bar in 1987, Marina returned to London. Marina and Boris met again in London when they were both in their mid-twenties. The couple remained married for 25 years despite Boris's spectacularly colourful love life. Marina endured multiple public humiliations over Boris's well-publicised affairs - locking her high profile husband out of the house more than once - only to forgive him, prior to their final split in 2018. The affairs 2004: Petronella Wyatt and the 'inverted pyramid of piffle' In 2004, Boris's four-year affair with journalist and society author Petronella Wyatt (pictured), the daughter of Labour grandee Lord Wyatt, became public Around seven years into his marriage to Marina, she became aware that Boris was having an affair with Petronella Wyatt, daughter of Margaret Thatcher's favourite journalist Woodrow Wyatt. In 2004, it was reported that 'Petsy' may have had an abortion, to which Boris declared to The Mail on Sunday: 'I had not had an affair with Petronella. 'It is complete balderdash. It is an inverted pyramid of piffle.' Boris was soon found to be lying and after days of publicity, Tory leader Michael Howard sacked Johnson from his position as Shadow Culture Minister. 2006: Emergence of liaisons with Anna Fazackerley In 2006, it emerged Boris had been having an affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley (above) Alongside this, Marina was also alerted to another affair that Boris had been having with journalist Anna Fazackerley, which emerged in 2006. When the affairs garnered publicity, it also became public knowledge that Marina had become pregnant at the time that Boris was still married to Allegra, who was quoted saying: 'I divorced him for adultery. It enabled him to marry Marina.' The divorce had been finalised on April 26, 1993 and Boris married Marina on May 8 of the same year, with Lara Johnson being born on June 12. Marina threw her husband out of their home after his affair with Anna was publicised, but they soon worked things out. 2009: The love child with Helen Macintyre Mr Johnson is said to have fathered a child with art consultant Helen Macintyre (pictured) in 2009. It is understood Miss Wheeler again kicked him out of the family home In 2009, Mr Johnson is said to have fathered a child with art consultant Helen Macintyre. It is understood Mrs Wheeler had, again, kicked him out of the family home at the time. Mr Johnson's fatherhood of Miss Macintyre's daughter was first revealed by the Daily Mail in July 2010. In 2013, a court ruled that it was in the public interest for the Press to report Mr Johnson was the father. The children - and just how many Boris has 'How many children do you have, Prime Minister?' It may seem extraordinary that this is a question journalists would ask of a British Prime Minister - but even more bizarre is that he has yet to answer it. We know he and Ms Wheeler have four older children Lara, Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches, and Theodore Apollo. Johnson with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler and daughter Lara Johnson as she votes for the first time in May 2012 Lara Johnson, who is only five years younger than Boris's girlfriend Miss Symonds, reportedly branded her father a 'selfish b******' after his split with her mother. In 2004, his four-year affair with journalist and society author Petronella Wyatt, the daughter of Labour grandee Lord Wyatt, came to public attention. She later told how she had an abortion and suffered a miscarriage. Mr Johnson was sacked from his role as shadow arts minister by then-Tory leader Michael Howard for lying about the relationship - Mr Johnson dismissed the allegations as 'an inverted pyramid of piffle'. Mr Howard's spokesman said the issue was one of 'personal morality'. In 2006 the News of the World reported Mr Johnson had had an affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley. And in 2009, Boris fathered a fifth child with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Ms Macintyre's child is allegedly one of two children he fathered as a result of an affair. The Appeal Court ruled in 2013 that the public had a right to know that he had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009 - but also mentioned the possibility of a second baby. The three appeal court judges said: 'It was not material to the judge's conclusion whether contraceptive precautions were taken. 'What was material was that the father's infidelities resulted in the conception of children on two occasions. 'The judge was entitled to hold that this was of itself reckless behaviour, regardless of whether any contraceptive precautions were taken.' While the exact number of Boris's children remains unknown it will continue to haunt him as a reminder to the press and the public of just how uncomfortable this Prime Minister can be facing direct questions. Advertisement Police probe into Boris's links with alleged ex-lover Jennifer Arcuri Mr Johnson has faced two separate inquiries over his relationship with American former pole dancer and tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri, 34, while he was Mayor of London, both of which were put on hold during the election. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been evaluating whether to investigate the Prime Minister for possible criminal offence of misconduct in public office since September. The watchdog confirmed it was doing a 'scoping exercise' to track down witnesses globally, and said that it had 'never put a timescale on how long this process would take', according to the Observer. Mr Johnson has faced two separate inquiries over his relationship with American former pole dancer and tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri (pictured), 34, while he was Mayor of London, both of which were put on hold during the election The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been evaluating whether to investigate the Prime Minister for possible criminal offence of misconduct in public office since September. (Above, Ms Arcuri strikes a pose) Boris Johnson and Jennifer Arcuri pictured together on October 14, 2014. The PM faces intense scrutiny about their relationship In a statement, the IPOC said that the allegation date back 'eight years' and they have to 'locate and speak with a number of potential witnesses both in the country and abroad'. Mr Johnson has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Ms Arcuri. On October 3 last year, Ms Arcuri told the Daily Mail she had 'every right' to go on trade missions with Mr Johnson. She calls all the allegations false, saying she is a 'legitimate businesswoman'. It follows a report by The Sunday Times that Ms Arcuri, an American who moved to London seven years ago, was given 126,000 in public money and was treated to privileged access to three foreign trade missions led by Mr Johnson while he was mayor. The Government has since frozen a 100,000 grant to Ms Arcuri's company, Hacker House, pending a review. It is facing embarrassing questions about the verification process carried out before awarding the money. Digital Minister Matt Warman told the Commons that his department had done the 'usual due diligence' and that the company had a British phone number. However, numerous reports said calls to the number were directed to an office in California, where Ms Arcuri, 34, is said to now be based. Boris Johnson's divorce from Marina Wheeler Boris Johnson and his estranged wife Marina Wheeler agreed a divorce settlement on February 18 this year, following a legal dispute over money. Judge Sarah Gibbons oversaw a private hearing in the Central Family Court in London, which neither party attended. During the short hearing, she gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for a Decree Absolute, which would bring the marriage to an end. A case number revealed Mr Johnson, who is now living with Carrie Symonds at Downing Street, and Ms Wheeler were involved in a dispute over money or assets. Marina Claire Wheeler was named as the 'petitioner' and 'applicant' in the case, while Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson was named as the 'respondent'. Mr Johnson was said to have had 6.5million in cash and assets as of September 2018, but will have likely seen his wealth rise since becoming Prime Minister last July. It is therefore plausible that Ms Wheeler will be receiving around 4million if it is an equal split. However, the judge said no detail from the case relating to money can be revealed in reports, apart from what is already in the public domain. Judge Gibbons gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for the decree absolute 'out of time'. This suggests that she was granted a decree nisi by the courts more than a year ago. Those who are successfully granted a decree nisi have up to a year to apply for the next stage of divorce, the decree absolute. Keep calm and Carrie on! Boris and Carrie Symonds announce their engagement - and that she's pregnant Boris Johnson finally settled his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler just 11 days before announcing he and girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby. A spokesperson for the couple said: 'The Prime Minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.' Mr Johnson, 55, and Miss Symonds, 31, made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved in last year. Ms Symonds, a conservationist and former Conservative Party communications chief, first found herself making headlines when she was romantically linked to Mr Johnson earlier in 2019. Mr Johnson, 55, and Carrie Symonds, 31, made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved in last year But her association with Mr Johnson dates back to when she worked on his successful re-election bid at City Hall in 2012. An early summer birth would suggest the new arrival was conceived during the Autumn, around the time that the October 31 Brexit deadline was extended. Sajid Javid, who quit as chancellor earlier this month following a dispute with Mr Johnson, was among MPs congratulating the couple on Twitter. He said: 'Congratulations @carriesymonds @BorisJohnson wonderful news!' But not all politicians were so fulsome. An early summer birth would suggest the new arrival was conceived during the Autumn, around the time that the October 31 Brexit deadline was extended. Above, the pair following his keynote speech on day four of the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central on October 2, 2019 Labour MP Florence Eshalomi queried the timing of the announcement, appearing to reference Sir Philip Rutnam's resignation from the Home Office some hours earlier. She tweeted: 'Very convenient for this news to be announced today.' The new arrival will be the third baby born to a serving Prime Minister in recent history. Tony Blair's wife Cherie gave birth to son Leo in May 2000, three years after her husband's first election victory. Conservative prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha welcomed daughter Florence Rose Endellion Cameron into the world in 2010, three months after Mr Cameron had formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats after that year's general election produced a hung parliament. The last babies born to prime ministers before Leo and Florence arrived more than 150 years ago. Lord John Russell's wife Lady Russell gave birth to two sons, George and Francis, during her husband's first stint in office between 1846 and 1852. Mr Johnson's union with Miss Symonds will be his third marriage. Justice S Muralidhar (Image: Twitter) Amid the violence that has rocked the national capital in the last few days, a voice from the Delhi High Court caught the imagination of many. While hearing a plea filed by various activists, including Harsh Mander on the riots that ravaged Delhi, a Delhi High Court bench comprising Justices S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh, made some crucial observations. One of them was pulling up the Delhi Police for not showing keenness on filing an FIR (First Information Report) against those who made inflammatory hate speeches before and during the tense situation in the capital city. "Just register FIRs. You showed alacrity in lodging FIRs for arson, why aren't you showing the same for registering FIR for these speeches?" Justice S Muralidhar asked. The bench had made these observations after pursuing the video clips of alleged hate speeches being made by four BJP leaders MoS Finance Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma. When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the time wasnt conducive to file FIRs, Muralidhar retorted, "What is the appropriate time, Mr Mehta? The city is burning." Hours after the hearing, the Centre notified Muralidhars transfer to Punjab and Haryana High Court. Although his transfer was recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on February 12, it had caused a split in the bar even then and the proposal was put on hold after several Supreme Court judges voiced their objection. Read Also: Congress alleges 'revenge politics' behind Justice Muralidhar's transfer, law minister hits back This could be attributed to Muralidhars reputation of taking a clear stand and championing the cause of the disadvantaged. The judgments delivered by him are testimony to this notion. Justice Muralidhar along with Justice AP Shah was a part of the Delhi High Court bench, which had first decriminalised homosexuality in 2009, and said Section 377 violated Fundamental Rights. It was a progressive verdict, in that, it read, We declare section 377 of Indian Penal Code in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of Articles 21, 14, and 15 of the Constitution. As it stands, Section 377 denies a gay person a right to full personhood which is implicit in the notion of life under Article 21 of the Constitution," the judgment noted further. In 2018, the Delhi High Court ruling that sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was delivered by a bench which included Justice Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel. While overturning his acquittal by a lower court, the bench observed that the trial court had evaluated evidence on erroneous considerations and that the police blatantly abetted the crimes committed by the rioting mobs. Justice Muralidhar also noted that, The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. In 2018, the same bench also sentenced 16 ex-police personnel to life for killing 42 Muslims in Hashimpura massacre of 1987. In that case, the verdict read, We hold that this was targeted killing by armed forces of the unarmed, innocent and defenceless members of a particular community. In the same year, Muralidhar also set aside the remand of activist Gautam Navlakha for his alleged role in stoking violence in Bhima Koregaon. As an advocate too, Muralidhar took up cases for the cause of the victims in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, and for those who were displaced during the construction of the dam on the Narmada river. He has worked as a lawyer in the Delhi High Court as well as the Supreme Court. After he read out his last judgment in the Delhi High Court, Delhi government additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan said it was an honour and a privilege to work with him. The same view was echoed by others and some younger lawyers also said he was an "inspiration". Justice Muralidhars transfer, especially in the middle of hearing the matter on Delhi violence, has not boded well with the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) and several senior lawyers, who have issued a statement condemning the move. The fact that the notification of the transfer was issued on the evening he had done his duty to hold Delhi Police and the Union Government accountable for the loss of lives in the Delhi riots tell us the true nature of his transfer, the statement read. Asserting that there have been consistent efforts to remove Muralidhar from the Delhi High Court and raising suspicion of the order being passed at 11 pm, advocate Kamini Jaiswal said, This raises a lot of questions. The government cannot hide behind the recommendation of the Collegium. There is no reason why he should have been shifted at this juncture, except if he was being shifted as the Chief Justice of another High Court. This handout illustration image obtained on Feb. 27, 2020, shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow), also known as 2019-nCoV, which causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. National Institutes of Health via AFP By Amanda Price A month ago, a plethora of articles filled almost every newspaper, arguing the coronavirus (now Covid-19) was being exaggerated. A month on and the writers responsible for those articles are likely wishing they could retract them. If we had expectations of what Covid-19 might become, for many of us, those expectations have been surpassed. The evidence is before us. We are right to be concerned. But as Covid-19 has spread from country to country, the perception of the virus has mutated into something that looks more like a monster, and our perception of risk has mutated with it. This is not unusual. As humans we often personify diseases, believing this conceptualization increases our desire to "beat it". However, when patients supposedly "lose their battle with cancer", grief is compounded by a false sense of failure. And with a false sense of having lost a battle, our perception of risk changes also. And so, like cancer, Covid-19 has become a hostile combatant. The first personification of the virus was by Xi Jinping when he described the virus as a hidden "demon" that China would vanquish. The American Society for Microbiology, along with many other publications, has dubbed the virus, "the hidden enemy". CNA produced a terrifying video about the "Silent Killer", one that would have shamed "The Wailing". Even the Director-General of the WHO has compared the virus with human terrorism and named it "public enemy no. 1." Headlines and articles around the world dramatically reinforce this sense that we are up against something inherently evil . . . "The world is at war with Covid-19"; "The virus that threatens us all"; "This is the battle against a killer we cannot see"; "Patients and doctors are fighting an invisible force", even "Could Covid-19 have the final victory?". These terms and phrases are of course metaphorical, but they nonetheless create a sense that the virus is sentient, and worse, both evil and malevolent. It also creates a false perception that we are under attack. We are not. Covid-19 is not evil. It replicates and spreads because that is the sole function of a virus. Its DNA is coded to invade other cells and reproduce, just as our DNA is coded to fight it. The virus does not function as a killer. In fact, quite the opposite, for without a living host a virus cannot replicate and grow. If the virus did possess intent, then it would be trying to keep its host alive. The spread of the virus is not unstoppable. It is making people sick because their systems have not had a chance to work out a means of defense. But just as doctors and researchers are working tirelessly, so too are our bodies. With very little appreciation, our biological systems are trying to counter the effects of the virus, even as we lay in hospital beds. Humans, we should remember, have in-built defense mechanisms that are always adjusting to new threats. Those mechanisms are belligerent and succeed more than they fail. The virus is not inscrutable. Scientists are not fighting the virus; they are trying to understand it. We can feel confident in their efforts because of advanced research capability, but mostly because research scientists are the most determined, or rather obsessed people in the world. They are a wonderful and strange breed, who, even when under-funded and under-paid, never give up. If you have spent time in a lab, you will know what I mean. Significantly the virus is not, for the greater majority, virulent enough to overwhelm healthy immune systems; particularly, immune systems that are not already preoccupied with dealing with other diseases or condition. The virus may yet be declared a pandemic. No-one, regardless of their expertise or modeling structures, can say for sure whether this will occur or not. Not only from day to day, but from hour to hour indicators used for predictions can change. Numbers and statistics alone cannot determine the full extent, resilience and longevity of the virus. Of course, one death is a tragedy and thousands of deaths have caused monumental grief, made more hideous by the fact that these deaths were unnecessary. Although I do not believe this virus was engineered by man, it was released into the human population by an unwritten sanction that endorsed wildlife farming and consumption. Nevertheless, the virus is not political. Not only politicians, but medical experts have weighed into political fights that need not be fought, at least not for now. Criticizing democratic world leaders, these detractors have countered the efforts of more rational thinkers, who are rightly focused on the problem at hand. Rather than constructing a list of complaints and criticisms against local authorities and leaders, others are sending advice to where it can do the most good. Democratic governments (or at least the real ones), are made up by and large of sincere men and women, capable of getting things very wrong, but just as capable of getting things very right. None of us should forget that they are in the midst of this crisis as well. And, in most cases, everything they do, every decision they make is scrutinized and judged. Just like the virus, they are under a microscope. The prophets of doom do not serve anyone's needs, even if those prophets have three Ph.Ds and a long list of credentials. It is to the opinion of the proactive, not to those purely fault-finding, that we must turn our attention. Critics do not implement change, and therefore will not make a dent on the problems before us. It would be easy to dismiss this discussion as the thoughts of someone with optimism bias, but I am not immune to fear and anxiety. I have a daughter in Italy and dear friends in South Korea. Not being with them may sound insignificant to many, but others will know it is its own form of dread. A helplessness that sits like a weight on your heart. But I have learnt over these weeks that "excess" emotion can turn clarity into fog. I have learnt that I cannot serve those I love unless I am clear-minded, assessing the situation based on what I know, rather than what I might fear. The unfolding health crisis requires as much calm, as much focus, and as much resolve as we can muster. This is not a tsunami about to crush us beneath its force; this a testing tempest for which we must all be prepared. A post-assessment of causes and damages will be done, but the time is not now. While people are at risk, we cannot allow our imagination and fear to transform a virus into a monster, into a force fixed on killing as many as possible. We cannot allow our perception of risk to be determined by tabloids and forums, or even experts with agendas. To believe this way is to cause harm, when far too much harm has already been done. Covid-19 is not a friend, but neither is it an enemy. It is just a virus and nothing more. We are not helpless, wherever we are. We can contribute by securing ourselves and others in the midst of the storm, by choosing sound judgment and proactive behavior over panic and fear. South Korea and Italy have faced off against decades of oppression, years of conflicts and even dictatorships. Both countries have had reasons to be afraid, but when the layers of the new are scraped away, there is old sturdy metal at the heart of both nations. There is likely to be wilder weather ahead but, as everyone knows, you cannot outrun an oncoming storm. All any of us can do is bunker down and find a sure and solid place to lay anchor. Our calm can then become the confidence that others so desperately need. The poster of Pingara, a Tulu film that has received a great response at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. Bengaluru: Among the 200 screenings as part of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) this year, you might have expected a Tulu film to be a bit lost. But Pingara has received a massive response from movie buffs. Tulu is a language spoken in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udipi and parts of Chikkamagaluru districts. Since the language covers a very small geographical area of Karnataka and is spoken by a small population, availability of theaters is difficult for Tulu movies. The Tulu film industry has been very vocal about this problem during the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Avinash Shetty, producer of Pingara, said, "Tulu films find it difficult to release all over Karnataka. We know after the release of Ulidavaru Kandante and Rangi Taranga that people in south Karnataka are very interested in watching movies which reflect a Mangaluru culture. So we are trying to reach out to people with Tulu language movies." There were 15 Tulu films released in 2018, and 24 in 2019. But visibility and reach is always a problem. Tulu films can count on barely 60 screens (spread over 13 centres) that will show them. "Our market is quite small as the language is spoken mainly in the Mangaluru region. We get requests for theatrical releases from people in South Karnataka but the problem arises when we approach theatre owners. We are always told to approach them only if the movie has already done well in the coastal area. So our industry needs more support from the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC)." Tulu cinema reached a milestone recently by releasing its 100th film. It took 47 years to achieve that feat. Tulu-speaking people are spread over different parts of the country, with a heavy concentration in West Asia, in addition to the Tulu homeland of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and north Kasaragod in Kerala. Pingara revolves around people who worship Daiva (evil spirits) and offers something fresh. The film is directed by Preetham Shetty and stars Neema Ray and Sharan Shetty in lead roles. - Rick Wiles blamed Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the spread of coronavirus within the country - He claimed that if China returned to Jesus and apologised the virus would stop - He made the remarks after his TruNews YouTube channel was shut for posting anti-Semitic content - Initially, the man of God had claimed the locust invasion experienced in Kenya was Gods punishment for corruption A controversial United States (US) pastor Rick Wiles took a break from his antisemitic rhetoric to blame Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the spread of coronavirus within the country. Wiles claimed that if Jinping simply had a come to Jesus moment and apologised to his people, the deadly virus would stop. READ ALSO: Nairobi MCAs accuse Senator Sakaja of sabotaging Mike Sonko's impeachment motion Wiles posted a video while calling on China to embrace Christianity and accept Jesus Christ as their God. Photo: TruNews Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Corona beer maker reports KSh 17 billion loss following coronavirus outbreak He posted a video in which he called on China to embrace Christianity and accept Jesus Christ as their God to be spared from the coronavirus outbreak. You have a plague, you brought it upon China. Now do the right thing and tell the Chinese people you are sorry, ask them to put up in their homes the painting of Jesus Christ," he said. "Watch what happens if you do it! The plague will stop! he added. READ ALSO: Near stampede in Kakamega as thousands flock supermarket to scramble for 15 job vacancies Wiles claimed that if Jinping (pictured) simply had a come to Jesus moment the virus would stop. Photo: State House. Source: Facebook He made the remarks days after YouTube shut down his TruNews YouTube channel for posting anti-Semitic content. YouTube removed the anti-Semitic video after it received close to 20,000 views. Wiles is a non-denominational pastor at Flowing Streams Church in Florida and the founder of TruNews. READ ALSO: Nairobi lawyer invites Kenyans to pray for end of Uhuru's leadership at Uhuru Park The evangelical pastor had initially claimed that the locust invasion experienced in several parts of Kenya was Gods punishment for corruption. He said the locusts, just like in the Holy Book, were a symbol of punishment by God for going against his wishes and will only be resolved by serious prayers. He further claimed Africa was experiencing plagues as a result of believing in witchcraft which is deeply rooted in the continent. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Are Kenyans happy with the leaders they elected? | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ljubomir Milasin (Agence France-Presse) Rome Sat, February 29, 2020 22:03 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206773d0e 2 Lifestyle Italy,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19,health,food,corona-cake Free Crack that prosecco, it's aperivirus time. And why not accompany your bubbly with a slice of virus ice-cream cake, fresh from the area of Italy worst hit by the disease? Italy has the most coronavirus cases in Europe and highest death toll but rather than succumb to fear, wisecracking Italians have opted to laugh in the face of danger with a slew of parodies, jokes and general sillyness. In the economic capital Milan, just 60 kilometers down the road from the main outbreak, bars have transformed "happy hour" into "aperitiviruses", where aperitifs and snacks can be bought at a discount. At the Gelateria Infinito shop on the outskirts of Cremona -- another area of the Lombardy region reporting many cases -- customers can get a "Corona Cake", which features the typical crown-like spikes of the COVID-19 virus. "We know that this is a serious issue, but problems can't be solved with sadness and fear," owners Andrea Schirali and his wife Daniela told the Repubblica daily. "The important thing is to follow instructions and stay calm. If we eat a good ice cream in the meantime, it certainly can't hurt," they said. There's fun to be had even by those in obligatory isolation in red zones, with only their social media feeds for company. Virus jokes have gone viral, and as per tradition they target Italy's famous flaws, from its public transport to its mafia. 'Transparent gold' One gag shows a city mayor boasting that the metro's delays are actually helping keep his citizens safe, because "the waiting time is longer than the (14-day) incubation period!" Another has a drug dealer offering hashish or cocaine, but his client demands "Amuchina" -- the most famous hand sanitizer gel in Italy. The mafia's reputation for latching on to new trends is also a target for the online jokers. One mock-up video shows a Naples mobster proposing to a fellow gangster that they switch from cocaine smuggling to Amuchina. "Demand is skyrocketing for Amuchina, it's been nicknamed 'transparent gold', and colleagues in Honduras are transforming their labs to produce Amuchina," he says. The jump in the gel's price on some internet marketplaces since the virus hit Italy prompted several joke adverts, with one offering to swap "five liters of Amuchina for a 2019 Audi RS5", a vehicle costing some 100,000 euros. Fun has also been poked at measures put in place to prevent the virus from spreading, derided by some as draconian. In one video doing the rounds an elderly woman sneezes. A second later, a special forces team breaks into her house through the door, window and roof. Not all buffoonery has hit the mark. Police were investigating a man in northern Italy Thursday who had claimed on social media to have the virus and advised all those he knew to get tested -- before finally admitting it had been a joke. UTICA, N.Y. --- It was a move that many believe was unexpected. The governor was against making changes to the law in the past. But Friday's announcement comes as a relief to many in law enforcement. The governor said that he agrees that judges should have discretion over whether to keep people in custody before their cases are resolved. He said he will have a public meeting with district attorneys, police and advocates, ahead of possibly making changes. Many of the area's officials including Oneida county sheriff Robert Maciol and District Attorney Scott McNamara have been vocal about their concerns with the new bail law. We spoke with assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon and State Senator Joe Griffo about what she thinks of the Governor's shift in opinion. "I applaud the governor for this. I had a bill and the bill looks at judicial discretion and the importance of it, So that is something I was able to create with the help of our district attorney Scott Mcnamara and our sheriff Rob Maciol. Judicial discretion belongs in the courts and it should be," said Assemblywoman Buttenschon. "He's had a number of statements, but I'm encouraged that he is finally listening to the residents of the state of New York as well as people who are involved in the criminal justice system. Knowing that this was flawed and you need to solicit their input ultimately to correct this. So for me nothing short of repeal and a restart is the best way to do this," said State Senator Joe Griffo. No date has been set on when the governor plans on holding these meetings. An interesting note, The New York Post is reporting recent poll numbers show 59 percent of eligible voters say the original change was a bad idea. South Korea urged citizens on Saturday to stay indoors as it warned of a "critical moment" in its battle on the coronavirus after recording the biggest daily jump in infections, as 813 new cases took the tally to 3,150. South Korea is grappling with the largest outbreak of the virus outside China, as a new death took the toll to 17, amid a record daily increase in infections since the country confirmed its first patient on Jan. 20. "We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend," Vice health minister Kim Kang-lip told a briefing. It was a "critical moment" in reining in the spread of the virus, he said, adding, "Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimise contact with other people." As many as 657 of the new cases were from southeastern Daegu city, the site of a church at the centre of the outbreak, and 79 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. In the nearby city of Gumi, LG Display has shut a display module plant for disinfection work until Tuesday, after an employee of a bank in the building tested positive for the virus. Health authorities have run tests on more than 210,000 members and 65,000 trainees of the church linked to a majority of cases after a 61-year-old woman known as "Patient 31" attended religious services there before testing positive. More than 88% have been checked, and about 3,300 have shown symptoms such as fever, Kim added. Some provincial officials want to press criminal charges against the church, saying it refused to release a complete list of members, although the church denied the accusation, and urged an end to "slander and oppression" of its followers. Kim said the government was working with the municipal authorities to check if the church provided an incomplete list. A court rejected a plan by conservative groups critical of President Moon Jae-in for a massive weekend rally in downtown Seoul, citing health concerns. The rapid spread of the virus has fuelled fears of a pandemic, with more than 82,000 people infected, and over 2,700 deaths in China and 57 fatalities in 46 other nations, figures from the World Health Organisation showed on Friday. Also read: Google employee tests positive for coronavirus; Amazon announces travel restrictions Also read: Kim Jong Un warns of 'serious consequences' if coronavirus reaches North Korea Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 15:17:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XI'AN, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The ancient city wall in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, will be open to the public free of charge for one month as of Saturday, the administrative committee of the city wall said. Tourists can book free tickets seven days in advance. The committee will start the contact-free online reservation service to control the flow density. Tourists are required to wear masks throughout the tour on the city wall. Due to the epidemic, tourists are advised to keep a safe distance of 1.5 meters from each other when walking around. Gathering or any type of collective activity is not allowed on the city wall. Xi'an boasts one of the most well-preserved ancient city walls in China, which was built in the 1370s during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and used as fortification for military defense. The Taapsee Pannu-starrer "Thappad", directed by Anubhav Sinha, saw a low-key opening of Rs 3.07 crore on Friday, its first day of release, in the domestic market despite excellent reviews and positive word of mouth. Although the film lacks a high-powered star cast or commercial value, the trade had expected a start in the range of Rs 4-5 crore, according to the film trade website koimoi.com. Moreover, the website added, there wasn't much competition for "Thappad" from the films that were already running, what with both of last week's major releases -- "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" and "Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship" -- seeing slow business overall. This week, there are eight small films releasing apart from "Thappad", but these are too insignificant to make any dent at the box-office. In fact, most of these films have had no publicity and a majority of the audience has not even heard of them. The eight films are -- "Doordarshan", "Guns Of Benaras", "O Pushpa I Hate Tears", "Kehta Hai Yeh Dil", "Haunted Hills", "Rizwan", "Teen Muhurat" and "Cookie". The sci-fi horror, "The Invisible Man" and the kiddie action comedy "Sonic The Hedgehog" were the Hollywood releases of the week. However, these films, too, opened in India without much of a hype. While of hype, the makers of "Thappad" had systematically worked on creating a buzz about the socially relevant and well-crafted film over the past week or so, by screening it for select audiences in Delhi and Mumbai. The advantage that Sinha's film has it is limited budget, and also the fact that pre-release response has universally been positive about the content as well as the overall acting, particularly of lead star Taapsee. New Delhi: The CPI on Saturday said it will fight both legally and politically the sedition case against its leader Kanhaiya Kumar and alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital had succumbed to political pressure. The national secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) will fight legally and politically the sedition charges against party national executive member and former president of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) Kanhaiya Kumar. The party is confident that Kanhaiya Kumar will come out unscathed as the charges are false and politically motivated, the CPI said in a statement. Taking on the Aam Aadmi Party AAP, the CPI statement added, It may be recalled here that the Chief Minister (Kejriwal) himself had in the beginning said that there is no case of sedition against Kanhaiya and videos were doctored. We are yet to ascertain why this sudden change of heart has happened. The party said that it will soon secure a copy of the Delhi governments standing counsels recommendations which had not given sanction for the prosecution. The party vehemently opposes the move to implicate Kanhaiya Kumar in a false sedition case and urges all its units and mass organisations to protest peacefully against the prosecution move, the statement further added. Congress leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi for giving the go-ahead to the police to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar. Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the Central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences, he tweeted. An illegal immigrant who was twice-deported has been arrested and is in police custody on suspicion of killing three people, according to the Riverside County Sheriffs Department. On Thursday, Feb. 27, the illegal immigrant, Jose Luis Torres Garcia, was arrested after authorities in Cheyenne, Wyoming, conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a silver 2007 GMC vehicle with a California plate. Authorities noted that the individual was actually Garcia, who was wanted for a triple homicide in Perris on Feb. 17. Authorities also discovered 15 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle. The Wyoming Highway Patrol spotted a GMC Yukon on Interstate 80 after the Riverside County Sheriffs Department put out a wanted poster for Garcia detailing that the suspect was in possession of a dark blue GMC Yukon, according to the Los Angeles Times. Garcia was identified as a suspect in the homicide of three individuals. On Feb. 17, Perris authorities were dispatched to the 900 block of North Perris boulevard after receiving reports of three unresponsive individuals. Perris officers were able to locate the three unresponsive individuals and they were pronounced dead. Authorities also noted that the individuals suffered from injuries. Authorities considered this incident to be an isolated event with no threat to the public. The Perris authorities believed that Garcia knew his victims, with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco saying: The normal resident of Perris has nothing to fear from him. This was not a random killing. There was a reason for the four of them to be together. The three victims were identified as Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 50, Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, 38, and Rodrigo Aguilar-Espejel, 28, all of whom were from Perris. At the time of the homicides, Garcia was on the run and authorities asked for the publics help to locate him. However, authorities warned the public not to initiate any contact with Garcia as he was considered armed and dangerous, and to just inform them about his whereabouts. There were previous arrest warrants on Garcia on charges of drink driving, as well as several other drug-related crimes. He was deported twice from the United States, but every time he came back to California due to the states sanctuary city policies. Visitors wearing face masks as a precaution against the new coronavirus walk inside Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Over 70 countries are imposing entry restrictions and stricter quarantine procedures for South Koreans due to coronavirus concerns, data from the foreign ministry showed Saturday, as the virus is spreading rapidly here, with cases of infection nearing 3,000. As of early Saturday, 33 countries have barred the entry of South Koreans and foreigners who visited here in the past few weeks, up from the 30, according to the ministry's website Malaysia and Lebanon were the latest to enforce the measure. Kyrgyzstan will begin to impose entry bans Sunday, stepping up its restrictions and tougher quarantine procedures. Asiana flight turns back en route to Vietnam on coronavirus Chinese arrivals fall below 1,000 per day following outbreak: data No. of passengers at Incheon airport dips amid coronavirus spread Thirty-seven countries and parts of China have tougher quarantine processes, most of which require a 14-day mandatory stay in quarantine and close monitoring. Several Eastern European countries have joined the move, including Latvia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria. Many of these countries have added China, Japan, Singapore and Italy where major outbreaks of the virus have occurred to their quarantine lists. Shanghai and eight provinces in China have stricter quarantine processes for all international passengers and those coming from South Korea and Japan. South Korea has issued an advisory asking its own people to reconsider or delay any planned trip to countries that have imposed entry restrictions, citing the inconvenience or safety issues that may occur. Early Saturday, Seoul issued a "navy" travel alert, the lowest on a four-level scale, for all of Japan, advising its citizens to take precautions. The Fukushima region is currently under a higher alert following the 2011 nuclear disaster. Japan has reported at least 900 infections from the coronavirus, most of which were from a quarantined cruise ship in Yokohama. Boris Johnson will become just the fourth incumbent Prime Minister to welcome a baby into No 10 in 150 years, after David Cameron, Tony Blair, and Lord Russell. The Prime Minister, 55, today announced that he and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds, 31, are expecting a 'summer baby' and plan to marry this year. Their baby will be born a decade after the last Downing Street arrival. Florence Cameron, born August 2010 David Cameron holding his baby daughter, Florence Rose Endellion, who was born in August 2010 while her parents were holidaying in Cornwall (pictured, August 2010) David Cameron and his wife Samantha had daughter Florence just three months after her father entered into coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Florence Rose Endellion was born weighing 6lb 1oz while the Camerons were enjoying a family summer holiday in Cornwall. The former Tory Party leader spent the night in the Royal Cornwall with Samantha, where Florence, now nine, was delivered by caesarean. She was Mr Cameron's fourth child. His eldest son Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, died the year before Florence's arrival. Her birth coincided with the death of Mr Cameron's father Ian, who suffered a stroke while the then Prime Minister was abroad in France. The former Tory Party leader spent the night in the Royal Cornwall with Samantha, where Florence, now nine, was delivered by caesarean (pictured, Mr Cameron leaving Downing Street with wife Samantha and children Alwin, Nancy, and Florence, July 2016) In an interview with The Daily Telegraph one month after her birth, Mr Cameron revealed that Florence had been sleeping in a cardboard box. He said: 'Nancy [his daughter] made her a cardboard box when we were in Cornwall as we didn't have a cot and decorated it and she's still in the cardboard box. 'She'll be able to say I was brought up in Downing Street in a cardboard box.' Mr Cameron also described Florence as 'wonderful and quite well-behaved'. While promoting his memoirs, For The Record, in October, Mr Cameron said Florence, leaving Downing Street in July 2016, was hazy about his time in power. Aged five at the time, she asked her father, who relayed the story at the Cheltenham Literature Festival: 'Daddy, is it true, were you actually the Prime Minister?' Leo Blair, born May 2000 Tony Blair with his son Leo, who was born just three years into Mr Blair's first administration in May 2000 (pictured, the pair entering No 10 after winning re-election in May 2005) Former Prime Minister Mr Blair, who brought his party Labour to power three times between 1997 and 2007, and his wife Cherie had son Leo in May 2000. Born weighing 6lb 12oz at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Leo joined sister Kathryn and brothers Euan and Nicky in the Blair sibling ranks. In Cherie's memoirs, Speaking For Myself, the QC revealed Leo was conceived during a visit to Balmoral, the Queen's residence in Scotland. He was the first child born to a sitting Prime Minister in more than 150 years, and just three years into his father's first administration. Speaking outside No 10, Mr Blair - returning from hospital with his wife and newborn son - told reporters: 'Cherie and the baby are absolutely fine. 'He's a gorgeous little boy, and they are just resting now.' Mr Blair continued: 'I feel like any father who sees their baby born. It's very moving really, and if any of you have been through it, you'll know it.' In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Mr Blair said Cherie broke the news of her pregnancy to him in September 1999. Preparing a speech he was scheduled to give to the Labour Party Conference at the time, he admitted that he was taken aback by the announcement. Mr Blair said: 'It was not a moment to forget, but I do a little because I was so shocked. Delighted, of course, but really shocked.' George and Francis Russell, born April 1848 and July 1849 John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, one of Britain's leading 19th-century Whig and Liberal politicians, who fathered two sons with his wife Lady Russell in 1848 and 1849 Before Mr Blair, Lord Russell fathered two sons born to the office holder of First Lord of the Treasury - the Prime Minister's official title. The leading 19th-century Whig and Liberal politician remarried in July 1841, after his first wife Adelaide Lister, with whom he had two children, died in 1838. Lady Russell gave birth to George Gilbert William in April 1848 and Francis Albert Rollo in July 1849, during her husband's first stint in office. Francis, whose uncle was the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell, enjoyed a successful career in meteorology and scientific writing. He was renowned for arguing that cancer was most prevalent in societies that consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, coffee, tea, and meat. Baby Johnson, born summer 2020 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds have announced they are expecting a 'summer baby' (pictured, entering No 10 in December 2019) Boris Johnson settled his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler 11 days ago Boris Johnson with estranged wife Marina Wheeler (pictured together in 2018) Boris Johnson only settled his divorce with estranged wife Marina Wheeler 11 days before announcing he and girlfriend Carrie Symonds are engaged and expecting a baby. The Prime Minister and Marina Wheeler, who separated in September 2018, were given the go-ahead to officially end their marriage of more than 25 years on February 18. Based on Mr Johnson's estimated cash and assets, Ms Wheeler could be receiving around 4million if split equally between the two. Just 11 days after the financial settlement, a spokesperson for Mr Johnson, 55, and his 31-year-old partner announced that the couple are expecting their first baby together. Last Tuesday, Judge Sarah Gibbons oversaw a private hearing in the Central Family Court in London, which neither party attended. During the short hearing, she gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for a Decree Absolute, which would bring the marriage to an end. A case number revealed Mr Johnson and Ms Wheeler were involved in a dispute over money or assets. Marina Claire Wheeler was named as the 'petitioner' and 'applicant' in the case, while Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson was named as the 'respondent'. Mr Johnson was said to have had 6.5million in cash and assets as of September 2018, but will have likely seen his wealth rise since becoming Prime Minister last July. It is therefore plausible that Ms Wheeler will be receiving around 4million if it is an equal split. However, the judge said no detail from the case relating to money can be revealed in reports, apart from what is already in the public domain. Judge Gibbons gave Ms Wheeler permission to apply for the decree absolute 'out of time'. This suggests that she was granted a decree nisi by the courts more than a year ago. Advertisement Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds made history as the first unmarried couple to officially live together in Downing Street when they moved in last year. Ms Symonds, a conservationist and former Tory communications chief, made headlines when the pair's romantic links were reported earlier in 2019. But her association with the Prime Minister dates back as far as 2012, to when she worked on Mr Johnson's re-election bid at City Hall. A spokesperson for the couple said that the couple were 'very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby'. Ms Symmonds told her followers on Instagram she felt 'incredibly blessed', also revealing that she and Mr Johnson got engaged at the end of last year. Sharing an intimate photo of the pair, she said: 'I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on here but I wanted my friends to find out from me. 'Many of you already know but for my friends that still don't, we got engaged at the end of last year... and we've got a baby hatching early summer.' Bookmakers are already offering odds for names. Charlotte is the favourite at 6/1 followed by James at 7/1 and Stanley at 10/1. They are followed by Winston after Mr Johnson's hero the wartime Prime Minister at 12/1 and Emmeline at 16/1, for the suffragette Ms Pankhurst, a nod to Ms Symonds support for women's rights. Next up are Victoria, Frederick and Josephine all at 16/1. Mr Johnson, whose union with Ms Symonds will be his third marriage, is believed to be the first Prime Minister of modern times to be divorce in office. Earlier this month, a court heard that he and his second wife Marina Wheeler were preparing to end their marriage after reaching a financial settlement. Ms Wheeler and Mr Johnson separated in September 2018, after marrying in 1993. He was a childhood friend of Ms Wheeler - the daughter of BBC journalist Charles Wheeler - when both were pupils at the European School in Brussels. Mr Johnson met his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen at the University of Oxford, and married in 1987. Their union was annulled six years later, in 1993. In 2013, it emerged during another court hearing that Mr Johnson had fathered a daughter during an adulterous liaison while Mayor of London in 2009. He was sacked from the Tory frontbench in 2004 over a reported affair with journalist Petronella Wyatt, whose mother had made a number of allegations. Mr Johnson had reassured then Tory Party leader Michael Howard the allegations were untrue, referring to them as an 'inverted pyramid of piffle'. Tehran: Iran's health ministry raised on Sunday the nationwide death toll from the new coronavirus to 54 as the number of infected cases jumped overnight to 978 people. The ministry's spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said new cases were confirmed in a number of cities, including Mashhad, which is home to Iran's most important Shiite shrine that attracts pilgrims from across the region. Calls by Iran's civilian government to clerics to close such shrines to the public have not been uniformly followed. The shrine in Mashhad is among those that have remained open. The new figures represent 11 more deaths than reported on Saturday and a whopping 385 new cases of infections. The new numbers, however, bring down the percentage of deaths to infections from 20 percent to around 5.5 percent. Still, that is much higher than other countries, suggesting the number of infections may also be much higher. Jahanpour said in his daily briefing that the number of cases is "still inclining" across Iran. Also on Sunday, Iran's state broadcaster said all flights to the city of Rasht, the capital of northern Gilan province, had been suspended. It gave no reason why. The area of Gilan has some of Iran's highest number of infections after the capital, Tehran, and the holy city of Qom, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the country. The illness, known as COVID-19 and that originated in central China, has infected at least seven government officials in Iran, including one of its vice presidents and a senior health ministry official. Iran has said it is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands of people getting tested for the virus behind the outbreak. Of the more than 1,100 cases in the Middle East, the majority trace back to the Islamic Republic. The virus has infected more than 86,000 people worldwide and caused more than 2,900 deaths since emerging in China. Iran has the world's highest death toll outside of China. Texas Southern University officials have refused to provide key documents related to the admissions scandal that toppled two top administrators despite a ruling by the Texas attorney generals office that the records should be released. The attorney general, which weighs in on appeals by government agencies seeking to withhold information, told TSU this week to release its investigation into the schools admissions process and other records sought by the Houston Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act. TSU officials said Friday that they are considering filing a lawsuit against the attorney generals office, which is permitted under state law when agencies disagree with a ruling. TSU lawyer Timothy Stewart said school officials plan to meet Monday morning to discuss the matter, saying a lawsuit might give the school a better chance at a real review before a judge. We wouldnt do it for the purpose of delays, Stewart said. Public agencies that file such cases can spend thousands of dollars on legal fees. The records could offer new details about an investigation that was announced on Nov. 18 by the board of regents, who announced that improprieties had been uncovered in TSUs admissions process. After the board later put Lane on paid leave with no explanation, the regents sent him a termination letter alleging that he had failed to inform the board about fraudulent and dishonest activities at TSUs Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Lane said he did nothing wrong and accused the board of hijacking an investigation by the schools internal auditor that was already underway. Lane parted ways with TSU last week after reaching a settlement in which he admitted no wrongdoing and received $879,000. An assistant dean of admissions was either fired or had been forced to resign officials have given contradictory statements about his departure from the university. TSU has provided few details of what its internal auditors uncovered. Regent Marc Carter said there are multiple inquiries that are still underway. Until they are finalized they are work product and we risk putting out unverified audits that have errors, Carter said in a written statement. It is my understanding that these will be finalized very soon. It has always been our intention to release final reports to the public. Regent Ron Price stated that he couldnt comment on TSUs refusal to release any audits because he did not have enough information about it. I haven't been presented with the evidence or any information Price said. Its eye opening to me. ... Quite frankly, Im looking forward to seeing it. Regent Marilyn Rose said she was unaware of the attorney generals ruling and the possibility that TSU might try to withhold the information. Lawyer Sharesa Alexander, who is acting as board counsel, had previously stated that the audit was available and she would send it to a Chronicle reporter, but never did. Alexander has not replied to multiple requests to comment or supply the audit. TSU has also sent a preliminary summary of its investigation to the Texas State Auditors Office. After the Chronicle requested a copy of that document and the attorney generals office ruled that it should be made public, TSUs general counsel, Hao Le, contacted the state agency and asked for a delay in releasing it until TSU decides whether to go to court. Theres going to be a decision Monday, Le said, adding: Im going to advise the clients and theyre going to do what theyre going to do. john.tedesco@chron.com brittany.britto@chron.com NORMAN, Okla. - Dozens of students at the University of Oklahoma have ended a sit-in outside the universitys administrative offices following two instances in which professors used racial slurs in their classrooms. The three-day sit-in organized by the Black Emergency Response Team, known as BERT, ended Friday with the student group saying that progress had been made. OU Dean of Students David Surratt said in a statement Friday that the students raised legitimate concerns and their demands were actually solutions the university has included in a strategic plan to be presented to OU regents. One idea was the creation of a student advisory committee. BERT co-director Miles Francisco told The Oklahoman that the student advisory committee will provide insights and advice to the office of the senior president and provost. OU Interim President Joseph Harroz Jr. had rejected the groups demand that Provost Kyle Harper resign. Francisco said that when it was clear Harper wouldnt resign, they gave a new list of demands that would ensure some accountability and checks on the office of the provost to bring about equity. The sit-in came days after Harroz announced that a history professor read from a historical document in class that used the N-word repeatedly. Earlier this month, an OU journalism professor stepped down from teaching the course for the rest of the semester after telling students during class that the N-word is no more offensive than the term boomer. A woman is facing felony charges in Washington County as the result of a multi-agency narcotics investigation. Crystal Dawn Smith, 47, of Cadet, was charged Thursday with delivery of a controlled substance, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, and three counts of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. According to a press release from the Washington County Sheriffs Office, deputies from their department as well as officers with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office SWAT team and the Multi-County Narcotics and Violent Crimes Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant in the 10,000 block of Pat Daly Road in Cadet at approximately 6:15 a.m. Thursday. The warrant was issued as part of a lengthy narcotics investigation spanning several months. During the execution of the warrant, two females were located inside the residence and detained without incident. The probable cause statement states that during the search of the residence, officers located a bag weighing approximately 28 grams containing crystal shards, which field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Officers found two other bags containing a crystal substance in the same box. A loaded Ruger .44 revolver and an unloaded Winchester .410 shotgun were located in the kitchen where a digital scale and numerous zip bags were found. Other paraphernalia found during the search included syringes and a glass pipe. Smith was booked at the Washington County Jail after the search, and a bond has been set at $75,000. According to the criminal complaint, Smith has previously been found guilty of second-degree assault involving a weapon. The other female initially detained at the residence was released without charges. Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said in the press release that he wanted to thank the Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Multi-County Narcotics and Violent Crimes Enforcement Unit, the Washington County Ambulance District, and the Washington County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for their assistance. Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Yahoo Life Ill go on an occasional date but thats only in the last two years. It took me four to even step out there," the mom of two said. NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the VIALE-C (M16-043) trial of venetoclax (VENCLEXTA) in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) versus LDAC in combination with placebo did not meet its primary endpoint of statistically significant improvement of overall survival (OS) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy at the time of the planned analysis.3 Treatment with the venetoclax combination showed a 25% reduction in the risk of death compared to LDAC with placebo (Hazard Ratio [HR]=0.75 [95% CI 0.521.07], p=0.11). The venetoclax with LDAC arm also showed a median OS of 7.2 months vs. 4.1 months in the LDAC arm alone. A post-hoc analysis after an additional six months of follow up showed an increase in median OS of 8.4 months in the venetoclax plus LDAC arm and 4.1 months in the placebo plus LDAC arm (HR=0.70 [95% CI 0.50-0.99]).3 Select secondary endpoints are included in the following table. Select Secondary Endpoint Outcomes:* Outcome Venetoclax plus LDAC (n=143) Placebo plus LDAC (n=68) Complete Remission 27.3% 7.4% Complete Remission or Complete Remission with Incomplete Blood Count Recovery (CR + CRi) 47.6% 13.2% Complete Remission or Complete Remission with Partial Hematologic Recovery (CR + CRh) 46.9% 14.7% Complete Remission or Complete Remission with Incomplete Blood Count (CR + CRi) by Initiation of Cycle 2 34.3% 2.9% *Nominal p values <0.001 The safety profile of the combination is consistent with the safety results reported in the Phase 1/2 studies that supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the combination. At this time, indications for venetoclax remain unchanged. "We remain committed to AML patients and our research in AML and other blood cancers," said Neil Gallagher, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and vice president of development, AbbVie. "The study results, while not statistically significant, are indicative of the clinical activity of venetoclax in combination with low-dose cytarabine." The VIALE-C study evaluated venetoclax in combination with LDAC compared with LDAC alone in newly-diagnosed patients with AML who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. The median follow-up time at the end of the planned primary analysis for both arms of the trial was 12 months. Select secondary endpoints that were evaluated in the primary analysis included remission rates, transfusion independence, and event-free survival. Consistent with prior studies in AML, the most frequently reported AEs, irrespective of cause, were hematologic and are represented in the following table. Serious and Non-Serious Adverse Events Venetoclax plus LDAC (n=142) Placebo plus LDAC (n=68) AE's Non-Serious Serious Non-Serious Serious Febrile neutropenia 15.5% 16.9% 11.8% 17.7% Neutropenia 45.8% 2.8% 17.7% 0 Thrombocytopenia 40.9% 4.9% 36.8% 2.9% Anemia 26.1% 2.8% 22.1% 0 AML is one of the most difficult-to-treat blood cancers. It forms in the bone marrow and results in increasing numbers of abnormal white blood cells in the bloodstream and bone marrow.4 AML typically worsens quickly and not all patients are eligible to receive intensive chemotherapy. Age and comorbidities are common factors limiting intensive therapy.5 Only approximately 28 percent of patients survive five years or more.6 In November 2018, AbbVie received accelerated approval for VENCLEXTA in the U.S. in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or LDAC for the treatment of newly-diagnosed AML in adults who are age 75 years or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude use of intensive induction chemotherapy based on Phase 1/2 studies. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in an ongoing trial. Approval was also granted in Mexico, Israel, Puerto Rico, Peru, Brazil, Russia, Argentina, Guatemala, Uruguay, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Australia, and United Arab Emirates. AbbVie has provided the results from VIALE-C to the FDA and other global health authorities and will continue to work with them to ensure that venetoclax remains an appropriately managed option for patients with AML. AbbVie has a robust AML clinical research program and is continuing to explore the potential of venetoclax and other investigational medicines in AML with several studies, including VIALE-A, a Phase 3 study of venetoclax in combination with azacitidine compared to azacitidine plus placebo in newly-diagnosed patients who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. VENCLEXTA is being developed by AbbVie and Roche. It is jointly commercialized by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the U.S. and by AbbVie outside of the U.S. About the VIALE-C (M16-043) Phase 3 Trial A total of 211 treatment-naive AML patients were enrolled and 210 were treated in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 VIALE-C trial. The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of venetoclax in combination with low dose cytarabine (LDAC) (N=143) compared with placebo in combination with LDAC (N=68). The primary efficacy endpoint was overall survival (OS) compared between the groups of patients receiving LDAC and those who received LDAC with venetoclax.3 About VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) is a first-in-class medicine that selectively binds and inhibits the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein. In some blood cancers, BCL-2 prevents cancer cells from undergoing their natural death or self-destruction process, called apoptosis. VENCLEXTA targets the BCL-2 protein and works to help restore the process of apoptosis. VENCLEXTA is approved in more than 50 countries, including the U.S. AbbVie, in collaboration with Roche, is currently working with regulatory agencies around the world to bring this medicine to additional eligible patients in need. Uses and Important VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) U.S. Safety Information7 Uses VENCLEXTA is a prescription medicine used: to treat adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in combination with azacitidine, or decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine to treat adults with newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who: are 75 years of age or older, or have other medical conditions that prevent the use of standard chemotherapy. VENCLEXTA was approved based on response rates. Continued approval for this use may depend on the results of an ongoing study to find out how VENCLEXTA works over a longer period of time. It is not known if VENCLEXTA is safe and effective in children. Important Safety Information What is the most important information I should know about VENCLEXTA? VENCLEXTA can cause serious side effects, including: Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). TLS is caused by the fast breakdown of cancer cells. TLS can cause kidney failure, the need for dialysis treatment, and may lead to death. Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your risk of getting TLS before you start taking VENCLEXTA. You will receive other medicines before starting and during treatment with VENCLEXTA to help reduce your risk of TLS. You may also need to receive intravenous (IV) fluids into your vein. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check for TLS when you first start treatment and during treatment with VENCLEXTA. It is important to keep your appointments for blood tests. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of TLS during treatment with VENCLEXTA, including fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, confusion, shortness of breath, seizures, irregular heartbeat, dark or cloudy urine, unusual tiredness, or muscle or joint pain. Drink plenty of water when taking VENCLEXTA to help reduce your risk of getting TLS. Drink 6 to 8 glasses (about 56 ounces total) of water each day, starting 2 days before your first dose, on the day of your first dose of VENCLEXTA, and each time your dose is increased. Your healthcare provider may delay, decrease your dose, or stop treatment with VENCLEXTA if you have side effects. Who should not take VENCLEXTA? Certain medicines must not be taken when you first start taking VENCLEXTA and while your dose is being slowly increased because of the risk of increased TLS. Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take , including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. VENCLEXTA and other medicines may affect each other, causing serious side effects. , including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. VENCLEXTA and other medicines may affect each other, causing serious side effects. Do not start new medicines during treatment with VENCLEXTA without first talking with your health care provider. Before taking VENCLEXTA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: have kidney problems. have problems with your body salts or electrolytes, such as potassium, phosphorus, or calcium. have a history of high uric acid levels in your blood or gout. are scheduled to receive a vaccine. You should not receive a "live vaccine" before, during, or after treatment with VENCLEXTA, until your healthcare provider tells you it is okay. If you are not sure about the type of immunization or vaccine, ask your healthcare provider. These vaccines may not be safe or may not work as well during treatment with VENCLEXTA. are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. VENCLEXTA may harm your unborn baby. If you are able to become pregnant, your healthcare provider should do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with VENCLEXTA, and you should use effective birth control during treatment and for 30 days after the last dose of VENCLEXTA. If you become pregnant or think you are pregnant, tell your healthcare provider right away. are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if VENCLEXTA passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with VENCLEXTA. What should I avoid while taking VENCLEXTA? You should not drink grapefruit juice, or eat grapefruit, Seville oranges (often used in marmalades), or starfruit while you are taking VENCLEXTA. These products may increase the amount of VENCLEXTA in your blood. What are the possible side effects of VENCLEXTA? VENCLEXTA can cause serious side effects, including: Low white blood cell counts (neutropenia). Low white blood cell counts are common with VENCLEXTA, but can also be severe. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check your blood counts during treatment with VENCLEXTA. Low white blood cell counts are common with VENCLEXTA, but can also be severe. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check your blood counts during treatment with VENCLEXTA. Infections. Death and serious infections such as pneumonia and blood infection (sepsis) have happened during treatment with VENCLEXTA. Your healthcare provider will closely monitor and treat you right away if you have a fever or any signs of infection during treatment with VENCLEXTA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have a fever or any signs of an infection during treatment with VENCLEXTA. The most common side effects of VENCLEXTA when used in combination with obinutuzumab or rituximab or alone in people with CLL or SLL include low white blood cell counts; low platelet counts; low red blood cell counts; diarrhea; nausea; upper respiratory tract infection; cough; muscle and joint pain; tiredness; and swelling of your arms, legs, hands, and feet. The most common side effects of VENCLEXTA in combination with azacitidine, or decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine in people with AML include low white blood cell counts; nausea; diarrhea; low platelet counts; constipation; fever with low white blood cell counts; low red blood cell counts, infection in blood; rash; dizziness; low blood pressure; fever; swelling of your arms, legs, hands, and feet; vomiting; tiredness; shortness of breath; bleeding; infection in lung; stomach (abdominal) pain; pain in muscles or back; cough; and sore throat. VENCLEXTA may cause fertility problems in males. This may affect your ability to father a child. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns about fertility. These are not all the possible side effects of VENCLEXTA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you cannot afford your medication, contact www.medicineassistancetool.org for assistance. The full U.S. prescribing information, including Medication Guide, for VENCLEXTA can be found here. Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information. About AbbVie in Oncology At AbbVie, we strive to discover and develop medicines that deliver transformational improvements in cancer treatment by uniquely combining our deep knowledge in core areas of biology with cutting-edge technologies, and by working together with our partners scientists, clinical experts, industry peers, advocates, and patients. We remain focused on delivering these transformative advances in treatment across some of the most debilitating and widespread cancers. We are also committed to exploring solutions to help patients obtain access to our cancer medicines. AbbVie's oncology portfolio now consists of marketed medicines and a pipeline containing multiple new molecules being evaluated worldwide in more than 300 clinical trials and more than 20 different tumor types. For more information, please visit http://www.abbvie.com/oncology. About AbbVie AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. 1 Dohner H, et al. Acute myeloid leukemia. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(12):1136-1152. 2 American Cancer Society (2018). Typical Treatment of Most Types of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Except Acute Promyelocytic M3). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/acute-myeloid-leukemia/treating/typical-treatment-of-aml.html. 3 Clinicaltrials.gov. NCT03069352: A Study of Venetoclax in Combination With Low Dose Cytarabine Versus Low Dose Cytarabine Alone in Treatment Naive Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia Who Are Ineligible for Intensive Chemotherapy.https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT03069352. Accessed February 28, 2020. 4 American Cancer Society (2018). What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/acute-myeloid-leukemia/about/what-is-aml.html 5 Pettit, K and Odenike, O. Defining and Treating Older Adults with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Who Are Ineligible for Intensive Therapies. Front Oncol. 2015; 5:250. 6 National Cancer Institute (2018). Acute Myeloid Leukemia - SEER Stat Fact Sheets. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/amyl.html. 7 VENCLEXTA (venetoclax) [Package Insert]. North Chicago, IL.: AbbVie Inc. SOURCE AbbVie Related Links abbvie.com A European country offers its assistance. Ukraine may ask other countries to help with the further evacuation of its citizens from China's Wuhan amid the coronavirus outbreak. "In fact, we're not planning any [new] operation to evacuate [Ukrainians from any country] except for the People's Republic of China, where the first cases were registered," Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vadym Prystaiko said on TV Ukraine 24, according to the news outlet Hromadske.Radio. "The only thing we plan is the additional evacuation of those citizens who remain in Wuhan, and we're mulling over the ways how to pick them up from there. We have different options. Seeking assistance from other countries looks most expedient right now." Read alsoWorld Health Organization upgrades global coronavirus risk to "very high" (Video) He recalled Ukraine had helped other countries with the evacuation of their citizens. "We hope they will also help us with the evacuation of our citizens in response there are not so many left ... We now have a European country that offers to bring our citizens from Wuhan ... We are, in principle, ready to do this in the coming days," he said. Earlier, he said that Ukraine had no plans to close its border over the global spread of the new coronavirus. As UNIAN reported earlier, a plane on February 20 evacuated 45 Ukrainians and 27 foreigners, including those from Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Israel, Montenegro, Panama, amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in China's Wuhan. The evacuees were placed at a health center in the town of Novi Sanzhary in Ukraine's Poltava region for 14-day observation. For someone who can't say when her next season's stock, which is due in stores on May 1, may actually land, designer Rebecca Vallance is surprisingly sanguine. "We work very far in advance," Vallance said on Thursday. "We were fortunate we had shipped our fall-winter product before Chinese New Year, so there is no effect on us from that." Staring into the unknown ... designer Rebecca Vallance. Credit:Eddie Jim Fashion brands generally work about six to 18 months in advance, meaning the stock that's in stores now made it out of China, where Vallance manufactures much of her range, before coronavirus restrictions took hold. But as for next season's deliveries, it's a mystery. "At the moment, we ship fabric from Europe to China. Everything is sitting in vessels in the sea, waiting," she said. "At this point in time we don't think our pre-fall deliveries will be affected but there is no guarantee." Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit said Saturday the Arab Summit may be held before the end of June. Abul Gheit told MENA that a meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will tackle a decision in this regard later today. Current global development, especially health conditions, cause concern from meetings and gatherings, the AL chief said. The decision will be taken in coordination with Algeria as the host country, he added. We hope these global conditions will end before the proposed date, Abul Gheit said. Abul Gheit arrived on Saturday in Algiers in a two-day visit to review preparations and arrangements for the upcoming summit that will be hosted by Algeria. Earlier on the same day, Abul Gheit and Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum discussed preparations and arrangements for the upcoming Arab summit. The discussions touched upon the arrangements for the coming summit, as well as some key regional issues primarily the Libyan and Syrian crises, and the latest developments of the Palestinian cause. Search Keywords: Short link: Hundreds have gathered to hear Elizabeth Warren's town hall at Discovery Green Saturday, just days before a Texas presidential primary on Tuesday. A mixture of people gathered outside on the lawn to wait for the gates to open hours before the Democratic hopeful was set to take the stage. Nykeisha Bryer decided to come because shes still unsure who to vote for Tuesday. The 30-year-old middle school assistant principal said Warrens educational background stands out to her. The fact that shes an educator is important to me (and) one of the reasons why Im drawn towards her.and making sure we have someone nationally that can really advocate for the issues that teachers experience, students experience, all the stakeholders experience, said Bryer. Bryer, who also has two master's degrees, said her potential presidential candidates position on student loan debt is an issue thats on her mind. Warren has been outspoken about canceling student loan debt. Wes Garner was just visiting his cousin in Texas for the last three weeks but has wanted to see Warren in person at a rally. However, the 70-year-old from Massachusetts said he was worried about Warren's odds. Im concerned about electability across the country, said Garner. Theres still a big stigma about women, which is crazy. Garner said he relates to Warren on her stance concerning womens rights, gun control and the environment. He thinks Bernie Sanders should team up with Warren on the Democratic ticket. I still think before it goes any further she and Bernie should team up and just do it, said Garner. Shes got the smarts, hes got the votes so far. AJ Albaaj, a nuclear engineer, had already voted but came out to the town hall anyway with a couple friends to show support for Warren. My issue is the concentration of power and wealth that is happening in America, said the 24-year-old. We have a billionaire who decides to just run last minute for a presidential campaign, and this is a problem and a gaping hole in American society. I think Elizabeth Warren is the best at cohesively explaining the issues we have with power and wealth in this country. Warren, who has deep Texas roots, started her day in South Carolina during that states presidential primary. Warren graduated with a teaching degree from the University of Houston in 1970. She taught at both University of Houstons law school and at the University of Texas at Austin. The last time Warren campaigned in Houston was during the Democratic debate in September. The presidential primary in Texas could play a pivotal role in deciding who will be the Democratic nominee against President Donald Trump. Texas has 228 delegates, which is more than the other early voting states, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina combined. Last Sunday, Bernie Sanders held a rally at University of Houston, which was one of four Texas rallies held by the Democratic presidential candidate last weekend. Joe Biden plans to campaign in Houston on Monday. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg made a stop in Houston this past Thursday. Doha, Qatar: As they moved closer to signing a landmark agreement aimed at ending the United States' longest war and withdrawing its troops, US, Taliban and Afghan officials scrambled to ensure that pending details didn't undermine the deal before it ever took effect. A Taliban fighter poses for a picture in the Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit:AP The agreement that seeks to freeze nearly two decades of fighting was scheduled to be signed on Saturday at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar, by US negotiators and leaders of the Taliban militancy that long opposed the Afghan government and American administrations that backed it. Separately, the US was expected to sign an accord with the Kabul government. All parties will agree to an eventual ceasefire and the opening of negotiations for a political settlement. "If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Friday. (Natural News) The State of Oregon held a press conference this evening, announcing a presumptive case of coronavirus infection in Washington County. As weve now seen across the entire country for the last three weeks, lab testing of this person was prohibited by the CDC, which allowed the virus to spread for weeks by withholding permission for state public health labs to conduct coronavirus testing on their own. Earlier today, the Oregon Health Authority was granted permission by the CDC to start conducting tests for the very first time (before today, Oregon had conducted exactly zero tests, just like California, Hawaii, Florida and nearly every other U.S. state). Within hours, Oregon identified a coronavirus infection. The lab tested the sample todayonly hours after it validated the new CDC test kit, reports the Oregon Health Authority. From the full press release: The case was not a person under monitoring or a person under investigation. The individual had neither a history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating, nor is believed to have had a close contact with another confirmed casethe two most common sources of exposure. As such, public health officials are considering it a likely community-transmitted case, meaning that the origin of the infection is unknown. The patient is now quarantined just today, after weeks of exposing staff and students in the Lake Oswego school district It appears the individual was a school teacher or staff member. Also from the press release: The individual spent time in a school in the Lake Oswego school district and may have exposed students and staff there. Public health officials will investigate potential exposures there and contact employees and families of children to let them know next steps. The CDCs mission was well accomplished, it seems, in delaying state-level testing for the coronavirus, allowing it to spread for 3-4 weeks while the lying mainstream media ran with a bogus its no worse than the flu cover story. Over the next several days, we are all about to witness an explosion of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States as state and local public health labs begin ramping up testing, ultimately reaching a combined capacity of 10,000 tests per day over the next few weeks, according to the former head of the FDA. President Trump and his coronavirus propaganda team are unprepared for the reality of whats happening President Trump has dispatched V.P. Mike Pence to carry out what is essentially a propaganda role to try to convince the American people to buy more stocks and dont notice the collapsing global supply chain. With each passing day, this looks like the end of the Trump presidency. Instead of putting legitimate scientists, virologists or epidemiologists in charge of the nationwide pandemic project, weve got Mike Pence, a former Goldman Sachs banker, a publicist and probably a mime, too, for all we know. None of them have any real clue about infectious disease. Were not saying theyre bad people, but managing a viral outbreak requires very specific technical knowledge and training, and these people flat out dont have it. Trump is receiving horrible advice on all this, and hes chosen the wrong people to run the pandemic response team. Putting Mike Pence in charge of a viral outbreak is sort of like putting Jeff Sessions in charge of the DOJ. Look what happened there Why its WAY worse than the flu On a financial note, you cant just keep cheerleading the stock market while denying the reality of a pandemic that could quite literally kill millions of Americans. If just 50% of the U.S. population gets infected, a 2% mortality rate for the coronavirus would result in 3.3 million deaths. Still think its no worse than the flu? The people saying that are truly among the dumbest people alive today. They might even be too stupid to survive the very virus they think is no worse than the flu. After the first 100,000 people are infected in America and the hospital beds are overrun, lets see how many oblivious morons are still claiming its no worse than the flu. Its hard enough to save people from the coronavirus. But saving people from their own stupidity is darn near impossible. Some people, it seems, are destined to be virus food. Watch this segment to learn more: Brighteon.com/9c9634cd-1a28-4a4a-812b-0492ecbd2c00 UN Special Representative for Libya Ghassan Salame said Friday the escalation in violence over the last 24 hours in the country was unacceptable and warned that that the war in Libya could turn into a regional war on the Libyan territory due to the direct and indirect involvement of non-Libyan parties in the fighting. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Salame warned that the truce agreed by the parties last month was under threat, adding that shelling hit many areas in and around the capital Tripoli. He said five members of the same family were killed Thursday in the shelling and the international airport in Tripoli was hit Friday morning with several shells leading to the destruction of important parts of the airport. He said shelling public facilities is an extremely dangerous thing which is not accepted under international humanitarian law. There are dangers that the war in Libya could turn into a regional war on the Libyan territory due to the direct and indirect involvement of non-Libyan parties in the fighting. Salame said the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was moving forward on the three-track approach it has taken in applying the conclusions of the Berlin Conference. He said the economic track was going well, and on the military track, a document was sent back for discussion with leaders. As for the political track, Salame said the UN team was surprised after everything was agreed for a meeting on February 26 that some were asked to leave, and others put last minute conditions that were impossible to meet. He said, still those who stayed decided that the opportunity was too rare to miss, and this resulted in three days of fruitful discussions. Meanwhile, many Libyans from both sides of the conflict are angry at the UN, saying that it has not done enough to help. Guwahati: Curfew was imposed in trouble-torn area of Shillong and telecom services were suspended on Saturday following a violent clash between members of Khasi Students Union (KSU) and non-tribals in Ichamati area of East Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya leading to one death. Police said that they have arrested eight accused who are alleged to have been involved in the violence in East Khasi Hills district. The violence followed a meeting against the Citizenship Amendment Act and implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in the state. The administration decided to impose curfew in trouble-torn areas after the report of clashes and two vehicles being torched by some miscreants. Early morning we also arrested eight persons from Ichamati who were directly involved in the violence which killed one person and injured several others. They are named in the FIR, said Mr Claudia A. Lyngwa, the superintendent of police, East Khasi Hills district. He claimed the situation was tense but under control. Police said that the violence started after a meeting organised by the Khasi Students Union (KSU) in Ichamati. At about 3 pm, after the meeting, clashes broke out between KSU members and local non-tribals of the area. Thereafter, the KSU members burnt a haystack at the edge of the market and attempted to burn a house. The non-tribals retaliated, and stoned a bus carrying KSU members, the police in a statement said. Four members of KSU were injured, two were sent to Ichamati CHC and discharged, two were referred to Sohra CHC. One local taxi which had gone to collect the KSU members from the Ichamati market after the clashes was also damaged. Abuja (Nigeria), 29 February 2020 (SPS) - President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Bukhari, on Friday reiterated his country's firm position in support of the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination since his country's recognition of the Sahrawi Republic in November 1984, when he received the outgoing Sahrawi ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Malainin Al-Siddiq. In this context, the Nigerian President stressed that his country will continue its efforts from within the African Union and the United Nations to allow the people of Western Sahara to enjoy their legitimate right to self-determination and freely choose their future through a free and fair referendum. President Mohammadou Bukhari expressed his gratitude for the efforts made by the Sahrawi Ambassador to strengthen the ties of fraternity and cooperation between the two countries during the period of his country's representation, and conveyed a friendly and warm message from the people of Nigeria to the brotherly Sahrawi people and from him personally to his brother Brahim Ghali, President of the Democratic Saharan Arab Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front. The Sahrawi Ambassador delivered a letter from President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, to President Muhammadu Buhari, related to bilateral relations and the latest developments in the conflict between the two member states of the African Union, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as issues of common concern. (SPS) 062/SPS/T Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund manager Tom Steyer of California have accounted for close to 90% of media campaign spending in Alabama, according to media tracking firm Advertising Analytics. The two billionaires in the Democratic presidential race are responsible for $10 million of the $11.2 million in media buys during the current presidential campaign cycle, the firms latest reports show. Bloomberg, who is banking his presidential hopes on a strong showing during Super Tuesday, is spending the most in Alabama at $8.5 million on largely TV, digital ads and radio spots. I strongly suspect Bloomberg alone has spent more money in Alabama in this election than has been spent in any other Alabama primary before, either on the Democratic or Republican side, said Zac McCrary, a Montgomery-based Democratic pollster. Steyer is a distant second place, having spent a sizable $1.5 million on mostly television advertisement. Persist PAC, a super PAC that has been assisting Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warrens candidacy, comes in third place at $284,425. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has spent $219,887. Has it been money well spent? Though polling is sparse in Alabama ahead of Tuesdays primary, political pundits and observers believe former Vice President Joe Biden (who has spent $181,465 in Alabama) is in a good position for a strong finish. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, considered the partys frontrunner, could bolster his national momentum into a strong finish in Alabama. The Sanders campaign has spent $158,501 in Alabama, according Advertising Analytics. The billionaire bubble could be busted on Super Tuesday when 14 states go to the polls and a whopping 34% all pledge delegates are at stake. People dont have the resources to run effective campaigns in the Super Tuesday states, said Jim McLaughlin, a Republican strategist who worked on Bloombergs mayor campaign in 2005. Its too many elections, too many states, too expensive, etc. But you have with Bloomberg and Steyer they are trying to use their money and are giving it a shot. Said McLaughlin, Bloomberg is spending an ungodly amount of money. If you put on a soap opera or Ellen or something, youll see a Mike Bloomberg ad. The Bloomberg campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the spending in Alabama. Im not a famous person Presidential candidate Tom Steyer campaigning in Keene, N.H. 2-6-3030 McLaughlin argues the spending for Steyer has gotten him nowhere. But Steyer, in an interview with AL.com while campaigning in South Carolina, said hes undeterred and that the spending is on point with securing the nomination in Alabama and elsewhere. I do care about Alabama and the Democrats in Alabama, said Steyer. Im not a famous person. If I am going to introduce myself in Alabama, I need (to do so through campaign ads). Terry Lathan, chairwoman of the Alabama GOP, said both Steyer and Bloomberg are wasting their money. The hundreds of millions of dollars that these two left wing liberal billionaires are spending is not moving the needle one bit for themselves or against President Trump in our state, said Lathan, referring to Trumps overall popularity in Alabama. According to Morning Consult, Trump enjoys among some of his highest approval ratings in Alabama compared to other states. If they want to waste their money, thats their right to do so, said Lathan. If anything, it will show a valuable lesson to all (that) the American people cannot be bought by a slick ad. Steyer, in response, said its absolutely true that Americans cannot be bought. But he also attacks Trump as a disaster president for the American working-class. Hes great for the Mar-a-Lago country club types, said Steyer, referring to Trumps property in Florida where he often retreats. Steyer also blasted the Trump administrations recent handling of the coronavirus, adding that hes an utterly incompetent failure at his job. Steyer will join a host of other candidates for the 55th annual Selman Bridge Crossing Jubilee on Sunday. Steyer has made occasional stops in Alabama during the campaign, and is pointing to what he said is a strong ground game he has in Birmingham and a platform he believes will resonate with Alabama Democratic voters. Among the issues hes pushing for is a mandatory $15 minimum wage (Alabamas minimum wage is mirrors the federal governments $7.25 per hour that has been in place since 2009). Also, Steyer wants to cut taxes for everyone who makes less than $250,000 per year by 10%. Money wont do it Steyer has spent a considerable amount of time and resources in South Carolina, and is polling in a distant third place behind Biden and Sanders. The state has a similar demographic to Alabama, in which a sizable percentage of Democratic voters are black. McLaughlin said hes not sure if Steyer can survive beyond Super Tuesday. McCrary, meanwhile, isnt so sure Bloomberg can overcome some recent shaky debate performances in which his record on stop-and-frisk policing methods have come under fire. My sense is the Bloomberg momentum has stalled due to his weak performance in the debates and the other candidates training their fire on him lately, said McCrary. Bloomberg isnt running in South Carolina, opting to inundate the Super Tuesday states with a large spending blitz. In California, hes spent around $60 million, but is badly trailing Sanders in polling. In Alabama, Bloombergs expenditures include $2.3 million spent in both the Birmingham and Mobile media markets on TV, radio and other forms of advertising, according to Advertising Analytics. Hes spent an additional $1.8 million on media ads in the Huntsville market, and $1.4 million in digital ad buys. Steyers major campaign advertising investment in Alabama is in the Huntsville market, where he spent $529,756, according to Advertising Analytics. Larry Powell, a professor of political communications at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said Republican and Democratic voters in Alabama have witnessed two separate campaigns on TV and in digital media so far this year. The Republicans who are vying for the Senate and congressional seats have utilized their campaigns to see who is more conservative and, in this election, who is the most loyal to Trump. That means theyre relying primarily on television ads, he said. Democrats, Powell said, are fighting to see who can mobilize the most voters. Of particular interest this year are young voters who have little voting history, he said. Some Dems are using heavy TV buys, but the best way to target young voters is digital ads on social media. Still, we dont know how many of those young voters will actually turnout. Bloomberg has spent more on digital ads in Alabama than the rest of the field outside of Steyer have combined to spend in the state on media buys. Said McLaughlin, A lot of these billionaires like the Tom Steyers and Mike Bloombergs of this world have incredible egos. They all think they can do what Donald Trump did. But Trump didnt try to buy the electorate, he did it on his own. Trump found a formula through his rallies and town halls and he connected with people. And where Trump was able to connect, in similar ways that Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were able to do, these guys cant do it. And money itself wont do it for them. In this year's edition of the traditional Humidors Auction five humidors from some of the most prestigious Habanos brands were auctioned, together with a special humidor donated by Simon Chase family to Habanos. The auction has raised the historic amount of 4.270.000 with all proceeds going entirely to the Cuban Public Health System. For the first time in this traditional auction a humidor from the Cohiba brand reached 2.400.000 . The Gala Evening paid tribute to the 145th Anniversary of the Romeo y Julieta brand, presenting its three new vitolas in a new line, Linea de Oro. Attendees had the chance to taste, exclusively, the three new vitolas that make up the brand's most Premium line: Hidalgos (57 ring gauge x 125 mm length), Nobles (56 ring gauge x 135 mm length) and Dianas (52 ring gauge x 145 mm length). Throughout the evening, held in Pabexpo in the city of Havana, over 1,200 guests enjoyed an outstanding musical line-up headed by the famous international artist and pop icon, Gloria Gaynor, as well as other performances including Camerata Guido Lopez and the Maestro Patterson Orchestra, Director of the Cuban Radio and Television Orchestra. In addition, there were artistic performances including the Company led by Santiago Alfonso, winner of the 2006 Cuban National Dance Award, and the great Vengsay Valdes, Director and first dancer of the Cuban National Ballet. The closing ceremony also hosted the Habanos Awards with Alexander Avellar receiving the prize in the Communication category, Jean Claude Reichling winning the award in the Business category and Servilio Jesus Cordova Torres in the Production category, respectively. Also, the winning couple of aficionados of the III Habanos World Challenge International Contest were Tarek Gamaye and Fabi Hammad, from the United Arab Emirates. *(P.A.O.) Protected Appellations of Origin Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097465/Gloria_Gaynor.jpg Contacts: BCW: [email protected] Izaskun Martinez: Tel: +34-670-09-40-74 Carla Llado: Tel: +34-669-54-69-09 SOURCE HABANOS SA Related Links https://www.habanoscigares.com/ Delhi Violence: Pakistan Prime Minister on Saturday gave a ridiculous comment over the Delhi Violence, he blamed Delhi Police and RSS for the carnage of Muslims in the National capital of India. Delhi Violence: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday reacted to the violence in Indias capital by issuing a statement which can be a provocation for Indian Muslims. Imran Khan said on Twitter that in Delhi carnage of Muslims, state-sponsored terror through police and RSS gangs will lead to the radicalisation of the 200 million Indian Muslims just as the Kashmiri youth have been radicalized through the oppression of Indian forces and deaths of almost 100,000 Kashmiris. The Pakistan Prime Minister also shared the photos from the streets of the national capital where Muslims can be seen injured and their homes were burnt. Imran Khan tried to target the Indian Muslims so that he could intervene in the opportunity. Earlier, the Pakistani media showed on their national television that Indias claim of being secular has been exposed to the world. Pakistan media had done extensive coverage on the Delhi violence. Imran Khan on Thursday also tweeted that no Pakistani will harm the minorities, he wrote if anyone would try to harm the minorities or would try to destroy their religious places, strict action will be taken against the culprits. He particularly quoted non-muslim communities and said they should not face any threat in Pakistan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4trxBpozbg Indian users on Twitter wrote against Pakistan Prime Minister and asked him not to intervene in the matters of India. One of the Indian Muslim users wrote, the situation in Delhi is not good but it doesnt mean India needs lessons from Imran Khan, and they will tackle the situation. We, Muslims, know how to fight constitutionally the word radicalization doesnt work on us. We will fight all the evils on Gandhis non-violence, the user said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko4u17cVaKE For all the latest National News, download NewsX App China should overcome obstacles against acting immediately on early alerts and share key disease data more clearly internationally, the WHO-led team which carried out a 14-day investigation into the ongoing covid-19 outbreak in the country has said. Until Saturday, the infection had killed nearly 3,000 people and infected more than 82,000 globally with the WHO bumping up the international public health emergency category to the highest level possibly the highest before declaring it a pandemic. China on Saturday reported at least 47 new deaths, taking the toll to 2,835 and added another 427 confirmed cases of covid-19 to take the number of total infections to 79,251, the national health commission (NHC) said. Of the 427 new cases, four cases of covid-19 were reported from outside the Hubei province, the outbreak epicentre. The WHO-China report, which is also very effusive about the steps China took to control the disease, comes in the backdrop of reports that say not only local medical and government authorities, the top leadership of Communist Party of China-ruled country was well aware of the outbreak by early January. President Xi Jinping had held a meeting to discuss the disease and it containment on January 7 several days before any alert was publicly sounded. The covid-19 outbreak is said to have broken out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province in early December even November according to one report but containment measures and restrictions were put in place only weeks later a crucial time lost in the fight against an unknown and deadly pathogen. The report also indicates that the initial medics who were treating covid-19 cases were not protected against the virulence of the pathogen. While the scale and impact of Chinas COVID-19 operation has been remarkable, it has also highlighted areas for improvement in public health emergency response capacity, the report said. These include overcoming any obstacles to act immediately on early alerts, to massively scale-up capacity for isolation and care, to optimise the protection of frontline health care workers in all settings, to enhance collaborative action on priority gaps in knowledge and tools, and to more clearly communicate key data and developments internationally, the 40-page report says. The report on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (covid-19) jointly compiled by WHO and the NHC identified the disease as a zoonotic virus, which jumped from animal to human, adding that there is no known pre-existing immunity in humans, and everyone is assumed to be susceptible to infection. The report was drawn up by the WHO-China joint team, which visited Beijing, Guangzhou, Sichuan, and Wuhan between February 16 and 24. The report added that human-to-human transmission was largely happening within families. The report said that bats appear to be the reservoir of the virus, but the intermediate host(s) has not yet been identified Airborne transmission has not been reported for covid-19 and it is not believed to be a major source of transmission based on available evidence, the report stated. The cordon sanitaire around Wuhan and neighbouring cities imposed since January 23 has effectively prevented further exportation of infected individuals to the rest of the country, the report added. In the face of a previously unknown virus, China has rolled out perhaps the most ambitious, agile, and aggressive disease containment effort in the history, the report said. The strategy that underpinned this containment effort was initially a national approach that promoted universal temperature monitoring, masking, and hand washing. However, as the outbreak evolved, and knowledge was gained, a science and risk-based approach was taken to tailor implementation, it added. The implementation of these containment measures has been supported and enabled by the innovative and aggressive use of cutting-edge technologies, from shifting to online medical platforms for routine care and schooling to the use of 5G platforms to facilitate rural response operations, it stated. The report recommended that China should maintain an appropriate level of emergency management protocols, depending on the assessed risk in each area and recognising the real risk of new cases and clusters of covid-19 as economic activity resumes, movement restrictions are lifted, and schools reopen. Carefully monitor the phased lifting of the current restrictions on movement and public gatherings, beginning with the return of workers and migrant labor, followed by the eventual reopening of schools and lifting other measures, it further recommended. China sends team to Iran help fight against coronavirus China has sent a group of experts to Iran to help combat the novel coronavirus in the country, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has said. She said on Twitter that the Chinese experts are on their way to Iran. The coronavirus disease is enemy of all, Hua said, adding we must fight together. During his phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier, state councilor and foreign minister Wang Yi said China will continue to provide assistance within its capabilities to Iran in curbing the epidemic and treating the sick. China has already donated a batch of nucleic acid detection kits and medical supplies to Iran. PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-28 22:17:03 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 966 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2020 / Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSXV:BAY)(OTCQB:ATBHF) ("Aston Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has today closed a first tranche of the Company's non-brokered private placement, previously announced on January 6, 2020 (the "Offering"). Pursuant to this first tranche of the Offering, the Company has issued 17,711,267 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.06 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,062,676. The closing is subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one full warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.12 per Warrant for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The Warrants are subject to acceleration provisions when the volume weighted average trading price is greater than $0.25 for 10 consecutive trading days.In connection with the closing of the first tranche of the Offering, Aston Bay has paid aggregate cash finder's fees of $13,740 to three arm's length finders, representing 6% of the proceeds raised from subscriptions by certain placees introduced by the finders. The Company has issued to the finders share purchase warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") entitling the purchase of an aggregate 229,000 common shares, on the same terms as the Warrants.All shares acquired by the placees under the first tranche of the Offering, and shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of the Warrants and the Finder's Warrants, are subject to a hold period until June 29, 2020, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation. Warrants and Finder's Warrants issued in the first tranche of the Offering are exercisable at $0.12 to purchase one common share of the Company until February 28, 2022.Proceeds of this Offering will be used for exploration activities at the Company's Virginia gold properties and for general corporate purposes.About Aston Bay HoldingsAston Bay is a publicly traded mineral exploration company exploring for gold and base metal deposits in Virginia, USA, and Nunavut, Canada. The Company is led by CEO Thomas Ullrich with exploration in Virginia directed by the Company's advisor, Don Taylor, the 2018 Thayer Lindsley Award winner for his discovery of the Taylor Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit in ArizonaThe Company has also acquired the exclusive rights to an integrated dataset over certain prospective private lands at the Blue Ridge Project and has signed agreements with timber and land companies which grants the company the option to lease the mineral rights to 11,065 acres of land located in central Virginia. These lands are located within a gold-copper-lead-zinc mineralized belt prospective for Carolina slate belt gold deposits, as well as sedimentary VMS, exhalative (SEDEX) and Broken Hill (BHT) type base metal deposits. Don Taylor, who led the predecessor company to Blue Ridge and assembled the dataset, has joined the Company's Advisory Board and will be directing the Company's exploration activities for the Blue Ridge Project. The Company is actively exploring the Buckingham Gold Project in Virginia and is in advanced stages of negotiation on other lands in the area.The Company is also 100% owner of the Aston Bay Property located on western Somerset Island, Nunavut, which neighbours Teck's profitable, past-producing Polaris (Pb-Zn) Mine just 200km to the north. The Aston Bay Property hosts the Storm Copper Project and the Seal Zinc Deposit with drill-confirmed presence of sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralization.The Company's public disclosure documents are available on www.sedar.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSStatements made in this press release, including those regarding the closing and the use of proceeds of the private placement, management objectives, forecasts, estimates, expectations, or predictions of the future may constitute "forward-looking statement", which can be identified by the use of conditional or future tenses or by the use of such verbs as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "should", "estimate", "anticipate", "project", "plan", and words of similar import, including variations thereof and negative forms. This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect, as of the date of this press release, Aston Bay's expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, the mining industry and the economic environment in which it operates. Statements in this press release that are not supported by historical fact are forward-looking statements, meaning they involve risk, uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Aston Bay believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which apply only at the time of writing of this press release. Aston Bay disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by securities legislation. We seek safe harbour.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 news release.THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:Thomas Ullrich, Chief Executive OfficerTelephone: (416) 456-3516SOURCE: Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. After the Delhi riots, Samreen is contemplating dropping the middle name for the safety of her son. People leave their houses following clashes over the new citizenship law at Brijpuri area of northeast Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Deadly riots in Delhi might be ebbing, but the scars remain. Gurgaon-based Samreen Farooqui, a documentary filmmaker who was married to a Bengali-Hindu, had chosen a secular name for her five-year-old son Abhijeet Farooqui Chatterjee. After the Delhi riots, Samreen is contemplating dropping the middle name for the safety of her son. Privileged or not fear stalks a large section of Indian Muslims after sectarian riots gripped the national capital. Enactment of the Citizenship Act, followed by relentless hate-mongering and the communal conflagration, have sparked a feeling of anxiety and anger among Muslims. I am angry as I feel helpless and I am scared because I dont know what is going to happen in the future, Samreen said. Samreen is not a practising Muslim. Yet today she is grappling with her religion and nationality. I never thought a time will come when my religion will become my only identity. Never thought I will have to pause to think before I mention my surname, Samreen said. It was the other day, Samreen was travelling from her Gurgaon home to Noida office in a cab. The driver, who had no idea that the passenger was a Muslim, started talking about Shaheen Bagh and told her that in Haryana we Jats will never allow such protests. After that his description of the minority community made Samreen squirm. I kept looking out of the window. I simply wanted the drive to end, she said. A working, independent woman, Samreen could never imagine that her being married to a Hindu would perhaps become the only shield to protect her from the hate-filled atmosphere. Samreen wondered; if this was how she felt despite being privileged, what was happening to those who were struggling to make ends meet? In Mumbai, Shabnam (name changed), another Muslim working woman is having a meltdown. Shabnam has recently bought a two-bedroom flat in a Hindu dominated Society in east central Mumbai. After doing up her flat, Shabnam spent days in selecting a nameplate to be hung outside her apartment. After Delhi burnt, her worried relatives have asked her to take down the Muslim nameplate to avoid persecution. She took it down this afternoon. It sounds nice and revolutionary when one listens to the poem Kagaz nahi dikhayenge Shabnam said and then revealed that these days she was spending most of her time digging out documents to prove her Indian identity. Kagaz toh dikhana parega, she blurted out. That nagging and numb fear had been haunting Shabnam after the CAA and NRC were announced. Post communal violence in Delhi, it has become scary, she almost whispered over the phone. If Samreen is married to a Hindu, Shabnam lives in her flat with her Hindu boyfriend. She feels lucky that her partners family is chilled out and secular. As the shadow of sectarian politics gets darker, Shabnam like Samreen also seeks safety in the religion of her partner. I had never thought like that. But today I have to say that being with a Hindu feels safer, Shabnam said. Gholam Mohammed is a small-time leather exporter based in Kolkata. He lives in one of the Muslim ghettos in the Park Circus area. A few months back, he tried to get out of the ghetto and rent out a flat in a Hindu dominated society at Karaya Road. He paid an advance to the Hindu owner. When the Owners Association got to know about the deal, they shot a mail to the owner, which read. ...Most of the owners are not in favour of letting in any more Muslim families in this Housing Estate... Of nearly 150 odd flats in the society, there are only three Muslim families. But then, there are people who still believe in a pluralistic society and humanity. Azhar (name changed), a young businessman, lives in a posh and an upmarket society in Gurgaon. Of the 500 odd flats, nearly 50 are being occupied by Muslims. Maybe in a cosmopolitan atmosphere, we need not worry. Yet we dont want to take chances, he said. Azhar and some other Muslim residents have got in touch with their close Hindu friends in the society. They have given us their duplicate keys. In case of any trouble, we can shift to their flats, even when they are not there, Azahar revealed. Shabnoor, a working journalist lives next to Jamia in a PG accommodation. She is a practising Muslim and so are her parents, who live in Meerut. What she said reminded one of the chilling words of the supreme leader Yeh aag lagaane vaale kaun hain, woh unke kapdon se hi pata chal jaata hai (those setting the fire can be identified by their clothes). Shabnoors father was planning to come to Delhi for a medical check-up. Since he wears a skull cap, I told him not to come now, Shabnoor said. At their Meerut home, Shabnoors parents along with a lawyer are collecting documents to prove that they always belonged to India. A silent rage and a numbing fear stay with Shabnoor. Shabnoor says that she and her family have begun feeling like second class citizen. For her, the atmosphere has become so polarised that we are scared to reveal our identity when we step out. She felt that following a raging vitriolic campaign against the minority attitude of some of her Hindu friends had changed. She said: None of them came to find out how I was doing. There are times, Shabnoor feels defeated and scared. The only silver lining for Shabnoor is the anti CAA and NRC protests. Maybe these will deter the authorities to take any drastic step, she hopes. When told about others who feel safer because they were either married to or living in with Hindu partners, Shabnoor, paused for a moment and said I know what they meant. But it is sad. Politically, this section has begun to feel alienated since the Opposition parties have been behaving like BJPs B team. Shabnoor and Samreen, feel betrayed by the Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal and his party AAP. When he had nothing much to lose, Kejriwal did all possible forms of protests. Now when Delhi burnt, he merely went to Rajghat for a photo-op, Samreen lashed out. This sentiment against the Delhi chief minister and AAP resounded across the riot-torn north-east Delhi. Speaking of fear one Dr Pooja Tripathi, who was travelling in a metro recently tweeted about a co-commuter. The commuter reportedly told Dr Tripathi, I took metro because in Ola booking my name reflects. My daughter was worried about me travelling alone. Its not safe anymore... An Irishwoman who was among the first to lift the lid on Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes at the height of his fame believes his conviction marks a "big social victory for women". Laura Madden, from Co Monaghan, a former employee at Weinstein's company Miramax, was among the first batch of women who went on the record in a 2017 newspaper investigation into his litany of sexual offences. She said while she was "relieved" by the verdict in his trial in New York, she would have liked to have also seen a conviction for the more serious charges. And she believes a stiff sentence is necessary to reflect the damage that Weinstein (67) did to many people with his crimes. The court found the former Hollywood mogul guilty of criminal sexual acts in the first degree and rape in the third degree in what was deemed a partial victory for the worldwide #MeToo movement. "It's a very complicated one," Ms Madden, a mother of four now based in Wales, told the Irish Independent. "My initial reaction was not utter relief and celebration. I was quite numbed by it. I was quite surprised that he was convicted. "I thought he was going to get off so it's a relief that he has been guilty of some of the charges." However, she said she was "disappointed" that he was found not guilty of the most serious crimes of first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault charges - which could have seen him jailed for life. She commended the bravery of women, including 'The Sopranos' actress Annabella Sciorra, who alleged that Weinsten raped her, for putting themselves through the ordeal of a public trial. "I had followed the trial quite closely so I felt very, very disappointed for the courage that those women showed; to stand up in a witness box and be cross-examined in such a harsh way," she said. "Nobody would want to go through that. So I've huge admiration for them all and I really felt for Annabella. "She was so convincing and so believable so I'm a bit sad that the more serious charges didn't hold. But now that it has percolated a bit (in my mind), I can see that it's a major landmark moment; this is a big social victory for women coming forward in the future." Speaking about the #MeToo movement sparked by women revealing Weinstein's crimes, she said his conviction is an important moment. "So many women have kept quiet and been silenced because they've witnessed that speaking out hasn't helped women to take men down so hopefully, it will give them more courage to come forward and confidence that their voices will be heard," she said. Ms Madden added that she had agonised for a long time about whether to go public with her 1991 ordeal in a Dublin hotel room with Weinstein. Invited to meet him while she was working on 'Into the West', she was left sobbing in the hotel bathroom after he coerced her into a massage and showering with him. In the end, it was her three teenage daughters who convinced her to speak out about it. She reported it to the authorities in October 2017. "It took me a set of stages to get to a point where I could say, 'I'm happy to go on the record' and that was pretty much down to my children," she said. "I told them what happened to me and they were shocked and supportive. They told me I had to speak up on behalf of their friends and other young women and when someone says that to you, you don't really have a choice," However, Ms Madden says every woman is different and she fully understands why some women will never speak out about a sexual assault. "I had the support. I had months of talking to the journalists who I trusted at the 'New York Times'," she said. "They talked me through it and helped me make that decision. It couldn't change what happened to me but I hoped I would be heard." Asked how she felt about playing such a vital role in changing attitudes to speaking out about sex crimes, she said she was proud "because my children are very proud". "I've had so many messages from women saying they've had similar experiences but they have never been able to reach back into their past and now this has given that a collective voice," she said. "I just think that to have these collective voices is so helpful." Weinstein will be sentenced on March 11 and while Ms Madden says she has no personal desire to see him in prison, she feels the sentence will send out an important message when it comes to sexual offences. "I do think society needs to see justice done; his crimes covered decades and affected so many lives. He took so much away from so many people so he deserves to get a stiff sentence," she said. Ms Madden will be in Ireland next Thursday to receive the President's Medal from Maynooth University as part of International Women's Day. Advocate readers may submit stories of about 500 words to The Human Condition at features@theadvocate.com or The Advocate, Living, 10705 Rieger Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. There is no payment, and stories will be edited. Authors should include their city of residence, and, if writing about yourself, a photo. This is the first example in northern Europe of a left-populist party really managing to capture the discontent of younger renters, said Ben Ansell, a professor at Oxford University who has studied links between the housing market and populism. Irelands housing crisis has its roots in the financial crash of 2008, which devastated the countrys economy and stopped virtually all new building projects in their tracks. Peoples wages eventually recovered, but home prices exploded, soaring by 90 percent in Dublin since 2012. That pushed more and more people into the private rental market. Strict new rules on mortgage lending, widely embraced as needed protection from another financial crisis, are one factor limiting peoples housing options. Another is the governments decision to rely on what critics deride as market-based responses to the housing shortage, rather than building new public housing. Soaring rents driven even higher, critics say, by a misguided subsidy system are taking ever larger chunks out of young peoples wages, making it all but impossible for them to save for a down payment on a house. And because Ireland has long treated renting as little more than a stopgap before people inevitably buy homes, its weak tenant protections allow landlords to evict renters almost at will. Brian McLoughlin, the head of communications for Inner City Helping Homeless in Dublin, said the group had seen an explosion of families seeking help in recent years after being evicted by landlords. Often, the government houses them in hotel rooms, where the conditions can be severely cramped. UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link Delhi violence: One of five injured men, forced to sing National Anthem, dies India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 29: A 23-year-old man, seen lying injured on the ground in a video clip in which policemen can be seen making him and four other young men sing the national anthem, has died of his injuries. The man has been identified as Faizan, a resident of Kardampuri in northeast Delhi, one of the areas hit by violence. The video that emerged on Tuesday shows five men lying injured on a street and other men in police gear telling the injured to sing the national anthem and Vande Mataram. Faizan was admitted to the neurosurgery ward on Tuesday with gunshot wounds and died early Thursday morning. He was in a critical condition, the doctor added. The death toll in the Delhi's communal violence has gone up to 42 now with four more fatalities being recorded at the city's GTB Hospital. Delhi govt to launch WhatsApp number to lodge complaint about hate messages The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital has recorded 38 deaths, the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital three, and the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital has reported one. Nearly 7,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the affected areas of the northeast district since Monday to assist hundreds of Delhi police men and women to maintain peace. More than 250 people have been injured in the communal clashes. The areas mainly affected include Jafrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 14:57 [IST] Celebrate Old School Justice After getting robbed 4 years ago, police reimburse 93-year-old Kansas City woman $5,700 by: FOX 4 Newsroom Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It's not every day that a police officer comes knocking, only to give you $5,700. Yet, that's what happened to Jimmie Charlene Herbst on February 27. In 2016, Officer Erik Winters found Herbst living alone in a home that he described as uninhabitable, according to a statement from KCPD. Teaching KC Coping Skills Anti-gun violence program focuses on conflict resolution KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Conflict resolution will be the theme for a program focused on ending gun violence. Friday, Feb. 28, is U-ROC Against Gun Violence Conflict Resolution Day. U-ROC stands for "Uniting and Reclaiming Our Community." The intent of the conflict resolution event is to rebuild relationships with family and friends and get people talking in their communities. Tech Collab Considered Is Ring reducing crime? Outcomes of police partnerships difficult to measure KANSAS CITY, Mo. - More than 800 law enforcement agencies across the country have inked agreements with Ring, the video doorbell company now owned by Amazon. That includes more than a dozen departments around the metro, who were drawn to Ring's mission to "Make Neighborhoods Safer." Weekend Cleanup City, property management company working to remove pile of tenant's belongings After tenants at 100 Cypress were evicted, a mountain of the tenants' property was piled up on the curb, completely covering the sidewalk. Travis Silvers, Illegal Dumping Inspector in the Northeast community, gave the property owner and property management company a 24-hour notice on Thursday, Feb. End Of The Week Witnessed Kara Del Toro Ass and Braless Underboobs for Photoshoot Kara Del Toro Ass and Braless Underboobs for Photoshoot, Kara Del Toro, Booty, Braless, Kara Del Toro Ass, Photoshoot, Underboobs, LISTEN TO HILLARY!?! Yes, Hillary Clinton will soon have a podcast, too Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is ready to get her voice to the masses again, and in the most 2020 way of doing so, she's looking to podcasts. Her still-untitled show will be co-produced by iHeartMedia, a radio station conglomerate that has leaned heavily into podcasts, and it will be released this spring. La Migra Setback Federal Appeals Court Blocks Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' Policy | National Review A federal appeals court has blocked the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy that requires asylum seekers who attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed in the U.S. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Coronavirus Trash Talk House Dem threatens Trump Jr. with 'serious altercation' for calling out left on coronavirus Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., appeared to threaten Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, on Friday, warning that they better not be in close quarters or they could have a "serious altercation." He made those comments on MSNBC while discussing the coronavirus. Legacy Of Service Continues Family of fallen crossing guard creates scholarship fund for Christ the King Parish School students The family of a fallen crossing guard has established a new way to honor him - by helping others.Bob Nill, 88, was killed while trying to save two children at the intersection of 54th Street and Leavenworth Road near Christ the King Parish School in Kansas City, Kansas.His family is now creating a scholarship fund to help kids attend Christ The King and to support educational materials at the school.If you would like to help, a GoFundMe page to support the scholarship fund has been set up. Local Dead-Tree Decline St. Joseph News-Press to print newspaper four days a week ST. JOSEPH, MO (AP) -- The St. Joseph News-Press plans to reduce the number of days it prints and distributes a newspaper from seven days to four. Newspaper executives told employees Friday it will continue to publish an online newspaper seven days a week. The days the paper will be printed have not been determined. Almost Kansas City Springtime Temps reach 50s Friday, 60s Saturday and Sunday Hide Transcript Show Transcript WE SAW ALL THE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, IT IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT. NICK: LOTS OF OUTDOOR STUFF SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. BOTH OF DAYS WILL BE WONDERFUL. 60'S WITH SOME CLOUDS. 60'S TO FINISH FEBRUARY AND START MARCH, THAT IS A GIFT. WE SEE LITTLE ON THE FIRST ALERT RADAR. For our fellow clock watchers we share this quickie collection of pop culture, community news and just a bit of info from across the nation and around the world.And this is thefor right now . . . Internet giants, including Facebook, and Twitter, have threatened to suspend their services in over the new censorship rules introduced by the government, according to a media report. The Tehreek-e-Insaaf government announced a new set of rules to regulate social media activity and has given all digital companies and social media platforms three months to adhere to the new regulations. Under the new rules, social media companies will be obliged to disclose any information or data to a designated investigation agency, when sought. Failure to abide by any of the provisions will entail a fine of up to Rs 500 million. In a letter written to Prime Minister on February 15, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) comprising Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Apple and other tech giants urged the government to revise the new sets of rules and regulations for social media, the News reported on Friday. The internet giants, however, threatened to suspend their services in the country if the rules are not amended, the report said. "The rules as currently written would make it extremely difficult for AIC members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses," the letter said, referring to the Citizens' Protection Rules. Expressing concern over the new set of rules, the AIC said that the government had not taken into confidence stakeholders before introducing them. The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) is an industry association that comprises leading internet and technology companies, namely Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, AirBnb, Apple, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Grab, LinkedIn, LINE, Rakuten, and Yahoo. Terming the new regulations as "vague and arbitrary in nature", the AIC said that the way they were passed was causing companies to re-evaluate their view of the regulatory environment in and their willingness to operate in the country. Under regulations that were approved by the Cabinet late last month but were not immediately made public, social media companies will be obliged to help law enforcement agencies access data and to remove online content deemed unlawful. The new set of rules were approved at a cabinet meeting without being brought up in Parliament for discussion. According to the report, the AIC said it was not against regulation of content on social media but was concerned about internet freedom in the country. "We are not against regulation of social media, and we acknowledge that Pakistan already has an extensive legislative framework governing online content. However, these rules fail to address crucial issues such as internationally recognized rights to individual expression and privacy," the AIC said. However, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said on Tuesday that the bill was not final and that meetings were being held to revise it. The seemingly unexplained incident a few weeks ago, captured by onboard cameras, led federal highway safety regulators to take swift action and all but order the vehicles off the road while they launched a review. In a letter to operators using the same kind of shuttle, an official with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wrote that continuing to carry passengers may present an unacceptable safety risk. By Trend The purpose of cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan is to strengthen activities in the energy sector by diversifying energy sources, Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alessandra Todde said. Todde made the remark in Baku at the event dedicated to the sixth ministerial meeting of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor, Trend reports from the event February 28. The deputy minister said that Italys position is that the Southern Gas Corridor is the basis for ensuring energy security for both suppliers and consumers. Energy cooperation has a great future, Todde noted. The memorandum of understanding in the field of energy was signed by the respective ministers of the two countries during the visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy, the deputy minister added. The sixth ministerial meeting is being held in Baku within the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor. Among the participants are representatives of BP, Southern Gas Corridor, BOTAS, TPAO, TANAP, TAP, SNAM, Fluxys, ICGB AD, Transgaz, SNGN Romgaz SA, Uniper Global Commodities SE, Bulgargaz EAD, SACE, Plinacro and international financial institutions, namely, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and European Investment Bank. The first ministerial meeting as part of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council was held on February 12, 2015, the second meeting on February 29, 2016, the third meeting on February 23, 2017, the fourth meeting on February 15, 2018 and the fifth meeting on February 20, 2019. The recent riots in Delhi were the latest in a series of the police failures to uphold the law during the demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or the CAA. These failures do not come as a surprise. They are the inevitable consequences of something I have written about in this column several times before the relentless attack of politicians on the autonomy of institutions, and the failure of police officers, civil servants, public sector managers, and others to resist the attack. Writing about the Delhi riots, distinguished retired police officer Prakash Singh, now chairman of The India Police Foundation, said, Police response invariably reflects the bias of the ruling party. In his book Police and Politics another distinguished police officer, Kirpal Singh Dhillon, pointed out that the police, far from having gained autonomy at Independence to become a force which serves the public, remained a colonial force which served the government. The most tragic outcome of the police handling of the anti-CAA protests has been the death of 42 people including two policemen. The most blatantly political police act was unnecessarily barricading roads to spread chaos for commuters, thus creating hostility to the Shaheen Bagh sit-in, giving the Bharatiya Janata Party its main issue in the Delhi election campaign. After visiting the sit-in, former Chief Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah, told the Supreme Court (SC) in an affidavit, There are numerous roads that have no connection with the protests that have been barricaded by the police unnecessarily abdicating their responsibilities and duties and wrongly laying the blame on the protest. The polices loss of their rightful autonomy and its impact on their functioning has long been recognised. In 1977, the Janata Party government established the National Police Commission. In its reports, it maintained that political control over the police had led to gross abuses resulting in erosion of the rule of law and loss of police credibility as a professional organisation. However, when the commissions reports were published after Indira Gandhis return to power, they were sent to state governments by the Centre with the recommendation that no notice should be taken of observations about the political system or the functioning of the police because the commission was unduly critical. Because, broadly speaking, no notice was taken of the National Police Commissions criticisms and recommendations. In 2006, in the case of Prakash Singh v the Union of India, the SC issued six directives to state governments to ensure they did not exercise undue influence on the police. But Singh himself said, the old order prevaileth. This is born out by last years Status of Policing in India Report compiled by Common Cause and its partners. About a third of the police personnel interviewed had experienced political pressure on several occasions. The most common punishment for the police who dont bow to political pressure is suspension or transfer. The report quotes an example the majority of the investigating staff of a police station in Himachal Pradesh were transferred for issuing challans to vehicles of local politicians. The officers who lead Delhis police can be transferred anywhere in India. Is it going too far to ask whether the fear of a punishment transfer, or worse, the humiliation of a suspension, delayed their controlling the rioting until the arrival of the National Security Adviser gave them a clear indication of the action the government wanted them to take? The views expressed are personal Ah, travel. Its so aspirational. So enchanting. So desirable. I have devoted my life to exploring the world, but in doing so I must point out that sometimes, travelling is anything but enjoyable. In fact, it can sometimes be a hell even Dante couldnt conjure. Lets start with the actual travel part, shall we? There is a great saying that its not the destination but the journey that matters. And to that I say, like hell it is! I have devoted my life to exploring the world, but in doing so I must point out that sometimes, travelling is anything but enjoyable. Credit:iStock Even if I were trapped in a world with Coldplay on constant repeat, I cant imagine a punishment like some of the flights I have taken mostly in the middle seat of the middle row on long-haul economy. But worse is when that row is the very last on the plane, sharing a wall with a bank of toilets where you can not only hear whether its a one or a two being evacuated, its followed by a crescendo of noisy flushing and a deodoriser mist so noxious it would make napalm smell like cologne in comparison. Iceland has reportedly confirmed its first case of the novel coronavirus after a man in his 40s tested positive for the COVID-19 on February 28. The patient returned from a tour to northern Italy to the subarctic region as per reports. The man was quarantined at the National University Hospital of Iceland at around 1pm to curb the further spread of the disease due to transmission, confirmed Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management in media reports. The government agency said in a statement that the man who contracted the strain of the novel coronavirus was in a better health condition, although he showed symptoms of the COVID-19. It said that the man had recently visited Italy and had been outside the designated risk areas, and yet he tested positive for the disease. The authorities further added that an investigation was ongoing to track the contacts and the patients pathway to detect the people exposed to him. As a preventive measure to stem the contagion, they would be isolated and monitored by the health officials. Containment efforts planned days ahead According to the reports, the coordination center of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management in Skogarhli, Reykjavik had enabled planning and containment efforts days ahead in view of the epidemic of the coronavirus in the countries worldwide. Read: California: Health Officials Unveil New Coronavirus Test Kits Read: Chinese Woman Spends 1.66 Million Yuan To Buy Anti-Coronavirus Masks, Receives Empty Box Rognvaldur Olafsson, the assistant chief constable reportedly said that the purpose of the coordination center was mainly a preventive measure to educate and coordinate the reactions on the coronavirus should the country face the epidemic situation. He said that Iceland was drafting contingency plans and was calling meetings to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak and authorities were focusing to lay the groundwork. Rognvaldur further explained that there would be an emphasis on monitoring the outbreak and measures to combat the spread via human-to-human transmission. The role of the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management would be preparedness to ensure the facilities were made available and the hospital infrastructures were well maintained to accommodate the coronavirus patients. Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Taiwan Confirms 38 More Cases Of Epidemic Read: Iceland Didn't Hunt Any Whales This Year And Public Appetite For Whale Meat Is Fading Ukraine's government sees no obstacles to the airline meeting its international legal obligations to compensate families. Ukraine's ambassador to Canada says his government will help Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne secure compensation from Ukraine International Airlines for the families of all those killed on Flight 752, including 57 Canadians. Champagne is in Kyiv next week for a meeting with the airline's chief, where he will try to speed up delivery of the compensation it must pay under international aviation law to the victims' families, The National Post said. Read alsoUkraine works on three "classified theories" about why Iran downed Ukrainian plane NSDC Envoy Andriy Shevchenko says his government sees no obstacles to the airline meeting its international legal obligations to compensate families. Shevchenko also says Champagne and his Ukrainian counterpart will be joined via teleconference by the foreign ministers of Sweden, Britain and Germany for a separate meeting about pursuing compensation from Iran. Those countries all lost citizens in last month's shootdown of the passenger jet by the Iranian military. Shevchenko says the Ukrainian airline will also be seeking compensation from Iran for the families of its own citizens who died in the crash. Nail art is having a moment. Gone are the days of a white-tipped French manicure being sufficient. Nails can be decorated in eye-popping skull designs, 3D eyeballs and even fur! Take a look at Gigi Hadid's $2,000 chrome manicure at the Met Ball, or Billie Eilish's Burberry plaid nails at the Brit Awards. Nail art has come into its own. If you fancy jazzing up your manicure, but don't want to go down the 4-inch Burberry nail route, I've given you some amazing nail artists' Instagram accounts for inspiration. I will be visiting the newly reopened Mink Salon (mink.ie) for its signature manicure treatment, and I might try a new look myself - the half moon. It's never been easier to embrace DIY nails, with long-wear nail varnishes and gel finishes available. I've listed my favourite finds for you to use at home. If you've left your varnish on for too long, and your nails have become discoloured, try this little mani trick to get them sparkling again. After removing your varnish, take some whitening toothpaste and using a nail-brush, gently scrub your nails. Wash off with warm, soapy water then give the nails a good buffing. Treat vs Cheat Treat Tweezerman Ultra Precision Cuticle Cutters For a DIY mani, try these excellent cuticle cutters for a pro finish; 44.95, from niche-beauty.com Cheat Video of the Day Champneys Cuticle Cutters An excellent budget beauty alternative for keeping nails neat; 12.99, from Boots nationwide Eight of the best: Nail care products Double up This genius new polish is a 2-in-1 - a nail polish and topcoat in one pen applicator. No more excuses for lazy manis where we can't be bothered applying a topcoat - now the two go in one. Use one end to apply your coloured polish, then the other end has the fast-drying long-wear topcoat. This polish lasts for seven days. Perfect for travelling. CND Vinylux 2 in 1, 19.50, from lookfantastic.com The midas touch For a luxe, at-home mani, why not try this professional-looking hand mask? I know it looks a bit bonkers, but hand masks have been used by pro therapists for years. These gloves have two layers, the first has lashings of Shea butter, rose-hip oil and rose water, and the outer layer is a protective foil layer which creates an intense warming effect to maximise absorption. Just pop on for 15 minutes for a shot of hydrating TLC for tired hands. Starskin VIP Gold Mask Hand, 12.99, from Brown Thomas. Filed away If we want healthy nails, we need to use a good file. Glass files have an everlasting abrasive surface (which prevents nails splitting). They also last for years. A good tip for filing is to always file in one direction, towards the centre of the nail. To mind your file, just rinse after use and leave. This file can also be used on artificial nails. Champneys Glass Nail File, 13.99, from Boots nationwide. Green goddess If you're on the look-out for an eco-friendly, Peta-certified, vegan polish that is also '7 Free' - ie free from the most toxic chemicals present in a lot of varnishes - then this is the brand for you. Coming in a tonne of colours, this is also chip-resistant, quick-dry and high-shine. Ella + Mila Polish, 14.95, from skinnfullaffairs.ie Gentle remover If you have thin, sensitive nails prone to peeling, your best bet is stay away from an acetone varnish remover. This is a great option for both natural and artificial nails - it will remove nail polish from artificial nails but wont remove the nails themselves. Sally Hansen Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover, 3.95, from pharmacies, retail outlets, and beautybuy.com Brighten up If my top trick (see opposite) didn't work for you, maybe you need a bit of extra help. This polish utilises optical-brightening particles to neutralise dull, yellow tones that can be left behind by dark polishes, and restores a bit of life to nails. Just apply one or two coats, and remove after a few days. Cutex Stained Nail Corrector, 10.50, from pharmacies nationwide. Cuticle care If we're a bit slack with taking care of our cuticles daily, they harden, crack and can turn into hangnails. How do we combat this? By just using a teeny bit of oil on them daily (even just a few times a week). This maintains cuticle suppleness. Just slick this oil on (can be used over manicure/polish) once a day and your hands will thank you for it. Mavala Cuticle Oil, 8.99, from pharmacies nationwide. Handy helper For a daily shot of hydration for your hands that won't leave you greasy-pawed, try this gem. Jam-packed with coconut and almond oil, this will sink in pretty fast and smells divine! Dove Nourishing Secrets Hand Cream, 3.80, from pharmacies nationwide. Whenever Bernie Sanderss socialism comes up in the Democratic debates, he deflects criticism by saying he favors something along the lines of Denmarks model. Sanderss debate rivals almost invariably let this answer pass. (I think Pete Buttigieg tried to take it on in the last debate but couldnt get the floor.) In reality, the policies Sanders advocates bear little resemblance to those of Denmark and other Scandinavian countries today. They do resemble many of the policies these countries tried 50 years ago. However, these policies failed and were discarded. The Vermont socialist is getting away with false advertising, including bait and switch. But with Sanders now the clear frontrunner, and perhaps on the verge of nailing down the nomination, some liberals are starting to look behind Sanderss Denmark dodge, as Buttigieg tried to do in the most recent debate. Fareed Zakaria calls Sanders on it in this Washington Post op-ed. He writes: The image [Sanders] conjures up is of a warm and fuzzy social democracy in which market economics are kept on a tight leash through regulation, the rich are heavily taxed and the social safety net is generous. That is, however, an inaccurate and highly misleading description of those Northern European countries today. Take billionaires. Sanders has been clear on the topic: Billionaires should not exist. But Sweden and Norway both have more billionaires per capita than the United States Sweden almost twice as many. Not only that, these billionaires are able to pass on their wealth to their children tax-free. Inheritance taxes in Sweden and Norway are zero, and in Denmark 15 percent. The United States, by contrast, has the fourth-highest estate taxes in the industrialized world at 40 percent. The Scandinavian economies were once more in line with Sanderss socialist vision, but these policies were ruinous. Accordingly, they eventually were abandoned: In Sweden, government spending as a percentage of gross domestic product doubled from 1960 to 1980, going from approximately 30 percent to 60 percent. But as Swedish commentator Johan Norberg points out, this experiment in Sanders-style democratic socialism tanked the Swedish economy. Between 1970 and 1995, he notes, Sweden did not create a single net new job in the private sector. In 1991, a free-market prime minister, Carl Bildt, initiated a series of reforms to kick-start the economy. By the mid-2000s, Sweden had cut the size of its government by a third and emerged from its long economic slump. The story is essentially the same throughout Northern Europe, including in Denmark, according to Zakaria. And speaking of Denmark: A 2008 OECD report found that the top 10 percent in the United States pay 45 percent of all income taxes, while the top 10 percent in Denmark pay 26 percent and in Sweden 27 percent. Among wealthy countries, the average is 32 percent. The United States has a significantly more progressive tax code than Europe, and its top 10 percent pays a vastly greater share of the countrys taxes than their European counterparts. Sanders doesnt want Denmarks taxation policy. Nor does he advocate other key elements of the Danish model flexible labor markets, light regulations, and a deep commitment to free trade. Sanders favors policies much more along the lines of those that failed Scandinavia in the 1960s and 1970s. Or perhaps a mixture of those policies and the ones that are failing in Venezuela today. As I said, liberals have been slow to point this out. If Sanders is the Democratic nominee, conservatives, with President Trump in the lead, wont be. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 06:56:41|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HELSINKI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The annual remembrance day of the Finnish national epic Kalevala, also known as Finnish Culture Day, was observed in the country on Friday. Kalevala was published in 1849 and is based on collection of folklore tales and poems by Elias Lonnrot, a philologist. Kalevala is deeply rooted in the minds of the Finns and well-known among not only Nordic countries but also other parts of Europe. As a way to mark the event, the Finnish Literature Society on Friday published the internet-based "Open Kalevala", which makes possible cross-reading of texts with researcher comments and the original sources collected by Lonnrot. Various other activities were also held in Finland to observe the day, among which a cultural seminar organized by artists and enthusiasts drew many people to the Helsi Central Library Oodi on Friday. Audience shared their views on the epic as well as sang songs and recited poems from it. When Kalevala was published, Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy under Trarist Russia. It actually helped Finland establish its independent culture and national identity. "When a notion about Finns as a nation started gaining ground, Kalevala served as a proof that Finnish culture actually existed," researcher Juhana Saarelainen said in newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Kalevala was a major asset in forming the Finnish national identity and also in gaining international recognition. In recent discussion, the peaceful character of Kalevala has increasingly come up. Saarelainen noted that compared to many other folk epics, the personalities of Kalevala are less heroic but more human. "Instead of fighting, they fail and cry. Kalevala does not tell about wars than about human relations and emotions," he underlined. Health officials are tracing anyone who has been in contact with a coronavirus patient who became the first to catch the illness within the UK. Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said it was not clear if the patient had contracted the virus directly or indirectly from somebody who had recently travelled abroad. The new diagnosis brought the total number of UK cases to 20 on Friday, while a man who had been on a quarantined cruise ship became the first Briton to die from the virus. Public Health England (PHE) said that one of the latest coronavirus cases was a resident in Surrey and it was working with the county council to manage the situation. Haslemere Health Centre in the county has reopened after it was temporarily closed for cleaning as a precautionary measure on Friday. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, said on Twitter he was thinking of clinicians, staff and patients at the surgery during this worrying time. He added: Thoughts today with new Covid19 patient and local GP with symptoms alongside their families. Thinking of clinicians, staff and patients at the Haslemere Health Centreworrying time but I know local NHS and @SurreyCouncil working tirelessly to keep everyone as safe as possible. Thoughts today with new Covid19 patient and local GP with symptoms alongside their families Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) February 29, 2020 On Saturday morning, health minister Edward Argar refused to comment on reports that a GP may have been infected with coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. Im aware of The Guardian report, but Im going on the basis of what Ive been told, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. Story continues I havent had any details of that and I think it would be wrong to comment on speculation in the press without that detailed advice from the chief medical officer. Mr Argar also defended the Prime Minister against criticism that he had been slow to act on coronavirus, having delayed chairing his first emergency Cobra meeting on the outbreak until Monday. (PA Graphics) It comes as the Government prepares to bring in new emergency powers to help stop the virus spreading. The PA news agency understands that this will give schools, councils and other parts of the public sector powers to suspend laws including health and safety measures to cope with a pandemic. Meanwhile, a British man, reported to be in his 70s and said to have lived abroad, was confirmed as the first UK citizen to die from the virus on Friday. The man, who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Japans coast amid the outbreak, was the sixth person from the vessel to have died. David Abel and his wife Sally were both on board the ship, where more than 700 tourists became infected, and are now undergoing treatment for the virus in hospital. A woman wearing a face mask at Leicester Square tube station (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Mr Abel said in a YouTube video: Sad news this morning, wasnt it? We awakened to that, to hear that one of the Brits has sadly passed away in hospital out here in Japan. Our thoughts, our concern is for all of the families left behind. We are fortunate, were doing OK, were being really, really well cared for. It comes as a major real estate exhibition due to take place in Cannes next month announced the event would be postponed due to fears of the virus spreading. MIPIM, which bills itself as the worlds leading property market, was due to open on March 10 but has been rescheduled for between June 2 and 5. The new case takes the total number of cases in England up to 18, while there has been one confirmed case in Northern Ireland and one in Wales. Waless chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said the first diagnosed patient in Wales had recently travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe. In Tenerife, hundreds of guests have been confined to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after at least four tourists, including an Italian doctor, were diagnosed with coronavirus. However, six Britons were among those who were told they could leave on Friday by Spanish authorities because they arrived at the hotel on Monday after those who tested positive had been taken to hospital. The number of people sickened by the virus climbed to more than 85,000 globally on Friday and there were more than 2,850 deaths, most of them in China. The Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Jens-Petter Kjemprud, Friday, made a stop-over visit to the Port Harcourt home of the late environmental activist and Ogoni leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Mr Saro-Wiwa, together with eight of his kinsmen, was executed by Sani Abacha-led military regime on November 10, 1995, under controversial circumstances. A section of the late activists home, located at 24 Aggrey Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, now houses a hub and a foundation named after him. The ambassador was in Rivers State to view the ongoing Ogoni cleanup operation by the Nigerian government. He was taken round the foundation, the hub, and the private office of late Mr Saro-Wiwa by the younger brother to the late activist. When the visiting delegation entered late Mr Saro-Wiwas office everyone, including Mr Kjemprud, was said to have felt sober and could not hold back tears. Mr Saro-Wiwas brother, who ushered his visitors to the door for them to step out, stayed behind the office. He placed his two palms upon his late brothers table, lowered his head down for some minutes and began sobbed quietly, a member of the delegation told PREMIUM TIMES. He was wiping his tears when he led us outside, Fyneface Dumnamene, an indigene of Ogoni, who accompanied Mr Kjemprud on the visit said. For me, it was a sober moment to see where a hero, someone that gave all he had for the people, used to sit. As a younger generation of Ogoni, I only was able to see him once when he came to campaign in Eleme in 1993, Mr Dumnamene said. Walking into an office I have never been to before and his younger brother leading us and the ambassador to the desk, said this is where he used to sit. He said that chair you see over there is his chair, this is his table. All that you see on the table are his personal effects. Mr Dumnamene said the struggle led by Mr Saro-Wiwa has brought some achievements but not as much as the Ogoni people would have wanted. The struggle, he said, was against the pollution of Ogoniland, the economic deprivation and political marginalisation of the people. He said out of these three, it is only the environmental issues that is about to be addressed, but that even the Ogoni cleanup is poorly handled. He said the key components of the clean-up project such as the provision of potable water for the people have not yet been implemented by the project handlers. A renowned environmental activist, Nnimmo Bassey, told PREMIUM TIMES in 2018 that the controversy over the death of Mr Saro-Wiwa would remain unresolved until the Nigerian government exonerates him of the false charges. His death remains a matter that is yet to be resolved because the state necessarily has to exonerate him of the false charges and the kind of kangaroo judgment that was given by that tribunal, Mr Bassey said. Besides, the state has to apologise to the victims and to the Ogoni people for executing them when the appeal period had not even elapsed. Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated on Saturday that Egypt has contacted France to follow up on the latter's announcement on Thursday that two coronovirus cases were detected among people who were recently on a tourist trip to Egypt. Madbouly said that Egypt has learnt on Friday that the two cases were staying in Egypt with a tourist group between 5 and 16 February, and knew information about where they were staying. He asserted that as soon as the information was obtained, the health ministry and state bodies took the necessary measures in the tourist group's place of residence and confirmed that the rest of the group had already left the country. Madbouly said that since yesterday, all workers at the tourist group's place of residence in Egypt, as well as the people they engaged with, have been undertaking medical examinations to make sure none was infected. Madbouly's statement came during his visit to Hurghada Airport to follow up on the health procedures conducted on the tourists arriving at the airport. The prime minister was in the city for an inspection tour of a number of projects. The premier stressed that the government follows up on suspected cases and conducts the necessary tests and that none has tested positive. Madbouly pointed out that there is a host of rumours circulating in this regard, citing an example of two European tourists in Hurgada who were rumoured to carry the virus. After isolating them and carrying out the necessary tests they were proven to be coronoavirus-free. Prime Minister Madbouly asserted that transparency is indispensable for fighting the disease. He stressed that the Egyptian government doesn't conceal information on the virus. During his visit to Hurghada airport, Madbouly inspected the quarantine measures that were taken with a group of tourists coming to the city on an aircraft. He made sure of the availability of all necessary medical devices for examination at the airport, and that preventive measures are being taken in case any person exhibited symptoms of coronavirus. Egypt confirmed its first and only coronavirus case on 14 February. Afew days later, the Egyptian health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the case no longer had the disease. Since the novel coronavirus appeared last December in China, it has infected more than 85,000 people globally and killed more than 2,900. Most of the infections and deaths are in mainland China. On Friday, the WHO upgraded the global risk from the coronavirus to its highest level. Search Keywords: Short link: When it comes to releasing a film of a big star, Bollywood prefers to play safe. For decades, Salman Khan has reserved Eid for releasing his films, Shah Rukh opts for New Year, whereas Akshay Kumar generally releases his films during Independence Day or other national holidays. However, this time, the Khiladi of B-town is releasing his most anticipated film, Sooryavanshi, with Rohit Shetty, on March 24 when Maharashtra will celebrate Gudi Padwa the Marathi New Year. The film will not only release on Tuesday but will also be running in theatres 24/7. This announcement is in the wake of the Maharashtra governments new directive that allows shopping malls, restaurants and cinema halls to remain open round the clock. The films director Rohit Shetty took to Instagram stating, Indias First Cop Universe A new release day Not Fridaybut Tuesday And A new Initiative Mumbai 247. With Sooryavanshi Mumbai theatres will be up and running, 24 x 7AA RAHI HAI POLICE, 24th March 2020 Evening 6 pm Onwards#sooryavanshion24thmarch. (sic). Soon after, Akshay too shared the news on his Twitter account. He wrote, Aint no time for crime coz Aa Rahi Hai Police! #Sooryavanshi releasing worldwide on 24th March. #SooryavanshiOn24thMarch. (sic). Cashing on star power While this is the first time in decades that a film is releasing on Tuesday, it is also the first to have shows late night. However, one wonders if the audiences will warm up to the idea of watching a film post midnight. According to film distributor Raj Bansal, films like Sooryavanshi can take the risk of screening it round-the-clock. In the case of Sooryavanshi, this will work because this is one of the most anticipated films. Small films cant take that risk of running 24/7. But seeing the cast and directors combination, it is expected to do well, says Bansal adding that it will be a treat to watch such films at night. But trade analyst Amul Mohan reveals that having shows late night has been there for some time in Mumbai. We have shows running till three in the morning, and with Sooryavanshi, they are just jumping into that and making it official because now, there is more awareness. They are using the situation for their best so more people will go to watch the film, he opines. Balancing of economics While the 24/7 shows open the opportunities for audiences to choose their show timings, will it manage to generate revenue for theatre-owners after considering the overhead costs? We are seeing this as a development which will offer more flexibility to our patrons with more show timings. However, the official instructions are awaited for us to make a clearer evaluation, says Alok Tandon, CEO-INOX Leisure Ltd. Mohan also feels that the film will reap benefits, as the second day of the release is a holiday in Maharashtra. Technically, the film is releasing on the holiday and the day prior will have preview shows starting late in the evening. The next day is the added benefit and makers will hike the ticket prices so they can earn the maximum profit even if people dont go for late night shows, says the trade analyst. He further adds that it is a rare scenario when a film is releasing on Tuesday and gets a five-day-long weekend. Inspired from south Although it is a new practice for Bollywood to have shows round the clock, the strategy has been existing in the south for over decades, specially when the film stars a big hero such as Rajinikanth, Ajith Kumar and Mahesh Babu, among other top stars. This is a norm in South. They release a film early in the morning and go till late nights. I think Rohit Shetty and Akshay Kumar are taking the lead from South and now there is a law as well, so it gives them the permission and makes it more valid, concludes Mohan. The action drama will also have Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn in special roles The Trump administration has informed Moscow that the US is open to holding a summit with other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in hopes of pushing for three-way arms control pact with Russia and China, a senior administration official said Friday. The New START treaty, the last major arms-control treaty remaining between the US and Russia, expires in 2021. There has been talk of negotiating an extension to the existing treaty, but the White House thinks the next generation of arms control must also include China, which is expected to at least more than double its stockpile during the next decade Russia has asked the US to extend the New START treaty for up to five years, but Moscow also has embraced the idea of bringing China into an agreement. The US and Russia have has three bilateral meetings. The US and China have discussed having a similar dialogue, but the planned meeting would be the first time that representatives of all three countries would be at the same table discussing the issue. Russia wants to make a deal very much on arms control and nuclear. And thats smart. And so do we. We think it would be a good thing, Trump said at a news conference in December in London with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. And well also certainly bring in, as you know, China. And we may bring them in later, or we may bring them in now. China has nuclear weapons, ballistic missile capabilities and the know-how to make chemical and biological weapons and it is updating its nuclear arsenal. Beijing also has signed various international weapons agreements, but none limiting nuclear weapons. The time and place of the meeting has not been determined, but a senior administration official said the US will use the gathering to pursue a trilateral arms control agreement that would bring China into the fold. The meeting is expected to include leaders of the US, Russia, China, Britain and France the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to White House guidelines. The United States will use this opportunity to bring both Russia and China into the international arms control framework and head-off a costly arms race, the administration official said. Tim Morrison, former senior director for countering weapons of mass destruction at the National Security Council at the White House, said other countries might need to be pulled into arms control agreements in the future. I think it is essentially the direction of the future not only to bring the Chinese around to the necessity of negotiated restraint on weapons of mass destruction, and particularly nuclear weapons, but also to begin to think about the other nuclear weapon states ... particularly India and Pakistan and focus on how we ensure that we do not face a highly nuclearized security environment in the future, Morrison said at a recent event at George Washington University. A health worker conducts disinfection operations at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul, Wednesday. The Archdiocese of Seoul announced earlier this week that the 232 Catholic churches in Seoul would suspend Mass until March 8 because of the deadly coronavirus. This the first time for the church to suspend services since the first Catholic Mass was held here in 1898. / Yonhap Some big megachurches' Sunday worship unaffected By Kang Hyun-kyung Korea's Catholic and Protestant churches have reacted differently to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. Earlier this week, the Archdiocese of Seoul announced that 232 Catholic churches in the city would suspend Mass until March 8, in an attempt to stop the spread of the killer virus. Within days, Catholic churches in other parts of the country had joined the move to suspend all public gatherings, including Sunday Mass, for the foreseeable future. However, big Protestant churches are divided about their Sunday worships. The Yeouido Full Gospel Church the nation's largest church, with some 560,000 registered members had said earlier that it would reduce the number of its Sunday services from seven to five starting this coming Sunday. Senior members of the church met on Thursday to decide whether to suspend or continue to push for the Sunday worships. Later that day, it was agreed that the Sunday services would continue. The church, however, abruptly backed down on Friday and has announced to suspend its Sunday worships temporarily. Meanwhile, other big churches in Seoul and the surrounding suburban areas have said that their Sunday worship services will not be affected. Ban Byung-yule, a professor of history at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, was rueful about the "unheedful megachurches." "The coronavirus is a common threat to all community members and big churches are expected to work together with others and play a role to help the public remain safe," he said. The historian said the role of Protestants and Catholics in the community changed after World War II. "Protestants were more community-oriented, particularly during the Japanese colonial rule, and they were very active in Korea's independence movement. But Protestant churches, particularly megachurches, have become more independent and passive since," he said. "What we've seen since the 1970s is Catholics' increasing role in social or key national issues. Catholics are vocal on social injustice." The internet is divided over some megachurches' continuance of Sunday worships, with many people critical of them. "Are you doing this because you guys think you won't be infected with the virus?" one person wrote on social media. "Look at what Catholic churches did. Follow what they've done," another wrote. Others, however, tried to remain neutral, pointing their fingers instead at the government. "Even though several churchgoers are confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus after Sunday worship services, I think we cannot blame (the churchgoers). This is because the government is ultimately responsible for the spread of the virus. Had it effectively coped with the epidemic in the incipient period, we wouldn't have seen a situation like this. So, don't blame the churchgoers or their leaders," another wrote. Some commenters are drawing critical comparisons between the Catholic and Protestant churches, praising the Myeongdong Cathedral for what they call a "thoughtful and courageous" action to put public safety ahead of religious bureaucracy. Shelter for democracy fighters The temporary shutdown of Korea's iconic Catholic Cathedral is the first of its kind in the church's 122-year history, since Mass was first held there in 1898 upon completion of the construction of the church. As the nation's first Catholic place of worship, the Myeongdong Cathedral has come to represent a history of persecution and fight for freedom endured by the religion in Korea, starting with the sacrifices of early believers during the Joseon Dynasty. The church site was once a housing area for Kim Bum-woo, the first Korean Catholic believer to be persecuted in the 1780s. Kim was an interpreter and a first generation member of the Catholic Church in Korea, who was baptized by Korean priest Lee Seung-un and given the Christian name Thomas. Kim offered his own home as a location for secret gatherings among Catholics at the time, but the meetings were discovered by government authorities in 1785 and Kim was arrested and punished. It has been argued that class discrimination played a part in his persecution, as the other members all from upper-class families were released with a warning. Lower-class Kim was severely beaten, and exiled to the remote southeastern town of Milyang. He died in 1787 from complications from his injuries. In 1894, French priest Marie-Jean-Gustave Blanc purchased Kim's house in Seoul in order to construct a Catholic church. Construction was completed in 1898 under the supervision of another French priest, Eugene Jean George Coste. The church was named 'Jong-heon Cathedral', and changed to 'Myeongdong Cathedral' in 1945. The cathedral's historical decision to shut down, albeit temporarily, has reminded many of its role in Korea's road to democracy. During Korea's military dictatorship from the 60s to 80s, the Catholic Church was known for offering a helping hand to those who were vulnerable and oppressed. Because of this, Catholic leaders had a choppy relationship with the authoritarian government and, in 1974, a Catholic priest was arrested and interrogated by the national spy agency for allegedly assisting student activists. Myeongdong Cathedral became a hideout for democracy fighters in the 1980s, when the country's pro-democracy movement reached its peak. After the Gwangju Uprising in May, 1980, Cardinal Stephan Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009) sent an open letter to all Catholics, requesting they pray for Korea and the victims of the mass killing in the southwestern city. The priest also issued a special declaration on the uprising. At the time, Catholics gathered at the Myeongdong Cathedral for an overnight Mass to pray for the nation in turmoil. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. is realistic about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is "seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation." Speaking after the signing ceremony in Qatar, Pompeo said he was still angry about the September 11, 2001 attacks that were planned in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. He says the US will not squander" what its soldiers have won through blood, sweat and tears. He says the U.S. will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban do not comply with the agreement. The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing U.S. troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the U.S. would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining U.S. forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W. Bush ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Some U.S. troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The U.S. spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by U.S. politicians and the American public. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban harbored bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Pompeo had privately told a conference of U.S. ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah, said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the U.S. out of its endless wars in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The US has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This March , Michelle Cahill brings her solo performance Thirteen Steps to the Attic to The Dunamaise Arts Centre as part of a spring tour across the country. Exploring intimacy between Him and Her, connected by words on a page, interspersed with moments of tenderness and humour, Thirteen Steps to the Attic is a multi-layered montage of movement and text performed with a live sound-score and recorded tracks from the eclectic band Thieves of Silence. In an attic, in a house, with only letters for company, a woman takes a precarious step into the vibrancy of her imagination. Based on a true story. In 2015, Michelle returned to Yorkshire after a break of 14 years. She found herself standing in the house shed once lived in. In an instant a life flashed before her eyes. Momentarily situated in the past and present. Memories of Him and Her, secrets, a box of letters. This experience was the impulse to create her first solo show with director Rowan Tolley. Michelle studied dance-theatre and performance in Yorkshire, London and Limerick. She was awarded an Arts Council bursary and a scholarship to study at Trinity LABAN, London, graduating in 1999. She worked in the UK and Spain before returning to Ireland in 2001. Her performance work over the past 20 years spans theatre, dance and film. Thirteen Steps to the Attic is her first full-length solo show. Michelle is a producer with Rowan Tolley Company (UK) and works part time as the programme coordinator for Shawbrook, a bespoke dance studio space in Longford. Thirteen Steps to the Attic premiered in Cork 2018, then went on to Galway Theatre Festival (May 2018) and Smock Alley Theatre, (Dublin 2019). This Spring, Thirteen Steps to the Attic will tour to Backstage Theatre, Longford, The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton and Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise. Performed by Michelle Cahill, directed by Rowan Tolley, set design by David Carney, music composed and played by Thieves of Silence, re-lighter Blue Hanley. Original production funded by The Arts Council Dance Project Award and supported by Shawbrook, Dance Ireland, Tipperary Dance Platform, FringeLAB and produced in association with Firkin Crane. Thirteen Steps to the Attic comes to the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, on Thursday, March 5, at 8pm. The running time is 55 mins. Tickets are available now, priced 16/14. For bookings telephone 057 866 3355, or go online at www.dunamaise.ie SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - On Feb 28, The Ministry of National Development (MND) revised development charge (DC) rates for the six-month period from Mar 1 to Aug 31. The DC rate is revised every six months. It is a tax levied by the government when planning permission is granted for development projects that increase the value of the land, for instance through rezoning to a higher value use, an increase in plot ratio or both. For non-landed residential use, only five out of the 118 DC sectors saw a decline in rates (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore) Residential For non-landed residential developments or redevelopments, DC rates have decreased an average of 0.2%. Only five out of the 118 DC sectors saw a decline in rates, according to Nicholas Mak, head of research & consultancy for ERA Realty. This is the third consecutive time that the average non-landed residential DC has decreased, he observes. The rate of decline is also getting smaller. A contributing factor to the smaller rate of decline (0.2%) in DC rate is due to significantly slower activity in the private land sale market since the latest property cooling measures were implemented in July 2018. Residential en bloc sales have been few and far between, adds Mak. Source: URA, ERA Research & Consultancy It was also sold for $29 million, 3.3% lower than the $30 million asking price (Photo: ERA) The largest decrease of 7% was for Sectors 34 and 35 which include areas such as Sophia Road, Upper Wilkie Road, Cavenagh Road, and Bukit Timah Road. Mak attributes the decline in DC rates for Sectors 34 and 35 to the en bloc sale of Casa Sophia in December 2019. It was the only reported land deal within the area in the last six months. It was also sold for $29 million, 3.3% lower than the $30 million asking price. The land price translated to $1,205 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr) including DC. Meanwhile, the DC rate in Sector 46 which includes Grange Rd/Irwell Bank Rd/Devonshire Rd declined 5.4%. This is reflective of the market sentiment and bids received for the Irwell Bank Road site at the close of the tender on Jan 9. The top bid of $1,515 psf ppr was below Colliers expectation and also below the implied land rate of $1,719 psf ppr prior to this latest DC rate revision, says Tricia Song, head of research for Singapore at Colliers International Story continues DC rate for landed residential use remain unchanged for the fifth consecutive quarter (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore) For landed residential use, DC rate has remain unchanged for the fifth consecutive time. The latest revision of the DC rates will not encourage any increase in activity in the private residential en bloc or land sale market, says Mak. The revision reflects that in the governments opinion, the residential land values in most parts of Singapore has not changed. The DC rate for the hotel, commercial, hospital and other uses remain unchanged too. Andaz Hotel at DUO twas sold to Hoi Hup Realty for $475 million ($1.4 million per key) last October (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore) Hotel There were a number of significant hotel transactions towards the end of last year, such as the sale of Andaz Hotel at DUO to Hoi Hup Realty for $475 million ($1.4 million per key) last October. Lasst November saw the sale of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay for $375.9 million to CDL and CapitaLand; and acquisition of W Singapore at Sentosa Cove for $324 million ($1.35 million per key) by Singapore-listed CDL Hospitality Trusts. It is interesting that development charges for hotels are not revised upwards, despite some sales evidence suggesting that hotel prices are still on the upward trend in the last six months or so, comments Christine Li, head of research for Singapore and Southeast Asia at Cushman & Wakefield. She reckons it is in response to the impact that the Covid-19 outbreak is having on the hospitality sector, which is likely to hit prices of hotel assets in the near-term. Last November saw the sale of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay for $375.9 million to CDL and CapitaLand (Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/EdgeProp Singapore) Colliers' Song is of the same view. Given the COVID-19 outbreak and potential 20-30% drop in the visitor arrivals in 2020, we see room for hotel DC rates to ease should transacted valuations fall," she says. Commercial In the commercial sector, DC rates were unchanged, reflecting the first pause after seven consecutive increases since September 2016, notes Song. The DC rate for commercial use has increased by an average of 1.7% in the previous revision. Capital values have stabilised - as reflected in some transactions in late-2019 which could explain why there was no change in the DC rate for commercial use, comments Song. Transactions in 4Q2019 include Bugis Junction Towers, which changed hands for $547.5 million ($2,200 psf) last October; and Robinson Centre, which was sold for $340 million ($2,568 psf) in December. Robinson Centre, which was sold for $340 million ($2,568 psf) in December (Photo: Sakal Real Estate Partners) Given how quickly the Covid-19 outbreak has developed, investment sales volume is likely to be affected in 1Q2020, says Cushman & Wakefields Li. Potential sellers could be reluctant to sell in the current weak environment as buyers take stock of the Covid-19 situation and re-adjust their acquisition strategy in view of the increased risks, she observes. Read also: See Also: About 80 actors, producers and technicians have been criss-crossing the Avalon Peninsula this week filming a French TV cop thriller. Paris-based production company Frenchkiss has teamed up with Newfoundland's Take the Shot Productions to film the second season of Maroni, a series broadcast in France on ARTE. After filming the show's first season in the heat and humidity of French Guyana, the snow and sleet of an East Coast winter came as a real shock for the Parisian crew, said makeup artist Carine Cabral. "It was hot, we were in the Amazonian forest. It's my first time in Newfoundland and it's really cold, but the scenery is beautiful," Cabral said. "But we do have to stay, all day, out on the set, in the cold, without moving." About 40 French crew members had already spent more than a month in St-Pierre-Miquelon before arriving in St. John's. Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada In the second season of Maroni, police officer Chloe Bresson returns home to the French overseas territory to investigate her mother's murder. But part of the intrigue involves a young girl Bresson follows to Newfoundland a plot twist that required 10 days of shooting in the St. John's area and on the southern shore of the Avalon. Tors Cove transformed On their first day of filming, last Friday, Tors Cove transformed for a few hours into a fictional Indigenous reserve called Roots River. Later in the week, downtown St. John's became the backdrop for a police shootout. Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada Take the Shot's co-producer Rob Blackie, who also helped produce TV drama Frontier, which aired on Discovery Channel and Netflix, said unexpected weather can wreak havoc during winter shoots. The days are shorter, he said, and wind and snow can arrive at any moment. Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada Weather issues closed the access road to the Tors Cove set the night before the first day of shooting. The team was almost forced to move the morning's scene to Avondale, a town 50 kilometres away. Story continues "TV and film projects are always very technical, they're always complex," said Blackie, who added planning for the Newfoundland shoot began months ago. Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada 2 teams, 2 languages Differences in language and workflow also added production challenges for the French and Canadian teams. "In one way, it's really cool to work with a Canadian team, to do things the American way. We have two very different ways of working. We met today and now we have to figure out how to work together," said Cabral. Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada "There has to be communication problems, but it's normal. The language and the culture is different," she said. French producer Noor Sadar agreed. "The first couple days, there will be a bit of work to adapt and learn how each team works," Sadar said. But that process that has to happen as quickly as possible, he said. "We have some busy days and a lot of things to film." Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada Taking advantage of the landscape Despite the conditions, Sadar says his team is happy to have chosen Newfoundland as one of its shoot locations. "We had asked ourselves, 'Should we just shoot this in Montreal? There are more teams there, more equipment, it'll be easier.' But when we came here to scope out the area with Olivier (Abbou, the director), we realized, 'Wow, it's beautiful,'" he said. "We'll be taking advantage of the landscape." After filming in Newfoundland, the Paris crew returns to French Guyana for a final week of filming. Season 2 of Maroni is set for broadcast in February 2021. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Need help in choosing MS Finance Program [ #permalink I have been admitted to MS Finance programs at Arizona State University (no scholarship), Syracuse University ($10,000 scholarship), SMU Cox ($4000 scholarship), UT Dallas (awaiting scholarship results). ASU, SMU Cox are 9 month and 12 month programs respectively, I want to study for the CFA level 2 exam during my course and since I am an international student I am preferring a 16 or 18 month program so that I can do internships. Which program should I choose? Please Help In this April 30, 2019 file photo, an employee walks past a Samsung Electronics logo at its office in Seoul. AP-Yonhap By Kim Yoo-chul Samsung is aiming to achieve a positive impact on society while strengthening its education-focused corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. The European Commission has previously defined CSR as "the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society." Samsung's de-facto leader and vice chairman Lee Jae-yong has emphasized the corporation's CSR strategy as an important competitive asset, and one that should be taken seriously by the firm. According to Samsung officials, this translates as having the policies and procedures in place to integrate social and consumer concerns with the company's operations and core strategies formed in close collaboration with both stakeholders and society. Samsung Electronics, the group's core business unit on all aspects, recently announced "Go Together for the Future! Enabling People!" as its revamped CSR vision. Under the new initiative, Samsung Electronics is expanding programs seeking shared growth with its local suppliers, as well as the provision of improved education for young adults. Its "Dream Class" and "Smart School" programs offer low-income families across the country opportunities for education and other benefits. Aside from financial contributions, Samsung also focuses on sharing some of its intellectual properties and supporting the community for a positive impact. In order to help young adults gain a competitive edge, Samsung has been providing free software-learning programs since 2018 with the goal of supporting the qualification of 10,000, young software engineers. Samsung leader Lee recently visited the company-assisted software educational center in Gwangju, southwest of Seoul, and said Samsung Electronics will continue to expand programs relevant to the growth of young engineers. "Samsung Dream Class," which has been operational since 2012, has so far provided 80,000 middle school students and 22,000 undergraduates with improved understanding of the world of software. In 2018, Samsung partnered with the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) ministry and the venture ministry to help some 2,500 local SMEs improve their manufacturing efficiency. At the time of the deal, Samsung said it would invest up to 110 billion won in the project over the next five years. Its "C-Lab Outside" program, a result of Samsung's initiatives to expand a startup-centric ecosystem, has also seen increased financial and administrative support with over 300 non-Samsung startups receiving assistance through the program. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, would witness the signing of a United States-Taliban agreement in Doha regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, announced US President Donald Trump on Friday. The deal is slated to be signed on Saturday. Trump, in a statement, also said that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan. "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home," Trump said. "These commitments represent an important step to lasting peace in a new Afghanistan, free from Al Qaeda, ISIS, and any other terrorist group that would seek to bring us harm. Ultimately it will be up to the people of Afghanistan to work out their future. We, therefore, urge the Afghan people to seize this opportunity for peace and a new future for their country," he added. The US and Taliban negotiators had agreed earlier this week to finalise the pact on February 29 if a seven-day cooling-off period passed off peacefully. The truce came into effect on Friday night. Trump had said he would put his name on the peace deal with the Taliban if a week went by without major violence in Afghanistan. Ahead of the deal signing, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla on Friday met acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Haroon Chakhansuri, here and conveyed India's support for Afghans in their pursuit for sustainable peace, security and development. Earlier in the day, a six-member delegation from the Afghan government left for the Qatari capital of Doha to hold talks with the Taliban. The team, personally chosen by President Ashraf Ghani, is being dubbed as "a group to establish initial contacts" with the Taliban, according to Tolo News. This meeting will be the first between the Afghan government and the Taliban. According to the group, a part of the agreement calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners. America has wanted a meeting between the Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government over the issue. But Kabul has been apprehensive over the discussion as they are unsure whether the Taliban would be willing to discuss other issues as well with the government team. The Taliban and Afghan leaders, including from the government, are expected to meet within 10 to 15 days of Saturday's signing. Both sides will negotiate the framework of Afghanistan post-war and issues that include a permanent ceasefire, the rights of women and minorities, and governance, reported Al Jazeera. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The lobby of the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center hosts the Beauty of Diversity exhibit. As America moves to fulfilling its description of a melting pot of people, FCVB is showcasing the faces of residents that make up the community of Franklin County. To celebrate African American and Womens History Months of February and March, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau is hosting the Beauty of Diversity Exhibit in the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center, located on the southwest quadrant of Memorial Square. As America moves to fulfilling its description of a melting pot of people, FCVB is showcasing the faces of residents that make up the community of Franklin County. Fueled by regional artist-photographer Phillip Michael Whitley, the exhibit offers nearly three dozen faces that highlight the evolving culture of Franklin County PA. The words of Mahatma Gandhi bring together the spirit of the exhibit: Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization. Whitely is an apt partner for the Beauty of Diversity exhibit, using his camera to make the world a more beautiful place one camera snap at a time. Whitely is also fueling a local exhibit at the Coyle Free Library, entitled Franklin Countys Female Firsts to celebrate Womens History Month 2020. Partnering with local genealogist Pam Anderson, the exhibit offers a sampling of first females in Franklin County. It is a fundraiser for the Franklin County Library System and Go Girls Goan initiative of Healthy Community Partnership. Whitleys additional community exhibits include Black Girl Magic and a celebration of individuals with Downs Syndrome. The Beauty of Diversity is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM, and will be highlighted at the Franklin County Visitors Bureaus 2020 Womens History event, Womens Voices: I AmWe Are on Saturday, March 21, at 1 PM. The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive from Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Plan a visit at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com, contact 866.646.8060, or stop at the new Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center in downtown Chambersburg, housed in a former 1865 bank. State taxpayers, and Mobile city and county taxpayers, have doled out millions of dollars in economic incentives to Airbus since before the aircraft manufacturing giant began churning out new jetliners from its Mobile plant five years ago. But none of those previous economic incentive packages emerged out of the halls of power in Baldwin County, which is Alabamas fastest-growing area and home to cities where many of Airbus workers and executives live. That changes on Tuesday, when the Baldwin County Commission is set to approve its first Airbus-related project agreement. The multi-part economic incentive package totals $2.5 million over five years. The first $500,000 of the incentive will go toward financing workforce initiatives that will be offered primarily to high school students and teachers through the Flight Works Alabama program. That program will soon be housed inside a $6.5 million, 18,000-square-foot aviation education center near Airbus sprawling complex at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile. Airbus does not have any physical presence in Baldwin County. The Flight Works center, expected to open in June, will have classrooms, an interactive exhibit area, workshops areas and an Airbus gift shop. The balance of Baldwin Countys investment will be paid out in $500,000 increments to Airbus for future developments. The payments will be due to Airbus before Oct. 31, for each of the next four years. Investing in this partnership with Airbus represents an investment in Baldwin Countys future, said County Commission Chairwoman Billie Jo Underwood. The Baldwin County agreement is similar to the one approved in November by the Mobile County Commission. That package also included $500,000 for workforce initiatives offered through Flight Works. Also, the Mobile City Council is committing up to $750,000 over the next five years to support Airbus workforce initiatives. The Flight Works building is being financed by the state and Airbus. The state is spending $5 million to construct, furnish and equip the building with exhibits. Airbus is committing $3 million to also support programs, classes, training and other Flight Works components. Its the only center of its kind in the U.S., and is unique for us to be participating in, said Airbus spokeswoman Kristi Tucker. Cooperative fashion with business Members of the Baldwin County Commission meet during the group's organizational meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, in Bay Minette, Ala. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com) The Baldwin incentives havent met any local criticism, and are expected to win unanimous County Commission approval. But some economists who track incentive deals in Alabama and elsewhere describe these kinds of awards as unnecessary. In the case of Airbus, they view the incentives as a token gift to a global powerhouse that boasts revenues of more than $750 billion annually. If the primary beneficiary of the Flight Works Alabama project is Airbus, I think it is about time that Airbus acts as a healthy member of the community by not accepting the incentive money and political leaders treat Airbus as such by not offering the incentive money, said coastal Alabama-based economist Semoon Chang. Dan Sutter, a professor of economics at the Sorrell College of Business at Troy University, said incentives are more likely for show than they are to bolster Airbus presence in Alabama. The company, he said, isnt going to relocate from Mobile if it doesnt receive fresh local government payouts. But Sutter said the investments by multiple governing bodies into training the regions workforce demonstrate a willingness to present a unified front in support of a major employer. I think one thing that incentive packages show is, to some extent, they are signals from local governments that the governments do intend to work in a cooperative fashion with business, said Sutter. Indeed, Baldwin leaders say that their investment reflects the countys interest in forging regional partnerships with other governments. In this case, the partnership is with Mobile County. The two counties, in recent months, have appeared split on one high-profile project -- the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway. Last year, the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization consisting of mayors, council members and county commissioners in Baldwin County -- voted to remove the $2.1 billion Bridge/Bayway its list of priorities, blocking it from qualifying for federal funding. The Eastern Shore MPO members, like thousands of Baldwin commuters, were upset by the states plan to assess stout tolls on motorists traveling the Bridge/Bayway. In Mobile, some public officials including Mayor Sandy Stimpson blamed Baldwin County for killing the project, rather than keeping it in play for more negotiation. Now, Baldwin County officials are talking about an alternative Bridge/Expressway project that would cost about $1 billion less. So far, however, Mobile County officials havent gotten on board. If we can work together as a region on a lot of things, that will give us a better and stronger position, Davis said. Its not a matter of who gets most or who splits up the most. Our two counties we have opportunities on both sides of the bay that are very unique and we need to be good marshals of that. Create career pathways A rendering of the planned Flight Works Alabama aerospace education center. Davis and other Baldwin County officials also describe the countys investment as one that will provide crucial job training to residents and boost their chances of hiring on at Airbus. The company has 1,100 workers in Mobile at present, and expects to add another 200 before the year of the year. Moreover, Airbus is building a $300 million second assembly line in Mobile that will produce its new A220 aircraft. That new line is scheduled to be completed this spring. According to Baldwin Countys agreement, county officials believe the new assembly line will add 469 indirect jobs to the region and more than $23 million in new payroll. Over the next decade, the county estimates that the A220 project will add 247 residents to Baldwin County, resulting in over $4.1 million in direct revenue to the County Commission and the county school system. Baldwin Countys incentives could go toward the A220 project, though the agreement doesnt specify that. Mobile city and county officials, early in 2019, authorized an additional $4 million each toward supporting the A220 plant. For its investment into the Flight Works side of the incentive package, Baldwin County will get the following: Fifty 10th-graders from each high school (public, private and home school) who are interested in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math will participate in a full-day learning experience at Flight Works applying curriculum with hands-on, real world applications. Each high school will be invited to send a team of five students and one teacher to an orientation to receive a manufacturing project/challenge. Each spring, the teams will return to Flight Works on Baldwin County Day to showcase their research and solutions to the public. Up to 50 STEM-subject teachers in middle and high schools will be invited to participate in two professional-development days, one being an all-inclusive day at Flight Works that includes lunch, tours, exhibits, classroom activities and teacher resources. Also available will be one day of web-based learning for an unlimited number of teachers. Applications to Airbuss FlightPath9 program will be available to all 11th-graders in Baldwin County. FlightPath9 provides 200 hours of aviation training and industry certification that, upon completion, places a student into Airbuss Fast Track job training program. The Baldwin County investment is also taking a longer-term approach. The Baldwin County school system is spearheading plans to build a $50 million, stand-alone high school dedicated to vocational technology. The curriculum will likely include programs crucial for a job at Airbus such as aircraft engine repair. The school is viewed as a first-of-its-kind in Alabama. It wont be under construction for another year, and there is no timeline for its completion. The county hasnt disclosed a location for the project. We are really excited about the partnership Airbus is committing to bring to the students and families of Baldwin County, said county schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler. And this could not come at a better time as the (school board) and our administration moves forward with plans for a new comprehensive career tech high school in Baldwin County. The countys agreement stipulates that Airbus and experts at Flight Works Alabama will provide guidance and insight in assisting the county in designing, constructing and equipping the new technical school as it relates to aviation. The future school is also likely to include other trade and technical education programs such as home building, robotics, plumbing, graphic arts, and health sciences. The new high school will be funded in part with public money in the School Boards Pay-As-You-Go capital construction program. It will also be supported by private sector partners. Lee Lawson, president & CEO with the Baldwin County Economic Development Council, said that more than 40% of the students graduating from Baldwin County high schools are heading straight into the workforce without going to a two-year community college, a branch of the military or a four-year college or university. This is another step in the direction of linking arms with business and industry to create a career pathway with those students, said Lawson. Regional workforce Baldwin Countys investment also illustrates the economic and cultural realities of coastal Alabamas Eastern Shore. Huge numbers of residents in Daphne, Spanish Fort, Fairhope and nearby communities who own houses and send their children to their local schools -- commute daily across Mobile Bay for work at Airbus and other Mobile employers. Airbus, at one point, cited an 80% figure to describe now many of its workers lived in the two counties Mobile and Baldwin. Tucker, the spokeswoman at Airbus, said the company has since stopped using that figure because with all the hiring last year, we did have to start reaching further afield. Lawson said he was unsure on how many Baldwin residents work at Airbus. He said, We know that 32,000 and change wake up daily in Baldwin County and drive out of Baldwin County to work. A majority drive to Mobile County. Lawson noted that the county gets a sizable number of Mobile County residents driving to Baldwin County for work as well. Its a true regional workforce, he said. (Natural News) Public health officials are now tracking two separate coronavirus outbreaks in California, with the latest victim a 65-year-old woman in Santa Clara County who was confirmed earlier today. The Washington Post is reporting that Jennifer Nuzzo from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is now warning about the multiple outbreaks: I think theres a strong possibility that theres local transmission going in California. In other words, the virus is spreading within California, and I think theres a possibility other states are in the same boat. They just havent recognized that yet. Just last night, another person was confirmed with the coronavirus in Solano County after having exposed dozens of hospital workers to the virus before falling critically ill. The UC Davis Health hospital issued a press release explaining that CDC testing guidelines prohibited this woman from being tested for coronavirus in a timely manner, causing an 11-day delay during which she no doubt spread the virus to countless others who have yet to be diagnosed. Yesterday, UC Davis Health stated: Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be COVID-19. We requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, since neither Sacramento County nor CDPH is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. Since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19, a test was not immediately administered. UC Davis Health does not control the testing process. The patient was not put into airborne precaution status until after that test was conducted, meaning dozens of hospital staffers could have been exposed. UC Davis Health further stated, As we regularly handle patients with infectious diseases, we have robust infection control protocols in place to handle this patient and others with more frequently seen infectious diseases, but the statement seems irrelevant if they had not identified the coronavirus status of this patient for many days, meaning they werent aware she had the airborne disease. The Washington Post now reports that Sara Cody, the health officer of Santa Clara County, says theres no connection between this new patient confirmed today and the Solano County patient confirmed yesterday: There is no apparent connection between the new patient and anyone else with the disease, known as covid-19, including the Solano County case and two other cases in Santa Clara county. That same WashPost story also explains that two students in Palo Alto may have been exposed to the virus, via the Solano County patient. Santa Clara County warns now is the time to prepare for possibility of widespread community transmission In a press release issued by county officials, Santa Clara Countys office of Public Health Communications issued the following press release: (bolding emphasis added) County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Reports Third Case of COVID-19 For immediate release February?28,?2020 For more information contact: County of Santa Clara Public Health Communications Media Line: (408) 794-0707 News highlights: The third case of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County and is not related to other cases. The third case had no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual. Now is the time to prepare for the possibility of widespread community transmission. Santa Clara County The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department confirms the third case of COVID-19. This is the third case to be identified in our County, but is different from the other two cases since this person does not have a travel history nor any known contact with a traveler or infected person. The individual is an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who was hospitalized for a respiratory illness. Her infectious disease physician contacted the Public Health Department to discuss the case and request testing for the novel coronavirus. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Laboratory received the specimens yesterday and performed the testing. Since receiving the results last night, the department has been working to identify contacts and understand the extent of exposures. Due to medical privacy requirements and to protect her identity, further information about this case will not be released. This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear, said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County and Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease. This case is important because it signals that now is the time to change course. The public health measures taken so far isolation, quarantine, contract tracing, and travel restrictions have helped to slow the spread of the disease. The department will continue to implement these measures and continue to trace close contacts of our cases to protect the health of individuals and our community. Since the disease is here, an important priority for the department will be to conduct community surveillance to determine the extent of local transmission. Since the County Public Health Laboratory has the ability to run the test, the department can quickly evaluate what is happening in our community. For individuals, the recommendations are very simple, but very important: Keep your hands clean. It is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. And always need to cover your cough and stay home when you are sick. Today, start working on not touching your face because one way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes. Since we know the disease is here, we all need to stay away from people who are sick. Start thinking about family preparedness, how to take care of sick family while not getting infected. Think about a room to isolate a sick person. There are practical measures that can help limit spread by reducing exposure in community settings: Schools: should plan for absenteeism and explore options for tele-learning and enhance surface cleaning. Businesses: whenever possible, can replace in-person meetings with video or telephone conferences and increase teleworking options and modify absenteeism policies and also enhance surface cleaning. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of California Department of Public Health, and other partners as the new coronavirus situation continues to change. Information will be updated as soon as possible on our website:?http://sccphd.org/coronavirus ### end press release In summary, this announcement from Santa Clara County is about the best advice weve seen yet from any government entity. Too bad the WHO is run by scientifically illiterate bureaucrats who cant issue a similarly intelligent press release to the world The only other thing we would add to this is that everybody needs to urgently start consuming anti-viral herbs, spices and superfoods so that the population at large has heightened viral resistance. Coronavirus cases to start exploding next week in America Confirmed coronavirus cases in America are set to start exploding next week as U.S. labs have finally been given permission by the CDC to start testing for coronavirus, reports The Epoch Times. The CDC has delayed testing for over three weeks to set a trap for Trump, allowing the disease to rapidly spread while near-zero testing was taking place across the country. Beginning next week, we will first see tens of cases confirmed in America, then dozens over the following few weeks, and then likely hundreds of cases that multiply into thousands over the next several months. In this InfoWars broadcast, I explain the trap set by the CDC to blame President Trump for the outbreaks: Brighteon.com/9c9634cd-1a28-4a4a-812b-0492ecbd2c00 Stay informed. Read Pandemic.news for new updates, statistics, videos, articles, podcasts and science article links. It's a controversial condition which leaves sufferers house-bound, confined to their beds, reliant on feeding tubes and even needing help to get them in the shower. But myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) has been beset by controversy for decades amid claims it is merely psychological. Instead, the truth is that the condition, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is physical - not just made up by patients. An estimated 250,000 people in the UK and one million people in the US live with the condition. It affects their lives so severely they often spend their days in darkened rooms, unable even to watch TV or listen to music. But despite the increasing evidence about the reality of ME, which affects 17million people across the world, it remains incurable, and many still think that sufferers are just lazy. Before being struck down with ME, Nicola Magdalinis, 36, was a keen kickboxer who worked for a private art collector For them, even touch is intolerable and many are tube-fed. Others struggle to keep in full time employment and suffer relentless relapses as they push themselves to keep up. The condition also causes extreme exhaustion, pain and brain fog, with the cruel hallmark that symptoms are made worse through bare minimal exertion. Even going for a shower, or going to the toilet, can strike down a sufferer for days or even weeks. In the hope of ending ignorance surrounding the crippling ailment, MailOnline has heard from three women who have suffered from ME for decades. Dr Charles Shepherd, medical adviser to the ME Association, said: 'There are thousands of people in the UK with severe ME, which is a truly devastating disease. 'The nature of the illness means they are hidden away behind closed curtains and desperate not to be forgotten about. 'We urgently need more funding for research into treatments for ME so people like Nicola, Avani and Marie can have hope of reclaiming their lives.' I feel like I'm missing out on doing things with my children, life feels hard, almost impossible on some days Mother-of-two Nicola Magdalinis, 36, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, used to be a keen kickboxer who worked for a private art collector. But since being diagnosed with ME in 2017 while she was pregnant with her second child Grace, two, Ms Magdalinis now only has enough energy to carry out a couple of basic tasks a day. Ms Magdalinis first suffered symptoms of the condition after being struck down by meningitis when she was just 17. Mother-of-two Nicola Magdalinis, 36, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, used to be a keen kickboxer who worked for a private art collector. Pictured above: Nicola with her partner Graham, 35, daughter Grace (bottom left), two, and little boy Jacob, five After her diagnosis, Ms Magdalinis's symptoms became severe and unmanageable. She told MailOnline: 'Life feels hard, almost impossible on some days. 'I feel I'm missing out on doing things with my children and family and feel that they also miss out because there are activities and environments that I cannot tolerate. 'I can't take a tablet or drink something that makes me feel better. Nothing anyone says helps and it is difficult for some people to understand 'It's very claustrophobic and lonely. I feel trapped both within my body and in my own home.' The long-suffering mother said there needed to be more research into the condition and said there was a general lack of understanding about it's effects and cause. 'We need help and we need the research to happen,' she said. 'The way I see it is that there is a lack of acknowledgement from those who really do not understand this condition, whether it be in parliament or the general public - this is not a psychological condition. Ms Magdalinis first suffered symptoms of the condition after being struck down by meningitis when she was just 17 'People tell me all the time that I "look fine" or that "it's mind over matter". 'We have to try and prove that we are suffering before we can get to the next level of care, whatever that might be. 'Some people call it an invisible illness but I disagree - it's a lack of knowledge and acceptance that makes us feel invisible,' she added. Ms Magdalinis said she initially put her symptoms down to anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which she had suffered from since getting meningitis. Ms Magdalinis said she initially put her symptoms down to anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which he had suffered from since getting mengingitis She saw her doctor after she had several 'crashes' in a short space of time. These episodes included fainting, shaking, numbness and not being able to walk, as well as 'terrible' brain fog. However, Ms Magdalinis said the medic she saw put her symptoms down to her being thin and having low blood pressure and it was only by seeing a different doctor that she got an answer. She added: 'I think I had another few appointments resulting in the same outcome until I met with a visiting doctor who asked me if I had ever been screened for ME. 'She referred me to an endocrinologist who I saw within a few months and who diagnosed me immediately and on the first meeting after learning my history and symptoms. 'I do feel like if I hadnt have met with that visiting doctor, that I still would be none the wiser about my condition.' ME forced me to abandon my dream of going to university and instead left me bedridden Avani Gadhoke, 24, from Croydon, south London, was left with an uncertain future after being diagnosed with the condition aged just 16. The diagnosis came in 2012, while Ms Gadhoke was studying for her GCSEs. And the symptoms became so bad that she subsequently had to stop studying for her A-levels and give up any hope of employment. Avani Gadhoke, 24, from Croydon, south London, was left with an uncertain future after being diagnosed with the condition aged just 16 Ms Gadhoke said: 'ME has completely changed my life. I was on the path to getting my A-levels and going to university. 'This illness forced me to abandon that and left me effectively bed ridden. 'For the past eight years, my life has been excruciating pain, extreme fatigue and bed rest. 'I've lost friendships and it's put a strain on my relationship with extended family. It's robbed me of what is supposed to be the most care-free time of my life.' Ms Gadhoke said the disease has left her without a social life and 'barely able to leave the house'. When she does, it's to go to an appointment related to the illness. 'In the strongest terms, my life with ME is that I'm existing not living,' she said. Ms Gadhoke faced a battle with doctors and even family members in the lead up to her diagnosis. She said: 'At the beginning, doctors thought I had a chill and wasn't seriously unwell. They thought I was exaggerating. The diagnosis came in 2012, while Ms Gadhoke was studying for her GCSEs 'Extended family didn't think I was unwell [either]. In fact, I got comments like "why are you always sick?" 'Because it took so long to be diagnosed, people thought I wasn't actually ill,' she added. Around 10million per year is spent on research into ME, which is around 20 times less than the financial support available for multiple sclerosis (MS). This is despite the fact that MS affects around 100,000 people in the UK and 2.5million across the world, significantly less than the numbers hit by ME globally (17million). There remains no known cure for the condition, and continuing vast misconceptions among medics. On bad days I can't speak properly and on good days I feel like I'm tied to a bungee cord and wearing lead slippers Mother-of-four Lucy Didwell, from Norwich, faced a 21-year wait for an ME diagnosis. Her problems started when she fell ill with flu when she was 17. She then spent 21 years suffering with crippling exhaustion which left medics baffled, before finally being told her illness was not in her head. Mother-of-four Lucy Didwell, from Norwich, faced a 21-year wait for an ME diagnosis Ms Didwell then spent 21 years suffering with crippling exhaustion which left medics baffled, before finally being told her illness was not in her head Now aged 38, Ms Didwell was in March 2019 finally given an answer for the devastating illness that consumes her life - she too has ME. To add to her struggle, she also suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition which causes chronic pain all over the body. It is thought there could be as many as two million sufferers of the condition in the UK, with another 10million in the US. Now housebound and reliant on her husband Mark to care for her, Ms Didwell told of her tortuous journey to find answers. She said: 'A bout of flu left me bed-bound for six weeks and then chronically ill for nine months. Now aged 38, Ms Didwell was in March 2019 finally given an answer for the devastating illness that consumes her life - she too has ME 'I was diagnosed with post viral fatigue and depression but had no idea what either of these really meant. 'For years after I have had bouts of extreme exhaustion, joint pain and fatigue.' The mother-of-four said that in her 'long journey' of trying to find out what was wrong with her, she was also diagnosed with lupus and hypermobility. Lupus is an incurable autoimmune disease which sees the body's defence system attack healthy cells. WHAT IS CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME? Some 250,000 people in Britain suffer from the condition, which comes with flu-like symptoms, extreme tiredness and mental lethargy that can last for years. Other symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalopathy (ME), include disturbed sleep, poor memory and reduced concentration. The cause of the illness is unclear, provoking the heated debate that has lasted for decades among the medical community. Some experts think the disease is triggered by a virus, in a similar way to glandular fever. It has also been linked to infections, operations and accidents. But skeptics think it is merely a psychological condition because of a lack of a physical cause, leading to a stigma that has led to sufferers being dismissed as having nothing more than 'yuppie flu' because it appeared to only strike young professionals when it rose to prominence in the 1980s. Some patients return to full health and others deteriorate progressively, however, most fluctuate between good and bad periods. There is no cure for CFS, with the majority of treatments to reduce symptoms being ineffective. They include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), graded exercise therapy and medications such as antidepressants. The World Health Organization and the Department of Health and Social Care recognise CFS as a medical condition. Worldwide it is believed that 17 million people suffer with CFS, according to the ME Association. Advertisement Symptoms include rashes, joint and muscle aches and extreme fatigue. And Ms Didwell said that while she used to have period where she was not suffering any ME symptoms, she has since felt them non-stop for three years. 'Sadly, for the last three years my symptoms have been constant. Whereas I used to have periods of remission, I no longer enjoy times of wellness,' she said. 'I am still coming to terms with my diagnosis although am pleased to finally have one after 21 years. However, there isn't a cure and it hasn't made me well. 'On bad days, I can't speak properly. On good days, I feel as if I'm tied to a bungee cord, pulling me in the opposite direction whilst wearing lead slippers.' Ms Didwell, who has children, Charlie, 19, Maisie, 16, Cobie, 14 and Malachi, 12, spoke out to raise awareness of ME. It is often difficult to identify because it cannot be diagnosed through blood testing. Ms Didwell, a former barmaid and cleaner, said: 'ME has stolen my life. I am housebound and rely on my husband or eldest son to help me leave the house. I use a wheelchair and a walker. 'I no longer work or have any social life to speak of. I really miss walking my dogs and popping to the shop. 'Everything I do now has a consequence. Bathing is a chore and drying my hair is a rare treat! 'ME is real. It steals time from your family and leaves you feeling guilty every day. I miss parent's evenings and school events. 'My youngest son is a promising boxer, but I've not been well enough to see him yet.' The struggling woman went on to urge MPs to take the issue of ME seriously. 'Lives are being stolen and there is not enough understanding, help or support available,' she said. 'Fatigue is not a strong enough word to describe the extreme paralysis caused by ME. 'Listen to the voices of the lost people - I'm lucky, I have family around me. Imagine living with this alone.' by Marian Demir After the defeat in Idlib, Ankara - with blackmail - opens the borders to Europe. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are heading to the northwestern borders and to the sea. Greek border guards use tear gas to drive refugees away. At least 15 Afghans have reached the island of Lesbos. Istanbul (AsiaNews) - For nearly two days, a new wave of refugees has been advancing from Turkey towards European borders, trying to cross the Aegean Sea or going towards the north-western borders of the country. This is following the Turkish government's decision not to stop refugees seeking to reach Europe within their borders. This decision was made immediately after the attack by Syrian forces on Idlib, which resulted in the death of 33 Turkish soldiers. The Turkish foreign ministry said that "The latest developments in Idlib, which have caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, have further increased the migratory pressure present in our country". According to the Ankara Interior Ministry, Turkey is home to 3.6 million refugees. Omer Celik, spokesman for the Akp Party in power, explained that "our refugee policy has not changed, but there is new data and we no longer have the capacity to contain refugees". According to several analysts, the opening of the Turkish borders is the follow through on a threat by Ankara in an attmpt to blackmail Europe, for not having received support in its design for Idlib and the northern part of Syria. According to the Cumhuriyet newspaper, hundreds of thousands of refugees are heading towards borders. Many left Aydin's camp by bus, hoping to cross Europe. Refugees who tried to enter Greece by land were stopped yesterday at the Pazarkule (Kastanies) border: border guards used tear gas to disperse hundreds of refugees. The mayor of the border town said: "The Turkish soldiers they are supposed to check have vanished." Some SL travel firms withdraw from ITB By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s): While German authorities were in talks with ITB Berlin organisers to possibly cancel or postpone the largest travel event on March 4-8, some Sri Lankan travel companies have opted out of participating this year over concerns of the coronavirus epidemic that global health experts warn could reach pandemic levels. Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators President Mahen Kariyawasam explained that under the current circumstances they have allowed the individual travel companies to take their own decision on whether to participate at ITB Berlin or not. In the wake of the concerns there have been some Sri Lankan companies withdrawing their participation at the event this year, even as German government and health officials have warned against conducting this event and either cancelling or postponing it. At least 60 Sri Lanka companies had agreed to participate initially at the event and Sri Lanka Tourism authorities are also scheduled to go ahead with plans to attend the event. Already foreign media reports stated that some exhibitors, Chinese companies and travel industry readers have cancelled their participation at the event. If ITB is cancelled it would be the first in 54 years and would clearly indicate the significant impact the coronavirus or COVID 19 has on the travel and tourism industry. As at February 27, the World Health Organisation had stated that Germany had 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This is expected to cost a number of connected organisations like airlines, hotels among others involved in hosting the event, but organisers of ITB Berlin have continuously stated they were willing to go ahead with the event as scheduled despite concerns of the epidemic already present in Germany itself. As a precautionary measure the ITB Berlin organisers had indicated that they would continuously disinfect the site by engaging increased staff to do so and also request according to German regulations that all attendees fill out a declaration form. Moreover, travellers with a recent stay within the last 14 days in a risk area like Chinas Hubei Province including the city of Wuhan and the cities of Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou in Zhejiang Province; Irans Qom Province; Italys Lodi Province in the region of Lombardy and the city of Vo in the Province of Padua in the region of Veneto; South Koreas Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) would not be allowed entry to the venue. In addition, any persons who have during the last 14 days tested positive for an infection with SARS-CoV 2; and any signs of typical symptoms like fever, coughing or breathing difficulties will not be admitted to ITB Berlin, organisers stated on the official ITB website. ITB Berlin is the leading trade show of the worldwide travel industry and, at the same time, the biggest travel show for the German public. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the US is realistic about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is 'seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation' Doha: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the US is realistic about the peace deal it signed with the Taliban, but is "seizing the best opportunity for peace in a generation". Speaking after the signing ceremony in Qatar, Pompeo said he was still angry about the 11 September, 2001, attacks that were planned in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. He says the US will not "squander" what its soldiers have won through blood, sweat and tears". He says the US will do whatever is necessary for its security if the Taliban do not comply with the agreement. The United States signed a peace agreement with Taliban militants on Saturday aimed at bringing an end to 18 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan and allowing US troops to return home from America's longest war. Under the agreement, the US would draw its forces down to 8,600 from 13,000 in the next 3-4 months, with the remaining US forces withdrawing in 14 months. The complete pullout, however, would depend on the Taliban meeting their commitments to prevent terrorism. President George W Bush ordered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in response to the 11 September, 2001, attacks. Some US troops currently serving there had not yet been born when the World Trade Center collapsed on that crisp, sunny morning that changed how Americans see the world. It only took a few months to topple the Taliban and send Osama bin Laden and top al-Qaida militants scrambling across the border into Pakistan, but the war dragged on for years as the United States tried establish a stable, functioning state in one of the least developed countries in the world. The Taliban regrouped, and currently hold sway over half the country. The US spent more than $750 billion, and on all sides the war cost tens of thousands of lives lost, permanently scarred and indelibly interrupted. But the conflict was also frequently ignored by US politicians and the American public. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the ceremony in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, but did not sign the agreement. Instead, it was signed by US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The Taliban harboured bin Laden and his al-Qaida network as they plotted, and then celebrated, the hijackings of four airliners that were crashed into lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania, killing almost 3,000 people. Pompeo had privately told a conference of US ambassadors at the State Department this week that he was going only because President Donald Trump had insisted on his participation, according to two people present. Dozens of Taliban members had earlier held a small victory march in Qatar in which they waved the militant group's white flags, according to a video shared on Taliban websites. Today is the day of victory, which has come with the help of Allah, said Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's lead negotiators, who joined the march. Trump has repeatedly promised to get the US out of its endless wars in the Middle East, and the withdrawal of troops could provide a boost as he seeks re-election in a nation weary of involvement in distant conflicts. Trump has approached the Taliban agreement cautiously, steering clear of the crowing surrounding other major foreign policy actions, such as his talks with North Korea. Last September, on short notice, he called off what was to be a signing ceremony with the Taliban at Camp David after a series of new Taliban attacks. But he has since been supportive of the talks led by his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad. Under the agreement, the Taliban promise not to let extremists use the country as a staging ground for attacking the U.S. or its allies. But U.S. officials are loath to trust the Taliban to fulfill their obligations. The prospects for Afghanistan's future are uncertain. The agreement sets the stage for peace talks involving Afghan factions, which are likely to be complicated. Under the agreement, 5,000 Taliban are to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it's not known if the Afghan government will do that. There are also questions about whether Taliban fighters loyal to various warlords will be willing to disarm. It's not clear what will become of gains made in women's rights since the toppling of the Taliban, which had repressed women and girls under a strict brand of Sharia law. Women's rights in Afghanistan had been a top concern of both the Bush and Obama administration, but it remains a deeply conservative country, with women still struggling for basic rights. There are currently more than 16,500 soldiers serving under the NATO banner, of which 8,000 are American. Germany has the next largest contingent, with 1,300 troops, followed by Britain with 1,100. In all, 38 NATO countries are contributing forces to Afghanistan. The alliance officially concluded its combat mission in 2014 and now provides training and support to Afghan forces. The US has a separate contingent of 5,000 troops deployed to carry out counter-terrorism missions and provide air and ground support to Afghan forces when requested. Saving money on car insurance is a top priority for any driver. To lower the costs of insurance, drivers can apply several smart money-saving methods, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents several methods used by drivers to pay lower car insurance rates. For more info and free online car insurance quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/5-smart-tips-for-saving-on-car-insurance/ Some drivers consider that the cost of car insurance is too high. In recent years the price of insurance has constantly increased and many families are struggling to pay their premiums. Fortunately, there are several methods that can help any policyholder save money on car insurance. Drivers that want to save money on car insurance should follow the next tips: Do not commit accidents or traffic violations. Being a good driver is rewarded by car insurance companies. Drivers that are fined for committing a traffic violation will have to pay more on their insurance. Depending on the severity of the traffic violation, a driver can pay twice or more on their insurance upon the next renewal. On the other hand, drivers that manage to keep their driving records clean for a number of years will get a discount from their insurers. Avoid loaning the car to unregistered drivers. Many drivers loan their cars to their friends or relatives that are not registered as drivers in their policies. This is not a wise thing to do. If the person that borrows the vehicle causes a car accident, then the claim will be denied. Moreover, the premiums will increase or in some cases the insurers will drop the customer. Drive less. In some cases, policyholders are driving fewer miles than usual. In these situations, drivers should contact their insurers and check the eligibility conditions for a low-mileage discount. Maintain a good credit score. The credit score can affect the price of car insurance. Studies done by insurers show that drivers with a poor credit score are more likely to file a claim. For this reason, drivers with a poor credit score are charged extra on their insurance. Avoid making claims. Drivers that are involved in minor incidents should avoid making claims. It's better to pay the vehicle's minor repairs from their own pockets than having to pay more on the premiums for a long period. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/ Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. TEHRAN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua said China's first batch of medical supplies aimed at fighting the coronavirus arrived in Iran on Friday. "The first cargo has entered Iran and further assistance will be sent. Be strong Iran," Chang said in a Persian-language tweet. A day earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi announced that China would send 20,000 laboratory kits to diagnose coronavirus cases in Iran. Chang said on Wednesday that "5,000 kits to diagnose coronavirus, which are contributed by China's embassy and Chinese companies in Iran, have been delivered to the Iranian side." On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy to Iran delivered 250,000 masks to Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education as a support for protecting Iranians against the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. New Delhi, Feb 29 : "I told him to come back to the village" were the first few words of 70-year-old Nathu Devi as she stepped out of Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital's mortuary on Saturday after identifying her son's body. Prem Singh went missing on February 25 from the Brij Puri area of northeast Delhi where the riots broke out. A wailing Nathu Devi said: "I always told him to come back and live with me. There is nothing in big cities. But he never agreed. Now they killed my son. I still can't believe he is gone." On around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Singh ventured out to buy milk for his toddler. When he didn't return for a some time, his family started searching for him. A neighbour, who accompanied Devi, her two daughters and daughter-in-law to the hospital, said, "Some neighbours suggested to look for him in the Bhajanpura area. But we couldn't get any trace of him. We filed an FIR at the Dayalpur police station and gave a missing add in the newspaper. The police officer asked us to check at the GTB Hospital. We found him in the mortuary." Prem Singh, 27, has left behind three daughters and a 7-month pregnant wife. "All nearby shops were closed. I told him not to go far, kids can do without milk for a day. He went out, never to return," said Singh's sister. Singh came to Delhi from Kasganj in UP in search of a better life. He pulled rickshaw for living. His wife Sunita, 24, told IANS, "I don't know how I will look after the three children and one who is yet to born. He was the only breadwinner. The eldest is 14-yaer-old, and the other two 5 and 2 years old." As many as 41 people died and 200 others were injured in the Delhi riots that shook the northeast Delhi on February 23. Three corpses are yet to be identified at the GTB Hospital's morgue. The World Anti-Doping Agency has cancelled its annual symposium and related athlete session in Switzerland over concerns about the coronavirus epidemic. In a statement issued on Friday, Montreal-based WADA said it took the decision based on the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health's announcement banning large-scale gatherings of more than 1,000 people in Switzerland until March 15. The symposium and athlete meeting had been scheduled for March 17-19 at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne. "WADA is disappointed to announce the cancellation of its Annual Symposium, which has become the annual event for anti-doping practitioners," WADA president Witold Banka said. "It was a difficult decision as the event attracts almost 1,000 participants from around the world every year. "However, it was necessary to ensure the health and safety of the Agency's staff and stakeholder community. The Agency commits to ensuring that most of the elements of the Symposium program are delivered via alternative means over the coming weeks and months." WADA said it would reach out separately to scheduled attendees and other stakeholders impacted by the cancellation. "As it relates to the Coronavirus, WADA will continue monitoring the situation based on expert information from the World Health Organization and will put other measures in place as needed related to staff and stakeholder travel connected to the Agency's mission," WADA said. On Friday, the World Health Organization raised its global risk assessment of the new coronavirus to it's highest level after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and markets slumped. It has killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 84,000 worldwide -- the majority in China -- since it emerged apparently from an animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late December. The virus has wreaked havoc on the Asian sporting calendar and led to a temporary suspension of testing by the China Anti-Doping Agency, which was scheduled to resume testing in China this week on a phased basis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Its damn good that Dr. Anthony Fauci did an interview on the coronavirus threat with Mark Masselli on Feb. 20, on the podcast of Community Health Center Inc. Fauci, like Masselli, who founded CHC in Middletown in 1972, gets right to the point. And Faucis voice matters just a little bit when it comes to epidemics. Hes been head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since, get this, 1984. That means he managed the AIDS crisis under Reagan and was in charge for Zika, MERS, SARS, Ebola and all the rest, at an agency that now has a $5.9 billion budget. It really does have the potential to become a global pandemic, Fauci said on the CHC podcast. It transmits extremely efficiently among humans. Remember, with SARS back in 2002, there were a total of about 8,000 cases over about a year and a couple of months. Right now, were only literally less than two months into this outbreak, and we have about 10 times as many transmissions. One week after that podcast, the White House muzzled Fauci, according to reports in the New York Times and other media outlets, though Fauci later denied that on MSNBC. Either way, public comments on the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis are coming come from the Twitter account of that other world renowned medical expert, the eminent physician Donald J. Trump. Oh, and his sidekick, Mike Pence, the veep who, as a congressman and governor of Indiana, made sure HIV test centers closed in the middle of a crisis because it was more important to punish Planned Parenthood than to save lives. And the response has been less than smooth, with little except happy talk from Dr. Trump. What else would we expect from a president who dismantled the nations infectious disease defense system in 2018 as part of his war on science, war on readiness and war on anything that former President Barack Obama did? What else would we expect from a president who, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, has left 39 top-level science and technology jobs unfilled after three years, about half the total, compared with just three by George W. Bush and zero by Obama? Trumps best effort was to brag about how the United States had only 15 cases generated inside our borders. Almost a miracle, he crowed. Were doing great! That stock market crash? Its because investors fear Bernie Sanders. He actually said that, folks. Lets take a step back from where this president stands in this crisis. The deeper issue is that Trumps leadership style tribal and charismatic, rather than rational combined with his transactional world view in which lies dont matter, make him spectacularly the wrong person to lead the nation in a public health crisis. In any kind of a crisis, public health or not, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Yale School of Management associate dean and professor whos an expert on CEO leadership, you have to rely on trained, stable systems and not ad-hoc forces to rise to the occasion. Luck favors the prepared. Its not like going to town with a Benny Goodman pickup band that just brings out the horns, Sonnenfeld said. These people needed to have been working together. ... Planning, training is what really matters in a crisis. Max Weber, the early 20th century German philosopher whos credited with launching sociology college frosh are forever in his debt described three types of leadership: Charismatic, based on the cult of a strong man (and thankfully now, sometimes a strong woman). Traditional, based on tribal customs and the power of legacy, as with monarchs. And legal-rational, based on rules and effective use of the bureaucracy. We need all three types. Most good leaders embody a combination. Trump is the swaggering strongman, missing the legal-rational trait, the one that relies on sober assessments, deep planning and data; and largely missing tradition. He operates by hub-and-spoke power, Sonnenfeld said, with himself as the hub, always. Its the difference between a trained army vs. a neighborhood posse, he said. A neighborhood vigilante group can never do what a trained army or a police force can do, so its the same in national security or public health. That helps us understand what happened Friday, when Fauci was about to deliver a closed briefing to members of Congress. Some Republicans stormed out, Politico reported, after Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, opened the meeting by slamming the Trump administrations response to COVID-19. DeLauro, the New Haven Democrat whos held her job for 29 years, is watching the show up-close as chair of the subcommittee that oversees health spending. Shes talking about stunts like Trump ordering 14 infected Americans onto the evacuation plane with healthy people after they exited a quarantined cruise ship overruling his own experts then lying about it. The list goes on forever. Science has been politicized, science denial has been legitimized by an administration that cares more about controlling the message than keeping us safe, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in Milford Friday, in comments reported by my colleague Kaitlyn Krasselt. Diseases dont care what your politics are. The takeaway: Even when Trump makes the right moves and says the right things, his history and leadership style render him morally toothless in a crisis related to science. For example, Fauci conceded on the Feb. 20 podcast that Trumps partial travel ban on China appears to have worked, contrary to scientific advice from him and others. To him, its a constant quest for the right answers. To Trump, its a third-grade boasting fest because he misses whats obvious to most of us: This is complex stuff. Fauci, to that point, told Masselli and co-host Margaret Flinter on the Feb. 20 podcast the COVID-19 crisis might be worse than we think, and in some ways, not as bad. There are probably many-fold more individuals who are either without symptoms or a minimally symptomatic and are not getting counted, Fauci said. The somewhat good news about it is that that...the death rate is very likely not 2 percent but more towards 1 percent or less than 1 percent. Fauci or someone like him should be in charge of the public message as well as the strategy. Thats the view of Masselli, whose Community Health Center is now one of the largest health care providers in Connecticut, with clinics all over the state, and operations across the country. We need somebody to stand up, who the public believes, he said. We need a scientist. We cannot have a politician running as point person. Trust, as always, is the key and thats where leadership culture comes in. Its no coincidence that Trumps followers and fellow cult leaders such as Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham are denying the coronavirus threat in order to protect Trump, as Business Insider reported. Maybe Trump is right. Maybe this will all blow over and we will have overreacted. But at some point, a biological Armageddon will strike this planet of 7.8 billion germy humans. When it does, call me crazy but I want the person in charge to hear and speak the truth not send a neophyte, loyalist head of homeland security up to Congress with falsehoods about mortality rates and vaccines. The misplay by homeland security chief Chad Wolf prompted Sonnenfeld to wonder, How is that any better than China? dhaar@hearstmediact.com By Trend The Azerbaijani and Turkmen permanent missions representative offices to the UN Office in Geneva held a round table on the Transport and Connectivity Potential of the Caspian Sea region: Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan the shortest route topic, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry February 28. The event was held in Switzerland as part of the 82nd session of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The round table was attended by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Valizade, Chinas Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva Chen Xu, Deputy Head of Office of International Affairs of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission Stefano Paci and heads of diplomatic missions of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan. Executive Secretary of UNECE Olga Algayerova, Secretary General of the International Road Transport Union Umberto de Pretto, Committee Chairman of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) Tadeusz Szozda delivered speeches at the event. One of the main goals of the event was the presentation of transport capabilities of the Caspian region, the report said. Caspian-littoral states have been recently initiating a number of large international projects, including the Lapis Lazuli transport corridor along Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor. The agreement on transit and transport cooperation Lapis Lazuli between Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan was signed on Nov. 15, 2017 at the ministerial meeting of the 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Ashgabat. According to the Lapis Lazuli project, railways and highways should connect the Afghan Turgundi city of Herat province with Ashgabat, then with the Caspian Turkmenbashi port. The corridor will extended to Baku, then through Tbilisi to Ankara with links to Poti and Batumi cities, then from Ankara to Istanbul. The project budget, which aims to facilitate transit logistics and simplify customs procedures, is estimated at $2 billion. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz It's been a hectic few weeks for Banteer woman Sarah Weathers after she mounted a fund raising campaign to support the lifesaving work of Beaumont Hospital's Neurosurgical Unit. Sarah's own life had been saved by the highly specialised medical team at the unit in Dublin last September when she had been seriously ill for three weeks. But the fundraising campaign she launched in January - which included a table quiz in the White Country Inn in Banteer - had its culmnination in Dublin last week when she was able to present a cheque for 15,500 to the unit. And, as she says, the money's still coming in. "People came to the house and stopped me in the street to contribute," she said. "The community in Banteer and around have been absolutely great - they've really shown true community spirit and I'm really grateful to everyone who helped and contributed in any way," Sarah told The Corkman this week. Due to her illness, Sarah had to postpone her second year of studies in the University of Limerick where she is doing a degree in Business Studies. At present she's working with Kanturk based energy company, Waterpower, and the staff there have been very supportive. "It was great to get the opportunity and I'm very grateful to Dan Twomey (the MD) for that," she said. "I'm really looking forward to going back to university also." In a letter of gratitude to Sarah and the community who supported her fundraising drive, Judy McDonnell of Beaumont's Neurosurgical Unit spelled out what equipment could be acquired thanks to Sarah's fundraising effort. She said collecting three times the target Sarah had initally set was a 'wonderful outcome'. "We are most grateful to Sarah, her family, friends and the Banteer community for these much needed funds which will be used towards the purchase of two major pieces of equipment. "The first is Neurosurgical Planning Software which is state of the art neurosurgical image processing software. The benefits to patients are an optimised patient specific plan integrated wih neuro navigation equipment and reduced risk of neurosurgical deficit after surgery. "The second is Rosa Neurosurgical Robotic equipment to assist surgeons in planning and performing complex neurosurgical procedures in a minimally invasive manner. "Both purchases will have a huge impact to Neurosurgery performed in Beaumont." In my in-house career, Ive taken a very personal approach to the cases Ive worked on, May Han said. In this next chapter with Dutch Bros, Im confident I can carry that approach forward, and aid in company growth. Dutch Bros Coffee, the countrys largest privately-owned drive-thru coffee company, has welcomed May Han to its legal team. In her 20-year career, May has managed operations of a diverse national portfolio of retail, industrial, office, flex and multifamily assets. Most recently, she negotiated construction and loan agreements for an upcoming 24 story mixed use building in downtown Portland in her role as General Counsel for Downtown Development Group. In my in-house career, Ive taken a very personal approach to the cases Ive worked on, May Han said. In this next chapter with Dutch Bros, Im confident I can carry that approach forward, and aid in company growth. Dutch Bros is entering an explosive period of growth, with a goal of expanding to 800 locations by the end of 2023. We are so thrilled that May has joined the Dutch Mafia, Joshua Lute, Dutch Bros General Counsel said. Her significant experience and keen intelligence are much needed for us to meet our ambitious growth goals. It is an honor to have an attorney with so much passion and character on our growing team. Han is a graduate of the Columbus School of Law (J.D., 2008) and George Mason University (B.A., 2005). About Dutch Bros Dutch Bros Coffee is the countrys largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, with more than 380 locations and 12,000 employees in seven states. The company is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish. In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Love Abounds Foundation and local franchisees, Dutch Bros donates millions of dollars each year to causes across the country. To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit http://www.dutchbros.com, like Dutch Bros Coffee on Facebook or follow @DutchBros on Twitter. By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said on Saturday, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the virus, but state media said a month-long quarantine period had been imposed for people showing symptoms and 'high-intensity' measures were taken including reinforcing checks in border regions and at airports and sea ports. On Feb. By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said on Saturday, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country. North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the virus, but state media said a month-long quarantine period had been imposed for people showing symptoms and "high-intensity" measures were taken including reinforcing checks in border regions and at airports and sea ports. On Feb. 16, Kim made his first public appearance in 22 days to visit a mausoleum marking the anniversary of the birth of his father and late leader Kim Jong Il. The military drill was to "judge the mobility and the fire power strike ability" on the frontline and eastern units and ended to a "great satisfaction" of Kim, KCNA said. "Soldiers, who have firmly armed themselves with a-match-for-a-hundred idea of the Party and trained under the simulated conditions of actual battles, reduced a target islet to a sea of flames," KCNA said. In a separate dispatch, KCNA said Kim has also convened a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's powerful politburo where a stricter enforcement of "top-class anti-epidemic steps" was discussed to prevent the spread of the virus. "In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences," Kim was quoted as telling the meeting. "No special cases must be allowed within the state anti-epidemic system." He instructed the officials to "seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, and strengthen check-up, test and quarantine," KCNA added. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The post mortem of a 25-year-old Dalit man, who had died in police custody in Barmer on Thursday, has not been conducted so far as the victim's family are adamant with their set of demands of a compensation of Rs 1 crore, strict action against the accused policemen and a government job to one family member Barmer: The post mortem of a 25-year-old Dalit man, who had died in police custody here on Thursday, has not been conducted so far as the victim's family are adamant with their set of demands of a compensation of Rs 1 crore, strict action against the accused policemen and a government job to one family member. Senior district administration and police officials have held negotiations with the family members but the impasse is continuing on Saturday. The family members along with relatives and locals are staging a dharna outside the mortuary of the district hospital since Thursday. We have assured them that the compensation under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be given to them but they are adamant for extra compensation, District Collector Ansh Deep said. Deep said the district police have also offered to give their one-day salary to the victim's family. The negotiations with the family members are going on, he added. Jeetu Khateek (25) was picked up by Barmer Sadar police on Wednesday and he died in custody on Thursday. The police had detained him on the basis of suspicion that he was involved in a theft case but no case was lodged against him. Khateek's family has alleged that he was beaten to death by policemen in the police station and his brother has lodged a case of murder against the SHO and other policemen. Sadar SHO Deep Singh has been suspended and remaining staff of the police station have been shunted to Police Lines for the custodial death while Barmer SP Sharad Chowdhary and Circle Officer Vijay Singh were put under awaiting posting orders after it became clear that there was no case against Khateek, who was kept under illegal detention. The body is still at the mortuary of the district hospital and an autopsy has not been done. Efforts are on to pacify the family members, a police official said. Police said the family's demands were for compensation of Rs 1 crore, arrest of the accused policemen and a government job for one family member. Apart from a judicial inquiry, the matter is also being probed by Additional SP, CID-CB, Jodhpur. Narimon Mirza stands next to a whiteboard showing the number of coronavirus COVID-19 cases around the world at the Medical Health and Coordination Center at the California Department of Public Health in Sacramento on Feb. 27, 2020. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) CDC Sends Team to California to Investigate Coronavirus Case With Unknown Origin The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sending a team to California to help probe the first confirmed coronavirus case in the country with an unknown origin. The CDC has sent a team to support the California Department of Health and the local health departments in investigating this case. We are working hard with them to find and identify how the patient was exposed, as well as tracing back people who were exposed or might have been exposed to the patient, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a phone call on Friday. The case, which is potentially the first instance of community spread, was confirmed earlier this week through testing by the CDC. The patient is at the University of California Davis Medical Center. The patient was transferred to the hospital on Feb. 19 but wasnt tested until Feb. 23. University of California Davis officials said in a statement that they asked the CDC to test the patient on Feb. 19 but that a test wasnt administered until Feb. 23. Messonnier told reporters that the CDC only became aware of the patient on Sunday and requested samples for testing that same day. They received the samples on Feb. 25 and contacted California officials the next day when the results came back. She said that the CDC has not declined to test any persons suspected of having the new virus. This undated photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDCs laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. (CDC via AP) The University of California Davis Health didnt immediately return a request for comment. In the statement, officials said they asked the CDC to do the testing because neither Sacramento County nor the California Department of Public Health is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. The state Department of Health told The Epoch Times in an email that the agencys state laboratory in Richmond began testing for the new virus on Feb. 21, but that tests were limited to people who were evacuated from China or Japan, two countries where the virus has spread considerably. The department didnt return questions about why the testing is being limited. Chris Braden, an official at the CDC, told reporters on Thursday at a press conference in California that the criteria testing patients changed between Feb. 19 and Feb. 23. Officials discussed whether to test the patient over that time, he said. What I can say is that there were multiple people involved in the decision over those four days, Braden said, according to Buzzfeed. It wasnt necessarily CDC. Messonnier warned that officials expect additional confirmed cases among a group of people who came into contact with the patient who is being cared for at the California hospital. The group includes the patients family members, who are in self-quarantine at home, and medical workers at the facility. A pedestrian wears a facemask while pushing his luggage along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on Feb. 27, 2020. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Because the patient didnt immediately meet the criteria for the new virus, she wasnt in airborne isolation at UC Davis or NorthBay Medical Center, the hospital she was transferred from, Solano County Public Health Officer Bela Matyas said at a press conference on Thursday. Which means that there were multiple healthcare personnel who were exposed to the individual, he said. Officials are aggressively working on identifying workers who may have come into contact with the patient, he said. They are being sorted into different categories; some are being placed into isolation while others are being quarantined and still others arent being isolated or quarantined because theyre deemed at low risk to become infected. UC Davis said earlier this week that the patient arrived with a suspected viral infection, prompting teams to take the proper infection prevention (contact droplet) precautions during the patients stay. Out of an abundance of caution, they added, a small number of employees were asked to stay home and monitor their temperature. Anyone exposed to the patient is at risk, depending on their exposure, Messonnier, the CDC official, said in the phone call. Based on what we know about how the virus behaves, we expect that we will find additional people that have had contact with this patient, especially those who have had close, prolonged contact, including family members and potentially healthcare workers. A Chinese worker wears a protective suit and mask as he waits to check the temperature of customers entering a grocery store in Beijing, China on Feb. 28, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) A case with unknown origin means that the patient wasnt exposed to the new disease through travel or through any known contact with an infected individual. We dont know how or where this person became infected, Messonnier told reporters. An investigation might show the person had contact with someone who traveled abroad. The other 61 patients in the United States either traveled to Japan or China or came into close contact with someone who had. The virus has symptoms similar to the flu including fever, headache, and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear from 2 to 14 days after exposure. There is no known vaccine and no proven treatments, but some patients have recovered with rest and care in the hospital or at home. Americans are advised to frequently wash their hands, stay at least six feet from sick people, and not touch their face with unwashed hands. People who are sick should stay home and contact health authorities or their doctor. They should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their sleeve when coughing or sneezing. The new case in California prompted Solano County to declare a local emergency, which gives officials more power to deal with the potential spread of the virus. Counties in California and New York have begun declaring local emergencies. Federal officials have said risk to the public is low, but that people should be prepared for their lives to be disrupted, including school closures and the cancellation of large gatherings. New Delhi, Feb 29 : Google Doodle on Saturday celebrated Leap Day, which occurs once in every four years on the 29th day of February, instead of the usual 28. The year is called a Leap Year, while the day is known as Leap Day. "Today's Doodle is jumping for joy on Leap Day, the 29th day of February that only occurs about every four years, to keep our calendars in alignment with the Earth and sun," the Google Doodle page said. "We HOP you have a good one-Happy Leap Day!" it added. Leap years in the western calendar were first introduced in 46 BC by Roman general Julius Caesar. The Julian calendar, which was named after him, had only one rule: 'Any year evenly divisible by four would be a leap year.' The next leap year will be in 2024. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text ANN ARBOR, MI - Police Chief Michael Cox is set to return to work Monday, March 2, under various conditions set by the city administrator and with lingering disagreements over the circumstances and nature of his administrative leave. Outgoing Ann Arbor City Administrator Howard Lazarus has ordered Coxs reinstatement, effective Monday, with conditions that include meeting with officers and union representatives to apologize for any misunderstandings and poor communication. Chief Cox would benefit from more direct and positive contact with the sworn officers, the Community Standards Officers, and administrative staff, Lazarus wrote in a memo reinstating Cox, dated Feb. 27. Cox was placed on administrative leave Feb. 7 over allegations he created a hostile work environment and wielded undue influence on investigations into officers improperly voiding parking tickets. Other conditions of his reinstatement include training on the citys policies related to voiding traffic tickets and personnel complaints. Although I have the authority to issue a suspension, I am not taking that action given the extenuating circumstance that I will not be the City Administrator after February 29, 2020, Lazarus wrote. It would be unfair to the Interim City Administrator, AAPD, and City Council for me to impose a suspension without my having the opportunity to personally work with Chief Cox in the aftermath. After several months of tension with City Council, Lazarus was fired Feb. 18 in a 7-4. His termination takes effect Saturday. Read more: Ann Arbor police chiefs leave was related to parking supervisor voiding tickets Lazarus and Cox have disagreed on the nature of the administrative leave and the timing of the disclosure of the allegations against the chief. Cox and his attorney Nick Roumel have said the chief wasnt notified of the accusations against him until nearly two weeks after he was placed on leave. Lazarus disputes that, saying he told the chief on Feb. 7 why he was placing him on administrative leave. He said he raised specific concerns made by employees during a meeting. He knew, Lazarus said, adding he was given information on Thursday, Feb. 6 that finalized his administrative leave decision. He didnt know when he came in to talk to me, because he was in Grand Rapids the day before. Roumel, who started representing Cox shortly after the administrative leave was announced, said the allegations against his client were relayed to them in the middle of the investigation, rather than at the start. I wouldve liked better notice of what he was accused of before the investigation started, Roumel said. It unfolded to us during the investigation. The investigation, conducted by outside firm Miller Canfield, revealed that a police lieutenant conducted two separate investigations into parking officials dismissing tickets, including a supervisor who ordered a parking officer to void a ticket outside of city policy. The lieutenant, as well as other police department and city staff, alleged that Cox tried to sway the lieutenants investigation toward a result that didnt lead to disciplining the supervisor, according to the report. Lazarus also accused Cox of insubordination during the course of the investigation, saying the chief attempted to talk to officers in violation of an order made in the administrative leave notification. Cox contended that he heard he was on leave through different means, and that he tried to speak with his deputy chiefs to discover the reasons why. Candidly, I did not read the letter placing me on administrative leave until I had already violated its conditions, Cox said in a response to the investigation report. I was willing to obey that directive, but suffered a lapse in judgment facilitated over my profound confusion... over the City Administrators decision." Roumel argues said that administrative leave was an unnecessary action taken against Cox. Administrative leave was not warranted during this investigation, he said. They couldve done an investigation about subordinates concerns without putting him on leave, but thats a disagreement between us and the city. Cox in his response to the report called the administrative leave a suspension. Leadership requires trust with a strong understanding of procedural justice, Cox wrote. Respectfully, suspending the Chief of Police over these allegations before I had a chance to respond, undermines that trust and unfairly calls into question my leadership." Lazarus called the characterization a misstatement, saying administrative leave is not a punitive action, according to the citys human resources policy. The use of Administrative Leave to provide the space for a fair and respectful investigation is consistent with the Human Resources Policy, Lazarus wrote in his memo on Coxs job status. Administrative Leave is not by definition punitive in nature and does not trigger the requirements of Section 12.12 of the City Charter. Those requirements would have included notifying City Council of a suspension. City Council, which unanimously voted to appoint Cox in July 2019, was not informed of the specific allegations against the chief until Friday, Feb. 21, two weeks after the administrative leave started. Lazarus acknowledged that he was aware of the short-term consequences of the unexplained administrative leave, including potential damage to perceptions of the chief and the city, You have to look at the long-term outcomes, he said, to make sure the chief and the city can be successful (going forward). Roumel said he had constructive conversations with Lazarus and City Council in the aftermath of the investigations, adding that the city should review its administrative leave policies to clarify what the nature of the leave is. Read more: Police oversight commission laments weaponized speculation over Ann Arbor police chiefs leave The Miller Canfield report concluded that Cox ordered the lieutenant to conduct two investigations into voiding parking tickets, did not actively retaliate or take adverse action towards any employee and that he has the right as chief to request investigation updates. However, the firm warned that comments he made toward the lieutenant would understandably make the employee fearful. The report cited an example in which Cox told the lieutenant a story about a child playing with matches, and related that to another story about an officer accusing the Boston police chief of corruption. Cox worked in the Boston Police Department for more than 30 years before taking the job in Ann Arbor last summer. The Lieutenant had no idea what the Chief was driving at, the report stated, and wondered if he was saying that she was accusing him of something or that she was playing with fire by continuing the investigation. Miller Canfield did not offer a recommendation on Coxs future, but said the investigation wasnt about just one persons accusations. If the Chief is allowed to return from leave, it will be imperative to understand that this investigation was not instigated by one or two people," Miller Canfield said in the report, "but by a number of people, in a number of different positions, who had similar, credible, and often admitted, experiences with the Chief. Cox in his response noted that he did not intend to interfere in any investigation, but acknowledged problems with his communication style. "I must painfully acknowledge that my words and actions during the parking investigations were not clearly communicated, that my subordinate was affected, and that the concerns were brought to Human Resources, Cox wrote. ... Im new to the job and was candidly unaware that my management style was perceived negatively by some employees. Some of this discontent obviously goes with the job; but this observation goes only so far. I commit to becoming more sensitive to the concerns of my subordinates, and not only encourage but also insist that members of the Ann Arbor Police Department feel free, safe, and inspired to state their concerns about me and the department so that they may be addressed productively and openly. I completely respect the fact that I simply cannot transpose my Boston experience perfectly into the important work you have entrusted to me, and will work to create a new path in Ann Arbor. At least one parking officer was fired after the investigation into voiding tickets. Another condition of Coxs reinstatement requires the chief to demonstrate his support of the ICPOC (Independent Community Police Oversight Commission) through his regular attendance at and participation in the Commissions meetings, Lazarus wrote in his memo. He should provide a Chiefs update at every ICPOC meeting, in which he discusses items of importance to ICPOC members. The Chair and Vice Chair of the should support the Chief in this requirement. According to the Miller Canfield report, Cox, while being interviewed during the investigation, expressed confusion over the existence of any oversight of his department. (Cox) initially denied knowing about any oversight, then acknowledged that there was a Commission but thought that it was brand new and hadnt really done anything, the report stated. Upon further questioning, the Chief acknowledged awareness of the Independent Community Policy Oversight Commission, but thought that the only way anything would become public was through a FOIA request. Lisa Jackson, the commissions chair, said Friday she wasnt concerned with Coxs comments, believing the chief simply misspoke. She said Cox, or Deputy Chief Jason Forsberg in his place, consistently attends commission meetings. I have been on record since before my arrival to have acknowledged ICPOCs importance and critical role in providing independent oversight of the Ann Arbor Police Department and will continue to do so going forward, Cox said in his response to the investigation report. Jackson said she was unclear why Miller Canfield mentioned the commission in the report. The report pointed out that the commission is authorized to review police actions, including internal investigations, in accordance with city ordinance. Jackson found the point confusing, as the commission wasnt informed of the allegations into Cox until Tuesday, Feb. 24, 17 days after Cox was placed on administrative leave by City Administrator Howard Lazarus. Read more: City Council, oversight commission in the dark on Ann Arbor police chiefs leave Were not involved in police discipline, she said. We are not involved in any of the facts of the case. I found it odd we were even mentioned. Howard Lazarus put the chief on leave and didnt tell City Council, and certainly not us, why." Read more: Ann Arbor city administrator fired in 7-4 council vote City Council, oversight commission in the dark on Ann Arbor police chiefs leave Results of Ann Arbor police chief investigation to be discussed Friday In this article: (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia has suspended all non-essential business travel as the coronavirus outbreak spreads worldwide, Bloomberg News reported https://bloom.bg/3a7HEWe on Friday. Canada's third biggest lender told its nearly 100,000 employees of its decision, which applies to both domestic and international travel effective immediately, the report said, citing people familiar with the memo. Any exceptions require approval from an executive vice president, the report added. Late on Thursday, Wall Street lender JPMorgan Chase & Co issued global restrictions on non-essential travel to protect its employees and business from the coronavirus epidemic. Scotiabank did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by C Nivedita in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber) Clonaslee in Laois has bestowed a lovely honour on its adopted son, Dublin boy Jamie Lee who starred in the RTE show Raised By The Village last summer. "We are delighted to announce our special guest Grand Marshall Jamie Lee from RTEs Raised by the Village," the organisers of the village's St Patrick's Day parade have stated this week. The parade is on Sunday March 15 at 12 noon sharp and organisers say it is not be missed with prizes for the best floats, including Best Dressed Dog, and fun for all the family. Jamie, 16, from inner city Dublin spent a week with the Cusack Keely farming family of Noeleen, Mark and their children Matthew, Ellen, Harriet and Freia last summer. The show aimed to give inner city children who are heading for trouble because of their tough neighbourhood, a taste of gentler rural community life. It was a huge success for Jamie Lee who threw himself into farming and community life. He has since returned to stay with them for Halloween and Christmas holidays. Any local organisations or interested clubs wishing to put in a float into Clonaslee Parade can contact Brendan on 087-967-5054 or Ronan on 085-148-2296. Floats assembling at Community Centre from 11 am. There is no entry fee to enter a float. Each club or school can make up their float on any theme of their choice. Caroline Calloway has just told me she thinks my question is dumb. I asked whether she was affected by the backlash she faced last year when an essay written about her went viral, and she cant stop laughing. I am so glad that you have never been in the news, she says pointedly. If you have read about Calloway in the news, chances are youve read nothing good. The social media influencer, who has 716k followers on Instagram, became the subject of an internet frenzy last year after her former friend Natalie Beach wrote about the dissolution of their relationship for The Cut. In the essay, Calloway comes across as vapid and selfish, a drug-reliant charlatan who exploited Beach for talents she lacked. But it wasnt just about the two women; the article found universal appeal with its astute observations on class, female friendship and the artifice of social media. It spawned countless online debates and think pieces. It was gripping. Everything in Natalies essay is true, the 27-year-old tells me. I found out [it was being published] because she [Beach] sent me an email to let me know that a fact-checker would be contacting me. This isnt the first time Calloway has shared her side of the story she practically live-blogged her reaction on Instagram but now she has had time to reflect. She admits that when she read it she was really sad. I felt very guilty and ashamed, she adds. But Calloway wasnt surprised when it went viral. Ive spent eight years working in the public eye, every PR bone in my body knew what was about to happen. I was a wreck that week. It was difficult for her to revisit the behaviour Beach describes. In one anecdote, Beach recalls how Calloway locked her out of their apartment on a weekend trip to Amsterdam, leaving Beach to spend the night on the streets, where she was harassed by drunk teenagers and had to sleep in a public toilet. I of all people admit that I was such a s***ty friend, she says, talking at length about her addiction to the amphetamine Adderall (she says she is now in recovery) and how it impacted her behaviour. It is tragically the people who were closest to me that suffered the worst consequences of my addiction. I was such a monster. Calloway insists things would have been different had she been sober. I think a lot of people feel shame when they revisit their years of addiction, she reflects. Were supposed to be discussing Calloways new book, Scammer, a mini-memoir recounting the past year. Normally, this is where I would describe the book, but I havent read it. Because despite the book being the reason this interview is taking place, its not finished. This will be a familiar theme to anyone familiar with Calloways literary history. When Beach and Calloway were still working together, they co-wrote a 103-page proposal for a memoir titled And We Were Like, and Calloway reportedly made a verbal promise to give Beach a cut of the profits. But when Flatiron bought the book for $375,000 (289,933) Beach received nothing. As time went on and Calloway missed her deadlines, Beach took on writing the book herself, producing more than a quarter of the manuscript. That did not sit well with Calloway, who Beach claimed threatened suicide if she continued. They fought, Beach severed ties, and Flatiron demanded Calloway return $100,000 of her advance when the book never surfaced. Calloway tells me she is still writing the book, which is based on the years she spent studying history of art at the University of Cambridge. It will be different, though, to the book she sold based on the proposal written with Beach, which painted a glossier version of her life, one that excluded details about her addiction to Adderall. Turns out that with all of the press around me, the interest in a memoir is higher than ever, she says. The proposal I had written with Natalie told a version of my life that had cut out hugely important things, and thats not the author I want to be. The new book will include all the glamour plus all the darkness that I left out first time around. Following the breakdown of her friendship with Beach, Calloway took two years off Instagram. It was during this time that she underwent therapy and overcame her amphetamine addiction by following parts of Alcoholics Anonymouss 12-step recovery programme. In her essay, Beach refers to this period as Calloway having fallen out of the public eye but does not discuss her recovery, nor does she refer to Calloways poor mental health. The only time the word addiction appears in Beachs essay is in reference to what Calloway told a fact-checker with regards to feeling suicidal because she could not get herself off amphetamines and had sold a memoir she couldnt write. I very nearly killed myself because of my undiagnosed depression and my struggles with addiction, Calloway tells me. It was really painful to see my mental illness and recovery erased from the record in Natalies essay. She portrayed all of the symptoms of my diseases without using the words mental illness, addiction, or depression. Calloway believes this was tactical. It paints me as more of a villain, so it helps Natalies narrative. I have to give her credit as a writer. When I put this to Beach, she says it was not her intention to create a villain and victim binary, but to explore the complications of her relationship with Calloway. Writing about mental health and addiction is a fraught endeavour, she explains, especially when youre writing about someone else. Caroline is of course entitled to her interpretation of how I portrayed her. Beach also tells me she hasnt spoken to Calloway in months, though the two did talk on the phone and exchange a few texts shortly after the essay was published. It was around this time Calloways father took his own life. Mental illness and depression are the reason why I no longer have a father, Calloway says, adding that this made Beachs portrayal of her all the more hurtful. It was incredibly hurtful to read about a version of my life where my poor mental health was just erased from the record. Talking to Calloway can be disorientating. Thanks to her honeyed Virginia drawl, everything she says sounds kind, which is why it can be easy to miss it when certain words jar like when she describes her uncle as skitz or refers to the part of Scammer that is about her fathers death as a scene. She frequently refers to herself as a performative person and a storyteller, too, which feels like another way of saying I should take everything she says with a pinch of salt. So I do. Nonetheless, she gives generous answers to most of my questions and seems happy to be chatting with me. Only when I ask about Beachs role in her Instagram success does she bristle. I wrote the captions that built my brand, she replies. I did a good job, and it really bothers me when people say that Natalie made me famous or even that she had a hand in making me famous because we wrote Instagram captions together when all I had was fake followers. We wrote to an audience of no one, just bots. Then I started writing the captions that made me famous at Cambridge. She does concede that Beach deserves credit for her part in the book proposal. Calloway found it hilarious that people accused her and Beach of colluding on the essay for publicity, mostly because Beach, she says, has no appetite or aptitude for fame. She doesnt want it and doesnt understand how to accrue it, so it makes me laugh, Calloway continues. I can see how the colluding narrative would work for me but the idea that Natalie is doing that as well, its just not who she is and its not her personality. Calloway was in fact quite famous before Beachs essay came out, but probably not for the reasons she hoped. In January 2019, she was forced to deny claims that she was a con artist after a series of creativity workshops she had organised and charged $165 a ticket for fell short of expectations. Guests had been promised a four-hour seminar on mental health creativity, complete with oat milk lattes, homemade lunches and personalised care packages that would include a letter written by her. The reality was quite different; as journalists who attended have documented, pointing to the disappointing care packages (no letters included), Calloways prolonged pontifications about her own life, and the measly Whole Foods salads they were served. Influencers face backlash for splashing each other with holy water A series of withering articles about the workshops went viral fuelled by Twitter threads comparing her workshops to Fyre Festival, which were retweeted by celebrities like Seth Rogen. Despite the fallout, Calloway maintains attendees enjoyed the events. I wasnt scamming anyone, she says. The articles about my workshops are dripping in derision but if you speak to the people who attended the events, people loved it and thought they got their moneys worth. Calloway urges me to research this to support her claim, and I do. But apart from the odd review that is at best indifferent, all I can find is criticism and, well, mockery. Im really pleased with how my workshops went, she continues. I didnt feel like I had all the answers on how to be happy, I just thought I had some lessons worth sharing. And the point of those events was to bring my brand to life and that just means being a regular person, being a little disorganised, making jokes, sitting on the floor and eating salad. It wasnt about being a manicured person. For now it is not clear when Scammer or And We Were Like will be released though according to Calloways website, the former has an estimated shipping date of 1 April nor is there a publication date for the essay Calloway has written in response to Beachs. But she tells me it is finished, will be titled I am Caroline Calloway and that she plans to shop it around a few publications. Right now, she is keen to do a lot of press to counteract the negative criticism surrounding her. If you tell reporters the truth, how much can they really spin it? Even if you dont understand me, or you dont want to. Anyway, its really OK, she says, drawing a breath. You can write whatever you want. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can reach out for confidential support at Samaritans by calling 116 123 or visiting their website Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 22:24:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday afternoon that the number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong remained at 94 as no new confirmed cases had been reported. A local temple located at North Point, Hong Kong Island had been an origin for community outbreak, head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch Chuang Shuk-kwan said at a daily press briefing. She said there are 14 confirmed cases linked with the temple. Among these 14 patients, 10 had visited the temple, and the rest four who didn't visit the temple were confirmed as they had close contact with these visitors. The CHP had contacted 263 people who had a connection with this temple. 33 people had been sent to hospitals, 38 were quarantined and the rest were under medical surveillance. Among 94 confirmed COVID-19 patients, 59 remain hospitalized, 33 have been discharged from hospitals, and two have passed away. The foreign-language film remake has never been the most esteemed sort of Hollywood production, but the timing of "Downhill," a remake of Ruben Ostlund's 2014 Swedish film "Force Majeure," hasn't done it any favors. "Downhill" skied into theater just days after the historic Oscar victory for Bong Joon Ho's South Korean thriller "Parasite," which for a moment anyway, smashed what Bong called "the one-inch barrier of subtitles." With so many international films so readily available today, the need of an English-language facsimile is more questionable than ever. And yet, the notion of pure "originality" doesn't really wash for the movies, the most ravenous and protean of art forms. Hollywood has always hunted high and low for good source material, affixing itself to all manner of books, plays, toy lines and classic films like you might say a parasite. Sometimes the results are cynical, sometimes they're grand. Easy as it may be to turn one's nose up at foreign-language film remakes, that also means shunning, for example, the delights of "The Birdcage" and possibly the greatest comedy of all time, "Some Like it Hot." Both of those movies point to what can make such remakes not only work but come alive: insanely good comic performers and brilliant writers. In the case of Mike Nichols' "The Birdcage," Robin Williams and Gene Hackman, from Elaine May's adaptation. "Some Like it Hot," penned by the great duo of Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, had Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. Not shabby, either lineup. And if you're going to Americanize a European film, you can't do much better than put Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell in it. Their presences, alone, remake any movie in their singular comedic styles, which before now have never joined together. "Downhill," too, comes with talented comedy minds behind the camera in directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (writers of the Oscar-winning script to "The Descendants"), who co-wrote the adaptation with Jesse Armstrong, the mind behind HBO's "Succession." "Downhill" takes the basic shape of Ostlund's film. A family of four (this time visiting from America not Sweden) are in the Alps for a ski vacation when an intentionally set off avalanche begins tumbling down the mountain. The family appreciates the sight from the deck of a ski lodge before, as the snow barrels closer, panic sets in. The husband, Pete (Ferrell), grabs his phone and runs away while the wife, Billie (Louis-Dreyfus), desperately clutches their two sons. Even if you didn't see "Force Majeure," you might remember the original scene; it became a widely spread meme last year. It was a glorious shot and a moment of terror that, for the family of "Force Majeure," afterward cleaved open the cracks and fissures of a marriage while burrowing into the existential comedy of monogamy and gender roles. "Downhill" does much the same, with a little less discomfort and a little more but not a lot more broad, "European Vacation"-style humor. After the avalanche, Billie is increasingly apoplectic, furious at her husband's cowardice and newly uncertain about their marriage's future. Pete at first refuses to admit anything happened, a denial that crumbles in a withering scene in front a visiting couple (Zach Woods, Zoe Chao). It would be easy to say "Downhill" lacks the nuance of "Force Majeure," but Ostlund's film wasn't perfect, either. Like his "The Square," it makes cutting but imprecise stabs at irony and satire, and never quite lives up to its spectacular beginning. It's the better film, sure, but the pleasures of watching Ferrell and, in particular, Louis-Dreyfus in "Downhill" shouldn't be minimized. Ferrell's presence slightly shifts the film's dynamics. In "Force Majeure," the polished veneer of the husband (Johannes Kuhnke) breaks apart. But Ferrell has spent decades lampooning and hilariously, perceptively deconstructing masculinity. He might know these slopes too well. Ferrell is here ably, convincingly playing more down-to-earth than his usual screen presence, but the part might have called for an actor less obviously in tune with male fragility. Still, it's a kind of perfect role for Ferrell, one that trades on both his comedy persona and his less often seen dramatic skill, notably displayed in the Raymond Carver adaptation "Everything Must Go." He and Louis-Dreyfus are terrific together, and "Downhill" is sustained by their chemistry. There's not much left to be said about Louis-Dreyfus, who also produced "Downhill." Her talent remains, in her first post-"Veep" project, extraordinary. From "Seinfeld" to "Veep," I think Louis-Dreyfus' greatness lies in her ability to savagely skewer the ridiculousness of the men around her while simultaneously lampooning herself. Given the talent involved, I only wish Rash and Faxon had gone further, turning "Force Majeure" into an outright farce. At the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Rash (a highlight on the sitcom "Community") led the cast in a spontaneous improv. (Woods, too, is also a stellar improvisational comic). If only "Downhill" had made more of its own tracks. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 February 29 : Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty got angry and strongly condemned the violence in Delhi. The actor expressed that the beauty of India lies in unity and not in violence. People have become more conservative and need to change their thought process. Watch: Suniel Shetty breaks his silence and reacts on Delhi violence Suniel Shetty was interacting with the media at the launch of The GM-OCCHIO Premium Flagship Store on Friday in Mumbai. When asked about Delhi violence, actor Suniel said, "I think we are the ones to be blamed. Because our thought process is getting too conservative, we need to change it. We can't blame the government for all this, because as an individual it's our responsibility to put a stop to such violence. The beauty of India is in the people from different culture living together. One such example is of my family. In my family there are people from different caste, like Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christians stay together and happily. That's how I want to see my India If we all take a resolution, that whatever may be the political game, we will not fight. We will not shed the blood of each other and also protect us from any losses or harm. Then only we can stand united. Till we don't know what is happening in depth and who is instigating the violence, we should not react. I think we should maintain peace, because whatever is happening in Delhi is very sad It's very important to understand CAA/NRC and also it's implementation. I really pray for a Police Officer who died in this violence. And also for the people who lost their lives in this violence. I also pray and wish that better sense prevail to all of us. Lastly, I would like to say, In all this, there is a very crucial role of media also. If media does it's job fairly, for sure we can stop this violence, Suniel added." Meanwhile on the work front, Suniel Shetty is prepping for his role in forthcoming gangster drama 'Mumbai Saga'. The film is helmed by Sanjay Gupta, and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anuradha Gupta and Sangeeta Ahir. The movie also features John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Kajal Aggarwal, Jackie Shroff, Prateik Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Rohit Roy, Samir Soni and Amole Gupte. It is scheduled to release on 19 June 2020. It was last spring when Sony Music/Provident Label Group announced the signing of female worship leader and Christian music artist Elle Limebear. Today, they are excited to share the release of her first full-length LP, Lost In Wonder, which is the follow-up to her self-titled debut 2019 EP. The album's first single, "What Love Looks Like," is at radio now and accompanied by a new music video. "These past few years I've been writing, recording and working on my debut album," Elle Limebear shares about her new 20-song compilation. "It's been an incredible journey that started way back in 2017. This project is a collection of my revelations from being a young girl until now. We can't escape the wonder of God's glory and creation, it's everywhere-we just have to open our eyes. We've been brought from being lost in darkness to light. But to be lost in wonder is to be lost in the wondrous light of God." Throughout 2019 fans have been getting to know the fresh sound of Elle (pronounced Ell-ee) Limebear, who hails from Brighton, U.K. As the daughter of Delirious? frontman Martin Smith, she is certainly not new to the world of music. She performed with her dad at packed stadiums around the world, seeing the global church worshipping while also working as a worship leader and youth pastor in the U.K., creating her foundation into a successful career as a solo artist. In addition to leading worship at churches all over the world, including stops in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and more, in March she will embark on Roadshow 2020 Tour. She will tour 16 major markets such as Spokane, WA, Loveland, CO, Albuquerque, NM, and Arlington, TX. She was also recently named one of Pandora's Christian Artists To Watch in 2020. Visit: www.ElleLimebearMusic.com Track listing for Lost In Wonder: North Star Your Love Is Forever Call On Your Name Angels All The Time Goodness (Eyes Wide Open) Fly Holding Me Still Honesty What Love Looks Like Find Me At Your Feet Breathing Maker Of The Moon Born To Be Wild Love Song (feat. one sonic society) Lord You Have My Heart (feat. Martin Smith) What Love Looks Like (Single Version) Goodness (Eyes Wide Open) [Single Version] Holding Me Still (Single Version) Maker Of The Moon (Single Version) Tags : Elle Limebear elle limbear lost in wonder Martin Smith elle limebear new album Elle Limebear news PHILIPSBURG:--- According to an official report from the Rescue and Firefighting Department (R&FF) of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), a married couple identified as French nationals were reportedly traveling from St. Barth via a cruise ferry service to Philipsburg, on February 28, 2020, at approximately 10:30 am. The couple intended to fulfill their departure to Paris, France upon an Air France aircraft, which was projected to depart from the SXM Airport to Charles de Gaulle at approximately 5:34 pm but were apprehended by the French Police Authorities with assistance by the Rescue and Firefighting EMT team in the holding room at the airport. They were immediately transported to the isolation room located at a remote location near the terminal building. The couple initially arrived on St. Maarten on February 21, 2020, in transit to St. Barth. At approximately 2:47 pm, the Security Department of the SXM Airport received a call from a Dutch Law Enforcement officer informing them that they were contacted by the French Authorities, and further advising the airport authorities to be on high alert for the two French nationals who were suspected of showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus (COVID 19). SXM Airport initiated its protocol in dealing with communicable diseases, as the Rescue and Firefighting EMT team assisted the French Police Authorities with the apprehending of the couple and the prompt transporting process to the isolation room. Upon arrival to the remote area, the Rescue and Firefighting EMT team conducted a standard interview with the patients at the isolation room and checked their vital signs. All the vital signs appeared normal, as there were no signs of coughing, sneezing or fever. At 4:50 pm the couple was transported to the Louie Constant Fleming Hospital, in Concordia, St. Martin. Togetherness is always required by both local police authorities and airline operators. We all should play our part towards accomplishing greater coordination of readiness measures, as we strengthen our awareness on healthy travel habits and by extension the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Our airport pandemic plan also addresses aspects such as coordination with the local/regional/national public health authorities, declares the Chief of Operations, COO, Michel Hyman. India has been put on backfoot as the side was bowled out for 242 against New Zealand on day one of the second Test of the two-match series on Saturday here at the Hagley Oval. After bundling out India, New Zealand ended the first day at 63/0. Tom Blundell (29*) and Tom Latham (27*) ensured that the hosts do not lose any wickets before the close of play. After being sent into bat, Indian openers Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw put on 30 runs for the first wicket, however, New Zealand got the wicket of Agarwal (7) in the sixth over. Shaw kept on scoring boundaries at regular intervals and as a result, brought up his half-century in a quick time. With India getting into a good position in the match, New Zealand came back strongly to dismiss Shaw (54), Virat Kohli (3) and Ajinkya Rahane (7) in quick succession, reducing the visitors to 113/4. Then, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari got together to retrieve the innings for the Indian side. Their partnership saw both batsmen bringing up their respective half-centuries. However on the cusp of tea break, Vihari (55) gave his wicket away off the bowling of Neil Wagner and as a result, the side went into the tea break at 194/5. Immediately after the tea interval, India was given a big blow, as Pujara (54) was sent back to the pavilion by Kyle Jamieson. After Pujara's dismissal, India lost back-to-back wickets of Rishabh Pant (12), Umesh Yadav (0) and Ravindra Jadeja (9) and were left reeling at 216/9. The last pair of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah added 26 more runs to the total and India was finally bowled out for 242. Jamieson scalped five wickets for the hosts New Zealand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LOS ANGELES Joe Coulombe envisioned a new generation of young grocery shoppers emerging in the 1960s, one that wanted healthy, tasty, high-quality food they couldnt find in most supermarkets and couldnt afford to buy in the few high-end gourmet outlets. So he found a new way to bring everything to market, from a then-exotic snack food called granola to California-produced wines that rivaled anything from France. He made shopping for them almost as much fun as sailing the high seas when he created Trader Joes, a quirky grocery store filled with nautical themes and staffed not by managers and clerks but by captains and mates. From the time he opened his first store in Pasadena in 1967 until his death Friday at age 89, Coulombe watched his namesake business rise from a cult favorite of educated but underpaid young people and a few hippies to a retail giant with more than 500 outlets in over 40 states. A giant yes, but one that across more than half a century has never lost its reputation for friendly service from employees in goofy Hawaiian shirts, a newsletter that looks like it was published in the 1890s, and rows and rows of high-quality, moderately priced healthy food and great wine, even if you sometimes cant ever again find exactly the same thing. He wanted to make sure whatever was sold in our store was of good value, said Coulombes son, also named Joe, who added that his father died following a long illness. He always did lots of taste tests. My sisters and I remember him bringing home all kinds of things for us to try. At his offices he had practically daily tastings of new products. Always the aim was to provide good food and good value to people. He achieved that by buying directly from wholesalers and cutting out the middleman, in many cases slapping the name Trader Joes on a bag of nuts, trail mix, organic dried mango, honey-oat cereal or Angus beef chili. He named several products after his daughters Charlotte and Madeleine and gave quirky names to others. Among them were Trader Darwin vitamins and a non-alcoholic sparkling juice called Eves Apple Sparkled by Adam. He prided himself on checking out every vintage of wine from Californias Napa Valley, including Trader Joes standby, Charles Shaw, known as Two-Buck Chuck because it sold for $1.99. (It still does in the California stores, although shipping costs have increased the price in other states.) After selling Trader Joes to German grocery retailer Aldi in 1979, Coulombe remained as its CEO until 1988, when he left to launch a second career as what he called a temp, coming in as interim CEO or consultant for several large companies in transition. He retired in 2013. Joseph Hardin Coulombe, an only child, was born on June 3, 1930, in San Diego and lived on an avocado ranch in nearby Del Mar. After serving in the Air Force, he attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelors degree in economics and a masters in business administration. There he met his future wife, Alice. John Rogers is an Associated Press writer. Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency said Ankara's forces had "neutralized" 1,709 members of the Syrian forces in Idlib in the last 17 days. Fighting between Russia-backed Syrian forces and Turkey-backed rebels have intensified in Syria's northwestern province. Earlier on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, reported at least 34 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in Idlib. Turkey has sent thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into northwest Idlib province to back rebels looking to hold back an offensive by the Syrian government and Russian forces aimed at taking back the rebel stronghold. Photo: The Canadian Press President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Washington, to attend a campaign rally in North Charleston, S.C. President Donald Trump said Saturday he'll address the nation about the coronavirus threat. Trump tweeted that he'll discuss the latest development at a White House news conference at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Trump addressed the nation from the White House earlier this week. Trump's appearance comes after health officials disclosed a second case of coronavirus in the U.S. in someone who had not travelled internationally or had close contact with someone who has the virus. Midland and Odessa are less than 20 miles apart, but a driver wouldnt know it based on the average price of gas. AAA Texas reported this week that the average price of gasoline rose 12 cents week over week in Odessa, while in Midland, the price stayed flat. The average of $2.38 inside Odessa is the high mark across the larger metropolitan areas in the state, according to AAA Texas. Midland is second at $2.33, while El Paso fell from first to third after the average there dropped 7 cents, the largest week over week decline in Texas. The average in El Paso is $2.29. Abilene is the only other larger metropolitan area with an average at or above $2.20. The average there is $2.21. The state average rose 2 cents to $2.16. Drivers in Laredo and San Antonio are paying the least at $2.06 per gallon, according to the organization. AAA Texas reported that the state still has some of the lowest gas price averages in the country but that prices are up week-to-week because of decreased gasoline stocks and maintenance at regional refineries. Crude oil prices were on the rise until the start of this week but have since dropped. Factors (for price fluctuations) include increasing demand for retail gasoline and decreasing supply as refinery maintenance is beginning, which is typical for this time of the year, said AAA Texas spokesman Daniel Armbruster in an email. AAA Texas data also shows that for the second-straight week, the average in Midland is closer to the state average. Two weeks ago, the difference between the average in Midland and around the state was 27 cents. This week, the average is 17 cents. Distributors have told the Reporter-Telegram there are many complexities in the fuel business that impact pricing. They pointed to the high cost of transportation from Gulf Coast refineries and Midlands distance from pipelines. There are also issues with the high cost of living, at least in Midland and Odessa, where rents have climbed at rates incomparable around the state. AAA Texas reported the following average prices across the region: $2.12 in Amarillo (an increase of 2 cents), $2.13 in Lubbock (an increase of 4 cents), $2.14 in San Angelo (a decrease of 1 cent) and $2.19 in Abilene (an increase of 2 cents). AAA Texas also reported that the average price in Midland is 9 cents lower year over year. The state average is 1 cent lower year over year. Highest average gas prices This week Odessa $2.38 Midland $2.33 El Paso $2.29 Abilene $2.21 State average: $2.16 Last week El Paso $2.36 Midland $2.33 Odessa $2.26 Abilene $2.19 Fort Worth-Arlington $2.17 State average: $2.14 Source: AAA Texas BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Onshore construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is almost complete, said Luca Schieppati, TAP Managing Director, Trend reports citing TAP AG consortium. He said during the 6th meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku on Feb.28 that reinstatement is substantially complete in Greece and Albania and the pipeline receiving terminal in Italy is more than 80 percent built. With a few months to go until TAP's commercial operation date, were focused on operational readiness and the start of commercial operations, said Schieppati. The managing director went on to add that offshore pipe-laying activities are in full swing. Installation is contingent on the weather, however, we are confident that well be able to finalize works in the next couple of months, he added. TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries. Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network. The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016. Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe. TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 01:33:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- A global move should address the outbreak of COVID-19 as the illness has turned to be a global issue, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday. Rouhani, made the remarks during a phone call with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Saturday, according to the state TV. "No country will be able to fully avoid the virus " he said. "All countries will consequently have no choice other than to share their experience and resources to counter this issue," he added. The Iranian president noted that "we look forward to expanding bilateral and regional medical cooperation with all countries in the region over the issue." According to the latest statement released by Iran's Health Ministry on Saturday, COVID-19 infections have taken the lives of 43 Iranians, with a total number of 593 people being diagnosed with the disease across the country. A man was shot and killed in the 7th Ward late Saturday morning, according to New Orleans police. The victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a car in the 2100 block of Abundance Street, near a Waffle House. The restaurant was closed, and a shattered window facing the crime scene was covered with a tarp. Authorities said they found the man with a gunshot wound at Frenchmen and Abundance streets. The New Orleans Police Department alerted the media around 11:40 a.m. Almost 20 minutes later, authorities said the man had died from his injuries. A group of about 20 people gathered in front of Israelite Divine Spiritual Church, which sat diagonal from the crime scene. The pastor of the church was preparing for guests to arrive for a noon prayer service when he heard shots around 11:30 a.m. It was so many shots that he couldn't even keep count. The pastor said he saw the victim walking in and out of a house on the corner of Abundance and Frenchmen before he was killed. Residents of the 7th Ward neighborhood said the victim was in a car when he was found shot to death. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Im glad I wasnt out here, one neighbor said as she corralled two children in her yard. Theres no such thing as a quiet neighborhood these days. One person at the scene said he heard it was a shootout that involved at least two people. At least one of those bullets hit a Waffle House window and shattered the glass. A family in mourning stood close to the crime scene tape waiting for any information police could give them. Why was he even over here? a person close to the victim wailed. At least 12 evidence markers were laid out in Abundance Street while crime lab detectives studied the inside of a black SUV. Information on suspects or a possible motive are not available at this time, police said. The identity of the victim has not yet been released. Stay with NOLA.com for more updates. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. First things first: I dont trust anything that the communist Chinese government says about coronavirus. The repressive ruling junta has the means and the motive to shade or outright lie about how bad things really are there. Just remember how the Soviets lied about Chernobyl even as the radioactive cloud from the busted nuclear reactor wafted over Europe. Im not ready to panic about coronavirus, even as the outbreak has begun to really rattle politics and the stock market in the United States. But I know one thing: Staten Island would be well and truly boned if this thing turns into a full-blown pandemic. Ive spent the last few weeks thinking that the coronavirus threat was being blown way out of proportion. Another media sideshow. Politicians looking to use it to their advantage. That kind of thing. For all the headlines, there have been 2,462 deaths worldwide so far from coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By contrast, there have been at least 16,000 deaths from the flu this season in the United States alone, the CDC says. But heres the problem: The mortality rate from coronavirus is somewhere between 1 and 3 percent. The flu mortality rate is typically around 0.1 percent. So if there was a coronavirus pandemic here, the death toll would be in the millions. One simulation pegged the number at 65 million, according to New York magazine. The disease is also highly communicable. Bad stuff does happen sometimes. The Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918 killed 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 in the U.S. Were not there yet, nowhere near, but things are getting alarming. Pope Francis called in sick a day after comforting coronavirus sufferers. There was video of a top Iranian health official sweating and coughing while assuring Iranians that the coronavirus situation was under control in that country. Turns out hed contracted the virus. So has the Iranian vice president. There have been quarantines overseas. Bans on travel and on large gatherings. Schools have been closed. The Tokyo Olympics this summer could be in jeopardy. In my house, weve started talking about how safe it is for family members to ride the subway, and about the need to stock up on hand sanitizer. Im becoming positively Howard Hughes-like in my hand-washing routine. Ive heard others talk about canceling vacations, because people dont want to be trapped in airports or on airplanes with potentially sick people. Weve been advised to have a weeks worth of food on hand, just in case a pandemic hits the U.S. Wed have to stockpile medicine too. Supply chains of all kinds would be disrupted. Not a good prospect given how much we import from China, including protective face masks, which are already in short supply. There could be quarantines in the United States too. Picture military convoys rolling through the streets, loudspeakers blaring. Weve all seen those outbreak movies. Staten Island under a quarantine would be cut off from the rest of civilization pretty quickly. How would we get food deliveries? Or gasoline, or heating oil? Things would get dire fast. Remember how short-tempered people got after just a few days of waiting on line for gas after Hurricane Sandy? It gets worse. The more people that get sick, the more civilization grinds to a standstill. Would we have enough workers to operate power plants and communication systems? Phones? Internet? What of police and fire protection? National defense? You wake up one day and youre living in an episode of The Walking Dead. No, were not there. We lived through SARS and bird flu and swine flu. Zika virus. West Nile virus. Coronavirus may run its course without causing a catastrophe. But Im more worried than I was last week. Kolkata: Tollywood actor Subhadra Mukherjee of Bou Kotha Kou, Sadharan Meye, Khiladi, Romeo and Juliet fame quit the BJP on Saturday in protest of the carnage in New Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Sending her resignation to West Bengal BJP president and Midnapore MP Dilip Ghosh she made it clear that she would not continue in a party which has faces like Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra who have come under the scanner for their provocative speeches triggering the riot. The actor, who joined the BJP in 2013, said, The BJPs style of organisation attracted me to the party then. It, however, did move later in the direction it should have. I realised that the BJP has been in the grip of the hatred and judgment of people by their religion. It is not that I took the decision to quit in haste. I thought about it a lot before reaching the conclusion. Referring to the riots in the national capital, she alleged, Several innocent people were killed in the violence. Innumerable houses were burnt. The riots have created a division among the people. BJP leaders like Thakur and Mishra are still free as they have not faced any action from neither the party nor the police for their hate speech. The riot scenes have shocked me. Hundreds of Chinese tourists on vacation in Bali are scrambling to avoid going home, fearing both infection from the deadly new coronavirus and Beijing's handling of the epidemic. Concerns over the rapidly-spreading outbreak prompted Indonesia to shut down all flights to and from China this month, hammering the bottom lines of restaurants, hotels, travel agents and interpreters on the popular resort island. But with more than 2,800 dead from the COVID-19 illness on the Chinese mainland, and entire cities under lockdown, immigration officials in Bali say nearly a thousand Chinese nationals have applied for emergency visa extensions. "I'm an international refugee," Steve Li, the manager of a European firm in a major mainland city, told AFP at an upscale mall in the island's capital Denpasar. "China is like a big prison, all the cities are locked down," he added. Li says he does not believe Beijing's assurances that the country is getting the epidemic under control. While he plans to return to work, Li, who asked not to be identified by his real name, is leaving his wife and two young children behind to wait out the public health crisis. "I'm managing the company so I can't ask my guys to continue to work while I hide here," he said. Around a million Chinese tourists visit Bali each year -- the second-largest group of foreign arrivals after Australians -- and inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy. Thousands travelled there from the mainland for last month's Lunar New Year holiday just as the virus outbreak was beginning to snowball, prompting the lockdown of China's Hubei province where the infection was first detected. Beijing flew home groups of overseas tourists from around Asia last month citing the "practical difficulties" they faced abroad, as fears of the contagion prompted several countries to bar entry to arrivals who had recently been in China. Only a few dozen Chinese travellers in Bali took up the offer. "I wasn't surprised," Bali Tourism Agency chief Putu Astawa told AFP. "They don't want to go back." - 'I'm afraid' - Zilong Wang of Beijing said he was postponing his return because he believed his government had underplayed the infection's true toll. "I'd rather stay in Bali and watch the situation," the 30-year-old told AFP outside an immigration office swamped with anxious Chinese tourists, waiting in line for hours in the hope of extending their stay. Wang said he was also wary of other Chinese travellers, despite the lack of confirmed virus cases in Indonesia. "I've been trying to stay inside the hotel," Wang said. "I am nervous when I meet some other Chinese people especially when they don't wear masks. I'm afraid of getting infected." Some travellers are preparing back-up plans in case their requests to extend their stays are denied. Heather Wang, a real estate agent from eastern Zhejiang province, has been in Bali since late January and has no plans to return home -- even if she cannot stay on the tropical island. She is waiting to hear back from the Australian embassy on whether her application for a tourist entry permit has been successful. "If Australia doesn't approve my visa I think I'll be going to Thailand," the 26-year-old added. Nearly a thousand Chinese nationals have applied for emergency visa extensions in Bali Around a million Chinese tourists visit Bali each year The verdict in the Harvey Weinstein sex crimes case was described as both a disappointment and a victory. Some court watchers felt the shamed movie mogul should have been found guilty on all counts. Others said the decision ushered in a new era for survivors of sexual assault and tamped down, once and for all, defense attorneys tactic of blaming the victim. For Denise Conroy of Chicago, none of those things was the point. Watching that trial, she told me, I just kept getting madder. Why didnt (those women) report it when it happened? I thought, What the hell took you so long?' Denise was 23 years old in 1982 when she was dragged between two houses while walking home from her waitressing job early one morning. Her voice still cracks when she speaks about what happened when two men put a gun in her mouth and took turns violently beating and raping her. They kicked me and stabbed me. I was sodomized. And that gun. Ill never forget that gun. I said, Oh, God, please stop and he said, God is not here.' At the hospital doctors nicknamed her the murder victim who refused to die. The crime was reported to police immediately. Watching coverage of the Weinstein trial triggered Denises panic memory. She admits to yelling at the screen as Court TV recounted the womens testimony against Weinstein. Each witness conceded they had delayed reporting Weinsteins sexual attack. In the case of actress Annabella Sciorra it took more than two decades before she told authorities Weinstein had forcibly raped her. Since the first revelations about Weinsteins criminal behavior surfaced, more than 90 women have come forward to say the once high-powered Hollywood mogul sexually victimized them as well. Weinstein still faces similar sex assault charges in California. It does beg the question how so many women stayed silent for so long about such an obvious predator. Their fear of being erased from Hollywood outweighed their desire to report Weinsteins criminal behavior. Whats the price of your soul? Denise asked as she recounted the agony of feeling like the guilty party, post-rape, when detectives first questions were about what she had been wearing and why she was out so late. She earnestly wonders why the Weinstein women werent able to stand up for themselves at the time of the attacks, as she did so many years ago. Just facing her attackers and pointing them out in court was a torture, she said. But it was also empowering. I dont want to victim bash, she said to me in an urgent tone. But if it happened, then report it! We wont get anywhere if people dont report. I know its a double-edged sword, she said. I know how hard it is. Its embarrassing and humiliating, but it must be done. Today, Denise, now 60, volunteers as an advocate for women at risk. She worries that the star-studded #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have lost focus on the countless non-celebrity women who are victims of sexual assaults and domestic violence. And the media, she says, seem transfixed on only the super-sensational sex-crime cases like Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein and, yes, Harvey Weinstein. Denise is also troubled by two other things: those who seem to equate all sexual harassment and assault with the same outrage and gravitas. Complaining about a co-worker who makes suggestive comments or has wandering eyes is nowhere near as serious as a forcible sex act, and she believes more public support needs to be aimed toward actual crime victims. And second, while the Weinstein verdict gave her some hope, what about the co-conspirators at Miramax? she asked referring to top executives at Weinsteins now-defunct company, including his brother, Bob. They had Harvey sign contracts agreeing to stay away from women. They need to be held responsible. This didnt happen in a vacuum. Denise sounded a bit bitter when she spoke about the pedestal on which Weinsteins victims have been placed. Theyre glorifying these women who didnt come forward for years. Calling them heroes. What about people like me, women who have lived through unspeakable things? It sort of feels like a slap in the face. While taking nothing away from the Weinstein victims, Denise has a point. www.DianeDimond.com; e-mail to Diane@DianeDimond.com. TOKYO My Home Harumi, a nursing home in central Tokyo, is on lockdown. Volunteers, service providers and even family members are turned away in hopes of keeping the center sealed against the spreading coronavirus. A sense of crisis pervades the home as employees wear masks, constantly wash their hands and disinfect every surface, said its deputy director, Kumi Iwasaki. Its a life-or-death mission: The virus kills older people at a far higher rate. The battle is being waged all across Japan, which has the highest proportion of elderly people in the world, as the number of reported cases in the country has steadily climbed to 230, with 11 deaths, mostly among people in their 80s. Globally, nearly 3,000 people have died, the vast majority in China. Other countries with aging populations, like South Korea and Italy, which have both experienced recent surges in infections, are also facing acute challenges. Those two countries have done just what experts recommend: They have moved quickly to test large numbers of people so they can be treated and isolated from others. But after weeks of caution, the Japanese government has only just begun to take more aggressive action, most notably by moving to close schools for a month. That step, though, was aimed at the young, who often show only mild symptoms or none at all when infected, not vulnerable older people, who sometimes develop severe pneumonia. The International Monetary Fund says it has made good progress in negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities and that the discussions will continue in the coming days. This is stated in a statement by IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine Goesta Ljungman. The IMF staff team that visited Kyiv has made very good progress in discussions on legislation to support growth and ensure stability, and the discussions will continue in the coming days, the statement reads. On February 20, a team of IMF experts, led by Mr. Ron van Rooden, began its work in Kyiv. On January 18, 2020, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that Ukraine should fulfill preliminary requirements for the launch of a new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program worth $5.5 billion. According to her, Ukraine and the IMF have reached a staff-level agreement that stipulates the fulfillment of certain preliminary requirements. In December 2019, the IMF agreed with the Ukrainian government on a new three-year EFF program for 4 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), or about $5.52 billion. ish New Delhi, Feb 29 : BJP MP from west Delhi Parvesh Verma on Saturday announced that he will donate a month's salary that he draws as a member of parliament to the family members of deceased Delhi cop and IB staffer. He tweeted: "I will meet the families of those who were martyred while performing their duties during the unfortunate violence in Delhi. I donate a month's salary that I draw as a Member of Parliament to the families of the Head Constable of Shahid Ratan Lal and IB Officer Shaheed Ankit Sharma." He ended the tweet by saying 'Jai Hind'. Sharma's body was recovered from a nullah on Wednesday. Sharma's autopsy report said that he was brutally stabbed more than 400 times. His family has alleged that now suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain's supporters brutally assaulted Sharma and killed him. A law enforcement personnel, Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal who was also killed in the violence in northeast Delhi. More than 40 people have lost their lives while over 200 people are injured in the violence which swept northeast Delhi area since Sunday morning after the pro and anti-CAA groups clashed. Click here to read the full article. Ralph & Russo may have made its mark with couture both on the Hollywood red carpet, and a certain ex-Duchess (shes back to Meghan Markle now), who catapulted the young luxury brand into the global headlines when she chose to wear it for her official royal engagement portrait in 2018. But designers Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo also have a budding ready-to-wear business. For their sixth collection, they looked to channel a global explorer, Ralph said backstage of the amalgam of references, from kimonos to Highland tweeds, pointing out that for the first time, the collection is offering unisex styles and sizing up to 22. More from WWD We have had a lot of interest from males wanting to buy from the brand, she said, This is a nice step into that category. On the runway, the result was a cheerful mix of tailoring (an embroidered cheetah-patterned pantsuit); outerwear (a punchy pink-and-red Buffalo check cape); day dresses (in exploded houndstooth or burnout velvet camo), and cozy knits (Fair Isle sweater dressing), with touches of military and the boudoir. When we first launched ready-to-wear, because of the couture, people expected it to be slightly dressy, Ralph said. But outerwear and jersey have been our bigger categories. So there was a cherry blossom-embroidered fur coat, there were marabou-trimmed silk pajamas, and a Fair Isle patterned fleece dress for apres-ski. With a bit of yellow, and some camel suiting thrown into the mix, the collection felt a little like a trend report come to the runway. Perhaps a stronger point of view will develop over time. (Ready-to-wear just launched in 2018.) Regardless, business is growing, Ralph said. (Coronavirus not withstanding the brand, like others in Paris, reported attendance was down.) Ralph & Russo is on track to open its second U.S. store in April (after Miami), on Madison Avenue in New York. There are also several collaborations in the pipeline. Ready-to-wear has been a growth area, she added. Within a season or two, sales will outpace couture. Story continues Launch Gallery: Ralph & Russo RTW Fall 2020 Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tribute to former prime minister Morarji Desai on his birth anniversary. Salutations to former prime minister Morarji Bhai Desai on his birth anniversary. He always did politics based on discipline and principles, for which he will always be remembered, the Prime Minister tweeted in Hindi. Desai was born on February 29, 1896, in Bhadeli village, now in the Bulsar district of Gujarat to a school teacher father. He was educated St Bursar High School and graduated from the Wilson Civil Service of the then Bombay Province in 1918. He served as a deputy collector for 12 years and resigned from government service to take part in Indias struggle for independence. Desai was imprisoned thrice during the freedom struggle. He served as the chief minister of Bombay in 1952 and joined the Union cabinet as the minister for commerce and industry on November 14, 1956. Later, he took the finance portfolio on March 22, 1958. In 1967, Desai joined Indira Gandhis cabinet as the deputy prime minister and minister in charge of finance. When the Congress Party split in 1969, Desai remained with the organisation Congress. Desai was arrested and detained on June 26, 1975, when Emergency was declared and was kept in solitary confinement. He was released on January 18, 1977, a little before the decision to hold elections to the Lok Sabha was announced. The Janata Party won in the general elections held in March 1977 for the sixth Lok Sabha. Desai was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Surat constituency in Gujarat. He was later unanimously elected as the leader of the Janata Party in Parliament and sworn in as the Prime Minister on March 24, 1977. Desai was Indias prime minister from March 24, 1977, till July 28, 1979. He died on April 10, 1995. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A west Belfast community counselling service which is facing a fight for survival has organised a city centre rally in support of mental health services. Compass Counselling, which has been operating from its base on the Shankill Road for the past four years, warned last month that it would "take a miracle" to remain operational. And tomorrow at 2pm the organisation is asking as many people as possible with an interest in mental health services to join them in calling for urgent action to combat the mounting crisis in Northern Ireland. The mass rally is at Belfast City Hall and director of Compass Counselling, Mandy McDermott, said it is vital that pressure is kept on the authorities to properly finance life-saving services. "Whatever the future holds for Compass Counselling, there are many other agencies and service across the community who are terrified of where future funding streams are going to come from," she said. "Our position remains the same. We simply can't continue the services we provide unless we get the lifeline we need. We're still very much under threat, but what we want is a commitment to give us breathing space to access other sources of funding. "We are not the only service struggling and the support from other agencies and community counselling services has been fantastic." Mandy is hoping for a huge turnout on Sunday to demonstrate the growing public concern at the failure to support vital services. Compass Counselling will be drumming up support today in Cornmarket before the rally at City Hall at 2pm tomorrow. Monday is Black Mental Health Day in Toronto the first of a planned annual conversation about the negative impact of racism on the mental health of Black Torontonians. That such a campaign is necessary is a cup of cold water to many faces, a kick in the gut to others. For the citys 400,000 Black people, its a double-edged sword. Some are embarrassed. Others are resentful. Some say it smacks of victimhood. But others relish the opportunity to confront a monstrous evil that has its deadly, debilitating grip on too many Black lives. The need is irrefutable. Heres why: As humans we seem to be getting crazier by the day. The fault lines are numerous. Increasingly, the victims look like the persons who share our mirror. And it costs the local economy an estimated $13 billion a year from people missing work. Black people, because of their resilience and heroic survival instincts, have endured tremendous trauma that would have wiped out lesser men and women. But the trauma, buried just below the skin, is erupting into haunting manifestations that demands our attention. Black people are the only ones brought to North and South America and the Caribbean in chains, as slaves. And 400 years later, they still face prejudice, discrimination and remnants of a dehumanization and degradation that is being fingered as the cause of persistent trauma. Parts of the GTAs Black population are undergoing a 60 per cent increase in serious mental health problems like psychosis. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that African and Caribbean Canadians were more exposed to the factors that lead to poor mental health: lower education, insufficient housing, greater unemployment and poverty, plus higher levels of criminalization. The City of Toronto, in an official news release in January, acknowledged that Anti-Black racism is a historic, pervasive and systematic issue in Toronto. Toronto went further: Experiencing systemic discrimination and micro-aggressions are social stressors that increase the risk of negative physical and mental health including anxiety, depression, suicide or suicidal thoughts, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, high blood pressure and premature mortality. In short, the city news release said, racism is killing Black people and driving them mad. The City of Ottawa has followed Torontos lead, declaring Monday as Black Mental Health Day. The NDP caucus plans to introduce a bill at Queens Park, seeking to proclaim the day across Ontario, the province with the largest number of Black citizens. Once our official institutions acknowledge the problem, it is reasonable to expect them to act on recommendations for change. This strengthens the hands of the many groups and individuals engaged in this advocacy. Advocacy is needed because the reasons for the ill-health are pervasive. Black people in Toronto are still being carded, streamed into non-academic courses, profiled by police and other institutions. Parents of Black boys still must caution their sons to drive safely and also to be aware of the deadly possibility of Driving While Black. How can one sleep well at night with that fear and stress hanging permanently over ones head? There is a doggedness in our DNA that I wouldnt trade, my friend Sharon McLeod said this week. But, oh, its a heavy load. Reports show Black peoples introduction to the mental health supports system is irregular, unhelpful, and prone to result in worse outcomes than the white population. The expected norm is: referral from your family doctor; link to the supports; careful engagement and healing. For too many Blacks, the first contact follows an episode that ends with the police being called. Healing is a difficult proposition in the belly of the criminal justice system. Black people are more likely to be given extreme labels when in care. They are more often put in restraints and given heavier and stronger doses of anti-psychotic drugs. There are too many Black kids in the care of Childrens Aid, too many Black children suspended from schools, too few Black graduates in science and engineering, and of the many Black students in behavioural sciences, too few hold position of authority to affect how Black citizens navigate the mental health system. The above daily drum beat cannot lead to a healthy life. It does not. Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute and professor of psychiatry at U of T, broke it down adroitly in his op-ed piece in the Star last month. Racism makes the lives of the Black population worse than others and increases the rates of psychosis and depression by 200 to 300 per cent, he wrote. Stress has been identified as one cause. And racism-related stress is more impactful than other forms. Anyone who does not get a promotion will feel stressed. But the stress is greater if you think it is because of discrimination and is increased further if you believe there is nothing you can do about it. After 400 years of prejudice, discrimination and daily trauma, it is reasonable to expect Black people need a day for their mental health. Its not a time for white voyeurism though that is an offshoot but a time for Black healing and repair. Its a cry for help, a call for action, says Liben Gebremikael, executive director of Taibu Community Health Centre. And the start of something a commitment to the long arduous dismantling of an entrenched system that first took Black bodies and, now, is claiming their minds. Charges of fraud and forgery linked to more than $1 million in transactions have been laid against a former employee of Shawenim Abinoojii Inc., a Winnipeg non-profit that supports Indigenous youth. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Charges of fraud and forgery linked to more than $1 million in transactions have been laid against a former employee of Shawenim Abinoojii Inc., a Winnipeg non-profit that supports Indigenous youth. Gwendolen Joyce Reid, 46, was charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, the use of forged documents, unauthorized use of credit card data, falsification of documents, and two counts of forgery, Winnipeg police said Friday. An investigation in April 2019 found fraudulent transactions dating to March 2016, including $743,110 in cheques, $222,432 in payroll transactions and $42,000 of unauthorized credit card charges and cash advances, according to city police. Shawenim Abinoojii provides foster care, support worker services and other programs on- and off-reserve, to Indigenous children and their families across Manitoba. The non-profits therapeutic foster care program works with youth in the care of Southeast Child and Family Services. Shawenim Abinoojii and Southeast CFS were both closed Friday for Aboriginal Justice Day, and no representatives were made available to comment. Police could not confirm how long the accused was employed at the non-profit, nor other details about her position with the organization. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. A spokesperson from the province told the Free Press the Department of Families is working with Southeast CFS to prevent future incidents. "The government is committed to protecting taxpayers money and we take any allegations of financial crime very seriously," the spokesperson said. Shawenim Abinoojii could potentially seek restitution through a civil lawsuit, if Reid is found guilty, according to Winnipeg Police Service Const. Rob Carver. However, "It is often very difficult for victims to get money back from frauds." Reid was released on a promise to appear in court. with files from Carol Sanders city.desk@freepress.mb.ca You are here: China Speakers: Ma Xiaowei, a member of the Central Guidance Team in Hubei, and minister of the National Health Commission Yu Xuejun, a member of the Central Guidance Team in Hubei, and vice-minister of the National Health Commission Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese Expert Panel on COVID-19 Outbreak Response and Disposal of the National Health Commission Jiao Yahui, deputy director of the Bureau of Medical Administration of the National Health Commission Chairperson: Xi Yanchun, spokesperson of the State Council Information Office of China Date: Feb. 28, 2020 Emergency service chiefs and State officials have repeated warnings to the public this afternoon to avoid any behaviour that could put themselves or others in danger as Storm Jorge roars across the country. The advice comes as winds in the west of the country exceeded Red warning levels. Several members of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group spoke to the media of the present dangers following their meeting in Dublin this afternoon. Although it was still dry with just breezy conditions in the capital and along the East Coast this morning, John Barry, chairperson of the State's emergency team, confirmed that the forecast Red Warning conditions were raging in Galway and Clare and that many parts of the country were experiencing severe weather with high winds, snow, and rain. The wind warning has since been downgraded to Status Orange for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo and Clare and remains in place until midnight tonight. However, a Status Red gale marine warning remains in place for Irish coastal waters. There is a Status Yellow snow and ice warning in place nationwide from 4pm on Saturday until 9am on Sunday, with the midlands ad north of the country expected to be the worst hit areas. Dublin Fire Brigade reported a tree blocking the road near Carpenterstown-College Road's junction earlier this afternoon, with firefighters from Blanchardstown responded. The tree was removed by crews from Fingal County Council. While in Galway, gardai are attending the scene of an overturned truck near Maam Cross, which was captured in social media footage. Read More Environment Minister Eoghan Murphy said people should not make any journeys in the Red warning areas and that elsewhere people should only make journeys that were absolutely necessary. Met Eireann head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack said gusts of 133kph were recorded in the West this morning. She pinpointed the centre of the storm as off the coast of Donegal and it would be tracking towards Scotland. The storm would be moving eastwards across the Midlands and North Midlands to the east coast. The South of the country would be the least affected. Snow had been falling in the west but it would not lie as it would be replaced by rain. Ireland is set to be battered by heavy rainfall and wind speeds of up to 150kph after a status red wind warning was issued for two counties. Hazardous driving conditions are expected after Met Eireann this morning issued a Status Yellow snow/ice warning for all of Ireland which is valid from 7am until 4pm. Tree blocking the road near Tower/Carpenterstown/College Road's junction earlier this afternoon. Firefighters from Blanchardstown responded. The tree will be removed by @Fingalcoco crews. #StormJorge pic.twitter.com/cwM2R9q5t0 Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) February 29, 2020 Wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow will spread eastwards this morning and lead to icy conditions. The national forecaster also issued an updated Status Red warning for Galway and Clare this morning, bringing forward the validation warning of the time to 11am. It will remain in place until 3pm this afternoon. "Very severe winds associated with Storm Jorge expected on Saturday," the warning said. Dublin and the other counties will be subject to a status orange wind warning until at least this evening. However, the worst of the weather is set to hit Galway and Clare on the west coast and Met Eireann yesterday issued a status red wind warning - the highest possible. This means there is a possible threat to life as a result of Storm Jorge - named by the Spanish Met Office - with gusts as high as 140 to 150kph likely in some coastal parts of the west coast. The orange warning is in place from 6am today until 3am tomorrow for counties along the western seaboard. It will expire at 7pm today for the rest of the country. There are now mounting fears that heavy rainfall - combined with snow melt on higher ground - could significantly worsen existing flooding in south Leinster, Connacht and Munster. Storm Jorge hits as landowners and householders along the Shannon basin and in other low-lying areas are already battling floods following an estimated 50pc higher level of rainfall over the past three months than a decade ago. Homes across Westmeath, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are now under siege from flood waters - with fears mounting the flood risk will increase still further. Storm Jorge will sweep across Ireland today with a status yellow rainfall warning in place for Munster, Connacht and Donegal. This satellite pictures shows a close up picture of the centre of #StormJorge to the northwest of Ireland. The radar is picking up precipitation over the country, which is a mix of rain, hail and some snow. pic.twitter.com/kA0HdzsomB Met Eireann (@MetEireann) February 29, 2020 Met Eireann's Linda Hughes warned that some places, particularly along coastal areas, could witness quite severe winds at the height of Storm Jorge. In parts, these winds could gust to more than 150kph. The storm will bring rainfall of around 20mm to 30mm for most areas. However, parts of Kerry and Clare could witness more than 50mm of rainfall - potentially having a significant impact on flooding. Outages The ESB has repair crews on standby for storm-related power outages but stressed that personnel can only deploy when it is safe to do so. Irish Water Safety (IWS) and the Coast Guard have urged people to comply with weather alerts and to avoid exposed coastal areas. IWS also warned that the heavy rainfall has resulted in many waterways becoming raging torrents and urged people to exercise care. Another member of the national emergency team, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty, said all those people living in Orange warning areas should take great care as the weather could be "dangerous and unpredictable" in local areas. He called on road users to find a safe place to park if conditions become too dangerous to drive safety. He called on motorists to slow down and keep a safe distance from vehicles in front. There had been a number of tragedies on the roads overnight unrelated to the weather and the emergency services were on standby - "We don't need any more tragedies," he said. Coastguard representative Gerry Hegarty repeated warning about staying away from cliffs and exposed areas. Many of the team members urged people to all 999 or 112 in the event of needing emergency assistance. Marie McCarthy of the Health and Safety Authority said many accidents take place when people are repairing storm damage. She urged people to avoid undertaking any dangerous repair work while alone. Farmers are often injured repairing damage to farm buildings. She said only competent persons should use chainsaws to remove fallen trees. Derek Hynes of ESB Networks said people can check powercheck.ie if they lose electric power to discover when their area's power supply will be restored by repair crews. Work crews have been deployed to several areas of the country that were expected to suffer storm damage. He repeated warnings for people to stay clear of fallen power lines. Those in flooded homes that lose power should not go near any electrical installations. The emergency number for fallen wires and similar matters is 1850 372 999 It looks like Rio Tinto Group (LON:RIO) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 5th of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 16th of April. Rio Tinto Group's next dividend payment will be UK1.77 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of UK4.48 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Rio Tinto Group has a trailing yield of 9.7% on the current stock price of 36.08. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing. View our latest analysis for Rio Tinto Group If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. It paid out 81% of its earnings as dividends last year, which is not unreasonable, but limits reinvestment in the business and leaves the dividend vulnerable to a business downturn. We'd be worried about the risk of a drop in earnings. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out more than half (58%) of its free cash flow in the past year, which is within an average range for most companies. It's encouraging to see that the dividend is covered by both profit and cash flow. This generally suggests the dividend is sustainable, as long as earnings don't drop precipitously. Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends. LSE:RIO Historical Dividend Yield, February 29th 2020 Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing? Businesses with strong growth prospects usually make the best dividend payers, because it's easier to grow dividends when earnings per share are improving. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. This is why it's a relief to see Rio Tinto Group earnings per share are up 6.8% per annum over the last five years. Decent historical earnings per share growth suggests Rio Tinto Group has been effectively growing value for shareholders. However, it's now paying out more than half its earnings as dividends. If management lifts the payout ratio further, we'd take this as a tacit signal that the company's growth prospects are slowing. Story continues Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, ten years ago, Rio Tinto Group has lifted its dividend by approximately 15% a year on average. It's encouraging to see the company lifting dividends while earnings are growing, suggesting at least some corporate interest in rewarding shareholders. The Bottom Line Is Rio Tinto Group worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have been growing modestly and Rio Tinto Group paid out a bit over half of its earnings and free cash flow last year. Overall, it's not a bad combination, but we feel that there are likely more attractive dividend prospects out there. Wondering what the future holds for Rio Tinto Group? See what the 19 analysts we track are forecasting, with this visualisation of its historical and future estimated earnings and cash flow A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend. 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. Police here on Friday arrested two persons who used to rob senior citizens by impersonating as police personnel or as people known to them by cooking up stories. The arrest was made based on a complaint of a senior citizen at the Darsial Malad Police Station. It was found out that the duo had run away with 30 gm of gold belonging to the 77-yr-old man. The duo had committed as many as 65 robberies. "They used to mislead people by narrating fake stories. They had committed 65 such robberies in the city," said Mohan Dahikar DCP Zone XI. The Malad police have arrested them under various sections and produced them in the court. The court has sent them to the police custody till March 2. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 16:36:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NINGBO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The China Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) reported falls in freight indices in the India-Pakistan routes. The NCFI, reflecting freight rate changes of 21 routes departing from the Ningbo-Zhoushan port, stood at 766.7 points Friday, down 1.8 percent compared with last week. The sub-index for the route to India and Pakistan stood at 1,284.9 points, down 5.3 percent compared with last week. According to the Ningbo Shipping Exchange, market recovery prospects are uncertain, liner companies generally lack confidence in the future market, resulting in a sustained decline in freight rates. Reported every Friday (except Chinese holidays), the NCFI was first published in September 2013. TDT | Manama The organisers of the Bahraini pavilion at Gulfood 2020 Food Expo in Dubai announced that this year the number of visitors to the pavilion reached more than 5,000 visitors. Visitors of Bahrain Pavilion got acquainted with the services and products of 13 Bahraini startups, small and medium companies operating in the food and beverage industry, the organisers said. These visitors were a diverse group of decision makers, business owners, CEOs, buyers and traders in addition to information gatherers interested in the food industries, they added. Visitors were mainly from Ukraine, GCC, Brazil, France, Poland, South Africa, India, the United States of America and Seychelles. Several Bahraini companies and factories participating in the Bahraini pavilion at Gulfood announced finalising commercial deals and constructive talks with international investors, traders, distributors, and airlines in the region and the world. These Bahraini companies also had the opportunity to distribute samples of their products and brochures containing company information for visitors from around the globe. The participation of the Bahraini national pavilion in the exhibition came with the aim of strengthening local industries and opening new export channels for Bahraini companies in the local, regional and international markets. This comes within the framework of Bahraini companies endeavour to find new markets and reach new importers, investors and partners, to increase the market shares of the local exports to global markets, and strengthening the contribution of the food sector to the GDP of the Kingdom. The Bahraini companies that participated in Gulfood 2020 this year were Trafco Group, Awal Dairy, Deeko Bahrain, Food Supplies Company Limited (Foosco) and Bakemate Factory for Bread and Pastry Mixes. Advertisement A strip of heavy snow spanning around 150 miles in length and 15 miles wide in some areas was seen laid across central Kansas the National Weather Service reports. The rare weather phenomenon took shape in the early hours of Tuesday morning and bridged from northern Kansas to as far south as El Dorado in the state's southern region. Weather officials said that parts of the snowband got up to 13 inches in places like Sylvan Grove, and around nine inches about 50 miles outside of Wichita. What makes the snowband so peculiar was that outside of its path, some surrounding areas received little to no snowfall whatsoever. Twitter user Leigh Marts photographed the snowband Wednesday during her her Southwest Airlines flight from Missouri to Arizona A narrow snowband stretching 150 miles in length and at most 15 miles wide appeared in central Kansas on Tuesday However, other cities like Dodge City and Great Bend received winter snow fall. As a result of the 'extremely narrow stripe,' traffic accidents and highway closures were experienced on Interstate 70 and I-135. Once skies cleared Wednesday, the snowband could be seen from space and photographed by satellite cameras. It was also visible from planes flying overhead, prompting Twitter user Leigh Marts to snap a picture of the snowband during her Southwest Airlines flight from Missouri to Arizona, Boston.com reports. Pictured: A similar snowband was photographed from a plane one day earlier in Hutchinson, Kansas A similar was photographed by Tracy Madejczyk over the city of Hutchinson. Meteorologists have said that winter forecasts are difficult to predict and the snowband, seen at only a hyper local level, only proves that. Unlike large storms that systems that blanket the nation and can be seen by weather models days in advance, instances like that are nearly impossible to forecast until snows begun hitting the ground. It was formed in part by two colliding air masses that were pushed upwards and transformed into a band of heavy snowfall. The snowband caused highway shutdowns and traffic accidents on Interstate 70 and I-135 (left and right) The National Weather Service in Wichita issued a winter storm warning once snowfall levels began intensifying. Localized snowbands like this can often be found near the Great Lakes or lake effect snow regions during colder seasons. As chilly temperatures warmed into the 30s and 40s on Wednesday, the snow stripe began to shrink from its edges and melt. In December, The Weather Channel released a 2020 temperature outlook predicting that significant changes to the climate with usher in spring. On Wednesday, the snowband began to shrink and melt from its edges as temperatures warmed Milder air is expected to reach the majority of The West and potentially above average temperatures may hit much of the U.S. Warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean play a role in this forecast, as does the west-shifted El Nino. Accuweather said that the Northeast will get a late start to spring and continue to feel winter into late March. Southern states will see patterns of rain and moisture, and the Plains are likely to stay relatively dry. In the West, March could see rainfall in the valleys and snowfall in the mountains. Temperatures in Southern California will also rise. 'There are some drought concerns this spring, especially for Southern California,' AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. 'If we dont start to see any precipitation here on the back end of the winter season, Southern California will get drier much quicker than expected.' BJP MPs - Soumitra Khan and Subhas Sarkar were detained by the police for some time when they went to visit a party member, who had allegedly faced atrocities by Trinamool Congress workers, at Thakurpukur in the city on Saturday. Police said the two along with some activists had gone to the area and were taken to Thakurpukur police station on apprehension of breach of law and order in the locality. Khan and Sarkar - who represent Bishnupur and Bankura Lok Sabha seats respectively - said they came to the area to visit the injured BJP activist who was recently attacked by Trinamool Congress "goons" for campaigning for the saffron party in the area. The police had stopped them as they proceeded to the residence of the BJP worker and took them to Thakurpukur police station, the saffron party MPs said when they were being taken to a police vehicle along with several party activists. Khan said, "We had come to be with our party workers. But we were prevented by Kolkata Police which is working at the behest of TMC. There is no democracy in West Bengal under the rule of Mamata Banerjee". BJP supporters demonstrated outside the police station for some time in protest against the police action. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On January 10, 2020 Qaboos bin Said, the Sultan of Oman passed away, leaving no heir. The official Omani legal statute would have provided the extended royal family 3 days to decide on the successor, in the absence of which they would need to open an envelope that the Sultan had farsightedly sealed three years ago. This never happened, of course. As soon as the Sultan passed away, being brought back from Belgium in terminal condition, the envelope was opened and Qaboos cousin, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was announced as the new ruler of Oman. Despite Haitham having substantial foreign policy experience, having spent almost two decades at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, his ascent begs the question whether Oman will be able to maintain its oil and gas stature. If the first couple of weeks of Sultan Haitham in power are anything to go by, continuity is the crucial concept of Haithams oil policy. Building upon the tenets of Qaboos policy of non-alignment, Sultan Haitham would need to keep Omans neutrality in incendiary Middle Eastern issues. Yet he does not command the same level of trust and respect as Qaboos did, which might complicate matters a bit especially given the necessity of bold economic decisions. It is one thing to balance geopolitically between neighboring Saudi Arabia and fellow Shiite Iran, yet an altogether different one to introduce long-mooted taxes and other basic forms of government revenue all the while extending and fortifying the domestic market. Omans oil production is curtailed by the relative smallness of its reserves compared to other Middle Eastern peers at 5.4 billion barrels, they have a production-to-reserves ratio of 15 years. Despite not being a member of OPEC, Oman has been meticulously sticking to its production quota ever since the onset of OPEC+ production curtailments. It committed to a quota of 970kbpd, quite sagely, since theres almost no spare production capacity above that level anyway. Should the OPEC+ commitments remain in force going forward, Oman would be certainly welcoming it almost all new production streams coming onstream in the short-to-mid-term are in the condensates category, exempt from the OPEC+ pact. In the long-term production rates are expected to fall gradually, however the demand side might present a challenge or two even before that. Related: The Complete Guide To FIDs Coronavirus will most probably be the first complex test of Sultan Haithams flexibility. The thing is that Oman is the most China-dependent Middle Eastern oil producer if Iraq supplies 23% of its exports to China and Saudi Arabia does so for 17%, Oman averaged 95% last year (a full 100% in the first half of 2019). The sudden drop in Chinese demand, with some analysts claiming that February demand might decrease by as much as 4mbpd, did not impact Omani supplies as of today but might easily do if the virus-induced ramifications get protracted. Yet as Omans oil and gas minister has stated, theres always the option of exporting it elsewhere, especially given that most of the China deliveries were done by traders, not the Omani NOC. Graph 1. Omani Crude Exports in 2017-2020 (million barrels per day). (Click to enlarge) Source: Thomson Reuters. The bigger problem is that coronavirus dropped oil prices to the $50 per barrel range, i.e. with all Brent-Dubai differentials accounted for, Oman might be actually moving into negative territory in terms of balancing its budget (calculated at the annual average crude price of $58 per barrel). And even though Sultan Haitham was actually the one spearheading the Oman 2040 Vision, oil and gas still accounts for some 80% of government revenues. With an overwhelmingly young population that does not feel constrained in terms of letting itself heard, Sultan Haitham would need to implement potentially explosive measures. Optimizing the bloated public sector, with almost 10% of the national GDP spent on paying the countrys bureaucracy, introducing the long-delayed VAT, eliminating the concept of free money to the populace so as to appease it just a couple of ideas which are necessary but very unlikely given the circumstances. So what instruments does Oman have at hand to keep afloat? As odd as it may sound, the future of Omani oil might be the development of its natural gas. Oman has one of the most commercially attractive E&P terms in the Middle East and is widely expected to uphold that status. All but one of the exploration licenses in the 2016-2017 bidding sessions was allocated, a testament to the persisting interest of majors to invest in Oman. Related: U.S. Gasoline Prices Jump On Outages At Major Oil Refineries Oman is believed to hold some 23.5 Trillion cubic feet (TCf) of gas, equating to an R/P ratio of 19 years. The Omani authorities have introduced mixed-status contracts, whereby the development of oil and associated gas is allocated separately from non-associated natural gas. It is exactly the latter that has seen a flurry of activity recently Total has signed up to developing gas deposits in Block 12, Shell and Total have clinched deals on Blocks 10 and 11, all the while the BP-controlled Khazzan tight gas field is expected to reach phase-two production this year. A steady and gradually increasing stream of Omani LNG might alleviate Omans budget constraints and allow for a gradual introduction of reformist measures, i.e. gradual introduction of income taxes and elimination of handouts. Oil might still come back into the equation. The Italian major ENI has started drilling its offshore Block 52 which might kick-start a new wave of offshore projects. Technically, Oman has already registered its first-ever offshore discovery, with Masirah Oil spudding the Yumna-1 well in 2014. Should the drilling activity lead to a palpable upgrade in Omans offshore reserve base, deepwater drilling might become the new well-spudding hotspot. The $9.5 billion investment into the upgrade of the Sohar Refinery and into the $6.5 billion Liwa Plastics Complex necessitate that Omans oil flow remains steady in the upcoming years and decades, too. All the economy diversification goals notwithstanding, oil and gas will be Sultan Haithams crucial policy tools, too. By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: State Health Agency, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company for implementation of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh for contract period of one year. Chief Executive Officer, State Health Agency, Bhupinder Kumar and Himanshu Roy, signed the MoU on behalf of J&K and Ladakh respectively with the authorised signatory of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited, an official spokesman said. For the selection of an insurance company, an e-tendering process was conducted by the State Health Agency, he said, adding that Bajaj Allianz was selected as the lowest bidder on the premium of Rs 720 per family per year. Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana was launched on December 1, 2018 in J&K. From March 1, the scheme would be implemented in both the UTs by using new Health Benefit Packages 2.0 (HBP 2.0) designed by the National Health Authority. About 237 new packages have been introduced and price of 270 packages has been increased, the spokesman said. He said J&K has already been applauded by the Centre for innovative implementation of the scheme in the UT and stands as one of the top performers. It is foreseen that after the adoption of HBP 2.0, the scheme shall achieve both long-term and short-term goals and would improve the healthcare delivery system by strengthening the capacity of public health institutions, the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PR-Inside.com: 2020-02-28 22:32:52 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1034 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 28, 2020 / Intellipharmaceutics International Inc. (OTCQB:IPCIF and TSX:IPCI) ("Intellipharmaceutics" or the "Company"), a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and manufacture of novel and generic controlled-release and targeted-release oral solid dosage drugs, today reported the results of operations for the year ended November 30, 2019. All dollar amounts referenced herein are in United States dollars unless otherwise noted.On February 5, 2020, we announced the resignation of Greg Powell, our Chief Financial Officer, for personal and family reasons. Mr. Powell has agreed to continue to offer his services to us through March 4, 2020 and is willing to continue thereafter on a consulting basis on mutually agreeable terms. Pending the hiring of a replacement for Mr. Powell, the functions of Chief Financial Officer for us will be carried out by our President and former Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Amina Odidi. Fazayill Shaideen, who has been our Controller for the past 8 years, will continue to handle accounting activities.On January 15, 2020, at a joint meeting of the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee ("Advisory Committees") of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") to discuss our New Drug Application ("NDA") for Aximris XR, abuse-deterrent oxycodone hydrochloride extended-release tablets, the Advisory Committees voted 24 to 2 against the approval of our NDA for Axmris XRTM for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. We expect the FDA to take action on our application, on completion of their review of the NDA.On November 25, 2019, we announced that we had entered into a license and commercial supply agreement with Tris Pharma, Inc. ("Tris"), by which we granted Tris an exclusive license to market, sell and distribute in the United States, Venlafaxine ER in the 37.5, 75, and 150 mg strengths (the "licensed products") approved for sale in the US market by the FDA. Several other generic versions of the licensed products are currently available in the market.On November 15, 2019, we issued to Drs. Isa and Amina Odidi, by way of a private placement, an unsecured convertible debenture of the Company in consideration for, and in the aggregate principal amount of, USD$250,000 (the "November 2019 Debenture"). The principal amount owing under the November 2019 Debenture is convertible at any time and from time to time into Common Shares at a conversion price equal to U.S. $0.12 per Common Share. Up to an aggregate of 2,083,333 Common Shares may be issued upon conversion of the principal amount owing under the November 2019 Debenture, representing approximately 9.43% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. The November 2019 Debenture bears interest at a rate of 12% per annum (calculated monthly) and, subject to our right to prepay the November 2019 Debenture in whole or in part at any time without penalty, and matures on December 31, 2019. Effective January 31, 2020, the December 31, 2019 maturity date was extended to March 31, 2020. We used the proceeds from the November 2019 Debenture for working capital and general corporate purposes. Dr. Isa Odidi is our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Scientific Officer, and Dr. Amina Odidi is our President, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Chief Scientific Officer.On November 7, 2019, we announced that the parties in Shanawaz v. Intellipharmaceutics International, Inc. et al. case No. 1:17-cv-05761-JPO., an action pending in the Southern District of New York asserting claims under the U.S. federal securities laws on behalf of an alleged class of investors in Intellipharmaceutics Common Shares against us, our chief executive officer, Dr. Isa Odidi, who is also a member of our board of directors, and our former chief financial officer, Domenic Della Penna, had entered into a stipulation of settlement to resolve all claims asserted in the action. The settlement is subject to the approval of the court following notice to class members. The stipulation of settlement provides for a settlement payment of US$1.6 million, which we anticipate will be funded by available insurance. As part of the settlement, we also agreed to contribute to the settlement fund specific anticipated Canadian tax refunds of up to US$400,000 to the extent received within 18 months after the entry of final judgment. The stipulation acknowledges that we and the other defendants continue to deny that they committed any violation of the U.S. securities laws or engaged in any other wrongdoing and that they are entering into the settlement at this time based on the burden, expense, and inherent uncertainty of continuing the litigation. If the stipulation of settlement is not approved or otherwise fails to become effective, then the parties will be returned to their respective positions in the litigation as of August 9, 2019.On October 4, 2019, we announced that following the filing of a bankruptcy stay by Purdue Pharma L.P., the Company's ongoing litigation cases, number 1:17-cv-00392-RGA and 1:18-cv-00404-RGA-SRF between Purdue Pharma L.P. et al and Intellipharmaceutics, have been stayed and the existing trial dates in both cases have been vacated by orders issued in each case by the judge in the District of Delaware on October 3, 2019. No new dates were given for reinstatement; however, the parties are required to provide a further status report to the judge in each case no later than December 15, 2019. The previous 30-month stay date of March 2, 2020, remains unchanged at this time, absent a further order of the judge.On September 30, 2019, pursuant to an ANDA Sale Agreement (the "ANDA Agreement") we sold Levetiracetam extended-release tablets 500mg and 750 mg to the ANDA Repository, LLC (the "Purchaser") in exchange for a purchase price of $1.00 for the "Transferred ANDA". "Transferred ANDA" is defined as all of the assets relating to the ANDA for Levetiracetam extended-release tablets 500mg and 750 mg. Additionally, pursuant to the ANDA Agreement, we agreed to pay the Purchaser an annual fee for each fiscal year equal to 50% of the difference between our FDA Program Fee for 6 to 19 approved ANDAs and that of the FDA Program Fee for 1 to 5 approved ANDAs . Further, under the ANDA Agreement, we have the option to repurchase the Levetiracetam ANDA for a purchase price of $1 at any time according to the terms of the agreement.On S Day by day, the havoc of Corona is being seen all over the world. There is an atmosphere of mourning everywhere. In the fear of Coronavirus in many countries including China, many cases have also surfaced in Nepal. At the same time, it has stirred up Himachal gradually. A large number of people in Nepal live in Himachal and move daily. Bihar: JDU MP Baidyanath Prasad Mahto passes away The health department has been alerted in such a situation. The health department will now also monitor people coming from Nepal. Every person will be investigated. Considering the seriousness of the matter, there is also a discussion on stopping the movement of Nepalis. Even before this, the health department kept many people under surveillance amidst the fear of Coronavirus. At the same time, it has been learned that 8 Chinese citizens were investigated in Solan. Apart from this, 16 other persons were also kept under observation for 28 days. Minister gave hints, after Maharashtra, now these caste people will get reservation District Health Officer Solan Dr. NK Gupta told that the Health Department is serious on the coronavirus. Symptoms of coronavirus have been found in people in Nepal. All the people coming here will be investigated. Additional Chief Secretary Health RD Dhiman said that there has been an alert about the virus in Himachal. Those coming from Nepal, Iran are also being closely monitored. 'Some leaders are sprinkling salt on wounds' says Naqvi spoke on Delhi violence Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, February 29) - A regional official from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Inc., has clarified they are not yet investigating any hospital in Eastern Visayas for alleged ghost claims. Instead, they are validating reports of fraudulent claims, acting PhilHealth Eastern Visayas Vice President Michael Jebson Hernandez said Friday in a statement as he underscored they will not hesitate filing cases against as well as canceling the accreditation of providers found to be defrauding the state health insurance firm. The clarification stemmed from a report early this week that said 80 medical facilities in the region were under probe for supposedly claiming payments for nonexistent treatments. The official added that they will continue to strengthen its anti-fraud activities to protect PhilHealth funds. He also asked for the cooperation of various stakeholders including healthcare providers, employers, as well as the members to combat health insurance fraud. In Eastern Visayas, PhilHealth has about 80 accredited hospitals in the region and more than four million members as of 2019. General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for receiving letters of credence from the ambassadors of seven countries in Hanoi on Thursday. The reception took place at the Presidential Palace, with the participation of Party General Secretary and State President Trong and ambassadors from Cambodia, Switzerland, Venezuela, Greece, Luxembourg, Paraguay, and Jordan. The seven diplomats presenting their credentials included Chay Navuth from Cambodia, Ivo Sieber from Switzerland, Georgios Stilianopoulos from Greece, Tatiana Josefina Pugh Moreno from Venezuela, Jean-Paul Senninger from Luxembourg, Raul Alberto Florentin Antola from Paraguay, and Mahmoud Daiffallah Al-Hamoud from Jordan. Popularly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to another and presented personally by the ambassador to the receiving head of state to mark the start of the ambassadorship. This reception was a memorable milestone in the relations between Vietnam and the respective countries, as well as the ambassadors themselves, President Trong said, adding that the diplomats are performing their duties at a time when Vietnam is scheduled to host many important events in 2020. Vietnams achievements in socio-economic development, defense, security, and more can be attributed partly to support from the international community and the ambassadors countries, he said. General Secretary Trong expressed his belief in the important roles of the ambassadors as the bridges to connect Vietnam and their respective countries. The ties between Vietnam and such countries will surely thrive in the future, he added. He underlined that Vietnam always creates favorable conditions for the ambassadors to fulfil their duties in the Southeast Asian nation, helping cement the relationships between Vietnam and their countries and the world at large. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Bloombergs financial support to Virginia Democrats is far better known in political circles than among the public. In the past two years, he and his groups gave more than $500,000 to the state Democratic Party and the Democratic caucuses in Virginias House and Senate. In 2019, his gun-control group, Everytown for Gun Safety, spent $2.5 million in 22 state races in Virginia. His environmental group, Beyond Carbon, spent $613,000 on two races. -The petition seeking to stop flights from China was filed by the Law Society of Kenya - The lawyers' umbrella body asked the court to halt all non-essential flights from China until the outbreak is contained - Outgoing Health CS Sicily Kariuki, China Southern Airline and Kenya Airports Authority were listed as respondents The High Court in Nairobi has suspended flights between China and Kenya pending hearing and determination of a petition filed by the Law Society of Kenya. The society moved to court on Friday, February 28, seeking orders to stop the governments decision to allow flights from Beijing and Nairobi citing the deadly coronavirus risk. READ ALSO: Coronavirus: China warns Kenyans against discriminating its citizens The petition was filed by the Law Society of Kenya on Friday, February 28. Photo: Nelson Havi. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Rais Uhuru atoa kauli ya kiserikali kuhusu virusi vya Corona In the matter, the LSK, sued outgoing Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, her Interior counterpart Fred Matiangi, Kenya Airports Authority, China Southern Airlines and Attorney General Paul Kihara. The petition was filed before Constitutional Judge James Makau under a certificate of urgency. READ ALSO: Actresses Ndinda, Awinja and Silprosa battle for best mboch on TV According to LSK, government's move to lift a ban on flights to and from China was exposing Kenyans to the global health crisis of COVID-19 outbreak. "It is judicially noticeable that other airlines across the world have similarly suspended flights to China in order to and from China to contain the spread of the virus, LSK stated in the petition. The lawyers society sought orders banning the flights and entry of people from China into Kenya. Pending the hearing and determination of the application a conservatory order be issued suspending the respondents decision to allow the China Southern Co. Airlines Ltd resumption of non-essential flights from China to Kenya, read part of the petition. The lawyers further asked the court to order the respondents to prepare and present to the court for scrutiny a contingency plan on prevention, surveillance, control and response systems to coronavirus in the country. They argued that CS Kariuki has failed to disseminate to the public information on risks, protective and preventive measures, signs and symptoms, responses or health facilities to report cases of infections in case they happen. They added that there was no hotline for the public to seek or supply information to the government on the epidemic. "An order suspending all flights from China to Kenya pending hearing and determination of the case is thereby issued, Justice Makau ruled. While granting the orders, the judge said the matter was of great public interest. The LSK was also granted an order compelling Kariuki to prepare and present to court for scrutiny a contingency plan on prevention, surveillance, control and response system to the coronavirus outbreak in Kenya. Story by Zipporah Weru - Tuko correspondent 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. My husband made me a chokora, used the money I sent from abroad on another woman - Nancy | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Joe Biden received a standing ovation from the audience during a campaign town hall in South Carolina on Friday after he said that decency and honor were the fire that was driving him in his campaign for president. The former vice president was hosting an event in Sumter, South Carolina, a day before Saturdays Democratic primary in the state. During a question-and-answer session with the audience, Biden was asked by Marybeth Barry, a professor of theater and speech at the University of South Carolina, about what drives him. Barry compared Biden to two of his rivals, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. For me, what Im wondering is what drives you, she said, adding: I know you talk about what you and Obama did, but what is your fire? Joe Biden is seen right answering a question asked by Marybeth Barry, a South Carolina voter, during an event on Friday in Sumter Barry, a professor of theater and speech at the University of South Carolina, asked the former vice president: 'What is your fire?' Biden then took the microphone from Barry and replied: Decency and honor and restoring this countrys At that point, the audience leapt in applause and interrupted Biden Cuz you see Bernie, you see Elizabeth Warren, you see that fire. Thats what Im looking for, said Barry, an undecided voter who came to the event along with her husband, a Biden supporter. What is your fire? Biden then took the microphone from Barry and replied: Decency and honor and restoring this countrys At that point, the audience leapt in applause and interrupted Biden. No let me, what got me, no its an important question, Biden said during the loud ovation. The fact that Im not screaming like Bernie and waving my arms, or, like Elizabeth, is not lack of fire. The fire that has always ignited my interest in every issue I care about is everyone is entitled to be treated with decency. Looking for victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary on Saturday, Biden said the 'bigger the win, the bigger the bump.' Biden needs a victory in Saturday's South Carolina Democratic primary to have any hopes of catching Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont, the race for the most delegates Voters headed to the polls in South Carolina on Saturday for the fourth contest in the Democratic presidential nomination race, with Biden looking to salvage his flagging White House hopes with a big win. The former vice president is the firm favorite in the first state with a substantial African-American electorate to weigh in - but in nationwide polls he trails far behind front runner Bernie Sanders. Both candidates will have a better picture of their overall prospects next week, when 14 states cast ballots on 'Super Tuesday' - with a third of the delegates who formally choose the Democratic candidate to face President Donald Trump in November up for grabs. Biden - the onetime race leader who failed to notch a win in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada - said he hopes South Carolina will propel him into national contention. But as he visited a polling site in Greenville, South Carolina, the former vice president insisted he doesn't have to win by a particular margin if he hopes to catch Sanders. People vote at a train station used as a polling station for the South Carolina primary in Denmark, South Carolina, on Saturday 'I don't think it'll even be over after Super Tuesday,' Biden said of the 15 contests looming next week. 'I think its going to go on to states that are ones that I feel very good about.' Sanders has led voting in the first three contests, but Biden is the heavy favorite to win in South Carolina. The question is what kind of momentum that gives Biden heading into Tuesday, when mega-billionaire Mike Bloomberg will be on the primary ballots for the first time. 'Theres all kinds of analyses that suggest that he may cut into my base, he may not cut into my base,' Biden said of Bloomberg. 'Michael's gonna spend. I don't know how much he's spent already... I just dont know how it cuts.' Actor Hilary Duff has urged Disney to consider moving her "Lizzie McGuire" revival series to Hulu, days after production on the show was put on hold. The 32-year-old actor is returning to the titular role that made her famous in early 2000s with the new show which has been set up at the company's streaming service Disney Plus. The revival will trace Lizzie's journey as an adult in New York, where she now has the dream job, dream apartment and a perfect chef boyfriend but the insecurities of her teenage years have also followed her in adulthood. Duff took to Instagram to post her appeal to Disney, saying she remains passionate about the project but she believes there is a "huge responsibility" on the makers to create a show that will feel more "authentic" to the fans. "I'd be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30 year old's journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating. It's important to me that just as her experiences as a preteen/teenager navigating life were authentic, her next chapters are equally as real and relatable. "It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu, if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again," the actor posted on Friday. The new series, which was announced in August last year during the company's D23 Expo, was put on hiatus after showrunner Terri Minsky left the project over creative differences with the streamer. In an interview with Variety later, Minsky explained that her plan to make the show more "mature" was not in line with Disney's vision which wanted the show to cater to its core base of family audiences. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NHS has warned patients who suspect they may have been infected with coronavirus to avoid their local GP or attend their pharmacy if they have visited a hotspot. Instead, patients have been advised to self isolate and call the NHS hotline on 111. According to the Department of Health, regions of concern include mainland China, Thailand, Japan South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau. So far 23 Britons have tested positive for coronavirus out of a total 10,483 people who have been sampled according to the most recent figures from Public Health England Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty, pictured, has advised people with symptoms to call 111 instead of going to their GP or local pharmacy They also warn people who visited Northern Italy, Vietnam, Camodia, Laois or Myanmar since February 19 and experience symptoms - no matter how mild - to self isolate. At 9am today, a total of 10,483 have been tested in the UK for coronovirus returning 23 positive results. Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Chief Medical Officer Prof Whitty and Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Saturday, Downing Street said, amid three new cases of coronavirus reported in the UK. The Prime Minister is receiving regular updates and there will be another call on Sunday, No 10 added. It comes as the Government prepares to bring in new emergency powers to help stop the virus spreading. The new regulations will give schools, councils and other parts of the public sector powers to suspend laws - including health and safety measures - to cope with a pandemic. The three new cases on Saturday takes the total number in England up to 21, while there has been one confirmed case in Northern Ireland and one in Wales. Wales's chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said the first diagnosed patient in Wales had recently travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe. San Salvador [El Salvador], Feb 29 (ANI): In the wake of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, the authorities of El Salvador have imposed a ban on the entry of citizens from Iran. President Nayib Bukele, in a tweet, said: "The migration service was ordered to ban the entry of citizens from Iran, including transit passengers." Earlier, El Salvador had banned the entry of Italians and South Koreans due to the virus outbreak, reported Sputnik. At least 2,835 people have lost their lives in China alone and more than 84,500 people are infected with the virus worldwide. Coronavirus has spread to more than 45 other countries including the US, UK, Singapore, Italy, France, Russia, Spain, and India. (ANI) Crew members were applauded as they used pepper spray to quell brawling passengers on the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship on February 27 amid fears over the coronavirus. A bystander captured video of the fighting among passengers in the inside promenade on the ship. She said the video shows crew members pepper-spraying the people engaged in the fight. MSC Cruises told Storyful that minimum force was used after two guests became violent and aggressive toward staff. The guests were immediately taken to the medical centre as a precaution, they said. The ship docked in Cozumel, Mexico, after it was turned away from two other ports, media reported. The cruise liner was denied permission to dock in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and Georgetown, the Cayman Islands, on Tuesday, February 25. MSC Cruises said Friday morning that the MSC Meraviglia vessel was given a clean bill of health by Mexican health officials. Medical checks were administered on a crew member and a female guest whom local Caribbean authorities feared were sick with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, reports said. The two reportedly had the flu. The company said the measures by Jamaica and Grand Cayman were born out of fear, not best medical practice, and caused unnecessary and unjustifiable anxiety. MSC Cruises added that the 4,580 guests onboard will receive a 100 percent refund of their cruise fare due to the disruptive nature of their vacation. MSC Meraviglia passenger Blanca Haddad captured the videos. She told Storyful tensions were high aboard the vessel. People were getting hyped. We were locked in a ship and couldnt get off in the ports of Jamaica or Grand Cayman, Haddad said. People were becoming frustrated and began fighting with crew members. To stop the fight they sprayed us with pepper spray. Haddad said the passengers and crew were allowed out in Mexico because testing came out negative for the two guests on board who were thought to be carrying the virus. Story continues MSC Cruises provided the following statement to Storyful: Two guests who appeared to be drunk approached our music entertainers and tried to grab their microphone. Security Officers were called and on arrival, the two guests became violent and aggressive towards our staff. Security Officers restrained the two guests and minimum force was used. They were immediately taken to the medical centre as a precaution. Passengers on this particular cruise have been incredibly considerate and sympathetic towards our crew this week. Many guests are enjoying their time and making the best of their holiday. We couldnt have hoped for a better crowd and also our crew are going above and beyond to ensure people enjoy their time on board. We understand people may be disappointed about this particular cruise, but we will under no circumstances accept any violence on board. We are in close contact with the two guests and can confirm the matter has settled. We sincerely apologise to our passengers who were impacted by the disruptive behaviour and also want to thank them for being such great guests. Credit: Blanca Haddad via Storyful Whitesboro, N.Y. - We may be about to be begin March tomorrow, but many folks here in our area, including many in Whitesboro, are still feeling the effects of the last day of October and the first day of November of last year. The horrific Halloween flooding caused major damage to many homes and businesses in many area communities. On Saturday, some flood victims took a step to possibly move from their beloved homes because they know they are only going to get flooded out again. Bob Jones of Whitesboro attended the U.S. Small Business Administration's Disaster Loan Open House at the Whitesboro Firehouse on Saturday. Jones and his wife live on Ellmore Drive in the village of Whitesboro, one of the streets that continues to get pounded every time the Sauquoit Creek overflows its banks. Jones says his home has sustained major damage 4 times in the past 9 years and the latest damage on Halloween night, 2019 was the worst ever, In '17 I had water that got to within 3 inches of the cellar ceiling and it destroyed everything in the cellar. This time in 2019 it went higher, to the cellar ceiling and it got to an inch and a half into the first floor." Jones says besides replacing everything in his basement, after this latest flood he also had to replace the entire floor of his home. He is now hoping to find a new home so he doesn't have to continue to replace things and repair things, but also so he doesn't have to live the horror he lived Halloween night, "I have five dogs. So I have my wife and my five dogs going down the street where I lived and the water was already up to my knees and Im walking. We managed to get up the street but we shouldve never stayed as long as we did." Now Jones is hoping to possibly sell his home for a huge loss and also take out a low interest loan to help he and his wife buy a new home. It's an option U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance Public Affairs Specialist Carl Dombeck says is possible, "Renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property and that does include automobiles. Homeowners are eligible for that $40,000 for personal property plus up to another $200,000 for real estate damage, and then businesses can borrow up to $2 million for physical damage, economic injury or some combination of both, but thats all based on need." Dombeck says flood victims can use the SBA disaster loan to relocate but the amount of the relocation loan depends on whether they relocate voluntarily or involuntarily. Jones says he's not sure he will qualify for the SBA low interest loan, but says he wanted to come down and try, especially this week after FEMA announced it denied New York State's appeal of FEMA's earlier decision to deny individual assistance to the Halloween flood victims here in Central New York and Vermont, "With this buyout that we thought might come through and it didnt come through, you know that leaves you kind of hanging." SBA representatives will continue to be at both the Whitesboro Firehouse here in Oneida County and the Newport Firehouse in Herkimer County through March 12th. The deadline to apply for the low interest loans is April 27th. For more information, you can head to : www.disasterloan.sba.gov WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's administration has postponed a major summit of Asian leaders next month as coronavirus fears grow, a senior administration official told USA TODAY. A special summit of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was supposed to be held in Las Vegas on March 14th. "As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting previously scheduled for mid-March," a senior administration official, who declined to speak publicly because the cancellation of the event had not yet been formally announced, told USA TODAY. The United States values our relationships with the nations of this critical region, and looks forward to future meetings. Members of ASEAN include Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. More: Mick Mulvaney says media covering coronavirus because they think it will 'bring down' Trump The decision comes as fears that the coronavirus will spread in the United States. The global count of those sickened by the virus stood at more than 84,000, with nearly 3,000 people killed globally as of Friday.62 people in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 as of Friday night. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global coronavirus risk level to 'very high' Friday. The administration had planned the ASEAN Summit after Trump did not attend a summit with the group in Bangkok a few months ago. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, US President Donald Trump, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, link hands during the Opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Manila on November 13, 2017. More: Asian American lawmakers denounce 'rumors' and 'xenophobia' about coronavirus The postponement of March's summit comes as the Trump administration is considering expanding the travel ban to countries that have "disproportionately high number of coronavirus cases." During a press conference on Wednesday, Trump said he would consider travel restrictions but had said the situation did not demand it immediately. Story continues At the right time we may do that, Trump said of travel restrictions to countries such as South Korea and Italy that have experienced recent spikes in cases. But right now its not the right time. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told reporters earlier this week: they were "working our way through the ASEAN summit, despite the coronavirus. Contributing: John Fritze This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US postpones ASEAN summit with Asia leaders amid coronavirus fears The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a statement on the reports of French and Canadian tourists who were confirmed to have contracted coronavirus after leaving Egypt. The WHO said the confirmed cases in Canada and France who were on a tourist visit to Egypt were discovered in their countries and none of them showed any symptoms while passing through the Egyptian entry points, therefore they could not have been detected by an entry examination. The WHO said that Egypt only carries out an entry examination for travellers coming from countries where a potential community transmission of the virus is reported, such as China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, since examining all travellers from every country would consume a lot of resources. The organisation explained that it recommend those entry examinations for such countries as well as an exit check for China in WHO's interim recommendations issued on 30 January after declaring COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations. The WHO pointed out that reports showed that a small percentage of imported cases are discovered at entry points in countries, even if the examination procedure is in place at crossing points. The WHO asserted that Egypt is currently in contact with France and Canada to exchange information necessary to track contacts, and will share a report with the WHO in the coming days. The organisation said that France has already begun to share the results of the investigation and Canada has acknowledged receiving Egypt's request. The WHO assured that it is working closely with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and provides it with technical advice on investigation and response activities. The organisation said in its statement that to date, only one case of coronavirus has been reported in Egypt, and that the patient has fully recovered. Officials from the Canadian province of Ontario has confirmed in a statement late on Friday its eighth case of the novel coronavirus saying that the infected person was a man in his 80s who had recently travelled to Egypt. France also announced late on Thursday it has detected two coronovirus cases among people who were recently on a tourist trip to Egypt. Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated on Saturday that Egypt has contacted France to follow up on the situation, and that since yesterday, all workers at the French tourists' place of residence in Egypt, as well as the people they engaged with, have been undertaking medical examinations to make sure none was infected. Search Keywords: Short link: UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link Delhi violence: Team of BSF officials visit Mohammad Anees' residence; Assures financial support India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P New Delhi, Feb 29: Days after a Border Security Force jawan's house was gutted in fire following the violence that gripped North-East Delhi for three days earlier this week, a team of BSF officials, on Saturday, paid a visit to his residence. Speaking to reporters, DIG (Headquarters) Pushpendra Rathore said, "He is currently posted in Odisha and soon will be transferred to Delhi". The DIG further said that BSF engineers have come along with the team and they would repair the house of constable Mohammad Anees. "BSF will provide financial assistance to the family from its welfare fund," DIG Pushpendra Rathore added. Delhi: A team of Border Security Force today visited the house BSF constable Mohammad Anees, whose house in Khajuri Khas area was set on fire during #DelhiViolence. DIG (Headquarters) Pushpendra Rathore says, "He is currently posted in Odisha & soon will be transferred to Delhi". pic.twitter.com/nEV0cLdijY ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2020 Mohd Yusuf, father of BSF jawan Mohammad Anees said that his house in Khajuri Khaas was burnt on February 25 afternoon. Delhi violence: One of five injured men, forced to sing National Anthem, dies "On February 25, when stones were being pelted, I was in the house with 4 others. The protesters locked us from the outside. Later Police rescued us. Protesters destroyed our house completely. Rs 3 lakh cash which was kept in the house as preparations for Anees's marriage was underway also got burnt with the house. We heard someone saying 'Niklo Pakistaniyon'," Yusuf told reporters. At least 42 people, including a police head constable, have died while around 200 people have been injured in the communal violence that rocked North-East Delhi. Two Special Investigative Teams (SITs) have been constituted under Crime Branch, Delhi Police to probe the violence. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 15:03 [IST] President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of Ukrainian media groups met to agree on the launch of non-coded satellite versions of major Ukrainian TV channels by March 16, the press service of the head of state reports. "The president and representatives of the media groups agreed to ensure the launch of non-coded satellite international versions of nationwide TV channels by March 16, 2020 and thus make TV channels again accessible to Ukrainian citizens," the statement reads. The participants of the meeting discussed the problems of television broadcasting, which arose after the beginning of the coding by four media groups of a satellite signal of their TV channels since January 29 this year pursuant to the decision of 2017. The head of state emphasized that this issue concerned not only the business of media groups, but also the strategic protection of information security of Ukraine. Due to signal coding, not all Ukrainians can freely watch more than 20 major TV channels. We have thousands of letters and calls to the President's Office claiming that Ukrainians cannot receive this signal due to coding and cannot watch Ukrainian TV channels. This applies especially to the region along the contact line and the temporarily occupied territories, Zelensky said. According to the president, Russian television has become an alternative option there as a result. "We want to find a way out of this situation now. We have a very simple task: to provide an opportunity for people to watch Ukrainian television, especially in those territories to which we have solely information access now, he stressed. To address the issue of Ukrainians' access to information in a comprehensive way, the president suggested that ZEONBUD digital television provider take steps to change signal modulation by March 4, 2020. This will expand coverage of digital television across the state and facilitate public access to television. Also, by May 1, 2020, ZEONBUD should ensure the installation of digital transmitters in 47 settlements of Ukraine in accordance with previously undertaken commitments. In addition, the operator must upgrade the existing antenna feed systems for all border areas. The participants of the meeting agreed to involve the NSDC in the coordination of efforts with media groups to combat copyright infringement. The head of state instructed the NSDC secretary to monitor the implementation of the agreements. ish The number of Americans diagnosed with the novel coronavirus is now at least 70. There have been 85,406 cases in at least 60 countries and 2,924 deaths. Here is how the situation is unfolding on Saturday (all times eastern). 9:42 p.m. Illinois announces another case Health officials in Illinois announced a presumptive positive case of coronavirus, the state's third case. The test, done locally with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention test, will be sent to headquaters in Atlanta to confirm -- the policy adopted by the agency as local tests get up and running. The patient has been hospitalized and isolated. A press release by Cook County Public Health did not specify whether the person had a travel history or contact with another infected person to explain the positive test. The previous two Illinois patients both have already made a full recovery, officials said. 8:32 p.m. 4th case reported in Santa Clara The Santa Clara, California, County Public Health Department said it has identified a fourth case of coronavirus, saying it is an adult woman "who is a household contact of the third Santa Clara County case." The woman does not have symptoms and has not been hospitalized, according to officials. The third Santa Clara County case was announced Friday and is a case of so-called "community spread," meaning the person had no travel history or known contact with infected individuals. 4:15 p.m. Washington cases at long-term care facility Washington state is looking into a number of illnesses at a long-term care facility, health officials confirmed in a news conference. Two of the presumptive cases of COVID-19 confirmed Friday took place at a long-term care facility in Kirkland, Washington. One of the cases is in a health care worker in her 40s at the facility, who is in satisfactory condition at Overlake Hospital. Another, a woman in her 70s, is in serious condition at Evergreen Hospital. "We're aware of a number of individuals associated with long-term care facility who are reportedly ill with respiratory symptoms or pneumonia and we're in the process of investigating this situation as an outbreak," Dr. Jeff Duchen, the public health officer for King County. Story continues The person who died in Washington was not associated with the long-term care facility, officials said. PHOTO: An epidemiologist holds gloves while arranging the supplies of Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team, during preparations to visit a person potentially exposed to coronavirus at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) 3:45 p.m. CDC briefing updates Washington cases The number of cases diagnosed in the U.S. has risen to 22, according to a CDC telebriefing Saturday afternoon. "Sadly this includes the first reported death in the U.S. from COVID-19, as well as the first reported case of a heath care worker and a first possible outbreak in a skilled nursing facility," National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Nancy Messonnier said in the telebriefing. "This brings to 22 the number of cases in the U.S. that have been detected by our public health systems." Messonnier tried to reassure the public the risk is low, though she said they expected to see more cases in the U.S. "Most people in the U.S. will have little risk of immediate exposure to the virus," she said. 2:20 p.m. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee releases statement after coronavirus death Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement on the death of an individual in the state from coronavirus. "It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus," Inslee said in the statement. "In partnership with the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Emergency Management and local and community health partners, we are strengthening our preparedness and response efforts. I am committed to keeping Washingtonians healthy, safe and informed." 2:06 p.m. President Trump confirmed the first known death overnight from coronavirus The president confirmed the first known death from COVID-19 in a press conference on Saturday. According to the president, the victim was a woman in her 50s. The CDC later clarified it was a man in his 50s. PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the press briefing room at the White House, Feb. 29, 2020, in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) "We have 22 patients in the United States currently that have coronavirus. Unfortunately, one patient passed away overnight," Trump said. But as ABC News confirmed, the latest number is 66 cases of coronavirus in the U.S. "Healthy individuals should be able to fully recover," he added. 1:06 p.m. 1st known US death from coronavirus confirmed The first known death in the United States from coronavirus has been confirmed. According to health officials in Washington State, there has been one death from COVID-19 in Kings County, Washington, and new cases. Officials will provide an update during a press conference on Saturday afternoon. 12:02 p.m. New York to start using its own test for coronavirus New York State will begin using its own tests for coronavirus, after getting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a statement from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "When I spoke to Vice President Pence, I urged him to approve New York State's Coronavirus test we just received word that our test has been approved by the FDA. New York State will begin testing immediately at Wadsworth Lab," the governor said via the statement. "This approval will expedite wait time and improve New York's ability to more effectively manage the Coronavirus situation as it unfolds." We believe this policy strikes the right balance during this public health emergency, said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. in a statement. We will continue to help to ensure sound science prior to clinical testing and follow-up with the critical independent review from the FDA, while quickly expanding testing capabilities in the U.S. We are not changing our standards for issuing Emergency Use Authorizations. This action today reflects our public health commitment to addressing critical public health needs and rapidly responding and adapting to this dynamic and evolving situation. 11:39 a.m. UConn orders students studying abroad to return to the US The University of Connecticut has cancelled all official travel to Italy and notified its Study Abroad program participants there to return as soon as possible to the United States. UConn had already decided to cancel all official travel to China and South Korea, based on recommendations from the CDC. The university currently has more than 300 students participating in overseas academic programs in 29 nations, including a handful in South Korea and 88 in Italy, all of whom are returning to UConn. Students returning from overseas will be provided online and remote learning to complete their academic requirements, according to a statement from UConn. PHOTO: Harborview Medical Center's home assessment team hold protective and testing supplies, while preparing to visit the home of a person potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, at Harborview Medical Center, in Seattle on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) "The health and safety of our UConn students and employees is our highest priority. Please rest assured that working in collaboration with our state and local health departments, we feel prepared to respond to any cases of COVID-19 that might present themselves on our campuses or at UConn Health," the statement read. 11:20 a.m. Ecuador gets 1st coronavirus case Ecuador has confirmed its first case of coronavirus according to a statement from Catalina Andramuno Zeballos, Ecuadors minister of public health. "The patient arrived in Ecuador from Spain, at the time of her arrival, she did not present any symptoms. The patient presented fever and general malaise, so she was taken to a hospital. The tests were done and she tested positive for COVID-19," the statement read. The female patient is currently housed in an Intensive Care Unit and is in critical condition. Her prognosis is "reserved," according to Zeballos' statement. 6:31 a.m Washington state high school student tests postive A high school student in the state of Washington is the latest U.S. resident to preliminarily test positive for the coronavirus and is part of a growing group of victims that were diagnosed with COVID-19 due to community spread. Health officials in Snohomish County, Washington, said the student became ill Monday with a fever, body aches and a headache. He was seen at two different clinics in the county, however, as the student felt better, he attempted to return to Jackson High School on Friday. Coronavirus test results for the student, officials said, then came back "presumptive positive," and the student returned home before attending class. "The individual is currently in home isolation and is doing well," Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District, said at a press conference Friday. MORE: California, Oregon confirm 2 more coronavirus diagnoses from community spread Spitters said the student did not travel to areas associated with coronavirus outbreaks, nor did they have known contact with someone diagnosed with the virus. This means the student is the fourth known U.S. case of community spread, which means a person who is diagnosed with a virus without having known contact with an area or person associated with the virus. PHOTO: A support operations tent is seen at a earmarked quarantine site for healthy people potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, behind Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, north of Seattle, Washington, U.S. February 28, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) The school district, health officials said, has notified students and staff that may have had close contact with the infected student. Most of them will be quarantined at home for 14 days and the school will be sanitized over the weekend and be closed on Monday. The student was the second person in the state diagnosed with COVID-19 Friday. A woman in her 50s returned from traveling in Daegu, South Korea, on Sunday, Feb. 23. She returned to work on Tuesday, where she had symptoms by the end of the day, according to Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health Seattle & King County. A majority of the more than 2,300 positive coronavirus cases in South Korea have been linked to a secretive religious sect in the city of Daegu. MORE: How Americans can prepare for coronavirus if it spreads here PHOTO: NUTLEY, NJ - FEBRUARY 28: A researcher sorts samples in a lab that is developing testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus at Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation on February 28, 2020 in Nutley, New Jersey. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images) Duchin said the woman's COVID-19 test results came back positive on Thursday. "Given the extent of global spread, we expect to identify more individuals with COVID-19 in Washington," Washington state Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said in a statement Friday. MORE: Here are the coronavirus symptoms to watch out for amid outbreak The coronavirus, which the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, has led to 2,924 deaths, among more than 85,000 cases globally. Oregon school employee on Friday was diagnosed with a case of coronavirus with an unknown origin. That person joined two others in California who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 through community spread this week. In the U.S., there are 66 patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, most of which are from those repatriated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked off the coast of Japan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists 62 confirmed cases; four "unconfirmed" patients tested positive in their states and those results need to be confirmed by the CDC before being included in its numbers. In California, the city of Costa Mesa won a battle against the federal government Friday night when it withdrew its request to transfer infected coronavirus patients from the Diamond Princess to a quarantine facility in the town. MORE: Judge temporarily halts transfer of coronavirus patients to quarantine facility in California city "This is a victory for the citizens of Costa Mesa and Orange County," Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said in a statement Friday night. "But the government has not promised not to place future infected persons there, so the battle is not over." Without much warning, and no input, last week, the city said it learned people with COVID-19 would be transferred to a soon to be designated quarantine facility. It quickly filed suit to halt the transfers. "We continue to be troubled by the lack of information from the agencies we all need to trust to keep us safe," Foley said. "While the risk of infection is low, this is an international public health emergency and we need answers." ABC News' Timmy Truong, Morgan Winsor and Alexandra Faul contributed to this report. President Trump confirms 1st known death in US from coronavirus originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Hyundai Motor, Korea's biggest carmaker, has halted operations at one of its domestic plants after an employee there was diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Yonhap Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's biggest carmaker by sales, said Friday it has halted operations at one of its domestic plants after an employee there was diagnosed with the new coronavirus. Hyundai Motor immediately brought work at the No. 2 plant in the southeastern port city of Ulsan to a halt, and it is in an emergency meeting with its union to discuss follow-up measures, according to the company and the union. "The infected worker belongs to the 300-member paint shop of the No. 2 plant. The company is checking with whom the worker has come in contact with in the plant," a union spokesman said over the phone. The confirmation of COVID-19 case is expected to deal a further blow to the carmaker, which is already suffering from a shortage of parts from China due to the outbreak there. Hyundai Motor plunged 5.4 percent to 114,500 won on the news, underperforming the broader KOSPI's 2.9 percent loss, as of 12:25 p.m. At the No. 2 plant, which hires 4,000 workers, Hyundai produces the Palisade SUV and the GV80 SUV under its independent Genesis brand. Hyundai has seven domestic plants five in Ulsan, one in Asan and one in Jeonju and 10 overseas plants four in China and one each in the United States, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, India and Brazil. Their combined capacity reaches 5.5 million vehicles. Hyundai halted all of its local plants on Feb. 7 and kept them suspended through Feb. 10 as their parts suppliers in China stopped production during an extended Lunar New Year holiday from Jan. 24 to Feb. 9. It was the first time that Hyundai had suspended all domestic plants since 1997, when the Asian financial crisis affected local manufacturers and Mando Corp. stopped supplying parts to the carmaker. South Korea reported 256 new coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the total number of infected to 2,022. (Yonhap) February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Politicians have been campaigning against government corruption probably since campaigning was invented. Usually, people asking for power promise to root out the corruption and graft committed by the officials they hope to replace. But Donald Trump and the modern Republican Party are trying to put a new twist on this old saw: Theyre making corruption go away by making graft and self-dealing perfectly legal for public officials. Trump isnt draining the swamp; he and his cronies are trying to make the swamp very legal, and very cool. Yesterday, longtime Trump aide and confidant Roger Stone was sentenced for his conviction on charges of lying to Congress and tampering with witnesses. The sentencing guidelines called for a prison sentence of seven to nine years, but District Judge Amy Berman Jackson gave Stone just 40 months. The light sentence comes after Attorney General William Barr overruled his prosecutors on the case, and asked that Stone be let free with no jail time. Judge Jackson, an appointee of President Barack Obama, probably wasnt unduly influenced by Barrs request that she go light on one of Trumps homies. But Barrs meddling and Stones close relationship with the president make Jacksons leniency appear unfair. Meanwhile, just two days earlier, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 11 people, including former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik. Kerik is a close friend of another Trump crony, Rudy Giuliani. In fact, all those granted clemency were able to make some sort of personal connection with Trump, either directly or through the state propaganda network, Fox News. Some had hosted campaign fundraisers or inauguration parties for Trump. And then theres former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevichs conviction for abusing his power by trying to sell Barack Obamas former Senate seat was widely cited as an on-point comparison for Trumps own abuse of power. Trump might as well have been looking in the mirror when he commuted Blagojevichs sentence. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Trumps willingness to use his pardon power to spring people he likes on TV is likely just a preview. Many expect Trump to now pardon his former associates Stone, former Trump campaign CEO Paul Manafort, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. And if Giuliani ever gets convicted for his potentially corrupt dealings, we can certainly expect a pardon for him, too. What links all these menother than the fetid aroma that wafts off their decayed moral charactersis that they are the ones who kept their mouths shut and didnt rat on Trump. The one who didnt continue to lie, Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, is unlikely to receive any clemency from the president. I dont have to wonder why. Trumps use of the pardon power in this way is, by itself, a corrupt abuse of power. The issue, as with all issues of public corruption, is not whether the official has the authority to do something, its whether the official did the thing for a corrupt purpose. Donald Trump can pardon people. All presidents have that power. But if he does it for a corrupt purpose, if he does it for his personal political or financial self-interest and not the interest of the country, then that is supposed to be illegal. But Trump will not be held accountable for these or future abuses of power. Thats because the Republican Senate acquitted him of impeachment charges over the abuse of his power. Republicans decided, for the first time in American history, that abuse of power is not at odds with the American system of government. That he can abuse the powers of his office with impunity is the only lesson Trump learned from impeachment, Susan Collins. As brazenly corrupt as post-impeachment Trump has been, he is, as usual, just a manifestation of our national sickness and not its root cause. When it comes to public corruption, all branches of government are in on grift. Even before Trump took officein fact, just as he clinched the Republican nomination for president in June 2016the Supreme Court ruled, unanimously, to overturn a bribery conviction against former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. McDonnell had been accused and convicted of bribery after he took a series of meetings with the CEO of a pharmaceutical company in exchange for gifts and loans to help the governor with his financial troubles. In McDonnell v. US, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for an 8-0 majority, determined that McDonnell took no official acts in exchange for the gifts. The Supreme Court would have us believe that merely selling access is not a crime for public officials. The courts meh, whatever approach to public corruption is unlikely to be limited to McDonnell. Already, Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly, the only two people to be held accountable for the scheme to punish Chris Christies political rivals by grinding traffic to a halt across the tri-state area (colloquially known as Bridgegate), have appealed their convictions to the Supreme Court under the McDonnell precedent. Were still waiting for the courts ruling, but indications from oral arguments were that the justices are inclined to declare that its not a crime for government officials to lie about their corrupt motives. The Supreme Court, the Republican-controlled Senate, and the current president all seem to be saying the same thing: Public corruption no longer matters. In the words of Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, were all supposed to get over it. To make matters worse, the media also seems to have decided not to care about public corruption. Arguably, the fourth estates most essential job in a democracy is to expose corruption that would otherwise go unnoticed. But the media today seem as inured to it as the Republican-controlled branches of government. During this weeks Democratic presidential debate in Nevada, the moderators didnt even ask a question about corruption, Trumps pardons, or whether anybody on stage was willing to do anything about it. The Democrats are trying to fight back against this societal willingness to turn a blind eye to corruption in the government. House Democrats have passed HR 1, a sweeping anti-corruption bill that focuses on election integrity and campaign ethics. But it languishes because Mitch McConnell will not bring it up for a vote. Its amazing that McConnell is ever allowed to speak in front of a camera without being asked why he refuses to bring a nonpartisan, anti-corruption measure to the Senate floor. Among the Democrats left running for president, only Elizabeth Warren has made the fight against corruption a centerpiece of her campaign. She, and Kamala Harris when she was in the race, have been the only ones promising to do everything they can to hold Trump and his cronies accountable for their actions. Warrens proposals are far more detailed and lawful than Trumps despotic and petty threats to lock up his political rivals. She has been pushing her Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act since 2018. The bill addresses public conflicts of interest and applies ethics rules to all senior government officials, including White House staff. And shes promised to instruct her Department of Justice to establish a task force to look into crimes and corruption committed by this administration. This is a huge departure from the approach taken by the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, when he had an opportunity to address the misdeeds of the antecedent administration. Obama chose not to pursue prosecutions for war crimes and self-dealing on the part of Dick Cheney and his band of Republican charlatans. Obama felt it was more important for the country to move forward, past the George W. Bush era, and didnt want to become embroiled in the partisan fights of the past. Rhetorically, it was the right note. Practically, it was wrong message. Why should Donald Trump fear post-presidential accountability when Dick Cheney bamboozled the country into a full-scale war and still gets to roam around free? Warren sees things differently: If we are to move forward to restore public confidence in government and deter future wrongdoing, we cannot simply sweep this corruption under the rug in a new administration, The task force and the commitment to codify ethical standards into law are, to me, the most important distinguishing feature of Warrens campaign. That task force would take the decision to prosecute out of her hands, or the hands of her political appointees, and instead allow career civil servants to do the work. Warrens idea is the antithesis to how Attorney General William Barr has turned the Justice Department into Trumps personal revenge squad. We cannot defeat Trump and then just go back to business as usual. We cannot focus on our future without first reckoning with our past. If Trump and his cronies are allowed to get away with what theyve done, then Trump and the Republicans will have essentially made corruption a valid and legal strategy. No president ever again will fear consequences for abusing their power, at least so long as they can maintain control of their party in the Senate. Fighting corruption, fighting to clean up government, is always an uphill battle. Everybody from Teddy Roosevelt to Fiorello La Guardia to Ralph Nader has found that even their victories were fleeting. But if we abandon the fight, as the Supreme Court has done, as the Republican Party has done, and as even some Democrats are willing to do, then we dont deserve the democratic self-government Trump is trying to take away from us. Trump must be held accountable by the next administration, or else Trumpism has already won. Elie Mystal is The Nation's Justice Correspondentcovering the courts, the criminal justice system, and politicsand the force behind the magazine's monthly column, "Objection!" He is also an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center. He can be followed @ElieNYC. " Source " 'Burden' review: True story of Klansman and black preacher brings new meaning to 'love your enemies' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Ku Klux Klan will forever be one of the greatest blights on the United States. The racial violence and hatred perpetrated by the white-hooded members of the notorious white supremacist group is permanently etched in the history of the nation. Still, in todays woke society, its easy to relegate the Klan to a thing of the past. But in reality, the KKK isnt exactly in the distant past. In fact, less than three decades ago, the KKK was active in a poverty-ridden town in South Carolina. This is the painful reality filmmaker Andrew Heckler brings to light in his powerful new drama Burden. Based on a true story, Burden is a deeply unnerving yet remarkably redemptive tale that asks audiences to examine their own prejudices, consider what it means to truly love your enemies (Matthew 5:44) and extend love, compassion, and forgiveness to the least deserving. Starring Forest Whitaker, Tom Wilkinson, Usher, Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Riseborough and Austin Hebert, Burden is set in the mid-90s and follows Mike Burden, a hot-headed young KKK member in Laurens, South Carolina. Through a series of flashbacks, Mikes story becomes clear: Orphaned at a young age and mired in poverty, Mike was taken in and mentored by Tom Griffin, a white supremacist who presides over frequent KKK gatherings. Griffin all-too-happily indoctrinates his young pupil with hateful and racist rhetoric. In one particularly telling scene, he gives a young Mike and other boys Bowie knives and teaches them how to shank dark meat. Barbecues and lighthearted family hangouts are rife with racist jokes and on occasion, morph into full-blown KKK rallies, complete with burning crosses and white hoods. To Mike, the Klan isnt just normal; its family. Eventually, Griffin gifts Mike his prized possession an old theater in the small downtown area of Laurens. Under Griffins guidance, Mike and his cronies transform the theater into The Redneck Shop, loudly decorated with a Confederate flag. The back half of the shop is occupied by the KKK Museum, filled with KKK paraphernalia including white-hooded Klan uniforms and photographs of lynchings. While working his part-time gig as a repo man, Mike meets and falls in love with Judy Harbeson, a down-on-her-luck lady with a young son, Franklin. But for Judy, who holds significantly more progressive views on interracial relations, Mikes affiliation with the KKK is a deal-breaker. Meanwhile, local preacher Reverend Kennedy, whose uncle was lynched by the KKK, is on a mission to close the Redneck Shop and KKK Museum through prayer and peaceful protest. In one scene, Kennedy recounts the atrocities carried out against black community members by the KKK and reminds his congregation, but in the midst of it all, Jesus Christ said, Love thy enemies. But when its time to fight, we will fight. Jesus Christ said, Rebuke evil. And the redneck shop is evil. On the day of Kennedys protest, Mike is unable to follow through on Griffin's order to attack and ends up being ostracized from his family and homeless. Ever the Good Samaritan, Reverand Kennedy offers to take them in and receives pushback from his community, wary of a former KKK member in their midst. When a reluctant hotel owner asks the pastor, Do you know who that man is? Kennedy replies, I know him as a brother in Christ. But the story doesnt end there, and Mikes path to redemption isnt easy. He struggles to rely on people he once hated for his livelihood and experiences a series of setbacks. For him, acknowledging his own wrongdoing isnt easy. At one point, Reverend Kennedy tells him, You must take responsibility for your actions. Then, you can repent and find redemption. But in the end, Mikes heart is transformed by the forgiveness, compassion, and kindness shown to him by those he once loathed. In a powerful closing scene, Kennedy baptizes Mike in the river while the community looks on. Ive done a lot of bad things in my life, things I now regret. Ive hurt a lot of people. ... I was going to kill your preacher, Mike confesses. Here I am, standing before you, a man that cant go back because I dont want to. I want you to know Im sorry and maybe you all can forgive me. I hope God can forgive me. Though a powerful story of redemption, faith, and healing, Burden is not a faith-based film nor is it easy to watch. The acts of racial violence carried out by white supremacists are heartbreaking. In one scene, men pile into a pickup truck and urinate on a black woman trying to walk home. The derogatory term n----- is also frequently thrown around by white supremacists, along with f---, s---, d---, and other crass terms. However, the film won the Sundance Film Festivals Audience Award for best U.S. dramatic film in 2018 for good reason. On the surface, Burden is a story of small-town Southern racism and the heroism of several key individuals. But in reality, its a wider story of poverty, a deeply flawed socioeconomic system, and the transformative power of the Gospel. Heckler, who spent nearly a decade researching and writing Burden, treats his characters with compassion, highlighting their humanity while refusing to let them off the hook. He challenges viewers to love their enemies while acknowledging that following Christ isnt easy, pain is real, and faith is difficult. Yet Burden highlights the biblical reality that no matter how flawed, no one is beyond redemption and the Gospel can soften even the hardest of hearts. Although difficult to watch, Burden is a timeless story of hope and reconciliation, a much-needed reminder in todays increasingly divided society. From 101 Studios, Burden is set for limited national release in Los Angeles and New York City on Feb. 28, with plans to expand screenings to other cities. Since mountain lions thrive in Napas valleys, they are usually on my mind as I hike along dense tree lines, slopes and canyons. Mountain lions (genus Puma), are also called cougar, puma or panther. Ive never seen a live lion up close and personal, nor have I seen the tracks of a mountain lion, which resemble those of a large dog, with four toes. It is unusual, I am told for a mountain lions tracks to register its claws, but if claws are visible in the tracks they are sharper and thinner than a dogs blunt claw marks. Three separate sightings from as many friends have noted majestic mountain lions close to the Lake and Napa County borders. That shouldnt be surprising, since there is at least one mountain lion sighting reported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) annually in Napa County alone. To gain a perspective on the beauty and size of a local lion, stop by the visitor center at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and there you will find a stuffed mountain lion named Tucker who, unfortunately, had to be taken down years ago by the DFW near the Napa/Sonoma County border. Old Tucker had been dipping into the candy jar, so-to-speak, of a hard-working sheep farmers sheep stock time and time again. Having had enough of the mountain lions misbehavior, the farmer called the DFW. When taken, Tucker had his latest prey, yet another sheep tucked tightly in his jaws, half way up a tall, old oak tree. That is one strong set of jaws. Knowing that these elusive and wild creatures are our neighbors, and that, according to a DFW Departmental Bulletin, more than half of California is considered mountain lion habitat, doesnt need to unnerve you, since wildlife researchers state that you are more likely to be struck by lightning than be attacked by a mountain lion. Bay Nature Magazine reports that we are 1,000 times more likely to perish from a heat stroke on a trail than to be assaulted by a one of these 80- to 150-pound animals. Instead, we can marvel at the fact that these top predators are still calling this land their home. Luckily, for us, mountain lions are typically both solitary and elusive, and tend to avoid human beings. The DFW Departmental Bulletin states, The mountain lion is a symbol of wild California and is regarded as a focal species in the states efforts to conserve wildlife and their habitats through ecosystem management. Mountain lions in California are a specially protected species (Fish and Game Code Section 4800) and may not be taken, injured, possessed, transported, or imported except under specific circumstances related to depredation, public health and safety. It is more than probable that both sightings of and encounters by mountain lions will increase in the future, due to human population increases, which tend to encroach upon wildlife habitat in general, and mountain lion habitat specifically throughout the state, including Napa Valley. The DFW says there could only be 4,000 to 6,000 big cats living in the whole state. These magnificent creatures, who range all across North and South America belong to the Felinae family, and are both stealthy and secretive. (Other creatures around the world belonging to the Felinae family include the Cheetah, African golden cat, Asian golden cat and our domestic and lovable house cat.) The wild cats roaming our valleys are most active at dawn and dusk, as well as nighttime, and are known for ambushing their prey, since they dont have the lung capacity for long chases. They prefer to conceal themselves amongst rocks or vegetation, then pounce on unsuspecting prey. Mountain lions also lurk in trees where they can jump down to consume gophers, deer, mice and other rodents, and also, the elk that thrive in Lake County. The DFW notes that the big cats will also prey on pets and livestock if animals are not properly penned. They remind us that to stay safe it is important to deer-proof your land and landscape with plants that deer dont like. Never feed deer or wild animals, since it is illegal, but just as important, it is for your own and your familys safety, since deer are a mountain lions prey of choice. For more safety tips, visit the DFWs website. These discreet predators are a sign that, even with all of the cacophony, hustle and bustle of our 21st century lives, we still live in a community of big, wild cats. Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator. She is a potter, freelance writer and author of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park, People of the Water and Native Americans of Lake County. She can be reached through her website, KathleenScavone.com WASHINGTON - Vice-President Joe Biden has for weeks looked to the black voters of South Carolina to hand a win to his flagging campaign. On Saturday, they delivered. Biden won 61% of the votes cast by non-white voters, dominating a crowded Democratic field among a group that made up more than half of the electorate. Biden also performed strongly with older voters, women, regular churchgoers and moderates and conservatives, according to AP VoteCast, a wide-ranging survey of more than 1,400 voters in South Carolinas Democratic primary. Bidens strength with the states African American voters helped him edge out second-place finisher Bernie Sanders. The Vermont senator won roughly 14% of African American voters, while billionaire Tom Steyer won 15%. Sanders had hoped to chip away at Bidens support by winning over young black voters, who may be more likely to be drawn to Sanders liberal politics and less likely to give Biden credit for serving as President Barack Obamas No. 2. But black voters under 45 were roughly split between the two candidates a sign that Sanders appeal among younger voters had its limits in South Carolina. Sanders held on to young voters under 30 overall, but his grip weakened among liberal voters. South Carolinas primary provides the first deep look at the opinions and beliefs of African American voters, will continue to wield influence in upcoming races and will be critical to Democrats chances of winning the White House. The inability of Democrats to mobilize African Americans in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan likely contributed to their 2016 loss to President Donald Trump. Biden has staked his campaign on mobilizing these voters and harkening to the legacy of the nations first non-white president. Its a message that appeared to carry special appeal in South Carolina, where voters held a greater sense of nostalgia for the Obama presidency than voters in earlier contests. Forty-five per cent of voters in South Carolina wanted to return to the politics of the past, compared with about a third in Iowa and New Hampshire. That includes the 52% of African American voters who said they want a Democratic presidential nominee who would emulate Obamas presidency. Overall, Biden won 65% of voters who preferred a return to politics before Trump. Compared with Iowa and New Hampshire, where Biden never placed in the top three, South Carolina delivered some built-in demographic advantage for the former vice-president. Its voters were somewhat more likely to identify as moderate or conservative 7 in 10 using either label. They were less likely to hold a college degree. More than half were nonwhite, compared with roughly 9 in 10 white voters in Iowa and New Hampshire. But even among liberals, college graduates and white voters, Biden fared somewhat better on Saturday than he did in the previous contests. White voters gave just a slight advantage to Biden over Sanders. Biden beat Sanders handily among women, and by a slightly narrower margin among men. Biden won support from more than half of moderate and conservative voters, a group that has previously been divided between Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Both Buttigieg and Klobuchar have struggled to attract non-white voters and showed no real progress Saturday. Buttigieg managed to get just 3% of the non-white vote. Klobuchar, whose support among all voters in South Carolina was in the low single digits, drew a negligible share of this group. Among self-described liberals, about a third backed Sanders, who had been leading the pack after previous contests, only a slightly higher share than for Biden. About half of South Carolina voters say they attend church services at least once a month; Biden won a majority. On issues, South Carolinas voters were more focused on health care than voters in other early states. About 4 in 10 called it the most important issue. Twenty-one per cent viewed the economy as the top priority, while 14% identified climate change. Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire put greater emphasis on climate change and less importance on the economy. As Super Tuesday looms with 14 states and one territory voting, its unclear just how much more important TV ads are over name recognition. Steyer pumped money into ads in South Carolina, while media mogul and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg worth about $60 billion has been doing so nationwide. But voters are unsure whether having a financial titan challenging Trump, a reputed billionaire, in Novembers election would be helpful. Only 21% said a billionaire would have an easier time against Trump, compared with 55% who said it would make no difference. After finishing third in South Carolina, Steyer dropped out Saturday night. ___ AP VoteCast is a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for The Associated Press and Fox News. The survey of 1,499 voters in South Carolina was conducted for seven days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. The survey is based on interviews with a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. ___ Catch up on the 2020 election campaign with AP experts on our weekly politics podcast, Ground Game. By Ken Endo, KYODO NEWS - Feb 29, 2020 - 11:17 | All, World The United Kingdom left the European Union at the end of January, three and a half years after the public voted for Brexit in a national referendum, the first time a major country has left the bloc in the postwar history of European integration. Looking back to 2001 when the fervor for European integration was more or less at its apex, I was ridiculed when I expressed my doubts about the EU's permanency to a group of Europhiles. They believed the EU had successfully dampened passions for sovereignty and nationalism. This does not reflect reality, however, as one observes Brexit's drama unfold. In fact, the EU has failed in this respect. No situation lasts forever. There are many who believe this even without bringing up Niccolo Machiavelli, who believed that any political system decays or changes, and none -- whether monarchy, aristocracy or democracy -- remains permanent. If anything remains the same, it is people's passions. The pull of sovereignty and nationalism is deep and tenacious. When those passions do not seem inflamed, they are only asleep. The Brexit vote took place against the background of multiple backlashes against the inflow of immigrants, the spread of EU's regulatory authority, stagnant low wages and other matters. The well of such passions will never run dry. Some say that these form the basis of Britain's political reason. However, how valid are they? First of all, regarding the economy, the nation will lose 130 billion pounds ($170 billion) over the next 15 years using conservative estimates by the British government. The economic damage will be even more severe if the United Kingdom and the EU do not successfully negotiate the terms of their relationship, including striking a trade deal, within the transition period by the year's end. In that sense the Brexit drama is a far cry from an end. On the other hand, the tumultuousness on Britain's sociopolitical front is reflected by the increase in crimes involving race and religion. In early 2016, prior to the Brexit vote, 58 percent of people who were of an ethnic minority said they encountered racism. In 2019, it had grown to 71 percent. In fact, hate crimes rose by more than 21 percent in England and Wales three months after the Brexit vote. Separatist trends within the country are strengthening. It is understandable. Boiling down to its essence, Brexit is English nationalism demanding independence from the EU. Scotland and Northern Ireland, with different ethnic characteristics than England, preferred for the most part to remain in the EU. That division will not immediately lead to a breakup of the United Kingdom but will lead to growing and deepening resentment in the country. Despite all this, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been liberally sprinkling words of eternal optimism. He says that a truly free "global Britain," now that it has escaped the EU's yoke, will be realized. People supported him in the general election. There was little institutional change before Johnson's election and so far the economic impact such as diminishing wages, rising prices and labor shortage is not noticeable. But these problems will increase in the future. In terms of foreign relations, Britain will have to maneuver adroitly against competing pressure from the EU and the United States. The European bloc has little desire to allow Britain, which decided to diverge from its regulations, to access its free markets. Meanwhile, the United States will press Britain to buy its products now that it is unconstrained by EU regulations. Ultimately, Britain, considered a politically mature democratic nation, made a politically unwise choice. This implies that something similar could happen to any democracy. It is of course incumbent for Japan -- a relatively stable democracy -- to reexamine itself. There are nearly 10 million people sustaining themselves on a yearly income of 1.86 million yen ($17,000) in Japan. Add to this an influx of workers and technical trainees from overseas and there is strong opposition to such facets of globalization, including economic partnership agreements, and people harbor a deep mistrust of the political elites driving those policies. Japan's domestic situation is not much different from Britain's. A stable society is the foundation of mature democracy. Japan should use the British case as a lesson to draw how to maintain it. If it is not achieved, we will have to heed Machiavelli's words and be ready for the currently stable Japanese democracy to transform. (Ken Endo is head of the Hokkaido University Public Policy School. He earned a Ph.D. in politics at the University of Oxford and was a researcher at Harvard Law School, a research fellow supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a visiting professor at Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris. He is also the author of numerous books including Togo No Shuen (The Demise of Integration) and Oshu Fukugo Kiki (Europe's Complex Crisis). All Indian evacuees from Wuhan have tested negative for COVID19 Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare undertook a review of the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) management across the country, with the senior officials of the Ministry recently in New Delhi. Dr. Harsh Vardhan was informed that at present, the screening of passengers is being done in all 21 airports, 12 major and 65 non-major seaports and border crossings. In all 4,214 flights and 4,48,449 passengers have been screened so far. Also, as informed by MEA, departure of the Air Force flight to Wuhan is being planned for 26th Feb and the evacuees will arrive on 27th February. As of now, 2,707 samples have been tested of which only 3 samples had earlier tested positive (Kerala) and all the three patients have been discharged from the hospitals and are now in home isolation. All Indian evacuees from Wuhan have tested negative for COVID19 and have gone back to their homes from the quarantine facilities. In all, 23,259 persons were brought under community surveillance in 34 States/UTs through the Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network. Dr. Harsh Vardhan was briefed that a revised travel advisory on travel to Singapore has been issued on 22nd February, 2020. Regarding movement across Kartarpur border in Punjab, it was informed that in discussion with the Home Ministry, Health Ministry and Health Secretary, Punjab, special screening has been strengthened across the border and further necessary facilitation for masks to be worn by pilgrims is being initiated. He was also informed that taking into consideration the larger cases being reported from other countries besides China, universal screening is being initiated from 10 countries and in this regard Special Secretary (Health) held a Video Conference (VC) today with officials of Airport Health Organization (APHO)from 21 airports and Health Secretaries of respective States. At present, in addition to screening of passengers from flights coming from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, entry screening has been extended to flights coming from Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia w.e.f. 23rd February, 2020.Further, Secretary (HFW) informed that close coordination is being maintained with Indian embassies abroad to get daily updates on Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) across the world. While complementing States for their exceptional efforts to manage the Novel Coronavirus (COVID19), Dr. Harsh Vardhan also directed that all Joint Secretaries and Senior Officers from Health Ministry may be deputed to visit States & UTs to ensure strengthening of the State surveillance machinery and to address their concerns, if any. The Union Health Minister appreciated the various precautionary measures being undertaken in close coordination with various ministries at the central level, States as well as Indian embassies abroad. He also lauded the States for actively monitoring the cases as well as updating the requisite information pertaining to screening and surveillance on the central web portal. UPDATE, 6:30 p.m.: N.J. patient does not have coronavirus, health department says A patient at a Monmouth County hospital is being treated and tested for a suspected case of the coronavirus, state and local health officials confirmed to NJ Advance Media on Saturday morning. If the patient at Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel tests positive, it would be the first case in New Jersey of the illness that has been threatening the globe. The patient has been isolated at the hospital and is currently being tested by the New Jersey Public Health Environmental Laboratories, officials said. Results are expected within 24 hours, Gov. Phil Murphys office said. The sex, age, and other information about the patient is not yet available. As of Saturday, there are no confirmed cases in New Jersey of the virus, which caused the illness COVID-19. Five people in the state have been tested in recent weeks, but all tests have come back negative, officials said. The Holmdel case was confirmed just hours before it was revealed a person in Washington state became the first in the U.S. to die from the virus. Daniel Varga, the chief physician executive at Hackensack Meridian Health, the group that runs Bayshore, said its team is working with the New Jersey Department of Health and following protocols from the Centers for Disease Control. That includes isolating the patient, using protective equipment, restricting visitors, and disposing all materials used in treatment. Please rest assured that our health care team is taking every precaution in caring for this isolated patient and determining an accurate diagnosis, Varga said in a statement. Varga added that doctors are continuing to screen patients with appropriate symptoms for travel history to China, Italy, Iran, Japan, and South Korea including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. It is not clear if the patient has traveled to a country where the virus has spread. We are dedicated to the care and well-being of communities," Varga said. "We will continue to keep you informed. The governors office said the patient is being tested according to CDC guidelines. The hospital has taken all necessary precautions and is following infectious disease protocol, said Alexandra Altman, a spokeswoman for Murphys office. A spokeswoman for the CDC told NJ Advance Media the agency does not have any further information on the situation. The case first reported by CBS New York was confirmed a day after the state health department announced Friday that the states Public Health Environmental Laboratories in West Trenton will now be able to test for the virus without having to send out samples to the CDC. That, officials said, will allow doctors to cut down on the amount of time it takes for test results, from weeks to a matter of days. Testing capability will further enhance New Jerseys preparedness and response to this evolving health emergency," state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement. Everything at Bayshore Medical Center appeared to be business as usual Saturday afternoon. There were many open parking spaces in the visitor and patient section of the parking lot. And there did not seem to be many people walking into the emergency room. A few staff members walking through the halls were wearing face masks but the main lobby and cafeteria areas were quiet. A view of Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel on Saturday. There are 195 asymptomatic individuals in New Jersey who are self-quarantined based on their travel history, according to the state health department. They are being monitored by local health officials. None of them is considered high risk. The Ocean County Health Department had 13 people being voluntarily monitored for COVID-19. As of Thursday, all but four completed the monitoring process, according to Brian Lippai, a spokesman for the countys health department. None showed any symptoms of coronavirus. Those 4 will be done by the end of the weekend, Lippai said in an email. The 13 people were identified through their recent travel history, and the individuals were in consistent daily communication with us and were given instructions should they demonstrate any symptoms which fortunately never occurred, Lippai said. Monmouth County had been monitoring nine people. They were extremely low risk, they were basically self-monitoring, said David Henry, spokesman for the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission. Murphy said Wednesday that New Jerseys state government is taking steps to prepare for all scenarios. Were doing everything we can to get out ahead of this and also be as prepared as possible if something hits us, the governor said. Murphys office said the governor spoke Friday night with Vice President Mike Pence, whom President Donald Trump has put in charge of the federal response to the virus. The vice president praised New Jersey for taking aggressive and proactive measures to combat the public health threat and reiterated that the Trump Administration stands ready to support New Jerseys efforts in this fight, Murphys office said. The state also created a website and a hotline 1-800-222-1222 to answer questions about the virus. As of Saturday afternoon, the were 85,997 cases of the virus in the world including 68 in the U.S., according to a running tally by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. The overall numbers includes 39,761 people across the globe who have recovered from the illness. As of Saturday, 2,941 people have died from the virus. On Friday, officials confirmed three new cases in California, Oregon, and Washington of patients in the U.S. with COVID-19 contracted from an unknown source. That means they do not have a known travel history to places where the illness has spread or exposure to someone with the virus. A top CDC official warned Americans this week to prepare for an inevitable outbreak. Federal health officials say the virus may lead to "community spread which means it spreads from person to person in communities across the country. The virus started in China but has been found in six continents across the globe. The head of the World Health Organization said this week the risk of the virus spreading worldwide was very high," citing the continued increase in the number of cases and the number of affected countries. Fear of the virus spreading has also caused stock markets to tumble in recent days. NJ Advance Media staff writers Susan K. Livio and Olivia Rizzo contributed to this report. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, February 29, 2020 07:55 684 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20674e866 1 Editorial umrah,umrah-pilgrims,Saudi-Arabia,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus-in-Indonesia,Muslim,editorial Free Saudi Arabias announcement that it would indefinitely halt all umrah (minor haj) amid fears of the coronavirus outbreak has shocked many, especially those who were already heading to the kingdom and those who had arrived at airports in Indonesia and abroad to begin their journeys. Indonesian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Nur Ibrahim, for instance, said some 83 pilgrims from Indonesia were set to fly back from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Friday midnight following Thursdays announcement. Read also: Saudi's sudden 'umrah' ban leaves pilgrims heartbroken For umrah, which is not mandatory for Muslims and can be performed at almost any time, pilgrims prepare for months before journeying to Saudi Arabia, which hosts nearly 7 million umrah pilgrims annually. Pilgrims from other countries previously faced a temporarily ban over fears of the Ebola virus, but this is unprecedented for Indonesia. While the government expressed respect for Saudi Arabias decision, the Foreign Ministry is lobbying the Saudi government to allow Indonesian pilgrims who had already arrived or were flying to the country at the time of the announcement to go on umrah. However, no one should get their hopes up, as the kingdom has also temporarily barred travelers from countries considered at risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, while Iran has even suspended Friday prayers. At the very least, pilgrims should be able to expect their governments and pilgrimage agencies to work to ensure their rights are upheld. Stranded passengers need support to cover their unexpected needs, such as transportation and accommodation. Indonesian authorities need to coordinate as best as possible with their counterparts abroad to ensure safe travel amid the sudden development. While stunned, some pilgrims have said they understood the need for the temporary ban, even though Indonesia has not had any confirmed cases. As of Thursday, the World Health Organization had reported almost 83,000 cases globally with 2,804 deaths. While these were mainly recorded in China, with an increasing number of cases in other parts of the world, there has been increased global uncertainty, as reflected in plummeting stock prices, including on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Read also: Trading suspension looms as Indonesian stocks plunge another 4% While scientists are rushing to find a cure, no one knows for sure when the virus will be contained. By suddenly announcing the suspension of umrah, the Saudi government may be looking to ensure its preparedness for the haj season, which lasts from late July to early August, when it customarily welcomes about 2.5 million guests from around the world. The number of Indonesian umrah pilgrims has been increasing, as the queue for the haj, the mandatory pilgrimage for all able Muslims, is more than a decade-long, even though Indonesia has the worlds largest haj quota, with 231,000 pilgrims set to travel this year. Our government and pilgrimage agencies now have the opportunity to maintain and improve the credibility of all pilgrimage services while the victims of swindlers continue to wait for compensation. The business of piety will forever be profitable and pilgrims should not be left alone to cover their own losses, given only the excuse that their fate was Gods will. HAMDEN Four police officers and a civilian were injured as officers tried to take a violent felon with five active warrants into custody Saturday morning, officials said. Officers were dispatched to 125 Putnam Avenue Davenport Dunbar Residence at 10:40 a.m. for a report of an unwanted person. According to Capt. Ronald Smith, responding officers were told a man by the name of John Sullo was allegedly on the premises, operating an unregistered tow truck. The officers were also told Sullo had five active warrants on file for his arrest, Smith said. Police said Sullo lives in an apartment at Davenport Dunbar Residence. Responding officers Steven Teague and Derick Manning spotted Sullo in the area and pulled him over near the intersection of Clifford Street and Ralston Avenue. But, Smith said, as officers tried to arrest Sullo, he aggressively resisted. Smith said Sullo escaped, got into the tow truck and fled toward Treadwell Street. Moments later, he drove into a Marne Street driveway and put his vehicle in reverse while lowering the boom on the tow truck, according to Smith. He then attempted to strike an occupied police vehicle, Smith said. Officers quick actions avoided a collision. From there, Smith said, Sullo drove toward Haig Street before continuing on Dixwell Avenue. While on Dixwell Avenue, Smith Said, officers saw Sullo drive the tow truck north at a high rate of speed. Smith said Sullo hit another vehicle, a utility pole and two traffic signs. After that, Smith said, Sullo got out of his vehicle and fled toward Route 15 on foot. Teague and Manning gave chase and were able to take Sullo into custody after he violently resisted, Smith said. The driver of the vehicle that Sullo hit reported neck and back injuries, Smith said. He said the driver was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital to be treated. Four Hamden police officers were also injured during the incident, Smith said. The extent of their injuries were not immediately provided. Sullo, 42, was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, first-degree failure to appear, four counts of second-degree failure to appear, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, evading responsibility and engaging police in a pursuit. Smith said Sullo was detained on bonds that totaled $139,500. Hes scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on March 12. Hamden police arrested a violent felon that was wanted on five active arrest warrants, Smith said. Four police officers and a civilian suffered injuries during the incident. Smith said the incident will be closely reviewed to determine if officers complied with department policy, per department protocol. The exterior of Henry M. Jackson High School is seen in Mill Creek, Washington, Feb. 29, 2020. School district officials have closed the school for three days of cleaning after a student, who did not recently travel to any countries affected the COVID-19, coronavirus, tested positive for the virus. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Schools Closed in Oregon, Washington for Cleaning Over New Coronavirus Cases A high school in Washington state and an elementary school in Oregon were being closed over two new coronavirus cases: one in a student and one in a staff member. Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Washington is being shut down on Monday to allow for deep cleaning after a student tested positive for the new coronavirus, state officials said. A teenage boy who attends the school tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus. In all schools, custodians have been instructed to make cleaning touchpoints a high priority, verify each classroom is equipped with a cleaner for wiping down surfaces such as desks and tables and stock additional gloves and cleaning products, Dr. Ian Saltzman, the superintendent of Everett Public Schools, told parents and students in a letter. Hand sanitizing stations have been ordered for each of our school cafeterias and other frequently visited locations such as school offices. Another high school in the area, Bothell High School, was closed on Thursday and Friday over concerns a family member of a staffer had the new virus but a test later came back as negative. An elementary school in Oregon, Forest Hills Elementary, was being closed after a staff member tested positive, state officials said. A support operations tent is seen at a earmarked quarantine site for healthy people potentially exposed to novel coronavirus, behind Washington State Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline, north of Seattle, Washington, on Feb. 28, 2020. (David Ryder/Reuters) The Lake Oswego School District said the school will be closed through March 3 to allow cleaning. All other schools in the district will be open on Monday. A federal official warned earlier this week that Americans should plan for schools to close as part of efforts to contain the spread of the new virus. The student in Washington, a teenage boy who has no travel history, is classified as a presumptive positive after being tested by state officials. Federal officials are confirming the test but the case is being treated as confirmed. The student started showing symptoms including a fever on Monday, Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District, said at a press conference on Friday night. The student traveled to Seattle Childrens North Clinic and another clinic. The last day he attended class was before the onset of symptoms, officials said. He was on campus to try to attend classes on Friday but the test results came back and he was told to go home, Spitters said. The students who came into contact with the boy were notified and will remain at home for 14 days as the Snohomish Health District monitors them for symptoms of COVID-19. The student also has a sibling at Gateway Middle School who is not showing symptoms but is being tested and will remain in quarantine until the test results come back. Other family members of the student are also quarantined, Everett Public Schools said. Spitters said at the press conference in Shoreline that the student is isolated at home and doing well. The student probably became infected from someone who had the new disease but only had mild symptoms and didnt seek care, he said. sign explaining that sports games have been moved from Henry M. Jackson High School is seen at the school in Mill Creek, Washington on Feb. 29, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images) Officials also arent sure how the adult patient in Washington County, Oregon, became infected. The person, whose age or gender werent disclosed, is in isolation at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. Its too soon to say what impact this case has on family, friends, coworkers or the Lake Oswego School District and other members of the community. Contact tracing is our top priority right now. Well notify the public as soon as we receive any information about potential exposures, Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said at a press conference. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the new virus spreads primarily from person-to-person. The virus spreads between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Patients who become infected can see mild symptoms while others experience more severe symptoms. The disease can cause death. Those who die are primarily older people or those with underlying health conditions, according to international health experts. Ways to avoid getting the virus include washing hands frequently, staying away from sick people, and not touching ones face with unwashed hands. People should also avoid crowds, Washington state health officials said, and plan for schools to close and look into teleworking options. Users will be able to reach any European country without the need to make a pause on the border to change the gauge Open source In 2020, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to begin construction of a narrow gauge of European standard from Lviv to the border with Poland. Director of strategic development and investment policy of the railway company Anton Sabolevsky announced this information, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia reports. A gauge of 1,435 mm is planned in the direction of Mostysk - Sknyliv. According to Sabolevsky, the use of such Euro-gauge will allow a passenger to board a train in Lviv and get directly to European countries. Ukrzaliznytsia noted that Polish and Czech railway workers have already shown interest in this project. Sabolevsky also added that Ukrzaliznytsia intends to begin electrification of the Kovel-Izov direction this year. The implementation of this project will increase the volume of traffic with the EU countries, in particular, cargo on a wide gauge to Poland. In addition, according to Sabolevsky, the introduction of electric traction will reduce the company's operating costs. As for the important projects of this year, a tender has already been announced for the modernization of the Dolynska - Mykolaiv direction. In "Ukrzaliznytsya" they plan to electrify this site until 2023, and Mykolaiv - Kolosovka is to be electrified until 2024. This is important for the company, because it is on this section that more than 20% of our freight work is carried out by diesel main-line locomotives, Anton Sabolevsky said. As we reported before, Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state railroad enterprise has developed an operative plan of preventive steps so as to avoid the spreading of Chinese coronavirus, or CoVID-2019 in this country. New Delhi: A view of the damaged Arun Modern Public Senior Secondary School after the riots in Delhi's North-East which was set on fire by violent mob at Brijpuri, in New Delhi on Feb 27, 2020. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Feb 29 : Even as northeast Delhi was reeling under the deadly violence that continued for three days and claimed over 40 lives, some Hindu and Muslim communities showed unity with Hindus coming forward to ensure the safety of Muslims. While touring the violence hit areas, IANS learnt that only a few Muslim families live in Brijpuri and the Hindu families living here took the responsibility to ensure their safety. Mahabir Singh, who has been residing in A-block of Brijpuri for decades, told IANS: "The residents of the whole area were in fear due to the violence instigated by the politicians." On BJP leader Kapil Mishra's statement, he said there is nothing wrong in the statement given by Mishra. "One community was protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act while the other was favouring it. The people protesting against it are misled," said Singh. IANS also met a Muslim family residing in the area. Asiya (70), the head of that family who has been residing in the area for 16 years, said: "I was in my village when violence erupted but I was not worried at all because people here have always stood by us." When asked about her age, she said she is just a year elder to Modi. IANS also interacted with a joint family from the Muslim community. Mehjabeen, a member of that family, said: "We have been living here for the last 40 years. We have celebrated all the festivals together whether Eid or Diwali. The Hindu families living here assured us of safety." Another resident of this area, Adil said: "I have been living here for more than 15 years with my family. I knew that nothing would happen to my life or family because I knew irrespective of their religion, all of them are our brothers and sisters. "We were living peacefully here. We have nothing in our hearts against each other. Both the communities irrespective of religion, guarded the colony," he added. People living in the area said that the area was untouched by the fiery clashes because communal harmony and unity prevails here. Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston Tyler Perry requested a second autopsy on his nephew Gavin Porter after the convicted murder was found dead in prison earlier this week. Now Perry says the results from the autopsy seems to support the conclusions of prison officials that his nephew killed himself, according to TMZ. Perry, 50, had originally hoped to hire Porter at his massive studio in Atlanta after he had served his sentence. Difficult news: Tyler Perry, 50, revealed that a second autopsy on his nephew Gavin Porter confirmed the convicted murdered killed himself in prison earlier this week; shown in January Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden is reportedly '98 percent sure' that Porter died by his own hand. Porter's uncle and other family members had originally sought out a second autopsy because of what they deemed suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. He had been placed in solitary confinement after getting into a fight with another inmate, though the pathologist doesn't appear to have found any evidence that someone else was involved in his death. The results weren't comforting to Perry, though it seems to have closed the book on this painful chapter in his family's life. 'I spoke with Dr. Michael Baden today after he finished the autopsy on my nephew,' he wrote in a Facebook post. 'I was relieved to hear that he is 98% sure that there was no foul play in his death, just as Sheriff Gates stated. 'Answers dont take away grief, but they surely give room for grieving to take its course,' he concluded. RIP: The filmmaker's nephew was found Tuesday night hanging from a bedsheet in his prison cell, while in solitary confinement, at a prison facility near Union Parish in Louisiana Same conclusion: Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, who conducted an autopsy of Jeffrey Epstein, concurred with prison officials that Porter had hanged himself; shown in 2014 Baden, is a high-profile pathologist who has been involved in a number of widely publicized cases, including the death of Jeffrey Epstein. He differed with the original autopsy for Epstein and believed his death may not have been suicide. The doctor was previously the chief medical examiner of New York City from 1978 to 1979, and he hosted HBO's gory late night series Autopsy. The autopsy came after Porter was found Tuesday night hanging from a bedsheet in his prison cell while in solitary confinement at a prison facility near Union Parish in Louisiana. Not convinced: Perry wasn't fully convinced that his nephew Gavin Porter committed suicide, and hired Baden to give the family certainty; shown February 21 Suspicious: Perry was suspicious of the assertion that Porter killed himself because his nephew got into a fight with another inmate and was placed in solitary confinement; shown February 21 Porter was serving a 20-year sentence for shooting and killing his father, in front of his mother, who is Perry's sister. Perry revealed in a statement that he had hoped Porter would be able to work for him, after serving his time. 'Call me naive, but it was my hope that after serving his time, and really reflecting and showing much remorse and asking God for forgiveness, that he would have been able to come to work for me, joining all the other former inmates who work for me and turn his life around just as they have. But that day will never come,' Perry said. When asked why he hired Baden to conduct a second autopsy, Perry made it clear he and his family are not conspiracy theorists. 'I want to be clear that we are not a family of conspiracy theorists and want to believe that there was no foul play just as the sheriff said publicly,' Perry said. Clear: When asked why he hired Baden to conduct a second autopsy, Perry made it clear he and his family are not conspiracy theorists A rep from the Union Parrish Sheriff's Office clarified that the investigation is ongoing. 'There is an active investigation at the prison's request. We are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy,' the statement began. 'The initial investigation did not suspect foul play. We are also conducting an investigation into the fight which occurred earlier and Porter's involvement in that incident,' the statement added. Ongoing: A rep from the Union Parrish Sheriff's Office clarified that their investigation is ongoing 'We respect the family's right to request another autopsy to be done. This is not an unusual request. We are continuing our investigation and awaiting autopsy results,' their statement concluded. On the night of his death, guards went to check on Porter around 6 PM, but when they came back at 8 PM, he was found dead. There is no word on when the second autopsy will be conducted, or when the prison's investigation will be complete. February 27, 2020 Do you want your website to gain more traffic? One way you can entice your customers is by writing catching titles for informative blogs. Yes, you read that right. The worlds highest-paid bloggers have shared their secret with us. Catchy blog titles make all the difference -- difference in the number of pageviews. When your blog appears on the SERPs, its the title that determines the blogs future. Meaning, its the title that makes your article clickable or skippable. But how can you write catchy headlines? In this article, we will provide you with 8 formulas for writing unforgettable titles. Make Use of Numbers Numbers give structure to the chaos. They are also promising. When you use numbers in your blogs headline, people will know how many pointers to expect in the piece. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: 20 Productivity Tips For Extremely Busy People 10 Insanely Useful Hacks For Moving Without Any Hassle 7 Ways to Make Your Customers Hate You Use Guide Topics A guide contains necessary information surrounding a topic. So, when you use a guide to, or the ultimate guide in the title of a blog, you promise the reader that they will get a lot of information on clicking. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: The Ultimate Guide Youll Need When Camping In Winter A Start To Finish Guide For Moving Interstate The Only Guide You Will Need To Build A Fire With Dorritos Create An Information Gap Make your audience curious. Dont reveal your game plan in the title itself. Create a title using the word before in it. When you do so, it implies this is not merely information but essential information they must know. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLE: The One Thing You Must Do Before Visiting A Chiropractor 5 Things You Must Know Before Your First Job Interview 9 Tips That Helped Me Create A Successful Marketing Campaign Answer To A Query; Solve A Problem People go to search engines when they are trying to find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. When you use How or How to in your blogs title, you promise to solve their queries and provide them with information that can help them. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: How To Create Catchy Titles That Increase Your Click-Through Rate How Professional Movers Helped Me Move Office 3 Common Challenges Faced By Marketers And How To Solve Them Avoidance Of Pain If your blog title promises readers that your content can help them avoid loss, pain or cost, it will have more clicks. Saving money and avoidance of pain is a stronger motivator than the pursuit of shopping and happiness. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: Your Website Design Could Be Hurting Your Bottom Line 5 Reasons Why Your Website Loading Speed Is Costing You Traffic 20 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring An SEO in Maryland Company FOF One of the greatest fears that people live with is the fear of failure. So, invoke this fear in your headline and win more visitors. Fear of failure is a stronger motivator than the longing for success. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: Why Most Businesses Fail In Their First Five Years Why Your Headlines Are Dead And How Can You Fix Them Why People Rarely Succeed In Link Building FOMO No one likes missing out on anything! Apart from FOF, fear of missing out is what haunts the human mind. When you use No One Will Tell You in your headlines, you guarantee the reader that once they click, they will know something unknown. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: 10 Things No One Will Tell You About Website Design In Frederick, MD 5 SEO Secrets Your Competitors Dont Want You To Know What No One Will Tell You But You Need To Hear About A DIY Move Be A Fortune Teller Even though people scream slogans about living in the present, they still are worried about the future. So, take charge and make a prediction. LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES: Where Real Estate Market In Greenville Is Headed In The Next 2 Years The Future of Blogger Outreach Beyond 2020: Things You Deserve To Know 10 Ways Digital Marketing Will Change The Way We Predict Final Thoughts For most bloggers, the title of their blog is an afterthought. But in reality, it should be the initiation of your creative energy. Writing creative, catchy, unforgettable titles is not rocket science. Follow the tips mentioned-above to create clickable headlines. Hopefully, this article helped you. If you have any other formulas that worked for you, kindly leave them in the comment section below. The dust will eventually settle on the Coastal GasLink showdown and its attending rail blockades. But the episode is more likely to leave behind a political field of ruins than an expanded foundation upon which to build a less-fraught relationship with Canadas Indigenous peoples. That there will be a before and an after to the past months Indigenous crisis is not in question. Whether it will have brought Canada any closer to finding a working balance between its climate change goals, its energy ambitions and Indigenous reconciliation is another matter. If anything, the competing interests in play in that larger discussion are further from being reconciled, with positions on all sides more entrenched than ever. Given that, it is hard to see how any of the protagonists in the debate can hope to come out ahead. Take Indigenous reconciliation. It is a cause that has had no more committed proponents around the current federal-provincial table than B.C. Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Their level of commitment may fall short of the expectations of many of their Indigenous critics. But even from that perspective, cutting the legs from under those two leaders would amount to little more than a hollow victory for the advancement of Indigenous rights in this country. The fact is that this months showdown has been kinder to bridge-burners and hardliners on both sides of the issue than to bridge-builders and consensus-seekers. In B.C., an Angus Reid poll found two-thirds disapprove of Horgans management of the Coastal GasLink issue. Federally, the proportion of Canadians who feel Trudeau mishandled the rail blockades is even higher. At the same time, the number of Canadians who are coming to see public order and Indigenous reconciliation as an either/or proposition is on the rise. In fact, the latter is essential to the former. Still, in the heat of a crisis, a hardening of public perceptions is not unexpected. For all that, the reservoir of goodwill needed to advance Indigenous reconciliation is far from empty and it could still be replenished. But that in no small part would be contingent on the capacity of Canadas political class to speak with one voice on the fundamental need for a reset in the countrys relationship with its Indigenous peoples. At this juncture, the opposite seems poised to happen. The rail blockades have provided opponents of the prime ministers promise to bring in legislation to enact the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) with fresh ammunition to argue it would put Canada on a slippery path to even more showdowns over energy projects. That starts with the federal Conservatives. They do not have the numbers in Parliament to defeat whatever UNDRIP-related legislation the Liberal government puts forward. But what they do have is reason to believe their battle against an iconic Indigenous demand will resonate more loudly with voters, given the widespread public backlash against the blockades and Trudeaus failure to end them. In so doing, the Conservatives may be trading short-term gains including a recent bump in support in the public opinion polls for long-term pain if they were to form the next federal government. The capacity of a Conservative government to advance its energy agenda is already mortgaged by a spotty climate change record. The partys preference for the use of force over dialogue in the current crisis, its dismissal of the protests as essentially the work of extremists and its determination to pursue a parliamentary trench war against UNDRIP all stand to poison the well of a future Conservative governments relationship with Canadas Indigenous peoples. The events of the past week in Ontario where police did move in on one protesters camp, only to have more blockades spring up in other locations have illustrated the limits of the use of force as an effective crisis-ending mechanism. But even if force worked in the short term, the prospects of a long-term adversarial relationship between governments and the Indigenous communities they have to come to terms with on the way to getting shovels in the ground for various energy developments can only act as another disincentive to engage in such projects. On that score, there is already some evidence of a change in the dynamics. Until this week, Quebec Premier Francois Legault had been a vocal cheerleader for GNL-Quebec, a large liquified natural gas project that is currently undergoing the approval process. As recently as three weeks ago, Legault was describing the plan to bring natural gas from Alberta via a pipeline to a Saguenay refinery as a bonus for the planet and the environment. But this week, the premier tempered his language, insisting that the project would have to pass the test of social acceptability and secure Indigenous support to come off the drawing board. Turkey disputed that account, insisting the attack occurred despite Ankara's having informed Moscow that its troops were operating in the area. It also denied the presence of Syrian rebels near the scene of the attack, suggesting the air assault was intentionally targeting Turkey. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had met with his Security Council in the wake of the attacks, with Russian generals informing Putin that raids by terrorist groups against Syrian forces in Idlib had prompted airstrikes. Turkish troops, said Peskov, had been caught in the fighting while aiding terrorist groups in opposition to Damascus. While Russia denied any role in the deaths of the Turkish soldiers, the Kremlin accused Turkish forces of operating unannounced in the region -- and of providing support to terrorist groups subsequently targeted by Moscow's ally, the Syrian government. Tensions between Russia and Turkey over their sometimes allied and often dueling military campaigns in Syria broke into the open Friday, with Moscow blaming Ankara for the deaths of 33 Turkish troops in Syria's Idlib region during airstrikes. Meeting Possible Soon Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Ergodan later discussed the situation by phone and agreed on the possibility of a meeting "in the near future" aimed at "normalizing conditions" in northwest Syria, said Kremlin officials. A spokesman for the Turkish leader, however, said Ergodan also was insisting on Turkey's right to respond in kind to the Syrian airstrikes. The Turkish deaths came as Russia continues to help the Syrian government establish control over Idlib, one of the last remaining bastions of opposition to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's rule. The Syrian government's bombing campaign, carried out with Russian support, has caused a humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 900,000 residents fleeing the fighting for the Syrian-Turkish border. It also has prompted a standoff with Turkey, which has insisted that Syria respect a Russian-negotiated buffer zone agreed to in 2018. Though Turkey has stopped short of blaming Russia for direct involvement in the latest attack, Ankara has often been critical of Moscow's inability -- or, perhaps unwillingness -- to control its ally in Damascus. Cease-Fire Demanded Amid a visit by a Russian delegation to Ankara to discuss the crisis in Idlib on Friday, Turkish officials demanded that Russia force the Syrian government to immediately agree to a sustainable cease-fire. Turkey's allies in NATO joined those calls, with the alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, expressing condolences to families of Turks killed in the attack and placing blame squarely on Moscow and Damascus. A Mideast Power Returns Russia entered the Syrian civil war in 2015, coming to the aid of its ally, Assad, in what the Kremlin insisted was an anti-terrorist campaign against Islamic State, and what Western powers have billed as a ruthless effort to root out opposition to Assad's rule. "Russia came there not just to help and leave. It came there to stay," said Alexey Khlebnikov, an analyst with the Russian International Affairs Council, in an interview with VOA. Russia is the only actor that continues to have working relations with all regional powers, he said. In carrying out the Syrian campaign, Moscow has resurrected its Soviet-era role as a Middle East power broker, maintaining a complex web of alliances and partnerships between erstwhile regional enemies. Yet among the most surprising has been a partnership with Turkey, a NATO member and traditional foe of Assad's Syria. It's a relationship that has proven at times effective and contentious. Early Clash Russia and Turkey clashed early after Moscow's entry into the war, with Turkey shooting down and killing a Russian pilot along the Turkish border in 2015. At the time, Putin called the death of the pilot "a stab in the back" and ordered Russian sanctions on Turkish products and a ban on Russian tourism to the country. Yet the two sides bridged differences as Russia switched the brunt of its air power from what the West called Syria's "moderate opposition" to widely recognized terrorist groups, such as Islamic State, that were waging attacks in Turkey proper. And for all the sparring over the events in Idlib, there seemed consensus in Moscow that Russia was interested in maintaining a working relationship with Turkey that has since expanded beyond the Syrian front into agreements involving trade, tourism and energy. "A wider war between Turkey and Russia? Never!" said Alexei Malashenko, a longtime regional observer currently with the Institute for the Dialogue of Civilizations. "It's very dangerous, of course. But we are dealing with a new kind of Middle East." "I don't think that either Russia or Turkey is willing to sacrifice bilateral ties just for Idlib," concurred the Russian International Affairs Council's Alexei Khlebnikov. Be that as it may, it was clear all sides were hedging their bets as they took stock of growing tensions in Idlib. The Interfax news agency reported that Russian and U.S. officials discussed the situation in Syria by phone Friday. Meanwhile, the Kremlin dispatched two warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles to the Middle East on Friday. Their destination? The coast of Syria. Houses of worship tweak Ash Wednesday rituals in wake of coronavirus outbreak Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Some Christian leaders at houses of worship around the globe began the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday with tweaked rituals and caution in the wake of the deadly coronavirus while others remained shuttered in areas where cases have been diagnosed. At the Vatican in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis held his general audience Wednesday as thousands of people gathered with face masks to hear him pray for coronavirus sufferers mask-free. I want to again express my closeness to those suffering from the coronavirus and the health care workers who are treating them, as well as the civil authorities and all those who are working to help patients and stop the contagion, Francis said. A number of masses in northern Italy were reportedly canceled due to coronavirus fears. In the Philippines one of two majority Catholic countries in Asia, the other being East Timor instead of making the traditional mark of the cross of the foreheads of the faithful, priests sprinkled ashes on their heads to avoid physical contact. Wherever the ash is placed, on the forehead or on the head, the feeling is the same, its uplifting, Editha Lorenzo, a 49-year-old mother of two who was wearing a face mask, told The Associated Press in Manila. Teer Hardy, an associate pastor at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia, which has about 350 people on an average Sunday, described the Ash Wednesday ritual as "a very intimate moment. Youre a couple of inches from someones face," Hardy told The Washington Post. Pastors at his church planned to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer before conducting the ritual. On Thursday, media reports said the 83-year-old pontiff developed "slight indisposition" a day after his mask-free public appearance where he interacted with the public. The Vatican said Pope Francis would proceed with the rest of his planned work but "preferred to stay near Santa Marta," the Vatican hotel where he lives. On Tuesday, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned schools, hospitals and businesses to prepare for the inevitable spread of the deadly coronavirus in the U.S., which could be bad. Its not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a news conference. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. Since then, according to the CDC, it has spread throughout China and 31 other countries and territories, including the U.S. As of Feb. 23, there were 76,936 reported cases in mainland China and 1,875 cases in locations outside mainland China. There have also been 2,462 associated deaths worldwide. Many of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S. say they are monitoring the spread of the virus closely but have not yet issued any special directives to their churches on how to respond beyond guidance from the government. What does it mean to sit in the pew with people coming off the streets or folks who need a stopgap? Hardy asked. The decision is well follow the CDC and other health organizations. Were trained clergy, not health professionals. We dont want to spread unnecessary concern and panic. Death of Myanmar baby in Phuket exposes chasm in migrant workers rights PHUKET: The death of a Myanmar couples newborn baby at a workers camp in central Phuket earlier this month has exposed the lack of support by government agencies in ensuring migrant workers have access to basic healthcare under the law. Myanmardeath By The Phuket News Saturday 29 February 2020, 05:48PM Police officers inside Mr Ang and Ms Moes workers shack at the camp on Feb 13. Photo: Thalang Police Lt Phatkorn Pongpaiboon from Thalang Police was called to the workers camp, in Baan Lipon, Moo 5, Srisoonthorn, at 11pm on Feb 13 on being notified that a newborn baby had died at the camp. At the camp, Lt Phatkorn and rescue workers met Myanmar couple Mr Ang Thu Lin, 24, and Miss Moe Khat, 24. Ms Moe was crying still cradling the body of her newborn daughter in her arms. Lt Phatkorn explained, We questioned the couple. They have been staying at the camp with their 5-years-old son for two months. Ms Moe became pregnant, and Mr Ang said they both went to Thalang Hospital to ask about any costs involved in having the baby delivered there. He said they were told it would cost B20,000. Mr Ang said he could not afford to pay that amount, and the couple planned to return to Myanmar and have the baby born there. "But Ms Moe started having contractions at 7pm that night and was able to deliver the baby with assistance from neighbours. The baby stayed alive for 13 hours, and she passed away at 9pm, he said. After we arrived, Ms Moe was taken Thalang Hospital to make sure that she was in safe condition, Lt Phatkorn confirmed. As the investigating officer, Lt Phatkorn said there were no charges to be pressed against anyone as he found no evidence of anyone responsible for the babys death. The babys death was not caused by anyones actions, and that is according to the result of the post-mortem examination from Thalang hospital, I spoke with a representative from the company who hired the couple. Both are legally registered and have work permits and are registered with social security fund. Everything is in order, Lt Phatkorn said. THE HOSPITAL Thalang Hospital Director Bunpot Pankhlueb said he had no knowledge of the death of Mr Ang and Ms Moes baby, or of any Myanmar people being refused hospital care because of lack of funds to pay for the treatment. I dont know about any case about a Myanmar baby dying, he told The Phuket News. Seangdao Promkhan, head of the Management Division at Thalang Hospital, also denied any knowledge about the case. "Generally, Myanmar patients come to ask about all kinds of medical costs at the hospital. There will not be any record when they come in asking for information, she said. The claims by Mr Bunpot and Ms Seangdao denying any knowledge of Ms Moes come despite Lt Phatkorn confirming that the hospital provided post-natal care for Ms Moe and performed a post-mortem examination on her childs body. We have standard procedures for emergency cases involving pregnant migrant workers. Cases involving pregnancy are considered by the private insurance and the social security insurance, Mr Bunpot said. The case of social security insurance is for normal circumstances involving giving birth. They have to pay first, then they can claim the get money back later. If not, hospital staff will contact the employer to confirm the migrant workers rights, he added. As such, Mr Bunpot gave no explanation about whether or not hospital staff confirmed Ms Moes right to standard health care as guaranteed under Thai law. Mr Bunpot also neglected to explain the B20,000 price that Mr Ang was told he would have to pay. The provision of standard health care for legally registered migrant workers has been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as far back as 2016. One bulletin issued by WHO plainly states: Migrants who have work permits are fully covered by the Thai social security scheme. This is a mandatory scheme financed by payroll taxes, to which employers, employees and the government contribute equal parts. Thai nationals and migrants who contribute to the social security system have equal rights of access to social security benefits, including health services. Regardless, Ms Saendao made her position clear on the issue. We will not follow up on this, she said. SOCIAL SECURITY Peeraporn Borvontanasan, senior officer at the Phuket Social Security Office, also said she was unaware of the death of Mr Ang and Ms Moes baby. It is up to the employee to contact the Social Security Office. No one has contacted me about this, she said. I dont know why Mr Ang and Ms Moe did not go to the hospital. Employees covered by the Social Security Office are covered for up to B13,000 in fees for medical treatment for giving birth to a baby. Ms Peeraporn added. Honestly, I have not been notified about this case. At this stage, however, it is employees responsibility to claim compensation for their babys death, she said. However, that understanding flies in the face of the action taken by the Phuket SSO in the horrific building collapse in the same area in Thalang in November that killed seven workers, when Wanarat Srisuksai, Director of the national Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health, under the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare (DLPW) of the Ministry of Labour, and DLPW Inspector-General Anan Bowonnaowarak inspected the site of the building collapse. In that case, the Phuket Social Security Office was ordered to accelerate the examination of various rights regarding remedies for the workers, even though they were not even registered with the SSO. (See story here.) Asked who is responsible for informing workers of their benefits, Ms Peeraporn said plainly, It is Phuket Provincial Employment Offices responsibility to tell all workers. THE EMPLOYMENT OFFICE Phuket Provincial Employment Office Chief Santi Nantasuwan told The Phuket News this week that he too had no knowledge about the case. However, now that the death of Mr Ang and Ms Moes baby has been brought to his attention, Mr Santi assured, But now we are contacting the police to find out which company oversees the camp where the Myanmar couple are staying. We want to check that everything is legal with the workers and the company. We will try to find them soon, he said. Russia and Syria on Friday came under strong criticisms from western countries in the UN Security Council over the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in Syria on Thursday. According to reports, the soldiers died in an attack by Russia-backed Syrian government forces in the northwestern province of Idlib. In separate contributions at an emergency meeting of the council in New York, the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Belgium and Estonia condemned the attack. But China expressed tacit support for Syria, saying the Idlib crisis was rooted in control of the province by terrorists, adding that all external peace efforts must respect Syrias territorial integrity. But Dominican Republic, Indonesia, South Africa, Vietnam, Tunisia and Niger took the middle course by calling for immediate ceasefire and urging all parties to explore diplomatic solutions. The strongest words of the evening came from the U.S. whose ambassador, Kelly Craft, said she was not at the meeting to listen and discuss, but to speak directly without mincing words. Describing the attack as senseless and barbaric, Ms Craft said Turkey had her countrys support to respond in self-defence to the unjustified attack. The representative of the UK, Jonathan Allen, decried the suffering of the Syrian people caused by the merciless and disproportionate campaign being waged by the Syrian regime and its Russian backers. Allen painted a graphic picture of the humanitarian crisis resulting from the Syrian governments military offensive in Idlib and called on those responsible to desist. In his contribution, Chinas representative, Zhang Jun, said the Syrian conflict had its complicated background, adding that the council must be impartial, objective and comprehensive in facilitating political settlement. Mr Jun recalled a report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that terrorists were targeting civilians, journalists and humanitarian workers in Idlib. He said: Eradicating the forces of terror is a necessary requirement for the restoration of peace and stability in Syria and in Idlib. The least of the terrorist groups should be resolutely crushed in accordance with the relevant council resolutions and international law and the safe haven established by terrorist forces in Syria should be liquidated. The Syrian government sees the opposition forces trying to overthrow it since 2011 as terrorists, a position reaffirmed by the countrys ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, at the meeting. Mr Jaafari maintained that the Syrian government would continue to combat terrorism to liberate every inch of our territories whether through military operations or local reconciliations. He accused Turkey of turning the observation posts in Idlib into operation zones to support the terrorists in their plundering, looting, kidnapping, torturing, raping and stealing of humanitarian aids. Mr Jaafari alleged that the Turkish soldiers killed on Thursday were operating far away from the observation posts. The Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, also backed Mr Jaafaris claim that the Turkish soldiers were killed outside the observation posts. Nebenzya said Russian and Turkish forces on the ground in Syria were constantly in touch, sharing coordinates of troop positions and conveying same to Syrian forces in real time. He said the coordinates received by Russia from Turkey on Thursday did not mention the areas where the soldiers died. But the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the UN, Feridun Hadi, dismissed the claim, saying the soldiers died after their convoy was targeted in a series of airstrikes within the de-escalation area. Let me underline that the Turkish forces that were attacked were alone in that area. The logical conclusion of that is they were deliberately attacked. There was prior coordination in writing with Russian forces about the location of our convoy, but airstrikes continued despite our immediate warnings right after the very first attack. Advertisements Even the ambulances sent for wounded soldiers were targeted. So, this was a belligerent act of aggression against Turkey, he said. All members of the council echoed the UN Secretary Generals call for immediate ceasefire, noting that the only solution to the conflict was dialogue and not military confrontation.(NAN) Tiffiny Hall has slammed a health brand for using her post-pregnancy transformation photos to promote their weight loss stickers. In a lengthy Instagram post, the former Biggest Loser trainer says the company used her pictures without her permission, for a product to Tiffiny claims goes against everything she's worked for. The 35-year-old believed the advertising 'fat-shamed' her, by using a the photo from only two months after she had given birth. 'I refuse to be fat shamed': On Saturday, Australian trainer Tiffiny Hall (pictured) slammed weight loss sticker brand for using her pregnancy transformation photos to promote their 'gimmick' products 'This company is using my image without my permission to sell their product,' Tiffiny said. She added: 'Worse, the product is everything I loathe and have fought against my entire career - weight loss gimmicks. 'Even worse that that, the before fat pic of me isn't me fat. I'm eight weeks post having a baby and proud to be in my activewear beginning to get fit again.' No endorsement: The 35-year-old believed the advertising 'fat-shamed' her, by using a the photo from only two months after she had given birth (left) Not easy: Tiffiny urged her followers to never buy similar products that promise fast-fixes 'I didn't feel out of shape or ashamed of that body, I was in the 4th trimester still recovering and that body had delivered a healthy baby and was keeping it alive,' she went on to explain. Tiffiny urged her followers to never buy similar products that promise fast-fixes. 'I refuse to be fat shamed by stupid weight loss stickers. Please do not waste your hard earned money on weight loss stickers or any weight loss gimmicks. Changing shape: The Australian health expert gained 30kg during her pregnancy with son Arnold in 2017 Documenting the journey: Complications during pregnancy meant Tiffiny had to put exercise on hold She went on: 'I want to make it clear that I don't endorse this product. They won't work. I bounced forward after having a baby through enjoying exercise, determination and nourishing my body with good food. Not weight loss stickers.' The Australian health expert gained 30kg during her pregnancy with son Arnold in 2017. Complications during pregnancy meant Tiffiny had to put exercise on hold, a situation which led to her gaining weight. MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia will deny entry to all foreign nationals travelling from Iran due to the escalating outbreak of coronavirus in the Islamic republic, the government said on Saturday. Foreign nationals travelling from Iran to Australia would need to spend 14 days in another country from March 1, Health Minister Greg Hunt said. "There is likely at this stage a high level of undetected cases and therefore those cases won't be intercepted or identified on departure from Iran," Hunt said. Australian citizens and permanent residents returning from Iran would be required to self-isolate for 14 days and the travel advice for Australians travelling to Iran has been raised to "do not travel". Health authorities on Saturday confirmed the number of cases of coronavirus in Australia was 25 after a 63-year-old woman returning from Iran became ill. Iran has the highest death toll from the flu-like virus outside of China at 34, although World Health Organization (WHO) experts say the outbreak in the country could be worse than is currently known. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has fuelled fears of a pandemic, with multiple countries reporting their first cases this week as the WHO raised its global risk alert to "very high". (Reporting by Will Ziebell; Editing by Stephen Coates) By Alexander Guerrero In a 60 Minutes interview Sunday, Bernie Sanders said he opposed the authoritarian Cuban regime, but he also praised aspects of Fidel Castros Communist revolution, including its literacy program. Sanders doubled down on this line in the Democratic debate on Wednesday, saying we should acknowledge when authoritarian governments do something good. Should this worry New Jersey voters? Is he a communist in hiding? No, clearly not. But he should learn from the reaction to his comments. As a Cuban-American whose grandfather was executed by firing squad in the early years of the Cuban Revolution, I often find myself in the same few conversations about Cuba and Fidel Castro, particularly with those on the left. These are exhausting, but Ive learned from them. Bernie Sanders, Im here to help. Lesson One: Believe Survivors There are 2.4 million Cuban-Americans in the United States. Add in the many immigrants from formerly communist countries. Listen to them. There are common themes: the shortages, the corruption, the disappearances, the restrictions, the indoctrination and the propaganda. Many of us (or our parents) came to the United States with nothing, through Operation Peter Pan or on the Mariel boatlift. Many of us are deeply committed to justice, equality, freedom, and the material routes to those things education, employment, quality health care. Many are ambivalent about unconstrained capitalism. Many of us support you, or would, if you made it clear that you believe and understand what we are telling you. Lesson Two: Ends and Means A staple of Ethics 101: can you punish innocent people to quell an angry mob? No. What if the mob is appropriately, righteously angry? Still, no. One of the main lessons of the 20th century is that good things can be pursued in terrible ways. Health care and education might be human rights, but they arent the only ones. Pointing to a good outcome and holding it up for praise, although it was achieved by violating human rights and freedoms, is a way of insulting those rights and freedoms and all those who suffered those violations. Lesson Three: What is Said, What is Meant But, one might object, a literacy program is good, and Castro helped put it in place. Sanders merely spoke the truth! Yes, but you can, in the right context, say something true while implicating something false, revealing a morally awful worldview, and insulting your audience. Imagine saying Hitler did some good things, while at a Holocaust memorial service, or as the first words of your inaugural address. Everyone who has ever lived did some good things and some bad things. Speech acts occur in contexts; their full meaning is not exhausted by the content of the words that are said. In his 60 Minutes interview, Sanders said its unfair to say that everything is bad about Cubas Communist government and about what Castro did. Notice that he said, unfair, rather than inaccurate. Sanders was making a moral point. This is his attempt to salvage the examples that are often taken to be the closest to his ideal vision. Which brings me to Lesson Four: New Heroes No one thinks the only way to improve education or literacy is through authoritarian rule, firing squads, and restrictions on freedom of speech and movement. So, why point to Castros literacy program? Why defend Castros legacy? Like many on the left coming of age in the early 1960s, Sanders was rightly struck by racial injustice in the United States and by inequality at home and abroad. And if the enemy was racial injustice and unregulated capitalism not a crazy position Castro seemed to be an ally. But the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. They might just be a different kind of enemy. After all the gory details of the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution -- the corruption, repression, poverty, and tyranny -- we should see that these are no friends of justice, equality or freedom. So, let us stop using these people as heroes and examples. Dont defend Castro, not even a little. Take the Che posters down. We can do better. Articulate as many, including Sanders, are doing a positive vision of providing for, educating and empowering everyone, not just the One Percent. Let us vote for that if we want to, as many of us do. Call that socialism if you want that fight, but fundamentally call it democracy. Just dont call on Castro anymore. Alexander Guerrero, JD, PhD, is an associate professor of philosophy at Rutgers University New Brunswick. 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. Nicole Filter, of Saginaw, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Filter was initiated at Nova Southeastern University. Filter is among roughly 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction. Waiting times for children under the age of six to access disability support under the Australian governments National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) depend on the wealth of the suburb in which the child lives. An investigation carried out by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has revealed this latest example of how social inequality produces unequal access to health and related services, intensifying the gulf between rich and poor. Children born with developmental delays, such as autism, require an assessment before receiving funding under the NDIS. These assessments, used to discover the underlying cause of the developmental delay, are typically completed by a multi-disciplinary team, including a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychologist and speech pathologist. It is critical for these children to receive early intervention supports as rapidly as possible. Research demonstrates that early supports are crucial for development and can enable some people with a disability to live with little to no assistance. In Sydney, Australias largest city, children living just one hour away from each other face dramatically different times to receive an assessment. In the wealthy suburb of Randwick, at Sydneys Childrens Hospital, children wait two to ten months for an assessment. By contrast, in the poorer suburb of Campbelltown, hospital records demonstrate children are waiting at least a year for an assessment. One child waited 697 days and another 640 days. Shanice Rees told the ABC that her son William waited 15 months to see the specialist team at Campbelltown hospital, where he was diagnosed with autism. While waiting she received no funding from the NDIS. Speaking on ABC radio, Rees said: They say, early intervention, youve got to catch it early. Id love to catch it early, but its up to you to help me get it early, and not wait until were 12 months out from school, and thats when we get the helpits ridiculous. The situation is similar in Melbourne, the countrys second largest city. In the inner-city suburb of Parkville, wait times at The Royal Childrens Hospital are, on average, six months. However, children in the southeastern suburb of Clayton wait, on average, 12 months for an assessment at Monash Childrens Hospital. The disparity may even be greater. The ABC revealed that Monash Childrens Hospital rejected half of all referrals for developmental delays because it lacked service capacity. Freedom of Information (FOI) data revealed that if these referrals were accepted wait times would be in excess of four years. Moreover, the statistics fail to capture the number of children not seen in the public sector. Many families, who are desperate for support, are turning to the private health system to get assessments, which can cost thousands of dollars. Federal Government Services and NDIS Minister Stuart Robert tried to dismiss the investigation, stating: If you have a child under the age of 6 who you believe has a developmental delay, you can take them straight into an early childhood, early intervention partner. He claimed: You do not need a diagnosis to seek access to the NDIS. In practice, this is a lie. To access the Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) program, a professional must identify a developmental delay. For any long-term early intervention supports, a diagnosis must be made. Without a diagnosis youre not helped commented April Whitley, who lives in Campbelltown with her two-year-old son Ayden, who is diagnosed with autism. If you have a diagnosis you can get funding to help you whereas if you dont have it, its like youre not there. Robert, the minister, also told the ABC that the wait times for a diagnosis was strictly a state government issue, stating the federal government does not have any plans to step in and solve the failings of state hospitals because that is their responsibility. While state and federal governments blame each other, all work together to transfer wealth from public services into big business. In New South Wales, Labor and Liberal-National Coalition governments alike have overseen the dismantling of the public health services, creating a social crisis in the states poorest suburbs. In Victoria, a Liberal state government undertook a wrecking operation of the public healthcare system in the 1990s, closing 17 hospitals across the state. Subsequent state Labor governments continued this process, introducing public-private partnerships (PPPs), which saw the looting of public assets and became a national model for the demands of big business. The NDIS is part of this process. First introduced by the Greens-backed federal Labor government in 2012, the scheme was supported by the Coalition and the trade unions. It was modelled on recommendations by the Productivity Commission, a pro-market body that specialises in the privatisation of public services. Heralded as a progressive social reform, the reality was that the NDIS is designed to further privatise the provision of social services, leading inevitably to greater health and social inequality. The author also recommends: The Australian Election and the fraud of the NDIS [10 May 2019] Australian government releases whitewash report after 1,200 people die waiting for disability services [24 January 2020] Michaela Jacobs, left, a member of the Arcadia Branch of the Ocean Community YMCA, and Holly Norton, a member of the Naik Family Branch in Mystic, both beneficiaries of the YMCA financial assistance program, were featured speakers at the annual Ocean Community YMCA Campaign Kick Off Breakfast last week. The Lagos State government has said it had moved the Italian national who tested positive to Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been moved to a new facility to continue his treatment. Akin Abayomi, the states health commissioner, said the patients condition has improved and would be continuously monitored. The governments decision came following a report by Punch newspaper that the 44-year-old Italian attempted to leave the isolation centre due to its poor state. Quoting an unnamed source, the newspaper claimed the government has not matched its words with action. While addressing journalists on Saturday, Mr Abayomi admitted that the patient was formerly kept in a single room but has been moved to a better facility. So we kept him in a single isolation room for his privacy, but we subsequently moved him to one of our completed facilities recently renovated. The commissioner said the patient is now comfortable and that his condition has improved. As of this morning, his condition has improved, he hasnt developed any new symptoms, but he still got fever. Mr Abayomi said the ministry would continue to monitor him to see what the situation is with the virus and with his body. READ ALSO: As soon as we get a negative screening, then, we will keep him for another two to three days and repeat the test to make sure that there are no more virus concentration in his saliva, and that means he will now be non-contagious. The commissioner said once the patient has been confirmed to be free of the virus, the ministry would give a go ahead for him to be released back into the society. While speaking on the number of people that have been quarantined and put under surveillance, Mr Abayomi said, I cannot give the exact number now because the number is going up as we speak. Mr Abayomi said people at the factory, hotel and the airline where the Italian visited have been contacted and others quarantined. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says a decal bearing an energy services company's logo below a cartoon depicting what appears to be a sexual assault shows desperation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/2/2020 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Climate activist Greta Thunberg, from Sweden marches with other demonstrators as she participates in a school strike climate protest in Bristol, south west England, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. Thunberg says a decal bearing an energy services company's logo below a cartoon depicting what appears to be a sexual assault shows desperation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Matt Dunham Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says a decal bearing an energy services company's logo below a cartoon depicting what appears to be a sexual assault shows desperation. An Alberta woman complained to the RCMP earlier this week about the black-and-white drawing of a female figure's bare back with hands pulling on her braided pigtails. Under the drawing is the name "Greta" and the logo of X-Site Energy Services. Thunberg, who is 17, has tweeted a story written about the cartoon and said "they are starting to get more and more desperate..." She adds that it shows climate activists are winning. RCMP in central Alberta say the decal is not child pornography nor does it depict "a non-consensual act that would be a direct threat to the person." "Alberta RCMP do not believe it constitutes a criminal offence," a police statement said Friday. "As such, Alberta RCMP will not be commenting any further on this investigation." A torrent of online outrage was sparked after Michelle Narang of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., posted the image on social media Wednesday night. She said she cried when she saw it. "The visual is jarring," Narang said Thursday. "It hurt. It hurt on so many levels." Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Status of Women Minister Leela Aheer and politicians of all stripes denounced the graphic. Thunberg has made headlines for her passionate pleas to world leaders to take tougher action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and for inspiring large climate marches around the world. She joined thousands in a march through downtown Edmonton in October. Oil-and-gas industry supporters showed up, but they were vastly outnumbered by the climate marchers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 29, 2020 The United States will withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months, as per a joint agreement between the Afghan government and Washington. The plan is "subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement," the agreement read. "The United States reaffirms its commitments regarding support for the Afghan security forces and other government institutions, including through ongoing efforts to enhance the ability of Afghan security forces to deter and respond to internal and external threats, consistent with its commitments under existing security agreements between the two governments," the joint declaration read, as reported by Tolo News. As per the declaration, the US will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Editor: According to the article, "Wildlife Sanctuary plans new buildings, fundraiser, the sanctuary, founded by Sugasa, her husband David and a board of directors in 2006, was certified three years ago by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries ... and Sugasa said Safe Haven is one of eight big cat accredited sanctuaries in the United States. GFAS, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, is a private, 501(c)(3) Washington D.C. nonprofit, nongovernmental organization founded in 2007 that mostly accredits domestic animals such as horses. Out of about 130+ GFAS facilities, around 20 or less have large exotics such as big cats or bears. HSUS, Humane Society of the United States, owns the GFAS web domain SANCTUARYFEDERATION.ORG and many current or past GFAS board members and staff have ties to HSUS. HSUS is not associated with local humane societies. They are known to lobby against activities that are dear to rural Nevadans: hunting, trapping, feral horse round-ups and exotic animal ownership (other than their own "approved" facilities). I am a president of Nevada based 501(c)(3) www.REXANO.org, Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership educational organization. I am involved in rehoming of exotic animals, but our facility is not open to paying public and we dont waste money on tourist welcome centers or gift shops. REXANO believes A TRUE ANIMAL SANCTUARY provides a peaceful atmosphere and has NO VISITORS OR PARTIES. Our animals are not stuck in cages with paying strangers gawking at them during the billboard-advertised tours. We have federal USDA, state NDOW and Nye County permits and licenses. We dont want to be part of private sanctuary groups for many reasons: On November 2013 a female employee was killed by captive mountain lions at GFAS WildCat Haven in Oregon, since renamed WildCat Ridge, which was charged with OSHA violations. The Minnesota Attorney General issued a Summary OF ASSURANCE OF DISCONTINUANCE WITH THE GFAS WILDCAT SANCTUARY in 2014. Investigators found that the sanctuary boss misused donors money for underwear, bra, personal hygiene items, hair removal products, electricity, propane, including a book Are You there, Vodka. Zuzana Kukol Henderson Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:40:33|Editor: yhy Video Player Close MYTILENE, Greece, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of refugees and migrants reached the shores of Lesvos island in northeastern Aegean Sea on Saturday, as Greece said it is determined to do what is deemed necessary to guard its borders on land and sea, which are also Europe's borders. "The government is determined to do whatever it takes to safeguard our borders," government spokesperson Stelios Petsas announced on Saturday after a cabinet meeting. On Saturday morning, at least 27 people of African origin reached the small Greek village of Skala Sykamineas on a boat from Turkey's coast. At least 180 people were rescued or landed on the northeastern Aegean Sea islands on Friday and Saturday, Greek national news AMNA reported, citing figures from Greek Coast Guard. They were following the footsteps of more than one million people who have reached Greece since 2015 in an desperate effort to escape from war and extreme poverty by seeking refuge in Europe. Although the number has been dramatically reduced since 2016 when the European Union (EU) and Turkey reached an agreement to stem the influx from Turkey, and after the Balkan route to central Europe was sealed, arrivals are still reported on a daily basis in Greece. Turkey said on Friday that the latest developments in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, "which resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, further increased the migration pressure on Turkey." Reiterating that "there is no change in Turkey's policy towards refugees and asylum seekers," Turkey noted, however, the risk that some asylum seekers and migrants in Turkey might start to "move towards our Western borders will further increase if the situation exacerbates." Greek reception centers on Lesvos and nearby islands are already overwhelmed due to delays in assessment of asylum bids and relocation to other EU countries. More than 42,000 refugees and migrants are currently on five Greek islands, according to statistics from Greek Citizen Protection. The situation has fuelled tensions. On Lesvos and Chios islands, locals scuffled with police forces on Wednesday during rallies against the government's plan to create more reception centers. As of Friday, police, Coast Guard and armed forces units had been reinforced at borders, after hundreds of refugees and migrants turned up at the land border with Turkey in the north. On Friday, Greek authorities closed the customs post on the border with Turkey at Kastanies, Evros whereas police used tear gas to disperse the crowd in the early hours of Saturday when groups of migrants attempted to cross the border, according to AMNA. "Greece faced yesterday an organized, massive and illegal attempt of violation of our borders and protected our borders, Europe's borders. More than 4,000 illegal entries were prevented. The 66 persons who went through are detained and they have no relation to Idlib," Petsas said, according to an e-mailed press statement. "We are strengthening our forces on land and at sea. Additional police and army forces are transferred to Evros region. In the islands, Coast Guard forces are being reinforced. As of today a total of 52 Coast Guard and Greek Navy vessels are operating in the region," he stressed. "We have already enhanced the Coast Guard's operational potential with means and personnel. We are ready to face (the challenge)," said Greek Shipping and Island Policy Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis during a visit to Lesvos on Friday. He reiterated Athens' call for more support from other EU member states, noting that he has requested additional assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to patrol waters in the region. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is due to visit Lesvos, Samos and other islands in coming hours and days, according to his office. On Friday, Mitsotakis held a round of phone conversations with many European leaders to brief them on the steps Greece has taken to guard its borders more effectively. The Greek leader contacted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the President of the European Council Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov, according to AMNA. Last month, the U.S. Postal Service issued its 43rd Black Heritage stamp honoring Gwen Ifill, one of Americas most respected journalist. As Black History Month comes to a close, the Springfield Avenue post office in Newark held a brief ceremony Friday to honor Ifill with the unveiling of a special enlargement of the stamp. The United State Postal Service remains committed to educating and informing America and the world about the many achievements and contributions noted from African-Americans, said Silvia Glover, postmaster of the Newark office. Ifill, who died in 2016, joins an illustrious list of African-Americans who are part of the Black Heritage Stamp series that started in 1978. They include notable figures such as Jackie Robinson, Marian Anderson, Mary McLeod Bethune and Zora Neale Hurston. Ifill, who had an extensive career, worked at The Boston Herald American, The Baltimore Evening Sun, The Washington Post and The New York Times, where she was a White House correspondent and covered Bill Clintons presidential campaign in 1992. Two years later, Ifill moved to NBC where she covered politics. In 1999, she joined PBS and became managing editor of Washington Week," a nationally televised public affairs program. Ifill was the first woman and first African-American to host that news analysis show. She covered seven presidential campaigns, and in 2004, Ifill became the first African-American woman journalist to moderate a vice presidential debate. She did it again in 2008, and in 2013 Ifill was part of the first all-female team to anchor the PBS News Hour, a daily national broadcast news show. Celebrating Ifill locally was done in conjunction with the New Jersey chapter of The Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER). Its an international stamp society dedicated to promoting the collecting of stamps and Philatelic material depicting and events related to the African Diaspora. Clarence McKnight, webmaster for the organization, said the gathering in the Newark post office serves to make people in the city aware of the Ifill stamp. It spreads the history through stamping," McKnight said. They each have a story to tell." Read More Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. "The government in Singapore doesn't muck around. They sent everybody leaflets saying 'have 14 days of food and an extra gas bottle', and we thought, 'if they're going to make us stay at home, then we probably should follow this'. And ever since then, we have." Now a family of four with Sophia aged 17 and the addition of Bill, 14, the Jordans live in a terrace home in Rozelle. The house has high ceilings, so Mr Jordan has built false floors with under-floor cupboards in the bedrooms. They are covered by a Japanese tatami mat and beds are futons that can be rolled back for ease of access. Mark Jordan in his son Bill's bedroom, where he has built a pantry cupboard into a false floor. Credit:Dean Sewell When he shops for groceries he buys items such as oats, pasta, flour, beans, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk and tinned fruit and rotates it through the floor cupboards and into the pantry so nothing ever expires past its use-by date. The two weeks' supply of food is worth $75 a person because it consists of "boring staples" like dried beans and rice, not a freezer full of ready meals replicating restaurant food. Mr Jordan said he was prepared rather than panicked. "If you think about an entire breakdown of society, then there's actually no preparation you can do, it's impossible," he said. "But I think a few weeks is just what everyone should be doing so that everyone can help rather than rather than needing help." Loading His preparations are in line with the advice from virologist Ian Mackay, a professor at the University of Queensland who wrote an opinion column in The Herald last week, recommending people add extra items to their grocery shop each week to build up two weeks supply. This was to protect against possible interruptions to supply because of truck drivers becoming sick and so on. "I think going and filling up a full couple of shopping trolleys with everything that you wouldn't necessarily actually need in case of interruption is panic buying, but going and buying a few things over multiple weeks [is not]," said Professor Mackay. "The virus isn't here and it might not be here for weeks or it may never come at all but should it spread to Australia, you want to make sure that you can cope with having some food in the house so that you don't have to become part of what probably will be a panic buy at that point." Professor Ben Cowie, an infectious disease specialist at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne, said Australians needed to find middle ground between panicking and complacency. While COVID-19 was unlikely to be severe in most otherwise-healthy people, he said it was not just another type of flu. First, the infection rate would be a lot higher this year because there was no background immunity in the population being a new virus. Second, the case fatality rate - the number of people who lose their lives once infected - was five times higher than normal seasonal flu. All this would come on top of the regular cold and flu season. Professor Cowie said "social isolation" was a useful tool in a viral outbreak that involved minimising going out in public, especially to places with sick people such as doctors, pharmacies and hospitals. He said people should get vaccinated and buy personal medications and it was "actually reasonable" to buy extra cans of vegetables or packets of cereal as a contingency. However, he said people who cannot afford extra food should not worry. Loading "In an advanced country like Australia with good primary health care and good health system, I don't think people need to go and fill their cellar with tins," Professor Cowie said. "I dont think were discussing a large-scale, preparing-for-nuclear-winter type response but reducing the need to go and get routine supplies is a rational response." The chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, said on Saturday that he didn't think stockpiling household supplies was "appropriate at this stage". "I think we are a very well prepared country," he said. "We know that people stockpiling masks caused an issue with mask supply, and we don't support that." Melissa Paisley, 36, lives in Redfern with her boyfriend and three cats between them. They usually eat prepared meals such as Marley Spoon, so the pantry cupboard is typically bare. Ms Paisley said she had ensured they had a few months supply of medication and shopped for store cupboard staples and extra cat food and kitty litter as a precaution. She intends to donate anything she does not use to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. "I don't just feel overly anxious about this, it's more just a precaution," she said. "I saw how people were panic-buying face masks and hand sanitisers a few weeks ago, and I just figured I'm not going to go out and buy six months' worth of food, I'm buying like two weeks, maybe three weeks' worth." Julie Mason with her son Thomas in her Ermington kitchen with extra groceries. Credit:Louise Kennerley Julie Mason, a stay-at-home mother from Ermington near Ryde, says she has done a big shop for pasta, tins of tomatoes, rice, flour, butter, freezer items, toilet paper, cleaning products, tissues, Nurofen and Vitamin C tablets. "I do feel a bit crazy but I also feel good that Im prepared." Ms Mason said she thinks the risk of a shutdown - where schools close, sporting events are cancelled and people are encouraged to work from home - is small but could happen at short notice. "There would be chaos as everyone tried to shop like mad and theres a big possibility that a lot of items would be sold out," she said. Reuben Merricks with his children Eliza, 9 and Miles, 8 in Newtown. He is keeping his extra food supplies at work. Credit:Wolter Peeters Reuben Merricks from Newtown has already seen disruptions to the supply chain through his job in car finance and he believes the impact of the virus will be "worse than people expect". A sense of frustration and sheer hopelessness loomed large as the Mental Health Commission hosted an open meeting in Wexford on Thursday night. The meeting aimed to outline the work that the commission does as a regulator and to open a discussion on the future of regulation of mental health services in Ireland. However, once the floor opened up to speakers, the extent of the mental health crisis in the so-called model county became evident. 'We're just trying to keep our kids alive,' one dejected parent stated to the room. Notable was the lack of elected representatives in the room. While the Dail was sitting for the first time and there were apologies from some of Wexford's newly elected TDs, there was one sole county councillor present for the discussion - Fine Gael's Bridin Murphy. A healthcare professional and parent of a son with a mental health issue, David Maher, criticised the absence of politicians and was firm in his assessment of mental health services in the South East. 'The HSE has completely and utterly failed my son and those around him,' he said. 'This is going on decades and it's getting worse. This is my lived experience. I've got little or no support. We can't trust the HSE. For decades they have let us down. I have nobody to go to. I've tried to make complaints. The Mental Health Commission won't take complaints; there's no point complaining to the HSE, they won't listen. If the HSE won't listen to the Mental Health Commission, what hope is there that they'll listen to us? I'd ask the Mental Health Commission to set up a system whereby people and family members and parents can make complaints. People are dying because of this.' 'We're at crisis point,' he continued. 'There's absolutely nothing there in terms of support. They'll admit themselves (the HSE) that the service is in a desperate condition. This has a huge impact. It's impacted financially. It impacts families lifestyles etc. This is still a very taboo subject unfortunately.' The term 'postcode lottery' is one that surfaced several times in the course of the meeting. Desperate parents stated that, owing to the fact that they live in Wexford, they can't get access to the same level of care as in other parts of the country. One local parent of two children with mental health difficulties, a teacher with over 30 years experience who preferred not to be named, also offered a harrowing insight into daily life for families dealing with mental health struggles. 'The biggest mistake I've made is living in Wexford,' she said. 'If I was living where I grew up, my son would have access to a much better service and would have a much better outcome. Not too long ago we had two child suicides in Wexford within a few weeks of each other. This corner of the country is particularly bad. I don't know if you have the power to change anything, but there's a real inequality of care depending on your postcode.' 'I brought a child that attempted suicide, that had cut their two wrists, into Wexford General on a Friday morning. Because they were under 18, I was told that CAMHS might see them Tuesday. What am I supposed to do over the weekend? I'm not trained in how to deal with this. This is the reality in Wexford. In Dublin, you could go to Crumlin.' 'You're doing your best to work and keep a normal family life,' the mother continued. 'Nobody from CAMHS picks up the phone and asks how you are doing. We can't keep knives in our house. We're buttering toast with a spoon. But nobody can pick up the phone to see how we're getting on because they simply don't have the staff. It's not good enough.' 'Unless you've walked in a parents' shoes, don't tell me what it feels like. You're at home wondering will tonight be the night that they kill themselves? Will they attack their brother or sister. They say that for every child with mental illness, around 32 people are affected and I'd believe that. Children's lives are at risk. We've had enough in Wexford. We've done everything.' 'I haven't been on a night out for seven years because I'm caring for two kids with mental illness. The impact is lifelong. Aspirations are one thing, the reality on the ground is another. I'd ignore the dirt on the floor in these places if it meant my children were getting the proper medical care.' Local mental health advocate and father of four Raymond Shannon spoke of his experiences with his teenage son, who was twice put into adult psychiatric services in Waterford. 'He was asked if he was released, would he hurt himself,' he said. 'Now anyone would say "no" to that just to get out of there. After that, he wouldn't go to see the psychiatrist after that for fear of being sent back to Waterford. We're just trying to keep our kids alive.' 'On one occasion, my son spent 26 hours on chairs in A&E with a blanket over him,' he continued. 'Then he was on a trolley for 12 hours. The only reason he got a bed is because a TD, Pat Buckley made some calls and got him a bed in Linn Dara. Since all this he hasn't been back to school or anything like that. The damage has been done to that child.' Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission Mr John Farrelly and Chairman Mr John Saunders listened to the people's stories and spoke sympathetically, however, for those dealing with mental health issues on a daily basis, there were major doubts as to what the commission could actually do to improve the situation. 'Unfortunately we've hear similar stories for many years,' Mr Saunders said. 'We're trying to bring them to the political masters. We've brought this to several Ministers for Health. They all say that they will do something, but we can't see significant shifts or changes over time. Mental health seems to be low down the ladder in terms of priority. This is a political issue.' 'We do have certain powers,' Mr Farrelly assured the crowd. 'For example we could put a condition on a hospital that they cannot accept child admissions. But if we do that, it goes to court, the HSE will probably object and then you also have to worry about what we call "unintended outcomes" of these actions. But if a regulator can't create change, it might as well not be there.' Continuing, Mr Farrelly said that of all the HSE areas, CHO Area 5, which contains Wexford, Waterford, Carlow/Kilkenny and South Tipperary, doesn't seem to make much sense as a grouping. 'Maybe we need to implement different models in different areas,' he said. 'There's a lot of work to do and I don't want to commit here tonight to something that I can't deliver. I can assure you that the thoughts you've been articulating tonight is very near to what we believe ourselves. We are the state regulator and we should not be fobbed off. We're all about restoring trust and confidence in mental health services and that's what we'll work towards.' Advice: The HSEs Liam Woods and Department of Health chief medical officer Tony Holohan at a briefing on coronavirus. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins THE FIRST case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre was informed of the confirmed case of Covid-19 today. Public health officials in the Department of Health are due to announce more details later tonight. The patient, a male in the eastern part of the country, is currently receiving "appropriate medical care". The case is associated with travel from an affected area in northern Italy, rather than contact with another confirmed case in Northern Ireland. Anyone that has been in contact with the patient will already have been informed by health officials. Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, said: This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now. Public health protocols have been in place since January and are operating effectively. Read More The health service is well used to managing infectious diseases and has robust response measures in place. At a hastily convened press conference at the Department of Health tonight, which got underway around 9.45pm, Dr Holohan said the likelihood of more cases of Covid-19 happening in Ireland was "moderate to high." He said it was the experience of other countries where there were already confirmed cases was that the chances of more cases were "moderate to high." He said the man who is the first case in the Republic had returned to Ireland from northern Italy. He praised the man for following the official advice of coming forward when he noticed he had symptoms. He refused to inform the small number of journalists of any personal details of the man or any details of his travel or movements. He declined to say if he was on the same flight from Italy as the woman from Northern Ireland who flew into Dublin from northern Italy and who was later diagnosed having presented to medical teams in the North. Dr Holohan said it was vital that anyone who has been to affected areas and who has symptoms that they have confidence that their privacy will be tightly safeguarded by health authorities. Unless people are assured of privacy, they will not come forward to be tested, he said. Fending off a barrage of questions seeking more information about the individual's circumstances and medical care, he said "we have nothing to hide" but we had "something to protect", which was the man's privacy. The trust of potentially infected persons was vital for the health authorities to be effective, he said. He refused to say if a second airline cabin crew would need to go into isolation the same way as the original crew on the woman's flight. Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Survellience Centre, said the process was beginning to contact all the people whom the man had been in close contact with since his return from Northern Italy. The man returned to Ireland within the last 14 days. Dr Cuddihy said public health doctors were very experienced in tracing the contacts of people with infectious diseases. They had begun this process in this case but he would not state any information about the individuals being sought. Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer of the Department of Health, confirmed that the man was now receiving treatment for his Coved-19 infection but he declined to identify where it was taking place. He said any hospital in the State had the facilities to treat an infectious person in isolation conditions. Dr Glynn said the vast majority of people diagnosed with the virus around the world had only very mild symptoms. There was a small proportion whose condition became serious but the "vast majority" would only experience mild symptoms. Dr Holohan said that there was "extremely low" likelihood of anyone in Ireland becoming infected if they have not visited an infection region of the world. In a statement earlier this evening, Dr Cuddihy said: "The HSE is now working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. It is important to note that the risk of transmission through casual contact is low." Health Minister Simon Harris has been informed and has notified the Taoiseach. Speaking today, Minister Harris said: "This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this since January. "I would strongly encourage people to follow the guidance and advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, led by the Chief Medical Officer." Over 100 tests have been carried out on people in the Republic so far. It is the second case of coronavirus on the island of Ireland, after the first case in Northern Ireland was confirmed earlier this week. The woman had arrived at Dublin Airport from northern Italy before travelling to Belfast by train. It is understood she has been treated at home. People who sat within two rows of the person on the plane from northern Italy to Dublin were contacted. The woman followed advice in reporting concerns to a GP and "self-isolated" at home whilst awaiting the results of testing. The HSE are advising anyone who knows they have been in close contact with a confirmed case in the last 14 days and has symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, fever) should: isolate themselves from other people - this means going into a different, well-ventilated room, with a phone phone their GP, or emergency department - if this is not possible, phone 112, or 999 in a medical emergency (if you have severe symptoms) phone 112 or 999 Symptoms of the coronavirus include a cough, shortness of breath, fever and breathing difficulties. The number of people sickened by the virus climbed to more than 85,000 globally on Saturday and there were more than 2,850 deaths, most of them in China. Schools and universities will stay closed for a second consecutive week in three northern Italian regions in an effort to contain Europe's worst outbreak of coronavirus. Italy's neighbours are also taking measures to contain the spread of the virus. France on Saturday put a temporary ban on public gatherings with more than 5,000 people, while Switzerland on Friday banned events expected to draw more than 1,000. Seamless coordination ensured that there are just 38 local terrorists active in Kashmir Four ZUF terrorists arrested in Howrah India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Kolkata, Feb 29: Four Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) militants, including two women, were on Friday arrested from neighbouring Howrah's Golabari area, police said. The four were nabbed after a person, who was arrested on Thursday along with a huge quantity of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN), revealed details of their hideout in Howrah, a senior officer of the Kolkata Special Task Force (STF) said. The ZUF is a Manipur-based militant outfit operating in the Nagaland-Manipur border. An amount of Rs 34,54,270 was seized from the possession of the four ZUF militants, who admitted of accumulating the booty after abducting Avijit Dhar, project manager of Simplex, on February 19 from Noney district of Manipur, he said. "Out of the four ZUF militants, two each are from Assam and Manipur," the officer said. Huge increase in ceasefire violations by Pak to push terrorists into India The Kolkata Police STF had on Thursday arrested an Assam resident from the city's Dharmatala bus terminal area and seized from his possession FICN amounting to Rs 1,50,000. "During grilling, he had informed us about his associates hiding in Howrah. A raid was conducted in Golabari Police Station area today the ZUF militants were arrested," he said. The arrested persons will be produced at a city court on Saturday, the official said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 7:40 [IST] Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday took a jibe at the Opposition and he said that the Opposition does not need to teach the BJP-led Central government about secularism and human rights. Prasad also said that the Opposition must first form their own government by defeating the BJP and then question them. Prasad was addressing the India Ideas Conclave 2020 at the Tech City Narmada in Gujarat. Speaking at the event Prasad said, "I would like to tell my liberal leftist friends - defeat us and form your own government. You don't teach us secularism, inclusion and human rights. Have you ever talked about the human rights of victims of terrorism & extremist violence? Never. You have been kept quiet." "Have you even talked of human rights of helpless young girls forced for conversion and marriage on gunpoint in neighboring Pakistan and Afghanistan? Never. But if a constitutional legal initiative is done to give them shelter which is a part of our culture then they have a problem," he added. READ | Delhi Violence: Sonia Gandhi-led Congress Delegation Calls On President, Submit Memorandum RSP on 'Rajdharma' Earlier on Friday, Prasad slammed Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi for asking BJP to follow it's 'Rajdharma.' Questioning the Congress party over Raj Dharma, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Yesterday, the Congress party had visited President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan and post their meeting Sonia Ji had stated that 'BJP should follow its Rajdharma. I want to question the Congress party on Rajdharma." READ | 5-member Congress Delegation To Visit Riot-hit North-east Delhi As Death Toll Crosses 40 Reminding the Congress party about the times when it had asked for citizenship to be provided to the persecuted minority community, the Union Law Minister said, "Congress has always asked for citizenship to be provided. Tell me Soniaji, the people from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who are persecuted minorities, do they not deserve citizenship? Your party had an ideology about this. Both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi spoke in favor of this. Manmohan Singh, Ashok Gehlot and Tarun Gogoi had once written letters and spoke in parliament, demanding the government to give citizenship to persecuted minorities. What is that Rajdharma that everyone is stepping back on?" READ | Ravi Shankar Prasad Spars With Sonia Gandhi Over Rajdharma, Calls Out Hypocrisy On NPR Congress delegation visits President Kovind On Thursday, a Congress party delegation headed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi met President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the President demanding Shah's resignation, adding the riots was a reflection on the total failure of the Central Government. The Congress has also slammed BJP leader Kapil Mishra for his incendiary speech hours prior to the stone-pelting started on Sunday, demanding his arrest. READ | Delhi Violence: Locals Narrate Horrific Tales Of School Vandalism . The high frequency of atrocities occurring particularly against the Dalits tragically underscores the enigma about which B R Ambedkar had spoken several decades ago. He had questioned why atrocities occurred against the untouchables only. The enigma repeats itself today with greater gravity. Atrocities have acquired the form of a carnival that involves stages, where an atrocity is produced and witnessed with vicarious pleasure at one level, and also offers the realisation of caste domination at another. Thus, parading Dalit women and men naked would be an opportunity for many to seek vicarious pleasure, while flogging Dalits publicly would accomplish the project of social superiority by dominant castes. This is thanks to todays social media, particularly its visual incarnation, which has made the carnival of caste possible. Before the arrival (roughly in 2004) of social media, with moving and live images, the news of caste atrocities that used to appear in the print form in different newspapers did enable particularly the Dalits to imagine the nature and intensity of caste atrocities. Reflecting on atrocities through print news led to the collective imagination of the Dalits. It was in this sense that the ability to collectively reflect through print media led to the social imagination of the Dalits. Social media in contemporary times does have affective and diverse impacts on the victims as well as the tormentor. In the past years, Egypt has intensified efforts to boost digital transformation in public services recently, which it hopes will further support the economy. Egypt's minister of communications and information technology Amr Talaat has discussed with Ivorian Ambassador in Cairo Timothy Ezouan means of boosting bilateral ties in the field of digital transformation. The two sides mulled activating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in last April to foster cooperation in the areas of digital transformation and cyber-security, as well as the establishment of technological zones, according to a statement released by the Communications Ministry on Friday. The pair also mulled ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the domains of technological innovation and entrepreneurship, in addition to building capacities of teams tasked with the management of incubators and technology startups, the statement added. In the past years, Egypt has intensified efforts to boost digital transformation in public services recently, which it hopes will further support the economy. Search Keywords: Short link: Australia has secretly hoarded $100million worth of medical supplies in case of a pandemic and the stockpile is now being deployed for the coronavirus. The federal Health Department's National Medical Stockpile contains 20 million single-use face masks, antibiotics and pallets of hand sanitiser accumulated over a decade. The stockpile is kept in various top secret strategic locations, the Health Department says on its website. Health Minister Greg Hunt toured one of the top secret warehouses storing equipment for the national medical stockpile on January 24 The shelves of a Woolworths in the Sydney suburb of Bondi were stripped of medicine, toilet paper and food staples amid rising panic over coronavirus earlier this week Specific details of what is in the stockpile - which is intended to supplement state and territory health supplies so they don't run out during a health emergency - is also not released publicly for security reasons, the Health Department says. But it says it holds a limited supply of 'highly specialised drugs' which, in an emergency, may not be available elsewhere. For the first time since the 2009 swine flu the stockpile has been activated, in preparation for the looming Covid-19 pandemic which has now infected more than 85,000 people worldwide. Face masks being delivered to GPs from the stockpile in a picture tweeted by Health Minister Greg Hunt on January 30. GPs say they need more protective equipment to assess cases Now that the Federal Government has activated the emergency response plan for the coronavirus, the National Medical Stockpile is being distributed to state and territory delivery sites in case it is needed. While there is no cure and no vaccine for the coronavirus, protective equipment can help prevent infection and antibiotics can stop secondary bacterial infections taking hold in those suffering the viral pneumonia caused by Covid-19. WILL THERE BE SHORTAGES? The short answer is 'yes'. Chinese manufacturing has ground to a halt disrupting global supply chains - and it is a crucial world supplier of just about everything. China accounted for 20 percent of global manufacturing output in 2018 according to the US-based research firm the Brookings Institute. Hand sanitiser along with face masks have been stockpiled over a decade for a pandemic It's not just general goods such as toilet paper, face masks, plastic packaging and essentials that are made in China or have components that are - it's medicines as well. The World Health Organisation reports that China produces about 20 per cent of the global output of active pharmaceutical ingredients. A US Department of Commerce study quoted by the Council on Foreign Relations found that 97 percent of all antibiotics in the United States came from China. These figures show how dependent the world has become on Chinese manufacturing. FOOD AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS TO STOCKPILE IN A PANDEMIC Extra prescription medications, asthma relief inhalers Over-the-counter anti-fever and pain medications Feminine hygiene products Family pack of toilet paper Vitamins Alcohol-containing hand rub Household cleaning agents and soap Tissues, paper towel Cereals, grains, beans, lentils, pasta Tinned food fish, vegetables, fruit Oil, spices and flavours Dried fruit and nuts Ultra-heat treated or powdered milk Soft drink or candy/chocolate for treats Pet food and care Source: Virology Down Under by University of Queensland virologists Dr Ian Mackay and Dr Katherine Arden Advertisement Australia's economy no longer manufactures many goods, instead relying on cheaper Chinese imports. University of NSW global biosecurity professor Raina MacIntyre said Australia's just-in-time delivery economy does not keep large commercial stockpiles - so the general public will see an impact in the supply of some medical equipment and drugs. 'It is possible that patients will be affected by shortages, there might be very specific drugs that are made only in China,' she told ABC News. Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone said some medications and masks were not available. 'One of the key sources of supply is obviously the Chinese manufacturing sector and clearly they are confronting their own issues regarding logistical supply,' he said. Face masks ran out at Chemist Warehouse stores in Sydney during the last week of January as the public tried to buy their own supplies to protect themselves. In the first week of February, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy asked the nation's pharmacists to keep stocks of face masks in reserve. Pharmacy Guild president George Tambassis told the Sydney Morning Herald that pharmacists should be free to decide when to sell - but should tell customers the masks are only recommended for those with flu-like symptoms. Royal Australian College of GPs president Harry Nespolon told the ABC that general practitioners urgently need more protective equipment including goggles and protective suits to assess people who might have the new coronavirus. HOW DOES THE STOCKPILE WORK? Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy gives approval to states and territories requests to access the stockpile. Stock is shipped to strategic locations in all states and territories so it can be accessed quickly in an emergency. According to the Federal Government's emergency response plan, each state and territory government will manage the distribution of stockpiled goods within its own jurisdiction. The equipment is held in secret warehouses under tight security at grey locations across Australia to prevent theft, sabotage or terrorism. On January 24, Health Minister Greg Hunt toured one of the warehouses in an effort to reassure the public when the coronavirus epidemic first hit world headlines. 'Inspecting Australia's National Medical Stockpile, which includes over 10 million masks. We continue to take an evidence based approach to the coronavirus, so that all Australians are protected,' he tweeted along with a photograph of him inspecting plastic-wrapped pallets in one of the warehouses. Yesterday he revealed there are now 20 million of the single-use face masks in storage. On Friday Mr Hunt said the Government's priority is to provide the supplies to frontline clinicians. 'We are well stocked,' he said on Friday. 'We do have strong supply chains. As part of our job, that is one of the items that was a specific Commonwealth action item.' The Covid-19 pandemic has proven most lethal with viral pneumonia, and the World Health Organisation has reported 5 per cent of sufferers require intensive care with ventilators, while up to 14 per cent become seriously ill and may require oxygen support. It is not known how many oxygen concentrators or ventilators the Health Department has, or if they are able to access more. Daily Mail Australia has asked both the Federal and NSW Health Departments if extra auxilliary staff are being trained or new facilities being built to take pressure off the hospital system but has not received any information on whether this is occurring. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared a coronavirus pandemic is 'very much upon us' as he launched an emergency plan on Thursday. The Prime Minister has instructed Health Minister Greg Hunt to identify 'gaps in capabilities' within Australia's state-based health services as they combat the spread of the deadly, flu-like illness from China. 'We believe that the risk of a pandemic is very much upon us,' he told reporters. 'We need to take the steps necessary to prepare for such a pandemic.' She's known for her incredible figure and isn't shy about flaunting her best assets online. And on Friday, Reece Hawkins' model girlfriend London Goheen did just that as she showed off her physique. The 22-year-old enjoyed a day at the beach in a racy string bikini, sharing sizzling images to her Instagram story. So hot she needs to cool down! Reece Hawkins' model girlfriend London Goheen showed off her incredible figure in a racy string bikini on Friday... after hitting back at Tammy Hembrow 'Talk about a hot day,' London captioned one story, as she relaxed on the sand. In another image, she posed up in her two piece in a mirror. Her costume featured a bandana top and G-string bottoms. Beach babe: The 22-year-old enjoyed a day at the beach in a racy string bikini, sharing sizzling images to her Instagram story The stunner - who hails from America - is now based on the Gold Coast with Australian boyfriend, Reece Hawkins. The brunette beauty hit back at Reece's ex-fiancee Tammy Hembrow on Wednesday, after Tammy and Reece reunited in a YouTube clip after their bitter split. London said that she believed Tammy's video to be a 'dig at her' and 'put on.' Smitten: The stunner - who hails from America - is now based on the Gold Coast with Australian boyfriend, Reece Hawkins (pictured) Look out Tammy! The brunette beauty hit back at Reece's ex-fiancee Tammy Hembrow (pictured) on Wednesday, after Tammy and Reece reunited in a YouTube clip after their bitter split In the vlog, Tammy let her fans know that she and Reece are now getting along after years of feuding. London did a question and answer segment with fans on Instagram when she was asked about the clip. 'It's a funny question, I feel it was very put on and a dig at me, which is fine,' London said. She's not impressed! London said that she believed Tammy's video to be a 'dig at her' and 'put on' 'I don't care for the drama, it's a little ridiculous, some people do things for the wrong reasons,' she added. 'We're friends guys,' Tammy says in the vlog, after driving to Reece's house to pick-up Wolf's school bag. A shirtless Reece is then seen walking to the driver's side door of Tammy's white Mercedes G-Wagon. 'People are going to be like this is awkward,' he says to Tammy. 'They will be [thinking it]. I know they will be.' On good terms: In the vlog, Tammy let her fans know that she and Reece are now getting along after years of feuding. A shirtless Reece is then seen walking to the driver's side door of Tammy's white Mercedes G-Wagon Tammy goes on to say Reece is 'so nice to me now'. The bikini model then addressed the former couple's feuding, explaining to her fans: 'Me and Reece weren't getting along for like the longest time. 'We broke up so so long ago now and it took us pretty much this long to start getting along,' she adds. 'It is what I have always wanted so I am really happy.' Tammy first hinted that she and Reece were friends last month, when she was caught liking his photographs. It appeared to be the first time Tammy has interacted with Reece, who is now dating American model London, on Instagram since their break-up. Friendly: Tammy first hinted that she and Reece were friends last month, when she was caught liking his photographs They were known to have an acrimonious relationship in the past, which was reportedly made worse by Tammy's desire to relocate to Los Angeles. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in March last year, Reece revealed he had no contact with the mother of his two children. 'At the moment there is no contact,' he said at the time. The couple had fallen out over their Range Rover the previous month, leading to a war of words on social media. They share two children together, son Wolf, four, and daughter Saskia, three. Los Angeles Hollywood mustered its creative forces in the 1940s when Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany sought to conquer the world, with Humphrey Bogart standing up to the fascist regime in "Casablanca" and director Ernst Lubitsch mocking it and its dictator in "To Be or Not to Be." More than 70 years later, an increase in hate crimes, emboldened white supremacists and political upheaval have prompted TV and filmmakers to revisit Nazism. The works are varied and their receptions mixed, but they share a goal: to use fiction to learn from 20th-century totalitarianism and its horrors, including the Holocaust that claimed the lives of 6 million Jews. In Amazon's "Hunters," an unlikely group of 1970s New Yorkers target German Nazis who have brought their genocidal quest to America. HBO's "The Plot Against America" is based on Philip Roth's novel that posits a repressive 1930s U.S. government led by Charles Lindbergh, the real-life aviation hero and anti-Semitic isolationist. The Oscar-winning "Jojo Rabbit" is in Lubitsch's satirical mode, deepened by tragedy. Preceding them was "The Man in the High Castle," the 2015-19 Amazon series based on Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novel of the same name about a fallen America ruled by WWII victors Germany and Japan. The war has had other screen comebacks. During the political and social turmoil of the mid- to late-1960s, cynical and irreverent films including "King Rat" and "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" were released alongside traditional battle epics such as the star-laden "Battle of the Bulge." "We seem to have waves of interest in both the Holocaust and World War II, not always at the same time," said Sharon Willis, a film scholar and professor at the University of Rochester in New York. "I feel that, collectively, we return to these terrains when we have some kind of of problem to work out that we think is related to them." David Simon, executive producer of "The Plot Against America," unabashedly labels the six-episode series debuting March 16 "a political piece." The cast includes Winona Ryder and John Turturro, and early reviews were admiring. "It's a critique of xenophobia and demagoguery and the use of 'the other,' the fear of 'the other' to drive political power and to create a political dynamic," Simon said, a pattern that he said predates President Donald Trump. "The demonization of the immigrant cohort has been going on for as long as the republic." Ironically, he'd originally passed on bringing Roth's novel to the screen because it appeared irrelevant. "The first time somebody approached me about the adaptation was in 2013, right after (President Barack) Obama's second inauguration. And I thought to myself that it seemed like an artifact in an increasingly inclusive society," Simon said. The subsequent election and its results forced him to reconsider that view, he said. The late Roth's book proved "allegorical to what we're dealing with now, and the vulnerable cohorts now are not necessarily Jewish Americans, although anti-Semitism has increased," Simon said. "The real vulnerable (groups) are people with black and brown skin, immigrants and Muslims." As for why he's asking viewers to seek clarity in the rear-view mirror, Simon said that history provides a sturdy, well-vetted foundation on which to build a meaningful allegory. "If we can't apply it to the future, then all that history is pretty useless," he said. David Weil, creator of "Hunters" starring Al Pacino and Logan Lerman, shares Simon's belief in the power of such storytelling. "I think sometimes the best way for us to grapple with the truths of our reality and our present is to see it through a different prism and a different lens," said Weil. "So I used the lens of 1977 America to speak about the kind of racism and xenophobia and anti-Semitism that we're continuing to face today, to allow people to really try and take a step back." Weil's direct inspiration was his grandmother, Sara Weil, a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen, which were among the concentration camps where the German-ordered mass killings of Jews and millions of others were carried out. The stories of hardship that he heard from her as a child eventually fueled Weil's desire to honor her experience and, through his work, become a Holocaust avenger and a "superhero, in some way." There have been Oscar-worthy films about the Holocaust, Weil said, but he wanted to dramatize the tragedy and its aftermath in an unconventional way. He described his approach as "bold and pulpy and fresh," one that invites a new audience to enter the story through the perspective of characters such as Lerman's young hunter, Jonah. Creative license may be allowed for tone or even the wholesale creation of a band of Nazi hunters, but tampering with the facts of a hallowed event crosses the line for some. A scene in which inmates of the Auschwitz camp in Poland act out a fatal chess game never occurred, according to the site's museum and memorial, which in a recent statement called such inventions "dangerous foolishness and caricature." Weil responded that the drama was not a documentary and he'd carefully avoided borrowing a specific moment from an actual person's life. That failed to satisfy Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles that's named for the death camp survivor and real-life Nazi hunter. While dramas can help educate people about Nazism, Hier said, such projects must be labeled a fictional account of a real event or risk giving fodder to Holocaust deniers. Pete Simi, co-author of "American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement's Hidden Spaces of Hate" and a professor at Chapman University in Southern California, sees potential in Hollywood's focus on Nazi Germany. One reason: it can help expose the followers who are "rebranding" themselves in a bid to make white supremacy palatable. "The more we understand what the Nazis represented, the more we are able to analyze the contemporary versions of Nazis" and avoid being deceived by their efforts to subvert "what they actually represent," Simi said. The Santa Clara Public Health Department confirmed Friday the nation's second coronavirus patient with no relevant travel history or clear link to another infected person or at-risk group, indicating that the virus may be spreading undetected in local communities. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," Dr. Sara Cody, director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, said in a statement Friday. "I understand this may be concerning to hear, but this is what we have been preparing for. Now we need to start taking additional actions to slow down the spread of the disease." The new case brings the total number of coronavirus cases in California to 10 and the total number of cases in the U.S. to at least 63. "We also don't have any evidence to suggest this case is linked to any other case in California," Cody told reporters at a press conference. There are two other cases in the county, the health department said. But this one is different because the patient, an elderly woman, doesn't have a travel history or any known contact with a traveler or infected person. Amid allegations that the Delhi Police did not respond appropriately to the violence in North-East District that erupted between two groups opposing and supporting new citizenship law, police sources said that all efforts were made to provide adequate personnel but at certain places, police were caught by surprise when the small gathering on February 22 night swelled to 2000-3000 the next morning at Jaffarabad metro station. The anti-CAA protesters came and squatted at Jaffarabad metro station on February 22 night at 10 pm, top sources in the Delhi Police said on Saturday while giving details of the sequence of events and how the police controlled it. "We thought that protesters will gather at the old site, which is around 500 meters away from Jafrabad metro station. 500-600 women and children and 400 male protesters using congested bylanes came to the metro station. The core members of the group were outsiders," they said. Despite the fact that the deployment had limited women personnel, the police force did not allow the protesters to erect tents, use mike or any stage. "By morning on February 23, the crowd swelled to 2000-3000. We had limited staff," said sources. On February 23, the Hindus said that they will block the entire stretch of Maujpur. "We tried to reason with them but they didn't listen," they said. Top sources in the Delhi Police stressed the protesters started stone-pelting in the evening at Maujpur but the forces controlled it. "In the evening on February 23, there was some problem at Chand Bagh. The DCP went there and controlled it. We made adequate arrangements for Monday -- February 24. US President Donald Trump's visit was on. The eastern range officers were exempted. Though it took time to mobilise the force, we still deployed sufficient officers," said sources. They said their major concern was to protect Maujpur, adding that DCP, Shahdara, Amit Sharma reached Chand Bagh with four companies on February 24 at 9 am. "At 9:30-10:00 am, DCP Shahdara got stuck because while managing one side of the crowd, the other side of the crowd attacked him. He was not injured with just a stray incident of stone-pelting. He was thrashed brutally in a manner that his helmet broke," sources said. "The Head Constable was shot dead. Rattan Lal was shot from the left shoulder. The bullet pierced his heart and got stuck in the right arm. After the DCP was injured, the entire team was commanderless. The crowd and stone pelting was so much that even four companies of force were not enough. The full-fledged rioting started," said sources. At many places, both communities resorted to firing using country-made revolvers. "Both communities were after each other and also against the police. At some places, the police were in the middle. Cops were stuck in the middle. We had to fire at both sides," they said. At least 42 people have died and more than 200 people have sustained serious injuries in the communal violence that rocked north-east Delhi for four days. Two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) have been constituted under the Delhi Police's Crime Branch to investigate the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agreement signed in Qatars capital, Doha, could result in US troops leaving Afghanistan within 14 months. Doha, Qatar US officials and Taliban representatives have signed an agreement after months of negotiations in Qatars capital that is aimed at ending the United Statess longest war, fought in Afghanistan since 2001. Saturdays agreement, signed in Doha in the presence of leaders from Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, will pave the way for the US to gradually withdraw its troops. The two sides have long wrangled over the US demand for a ceasefire before the signing of the agreement, which has four points: a timeline of 14 months for the withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Afghanistan; a Taliban guarantee that Afghan soil will not be used as a launchpad that would threaten the security of the US; the launch of intra-Afghan negotiations by March 10; and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. In a statement, the Taliban said it had reached an agreement about the termination of occupation of Afghanistan. The accord about the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and never intervening in its affairs in the future is undoubtedly a great achievement, it added. Earlier on Saturday, the Taliban ordered all its fighters to halt fighting and refrain from attacks. Mohammed Naeem, a Taliban representative in Doha, described the agreement as a step forward. With this deal comes the end of war in Afghanistan, he told Al Jazeera. For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban to honour its commitments. I know there will be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper, he said at the Doha ceremony. The ceremony in Doha was attended by many international delegates [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Troop withdrawal Minutes before the agreement was signed, a joint statement released by the US and the Afghan government said the US and NATO troops would withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months. About 14,000 US troops and approximately 17,000 troops from 39 NATO allies and partner countries are stationed in Afghanistan in a non-combatant role. The United States will reduce the number of US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in the US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint declaration and the US-Taliban agreement, the joint statement said. It added that the Afghan government will engage with the United Nations Security Council to remove Taliban members from sanctions list by May 29. No agreement is perfect, and the US-Taliban deal is no exception, said Robert Malley, president and CEO of the International Crisis Group. But it represents the most hopeful step to end a war that has lasted two decades and taken countless American and especially Afghan lives. It ought to be celebrated, bolstered and built upon to reach a genuine intra-Afghan peace. Zalmay Khalilzad, US envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] The talks were launched in 2018 as part of a push by US President Donald Trumps administration to strike a deal with the Taliban, which has been fighting the US-led forces in Afghanistan since it was toppled from power in 2001. The agreement also proposes an intra-Afghan dialogue with the government in Kabul and the release of 5,000 Taliban members from prison. The Taliban has so far refused to speak to the Western-backed Afghan government, saying it is a puppet regime. The intra-Afghan talks are to begin on March 10 but no specific details have been given. A weeklong reduction in violence between the Taliban, the US and Afghan security forces saw a sudden drop in violence and casualties across the country after taking effect on February 22. The Taliban now controls or holds influence over more Afghan territory than at any point since 2001 and has carried out near-daily attacks against military outposts throughout the country. The two sides were on the verge of signing a peace agreement in September when Trump abruptly cancelled the talks after a Taliban attack killed an American soldier. Trump has long expressed eagerness to bring US soldiers home and to end the countrys longest war as he seeks re-election in 2020. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or wounded since 2009 when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties. Three inmates at a private rehabilitation centre near here have died in a week sparking protests following which the Kerala government has ordered an inquiry. Health minister K K Shailaja on Saturday sought a report from health officials in Kottayam district after locals alleged foul play. District Collector P K Sudheer Babu ordered a magisterial probe into the deaths at the Puthujeevan Trust Rehabilitation Centre inPayippad Panchayat following protests by local residents and politicians. Additional district magistrate Anil Oommen will probe the case, he said. Locals alleged that three inmates of the centre run by the trust, which is headed by a retired policeman, have died in a week's time. The local people also alleged that the inmates were subjected to torture at the facility. According to the centre, it is offering services for the mentally challenged, destitutes and abandoned elderly people for the past over three decades. Local people demanded a thorough probe into the cause of the deaths. According to officials, six other inmates have been admitted to various hospitals in Thiruvalla. After an initial investigation, the district medical officer said the deaths were not due to any epidemic. As per the Health minister's directive, a panel of doctors have been constituted to study the cause of the death of the three people, including a woman, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If you mustered up the gumption to testify in court against someone, would you want them to have your Social Security number and date of birth? Maybe even share it with fellow inmates? Prosecutors in the 2nd Judicial District say absolutely not, it puts victims and witnesses at risk of intimidation and even harm. If you were charged with a crime, would you want information identifying who is testifying against you blacked out with a heavy marker? Defense attorneys say whoa, wait a minute, in our system of jurisprudence and discovery, prosecutors dont get to have information that we dont have. You can see both sides of this argument the need to keep vulnerable people safe while at the same time providing a level field for those charged with crimes. So it is heartening that Judge Jacqueline Flores has asked attorneys on both sides of the dispute to submit their arguments on the issue in writing. She said Thursday she will rule at a later date on a request from defense lawyer Megan Mitsunaga to sanction prosecutors for redacting supplemental police reports in a child abuse and burglary case. Apparently prosecutors have been redacting portions of victim and witness dates of birth and Social Security numbers for months, leaving only the year of birth and the last four digits of the Social Security number. And they might have some precedent. State law provides that personal identifier information such as Social Security and drivers license numbers and dates of birth contained in public records may be redacted before disclosure to protect private information. The question is, does that apply to disclosure to defendants and their attorneys as well as the public at large? Prosecutor Natalie Lyon explains the concern is specifically with inmates that are in custody; oftentimes, multiple inmates will review others discovery. (The personal identifiers in that information) should not be disseminated throughout the jail. She maintains the information left is enough for the background and conflict-of-interest checks defense attorneys conduct. Mitsunagas retort? There has to be a way for a defendant and their defense attorney to review evidence to know what the state is bringing to bear against them and to prepare to defend themselves against this monolith, this government monster that is coming to take away their freedom. She says the state can always seek a protective order and file additional charges, like witness intimidation. Flores made it clear in court she understands this delicate balancing act, as well as the slippery slope her ruling could construct. I do see what the concerns are. Im worried that once the state starts redacting information that they deem inappropriate or unavailable or undiscoverable, it perhaps could lead to other things being redacted that the state also deems inappropriate or somehow not discoverable. Theres nothing specifically in the rule that allows you to do this. Lyon has made it clear prosecutors will appeal a ruling adverse to their new redaction practice. The N.M. Supreme Court should be ready to weigh in with guidance that balances victim and defendant rights. 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. Police officers secure an area after a shooting in Hanau near Frankfurt, Germany, on 20 February 20. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters) German federal prosecutors are investigating possible far-right motivation behind attacks on two hookah bars in Germany on Wednesday evening, which left nine people dead. The gunman opened fire in two shisha bars at around 10pm local time in the town of Hanau, about 25km (15 miles) east of the financial hub of Frankfurt, killing nine people. After killing three in the first bar, he reportedly drove to the second bar, where he shot five people dead. Police identified the suspects address from eyewitnesses who saw his car, and stormed his apartment in Hanau hours later, where they found him dead. They also found the body of his 72-year-old mother in the apartment. Police said in a statement that the suspect shot himself and his mother at home. From what we know so far a xenophobic motive is the most likely," Peter Beuth, the interior minister for the state of Hessen, told the press on Thursday. Beuth said the man was not known to the police beforehand. The alleged attacker, named as 43-year old German Tobias R, had reportedly published an hour-long video in which he claimed that Germany was controlled by a secret service with extensive capabilities, and made negative comments about migrants from Arab countries and Turkey. The death toll from the attack remains at 11, with five more victims currently hospitalised with severe injuries. According to reports, the clientele in both shisha bars were Kurdish. READ MORE: Germany to create 600 jobs to tackle far-right extremism Germanys gun laws are extremely strict, but people with hunting licences are allowed to have firearms, if they are properly locked up at home. Wednesdays attack comes days after a person was shot dead in Berlin, outside a concert venue which was hosting a Turkish comedy night. Thoughts this morning are with the people of Hanau, in whose midst this terrible crime was committed, chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Twitter. He tweeted that Merkel had cancelled her trip to Halle in eastern Germany today because of the murders. Story continues READ MORE: Merkels heir quits and wont run for chancellor after far-right debacle Germany is grappling with a growing right-wing extremist problem. Authorities saying in December that there are at least 12,000 people in the country who are classed as right-wing extremists, a number of them are potentially violent. In October, a German man with far-right motivation attacked a synagogue in the city of Halle. Failing to enter the synagogue, he shot dead two passers-by on the street. In July 2019, politician Walter Lubke was shot dead at his home by a far-right extremist, who had a criminal record and ties to far-right groups. Reynolds called Wedekings penny the best thing Ive had happen so far in her series of town hall meetings to promote the Invest in Iowa Act. Im so energized by what I heard this morning, she said before heading to more meetings in Monticello and Dubuque. At every one of these town halls that Ive had, weve had unbelievable turnout ... and the conversation has been great. So Im motivated by what Im hearing. The test, she acknowledged will be motivating legislators to vote for the plan, which will require them to approve a sales tax hike in an election year. Reynolds is counting on Iowans such as the 100-plus who filled the Early Bird Cafe to persuade lawmakers to get on board. If this is something you agree with and you think it will move Iowa forward, you have to let your legislators know, Reynolds said. Otherwise, they dont think you care. You have a really important role in this Invest in Iowa. Theyve got to hear from you. For the most part, comments about the governors plan were positive. The Cedar Rapids Metro Alliance and Iowa Chamber Alliance voiced support for the economic development benefits of spending on natural resources and quality of life amenities as well as lower taxes. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Sat, February 29, 2020 09:34 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206752605 2 News United-Airlines,travel,coronavirus,Wuhan-coronavirus,COVID-19 Free United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Friday it was sharply cutting flights to Japan and South Korea, as travelers worried about the coronavirus outbreak slash ticket purchases for those destinations. It also canceled its investor day that had been due to be held on March 5. Read also: British Airways cancels flights to Italy, Korea, Singapore as coronavirus hits demand With investors firmly focused on how the company is managing the near-term impact of the coronavirus, United said it was not "practical to expect that it can have a productive conversation focused on its long-term strategy next week." The event will be rescheduled for September. Chicago-based United already withdrew its 2020 guidance this week due to uncertainty over the duration and spread of the virus. It warned that near-term demand to China has almost disappeared, with demand for the rest of its trans-Pacific routes down by 75 percent. As a result, the company is temporarily reducing flights from the US mainland to Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and Seoul and extending the suspension of US flights to mainland China and Hong Kong through April 30, it said on Friday. The airline is cutting about two thirds of its flights to Seoul, nearly a third of flights to Japan and 40 percent of flights to Singapore. It is also flying smaller planes on some routes. Among US airlines, United has the biggest international exposure, drawing about 40 percent of its revenues from overseas flights. Earlier this week, Delta cut South Korea flights in half, citing the outbreak. United shares fell 5.2 percent on Friday, amid a widespread global share rout, and are down 21 percent over the last week. Joe Biden has declared his campaign resurrected after his decisive win in the South Carolina primary, breathing fresh life into his candidacy after an exceedingly lacklustre start to the nomination season that saw him beaten badly in three successive states. With his win in the Palmetto State, the former vice president has made good on a promise that he could attract voters in the states large African American population, even as his claim to being the most electable candidate took repeated hits in Iowa, then New Hampshire and then Nevada just one week ago. To all of those of you who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign, Mr Biden said during an emotional speech in which he at one point wiped a tear away at his campaign's celebration party in Columbia. Just days ago the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead. Now, thanks to all of you, the heart of the Democratic Party, we just won and we won big because of you. And we are very much alive. The former vice president had campaigned in-part on what he and others have described as a long history between himself and the state, and especially the African American community there that still remembers his former boss Barack Obamas presidency fondly. He now heads on to Super Tuesday, where he will hope to further blunt the momentum gained by Bernie Sanders who was projected to come in second place in South Carolina in the first few states to have voted. Signalling that Mr Biden may prove to be the standard bearer for moderate Democrats in that upcoming fight, the former vice president picked up a key endorsement from Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia who said he plans on hitting the campaign trail over the next few days. 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 Sanders, although he has run a campaign that has outraged and scared the establishment Democratic Party, appears poised for big wins in many of the 14 states that are heading to the polls in just three days. But on Saturday, he congratulated Mr Biden for his performance in South Carolina. There are a lot of states in this country and nobody wins them all, Mr Sanders said in Virginia, where he held one of two rallies on Saturday including an event in Massachusetts. I want to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory tonight. Pete Buttigieg, who won the most delegates in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, told supporters at a campaign event of his own that he is proud of the votes they earned in South Carolina, and promised to continue fighting in the days ahead. Running for president is an exercise in hope and humility and we have come down South filled with both, he said. I want to thank the voters of South Carolina, especially black voters who showed the famous Southern hospitality over the last year. Elizabeth Warren, who has had virtually no success so far in the primary season, told a crowd at a rally in Houston that she was already looking ahead to Super Tuesday, and did not plan on leaving the race anytime soon. Were looking forward to gaining as many delegates to the convention as we can, she said. Tom Steyer, who had staked his whole candidacy on the hopes that he would perform well in South Carolina, dropped out shortly after the results came in. Amy Klobuchar and Tulsi Gabbard, both of whom are still running, received less than 5 per cent of the vote in South Carolina, together. Theres no question today that ... we were disappointed with where we came out, Mr Steyer told supporters as he announced the end of his campaign. But I said if I didnt see a path to winning that I'd suspend my campaign, and honestly I can't see a path where I can win the presidency. If Mr Biden can now claim momentum heading into those contests, he still remains at a significant disadvantage. Compared to Mr Sanders and Michael Bloomberg the billionaire former mayor of New York City who has spent a small fortune targeting Super Tuesday states the former vice president has significantly fewer resources at his disposal, including much weaker finances and a lack of ground game in those states. We will have to sit down and get serious about how we retool this campaign, said House majority whip Jim Clyburn, a powerful South Carolina democrat who endorsed Mr Biden just before the primary, during a CNN interview before results came in. He added that a win in South Carolina would mean many of us around the country will be able to join with him and help him get it right. Even so, at least part of the difficulties facing Mr Biden appeared to ease in just the hour after the former vice president was announced the victor in South Carolina. His director of online financing, 48 minutes after the winner was announced, tweeted that the campaign had already had its best hour of fundraising of the entire campaign an incoming wave of cash that was likely to continue over the next several hours before midnight, which is a campaign finance filing deadline. As results continued to be compiled, Mr Biden's decisive win in South Carolina drew comparisons for him to past presidential candidates who had come back from long odds to win the nomination, and the presidency. Andrew Yang, a former 2020 candidate who is now a CNN contributor, called him the "comeback kid". And, during his speech in South Carolina, Mr Biden became emotional and signalled that he would never forget the support he received in the state. "We'll never forget what you've done for us. We can say without fear of contradiction: the Bidens love you guys," he said. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 22:04:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DOHA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States signed on Saturday a historic peace agreement with Afghanistan's Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha that includes Taliban reduction of violence and withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. According to a joint statement released by the U.S. and Afghan governments on Saturday ahead of the signing, the United States and NATO will completely pull out their troops from Afghanistan in 14 months if the Taliban held its commitments. The statement also said that the United States is going to reduce its troops to 8,600 in Afghanistan within 135 days after signing the agreement. The historic deal could be the first step towards full withdrawal of foreign troops from within 14 months to end 18 years of violence in chaos-stricken country. The World Health Organisation on Friday raised its global risk assessment of the new coronavirus to its highest level after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and caused financial markets to plunge. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk was being raised to "very high" because of the continued increase in cases and the number of new countries affected in recent days. These developments "are clearly of concern", Tedros told reporters in Geneva. But he added: "We still have a chance of containing this virus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients and trace contacts." The virus has proliferated around the globe over the past week, emerging on every continent except Antarctica, prompting many governments and businesses to try to stop people travelling or gathering in crowded places. Switzerland became the latest country to announce drastic measures on Friday, saying all events with more than 1,000 participants would be suspended until March 15. The ban forced the cancellation of the Geneva International Motor Show -- a major item on the global auto industry calendar -- that was due to start next week. Carnival celebrations, rock concerts and a major watchmaking trade show also had to be scrapped. The virus has killed more than 2,800 people and infected over 83,000 worldwide -- the vast majority in China -- since it emerged apparently from an animal market in a central Chinese city in late December. The number of deaths and new infections has been tapering off in China, following unprecedented quarantine efforts locking down tens of millions of people in the worst-hit cities. But infections elsewhere have started to surge, with Iran, Italy and South Korea becoming the major new hotspots and cases being confirmed in around 50 countries. "We see a number of countries struggling with containment," said Michael Ryan, head of WHO's health emergencies programme. The WHO has voiced particular concern about Africa's preparedness, warning that the continent's health care systems were ill-equipped to respond to a COVID-19 epidemic. Cases had previously been reported in Egypt and Algeria, but not in the sub-Saharan region until Friday when Nigeria reported its first case: an Italian man in densely populated Lagos. Stock markets around the world have plummeted this week as it has become increasingly clear the virus will take a huge toll on the global economy. "Stock markets are well on their way to their worst week since the global financial crisis," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda trading group. Several companies have said they expect the virus to hit their earnings because of weaker demand. Oil prices also dived four per cent to their lowest levels for more than a year, with Brent oil for April delivery sinking as low as USD 50.05 a barrel. Analysts have warned that China, the world's second largest economy, will see a major cut in growth this quarter as the country remains largely paralysed by quarantines and containment measures. Still, signs in China offered hope that the outbreak could be contained. China reported 44 more deaths on Friday, raising its toll to 2,788, with 327 new cases -- the lowest daily figure for new infections in more than a month. The main concern for health officials is outside of China, with governments this week forced into increasingly drastic measures in an attempt to battle spiralling epidemics. The biggest death toll outside China is in Iran, where 34 people have died. As elsewhere, the virus has mostly killed the elderly or people who had other health conditions. South Korea also now has the most cases outside China, with more than 2,000 infections and 13 deaths. The virus has had wide-ranging impact, even forcing K-pop megastars BTS to cancel four Seoul concerts due in April. In Japan, the health ministry said a British man who was on board a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo had died, bringing the death toll to six. The unidentified man's death is the latest linked to infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where more than 700 other people tested positive for the illness. The death comes as the governor of Japan's rural northern island of Hokkaido urged people to stay at home this weekend in a desperate effort to contain the outbreak. In Europe, the largest epicentre is Italy with 650 cases and 17 deaths -- mostly in cities in the north. Wide-ranging measures to halt the spread of the virus have affected tens of millions of people in northern Italy, with schools closed and cultural and sporting events cancelled. Experts said the virus had probably "circulated unnoticed for several weeks" before the first confirmed cases -- possibly since January. Belarus, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Mexico and New Zealand were the latest countries to report new cases. The United States and the Taliban are set to sign a long-sought deal in Doha on Saturday that would see the two foes agree to the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees. India will attend the landmark event of the long-sought peace deal as an "observer". As Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla travels to Kabul to convey India's support to the agreement, CNN-News18 talks to Nazar Mohammed Mutmaeen, Taliban sympathiser and political analyst, about the future of Taliban, its relationship with Al-Qaeda and Indias role in the Afghan region. Edited Excerpts: The US is set to sign a peace deal with the Taliban on February 29. How does Taliban view this move? Since one year this negotiation started and finally they agreed to sign the peace agreement on February 29. Both sides wanted this to end in Afghanistan. This was a long war in the history of America and led to too many casualties in Afghanistan. The Afghan community and Taliban are looking forward to signing the agreement. What is your take on the relationship between Pakistan and Taliban? The media is reporting regarding the close relationship between Taliban and Pakistan. Actually, we share our border with Pakistan and there is the Durand Line conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. There has been a problem between Pakistan and Afghan people since a long time. In 2007, Pakistan security forces arrested Obaidullah Akhund, who was the Defence Minister under the Taliban government in Afghanistan. He was later killed by Pakistan. Next, they arrested the deputy leader of Taliban. For 10 years, Ustad Yasar, a famous Taliban leader, was kept in a prison and no one knows if he is alive or was killed. Actually, there is a deal between Pakistan and Taliban. Pakistan needs something and Taliban also needs to live in Durand Line and Pakistani refugee camps. But Pakistan is trying to get privileges by using Taliban. Reports in some countries claim that Pakistan has control of Taliban but these reports are completely wrong. Taliban shows its independence because it had a one-year long talk with America in Qatar in Taliban offices in Qatar. Pakistan tried its best to hold a peace negotiation with America but Taliban didn't accept. It meant that Taliban is independent but there is a relation which it would like to have with Pakistan, Iran, China, central Asia and India as well. But it doesn't mean Taliban is very close to Pakistan. We have millions of refugees in Pakistan, but it doesn't mean there is control over Taliban. Are you saying that this is the only working relationship between Taliban and Pakistan? Actually, the relationship between Taliban and Pakistan is similar to the one between Taliban and Iran. It is the same as Taliban and other neighbouring countries. For example, media reported that Taliban received funds from Iran and that Afghanistan has places in Pakistan. But in reality, I know that Taliban is living in refugee camps in Durand Line. We have a big Durand Line and it is a problematic area with Pakistan. The Afghanistan government signed a pact related to Durand land but the Afghan community didn't accept. I would say, there will be a deal between Taliban and Pakistanthe same kind of deal that took place between Iran and Taliban, Russia and Taliban and China and Taliban. We hope that in the future India and Taliban will also have good relations. The peace deal was a long pending desire of the US and Taliban both. How do you see the future of Taliban? Will they join the government given the fact that Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis oath is already delayed? Taliban rejected the government of President Ashraf Ghani and before that it rejected the government of President Hamid Karzai. Taliban is seeing that its installed by the United States. I know that Taliban will not gel or share power with the present government in Afghanistan, but would like to have a united government in Afghanistan and (they would want that) tribal leaders and political leaders share the power. But it doesnt mean Taliban would accept the present government. However, it will talk about the upcoming government, the system of the government, who will be the leader and the structure of the government -- republic or Islamic republic. They will discuss all of this with Afghan politicians but not gel with the present government. How do you see the role of India, which is an important ally in the region? Do you see a good relationship between India and Taliban in the days to come? I hope India will repair its relations with Taliban. In the past, India did not try to have a good relation with the Taliban regime. In the last 19 years, America attacked us and India was not willing to have a relationship with Taliban. The present Afghanistan government is installed by the US and people do not support it. I think India should review or read the history of Afghanistan. For example, during the communist regime, India supported the Mohammad Najibullah government in Afghanistan. They had a problem with Mujahideen. Historically, India has not shared good relations with the Pashtun people in the south. A majority of people in Taliban are Pashtun and India has this concern that Taliban is close to Pakistan but it is not true. We have the problem of Durand Line with Pakistan. If India again ignores the good relationship with the Afghan community and Pashtun people, and if it supports the present government of President Ghani, it will lose, just like it did the last time during the communist regime. For 18 years, they supported the insult by the US to the Afghan government. So finally they lost. So its better that India does a review of how to have a good relationship with the Afghan community but not with the government. Actually, since 14 years there was no representative in Afghanistan. Yes, Taliban came to power and Afghan community supported but it was a communist regime and it was not representative of the Afghan people. But India supported it. India abrogated Article 370 last year and Pakistan has been involved in anti-India activities for a long time. Do you maintain that its Indias internal matter and Pakistan should avoid anything against India? We know there are problems between Pakistan and India...some incidents have happened in the past. We know India will not view or compare the Afghan community, Taliban or Pashtun people from the point of view of Pakistan. We share our border with Pakistan and also have the Durand Line problem with them, but are culturally very close to India. There is a large population of Muslims in India and we would like to have good relations with India in the future. But if India continues to view Afghanistan from the view of Pakistan, I think it will not be workable. We do not want to involve ourselves in problems that Pakistan and India face or create an issue between the two countries. We would like to have good relations will all neighbourhood countries. Are you maintaining that abrogation of Article 370 is purely an internal matter of India? The Afghan community would like to have good relations with all neighbouring countries. We hope that Pakistan and India resolve their problems. But their problems are their own and do not belong to Afghanistan. What do you have to say about the relationship between Al-Qaeda and Taliban? When the US attacked Afghanistan, all Arabs left the country and went to Pakistan and Iran. Those who went to Pakistan were captured by the police and security forces and handed over to the US. In the last 18 years, (there have been) no major Arab Mujahideen in Afghanistan as they all went to Pakistan. As there is going to be a peace agreement between Taliban in US, Taliban will now guarantee to the neighbouring countries and the US that there will be no threat from the Al-Qaeda and Islamic groups. So, as far as I know, there is no Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Taliban will not allow anyone to threaten the neighbouring countries. Can you assure us that Taliban will not attack India or support any activity against India? The Afghan politicians and groups have problems with the US, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Pakistan and Iran. India is located a little far from Afghanistan and Taliban will not attack for the benefit of India. I hope Taliban resolves its own problems with Afghan politicians. Joseph Coulombe, who in 1967 parsed a few cultural trends, added his retail instincts and created Trader Joes, the popular grocery chain known for unusual foods, a generous wine selection and a laid-back atmosphere, died on Friday at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 89. The death was confirmed by his son, Joseph. In the mid-1960s Mr. Coulombe (pronounced coo-LOAM) owned a modest chain of convenience stores in the Los Angeles area, Pronto Markets, but began to realize he couldnt compete with better-financed convenience chains like 7-Eleven. He had noted that education levels in the United States were increasing and that Boeing was planning a new plane, the 747, that he thought would mean more international travel and thus more interest among Americans in exotic foods. He also read somewhere that the more education people had, the more alcohol they drank. He fashioned those and other tidbits into Trader Joes, opening the first store in Pasadena, Calif. He gave it a South Seas motif, had employees wear tropical shirts and be extra friendly, and included exotic cheeses and foods from afar among the stock for the adventurous palate. KANSAS CITY WEEKEND BIZ STAYS LOSING AS LOCALS CLEARLY STAYED HOME AMID GROWING CORONAVIRUS FEAR!!! Kansas City Doc Talk KC infectious disease specialist talks about coronavirus threat There are no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in our metro, but many in the medical community say it's a question of when, not if it arrives here.The University of Kansas Health System prepares for all kinds of infectious disease outbreaks, including coronavirus.It has dozens of airborne isolation rooms and can quickly add more."We feel a pandemic is probably inevitable. Sickness Bursts Bubble After stock market plummets, coronavirus fears could also impact housing market KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Fear of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, sent the stock market to its worst week in 12 years, and that could affect the housing market in Kansas City. 41 Action News spoke to Park University Economics Professor Pete Soule to get his thoughts on the impact of the plummeting market. Kansas City Middle-Class Depends On China Biz Man with metro ties, living in China, could lose job and family due to coronavirus outbreak MISSION, Kan. -- The Coronavirus isn't only affecting the financial markets here in the U.S., but also stalling economies across the globe. China, where the Coronavirus originated, is especially affected, and Americans working in China might be worried about an uncertain future. Hottie Suffers As World Endures Bat Soup Fear & Loathing Coronavirus leaves local bride scrambling to find bridesmaid dresses A bride-to-be is scrambling to get new bridesmaids dresses after the coronavirus shut down production in China. Sydney Patterson never expected to be shopping for bridesmaid dresses two weeks before her wedding. She just found out the dresses her bridesmaids ordered months ago would not be ready in time. Newsies Talk Money Four Reasons Why The Coronavirus Is Such a Terrifying Economic Menace The Bible That Oozed Oil The Drunk Men I Drive Around Every Night Why the Silent Spread of Coronavirus Might Actually Be a Good Sign Elizabeth Warren's Deft Approach to Male Bluster, as Seen in a Disastrous Live Chris Matthews Interview The financial markets plunged into a state of abject panic this week, thanks to the novel coronavirus. Prez Trump Team Assurance Trump's top economic adviser confident coronavirus won't sink economy White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow Lawrence (Larry) Alan Kudlow MORE on Friday downplayed the impact of the coronavirus, arguing it would not lead to an economic downturn. "The virus is not going to sink the American economy. Outlook Uncertain For Now . . . Will coronavirus cause a global recession? We still don't know. On Friday morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped a whopping 900 points, or over 3 percent, over growing fears about the economic impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak. It capped off the stock index's worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, according to ABC News. Friday night errands a quick peek into normally bustling Kansas City establishments reveals a great any empty establishments.To wit . . .Here's ourreporting, observation and what we've seen via social media: A quick stroll through Crossroads, Westport, 39th Street & The Plaza revealed quite a places with a dismal showing for such a nice night of 50 degree weather.An example from the scene and juxtaposition: Last week the temperatures were about 15 degrees colder but all of these same places were. Obviously, this isn't just an isolated trend asindicates the threat of a global economic slowdown.Here are links for further reading and edification:Developing . . . The Maharashtra government on Saturday appointed Param Bir Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer as Mumbais new Commissioner of Police. The Home department issued an order on Saturday naming Singh as the citys new police chief. Singh whose last posting was as Director General of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) will take over from Sanjay Barve later Saturday. Bipin K Singh, additional director general of the ACB will be acting DG until the further posting is announced, the home department order has stated. The name of the new Mumbai CP was finalised in a high level meeting between chief minister Uddhav Thackearay, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday evening. Besides the six officers of the ranks of director general, a few names of the ranks of the additional general of police (ADGs) too were considered for the post. ADGs Rashmi Shukla, Sadanand Date, K Venkatesham were among the contenders for the post. Outgoing Commissioner of Police Barve was given two extensions of three months each after his superannuation on August 31, 2019. Before heading the ACB, Singh was Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) in the state police. He has also held important posts like that of Thane Police Commissioner, ATS additional commissioner, DCP in several important zones in Mumbai, and also Superintendent of Police in districts like Chandrapur and Bhandara. Under Singhs leadership, the Thane police cracked some of the biggest cases that were of national importance, such as the arrest of Dawood Ibrahims brother Iqbal Kaskar in an extortion case, Mira Road Call Centre case, Ephedrine drug case, CDR case and Army recruitment case. Singh had courted controversy after he held a press conference on August 31 at state police headquarter last year on the arrest of activists with alleged Maoists links. In the conference Singh had read out letters allegedly written by these activists, arrested in June 2019. The Bombay High Court had come heavily on Singh for reading out the letters, which may be used as evidence. The officer had also sparked controversy last December after he filed an affidavit in the High Court giving clean chit to the Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar in the irrigation scam. ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP via Getty Images MOSCOWHistorians of Vladimir Putins reign used to write volumes about the man who stood behind him, directing and manipulating, like the eminence grise of old. Kremlinologists described Vladislav Surkov as a shadowy crafter of Russian domestic policies, and somebody who destroyed his opponents without mercy. Trumps Fury at Intel Briefing Shows Putins Bet Keeps Paying Off He also became Russias ruthless hand in rebellious eastern Ukraine through the last six years of the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. But when the current of history changes, even the Kremlins stars fall. Earlier this month President Putin sacked his 55-year-old aide in a terse two-sentence decree. There was no official elaboration, but Surkov let it be known the reason was a divergence of views on Ukraine as Putin charts a new course there. Independent political observers were intrigued. It was as if Donald Trump fired his advisor Stephen Miller, the generator of many cruel and controversial policies, and a lightning rod for criticism. Surkov is blamed for poisoning Russias democracy, helping to destroy freedom of the press, inspiring far-right movements, and for shaping failed policies in Ukraine. During the first decade of Putins Russia, Surkov tightened the reins of authoritarian rule, leading to Putins second decade in power, and now perhaps a thirdbut this time without Surkov. Even at the height of Surkovs influence there were constraints. Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a well-known Kremlinologist who used to work with Surkov analyzing polls, tells The Daily Beast, He built the system from within but his power was limited. He once told me he was not walking in an open field but rather along a corridor with walls on both sides. Surkov mocked the west, democracy, elections and freedom of speech in an opinion piece published by the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta last year. Putins big political machine is just gaining momentum, Surkov wrote, calling on readers to evaluate Putinism as the ideology of the future. Story continues But not many people noticed the article then. The author of Russias sovereign democracy, a euphemism for Putins autocracy, already had ceased to interest most Russians. His fantasies and occasional self-satire are fading fast from the publics memory, at least for now. Ukrainians may find him harder to forget, as he continued to insult them even after his dismissal. There is no Ukraine, there is just Ukrainian-ness. It is a specific kind of mental illness, Surkov said on Wednesday. Asked if he could imagine eastern Ukraine, known as Donbas, returning to Kyivs control, he said, I dont have a strong enough imagination to envision that. Donbas doesnt deserve such humiliation. Ukraine doesnt deserve such an honor. On Friday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that Surkov looked like a phony strategist filled with self-importance, and noted that Ukraine lives in spite of whatever the fired chauvinist Surkov says about it. As a young man, Surkov served in the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU, infamous for its covert operations, including assassinations, and recently notorious for its role hacking and influencing the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. As Putins deputy chief of staff from 2000 to 2011, Surkov created an aura around himself as the puppet master pulling strings from behind the scenes. But his profile was high enough to interest journalists, and his responses to critical articles were furious. In 2005 Russian Newsweek discovered that Surkov was hiding his Chechen roots from his public biography. The magazine published Surkov fathers name, Andarbek Dudayev, and photographs of little Surkov. It turned out that Putins aid had spent a few years of his childhood in Chechnya. It was not the kind of thing the ultranationalist Surkov liked to have bruited about. Surkov was angry when we published that story from Chechnya along with photographs of his family members, Leonid Parfenov, the former editor-in-chief of Russian Newsweek, told his colleagues when the magazine was folding in 2010. I had to explain to him that it would be impossible for him to keep his Chechen origins in secret. Long before Trump tried to convince us that we live in post-truth reality, Surkov was weaponizing disinformation. Last year Foreign Policy magazine mentioned only one Russian on its list of 100 global thinkers: Vladislav Surkov has perfected the art of propaganda, the item explained. Surkov has not only fortified the Kremlins power by rearranging Russias landscape of opposition parties and civil society groups but has also exploited media fragmentation to increase the reach of Russian disinformationat home and abroad. His approach is said to have inspired various imitators around the world, including anonymous social media trolls and the Trump administrations press operation. Surkov is proud of his role as a creator of the system that is now leading the information counterattack on the West. Foreign politicians blame Russia for interfering in elections and referendums all over the planet, Surkov said in his recent Nezavisimaya Gazeta op-ed. In reality, things are even more seriousRussia interferes with their mind and they don't know what to do about their own changed consciousness. One of Surkovs creations, the pro-Putin Nashi youth movement, was full of propagandists. Active from 2005 to 2012, at its peak it counted up to 150,000 members. Nashi activists enjoyed the Kremlins support as they worked to humiliate and otherwise attack Russian opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists. Anybody who did not sympathize with the Kremlins policies was included by Nashi in its enemies lists. Surkov also developed relations with far-right groups involved in the so-called Russky March demonstrations by neo-Nazi activists. He used the old KGB method of infiltrating skinhead groups with his people and leading them, Kryshtanovskaya told The Daily Beast. Those who know Surkov well, say he has never been an ordinary bureaucrat, but rather a bohemian aesthete, a self-styled philosopher. When Washington put him on a sanctions list in 2014, after Russias annexation of Crimea and its actions in eastern Ukraine, freezing his assets and barring him from the United States, Surkov responded with his typical cynical irony. "The only things that interest me in the U.S. are Tupac Shakur, Allen Ginsberg and Jackson Pollock, he said. I dont need a visa to access their work. Until recently Surkov was in charge of the Kremlins peace talks in Donbas, as well as Moscows policies in the Georgian separatist republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Earlier this year, when the situation in Abkhazia seemed to be out control with a conflict between the leadership and the opposition, Surkov had to fly to Sukhumi and lead negotiations between the two sides. But it appears that, despite his many responsibilities, and despite his closeness to Putin in the early years, Surkovs access and influence waned considerably over the last decade. His sunset began in 2011, Moscow-based political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky told The Daily Beast, and only thanks to his influential friend Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was Surkov able to hang on. Seven years ago Putin trusted him with one more dirty and dangerous project, the conflict in Ukraine, but the times have changed, the Kremlin is in peace talks with Kyiv, Surkov is not needed. Surkovs dream, said Belkovsky, was to become the brain for the Kremlin but he failed. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Chad Johnson was taken to hospital after authorities deemed the reality star 'may be a danger to himself.' Authorities performed a welfare check at Johnson's residence on Saturday morning where it was 'determined [Chad] needed to be taken in for further evaluation,' TMZ reported. Later in the day on Saturday, Johnson posted to Insta Stories assuring his fans that 'I'm okay' and demanding 'hey idiots stop calling the police I'm not at home.' This comes after Johnson shared two disturbing new videos to his Instagram story in the early hours of Saturday morning. In hospital: Bachelor Nation star Chad Johnson was rushed to hospital by authorities on Saturday morning after a wellness check determined the reality star 'may be a danger to himself' The Bachelor Nation star had no reported injuries upon the time of his transport. The first of Johnson's concerning videos featured the 32-year-old at a table, where he was blasting Billy Joel's song Piano Man. At the table, viewers could see a green rope positioned next to Johnson's wallet and a lone bottle cap. The second video shows Johnson attempting to speak to someone standing on the other side of a door. Drama: Annalise called 911 on Monday because they got in an argument while he was at her apartment, according to TMZ; pictured November 6, 2019 Chad can be heard quickly uttering 'I have no choice,' in the background of the eerie short clip. A welfare check was performed at Johnson's residence on Friday, as well, after he had shared a photo to his story that featured a green rope tied onto a door. The image, which has since been deleted, was captioned 'it'll be okay.' This post prompted a friend of Chad's to call authorities about a possible 'suicidal person.' 'I'm okay': Later on Saturday, Johnson uploaded an Insta Stories photo of what looked as though it might be his apartment living room Later on Saturday, Johnson uploaded an Insta Stories photo of what looked as though it might be his apartment living room. 'Im okay. Things are fine. Life is going to be okay. Forgive yourself. Let go,' he wrote underneath this picture. He followed this up Insta Stories image that looked as though it were taken from his car. Johnson wrote with this post: 'hey idiots stop calling the police Im not at home. I dont want to be abducted or kidnapped. Good luck b****es come find me'. 'hey idiots stop calling the police i'm not at home': He followed this up Insta Stories image that looked as though it were taken from his car Warm words: The next post was a photo of a note left for him by his ex-girlfriend Annalise Mishler reading: 'i love you, i care about you so f***ing much' The next post was a photo of a note left for him by his ex-girlfriend Annalise Mishler reading: 'i love you, i care about you so f***ing much. i would write more but thats all that matters.' The card came with a pre-written message saying: 'JUST WANTED TO SAY I'M THINKING OF YOU.' Above the word 'THINKING,' Mishler wrote: 'understatement.' This all came in the wake of Chad's arrest for felony domestic violence and robbery charges on Monday, where he vehemently denied laying a hand on Mishler. Explaining: Talking directly to the camera in another video, Annalise explained how things began when she confronted him after seeing alerts from the dating app Hinge on his phone A Reddit group for The Bachelor nation also appeared to make a welfare call to police, as seen in a thread from Friday afternoon on Reddit. The police went to his home in the San Fernando Valley and had a conversation with him before deeming him not a threat to himself or others, according to TMZ. The outlet reported that the friend was also worried because Chad didn't answer his phone calls around the same time as his Instagram post. On Monday, Annalise had called 911 because her and Johnson had got into an argument while he was at her apartment, according to TMZ. Damage; The Sunday night posts included shots of fist-sized holes in the apartment walls, as well as a followup video of what appeared to be the reality persona verbally attacking Annalisee while she tried to get back into her apartment He was there the day before and was drunk, according to Annalise; she told the police he punched a hole in her wall and allegedly got physical with her. Cops found visible red marks on her face upon arrival to her home, which was enough to arrest him for felony domestic violence. Annalise had shared footage of Chad appearing to shout threatening things from outside her apartment. According to Annalise, the altercation began after her boyfriend got 'drunk for the first time in 50 days' over the weekend. Talking directly to the camera in another video, Annalise explained how things began when she confronted him after seeing alerts from the dating app Hinge on his phone. But instead of explaining himself, Chad allegedly exploded. Wow: Illustrating the damage, Annalise told followers: 'So Chad just got drunk for the first time in like 50 days and punched a hole in my wall, for no f***ing reason.' 'This is the reality of my life, which is great,' she said sarcastically, then showing her 'traumatized' calico cat. Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment 'He went crazy,' she said, 'On me. Like, how dare I have the audacity.' The Sunday night posts included shots of fist-sized holes in the apartment walls, as well as a followup video of what appeared to be the reality persona verbally attacking Annalise while she tried to get back into her apartment. Illustrating the damage, Annalise told followers: 'So Chad just got drunk for the first time in like 50 days and punched a hole in my wall, for no f***ing reason.' 'This is the reality of my life, which is great,' she said sarcastically, then showing her 'traumatized' calico cat. Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment. Shocking: Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment Annalise noted that she was lucky to have already asked for her key back. She is then heard confronting Chad from within her apartment, telling him to look at the damage, which he denies he had anything to do with. 'Go home, you're scaring me,' Annalise said. The clip takes a shocking turn as Johnson then tells Annalise 'Good f***ing luck then. I hope you f***ing die' while continuing to bang on the door. Things continued to escalate according to Annalise's video. On top of another clip, she wrote: 'Then he screamed the r-word at me over and over and all my neighbors came out and I heard him screaming at them.' Strangely, she then blamed herself for the incident telling the camera: 'Look, I know I'm the idiot. I'm aware, OK?' Update: Things continued to escalate according to Annalise's video Hours later Annalise returned to Instagram with an update. She thanked everyone who reached out to her, writing: 'Wow so many nice messages today.' Johnson allegedly returned again on Monday, and the couple were engaged in another argument. 'Things escalated this morning and are being taken care of now. Update soon maybe, I'm being guilted for sharing this/"ruining his life" and i know that's not true but it's still scary ya know.' 'He took my phone and chucked it while I was calling 911 this morning so if you've tried texting/calling that would be why i'm not responding lol.' By Monday evening, the police had arrested Chad, a standard step that occurred after they reportedly saw red marks on Annalise's face. The robbery charge appears to stem from him taking her phone as she tried to call 911. Chad later gave a quasi-apology to TooFab in which he claimed he had blacked out during the altercation and didn't remember it. 'I had a little relapse... well I wouldn't call it a little relapse,' he said. 'Big relapse.' Explaining himself: The reality star posted a three-minute-plus clip to Instagram in which he emphatically denied any physical violence against women: 'There was never any domestic abuse of any kind - I have never laid hands on a woman anytime in my entire life' He tried to excuse his behavior by attributing it to him and Mishler breaking up. 'I've been so stressed man, just sitting in my car crying sometimes, just losing my mind. And to top it all off, the one person I'm closest to doesn't get me a lot of times,' he continued. 'I just lost it.' 'I don't remember actually seeing her,' he continued. 'I drank to the point where I didn't even know I was with her. I just gotta take the Instagram Story's word that I was there. Two days after his arrest, Chad took to Instagram to deny laying a hand on his ex-girlfriend Annalise. The reality star posted a three-minute-plus clip to Instagram in which he emphatically denied any physical violence against women: 'There was never any domestic abuse of any kind - I have never laid hands on a woman anytime in my entire life.' The Jenks, Oklahoma native explained how he was raised to respect women, and takes domestic issues very seriously. 'I was in the Marine core; I was taught core values, I have a sister, I am a very overprotective brother, if she ever felt in danger, I would want her to call,' he said. 'If any women out there ever feel like they are in any danger, I urge you to call 911.' Thoughts: 'I was in the Marine core; I was taught core values, I have a sister, I am a very overprotective brother, if she ever felt in danger, I would want her to call,' he said. 'If any women out there ever feel like they are in any danger, I urge you to call 911' Chad, who's been seen on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, explaining how the evening with Mishler unfolded from his perspective after Mishler accused him of punching a hole into her wall during a drunken rage on Sunday. He said following the breakup, he 'was devastated,' as 'it was like losing [his] best friend,' and broke a two-month stretch of no alcohol against his better judgment. 'Whenever I do drink, I don't act right - so I screwed up and I drank,' he said. 'I had made a promise to myself and to my girlfriend that I wouldn't do that anymore.' Chad said that he initially smoothed the situation over, but things got inflamed when Mishler discovered that he'd downloaded a dating app, leading to a back-and-forth that resulted in clips Mishler posted online. Chad said he attempted to smooth things over the following day and 'wasn't mad at' Mishler for posting the clips online. 'I totally understand why she did that, I still love her very much,' he said. Chad admitted he 'was very down at the time' and 'very upset' and made a stupid decision and grabbed her phone and ... just threw it, threw it outside.' Candid: Chad admitted he 'was very down at the time' and 'very upset' and made a stupid decision and grabbed her phone and ... just threw it, threw it outside' He added: 'I can totally understand why Annalise felt threatened whenever I took her phone, but I am 100 percent confident any type of domestic abuse charges are going to be dropped, because there was never any time of domestic abuse at all whatsoever - never laid my hands on a woman.' This isn't the first time Chad's violent temper has gotten him into trouble. The reality star first appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette in 2016 where he was portrayed as the villain and earned the nickname Bad Chad. He was invited back to Bachelor In Paradise the same year but was given the boot after he got drunk and slung violent threats at fellow cast members. Before hooking up with Annalise, Johnson was rumored to have had a relationship with former Playboy pinup Kendra Wilkinson The vast majority of Indians has no idea who Roger Waters is. The vast majority of Indians has no clue what Pink Floyd is. And even some who have heard of Pink Floyd probably think it is a who, not a what, and do not know that Roger Waters was a co-founder of the band. Ditto for John Cusack, despite him having a part in a potboiler that is perhaps the third most aired film on Indian satellite channels after Commando and The Shawshank Redemption (its called ConAir, by the way). Or John Oliver, whos probably a bit better known this week than he was last, after a streaming service decided it was better off not uploading in India the latest version of his show, Last Week Tonight. In recent days, all three have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indias Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or the CAA, the communal riots in Delhi or two or more of these. Waters, Cusack, and Oliver may have little relevance in India, where they can be described, generously, as niche cultural icons, but they are not the only ones. Since it was re-elected with a majority, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Modi has come under international fire over the Kashmir issue, the CAA, and the violence surrounding some anti-CAA protests, and, most recently, the communal riots in Delhi. From business leaders such as Satya Nadella or Tim Draper to political leaders across countries (including some aspirant Democratic nominees in the United States presidential race) and the chief of the United Nations, and, of course, international media, theres been widespread criticism of the Indian government or, at the least, concern exhibited over happenings in India. Sure, some of the reports in foreign media may be incorrect, but some others are not. The government argues that the criticism and the protests themselves are the work of forces, both internal and external, opposed to India, but theres little to prove this. For a country that has always prided itself on its soft power, and which likes praise and endorsement from other countries and global leaders across various domains, this is not a good place to be in. To make things worse, Indias economy has slowed significantly. with both consumption and investment growth declining. The latest data shows that gross domestic product (GDP) grew an anaemic 4.7% in the three months ended December. A booming economy may have made many countries and investors temper their criticism thats the nature of realpolitik but in the absence of that, theres little to offset the negative perception of India. There are three main contributors to this negative perception. The first is that local political leaders in Kashmir continue to remain under detention seven months after the government changed the erstwhile states status. Three former chief ministers have had the stringent Public Safety Act invoked against them, which means they can be held without trial for up to two years. The region itself remains under a security blanket. All these facts are not lost on even those foreign envoys who have been taken around the region by the Indian government in recent months to show that everything is normal. The second is that there has been no attempt by the Union government to engage with people, including students, protesting against the CAA. The third is the violence surrounding the anti-CAA protests. In Uttar Pradesh, 23 people lost their lives in protests in December. In Delhi, more recently, anti-CAA and pro-CAA protests mushroomed into a full-blown communal riot of the kind not seen in the capital for at least three decades. Both Hindus and Muslims have died as a result of the riots, and both communities have suffered the loss of property and livelihoods. Questions are being asked as to why Delhi Police, controlled by the federal home ministry, did not do enough to prevent the riots. Questions have also been raised on hate speech and rhetoric that may have created an environment conducive to the violence in which at least 42 people died in the city-state. Unfortunately, theres only so much that diplomacy can achieve in addressing this image problem. Sure, given the transience of attention spans and the overload of information, people may move on. But theres also a chance of these issues becoming a cause celebre of choice among global businesspeople, actors, musicians, TV anchors, politicians, perhaps even sportspeople. Even as it addresses international concerns dismissing them outright wont work New Delhi should strive for a resolution to the underlying issues themselves. Specifically, it should focus on restarting the political process in Kashmir (and that includes releasing detained leaders) and work towards achieving closure on CAA. Recent resolutions by the Bihar assembly (supported by the local BJP, which is a partner in the state government) may provide some guidance in this context. letters@hindustantimes.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With the changing of the seasons comes a whole new slate of things to care about in fashion, food, film, and...flowers! Yes, thats right: were talking about trends. What new manias and fads does the warmer weather have in store for us? Read ahead for your twisted guide to living large in Spring 2020starting with our take on the very idea of the trend report itself. Trend Reports Recently, I attended the opening of the painter Sam McKinnisss latest show, staged at the gallery JTT and titled Jonathan Taylor Thomas (comedy gold!). I was speaking with one of the foremost geniuses of our time, who said: Fashion is in a very insecure time. A lot of people are wearing things that, you can tell, they dont really want to be wearing. He said hed felt this way since the electionthe beginning of our Totally Uncommon Eraand asserted that there is a lack of confidence, or direction, in fashion. I disagree that no one is showing clothing confidentlyRick Owens, Marine Serre, and Jonathan Anderson, to name only a few, are presenting definitive visions and directional clothing that fashion obsessives as well as the fashion curious will find appealing to the wallet and informative to the eye and mind. But he is right about this overall lack of direction in both fashion and the world, and its for that reason that the first trend on your Spring 2020 Trend Report is...trend reports. The world is flooded with trend reports, written by sophisticated soothsayers claiming to have a crystal ball filled with Dries Van Noten shoes and mens scarves. Looking at culture this way is fantastically diverting, but it also prevents us from understanding what a designer is really doing or trying to say, or what a silhouette or a texture or a styling choice really means. When they tell us they are thinking about the monied middle-class of 70s Pariswhat might that say about the existence (or not!) of such a class today? It becomes our job to decide whether that intention translates or whether it fails. And I think its never been more important to hold our designers to the highest possible standards: if they are going to ask us to stare at Instagram and care about celebrities wearing their garms and give them $300 for a sweatshirt, all of which are things I really love doing, they have to meet us halfway! Story continues Trend reports have become a means to make sense of what often doesnt seem to add up. We live in an age built on a wealth of information, and yet never have we known so little. Is this presidential candidate electable? Is a global pandemic imminent? Are we about to enter an economic depression? And like, why is everyone making suits with giant shoulders? We are on the precipice of something, and googling 2020 predictions trends will tell us absolutely nothing but will at once soothe and rile our inner spirits, giving us a sense of control and order and understanding where none, really, can exist. No one has a crystal ball, including moi. All of that said! There are moods and vibes and inspiring energies to carry you forth into the next season, and that is all I can offer you in these troubled, too-trendy times! Poignant Minimalism From Loewe to Jil Sander to The Row, it seems most designers and shoppers agree that minimalism is the ultimate expression in luxury, at least when it comes to clothes. Perhaps its the hold Donald Judd has over us; perhaps its that being over-dressed looks so garishand by over-dressed I dont mean too formal but wearing too much fashion. What we once called the fashion victim. Think of those 2001 Lori Goldstein Versace advertisements meets the second row of attendees at a mindfulness panel at the World Economic Forum. Josh Hartnett Mirek Towski The problem with a lot of contemporary minimalist clothing is that it lacks soul. Sometimes I look at, you know, a longish blazer without a collar and some suit-ish pants and I just think, Okay, doomer! As Jerry Saltz observed of the Donald Judd retrospective at the Museum of Modern Artwhich just about guarantees that minimalism is here to stay in fashion, because the rest of us may not dress to match the art but stylists, photographers, and designers certainly doJudds minimalism [produced] a platformor a theateronto which everyone elses ideas about everything else could be projected. But the goal of minimalism in fashion is fundamentally different, I would argue, and that is to create a deep spiritual communion between your bod and your mind. Thus we observe the shift from corporate minimalism to Poignant Minimalism: Jonathan Andersons emotional djellabas, Yohji Yamamotos aching and wise fluidity, Giorgio Armanis louche mastery, Agnonas unserious monochromes, Pradas long and crispy cool-dude tops and shorts. Its just not about looking like a cult leader or buying stuff that works like fur-lined xanax anymore! A calming minimalist line is being drawn between designers who leave you cold and those who wrap you up in cashmere or an unlined blazer and seduce you! Prada Spring / Summer 2020 Menswear Fashion Show, Shanghai Yanshan Zhang Yohji Yamamoto : Runway - Paris Fashion Week - Menswear Spring/Summer 2020 Victor VIRGILE Sprawling Banquet Dinner Parties Raf Simons - Runway - February 2018 - New York Fashion Week Mens' Victor VIRGILE Carrying right along with our theme of meaningful opulence: the sprawling banquet comes home. The sprawling banquet, or an overwhelming display of foods and flowers fit for a corrupt king, is a fashion trend that began in 2018 with Raf Simons (who else!) and has since swept the industry. Youd think it would disappear now that the world has put its gluttonous mitts firmly on its high blood pressure-fueled pulsebut rather than go away completely, it will enter the domestic sphere, where piles of food will be served on impressive but perhaps mismatched dinnerware to guests who are expected to make sense (read: a meal) of it all. Flowers should (and will) smell slightly rotten. In other words, its funwhich is something I think were still allowed to have! Dinner parties, if youre into that sort of thing, are about to become a lot more like Dutch still lifes or that crazy scene in Beauty and the Beast where shes eating gray stuff while that good-looking candelabra (?) sings to her (???). But even if youre just cooking for yourself, why not make three crazy salads and a jammy egg and two different kinds of toast with some weird piles of fruit and a shrimp cocktail? Reallywhy not? In other expressions of Meaningful Opulencea book I should definitely write and sell at a Starbucks checkout near youwe will see at last Edith Wharton dethrone Henry James as the the trendiest old American author, particularly as the temperatures grow warmer and audiences find an new appreciation for her critically under-appreciated Summer. (You might dip your toes in with Martin Scorseses adaptation of The Age of Innocence, in which several women speak for minutes at a time, if thats your sort of thing.) Elsewhere, dance will finally be recognized as the most significant art form in America: fashions perennial muse, one of the most important phenomena on social media, and the only cool thing to come out of New York in the 70s that we havent overexposed to death. Life, Laugh, Pants: Wittiness Comes For Your Wardrobe Rick Owens : Front Row - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 Peter White Finally: humor returns to fashion. Once upon a time, humor meant something more in fashion than memes, bro! But we are entering a new era of Dressing Up, as Rick Owens recently helped us appreciate, with men wearing crazy and experimental outfits and even changing between events, and young women creating new rituals of putting on clothes by gravitating towards the giant Lacroix-ish shapes of Christopher John Rodgers. I would not be surprised to find designers and shoppers starting to think about getting dressed as a kind of ritual of self-respect and tenderness and maybe even therapy, which is how many of us old softies at GQ think of it now. Standing before your closet is a daily moment to marinate on your self-worth, your identity, your inner so-and-so, and play with who you are and who you want to be. Personal style is crucial, but so is playing around with those crazy Rick Owens Kiss boots or even just, you know, two shirts instead of one. Its not about jokes but about levity. Bring joy to the water cooler in your crazy outfit today! Originally Appeared on GQ By Express News Service CHIKMAGALUR: BJP legislator Basangouda Patil Yatnal on Friday kept up his attack on veteran freedom fighter HS Doreswamy, demanding proof of his participation in the freedom struggle. He told reporters, When everyone is demanding proof of the Balakot airstrike, there is nothing wrong in me demanding proof from Doreswamy. Terming Doreswamy a Congress agent, Yatnal asked what he was doing in the company of Kanhaiya Kumar, Asaduddin Owaisi and others, as was evident in the pictures he had released. His acts clearly state that he is against Gandhian ideals, he added and suggested to the media not to give publicity to people like Doreswamy, who criticise all the decisions of the government. In response, Siddaramaiah had said that Yatnal should not be allowed to continue as MLA, and the Congress would demand his resignation. Siddaramaiah had echoed former Congress minister HK Patil, that they would not allow the assembly to function. Former minister and Congress legislator UT Khader accused the BJP of revealing its true colours and hidden agenda by criticising freedom fighters and branding anyone it dislikes as traitors. His statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot be pardoned, as he constantly criticises the PM, Yatnal said. Taking a dig at BJP MPs from Karnataka, Yatnal said they fear to speak, even for the betterment of the public, and urged them to raise their voice in Parliament. Strongly opposing dynastic politics in the BJP, Yatnal said that he is against the inheritance of posts and that he would not accept this kind of politics, which is part of the JDS and Congress. KSE joins chorus Yatnal got support from Rural Development Minister KS Eshwarappa, who changed the tune a little, saying that they dont doubt that centenarian HS Doreswamy had participated in the freedom struggle. But he wanted to know what his pictures with Kanhaiya Kumar, Jignesh Mewani and Amulya were meant to convey. I wouldnt call Doreswamy a Pakistan agent, but I justify Yatnals statements. By Trend A hotline has been created for Azerbaijani citizens wishing to return from Iran, Trend reports on Feb. 29 referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Hot lines have been created in the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and the Consulate General in Tabriz for the return of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. Azerbaijani citizens willing to return from Iran should contact the diplomatic missions via the following hot lines: Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran Phone: (+98 910) 559 56 10 (+9821) 22 55 82 99 (+9821) 22 55 42 55 Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Tabriz : (+98 902) 095 13 83 (+98413) 333 48 02/04 While considering WHO recommendations and the experience of other countries, a decision was made to temporarily close the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran from 16:00 (GMT+4) for two weeks in connection with the risk of spreading of coronavirus on the basis of a restrictive regime. This measure was discussed with the Iranian relevant state structures and Iran was informed about Azerbaijans decision. The necessary corridor will be ensured by using the appropriate regime for the departure of Iranian citizens from Azerbaijan to Iran and the entry of Azerbaijani citizens who are in Iran. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz KASTANIES, Greece With tear gas clouding the air, thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe clashed with riot police officers on the Greek border with Turkey on Saturday morning, signaling a new and potentially volatile phase in the migration crisis. The scene at Kastanies, a normally quiet Greek border checkpoint into Turkey, rapidly became a tense confrontation with the potential to worsen as dozens of Greek security officers and soldiers fired canisters of tear gas. Riot police officers with batons, shields and masks confronted the migrants through the wire, yelling at them to stay back. About 4,000 migrants of various nationalities were pressed against the Turkish side of the border. An additional 500 or so people were trapped between two border posts, but still on the Turkish side, at the long and heavily militarized land border that has turned into the flash point of the tug of war between Turkey and Europe. By Senator Danny Carroll Feb. 28, 2020 | 05:04 PM | PADUCAH Week eight of the 2020 Regular Session is in the books. Now that we have passed the halfway point of this session, the countdown begins as we in the Senate anticipate the 2020-2022 budget bill from the House of Representatives, which we are expecting to receive by early March. While crafting the biennial budget remains at the forefront of everyone's minds, we are staying the course to uphold our other legislative obligations as members of the General Assembly by passing bills that include specific reforms and amendments to help us move the Commonwealth forward. I am pleased to announce that this year's school safety measure, Senate Bill (SB) 8, has been signed into law by the Governor. Passing both chambers with bipartisan support, SB 8 requires the trained and certified law enforcement officers already serving in Kentucky schools to be armed. The School Safety and Resiliency Act, which passed in 2019, implemented additional security and safety standards for schools, such as the requirement of a school resource officer and increased mental health services. I am encouraged by this momentous stride made by the General Assembly to better protect students within our school walls and I'm proud to have a role in these efforts! The Senate passed three constitutional amendments this week, all of which relate to responsible criminal justice reform. Constitutional amendments passed by the Kentucky General Assembly go through a slightly different process than regular bills by also requiring the approval of Kentucky voters. If a legislatively referred constitutional amendment is passed by both chambers, the proposed amendment will be placed on the ballot at the next general election during which members of the state legislature are up for election. If approved by a simple majority of voters, it becomes part of the constitution. Passing early in the week was Senate Bill (SB) 15, or "Marsy's Law." This measure would enshrine in the Kentucky Constitution certain rights for crime victims, including the right to be notified of all criminal court proceedings involving the accused, and reasonable protection from the accused. Kentucky voters approved this law in 2018, with 63 percent support. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the question on the ballot was too vague, therefore voiding the vote. SB 15 includes updated language and improvements. Moreover, as a co-sponsor of the bill I hope to see Marsy's Law on the ballot again this November. Another constitutional amendment advancing this week is SB 58, which would curtail a governor's ability to issue pardons on the way out of office. In other words, a governor would not be able to issue pardons or commutations during a certain period of time, beginning thirty days prior to the gubernatorial election and ending on the fifth Tuesday after the electionbefore the next governor is sworn in. Sections of the Kentucky Constitution granting a governor the power to pardon date back to 1891, when it wasn't unheard of to duelthe kind involving guns. Since then, our society and the composition of our judicial system has changed dramatically. It's important to keep in mind that the power to pardon allows one man or woman to override the judgement of multiple authorities and officials within our criminal justice system. To limit the possibility of political corruption, SB 58 implements overdue, responsible oversight to a governor's power to pardon. Also passing was SB 62. This measure would grant the General Assembly the authority to establish standards for giving persons convicted of certain felonies the right to vote. However, the new process to restore voting rights would exclude those convicted of treason, bribery in an election, a violent offense, a sex offense or an offense against a child. Currently, Kentucky is one of only two states, along with Iowa, with a lifetime voting ban for felons. Although there was an executive order put into place in late 2019, there are still around 170,000 Kentuckians that are still without the right to vote due to a prior felony conviction. If approved by the House and Kentucky voters, SB 62 could give certain felons a clearer path to regaining their voting rights. An act relating to blockchain technology is also heading to the House following its passage this week. SB 55 establishes a blockchain technology working group attached to the Commonwealth Office of Technology to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of using blockchain technology to enhance the security protection of Kentucky's critical infrastructure. If you aren't already familiar, blockchain technology allows digital information to be distributed but not copied, and, in many ways, has become the backbone of a new type of internet. Originally devised for the digital currency, Bitcoin Blockchain, the tech community has now found other potential uses for the technology. I am proud to support this measure and look forward to seeing continued technological advancements here in the Commonwealth. The Senate also passed a number of other bills this week: SB 132- Adds individuals with state-issued personal identification cards to a master list of potential jurors, giving us a wider representation of our communities within our jury pools. The list of potential jurors was last expanded by the General Assembly in 2002. SB 160- Reorganizes the Office of the Attorney General into the following major organizational units: Criminal Division, Civil Division, Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of Communications, and the Office of Administrative Services. Language within SB 160 also creates the position of Solicitor General. HB 24- Appropriates funding to the Department of Veterans' Affairs in fiscal year 2019-2020 for design and preconstruction costs for the Bowling Green Veterans Center. HB 214- Ensures the availability of a sufficient veterinary workforce through the Veterinary Contract Spaces Program. Given there are not any Veterinary schools in Kentucky, this program provides financial assistance and access to key students seeking a veterinary education at participating out of state veterinary schools. I also want to take a moment to make you aware that for months I have been working with several groups and individuals throughout the state to develop legislation designed to clarify and improve the statutes related to the mandatory reporting of abuse, neglect, dependency and child trafficking. Those involved in this process include the school superintendents in the 2nd Senate District, McCracken County Attorney Sam Clymer, McCracken County Sherriff Matt Carter, and LOTUS. We have gone through several bill drafts in an attempt to properly balance the needs of all impacted by these laws. Unfortunately, we have come an impasse for this legislative session, but our efforts will continue until a bill draft is finalized. To this end, we plan to bring all the stakeholders together following the session in order to work through concerns. It is imperative that we clarify that a suspected incident of this nature must be reported immediately upon a determination of "reasonable cause." Additionally, we need to give schools and other entities the latitude to take certain investigative steps to determine "reasonable cause" to believe a child has been victimized, as spelled out in the statute. However, we must also be sensitive to the needs of the investigating agency, whether it be law enforcement or the Department for Community Based Services, to ensure that the school or other entity does not take steps that could taint any criminal investigation that might follow. This is a very difficult balance, but I am optimistic that we will come to a resolution that is in the best interest of our children. The pace in Frankfort is getting quicker and I anticipate an increase of visitors and advocates from across the Commonwealth. As always, I welcome your input on these issues. I am honored to be your voice in Frankfort. If you have any questions or comments about these issues or any other public policy issue, please call me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at danny.carroll@lrc.ky.gov. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you in the Kentucky State Senate and value your feedback throughout the 2020 legislative session. Senator Danny Carroll (R-Paducah) represents the 2nd District encompassing Ballard, Carlisle, Marshall and McCracken counties. Senator Carroll is the chairman of the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor Committee, as well as the co-chairman of the Program Review and Investigations Committee. He also serves as a member of the Health and Welfare Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Medicaid Oversight Committee. Sen Carroll is also a member of the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC), and on a national level, a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Nuclear Legislative Working Group. Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of West Kentucky Star.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 By Fidan Babayeva - Trend: Azerbaijan's Balkhoorma company which is concerned with dried fruit production is looking to enter Thailand's market, company's Director Isfandiyar Isfandiyarov told Trend. Isfandiyarov said that the parties have already finished the negotiations and only the logistics issues remain to be addressed. "This year, we participated in Gulfood-2020 exhibition in Dubai following which representatives of a number of companies that can be considered potential clients expressed interest in cooperation with our company. Currently, export to Thailand and Germany is among our top goals," Isfandiyarov said. He added that the company's products have been exported to Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and UAE since 2019. Balkhoorma company also plans to increase manufacturing and export volume. "The volume of export and production has increased in 2019 compared to 2018. Consequently, the revenue from export amounted to $1.1 million in 2019," he said. Balkhoorma company began its operations in 2019. The capacity of the plant is 20 tons a week. The company is producing various goods from persimmon, including dried, semi-dried persimmon and persimmon chips. Resumption of work and production is a challenge amid the outbreak. To enhance consumers' confidence in the company, Infinitus recently launched a cloud-based live broadcast, giving consumers a close look into its resumed production, including the implementation of strict guidelines for production processes, logistics and distribution as well as operation and management of the customer service center. With the baseline of workplace safety, Infinitus's production facilities in Xinhui and Yingkou have abided by stringent practices in epidemic control and prevention in terms of entry and exit routes, employee dining and sterilization at key sites. The clean area of Infinits's manufacturing shop reaches air cleanliness ISO-14644-1 level 8. The staff who enter the clean area are required to complete the designated procedures, including washing and drying of hands and other hygienic steps, as well as changing clothes and shoes both in external and internal dressing rooms. Employees are also required to wear disposable gloves all the time and sterilize them with alcohol hourly in clean area to ensure the safety of production. The company has also overcome challenges in provision of raw materials, warehousing, and logistics to ensure timely delivery of products to customers. It has added temperature monitoring and registration of exit from and entry into warehouses into the daily routine amid the outbreak, in addition to upgrading other protective measures. Infinitus's customer service center has shifted to an online work model, which allows employees to work remotely, and ensures them to answer over 90% of incoming customer calls in under 20 seconds. Given the current situation, Infinitus said that it will keep implementing measures for epidemic prevention and control and trying to resume normal operation in a move to provide consumers with high-quality Chinese herbal health products and related services, making its own contribution to an economic recovery. SOURCE Infinitus (China) Company Ltd. At least 66 cases of contagion and two deaths confirmed in northern prefecture. Across Japan, the total toll is 235 infections and five deaths. Tokyo does not consider 705 sick passengers and six victims aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Premier Abe clarifies his call for school closures. Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The island of Hokkaido, the second largest in Japan, has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus epidemic confirmed stated by Naomichi Suzuki (photo), governor of the prefecture, in a press conference held yesterday evening in the capital Sapporo. In Hokkaido, the Japanese health authorities have confirmed at least 66 cases of contagion and two deaths; in the country, the total toll is 235 infections and five deaths. The data reported by the Tokyo government does not include the 705 sick passengers and the six victims on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, quarantined in the port of Yokohama since the beginning of the month. The health minister announced that the latest to die dead on the boat is an unidentified British citizen, who joins five Japanese who have already died. News of the death came as the governor of Hokkaido invited citizens to stay home this weekend, in a desperate attempt to contain the Covid-19 epidemic. Suzuki launched the unprecedented appeal at a televised meeting of government officials. "The situation has become more serious. I'd like people to refrain from going outside over the weekend to protect your lives and health," Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki said in the declaration. The prefectural government cited the possibility of small clusters of infections after six people this month visited an exhibition in the city of Kitami and later tested positive for the virus. Suzuki also asked those who feel unwell to refrain from going to work, saying there have been cases where people with mild symptoms have spread the virus when traveling. Suzuki's appeal partially diverted public attention from the confusion denounced by many local authorities and prefectures in the country following the sudden request by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to close schools temporarily. Many institutions across Japan will close, in line with the wishes of the premier, who has sparked public protests. These forced him to clarify that the last word on school closures is up to the local authorities. Education minister Koichi Hagiuda indicated that school boards could be flexible in deciding when and how long schools will close for. "It is okay to respond in various ways, depending on the circumstances of local communities and schools," he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rozanna Latiff (Reuters) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sat, February 29, 2020 10:07 683 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad206753b4b 2 SE Asia Malaysia,Mahathir-Mohamad,Prime-Minister,Anwar-Ibrahim,politics Free Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad will stand for the premiership on behalf of the former ruling coalition, the interim prime minister said on Saturday, less than a week after he quit and plunged the country into turmoil. "I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support," Mahathir said in a statement. That meant that Mahathir, who is the world's oldest government leader at 94, would reunite with on-off ally and long-term rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, resuming a pact that swept the coalition to a surprise election victory in 2018. "Pakatan Harapan states its full support towards Dr Mahathir as candidate for prime minister," said a statement from the coalition formed by the two men whose struggle has shaped Malaysian politics for two decades. Mahathir has thus secured the likely support he needs to return as prime minister full-time, less than a week after he resigned and was appointed as interim leader. The political futures of both Mahathir and Anwar had appeared in doubt on Friday, with Anwar competing as a candidate in his own right and Mahathir finding little support for a unity government that would have strengthened his power. A new alliance had formed behind former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 72, who had the backing of the old ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). It was that party, tarnished by corruption, that Mahathir and Anwar united to drive from power in 2018 under then prime minister Najib Razak, who now faces graft charges. Tension had persisted between Mahathir and Anwar over the prime minister's promise to one day hand power to the younger man. No date for that was ever set, however. Neither Mahathir nor Pakatan Harapan made any mention of that promise in Saturday's statements. ALLIANCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL With a stellar line-up to include some 49 contemporary and classic French films and documentaries, the 31st Alliance Francaise French Film Festival returns to Palace Cinemas from March 11. Martin Provost's delicious comedy How to be a Good Wife, set in a time when women were required to be largely subservient, and La Belle Epoque, which follows a disillusioned man as he relives the great love affair of his youth, are among the highlights. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, you can catch a screening of a restored version of Donkey Skin starring Catherine Deneuve. There are 15 single-session doubles to a session of your choice (not opening and closing sessions) up for grabs. Send your details to mr.spiggott@bigpond.com before midnight tonight and you'll enter the draw. Alliance Francaise Film Festival Credit: A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS AT PUFFING BILLY A festive highlight on Puffing Billy's calendar, this year's Day out with Thomas marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of Thomas the Tank Engine. To be held on March 14, 15, 21 and 22, it will deliver a host of treats for family and friends who along with joining Thomas as he chugs along on his 35-minute ride through the lush Dandenong Ranges, will also have the chance to meet the Fat Controller, watch the engines shunting through the yards and drop in on the animal nursery or indulge in a spot of face painting. We have two family passes worth $168 each (two adults and two children) on offer to join a 2pm session. Entries received on win@pbr.org.au before midnight tonight have the chance to win. Crackdown on NGOs and INGOs: Guidelines from District Secretaries View(s): The Government has begun a crackdown on non-governmental organisations, both foreign and local, by urging them to cut down on programmes they are now engaged in. The first salvo has already been fired in the Mullaitivu District where NGOs have been asked minimise programmes such as women empowerment, child rights, youth training, human rights, land rights training, formulation and strengthening of self-help groups. Mullaitivu District Additional Secretary K. Kanakeshwaran has told all international and local non-governmental organisations that they should now embark on social and economical programmes in the district. He has set out eleven different areas: Renovation of tanks Renovation of agriculture roads Construction of rural access roads Construction of wells for the vulnerable people Repairing and deepening of wells Construction of temporary shelters to the Indian returnees Supply of Agriculture inputs Livelihood support to women-headed families and families of missing persons Preschool development programmes Supply of equipment to disabled people Supply of healthy food for pregnant mothers, lactating mothers and preschool children of rural villages. NGOs and INGOs have been told that the Secretariat will not approve any action plan which does not contain less than 70 % of the guidelines set out. A government source said similar instructions are to be sent out by other Districts Secretariats. The Mullaitivu District is one of the areas where substantial work is being carried out by NGOs and INGOs. One INGO representative, who did not wish to be identified, declared that they might be forced to cut back on their involvement. It is our principals who identify the projects and programmes. It is only thereafter that they provide us the money. It is not within our writ to deal with matters beyond our purview. Lord Nasebys book launch on auspicious day The date of Lord Nasebys book launch, Feb 26, was quite auspicious. On the same day Lord Nasebys name was mentioned in the speech made by Sri Lankas Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council. He referred to information presented before the UK House of Lords by Lord Naseby, challenging among other things the vastly exaggerated civilian casualty figures. The title of Lord Nasebys memoirs: Sri LankaParadise Lost, Paradise Regained. At the House of Lords ceremony, there were several peers and some MPs, British Sri Lankans and several friends and colleagues from a 50-year political career. The guests also included two former British High Commissioners David Tatham and John Field, who served in Sri Lanka. Govt. hit by another unsettled bill As if the new Government does not have enough financial problems to begin with, it keeps getting hit with bills that have been left unsettled by the previous Yahapalana Government. The latest of these is an invoice for unpaid bills amounting to US$ 715,000 (Rs 120 million) to Northern Star Consulting Corporation Ltd, which acted as a consulting agency for the previous Government on its relations between China. Among the occasions when the firms services were utlised were during then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes visits to Beijing in April 2016 and for the 2017 Belt and Road Summit. The firm had been retained for a monthly fee of USD 65,000. The new Government has now received an invoice by the company asking for USD 715,000 in unpaid bills for consultancy services. The subject ministry has forwarded the invoice to the Finance Ministry asking it to see about settling the bill if finances permit. Gem-studded wit from Ranil on Gotas elephant The crisis within the United National Party (UNP) notwithstanding, its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, has not lost his wit or humour. At last weeks National Law Conference, Sri Lanka Bar Association President Kalinga Indatissa told Mr. Wickremesinghe that they had given their chief guest, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a replica of a gem-studded elephant as a token of appreciation for attending. Mr. Wickremesinghe then remarked that it was perfectly in order as everyone now wants the elephant, an obvious reference to the goings on inside his party for a symbol at the forthcoming general elections. Concern over military presence on job interview boards Under the government programme for placement of 100,000 unemployed graduates and diploma holders, the interviewing process is underway at Divisional Secretariats by senior government officials with the participation of military officers on the interview board. This raised concerns among those who came for the interview at a DS office in the North this week. It was also observed that military officers keep a separate file of the candidates. When asked why the military officers keep separate files of candidates, it was said that since most of the candidates were claiming to be from poverty background, military officers would be visiting the residences to verify their family condition along with educational qualifications. The government has announced that those who are from poverty ridden families will be given priority in the appointments. A candidate who sat for the interview in Jaffna among those 37,400 who applied asked his fellow mates what to do with the letter he obtained from his Grama Sevaka certifying his poor family background. Most of them were clueless about the process of selection as a whole and the role of the military in it. Earlier it was announced that those selected would be appointed to ministries and departments at a monthly allowance of Rs 20,000 during the one year training period. The appointments will be granted on a district basis and it is a compulsory requirement for them to serve for five years in the district to which they are posted on their first appointment. Foreign investment officer fired for watching porn A prominent union leader holding a senior position of an agency tasked with attracting foreign investment has been interdicted after he was caught watching pornographic films on his computer in his office. The man had evidently been engaged in this exercise for some time, leading someone to tip off the agencys Internal Audit unit. Officials from the unit who investigated literally caught the culprit red-handed while watching pornography on his official computer. Little wonder that the country struggles to attract investors when those tasked with doing so think their time is better served by watching porn at taxpayers expense. No place for Raghavan on TNA list The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has turned down a request by the Northern Provinces onetime Governor Suren Raghavan. He was told the candidates lists had already been finalised. The TNA will formally launch its campaign today with a meeting at Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna. M.A. Sumanthiran is expected to address TNA members on what the alliance has been able to achieve in the past four and half years. SPRINGFIELD Gov. Charlie Baker visited Springfield on Friday to tout his Housing Choice bill, which is designed to generate thousands of new housing units in the state. Speaking at City Hall, Baker said his bill would help the state confront a housing crisis by easing restrictions on development and adding incentives for various types of affordable housing. He has been trying to gain passage of the bill in the Legislature for three years, saying it is imperative to provide housing for people of different income levels. The legislation promotes various types of housing including affordable and market-rate, officials said. No one disputes the fact we have a housing crisis, Baker said. We continue to think if we do nothing, this will somehow get better. Too many are priced out (of housing) and vote with their feet. The legislation, if passed, will offer incentives, technical assistance and new grant funding to help community-led housing development statewide. In addition, it would allow simple-majority votes to approve special permits for housing projects rather than the current requirement for two-thirds votes from city councils, board of selectmen and town meetings. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno was among elected officials praising the bill. He said Springfield has done its fair share in providing housing for lower-income residents while many other communities need to do more. The Housing Choice initiative strikes a delicate balance that maintains local control over zoning while better empowering communities to adopt housing production best practices for all types of housing, Sarno said. This bill represents the best path forward for each community to produce more housing that addresses their specific needs, Sarno said. State Sen. James Welch and state Reps. Carlos Gonzalez, Bud Williams and Michael Finn attended the event and praised the bill. City and state officials joined Baker in saying that Housing Choice will improve the well-being of residents, enhance economic development and improve downtown vitality across the state by retaining and attracting residents with the availability of affordable housing options. Others supporting the bill at the event were various housing developers and advocates including Peter Gagliardi, president and CEO of Wayfinders; Gordon Pulsifer, president and CEO of First Resource Companies; and John Cook, president of Springfield Technical Community College. The two-thirds voting margin required for approval of special permits for housing developments is a significant obstacle for developers, according to Baker and the other advocates of his bill. A simple majority vote would removes barriers, officials said. There are several barriers to housing, however, it is my opinion that the Housing Choice Bill will move us one step closer to truly unlocking the production to new housing and affordable housing across many communities in Massachusetts, Pulsifer said. UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link JNU warns its students against providing shelter to Delhi violence victims India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 29: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has warned the university's students' union against providing shelter to the victims of the northeast Delhi violence on the campus. In the notice, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar warned of disciplinary action against students found involved in any such efforts. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) has "no legal right to make the JNU campus a shelter", the notice said. "You are strictly advised against any such activity, failing which appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against you. You are also advised to uphold the need to keep an educational institution like JNU a congenial space for study and research," it said. JNU student Sharjeel Imam's house raided in Bihar, relatives detained According to the notice, the JNU administration had received multiple calls from the campus residents who said they were feeling insecure due to the call given by the JNUSU. "You are hereby warned that you will be held responsible for any inconvenience or insecurity caused to JNU residents," it said. Meanwhile, Delhi University students took out a peace march in the campus for communal harmony. Many students boycotted classes to express solidarity with the victims of the communal violence in northeast Delhi, that has claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured so far. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 9:10 [IST] With President Donald Trump and top officials of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention putting schools on alert that they should be taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus, educators and public health authorities have plenty to think about. In particular, the prospect of closing schools to help block the spread of the deadly virus raises numerous legal and practical issues. Who has the authority to close schools? What should the geographic contours of any closures be, and for how long? And how will schools continue to educate students if they are forced to close? Educators likely have begun to contemplate such questions given the serious threat of the pandemic, but some researchers and policy experts have studied these issues for years. I cant emphasize enough that closing schools is not like turning a light switch on or off, said James G. Hodge Jr., a professor of public health law and ethics at Arizona State University. There are legal and logistical issues that are quite extensive. See Also Special Collection: Coronavirus and Schools In 2008, Hodge was a co-author of a research paper prepared for the CDC that examined the legal preparedness of states and local education and health authorities to respond to a pandemic flu or similar emergencies. Among the conclusions at that time was that most states had multiple legal avenues for ordering the closure of schools, either through state or local education and public health authorities, and depending on whether a state of emergency had been declared. Our survey and characterization suggest that specific legal authority at the state level to close schools is ambiguous, said the report. Hodge said in his interview with Education Week that the 2008 analysis largely holds up today. The potential tensions over the issue was highlighted late in the week when a Seattle-area school district closed one of its high schools Thursday and Friday because a staff member had traveled overseas with a family member who became ill and was being tested for the coronavirus. Administrators of the 22,000-student Northshore school district closed Bothell High School despite advice from local public health officials that the risk to students and staff members was low. The staff members relative was determined by late Friday to not be infected with the coronavirus and the high school was expected to reopen on March 2. Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions School closures are one form of what public health officials call non-pharmaceutical interventions to a pandemic, which include quarantines, isolation, and prohibitions on large public gatherings. The most prominent example of school closures came in response to the 1918-19 Spanish flu, which killed as many as 675,000 people in the United States and millions more around the world. Schools in dozens of U.S. cities were closed for as long as four months, a tactic that researchers have generally concluded was beneficial to stemming the spread of the disease. Researchers have studied a more recent public health threat, the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) virus, for lessons on school closures. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health looked at that episode as the basis for analyzing state school-closure laws during a pandemic. The relatively mild transmissibility and severity of the 2009 H1N1 disease contrasts with the reasonable expectation that another, more virulent novel pandemic disease will occur in the futureone accompanied by surging demand for health-care services, lack of a vaccine, and high morbidity and mortality rates, the 2012 study said with some degree of prescience. The researchers used statistical modeling to attempt to answer questions about how soon schools should be closed if there was evidence of the pandemic, and for how long. Eight weeks was found to be the most optimal, from the disease transmission standpoint, said Tina Batra Hershey, an assistant professor of health policy and management at Pitt and an adjunct professor at its law school. If you close for too short a time and then reopen schools when there is a lot of risk of disease in the community, then you are putting students back at risk. Another co-author of the 2012 study, Bruce Y. Lee, wrote in Forbes this week that there were a number of considerations against closing schools in response to a pandemic such as the coronavirus, including the economic costs and the risk of simply moving students and others to other locations where they will mix. If a virus is already running around outside of schools, can closing schools in some way reduce the size or duration of an epidemic? Well, that depends on how long you close the schools, Lee wrote, referring to the 2012 study and another he led for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. School Dismissals A number of public and private organizations have released practical guides for schools in recent weeks. Its the perfect time for businesses, health-care systems, universities, and schools to look at their pandemic preparedness plans, dust them off, and make sure that theyre ready, said Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the CDC, at a Feb. 26 White House news conference about the coronavirus. At the same news conference, Trump added, Yeah, I think schools should be preparing and, you know, get ready just in case. The words are just in case. Most legal experts say the federal governmentwhether the president, the CDC, or some other agencydoes not have the authority on its own to order school closures. From a federalism perspective, the feds could not tell the states they must shut down their schools, said Hodge, the Arizona State professor. But he notes that the Trump administration is proceeding in some different ways in various areas involving expanded federal power. We cant quite tell how this may go, Hodge said. The CDC issued interim guidance specifically for administrators of child-care and K-12 schools on Feb. 16. It urges those with identified COVID-19 cases in their communities to consult with local health officials before deciding to close or dismiss facilities. Temporarily dismissing child-care programs and K-12 schools is a strategy to stop or slow the further spread of COVID-19 in communities, the document says. During school dismissals, child-care programs and schools may stay open for staff members (unless ill) while students stay home. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education launched a coronavirus information page on its web site (www.ed.gov/coronavirus ) for schools and school personnel, which includes links to CDC information and guidance on COVID-19. The National School Boards Association on Friday published a legal guide for school districts regarding the coronavirus. The document will include lots of practical tips urging schools to meet with local health or state health authorities, develop plans for distance learning or even just assign homework in case schools were closed, as well as check their insurance policies, said Francisco M. Negron Jr., the general counsel. These are going to be local decisions, he said. It makes sense for them to be local decisions. Negron said that while much of the focus has been on students, school districts must also contemplate the potential impact of the pandemic and any closures on school employees, many of whom might be expected to continue working even if the schools were closed. Often a school district is the largest employer in an area, so they carry the weight of the community on their backs, he said. Ryan Tekac, the health commissioner of Mahoning County in eastern Ohio, said he has been in constant contact with the state health department since the coronavirus threat arose and is planning a meeting soon with school administrators from the dozens of districts in his county. The Ohio code gives us the authority to potentially close schools threatened in a pandemic, he said. But we are working with our school officials to make sure we have plans in place. Were dissecting all the information. The Delhi government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which people can complain about hate messages being circulated on the instant messaging app in wake of the riots that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi, sources said on Saturday. They said the government will make an appeal to people to not forward any such message because forwarding any material which causes enmity amongst communities is a crime. The move is aimed at dealing with rumours on social media. "If anyone receives any such material, he can immediately make a complaint to Delhi government stating the name and number of the person who forwarded that message," a source told PTI. The government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which such complaints could be made. An official will screen all the complaints made and genuine complaints would then be forwarded to police for necessary action, the sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US and the Taliban on Saturday signed a complex deal that aims to bring to an end to the longest war in Americas history. Here are key elements of the hard-sought agreement, which took shape over more than a year of fractious negotiations. Withdrawal Washington and its allies are set to withdraw all of their forces from Afghanistan within 14 months if the Taliban abide by the terms of the agreement. Initially, the US will draw its troop levels down to 8,600 within 135 days of Saturdays signing, while completely removing forces from five military bases. The US military currently has about 20 bases of varying sizes across Afghanistan, a US defence official said. If the deal continues to hold, then the US and its partners will complete the withdrawal of all remaining forces from Afghanistan. In the future, the US will also refrain from threatening or using force against Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs. Afghan talks and ceasefire The deal also stipulates that talks between the Taliban and all Afghan sides will commence March 10. The exact makeup or who exactly will represent the Afghan team is not spelt out. The deal also says a ceasefire will only be an item on the agenda of the talks, falling short of making it a compulsory component. According to the agreement, the participants of the talks will discuss the date and modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. Prisoner release The US and the Taliban also agreed to swap thousands of prisoners in a confidence building measure set to coincide with the beginning of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan team. Up to 5,000 prisoners of the (Taliban)... and 1,000 prisoners of the other side (Afghan forces) will be released by March 10. Sanctions The US also pledged to begin reviewing the current list of sanctions targeting Taliban leaders and members, with the goal of removing these measures by August 27, 2020. Washington said it would also start diplomatic engagement with members of the UN Security Council and the Kabul government to remove the Taliban from sanctions lists. Al-Qaeda The deal also calls on the Taliban to prevent groups, including Al-Qaeda, from using Afghanistan as a base to threaten the security of the US and its allies. The Taliban will prevent such groups from recruiting, training and fundraising and will not host them in Afghanistan, the accord states. It also bars the Taliban from providing them with travel and legal documents. The agreement does not specify that the Taliban publically disavow and officially cut ties with Al-Qaeda. Even so, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Taliban in Doha on Saturday to honour its commitments to sever ties with jihadist groups. Relations and reconstruction The deal concludes with the US and Taliban pledging to seek positive relations with each other, along with whatever government comes out of intra-Afghan talks. And the US promises to seek economic cooperation for the reconstruction of the war-torn country with the new post settlement government in Kabul. Amid Coronavirus outbreak, the United States health officials on February 28 confirmed that a resident of Oregon has been tested positive for the deadly virus. According to international media reports, the patient had no known history of travel to countries severely affected by the outbreak and neither the patient had any known contact with infected individuals. This also makes it the third case of unknown origin in US and further, it also indicates that the deadly virus has been spreading fast with no sign of abating. First detected in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province of China, the virus outbreak has now spread across more than 40 countries since December 2019. More than 1,700 people have recovered from the disease, whereas, nearly 12,000 Coronavirus patients have by now been discharged from hospitals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dubbed the virus as COVID-19. READ: Georgia Governor Creates Coronavirus Task Force According to reports, the death toll in China has surpassed 2,800 and the National Health Commission reportedly confirmed 427 new cases. The total number of confirmed cases within China also hit nearly 79,000 and more than 83,000 worldwide. The director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci reportedly said that the fatality rate in US could reach the same level as in China because there is no vaccine or cure available as of yet. However, the United States President Donald Trump has lauded his administration along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for doing a great job in handling the crisis. After returning from his maiden trip to India, Trump also took a dig on the Democrats who were critical about the early closing of US borders and said that it was too soon. Moreover, while the death toll of the COVID-19 in China has reached 2,835 and Trump bragged about not having even one death. READ: Bahrain Threatens Untested From Iran With Arrest Amid Coronavirus Outbreak 'Shouldn't be too eager to declare pandemic' WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has also said that the officials should not be too eager to declare a pandemic in the absence of clear-minded analysis of the facts. Nevertheless, the UN health agency has still declared its highest level of alarm which is a public health emergency of international concern. Using the word 'pandemic' could give people a signal that the Coronavirus can no longer be contained, but Ghebreyesus said that it is not true. READ: Mike Pence Says States Will Receive Help If Coronavirus Spreads READ: Telangana Ministers Eat Chicken On Stage For Coronavirus Awareness Campaign Family and friends of an 18-year-old nursing student who was gunned down Tuesday while picking up snacks at a South Side convenience store gathered Saturday at the site she was killed and pleaded for Mayor Lori Lightfoot to devote resources to solve the killing and apologize to the family after police arrested her mother at the hospital. Pacific Island countries reaffirmed on Friday their firm backing to Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara, dealing another hard blow to Polisario and their Algerian mentor. At the end of the third Morocco-Pacific Island States forum, held in Laayoune city, capital of the Moroccan Sahara, the Pacific Island countries said we solemnly affirm that the Sahara region is an integral part of the Moroccan territory. In the Laayoune Declaration adopted by the forum, the Pacific Island States commended the Moroccan autonomy plan as the one and only solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. They voiced support to the efforts carried out under the exclusive aegis of the United Nations to reach a realistic, pragmatic and lasting solution to this regional dispute, with full respect for Moroccos territorial integrity and national sovereignty. The backing of Pacific Island States to Moroccan Sahara comes as Burundi and Djibouti opened on Friday consulates respectively in the Saharan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla. The Comoros Islands, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Central Africa Republic and Cote dIvoire have already installed their diplomatic missions in Laayoune, while Dakhla is hosting the consular representations of Gambia, Guinea-Conakry and Djibouti. Burkina Faso announced lately its decision to open its own consulate general in the Atlantic coastal city of Dakhla. The diplomatic achievements made by Rabat, which is gaining a growing regional and international support for its territorial integrity, will certainly irk once again the polisario and Algerian leaders as they sense the failure of their cause and increasing international isolation. Support for the Moroccan identity of the Sahara is constantly growing and stems from all regions of Africa, Moroccan Foreign Minister said during the opening of Burundis consulate general in Laayoune Friday. This is proof of the credibility of the Moroccan position based on international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, he said. Unfortunately, a lonely state is at odds with this orientation, which shows its involvement and direct responsibility in this issue, he said, alluding to Algeria. This country has made the Sahara issue the number one priority of its diplomacy, he said. CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Food Lion awarded Miss Claflin University, Faith McKie, with its coveted 2020 Miss CIAA crown today in front of a large crowd at the CIAA Fan Fest in Charlotte, N.C. For winning the contest, McKie will receive a $2,500 scholarship from Food Lion. This marks the second consecutive year that Miss Claflin University has been named Miss CIAA. McKie, a native of Columbia, S.C., is a senior sport management major at Claflin. I am proud that Claflin University has won this title two years in a row, said McKie. I will use my new status as Miss CIAA to learn more about the Food Lion Feeds Hunger platform and strategize on how to use this to help feed people in the Orangeburg, S.C., community. McKie holds a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society and Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. She is a standout member of the Claflin University Women's Track and Field Program and participates in numerous campus committees and organizations including the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, A. Bevy Collegiate Group and the Honors Council. The Food Lion Miss CIAA Scholarship Competition winners are given scholarships based on their GPA, a community profile video on how they will fight food insecurity in their community, their school involvement, an in-person interview, essay and online popular vote. In addition to McKie, Food Lion also awarded its first-runner up distinction to Miss Winston-Salem State University, Taylor Walker. McKie also received the highest online popular vote out of all 12 contestants, which means that Food Lion Feeds will donate $2,000 to the Harvest Hope Food Bank in her name to alleviate hunger in her schools local community. Food Lion has been a proud partner of the CIAA for 26 years, and has made caring for neighbors in communities around CIAA schools a key focus of the partnership. About Food Lion Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 63,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 500 million meals to individuals and families since 2014, and has committed to donate 1 billion more meals by 2025. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com. Contact: Matt Harakal 704-245-3317 matthew.harakal@foodlion.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8f0ee20-4f61-4fb6-9de8-e8603df56017 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4d0edbda-5e43-4c3e-a5ef-54d4f05474c7 On Saturday morning, February 29, Ukrainians who were detained in the Sea of Azov returned to the mainland of Ukraine. Law enforcement officers of the Russian Federation released them. The press center of the State Border Service of Ukraine reported that. "This morning, the technical monitoring post of the State Border Service received information that the ships of the Border Guard of Russia's FSB will deliver a small craft with Ukrainian citizens to the area of the generally determined traffic distribution system in the Sea of Azov, which they were detained on February 14 this year," the statement said. Subsequently, boats of the Mariupol Maritime Guard detachment were spotted by the ships of the Russian Federation. A small craft was sent towards the Ukrainian coast. It was recognized as KRP-0901, on board of which there were four people. It is established that this is the same previously arrested boat. Boats of the Marine Guard escorted the released fishermen to the port of Berdyansk. Now they communicate with them and find out all the circumstances of the conclusion. For violation of the border regime and the procedure for leaving the boat at sea, each of the fishermen was held administratively liable, and the boat was banned from going to sea for a period of 30 days. As we reported before, on February 25, four Ukrainian fishermen who were detained by the Russian special services in the Azov Sea were released. A state grand jury is seeking payroll records and court logs in connection with state Sen. Nicholas Scutaris tenure as municipal prosecutor for Linden, according to a subpoena obtained by NJ Advance Media, in the wake of charges by city officials that he was often a no-show in the highly paid part-time job. The startling disclosure of a criminal probe involving the powerful Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee comes amid a bitter, escalating political feud between Scutari and Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, a party rival who claimed the senator barely showed up to work when he was getting paid to be in court for the city. Scutari, a lawyer who served as municipal prosecutor for 15 years, was fired from the appointed post in early 2019. He has vehemently denied the mayors allegations and threatened a lawsuit for slander. The grand jury subpoena, served through the citys police department Friday afternoon, asked for payroll records, court appearance logs, records showing Scutaris use of time off, and payments made to others who served as acting municipal prosecutors when he was not there. It also sought an accounting of contributions made on behalf of Scutari into the Public Employee Retirement System, as well as payroll taxes paid in relation to his employment. While the specific nature of the investigation was not spelled out, the subpoena was signed by Deputy State Attorney General Samantha McCluskey, who is assigned to the Division of Criminal Justices Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. It also went beyond a request for the delivery of documents, ordering the appearance of the citys custodian of public records before a grand jury sitting in Trenton. The request for pension records also suggests that investigators may be looking at issues of potential pension padding, as Armstead has charged. A decade ago, former Camden County Sen. Wayne R. Bryant went to prison after he was convicted of using his influence to obtain a low-show job at the states medical university meant to boost his pension. Scutari, reached by phone Friday night, was unaware of the subpoena, but said he was happy to cooperate and discuss the matter with authorities. What we have is a political hit job by the mayor, he said. Scutari added that the had not been contacted by investigators. First Im hearing of it, is from you, he said. A spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals office declined comment. It is our policy to neither confirm nor deny investigations, said Sharon Lauchaire. The broad subpoena for records tied to Scutari comes after a report commissioned by the city first reported by NJ Advance Media charged the senator had failed to show up for court more than half the time in 2018 while he served as municipal prosecutor. During that time, Scutari, who was paid $84,659 in his part-time role, continued to earn state pension credits, the report said. Armstead has argued that Scutari essentially had a no-show job. Thats exactly what Im characterizing it as, the mayor said in an interview after the report came to light in October. In 2018, he missed 57 out of 111 court sessions, all while earning $85,000 a year. He has repeatedly called for an investigation into Scutaris tenure as prosecutor by both the U.S. Attorney and the state Attorney Generals office. Earlier this week, the mayor also announced plans to audit past municipal court cases that were adjudicated by Scutari when he was still municipal prosecutor. Scutari, who is also chairman of the Union County Democratic Committee, has denied he did anything wrong and said he had not cost the city a penny when he was not in court. He has threatened to sue Armstead and the city council for libel, slander, and defamation. In a notice of claim filed with the city, he sought $10 million in damages. All we have now is an investigation born of political retribution, he said on Friday. I welcome any kind of inquiry by a legitimate law enforcement agency. The political play here is not legitimate. The bad blood between Scutari and Armstead grew out of a dispute involving Democratic county committee seats that has turned increasingly toxic. In a letter last week to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, the mayor again asked for an investigation into Scutaris exorbitant absences from his municipally paid and pensioned employment with the Linden Municipal Court. Scutaris failure to show up in court in the past led to an appeal of a case charging that a municipal judge routinely conducted hearings without a prosecutor or defense attorney. And a lawsuit filed this past week by a woman wrongfully jailed in 2007 charged that a culture of wrongdoing pervaded the Linden Municipal Court, citing not only the conduct of Judge Louis DiLeo, who was later ousted, but the absenteeism of Scutari. The city has said that Scutari was required to be present three days a week in court, not including holidays, vacation or personal days, and that an additional $12,000 was spent on substitute prosecutors due to his absences. Scutari has maintained he was not required to be in court any specific day, and that he paid for attorneys to substitute for him when he could not be there often because of legislative sessions. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Mike Bloomberg: More opinions on the 2020 candidate Read a Post op-ed by Bloomberg: Voters must demand that 2020 candidates answer this question Explore columns from Post opinion writers and guests: Hear Jonathan Capeharts interview with Bloombergs campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, on the Cape Up podcast. Just tuning in now? Heres what to know about the 2020 Democratic race. Get more information on Bloombergs candidacy and policy positions. What will happen in the primaries? Play the Post Opinions Simulator to build your own possible outcomes. How are Bloomberg and other candidates faring in the Post Pundit 2020 Power Ranking? Heres the latest installment. Want more on the 2020 elections? See all of The Posts coverage. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said that the appointment of Prambir Singh as the Mumbai Police Commissioner was made only after a discussion with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He said: "After discussion with Chief Minister Thackeray, the Home Ministry announced that senior IPS officer Parambir Singh will be the new Mumbai Police Commissioner." Singh has replaced Sanjay Barve, retired today as Mumbai's top cop. Singh was previously heading Maharashtra's Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB). Barve had taken over as the Mumbai Police Commissioner on February 28 last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accolade: INM photographer Mark Condren and his wife Michelle display his trophy at the PPAI awards ceremony. Photo: Arthur Carron INM photographer Mark Condren scooped the prestigious press photographer of the year award at last night's annual Press Photographers Association of Ireland (PPAI) event. The veteran photojournalist, whose work is published across INM titles including the Irish Independent and Independent.ie, also won in the political category and the top prize for a portrait photograph at the event. His picture of firefighter and open-water swimmer Rachel Lee, who holds the Irish record for men and women for crossing the English Channel, was deemed best in that category. Condren, who has now won the award five times, beat tough competition to take the overall top spot on the night. Tom Honan, last year's overall winner, took the top spot in the news category for his picture for 'The Irish Times' of Riana Achari (8), from Gorey, Co Wexford, at the Extinction Rebellion 'Funeral for Humanity' on O'Connell Street. In the daily life and people category, freelance photographer Marc O'Sullivan won first prize for a shot of torrential summer rain on Abbey Street in Dublin. In the reportage category, PA photographer Niall Carson was presented with the top prize for his pictures capturing July 12 bonfires in Northern Ireland. The event was held last night at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, RTE star Miriam O'Callaghan and actor Stephen Rea among those in attendance. Finallya stock market I can like! As the legendary investment guru Benjamin Graham argued, in the short run the market is a voting machine; in the long run, it is a weighing machine. This week the market voted for Bernie. I love it when good companies go on sale for 20 percent off! A bit sorry I gave up my VIX position last year though. But the stock market is not the only thing showing newfound volatility: a series of polls in recent days report Joe Biden showing signs of life after all (and yes, I know how weird it sounds to have Joe Biden and signs of life in the same sentence). So maybe the race isnt over. I think the betting markets still have Bernie the decided favorite, but if there was ever the political equivalent of a VIX position, Id be a big buyer right now. Meanwhile, in legal news, dumpsters have filed a class action lawsuit against the Democratic Party for setting too many dumpster fires. (Rim-shot!) Headlines of the week: And finally. . . Toronto Public Health sent a letter to staff and students at an adult ESL education centre at Yonge and Eglinton, warning that they may have been exposed to someone infected with the novel coronavirus. The letter dated Thursday stated that the individual last attended the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) centre at 90 Eglinton Ave. E. on Feb. 25 and did not have symptoms that day. The school chose to do a deep cleaning on their own of the facility Thursday evening, Toronto Public Health associate medical officer of health Dr. Vinita Dubey told the Star on Saturday. Students and staff are urged in the letter to call Toronto Public Health and follow self-isolation procedures if they develop symptoms on, or before, March 11. Symptoms of COVID-19 which include fever, cough, sore throat and pneumonia may develop in as few as two days or as long as 14 days, the letter said. Coronaviruses are spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another. People who are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (e.g. when they are the sickest). Dubey said that sharing information is part of our routine work for all public health investigations related to communicable diseases. Sometimes, as part of the process, we share information with people through letters of notification like this recent example, Dubey said in an email Saturday to the Star. This is the work we do each and every day and not just for COVID-19. We do this to provide education, further instructions and to reduce the potential of virus spread. Toronto Public Health officials were present at the centre Thursday to answer questions and discuss proper infection prevention and control strategies including having available hand sanitizer for students. There have been 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. Three of the patients have recovered. Seven of the cases came in the last four days. On Feb. 26, a Toronto woman in her 60s who had returned from Iran had tested positive for the virus. The following day, her husband had also tested positive. He had not visited Iran. It was the first case of person-to-person contact in Ontario. On Friday, Ontario health officials reported that a man in his 50s who had travelled to Iran had tested positive for the virus in Toronto. Later Friday night, officials reported that a Toronto man in his 80s with a travel history to Egypt, tested positive. On Saturday, officials announced three new cases of the virus. A 34-year-old woman tested positive in Richmond Hill. A 51-year-old woman and her 69-year-old husband also tested positive in Ajax. Both of the women had travel history to Iran, while the man didnt go. In this week's Industry Focus: Wild Card Wednesday, Emily Flippen talks with Matt Anderson from Vanguard Scientific. This show was prerecorded in December at MJBizCon, the world's biggest conference for the cannabis industry. Matt talks about his history in the regulated-products market, why marijuana is a lot like the oil we put in our cars, what investors need to know about buying into the market now that it's dropped so harshly from its highs, how the marijuana industry might handle vertical integration, and more. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. To get started investing, check out our quick-start guide to investing in stocks. A full transcript follows the video. This video was recorded on Dec. 11, 2019. Emily Flippen: It's Wednesday, Jan. 29, and I'm your host, Emily Flippen. For this week's Wildcard Wednesday, we're going back in time a little bit, back to Dec. 11, 2019, when we traveled out to Las Vegas for cannabis convention MJBizCon. While our team was out there covering the cannabis industry, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with one industry insider himself, Matt Anderson. Now, before we dive into our interview, I want to give listeners a quick overview of the cannabis industry to the extent that I can. We hear a lot about investing in pot stocks, especially in the news, and the volatility that comes with it. But it's important to understand the industry dynamics for the cannabis industry. They're completely different than any other industry you may be investing in. For those who aren't aware, marijuana, both medical and recreational, is legal in Canada, as well as 11 states across the U.S. Hemp was legalized across the U.S. in 2018, and it's not the same thing as marijuana. Hemp is derived from the same cannabis plant that marijuana is, but it doesn't contain any of the psychoactive substances -- that's THC. CBD is a chemical that can be derived from hemp, and the sale of hemp-derived CBD topicals is legal nationwide. So, having covered our bases there, the opening of the cannabis industry has opened up a whole new part of the equity markets. A lot of investors have lost their shirts investing in the cannabis space, while others still see the long-term potential. We sat down with Matt and we talked about his business, the state of the cannabis industry today, and what he sees for cannabis investors in the future. We hope you enjoy the interview! Matt, thanks for sitting down with us today and talking. We're here at MJBizCon, which is the largest cannabis conference for professionals in the world. Yet there are still a lot of investors and a lot of listeners out there who have no idea about what investing in cannabis even means. You have been around the block yourself, to say the least, in the cannabis space, so I'd love to hear a little bit more about your background, your history, and how you got started in cannabis. Matt Anderson: So it's dangerous, right, to say you've been around the block in the cannabis industry. My background's actually in regulated products. When I was 21, I built a distillery in my garage and made bathtub gin. Fast-forward seven years, we had two distilleries built in the United States and we were distributed in 17 states. Coming out of the alcohol space in 2015, I joined the regulated environment in Florida, actually for Senate Bill 1030, which was high CBD, it was called the Charlotte's Web Initiative. And I really got to see the difference between luxury or alcohol products to a real health-controlled product like a cannabinoid. And from that, the industry has just blown up, right? It's been something that's had conversations touching medicine, therapeutics, all the way to recreational and consumer dollars. So, for investors looking in the space, they've been able to find a niche, but then trying to quantify what that niche opportunity means has been, let's just say, less than straightforward. Flippen: Your role now, you are now the CEO of Vanguard Scientific, which is an extraction company. I know a lot of listeners out there were probably confused by a lot of the words -- not only extraction, but cannabinoid, even. So maybe give us a baseline. What do you do now? Anderson: Yeah, sure. We're actually technology integrators, but, extraction company, sure. Let's use oil and gas for comparison. The oil that you pull out of the ground isn't the same E-85 that you put in your gas tank. There's about nine to 10 different pieces of equipment, and then a number of specialized different steps that take, to actually be able to consistently produce that final oil product. The same is exactly true for this industry. Whether you're looking to produce a full-spectrum oil for a therapeutics product, or you want to get a distillate or isolated cannabinoid product for pharmaceutical off-take, there's different equipment, different processes, and different regulatory hurdles that are needed in order to be followed and compliant do so. What we do is, we work with our clients in a sole source relationship. So we'll show up and become consultant advisors. We'll help them procure their equipment to meet their needs. Our company's technology agnostic, so we represent the best extraction companies on the floor today. And then, we help them understand knowledge, technology, and methodology so they can actually produce compliant ingredients to get to the final market. Flippen: I love that analogy you used about the gas you're pulling out of the ground not necessarily being the same thing that you put in your car. Obviously, your company now is great kind of a middleman in that process. I'll continue the analogy. You have upstream, midstream, and downstream in the energy sector. In the cannabis sector, it can be the same, right? You have people who are growing their product, people like yourself who are working in the middle, transforming what you pull out of the ground into something like oil. And then, you have people who are maybe taking that and then putting labels on it and selling it to the end consumer there. So it's a really great analogy, and there's lots of interesting, investable companies at every point along the space. But the equity markets now, they've been really depressed. Maybe talk to us about what we're seeing today that's impacting the equity markets, both in Canada and the U.S. Anderson: Look, I think that what's happened in this over 60% retrenchment of the Canadian markets was probably the best thing or the most healthy thing that could have happened to the industry. For better or for worse, we've had very comfortable legal firms and very comfortable NYMEX or CSEX marketplaces that were enabling pre-revenue companies to justify large valuations. For sophisticated investors, they kind of saw it coming. Quarterly reports were coming, and without real revenues or real assets, you were selling on an opportunity of a value creation. So we saw that happening in the United States. But at the same time, some of the more sophisticated private equity groups in the United States began to aggregate dollars and then bet on real revenue, and bet on, let's say, horses that could run. Vanguard, for instance, we're eight quarters of on-target earnings, and we've really focused on returning that investor experience. This is going to be the largest economy in the United States and the world. Dow Chemical have released a small press release that said by 2025 that hemp might actually be larger than soy production globally. So when you start thinking about what the actual cannabinoids can do, and then the actual plant itself below the flower, we're starting to talk about addressing plastics and biofuels, right? Pain management. I think the number we quoted was something like a $2.6 trillion investable or addressable market that's capable. So the equity markets themselves, what they've done is, they've said, "Look, you can't bet the widget and expect the horse to come in. You have to do your diligence. You've got to look at a run rate. You've got to look at the fitness of a company. And just like any other industry, you have to use some standards before you place capital." Flippen: Now that the valuations we've seen in the public market have come back down to a reasonable basis, it really gives investors something to start working off here. What do you see as being the biggest headwinds and the biggest tailwinds for cannabis companies today? Anderson: Wow, that's a great question. I think that companies that have published forward-looking perspectives that haven't recalibrated or haven't had a chance to readdress what they've promised are in a tough position. I've seen some of the best companies, no matter how big they are, print reactionary statements saying, "Look, given the circumstances in the environment, here's now our recast." Those are things that I really look for and appreciate in leadership teams. Yeah, they take a haircut in upfront valuation, but they're finally putting a barrier, or I should say a hurdle rate out there, that they'll actually be able to hit, versus getting ready to let their investors down again. So I think that's probably a very large headwind opportunity. Folks that have gone heavy on the wrong infrastructure, that have invested in the wrong part of the supply chain, one would argue it's time to recap those companies' bets and start over. Flippen: In terms of tailwinds, for Vanguard Scientific, what do you think is catalyzing the industry moving forward? Is there any reason why retail investors should be involved in the cannabis industry today? Anderson: Yeah, without a shadow of a doubt. I think that the regulatory hurdles overall create the market opportunity. In any sort of industry that has hurdles or barriers to entry, what you see is market opportunity for those companies or performers that have the fitness level to compete. So, not everybody has a chance to be on the Walgreens shelf, but boy, oh boy, once that product hits the shelf, they're in 100 stores worldwide. So, kind of looking at that analogy, for those operating teams and those companies that have a strong value proposition -- and I'd say Vanguard definitely is one of those companies -- what we're doing is promising our investors stabilized returns. We're looking to smooth out the return narrative while we're aggressively asking them to invest in audacious reaches for us to continue to expand our business model. Flippen: Now, as somebody who is operating in that midsection of the market, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about vertical integration. It's a fancy word to just say that there are a lot of companies out there that are making the decision, whether that be because of their own personal beliefs about the market or regulatory requirements, to own every aspect of the value proposition in the cannabis sector. So they're owning the seed to sale experience, producing it, extracting it, changing it, labeling products, doing it all themselves, getting to consumers. Obviously, that is not your business right now. How do you feel about the future of vertical integration? Anderson: Great question. You go back to business school; you've got two paradigms. One's buy versus build. Can you be great at everything? Are you an expert at every step of that value chain? And then you start setting things, supply chain integration, right? And that doesn't say vertical supply chain. I'm not saying I own it all. But what it does mean is, I do have a tight relationship, right? I'm hardwired and understanding, in which I know tolerances, plus and minus a value across the supply chain, so I can do what is the most important part, and that's promise consistency in the final product. So I think some of the companies that are doing it the best aren't necessarily coming in and saying, "I have to own the company because I want to justify on my balance sheet that I've got the value creation," but they've come in and invested in this supply chain infrastructure because they have the need to guarantee that final product. So I think it's supply chain integration versus vertical integration for the win. Flippen: Matt, thank you so much for talking with us here at MJBizCon. It's been an absolute pleasure. Anderson: Yeah, thank you and thank The Motley Fool! Flippen: As always, people on the program may have interest in companies discussed on the show, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against any stocks mentioned, so don't buy or sell anything based solely on what you hear. Thanks to Austin Morgan for his work behind the glass today. I'm Emily Flippen. Thanks for listening, and Fool on! According to a new report, Filmmaker Tyler Perry, has received the results of a new autopsy he ordered to be carried out on his nephew Gavin Porter who died on Tuesday night in a prison cell. Tyler's nephew, Gavin Porter, 26, was serving a 20-year-sentence for shooting his father dead in front of his mother, who is Tyler Perry's sister, and on Tuesday night was found hanging in his cell from a bedsheet. The prison officials say he committed suicide but Tyler Perry was having none of it and hired Dr. Michael Baden, a famed pathologist who has been involved in numerous cases, including JFK, O.J. Simpson, and Jeffery Epstein to perform a second autopsy and determine the cause of death of his nephew. According the a new report by TMZ, Perry has now gotten the second autopsy report from Dr Baden and it confirms he died by suicide. ''Tyler tells TMZ ... they got the autopsy results back from Dr. Michael Baden -- the world-renowned pathologist he hired to look into 26-year-old Gavin Porter's death in a Louisiana prison. We're told Baden says he's 98 percent sure there was no foul play in Porter's death. '' the TMZ report states '' That seems to confirm what prison officials told the Perry family ... that Tyler's nephew hanged himself using bedsheets while in solitary confinement. The family wasn't convinced, which is why Tyler hired Baden to conduct an independent 2nd autopsy. '' Tyler says, "The answers don't take away grief, but it surely gives room for grieving to take its course." 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 Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Shortly after confirmation of the first coronavirus death in the US, Donald Trump rebuffed criticism for using the word hoax in describing the outbreak. The president also touted his administrations coronavirus response as the most aggressive action in modern history. Related: Washington state governor confirms first US coronavirus death Trump made his startling hoax claim at a rally on Friday in North Charleston, South Carolina, the state which held a Democratic primary on Saturday. The Democrats are politicising the coronavirus, Trump said. Theyre politicising it. One of my people came up to me and said: Mr President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia. That did not work out too well. They could not do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. This is their new hoax. On Saturday, Washington state officials confirmed that a Seattle-area man in his 50s had died. Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency. The patient, who was chronically ill, went to a Kirkland hospital with serious respiratory issues, officials said at a press conference, adding that the man was tested for the virus on Thursday night. Officials also announced two additional presumptive positive cases, both associated with a nursing home in the same city. A woman in her 40s who worked at the home was in satisfactory condition, while a woman in her 70s who was a resident was in serious condition. The announcement came a day after state officials confirmed two other cases, including a high-school student in the town of Mill Creek with no history of international travel and no known interactions with people infected. The other was a woman in the Seattle area in her 50s who recently returned from South Korea. According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report, 83,652 cases of coronavirus and nearly 2,800 deaths have been reported worldwide. The vast majority of cases are in China but the virus has caused havoc with stock markets and international travel, sports and business. Story continues Before news of the Washington death, US authorities reported three new cases in the Pacific north-west, bringing the national total to around 65. At the White House, confirmation of the Seattle death met with confusion. During a press conference, Trump called the person who died a wonderful woman, a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s. Trump was asked if he regretted using hoax now someone had died. His use of the word referred to the action [Democrats] tried to take to try to pin this on somebody because weve done such a good job, he said. The hoax is on them. Im not talking about whats happening here, Trump added, also saying I dont like it when they are criticising [federal health officials], and thats the hoax. Trump was also asked if his use of hoax could deter people from taking cautionary steps against the coronavirus. He said it would not. Trump also said he would meet pharmaceutical companies on Monday to discuss expedited vaccine development. People wearing masks in New York on Friday. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA Vice-president Mike Pence, heading the coronavirus task force, described four new initiatives, including expanding the federal ban on travel from Iran. Pence said US officials would also increase to the highest level a warning to Americans not to visit areas of Italy and South Korea and said the state department would work with these countries to screen individuals. The vice-president also said the administration had contracted with 3M to produce an additional 35 million face masks per month. Trumps comments about a hoax were condemned by Democrats seeking the nomination to face him in the presidential election. For him to start talking about being a hoax is absolutely dangerous, Biden said in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday. Its just not a decent way to act. The former vice-president added: Some of the stuff he says is so bizarre that you can laugh at it. It just so diminishes the faith that people around the world have in the United States. Look, this is a serious, serious, serious problem. Its able to be solved, but it requires us to be absolutely levelheaded and let the scientists have the lead in all of this. But for [Trump] to start talking about being a hoax is absolutely dangerous. Its just not a decent way to act. Other candidates weighed in. Sanders asked why Trump repeatedly think[s] that scientific facts are hoaxes and said the most dangerous president in the modern history of our country was putting our peoples lives at risk. Pete Buttigieg told NBC News: Its critically important that the administration and the White House handle this in a way thats based on science and not on politics. American lives, he added, depend on the wisdom and the judgement of the president at a time like this. Amid attacks over budget cuts to epidemic defences as his administration asked Congress for funding to address coronavirus, Trumps decision to put Pence in charge of US response has also met with criticism. Related: Its the last nail in the coffin: Venice empties as coronavirus spreads Republicans and supporters of Trump have fired back, accusing the presidents opponents and the media of seeking political gain. On Friday Donald Trump Jr told Fox News Democrats had reached a new level of sickness and wanted to see coronavirus kill millions of people. That night, Trump said: We are doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the infection from entering the country. We have no choice. He also sought without offering evidence to tie coronavirus cases in the US to the southern border, the focus of his hardline immigration policy. Whether its the virus that were talking about, Trump said, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans. At the White House on Saturday, Trump said the administration was not seriously considering closing the border with Mexico. There arent many rules at Noisebridge, the pioneering 10-year-old hackerspace in San Franciscos Mission District. The first one: Be excellent to each other. The second: If you let someone in who hasnt been there before, you have to give them the tour. There is plenty to see. Spread out over the entire third floor of its Mission Street building, the space is a playground for creative makers. Theres a woodshop stocked with tools that smells sweetly of sawdust, a mini recording studio complete with guitars and keyboards, 3D printers, a laser cutter and a ceramic kiln. All of it is open to the public and available to use by anyone, free of charge. I think this place is sort of perfect, says Noisebridge regular John Backus. Its a creative home for lots of people. Its also in jeopardy. Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle 2018 Since 2017, Noisebridge has been the subject of a complaint with the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection for converting the space into a workshop without proper permitting. Violations included installation of a ventilation system and construction of walls and bathrooms without permits. According to members of the hackerspace, they now need to install a full sprinkler system on the buildings lower floors to be in compliance. A rough estimate prices those upgrades at $150,000. In an email provided to The Chronicle, the buildings owners wrote that they are not interested in doing the construction: The requested upgrades likely go over 150K and wont even be the last of the citys requests. The hackerspace also didnt have the funding for the project. It would have been a little more than our entire bank account, says Noisebridge treasurer Tyler Maran. We run entirely on month-to-month donations. Were not piling up cash over here. The only option would be to pick up and move. Then at 8:24 a.m. Thursday morning, Maran received an email that the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken had deposited $150,000 worth of bitcoin into Noisebridges account. The only acknowledgement of the donation was a tweet from Kraken about the sprinkler requirement: Sounds like a subtle way of saying ya'll neckbeards need a shower. Anyway, we got you. @noisebridge Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle 2018 Within the hacker community, Noisebridge is an icon. Its been on Mission since 2009, open to anyone who rings the doorbell and walks up the rainbow-painted stairs. Theres no entry fee or membership charge, no official leadership or management running the show. Its open daily from about 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and hosts regular events from classes on 3D printing to the SF Stupid Sh*t That No One Needs and Terrible Ideas Hackathon 7 (March 28). About 1,000 people pass through the space every week and around 600 donate monthly via Patreon or a cash box affixed to the wall. It operates according to do-ocratic principles: If you want to do something paint a mural, put up a piece of art, build yourself a wooden storage locker because the metal ones are full youre free to go ahead, provided youre accountable to anyone impacted by the change and willing to talk about it. A set of shelves for hands-off works-in-progress is tagged with signs that say Do not hack. I started going to the space because I knew it had the equipment I wanted to use, but I stayed there because of the cool people, says Ruth Grace Wong, a Noisebridge regular whos on the board. The vibe inside Noisebridge is really motivating, really encouraging, really inspiring, she says. Its an iconic part of SF tech culture, Backus says. Its something that I think inspired a trend all around the world that this is how to cultivate a culture where people can be creative and do things just for the fun of it. The space is infused with the humor and inventiveness of its community. iZac, a Futurama-inspired bartending robot with a bucket for a body, overlooks the main workspace opposite a pastel portrait of Nikola Tesla on one wall. The Flaschen Taschen, a 10-by-9-foot video display made up of 1,575 beer bottles (that people from Noisebridge actually drank) each capped with an LED, blinks out colorful patterns. The tech industry, and the wealth it has brought to San Francisco, has both threatened and aided Noisebridge. The hackerspaces landlord has raised the rent twice over the past few years, from about $4,000 per month to $7,000 monthly, an increase Noisebridge was only able to handle thanks to a $100,000 donation from Handshake, a decentralized service for domain names with its own crytocurrency. There have been previous scares about Noisebridges finances and future such as whether it can afford building updates or make rent. Right now, the elevator that serves the third floor is broken. We pride ourselves on being ADA compliant, Maran says, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Weve lost members of the community. Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle 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. This time around, it took Maran and other members of the Noisebridge community a while to understand how much it might cost to upgrade the buildings sprinkler system and allow Noisebridge to stay in its home of 10 years. The $150,000 estimate is just that, a guess at the price tag to modify a building that the hackerspace doesnt own. After Noisebridge reached out to its immediate community for donations, on Wednesday Backus tweeted a thread about the importance of the space and the threats to its future. Nothing I've seen better captures **pure SF hacker culture** than Noisebridge, he wrote. It's *surrounded* by companies and VC firms that brand themselves as loving the values that define Noisebridge. I wish they helped fund it. The next day, Kraken made its transfer. Many of us at Kraken are fans of Noisebridge. The earliest Bitcoin meetups were held in hackerspaces around the world, so its only fitting that Bitcoin would return the favor, CEO and co-founder Jesse Powell said in a statement. As the founder of a non-profit arts center, who also dealt with sprinkler issues, I can personally relate to the problem. Were glad to be able to help, and we hope that Noisebridge will be able to continue serving our community. What the influx of bitcoin means for the future of Noisebridge is still up in the air, but the money opens up options. It was kind of a lost cause at first because we didnt have that kind of cash, Maran says. Were going to have to start talking to the landlord about it; were going to go to our upcoming hearing with the building department. Its a lot of work weve got to do now, if that means that we can stay, or if it means that we use that money to support us moving to another space. Already Maran and others have been looking into the latter, touring spaces designed and permitted to house the kind of work that happens within Noisebridges mural-covered walls. Weve always been searching for a forever home, Maran says. Leaving the Mission building, if thats what the community decides to do, will be bittersweet. The layers of paint and posters and clever signage and circuit-board chandeliers that cover the walls and hang from the ceiling form a physical history of a place that means a lot to a lot of people. Itll be really sad. Well have to have a party, says regular and board member Wong. Theres really a lot of beautiful murals there that well have to leave behind, but coming to a new space with a lot of blank walls, thats also really beautiful. Sarah Feldberg is San Francisco Chronicle Culture Desk editor. Email: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com Pune: The Kondhwa police on Saturday arrested two supervisors of a construction site on charges of negligence in connection with the death of a labour on February 13. The arrested have been identified as Shahbaz Hussain Shaikh (29), a resident of Bhagyodayanagar in Kondhwa Khurd and Shakir Hussain Ansari (33), a resident of Kondhwa Khurd. The incident took place in Survey No 5514/7 at Kirti Apartments in Kondhwa Khurd. The offence was registered after completion of legal formalities, including documentation done by the state labour department. Assistant inspector VT Bhongale of Kondhwa police station, who lodged the FIR in connection with the incident, said that a labour identified as Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui (34) died after falling from the first floor of an under-construction building where he was working. It is mandatory for supervisors to provide safety belt, helmets and other equipment and accessories to the deceased which could have helped save his life, the complaint stated. An accidental death related case was lodged in the case and it took over a month to complete legal formalities before filing the FIR, investigating officers said. The police have invoked Section 304 (causing death by negligence) under Indian Penal Code against the accused. According to Bandhkaam Kamgar Sena, which has been campaigning for improvements in the working conditions of construction workers, at least one labourer dies every day at a construction site in Pune wherein the government authorities and builders have often found to have neglected safety of workers. At least 110 deaths of construction workers in 2018 and 115 deaths in 2019 were reported, according to labour department. As all eyes are on South Carolina during the state's early presidential primary, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar was instead in Knoxville, making a last-minute plea on Saturday to the state's moderate voters. By the time Super Tuesday rolls around Mike Bloomberg, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Jane Sanders will have all visited Tennessee. Klobuchar made an appearance in Knoxville Saturday morning. Buttigieg visited Knoxville in December. In January Mike Bloomberg opened a field office in Knoxville and visited supporters in the area. Jane Sanders campaigned for her husband Bernie Sanders in Nashville earlier in the week. Jill Biden is set to travel to Tennessee for a Get Out the Vote meet and greet in Memphis on Sunday. The South Carolina primary is here, but the race is quickly going national as candidates pivot to the 14 states, including Tennessee, that vote on Super Tuesday. The move is in part a recognition of Joe Biden's strength in South Carolina, with most of the focus on the margin of his victory and who might come in second place. But it's also an effort to tap into the hundreds of delegates at stake in the Super Tuesday contests. About a third of the delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination will be on the table. Nearly a quarter of the Democratic primary delegates will be determined based on the Super Tuesday results. California and Texas are key wins, with the most delegates up for grabs. But Tennessee's 73 delegates could prove vital for candidates looking to shore up momentum after the primary. Only seven other states will have more delegates than Tennessee on Super Tuesday. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more Marketing automation isnt a thing of the future its very much a part of the here and now for small and midsized businesses (SMBs) across the world. 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Small businesses that invest in, and take advantage of, these four marketing automation solutions will be more likely to see the sales results and ROI they want this year. Marketing automation offers a variety of benefits, including time savings, the ability to drive more meaningful customer interactions that lead to transactions, and the opportunity to gain customer feedback and track behavior. These four automated tools can help pave an SMBs path to success in 2020 and beyond. She rose to fame in the industry as a Victoria Secret Angel. And Cindy Bruna continued to make a name for herself at Paris Fashion Week, as she walked the Elie Saab show runway on Saturday. The 24-year-old French model, who lives in New York, returned the capital of her home country to showcase the Lebanese fashion designer's Fall/Winter collection. Leggy display: Cindy Bruna continued to make a name for herself at Paris Fashion Week, walking the highly acclaimed Elie Saab show runway on Saturday With stunningly long legs, Cindy wowed in a tutu style polka dot tulle dress with a long train draping behind her. The showstopping number featured a pussybow neckline and a black belt which cinched her in at the waist. Boosting her height, Cindy added a pair of pointed black heels, while she accessorised with a huge pair of elaborate black drop earrings. Sheer: With stunningly long legs Cindy wowed in a tutu style polka dot tulle dress with a long train draping behind her Wow: The showstopping number featured a pussybow neckline and a black belt which cinched her in at the waist Her brunette tresses were swept in to a sleek bun while she wore a minimal palette of make-up beneath a netted veil. The leggy model then came back out in a highly embroidered belted black and gold coat dress with leather gloves and a snap shut handbag. A chic black belt drew emphasis to her narrow waist, while she kept the same dramatic earrings and veil. Outfit change: The leggy model then came back out in a highly embroidered belted black and gold coat dress with leather gloves and a snap shut handbag Bold look: A chic black belt drew emphasis to her narrow waist, while she kept the same dramatic earrings and veil Victoria Secret models: Both Georgia Fowler (pictured) and Cindy both worked for the underwear brand before making a name for themselves on the runway Bare all: The incredibly sheer design of the high-neck maxi dress revealed the model's body underneath despite patches of embroidery Also walking the runway in Elie Saab's creations was Kiwi model Georgia Fowler who also first made a name for herself strutting down Victoria Secret runways. Walking the catwalk Georgia wore a revealing sheer high necked chiffon gown, embroidered with a floral design. Paris Fashion Week will see Celine, Vivienne Westwood, Balenciaga, Valentino, Givenchy, Stella McCartney showcase their designs over the weekend, before Chanel and Louis Vuitton wrap up the fashion event on its final day on Tuesday. Velvet affair: Two models sported velvet outfits. A striking red pant suit with a pussybow blouse (left) and a thigh-high split black kimono-style gown with gold embroidery The man himself: Designer Elie Saab walks the runway during his show as part of the Paris Fashion Week FROW: Nieves Alvarez, Olivia Palermo and Angela Bassett attend the Elie Saab show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 So chic: Olivia was all smiles as she sported a fluffy pale grey coat worn over a chic black ensemble Cindy and Georgia both made appearances at Fashion Week in New York and Milan before jetting into Paris. Cindy was seen watching the Balmain showcase from the FROW on her Instagram story, just hours before taking to the catwalk herself for Redemption Fall/Winter 2020 show on Friday. Cindy, meanwhile, began modelling early on, after being discovered at 16 years old and signing with Metropolitan Management and Wilhemina Models. Big print: Spanish model Nieves Alvarez attends the Elie Saab show in a puff-sleeve navy dress with a loud print and thigh high boots Stunner: She teamed her look with dark sunglasses and a burgundy clutch bag Belt and beret: Mexican actress Patricia Contreras channels Chanel in a hounds tooth blazer dress and sock boots In 2012 she walked exclusively for Calvin Klein and has previously appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia, as well as editorials across a number of different Vogue publications, Harper's Bazaar and ELLE UK. She first made her Victoria's Secret fashion show debut in 2013 and appeared in every showcase until its cancellation in 2019. The lingerie giant's parent company, L Brands, confirmed the cancellation in November last year, amid dwindling ratings and ongoing backlash over its lack of diversity. Excited: American actress Angela Bassett glows as she gives a wide smile to the camera ahead of the show Big coat vibes: American fashion influencer Olivia Palermo attends the FROW in a large tiered white fluff coat as does model Helena Bordon in a kimono style coat Attendees: American model and actress Molly Sims (left) in a satin patterned jumpsuit. Film producer Mohammed Al Turki attends in a 'Hate' graphic jumper JNU administration on Friday issued a notice which advises students not to give an open call to Delhi violence victims to come and stay on the campus. "We want peace and harmony to prevail in Delhi and the affected people need to be provided all possible help. Some students in our campus gave an open call to outsiders to come and stay on the campus. They are the same students who criticised saying that outsiders came into the campus and they were responsible for the incident that took place in January," JNU VC Prof Jagadesh Kumar told ANI. "Safety and security are also very important that is why we have advised our students that please don't give open calls to outsiders to come and stay on the campus. Instead, you can collect essential items and materials from the campus and provide humanitarian help to the affected people and JNU administration will fully support. Right now the campus is peaceful and security is in place and there are no outsiders," he added. At least 42 people, including a police Head Constable and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, have died while around 200 people sustained serious injuries in the violence in northeast Delhi. Two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) have been constituted under the Delhi Police's Crime Branch to investigate the violence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday afternoon that the U.S. Food and Drug administration approved his application to develop our own test for the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also provided new tests to the city giving the possibility to run more tests. This means we will soon, within the coming week, have the ability to get results back in a matter of hours, not days, de Blasio said in a statement. "Quick detection is vital to stopping the spread of the virus, and this development will help the experts do their job to protect New Yorkers. In New York City there isnt anyone who tested positive to coronavirus, although one person is being tested and the results are still pending, according to the New York City Department of Health. Overall, seven New York City residents and one non-resident have been tested, according to figures from the department. Mayor Bill de Blasio previously urged New Yorkers to focus and continue to take preventative measures to mitigate possible spread of the virus just two days after CDC officials said the community spread of the virus is expected in the United States. The CDC warned that disruption to everyday life may be severe." No one should take the coronavirus situation lightly, de Blasio said during Wednesdays press conference. Our focus right now is addressing this crisis and ending it. Some pharmacies on Staten Island are running out of hand sanitizer and medical masks and public schools across the borough are sending home letters with students, advising parents of precautions and best practices for stay safe and germ free. Meanwhile, the Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday afternoon during a press conference that travel restrictions will be upgraded and implemented for those traveling to countries that have been highly affected by the coronavirus. Pence said the White House coronavirus task force met with President Donald J. Trump Saturday morning and came to the conclusion of expanding travel restrictions to Iran, as well as advising Americans to not travel to specific regions of Italy and South Korea. Additionally, the Trump administration will work with allies in Italy and South Korea to screen citizens who are coming to the United States. The United States already suspended entry of foreign nationals who have been in China 14 days prior to coming to the U.S. Its a tough one," Trump said of the virus. "But a lot of progress has been made. The president said there are currently 22 people in the U.S. who have tested positive for the coronavirus, adding that four are considered very ill. Overnight, a woman in her late 50s in Washington state died after contracting the virus. She is the first casualty of the virus on American soil. Additionally, 15 other people recovered fully or are on the way to recovery and they are home, Trump said. Additional cases in the U.S. are likely, Trump said. [But] whatever the circumstance, we are prepared. There is no reason to panic at all. The risk remains low for the average American, but this could change rapidly, said Alex Azar, the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. HOW YOU CAN PREPARE FOR A PANDEMIC Households should have at least a two week supply of food and water for each member of the family. The Department of Homeland Security also recommends having any necessary prescription drugs, as well as nonprescription drugs and health supplies like pain relievers, stomach remedies, fluids with electrolytes, cough and cold medicine and vitamins. Each family member should also have electronic and physical copies of health and pharmacy records. Preparations should also include a conversation about who and where a family member will be cared for in the event they contract the illness and are in need of care. Ark Encounter, Creation Museum chosen as Americas top religious museums Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The $100 million Ark Encounter biblical theme park with a life-sized Noah's Ark replica, and its sister institution, the Creation Museum, have finished No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in USA Today's 10 Best Readers Choice Awards for 2020. The Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum received the most readers votes from a list of the top religious museums in the nation as selected by a panel of top travel experts. Both attractions have made Northern Kentucky the leading faith-based destination in America, the two winners said in a statement Friday. We are so grateful to USA Today for considering our internationally recognized attractions in its contest, said Answers in Genesis' Ken Ham, who is also the CEO and founder of the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. USA Today readers were asked to make their choice based on the stories, collections, and message at 20 U.S. museums, each dedicated to sharing the history, culture, art, and traditions of the worlds diverse religious groups and faith communities. The religious museum category included the countrys best Jewish museums, religious art collections, heritage centers, and other sites, from 14 states and the District of Columbia. Indeed, people from around the world rave about the exhibits and features at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, and now these people have validated our exciting attractions from among an impressive list of museums, Ham said. By the way, one could make the argument that USA Today should have included the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in its list. While most people would not consider the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. to be a religious museum, it, too, promotes a worldview: atheism, he added, explaining, You see, there are no non-religious positions for such museums. Each has a worldview to proclaim. The Ark and Creation Museum are, of course, religious museums in that they promote a theistic Christian worldview. Last June, Answers in Genesis announced that they were expanding the Ark Encounter site to include new facilities, partly in response to a growth in annual attendance. This included the creation of a 2,500-seat auditorium with a 70-foot-long LED screen, expanding the size of the Ararat Ridge Zoo, and opening a larger family play space. Built by Playground Equipment Services, this family play area is accessible by all children and adults, said Answers in Genesis. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to have fun with their kids as a family activity. This cutting-edge playground has been specially designed for children of all abilities. In 2017, Answers in Genesis announced that they would be reclaiming the rainbow for God with permanent rainbow lights for their life-sized Noah's Ark replica. We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is Gods rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6, Ham said at the time. The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global Flood next time the world will be judged by fire. * New infections fall in China but rise elsewhere * The Philippine index poised for worst week since Sept 2011 * Singaporean shares set for worst week since Oct 2018 * China's Feb factory PMI seen at lowest since 2009 - Reuters poll By Pranav A K Feb 28 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stocks tumbled on Friday, with Indonesian shares diving nearly 4%, as investors feared the coronavirus might develop into a pandemic and trigger global recession. New infections rapidly spread around the world with countries stockpiling medical supplies and preparing emergency responses, shattering hopes that the epidemic would be contained to China and economic activity would return to normal. Investors braced for an impact on economic growth with global shares heading for the worst week since the financial crisis in 2008. Indonesia and Thai indexes dropped more than 10% from their peaks hit last week, with Jakarta also on track for its worst month since the global financial crisis. In the Indonesian benchmark, Bank Central Asia fell 4%, while Bank Mandiri (Persero) lost 7.5%. Thai shares were on track for their worst week since October 2008, with heavyweights Bangkok Commercial Asset Management and Delta Electronics Thailand both diving nearly 10%. "Feb data from across Asia is coming through soon ... against that backdrop I can't see anyone wanting to be brave enough to go: Yeah, we'll buy the dip at this stage," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. Activity in China's manufacturing sector in February probably shrank at the fastest pace since the global financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed, as the epidemic took an excruciating economic toll on Chinese factories. China will release its key data this weekend. Markets saw heaving selling regionwide, with the Manila exchange poised for its worst week since September 2011. Malaysian shares fell to their weakest since December 2011, with Petronas Chemicals slumping to its lowest in more than four years. Energy and consumer stocks weighed on the Vietnam benchmark , while industrials and financials pressured Singaporean shares, to set both indexes on track for their worst week since October 2018. For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS As at 0425 GMT Change on the day Market Current Previous close Pct Move Singapore 3032.67 3111.7 -2.54 Bangkok 1346.88 1395.08 -3.45 Manila 6816.38 6967.84 -2.17 Jakarta 5318.415 5535.694 -3.93 Kuala Lumpur 1483.4 1505.59 -1.47 Ho Chi Minh 879.28 898.44 -2.13 Change so far in 2020 Market Current End 2019 Pct Move Singapore 3032.67 3222.83 -5.90 Bangkok 1346.88 1579.84 -14.75 Manila 6816.38 7,815.26 -12.78 Jakarta 5318.415 6,299.54 -15.57 Kuala Lumpur 1483.4 1588.76 -6.63 Ho Chi Minh 879.28 960.99 -8.50 (Reporting by A K Pranav; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani discussed the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, the Kremlin press service reports. The parties noted the importance of maintaining the agreement and emphasized its role in maintaining international security, RIA Novosti reports. TDT | Manama His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday visited the National Task Force for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Operation Room at the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research. HRH the Crown Prince noted that the active support of HM King Hamad has ensured that Bahrains health sector is able to deliver innovative solutions to global challenges. HRH the Crown Prince expressed his appreciation and support for the ongoing collective efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, and for ensuring citizens and residents safety. HRH the Crown Prince affirmed that Bahrain will continue to modify its public health prevention measures to keep abreast with international developments, while intensifying efforts to maintain low infection rates. In this regard, HRH the Crown Prince underlined that a strong international response to the spread of COVID-19 forms the foundation of all preventive measures. Furthermore, HRH stressed that COVID-19 does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion or social class, calling for united efforts to confront the illness. HRH the Crown Prince stressed that through the comprehensive co-ordination of the Executive Authority, Legislative Authority, the private sector, citizens and residents, which together form Team Bahrain, the Kingdoms health system will prevail in the face of the threat posed by COVID-19. Meanwhile, Dr Safa Al Khawaja, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Head of Infection Control at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that Coronavirus (COVID-19) infected returnees from Iran are benefiting from the care they receive while in isolation, and are showing signs of recovery. Dr Safa went on to note that all COVID-19 patients at Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Community Medical Centre are receiving individual care from a specialised medical team, in line with established global medical protocols. Canadians hoping to travel to Saudi Arabia for the umrah pilgrimage are scrambling to curb their losses after the kingdom suddenly suspended entry for religious pilgrims over mounting coronavirus concerns, leaving travellers grounded and out thousands of dollars. On Thursday, Saudi Arabia moved to temporarily halt entry into the kingdom, home to two of Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the suspensions were temporary but provided no time frame for their expiry. It was unclear if the major pilgrimage, hajj, set to begin in July, will also be impacted. And as news of the suspensions makes waves, phones have been ringing non-stop at travel agencies specializing in umrah packages, with customers worried the money spent on flights, hotels and tour bookings will disappear as a result. "It's a panic situation," said Chaudhry Iqbal of Bismillah Travel and Tours in Mississauga, Ont. Most customers looking to perform the umrah pilgrimage book in groups months in advance, their packages largely non-refundable, Iqbal explained. Travellers who left before suspension also affected "We are really in a limbo right now," said Faisal Chohan of the Toronto-based World Ways Travel. But while the news is still fresh, Chohan says airlines have said little about whether they'll take any steps to help customers get their funds back. "It's been a really crazy influx of calls from not only people who are travelling from here, but also people who have already travelled and are in transit," he said. Some travellers who booked with Chohan left from Toronto's Pearson International Airport just hours before the suspension. By the time it was announced, they were already in flight or at their connecting destinations, where they were denied boarding their Saudi-bound flights. Yusuf Bhatia and his wife are among them. Some people spend years saving for such a trip. - Yusuf Bhatia Story continues The pair booked their trip more than two months ago and left from Toronto on Wednesday just before the suspension was announced. But they were nevertheless turned around in Istanbul, losing thousands of dollars in the process. Thirty minutes before his flight was supposed to leave Istanbul for Jeddah, Bhatia says they were called to the desk and told Saudi Arabia had cancelled their umrah visas. Bhatia said he tried to volunteer a medical test to show he and his wife were virus-free, but it was to no avail. 'No option but to return' "We had no option but to return back," he said. "Some people spend years saving for such a trip with their family," Bhatia told CBC News. "I wish they would allow the people who already left home and were in transit, or at least reimburse their hotel and travel." "He's worked so hard, and just in that one shot he's lost that $4,500," said Chohan. World Ways Travel CBC News tried to contact Saudi officials for comment, but did not receive a response. Another family with four children is stuck in Dhaka. "He just got there today and he's been calling me since morning as well," Chohan said. That family travelled with Air Canada from Toronto to London. From there, they were supposed to take a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight to Jeddah and later to Dhaka. Instead they were sent straight to Dhaka. Chohan said the majority of his customers' bookings are through Air Canada, and said he was still awaiting word from the airline about reimbursing customers. In a statement, Air Canada told CBC News it has goodwill policies allowing customers travelling to and from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Italy to rebook their trips, but there is no such arrangement for Saudi Arabia. "We continue to monitor this situation closely and will update policies as warranted," the airline said. Some will be 'out of pocket' Under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations, flight cancellations or delays based primarily on catastrophes or public health emergencies may be considered outside an airline's control, the Canadian Transportation Agency told CBC News. If an airline's decision is based primarily on commercial concerns, for example, that would count as within its control. "Each situation would have to be assessed on its own merits," the agency said in a statement. The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) recommends travellers affected by the kingdom's decision contact their travel agencies, provided they have booked with one. Customers may be able to get back some of their money if they have trip cancellation or interruption insurance through their credit card or purchased it separately, or if the airline provides rebooking options, TICO's president and CEO Richard Smart told CBC News. "There may be some consumers that in the end are out of pocket," Smart said. TICO's own compensation fund does not apply to travellers in this situation, Smart said; it's limited to travellers whose plans are affected by an Ontario travel agency, tour operator, airline or cruise going bankrupt. For now, Chohan says more than 100 customers at his agency alone will have their trips cancelled because of the suspension. Where airlines and hotels offer refunds, Chohan says, those funds will be returned to the customers. "But those that don't, we are also stuck," he said. Meanwhile, Bhatia isays he and his wife were put up in a hotel at no charge while they awaited their flight back to Canada. "The rest of the money we spent is gone." Donald Trump wants Xi Jinping's government to be part of any arms control talks with Russia - Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Donald Trump has told Moscow that the US is prepared to holding a summit with other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in hopes of pushing for three-way arms control pact with Russia and China, a senior White House official has told Reuters. The New START treaty, the last major arms-control treaty remaining between the US and Russia, expires in 2021. There has been talk of negotiating an extension to the existing treaty, but the White House thinks the next generation of arms control must also include China, which is expected to more than double its stockpile during the next decade. Russia has asked the US to extend the New START treaty for up to five years, but Moscow also has embraced the idea of bringing China into an agreement. The US and Russia have had three bilateral meetings, while Washington and Beijing have discussed having a similar dialogue, but the planned meeting would be the first time that representatives of all three countries would be at the same table discussing the issue. The current arms treaty between the US and Russia, which controls the production of nuclear missiles, ends next year - AP "Russia wants to make a deal very much on arms control and nuclear. And that's smart. And so do we. We think it would be a good thing," President Trump said at a news conference in December. "And we'll also certainly bring in, as you know, China. And we may bring them in later, or we may bring them in now." China has nuclear weapons, ballistic missile capabilities and the know-how to make chemical and biological weapons. It is also updating its nuclear arsenal. Beijing has signed various international weapons agreements, but none limiting nuclear weapons. The time and place of the meeting has not been determined, but a senior administration official said the US will use the gathering to pursue a trilateral arms control agreement that would bring China into the fold. The meeting is expected to include leaders of the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to White House guidelines. Story continues The US will use this opportunity to bring both Russia and China into the international arms control framework and head-off a costly arms race, the administration official said. Newsletter embed Crossfire - A Telegraph Podcast A podcast revealing the untold story of Britain's role in the Trump-Russia scandal. Spies, lies and an election like no other. Listen President Donald Trump is taking heat from Democrats for proposing budget cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid growing fears about a new coronavirus outbreak in the United States, but administration officials say CDC funding has steadily increased since Trump took office. An ABC News analysis of the presidents budget proposals compared to the congressionally approved spending plans ultimately enacted show both claims are true. PHOTO: The Centers for Disease Control's Tom Harkin Global Communications Center is shown in Atlanta. (James Gathany/Centers for Disease Control) The president introduced his fiscal year 2021 budget proposal on Feb. 10, just 11 days after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concerns. The spending plan included a 16 percent reduction in CDC funding from the 2020 spending levels. In fact, all of Trumps budget proposals have called for cuts to CDC funding, but Congress has intervened each time by passing spending bills with year-over-year increases for the CDC that Trump then signed into law. PHOTO: Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg speaks during the tenth Democratic 2020 presidential debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina, Feb. 25, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) During the Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg accused the president of defunding the CDC, claiming the result is that we dont have the organization that we need. On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tweeted, The Trump Administration has slashed CDC funding and left positions charged with managing pandemics vacant. The budget request for Coronavirus funding shows they still dont understand the magnitude of the threat. MORE: WHO raises global coronavirus risk from 'high' to 'very high' Asked about the criticism at a House budget hearing Wednesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that, during the presidents tenure, every part of our preparedness and infectious disease program activity has been enhanced and expanded. Azar went on the say the presidents budget proposals are just the jumping-off point for budget negotiations. MORE: Trump blames market drop on COVID-19 uncertainty and Democratic candidates Story continues Budgets are like the first move in a chess game with, Ill be honest, a fairly profligate Congress, Azar said. And the president starts that move with a budget knowing that were going to get a lot higher there as we work with Congress. PHOTO: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar testifies before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Capitol Hill, Feb. 25, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) As health officials gear up to confront a potential outbreak, the administration is asking Congress to authorize an additional $2.5 billion in supplemental funding for 2020 aimed at accelerating vaccine development and other containment measures. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has suggested that figure is not sufficient, and Congress should allocate an additional $8.5 billion for fighting coronavirus. But its not just the presidents budget proposals that are under the microscope as fears of a new coronavirus outbreak mount. Bloomberg also took aim at Trump for eliminating a position from the National Security Council responsible for coordinating administration efforts to combat infectious disease. MORE: Coronavirus could lead to drug shortages in US The president fired the pandemic specialist in this country two years ago, Bloomberg said. So, there's nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing. In 2018, Trump administration eliminated the position of senior director for global health security and biodefense as part of a broader downsizing of the NSC spearheaded by then-National Security Adviser John Bolton. Earlier this month, 27 Democratic senators sent a letter to current National Security Adviser Robert OBrien urging him to reinstate the position and asking him to clarify how the White House plans to handle global health security threats. Families concerned about the novel coronavirus threat need to know the NSC has a dedicated, senior official with appropriate expertise and authority to address the domestic and global health threats from the virus, they wrote. It is of paramount importance that this person approaches this role though a public health lens. MORE: Latest American infected with coronavirus has no relevant travel history: CDC The senators requested a response by Feb. 27, but the NSC did meet that deadline, nor did it respond to a request for comment from ABC News. Retired Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer held the position of senior director for global health security and biodefense on the NSC from April 2017 to July 2018. He previously coordinated the Presidents Malaria Initiative under President George W. Bush, and is now the senior deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Cutbacks at that agency under the Trump administration are also receiving new scrutiny. Last year, the USAID program known as PREDICT was shuttered. The initiative was launched in 2009 and designed to improve the detection and discovery of zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential. The program is credited with identifying nearly a thousand new zoonotic viruses, which are transmitted between animals and humans, and influencing the response effort currently being employed to combat the coronavirus, which is a zoonotic infection. MORE: Growth of new coronavirus fuels questions over definition of pandemic Earlier this month, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., sent a letter to the head of USAID asking him to reinstate the program in light of the spread of coronavirus. The current deadly viral outbreak and its quick appearance in the United States make clear that PREDICTs contributions to zoonotic disease surveillance and forecasting must continue, she wrote. We simply cannot afford to go backwards and jeopardize the success weve seen over the last ten years. The president has defended his administrations response and preparedness efforts as incredible. On Wednesday, he tapped Vice President Mike Pence to lead a coronavirus task force formed late last month that was being led by Azar. Other members of the task force include NSA OBrien, CDC Director Robert Redfield, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci. Did Trump try to cut the CDC's budget as Democrats claim?: ANALYSIS originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A US court Friday suspended its decision to block a key asylum policy of Donald Trump's administration which has forced many applicants to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed, allowing border officials to continue enforcing the White House directive. The policy -- known as "Remain in Mexico" and part of the US president's signature crackdown on migration -- has been used to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America back to Mexico, but was placed on hold by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Friday. The court initially ruled the policy "is invalid in its entirety" under US law concerning migrant rights and UN refugee protocols, and should be blocked "in its entirety." But just hours later, the court unanimously voted to stay its order, US media reported, with the three-judge panel telling the government and the plaintiffs to file written arguments by Monday and Tuesday next week. After welcoming the court's initial ruling the American Civil Liberties Union -- one of the groups that challenged the government in court -- said the suspension was a "temporary step." "We will continue working to permanently end this unspeakably cruel policy," attorney Judy Rabinovitz said in a statement to US media. Earlier, the White House had blasted the block, warning it could "flood the nation's immigration system" and "present unchecked coronavirus entry risk." The San Francisco court had allowed the policy to go ahead last year, pending the appeal, overruling a district judge who had ruled against the measure. The district judge had heard evidence that migrants returned to Mexico under the policy faced discrimination, physical violence, sexual assault, corruption and lack of food and shelter. More than 60,000 people have been returned to Mexico under the program since it was introduced in January 2019, according to the White House. "The policy is facially and flatly illegal," tweeted Harvard Law School constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe. On Friday, the US Customs and Border Security shut down the Paso Del Norte crossing in southern Texas as of the court's block spread on social media. "CBP stopped traffic at Paso Del Norte bridge at 7:20 pm Friday preventing the ability for a group of migrants to illegally and forcefully surge through the port of entry," the force tweeted. The West Texas branch of the CBP added that the crossing -- one of the busiest -- would remain closed overnight, although no other ports were shut. Earlier, a Department of Justice spokesman said the Trump administration had "acted faithfully" and slammed the court's ruling which "highlights the consequences and impropriety of nationwide injunctions." The White House said it was "considering all available legal options to seek further review of this decision," and called the asylum policy "hugely successful." The number of detained migrants soared in recent years as hundreds of thousands of people, mostly from Central America, poured into the United States, with many seeking asylum. A crackdown including the "Remain in Mexico" policy has seen border apprehensions plunge in recent months. The figure stood at fewer than 37,000 last month, from more than 58,000 a year earlier. But Refugee International warned Friday that the asylum policy "means the difference between life and death" for migrants "cruelly pushed into harm and deprivation in Mexico." In a separate ruling Friday, the same appeals court also struck down the Trump policy of blocking anyone entering illegally without going through an official port of entry from applying for asylum. "Together, the two decisions represent a significant setback for the Trump administration's efforts to restrict asylum applications," said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a Cornell Law School professor. "This issue is surely headed to the Supreme Court," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Passengers wear masks to protect against the spread of the Coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport, California, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images) US Surgeon General Urges Public to Stop Buying Masks Amid Shortages The surgeon general of the United States has urged the public to stop buying masks, warning that it could lead to a shortage for healthcare workers and effectively put them and communities at risk. U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams made his plea in several Twitter posts on Saturday as Americans rush to purchase disposable face masks and other protective equipment. The demand for masks is leading to shortages that have caused price surges on online shopping platforms Amazon and eBay. Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! Adams wrote in his post, adding that masks are not effective in preventing the public from catching the virus and a lack of such protective equipment could put healthcare workers at risk. Adams added that the best way the public can protect themselves from contracting the virus is to maintain strong preventive actions like staying at home when sick and washing hands with soap and water. The surgeon generals remarks echo officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) who also expressed concerns over the lack of protective equipment around the world. Our primary concern here is to ensure that our front-line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs, Dr. Michael J. Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergency program, said during a briefing on Friday. So when we talk about protective equipment and masks, were talking about that very specific specialized material thats needed. And that is under significant pressure. Ryan said that masks can stop the wearer from spreading the disease to someone else, but there are limits to preventing a person from being infected. Not having a mask does not necessarily put you at any increased [risk] of contracting this disease, he said, adding that preventive measures are the best way to stop the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, U.S. officials said on Feb. 29 that the risk of the American public catching the virus remains low. The risk to the American public remains low. We should anticipate more cases but the risk to the American public remains low, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a press conference at the White House. The American public needs to go on with their normal lives. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also shared a similar assessment of the risk of the virus to Americans. Trump said that the United States is prepared and has stockpiled 43 million masks and other supplies. President Donald Trump speaks as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Anthony Fauci (L), US Vice President Mike Pence (2L), and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield (R) look on during a press conference on the COVID-19, coronavirus, outbreak at the White House in Washington on Feb. 29, 2020. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images) Earlier on Feb. 29, Washington state health officials confirmed that one person has died from the virus, becoming the first patient to die from the disease in the United States. On Feb. 28, the U.S. pharmacy chain CVS warned there could be a temporary shortage of hand sanitizer and fitted N95 face masks due to a spike in demand amid the outbreak. Walgreens has also reported high demand for masks and protective items. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Trafigura forms venture with Phillips 66 for deepwater Texas oil port FILE PHOTO: Trafigura logo is pictured in the company entrance in Geneva By Julia Payne LONDON (Reuters) - Global commodities trader Trafigura said on Friday it had formed a joint venture with U.S. refiner Phillips 66 to build a major deepwater port in Texas capable of handling supertankers, ditching its own competing project. The Bluewater Texas Terminal, to be located 21 nautical miles east of the entrance to Corpus Christi port, will have two single point mooring buoys that can load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each capable of carrying about 2 million barrels of oil. Geneva-based Trafigura, the biggest U.S. crude exporter handling about 600,000 bpd, said it had withdrawn its Texas Gulf Terminals project submitted to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) in July 2018. The United States became a crude exporter in early 2016 after a decades-long ban was lifted but infrastructure has lagged behind the country's sky-rocketing shale production. The United States is now the world's biggest crude producer at 13 million barrels per day (bpd) with exports averaging about 3.4 million bpd for the last four weeks, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Severe pipeline bottlenecks out of the Permian basin, the biggest in the United States, have improved with the start of three major pipes last year but export terminals capable of handling supertankers are still in short supply. A flurry of port projects have been proposed to fix the gap. Phillips 66, the fourth largest U.S. refiner, first proposed Bluewater terminal in July. At the time, at least eight other projects had already been announced. A final investment decision is expected to be made this year, the statement said. Once built, the terminal will be capable of loading tankers at a rate of between 40,000 and 80,000 barrels per hour or about 16 VLCCs per month. U.S. maritime officials suspended Phillips 66's application for a U.S. Gulf Coast deepwater export terminal, seeking additional information in November. "By easing infrastructure barriers, the Bluewater Texas Terminals project will help the Permian region produce and export more crude oil, grow the U.S. economy and support Texas jobs," said Corey Prologo, director of oil trading North America for Trafigura. (Reporting by Julia Payne; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Edmund Blair) A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle to pass the Chinatown's main entrance gate in Incheon, In this Feb. 14, 2020, photo,Korea. AP The number of Chinese nationals entering South Korea has fallen sharply following measures to contain the new coronavirus outbreak, government data showed Saturday. After peaking at 18,743, Jan. 13, the number plunged around 94 percent to 1,093, Thursday, according to data announced in a briefing by Korea Immigration Service Commissioner Cha Gyu-geun. Cha said the number gradually fell from around 5,350, Feb. 4, to 870 this year's lowest figure Friday, in the wake of the government's entry restrictions. Of the 870, 462 were Chinese nationals enrolled in local universities, while the remainder were mostly long-term residents of South Korea. The figures marked a sharp fall from last year, when 2,000 to 4,000 students would enter during this time of the year ahead of the new school year that starts in March, Cha explained. AMES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Renewable Energy Group, Inc. today announced that the Company will present at the following investor conferences: On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 12:55 PM ET, the REG management team is scheduled to present at the Bank of America 2020 Refining Conference at the Bank of America Office in New York, NY. The presentation will be webcast live on the Investor Relations section of the Companys website at https://investor.regi.com/. The Company will also host investor meetings throughout the day. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only for clients of Bank of America. Interested investors should contact your Bank of America sales representative to secure a meeting time. On Monday, March 16, 2020, at 10:00 AM PT, the Company will present at the 32nd Annual ROTH Conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Laguna Niguel in Orange County, CA. The Company will also host investor meetings throughout the day. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only for clients of Roth Capital Partners. Interested investors should contact your Roth sales representative to secure a meeting time. On Wednesday, March 25, at 9:00 AM PT, the REG management team is scheduled to present on the Biodiesel Panel at the Piper Sandler 20th Annual Energy Conference in Las Vegas, NV. The Company will also host investor meetings throughout Tuesday, March 24 and Wednesday, March 25. Attendance at the conference is by invitation only for clients of Piper Sandler. Interested investors should contact your Piper Sandler sales representative to secure a meeting time. Cynthia CJ Warner, President and CEO of Renewable Energy Group commented, We are very pleased to start telling our story to a broader range of energy investors. Since day one, REG has been delivering high quality, lower carbon fuel that fits naturally into the current energy infrastructure. As the transition to cleaner energy builds momentum, biodiesel and renewable diesel are positioned to meet the growing demand for cleaner transportation fuels. An investment in REG is a unique offering to an energy investor and provides benefits both from the positive environmental impact our fuel offers and our commitment to operating a safe and sustainable company. Renewable Energy Group was recently named to the prominent Carbon Clean200 list published by Corporate Knights and As You Sow. Learn more about Renewable Energy Group at investor.regi.com. About Renewable Energy Group Renewable Energy Group, Inc., is leading the energy industry transition to sustainability by transforming renewable resources into high-quality, cleaner fuels. REG is an international producer of cleaner fuels and North Americas largest producer of biodiesel. REG solutions are alternatives for petroleum diesel and produce significantly lower carbon emissions. REG utilizes an integrated procurement, distribution and logistics network to operate 13 biorefineries in the U.S. and Europe. In 2018, REG produced 502 million gallons of cleaner fuel delivering over 4 million metric tons of carbon reduction. REG is meeting the growing global demand for lower-carbon fuels and leading the way to a more sustainable future. Contacts Investor Relations: Renewable Energy Group Todd Robinson Treasurer +1 (515) 239-8048 Todd.Robinson@regi.com In his first visit abroad after taking over as the Foreign Secretary, Harsha Vardhan Shringla visited Afghanistan on February 28-29, where he interacted with top leadership of the country and reiterated India's commitment to enhanced political, economic and development partnership between the two neighbours and strategic partners. "During his visit, Foreign Secretary called on President Dr Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai. He also met First Vice President-elect Mr Amrullah Saleh, NSA Dr Hamdullah Mohib, Acting Foreign Minister Mr Mohammad Haroon Chakhansuri and Acting Finance Minister Mr Abdul Zadran. He separately interacted with a wide cross-section of Afghan leaders from politics, media, civil society and academia," a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs read. Shringla reiterated India's consistent support for an independent, sovereign, democratic, pluralistic and inclusive Afghanistan in which interests of all sections of Afghan society are preserved. "He also conveyed India's support for enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. He underscored that sustainable peace in Afghanistan requires an end to externally sponsored terrorism," the MEA said. According to MEA, the Foreign Secretary congratulated the people and Government of Afghanistan on the conduct of the fourth presidential elections and the declaration of the final results. "The leadership of Afghanistan deeply appreciated India's support for peace, development and prosperity of Afghanistan, including the efforts for regional connectivity such as the operationalisation of Chahbahar Port and establishment of Air Freight Corridors between various cities of India and Afghanistan," the release from MEA read. "Agreements for road projects in Bamyan and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces of Afghanistan with Indian development assistance were signed during the visit. It was agreed to work together for the implementation of the New Development Partnership and further expand cooperation in accordance with the Strategic Partnership Agreement," it stated. The meetings came ahead of the US-Taliban deal, which has been under negotiation for almost 18 months between the two sides and was signed in Doha earlier today. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 35-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison in Ahmednagar's Pathardi tehsil on Thursday evening, hours after his son read out a poem in school asking farmers not to commit suicide due to agricultural distress, police said. Malhari Batule, a resident of Bharajwadi, had a couple of loans outstanding, and the monthly installments of his stolen truck were also pending, all of which were causing him immense distress, a Pathardi police station official said. "He had taken money for his sister's marriage. On Thursday evening he consumed poison and died while undergoing treatment in a nearby hospital," he said. "On the same day, his son Prashant Batule had recited a poem in school, on the occasion of Marathi Language Day (February 27) asking farmers not to commit suicide," said the official. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the signing of a peace deal between the US and the Taliban, saying it would continue to support every effort being made to bring peace in Afghanistan. The US and the Taliban signed a landmark peace deal in Qatari capital Doha on Saturday which will provide for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The deal signing ceremony was attended by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi among several other dignitaries. ALSO READ: US, Taliban sign deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office said that Qureshi welcomed the agreement and said that the agreement carried immense importance for Afghanistan, the region and beyond. "Pakistan will continue to support a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbours," the statement quoted Qureshi as saying. He underlined that Pakistan had fulfilled its part of the responsibility in terms of facilitating the peace agreement. "The peace agreement reflected a significant step forward by the US and the Taliban in advancing the ultimate aim of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan," he said. He also appreciated the personal contribution of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani to the peace process. Qureshi said that the intra-Afghan negotiations would be the next logical step after the agreement. As part of the deal, the intra-Afghan peace talks, involving representatives from the Afghan government, the Taliban and various other groups, will be held in Norway's capital Oslo by March 10. ALSO READ: India reacts cautiously to peace deal between US and Taliban He hoped that the Afghan parties would now seize this historic opportunity and workout a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. Qureshi also underlined the need for the international community to recognise that Afghanistan will require support to commence reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. Drawing the international community's attention to Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he underscored the need to assist the Afghan government in creating an enabling environment for the return of the refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour. Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan will continue its policy of supporting the Afghan people in their efforts to achieve lasting peace, stability and development in Afghanistan. First, Happy Birthday to You lost its copyright. Then We Shall Overcome became public domain as well. But on Friday, Woody Guthries This Land Is Your Land avoided what had been shaping up as a growing trend affecting the copyright owners of old songs, as the publishers of This Land defeated a challenge against it. In the case, a young musical group called Satorii sued the songs publishers, Ludlow Music and the Richmond Organization, after paying $45.50 for a license to release a cover version of This Land Is Your Land, which Guthrie wrote in 1940. In their complaint filed by the same lawyers behind the Happy Birthday and We Shall Overcome suits the group used a detailed timeline of decades-old paperwork and Guthries own hand-decorated songbooks to argue that Guthrie had essentially forfeited his copyright to the song decades ago by failing to renew it properly. They asked for the songs copyright to be declared invalid, which would have put This Land in the public domain. Since This Land is under copyright, the song must be licensed any time it is recorded, used in a film or performed in a commercial setting. For some of those uses, like a radio broadcast, the license may already be covered under blanket deals in which users pay a fee for access to thousands of songs, with the fees eventually divided among the individual copyright owners. There was quite a splash last month in the power corridors when a babu hosted a mundan (head tonsuring) ceremony for his daughter which was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, several Union ministers, chief ministers of several states, dozens of secretaries, and various former ministers, etc. The guest list was practically the whos who of the capitals power wielders. Confused? But Diwakar Nath Misra is no run-of-the-mill joint secretary. He is the son-in-law of Supreme Court judge, Justice A.K. Mishra, and the party was held at the judges residence, a connection that may explain this unprecedented turnout, which we, by the way, love. Mr Misra is a very fine 2000-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and worked in the petroleum ministry before his current assignment. He was also the secretary of the oil industry development board. Nobody gets to leave The Narendra Modi PMO is pretty much like the hotel in the well-known Eagles song: You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave! Despite leaving the PMO at the end of his tenure as principal secretary to the Prime Minister, Nripendra Misra clearly remains a Narendra Modi favourite. When he quit the PMO at the end of the Modi sarkars first term, Mr Misra did not fade away into the sunset. A few months later, the Prime Minister appointed Mr Misra as the head of the executive council of the prestigious Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. And now, he has been made head of the committee that will oversee the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. No doubt, Mr Misras long experience as a bureaucrat in Uttar Pradesh and the perception that he enjoys Mr Modis complete trust will come in handy. Similarly, another ex-PMO babu, Bhaskar Khulbe, a West Bengal cadre officer of the 1983 batch who retired as the secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made a quiet comeback in the PMO as adviser to Mr Modi in the rank and scale of secretary. Mr Modi will now have two advisers, the other being Mr Khulbes batchmate Amarjeet Sinha from Bihar who retired as secretary, rural development. Both will join the expanding stable that now includes principal secretary to the PM Dr P.K. Mishra, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and principal adviser to the PM P.K. Sinha, all of whom run the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) of 48 senior officials. All of this provides a clear clue on how Mr Modi likes to staff his PMO with babus who fulfil his key criteria of loyalty and trust and continuity too. A technical change, or more? Can a paramilitary force be given the status of a civil service? The Modi sarkar has answered with an emphatic yes! It has decided to bring all Central Armed Police Forces into one Indian Central Armed Police Service (ICAPS). Further, all future recruitment of officers for the paramilitary forces will be through the civil service exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The change of name, sources say, is intended to reflect the change in the status of the Central police forces, and to bring them on par with the other civil services. The change was recommended in December last year by a committee headed by the border management secretary of the ministry of home affairs, which had received the proposal from the UPSC in 2017. The decision is also intended to end the hierarchy between civil officials and Central police force officers. However, some IPS officers are of the view that the name change is a mere technicality and will not make much of a difference unless the proposed ICAPS cadre are made interchangeable so that officers of one paramilitary force can be deployed to other forces and vice versa. Protesters gathered outside Serbia's parliament, fearing that a new law due to be voted on would do little to help them uncover what happened to their children, who they believe were taken from maternity wards as new-borns. Mirjana Novokmet was only 19 years old when she was told at a Belgrade clinic that her baby boy was stillborn. She wasn't allowed to see him, and she has not been able to determine with certainty why he died or where he was buried. More than 40 years later, Novokmet is still searching for answers. She told the Associated Press: "I am certain that he is alive. I believe someone had taken him, sold him, within the country or outside the country." Novokmet is not alone. Hundreds of families in Serbia have voiced similar suspicions after being unable to collect their deceased children's medical records or trace their place of burial. The chilling scandal has made it to the European Court of Human Rights which ruled against Serbia in 2013, demanding that the authorities create a mechanism that would provide answers to parents in similar situations. As a result, Serbian lawmakers are set in the coming days to pass the long-awaited bill designed to try to establish the facts in court proceedings or offer compensation where the truth cannot be determined. Praised by the authorities as the right way forward, the bill has been criticised by the parents' associations and independent experts who argue that it will serve to pay out the families rather than establish the truth. Cedomir Backovic Assistant Minister of Justice at The Council of Europe, told the AP that "whatever we did wouldn't be good enough." The law envisages that specially-appointed and trained judges probe the reported cases of the missing babies and coordinate activities by the state services to determine their faith. Where this cannot be done, the families will be compensated with up to 10,000 Euros ($10,800.) (Pic Credit: Pixabay) A 17-year old was allegedly raped and set on fire by a stalker for spurning his advances in Telanganas Suryapet district late on Friday, the police said on Saturday. The victim, a student of Intermediate second year, equivalent to Class 12, in Raghavapur village of Thirumalagiri block, suffered more than 50% burns and was admitted in the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Government Hospital. Her condition is critical, Thirumalagiri sub-inspector (SI) of police S Daniel said, citing the doctors. The accused, identified as Venkatesh (24), who stays in the neighbourhood, is absconding.. Daniel said the woman was alone at home in the village on Friday and her parents were away in Hyderabad, where they are employed as construction workers. At around 9 pm, he {Venkatesh} entered her house and sexually assaulted her, before dousing her with petrol and setting her afire, the officer said. She ran out of her house screaming and alerted her neighbours, who immediately put out the fire and rushed her to the local hospital. From there, she was shifted to the government hospital in Warangal with the help of the police. The womans parents complained to the police that Venkatesh, a farm worker, had been stalking their daughter for the past two years and trying to persuade her to marry him. She had been avoiding him because he was not educated, On receiving information, her parents rushed to Warangal hospital. They came to us on Saturday afternoon and lodged a formal complaint stating that their daughter was raped and set afire. They demanded that stringent action be taken against the accused, the SI said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 05:15:53|Editor: yhy Video Player Close CAIRO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- As Egypt announced Saturday it has signed in Washington a U.S.-sponsored agreement regarding Ethiopia's controversial giant dam, Ethiopia expressed disappointment over the move that followed a meeting without Ethiopia's participation. Egypt said it has signed a U.S.-brokered deal regarding the rules of filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), urging Ethiopia and Sudan to follow suit. "Egypt looks forward to the acceptance by Sudan and Ethiopia of this agreement and their signing of it at the earliest possible juncture, since it is a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the common interest of the three countries," said the ministry statement. A ministerial meeting of the water and foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan was scheduled to be held in Washington on Feb. 27-28 to crystalize a final agreement on the rules of filling and operating the GERD. However, Ethiopia said a day before the meeting that it would not take part in the talks in Washington "because of unfinished consultation with national stakeholders." Egypt expressed on Saturday its rejection of "Ethiopia's unjustifiable absence from this meeting at this critical stage in the negotiations." But Ethiopia said it had notified Egypt, Sudan, and the United States that it needed more time to deliberate on the process. "Ethiopia, as the owner of the GERD, will commence the first filling of the GERD in parallel with the construction of the dam in accordance with the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization and the causing of no significant harm," the Ethiopian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. "The text reportedly initiated by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Washington D.C. is not the outcome of the negotiation or the technical and legal discussion of the three countries," the statement said, adding that Ethiopia made it clear that the guidelines and rules on the first filling and annual operation of the GERD must be prepared by the three countries. Ethiopia said it is committed to continuing its engagement with Egypt and Sudan to address the outstanding issues and finalize the guidelines and rules. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Saturday that his country facilitated the preparation of an agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD based on the provisions proposed by the legal and technical teams of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and with the technical input of the World Bank. "The United States believes that the work completed over the last four months has resulted in an agreement that addresses all issues in a balanced and equitable manner, taking into account the interests of the three countries," the statement said. Mnuchin said the foundation of the agreement is the principles agreed between the three countries in the 2015 Agreement on the Declaration of Principles, in particular the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization, of not causing significant harm, and of cooperation. He reaffirmed the United States' commitment to remain engaged with the three countries until they sign the final agreement. Ethiopia, an upstream Nile Basin country, started building its grand hydropower dam in 2011 on the Blue Nile, while downstream Egypt is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of Nile water. Egypt's fellow downstream country Sudan, eyes future benefits from the GERD construction despite Egyptian concerns, as the GERD is expected to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity and become Africa's largest hydropower dam upon completion. Tripartite negotiations of the three countries have been fruitless for years and the United States has recently sponsored fresh rounds of talks in Washington to push for an agreement that was supposed to be signed by all parties in late February. Filling the reservoir, with a total capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, may take several years, but Egypt seeks to prolong the period to avoid the negative effects of water shortage, which is a main point of their talks. The World Bank has announced that it will reestablish formal relations with Somalia after 30 years, recognising what it described as a strong record of fiscal, political, social and economic reforms. Somalia will be able to access loans and grants through the Washington-based lender's International Development Association. Normalising relations between Somalia and the World Bank also enables the country to secure debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) programmes, according to a World Bank statement. Somalia's government had an estimated 5.3 billion US dollars in debt at the end of 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rebuilding This historic day is important for Somalia's re-engagement with the bank and for Somalia to have access to International Development Association grants for its development, said Abdirahman Beileh, Somalia's finance minister. Ties between the World Bank and Somalia were suspended in 1991 when war broke out. Some support resumed in 2003 for HIV/AIDS and livestock programmes with other organisations. The IMF in December approved a financing plan that will enable it to cover its share of debt relief to Somalia using cash grants and its own internal resources. The police, on Friday, arrested two Bangladeshi infiltrators who were working in a factory in an industrial area in Nanjangud. The police arrested Mohammed Abdullah, 27, and Mohammed Habeebulla, 23, of Sathkira district in Bangladesh. The duo was working with Rishi Fabrics in Thandya industrial area in Nanjangud taluk for the last one year. According to the police, the accused had rented a house at Immavu village near here. On a tip-off, the police raided their house and took them into custody. The duo worked for a few months in Bengaluru and shifted to Nanjangud an year ago. A police officer said, initially, the duo had claimed they hail from Bengaluru, but failed to prove it. Later, they admitted that they had migrated from Bangladesh. The police have booked them under Section 12 of the Passport Act, 1967, Section 14 (a) of Foreigners Act, 1946, as the duo failed to produce visa, passport and other documents needed for migration. The Delhi government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which people can complain about hate messages being circulated on the instant messaging app in wake of the riots that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi, sources said on Saturday. The Delhi government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which people can complain about hate messages being circulated on the instant messaging app in wake of the riots that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi, sources said on Saturday. They said the government will make an appeal to people to not forward any such message because forwarding any material which causes enmity amongst communities is a crime. The move is aimed at dealing with rumours on social media. "If anyone receives any such material, he can immediately make a complaint to Delhi government stating the name and number of the person who forwarded that message," a source told PTI. The government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which such complaints could be made. An official will screen all the complaints made and genuine complaints would then be forwarded to police for necessary action, the sources said. Also read: Top cop shares bank account details of Ratan Lal's wife; Twitterati donates funds Also read: Delhi HC seeks Centre, Delhi govt's response on pleas seeking FIRs against AIMIM leaders Also read: 'Never felt so scared': AAP, Congress, DMK, CPI(M) leaders express concern over Delhi violence Shocking pictures have revealed a horse with hooves so overgrown it can no longer stand and dozens of cats and dogs surrounded by faeces and the unidentifiable rotting remains of fellow pets at a rundown French mansion. A decomposing horse tangled in an electric fence and emaciated cows were also found at the property in Saint-Hernin, Brittany, north-west France. Shell-shocked rescuers said it was 'one of the worst situations we could ever have imagined' when they entered the farm last week. The property's owner had recently died and her daughter, who is understood to have suffered from mental health issues, was taken to hospital in the last few weeks. They are thought to have spent thousands buying the animals, which are all pure breeds, over the years for their 'collection'. Shortly before the mother's death they paid 1,200 (1,032) for a pedigree puppy, according to reports. A horse with hooves that were so overgrown that it could no longer stand pictured at the rundown farm in Saint-Hernin, Brittany, north-west France Inside the house rescuers from The Green Valley Brittany found piles of rotting rubbish Among the objects they also found ten dogs and four cats which were terrified of people Unidentifiable rotting remains were also found inside the house. Footage from the farm showed what appeared to be bones sticking out of piles of matted fur Horrifying images show the dilapidated house littered with rubbish and rotting remains. In the rooms abandoned objects had piled so high the floor could no longer be seen. Rescuers saw piles of bones surrounded by matted hair in room corners, footage revealed. Ten sad-looking dogs and four terrified cats were found hiding among the rubbish. Emaciated cows, pigs and Shetland ponies were also discovered in the faeces-ridden barn while soaked horses and donkeys with overgrown hooves were found in a field. The Green Valley Brittany rescue group gained permission to evacuate the animals from the farm last week from local authorities. It took action after receiving a tip-off from the town's mayor. 'One horse had hooves so overgrown that if we hadn't come that day, we have no doubt that he would have been dead by the morning,' they said. 'We have never seen a horse with such overgrown hooves before and he'd endured so much suffering and probably been down on the ground in horrendous stormy weather for some time. A terrified dog inside the house (left) and rubbish (right). The property's owner is understood to have recently died and her daughter was taken to hospital with mental illness in the last few weeks Used plastic bottles, abandoned pots and rotting packets pictured inside the kitchen Washing machines surrounded by rotting and dirty laundry pictured in the utility room 'The horror continued inside where we found ten dogs and four cats living in a house with stuff lying around everywhere covered in vomit, faces and dead unidentifiable animals. 'It is unbelievable that only one week before two people had also been living in this place. 'The animals in the house were visibly traumatised and really fearful. Incredibly, after a little while, they all came for cuddles and a moment of comforting.' President of the rescue group, Laura Kling, said that she was told by neighbours several people had been aware of the farm's condition but no one had taken action. The horses had their hooves trimmed at the farm before they were moved to foster homes. Animals in urgent need also received medical treatment before they were re-located. 'All animals have arrived safely at their foster families where they will receive further treatments until they will be able to be re-homed,' she said in a post this morning. A horse with overgrown hooves. Another horse was found dead nearby after it got tangled in an electric fence. It couldn't stand due to its overgrown hooves All the animals on the farm were pure breeds and the former owners are thought to have been collecting them. Pictured above is a pony with overgrown hooves Painful overgrown hooves on a pony photographed by rescuers The Green Valley Brittany However, despite the team's efforts Ms Kling added that she thought they had 'failed' the dead horse 'but our hands were tied and we did all we could'. 'We arrived just a few hours too late for one of the horses,' she said. 'He got himself tangled in an electric fence and was unable to free himself due to him being unstable on his feet. The lack of care over the last few years had caused his condition to go down and he urgently needed further treatments. 'It makes me so angry that authorities saw him only two months ago and did nothing! Let alone the other people who saw him over the last years. Why did nobody step in?' Animals rescued from the farm included ten dogs, four cats, two donkeys, six Shetland ponies, one Welsh pony, three horses, two geese, 18 chickens, eight pigeons, six sheep and three Anglo-Nubian goats. French Association Stephane Lamart helped with the evacuation. About 6,000 police personnel to be reinstated to overcome cadre shortage By Shaadya Ismail View(s): View(s): To overcome problems caused by the shortage of police personnel, the Government is likely to waive off disciplinary action against police personnel who have committed minor offences and bring back as many as 6,000 to the service. Minister Bandula Gunawardena told the Sunday Times the decision had been taken in view of the shortage of policemen for various duties, including traffic control. Those facing disciplinary action will be called before a committee appointed by the Inspector General of Police and the offence committed would be taken into consideration before granting a pardon and reinstating them. In view of the suspension of the policemen, the Police Department has not been able to fill the vacancies. The Minister said the reason for acquiring the assistance of the Tri Forces Police was due to the lack of police officers to perform various tasks. This Cabinet decision was made considering the inconvenience caused to the people due to excessive road traffic congestion on a daily basis, he said. Refuting the allegation that the Government was trying to militarise the state, Minister Gunawardena said, The military police has always been a source of strength and has come to the aid of the people during a crisis. He said some NGOs had often looked down upon the good done by the government. Police spokesman Jaliya Senaratne said the current police cadre was incapable of carrying out multiple duties at the same time. With the heavy traffic that builds up during peak hours in Colombo and other responsibilities attached to them, assistance from the Tri Forces will be of huge help, he said. Military Spokesman Chandana Wickremasinghe pointed out that the Military Police was deployed only to assist police officers to control traffic and not to get involved in reporting offences of fining motorist. According to him, at every spot where a military police official is deployed there is also a police officer. Air Force media spokesman Dushan Wijesinghe said assistance would only be rendered during peak hours when traffic built up extensively. The Presidency University Students' Union on Saturday expressed concern over the arrest of Souradeep Sengupta, a former student, for posting alleged derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. The union, controlled by the CPI(M)-backed SFI, said protests will be held on the campus and the College Street area against the arrest of Sengupta, currently a guest lecturer at the Gurucharan College in Assam's Silchar. Sengupta was arrested from his residence by the Assam Police in the Itkhola area on Friday night after a case was lodged against him based on a complaint filed by a student of the Silchar college, they said. He also allegedly targeted a particular community in his Facebook post, which his family said was later deleted. They said he subsequently posted an apology on the social media website for the comments. Sengupta, while pursuing Bsc at the premier institute, was the assistant general secretary of the students' union. "We consider this arrest as another attack on democracy and the Constitution and thereby ask his immediate and unconditional release," the students' union said. Charges of malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, promoting enmity between different groups and criminal intimidation, among others, have been brought against Sengupta, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Does New Jersey have any St. Patricks Day parades? Is grass green? Nearly three dozen parades are scheduled for St. Patricks Day season up and down the state and in New York City. Heres a guide to each 2020 St. Patricks Day parade, including dates, start times and locations. The processions some decades old, some only a few years young promise music, dancing, food and more. ********Postponements and cancellations due to coronavirus are listed below******** SUNDAY, MARCH 1 A scene from the The Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade in March 2019.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com SATURDAY, MARCH 7 SUNDAY, MARCH 8 In costume at the Asbury Park St. Patrick's Day Parade in March 2019.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com FRIDAY, MARCH 13 SATURDAY, MARCH 14 Alice Karnai of Morristown at the Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2002.Star-Ledger file photo People watching the Rory O'Moore Pipes and Drums perform as they march down the street during the Hackettstown St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2013.Matt Smith | lehighvalleylive.com contributor SUNDAY, MARCH 15 The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County hold an Irish flag at the West Orange St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2002.Star-Ledger file photo A bagpipe band at the Atlantic City St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2009.Mel Evans | AP TUESDAY, MARCH 17 SATURDAY, MARCH 21 A scene from the 2018 Newark St. Patricks Day Parade. The parade celebrates its 85th year on March 13.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com SUNDAY, MARCH 22 SATURDAY, MARCH 28 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. Just a day before the signing of the US-Taliban deal, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday, February 28, called upon Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani. During their meeting, Shringla handed over a congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Afghan President. Further, as per reports, the Afghan leader appreciated Indias consistent support for democracy and constitutional order in Afghanistan. Shringla is on his maiden trip to Afghanistan to show India's support to the democratic forces in Kabul ahead of the US and Taliban's peace deal. Read: Shringla takes charge as FS; calls for global 'undifferentiated, unambiguous' approach to terrorism Shringla meets Afghanistan Foreign Minister Foreign Secretary Shringla on Friday met acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Haroon Chakhansuri in Kabul and extended India's support for Afghans in their pursuit of sustainable peace, security, and development. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Friday took to his official Twitter handle and informed about the meeting between India's foreign secretary and the acting Afghan foreign minister, and informed about both the leaders reviewing and assessing the bilateral strategic partnership between both the countries. Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla met Acting Foreign Minister @hchakhansuri of Afghanistan. They reviewed and positively assessed developments in bilateral strategic partnership. @IndianEmbkabul@vkumar1969 pic.twitter.com/LmimaFofF8 Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 28, 2020 Read: India to attend Afghanistan peace deal signing between US-Taliban in Doha Indo-Afgan meeting before US-Taliban deal The meeting between both countries comes ahead of the peace deal between the United States of America and the Taliban, which has been in negotiation for over 18 months now and is expected to be signed in Doha on Saturday, February 29. Both sides are also expected to issue a joint declaration the same day to emphasize American commitments to the war-torn country. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are expected to be in Kabul for the announcement of the declaration during the weekend. Read: Indian Foreign Secretary meets Afghan Foreign Minister, assures India's support for peace Read: 'Captain of India-US relationship' Harsh Vardhan Shringla takes over as Foreign Secretary Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 02:41:41|Editor: yhy Video Player Close NEW YORK, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- For many residents of New York City's Chinatown, 70 Mulberry Street is more than an ordinary five-story, red-brick building. In it are memories of generations of Chinese Americans and their efforts to integrate into American society. Originally built as a school over 100 years ago and owned by the city, it housed various social organizations including a language training center, a dance center, a senior center, and a number of community groups where people got to know more of their neighbors. Inhabitants of Chinatown, previous or current, are no stranger to the location. On the night of Jan. 23, two days before the Chinese New Year, a huge fire ripped through the building, burning out its top two floors while injuring one civilian and nine firefighters. Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), was heartbroken. The building's second floor was where MOCA originally started as the Chinatown History Project in the 1980s, and was turned into its storage in 2009 after the exhibiting area moved to a nearby location. "All of us were standing in the park across the street, just watching the fire, and then seeing water get placed onto the fire...It was devastating," she recalled the helpless moment in a recent interview with Xinhua. Some 85,000 artifacts collected in over 40 years, including photos, hand-written letters, passage tickets to the United States, and art works dating back to the 19th century were stored there, the largest collection of Chinese Americans' history in the world. "I have never ever experienced so much inner heartache, and there's nothing you can (could) do," she said. It took a whole night to put out the fire. To the surprise and relief of all, MOCA's storage turned out still intact. City workers, volunteers and MOCA staff relayed to retrieve the artifacts in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Around 20 percent of them were moved out during the first few days, but the remaining were trapped inside as some parts of the space were deemed unsafe to access. The city said they had to wait. As several weeks passed by, Ms. Maasbach, who has been leading the MOCA for five years, couldn't sit still -- Many artifacts may be rotting inside due to the water. "The more we waited, the more anxious we became," she said. That was when she realized that maybe they needed to be "a little bit clearer and louder," said the 48-year-old former investment banker. "Our history is not in textbooks. So why would anyone really naturally understand how important this is?" The MOCA team then started to ask for opportunities to meet with various city agencies and planned for a march to make their voices heard. "We never wanted to be antagonistic or against the city. It's one of the largest metropolis with a lot of different groups working at different efforts. We just wanted to make it clear that we did everything we could to prioritize it and to be louder about it," said Ms. Maasbach. Their efforts paid off. On Thursday, the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) issued a press release, announcing the plan to recover the remaining archives of the MOCA next week. It also began the first phase of deconstruction and rebuilding of 70 Mulberry Street on the same day. "And they said: 'Originally we were thinking four months, but now we think we can get it in two weeks," said Ms. Maasbach, referring to her meeting with the DCAS earlier this week. "It was a blessing. We just couldn't believe it." New York Senator Chuck Schumer also issued a press release on Thursday, noting that "the contributions of Chinese-American immigrants to New York and the nation are inestimable and the Museum of Chinese in America is a precious repository of that history." Schumer, who is also the Senate Minority Leader, urged the National Endowment for the Humanities to award an emergency grant to help the museum preserve its archives. The wave of good news obviated the need for a consciousness raising march. Instead, the MOCA held a story-sharing event for New Yorkers who hold their common yet unique memories of MOCA and 70 Mulberry Street. "It's such a representative building for people who have been marginalized for too long in this country," she said. Dozens showed up Thursday morning in the museum's meeting room decorated with colorful self-created signs that read "Save Our Heritage!" "Our Stories Count" and "Our History Is Very Important" in English and Chinese, which were originally prepared for the march. "Both sides of my family went to public school there. My grandmother graduated from there in the 1920s," said a Chinatown local whose surname is Chin. "The very first time I walked through those very impressive stairs, I got the chills because I felt like I could hear the footsteps of so many generations of my family members and their friends. " Ms. Chin, who was wearing a T-shirt with her great grandmother's photo printed on the chest, said the MOCA archives served as a refuge for her because she was able to "see with my own eyes and touch with love a tangible part of my family history" there, including that photo. "Thank you for continuing the efforts to get our stuff out," she said to a group of MOCA staff standing at the back of the room. Ms. Maasbach, who didn't grow up in Chinatown, always came here on the weekends with her mom when they just immigrated here decades ago. Her mom was learning English and typing inside the building so that she could find a job in their new life. As a young girl at that time, Ms. Maasbach also felt empowered there because "people looked like me." The building is the center for her and her mother's confidence-building, a crucial element for newcomers, she noted. A white woman who looks in her 60s said she took her adopted Chinese daughter to the MOCA's original location in the building when she was three and saw "some amazing exhibits. " "She's now 24 and lives in San Francisco," said the lady in a sweet tone. "That building was just so amazing for us, to be able to access and see in real time exhibits that attached her as much as possible to her birth country. " The fire was a bitter lesson for MOCA. Ms. Maasbach said the museum would do everything to guarantee the safety of its archives in the future. But she also saw a silver lining. "What's come out of this tragedy is that no one will take our stories for granted anymore, ever again." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. We are already receiving reports from various provinces that the provincial governors are summoning the village mayors and forcing that YES win in their province [in the forthcoming referendum on constitutional amendments]. Gevorg Gorgisyan, secretary of the opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament, told this to RFE/RL. Gorgisyan added that they have already received such reports from 3 or 4 provinces, but did not want to say which provinces they are. He expressed the hope that the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan, who also heads the YES campaign headquarters for the upcoming referendum, does not make secret calls to the provincial governors, other than public calls, and that the referendum would be conducted in accordance with the letter of the law. Paulina Porizkova felt "incredibly hurt and betrayed" when she was left out of Ric Ocasek's will. The Cars frontman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with pulmonary emphysema also listed as a contributing factor, last September and although he and Paulina were no longer together, she admitted being left out of his will hurt her. Speaking about Ric - who she split from in May 2018 after 28 years of marriage - Paulina told 'CBS Sunday Morning' co-host Anthony Mason: "I would love to be able to be sad and miss him. And not also feel this incredibly hurt and betrayal. It made the grieving process really, really tricky." Although the pair had split, they were not divorced and still lived together until Ric's death. Paulina discovered Ric's body after his death and called it "the worst moment of my life". Paulina, 54, previously shared a tribute to Ric following his death, writing on Instagram: "His smile and his gaze warmed you and made you feel like the most special person in the world. I had that gaze and smile on me for most of my life. For a long long time, no one could make me feels as loved as Ric. He was my sun. "Our separation didn't alter this one bit. He was rising and setting and I planned my life around it as one does a day... His death is the end of my world as I knew it." In his will, updated in August before he died, Ric wrote: "Even if I should die before our divorce is final, Paulina is not entitled to any elective share because she has abandoned me." Ric, 75 and met Paulina while filming the music video for 'Drive' - which is still the band's most successful single to date after reaching number three in Billboard Hot 100 chart - they married in August 1989 and went on to have two sons, Jonathan and Oliver. The Cars shot to fame in the 70s, and were known for hits such as 'Just What I Needed', 'Drive', 'My Best Friend's Girl', 'Good Times Roll', and 'Bye Bye Love'. 'Drive' featured heavily during the 1985 Live Aid event, as a background song during footage of famine in Ethiopia. It was later re-released and raised money for the cause. As the US and Taliban sign a deal to agree to the withdrawal of thousands of American troops from Afghanistan in return for insurgent guarantees on Saturday, India will attend the event in Qatar which holds the possibility of ending the 18-year conflict. India has been invited by the Qatar government to the ceremony where the US-Taliban deal will be signed. The country will be represented by P Kumaran, the ambassador in Doha, and it will be the first time in recent decades that an Indian official will be present at an event involving Taliban delegates. India has been keeping a close eye on developments related to the US-Taliban deal, especially because of the terror groups close links with Pakistan. The US-Taliban deal figured in talks earlier this week between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the talks, the US president is understood to have said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had sought mediation by the US during all their meetings, but Trump had shown no inclination to do so. People familiar with the discussions said that Khans requests had become a nuisance at the personal level but it was necessary for the US to deal with him to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan. The Indian side has drawn comfort from the US assertion that it didnt see Pakistan as a trusted friend, the people cited above added. The people said the Indian side conveyed to US interlocutors it understood Pakistans cooperation is crucial for the deal with the Taliban but this shouldnt lead to an easing of the pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups based on its soil. During talks on counter-terrorism, we discussed the need for the US to keep up pressure on Pakistan. The US needs to verify and keep a close eye on things so that Pakistan continues to be on the straight and narrow, said a second person who too spoke on condition of anonymity. India also highlighted the need for keeping up the pressure on Pakistan at forums such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the second person said. During the Trump-Modi talks, the Indian side also stresses on the importance of intra-Afghan talks and an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process in finding a final solution. The troop drawdown shouldnt be too precipitate and the US should keep in mind that we shouldnt lose the gains of the past 19 years in terms of the Afghan Constitution, rights of women and minorities, and the Afghan National Defence Forces, the second person said. The second person added the US has indicated it is retaining a strong deterrent capability in Afghanistan so that any violations of the deal can be dealt with with a heavy stick. Anatomy of a deal US President Donald Trump urged the Afghan people to embrace the chance for a new future. If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home, he said on the eve of the event. Trump said he was sending secretary of state Mike Pompeo to witness the signing of the treaty, and that defence secretary Mark Esper would separately issue a joint declaration with the Kabul government. The agreement is expected to lead to a dialogue between the Kabul government and the Taliban that, if successful, could ultimately see the Afghan war wind down. But the position of the Afghan government, which has been excluded from direct US-Taliban talks, remains unclear and the country is gripped by a fresh political crisis amid contested election results. The deal, drafted over a tempestuous year of dialogue marked by the abrupt cancellation of the effort by Trump in September, is expected to lay out a timetable for a US force withdrawal. Theres been so much speculation about the contents of the deal... we know the broad outlines but its not even clear whether the full terms of the deal will be made public, Andrew Watkins, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group consultancy, said while speaking to news agency AFP. Posh club Kabul, which will not be represented at the Doha signing set for around 1245GMT, will send a six-person task force to the Qatari capital to make initial contact with the Taliban political office, established in 2013. The talks have taken place in a plush members club in Doha, where turbaned Taliban fighters-turned-negotiators and suited American officials have rubbed shoulders with club-goers in Hawaiian shirts and swimwear. As many as 30 nations are expected to be represented at Saturdays signing in the Qatari capital. The US will stage a separate ceremony in Kabul with the Afghan government at 1215GMT, an Afghan source told AFP. The deal will be signed after a week-long, partial truce that has mostly held across Afghanistan aimed at building confidence between the warring parties and showing the Taliban can control their forces. While isolated attacks have continued in rural areas, Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the truce period was working. Were on the cusp of an enormous, enormous political opportunity, Pompeo said. The US, which currently has between 12,000 and 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, could draw that number down to 8,600 within months of the agreement being signed. Further reductions would depend on the Talibans engagement with the government of President Ashraf Ghani, whom they have until now dismissed as a US-backed puppet. This is just a precursor to get that process started, its not a cause for celebration among the government or its allies, International Crisis Groups Watkins said. Although Ghani has been declared the winner of last years elections, his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, is refusing to recognise the win and has vowed to set up a rival government. Any insurgent pledge to guarantee Afghanistan is never again used by jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State to plot attacks abroad will be key to the deals viability. The Talibans sheltering of al-Qaeda was the main reason for the US invasion following the 9/11 attacks. The conflict has cost the US taxpayer more than $1 trillion in military and rebuilding costs since the US-led invasion of 2001. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 Afghan civilians have been killed or injured over the past decade. (With agency inputs) Several teachers involved in Wednesdays industrial action spoke to WSWS reporters, voicing their disgust with the government and the unions and describing the declining state of government schools in Sri Lanka. Teachers demonstrating outside the education ministry in Colombo Sumedha, a drama teacher from Veyangoda, said: The trade unions have tried to destroy teachers morale. They keep saying that theyre going to stop talking with the government but they repeatedly do this. The union leaders are the governments representatives and regardless of what is negotiated, these governments do not solve a single issue facing the people. I didnt vote for either of the major parties and voted for JVP as a protest in the election. But the JVP is now even closer to the capitalist establishment and has no alternative program against the major parties. Najeeb, a principal at an Anuradhapura school, and several other teachers from the same facility, joined in the discussion. They said that teachers were fighting not just for their rights, but in opposition to the government cuts to the education sector. Students are being made to pay for various activities within the school, Najeeb said. Students and parents have lost confidence in school education and, as a result, have turned to private classes. Theres no money for effective academic and extra-curricular activities in schools. Every government has cut allocations to education and started to privatise it. Theres a need for a wider struggle to protect free education. Najeeb (2nd from right) and other staff members speaking to WSWS reporter Another staff member from the same school said that he and other teachers were being compelled to take more private tuition classes because their salaries were too low. He said he had no free time and that his life was hard. Udara, a science teacher at a school in Ja-Ela, said: The teachers struggle has reached a very critical stage. Discussions with the government have not produced a solution and its clear that governments have no intention of solving teachers problems. The trade unions are aware of this but keep calling for further talks. The discussion among teachers is for an indefinite strike. They believe that they cant achieve anything without this sort of a fight. Udara said he was interested in the SEPs perspective and its call for the establishment of action committees. All workers, including teachers, need to have a movement that can fight for their real interests. Its clear to me that action committees are the sort of organisation that gives the workers the opportunity to fight based on their strength and their real interests. A vice principal from a Jaffna school told the WSWS: The unions do not make any proper announcements or preparations regarding our struggle. They only share information through press releases. Because all the unions work separately, theres a lack of solidarity among teachers. Its a good sign that all the teachers in the North have expressed their support for this struggle even though the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union did not participate in the strike. Their stand on Tamil nationalism is an act that opposes solidarity between Tamil and Sinhala teachers in this country and is a dangerous thing. S. Tiraviyanatan, said: The government is ignoring the teachers struggle and its demands. It keeps cutting social spending and refuses to agree to the strikers demands. This is all happening because it is under the dictates of the International Monetary Fund. All workers must unite and fight together. They cannot do anything by standing separately. Its time for all workersteachers and workers from the railway and the banksto fight together and not be divided by their professions or trade unions. Sanjeev, an Advanced Level Student from Jaffna Central College, said: Everyone at our college fully supports the teachers struggle. Teachers face many difficulties and unless their problems are resolved and theyre in a happy situation, they cannot teach us properly. Many teachers are in debt to the banks and after paying their loans they only have a small amount to live on each month. The government has to pay the salaries that the teachers are demanding. Sanjeev said many students were from poor families and did not have access to a decent education. Its the governments responsibility to provide proper education facilities for students, he said. BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese economy thrived amid mounting internal and external risks and challenges with major economic targets well met in 2019, fostering social development. Here are some related facts and figures from the National Bureau of Statistics: -- GDP grew 6.1 percent year on year to hit 99.09 trillion yuan (about 14.14 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2019, while the per capita GDP reached 70,892 yuan. -- New economic drivers continued to grow, with the tertiary industry accounting for 53.9 percent of GDP. Consumer spending contributed 57.8 percent to GDP growth. -- Of the over 1.4 billion population on the Chinese mainland, 60.6 percent were urban residents, up 1.02 percentage points from the previous year. -- A total of 13.52 million jobs were created in urban areas, and the surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent. -- Rural residents living below the national poverty line dropped to 5.51 million, down by 11.09 million year on year. The proportion of poor population dipped to 0.6 percent. -- Per capita disposable income of rural residents in poverty-stricken areas stood at 11,567 yuan, an 8-percent year-on-year rise in real terms after deducting price factors. -- Grain output totaled 663.84 million tonnes. Cotton output was 5.89 million tonnes, and production of pork, beef, mutton and poultry stood at 76.49 million tonnes. -- Construction of about 2.54 million homes was completed under the shantytown rebuilding program, and 638,000 dilapidated rural houses were renovated. -- Civil vehicle ownership amounted to 261.5 million units as of the end of the last year, up 21.2 million units from 2018. -- Foreign exchange reserves were 3.1 trillion U.S. dollars as of the end of last year, up 35.2 billion U.S. dollars year on year. The Chinese yuan's average exchange rate weakened 4.1 percent to 6.8985 against the U.S. dollar. -- Total goods exports and imports reached 31.5 trillion yuan, up 3.4 percent year on year. Services trade also saw a 2.8-percent growth to 5.42 trillion yuan. -- The number of new foreign-funded companies on the Chinese mainland, excluding those in banking, securities and insurance sectors totaled 40,888, and foreign direct investment rose 5.8 percent to 941.5 billion yuan. -- Outbound non-financial investment came in at 110.6 billion U.S. dollars, of which those going to countries along the Belt and Road stood at 15 billion U.S. dollars. -- Tax revenue rose 1 percent to 15.9 trillion yuan. -- M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, rose 8.7 percent. -- The research and development expenditures increased 10.5 percent to over 2.17 trillion yuan, accounting for 2.19 percent of GDP. The number of patents totaled 9.72 million. -- The number of space launches came at 32, including China's Chang'e-4 probe that was the first-ever soft landing and detection on the moon's far side. The deployment of the core BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) constellation was completed. -- A total of 169.21 million outbound trips were made by Chinese people, up 4.5 percent. -- The new afforestation area was 7.07 million hectares, and there were 474 national nature reserves at the end of 2019. -- The consumption of clean energy accounted for 23.4 percent of total energy consumption, up 1.3 percentage points year on year. The use of coal dropped to 57.7 percent. Kim Kardashian is a very busy woman. Between her familys ultra-popular reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, her pursuit of a law career, her multiple successful businesses, and her social media commitments, every minute of Kardashians day-to-day life is taken up with tasks and deadlines. Perhaps her most important job is the one that she shares with her husband, Kanye West that of a parent to their large brood of children. While it might seem as though Kardashian has the parenting gig on lockdown, she revealed that she turns to one of her sisters for parenting advice on a regular basis. How many children does Kim Kardashian have? Kardashian first started dating West in 2012, and the two didnt wait long to start their family. They welcomed their first child, daughter North West in June 2013, followed by son Saint in December 2015. Kardashian was very open about the fact that she had difficult pregnancies, with doctors cautioning her against getting pregnant again, in order to better protect her health. Still, Kardashian and West wanted a large family, so they turned to the world of surrogacy to help them achieve their dream. Kardashian hired a gestational surrogate to carry their next child, daughter Chicago, who was born in January 2018. Kardashian and West were widely praised for how open and honest they were about the surrogacy process, even discussing it on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In May 2019, the family welcomed their fourth child, son Psalm, who was also born via gestational surrogate. While rumors persist that Kardashian and West might eventually have more children, for now, they seem content with four. Kim Kardashian gets parenting advice from Kylie Jenner Kim Kardashian West | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Kardashian isnt shy about sharing pictures and videos of her children to social media, and all four of them have been featured on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. While she has admitted that her house is chaos with four children running around, she also seems to have a much more relaxed parenting style and doesnt usually share the more stressful moments of her motherhood journey. In 2018, before the birth of baby Psalm, Kardashian opened up about how she isnt above taking parenting advice from her siblings. While all of her siblings, except for Kendall Jenner, have children, Kardashians source for parenting advice is definitely a surprising one. In her interview, Kardashian revealed that Kylie Jenner has all the inside info about new gadgets and the new baby stuff and that shes been Kardashians go-to for parenting advice. Many fans were surprised by this, especially considering that Jenner is a very young mom, and Kim Kardashians older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, has many more years of parenting experience and three children of her own. In addition, Kim Kardashian has a lot more children than Jenner, so it is slightly counterintuitive that she is open to taking advice from a relatively new mom. Kim Kardashian has a similar parenting style to Khloe Kardashian Although Kardashian might turn to Jenner for the scoop about expensive baby gadgets, she stated in the same interview that she relates to Khloe Kardashian much more in terms of parenting style. Kim Kardashian stated: Khloe and I probably have the most similar parenting style and I will usually go to one of my best friends Larsa Pippen because she has four kids for mom advice. Khloe Kardashian has one daughter, True, that she shares with her ex, Tristan Thompson. The two sisters have always been close, but theres no doubt that becoming mothers has brought them even closer together. The back and forth between the BJP and Congress over the opposition partys invocation of rajdharma continued on Saturday, a day after Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked it to look within. Ravi Shankar Prasad had lashed out at the grand old party on Friday for trying to teach it rajdharma or duty after Congress president Sonia Gandhi, leading a party delegation, met President Ram Nath Kovind to seek Home Minister Amit Shahs resignation for abdication of duty during the communal violence in northeast Delhi that has claimed 40 lives so far. The opposition party also asked Kovind to push the Modi government to follow its rajdharma. Kapil Sibal tweeted on Saturday to take on the Union ministers comments at a press conference. Law Minister to Congress : Please dont preach us Rajdharma How can we Mr. Minister ? When you did not listen to Vajpayeeji in Gujarat why would you listen to us ! Listening , learning and obeying Rajdharma not one of your Governments strong points ! (sic) he tweeted. The senior Congress leader was referring to the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees comments over the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in charge of the western state. At a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Law minister Prasad alleged that the communal violence was an outcome of instigation and provocative remarks made by opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi. Defending his leader, Prasad said home minister Amit Shah was proactive from the very first day of the violence to stop it. Asked about the controversial remarks made by BJP leaders like Kapil Mishra and Pravesh Verma, he said the party doesnt approve of their statements. Hitting out at Sonia Gandhi, he said, Sonia Gandhi ji, please dont preach us rajdharma. Your record is full of its violation and twists and turns for plain and simple vote bank politics. The Congress should look at its face in the mirror of rajdharma, Prasad said. The BJP and Congress had also traded barbs in 2015 over a former external intelligence agency heads revelation that Vajpayee was upset about the 2002 Gujarat riots. Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat had said in an interview to a news channel that Vajpayee had reminded chief minister Modi to follow rajdharma. NASHVILLE Democrats in Tennessee are under no illusion that the deeply red state will go to anyone other than President Donald Trump come November. But as Democratic presidential candidates scramble this week to make stops or send surrogates to the state ahead of Super Tuesday, those active in the fight for the partys relevance in Tennessee have a new source of heartburn, and its not the sitting president. Its Bernie Sanders. I think Senator Sanders obviously taps into the frustration and anger of people who have been let down by Washington, but people shouldnt kid themselves about how risky it could be to have Bernie at the top of the ticket, said state Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, who represents Nashville. Yarbro has been a vocal supporter of Pete Buttigieg, an old Harvard acquaintance who is in a crowded fight to appeal to voters who arent looking for a Democratic socialist. While Yarbro doesnt have a race of his own this fall, he fears that state House and state Senate candidates in swing legislative districts here where Democrats are in a superminority and elsewhere in the country will be judged by Sanders more revolutionary message. Mike Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders at the Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 25, 2020. On Wednesday, Sanders wife, Jane Sanders, made stops across Nashville throughout the afternoon and evening, marking the first time any high-profile surrogate for the campaign had come to the state this cycle to campaign. I just dont know that Tennessee swings that liberal, said Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, who is also chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. Were not talking about a Democrat, were talking about someone who says in a tweet he is not in support of a traditional Democratic or traditional Republican Party. He seems to be someone who wants to tear it all down. Akbari has thrown her support behind Joe Biden, who she believes can have appeal to a wide swath of voters. Christopher Hale, who ran for Congress in 2018 and who is active in the state Democratic party, has spent recent weeks traveling to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina in support of both the Biden and Buttigieg campaigns. Story continues We are on the Titanic right now, Hale said of the Tennessee Democratic Party. A Bernie Sanders victory would be an iceberg into our ship." Hale believes Biden could win the primary in Tennessee based on his national reputation and name recognition, and likewise fears Sanders' potential effect on some downballot races on the November ballot. Democrats in the Tennessee General Assembly hold 26 out of 99 seats in the House, and just five out of 33 in the Senate. Close races are expected in multiple swing districts this fall. We wont get those seats back until the second coming of Jesus Christ, he said of a possible Sanders nomination. For a year, Sanders' campaign in Tennessee has been grassroots To be sure, although Sanders has been the national frontrunner since winning in New Hampshire and Nevada, Tennessee Democrats overall are far more moderate than their counterparts in other parts of the country. Hillary Clinton defeated Sanders by a 2-to-1 margin in the state's 2016 primary, 66 percent to 32 percent. And so far this year, the more moderate candidates have put a greater emphasis on Tennessee, where Sanders himself has not campaigned. Jane Sanders on Wednesday said her husbands electability in Tennessee next week should not be questioned with his record in Iowa, New Hampshire and crushing victory in Nevada. Tennessee voters, she said, will vote for Sanders if they want a candidate who will represent the working class, compared to other Democratic candidates who are accepting money from billionaires or running their own campaign from their own fortunes. Moderate Democrats are offering half the loaf," she said in an interview. "They are coming up with ideas that help a bit, but don't really get to the root causes of the issues." Sanders, who this week has purchased his first television ad in the state, employs five staff members in Tennessee, but has had an active grassroots volunteer effort since he launched his 2020 bid last February. The campaign reports that they've received 80,000 donations totaling $1.2 million in Tennessee in that time period. Bloomberg, Biden appear to have captured Tennesseans attention As he has done in other states around the country, billionaire Mike Bloomberg has poured money into Tennessee, where the former New York mayor has employed 43 paid staff members and opened seven offices. He has blanketed the airwaves with television ads. While most of the candidates haven't returned to Tennessee since last year, Friday will mark Bloombergs fourth trip to the state in just over two months. Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg poses for a photo with a supporter at his 2020 Early Vote Rally at Rocketown Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Bloombergs campaign declined to provide spending totals, but his investment in Tennessee appears to dwarf that of any other candidate. Nashville-area resident Lamar Gordon attended one of Bloomberg's rallies and said he was leaning toward voting for him, despite not agreeing with all of his policies. I was kind of leaning toward Joe Biden but hes kind of slipping, Gordon said. Marie Shoemaker in Memphis was unsure when she would vote in the Democratic presidential primary if she would vote this past Tuesday, the last day of early voting, or a week later on election day. But who she is voting for isnt in doubt. Shoemakers support is with Biden. Her chief concern, beyond protecting the Affordable Care Act, was finding someone who "can actually beat Trump. I think Joe Biden can beat him," she said. "I dont think Bernie Sanders can." The certified public accountant thinks Sanders is somewhat too far to the left to win the general election. She believes Biden will restore and protect legislation passed under former President Barack Obama. The Affordable Care Act's passage in 2010 allowed her to go to the doctor for the first time in years, she said. For a time, the public exchange was how she received her insurance, and without such an option, people cant get help. Shoemaker was tepid on Bloomberg. Hes OK, she said. I think he has too much baggage, citing Bloombergs stop and frisk policy that largely targeted African Americans and other minorities and reports on his treatment of female employees. Right now we dont need that baggage, she said. But elsewhere in Memphis, notable politicians in the majority black city have supported and even embraced Bloomberg, despite stop and frisk. At a Feb. 22. breakfast for Bloomberg event hosted by former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr. and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, state Rep. Antonio Parkinson, a Democrat from the city, was among other African Americans who were satisfied that Bloomberg had apologized for the policy. Every one of them has things that have been unfavorable to the African-American community, Parkinson said from inside Fords packed funeral home banquet hall. Now that that is even, which one of them can win? Which one of them has a history of governing and which one of them has the resources to get it done? Likewise, Gordon, the Nashville Bloomberg supporter, shrugged at the former mayor's old policy. "I thought it was real bad, but hey, everybody makes mistakes," Gordon said. Democratic campaigning in Nashville far exceeds 2016 Campaigning in Nashville this year far exceeds what Democrats in the city saw during the 2016 presidential primary, said Gary Bynum, chair of the Davidson County Democratic Party. "The sheer number of candidates that have been on the Democratic side this year has just opened the door for a lot of people to get involved in the process," Bynum said. At a recent Nashville meetup of Buttigieg supporters, Denise Sesler showed up early to help set up for the gathering held at Wine Down Nashville, a small wine bar in the Donelson area. "The only other person I ever made calls for was H.W. Bush, when I was 20 years old," Sesler said. After being a longtime Republican, Sesler left the party in 2016 and voted for Clinton. This time, she's all in for Buttigieg, hosting small events in her Hillsboro Village home to tell friends about the 38-year-old former South Bend, Indiana mayor, and visiting other counties to knock on doors. "He's a war veteran, he's a Christian, he's empathetic, he's intelligent, he's articulate," Sesler said. "And I am personally fine with his experience. I dont think he needs 30 years of Washington experience." Elizabeth Warren's campaign has been canvassing weekly since November. She has 30 staff members in the state, and in recent days has relied on actress Ashley Judd to make appearances in her place in Tennessee. They've bought ads with black-owned radio stations across the state. Tom Steyer, a billionare philanthropist, has hired community leaders to knock on doors in their own local areas. Steyer's campaign employs 15 in Tennessee. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota makes her first stop in Tennessee on Friday and is now running television ads in the state as part of an ad buy across Super Tuesday locations. While a number of Democratic voters who spoke with USA TODAY Network in Tennessee said they were open to supporting any Democrat facing Trump in November, Jason Bennett, of Murfreesboro, said he wasn't sure he could vote for anyone but Sanders. If you lose a battle thats a good battle, I'm good with that, Bennett said. I don't want to go winning a battle thats not a good battle. Bennett, who has at one point been homeless, said he is drawn to Sanders largely because of his health care ideas. Sanders is calling for Medicare for all, and Bennett said he has not had health insurance since 2008 because he can't afford it. With a split vote, Sanders could pull off a win in Tennessee, pollster says John Geer, political science professor at Vanderbilt University and director of the Vanderbilt Poll, said polling nationwide on the primary race has been somewhat unclear. But it has illustrated the predicament the more moderate-leaning Democrats find themselves in amid a crowded field. "A majority of Tennessee Democrats voting for Bernie Sanders, I don't see it," Geer said. "Do I see how Sanders could somehow win a split vote? Yeah, I could see that." Most of the Democrats interviewed across the state were resolved just to get a candidate who can beat Trump and to many, that doesnt look like Sanders. I dont think that Bernie Sanders gives us our best shot at winning the 2020 election," Yarbro said. "And the stakes are really high." Yihyun Jeong and Joel Ebert in Nashville, Sam Hardiman in Memphis, Tyler Whetsone in Knoxville, Brinley Hineman and Nancy DeGennaro in Murfreesboro and Jennifer Babich in Clarksville contributed. Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison. Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest politics news, podcasts like Grand Divisions, plus newsletters, a personalized mobile experience and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's 261 daily sites. This article originally appeared on The Tennessean: Tennessee Democrats face divide over Bernie Sanders' impact downballot YORK, Pa. On a foggy morning in February, Mary Cease woke up in a hotel room alone. It was strange waking up to an alarm instead of her dog, Bridgett, pawing at her toes. But Bridgett was miles away, and a car would soon be parked outside waiting for Mary. So she would just have to take a hit of her marijuana vape now, and let the strange sink in later. At first, she stared out the window of the car, watching the city buildings and her anxiety grow larger as she got closer. But then Mary, who has chronic pain, settled back in her seat as she felt the burning and squeezing in her spine start to ebb. This relief always seemed like a good thing to Mary, a Navy veteran who has metal rods in her back to straighten out her spine and who was diagnosed with PTSD in the aftermath of an abusive marriage. But now she finds herself the collateral damage of a conflict between state and federal laws on pot. She has been denied federally subsidized housing because she admitted on her application to using a portion of her Social Security payments to pay for cannabis. On that February morning, her case would be presented to three judges at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. And unless those judges side with her, she will be forced to choose between medical marijuana, which is legal in Pennsylvania but not under federal law, and federal public housing assistance. "I never thought that taking my medicine could lead to homelessness," Mary, 68, said. "But here we are." From Navy veteran to medical marijuana patient Mary became a medical marijuana patient in February 2018. Shes suffered from back problems for as long as she can remember, and her stint in the Navy did not make things any better. She was discharged after a third back surgery left her with chronic pain a pain so excruciating and debilitating that she struggles now to describe it. "It ... its just awful," Mary said, sounding winded as she put the words together. "Its like someone is stabbing me with knives." Story continues Her doctors prescribed her opioids in 2013 to ease the pain. Subsidized housing: In California, landlords shutting people out, defying state law Mary remembers reading all about the highly addictive painkillers. "I didnt like it. Im just not a druggy person," Mary said. "I dont drink, and I really didnt like taking the stuff but I didnt know what else to do." She worried she would become dependent on the pills, so her doctor recommended she switch to cannabis once the state made it legal. "She wanted to avoid going down the path to addiction," said her lawyer, Judith Cassel. "That should be celebrated. She shouldnt be losing her housing as some sort of punishment." A second qualifying condition, PTSD Mary Cease was denied federal housing because she is a medical marijuana patient. She became a state approved patient in 2018 because she wanted to get off prescribed opiates. After her marriage of nearly 15 years ended suddenly, Mary had no choice but to seek Section 8 housing in Wilkes Barre. "Its the same story so many women go through," she said. "Its not a big deal anymore." Her husband came home from work one day in a bad mood. He slammed his fist into her face and threw her across the floor. "Im kind of glad that it happened," she said. "Because it opened my eyes and gave me the courage to just pick up and say thats enough. I got up and called the police and had him arrested." Days later, Mary found herself at a womens shelter in need of housing assistance, and almost instantly, they found her a place to live. "I picked myself up and I moved on with my life," she said so matter-of-factly. "But its not always easy." Following her abuse, Mary was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, which, like her chronic pain diagnosis, is a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. She would get anxious of her surroundings, become timid when men raised their voices or got too close to her, and feared retaliation from her ex-husband. Its what eventually drove her out of Wilkes Barre, seeking refuge in Indiana County where she had friends and a support system. When she got to Indian County in 2018, Mary once again found herself seeking federally subsidized housing. "I wish I didnt have to live like this," she said. "Its a matter of pride, it really is. But between groceries and transportation and everything else, I couldnt do it alone. I needed that help." She submitted an application to Indian Countys housing authority for a Section 8 voucher, which would allow her to move into a private apartment that the federal program subsidizes. The application asks some standards questions age, race, income. But when disclosing the particulars of her income, Mary noted that she uses a portion her roughly $10,000-a-year Social Security payments to pay for her medical marijuana. Once an Indiana County official saw that admission, she was disqualified from the program. Marijuana has been approved for medical use in 33 states and the District of Columbia. But under the federal Controlled Substances Act, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin and LSD, and its considered to be highly addictive and to have no medical value. Mary appealed the housing authoritys decision twice, but was turned away each time. And in April, a Court of Common Pleas judge gave her the same answer. "I just couldnt believe it," Mary said. "I really couldnt believe it. Its discrimination." How medical marijuana has changed her life With the Housing Authoritys decisions feeling permanent, Mary considered what her life would be like if she stopped taking medical marijuana and switched back to prescription opioids. The prospect scared her. She remembered lying bed-ridden unable to combat the piercing sensations in her spine, paralyzed by the pain. She remembered being approached on the street by a man and feeling hot and angry. "I feel so much better since I started using medical marijuana," Mary said. "Im sleeping better. My attention span is better. Im more interested in everything than I was before." While still taking the legal but potentially deadly painkillers, Mary described herself as lethargic. She lacked motivation to do everyday tasks and rarely found herself in the mood to socialize with anyone other than her emotional support dog, Bridgett. She prefers the life she has as a medical marijuana patient. "Im able to do a lot more now than I could before I can go to concerts. I can spend a day at the library. I can go shopping. I can visit friends," Mary said. "Its just, its endless. I have more energy. Im happier and I dont worry about things anymore like I used to." She wasnt ready to give that up yet, but she also wasnt ready to be homelessness, so she put up a fight. She has been bombarded with negative comments since she started this whole appeal process. "They say, 'You cant pay your rent, but you can buy marijuana,' or 'With that income you should be able to find some sort of housing,'" Mary said. "Well they dont stop and realize that you need to buy a car to work or to get to the grocery store. Theres so many other things the ordinary person can afford, and we cant. It makes you feel like youre ... youre beneath even being a human being. They want to sweep you under the carpet like youre disgusting." Mary would work if she could, she said, but as a 68-year-old living with chronic pain, it's just not feasible. 'Iits not just for me' On Feb. 13, a panel of three Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judges met at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and heard an appeal by Harrisburg-based attorneys on behalf of Mary. She sat in the room and watched. "Im doing it because its not just for me," Mary said. "Its for thousands of other people facing the same problem. Im setting the precedent." Her lawyers argue that under the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act discrimination for using the medicine is prohibited, and the only class of people prohibited from residing in federally subsidized housing is sex offenders. The appeal also claims Marys use of medical marijuana does not constitute the illegal use of a controlled substance because it is recognized as a medicine by the state of Pennsylvania. Kevin McKeon, the attorney whose firm took the case pro-bono, also argued that the housing authority has the power to use discretion. In simplest terms, McKeon explained, the law says federally assisted housing programs can turn away new applicants for illegal drug use but can use their own discretion for current residents. Since Mary lived in federally subsidized housing for four years in Wilkes Barre, should the housing authority consider her a current or a new applicant? Indiana County is arguing that Mary is a new applicant she filled out an application. Its as simple as that. But McKeon is fighting for the county to acknowledge her previous voucher in Luzerne County. Judith Cassel is a lawyer for Cannabis Law PA. Cassel said Marys case speaks to a broader problem. "We have a federal law that outlaws any use of marijuana," Cassel said. "But were living in a state with some exceptions to that law. In the past, lines were very clear and now they arent. And citizens are the ones suffering the most because of this." The judges have heard both arguments, and now Mary is in a state of limbo, waiting for their decision, which could take up to 90 days to file. Even if Mary prevails, it only means the Housing Authority of Indiana County could accept her application. They still would not be obligated to accept her application. "And if that happens, then well just take our case up to the Supreme Court," Mary said. "Im a warrior. Ive always been a warrior. Im not going to let anyone push me around or tell me how to live." This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Medical marijuana user fights back after being denied federal housing The German teenage national who's been dubbed the anti-Greta Thunberg defended her support of a white nationalist and took aim at 'climate alarmists' in her first appearance at the biggest annual meeting of grassroots conservatives in Maryland on Friday. Naomi Seibt, 19, when asked if she was still a fan of white nationalist Stefan Molyneux, a Canadian vlogger she called an 'inspiration,' in a YouTube video, answered she still was. 'I am still a fan absolutely,' she told a reporter at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. German teenager Naomi Seibt, known as the 'anti-Greta Thunberg' activist, speaks at the 47th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Thursday Seibt, when asked if she was still a fan of white nationalist Stefan Molyneux, a Canadian vlogger (pictured) whom she called an 'inspiration,' in a YouTube video, answered she still was. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, 17, is seen in Bristol for the Youth 4 Climate strike earlier this month. Seibt was asked about comments Molyneux made in 2018, in which he praises white nationalism and claims Poland was 'peaceful, free, easy, civilized and safe' because it is 'essentially an all-white country.' Seibt defended the comments in response to the reporter's question, saying they only sound racist when 'taken out of context.' 'He's not comparing other races, not at all,' Seibt said of Molyneux. 'He is just describing his experience in Western countries and I know that to the extent, for example, if I was in a country where Sharia was present, I know that I would not be able to speak as freely as in Western countries. It's not that we are better in any way in Western countries. We still have freedom of speech and I'm very happy that's the case.' She also spoke to about 100 conference attendees during a panel sponsored by the Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based think tank that advocates free markets and questions climate science. It was Heartland that headlined Seibt at its December forum at the UN climate conference in Madrid, where she was described as 'the star' of the show, and which hired the youth as the young face of its campaign to question the scientific consensus that humans are responsible for global warming. Seibt also spoke to about 100 conference attendees during a panel sponsored by the Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based think tank that advocates free markets and questions climate science Heartland headlined Seibt in a December forum at the UN climate conference in Madrid, where she was described as 'the star' of the show, and hired her as the young face of its campaign to question the scientific consensus that humans are responsible for global warming During her discussion at CPAC, Seibt called herself a 'climate realist' and delivered a rebuke of those sentiments, without naming Thunberg specifically 'Naomi Seibt vs. Greta Thunberg: whom should we trust?' asked Heartland in a digital video, referring to the 17-year-old Swedish environmental activist who has championed the cause of acknowledging the role humans have played in raising global temperatures. During her discussion at CPAC, Seibt called herself a 'climate realist' and delivered a rebuke of those sentiments, without naming Thunberg specifically. Seibt charged that 'climate alarmists' are 'fear mongering and using panic as a tool to restrict our freedoms,' Bloomberg reports. 'The climate has always been changing, and so it's ridiculous to say we deny climate change,' Seibt said. 'Man vastly overestimates his power if he thinks he can, with CO2 emissions, destroy the climate.' Seibt (pictured in an image from Facebook) said she is not 'a puppet of the right wing or the climate deniers or the Heartland Institute either,' and welcomed having a 'casual conversation' with Thunberg Heartland staff handed out black T-shirts with Seibt's image and her signature catch phrase: 'I don't want you to panic. I want you to think.' Seibt dismissed the criticism that she is being used by climate skeptics to woo young people and counter Thunberg. 'I am not the puppet of the right wing or the climate deniers or the Heartland Institute either,' she said. Seibt said she would welcome having a 'casual conversation' with Thunberg. 'I wouldn't want to debate her on the science,' she added, 'because I don't want to destroy her.' Birmingham police are investigating a homicide after a person was found shot to death inside a car Friday night in the eastern section of the city. Police were alerted to the shooting just after 9 p.m. at 43rd Street North and 12th Court North when ShotSpotter technology detected a gunshot at that location, according to Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Rod Mauldin. When South Precinct officers arrived on the scene, they found the victim suffering from a gunshout wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced the victim, who was not identified, dead at the scene. Mauldin said police are working on few details and urged anyone with information on the incident to call police at 205-254-1764. Those who wish to remain anonymous were encouraged to send tips to Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Attendees play games on the new Stadia gaming platform at the Google booth at the 2019 GDC Game Developers Conference. Game Developers Conference, a major annual event for video game programmers and designers in San Francisco, has been postponed due to concerns around the spread of the coronavirus, organizers said in a statement on Friday. The conference was scheduled for March 16 through March 20. GDC organizers didn't provide new dates for the conference but said they "fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer." San Francisco has declared a state of emergency to prepare for the COVID-19 coronavirus and officials said on Friday that the virus is spreading through exposure in Northern California. "Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time," organizers said in a statement. Last year, 29,000 people attended the conference, according to the organizers. The news comes after several major GDC participants had already announced they were skipping the event this year. Amazon Web Services, Facebook and Microsoft announced that they would withdraw their participation from the conference. GDC is among a growing number of tech conferences to be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus. Facebook said on Thursday that it canceled its annual F8 software developer conference, and Workday told employees this week that its annual internal sales meeting scheduled for early March will be held online instead of in San Jose, California. Eventbrite shares plunged 14% on Friday after the online ticketing service warned in its quarterly earnings call that at some big events "large-scale cancellations might occur due to the risk of gathering that many people." WATCH: Facebook cancels F8 Developers Conference due to coronavirus concerns As a state government ends the prohibition of cannabis, it can choose to regulate in a way that favors industrially produced cannabis from large national players, or it can opt to create a small-scale local cannabis industry. As we've now witnessed in Canada, the industrial cannabis industry sacrifices quality for quantity, producing mediocre expensive cannabis, grown at great threat to our planet due to the massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions from indoor cultivation. And as Canada's example shows, the illegal market will flourish. The only way New York will end the illegal market is if it creates a competitive product. Artisanal craft cannabis, grown under the sun by farmers who know how to produce regenerative high-quality cannabis without synthetic chemicals, is that product. And yet Gov. Andrew Cuomo's bill effectively excludes farmers from growing cannabis. We at the NY Small Farm Alliance of Cannabis Growers (NY Small FarmA), representing the interests of small farmers and those who wish to purchase the healthy, artisanal strains regenerative farmers can produce, were so hoping the governor might lead the way in creating this small cultivation and manufacturing industry as he so proudly did for craft breweries. The governor himself has touted how craft breweries have helped farmers, spurred job creation and fostered more tourism. But the cannabis bill the governor has put forward not only fails to support a craft farm cannabis industry, it makes it impossible for farmers to grow in New York. By failing to recognize cannabis as an agricultural crop and failing to provide the same support the governor provided when recognizing cannabis hemp as an agricultural crop, the bill will result in the exclusion of farmers from this new industry. The governor knows how to support an agricultural crop when he wants to. He just announced up to $10 million in funding to advance hemp research and economic development opportunities for hemp businesses. When cannabis hemp was legalized in New York, it was expressly recognized as an agricultural crop. Hemp is also the exact same cannabis plant as the plant we all know as marijuana. The only difference between the two is the amount of THC. Rather than support what could be a huge revitalization of farming communities, the governor's bill is a gift to large out-of-state businesses. Adding insult to injury, this bill will fail to produce the tax revenues the governor is counting on because his plan will only fuel the existing illegal cannabis business in New York. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. There is still time to urge the governor to amend his bill, incorporating the statutory provisions laid out in NY Small FarmA's platform. If this bill passes without these provisions, New Yorkers' only option will be to spend more for inferior quality, pesticide-laden cannabis or continue to find less expensive, higher quality cannabis illegally. There will be no option to purchase healthy, pure, regeneratively grown, pesticide-free cannabis, unless you know a farmer you trust and are willing to risk the criminal consequences. This is not how prohibition should end. Andi Novick is an attorney and president of NY Small FarmA. https://nysmallfarma.org. New Delhi, Feb 29 (UNI) Six people have been detained for sloganeering inside the Delhi Metro station after a group on Saturday morning gathered at Rajiv Chowk station, one of the busiest and important metro train station in Delhi and were seen raising pro CAA slogan calling to gun down traitors. Donning orange head gear and white T-shirts the group was seen in a video that went viral wherein they were chanting the slogan 'desh ke gaddaron ko goli maaro sa**n ko' which means shoot those traitors betraying the nation. The six are being questioned by the police after they were handed over by the CISF which is responsible for metro security to the Delhi Police Metro unit. Parkinson's disease researchers have used gene-editing tools to introduce the disorder's most common genetic mutation into marmoset monkey stem cells and to successfully tamp down cellular chemistry that often goes awry in Parkinson's patients. The edited cells are a step toward studying the degenerative neurological disorder in a primate model, which has proven elusive. Parkinson's, which affects more than 10 million people worldwide, progressively degrades the nervous system, causing characteristic tremors, dangerous loss of muscle control, cardiac and gastrointestinal dysfunction and other issues. "We know now how to insert a single mutation, a point mutation, into the marmoset stem cell," says Marina Emborg, professor of medical physics and leader of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists who published their findings Feb. 26 in the journal Scientific Reports. "This is an exquisite model of Parkinson's. For testing therapies, this is the perfect platform." The researchers used a version of the gene-editing technology CRISPR to change a single nucleotide -- one molecule among more than 2.8 billion pairs of them found in a common marmoset's DNA -- in the cells' genetic code and give them a mutation called G2019S. In human Parkinson's patients, the mutation causes abnormal over-activity of an enzyme, a kinase called LRRK2, involved in a cell's metabolism. Other gene-editing studies have employed methods in which the cells produced both normal and mutated enzymes at the same time. The new study is the first to result in cells that make only enzymes with the G2019S mutation, which makes it easier to study what role this mutation plays in the disease. "The metabolism inside our stem cells with the mutation was not as efficient as a normal cell, just as we see in Parkinson's," says Emborg, whose work is supported by the National Institutes of Health. "Our cells had a shorter life in a dish. And when they were exposed to oxidative stress, they were less resilient to that." The mutated cells shared another shortcoming of Parkinson's: lackluster connections to other cells. Stem cells are an especially powerful research tool because they can develop into many different types of cells found throughout the body. When the researchers spurred their mutated stem cells to differentiate into neurons, they developed fewer branches to connect and communicate with neighboring neurons. advertisement "We can see the impact of these mutations on the cells in the dish, and that gives us a glimpse of what we could see if we used the same genetic principles to introduce the mutation into a marmoset," says Jenna Kropp Schmidt, a Wisconsin National Primate Research Center scientist and co-author of the study. "A precisely genetically-modified monkey would allow us to monitor disease progression and test new therapeutics to affect the course of the disease." The concept has applications in research beyond Parkinson's. "We can use some of the same genetic techniques and apply it to create other primate models of human diseases," Schmidt says. The researchers also used marmoset stem cells to test a genetic treatment for Parkinson's. They shortened part of a gene to block LRRK2 production, which made positive changes in cellular metabolism. "We found no differences in viability between the cells with the truncated kinase and normal cells, which is a big thing. And when we made neurons from these cells, we actually found an increased number of branches," Emborg says. "This kinase gene target is a good candidate to explore as a potential Parkinson's therapy." This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R24OD019803, P51OD011106 and UL1TR000427). Exporters in Vietnam will need licences from local authorities to export face masks during the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, according to a newly issued directive. In the directive, the Vietnamese government assigns the Ministry of Health to apply the export licensing policy to medical masks. Medical masks are only allowed for export for the purpose of international aid and assistance. In addition, the export amount shall not exceed 25 percent of the countrys output of medical masks, while the remaining 75 percent must be ensured for domestic COVID-19 prevention. The licensing requirement is not applicable to the export activities of enterprises specializing in the production of export goods that were already granted investment certificates, and companies manufacturing medical masks for foreign traders that have signed processing contracts before March 1, 2020. The government has charged the Ministry of Health with taking the prime responsibility and coordinating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance in issuing dossiers and procedures for granting export permits for medical masks to be used during the prevention of the COVID- 19 outbreak. The health ministry will also be responsible for giving guidance on standards for medical masks. The government has also tasked the General Department of Customs under the Ministry of Finance with coordinating the supervision of the exportation of medical masks. Meanwhile, production facilities are responsible for reporting their production capacity at the request of the Ministry of Health. Face masks are believed to help in restricting the spread of the COVID-19 although the World Health Organization has persisted that their use alone is of little effect. Vietnam's big cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City experienced a face mask drought in the early phase of the virus epidemic in late January when demand rose, fueled by the fear of infection. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Southeast Asian country has exported VND60 billion (US$2.6 million) worth of face masks since early 2020. Thirty percent of that were shipped to China. The COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 85,100 people and killed 2,924 globally as of Saturday morning, according to the South China Morning Post. South Korea has confirmed 16 deaths from 2,931 positive cases so far, becoming the biggest cluster of infections outside China. To date, Vietnam has reported 16 cases of the viral infection, including 13 Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese. All of them have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The country has recorded no new infection since February 13. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Sergio Ramos has revealed his 'huge respect' for Lionel Messi as the Real Madrid captain prepares his side for a mammoth clash against arch-rivals Barcelona in LaLiga. The Spaniard had a game to forget in midweek as he saw red during his side's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie at the Bernabeu. Wednesday night's dismissal was Ramos' 26th of his illustrious career and he will miss the return leg at the Etihad Stadium next month. Domestically, the centre half has a big part to play in a nip-and-tuck title race in LaLiga. Sergio Ramos has revealed his 'huge respect' for Barca rival Lionel Messi ahead of El Clasico The pair have battled it out for the best part of a decade and will face again on Sunday Madrid host Barcelona on Sunday in what could be a decisive moment in the league this season, with the Catalan club sitting two points ahead of Los Blancos as it stands. Ramos and Co will have to keep the imperious Lionel Messi quiet if they want to come away with a good result, and the 33-year-old spoke of his admiration for the diminutive Argentine. 'I have huge respect for him,' he told LaLiga via Goal. 'I think he's one of the greatest players in history and I have huge respect for him. I hope Sunday isn't his day, that would mean we've done our job, and if on top of that we can get a good result even better. Sunday's game will see Ramos notch the most appearances made by a player in the fixture 'I wish him all the best as a fellow professional but only as long as it doesn't affect us negatively! It's hard, but he has my maximum respect, I think he's one of the best.' Sunday's game will see Ramos notch the most Clasico appearances by any player, as he will pass the 42 appearances made by Xavi, Sanchis and Gento. 'To be the player with the most El Clasico appearances is a massive source of joy. I hope that I can go on and play in many more. That'd be a good sign, because it'd mean that I was here for many more years,' he told the club's official website. 'It's not just any other game. Despite there just being three points at stake, as there is in every game, El Clasico is a game unlike any other. Beating Barcelona would bring us great joy. What's more, it usually has a really positive impact on the group in terms of morale.' Steeped in true Texas tradition, "Go Texan Day" inspires Houstonians to bring out their best cowboy boots and show their western pride. Theres no better way to toast to Go Texan Day than indulging in mesquite-smoked barbecue, crawfish and cocktails. Houstonians celebrated Go Texan Day in style on Friday afternoon at The Patio at the Pit Room. On HoustonChronicle.com: RodeoHouston courts young pitmasters with new cook-off Rodeo fans grooved with the music of DJ Albert and sampled Texas delicacies including Fried Ice Cream Sandwiches topped with Blue Bell Ice Cream. View this gallery for highlights from Go Texan Day at The Patio at the Pit Room--> Go Texan Day is heralded as the unofficial kickoff of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Its typically held on the Friday right before the Rodeo begins, to launch Houstons Rodeo season. Bridge of sighs: A visitor wears mask at the Rialto Bridge in Venice, usually mobbed by tourists. Photo: Claudio Furlan Italy was last night resisting international calls to impose border controls as more than a dozen countries brought in their own travel restrictions to halt the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Luigi Di Maio, the foreign minister, sought to reassure Italians that high-level discussions were going on to exert maximum diplomatic pressure to resolve travel bans put in place this week by at least 13 countries. "For the Italians who are having difficulty at this moment after being blocked by other countries, I assure you that we are making a maximum effort in talks with all the nations who are issuing restrictions," Mr Di Maio said from his hometown of Avellino. The diplomatic pushback came as Italy risked being labelled Europe's coronavirus "ground zero". Scores of European cases have been traced back to the country's northern regions of Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. Last night, the death toll in Italy stood at 21 from a total of 888 cases. In a show of European unity, Germany and France both announced they would not restrict Italian air travel into their countries or advise citizens against travel to Italy. Italy is now the nation with the third highest coronavirus infection rate. The European Commission offered its support to the positions of France and Germany yesterday. Stella Kyriakides, the bloc's top health official, issued a warning against "mis- and disinformation, as well as xenophobic statements that mislead citizens". Germany, with more than 60 infections, now ranks behind Italy as the European country with the second highest number of reported cases. Small numbers of diagnoses in Spain, Mexico, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK have reported being traceable back to Italy. The links are either because citizens of those countries visited an affected region, or an infected Italian had visited one of the countries. Outside Europe, Italy is battling its own public relations disaster, with a growing list of countries imposing travel restrictions and quarantine rules on Italians. Israel turned back flights from Bergamo, Milan and Venice this week. The Milan newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' reported that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, El Salvador, Mauritius, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Madagascar and Seychelles have also denied entrance to Italians from affected areas. Italian travellers have been told they could face quarantine requests in some countries, and be asked to self-isolate in others. Italy, which has the largest Chinese population in Europe because of its textile business and port links with China, took early action to stop direct flights to Wuhan, where the pathogen was first discovered in December. But it did not screen passengers coming from China via indirect routes. The current outbreak in Italy has not, so far, been traced back to its Chinese population. The origin of the outbreak, the "patient zero" who infected a 38-year-old man in Lombardy, is yet to be identified. The first case in Brazil was a Sao Paulo man who had returned from a business trip in Italy. An Italian also tested positive in Nigeria and is recovering in a hospital in Lagos, the first case detected in sub-Saharan Africa. WILLIAMSPORT The estates of two Canadian flight students have asked a federal judge to approve a $1.1 million settlement in their suit over a 2016 plane crash in Potter County. Corey Michael Mijac and Benjamin Caleb Jeffries of Ontario, Canada, were killed just before 8 p.m. Oct. 16, 2016, when a Piper flown by Rifat Tawig crashed in a heavily wooded area near Austin. The report of a Federal Aviation Administration investigation lists the cause as Tawig, who also was killed, losing control while maneuvering in night instrument conditions that included light-to-heavy rain with severe turbulence, updrafts and downdrafts and hail. Contributing to the accident, the report states, was the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation, his lack of flight experience in actual instrument conditions and his failure to request weather avoidance assistance from air traffic control. The estates of Mijac and Jeffries sued the planes owner, St. Catharines Flying Club also of Ontario, alleging Tawig lacked experience. The plane was one of five the club on Oct. 12 had sent into the United States with instructors and students. The aircraft that crashed was returning from Richmond, Virginia. According to the settlement U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Friday was asked to approve, the estates will split equally $1,147,650. Of the $573,825 each will receive, $213,811 will go for attorney fees and legal fees. A day after the tentative settlement was announced in October, the estates sued the federal government. That suit, which has been transferred to a federal court in Ohio, attributes the crash to faulty instructions given the pilot by Federal Aviation Administration employees at its Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center. The estates contend air traffic controllers were negligent by not advising the pilot of the light aircraft it was entering an area of dangerous weather. Just prior to the crash the Piper turned right at a standard rate likely in an effort to fly out of adverse weather but shortly thereafter the rate increased, the plane began to descend rapidly and fell off the radar, the FAA report states. If the pilot had requested assistance, the controller likely would have been able to provide him with vectors to avoid the adverse conditions, the report continued. 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. At the Longford IFA AGM in the Longford Arms Hotel on Wednesday evening, February 19, recently elected National President of the IFA, Tim Cullinan, was present to meet with local farmers and discuss some of their concerns for the year ahead. When speaking to the Leader, Mr Cullinan spoke of his delight at his recent election, before noting the many challenges ahead. He said: I am delighted and absolutely honoured to have been elected the 16th president of the IFA. There are a lot of challenges out there, but there have always been challenges out there. It will be no different when the next president comes into the IFA, farming keeps evolving. The IFA president said the key challenges for him were CAP reform, Brexit and climate change. On climate change, Mr Cullinan committed to pushing for farms in disadvantaged areas to be viewed as carbon sinks and says farmers have become easy targets for larger corporations and government. If you look around us, What we have here is all green grass. We are an excellent carbon sink, between our hedgerows and our trees. None of this is being accounted for at the moment, he said. We need to get the science looked at on this. We had a conference recently where we brought in an expert on methane emissions from California and he explained in layman's terms that methane emissions have a lifecycle of 10-12 years. It is not actually going up into the atmosphere and it goes back into the grassland. So, what I am asking Teagasc to do is relook at the science here. If we can prove that we can do this in Ireland, then maybe it is something that could be rolled out across Europe. Also read: Huge crowds as members honoured and county officers elected at Longford IFA AGM In line with this, Mr Cullinan said the IFA will be pushing for a 300 payment for suckler cows and 30 for ewes. It is time we push back and I think we have a massive story to tell. We have to convince our government that by keeping the suckler cow and sheep in disadvantaged areas, they are maintaining grasslands. We need a decent payment, we need 300 for the suckler cow. We need 30 for ewes. We need to go back to proper environmental payment schemes, similar to the old Reps schemes. Continuing, he stated: Our government is going to spend anything up to 5bn over the next couple of years paying fines or buying carbon credits. Instead of spending that money, which will do nothing for the economy, why not give it to farmers to protect the local areas and keep people living in rural Ireland. Thats what we need to do. The Tipperary man then touched upon issues with beef pricing, before reaffirming his commitment to pushing for an EU ban on below cost selling. He stated: Below cost selling is something that affects all sectors in farming, dairy, beef, lamb, pork, fresh vegetables. It is something I feel very strongly on and have done a lot of work on in the past. The only way we will deal with below cost selling, is if we get legislation. Although noting it would be very difficult to get legislation introduced by government, Tim remained optimistic something could be done at an EU level. He stated: This needs to happen on an European level. We export 90% of our beef. Just getting legislation in Ireland is not going to resolve that issue. So, what I intend to do is align myself with like minded countries in Europe and see can we drive through the political system in Europe and try get a ban on below cost selling, he added. In conclusion, the IFA President vowed to represent farmers from Longford and throughout the country to the best of his ability, noting his door is always open. I want to represent all farmers and I think by working together we will achieve a lot more. I am reaching out to all farmers. I think I will provide the leadership needed, I have done it in the past and I will do it again, he concluded. Also read: Emission science has moved on and so must the rules - IFA STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Pharmacy and supermarket employees are very familiar with saying the phrase, Sorry, were out. When the Advance contacted several pharmacies and supermarkets in the borough seeking hand sanitizer and surgical masks -- we were met with a similar response. Its a scene right out of a zombie apocalypse movie or a sight thats too familiar before a hurricane or blizzard. Supermarket and pharmacy employees redirected us to different departments and even competitors stores. Calls to the other stores received the same answer. Weve had hand sanitizer, face masks and Lysol on order for over a week now, but we were told that since everyone has them on order, its going to be a while 'til we get them in, said an employee at a pharmacy in Old Town. Dozens of people said they were turned away on Friday from multiple stores as they hunted for preparations and supplies just as city hospitals stock up ahead of what many fear to be a coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak. Although residents are worried about the potential coronavirus outbreak on the Island and health experts offer advice of preparation, many still are making light of the situation. Its stress; its added stress to everything,'' said Dongan Hills resident Peter Trembone, 49. You never know what can happen, whether this thing can get a lot bigger in an hour or a day. Just be as prepared as possible and cross your fingers. "Having a Corona (beer) would also help, he joked. Staten Islanders are prepared for the worst, even though there have been no confirmed cases in New York City yet. The city Department of Health did announce on Twitter Thursday night that it was investigating one person who reported symptoms after traveling to Italy. Hours later, city Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot announced the investigation of a second person. The federal government expanded its criteria to test for #COVID19 to include Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. As a result, we have now identified another person in New York City to test for the virus. https://t.co/HaRFxUSvmu Commissioner Oxiris Barbot (@NYCHealthCommr) February 27, 2020 Although there are no confirmed cases in the city, there are 108 individuals in voluntary isolation on Long Island, according to news reports. Normally the biggest questions travelers face before hopping on an international flight is how to stuff all their clothes and gear into a carry-on bag and which movies to download. Now its whether they should cancel a trip and risk losing money or carry through and risk getting stranded in a foreign city or quarantined when they return home. Welcome to travel in the age of the coronavirus. Soon these questions may be facing domestic travelers as well if the virus, now known as COVID-19, continues to spread across the country. In response to the crisis, some airlines are waiving their usual change fees on nonrefundable tickets to specific Asian and Italian cities, but with lots of strings attached. Others including JetBlue and Alaska Airlines are waiving them altogether on flights booked through March 11 and March 12, respectively. Before booking, canceling or taking a flight, it helps to know what your rights and options are. Here are some tips. When an airline cancels a flight for any reason, you are entitled to a full refund, regardless of fare type, if you choose not to be rebooked on that airline, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. This refund rule also applies to significant delays, but the department hasnt defined significant; it determines whether delayed passengers get a refund on a case-by-case basis. When you book a flight directly with an airline at least seven days before the departure date, the airline must let you hold the reservation for 24 hours without charge or cancel within 24 hours of purchase and get a full refund. This applies to flights on U.S. and foreign airlines that start or end in the United States. If you book through a travel agent, ask if youre covered by this rule. Most nonrefundable tickets can be changed, usually for a fee. Nonrefundable usually means you cant get your money back. Most airlines will let you cancel a nonrefundable ticket and use the money to book another flight, typically within a year, although you usually must pay a change or rebooking fee and any difference between the old and new fare. Exception: United does not allow any changes to basic economy fares, which are cheaper and more restrictive than regular economy. Neither does Delta. American allows changes on basic economy on international, but not domestic tickets. These tickets are considered nonrefundable and non-changeable. Southwest Airlines, the fourth major U.S. carrier, does not charge fees to change or cancel any ticket. Any funds from a canceled, nonrefundable ticket can be used for one year from the issue date. Southwest does not fly to Asia or Europe, where the worst outbreaks have occurred. Change fees are typically $200 on domestic flights canceled before the travel date, less if you change the day of the flight. On international flights, theyre all over the map. American says it charges up to $750 on international flights. Delta says its change fees start at $200 to $500, but wont say where they end. United wont disclose its international change fee, only that it varies based on the destination and type of ticket. Change fees are supposed to be reasonable, but Ive seen it go as high as $2,000, on international flights, said Paul Hudson, president of Flyers Rights, a nonprofit consumer group. A lot of foreign and even domestic carriers wont even tell you the fee in advance. If you ask beforehand, you will get an answer like, It depends. It turns out, it depends on your elite status, how they feel about things at the time and so on. Most major airlines are waiving change fees on flight to and from cities with outbreaks of the coronavirus. United is waiving change fees on flights to or from Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan and Hong Kong; Seoul; and seven cities in northern Italy, However, the ticket generally must have been purchased before a certain date, for travel between certain dates and be rebooked before a certain date for the same departure and return cities as the original ticket. It is also waiving any difference in fare price if the ticket is rebooked in the same cabin and between the same cities as the original ticket; otherwise the fare difference will be charged. For details, see bit.ly/unitednotices. American has a similar policy for mostly the same cities at aa.com/travelalerts. Deltas travel waivers for are posted at bit.ly/deltacoronavirus for China and South Korea and at bit.ly/deltacoronavirusitaly for Italy. Your trip insurance may not cover the coronavirus. Many travelers purchase trip cancellation and interruption policies through airlines, travel agents, tour operators or insurance brokers. These policies will reimburse you for nonrefundable, prepaid airline tickets and other travel expenses if your trip gets canceled or disrupted for certain reasons. Many of these policies exclude claims arising from epidemics, including the coronavirus. Even if its not specifically excluded, no standard policy will cover claims from events be it a hurricane or epidemic if the policy was purchased after the event became known or foreseen. Most travel insurance companies have stated that the coronavirus became a known event on dates ranging from Jan. 22 to 24. That means they wont cover claims arising from coronavirus if you purchased a ticket after that date, unless you purchased an expensive upgrade known as cancel for any reason. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Additionally, no standard policy will reimburse claims if you voluntarily cancel a trip because youre afraid of catching the virus or getting stranded somewhere, unless you have cancel for any reason. This option typically adds 40% to 60% to the cost of a standard policy, and covers up to 70% to 80% of the nonrefundable trip cost, subject to a dollar limit. It must be purchased within a certain number of days generally between one and 30 after booking your trip and cover the entire cost. To collect, you must cancel your trip at least two days before it starts. Susie Cohen of Menlo Park had to decide by Wednesday whether to purchase cancel for any reason insurance for a trip she and her husband had booked to Japan leaving March 12. Her husband, a political science professor at Stanford University, was attending a conference in Tokyo, and they planned a guided tour afterward. They had already paid about $13,000 for two business-class tickets and $13,000 for the tour. The policy cost $3,400 and would cover 75% of the trip cost, or about $19,500. The tour operator offered to rebook them within a year at the same price, or give them a 70% refund if they canceled by Friday. So the insurance was mostly covering 75% of the airfare, or about $9,750. I subtracted the $3,400, we were only getting about $6,000 in coverage. The airline said they could rebook with a change fee, she said. After talking to other conference attendees who were afraid of getting quarantined when they returned home, the couple decided to not buy the insurance or take the trip now. They will consider rebooking the tour and the flight, unless United cancels the flight and they get a full refund. On Friday, United announced it is suspending service between Los Angeles and Tokyos Narita airport and Houston and Narita from March 8 to April 24, but still offering flights to Tokyo from other cities including San Francisco and Denver. Its reducing service from San Francisco to Osaka and Singapore. Check travel advisories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Friday had issued a Level 3 alert for China and South Korea, meaning you shouldnt go there. It issued a Level 2 warning for Iran, Italy and Japan, which means older adults and people with chronic medical conditions should postpone nonessential travel. Hong Kong had a Level 1 warning, which means take usual precautions but dont avoid travel there. Find coronavirus advisories at bit.ly/cdcadvisories. Consider waiting. For nonurgent travel, I think it would pay to wait right now, see how this shakes out in the next few weeks. If there is a big drop in people making reservations, thats likely to pressure airlines to liberalize the rules, Hudson said. Change fees account for a very small portion of airline revenues, and it seems like airlines could stimulate demand by waiving them, like JetBlue and Alaska have done. Darryl Genovesi, an analyst with Vertical Research Partners, doesnt think thats a great idea. Change fees are less about revenue. Its there to give them revenue visibility by preventing cancellations, he said. Also look for fare cuts. Airlines are cutting back service to Asia and redirecting some planes to trans-Atlantic and domestic routes, which could lead to lower fares. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender Geneva/IBNS: Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha member) and BJP leader MJ Akbar has strongly defended the amended Citizenship Act in a discussion between Indian and European Parliamentarians on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHCR) here. The veteran journalist said Indias most important characteristic is its plurality and the Constitution of India gives equal rights to everyone irrespective of its religion, and Muslims are as much part of India as any other citizen from any other religion, according to media reports. Chief Imam of India Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Journalist Atika Ahmed Farooqui, Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) Paulo Casaca and Member of European Parliament Fulvio Martusciello were in the discussion panel among others. Taking a jibe at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Akbar said one tends to make "rhetorical points" when in opposition and Tharoor was far away from reality. Hindus and Muslims are one. God created them and no one can separate them, Akbar quoted Mahatma Gandhi while concluding his speech. Fulvio Martusciello stressed on the brotherhood and peace among the people of all the religions in India and clarified that the CAA does not have any provisions that include the citizens of India and instead provides several rights, including educational and voting rights to the minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan living as refugees in India due to religious persecution in their own countries. According to a Zee News report, Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the Chief Imam of All India Imam Organisation, said, "India has the second-largest number of Muslims in the world and provides equal citizenship for everyone, India is a secular democracy." He slammed Pakistan saying Indian Muslims were safer than anywhere in the world and it should stop interfering in the internal matters of India. Stating that citizenship in India is not restricted to any religion, he pointed out that any Muslim, who is not a citizen of India, can apply for Indian citizenship provided they fulfill the provisions of the Citizenship Act of 1955. Journalist Atika Farooqui, who covers minority issues in India, said the CAA has no provisions of taking away the citizenship of any Indian by any means. We, Indians, are just curious and hardworking people with Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Hindu sounding names," the Zee report quoted her as saying. Paulo Casaca, Executive Director of South Asia Democratic Forum and Former Member of European Parliament pointed out the role played by the European Parliament in facilitating the false campaign against the CAA. He asked the European Union to first improve the condition of the refugees living along its borders and stop interfering in the internal matters of India. European Commission member Brian Toll, who is also an expert on South Asia, said India is the only country that has embraced the people of all religions and culture and absorbed their ethos in its plurality. People of all caste, creed and religion are offered equal opportunities in India. Clashes broke out between police and migrants trying to cross the the Turkish-Greek border on Saturday (February 29) as a crisis in Syria shifted to the European Union's doorstep. Greek police fired teargas over the border and migrants threw stones. The group of migrants arrived after Turkey said on Thursday (February 29) it will no longer contain the hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers. That announcement came after an air strike on Idlib in neighbouring Syria which killed 33 Turkish soldiers. Almost immediately, convoys of people began heading towards the land and sea borders of Greece -- a primary gateway into Europe for asylum seekers in 2015 and 16. Greece, has tense relations with its neighbour Turkey at the best of times and described the situation as an "onslaught" saying it would keep migrants out. On the other side of the fence Turkey hit back at the Greek accusations, with Turkey's Foreign Minister tweeting, "Look who's lecturing us on international law! They're shamelessly throwing tear gas bombs on thousands of innocents piled at their gates." Back in 2015 almost a million refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to Greece's islands, setting off a crisis over immigration in Europe. Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges and other blockchain companies are coping with a new reality as the coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt their daily operations. While crypto trading, customer service and marketing remain largely intact, the outbreak has taken its toll on technical upgrades, product development, logistics and business travel, according to a dozen executives in China interviewed by CoinDesk. Following the outbreak, the Chinese government extended its Lunar New Year vacation by one week to Feb.10. Weeks later, a few major Chinese cities remain locked down, and many companies have asked their employees to work from home including blockchain businesses. Related: Bitcoin Rebounds as Coronavirus-Infected Stocks Get Jolt From Fed, BOJ We encourage our employees to work remotely after the vacation as there are so many people from every part of China coming back to work, said Aurora Wong, vice president at ZB Group. The coronavirus is not a regional epidemic, it has been spread across the country and even to other countries. The outbreak has caused psychological stress on people, Wong said. While many cities are not technically in lockdown, it is definitely not encouraged to come out for our own health and the whole society to get the epidemic under control. Founded in China in 2013, Switzerland-based ZB Group claims its crypto exchange now serves over 10 million users, with $3 billion in average daily trading volume. It has operations across the world including China, Singapore, South Korea and the U.S. According to Wong, the outbreak is likely to slow the exchanges technical upgrade to a new version. The upgrade could include front-end mobile apps for users as well as the back-end trading engine. Related: The View From China: Crypto, Crisis and Digital Currencies Feat. Matthew Graham Before the outbreak, we were very efficient and fast on upgrading our platform because people across different departments such as the engineering team, product development and marketing could meet and work together to carry out plans, Wong said. Story continues However, the outbreak has had only a limited impact on daily operations of ZBs trading platform since the firm keeps a schedule to rotate its staff to maintain the exchange, according to Wong. Contingency planning Estonia-based Bibox crypto exchange, which also originated from China, said it has a contingency plan to tackle the operational challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak. We might relocate our core engineering team to other Asian countries such as one of our Asian headquarters in Singapore or Vietnam where there are much fewer infected cases, said Aries Wang, co-founder of Bibox. According to Wang, Biboxs trading, marketing and customer service have not been affected much, but new product development and networking events with potential investors have been disrupted to a degree. We originally planned a meeting for Chinese crypto funds and private equity firms in London to pave the way for our potential initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in March, Wang said. The meeting and IPO would probably be delayed to a later date. Further, when Bibox lists new tokens, the product development team needs to work very closely with the engineering team, creating custom services for clients and upgrading its own exchange platform. But this requires face-to-face meetings, which are for now rare. OKEx, one of the top three crypto exchanges by trading volume, said its staying vigilant now that it has resumed business after the vacation. We suggested our employees stay where they already are, avoid crowds as much as possible and reduce business trips, Jay Hao, the CEO of OKEx, said of its headquarters in Hong Kong. Our offices have been completely disinfected, and we have also prepared protective equipment such as surgical masks, liquid soap and alcohol-based sanitizer for all of our employees, Hao said. The firm has upgraded its IT systems, such as phone and video conference software, to streamline the process of working from home and ensure normal operations throughout its global offices, according to Hao. Working (and conferencing) remotely Outside of trading venues, other blockchain startups in the region say theyve been significantly affected by the outbreak. B-Labs, a blockchain incubation center co-founded by Canaan Blockchain, OK Group and Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, has decided to reduce rents for some of the startups that use the space and open a platform for them to apply for subsidies. Conflux, a Beijing-based blockchain firm, is also coping with the outbreaks ramifications. Coronavirus has affected us in a way that we had to replan many offline events within the Asia Pacific region, Christian Oertal, chief marketing officer at Conflux, said. We had to pivot into organizing and participating in online events. As for office work, everyone at Conflux is working remotely from home. The health of everyone in the company should not be put into any risky situation in current times, he added. Another part of the blockchain industry which has been significantly affected by the outbreak is mining, the business of running expensive computers that race to solve math problems in order to record transactions and secure crypto networks. A spate of miner manufacturers, including Bitmian, MicroBT and Canaan, have expected some of their deliveries to be delayed due to slow logistics caused by the outbreak. Some of the mining farms are short of workers to maintain machines, while a few mining farms have been shut down by local governments as part of the measures to contain the epidemic. The growth rate of mining difficulty, an indicator of the level of competition among bitcoin miners, has been slowing since the coronavirus outbreak, signaling that miners have paused upgrading to newer, more powerful machines. In the most recent two-week cycle, from Feb. 11-25, this gauge declined for the first time since early December. Related Stories Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States Sat, February 29, 2020 06:37 684 7f440ff09e92db75a02bbad20674c568 2 World beer,brand-image,coronavirus,COVID-19,Wuhan-coronavirus Free Confusion between coronavirus and Corona beer has been a punchline of questionable taste during the outbreak -- but the matter may be no joke for the brand. The phrase "38% of Americans" was trending Friday on Twitter following a survey showing that proportion of beer drinkers "would not buy Corona under any circumstances now." Ronn Torossian, founder and CEO of public relations firm 5W, which polled 737 US beer drinkers, said there "no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus." "While the brand has claimed that consumers understand there's no linkage between the virus and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand," Torossian said in a statement. "After all, what brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?" The survey results were supported by a report from market analysis firm YouGov that pointed to an uptick in internet searches for phrases like "Corona beer virus" that was weighing on brand reputation. The Mexican-heritage beverage, owned by Constellation Brands, has not helped its cause with an awkwardly-phrased advertising campaign to plug new hard seltzer offerings in the United States. The beverages, available in four "delicious" flavors, will be "coming ashore soon," according to the spot posted to Twitter that had received 7.3 million views by Friday on the Corona USA page. "Given what's hitting the news right now, this seems in remarkably poor taste," one critic posted. "Pretty sure Corona has always had remarkably poor taste," another replied. Constellation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brand favorability for Corona dropped from 75 percent in early January to 51 in late February, according to daily consumer surveys taken by YouGov. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.29 Trend: Head of the Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani community Tural Ganjaliyev who stood in the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan earlier this month, has said that he is ready to represent Karabakhs Armenian community as well. Ganjaliyev won a seat from Xankendi town in Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been under Armenian occupation since 1994. In an exclusive interview with Azernews on February 28, Ganjaliyev said: I ran for Khankendi Constituency 122 and won the election [on February 9 snap election]. If my mandate is approved by the Constitutional Court, after approval, I would like to appeal to the Armenian community through your portal and tell them that I represent the Armenian community and not just the Azerbaijani community of Khankendi. Let them support their elected representative. We are ready to represent them. Commenting on the planned so-called "parliamentary and presidential elections" to be held by the separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabkh in March, Ganjaliyev said that those "elections" are unrecognized by the world. In March, the illegal regime in Nagorno-Karabakh will hold an illegal election. It has no legal basis and is not recognized by the world. I am addressing the Armenian community to support the legally-elected lawmaker who represents Khankendi, instead of living in an illegal regime and conducting illegal elections. I will deal with your problems, and tell the Azerbaijani Parliament about them. Let the Armenian community know that they already have a legally elected deputy, Ganjaliyev said. I will use all my potential to protect the interests of our residents from Khankendi. Unfortunately, unlike other regions of Azerbaijan, our native city is under occupation, and our people, the residents of Khankendi, are scattered across different cities and regions of Azerbaijan, Ganjaliyev said. He spoke about the difficulties of representing a constituency that is under occupation and whose electorates have been displaced. "We have to travel all over Azerbaijan to meet with our voters and listen to their problems. Regardless of all difficulties, it is a privilege and a responsibility for us. Their voices, their problems, and especially their plight as a result of Armenian aggression and Armenian occupation, will be voiced not only in the Parliament, but also from the tribunes of reputable organizations around the world, and as a Community, I believe we have already begun to do so. I've been doing this since last year and after gaining the mandate in the parliament, I will strengthen my efforts, Ganjaliyev said. Furthermore, Ganjaliyev said that his community has voiced its support for the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs proposal about preparing populations for peace from day one as long as Azerbaijans occupied territories are returned. Ganjaliyev mentioned the recent initiative of the Minsk Group to organize mutual visit of journalists, saying that unfortunately, the Armenian side used the visit as a propaganda tool and as a black PR. Furthermore, Ganjaliyev commented on the debate between Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev within the Munich Security Council on February 15. He said President Aliyev touched upon important facts during the debate. The first one was to emphasize that Armenian did not have the right for self-determination in Azerbaijans territories for the second time. This was a very important message, as Armenia has already established itself as a nation within its own territory. For the second time, they can determine their destiny somewhere else but not at the expense of our territories, Ganjaliyev said. There is a term in the international law, Terra nullius, that is, "nobody's land". If Armenians can find an uninhabited area on earth, they will go there to determine their destiny. Ganjaliyev also commented on Pashinyans lack of historical knowledge and expertise on the Nagorno-Karabakh. How is it that Pashinyan is unaware that Xankendis name was changed into Stapanakert after the name of Armenian bandit, Bolshevik Stephan Shaumyan in 1923 but talks about the events dating back to the B,C.? Speaking about the communitys work in the upcoming years, Ganjaliyev said that a very comprehensive program of Azerbaijani community for 2020 has been approved. We will have numerous events both inside and outside the country, with expected international visits. Overall, it is important that we, as a community, are particularly active internationally, make visits, and meet with representatives of international organizations. The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh along with the Armenian community has been identified in the OSCE documents as an equal interested party of the conflict. Therefore, this year we will work to the fullest extent, Ganjaliyev said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 22:22:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Marja district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 18, 2019. (Xinhua/Abdul Aziz Safdari) U.S. and Taliban sign a historic peace deal that includes full withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan to end a long-running war in the country. DOHA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States signed on Saturday a historic peace agreement with Afghanistan's Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha that includes Taliban reduction of violence and withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. According to a joint statement released by the U.S. and Afghan governments on Saturday ahead of the signing, the United States and NATO will completely pull out their troops from Afghanistan in 14 months if the Taliban held its commitments. The statement also said that the United States is going to reduce its troops to 8,600 in Afghanistan within 135 days after signing the agreement. The historic deal could be the first step towards full withdrawal of foreign troops from within 14 months to end 18 years of violence in chaos-stricken country. At last check more than 84,000 people have been sickened and nearly 2,900 have died from COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus. With most of the infections in mainland China and nearly 100 in Hong Kong, there has been growing concern that Jackie Chan may be among those affected, either with the virus or under quarantine. On Thursday, the global movie star, 65, took to his website and social media to assure fans he's alright. 'Thanks for everybody's concern! I'm safe and sound, and very healthy,' he shared on Instagram. 'Please don't worry, I'm not in quarantine. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy too!' All good: Jackie Chan has addressed growing concern over his safety due to the coronavirus. He's seen above in January Turns out the Hong Kong native has been receiving gifts, including face masks, from people all over the world as fear of the virus spreads. 'I've also received some very special gifts from fans all over the world during this very difficult time,' Chan added in a statement on www.jackiechan.com. 'Thank you for the face masks. Your thoughtfulness is well received! And I've asked my lovely staff to donate your kindness through official organisations to those who need it most.' A-okay! 'Thanks for everybody's concern! I'm safe and sound, and very healthy,' he shared on Instagram. 'Please don't worry, I'm not in quarantine. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy too!' The release of Chan's new Chinese action film, Vanguard, was postponed in January due to concerns of the potential spread of the coronavirus in movie theaters. The virus primarily passes from one person to others through respiratory droplets from the airways, often during coughing and sneezing. The time between exposure and symptom onset is typically between two and 14 days. Those symptoms include fever, cough and breathing difficulties. Coronavirus fears: The release of Chan's new Chinese action film, Vanguard, was postponed in January due to concerns of the potential spread of the coronavirus in movie theaters. Earlier this month, the movie star offered a $197,000 reward for the development of an antidote Presently there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment. Earlier this month, Chan offered a $197,000 reward for the development of an antidote, according to the Straight Times in Singapore, as reported by Fox News. The virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Of the 84,000 infected, more than 36,000 people have since recovered. The coronavirus outbreak in Nepal has set alarm bells ringing in Himachal Pradesh, as a number of migrants from the Himalayan country work in the state. So far, no case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported in Himachal, nevertheless the states health department is on high alert . Hospitals in the state have been asked to set up separate isolation wards to quarantine persons suspected of carrying the virus, which is swiftly assuming pandemic proportions. Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital senior medical superintendent Janak Raj Pakhrateia said, We have already set up an isolation ward and a facility to test patients for coronavirus. The treatment for the virus is symptomatic. The Union government is particularly concerned about possible spread of the virus, which causes respiratory illness, from Nepal where the contagion has spread. As per reports, two days ago, a 34-year-old student who was pursuing his PhD in Wuhan died of respiratory infection caused due to COVID-19. The Union government is concerned that if the virus spreads in Himalayan regions, it could further spread to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as both states have high populations. Around 12,000 Nepalese migrants are registered with the police in Himachal, however the actual number of Nepalese migrants in the state could be much higher. Majority of the migrants work in apple orchards and upcoming power projects in Kinnaur and Kullu. Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi and Sirmaur have a high Nepalese population. The police department pegs the Nepalese population to be approximately 60,000. Authorities believe the virus could spread from migrants visiting their families in Nepal. Diseases surveillance officer Sonam Negi said, A notification from the Union government pertaining to COVID-19 shortlists 12 countries that are at high risk of contracting the virus. The list also includes Nepal. Infected Nepalese people coming to Himachal is definitely a matter of concern for the health department. The first coronavirus death in Nepal was reported on February 10. All Nepalese people coming to Himachal are being screened thoroughly, Negi said, adding that the people entering India are first screened at the border post maintained by the Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB). Most Nepalese people who come to Himachal are from Piyuthan , Dailiak , Jajajrkot, Salyan and Tarai regions. The states health department is also screening foreigners visiting the state. The health department has screened 30 foreigners so far, which include visitors from Thailand and China. Thirteen foreigners were screened in Kangra, seven in Solan and 10 in Shimla. Two foreigners were quarantined but so far they have not exhibited any symptoms of COVID-19, said Negi, adding that all people entering the state from Nepal after February 12 were being screened. Director health services Ajay Kumar Gupta on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting and instructed all chief medical officers of 12 districts to put their health staff on high alert. The department is geared to tackle the novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan in China. The nationals of 12 countries China, Japan, Vietnam , Italy, Iran, Nepal, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are at high risk of carrying the virus. As many as 211 persons from Himachal Pradesh have visited coronavirus affected countries, of which 172 travellers have completed 28 days in observation. The government has issued an advisory asking all people who have travelled to coronavirus-affected countries to contact health advisers on the 104 helpline. The government has also deployed separate ambulances to take those suspected of coronavirus to the hospital. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With the shortages of raw materials from China, there may soon be a scarcity of commonly used medical devices Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), which represents research-based medical technology companies with a large footprint in manufacturing and training in India, recently said that its member companies are ready to brace up for any shortages in medical devices and equipment arising out of scarcity of raw materials from China. With the shortages of raw materials from China, there may soon be a scarcity of commonly used medical devices like digital thermometers, infrared thermometers, nebulizers, blood pressure monitors and glucometers manufactured in India as reported by the Press. The supply lines may not sustain as the geographies affected are spreading. The wide spectrum of medical devices and equipment that MTaI members have, remained unaffected as these companies do not depend on imports from China. Pavan Choudary, Chairman, MTaI and Managing Director, Vygon India said, MTaI members will try and offset any supply gaps arising out of the import shortages from China. MTaI member companies products conform to the highest quality standards and are imported primarily from USA, Europe and Japan or manufactured under strict quality control in India. Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) is an association of research-based medical technology companies who have made remarkable investments in Manufacturing, R&D and Health Care Workers Training in India. WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar hasn't faced a real challenge in years. Now the 15-year incumbent is bringing in all the help he can get to fend off primary challenger Jessica Cisneros, a progressive immigration attorney who would fit right in with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Oasio Cortezs squad in D.C. The support for Cuellar rolling in during the final stretch includes the conservative Koch brothers, whose political action committee has spent at least $40,000 to defend Cuellar a Democrat, though one of the most conservative in Congress. Oil and pharmaceutical companies, too, have poured thousands into the pro-business congressmans campaign over the final days of the primary. Local businessmen and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have spent as well in what has shaped up to be one of the most expensive races in the state with the total raised and spent in the South Texas district well beyond the $5 million mark. And yet Cisneros, a 26-year-old daughter of Mexican immigrants who would be the youngest member of Congress, has outraised Cuellar during the final months of the race, backed by major progressive groups, including EMILYs List, which supports women candidates, and Justice Democrats, the group that helped Ocasio-Cortez defeat a longtime moderate Democrat New York congressman in 2018. Even as both sides have insisted all the outside interest matters little to South Texas voters, the race is one of the most watched congressional primaries in the nation, another arena for the battle between moderate Democrats who have long been in control and a rising left wing pushing everything from an end to fossil fuels to Medicare For All. Know the candidates: Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide; San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide The district is solidly blue. Hillary Clinton won it by nearly 20 points in 2016, when Cuellar beat the last Republican to challenge him by a 2-to-1 margin. But the race will test the appeal of some of the partys most progressive policy proposals including the Green New Deal, which calls for a swift shift away from fossil fuels in a district where the oil and gas industry employs tens of thousands. Cuellar called Cisneros a socialist in a last-minute email to supporters this week keying on the buzzword that has defined much of the Democratic presidential primary. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Laredo earlier this month and stopped at Cuellar's campaign headquarters for a pep talk. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, often criticized by progressives for lining up behind moderate or conservative Democrats, is supporting Cuellar in the race, as well. Cisneros, meanwhile, has the backing of Ocasio-Cortez the architect of the Green New Deal, who is now pushing a ban on fracking that has already been denounced by some moderate Texas Democrats, including Cuellar. Bernie Sanders, too, has voiced support for Cisneros, as have Elizabeth Warren and Julian Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and presidential hopeful now campaigning for Warren. This is a turning point, Cisneros said in an interview with Hearst Newspapers. I feel like before this cycle, maybe a lot of folks thought this wasnt possible. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox This win is going to mean a lot, in terms of it being a game changer not just in South Texas, but nationally, she said. If we can do it here, running a campaign like this, people can do it anywhere. If people arent satisfied with the representation they have, they have another option. His corporate backers are terrified All of that attention has brought a lot of last-minute spending. Cuellar, who has more than $2 million on hand, reported nearly $84,000 in contributions this week alone. That includes thousands from oil groups such as the American Petroleum Institute and Murphy Oil, payday lender Checksmart Financial and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Hes received donations from local businessmen as well, including Patrick Kennedy, Jr., chairman and CEO of the company that owns San Antonios La Mansion del Rio hotel. Americans for Prosperity, a political action committee backed by the conservative Koch brothers, has spent more than $40,000 on mailers supporting Cuellar over the last week, according to federal filings. That comes after Cuellar earlier this month became the first Democrat in a federal race backed by another Koch-funded group, the LIBRE Initiative, focused on Hispanic outreach. Cuellar has been a model of what an effective congressman should look like, the group said in a memo about the endorsement. He has sought out and found allies on both sides of the aisle to push real solutions to real problems. He has done so at considerable political risk. For subscribers: Bernie Sanders ascension in Texas leaves moderate Democrats fighting for scraps The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, is spending at least $200,000 on TV ads supporting Cuellar, who also received a boost from the nonprofit American Workers for Progress, a dark money group that earlier this year poured more than $720,000 into ads. Cisneros said the late spending spree makes it clear that his corporate backers are terrified. Cisneros, too, is raising money, including more than $29,000 over the past week. Most of that came from individuals nearly all outside Texas during the final days of the race. Cisneros has also received help on the airwaves. Super PAC Texas Forward, which is affiliated with EMILYs List, paid nearly $1.2 million for ads supporting her earlier this year. For subscribers: National money flows into Texas for 2020 Democrats The voters of South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley will decide the outcome of this election, not outside special interest groups, said Colin Strother, a spokesman for Cuellars campaign. Our closing message to anyone and everyone is go vote. People are doing just that, especially in three counties along the border that make up the bulk of the district. Early voting ended Friday; election day is March 3. Bringing New York flavor to Texas By the end of Thursday, more than 15,000 people had voted in the Democratic primary in Webb County more than 11 percent of registered voters in the county that holds the largest share of the districts residents. Nearly 30 percent of registered voters in Starr County more than 9,000 had already voted in the primary by that point. And more than 36 percent, nearly 3,000 voters, had cast ballots in Zapata County. Its been years since South Texas has seen a race like this. Its definitely very tense down here right now, even within our own party, said Amber Avis, who chairs the Webb County Young Democrats and is a Cisneros supporter. She says theres a generational divide in Laredo, with younger Democrats energized by Cisneros and older Democrats remaining loyal to Cuellar. But the divide isnt just generational. While Cuellar boasts plenty of business support, labor groups have lined up behind Cisneros. That includes the state AFL-CIO, which endorsed her earlier this year. I have not heard one time from the congressman for any kind of town hall meeting, any outreach to the community, said Linda Chavez-Thompson, a longtime labor leader from San Antonio who lives in the district. And Ive been his constituent since 2007. I now receive at least two to three brochures a day from him, she said. Cuellars campaign says he holds regular neighborhood office hours, spends 20 hours a week commuting to and from D.C. and made 543 appearances in the district last year. One piece of pro-Cuellar mail called Cisneros a NYC Candidate and showed her next to pictures of NYC Pizza and a NYC Bagel. Jessica Cisneros is bringing New York flavor to Texas, it read. Its part of the campaigns effort to brand Cisneros as an outsider, though she was born and raised in Laredo. Cisneros left Laredo to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where she stayed through law school. She worked briefly in New York before returning to her hometown to run against the congressman for whom she once worked as an intern. Cuellar, meanwhile, is a well-known name in the district. Hes one of three members of his family on the ballot in Laredo. His brother, Martin, is sheriff and his sister, Rosie, is tax assessor. Both are seeking reelection. His campaign touts endorsements from more than 200 former and current local Democratic officeholders. One of the first Democrats denouncing fracking ban Cisneros says its Cuellar who is out of touch with the district. Shes branded him Trumps favorite Democrat because of his penchant for crossing the aisle and voting with Republicans. Shes repeatedly called for him to debate her, which he has declined to do. If he really was one of us, he wouldnt be afraid to put himself out there, she said. Him saying we are the ones out of touch is him basically being in denial. Were the ones out there putting in the work and were the ones having the conversations about how best to move forward. Cuellars campaign says hes right in line with the district, which relies on oil and gas jobs and trade with Mexico. Cuellar was deeply involved in negotiations in the new trade deal with Mexico that House Democrats teamed with the Trump administration to pass. When Ocasio-Cortez filed a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing last month, Cuellar was one of the first to condemn it, saying in a statement to Hearst Newspapers that the oil and gas industry provide more than 108,000 jobs in my region. These jobs do not only feed our local families, they also feed our local economy and fund our local schools, he said at the time. His campaign has consistently sought to dismiss Cisneros, saying her online following wont translate to Texas voting booths. The kids nowadays say, Do it for the gram, Strother said. Thats her entire campaign her entire campaign is doing it for the gram. None of it is real. ben.wermund@chron.com A man was rushed to hospital after eating fries contaminated with broken glass from McDonalds, a court has heard. Christopher Peni had been eating fries at midnight at the Nepean Highway McDonalds in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick on January 31 when he felt a sharp pain in his mouth. The shocked diner spat out a glass fragment about 5mm by 25mm, along with blood. Shocked diner Christopher Peni was eating fries at midnight when he suddenly crunched down on a jagged piece of broken glass (stock image) After complaining to staff he took himself to Sandringham Hospital emergency department. He was sent home but two days later, Mr Peni began vomiting, suffered severe abdominal pain and collapsed. He was rushed to hospital where a scan found he had a half-centimeter square piece of broken, jagged tubular glass in his stomach. The Nepean Highway McDonalds in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick where the broken heat lamp glass showered a French Fries warmer. Not all the glass pieces were removed Mr Peni was in constant pain and anxiety, unable to eat for days. After four days without bowel movements he had to have surgery at Frankston Hospital to remove the glass. Staff at the Elsternwick McDonalds told a Glen Eira Council inspector that a heat lamp had accidentally smashed over the fries warmer. Elsternwick franchisee Kellyco Group Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to one charge of selling unsafe food at Moorabin Magistrates Court. The charge carries a maximum fine of $200,000. Kellyco Group, which owns several inner-Melbourne McDonald's restaurants including St Kilda Rd and Chapel Street, told the court it had been an isolated event. Kellyco's defence lawyer Sebastian Reid said the franchise, which serves 900,000 customers a year and operates 24/7, had a blemish-free record other than this incident. Mr Peni collapsed days later and, after four days without bowel movements, had to have surgery to remove a half-centimeter square of broken tubular glass from his stomach 'The mischief in this case arose when one piece of glass failed to be removed,' Mr Reid told the court. Mr Reid said it was a matter of 'considerable regret and remorse', the Herald Sun reported and that the company had reached a confidential agreement with Mr Peni. Magistrate Therese McCarthy accepted the company had been of good character and was remorseful, but said the incident had put a victim in hospital who had to have surgery. She placed Kellyco Group on a 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered them to pay $40,000 to the court fund. She also ordered them to cover council costs of $649. No conviction was recorded against them. The polar veterans who criticized Portland-based adventurer Colin OBrady in a recent National Geographic article are not backing down. They and others signed a brief statement that rejected OBradys demand that National Geographic retract the article. The Declaration of Support, released Friday and signed by 48 polar professionals, explorers and extreme athletes, states in full: In regard to the article originally entitled The Problem with Colin OBrady written by Aaron Teasdale and published by National Geographic, we, the professional polar adventuring, exploring and guiding community, support the article in its entirety. We request that the article not be retracted and stand as testament to the importance of preserving truth, integrity and history in our field of endeavor. Among those who signed the statement are On Thin Ice author Eric Larsen and International Polar Guides Association president Eric Philips, both of whom criticized OBrady in the article. The list of signees also includes Borge Ousland, whose little-known 1997 solo trek across Antarctica, the National Geographic article argues, deserves greater acclaim than OBradys. In 2018, OBrady, 34, raced across Antarctica alone and unsupported -- that is, solely by muscle power. He and others heralded the accomplishment as a first. In January, OBradys memoir about his experience, The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice -- Crossing Antarctica Alone, was published. Kirkus Reviews called the book a brutally sublime tale of derring-do. Ouslands much-longer journey -- 1,864 miles, compared to OBradys 932 miles -- technically wasnt unsupported, because at times he used a makeshift kite to aid his progress. In its article, National Geographic stated that key details of OBradys account of his Antarctica journey do not withstand scrutiny, such as his claim that he passed through what he calls off the map areas where no one would have been able to rescue him. Philips, in an email release accompanying the statement of support, said OBrady and his exaggerated self-promotion was strongly and widely rejected by the polar community. Weve been grappling with how to set the record straight ever since, and the National Geographic article aided our efforts and was greatly appreciated. Philips says that many of the key claims OBrady has made about his expedition -- that it was considered impossible, people had been trying to accomplish it for a century, a previous explorer died attempting it, and he was often beyond rescue -- are false. Check out the full list of Declaration of Support signees. OBrady, in a 16-page response to the article earlier this month, insisted his descriptions of his polar experience are accurate, and that his route and methods added up to a legitimate first. He called on National Geographic to retract the article, declaring that it misrepresents a historic polar expedition by omitting key facts and fails to contextualize a number of items. UPDATE MARCH 5: National Geographic has put out a statement saying it respectfully reject[s] Mr. OBradys request to retract the article. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. AUSTIN Confusion ricocheted across the border Friday as a federal appeals court blocked the Trump administrations policy of returning asylum-seekers to Mexico to await court hearings, a practice immigrant advocates have denounced as inhumane and deadly. An earlier decision Friday by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dealt a blow to the Trump administration. The process called the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, also known as "Remain in Mexico" had been seen as a successful tool in President Donald Trumps asylum crackdown. Throngs of migrants in the program flocked to international crossings across the border, including Matamoros, Ciudad Juarez, Nogales and Tijuana, buoyed by the chance of being let into the U.S. The crossing this morning remained under heavy guard. But the decision and migrants' hopes lasted only a few hours. About 7 p.m. Friday, the 9th Circuit judges granted an emergency stay on the injunction, as requested by the Trump administration, effectively reinstating MPP while further arguments are heard. The case appears to be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. "This evening, with support of DOJ attorneys and CBPs declaration, the 9th Circuit granted a stay of its earlier order enjoining MPP," Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan tweeted Late Friday. "@CBP will immediately reinstate MPP!" This evening, with support of DOJ attorneys and CBPs declaration, the 9th Circuit granted a stay of its earlier order enjoining MPP. @CBP will immediately reinstate MPP! Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) February 29, 2020 Since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rolled out the program in January 2019, the U.S. government has sent back more than 60,000 people to seven Mexican border cities from Tijuana to Matamoros. Those included some of those most dangerous areas of the border, exposing migrants to assaults, kidnappings, murders and extortion. Story continues In a court filing Friday, Robert Perez, CBP's deputy commissioner, said there are an estimated 25,000 migrants currently in the MPP program. Halting the policy would create "an enormous strain" on border facilities and personnel if those migrants suddenly needed to be processed into the U.S., he wrote. U.S. authorities have argued that the policy keeps migrants from slipping into the U.S. and deters other migrants considering crossing from the U.S. southern border. Earlier Friday, advocates and migrants' attorneys applauded the initial decision, denouncing the MPP program as inhumane and a violation of international rights for migrants. This is really a tremendous decision recognizing the illegality of the Remain in Mexico program, said Elissa Steglich, co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, who makes regular trips to Texas border towns to interview MPP migrants and monitor their legal proceedings. It means that asylum-seekers can now have access to the U.S. asylum system in a humane way. News that the MPP program had been temporarily halted spread quickly through the shelters and makeshift camps along the U.S.-Mexico border, where migrants await their asylum hearings. Ten-year-old Guatemalan asylum seeker Monica Sical Ramos lays on a beat up mattress on the floor of a house in south-center Juarez in June 2019. She and her father Jose Francisco Sical were subjected to President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy, also known as MPP, as they attempt to seek asylum in the United States. In Matamoros and Ciudad Juarez, dozens of migrants flocked to the international bridges hoping CBP agents would them pass only to find the bridge closed and riot-geared police patrolling nearby. The Paso Del Norte International Bridge & Port of Entry in Juarez, across from El Paso, was temporarily closed because of the dozens of asylum-seekers congregating there. In Nuevo Laredo, site of widespread kidnappings and assaults on migrants, shelters quickly filled with the buzz of the MPP policy potentially ending. Pastor Lorenzo Ortiz, who oversees two shelters there, said he was fielding calls from migrants asking if they should rush to the bridge. There was a little bit of a panic, said Ortiz, who runs two shelters filled with MPP migrants in Nuevo Laredo. The ruling "created some conflict and confusion," he said. "Im telling people to just wait, dont do anything wrong that could impact your case. Ortiz said he hopes the U.S. government takes the steps they did when throngs of Cuban migrants piled up at the foot of the bridge in Nuevo Laredo after the government abolished the "wet foot/dry foot" rule, which eased the way for Cubans reaching U.S. soil to stay in the U.S. After that measure ended in 2017 under President Obama, Customs and Border Protection officers took around 20 to 30 Cubans a day until they were all processed into the U.S. within about nine months, he said. Ortiz said he doubts he will see the same orderly reaction this time around. It sounds like good news, but I dont think itll really be good news, he said. Trump will find a way to stop this. In its earlier decision, the 9th Circuit reinstated a lower court's injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a rule that made migrants ineligible for asylum if they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in between the ports of entry. Eleven migrants sent back to Mexico under the program, and a collection of six civil rights advocates, including Innovation Law Lab, Al Otro Lado and Tahirih Justice Center, filed a lawsuit last year, arguing that the policy violated U.S. immigration law. The U.S. government rolled out the Migrant Protection Protocols in San Diego-Tijuana in January 2019. It later began sending asylum-seekers to Mexico in Calexico-Mexicali at the California border; El Paso-Ciudad Juarez, Brownsville-Matamoros, Laredo-Nuevo Laredo and Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras along the Texas border; and Nogales-Nogales, Sonora, at the Arizona border. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf issued a statement calling the earlier injunction "grave and reckless," while also accusing the judges of bypassing Congress and undermining the Constitution. He referred to the Migrant Protection Protocols as a "gamechanger" that has allowed the U.S. government to process "meritorious" claims more quickly and to reduce fraudulent claims. "By implementing MPP we have also effectively reduced the incentive for smugglers and traffickers to use children in their illicit cross-border activity," Wolf said. "Should this ruling stand, the safety and security of our border communities, international relationships and regional stability is at risk." Human Rights First has counted 1,001 cases of attacks on MPP migrants, including kidnappings, rape, torture, murder and at least 228 kidnappings or attempted kidnappings of children. In a recent report, Doctors Without Borders also reported that, in October alone, 75% of the migrants in the MPP program they spoke to in Nuevo Laredo had been recently kidnapped. The labor union for federal asylum officers, the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1924, condemned the policy in an amicus briefing filed in June to go along with the lawsuit. MPP abandons our tradition of providing a safe haven to the persecuted and violates our international and domestic legal obligations, the union wrote. Scott Weaver, an Austin attorney representing more than 50 MPP clients in Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo, said he was encouraged to hear of the courts earlier decision but didnt know what it meant for his clients. He feared ICE would now detain MPP migrants in U.S. immigration detention facilities as their asylum process played out, which would be better than the Mexican border towns theyre currently in but still not ideal, he said. He would prefer to see them paroled during their court process, he said. Migrants granted parole are allowed to be placed with a sponsor in the U.S. and required to attend their asylum hearings. Im concerned about what happens next, Weaver said. Im sure theyll be more hurdles for my clients. As the policy is debated in court, a key question remains: What happens to the 25,000 migrants currently in Mexico in the MPP program as the legal fight plays out. There should be immediate relief for those currently in the MPP program, Steglich said. Right now, its unclear what will happen. Rafael Carranza covers the border and is based in Tucson, Ariz. Jervis is based in Austin for the USA TODAY Network. Follow Rafael Carranza and Rick Jervis on Twitter: @RafaelCarranza and @MrRJervis. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Federal court blocks Trump's Remain in Mexico then reverses itself Hyderabad: A Class VIII student from a private school got his first taste of lifes hard realities when police refused to lodge a complaint about his missing pet bird, an Australian Cockatiel. We are looking into it, but no case will be booked, inspector S. Murali Krishan of the Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar police told DC. The boy lives in Yellareddyguda. According to his father, Rama Lingeswara Rao, an employee with APGenco, the bird fled on Thursday. The bird flew out of our home through the main entrance at around 9.30 am, he said. We allowed it to road freely inside the house, after making sure all windows and doors were closed. But this time the door was somehow left open when the bird was not in its cage. The bird was people-friendly and usually hung around the house. It was bought 10 months ago from a shop at Nagarjuna Circle, for about Rs 3,000. We were searching for it since Thursday and reached out to the cops on Saturday, Mr Rao said. Dr M.A. Hakeem, Nehru Zoological Park veterinarian, said that the birds chances of surviving were slim. It is a caged bird and will not be able to live by itself in the wild. They bec-ome a meal to birds of prey like hawks, he said. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman jailed in Tehran, believes she has contracted the new coronavirus as Iran struggles to contain a surge in new cases, her husband said on Saturday. The 41-year-old detainee complained that prison authorities are refusing to test her for the COVID-19 virus, despite suffering from a worsening "strange cold", according to spouse Richard Ratcliffe. "I am not good. I feel very bad in fact," Zaghari-Ratcliffe told her husband in a phone call Saturday from the prison, he revealed in a statement. "For a long time this has not felt like a normal cold," she added, noting her symptoms included a sore throat, fever and difficulty breathing. "I know I need to get medicine to get better. This does not go magically." Ratcliffe urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ensure that his wife is tested immediately, and that British-Iranians "held hostage in Evin Prison are diplomatically protected". His appeal comes as Iran on Saturday reported a surge in new coronavirus cases, with the number of deaths jumping to 43. But Tehran dismissed as "rumours" a BBC Persian report, citing unnamed sources in the Islamic republic's health system, that at least 210 people have so far died from the outbreak inside the country. Ratcliffe warned in his statement that reports suggest COVID-19 has infected Evin Prison. His wife was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2016 after visiting relatives in Iran with their young daughter. She worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation -- the media organisation's philanthropic arm -- at the time. Iranian authorities convicted her of sedition -- a charge Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always contested -- and she is serving a five-year jail term. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The jury deliberated for little more than a full day after the five-month trial and eight years of investigations (stock photo) Three former Barclays executives have been cleared of fraud charges by a London jury, ending a saga stemming from the bank's fight to avoid nationalisation during the financial crisis a decade ago. Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath were cleared of charges that they fraudulently hid 322m (373m) paid to Qatar to secure a 4bn investment in the bank. Appellate courts had already thrown out similar charges against former Barclays CEO John Varley. The jury deliberated for little more than a full day after the five-month trial and eight years of investigations. The men, all in their 60s, shook hands and Boath waved at the jury, saying "thank you" as they left the court. The outcome largely ends a scandal that has hung over the bank for more than a decade. Barclays still faces a 1.6bn civil suit, an employment case filed by one of the defendants and scrutiny from the financial regulator in connection with the saga. The charges related to Barclays' desperate attempts to avoid nationalisation in 2008. Faced with narrowing capital reserves, executives turned to the gas-rich Gulf nation of Qatar, among others, for investment. The bank avoided a UK government bailout, but the deal has been a headache ever since. Qatar had demanded fees as a form of discount for its investment and agreed to be paid via advisory agreements. Prosecutors at the UK Serious Fraud Office claimed executives concealed the payments from other investors because Qatar was getting a better deal. Bloomberg Turkey has opened its borders with Europe, allowing Syrian refugees and other migrants to pass through, an official has said. It follows the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers by Russian-backed Syrian government troops. It is the deadliest attack suffered by the Turkish army in almost 30 years - the assault in Idlib marking a serious escalation in the conflict. "We have decided, effectively immediately, not to stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe by land or sea," a senior Turkish official told the Reuters news agency. "All refugees, including Syrians, are now welcome to cross into the European Union." It means Ankara has effectively stopped abiding by a deal struck with the EU in 2016 to stop refugees reaching Europe. Within hours, dozens of migrants were seen heading towards the European frontier. "We heard about it on the television," said Afghan migrant Sahin Nebizade, 16, who was among a group packed into three taxis. They had come from Istanbul and were heading for a border crossing to Greece. Greece and Bulgaria said they would reinforce their frontiers immediately. Greece sent more police to its northern border and increased maritime patrols around its islands. At a land crossing between Pazarkule in Turkey and Kastanies in northeastern Greece, police buses were seen denying access to hundreds of people. "They will not enter the country. They are irregular migrants - we won't let them enter," a Greek government official said. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted: "I want to be clear: no illegal entries into Greece will be tolerated. We are increasing our border security." Demiroren news agency broadcast drone footage on Friday showing around 300 migrants, including women and children, walking through northwest Turkey. It said the group included Syrians, Iranians, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Moroccans. Sky's Mark Stone said Thursday night's airstrike demonstrates "how convoluted and conflicted this Syrian conflict has become". Story continues As a consequence, Ankara has struck back, triggering the potential of a much larger conflict between the Syrian regime and Turkey. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now spoken with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin - with both agreeing to meet as soon as possible. NATO members are deeply divided over Turkey's actions in Syria, and European allies are worried about any new wave of refugees arriving. Stone said: "The Turks have wanted for some time for NATO to get involved. They would like a no-fly zone put over northwestern Syria, they say, to protect the civilians." Nearly a million of them have moved up to the northwestern corner of Syria to try and escape the fighting in and around the city of Idlib. Sky News gained rare access to northwest Syria, where special correspondent Alex Crawford found indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets, thousands of displaced people fleeing violence and what she described as "obvious war crimes" . Stone said: "Turkey clearly has ulterior motives for wanting a NATO no-fly zone - they want to protect those northeastern and northwestern parts of Syria for their own political reasons." There are 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Since the 2016 deal with the EU, President Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to "open the gates" in several disputes with European states. Stone said Mr Erdogan has the ability to "switch the tap on and off" in terms of allowing refugees into Europe, adding "there are this morning images similar to those we saw in 2015 of refugees crossing the border". He said: "(There are) much, much smaller numbers but what I think Turkey is trying to do is put huge pressure on NATO, who are meeting this morning in Brussels to discuss it." It comes a day after Omer Celik, a spokesman for President Erdogan's ruling party AKP, said NATO should stand by Turkey's side. In a message seemingly aimed at Europe, he added: "Our refugee policy is the same but there's a situation there, we're no longer able to hold refugees." Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 13:28:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Santa Clara County Public Health Department in Northern California confirmed Friday a second COVID-19 case of unknown origin in the United States. Santa Clara health officials said a female senior with chronic health conditions was found to be infected with COVID-19 when she was treated for a respiratory illness. The county's Public Health Laboratory received the specimens Thursday and performed the testing. A final result of COVID-19 positive was confirmed Thursday night. The female patient, whose identity detail was not disclosed for protection of her privacy according to law, had no known travel history nor exposure to any other infected people. The health department said it has been working to identify the contacts and understand the extent of exposures relating to the new patient. The woman was the third case of COVID-19 confirmed in Santa Clara, but she was different from the previous two cases where the two patients had a history of traveling to China or exposure to infected individuals. "This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear," said Sara Cody, director of the Santa Clara Public Health Department. Health officials said the department will conduct community surveillance to determine the extent of local transmission. On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in the country. According to a daily report released by the World Health Organization till Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has risen to 59, including people evacuated from Wuhan, China, and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The White House won a key victory for presidential power Friday when an appeals court rejected a lawsuit over President Donald Trump blocking his former legal advisor from honoring a Congressional subpoena. The Washington appeals court ruled two-to-one that the US judicial branch has no power to decide whether Trump could prevent former White House counsel Don McGahn from testifying in an investigation of the president by the House Judiciary Committee. McGahn had been called last year to testify in the impeachment investigation of Trump, particularly on allegations that Trump illegally obstructed the Russia political interference probe. But McGahn refused to appear on Trump's instruction, with the White House citing Trump's executive privileges. The issue provoked a rare constitutional showdown in which the judiciary was asked to rule on the power struggle between the two other branches of government -- the executive and legislative. The House Judiciary Committee sued McGahn in the federal district court in Washington to force him to appear, effectively asking the court to favor its powers over the president's claim of executive privilege. Legal experts say that the US Supreme Court, which decides key constitutional issues, has never ruled on such a question, but the lower court ruled in favor of the Judiciary Committee's position. McGahn appealed, and on Friday the appeals court said that under the constitution the judicial branch does not have the authority to referee such a power struggle between the other two branches -- effectively supporting Trump's claim of near-absolute privilege and immunity. "The committee's suit asks us to settle a dispute that we have no authority to resolve," the two judges in the majority wrote. "We lack authority to resolve disputes between the Legislative and Executive Branches until their actions harm an entity beyond the Federal Government." "We cannot decide this case without declaring the actions of one or the other unconstitutional," they added. The ruling bolstered Trump's refusal to allow current and former White House staff to testify before Congress and to supply documents on the grounds of executive privilege. The issue was key in the impeachment trial of Trump, which ended in his acquittal in February. Trump was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the latter charge based on his refusal to supply documents and permit testimony in the face of Congressional subpoenas. Republicans criticized Democrats for "rushing" the trial without first pursuing the issue in the courts. Democrats however said a legal battle would end up in the Supreme Court where a ruling would not likely happen before next year. It was not immediately clear whether the committee will appeal the McGahn case to the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) First Lady Olena Zelenska had a meeting with German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen during a visit to Mystetskyi Arsenal on Friday, the press service of the head of state reports. "Olena Zelenska and Anka Feldhusen discussed possible options of cooperation between Ukraine and Germany in the development of an inclusive and barrier free environment envisaged by the Biarritz Partnership," the statement reads. Ukraine announced its intention to join the Partnership launched by the G7 countries in December last year. The German ambassador noted the importance of the Biarritz Partnership goal and praised Ukraine's decision to join the international partnership for the sake of equal opportunities for all. Anka Feldhusen stressed that Germany was ready to support Ukraine on the path to achieving that important goal. She also noted projects on combating domestic and gender-based violence already implemented in the country. One of the remarks by German colleagues concerned Ukraine's ratification of the Istanbul Convention - the Council of Europe's international agreement on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Ukraine signed the Istanbul Convention back in 2011, but has not ratified it yet. The First Lady and the German ambassador to Ukraine agreed to identify formats of cooperation that would be most effective in implementing the principles of a universal and comfortable environment throughout the country in the near future. ish (TNS) Four major wireless carriers are facing fines for selling users location data to third parties, according to multiple reports.Reuters reports the Federal Communications Commission plans to fine AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile a total of $200 million for making customers real-time location data available to third-party distributors without their consent. All four mobile providers were accused of the privacy violations last year and pledged to stop selling the data and cut ties with some location aggregators," but the cell phone companies allegedly continued the practice and were hit with a class-action lawsuit in 2019.FCC chairman Ajit Pai said last month that one or more wireless carriers apparently violated federal law.The Wall Street Journal reports the FCC is expected to notify the companies of liability asking for the fines on Friday. The four wireless providers are expected to challenge the penalties.According to The Verge, AT&T defended the practice in May, calling data-sharing an important feature commonly used by app developers to provide location services ... For example, ride-sharing apps use A-GPS to make sure the car shows up in the right location."Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who previously spoke out against the wireless carriers for allegedly tracking users locations, criticized the FCCs slow response.This issue only came to light after my office and dedicated journalists discovered how wireless companies shared Americans locations willy nilly, Wyden told The Verge in a statement. [Pai] only investigated after public pressure mounted. And now his response is a set of comically inadequate fines that wont stop phone companies from abusing Americans privacy the next time they can make a quick buck.Its chilling to consider what a black market could do with this data, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel reportedly said in January. It puts the safety and privacy of every American with a wireless phone at risk. KAMPALA The Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng revealed that 695 travellers including Ugandans, Chinese and other nationals have been isolated to contain Coronavirus (COVID 19 disease). Uganda has no confirmed case of COVID 19 as of 28th February 2020. However, to date, 695 travellers (Chinese, Ugandans and other nationals) travelling back home have been isolated for purposes of follow-up. Of these, 488 are Chinese nationals, 64 are nationals from various countries and 143 are Ugandan citizens travelling from various countries, Aceng told reporters on Friday morning. So far, she said, 280 individuals have completed the 14 days of self-isolation. To prevent the importation of the virus, the Ministry of Health has enhanced surveillance measures for all travellers from all 47 countries battling COVID 19. This means travellers from all the 47 affected countries will be screened and will be isolated. The COVID 19 was first declared by China on 31st December 2020 and has now spread to all continents on Earth and over 47 countries are affected. In Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt have already reported cases. The Minister noted that so far samples from 10 persons in Uganda who presented signs and symptoms similar to that of COVID 19 have been tested and all samples tested negative. She added that screenings at Entebbe International Airport and other entry points such as Busia, Malaba, Elegu and Cyanika have been strengthened with deployment of addition health workers, treatment and infection prevention materials. All persons crossing from these points of entry have been screened. Aceng says isolation facilities at all regional referral hospitals are being prepared to receive any persons that may present signs and symptoms. The Ministry of Health she said is considering another isolation facility. 11 ambulances are on standby to transport suspected cases to the appropriate level of care. In the meantime, the Ministry has developed Dos and Donts for the public, that must be followed to avert the virus. DOs Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub. This will remove the virus if it is in your hands. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or a handkerchief when coughing and sneezing. The handkerchief must be washed by yourself daily and ironed with a hot iron. Throw away the used tissue immediately into a dustbin or burn it. Maintain a reasonable distance between yourself and someone who is coughing and sneezing. At least one metre apart. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth at all times. If you have fever, cough and difficulty in breathing, seek medical care immediately. People with flu-like signs should use the face masks to cover the nose and mouth and stay home in a well-ventilated room. If you are looking after people with signs and symptoms, you are required to use a face mask to cover your nose and mouth. DONTs Avoid handshake and hugging at all times. Avoid close contact with people who are visibly sick with flu-like symptoms, fever, cough and sneeze. When sick with flu-like symptoms, avoid going to public places, Offices and public gatherings. Remain home in isolation to avoid infecting others. Dont take self-medication like antibiotics. Do not spit in public. Delay travel to countries that are currently with cases of Coronavirus disease. If you have flu-like symptoms, avoid travel. Although Uganda has no case of COVID 19, Aceng called on people to remain alert and diligently exercise preventive measures to avoid contracting the disease. Related The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) said on Friday evening that a second patient this week had tested positive for novel coronavirus. The patient is said to be a working-age Finnish woman, YLE News reported. The patient returned home after samples were taken for testing. She has been advised to remain in isolation at home. HUS infectious diseases specialists are working with the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and municipal infectious diseases units to determine if others may have been exposed to infection. Officials said they will contact such persons individually. The infection was said to have originated in northern Italy and that the woman had returned from the region one day ago. She reportedly did not expose others to infection on her return journey but only began to exhibit symptoms later on returning to Finland. Earlier this week HUS confirmed that another working age Finn was diagnosed with the disease after returning to Finland from northern Italy. Everyone should get justice: PM Modi in Prayagraj India oi-Mousumi Dash Prayagraj, Feb 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday distributed assistive devices to senior citizens and addressed a rally in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, targeting the opposition said during the time of earlier governments, such distribution camps were hardly organised, and such mega camps were very rare. The PM also added that in the last five years, the BJP government has set up about 9,000 camps in different parts of the country. He further said at the gathering, "Nearly Rs 12,000 crores have been deposited in the accounts of more than 2 crore farmer families of UP, including Chitrakoot. You can imagine, Rs 12,000 crores in just one year, that too directly in the bank accounts, without middlemen & discrimination." He said that it's the government's responsibility that everyone should get justice. This is 'sabka saath sabka vikaas' (development for everyone). BJP government is working to better the lives of each and every section of society. It is government's first priority to look after the interest of 130 crore citizens. The PM here will later in the day lay a foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot Uttar Pradesh. The PM took on to Twitter and wrote, "This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state... Next-gen infrastructure for a better tomorrow." For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 15:58 [IST] The continuing spread of the new coronavirus is sowing uncertainty across many parts of the book world. Already, the Bologna Childrens Book Fair, originally set for March 30April 2, has been moved to May 47 following an outbreak of the virus in northern Italy. Reed Exhibitions issued a statement last week saying its London Book Fair will proceed as planned on March 1012 but added that it is tracking developments. Even as LBF moves ahead, late last week word began circulating that a growing number of Americans will skip the fair. A Simon & Schuster spokesman said that out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, the company has decided not to attend LBF. The spokesman added that staff that was planning to attend are looking into alternate means to conduct meetings with their contacts in the international publishing community. Another major U.S. publishing player, the Ingram Content Group, said it has decided to curtail travel in light of the outbreak and will not attend LBF. Some American agents said they are staying home as well. Several international events featuring Chinese exhibitors and guests have been canceled, but the Chinese stands at LBF will be open and staffed by employees from the exhibitors London offices. There are also reports that some publishers, agents, and service companies from Japan and South Korea will be unable to attend LBF. The International Toy Fair, which counts more than 30 publishers among its exhibitors, canceled its China Pavilion during the fairs February 2225 run in New York City (see Book-Toy Synergies). At the same time North American publishers and agents consider their options for LBF, they are also working on ways to cope with the rescheduled Bologna fair. Most are working to reschedule appointments, hoping that attendees from other countries will agree to shift their existing meetings to the new dates. It has been hectic trying to reschedule, said Derek Stordahl, executive v-p and general manager of Holiday House. The goal is to get everyone to move over their appointments to May and keep things routine. At Owlkids Books in Toronto, publisher Karen Boersma said the bigger question will be whether publishers decide that they are not going to go at all this year given the change in dates and the uncertainty around the outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy. She added that her company is making arrangements for teleconferencing, should remote meetings become necessary: There were already quite a few publishers and agents from Asia who had decided not to attend. We were already working on plans to set up Zoom or Skype meetings with those partners to present our new titles, and we may decide to expand those efforts. Long story short: were in wait-and-see mode right now. While publishers, editors, and agents grapple with how best to handle the London and Bologna fairs, publishers production and supply chain teams are working on how to lessen the impact of the shutdown of printing plants in areas of China where the coronavirus originated. Interviews with several industry members confirmed that some books printed in China have been delayed, even as plants there slowly ramp back up. Quarto, like many other toy and book manufacturers, is experiencing production delays in China, said Ken Fund, chief operating officer of Quarto, who was at Toy Fair. Quarto is actively looking at alternative solutions outside of China for production, he added. We are reviewing the production status with our printers of each of our titles, some of which have experienced delays, said a spokeswoman for Penguin Random House. Michael Jacobs, CEO of Abrams, noted that some Abrams works produced in China have also been delayed. Simon & Schuster has adjusted pub dates for a few fall titles in order to accommodate its most-impacted printers, the company spokesman said. All publishers are frustrated about the uncertainty over when the situation will return to normal. The PRH spokeswoman said there is some optimism that things will begin to improve toward the second half of March. Ellie Berger, executive v-p and president, Scholastic Trade Publishing, said Scholastic expects China operations to be back on track this spring, but she added that the company will continue daily communications with vendors as well as develop contingency plans should delays continue. Jacobs said supply chain issues could go on for some months, or at least until its clearer when workflow, labor, and freight transport will return to their regular patterns. As Jacobs alluded to, printing is only one part of the problem for publishers that manufacture in Chinagetting books to the U.S. is the other. Ray Ambriano of Meadows Wye & Co., an international logistics company specializing in the publishing industry, said shipping loads since early February have been light, suggesting that factories are having difficulty getting back up to full speed. Heand othersexpect a surge in demand for ships when production returns to normal, which could cause problems. Publishers are worried, Ambriano said, about whether ships will be in the right positions to carry full loads. The PRH spokeswoman said that due to some canceled sailings, finding reliable transportation is a fluid situation, which we are monitoring closely. The fact that the outbreak of the coronavirus occurred so shortly after the increase in tariffs on books made in China has resulted in some printing returning to the U.S., though its unclear how much has returned. Jacobs noted that Abrams has been shifting more of its book production out of China over the past three years, explaining that the country now represents considerably less of the publishers overall volume than it did five years ago. The tariffs and now the coronavirus scare have only solidified our strategic plan and accelerated our tactics to move the proportions of our production sourcing to North America where and when we can, he added. Both PRH and Scholastic have also transferred titles out of China when necessary. We have had very few supply chain disruptions to date, which we have managed through moving work domestically, Berger said. Despite the various uncertainties over book printing in China, Ambriano said it is not time to panic: There are concerns, but it is too early to predict if this is an extreme crisis or just an issue to be managed. ShiKai, celebrating 50 years of business this year, was selected for demonstrating best-in-class partnership through the successful launch of topical CBD products at Whole Foods Market. ShiKai, the company that makes botanically-based solutions that work, was honored by Whole Foods Market with a Supplier of the Year Award in the Service & Partnership category for demonstrating best-in-class partnership through the successful launch of its topical CBD products at Whole Foods Market. The annual awards recognize suppliers that embody Whole Foods Markets mission and values through proven commitments to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation, purpose and partnership. Recognized for their incredible achievements in 2019, the winners were named at a reception held in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 18. ShiKai, celebrating 50 years of business this year, was selected for demonstrating best-in-class partnership through the successful launch of topical CBD products at Whole Foods Market. Cited by Whole Foods Market as an invaluable partner as the grocer expanded the availability of topical CBD products across the U.S., it also noted that in addition to offering great products that meet Whole Foods Markets rigorous quality standards, the ShiKai team provided industry expertise, in-depth training for teams, and moved quickly to bring products to its shelves. We are so pleased to be recognized for our CBD topicals, which we first introduced in 2017. It is a product line we invested a lot of time in formulating and perfecting, said Jason Sepp, ShiKai president. We are committed to testing, developing and evolving each of our products to continue creating high performing botanically-based solutions. ShiKai was one of 32 suppliers recognized this year. The honorees included local, regional and national brands across all product categories and were selected by Whole Foods Market leaders, category experts and buyers who work closely with suppliers every day. Were honored to work with and celebrate the remarkable contributions of these suppliers that embody Whole Foods Markets core values and consistently raise the bar in our industry, said Don Clark, Senior Vice President of Non-Perishables Merchandising at Whole Foods Market. Their dedication to excellence, quality, innovation and partnership is critical to our success and delivering on our mission to nourish people and the planet. In addition to Whole Foods Market, ShiKai CBD Topicals can be found stores nationwide including: Bartell Drugs, Sprouts, Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Shaws, Jewel and Pharmaca. About ShiKai Founded in 1970 by two chemists, ShiKai combines natural botanicals and science to create safe hair and body care products that really work. ShiKai is one of the first and last independent, natural, personal care companies to formulate, manufacture and bring its own products to market from its facility in Santa Rosa, California. ShiKai Products is family owned and operated. For more information regarding ShiKai Products, please visit http://www.ShiKai.com. Media contact Marcia Norris, ShiKai Marketing Manager marcia@shikai.com 707-544-0298 Amid a serious corovairus crisis in Iran an ultra-conservative ayatollah has condemned the government decision to suspend Friday Prayer gatherings, saying it is Gods command. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday Prayer Imam of the holy city of Mashhad in northeast Iran, is known for his fundamentalist views and his staunch support for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In his written sermon for Friday, Alamolhoda says he has obeyed the government decision not to hold Friday Prayer gatherings, but it is not a justifiable order, since cities and the country are not in quarantine and health officials have endorsed holding open air gatherings in Mashhad and other parts of the country. It is not clear which health officials Alamolhoda was referring to. The council supervising Friday Prayers decided February 28 to cancel prayer gatherings in 23 provincial capitals to minimize the risk of coronavirus spreading further among the population. Iran disclosed on February 19 that there are infection cases in the country and soon reports of multiple deaths followed. Currently, Iran has the second highest number of deaths from coronavirus after China. The governments official figures show 34 have died and close to 400 are diagnosed with the virus, but a few politicians, journalists and citizens say the real numbers are much higher. Irans clerics have resisted the closure of shrines where thousands of people visit daily, to minimize the risk of an epidemic. A LACK of proper vetting is putting felons and criminals back into communities, a councillor has claimed. Speaking at this weeks housing committee meeting, Fine Gael member Stephen Keary called for a garda background check to be included in any application for housing support from council. At present, applicants to the Housing Assistance Payment, (Hap), scheme only have to tick a declaration they have not been involved in criminal activity. But Cllr Keary is lodging a notice of motion at next months full council meeting calling for a change to this approach to bring it in line with local authority housing. Here, anyone who wants to rent a home off the council has to agree to a background check. But because Hap represents a payment to a landlord in the private sector, it appears the rules are not so stringent. The way things are, Hap is placing felons and criminals in homes in estates. We are dispersing 636m on this scheme from Limerick with no thought for hard-working families. People in our communities are living in fear and terror, Cllr Keary explained. The lack of vetting has caused a breakdown and an anomaly, especially if the tenant fails to pay his or her contribution to the rent. If they are convicted criminals and felons, they are not fit to be housed beside genuine, decent hard working people, irrespective of who or what they are. Bad people are being put in among decent, hard working people, the Adare-Rathkeale councillor argued. Limerick Council operates the Hap centre of excellence from the Granary building, overseeing the scheme for the entire country. In the budget, over 600m is reserved for this. Cllr Keary proposed a motion that all future Hap tenants be garda vetted, something seconded by his Fine Gael colleague, Cllr Adam Teskey. He noted it was the first time the former mayor had received a straight answer from the executive on the garda vetting concerns. Its something hes been asking for months. People are not sleeping at night over this, Cllr Teskey added. Housing officer Rob Lowth acknowledged that the local authority is not obliged to provide garda vetting on Hap tenants. However, he added: We are very diligent on the individuals we deal with. We have the option to refuse Hap tenants if we know they have been involved in anti-social behaviour or drug dealing. Oncologist Cameron McLaren witnessed 13 people end their lives under Victoria's voluntary assisted dying laws says patients never flinch when taking their final drink A doctor who has witnessed 13 people end their lives under Victoria's voluntary assisted dying laws says patients never flinch when taking their final drink. The state's Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board confirmed there were 52 deaths under the scheme between June and December last year, in a report released on Wednesday. Nine of those died using medication administered by a practitioner, while 43 administered medication themselves. Medication has been dispensed for 66 people. Oncologist Cameron McLaren said all patients he observed were so confident in their decision they were not fazed by taking the cocktail of drugs. 'The atmosphere has been very peaceful. It's been a real moment of closure for the families to say goodbye,' he told The Weekend Australian. The state's Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board confirmed there were 52 deaths under the scheme between June and December last year in a report released on Wednesday (stock image) 'I'm still surprised by how I've never seen a person flinch about picking up or taking the drink. They are so committed to it.' Dr McLaren administered fatal drugs through intravenous injection on three occasions. He was also in the room an additional 10 times when a person drank a dose of Pentobarbital to end their life. Dr McLaren, who has always been a supporter of an individual's choice to voluntary assisted dying, said he doesn't like to see people suffering. 'I grew up with animals and we always did the humane thing for them, but we didn't do it for humans,' he explained. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos says there has been 'strong demand' to access the scheme, even with its strict eligibility criteria. Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board chair and former Supreme Court justice Betty King said some family members of those who chose to die have not agreed with their decision, but supported them nonetheless. Despite the trauma of watching their loved one die, they largely had positive reflections on the experience. 'The feedback has been predominantly about how peaceful it was,' Ms King told reporters. Ms King said she had seen no evidence of children or others pressuring their loved one to access the scheme, an issue that concerned some parliamentarians when the legislation was debated in 2017. 'I have not seen - and I have been looking, believe me, I have seen no indication of any type of coercion,' Ms King said. How euthanasia was legalised in Australia: Voluntary euthanasia became legal in Australia for the first time in more than two decades last year. Terminally ill Victorians who meet 68 criteria are be able to ask their doctor for access to a lethal concoction of drug. An independent review board and the coroner will keep track and monitor all deaths under the scheme. In December 2019, Western Australia voted to legalise voluntary assisted dying. The scheme expected to be implemented in 18 months. Advertisement But the board's report states they are worried about the impact of a 2005 federal law which makes it a crime, punishable by a fine, for people to incite or counsel someone into suicide using a carriage service. The law prevents doctors from consulting with people seeking voluntary dying through standard telehealth channels, the board's report says. Terminally ill adults need two medical professionals to sign off on their application, and the Victorian government may help pay for doctors or applicants to travel for face-to-face meetings. But Ms Mikakos says the federal government needs to consider the unintended consequences their legislation could potentially have, particularly now that WA has passed its own assisted dying laws. 'It is time now for them to reconsider their legislation, and we certainly hope that they'll take this issue very seriously,' she said. A total of 136 people began assessment for the scheme, but not all were able to proceed. There were 19 permit applications withdrawn, in some cases because people had died by other means or due to an administrative error. A total of 70 people were approved for a permit to die by self-administering medication, while 11 were approved to have the medication administered by a practitioner. Lifeline - 13 11 14 beyondblue - 1300 22 4636 Stress can be defined as the way you feel when you're under abnormal pressure or when there is an upset to your physical, mental or emotional balance. Stress is a bit like calories - it is not all equal. Healthy stress is the type of stress that encourages us to grow, be and do better - and comes naturally when we take on new responsibilities and challenges like going for a promotion, organising a conference, writing a book or buying a house. It also comes when we deal with normal life situations - when we address work challenges, relationship difficulties and the life events we face in the best way and learn and apply lessons as we go through them. There is also the unhealthy stress we generate for ourselves through our thoughts, actions and inactions When we eat too much sugar, or drink too much alcohol or consume otherwise what adversely affects our concentration. When we think negatively and fearfully about what is going on, we also generate stress. If you think more than one negative thought for every three positive, you will naturally create tension - ideally it should be 4 or 5 positive to every one negative if you want to thrive. Doubt and indecision are highly stressful too. We also generate stress for ourselves through poor habits, bad planning and procrastination. The other type is the unhealthy stress is the stress we take in from outside. It happens when we take in more negativity than we can handle constructively at any given point - this could be through watching current affairs programmes late at night or focussing on world events that frustrate or overwhelm us. When we listen to gossip and negativity it happens too. Financial difficulties are also a serious source of stress for people with 39 % of people in Ireland naming it as their top worry - followed by family and health. The bigger upheavals such as separation or loss, moving house or unemployment or the cumulative effect of smaller upheavals like not feeing valued at work or at home or parenting challenges add to stress. If we sit and reflect, we are aware of the cost to us personally. But what about the financial cost? According to the OECD, mental health issues cost the State 8.2 billion every year - or 3 per cent of Ireland's GDP. On any given day, 6.3 % of Irish people are struggling with an anxiety disorder. One in four of us experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. Around one in ten children experience mental health problems. Mental health affects the person and everyone around them-their friends, families, work colleagues and society in general. It is not possible to grow in life without stress. It also brings excitement, makes us more alert and present and can even enhance performance. It is only healthy however when it is short lived. As the growth equation says: stress + rest = growth. Without the rest, we end up with burnout, anxiety, depression and exhaustion and in extreme it can be a killer - of joy, life and happiness. Stress, anxiety and depression are the second leading cause of work-related illness reported by workers in Ireland with 18 per cent of workplace absences in Ireland from mental health conditions. Prevention is always better than cure. Invest in maintaining and strengthening positive habits and reducing unhealthy stress. If you are prone to it as many kind caring people with perfectionist tendencies are, learn to relax, identify the causes, make habit changes and ask for help when you need it. This is true for both the workplace and in personal life. Anilkumar T By Express News Service KOCHI: The state governments decision to impose a blanket ban on single-use plastic carry bags to restrict environmental hazards and health issues has failed miserably in the city. Even nearly two months on since they were outlawed, plastic carry bags are widely used in mobile phone outlets, hotels, shopping malls and small shops here. Though some shops have started using cloth and paper bags as an alternative, most of the city traders are yet to comply with the ban. When TNIE visited shops and supermarkets, it emerged that the use of plastic carry bags is still rampant. The takeaway counters at hotels flout the ban with impunity, encouraged as they are by the slack enforcement. Yes, we still use plastic carry bags in our shop. The government had imposed a blanket ban on plastic carry bags but what is the alternative? If plastic carry bags are available on the market for around `400 per kg, who will spend over `2,000 on getting the same quantity of paper carry bags. If we start using the paper bag it will reflect on our daily turnover. The government should come up with a viable alternative, said a mobile shop owner at Penta Menaka building near Marine Drive. When health officials carried out raids at Palluruthy, a mere 7 kg of banned plastic carry bags were recovered from the shops. It is quite clear from this that officials and traders are hand in glove. Though wholesaler dealers use a large quantity of plastic carry bags and other products, corporation officials turn a blind eye. The corporation wants to undermine the government move by not cracking down, said C K Peter, Opposition councillor. Interestingly, the raids conducted by the district administration a few weeks ago has failed to sustain the initial momentum. Textile majors Kalyan Silks and Jayalakshmi Silks were in for a rude shock when Pollution Control Board and the corporation health wing conducted raids under the aegis of Fort Kochi sub-collector Snehil Kumar Singh earlier this month. Since the corporation has the manpower, their support is essential to carry out a drive. But the corporation is showing apparent slackness. Already the PCB and the Suchitwa Mission officials are inspecting the shops. We have identified some shops and action will be initiated against them, said Singh, adding, use of compostable plastic carry bag is an offence According to the government order, plastic cups, plates, spoons, forks, straws, stirrers, bowls, flags, water pouches, juice packs, pet bottles (under 300 ml), plastic garbage bags and PVC flex materials are also banned. Inspections ongoing but little results The PCB and the Suchitwa Mission officials are already inspecting the shops The Kochi Corporation is allegedly showing slackness in banning use of plastics The raids conducted by the district administration has failed to sustain the momentum Health wing conducted a raid under the aegis of Fort Kochi sub-collector Snehil Kumar Singh (CNN) -- Donald Trump said Saturday at the White House that additional cases of novel coronavirus were "likely" as the President offered condolences to the first coronavirus death in the United States, describing her as a "medically high-risk patient in her late 50s." "She was a wonderful woman," the President said, but he did not detail how she contracted the disease. The President's update followed a briefing from his coronavirus task force earlier in the day. "Additional cases in the US are likely," Trump said, "but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover." During the remarks on Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence said the US would be expanding travel restrictions from Iran "to include any foreign national who has visited Iran within the last 14 days." He also said the US would heighten a travel advisory for specific regions of Italy and South Korea. "We are urging Americans to not travel to the areas in Italy and the areas in South Korea that are most affected by the coronavirus," Pence said. Based on CNN's count, using information confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection and state health agencies, there are now 67 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the United States. The majority of those cases were repatriated passengers from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship. There are four instances of possible community spread transmission of coronavirus -- two in California, one in Oregon and one in Washington. Less than an hour before Trump was scheduled to speak, the Washington Department of Health confirmed the first coronavirus death in the United States. "It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19. Our hearts go out to his family and friends," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. The President and his allies have consistently downplayed the effects of coronavirus, despite CDC officials saying they expect to see community spread within the country. Trump has rarely delivered remarks to the press from the White House briefing room, but his Saturday appearance marks his second time in the room in less than a week. The President said at a rally in South Carolina Friday that Democrats are now "politicizing" the virus. "Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus," Trump said. "They have no clue, they can't even count their votes in Iowa." "This is their new hoax," Trump added. Worldwide, the virus has killed at least 2,922 -- including 2,835 people in China -- and there have been 85,055 confirmed cases. A senior administration official told CNN on Friday that Trump's mid-March meeting with leaders of southeast Asian countries in Las Vegas had been postponed. As South Carolina voters prepare to cast their ballots, the Democrats' 2020 primary season enters a critical stretch that will help determine whether the party rallies behind Bernie Sanders or embraces a longer slog. This marks a dangerous moment for a political party desperate to replace President Donald Trump but deeply conflicted over whether Sanders, the undisputed Democratic front-runner and a self-described democratic socialist, is too extreme to defeat the Republican president. "Only two things are going to happen: either Bernie or brokered," said James Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist. Carville is uncomfortable with a Sanders nomination but fears that a brokered convention in which party bosses or delegates in floor fights and negotiations decide the nominee after no candidate amasses enough delegates in the primary would inflict serious damage on the party, as well. "It's just hard for me to see beyond the two options," he said. South Carolina's primary on Saturday stands as the first marker on the four-day crossroads. Joe Biden and his establishment allies hope to slow Sanders' momentum and change the trajectory of the race with a convincing victory demonstrating his strength among African Americans. But just three days later, Sanders believes he's positioned to seize a major delegate advantage when 14 states and one U.S. territory vote on "Super Tuesday." After two consecutive victories and a tie for the lead in Iowa, the 78-year-old Vermont senator's confidence is surging. Sanders is campaigning in the home states of two major Democratic rivals, betting he can score a double knockout blow or at least limit the size of their victories with a strong showing in some of Super Tuesday's seemingly most hostile terrain. On the eve of South Carolina's primary, Sanders hosted a concert in Minnesota, where home-state Sen. Amy Klobuchar is looking for her first win. And in an even bolder power play, Sanders will host a midday rally Saturday in downtown Boston, campaigning in the heart of progressive ally Elizabeth Warren's political turf. Senior adviser Jeff Weaver said Sanders is aggressively hunting for delegates, noting that their campaign's experience during the 2016 primary against Hillary Clinton taught them that any candidate who finishes Super Tuesday with a significant delegate advantage will be difficult to catch. "I'm confident we're going to do very, very well across the country," Weaver said of the coming four days. He also sought to downplay the importance of South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary, where "Biden is expected to win." "Expectations can be broken," Weaver added. "But for the vice president, he needs an extraordinarily large win in South Carolina in order to convince folks he's going to be able to go the distance." Yet the Democrats' 2020 primary election is far from a two-person race. In South Carolina, billionaire activist Tom Steyer has spent more than $19 million on television advertising more than all the other candidates combined in his quest for his first top finish in four contests. Not ceding anything, Pete Buttigieg is fighting to prove he can build a multiracial coalition. And with the help of super PACs, Warren and Klobuchar have vowed to keep pushing forward no matter how they finish on Saturday. New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg is not competing in South Carolina, yet he has shattered spending records after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Super Tuesday advertising backed by a horde of paid staff in virtually every state in the nation. He could emerge as the strongest Sanders alternative in the coming days, or he could unintentionally help Sanders by splitting up the anti-Sanders vote. Still, Saturday marks Biden's last, best chance to shine. The former vice president's campaign began the week cautiously optimistic, even as he predicted victory and began lashing out at Sanders more aggressively. "This nation isn't looking for a revolution like some folks are talking about," Biden said Friday in Sumter, slapping at Sanders' signature call to action. "They're looking for progress. They're looking for results." After a solid debate performance on Tuesday, the 77-year-old Democrat was more buoyant on the campaign trail and his aides grew more confident backed by new support from elected officials. Biden has racked up far more endorsements than his rivals throughout the year, and he added another big name from a Super Tuesday state, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, on Friday. That's just two days after he earned the endorsement of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. Summing up the mood, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders shifted away from calling South Carolina Biden's "firewall" and instead called it a "springboard," on par with how the state boosted the presidential aspirations of Barack Obama in 2008 and Clinton in 2016. Indeed, South Carolina represents much more than the fourth state on the Democrats' months long primary calendar. It serves as the first major test of the candidates' strength with African American voters, who will play a critical role in both the general election and the rest of the primary season. Roughly 3 in 10 people of voting age in South Carolina are black, according to census data. "South Carolina speaks in a way that these other states have not been able to in terms of who is voting and the diversity of our vote," said James Smith, South Carolina's 2018 Democratic nominee for governor. In the short term, Super Tuesday features a handful of Southern states, like Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina, where the African American vote will be decisive. And longer term, the ultimate Democratic nominee will struggle to defeat Trump unless he or she generates more enthusiasm among black voters than Clinton did four years ago. While voting technology was a concern in two of the last three primary contests, South Carolina uses a wide array of voting technology that presents unique challenges. Saturday's election in South Carolina marks the first statewide test of the state's new fleet of electronic voting machines, a $50 million upgrade from an old and vulnerable system that lacked any paper record of individual votes. The new machines produce a paper record that can be verified by the voter and checked after the election to detect any malfunction or manipulation. Meanwhile, some leading Democrats in South Carolina were concerned that the intensity of the anti-Sanders movement within their own party would undermine their quest to deny Trump a second term. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a South Carolina state representative and president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, warned Democrats who vehemently oppose Sanders to "stop being stupid." While she's on Steyer's payroll, she said she would "of course" support Sanders if he emerged as the nominee. "As a black woman, I can't afford for white folks' resentment to determine who the next president is or is not going to be," she said. "Their resentment doesn't translate to the struggle and the hell that communities of color will continue to face -- and worse -- if Trump is reelected." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ALBANY New York's population is declining, but does anybody in the state Capitol care? That's a question I've been asking for awhile now, as alarming population outflows reported by the census were met with apparent indifference from Albany lawmakers. Why haven't they been sick to their stomachs over a trend that, more than any other, reflects the true state of this state? Want more from Chris Churchill? Sign up for his weekly newsletter. Consider that New York has lost population four years straight, the census says, because the inflow of immigrants and those from other states has not kept up with the outflow of 1.4 million residents since 2010. One-point-four million! That's a lot of people. Last year, New York's population declined by 77,000 residents, the census says. Only Alaska lost a larger percentage. Some good news: At least two lawmakers are taking notice. State Sen. Jim Tedisco, the Glenville Republican, and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Democrat from Rotterdam, say they're going to survey New Yorkers on why they're departing and hold roundtable events on how to turn the tide. "People are leaving every day and they're leaving in droves," Tedisco told me. "It's really the elephant in the room, and we want to shine a light on the fact that nobody is addressing it." Why are New Yorkers voting with their feet? One reason is obvious. It isn't merely the weather, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has claimed. It isn't crime, which is generally lower here than in the states to which New Yorkers often move. It's not depression over the continued awfulness of the Jets, Giants and Knicks. I'll give you a hint: It's something that's higher here than anywhere in the nation. Care to guess? One more hint: The word rhymes with faxes. That's right! Taxes!! Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding. New Yorkers, especially retirees, want to be somewhere where the taxation isn't quite so oppressive. For evidence, look at Empire Center for Public Policy data showing that about a third of the outflow is to neighboring states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where the tax rates are more palatable. (Obviously, no New Yorker would ever move to Pennsylvania without a financial incentive to do so.) More Information Contact Chris Churchill at cchurchill@timesunion.com or 518-454-5442. See More Collapse But taxes aren't the only problem, and if the effort by Tedisco and Santabarbara succeeds, it will force lawmakers to consider the other ingredients in the stew causing New Yorkers to leave, including the overall cost of living and the grim job market in much of the state. And it will identify changes that would induce more New Yorkers to stick around. Here's one simple idea: A moat around the state. It would be a grand infrastructure project, like the Erie Canal but heated and stocked with alligators and piranha. If that seems too ambitious, here's another idea: Free college tuition. Seriously. From my conversations with other parents, the Excelsior Scholarship program, initially announced in 2017, is a reason for families to stay. So expand its income caps, as Cuomo is already proposing to do, or get rid of them entirely. Make New York's public colleges truly free. I know what some of you are thinking: Churchill, you fool. You were just griping about high taxes, and now you're saying New York should take on a costly new commitment? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. For one thing, it's local property taxes that are the biggest problem, not the state taxes that would fund free college. Secondly, people forget that we've had free college before. The University at Albany didn't charge tuition for most students until the early 1960s; in 1973, incoming freshmen paid just $325 per semester. OK Boomers, why shouldn't today's kids have what you had? I don't think New Yorkers mind paying higher-than-average taxes, so long as they see real, tangible benefits that would reduce the difficulties of their lives. When I write about taxes, I often get letters from readers appalled that I want to slash budgets down to, say, Mississippi levels. That's not at all what I'm saying. If we could lower property taxes to the rates paid in Massachusetts, that would be a tremendous achievement. Whenever I write about population decline, I hear from readers annoyed that I want a Texas-style population explosion for New York. No, no. Slow and steady growth, like what the Capital Region has, would be just fine. What can't continue is a population slide that's killing communities and separating families in entire swaths of the state. What can't continue is state government's apparent determination to ignore what's happening. Which brings us back to the effort by Tedisco and Santabarbara. While their survey isn't ready yet I'll let you know when it is Tedisco said he's already receiving thousands of emails from former New Yorkers. Many felt financially compelled to go, no doubt, often leaving grandchildren and beloved hometowns behind. As Tedisco noted, the scary thing is that many more New Yorkers might depart if they had the money to move. How bitterly ironic for a state with a motto, Excelsior, that means "ever upward." cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill April 5, 1999 Defector Tells of Soviet and Chinese Germ Weapons By WILLIAM J. BROAD and JUDITH MILLER he most senior defector from the Soviet germ-warfare program says in a new book that Soviet officials concluded that China had suffered a serious accident at one of its secret plants for developing biological weapons, causing two major epidemics. The book also reports that Soviet researchers tried to turn HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, into a weapon and that even as the last Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, pursued peace openings with the West, he ordered a vast expansion of the deadly effort to turn germs and viruses into weapons of mass destruction. The defector, Kanatjan Alibekov, now known as Ken Alibek, says in the book that as deputy director of a top branch of the Soviet program, he knew of the disaster in China because he saw secret Soviet intelligence reports twice a month. Spy satellites peering down at China found what seemed to be a large biological-weapons laboratory and plant near a remote site for testing nuclear warheads, he wrote. Intelligence agents then found evidence that two epidemics of hemorrhagic fever swept the region in the late 1980s. The area had never previously known such diseases, which cause profuse bleeding and death. "Our analysts," Alibek said, "concluded that they were caused by an accident in a lab where Chinese scientists were weaponizing viral diseases." Viral scourges that cause intense bleeding include Marburg fever and the dreaded Ebola virus. Both are endemic to Africa. China has signed a 1972 treaty banning biological weapons. During World War II it became one of the few modern countries to experience their horrors when Japanese attackers sowed epidemics there, killing thousands of Chinese. U.S. intelligence agencies have long suspected that China harbors a biological-weapons program. Early in 1993, shortly after Alibek fled to the United States, the outgoing Bush administration accused Beijing of having an active germ-warfare effort, which it has denied. The United States unilaterally ended its own germ-weapons program in 1969. Last week, the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not return several telephone calls seeking comment, and an American expert who tracks germ intelligence said he did not know of any such epidemics in China. The allegation is one of several in Alibek's new book, "Biohazard," which was written with a journalist, Stephen Handelman, and is being published by Random House this week. It was made available to The New York Times in advance. U.S. intelligence officials who know what Alibek said in secret debriefings after his defection in 1992 give his new account considerable credence. They have called him highly believable about the subjects he knows firsthand, like the Soviet biological-weapons program from 1975 to 1992, when he served as one of Moscow's top germ warriors. He is less reliable, they say, on political and military issues that he knows secondhand. The book asserts that Gorbachev, in his "characteristic scrawl," signed a five-year plan for 1985 to 1990 that ordered the most ambitious effort ever for the development of deadly germs and viruses, including smallpox, as weapons. In 1980, world health authorities declared the ancient scourge eradicated from all human populations. "Gorbachev's Five-Year Plan -- and his generous funding, which would amount to over $1 billion by the end of the decade -- allowed us to catch up" with the American biological weapons program, which was making great strides, Alibek writes. In 1988, as Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika reform campaigns were in full swing and the Russians and Americans were negotiating new arms-control treaties, officials "at the highest levels," Alibek said, ordered the arming of giant SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago with anthrax and other deadly germs. The secret move came as Soviet leaders publicly waged a peace offensive. In his book "Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World" (Harper & Row, 1987), Gorbachev argued that for decades Western experts had falsely accused Moscow of weapon horrors and that the real engine of the arms race was the United States. Contacted through his office in Moscow, Gorbachev sidestepped Alibek's charges and questions about the germ program. His spokesman said that Gorbachev did not know Alibek, and that there was "no sense in getting involved in an endless process of commenting." William C. Patrick III, a key figure in the United States' former germ-warfare program who helped debrief Alibek after his defection in 1992, said many of the book's assertions were consistent with what Alibek had told U.S. officials in secret sessions at the time. He called the information Alibek had provided "critical" to Washington's understanding of the Soviet program. "He laid it all out for the first time," Patrick said. Among the book's new disclosures are: -- Moscow mastered the art of rearranging genes to make harmful microbes even more potent and harder to counteract. Anthrax, a top biological warfare agent that causes high fever and death, was genetically altered, he says, to resist five kinds of antibiotics. -- The top-secret program obtained a sample of HIV, the AIDS virus, from the United States in 1985 and tried unsuccessfully to turn the slow killer into a weapon. -- A senior military official told him that the Soviet Union had waged germ warfare in Afghanistan from planes, spraying armed rebels with glanders in an unsuccessful bid to subdue them. Glanders is a chronic bacterial disease of horses that can be highly lethal in humans. -- Under a top-secret project known as Bonfire, Soviet scientists in 1989 discovered "a new class of weapons" -- now called bioregulators -- that could "damage the nervous system, alter moods, trigger psychological changes and even kill." The KGB secret police agency was particularly interested in them because they "could not be traced by pathologists." A Soviet program called Flute worked on germs and other agents that could be used mainly for political assassinations. -- While directing about half of the Soviet biological-warfare work force, he says, he discovered that an abandoned factory in Kazakhstan where he and his childhood friends had played after school had once made noxious germs meant to kill enemy crops and livestock. In his book, Alibek, a Kazakh by birth, says the Soviet state devoted a considerable part of its treasury to readying deadly germs for war. At its peak in the late 1980s, he writes, the program had 60,000 employees working at scores of sites throughout the Soviet Union. "The Americans had just two specialists in anthrax," he wrote of his observations during his first tour of U.S. sites as part of a Soviet-American inspection agreement in 1991. "We had two thousand." About a dozen of the 40 institutes that were part of Biopreparat, the civilian cover group that Alibek helped run, were used "exclusively" for offensive agents and weapons for the military, he wrote. After he fled Russia and took up residence in the United States, Alibek says, he was approached by intermediaries of emissaries of several countries that courted him for his deadly expertise, including South Korea, France and Israel. The work for which he was to be hired was defensive, the intermediaries said. At least 25 people who used to work in the Soviet germ-warfare program now work in the United States in nonweapons work, he writes. It is impossible to know how many have been recruited overseas. But there is no doubt, he adds, "that their expertise has been attracting bidders," including countries unfriendly to the United States. The germ warriors staying behind apparently can be dangerous as well. He said he had recently received a disconcerting flier from a Moscow-based company, Bioeffekt Ltd. "It offered, by mail order, three genetically engineered strains of tularemia," Alibek said. The disease, spread by a highly infectious germ, causes chills, fever, muscle aches, fatigue and pneumonialike symptoms, and can be fatal. The altered bacteria, he said, reportedly have new genes that increase the disease's virulence. The flier, Alibek said, boasted that the germs were produced by "technology unknown outside Russia." Alibek has said he decided to speak out publicly to fight the spread of biological weapons and to seek absolution for having made them. He described himself as once a "staunch patriot" who believed until his tour of U.S. biological sites while still a Soviet official that the United States had not unilaterally renounced offensive germ-weapons programs in 1969 as President Nixon had asserted. He said he had decided to write about the weapons program that was for decades one of Moscow's deepest secrets. DALLAS, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE: INVH) ("Invitation Homes" or the "Company") today announced the cancellation of the Company's roundtable discussion and webcast at Citi's 2020 Global Property CEO Conference, previously scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 3, at 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time. Management no longer plans to attend the conference out of an abundance of caution amidst evolving uncertainty related to COVID-19. About Invitation Homes: Invitation Homes is the nation's premier single-family home leasing company, meeting changing lifestyle demands by providing access to high-quality, updated homes with valued features such as close proximity to jobs and access to good schools. The company's mission, "Together with you, we make a house a home," reflects its commitment to providing homes where individuals and families can thrive and high-touch service that continuously enhances residents' living experiences. Investor Relations Contact: Greg Van Winkle Phone: 844.456.INVH (4684) Email: [email protected] Media Relations Contact: Kristi DesJarlais Phone: 972.421.3587 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Invitation Homes Related Links https://www.invitationhomes.com Two Massachusetts public schools have issued warnings urging students or staff to stay home if theyve recently traveled abroad, citing concerns about the coronavirus. Bellingham Public Schools in Norfolk County issued a statement noting that some students and staff members traveled to parts of the world where COVID-19 was present. The district asked students and staff members to stay home from school next week. There is no need for concern at this time as this is a precautionary measure, the district said. The district is disinfecting classrooms at night and monitoring the situation, according to the statement. Weymouth Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Curtis-Whipple confirmed Friday that a school employee reported having a fever on Thursday. The employee, who was not identified, had returned from a trip abroad a week ago. Curtis-Whipple did not say where the employee traveled, but said the country did not have any travel restrictions as of Friday. The district notified the state Department of Public Health and the local health department, but no one is suspected of having the coronavirus, Curtis-Whipple said. The district has been notified by health officials that there is no one in the school community suspected of having Coronavirus. More than 83,000 confirmed cases of the virus have been reported worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. More than 78,000 are in China, where the outbreak began, but hundreds of cases have also been reported in South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran. The U.S. has at least 65 cases of the coronavirus. Most are travel-related, but at least three have been labeled possible local transmissions. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health received approval to start testing for the coronavirus in patients presenting symptoms. Related Content: A 12-week old Yorkshire Terrier puppy named Sebastian has tragically died after flying on a Delta Airlines flight to meet his new family. A spokesperson for Delta confirmed the incident to PEOPLE, saying in a statement, Pets are an important member of the family, and we are focused on the well-being of all animals we transport. The representative added, We extend our deepest condolences to Sebastians family and are conducting a thorough review of the situation to understand what happened. Cory Mcjimson who purchased Sebastian for nearly $3,000 from a breeder in Ohio as a gift for his 5-year-old daughter found the pup unresponsive in his crate when he went to pick him up at a Delta cargo area in the Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday night, according to TMZ, who was first to report the incident. RELATED: Texas Family Claims Dog Died While Riding in Cargo Hold of United Airlines Flight Mcjimson said the breeder had arranged for Sebastian to fly from Ohio to California with a stopover in Atlanta, Georgia. However, when he arrived at the airport around 6:30 p.m. to welcome the pooch, Mcjimson said that he found Sebastian not moving or breathing in his kennel. The father told the online outlet that he believes the puppy was transported in the planes pressurized cargo hold during both of his flights. PEOPLE has not been able to confirm whether or not this is where the puppy was held during the flight. He said he alerted Delta employees of Sebastians state after opening the carrier and the dog was immediately rushed to a nearby animal hospital. According to the Mcjimson, veterinarians tried to resuscitate Sebastian, but the pup was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. Mcjimson told TMZ that Delta said they would be taking care of the necropsy and cremation of Sebastian. According to the airlines policy, live pets can be transported without a human companion present through Delta Cargo. The airline states that a two-hour connection is required for all animals and the person who booked the shipment must provide adequate food and water as well as a proper, well-ventilated kennel for the journey. Story continues RELATED VIDEO: Criminal Investigation Launched Into Death of Dog Placed in United Airlines Overhead Bin On the Delta Cargo website, the airline cautions that animals may experience temperatures between 10F (-12C) and 85F (29C) for up to 45 minutes while on the ground at the airport. Delta complies with federal regulations, which state that we must offer food for dogs/cats less than 16 weeks of age every 12 hours and every 24 hours for those over 16 weeks of age, it reads. Water receptacles are filled at stopover locations. Sebastians death was not the first time a beloved pet has died while being transported on an airplane. In 2018, a French bulldog died after its carrier was placed in an overhead bin on a United Airlines flight. Last year, a husky passed away on an 11-hour transatlantic flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. VALLEJO (BCN) Police said a 13-year-old made a threat to the Hogan Middle School in Vallejo on Instagram Thursday. Parents and Vallejo City Unified School District officials notified police about the threat and police identified the boy and went to his east Vallejo home, Capt. Jason Potts said. Police searched the home and the teen admitted his involvement in the threat. No other suspects were identified or involved, Potts said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call (800) 488-9383. 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. She was just at Paris Fashion Week. And Katie Holmes was still looking stylish as she returned to New York City on Saturday following her trip to the City Of Love. The actress, 41, was looking casual cool in a chic coat, glossy leather boots, and jeans. So fly! Katie Holmes was still looking stylish as she returned to New York City on Saturday following her trip to the City Of Love Even with her arms laden with various belongings, the actress seemed to be in high spirits as she returned to the Big Apple. Katie wore her brunette hair slicked up into a loose bun, in addition to a cool pair of metallic sunglasses propped onto her complexion. She prepared herself for the elements with a beige scarf looped around her neck, which paired well with her coordinating coat. It was only days earlier Katie was taking in the newest trends in fashion, front row at the Chloe show. These boots were made for walking! Holmes strode ahead in a pair of glossy leather ankle boots Winter wear: The former Dawson's Creek actress braved the cold in a stylish coat paired with jeans The actress looked elegant as ever in a beige peasant dress from the Autumn/Winter 2020 range, giving a bohemian twist to her usual tomboy style. No stranger to the world of style, Katie can be typically found at fashion week events. She even once had her own fashion line with stylist Jeanne Yang, Holmes & Yang. The actress has remained busy with her film career, in addition to raising 13-year-old daughter Suri Cruise, who she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise. She has her hands full: The actress has remained busy with her film career, in addition to raising 13-year-old daughter Suri Cruise, who she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise Secret's out! Her next film, The Secret, will be released April 17, 2020, and is based off the book about the power of positive thinking Her next film, The Secret, will be released April 17, 2020, and is based off the book about the power of positive thinking. 'It was a really wonderful experience making the movie,' she told Flaunt. 'We shot it in New Orleans. Andy Tenant directed it and Rhonda Byrne, who wrote the book, was there everyday. We had to shut down, I think we had some weather problems or whatever. 'So it was similar to what was happening in the story and when we needed a certain shot, all of a sudden it would be beautiful out. There were some magical things that happened on the set.' What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars). The strain that has recently emerged is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. The respiratory disease it causes has been named Covid-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO). How can I reduce my chance of catching COVID-19? Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser and stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick. Eat healthily, exercise and rest to keep your immune system strong enough to fight infection. Should I wear a face mask? Health professionals only advise people with the virus or healthcare professionals working with the ill to wear face masks. I think I may have coronavirus. What should I do? Immediately stay away from other people and call your GP. Cover your mouth with a tissue or an elbow when you sneeze or cough, throw the tissue away and wash your hands. Should I be worried? Evidence so far shows that for 80% of people with the virus, symptoms are mild. Nobody under 20 has died from the virus so far and deaths have generally occurred in the elderly or people with underlying health conditions. Less than 0.5% of people under 50 have died from the virus but 8% of people in their 70s and 15% of people over 80 who contracted the virus have died. Those with heart disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease appear to be more at risk. The mortality rate for Coronavirus is around 1% which is slightly higher than the mortality rate for seasonal flu which typically kills below 1%. Sars had a death rate of more than 10%. What symptoms should I look out for? Coughing, fever, fatigue and breathing difficulties. COVID-19 can cause pneumonia and in severe cases, organ failure. Is coronavirus highly infectious? Coronavirus is currently thought to have an infection rate of 20%. Dr Ray Walley, GP and former president of the IMO, said that generally you need to spend 15 minutes within one to two metres of an infected person to contract the virus. Is it safe to send my children to school? Schools and the Department of Education have issued information to parents but no schools are currently closed. Washing hands is very important and if a child is ill, phone your GP. I have cancer or I'm on immunosuppressant medication, what should I do to protect myself? Wash your hands frequently and ask people who are unwell not to visit. Where will I be treated? For most people, symptoms will be mild and these people can be treated at home. For those with complications or more severe symptoms, they will be admitted to an isolation room in hospital. I have a trip booked abroad, should I go? Currently, the Department of Foreign Affairs advises against all non essential travel to China. Those with underlying medical conditions should not travel to China and all Irish citizens should avoid Hubei province at this time. There are no flight restrictions between Ireland and Italy at present but EasyJet says it will be cancelling flights due to the coronavirus outbreak, particularly "those into and out of Italy". The Italian government has isolated the towns of Codogno, Castiglione dAdda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano (which are in Lombardy) and Vo (which is in Veneto). Irish citizens are advised not to travel to these towns. If you planned to travel to other countries with active outbreaks Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Iran contact your GP and consult the Department of Foreign Affairs website before travel. No travel warnings are in place for any other areas at present. Coronavirus can compromise your breathing. Could we run out of equipment to treat respiratory failure? Yes. China has struggled with this. However, if there was a sustained outbreak of coronavirus, elective surgery would stop, so ventilators in operating rooms could be used to ventilate people with the virus. Private hospitals might be asked to help and patients can be manually respirated without a machine. Is it safe to use public transport? Cough and hand hygiene should be observed on public transport. Once you've had coronavirus once, will you be immune? Nobody knows yet. The body would be expected to remember how to fight the virus, but one woman in Japan has now caught the virus twice. A University of Wisconsin-Parkside student was planning on studying abroad in South Korea this semester. Her plane ticket was for Wednesday, and she was packed and ready to go. Then her plans changed last minute. Her trip was canceled due to the spreading coronavirus, which has been manifesting as more than 2,000 cases in South Korea and more than 83,000 cases worldwide. Coronavirus is a respiratory disease that may result in symptoms appearing after 2-14 days, including fever, coughing and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some severe cases have resulted in death. There is no specific antiviral treatment for the coronavirus, according to the CDC. The student, who the college declined to name, had to enroll in classes on the UW-Parkside campus for the semester instead and now has a 3-week setback, because classes there started Feb. 3. Laine Philippa, director of international student services and study abroad at UW-Parkside, said the situation was disheartening, although that was the only student so far who had her plans affected by the coronavirus. It takes a lot of preparation to study abroad, and to have her plans change at just the last minute was disappointing, Philippa said. Were trying to keep her calm and go forward. Other trip plans being monitored There have been no other major study-abroad cancellations by the university thus far; however, a spring break trip to Paris and a trip to Italy in May are both being monitored. University staff are watching the CDC reports daily. Staff at Carthage College are also doing the same for their own students abroad, even though this semester there didnt happen to be any students intending to travel to Asia. Students are aware of the coronavirus issue and are being attentive as well, watching their email, Philippa said. There has not been any major panic. The safety and health of our students are our number one priority, Philippa said. Students who are already abroad when a threat may arise would travel home and take classes on campus. Faculty has bent over backward to accommodate the student whose study abroad plans changed, Philippa said. Fortunately, the student will not have any fees to cover due to the cancelled trip. She did not have to prepay for classes abroad, and the UW-Parkside tuition she already paid covers her semester at home. However, her airline ticket had to be changed, and she will have to reapply for a student visa next fall, when she is now planning on studying abroad. Her current one is only good for this semester. Study abroad is a very valuable experience, and university staff doesnt want to discourage people who may be thinking about a program in the future, Philippa said. The virus and leisure travel China has the highest number of coronavirus cases, at more than 78,000. Bon Voyage World Travel Experts, located in Union Grove and Waterford, has clients currently booked for trips to Asia. The agency serves people locally as well as outside of Wisconsin. Bon Voyage sometimes gets notified that ports are closed for cruise ship trips, especially the heavily affected areas. The cruise line may then modify the trip or cancel it altogether. Also, the agency may help clients choose other destinations of travel, such as to an area that is less affected by the virus. Kari Mullikin, president for Bon Voyage World Travel Experts, said about 20% of clients have been cancelling their trips to Asia because of the coronavirus disease. Other clients modified their itineraries, and some decided to continue plans for Asia if they are planned for later in the year. The majority of the 20% who canceled were people who had their itinerary modified or cancelled by a cruise line so the trip was no longer desirable for them. Those cancellations were earlier in the year when the virus just started to break, Mullikin said. Asia isnt a big market for leisure travel this time of year either. This time of year, in Wisconsin, of course everybody wants warm, Mullikin said. It will be interesting with now more outbreak in Europe. Bon Voyage currently has clients scheduled to travel to Europe, and Millikin is scheduled herself to travel to northern Italy in three weeks. She frequently leads travel groups, and she has trips scheduled for the Caribbean, Italy and Slovenia. The first step when traveling abroad is to look at the facts of the virus, she said. Another step is to consult a doctor if there are any medical concerns specific to each traveler. U.S. cases are minimal and defined, Millikin said. Although clients have voiced concern and have been inquisitive, they are not getting scared to board planes or cruise ships. I think we do a great job of educating them and reminding them to study the facts, she said. Clients should be careful when buying travelers insurance as well, because a policy will not cover a trip cancellation due to fear of contacting a virus, she said. Clients of LaMacchia Travel Agency, located in Kenosha, have most been upset about travelers insurance not covering a trip cancellation due to fear of the coronavirus. Use your head and be healthy LaMacchia has also seen a slower rate of business within the last few months. The only major issues the agency has seen is that some U.S. airline flights to China have been cancelled and cruise lines are not going to ports in China; however, China is not one of the most popular destinations for LaMacchia customers. Italy is the agencys most popular destination for clients. Some people who are planning Italy vacations with the agency have taken a step back to see what happens with the intensity of the coronavirus. Others are still set to go on their trip to Italy, three weeks from now. Some people are postponing their trips to a later date, and others are choosing to go to a different country. Everythings just kind of unfolding. We really dont know the ins and outs of it yet, but were keeping an eye on it, said LaMacchia owner Tom Karnes. Agents have been in contact with clients to make sure theyre comfortable. Cruise lines are also adjusting their itineraries. Its for their (clients) own safety. People are going to get upset. You cant really argue with the reason, Karnes said. When you look at the percentage, you look at the numbers, you see whats going on, the reality is these numbers are very, very small, he said. He advised that people should wash their hands and stay at a 3-foot distance from others if possible when traveling. Karnes said he saw more people at an airport in Mexico with facial masks than hes seen in a long time. Some cruise lines are testing all of the passengers before they board the ship. Restaurants and airlines have also stepped up their protocols to stay safe and sanitary, Mullikin said. But it is important to wash ones hands, avoid contact with sick people and practice the same protocol of a typical flu season. Travel is still safe if you do it in the smart way. Just use your head and be healthy, Karnes said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 20:07:00|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close Refugees and migrants gather near the border with Greece in the Turkish province of Edirne, March 1, 2020. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that over 18,000 irregular migrants have so far crossed the Greek border after Turkey decided to open its border gates for the refugees. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui) HATAY, Turkey, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that over 18,000 irregular migrants have so far crossed the Greek border after Turkey decided to open its border gates for the refugees. "The figure could go up to 25,000-30,000 today," Erdogan said at a meeting in Istanbul. Turkey on Thursday announced that it would no longer stop refugees from going to Europe after a deadly airstrike against the Turkish troops in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold. The death toll in the airstrike against the Turkish soldiers has increased to 36 from 33, Erdogan revealed. "We will keep the doors open for the refugees in the future process," Erdogan noted, urging the European Union to keep its promise about the financial aid to Turkey. Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently agreed on an additional fund worth 25 million euros (27.6 million U.S. dollars), but Turkey has not yet received the amount of the fund, according to the Turkish leader. Around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, fleeing from the bombardments of Syrian forces in Idlib, have recently flooded toward Turkey's border with Syria. Turkey is hosting over 3.7 million Syrian refugees in its territory. "We went there (Syria) not as a guest of (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad but as a guest of the Syrian people," Erdogan said, noting Turkey has no intention to leave the area unless the Syrian people said "it is over." Turkey has no intention in "oil or territory" in Syria but wants to secure its border with a safe zone, the Turkish president added. Erdogan noted that he told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to get out of the way and "leave Turkish forces alone to fight with the Syrian government." "But he couldn't say they have withdrawn," Erdogan said. Lisianthus Tech has recently appointed Meeta Makhan as the advisor for their company. She will be responsible for all the strategic and business-related decisions, which will help induce growth in the Meeta Makhan, earlier worked in the financial sector and has excellent insights into the banking industry. With a bachelor's degree in economics and a Post Graduate degree in IIM Lucknow, combined with 20 years of experience in corporate and institutional banking, specifically multinational banks in India, Meeta Makhan will prove to be an asset to the company. During her tenure in the banking segment, she has worked in various capacities in different banks including Citibank NA, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank PLC, Bank of America and IDFC Bank. Meeta Makhan has been at decorated positions such as Head-Multinational Corporate at Barclays Bank, Director at Standard Chartered Bank and Independent director at Asian Hotels West Ltd and Citibank. "As a company that is currently looking to improve the cybersecurity for the different companies by providing complex systems that are hack-proof, having Meeta Makhan head the advisory board will prove to be a strategic move. We are all set to roll the dice and make the right move to place 'Digital India' at the centre of the map. We have an understanding of the vulnerabilities within the companies and have identified the steps that can help us move ahead," said Khushhal Kaushik, Founder, Lisianthus Tech. "Khushhal Kaushik is the future of cybersecurity in India. With his hard work and his strategies, India will definitely top the charts of the most powerful country with a cyber defense mechanism," said Veteran US Navy Cyber Defense Analyst, Samuel Bocetta, in his special column on cybersecurity superpowers in The Pioneer, while appreciating Khushhal Kaushik for his efforts in making India part of the global cybersecurity superpower table. "He is a key to placing 'Digital India' on the world map. As an ethical hacker, he is passionate about changing the perception regarding cybersecurity and the related issues surrounding India. He understands that to make India a superpower, it is very important to improve the superpowers and make the country's cyberspace hackproof," added Bocetta. Khushhal Kaushik, the founder and CEO of Lisianthus Tech has seven years of experience in the IT industry. With a computer science degree backing and specific experience in cybersecurity, ethical hacking, he is set to change the cyberspace for India. He assesses the situation at the company, followed by complete analysis using specific tools and techniques to identify the vulnerabilities and offer specific solutions. He introduces best practices for authentication and authorization within companies to improve security. His brainchild Lisianthus Tech originated with the idea of giving top-notch IT security services. The company combines technology and infrastructure to mitigate risks within the cyberspace by identifying the vulnerabilities and assessing the situation. The company builds security platforms specific to the company's requirements from scratch. With a customer-centric approach, they offer professional and reliable services. This story is provided by Digpu. 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.) Three social workers involved in the processing of the false Maurice McCabe sexual abuse allegation in Tusla are to face a fitness to practise inquiry. The sworn inquiry is to be convened following a decision by a preliminary investigation that the three have a case to answer at a full inquiry. The inquiry is being held under a 2005 act which stipulates that it be in public unless a decision is made to hold it in private. The three social workers, Gerard Lowry, Seamus Deeney, and Katherine McLoughlin, were employed by the child and family agency in the north-east region between 2013 and 2016 when the false allegation against the Garda whistleblower was processed. All three gave evidence to the Disclosures (Charleton) Tribunal about how a false allegation against Mr McCabe came to be processed. The tribunal found there was a litany of errors within the child and family agency but it did not find that anybody had acted with malice against the former Garda sergeant and his family. Documentation concerning the establishment of the fitness to practise hearing states that it will consider some or all of the matters in respect of the conduct of the above social workers that was considered at the Charleton inquiry. The matter arose when a counsellor mixed up a referral to the agency in August 2013. The counsellor had seen a young woman, known as Ms D, who mentioned an allegation she had made against Mr McCabe, dating from when she was a child. That allegation had been dismissed by the prosecuting authorities at the time as being without foundation. However, the counsellor mistakenly mixed up that referral with an entirely separate case involving an allegation of rape. Mr McCabes name was then associated within the agency for nearly a year with the grievous allegation. A file was opened on his children on the basis that they may be at risk from him. Eventually, in May 2015, the error was discovered but the McCabe family was never notified about what had occurred. Despite the discovery of the error, Mr McCabe received a notice from Tulsa in late 2016 that he was the subject of a serious allegation and stating that he might be a danger to children. Only then did the McCabe family become aware of what had occurred. News of the affair led to the establishment of the Disclosures Tribunal and the McCabe family launched legal action against Tusla. The hearing is being held by the Professional Conduct Committee of Coru, the health professional regulator. It is open to the committee to find that if a complaint is upheld, the subject of the complaint can be deregistered from their profession. An application to the High Court is required to impose such a sanction. It is also open to the committee to impose a lesser sanction or to determine that the complaint does not merit any sanction. The Irish Examiner understands that a date for the inquirys hearing has not yet been set. A spokesperson for Coru said that a fitness to practise hearing is a statutory complaints process and as a result, it can not comment on any matter regarding complaints. Migrants in Turkey have rushed to borders with the European Union, after Ankara signaled it was lifting crossing restrictions in a move to pressure NATO into stepping in to help in the conflict with Syria. Turkish officials say 18,000 people have crossed the border since Friday. There have been arrivals by land and by sea along borders with EU members Greece and Bulgaria. Refugee boats have arrived on Greek islands closest to the Turkish mainland, and groups of people have turned up at the land border.Both countries have boosted security at their borders with Turkey, and thousands of migrants are now stuck in no-man's land between the two sides. Turkish officials announced they would no longer stop migrants from crossing into Europe, after dozens of Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian government airstrike in Idlib province.That prompted retaliatory strikes from Ankara against targets in Syria. Turkey's decision to open its border has fuelled fears of a revival of the 2015 migration crisis. Chad Johnson denied laying a hand on his ex-girlfriend Annalise Mishler, just two days after he was arrested for felony domestic violence and robbery charges. On Friday, cops did a welfare check on him after getting a call for a possible suicidal person but deemed the reality star was not a threat to himself or others, according to TMZ. The call came from a friend of Chad's, who reportedly saw an image of a door with a rope tied on it, shared to his Instagram stories. He's OK: Cops did a welfare check on him after getting a call for a possible suicidal person but deemed the reality star was not a threat to himself or others, according to TMZ; The call came from a friend of Chad's, who reportedly saw an image of a door with a rope tied on it, shared to his Instagram stories; pictured March 29, 2018 in West Hollywood A Reddit group for The Bachelor nation also appeared to make a welfare call to police, as seen in thread from Friday afternoon on Reddit. The image, which has since been deleted, was captioned 'it'll be okay.' The police went to his home in the San Fernando Valley and had a conversation with him before deeming him not a threat to himself or others. The outlet reported that the friend was also worried because Chad didn't answer his phone calls around the same time as his Instagram post. Chad was booked on Monday for felony domestic violence and robbery after he got into a heated argument with Annalise. Drama: She called 911 on Monday because they got in an argument while he was at her apartment, according to TMZ; pictured November 6, 2019 She called 911 on Monday because they got in an argument while he was at her apartment, according to TMZ. He was there the day before and was drunk, according to Annalise; she told the police he punched a hole in her wall and allegedly got physical with her. Cops found visible red marks on her face upon arrival to her home, which was enough to arrest him for felony domestic violence. Annalise had shared footage of Chad appearing to shout threatening things from outside her apartment. According to Annalise, the altercation began after her boyfriend got 'drunk for the first time in 50 days' over the weekend. Talking directly to the camera in another video, Annalise explained how things began when she confronted him after seeing alerts from the dating app Hinge on his phone. But instead of explaining himself, Chad allegedly exploded. 'He went crazy,' she said, 'On me. Like, how dare I have the audacity.' The Sunday night posts included shots of fist-sized holes in the apartment walls, as well as a followup video of what appeared to be the reality persona verbally attacking Annalise while she tried to get back into her apartment. Explaining:Talking directly to the camera in another video, Annalise explained how things began when she confronted him after seeing alerts from the dating app Hinge on his phone Damage; The Sunday night posts included shots of fist-sized holes in the apartment walls, as well as a followup video of what appeared to be the reality persona verbally attacking Annalisee while she tried to get back into her apartment Illustrating the damage, Annalise told followers: 'So Chad just got drunk for the first time in like 50 days and punched a hole in my wall, for no f***ing reason.' 'This is the reality of my life, which is great,' she said sarcastically, then showing her 'traumatized' calico cat. Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment. Wow: Illustrating the damage, Annalise told followers: 'So Chad just got drunk for the first time in like 50 days and punched a hole in my wall, for no f***ing reason.' 'This is the reality of my life, which is great,' she said sarcastically, then showing her 'traumatized' calico cat. Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment Shocking: Her next posts seemed to show her boyfriend of several months Chad allegedly screaming from outside of her apartment Annalise noted that she was lucky to have already asked for her key back. She is then heard confronting Chad from within her apartment, telling him to look at the damage, which he denies he had anything to do with. 'Go home, you're scaring me,' Annalise said. The clip takes a shocking turn as Johnson then tells Annalise 'Good f***ing luck then. I hope you f***ing die' while continuing to bang on the door. Things continued to escalate according to Annalise's video. On top of another clip, she wrote: 'Then he screamed the r-word at me over and over and all my neighbors came out and I heard him screaming at them.' Strangely, she then blamed herself for the incident telling the camera: 'Look, I know I'm the idiot. I'm aware, OK?' Hours later Annalise returned to Instagram with an update. Update: Things continued to escalate according to Annalise's video She thanked everyone who reached out to her, writing: 'Wow so many nice messages today.' Johnson allegedly returned again on Monday, and the couple were engaged in another argument. 'Things escalated this morning and are being taken care of now. Update soon maybe, I'm being guilted for sharing this/"ruining his life" and i know that's not true but it's still scary ya know.' 'He took my phone and chucked it while I was calling 911 this morning so if you've tried texting/calling that would be why i'm not responding lol.' By Monday evening, the police had arrested Chad, a standard step that occurred after they reportedly saw red marks on Annalise's face. The robbery charge appears to stem from him taking her phone as she tried to call 911. Chad later gave a quasi-apology to TooFab in which he claimed he had blacked out during the altercation and didn't remember it. 'I had a little relapse... well I wouldn't call it a little relapse,' he said. 'Big relapse.' He tried to excuse his behavior by attributing it to him and Mishler breaking up. 'I've been so stressed man, just sitting in my car crying sometimes, just losing my mind. And to top it all off, the one person I'm closest to doesn't get me a lot of times,' he continued. 'I just lost it.' 'I don't remember actually seeing her,' he continued. 'I drank to the point where I didn't even know I was with her. I just gotta take the Instagram Story's word that I was there. Two days after his arrest, Chad took to Instagram to deny laying a hand on his ex-girlfriend Annalise. The reality star posted a three-minute-plus clip to Instagram in which he emphatically denied any physical violence against women: 'There was never any domestic abuse of any kind - I have never laid hands on a woman anytime in my entire life.' Explaining himself: The reality star posted a three-minute-plus clip to Instagram in which he emphatically denied any physical violence against women: 'There was never any domestic abuse of any kind - I have never laid hands on a woman anytime in my entire life' The Jenks, Oklahoma native explained how he was raised to respect women, and takes domestic issues very seriously. 'I was in the Marine core; I was taught core values, I have a sister, I am a very overprotective brother, if she ever felt in danger, I would want her to call,' he said. 'If any women out there ever feel like they are in any danger, I urge you to call 911.' Chad, who's been seen on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, explaining how the evening with Mishler unfolded from his perspective after Mishler accused him of punching a hole into her wall during a drunken rage on Sunday. He said following the breakup, he 'was devastated,' as 'it was like losing [his] best friend,' and broke a two-month stretch of no alcohol against his better judgment. 'Whenever I do drink, I don't act right - so I screwed up and I drank,' he said. 'I had made a promise to myself and to my girlfriend that I wouldn't do that anymore.' Thoughts: 'I was in the Marine core; I was taught core values, I have a sister, I am a very overprotective brother, if she ever felt in danger, I would want her to call,' he said. 'If any women out there ever feel like they are in any danger, I urge you to call 911' Chad said that he initially smoothed the situation over, but things got inflamed when Mishler discovered that he'd downloaded a dating app, leading to a back-and-forth that resulted in clips Mishler posted online. Chad said he attempted to smooth things over the following day and 'wasn't mad at' Mishler for posting the clips online. 'I totally understand why she did that, I still love her very much,' he said. Chad admitted he 'was very down at the time' and 'very upset' and made a stupid decision and grabbed her phone and ... just threw it, threw it outside.' Candid: Chad admitted he 'was very down at the time' and 'very upset' and made a stupid decision and grabbed her phone and ... just threw it, threw it outside' He added: 'I can totally understand why Annalise felt threatened whenever I took her phone, but I am 100 percent confident any type of domestic abuse charges are going to be dropped, because there was never any time of domestic abuse at all whatsoever - never laid my hands on a woman.' This isn't the first time Chad's violent temper has gotten him into trouble. The reality star first appeared on JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette in 2016 where he was portrayed as the villain and earned the nickname Bad Chad. He was invited back to Bachelor In Paradise the same year but was given the boot after he got drunk and slung violent threats at fellow cast members. Before hooking up with Annalise, Johnson was rumored to have had a relationship with former Playboy pinup Kendra Wilkinson Shillong, Feb 29 : After a four-hour relaxation, curfew was re-imposed on Saturday in areas under two police stations in the capital city Shillong and Internet services were suspended in six of the eleven districts of Meghalaya following the death of a Khasi Students Union (KSU) activist on Friday, officials said. "Today (Saturday) the curfew was re-imposed in Shillong and outskirts of the capital city under two police station areas -- under Lumdiengjri and Sadar (under East Khasi Hills district). The prohibitory orders would continue until further orders," East Khasi Hills district Deputy Commissioner M. War Nongbri said. He said that the curfew was clamped as a precautionary measure, though there is no fresh incident of violence from any part of the capital city and its outskirts on Saturday. A police official in Shillong said that in a clash on Friday between KSU activists and non-tribals in Ichamati area (under East Khasi Hills District), a KSU activist Lurshai Hynniewta sustained critical injuries. Subsequently, he succumbed to his injuries at a health centre in Sohra (Cherrapunjee). According to the police, the clashes between the KSU members and non-tribals broke out during an anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-ILP (Inner Line Permit) meeting held in Ichamati area of the district on Friday. The Internet services were suspended in six of the state's eleven districts. These are East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Troopers of the central para-military forces have been deployed in the tension ridden areas to maintain law and order. On Jan. 23, Chinese authorities locked down Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million at the center of the global coronavirus outbreak. International health experts say the move has been critical to slowing the spread of the virus to the rest of the world by two or three weeks. For many residents of Wuhan, the lockdown is a personal hell. VOAs Mandarin Service spoke to several people about their experiences in a once-bustling city that has been reduced to an almost-deserted landscape because most people cannot leave their homes. From strength to collapse One month ago, Yang Jingjing posted the government-promoted slogan Wuhan Jiayou! (Wuhan Be Strong!) on her WeChat, showing solidarity with her fellow countryman. WeChat is a superapp online messaging platform that anchors Chinas digital life. One month later, the 28-year-old real-estate saleswoman said her world had collapsed. On Feb. 21, Wuhan police notified her that her fathers body had been found on a roadside. He had been dead for several days. Yang Yuanyun, 51, an employee of Wuhan Jiahua Automobile Plastic Parts Company, was the pillar of the Yang family. On February 16, his wife discovered he hadnt cooked for the day, as was the norm. Without his cellphone and wallet, he had left their home in Wuhan, leaving a last note to his wife on his cellphone: Im gone, wont be able to accompany you for the rest of your life. There is no way out. Yang never pushed the send button. Today, the message remains in his draft box. On the day he left, Yang also wrote some final words in a notebook: If this epidemic is playing a joke on me, I can make peace with that. If my sick body can be put in any use, I will dedicate it to medical research. May this disease not torture the world anymore! He had been hiding it from me and my mom. He wouldnt talk to us about his physical condition, said his daughter Yang Jingjing, who had been quarantined in her apartment in Wuhans Wuchung district after returning from her parents home across town in the Hannan district. I just want to find my dad. At the time, February 20, she had no idea that her father had died. A few days after Yang Yuanyuns disappearance, Yang Jingjing and her mother discovered he had been in touch with the familys community social worker for several days via his WeChat. He told the social worker repeatedly that he had a fever and his chest was tightening. He begged them to put him in a hospital. His community social worker responded that they could not find a hospital bed for him. Her words sounded indifferent. I dont think you have any disease. You just think too much, she replied in a WeChat text message. Yang Yuanyun was last seen by a police surveillance camera on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, near Shamao Town in the Hannan district. The Yangs neighborhood community center has not responded to inquiries from VOA. My mom never knew he asked for help from the community, Yang Jingjing said, sobbing. I called the community for accountability. They said I was harassing them. They said they have no liability at all. They asked me, Why didnt you, as the daughter, take more responsibility? According to Chinese official statics, as of midnight Feb. 21, the day Yang Yuanyuns body was discovered, there were 53,284 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,345 deaths nationwide. Yang Yuanyun is not counted among these figures. The number of deaths like his undiagnosed, unseen by medical practioners remains a mystery. A helpless firefighter Xu Wu, 51, a former firefighter at Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, sobbed over the phone as he recounted his fathers ordeal. On February 4, Wuhan doctors diagnosed his father with coronavirus. The community social workers said no hospital beds were available, and if there had been, there was no transportation available. Xu pushed his 80-year-old father in a wheelchair from one hospital to another. Yes, the old mans condition was severe. No, he could not be admitted. No resources. They visited another hospital Feb. 14. It rained heavily that day in Wuhan. On their way home, Xu accidentally dropped his fathers medical records, including lung X-rays representing weeks of effort to obtain a diagnosis. That evening, he watched his father eat a serving of Chinese red kale. Each mouthful was difficult. As for rice, he couldnt even keep it down. I was so sad, Xu said, his voice cracking. I stayed up until 1 a.m. that day and contacted many people. I thought my father wouldnt make it. I posted a message online for help. One day later, on February 16, a local hospital finally agreed to admit Xus father. Xu was relieved, Its better to be treated in hospital than waiting to die at home. With his father in care, other worries dog Xu. The lockdown means Wuhan residents are banned from leaving their homes to shop for groceries. Instead of bumping into neighbors while selecting the makings for dinner, they rely on community social workers to deliver the basics such as vegetables and rice. The offerings they receive are largely on a take-what-you-get basis. Xu is concerned that soon what feels like rations will run out and his family wont have enough to eat. Addressing that fear, his mother planted some vegetables on the rooftop of their apartment building. The family has already harvested a first crop of those with quick growing cycles. Xu said these homegrown vegetables are helping them survive the lockdown. Witnessing tragedies Lou Weichen is from Zhejiang province, about 660 kilometers southeast of Wuhan. The 25-year-old office worker made the eight-hour drive to Wuhan days after the lockdown because he wanted to volunteer. Since then, every day has been the same. He drives from address to address to deliver necessities to those in need. Every day he witnesses unending tragedy. One family I helped out used to be a happy family of four, Lou said. The pneumonia took the fathers life. The mother went into the ICU because of the same disease. Then, the elder sister came down with a confirmed case and had to go to the hospital, too. The youngest son was put under quarantine at a local hotel. The sorrow has taken a psychological toll on Lou. Ive been suffering from insomnia for a long time. Night after night, I couldnt fall asleep, he said. Unrelenting pressure One day shortly after the lockdown began, Chen Chen went to the hospital to deliver meals to her aunt, a doctor infected by the coronavirus in mid-January. This 26-year-old office worker had never seen anything like this in her native Wuhan. It was around 5 or 6 p.m., nobody was on the street. It felt very much like being in a biochemical crisis type of movie, said Chen Chen, who did not want VOA Mandarin to use her real name for fear of reprisal from local authorities. Many ambulances and police cars were parked in front of the hospital, she said. The atmosphere was very intense. The hospital was quiet, as if no one was there. A few days later, Chen Chen learned her uncle had COVID-19. Then, after a few more days passed, doctors classified Chen Chens mother as a patient likely infected with the coronavirus. The pressure felt unrelenting. Chen Chen wished she could sip milk tea at her favorite shop. Her mom longed for hot pot. But they were stuck inside and able to order only limited groceries for delivery. In early February, I felt really depressed. I even got a little skeptical of life, Chen Chen said. Every time you turn on the news, browse through Weibo, the death toll rises. I just stopped reading them. Weibo is Chinas version of Twitter. Chen Chen said she is angry, as are many other Wuhan residents she knows because news of a mysterious pneumonia began to circulate on WeChat in late December. Chen Chen discussed the chain of events from then. People shrugged and went about their lives. Then on New Years Day, the government issued a special statement saying that news of the mystery illness was a rumor, and arrested eight people it accused of rumor spreading. Everyone applauded and believed the government was very efficient. People let their guard down and went about their business as usual. Apparently it could have been controlled in the first place, but now were in this uncontrollable mess, Chen Chen said. Dubbed Hubei F4 She also told VOA that after the lockdown started on Jan. 23, she and other netizens would go on Weibo daily to vent their anger at local officials, calling them the party chiefs of Hubei province as well as the governor and Wuhans mayor Hubei F4. The disparaging nickname originated with a Japanese manga series named Boys Over Flower. In it, four young men F4 or Flower 4 from Japans wealthiest families ruled an elite private high school. Chen Chen and others wondered why the Hubei F4 hadnt stepped down. On February 13, the central government in Beijing removed the secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and the secretary of the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee. The news quickly spread on the internet. Many people said the government had done something great. But Chen Chen thought things were not that simple and wonders why only two of the four local officials had been targeted. Who knows what exactly happened? Who gave the order to cover things up? she said. It cant be just the four of them. Chen Chen then added that in China, for people like her, an ordinary citizen, there are some truths they may never know. VOA Mandarin Service reporter Ming Di contributed to this report. UNHRC Core Group urges Sri Lanka to uphold Resolution 30/1 View(s): The Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council said they were deeply disappointed and concerned that the Government of Sri Lanka has changed its approach to UNHRC Resolution 30/1. The Core Group, which comprises Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Montenegro and the UK, also insisted they remain profoundly committed to resolution 30/1 and its principles of reconciliation, accountability, intercommunal harmony, and justice for victims of conflict. In a statement delivered to the UNHRC on behalf of the Core Group by UK International Ambassador for Human Rights Rita French, she said Resolution 30/1, which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka in 2015, and two further resolutions which were subsequently adopted, are hugely significant for Sri Lanka and the Council. They marked the end of a period of confrontation with voted resolutions and an international investigation. They heralded the start of a partnership and a sense of common purpose between Sri Lanka and the Council, she said. From 2015 onwards, important steps had been taken, as recognised in successive Council reports, Ms French said. We join the High Commissioner in welcoming the significant progress in institution building including the establishment of the Office of Reparations and the Office on Missing Persons. Fulfillment of the mandates of these offices would bring hope to those left behind, following tens of thousands of enforced disappearances over many years, she said. Following the resolution, human rights defenders, academics and journalists have had more freedom and experienced less intimidation. However, we share the High Commissioners concern at the growing number of reports of harassment and surveillance of human rights defenders and victims of human rights violations. The protection of civil society, independent media and human rights institutions from intimidation remains critical to fulfill Sri Lankas commitment to a free and open democratic society, both in the build up to, and after the upcoming Parliamentary elections. The group urges the Sri Lankan Government to advance all of these principles and ensure a prosperous and inclusive Sri Lanka for which the rule of law and ending impunity are a fundamental basis, Ms French added. We encourage the Sri Lankan Government to continue cooperation and dialogue with the Council, the OHCHR and UN human rights mechanisms to facilitate progress towards lasting peace where the rights of all Sri Lankan people can flourish, she said. A book value in a sense represents a historical cost, or the purchase cost adjusted for depreciation while market value is the true value of the enterprise that can be realised in the open market. Air India is going under the hammer for the second time in two years. This is after the previous attempt in March 2018 failed to elicit any buyers. As the economy slows and the government cannot finance key welfare schemes due to falling tax revenues, one way to shore up government finances is by disinvesting Indias public sector units. This disinvestment also assumes significance given that the government has fallen short of its ambitious disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh crores for the current fiscal. The government recently issued the Preliminary Information Memorandum for Inviting Expressions of Interest for the Strategic Disinvestment of Air India. The primary purpose of this document is to show how the airline is a burden on the Indian state, and should be sold regardless of the offer price. In fact, the document has been designed in a manner so as to sell off the airline to a preferred oligarch for a pittance. A close analysis of the Preliminary Information Memorandum betrays the governments intentions clearly. Neither has the market value of the airline been stated, and nor have assets such as landing slots and bilateral rights been valued. The book value of an enterprise can be markedly different from its market value. A book value in a sense represents a historical cost, or the purchase cost adjusted for depreciation while market value is the true value of the enterprise that can be realised in the open market. Calculation of the market value of Air India is essential while going into a negotiation so that the government can get the best deal possible. Concealing the market value from the Indian public, however, is the best way to sell the airline off for a pittance, in return for favours from a crony capitalist. This is exactly what the Preliminary Information Memorandum does. It conceals the market value of Air India, and continuously obsesses over its book value, which stands at almost a negative Rs 3 lakh crores. It is this figure that the government wants the public to internalise, so that any monetary compensation over and above seems like a fair deal for the airline. The government wants to portray an image of worthlessness, despite Air India possessing prime assets that are worth at least `5 lakh crores. International disinvestment best practices clearly lay out processes for divesting companies with a negative book value, to try and extract as much value as possible from its physical assets, creditors and tangible assets such as landing slots. Despite there being clear processes, the Preliminary Information Memorandum sticks to the airlines book value to further the governments agenda. Not only does the government try to mislead the public by only quoting Air Indias book value in its Preliminary Information Memorandum, but it also does not reveal the value of Air Indias tangible assets such as landing slots and bilateral rights. Air Indias total valuation must include not only quantifiable assets such as aircrafts and real estate, but also its slots at international airports, bilateral rights and code share agreements. Air India Limited is the owner of prime real estate in urban Indian centres including the iconic Nariman Point office in Mumbai which alone is valued at around a couple of thousand crores. While real estate assets are more easily quantifiable, it is the other tangible assets that need to be properly valued before a sell off. Air India has at least 4,486 slots per week at airports in India for domestic air travel, and 2,738 slots for international travel out of which 1,838 are in India and the rest are all over the world, including long-haul flights that go to prominent locations such at JFK Airport in New York, Londons Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Landing slots at prominent airports such as these can fetch the airline anywhere up from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars. And it is these slots that have not been appropriately valued in the Preliminary Information Memorandum to hoodwink the public into believing that the airline is worthless. In addition, Air India possesses bilateral rights that are very valuable. Air Indias major revenue generating segment is its international travel segment, and its bilateral rights are a distinct competitive advantage against private players. Further, Air India is the only airline in the country with a repair and engineering department, which has huge scope but suffers from a lack of resources. While the Preliminary Information Memorandum lists all of these bilateral rights and landing slots, it does not value any of these separately, keeping the country in the dark about the true market value of Indias flagship carrier. And while the citizenry is in the dark about Air Indias true value, the government wants to sell Indias flagship carrier for a paltry sum of some Rs 20,000 crores. This, despite a simple back of the envelope calculation suggesting that the airline could be worth some Rs 3.6 lakh crores to 5 lakh crores if valued properly using internationally accepted best practices. The attempt to sell the airline has gone on despite instances that point to the airlines worth to the Indian state. It was none other than our national carrier that went into the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan not once but thrice to evacuate Indians in distress who could not leave due to the lockdown in the city. Not only has Air India helped Indians in need, time and again, from the Kuwait evacuations in 1990 to the Yemen evacuations of 2015, but Air India has been instrumental in servicing Indias strategic and humanitarian requirements both domestically and globally. The incumbent government has already laid the foundation to sell Air India for a pittance by confusing the public with financial jargon and by deliberately concealing information in the Preliminary Information Memorandum. As the government makes one concession after the other to sell the airline, including reducing the debt by more than half to Rs 23,286 crores from Rs 60,000 crores and inviting expressions of interest for a 100 per cent stake instead of the originally planned 76 per cent stake, it begs the question as to why the government is in such a hurry to sell the airline, and who it ultimately wants to sell our flagship carrier to? Air India is not the personal property of any one government. Selling the airline requires a larger national consensus along with greater transparency. Australia has announced a travel ban on foreigners coming to Australia from Iran, because of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle Eastern nation, ABC News reported. Foreign nationals coming from Iran will be forced to spend a fortnight in a third country before being allowed into Australia. Australian citizens and permanent residents will need to isolate themselves for a fortnight after returning from Iran. Iran has officially recorded 388 cases of coronavirus and 34 deaths the highest mortality rate for the COVID-19 outbreak outside China. But the BBC, citing hospital sources, has reported the death toll in Iran could exceed 200. ST. JOHN St. John is about to tackle road resurfacing projects. Council President Gerald Swets announced earlier this week the town received purchase orders from the Indiana Department of Transportation, completing the bidding and contract awarding process for upcoming road improvement projects. At a recent meeting, the council awarded the Community Crossing contract to Walsh & Kelly, whose total base bid came in just under $1.8 million. "We missed out last year on the first round of the Community Crossing grant money, and so the Town Council has agreed to do last year's and this year's road paving all in one grant," Swets said. Swets said the town applied for the grant late last year, asking for $2 million. It was approved. Because the bids came in around $1.8 million, the state provided $893,000 toward the project, Swets said. During the second round of Community Crossing Match Grant funding in 2019, the town was awarded $1 million to repave various roads throughout the town. Conservative Home is rarely wrong: as per the italicised introduction you see above, I am indeed a chemical engineer. But to be precise (something us engineers often insist on), Ive spent the last few years working in the field of development engineering, both in industry and in government. That includes the objective evaluation of multiple concepts before recommending which, if any, to proceed with. And, in the energy sector, that can influence multi-million pound decisions. So, Id be chucking away years of training and experience were I to pen an over-enthusiastic, Build it! piece on the Scotland-Northern Ireland bridge concept. We havent seen even the most preliminary techno-economic analysis as yet. But, as an engineer, Im glad were at least starting to give big infrastructure ideas some long-overdue consideration. Lets be clear, though: the political implications of the bridge arent exactly insignificant, either. Those who back an independent Scotland arent just sceptical for engineering reasons. And then theres the potential impact on Anglo-Irish relations following general elections either side of the water. On one level this is an infrastructure investment, on another its an investment in the union itself. First things first. Its absolutely right that folks should ask searching questions: is it technically feasible, can we afford the investment, what economic benefit might it deliver, are there better uses for the same money. But one thing we need to tackle is the seemingly all-pervasive cant do attitude. Switch over to the Discovery Channel and youll find no end of documentaries on mind-blowing Asian mega-structures: bridges, tunnels, sky-scrapers etc. Some are strategically vital whilst others resemble expensive vanity projects. But, either way, if someone told you that the Chinese were thinking of building a challenging sea bridge between two provinces, youd back them to deliver on it. Sadly, big ideas in the UK often tend to attract more derision than enthusiasm. Thats hardly surprising given our recent track record on infrastructure but, looking ahead, we do need to develop a mindset of believing that we can deliver big projects when we choose to. What are the technical considerations? Those in engineering will tell you that Britain and Ireland are already linked by some pretty significant infrastructure: subsea gas pipelines plus cables carrying high-voltage power and communications. But carrying people and goods on board vehicles (and maybe even trains) is clearly in another league. Much greater distances and water depths have already been spanned globally but not strictly in the combination required (20+ miles long, 150+ metres deep) between Larne and Portpatrick. And whilst major Baltic Sea projects (home to some 150,000 mines) have been delivered following extensive seabed clearance, including the NordStream Russia-Germany pipeline, the 1 million tonne munitions dump at Beauforts Dyke is clearly an issue. And whilst, for brevity, I keep referring to a bridge, whos to say it wouldnt be a submerged tunnel instead? Or even some bridge-tunnel combination as per the Sweden-Denmark resund crossing? Perhaps the most intriguing suggestion Ive spotted so far is a floating pontoon arrangement inspired by deepwater oil & gas technology: wed have the know-how in Aberdeen to look into that. So whilst the project would undoubtedly be technically challenging, the key questions are not necessarily engineering-related but economic. Even in an otherwise sceptical piece, as one academic put it from an engineering perspective, its not by any means impossible its definitely possible to do. Theres just a significant amount of challenges that would need to be overcome. What of the economic considerations? On a smaller scale, Alyn & Deeside (where I recently came within 213 votes of winning) is home to the 55 million Flintshire Bridge, an elegant cable-stayed construction over the Dee. Grossly under-used since opening in 1998, this bridge to nowhere isnt in itself the problem: its the limited road network on either side that prevents it from realising its intended purpose as a valuable cross-border link between north Wales and England. For the Boris Bridge concept to deliver real value, itll need to be framed in terms of an area infrastructure project, not solely the bridge. Having recently undertaken the car journey to the Cairnryan ferry port along the A77 (from Glasgow) and back along the A75 (towards Carlisle), I can vouch for how urgently both require dualing. Once established, though, fast, large-capacity connections between Belfast and major British cities could prove a game-changer on both sides of the water. What of the political dimension? Whilst engineers and economists will be poring over their spreadsheets for answers, the SNP will presumably be in no doubt already that its a terrible idea. For now, Sturgeon and Blackford can cheerily dismiss the idea and demand the funds for alternative uses. But if it begins to look real, challenges await. Dumfries & Galloway remains a somewhat over-looked corner of south-west Scotland, its cause not helped at Holyrood by voting two-thirds against independence and continuing to return Conservative MPs and MSPs. Infrastructure is limited and average earnings are low. And despite wonderful scenery and great history, most tourists tend to plough straight on towards the central belt and on to the Highlands. Theres potential in this left behind area. The fact that some pretty unlikely places in England and Wales recently went blue shouldnt be lost on the Nationalists. Construction opportunities (hopefully with UK suppliers to the fore) and a subsequent regional economic boost could well strengthen and spread pro-union vibes. And if pro-independence support dips even slightly as a consequence, the Nationalists might find themselves tipped from stable equilibrium to the point of collapse faster than you can say Tacoma Narrows Bridge. At this stage, without even preliminary assessment, no-one can call the viability of the concept. (And, in fairness, even when the numbers are crunched, estimating investment costs and economic returns on large, bespoke projects carries much uncertainty.) But whos to say it wont deliver more pound-for-pound value than other mega-projects, deliver more levelling up across the UK and perhaps even help preserve the union itself? For now, it has to be a good thing that were at least thinking about the Boris Bridge. A woman who told authorities she'd been shot twice during an armed robbery in New Orleans East on Thursday morning actually suffered those wounds as she tried to force her way into the Marrero home of a former lover, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Robin Ventris, 34, was shot by the wife of her ex-boyfriend as Ventris tried to kick in the couple's front door, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the department. "(The wife) acted in self-defense," Rivarde said. +4 Robert Wells was killed on a Harahan street. His mom wrote an obituary every parent should read. Deborah Wells wasnt sure whether she should submit an obituary after her only son, Robert Wells III, 22, was gunned down in front of a Haraha Ventris, who is from Harvey, was arrested and booked with attempted second-degree murder after investigators said she returned fire. The shootout occurred just before 3:15 a.m. Thursday in the 1500 block of Lancaster Drive in Marrero, according to Rivarde. Ventris' former boyfriend, 44, was asleep with his wife, 42, when they overheard what sounded like a burglary. The wife approached the front door and realized that someone was trying to kick it in, according to Rivarde. "She fired a gun multiple times through the door," Rivarde said. "The person on the other side of the door fired back." Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Neither the wife nor her husband was wounded. There was no one outside when deputies arrived, but they did find blood on the ground. Though the wife wasn't sure who had been on the other side of the door, the couple gave investigators Ventris' name because she had previously threatened to kill them, Rivarde said. As deputies searched for a possibly wounded burglary suspect, Ventris arrived at University Medical Center's emergency room about 9 a.m. seeking treatment for gunshot wounds to her hand and leg, according to authorities. She told New Orleans police she'd been wounded earlier that morning during a holdup in the 7000 block of Bullard Avenue, police said. But her story quickly fell apart under questioning, according to Rivarde. Ventris was treated and released from the hospital before being transported to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for questioning. She admitted shooting into her ex-boyfriend's home, Rivarde said. Deputies who recovered her gun near the crime scene determined it had been reported stolen in Mississippi, authorities said. In addition to attempted murder, Ventris was booked with attempted aggravated burglary, obstruction of justice and possession of a stolen firearm. She was being held without bail Friday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. By ANI UMEA (SWEDEN): The cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined for over two weeks resulting in more coronavirus infected passengers than if they would have disembarked immediately, revealed a study conducted at Umea University in Sweden. "The infection rate onboard the vessel was about four times higher than what can be seen on land in the worst infected areas of China. A probable cause is how close people stay to one another onboard a vessel," says Joacim Rocklov, Professor of epidemiology at Umea University and principal author of the article. ALSO READ: Jobs, paychecks and profits threatened: Coronavirus outbreak looks more like global economic crisis After a person travelling on the cruise ship Diamond Princess disembarked in Hong Kong and was tested positive for the coronavirus, Japanese authorities decided to disallow the 3,700 passengers on board to leave the ship when it reached Yokohama. The ship was hence put in quarantine until 19 February. Passengers who showed signs of illness were separated from other passengers on board. When the quarantine in Yokohama was removed and passengers could finally disembark, a total of 619 passengers had been infected by the coronavirus. ALSO READ | Coronavirus: India feels the heat as global economy suffers USD five trillion wipeout in one week "If the ship had been immediately evacuated upon arrival in Yokohama, and the passengers who tested positive for the coronavirus and potential others in the risk zone had been taken care of, the scenario would have looked quite different. Our calculations show that only around 70 passengers would have been infected. A number that greatly falls short of the over 600 passengers the quarantine resulted in. The precautionary measure of putting the entire ship under quarantine was understandable, but due to the high risk of transmission on the ship, the decision is now questionable," says Joacim Rocklov. At the same time, the study also shows that if the precautionary measures of isolating potential carriers had not been carried out on board, another 2,300 people would have been infected. The meeting comes about 16 months after Reilly announced he was rejecting Related Midwests plan, which was first publicly unveiled in May 2018 but ran into objections by neighbors regarding elements such as the height of the podium on which the towers would be built and security along the Chicago River. SALEM The Oregon Constitution doesnt prevent House Democrats from issuing subpoenas to their Republican colleagues to force them to return to the Capitol, the legislatures top lawyer said Friday. Twenty-one House Republicans disappeared Tuesday to avoid taking a vote on a bill to cut down on the states greenhouse gas emissions. Their absence means the House doesnt have enough people to vote on bills. On Thursday afternoon, legislators on the House Rules Committee voted to subpoena the missing House Republicans. Democrats want to make Republican lawmakers return to the Capitol and testify about their absence. Republicans have been quick to point out that legislators shall not be subject to any civil process during the legislative session under the Oregon Constitution. The current session will automatically end March 8. But Legislative Counsel Dexter Johnson told House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, in a letter on Friday that it was unlikely that lawmakers could assert that privilege in order to avoid performing legislative functions. The letter was provided to the Oregon Capital Bureau Friday evening. The Oregon Supreme Court has recognized that the privilege against civil process is a protection afforded to legislators only to the extent necessary to perform legislative functions, Johnson wrote to Kotek on Friday. It follows that the privilege to be free from civil process is unlikely to be able to be asserted in order to avoid performing legislative functions. Democrats, fielding questions from reporters on Thursday, acknowledged that they could be wading into muddy legal waters. But they were outwardly optimistic that process servers could track down Republicans, who so far have declined to disclose where theyve gone. Process servers have their own methodologies and I'm not familiar with them, said Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, chair of the House Rules Committee, said at a press conference Thursday evening. They do a professional job and we just rely on that professionalism. But a spokesman for Kotek said process servers wont be tracking down Republicans in person. Democrats have hired Malstroms Process Serving Company to serve the subpoenas. The company mailed copies to each of the missing Republicans last known home address and copies of all 21 subpoenas to the House Republican Office in the Capitol in the care of Bruce Anderson, chief of staff to Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby. Republicans tried to issue subpoenas to missing Democrats nearly two decades ago. In 2001, House Democrats escaped the Capitol to protest a House Republican proposal to redraw legislative districts that would have circumvented then-Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat. But it ended up being a road to nowhere Democrats avoided the subpoenas and eventually returned to the Capitol to finish the session after the Senate quashed the proposal. Mark Henkels, a political science professor at Western Oregon University, said what tools the majority party has to compel minority lawmakers to return is uncharted territory. He said that hes not aware of subpoenas, or other tools, being used successfully and its likely an issue for the courts. You can never really be sure what the courts will say, he said. Subpoenas are legal orders usually used by courts and attorneys to require people to appear in person and answer questions. While subpoenas can be challenged in court, those who ignore them risk jail time and fines. But what that constitutional provision means isnt entirely clear. Mary Beth Herkert, a former state archivist and current director of civics education in the Oregon secretary of states office, said the state archives contains a book of notes from conversations between authors of the states constitution as they debated and drafted. But the book is helter skelter, written by multiple people, all in cursive and not in order, Herkert said. She said finding where that part of the constitution was referenced could take days. I dont even know if there is a conversation about it, she said. Kimberly Jensen, a history professor at Western Oregon University, said in an email that her searches of historical sources didnt yield any context about that section of the constitution. She said its similar to a provision in the U.S. Constitution guarding against arrest from civil suits thats functionally obsolete. Herkert said its possible that the section came from a similar provision from the U.S. or another state constitution. The Oregon Capital Bureau reached out to all three of Oregons law schools. No legal experts there could be reached for comment on the situation Friday. Process servers deliver legal documents, including court summons and subpoenas, said Michael Santos, owner of Superior Process Servers in Salem. Santos compares himself to a legal courier version of FedEx. Santos, who has been a process server for 30 years, said that in some states, process servers can cross state lines. In most states, though, servers have to be licensed in the state where they are working. As a result, process servers sometimes hand off documents to another process server in the state where they believe the person is. Subpoenas have to be delivered directly to the person named to be legally effective. If the person a server is looking for owns a second home in Idaho, for example, its pretty straightforward to find them through searching property records, Santos said. But if a legislator decides to just go book a hotel somewhere, you know, just at random ... you'll never find him, Santos said. Drazan couldnt be reached for an interview Friday, but left a voicemail for a reporter about the legislative subpoenas. Drazan was chief of staff to then-Speaker Mark Simmons, R-Elgin, during Democrats 2001 disappearance. Drazan said the constitution provides for immunity for legislators for these exact set of circumstances, where civil actions are used in a manner that is chiefly political. She said that immunity, as we understand it from our attorney, is in fact, applicable to this case. She said legislative subpoenas would apply only to those who are not legislators protected by the Constitution. I would absolutely, absolutely accept any subpoena that was delivered to me, Drazan said. I respect the courts and I respect the rule of law. In this case, I do think that we would have a secondary conversation about whether or not this subpoena is valid and enforceable. But absolutely, if someone were to present a subpoena to me, I would accept it. Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, said in an email that he would not accept service and that he cant be served in the first place. I am immune from any service during the session, according to the Oregon Constitution, Nearman wrote. Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location out of state, Rep. Ron Noble, R-McMinnville, said hes aware the subpoenas have been issued but isnt worried about a process server knocking on his door. Noble, who served as McMinnvilles police chief, said that subpoenas apply to a legislator just like anyone else. He said that its not out of the ordinary for someone who receives a subpoena to consult with a lawyer who might question or challenge it. He said he would likely do the same if served with a subpoena. However, he said that there was question of if the Oregon Constitution exempts lawmakers from subpoenas while the Legislature is in session. Its kind of an untested area right now, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Third, the U.S. troop withdrawal must remain conditional. The U.S. commitment to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from the current level of roughly 13,000 to 8,600 does not kick in until 135 days after signing of the agreement. This gives the United States time to see whether the Taliban is making good on its commitments to reduce violence, fight terrorism and engage in intra-Afghan political negotiations in good faith. Assuming that is the case, further U.S. troop reductions can be negotiated but troop levels should go to zero only after the Taliban is fully performing on all these commitments and an intra-Afghan settlement has been reached. Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)- The European Union and the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have agreed to revamp cooperation to meet recent developments in the region Mainland China had 327 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, the country's National Health Commission said on Friday, down from 433 cases a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 23. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 78,824. China's central Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, had 318 new confirmed cases, down from 409 a day earlier and the lowest since Jan. 24. Excluding Hubei, mainland China reported just nine new cases on Thursday, down from 24 a day earlier. The provincial capital of Wuhan ... Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Surendra Jain on Saturday said the Hindutva body will oppose the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government's move to grant quota to Muslims in educational institutes. Addressing a public meeting of of workers of the VHP and Bajrang Dalin Mahal area, Jain dared Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to drive out illegal Bangladeshi settlers from the country. He also accused the Shiv Sena president of betraying Chhatrapati Shivaji, Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, and the people of Maharashtra on the cause of Hindutva by the Muslim reservation decision. A political war of words erupted on Friday after State Minority Affairs Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik said in the Legislative Council that the government will ensure that a law giving five per cent quota to Muslims in education will be passed soon. Later, Urban Development Minister and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde said no such decision had been taken yet. The Sena shares power with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. "A leader of the NCP talked about giving reservationto Muslims in education. The very next day a Shiv Sena MP says that we have not taken any such decision. Whom do you want to betray? If you do not want to give reservation to the Muslim community then say it openly," Jain said. Targetting the CM, he said, "Uddhav Thackreyji this was not expected from you". "Despite being son of Bal Thackeray you have forgotten your sanskar for the lust of power and doing exactly opposite what Balasaheb used to say. You have betrayed Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Balasaheb, B R Ambedkar, the people of Maharashtra and the Constitution of India," he said. Jain said the VHP was against giving reservation to Muslims on the basis of religion. "This is unconstitutional. We will oppose the move on the street and in court of law," said Jain. He also dared the CM to announce that the government will throw out illegal Bangladeshi intruders from Maharashtra. Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections in 2014, the then Congress-NCP government had issued an Ordinance allowing 16 per cent reservation for Marathas and 5 per cent for Muslims in government-run institutes and jobs. The decision was challenged in the high court. The HC struck down Maratha reservation but allowed 5 per cent reservation for Muslims in education. The new BJP-Shiv Sena government then enacted a law for Maratha reservation but dropped the Muslim quota. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's foreign trade is capable of weathering the coronavirus outbreak and will see progress once the epidemic is gradually contained, said experts. "Though China's foreign trade sector is facing a big test, it can deliver satisfactory results," Wei Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), told a news conference Friday. Wei estimated that the country's exports would slide in the first three months of the year but rebound in the second quarter, while imports will notch double-digit year-on-year growth in 2020. Private firms are now major contributors to China's foreign trade, and they are more sensitive and open to market changes compared to the 2003 SARS epidemic period, Wei said. He cited eastern Zhejiang Province's Yiwu International Trade Market as an example, noting that businesses there have already restarted operation since last week after detecting market demand. Wei predicted imports to rise rapidly in the wake of the outbreak as it did not dampen consumer demand and huge consumption potential in health, travel, culture and training awaited to be unleashed. Noting the impact of the outbreak might ripple around the world and disrupt the global supply chain, Wei advised China, Japan and the Republic of Korea to join hands to strengthen industrial cooperation to minimize uncertainties. "The outbreak is only confined to certain areas and short-lived, but the cooperation of supply chain is long-term and out of strategic considerations," said Zhang, chief researcher with the CCIEE. With the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and 5G, the collaboration of the supply chain will evolve and become more flexible, Zhang added. "China experienced transformative developments every time there was an economic slowdown, and I believe this epidemic is also such an opportunity," Zhang said. When it comes to boundless energy and enthusiasm for protecting our environment, you can always count on youngsters. And more than 100,000 have now pledged to join the Great British Spring Clean a quarter of the 400,000 in total who have signed up. The campaign to clean up Britain by Keep Britain Tidy backed by the Mail can count on superb support from the young generation. We're the young generation: Pupils from Damers First School near Dorchester pick up litter on Chesil Beach in Dorset for the Great British Spring Clean. There are 428,720 volunteers partaking in the annual clean and 20,000 so-called Eco-Schools registered throughout the country Thousands of youngsters between nursery age and 18 have pledged to carry out litter picks in and around their schools between March 20 to April 13, ridding their local areas of discarded rubbish and waste. The children, along with their teachers, have provided an incredible boost to our volunteer numbers which now stands at 428,720. In all there are more than 9,400 litter picks organised across the UK, so there is bound to be one near you. But if there is not, it is simple to organise one and get your friends and neighbours and children involved. As the following examples show, youngsters are certainly leading the charge to make Britains schools more eco-friendly by planting vegetable patches, carrying out litter picking missions and taking part in woodwork lessons. Pick-up: Cardinal Allen pupils in Lancashire. After years of hard work at the school in Fleetwood, Lancashire, the grounds are now among the most biodiverse in the area Alongside the usual curriculum they also adopt bees, churn apples to make their own juice and even meditate to create a calm environment. There are now an incredible 20,000 so-called Eco-Schools registered in the UK a designation only awarded after a school has made changes to lessons and daily activities. This milestone figure means that England is now home to 40 per cent of the total number of Eco-Schools in the world, which are as widespread as the US, China and India. Each year, awards are handed out to schools and children who have made the biggest difference.Last years Primary School award went to Damers First School in Dorset. As well as taking part in a beach litter pick, pupils raised money for their own bird hide and wildlife area and encouraged 20 local businesses to allow free water bottle refills. Pupils even created their own beeswax alternative to Clingfilm and raised 4,000 by selling it locally. The money helped fund further eco-projects. Heswall Primary School on the Wirral, Merseyside, won the Biodiversity award for their part in creating a film highlighting the importance of animal conservation. And after years of hard work at Cardinal Allen High School in Fleetwood, Lancashire, the grounds are now among the most biodiverse in the area. This year alone, pupils planted a hedgerow, seeded a one-acre wildflower meadow and secured 3,000 to help encourage bees. Youngsters also enjoy a new orchard allotment, bug hotels, hedgehog nests and bat boxes. Meanwhile, an enormous art installation of a whale made entirely of plastic bags was built by pupils at Sutton High School in south London, earning them the Marine Topic award. The Eco-Schools programme in England is run by Keep Britain Tidy, which is also running the Great British Spring Clean campaign with the Daily Mail. There are around 51,000 Eco-Schools worldwide, and the programme is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: It is an astonishing achievement to have 20,000 schools almost 80 per cent of all the schools in England signed up to the programme. It shows just how committed both teachers and pupils are to tackling the climate crisis and the plastic pollution that present such a threat to our environment. The success of the programme, which is reaching more than five million children and young people, gives us hope for the future. Children and young people are leading the way when it comes to standing up for our environment. Its easy to join the Great British Spring Clean: to sign up go to the website here. Ronda Goldfein of Safehouse speaks to reporters following a press conference on the opening of a supervised-injection site in South Philadelphia. Read more In a whirlwind 48 hours this week, backers of Philadelphias first supervised injection site announced plans to open in South Philadelphia, were met by furious local resistance, put those plans on hold because of that opposition, and then lost their lease. Now, the nonprofit Safehouse is left to consider its next moves, as are those advocating to open a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment. Ronda Goldfein, Safehouses vice president, said the organization is mulling its next steps. Safehouse board member Gov. Ed Rendell has suggested that the nonprofit could look for another location or consider opening a mobile unit. For now, though, speaking with community members is at the top of the list, Goldfein said. What weve learned from the rollout is that its important to have community conversations, smaller community conversations, so theyre meaningful and people can hear the information were trying to provide, Goldfein said. When it just becomes a lot of yelling, its hard to have a meaningful dialogue. Advocates who have supported the site said they were caught by surprise by the announcement and equally surprising cancellation of the sites opening. Safehouses landlords at Constitution Health Plaza cited community concerns in their decision to cancel the lease. This whole week has been like whiplash, said Brittany Salerno, a community outreach worker in South Philadelphia who works with homeless people in addiction throughout the neighborhood. Salerno said she and other advocates were planning to attend several demonstrations planned this weekend against the site to hand out information on how supervised injection sites operate in other countries. Rohit Mukherjee, a member of the harm-reduction group SOL Collective, said many activists share the neighborhoods frustration around community engagement, and want to listen to what protesters have to say -- amid a crisis where the city is losing three to four people to overdose every day. Right now, were in no different place from where we were last week," Salerno said. We have to keep advocating and fighting. Goldfein and other advocates said that in a conversation as fraught as the one around supervised injection sites, its difficult to know how to pitch the idea to communities, especially while under the threat of a federal lawsuit, as Safehouse has been nearly since its inception. The cancellation of the site "is what happens when communities arent engaged, Salerno said. But we also see what happened when we tried this in Harrowgate for the past year and a half. That neighborhood sits just north of Kensington and also was considered for a site; meetings had been held on and off in the area for months after the city announced in 2018 that it would sanction a site. After Rendell announced at an event in Washington, D.C., last March that Safehouse had been offered a lease at a Harrowgate property, a community uproar followed, and a lease was never signed. Wheres the middle ground? Salerno asked. And the more we talk, the more people die. Whether we agree with the implementation process or not, we still need to support an overdose prevention site and stand behind that. Mukherjee noted that its been two years since city officials announced they would sanction, but not fund, a site: the city, and later Safehouse, should have put more effort into engaging with communities, he said. Its a difficult line to tread, said Zoe Dodd, an activist from Toronto who helped open a pop-up supervised injection site in a park after a rash of overdose deaths and what she saw as foot-dragging from the provincial government. Dodd and others proceeded without permission from local government or much conversation with the neighbors living near the park. Reaction after the site opened, she said, was mostly positive. Its too bad [Philadelphias site] fell through, that community opposition could force it not to open," Dodd said. What opening the sites taught us is that we could save peoples lives." Working from the tent in the park, she and her group, the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society, reversed more than 100 overdoses in just a few months; now, four permanent sites operate in the same neighborhood. Brooke Feldman, who runs a Clean Slate buprenorphine clinic a few blocks south of where Philadelphias site was to open, said she, too, had been disappointed in the rollout and stung by some of the rhetoric she saw online about people in addiction. Feldman is in recovery herself and lost her mother to an opioid overdose 25 years ago. She said a concerted effort to engage one-on-one with community members confused or upset by the idea of a site is the best way to achieve meaningful dialogue. In a community meeting format, its the loudest voices on either side of the argument, she said. But theres a difference between community engagement and full community buy-in." Methadone clinics, recovery houses, and treatment centers often face similar backlash from neighbors and dont require an entire neighborhoods approval to open, she said. But neighbors should be asked to weigh in, she said. Its not like everyone walks away happy," she said, "but we have had that process. Goldfein noted that a federal judge has ruled that Safehouses plan does not violate federal law, though the U.S. Attorneys Office is appealing the decision. And Feldman added that Safehouses victory in federal court may spur other groups to consider opening. Safehouse has really taken the bold initiative to set the legal precedent and that opens the door for other groups and organizations to be able to operate a site legally, and not have to face being incarcerated as a result, she said. Ronda Goldfein of Safehouse is married to David Lee Preston, an editor at The Inquirer. He is not involved in coverage of this story. Dhaka [Bangladesh], Feb 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bangladesh from March 16 to 18 where he will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, according to local media reports. Dhaka Tribune, citing multiple sources, has reported that a wide range of bilateral issues is expected to be discussed during PM Modi's official talks with Sheikh Hasina on March 18. The Prime Minister will arrive in Dhaka on March 16 for his three-day visit. On March 17, Modi will take part in an event being organised to mark the birth centenary celebration of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. According to the report in Dhaka Tribune, Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla will visit Bangladesh in the first week of March to prepare the groundwork for the Prime Minister's visit. "It is confirmed that the Prime Minister will attend the ceremony on March 17, but the details of his schedule are yet to be finalised," Debabrata Paul, Second Secretary, Press, of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, was quoted as saying. Last year, at the invitation of PM Modi, the Bangladesh Prime Minister had paid an official visit to India on October 5. However, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan had cancelled their scheduled visits to India a few months after her visit. After Momen cancelled his visit, the MEA had said that any speculation that the development was connected with the passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill was "unwarranted". The Citizenship Amendment Act allows non-Muslim refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014, to have Indian citizenship. (ANI) Australians booked on upcoming ocean cruises, including aboard the virus-stricken Diamond Princess, have been told they wont receive refunds if they cancel their trips because of health concerns. Thats forcing many to make difficult decisions about their health. Go, and they risk contracting the virus. Cancel, and they are guaranteed to lose their money. The cruise industry has come under intense pressure globally after the giant Diamond Princess vessel became synonymous with the spread of the coronavirus. Six people died and more than 800 people fell sick on Diamond Princess and it spent two weeks quarantined off Yokohama. The company that owns the ship Carnival plans to hold customers to the contracts which generally say only partial refunds are available for cancellations made six months before a trip leaves. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to attend several programmes that would focus on social empowerment, infrastructure and farmers welfare in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, arrived in the city on Saturday (February 29). The Prime Minister was received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath upon his arrival at the airport. PM @narendramodi being received on his arrival in #Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/1oGhmJSohC PIB India (@PIB_India) February 29, 2020 He then visited a distribution camp in the city and distributed assistive aids and devices to senior citizens and the differently-abled. In the mega camp, over 56,000 assistive aid and devices of different types will be distributed free of cost to over 26,000 of beneficiaries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributes assistive aids&devices to senior citizens & the differently-abled, at a distribution camp in Prayagraj. pic.twitter.com/rbX2VHEtzB ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 29, 2020 The cost of the aids and devices is over Rs 19 crore. The objective is to provide assistance through these aids and devices to the daily living and socio-economic development of the 'Divyangjan' and the senior citizens. "Coming to Prayagraj have always given a feeling of purity and energy. I had come to this holy land in February last year during the Kumbh. Then, I had got a fortune by taking a dip in the Sangam river," PM Modi said while addressing the public in Prayagraj. "The hygiene at the Prayagraj Kumbh was discussed all over the world and this was due to the hard work and efforts put in by the sanitation workers. Prayagraj got a new identity in the whole world. A new tradition was seen in Kumbh. I had got the opportunity to wash the feet and salute those sanitation workers," he said. Even today, I have received a similar privilege on the banks of the Ganges. As the 'Pradhan Sevak', I had the opportunity to serve thousands of senior citizens and disabled people. Almost 27,000 people at the distribution camp have been given equipment here," he said. After attending the event, PM Modi will head to Chitrakoot where he will attend the one-year celebrations of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which was launched last year form Gorakhpur. PM Modi will today lay the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway and launch 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) all over the country from the district. "Next-gen Infrastructure for a better tomorrow! Delighted to be laying the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. This expressway will be the harbinger of progress for youngsters in the region and will also help the Defence Corridor coming up in the state," he tweeted earlier in the day. The Bundelkhand expressway will connect Chitrakoot with 6 other districts in Uttar Pradesh -- Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah The expressway will extend from Chitrakoot's Bharatkoop to Etawah's Kudrail village. A four-lane 296 km-long expressway will be linked to Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Etawah. It could also be built into a 6-lane expressway in the future. The proposed budget to build the expressway is around Rs 15,000 crore.PM Modi will then address a public meeting in Chitrakoot. Former Union minister MJ Akbar told a Delhi court on saturday that journalist Priya Ramani had defamed him with full knowledge that her actions would harm his reputation Former Union Minister MJ Akbar told a Delhi court on Saturday that journalist Priya Ramani defamed him with full knowledge that her actions would harm his reputation. Akbar made the allegations before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja through his lawyer Geeta Luthra during the final hearing of a private criminal defamation complaint filed by him against Ramani after his name cropped up on social media as the #MeToo campaign raged in India. Luthra argued that educated people like journalists have to act responsibly. She said that any news on social media travels like fire. She said that people have to have a great sense of responsibility in making claims about someone's conduct. Luthra claimed that Ramani first said that her entire article was about Akbar, but later in court said that it wasn't the case. "After writing a whole article, saying that it was about Mr Akbar, it was for the first time in this court that they say that the entire article was not about him. Where does it say that? There was no corrigendum, no apology... you did it with knowledge," Bar and Bench quoted her as saying. "There are four offending tweets and an article. According to one she says he didn't do anything. In the next, she starts the blame game and the person is left defenseless. Then she says it's a victory. Then she says she intended it generally and not against him. This is the first time she has accepted that the entire Vogue article was not about him," Luthra said. She further argued that Ramani's intent to defame Akbar matters more because as a journalist she was aware of the consequences of her actions. She also claimed that it is indisputable that Akbar suffered massive damage to his reputation, which even lead him to resign as a Union minister. Akbar resigned as Union minister on 17 October, 2018. Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist. She worked at The Asian Age from January to October in 1994. The court adjourned the matter after Luthra's arguments were concluded. Senior advocate Rebecca John will argue on Ramani's behalf on 17 March. Earlier Friday, Luthra argued that Ramani harmed Akbar's reputation by calling him adjectives such as 'media's biggest predator' in the wake of #MeToo movement. Luthra, said that the allegations were intentional and malafide. "When you call someone media's biggest predator, it is per se defamatory. Calling a person with such adjectives is on the face of it defamatory. In the eyes of the people, Akbar's reputation was harmed... The per se effect was lowering of my (Akbar) reputation in the eyes of the right thinking members of the society," she told the court. She said there was no due process in the allegations. "It has a cascading effect. Embarrassing questions were asked. I (Akbar) am a person of greatest integrity... There was no due process in the allegations. You cannot just make allegation and let that person suffer," she added. Luthra said that if there was any grievance, it had to be raised then and there before the appropriate authority. "We need to realise the effect has what we say or what we do. It's not like she went to any authority or raised any grievance. Opportunity was there, rights were there but to attack so person behind their back on social media... knowing that his whole life will be adversely affected? It's not right," she said. Akbar has denied all the allegations of sexual harassment against the women who came forward during #MeToo campaign. Akbar earlier told the court the allegations made in the Vogue piece and the subsequent tweets were defamatory on their face and that an "immediate damage" was caused to him due to the "false" allegations by Ramani. Ramani earlier told the court that her "disclosure" of alleged sexual harassment by Akbar came at "a great personal cost" and she had "nothing to gain" from it. She said her move would empower women to speak up and make them understand their rights at the workplace. Several women came up with accounts of the alleged sexual harassment by Akbar while they were working as journalists under him. Akbar. has termed the allegations "false, fabricated and deeply distressing" and said he was taking appropriate legal action. With inputs from agencies SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said on Saturday, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country. Kim also held a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's powerful politburo to discuss 'anti-epidemics steps' to prevent the spread of the virus, KCNA said. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Jack Kim; Editing by Chris Reese) SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said on Saturday, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country. Kim also held a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party's powerful politburo to discuss "anti-epidemics steps" to prevent the spread of the virus, KCNA said. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Jack Kim; Editing by Chris Reese) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Williamstown Planning Board May Revive Outdoor Cultivation of Marijuana Plan WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Planning Board may revive a proposal to create regulations to govern the outdoor cultivation of marijuana in town, the panel's chair told the Select Board on Monday night. Stephanie Boyd was before the Select Board to present the draft bylaw amendments that the Planning Board has penned for possible inclusion on the annual town meeting warrant. One of the articles brings the town's bylaw on non-conforming structures into compliance with the commonwealth's current law on the subject. Another creates a regulatory framework for long and common driveways. The third deals with pot production. The bylaw the Planning Board intends to take to the March 10 public hearing on all three proposals bans outdoor cultivation of cannabis in town and requires strict odor controls on any indoor production facility. Those features appeared to be in response to the public comment the Planning Board received earlier this year and a series of well-attended Zoning Board of Appeals hearings last year when an applicant sought to create an indoor/outdoor grow facility on Blair Road. But on Monday, Boyd told the Select Board that another body in town may push back on the idea of banning all outdoor marijuana growth. "We had an Article D that would have addressed outdoor cultivation," Boyd said, referring to an earlier draft that created more restrictive setbacks and required native vegetative screening of the security fences required by the state for outdoor plantations. "There has been some indication in the past week that the Agricultural Commission is interested in encouraging us to include that. They will be coming to the public hearing and may be asking us to re-include that article. If that is the case, we will be back here." "Back here" to present another bylaw amendment to the Select Board to be referred back to the Planning Board for another public hearing. As it stands now, there are just the three amendments on the table, and the only marijuana-related article proposed bans outdoor cultivation in all the town's zoning districts. That is a change from the 2017 bylaw that passed overwhelmingly at town meeting 2017. At that time, the town was reacting to the November 2016 passage of Question 4 in the commonwealth, which decriminalized pot for recreational use. Town officials wanted to get some land-use regulations on the books ahead of Beacon Hill's creation of a statewide regulatory framework, which ultimately emerged in 2018. Discussions around the bylaw adopted by the town in 2017 focused largely on the questions of whether and where recreational pot could be sold in town. There was some discussion about production at a March 2017 Planning Board meeting, but even that focused mainly on the possibility of indoor growing facilities. "Is production usually done indoors?" Planner Anne McCallum asked Town Planner Andrew Groff at a March 3, 2017, meeting. "So we're not talking about fields of marijuana plants?" "Yes," Groff replied in a meeting videotaped by the town's community access television station, WilliNet and available on its website. "It's restricted to secured facilities, and that's been the model in other states that have allowed this so far." The 2017 discussion proceeded to focus on the indoor grow facilities. "If I were to put up a hydroponic greenhouse and grow baby lettuce to sell at the farmers' market, people would applaud me," Planner Chris Winters said. "Everyone would applaud me. Glad to see you're making the most of your farm. What's the difference [with marijuana]?" "I don't know if from the outside you could tell the difference [between an indoor marijuana facility and any other business]," then-Planning Board Chairman Chris Kapiloff said. "They're just these giant steel buildings with no windows usually, by law, surrounded by a fence. They just take several acres, put it under the roof, have tons of lighting in there and grow 365 days a year." "Realistically, I don't think you're going to be attracting these facilities to a [rural residential] zone," Groff advised the Planning Board at the March 2017 meeting. "That type of facility ... would need access to utilities and transportation. We don't have public water and natural gas in Rural Residence." Ultimately, the bylaw adopted by 2017's annual town meeting allows pot production by special permit in three of the town's zones: Limited Industrial, Rural Residence 2 and Rural Residence 3. There is no record of discussion of the kind of indoor-outdoor growing facility that was proposed by MassFlora last year. To date, MassFlora is the only applicant to seek a special permit from the Williamstown ZBA. After that proposal was met with strong opposition from potential neighbors, MassFlora withdrew the application before the ZBA took action. After that 2019 controversy and in response to the residents who addressed the Planning Board earlier this winter, the board decided to stop trying to craft more restrictive language for outdoor production and instead limit any marijuana production in town to indoor facilities. Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Thomas told Boyd at Monday's meeting that he questions the wisdom of an outright ban. "I know these are two-thirds votes, two-thirds super majorities [at town meeting] for these types of articles," Thomas said. "I assume it's a one-way street: We'll do these [bans] and they'll be on the books in perpetuity. "The thing that makes me a little bit nervous about getting these things on the books now is I think it's early. The odor issue has gotten a lot of people concerned. But who has experience with it in Massachusetts? I don't. And I don't know that many people in the community do. I just wonder if we know enough yet to restrain the opportunities to this level." Boyd said the Planning Board had a draft bylaw that allowed outdoor cultivation under heavily regulated conditions but decided the town wanted an outright ban. But then she added that thinking could change. "We had put a lot of constraints in our proposal for the outdoor facility," she said. "But, as I said, everybody who contacted us said they don't want outdoor production. It was hard for us as a committee to push that forward. "Now, that may change when we have the public hearing and more people come. We have a bylaw [on outdoor production] ready to go if more people say they want to have that." Girls in grades 6-12 gathered at the campus of the University of Houston - Clear Lake Saturday, for the Becoming an Outdoor Girl program to learn about the environment while participating in activities such as archery, birding, watercolor art, fishing, mammal and plant identification and a scavenger hunt. Funded by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in association with the Environmental Institute of Houston at UHCL, the Becoming an Outdoor Girl program aims to gives the kids a chance to see, feel and explore the natural world in a safe and protected environment. The grant is part of a youth outdoor education program with a particular emphasis on girls to encourage them to visit and enjoy outdoor parks. By Trend Georgia will receive serious benefits from the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, Georgian Minister of Economy Natia Turnava said at the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) Advisory Council in Baku, Trend reports citing Georgian media. She noted that the achievement of the Southern Gas Corridor project once again highlights the role of joint efforts by states in successful developing international projects of this importance. The launch of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project [which is the longest segment of the Southern Gas Corridor] last year was an important event. Prior to the implementation of the South Gas Corridor project, the transit function of Georgia was only at the regional level, and now we are represented as international players in this field. I am glad that my country has another opportunity to demonstrate its role in this context, said Turnava. The Southern Gas Corridor project, initiated by Azerbaijan and providing for the transportation of gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to European countries, is one of the priority for the EU. This largest project is aimed at diversifying routes and sources of energy supplies, thus contributing to strengthening the European energy security. The cost of the SGC project is estimated at $40 billion. TAP construction progress at end-January is 92 percent. The work on segments of the megaproject such as the expansion of the South Caucasus gas pipeline and the construction of TANAP is almost complete. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz This is the man who has been charged in relation to the murder of teenager Keane Mulready-Woods in Drogheda last month. Gerard McKenna (50), of Rathmullen Park, Drogheda, appeared before Drogheda District Court on a charge of impeding gardai in their efforts to apprehend the person who it is believed killed the 17-year-old. Mr McKenna was charged under Section 7 (2) of the Criminal Law Act 1997. Arrestable It said that on a date unknown between January 12 and 14, at locations in the vicinity of Rathmullen Park, whereas another person having committed an arrestable offence, namely the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods, that he knowing or believing that the said person be guilty of the said offence or some other arrestable offence, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede that other person's apprehension or prosecution. Detective Sergeant Peter Cooney, of Drogheda Garda Station, gave evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of Mr McKenna. Det Sgt Cooney told Judge Eirinn McKiernan that he arrested Mr McKenna at 8.22pm on Thursday at Drogheda Garda Station and then charged him at 9.15pm as set out on the charge sheet. Mr McKenna said: "No, no thanks," when the charge was put to him. Wearing a black top and dark trousers, Mr McKenna did not address the court during the short hearing. Mr McKenna's solicitor, David Thompson, said there was no application for bail for his client. Judge McKiernan remanded Mr McKenna in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court next Thursday. The State has requested that 48 hours' notice is to be given in the event of any application for bail. The judge directed Mr McKenna to receive any necessary medical treatment while in custody. He was granted legal aid. Keane Mulready-Woods was killed and his body dismembered in January. Some of his remains were found in a holdall in the Moatview area of Coolock in Dublin on Monday, January 13, and his head, hands and feet were found in a burning car in the Drumcondra area of Dublin two days later. His murder is believed to be connected to an ongoing criminal feud in Drogheda. Aasia Bibi, who has been living in Canada after leaving Pakistan last year, made the announcement after meeting Macron. Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan, has said she had been invited to live in France, after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Bibi had been sentenced to death before her acquittal by the Supreme Court last year in a case that has become emblematic of fair trial concerns in such cases. She left Pakistan for Canada in May 2019 and has been living there with her family ever since. I have received the invitation from the president and the French Republic, and Im honoured, Bibi told reporters on Friday, shortly after meeting Macron. Speaking outside the Elysee Palace in Paris, Bibi said she needed time to make a decision about whether to move to France, adding she wanted to focus for now on her health and family. An Elysee official told Reuters news agency that France is ready to welcome her if that is her wish, in accordance with the procedures for a request for asylum. Under French rules, someone seeking asylum has to submit a request to an independent state agency, which decides whether to grant it. It was not clear if Bibi had submitted a request. Eight years on death row Bibi, a farmworker and mother of four, was convicted in 2010 of making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours working in the fields with her objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not a Muslim. She spent eight years on death row. Bibi was released in October 2018 after the Supreme Court overturned her conviction, saying there were glaring and stark contradictions in the case against her. But thousands of religious hardliners, including supporters of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), took to the street calling for Bibis death and demanding that the government prevent her from leaving Pakistan. Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in Pakistan, where the countrys strict laws prescribe a mandatory death penalty for some forms of the crime. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 19:34:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Foreign and defense officials from Russia and Turkey have reiterated their commitment to "reducing tensions on the ground" in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday. The agreement was reached during the last round of consultations between Russian and Turkish delegations held from Wednesday to Friday in Ankara, the ministry said in a statement. It said both sides continue to consider concrete steps to achieve lasting stability in the Idlib de-escalation zone by ensuring the full implementation of the memorandums signed on May 4, 2017 and Sept. 17, 2018, respectively. They would continue to fight terrorists identified by the United Nations Security Council, the statement added. Civilians inside and outside the Idlib de-escalation zone must be protected and emergency humanitarian assistance must be provided to all those in need, it said. Video from Murchek's body camera showed the woman discussing injuries Fields allegedly inflicted on her, including bruises on her arms and legs. In the video, she told Murchek that Fields had told her to "do it" and "get it over with," referring to harming herself. Fields' attorney, Matthew Fech, said it was Fields who requested the welfare check on the woman Dec. 10. The woman loves Fields and doesn't want a no-contact order, he said. Wardrip's decision not to call the woman to testify revealed the weakness of her case, he said. He accused Wardrip of not wanting to present evidence regarding the woman's mental state. Wardrip said Fech also could have called the woman to testify, but didn't. She said she didn't call the woman to testify, in part, because it might cause her emotional distress. Judge Pro Tempore Michael Pagano took a brief recess to consider the evidence before announcing he would grant the no contact order. After talking briefly, Wardrip, Fech and the woman's attorney, Paul Stracci, said they agreed the order should become effective at 9 a.m. Wednesday. That will give the woman time to move out of Fields' home, they said. Oregon health officials released advice for preventing infection with the coronavirus, as well as other respiratory illnesses. The advice is pretty simple, and its easy for most people to follow. As of Saturday morning, there were scattered cancellations of activities, but no widespread closures of schools. The school where the infected Oregon patient had been, in Lake Oswego, will be closed for a deep cleaning, however. So here is the advice from health professionals about how to prevent catching or spreading coronavirus. -- Follow the CDCs travel advice: Federal authorities have an in-depth page of advice for travelers. Should you cancel your trip? Heres advice. CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE --Avoid people who are sick/stay home if youre sick: This is pretty basic but sometime workers dont have available time off or cant afford to stay home. Health officials encourage adults to stay home if they are sick and ask parents to keep kids home if they are showing symptoms. Kids in the Portland metro area who feel sick should stay home until theyve been well for at least 24 hours, the regions top health official said Friday after Oregon announced its first presumptive case of the new coronavirus. -- Wash hands often: This is also basic but we skip it or dont do it right. Here is a primer on the right way to wash up. -- Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose: Ask any pediatrician! This is vital to preventing spread of germs. -- Cover your cough: Dont cough into your hands. Instead cough into a bent elbow. -- Disinfect surfaces: Clean up surfaces that tend to collect germs. Here are the germiest spots in the house. And the germiest spots at work. How about the germiest spots at the airport? What are the symptoms of coronavirus illness? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the usual: fever, cough and shortness of breath. The reported illnesses so far in the outbreak around the world have ranged from mild symptoms to death. Symptoms of COVID-19, the official name for the illness, may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. MORE ON THE CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: Keep kids home if they have fever, sniffles, other symptoms How to properly wash hands to stop the spread of germs Coronavirus quarantine kit: What youll need at home What is the difference between coronavirus vs. COVID-19? The U.S. surgeon general has a message for Americans -- stop buying masks now! A Deputy Health Minister, Alexander Kom Abban, has admitted that the sensitisation efforts of the government on the deadly coronavirus are below par. I think [the sensitisation] is low. We should be playing some jingles and all that, Mr. Abban remarked on The Big Issue. Though he noted that the efforts educate the public on the virus, also known as COVID 19, are not as robust as it should be, he added that of course the government was going to step up its efforts. Per Ghanas preparedness plan , the state claims to have developed messages and education materials on the virus though they do not appear to be in circulation. The plan also said radio and television discussions and engagements on the outbreak and Ghana's preparedness activities have been started and are ongoing but these too are not mainstream. So far, the government's communication on the matter has focused on information on the evolution of the outbreak globally, clinical symptoms, directions on prevention and measures being taken within the country to early detect and manage possible cases. Entry point security Mr. Abban said he had spoken with the Ghana Health Service Director-General and the service was in the processes of shoring up Ghanas surveillance efforts at points of entry. At the moment, Ghanas 14 approved entry routes are manned by health workers monitoring human traffic. As far as Ghana's points of entry are concerned, the state has held stakeholder engagements with the Ghana Airport Company limited management and the Kotoka International Airport, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Tema Port to strengthen surveillance systems. The screening of passengers on arrival is ongoing with the use of thermal scanning and declaration forms. He [the Health Service Director] quickly did some new posting so that we can beef up the numbers there, which was done just yesterday [Friday]. So it is not as though nothing is happening, the Deputy Minister disclosed. Again, Mr. Abban noted some gaps in Ghanas preparedness efforts at the borders. What I cannot speak to is the fact that we have many unapproved routes that people crisscross, especially in the areas where we have proper border towns. In all, he assured that Ghanas preparedness efforts were on track and that the efforts in place will only be evident if Ghana recorded a case of the virus. Because the thing is a contingency, you wont see the plans until a case comes up. For example, the PPE's [Personal Protective Equipment] that have been bought. They will only put int on when they are going for samples [of the virus]. What is Covid-19? The novel coronavirus, which was first detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has claimed more than 2,900 lives and has infected over 85,000 people across almost 50 countries. To prevent the spread, the standard recommendations coming from the WHO is regular hand washing, covering one's mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. We are also advised to avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. WHO has also given more detailed guidelines on how workplaces can put in place proactive measures with the virus in mind. citinewsroom Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said ensuring that all citizens get benefit and justice is the government's responsibility and also the base of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas.' Addressing a public meeting at Samajik Sahakarita Shivir, after distributing assistive devices among Divyangjan and senior citizens, Modi said serving 130 crore people of the country is the priority of his government. Hitting out at previous governments, he said they did not care for the Divyangjan but his dispensation was thinking about their problems and finding ways to reduce their issues. Previous governments organised very few camps to assist the Divyangjan, especially a mega camp like the one organised in Allahabad on Saturday, he asserted. "In the past 5 years, 9,000 camps in different parts of the country have been organised for the differently-abled and 2.5 times more aids have been distributed," he said. "It is the responsibility of the government that all people get benefit and justice. This is the base of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas'," the prime minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PHILIPSBURG:---Were happy to announce an exclusive book signing event with local author, Lasana M. Sekou, this Saturday, February 29, from 10 AM to 2 PM at Van Dorp, Madame Estate, posted the bookstore on Facebook this week. Van Dorp is inviting customers and the general public to Meet the author and have your copy (of his new books) signed! Hurricane Protocol by Sekou and Caribbean Counterpoint The Aesthetics of Salt in Lasana Sekou by Sara Florian, PhD, are the featured books. But All Lasana M. Sekou books will be available at Vandorp. Buy any 2 books and get 1 FREE gift book! See you there! announced the bookstore. Sekous popular history book National Symbols of St. Martin, his short story collections, and the French and Spanish translations of his work will be available. Van Dorp customers, book lovers, and visitors to the island will also be able to Enjoy a flash recital at 12 noon by Mr. Lasana himself, reading from his poetry and fiction books to celebrate Black History Month! stated the Facebook post. Many thanks to Mrs. Carty of Van Dorp, and the wonderful bookstore personnel for the exciting invitation and hospitality, said Jacqueline Sample, president of HNP, Sekous publisher. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced via news release on Friday that the armed forces, in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, had carried out a total of two airstrikes against al-Shabaab terrorist targets in the country, Trend reports citing Sputnik. AFRICOM revealed that the strikes, which took place around Somalia's Qunyo Barrow on February 28, eliminated two terrorists and, according to current assessments, did not injure or kill any civilians. The armed forces did not reveal what type of aircraft was used to carry out the airstrikes. The support the US provides to our partners in our cooperative efforts to enhance security throughout Africa is unmatched by our competitors and is vital to not only East African security but to protecting the America forces on the continent and abroad, said US Army Brigade General and AFRICOM Deputy Director of Intelligence Gregory Hadfield in the Friday release. Earlier this week, Sputnik reported that US conducted a precision airstrike that eliminated a terrorist with the al-Qaeda aligned Islamist group who was behind a previous attack that killed one American soldier and two Pentagon contractors on January 5. Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, is an evil and remorseless enemy of peace, stability, and freedom in East Africa and threatens the very way of life of people there, as well as Americans and US interest in the region and abroad, US Army Gen. and AFRICOM Commander Stephen Townsend said in the February 25 release. This sentiment was reiterated on Friday, but the armed forces made clear that it does not believe al-Shabaab possesses the "capability to strike US homeland." Congratulations, themagickmoon.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Themagickmoon.com scored 63 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 8 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. themagickmoon.com is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 277 people on Facebook, it has 7 twitter shares and it has 1 google+ shares. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the themagickmoon homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if themagickmoon has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the themagickmoon homepage on Delicious. 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The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Malaysia's Prime Minister Designate and former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin waves to reporters outside his residence in Kuala Lumpur KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Former Malaysian interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be sworn in as the country's next prime minister on Sunday, after he secured support from a Malay nationalist party that sacked him in 2015. Here are some facts about Muhyiddin, 72, who is from the majority Malay Muslim community and once courted controversy in the multi-racial country by saying that he was Malay first. * Muhyiddin is from the southern state of Johor, neighbouring Singapore, where he was chief minister for almost nine years. * His father was an influential religious teacher in his hometown. Graduated from the University of Malaya in 1970 in Economics and Malay Studies. * He is the president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which he started in 2016 and is now chaired by Mahathir. * Formerly he was with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the long-ruling establishment party that was defeated in the last general election. He joined it in 1971. Muhyiddin will be Malaysia's 8th prime minister with support from UMNO. * He was deputy prime minister between April 2009 and July 2015 before being sacked and thrown out of UMNO for questioning former Prime Minister Najib Razak's handling of a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). * In 2010, he said: "I am a Malay first, I want to say that. But being Malay does not mean you are not a Malaysian". * In 2018, Muhyiddin was diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer. Mahathir had taken charge of the home affairs ministry as he sought treatment. * He tends to keep a low profile and a person who knows him well says he is very close to his family. (Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Ed Davies) Help India! ISRAR AHMED, Twocircles.net Naam kya? (What is your name?), asked the rioters. Support TwoCircles Ashfaq..bullets screeching at the street full of smashed glasses, broken furniture, and piling mess of plastic, wood, paper as men with guns ran across doors killing people identified Muslims by their names. The death toll in northeast Delhi violence went up to 42 on Thursday, with the Health Department confirming 4 more deaths on Friday. As no record of fresh eruptions of rioting has been reported in the last three days, heart wrenching stories from the affected areas are being uncovered amid the uneasy calm. Reports suggest the maximum number of deaths is around 30 among whom are sole breadwinners of their families, newlyweds, and new parents. While mothers have lost young sons, little children will never see their fathers again. Where husbands have lost their wives, newlyweds have lost their husbands to the unprecedented violence. One such story is of the wife of Ashfaq Hussain, married just eleven days back. 22-years-old Ashfaq Hussain from Mustafabad died a merciless death at the hand of rioters. Ashfaq was one of those who had gone to work that day when news came from the hospital that he had been shot. No one knew he would never return from hospital alive. Uske haathon ki mehndi ka rang nahi chhootha tha abhi, (The colour of henna on her hands has not faded yet), said one of the relatives of Ashfaq, explaining how his wife is in shock and trauma of her husbands death. His relatives informed Ashfaq had got married just this month, on February 14. They believe he had received five bullets on his chest. Ashfaqs house in the northeast assembly constituency is steeped in deafening silence as his family is still in disbelief that the young and lively Ashfaq is no more. Kitni takleef ka saamna karke hum apne bachchon ko paal poskar bada karte hain aur ek hi jhatke mein aaker usay wo maar daalte hain (With unimaginable labour and pains we raise our little children and in just one moment, they took him away from all of us), said Hajra, Ashfaqs aunt. She further said that Ashfaq was just standing at the street with his friends when the rioters came and fired shots. She added that her whole family is in mourning and it is unthinkable for her how one human has absolutely no mercy for another. Aap hi bataiye uski 11 dinon ki biwi kya karegi ab? Kahaan jaegi wo? Kiase jiyegi wo? (You only say how will Ashfaqs wife who was married only 11 days ago will live? Where will she go? How will she live?) said Hajra, sobbing. Mudassir, Ashfaqs brother ran to the hospital to collect his body. He explained what followed during the violence on February 22. Brijpuri puliya par pohonchte hi Ashfaq Bhai aur unke doston ko chaaron taraf se gher liya (Just when Ashfaq reached Brijpuri Puliya with his friends, he was surrounded by men from all sides), said Mudassir. He narrated how Ashfaqs friends, seeing the armed men ran away leaving him alone. The mob of unruly men, in masks, asked him his name and the instant Ashfaq replied, became his final moments. He wasnt just shot, but also hit with weapons several times before he lost consciousness, said Mudassir. According to Mudassir, Ashfaqs friends had been witnessing all that was happening from a distance but they were themselves helpless and could do nothing to save him. After the rioters were done nearly beating him to death, his friends tried to take him to GTB Hospital but it was difficult for them to reach as roads were immediately blocked. Adding to the obstacles, the way to GTB was closed and Ashfaq was taken to a nearby hospital. After battling for life for two hours, Ashfaq lost and breathed his last. While his family is in mourning, Mudassir, along with a group of friends, has decided to fight for justice for Ashfaq. He has requested for the CCTV footage from the day to identify the rioter who shot the bullets at Ashfaq so that he can be put behind bars. Even though the family does not trust Delhi Police anymore, their hope remains alive. Two more Diamond Princess evacuees quarantined in San Antonio have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, federal health officials said Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to eight. All had been in or near China, where the virus outbreak originated, but in California, health officials Friday confirmed the second case of infection believed to have been transmitted to a person who didnt travel internationally or come in close contact with anyone who had it. Oregon also reported its first coronavirus case. As in California, the person didnt travel internationally or come in close contact with someone who had it, the Oregon Health Authority said in a news release. In California, health officials in San Jose said the patient was an older adult woman with chronic health conditions. It comes a day after state officials said a woman from Solano County hospitalized at UC Davis Health Center in Sacramento had contracted the illness after no known contact. The findings hints that the coronavirus already may circulating locally in California, passing from person to person. The patient in the Oregon case worked at an elementary school in the Portland area, but authorities didnt provide any other details, citing patient privacy. School officials notified parents that it would be closed until Wednesday so it can be deep-cleaned by maintenance workers. From eastern Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa, a steady stream of new cases on Friday fueled fears that the coronavirus epidemic may be turning into a global pandemic, with some health officials saying it may be inevitable. The countries with the biggest outbreaks outside China South Korea, Italy and Iran reported more than 3,500 infections Friday, about twice as many as two days earlier. More than 83,000 people in at least 56 countries have been infected, and more than 2,800 have died. In San Antonio, one of two newly diagnosed evacuees previously had tested positive for the virus before being evacuated from the cruise ship in Japan, results now confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The other infected person was tested after developing symptoms, said Kate Grusich, a CDC spokeswoman. Another three people who also tested positive in Japan still are awaiting confirmatory testing by CDC. Like those who have tested positive, they have been removed from the quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for isolation elsewhere. Five other Diamond Princess passengers from the group of 144 people who originally were quarantined at Lackland have tested positive for the virus, COVID-19. One was transported out of state this week to be reunited with a spouse who was isolated at another medical facility after also being diagnosed with the virus. MORE CASES: 6 hospitalized for coronavirus after three more cruise ship passengers at Lackland test positive That person was replaced by a Texas woman who tested positive for the virus while under quarantine in California and requested a transfer to San Antonio for the remainder of her isolation. Confirmed and suspected coronavirus patients are being isolated in a separate wing of the Texas Center for Infectious Disease, a state-run tuberculosis hospital on the South Side. The two-week quarantine for the remaining 134 cruise ship passengers at Lackland, who arrived Feb. 17, is expected to lift Monday. 'VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE': Cruise ship passengers quarantined at Lackland faced chaotic trip home Because of the conditions on the Diamond Princess, where hundreds fell ill while the ship was docked in Japan, the evacuees are considered at high risk of contracting the virus. In addition to testing passengers who received positive test results in Japan and those who became symptomatic, testing also was offered to the rest of the evacuees on a voluntary basis. Grusich said a handful of results from those tests still are pending. One person from an earlier group of 91 evacuees from Wuhan, China, was found to be infected with the virus. That patient will not be released until testing negative for the virus twice, at least two days apart. The other 90 evacuees were released Feb. 20 from their quarantine at Lackland, after being declared healthy by the CDC. Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba Meeting with Amit Shah was positive, all parties will take steps to restore peace: Kejriwal 1 killed in clash, mobile internet services suspended in 6 Meghalaya districts India oi-PTI Shillong, Feb 29: One person has been killed in clashes between KSU members and non-tribals during a meeting on CAA and inner line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills after which mobile internet services have been suspended in six districts, officials said on Saturday. The clashes between the Khasi Students Union members and non-tribals broke out during the anti-CAA and pro-ILP meetings held in the Ichamati area of the district on Friday, they said. Mobile internet services have been suspended in six districts - East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills an South West Khasi hills - of the state from Friday night for 48-hours, officials said. Northeast Delhi clashes: Who said what Curfew was imposed in Shillong and adjoining areas with effect from 10 pm of February 28 to 8 am of February 29, an official order said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 12:07 [IST] 14.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard MSNBCs Ali Velshi tore into the Trump administration on Saturday, particularly the two men at the top, for essentially being the last two people on earth who should running a global health emergency response effort. During a discussion with Joy Reid, Velshi said that Donald Trump and Mike Pence have no credibility to deal with global or domestic crises, from terrorist attacks to natural disasters to mass shootings. Time and again, the two most powerful men in the world has demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to be straight with the American people. The currency of trust is gone, Velshi said. So when you look at people selling the markets, its not that theyre listening to Democrats or media. Theyre saying Im not getting good information. He added, Theyre hoping the governments honest with them, but were not really getting the sense that they are, and thats when this thing starts to break down. Video: Ali Velshi says Trump and Pence have repeatedly shown that they cant be trusted in times of crisis. #ctl #p2 #amjoy pic.twitter.com/GzMLfV0Fi3 PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 29, 2020 Velshi said: You look at the president, what do you need from a president? In times of a terrorist attack, you need guidance. What does Donald Trump doing? He talks about Islamic fundamentalism and ignores the threat of home-grown terrorism. In a natural disaster, like hurricanes, you need leadership from the president. What does he do? He draws lines with sharpies on hurricane maps and throws paper towels out to people. In mass shootings, you need guidance and leadership. What does the president do? He echos NRA talking points. So now weve got a possible pandemic, its not something we faced before, and the currency of trust is gone. So when you look at people selling the markets, its not that theyre listening to Democrats or media. Theyre saying Im not getting good information. You know where you dont get good information about these diseases? In China and Iran and were very critical of those governments who do not test properly, they do not honestly report on whens going on and we worry thats why this thing spreads. So this is half medical science and half trust in your government. The president has put Mike Pence in charge of this. Mike Pence in 2000 wrote a blog that said cigarettes dont cause cancer. I know a lot of us didnt think it caused cancer, but in 2000 we actually knew it did. Mike Pence spoke about when he was the governor of Indiana, when he was running for Congress as well, about needle exchanges. There was an HIV epidemic. He didnt believe needle exchanges stopped the transmission of infection. We know that they do. So this is the problem: People are having to make their own decisions because theyre hoping the governments honest with them, but were not really getting the sense that they are, and thats when this thing starts to break down. When you start finding out there are people at work and people you know who have this stuff and youre not getting guidance, youll make your own decisions. The Trump administration puts politics before people As this administration stumbles from crisis to crisis, they have repeatedly shown the country that they are unable or unwilling to set politics aside and be straight with the American people. As I noted earlier, just days after Trump named him to lead the coronavirus response, Pence is holding political fundraisers. A president and vice president incapable of putting people over politics has no business leading a global health emergency response. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter A court in the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa has convicted the Russian captain and crew of a cargo ship of drug trafficking and sentenced them to long prison terms. "All the defendants were aware of the narcotic drug placed on the vessel and acted with intent, freely and consciously, in exchange for economic benefit," Judge Angela Rodrigues read in a court judgment on February 28. Cape Verde authorities said the cargo ship was caught in February 2019 with the biggest cocaine haul ever seized in the country -- some 9.5 tons. The ship was traveling to Morocco from South America when it docked at the port of Praia for legal reasons following the death of a crew member. Captain Sergei Kotlovsky testified that he had been forced to take the drugs on board in the Caribbean by the ship's owner and that the 10 crew members were not aware of the cargo. Kotlovsky received a 12-year sentence for international drug trafficking, while crew members received 10 years each. They were acquitted of a second charge of criminal association. The defense lawyer, Martinho Landim, said he would appeal the decision. Based on reporting by Reuters SPRINGFIELD, MASS. House Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president on Friday night, giving a boost to his home state senator on the eve of Tuesdays primary where she is at risk of losing Massachusetts to progressive rival Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump on the economy, Neal said in a statement. She has spent her life studying why working families can't get ahead and how too many get left behind." Warren has slipped behind Sanders in recent Massachusetts polls. In October, she held a 20-percentage point lead over Sanders but a poll released Friday shows Warren trailing the Vermont senator by 8 points. Warren has declined to say whether she expects to win her home state on Tuesday. Neal endorsed Warren the same night Sanders held a rally in Springfield Neal's hometown that drew more than 4,000 people. Sanders is making a hard play to beat Warren in her home state, with back to back rallies and a four-day music and canvassing festival. While Sanders swept Western Massachusetts in 2016, he lost the state to Hillary Clinton by a narrow margin. Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during a campaign event Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Beyond his position as the powerful chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Neal is the dean of the Massachusetts congressional delegation and a fixture in the western part of the state. He was the mayor of Springfield in the 1980s and was sworn into Congress in 1989. In his endorsement, Neal touted Warren's work to create the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, and her record of getting "predatory loans canceled for students in Western Massachusetts." "Her record of fighting and winning real results makes her the real deal and the right choice for Massachusetts voters on Tuesday," Neal said. Warren has the backing of the majority of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, and counts Rep. Ayanna Pressley as one of her three national campaign co-chairs. Sen. Ed Markey and Reps. Lori Trahan, Katherine Clark, Jim McGovern and Rep. Joe Kennedy III have held campaign events for Warren in recent weeks. Rep. Seth Moulton, who briefly ran for president, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. Rep. Bill Keating does not plan to endorse a candidate. Story continues Neal endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, and introduced her at a Springfield rally the day before Super Tuesday. Clinton went on to beat Sanders in Springfield with 61 percent of the vote, to his 38 percent. In the general election, Neal traveled to Pennsylvania to stump for Clinton. A 30-year veteran of Congress, Neal is facing a primary challenge from the progressive and openly gay mayor of Holyoke, Alex Morse. A former member of the House of Representatives, Robinson Uwak, said Godswill Akpabio frustrated his effort to get his federal constituency in Akwa Ibom recognised as an oil-producing area when Mr Akpabio was the governor of the state. But Mr Akpabio, in his response to the accusation, said he made the constituency to be recognised as oil-producing before he left as governor. Mr Uwak represented Oron Federal Constituency from 2011 to 2015. The constituency comprises five local government areas Oron, Mbo, Okobo, Udung Uko, and Urue Offong/ Uruko also known collectively as Oro nationality. The Oro people recently staged a peaceful protest, demanding for oil-producing status and more development projects for their area by the federal and state government, and oil companies operating in the state the American oil giant, Mobil Producing Unlimited, is among the oil companies operating in Akwa Ibom. Mr Uwak, in a Facebook post on Thursday, said while he was a member of the House of Representatives, Abuja, he resorted to using the House to push for the status of oil-producing for his constituency after some sad encounters he said he had with oil companies, including Mobil, in Akwa Ibom. I remember in my meeting with Mr Mark Ward the former Managing Director of ExxonMobil he clearly told me that my people were not recognised as oil-producing communities by the state government and that ExxonMobil deals strictly with directives from the state government, the former lawmaker stated in the Facebook post. He was full of regrets but was clear about their hands being tied on the issue of accommodating my requests under their funding provisions earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibilities. Mr Uwak said the then governor, Mr Akpabio threw spanner in the works when a joint committee of the House, led by Uche Ekwunife, visited Akwa Ibom on fact-finding regarding the agitations of the Oro people. Then Governor Godswill Akpabio in a closed-door meeting with the joint committees of the House, with my humble self in attendance, disowned me as a federal legislator from the state and asked the joint committees of the House Of Representatives to boycott the public hearing on the oil-bearing status of Oro scheduled to hold the following day at the Oro Civic Center. Governor Akpabio revealed to the joint house committee members that he had received a delegation of Oro Elders and Chiefs led by Chief Okon Osung who came by night to him distancing the Oro people from my actions and apologized to him on my behalf. The governor went further to attack my person in unprintable words, Mr Uwak said. I explained to the governor that my actions were simply to complement the efforts of the state government by compelling the Oil Companies to contribute their quota to developing their host communities. I reminded the governor that just as he claims to approach transformation with anger I was also emulating his stand by approaching legislation with anger derived from the inhumane living condition of my people. Mr Awak said the public hearing was held even when some of the committee members, according to him, boycotted it because of Mr Akpabios persuasion. He said the report of the public hearing was, however, not presented on the floor of the House for almost a year because the then-governor allegedly lobbied against it. Not true When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Akpabio, on Friday, he explained why he was against the fact-finding by the federal lawmakers. I told Robinson Uwak that they have never included Oron as oil-producing area in Akwa Ibom and that the best way to do it is not by going to the House of Reps to go and move a motion that Oron should be included which led to a visitation by the House of Reps to come and look at Oro nation whether they have oil wells, said Mr Akpabio who is now the Minister, Niger Delta Affairs. I am the one that gave Oro nation the status of oil-producing, they were never included before, the minister added. READ ALSO: When they brought it up to my attention I told them that, for me, Universal Energy, had struck oil in Mbo, so Mbo Local Government Area is oil-producing. Because of that, I appointed Etim Inyang from Oro as Akwa Ibom representative on the board of NDDC. I said Oron is contiguous to the sea and the oil wells are by the sea and that as contiguous area you are automatically oil-producing. Mr Akpabio said he helped Oron to produce a senator for the first time in about 40 years, besides several other political appointments, he said he gave to Oro people when he was the governor. House intervention The House of Representatives, in July 2012, passed some resolutions, including a directive to the federal government to recognise Mbo, Udung Uko, Okobo, Oron, and Urue Ofong/Oruko as oil-producing areas in Akwa Ibom. The House also directed the oil and gas companies operating in the area to sign MOU with the areas for proper partnership with the people and should fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility and also abide by the Nigerian local content laws. Advertisements Meanwhile, Mr Uwak, in the Facebook post, appealed to the governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, to intervene and right the wrongs done to the Oro people. Sir, you have ended kidnappings, assassination, mindless looting of the state treasury and many other achievements too numerous to mention here and you have crowned Akwa Ibom State with honour and pride especially with the establishment of IbomAir, he stated. I pray you to revisit the communication from the federal government directing the Akwa Ibom state government to fully recognize the five local governments of Oron, Mbo, Okobo, Urue Offong/Oruko, and Udung Uko as oil-producing and catchment areas with a view to righting the wrongs done to the Oro communities by the previous administration. Here is the level of support for candidates, according to different polls. Kolkata, March 1 : Much like the scenes witnessed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vist to the city last month, Kolkata could again see widespread protests during Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Jagat Prakash Nadda's trip here on Sunday with several political parties and "apolitical groups" planning to hit the streets. Left parties led by the CPI-M have announced plans to mobilise the students and youths in a big way on the streets of Kolkata in protest against the violence in Delhi, holding Shah responsible for the happenings. "Kolkata is ready to welcome Shah in the same way Modi was welcomed - with black flags. Shah's hands are soaked in blood in the Delhi clashes. He is not welcome in Bengal. There will be a Go Back Amit Shah programme across the state," said Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Md Salim. He said the students and youth organisations will coordinate among themselves and carry out "novel forms of protest" with spontaneity and creativity. State Congress president Somen Mitra said the Congress' mass arms Chhattra Parishad, Mahila Congress and Yuva Congress will stage demonstration at Dharamtala, which could be the epicentre of the protests. But with the BJP meeting scheduled to be held at the Shahid Minar Maidan around the same area, it remains to be seen whether the police allow the protests in Dharamtala. A senior police officer said none of the protesting organisations have taken permission, and it would be ensured that the BJP workers and protestors do not cross each other's path. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind state chief and Mamata cabinet minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury has announced plans to lead a "peaceful rally" from Moulali demanding Shah's resignation for 'doing nothing' to quell the Delhi riots. Social activist Wali Rahmani has urged people to lay siege on the state BJP headquarters by following the Gandhigiri model. He plans to lead a march from the Maidan with sweets, and bouquets penning a letter to Shah requesting him to "desist from making hate speeches". The No-NRC Movement, said to be a protest platform against the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act has also chalked out plans of protest. But the Trinamool seems to be an exception as it has not spelt out any protest plans. State BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu, however, warned that BJP workers would not be idle spectators if any attempt was made to disrupt Shah's visit. "There will be one lakh people at our Shahid Minar rally. All protests will get trampled under the feet of our workers and supporters," said Basu. A second person suffering from the coronavirus has died in France and a Frenchman who had traveled to Italys Lombardy region had also tested positive, the countrys health authorities said on Wednesday. Jerome Salomon said the death was one of three new cases in France this week, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 17, Reuters reported. A 60-year-old French national was hospitalized in Paris in a serious condition and tested for the virus late on Tuesday. Unfortunately (he) died during the night, Salomon said. France is on high alert after neighboring Italy became a new front in the global fight to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called a rapidly escalating epidemic in multiple locations. Coronavirus cases in people who traveled recently to northern Italy have now been found in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia and Algeria. The Frenchman who traveled to Lombardy was hospitalized in Strasbourg and was not in a serious condition, Salomon said. The third new case involved a 55-year-old now on life support in the city of Amiens, in northern France. Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko announced the possibility of additional evacuation of Ukrainians from the Chinese province of Wuhan, if other countries agree to help Ukraine in this matter. The Foreign Minister in an interview with Ukraine 24 TV channel stated this, Hromadske.radio reports. In addition to the Peoples Republic of China, where the first cases were recorded (coronavirus - 112 International), we, basically, do not plan to evacuate today. The only thing we plan is an additional evacuation of those citizens who remained in Wuhan, and we think how to pick them up from there. We have different options. At the moment, it seems most appropriate to attract the help of other countries," Prystaiko said. According to him, one of the European countries proposed to take away Ukrainian citizens from Wuhan, and Ukraine is ready to accept this help. In addition, Prystaiko counts on the support of those countries whose citizens Ukraine helped to evacuate from China, where the epidemic of coronavirus is raging. As we reported before, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko announced his constant readiness to resign. "Indeed, am I ready for the resignation? I am ready from the very beginning, while still assuming this position. I was an ambassador to NATO when the president proposed to me to become foreign minister. It's an honor, but I obviously understand for more than 25 years of my careers, how quickly ministers change over time. And there is always readiness," - the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The shooting on Jan. 24, 2019, drew national attention because Mr. Hendren was on duty at the time. Ms. Gardner had also accused the Police Department of obstructing the investigation in its rush to initially label the shooting an accident. Image Nathaniel Hendren Credit... St. Louis Police Department, via Associated Press Mr. Hendren had been on duty when he met Officer Alix, who was off duty, at his apartment where the two began dry-firing their handguns, according to the plea agreement. Mr. Hendren had produced his revolver, emptied the cylinder and put one round back in, the statement said, adding: Mr. Hendren pointed the revolver down the hallway and pulled the trigger. The gun did not discharge. Officer Alix then took the gun from Mr. Hendren, pointed it at him and pulled the trigger. It did not fire. Mr. Hendren retrieved the gun, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger. It fired and Officer Alix was fatally shot in the chest, the authorities said. The Jharkhand high court on Friday pulled up the state government for not providing regular funds to Ranchi-based National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL) observing that the government should shut down the varsity if it doesnt want to run it. A division bench of chief justice Ravi Ranjan and justice Sujit Narayan Prasad said that the governments apathy towards this premiere institution was difficult to understand. It summoned the chief secretary and finance and building construction departments secretaries asking them to appear personally on the next date of hearing on March 6 to explain the governments inaction. Set up in 2010 by one-time grant provided by the state government, NUSRL has its own campus in Ranchis Kanke area. It offers undergraduate integrated five-year LLB (Hons) and various other courses. But, the institution is facing fund crunch to set up some more infrastructures urgently required for the students. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), the high court bench said that as per the NUSRL Act, the state government, bar council, bar associations and others ought to provide financial aid to the varsity. The government cant deny from extending financial support to the institution university. Worse, it charges electricity bill from the institution for the street lights which the government had set up on the varsity campus and adjoining areas. The government can behave like this with such a reputed institution, the bench said. Jharkhand high court bar association, however, highlighted that the government was not providing any financial support to the institution due to which additional buildings, library and other infrastructure could not be constructed causing much discomfort to the students. The state government clarified that it had sanctioned one time grant of 50 crore to the university. It stated that as per the cabinets decision, the government would not make any further grant. HC observations Court summons chief secretary, finance and building construction secretaries Govt is slapping electricity bills for street lights Govts apathy towards this premiere institution is beyond imagination Govt has to follow the laws SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ravi puts conditions for the use of Swan; demands right to nominate general secretary Amid dispute, UNP leader drops bombshell by suggesting that the alliance contest on UNP ticket and elephant symbol Political parties fielding candidates at the April 25 parliamentary elections have been told of new guidelines, in keeping with the latest election laws by Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya last Wednesday. Polls propaganda, other than rallies, he has declared, should be carried out through the print and electronic media. The idea is to avoid confrontations by different factions, create a calm atmosphere and a healthier environment. With the same objective in mind, he has also declared that in every district only a chief candidate designated by a political party will be entitled to have an office where their candidates numbers are displayed. At polling booths, each party will be allowed to have only one counting agent. Almost all political parties present at the meeting appeared unhappy over the new measures. They were mulling over making representations to Chairman Deshapriya. We may have to go back to the older anda bera (drummers) and kavi kola karayas (poetry written on issues and read out at village fairs and other gatherings in the older years), said a registered political partys General Secretary who spoke on grounds of anonymity. Like him, a counterpart of another party did not want to offend the elections chief with his remarks. He added, Those curbs affect us badly, particularly at the village level. Both alluded to higher advertising costs in the media during polls campaigns and this meant high campaign expenses. They were also seeking an increase in the number of counting agents in areas where preference votes are counted. Speaking to a group of party members from his office in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) architect Basil Rajapaksa, who is also the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Nidhas Podujana Peramuna, warned that the new measures could be damaging. Noting that Sri Lanka was one of the countries that had a high polling rate during elections (75 to 80 percent), he said this figure could come down to those of the West, where polling was an average of 40 percent. This was because rural area voters would not know the candidate number in the light of the new restrictions. Just hours before meeting representatives of political parties, Chairman Deshapriya told a news conference, We are 100 percent certain that Parliament would be dissolved within a week, but added that both laws and the Constitution empowered the President to choose the date for dissolution and parliamentary election. Thus, avoiding references to exact dates, he set out the legal parameters general elections can be held within 52 to 66 days after dissolution. The election, therefore, could be held between April 22 and May 4. Deshapriya also said since national new year and other holidays in April, we are expecting an early date. As revealed exclusively in these columns last week, polls will be held on April 25. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to sign a proclamation dissolving Parliament at midnight on March 2. Nominations will be called between March 12 and 19. The Sunday Times has learnt there will no changes in the dates. In fact, Chairman Deshapriya hinted that his Commission staff, the Police, military personnel, transport providers, train services are among those who will have to work throughout April irrespective of the holidays. Notwithstanding the legal constraints on the Chairman of the Election Commission announcing the dates until the President has dissolved Parliament, the date of elections did transpire at Wednesdays meeting. This is after a Muslim political party raised issue over the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. There were prospects the fast could begin on April 25 depending on the visibility of the moon the previous night. However, another smaller Muslim party representative pointed out that irrespective of such dates, there were some Muslim sect members who began the fast a day earlier than their traditional brethren who awaited the visibility of the moon. Chairman Deshapriya asked one of his officials to convey these sentiments to President Rajapaksa. He later reported to his boss that he has informed Lalith Weeratunga, Honorary Advisor to the President. However, the Election Commission is proceeding according to plans. A noteworthy feature at the meeting was the presence of the United National Party (UNP) delegation. Separating the two sides by sitting in the middle was Nissanka Nanayakkara PC, who is the partys legal secretary. On one side were General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Ashu Marasinghe, both loyalists of leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. On the other were Ranjit Madduma Bandara and Ajith Perera. General Secretary Kariyawasam handed in a letter to Chairman Deshapriya under his signature. That urged the Election Commission to permit one of the UNP representatives to monitor the computer system which would be used for the results. It was rejected. Why the UNP General Secretary sought to monitor election results coming through Election Commission computer system is unclear. It reminds one of the results of the 2010 presidential election which soldier turned politician Sarath Fonseka lost. Then, onetime Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Somawansa Amerasinghe remarked there was computer jillmart, suggesting technical manipulation. However, for all purposes, the UNP is not contesting the parliamentary elections as things remain now. The Working Committee, the partys policy making body, has decided that its deputy leader Sajith Premadasa would head the Samagi Jana Balavegaya or United National Force. What is at issue now is the symbol of the alliance. This has turned out to be an on or off affair. This did not deter alliance leader Premadasa from having a strategy session with his close confidants this week. The meeting was at the Colombo Swimming Club. Among those taking part were Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) leader Champika Ranawaka, the UNPs onetime General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, Parliamentarian Eran Wickremeratne and Harin Fernando and Shiral Lakthilake, former Senior Advisor to President Maithripala Sirisena, The focus of the meeting was on the polls campaign. This event made clear that the trio who were tasked with a similar campaign during the presidential election will not be front runners. Even they were sidelined then. The trio are Kabir Hashim, Mangala Samaraweera and Malik Samarawickrema. On Thursday, a UNP senior backing Premadasa asked Samarawickrema why they were now on the backfoot. He replied, We have done enough to keep the party together. Now, you all must know how to take it forward. The remarks underscored the exasperation at the highest levels of the Premadasa camp. Ravis demand at luncheon meeting The issue of the symbol came to the fore again after former Minister, Ravi Karunanayake hosted a lunch at his luxury residence in Kotte for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem, Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganesan and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) leader Rishad Bathiudeen. He made clear that the Swan symbol, over which he has considerable influence, could be given to the alliance only if he or one of his nominees is appointed General Secretary. Indeed, the present General Secretary of the New Democratic Front (DNF) Sharmila Perera was also present at Wednesdays meeting at the Election Commission. When asked by the Sunday Times, Hakeem and Bathiuddin denied there were such remarks made by Karunanayake. Hakeem said, I dont know since I left early. However, he was present till the lunch ended. Bathiuddin said, There was no reference to Karunanayake or a nominee becoming the General Secretary. The two Muslim leaders, had met with public criticism after the April 21 Easter Sunday massacres. Little wonder, some minority parties are viewed with great suspicion. There is even a clamour to ban religious based parties when a new constitution is formulated. This is on the grounds that their name boards were being used to lure funding, particularly from rich West Asian donors, ostensibly to help the Muslim community. There is no scrutiny of such funds. Sections of the Muslim community are also in favour of such a move on the grounds that their leaders did not stand up for them during a crisis and were functioning as corporates. Of course, there are others who say there is nothing called a free meal except perhaps at kanduris (feasts) or daney. Here is what DPF leader Mano Ganesan told the Sunday Times: Karunanayake expected us to play an amicable role to resolve issues within the two factions of the UNP to move forward as a united force. He also said that under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the party cannot win any elections as he is not a leader who can be marketed among masses. He also agreed that there should be a change. On the possibility of using the Swan symbol, Karunanayake put forward a condition that he should be named as the General Secretary of the alliance or his nominee -Shyamila Perera General Secretary of National Democratic Front. As the discussions went on over the symbol, one of the leaders suggested that Speaker Karu Jayasuriya be made leader of the alliance and Ranjith Madduma Bandara remains as the General Secretary. The latter was on the grounds that Bandaras appointment has been ratified by the UNP Working Committee earlier. It was pointed out that Speaker Jayasuriya is not prepared to take up any posts in the alliance. We have decided to contest under the UNP-led alliance of Samagi Jana Balavegaya. However, the symbol issue is yet to be finalised. Mano Ganesans revelations show that the two Muslim political parties are focused on finding influential political positions for their leaders and suppoters. Other than trying to tilt the balance of power between major political parties, influential sections of the Muslim community complain little has been done for their welfare. A case in point, they point out, is the aftermath of the Easter Sunday massacres. It was with Karunanayakes blessings that Sarath Fonseka won the Swan symbol to contest the 2010 presidential election. For Premadasa, that was as good as saying Wickremesinghe or Akila Viraj Kariyawasam being appointed to that position. It was an impossible demand and the question was whether Karunanayake, a staunch Wickremesinghe loyalist, was placing a stumbling block. On the other hand, there is no convincing reason why he should simply hand over a symbol to a rival without a quid pro quo. After all, they were also engaged in a bargaining game. On Friday, ahead of a news conference Premadasa addressed, the trio met him to brief him on the outcome. They explained that they want to play the role of interlocutors, so the issues confronting the Premadasa faction could be resolved. That naturally turned the focus on the symbol for the alliance. If Swan is not conceded due to its legal holder raising objections, the question is whether Premadasa would be forced to go with the heart symbol chosen earlier and dropped later? Of course, that would have to be with the approval of the UNP Working Committee. At a news conference later on Friday afternoon, Premadasa claimed, There is no issue with the symbol; groups that are working towards the betterment of the country are joining us. We will announce the symbol in the future and there is no issue. Premadasa also formally announced that the SLMC-led by Rauff Hakeem will join the Samagi Jana Balavegaya. Hakeem had earlier explored tie-ups unsuccessfully with other smaller parties. He took part in the news conference and declared as a dignified party that primarily represents the Muslims in Sri Lanka, we along with rest of the MPs will sign agreements to join the alliance. Rishad Bathiuddin (ACMC), who made unsuccessful overtures to join the SLPP ahead of the presidential election last year, will also support the new alliance. Quite clearly, they have run out of any choice and did not know what was in store for them. Premadasa dilemma It is in this backdrop that the UNP Working Committee went into session at the headquarters in Siri Kotha in Pita Kotte. Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who summoned it presided. Premadasa had claimed just hours early that there is no problem with the symbol. Wickremesinghe dropped a bombshell. He told the gathering that if there were difficulties, it was best for Premadasa and the others to contest under the UNP and its Elephant symbol. That was a stunning suggestion and was like dropping a bomb on an airport runway. That gives Premadasa two options. Since he has won the UNP Working Committees endorsement to head the new alliance as their leader, he has no symbol. The offer to contest from the UNP, if he cannot get the Swan, using the Elephant symbol has now become imperative. The Wickremesinghe Working Committee will now endorse only that move. That will isolate all partner parties of the proposed alliance including the JHU, the SLMC and the ACMC. On the other hand, if Premadasa chooses a symbol not approved by the Working Committee, he faces disciplinary action. That would constitute a violation of a decree by his leader Wickremesinghe. Either way, Wickremesinghe has made clear that the choice before Premadasa was to resolve the issue over the Swan Symbol or contest under the UNP with the elephant Symbol. Ahead of the Working Committee meeting, some of the UNPs senior members met also at Siri Kotha to discuss the draft constitution of the proposed alliance. Also present were a team of lawyers including Ronald Perera PC and Daya Pelpola. One of the highlights was to make provision to ensure that the main controlling body, the Central Committee of the alliance had sixty percent UNP members. Another is a provision that a leader of the alliance is picked once every three years. Of the 60 percent who will serve, 45 percent would have to be approved by UNP leader Wickremesinghe. With a few changes, the constitution was adopted and later endorsed by the Working Committee. Among the UNPers at this meeting were Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa, Kabir Hashim, Malik Samarawickrema, Mangala Samaraweera, Navin Dissanayake, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Sagala Ratnayake, Lakshman Kiriella, Ravi Karunanayake, John Ameratunga and Talatha Athukorale. The approval of the constitution for the alliance is like purchasing a vehicle without the rim and the tyres. The tyres, or in this instance, a symbol, are required for the proposed alliance to operate. The longer it is delayed, the longer its campaign suffers. Contesting under the UNP name would also bring about a casualty Ranjith Madduma Bandara. He is the General Secretary of the proposed alliance and his name has been endorsed by the Working Committee. Thus, the ball is now in Premadasas court. Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to have corralled Premadasa as well as his would-be alliance partners. He may have suffered a colossal damage to his own reputation and personal standing, but he has, for right or wrong, consistently stood his ground. Premadasa, has more often than not played into his hands. His walkout at one of the meetings of the Working Committee with little or no public explanation is just one example. Just as the Working Committee meeting ended, Harsha de Silva MP declared, We cannot go on like this. I am very disappointed at the outcome of todays WC meeting. I might have to take a decision soon. The proposed alliances General Secretary, Ranjith Madduma Bandara said, We have already got our new alliance constitution approved by the Working Committee. We will take a decision on the symbol on Sunday when the Working Committee meets. This, however, is not a major issue. Yet, that is the real issue that have mired Premadasa and his loyalists in a state of confusion and shock. UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said though the nomination list would be prepared by Premadasa, it should be finally approved by leader Wickremesinghe. We are discussing the Swan symbol and will finalise matters on Sunday. Such remarks about finalising matters have been repeated ad nauseum by the two warring factions of the UNP. If Ravi Karunanayake decides he would not cede the Swan symbol if he or his nominee is not named General Secretary, the position is not expected to change. The question for Premadasa then would be what next? In this all-out war between Wickremesinghe and Premadasa, the former has held the grounds with a smaller number of troops or backers. The latter, despite having the backing of most, is now facing a serious dilemma with time running out. Will it be surrender or a fresh round of fighting? Tame finale in Geneva, but more problems have just started US may impose more travel bans on Lankan military officers without much publicity If there was hype and even some hope in Geneva when the US-sponsored resolution on accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka was taken up, it was a tame week. There were no street demonstrations, intense lobbying nor a vote. Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday Sri Lanka would withdraw from the co-sponsorship of the US-backed resolutions. This covered Resolution 40/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. This also incorporates and builds on preceding resolutions (30/1) of October 2015 and (34/1) of March 2017. Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera did not explain why Cabinet approval or approval of the President was not obtained for the co-sponsorship. However, in a three-page statement, he declared that The final text of the resolution was largely negotiated over the telephone, with the President and I at the same hotel in New York, and the Prime Minister in Colombo accompanied by the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time and the Ambassador of the US and High Commissioner of the UK. Once consensus was reached, the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time who was in Colombo had coordinated with Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and conveyed the decision of the Government of Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council. Responding to a query from the Sunday Times, UNHCR Media Officer Rolando Gomez said in an e-mail: Per Human Rights Council guidelines, a country cannot withdraw from a resolution after the resolution is adopted. Additional co-sponsors may be accepted by the Council Secretariat until two weeks after the conclusion of consideration of all draft proposals. Requests received by the Secretariat after this deadline are not taken into consideration. Nevertheless, this position has not been articulated by any high official of the UNHRC. UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Bachelott only termed it as very unfortunate, like most other delegates. That included Canadas Foreign Minister Francois Phillipe Champagne who declared Canada is disappointed. Moreover US, the mover of the resolution, has quit the UNHRC and is no longer a member. Yet, the Geneva event was a necessary success for the ruling SLPP-led alliance. Apart from the opportunity of briefing likeminded countries friendly with Sri Lanka, Minister Gunawardena, assisted by State Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who has wide experience on the workings of the Council, met many heads of delegations to brief them on Sri Lankas new position. More importantly, what was said and done in Geneva will echo in the coming weeks at the parliamentary polls campaign countrywide. The charge will be that the sell out of national interests was halted under the Presidency of Gotabaya Rajapaksa who gave military leadership to the separatist war that militarily defeated Tiger guerrillas. The governments line is very clear western nations had ganged up with the previous yahapalana administration to punish Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council. They have by renouncing the co-sponsorship dissociated the government and thus saved the good reputation of troops. In the same way, they will defend Lt. Gen. Shavindra Silva, acting Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Commander of the Sri Lanka Army. Washington has imposed a travel ban on him and his family visits to the US. The government is seeing a parallel in the US-backed resolution. Another event that raised fears in sections of the Colombo based diplomatic community is that the United States was stiffening its stance towards Sri Lanka. Travel bans on more top personalities and those in the military are in the offing, they say. Such moves, however, will be with no glare of publicity. Tuesdays weekly ministerial meeting where the Cabinet had decided not to go ahead with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project involving US$ 480 million is being identified as one reason. It was based on the recommendations of an official committee. Official government spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella declared that the government would not betray the country to make money. However, Cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena couched it in softer language. He said the government would negotiate some of the draft provisions. If successful, they would obtain the approval of Parliament and the people. The tame finale at the Human Rights Council sessions does not mean the issues arising from the US-sponsored resolution, now disowned by Sri Lanka, have ended. It had only begun. The moratorium on Sri Lanka to fulfil some remaining provisions ends next year. The sessions in March 2021 will thus become crucial as like-minded western nations put their heads together to discern the next course. As for the parliamentary polls, the gains of the government over issues before the UNHRC and other related issues will not be a major problem. They are sure to win and the SLPP effort is to increase its number of seats. There may be irritants like the case involving former envoy to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga over the MiG-27 fighter jet deal and the scandal involving the SriLankan Airlines airbus deal. The fact that there is no vibrant opposition is one thing. When the yahapalana government was in governance for the past four and half years, its leaders appear to have been blinded to those bribery and corruption issues though it formed polls pledges. Because they could not beat them, some in the previous government joined to become millionaires if not billionaires. A few among them will be known soon. However, events are overtaking many cases. The man could not prove the purpose of his stay in Ukraine Open source Aleksei Pivovarov, editor-in-chief of the international Russian-language television channel RTVi, was denied on the border crossing at the Kyiv airport (Zhulyany) due to the fact that he could not prove the purpose of his stay in Ukraine. Interfax-Ukraine reports that quoting speaker of the State Border Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko. He flew to Zhulyany from Minsk. I can say one thing: the decision to pass or not pass through the state border is made solely by the border inspector, who acts according to the rules of the law on crossing the state border, and that includes citizens of foreign states. At the time of crossing the state border, the person was unable to prove the purpose of his stay in Ukraine to the inspector, and because of that, he was denied entry to Ukraine," Demchenko said. He stressed that this decision does not mean a ban on entering Ukraine in the future. Pivovarov himself also confirmed the denial to enter Ukraine. Ive been to Ukraine for several years and apparently it's not my fate. I flew to Kyiv a couple of hours ago, but they didnt let me into the country, Pivovarov wrote on his Facebook page. As we reported, State Border Service officials did not let three Russian propagandists into Ukraine. Some of them came there to give lectures and trainings. Pixabay Doha/IBNS: The US and the Taliban are expected to sign the landmark deal on Saturday in Qatar, almost 19 years since Washington deployed troops in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. India is going to attend the event. Foreign ministers and representatives of almost 30 countries and international organizations are expected to attend the crucial meet in Qatar cit on Saturday. Sources told Indian Express that India received an invitation from Qatar, and after deliberations at the highest level, the government has decided to send Indias Ambassador to Qatar, P Kumaran. While the decision is not linked to US President Donald Trumps recent visit to India, the signing of the pact will have strategic, security and political implications for India. The matter was discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump during their bilateral meetings, reported the newspaper. In the joint statement issued during Trump's visit to India this week, the issue of Afghanistan was mentioned. "India and the United States share interest in a united, sovereign, democratic, inclusive, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. They support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process that results in a sustainable peace; cessation of violence; elimination of terrorist safe havens; and preservation of the gains of the last 18 years. President Trump welcomed Indias role in continuing to provide development and security assistance to help stabilize and provide connectivity in Afghanistan," read the statement. It will establish a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops in exchange for guarantees from the Taliban not to allow groups such as al-Qaeda to operate in their territory, reported BBC. The move is now been seen as a key step in the peace process. Sources told Tolo News that a six-member delegation from the Afghan government, entirely chosen by President Ashraf Ghani, is also in Doha to meet with the Taliban right after the US-Taliban deal, which is scheduled to be signed on Saturday. Smokehouse Burger at Tejas Burger Joint in Tomball Photo: J.C. Reid / Contributor Photo: J.C. Reid / Contributor That was so good! exclaimed the woman walking out of Tejas Burger Joint on the main drag of Tomballs Old Town. It was just before 1 p. m., the sun was shining, a Texas flag flapped in saturated tricolor. Great choice, she added to her companion, as if the burger gods themselves had sent her in my direction. Maybe they had. Because under the low ceiling of this four-month-old operation, I encountered the first smoked hamburger Ive ever really enjoyed. The famous smoked burger at the late Guys Meat Market on Old Spanish Trail always reminded me of meatloaf; I missed the tight-outside, soft-and-juicy interior contrast that expert cooking on a flat top provides. And no, the smoke flavor did not make up for the textural deficiencies, Even the modern, craft-focused version at Killens Barbecue left me cold when I tried it last summer. So I took my time about making the drive out to Tomball. Big mistake. I should have known that the team behind the creative Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue Greg Moore, his brother Scott Moore, and Michelle Holland would dream up a destination-quality smoked burger. Come along northwestward, up Highway 249, and check it out. More Information Tejas Burger Joint 214 W. Main St., Tomball; 832-349-6116; ordertejasburgerjoint.com Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. On PreviewHouston.com: Alison Cook goes to In-N-Out Burger Price: $14 for the Smokehouse Burger, a half-pounder fitted out with smoked cheddar and two slices of house-cured bacon; $2 for half basket fries; $2.75 for half basket onion rings; $5.95 for a Blue Bell chocolate shake, for a total of $24.70 before tax and tip. Ordering: Step up to the counter, order, pay and then and only then find a table in the dining room or outside on the sidewalk. (A sign on the door asks customers not to hold tables until theyve been through the service line.) The staff will call your name when your food is ready. Architecture: Salad stuff wherever you put it; its add-your-own from the condiment bar. On a butter-toasted potato roll goes a half-pound smoked beef patty, a tangle of caramelized onion, a layer of melted smoked cheddar cheese, and two crossed bacon strips. On the inside of the top bun, set to one side, pale-green squiggles of green onion aioli paint a decoration that looks like a butterfly inside a circle, or perhaps an obscure West Texas cattle brand. From the condiment buffet you can apply pickles, leaf or shredded romaine, sliced tomato, sliced raw onion, jalapenos, pico de gallo or cilantro aioli (its in the squeeze bottle). Mustard and ketchup are at your table. On HoustonChronicle.com: The rodeo is courting young pitmasters with new cook-off competition Quality: The flavors of the Smokehouse Burger are so forceful and dramatic youll really want to taste it first before adding any accouterments. Seriously, first get a load of that crackly black-pepper-and-salt rub dancing barbecue-style across the patty; the strong bloom of wood-smoked beef echoed by the oozy mantle of smoked cheddar; and the umami pull of the house-cured bacon strips. Green onion aioli adds a bit of savory slide without overstepping. The sweet bronzed onions weave in without calling attention to themselves. The Slow Dough potato bun is not too big and not too small, with just the right heft to support a half pound of house-ground Angus beef, smoked first and then finished this is the genius part on the flat-top griddle so that a snappy crust forms. Its the tricky contrast of that sear with the soft, crumbly interior that makes this burger work so well. The patty on the one I sampled had not been oversmoked unto dryness, and while it certainly didnt drip, it retained plenty of moisture. Once the riotous combo of smoke, beef, bold barbecue seasonings and cured pork kick in, you may find your eyeballs rolling back in your head. I certainly did. Ooze rating: Fair Letter grade: A plus Value: Average, considering the high quality Bonus points: The Blue Bell milkshakes are the real deal. The chocolate version actually tastes like chocolate, not some wan syrupy imposter. Look for special flavors, too, like hazelnut, mocha or cotton candy, which combines strawberry with burnt marshmallow. The hand-cut fries are very good, too. As were the service and the general attitude of the small staff. On PreviewHouston.com: How Houston fared in the James Beard semifinalist list this year Minus points: The onion rings suffered from too much of a sturdy batter considering their thin cut. The lovely onion sweetness just kind of got lost inside the thickish sheaths. Needs work. Local color: I liked the small-town feel of the snug dining room, with its Texabilia and its strings of little Edison bulbs skimming the low ceilings. A mix of Tomballians and daytrippers hitting the Old Town antiques stores was in attendance the day I visited. All of us ate to the tunes of nostalgic 1960s and 70s rock that seems standard for burger joints of a certain stripe ancient Beatles, Stones, Creedence, Fleetwood Mac until a commotion outdoors sent all of us running out to the sidewalk. There we witnessed the Sam Houston trailriders on parade as they took off for the Houston Rodeo with a police escort front and back. Horses, donkeys, dogs, humans, covered wagons they waved at us, and we waved back. In that moment, life seemed pretty perfect. Need to know: Its currently BYOB, although signage indicates a liquor license is in the works. And do not be deterred by parking availability right on West Main in front. Just turn off West Main to find plenty of street parking in quieter blocks of Old Tomball, or in the big public lot off North Elm Street. alison.cook@chron.com twitter.com/alisoncook I would like to see Noem's spreadsheet for the hemp program costs. When Montana can get their hemp program up and running for well under $1 million, it appears that putting a $3.5 millions price tag on the South Dakota hemp program is simply a way to not have to veto it. The poor turnout for the bond election had nothing to do with the weather and all to do with voter apathy. There were four weeks for early voting with no weather problem most of that time. Since seniors refuse to support schools, I say we eliminate property tax breaks for seniors and I am a senior. A small step toward addressing our problem of high property taxes would be to limit the tax exemption given to nonprofits to the first $10 million of property owned. Teaching students civics, how this country was started, not using revisionist history, etc., along with teaching methods of 5060 years ago will educate. A new building wont. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 0 28.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Just days after Donald Trump tapped Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus response effort, the vice president is holding fundraisers instead of meeting with health officials. As The Washington Post reported late Friday, Democrats expressed skepticism that they are getting straight answers and criticized Vice President Pence, who was put in charge of the administrations response Wednesday night, for heading to Florida on Friday for a fundraiser. Theyre considering this so urgent they put someone in charge of it that is in my state for a fundraiser rather than sitting down with our public health officials, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, according to the report. Pences apparent disinterest in leading a response to this global health emergency comes as the president is pushing the dangerous lie that the coronavirus itself is a myth. During a Friday night rally in South Carolina, Trump told a mob of his adoring supporters that the outbreak is a new hoax. Heres Trump at his rally tonight in South Carolina dismissing worries about the coronavirus as the new hoax pic.twitter.com/Q58d7dI1cb Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 29, 2020 Meanwhile, the virus is spreading In America As the president and vice president attend political events and call the coronavirus a hoax, it continues to spread in the United States. In addition to the two community-spread cases of the coronavirus in California, two more were reported in Oregon and Washington on Friday, meaning the virus is not a hoax, regardless of what Trump tells his rally crowds. Meanwhile, as CNN reports, the World Health Organization (WHO) has elevated the risk of global coronavirus spread from high to very high. Without leaders at the top committed to taking on this global health crisis, its going to get worse and put more American lives at risk. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter One person is dead and another was seriously injured in a crash on Route 202 in Gray on Friday afternoon. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said Route 202 was closed between Lawrence Road in Gray to the Windham town line. Deputies said a passenger car crossed the center line and hit a cement truck head-on at about 3:30 p.m., officials said. The driver of the car, Wendy Perkins, 39, of Standish, was killed in the crash. Deputies said she was not wearing a seat belt. A passenger Gerald Roesoner, 32, of Portland, was taken to Maine Medical Center with serious injuries. The driver of the cement truck was not injured in the crash, officials said. The crash is being reconstructed by the Sheriffs Office Reconstruction Team. As Sen. Bernie Sanders pitched his anti-establishment case about why he should be elected president at a massive campaign rally Saturday in Boston, thousands stood listening. Some adorned American flag capes. Others brought Dunkin Donuts boxes, and many more held up blue signs showing the name of the self-declared Democratic socialist, who is currently seen as a frontrunner in his partys crowded presidential primary field. Sanders and his other presidential rivals are on a final campaign stretch ahead of Super Tuesday. Registered voters in more than a dozen states, including Massachusetts, will head to the polls on March 3 to cast their ballots in the primaries. The Vermont senator is in a dead heat in the commonwealth with his fellow Democratic presidential competitor Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. A recent poll conducted by WCVB and the University of Massachusetts Amherst showed 23% of likely Democratic primary voters support Warren, while 24% supports Sanders. Saturdays crowd was made up of toddlers, college students, couples and elderly folk. See the photographs from the rally here: GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GAC MOTOR has officially launched the luxury SUV GS8 across Russia as consumers flocked to its newly opened stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladimir to take a test drive of this highly anticipated vehicle. The GS8 SUV marks the automaker's debut into Russia, following a successful launch ceremony held late last year in the Museum of Moscow. The increasing brand awareness of GAC MOTOR amongst Russian consumers leads many that are already familiar with this brand to place an order for the vehicle as soon as they have heard the GS8's sales information from the launch event. "I used to work in China and drove this car while my office work. I choose GS8 because of its big size, premium looking and higher reliability. I highly recommend others to have one," said Nikolayev Sergey, the first GS8 owner in St. Petersburg, who has fallen in love with the GS8 SUV during his time in China and placed an order after learning that the GS8 had just launched in Russia. Meanwhile, those unfamiliar with GAC MOTOR were drawn to the GS8's sheer quality, power and comfort, proven through test drives and reinforced with glowing reviews. The first owners in both Vladimir and Moscow first learned about the GS8 through the internet and commercials featuring Basta, a Russian composer, musician and the official Product Ambassador of the GS8. Following a positive test drive, the owners purchased the vehicle and have since recommended it to their friends and families. Further to positive consumer feedback, the GS8 has been praised by leading Russian automotive publications for its design and power systems. Designed to provide greater mobility for the entire family, the GS8 blends sheer power with a sleek, stylish design. The luxury seven-seat SUV boasts a robust body and tough exterior, while the spacious interiors exude comfort and warmth with adjustable third-row seats and a panoramic sunroof. Engineered for performance, the GS8 is powered by a second-generation 320T engine, a third-generation Aisin 6-speed AMT and a second-generation intelligent four-wheel drive and an all-terrain feedback system. The GS8 has also stood out with features specifically for Russian consumers. The heated steering wheels and front windshield provide comfort during winter; while best-in-class safety features and six driving modes offer seamless handling and off-road performance. Priced at 1,898,000 rubles, the GS8 offers great value for money and includes a variety of after-sales services including a five-year or 150,000km warranty and one-year of free roadside assistance. It also offers a 3-year free maintenance and roadside assistance, as well as free winter tires for the first 200 GS8 owners across Russia. As a critical market for GAC MOTOR, the launch of the GS8 is a crucial step in the automaker's ongoing development in Russia. Since 2019, GAC MOTOR has started localizing operations in Russia. Its product supply is now on track to meet consumer demands across the country with an inventory and in-transit vehicles. In 2020, GAC MOTOR will focus on Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cites with a population over 1 million for further channel development opportunities, with plans of setting up cooperation with 15 new distributers. At the same time, it will strengthen production and sales coordination to ensure the supply of future models in Russia. The highly anticipated GN8 and new GS5 are also expected to be granted with access permission to the Russian market in the first half of 2020. GAC MOTOR will also explore the potential to provide consumers even more choices by introducing additional models on the Russian market, including sedan vehicles. For more information, please visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GACMotor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gac_motor Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/gac_motor YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/GACMotorOfficial Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097446/Pic_1_GAC_MOTOR_s_newly_opened_store_in_St__Petersburg.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097448/Pic_2_The_GS8_luxury_flagship_7_seat_SUV_is_GAC_MOTOR_s_first_model_sold_in_Russia.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1097447/Pic_3_Interior_of_SUV_GS8.jpg Globalization, Coronavirus and Our Precarious Medical Supply Chains By F. William Engdahl February 28, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The grave risks and dangers in the process of worldwide out-sourcing and so-called globalization of the past 30 years or so are becoming starkly clear as the ongoing health emergency across China threatens vital world supply chains from China to the rest of the world. While much attention is focused on the risks to smartphone components or auto manufacture via supplies of key parts from China or to the breakdown of oil deliveries in the last weeks, there is a danger that will soon become alarmingly clear in terms of global health care system. If the forced shutdown of China manufacture continues for many weeks longer, the world, could begin to experience shortages or lack of vital medicines and medical supplies. The reason is that over the past two decades much of the production of medicines and medical supplies such as surgical masks have been outsourced to China or simply made in China by Chinese companies at far cheaper prices, forcing Western companies out of business. Sole source China According to research and US Congressional hearings, something like 80% of present medicines consumed in the United States are produced in China. This includes Chinese companies and foreign drug companies that have outsourced their drug manufacture in joint ventures with Chinese partners. According to Rosemary Gibson of the Hastings Center bioethics research institute, who authored a book in 2018 on the theme, the dependency is more than alarming. Gibson cites medical newsletters giving the estimate that today some 80% of all pharmaceutical active ingredients in the USA are made in China. Its not just the ingredients. Its also the chemical precursors, the chemical building blocks used to make the active ingredients. We are dependent on China for the chemical building blocks to make a whole category of antibiotics known as cephalosporins. They are used in the United States thousands of times every day for people with very serious infections . Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The made in China drugs today include most antibiotics, birth control pills, blood pressure medicines such as valsartan, blood thinners such as heparin, and various cancer drugs. It includes such common medicines as penicillin, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and aspirin. The list also includes medications to treat HIV, Alzheimers disease, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, cancer, depression, epilepsy, among others. A recent Department of Commerce study found that 97 percent of all antibiotics in the United States came from China. Few of these drugs are labeled made in China as drug companies in the USA are not required to reveal their sourcing. Rosemary Gibson states that the dependency on China for medicines and other health products is so great that, if China shut the door tomorrow, within a couple of months, hospitals in the United States would cease to function. That may not be so far off. At the time the outsourcing of US and European drug manufacture to China began no one could imagine the present health catastrophe growing out of Wuhan in a matter of days. The massive China quarantine since late January has shut some 75-80% of all Chinese factories and created an unprecedented domestic China demand for every kind of medical product since the WHO declaration of medical emergency around the coronavirus or COVID-19 events at the end of January. It is unclear how badly deliveries of vital pharmaceuticals including essential antibiotics from China to the USA or Europe or other countries will be affected though anecdotal reports of hospitals beginning to experience delivery problems are surfacing. Even the idea to turn to India, another major global pharmaceutical supplier, only finds that most Indian manufacturers are dependent on China for their active drug ingredients. Clinton and Outsourcing The emergence of China in recent years as the global giant in terms of pharmaceutical drugs and products is embedded in the Made in China-2025 national plan as one of the ten priority areas for China to gain world leadership. It has not been simply a random chance development. This in turn, as the present COVID-19 crisis makes starkly clear, is a huge vulnerability for the rest of the world. How did such a one-sided situation develop? We have to go back to the role of the Clinton Presidency in what was then dubbed globalization, the Davos model of outsourcing any and everything from advanced industrial countries like the USA or Germany to especially China after 2000. In May 2000 in one of the most far-reaching actions of his Presidency, Bill Clinton, with the strong backing of US multinational companies, succeeded, over the strong objections and warnings of many trade unions, to get Congressional passage of a permanent most-favored nation trade status for China and US support for China entry into the World Trade Organization. That gave the green light to corporate America for a flood of overseas investment in cheaper China manufacture known as out-sourcing. Major US drug makers were among them. Within two years of the passage of the US free trade agreement with China the US shut its last penicillin fermentation plant in New York State as a result of severe Chinese low-price competition . In 2008, the Chinese government designated pharmaceutical production as a high-value-added industry and bolstered the industry through subsidies and export tax rebates to encourage pharmaceutical companies to export their products. By 2019 China had become by far the worlds largest source for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The Achilles Heel of this globalization and sole dependency for vital medicines on one country now becomes alarmingly clear as the future of China as a reliable supplier of needed drugs and other medical supplies has suddenly become a matter of grave concern to the entire world. F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook. - US President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed the first death from coronavirus in the United States, saying a woman, who has other medical issues besides the virus, passed away overnight in Washington. Trump also said 22 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the United States, adding that Washington is prepared to deal with the situation. The US President also announced that he will meet with the largest pharmaceutical companies to discuss the development of coronavirus vaccine. Administration "working around the clock so hard...it's a tough one. But a lot of progress has been made," said Trump, during a press briefing. "We have 22 patients in the United States currently that have coronavirus. Unfortunately one patient passed away overnight," a woman in her 50s with other medical issues, according to the President. "Healthy individuals should be able to fully recover." Trump said that he will be meeting with the largest pharmaceutical companies to discuss development of coronavirus vaccine. "Whatever the circumstances, we're prepared," he added. Earlier in the day, the United States reported the first 'isolated' coronavirus case. Coronavirus has spread to more than 45 countries including the UK, Singapore, Italy, France, Russia, Spain, and India. The Health Organisation has declared the outbreak an international health emergency and said the global risk level remains high. The US stock market fell for the seventh straight day amid fears of global economic damage from the escalating outbreak, and the Federal Reserve took the unusual step of issuing a statement to reassure the Americans. In China - the epicentre of the deadly disease - the National Health Commission reported on Saturday at least 47 new coronavirus deaths, raising the death toll to 2,835 nationwide. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Thomas Escritt BERLIN (Reuters) - Actor Jeremy Irons said on Thursday he fully supported same-sex marriage and the women's rights movement as he sought to dispel criticism over his role as president of the Berlinale film festival prize jury. The choice of the British actor as head of the panel was criticised in German newspapers and the movie press, who highlighted past comments attributed to him on gay marriage, inappropriate touching of women and abortion. One critic noted it would have sufficed "to put the words Jeremy Irons and Me Too" into a search engine to establish his inappropriateness. "I should like not as the jury president, but on a personal level to address various comments that I have reportedly made in the past, and which have resurfaced in certain sections of the press over the past few weeks," he said. "I wish I didnt have to take up time with this, but I dont want it to continue as a distraction to the Berlinale." Devised in the aftermath of World War Two in a divided city on the frontline of the Cold War, the Berlinale is seen as the most overtly political of the major film festivals, highlighting films that champion progressive causes. "I support wholeheartedly the global movement to address the inequality of women's rights," Irons told the opening news conference of the 70th Berlinale, adding that he was also a supporter of same-sex marriage and of women's right to abortion. "These three human rights are, I believe, essential steps toward a civilised and humane society, for which we should all continue to strive." He said: "I hope that some of the films we will be watching will address these problems." The festival opens on Thursday with Canadian director Philippe Falardeau's "My Salinger Year", in which Margaret Qualley stars opposite Sigourney Weaver as an ambitious young woman eager to forge a career as a writer in 1990s New York. In all, 18 films are competing for the Golden Bear prize chosen by Irons' panel. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Tara Oakes; Editing by Alison Williams) Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association and Arizona Medical Association Encourage Support of Rare Disease Patients and Need for Increased Awareness Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the states leading physician support organizations, the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association and Arizona Medical Association, recognizing the significant impact rare diseases have on Arizona families, are asking Arizonans to learn more about these rare diseases. A focused part of this effort is their support in educating and engaging lawmakers and health care providers around the unique policy and health care access issues that impact Arizonas rare disease patients. Challenges for rare disease patients can include rising out-of-pocket costs, uncertainty in coverage of burdensome step therapy and prior authorization requirements, disparities in access in rural areas, and especially for rare-disease patients and state health care budgets, the social, emotional, and financial costs of misdiagnosis. The State of Black Arizona, a nonprofit dedicated to research and demographic data, is taking the lead alongside the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association and Arizona Medical Association by hosting a free rare disease Community Conversation at the Arizona House of Representatives on Thursday March 12, 2020. The conversation is set to include discussion of rare disease data, patient and provider experiences, and the public policy issues that impact access to health care. The program will highlight rare diseases, specifically providing education on the disproportionate impact of rare diseases in African Americans, including sickle cell disease and cardiac amyloidosis. Considering the number of Arizonans diagnosed with a rare disease, there are few who could not learn something of value by attending, One in ten people are affected by rare disease. That translates to over 700,000 Arizonans living with one of the over 7,000 known rare diseases. We are glad to be able to shine a light on rare disease issues and help drive policy discussion, said Janet Weigel, Interim Executive Director of the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association. Story continues Arizona State Representative Amish Shah-LD 24, a physician, is set to open the event with a legislative address in support of The State of Black Arizonas efforts to improve the quality of rare disease patients lives through awareness and advocacy. The State of Black Arizona worked with the Office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on a proclamation designating March 2, 2020 as Cardiac Amyloidosis Awareness Day in Arizona. Cardiac amyloidosis is a rare and underdiagnosed disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein, called amyloid, in the heart. The buildup can lead to heart failure with symptoms including shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling of the legs. One subtype of cardiac amyloidosis, hereditary ATTR-CM, predominantly impacts African Americans and people of African descent. For more information about the event, visit www.stateofblackarizona.org and register by March 10, 2020. About the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association: Since 1921, the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association has been the voice of osteopathic medicine in Arizona. With more than 2,500 members active, retired, interns, residents, and students - AOMAs mission is to promote the osteopathic medical profession, serve its members, provide osteopathic continuing medical education, and advocate for access to high quality, cost-effective healthcare. For more information about AOMA, visit the website at www.az-osteo.org. About the State of Black Arizona: Since 2015, the State of Black Arizona has created a platform for the synthesis of data, demographics, and research to inform the community on the status of African Americans in Arizona. The data is intended to help elected officials, community leaders and organizations with action planning and decisions related to the issues and concerns of the state. We believe as a result of this work; the data will compel both the leadership and grassroots community to make a concerted effort to provide solutions that improve the lives of all Arizonans. For more information about SBAZ, visit the website at www.stateofblackarizona.org ### Janet Weigel Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association 480-205-2008 janet@az-osteo.org North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the border village of Panmunjeom in the Demilitarized Zone, June. 30, 2019. / Korea Times file Nuclear talks between NK, US have uncertain future By Kang Seung-woo The indefinite suspension of the annual joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States is expected to have an incidental effect of de-escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, diplomatic experts said Friday. However, it remains to be seen if the decision will help get the stalled nuclear talks between North Korea and the U.S. back on track, they added. On Thursday, the allies announced that they would postpone their joint exercises indefinitely amid the surge in COVID-19 cases across the peninsula. They had initially planned to hold them in March. While negotiations between the two countries have stalled for more than a year since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February 2019, this year's drills had been regarded as a litmus test to see whether the peninsula would return to tension. Angered by the joint exercises, the North Korean regime has taken low-level provocative action, including launching short-range missiles, since mid-last year. In addition, Kim's warning of a new strategic weapon in his New Year address heightened tensions here. "If South Korea and the U.S. had stuck to their plan to go ahead with the joint drills, North Korea would have responded with military action, which could have stoked tensions here," said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute. "Thanks to the suspension, the North is not likely to show off its military prowess." Park Won-gon, a professor of international politics at Handong Global University, echoed Cheong's view. "Given that the North will not stage corresponding exercises, the decision to suspend the joint drills will help de-escalate tensions," Park said, adding the North would be able to focus on fighting the coronavirus. The North Korean leader also said in the New Year speech that how much his country will bolster its nuclear deterrent would depend on the U.S.' attitude, meaning the joint drills would have led to the North's military provocations. However, diplomatic pundits said the exercise postponement would not revive the nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington overnight. "The decision to postpone the joint exercises was based on a public health problem without accepting the North's demand for the end of them. In that respect, it is not easy to mend fences between the North and the U.S. and quickly resume the nuclear talks," Park said. The Kim regime has repeatedly strongly denounced the military exercises in the South, calling them a rehearsal for an invasion of the North. Cheong said the North is committed to containing the coronavirus, so it is not in a favorable situation to come forward for negotiations with the U.S. So far, the North claims it has no cases of coronavirus. "As the U.S. government has fewer things palatable to the North to bring it back to negotiations, the North Korean regime will not easily accept the U.S.' call for denuclearization talks," Cheong said. The coronavirus patient quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, attempted to escape from the facility on Friday... The coronavirus patient quarantined at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, attempted to escape from the facility on Friday, according to PUNCH. The patient, an Italian, was confirmed to have the virus on Friday morning, three days after he arrived in the country. He flew in from Milan, Italy, into Lagos before heading to Ogun state where he first showed symptoms of the disease. The newspaper quoted a health worker at the hospital as saying the patient threatened to escape quarantine over the alleged poor state of the medical facility. The patient complained about excessive heat and presence of mosquitoes at the hospital, the health official reportedly said. The hospital where the patient is kept The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Friday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot. The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to coronavirus is kept. The patient wanted to run away yesterday (Friday). The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot. The only thing demarcating the room from other rooms in the ward is a red and white barricade tape. That is where the Italian man that tested positive to coronavirus is kept. There is no single equipment inside that place. It is just like any other regular hospital room with a bed. That building you see that is being repainted is the original place meant to quarantine coronavirus patients. As you can see, the place is not ready. The state government is just renovating it, despite the fact that the virus started spreading since December 2019. It is really sad that a country like Nigeria is never ready to medically contain infectious disease outbreak. When approached, a health worker said not to have worn any personal protective equipment required for the nature of the disease being treated, reportedly said: What is coronavirus? Gloves and face masks cannot do anything. We have been working here for years with people that have deadly diseases. At last, all of us will die. Akin Abayomi, Lagos commissioner of health, inspecting the facility On Friday, Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos, had said the facility, with a 100-bed capacity, was well equipped for containing the disease. He said the patient was receiving adequate treatment and was responding well. The good thing is that he was brought in yesterday morning and within four hours, he had been diagnosed, so our diagnosis tools seem to work better than we expected. Normally, it takes eight hours, Hamzat had said on a television programme. He is in our biosecurity lab in Yaba. It is a lab we built that can accommodate 100 for now, but it is only one bed that is occupied today. Hopefully, it wont spread further. We are ready, we are well equipped and he is getting better. The doctor said that he is going to be fine. Prior to the outbreak of the disease, the federal government assured Nigerians that it was ready to contain the virus in the event of an outbreak. She was dumped from the villa after failing to recouple with anyone when Callum Jones found romance with Molly Smith in Casa Amor. And Shaughna Phillips celebrated her official return to English soil with a lavish welcome home party on Friday night, with her nearest and dearest. The Love Island star, 25, looked typically glamorous in a gold sequined mini dress with a deeply plunging hemline, showcasing her ample assets. She's back! Shaughna Phillips celebrated her official return to English soil with a lavish welcome home party on Friday night, with her nearest and dearest The reality star posed up a storm in the thigh-grazing number which she teamed with a pair of strappy heels, before heading to her party which was attended by fellow Islanders Leanne Amaning and Jess and Eve Gale. She wore her glossy highlighted locks in a half up half down style, while sporting a glamorous coat of make-up including lashings of mascara and a slick of lip gloss. Shaughna was joined by some of her new pals from her time on the show, however ex Callum and Molly didn't appear to have received an invitation. Girl gang: The reality star posed up a storm in the thigh-grazing number which she teamed with a pair of strappy heels, before heading to her party which was attended by fellow Islanders Leanne Amaning and Jess and Eve Gale Treats: However elsewhere at the party, Shaughna was later treated to a cake which had her phrase 'congrats, hun!' iced onto the top and a printed 'welcome home' banner Where are they? Shaughna was joined by some of her new pals from her time on the show, however ex Callum and Molly didn't appear to have received an invitation The twins appeared in high spirits as they danced into the night together, after being reunited following their separation when Eve was eliminated from the show. The girls later headed to Libertine club in London, where they reunited with their fellow contestants Leanne and Nas Majeed. However elsewhere at the party, Shaughna was later treated to a cake which had her phrase 'congrats, hun!' iced onto the top and a printed 'welcome home' banner. Party time! The girls later headed to Libertine club in London, where they reunited with their fellow contestants Leanne and Nas Majeed Happy: Many of Shaughna's pals rejoiced as she made her return to Essex, sharing snaps of themselves with the reality star on their Instagram Stories Cute: One fan described Shaughna as her 'little sparkle' in a sweet caption Shaughna's phrase was coined when she said it to Callum after he returned to the main villa with Molly by his side, making it clear he'd chosen her over Shaughna. Many of Shaughna's pals rejoiced as she made her return to Essex, sharing snaps of themselves with the reality star on their Instagram Stories. Shaughna thanked her pals for attending during a sweet speech and joked that they spent a lot of her time in the villa 'fuming'. HA! 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For these 25 years and counting, Tartaglione has garnered numerous awards for her public service, including the prestigious John F. Kennedy Memorial Award by the Kennedy Foundation. But on Feb. 28, 2020, at Shen Yun Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Tartaglione was the one giving the award. She brought with her a certificate of recognition from the state of Pennsylvania for New York-based Shen Yun, for being the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company and for bringing its production to the City of Brotherly Love for almost a month of performances. I have to tell you, [Shen Yun] is stunning, Tartaglione told NTD Television after the performance at the Merriam Theater. Ive never seen anything like it. Im really honored to be here this evening to learn the rich culture of these dancers and the performing arts. Its wonderful. I was very excited to be here. The proclamation Tartaglione presented to the local organizers of Shen Yun reads, in part, the companys popularity around the world reflects a growing need among people around the world for goodness, harmony, and renewal. It pays tribute to Shen Yun for its 13 consecutive seasons in Philadelphia and encourages the artists to continue doing their important work for the benefit of all. We are really lucky here in the United States because they [the emcees] said some of these dances cannot be performed in China. We take a lot for granted but Im glad that [Shen Yun is] here and you are sharing your culture with us, Tartaglione said. Shen Yun, You could feel the spirit in the dance Shen Yun is based in New York and takes as its mission the revival of traditional Chinese culture. Through the highly-expressive art form of classical Chinese dance, the artists are able to convey the rich emotions and grand heritage of Chinese peoples 5,000 years of civilization. This authentic culture was once almost lost at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party who has attempted to wipe out among the people its physical presence but more importantly, its deep spiritual roots as well. Traditional Chinese culture is profoundly spiritual and has been called divinely-inspired. Shen Yun continues these traditions on stage and off by incorporating heavenly beings and themes in its production and because its artists have taken up the spiritual discipline known as Falun Dafa in their daily lives. Senator Tartaglione felt cultivated energy throughout the theater as she took in Shen Yuns performance. I have to tell you I am inspired. I really am, You could feel the spirit in the dance and it comes across and you can feel it. I dont know how to explain it. You want to get up and you want to be able to be a part of it. It was so moving and I can see the divinity. As the show went, I saw the spirituality coming out. I was extremely impressed and Im grateful to be here. I actually, when the beams of light came out, I could actually feel them going through me. I was moved that much, Tartaglione said. Because of Shen Yuns deeply spiritual themes, it cannot perform in China today since the CCP continues its destruction of traditional Chinese culture, and even violently persecutes the followers of Falun Dafa. Tartaglione was glad to learn more about the plight of Falun Dafa in China through Shen Yun and encouraged others to experience the energy given off by the performers. You have to feel the compassion, you have to feel it in the dance. She expressed her disbelief that Falun Dafa is maltreated by the CCP because its so beautiful, she said. In the United States, we do take a lot for granted. We have the freedom of speech, freedom of dance. In this day and age, I did not realize that this art form cannot be performed in China and I dont understand why because its so beautiful and its so moving. Between the dance and the music it just, it takes my breath away when I watch it, she said. Shen Yun Sold Out Night After Night When it came to the artistic elements in Shen Yun, Tartaglione had high praise. I have never seen dancing like that. And I didnt realize tumbling originated with this type of dance. She called the tenor of the evening phenomenal. Im glad [they] put the words up so that I could actually see what he was saying. It gave you hope. Im telling you they gave me hope, the lyrics. Thank you. The woman with the wooden instrument with only two strings [the erhu]I could not believe the sound coming out of there for such an ancient instrument. It was really, really beautiful. Shen Yun is nearing the end of a month-long run of performances in Philadelphia and most have been sold out, a fact that made Tartaglione observe that the performance contains something that Philadelphians want. [Shen Yun] sold out every night so obviously people want to come and they want to learn and they want to see and they want to feel, she said. After posing for a photo with the proclamation she bestowed on Shen Yun, Tartaglione had words of encouragement for the artists, that they keep going on their important mission. I think you need to continue and to continue and to continue so everybody understands exactly what this art form is. I think everybody should see it, she said. With reporting by NTD Television and Brett Featherstone. The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006. Michigan Votes Senate Resolution B, Deny Heartwell nomination to chair Natural Resources Commission: Passed 20 to 17 in the Senate To disapprove the appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of former Grand Rapids mayor George Heartwell as chairman of Michigan Natural Resources Commission. This follows the (reportedly related) Feb. 13 denial of Anna Mitterling's appointment to this commission, which has "exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game and sportfish" and designating which species may or may not be hunted. Heartwell's nomination is opposed by the National Rifle Association because of his role as a "state membership coordinator" of antigun groups organized by former New York City mayor and current Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg. 25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y 31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y Senate Bill 669, Revise state hospital rationing law ("certificate of need"): Passed 21 to 16 in the Senate To revise the powers of a state Certificate of Need (CON) commission that are related to "capital expenditures" for a new hospital or clinic, or expansion of an existing one. This commission has the power to approve or deny facility expansions, as well as any changes in the location, purpose or number of beds allowed in an existing facility, or plans to offer more clinical services. The Senate Fiscal Agency reports that the proposed change would have little practical effect because these regulated capital expenditures "are used to finance expansions of facilities and those expansions themselves require a certificate of need" from the commission. This and similar laws in other states were enacted under a federal mandate in the 1970s with the intention of lowering health care spending by reducing investment in the field; 15 states have repealed the laws but 35 states, including Michigan, still have them. 25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y 31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y Senate Bill 672, Revise psychiatric hospital rationing ("certificate of need"): Passed 21 to 16 in the Senate To exempt psychiatric hospitals or units from the rationing restrictions imposed under a state Certificate of Need law that requires medical service providers to get permission from a panel of existing providers before adding new or expanded facilities. In return for the exemption, private psychiatric hospitals and units would have to maintain half their beds for "public patients," defined as ones receiving social welfare benefits, or subject to a treatment order signed by a clinical psychiatrist, or deemed by a court to be a threat to themselves or others. 25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y 31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y Senate Bill 686, Create state employee whistleblower protection law: Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate To establish a state employee whistleblower protection law that prohibits a state department or agency from retaliating against a person for communicating with a legislator on the way the department or agency is performing its duties. 25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y 31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y House Bill 5266, Require electric coops give telecoms equal access to utility poles: Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate To require member-owned electric cooperatives to provide video, broadband, wireless or other telecommunication service providers with "non-discriminatory" access to their utility poles under reasonable rates, terms and conditions, and also establish a process for resolving disputes. 25 Sen. Dan Lauwers R - Brockway Township Y 31 Sen. Kevin Daley R - Attica Y House Bill 4740, Establish another "dark sky preserve": Passed 106 to 1 in the House To designate Dr. T. K. Lawless Park in Cass County as a "dark sky preserve." The term is not defined in this or a related statute but in general it means restricting outdoor lighting to a minimum. 83 Rep. Shane Hernandez R - Port Huron Y 84 Rep. Phil Green R - Millington N House Bill 4736, Ban using open records requests to locate huntable game: Passed 85 to 22 in the House To prohibit using information obtained in response to an open records request seeking Department of Natural Resources records related to resource-related restoration, management or research projects, for the purpose of locating game to hunt. This and House Bill 4735 would authorize a process by which an individual seeking such records could sign a form attesting that he or she will not use the information to take game or help others do so, subject to misdemeanor penalties for violations 83 Rep. Shane Hernandez R - Port Huron N 84 Rep. Phil Green R - Millington N House Bill 4042, Authorize interstate nurse licensure compact: Passed 55 to 50 in the House To authorize Michigan's participation in an interstate nurses licensure compact that would allow registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/VNs) to get a multi-state license that is good in all states that join the compact. 83 Rep. Shane Hernandez R - Port Huron Y 84 Rep. Phil Green R - Millington Y Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting Information provided by MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit www.MichiganVotes.org. Every actor has their own way of preparing for auditions. For Robert Downey Jr. and the audition process for the role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man, it meant pretending to be the character before actually landing the part. Ahead, find out what facet of the character Downey Jr. channeled leading up to his auditions. Today, we all know Downey Jr. as Stark and Iron Man. Sometimes, fans even have trouble separating the actor from the character because, for more than a decade, the actor has played Stark and Iron Man on the big screen. Heck, Downey Jr. basically is the Avengers movie franchise. Robert Downey Jr. pretended to be as confident as Tony Stark While Downey Jr. has shared he does have things in common with his superhero character, in Feb. 2020 the actor said in an interview he pretended to be as confident as Stark ahead of his Iron Man auditions. Robert Downey Jr. attends a press conference for Avengers: Endgame on April 15, 2019, in Seoul, South Korea | The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images According to Digital Spy, during an interview with BBC Radio 1, Downey Jr. answered questions submitted by children in which he revealed in an effort to be as confident as the character he was auditioning to play, he told himself hed get the part. It all started when a 10-year-old boy named Luca asked the actor if he ever pretended to be Iron Man at home. Back in the day, when I was leading up to screen testing for the part, I would run and run and run [scenes], and I would just stand in front of the mirror and I would think, What if I really was just as confident as this guy?' he said. So, I was pretending that I was going to get the part, he added before saying with a laugh, I methodeded. Downey Jr., 54, also said he prepped to do screen tests for three scenes and two of them ended up in the movie. He came close to not getting the part While Downey Jr. became a huge success as Stark and Iron Man in Marvels Avengers franchise, the actor almost didnt get the part. Thats right. He was nearly passed over for the role Tom Cruise had reportedly been considered for the role because at the time hed been seen as a risky choice given his public history with drugs and alcohol as well as his multiple arrests. Marvel actively rooted against casting Downey Jr., according to Mental Floss, but in the end, he got the role after being turned down multiple times. Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, pushed for Marvel Studios to hire the actor. Everybody knew he was talented. Certainly, by studying the Iron Man role and developing that script, I realized that the character seemed to line up with Robert in all the good and bad ways, Favreau said in a 2014 radio interview as reported by Cinema Blend. And the story of Iron Man was really the story of Roberts career. Following his characters death in Avengers: Endgame, fans werent sure if theyd seen the last of the Downey Jr. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As of 2020, the actor isnt even sure hes done playing Iron Man. So, dont completely rule out any hope of ever seeing the actor play Stark again in the future. (Bloomberg) -- In a matter of days, South Korea has swung from confidence that it had escaped the worst of the coronavirus outbreak to a cautionary tale of how quickly the disease can plunge a nation into crisis. Confirmed cases of the deadly disease surged past 2,000 on Friday -- doubling in two days and raising alarm about the worst outbreak outside of neighboring China. Supermarket shelves are emptying, mask prices are soaring and hospital beds are running out in Daegu city, where the disease has stricken many from a religious sect. Epidemiological models predict that infections in Korea will top 10,000 in March. The surge has citizens looking for someone to blame, prompting fresh criticism of South Korea President Moon Jae-in, who confidently predicted two weeks ago that the virus would be terminated before long while refusing calls to halt all arrivals from China. With 13 dead from the virus, public fury is coalescing around the governments handling of the outbreak, especially its efforts to accommodate the countrys bigger, more powerful neighbor. The government failed to contain this outbreak, said Kim Su-yeon, a self-development lecturer who lives in Suji, near Seoul. They were late in their response and they should have blocked the Chinese from coming in from the start, Kim said, adding, They have been ineffective in all of their policies. Governments in places including Japan and Hong Kong have suffered similar backlash for being slow to restrict Chinese visitors, while others that took a harder line, such as Singapore and Taiwan, have seen the pace of new cases slow. Still, it may already be too late for any policy shifts, with outbreaks centered in countries as far-flung as Iran and Italy making it harder to calibrate travel restrictions. Ban Entry In Korea, disapproval of Moon has risen five percentage points to 51%, the highest since October, according to a weekly Gallup Korea tracking poll released Friday. Some 41% were satisfied by the presidents handling of the virus, compared with 64% two weeks ago. Tellingly, almost two-thirds said they wanted the government to ban all foreign entries from China, rather than the current policy of barring visitors from certain hot spots. Story continues The anger is translating into action, with more than 1.2 million people signing a petition demanding Moons impeachment for taking what it calls a pro-China approach to the outbreak. The backlash comes just weeks ahead of April 15 parliamentary elections that could put the presidents rivals back into power. A competing petition supporting Moon and the government has garnered more than 900,000 signatures. Moon spokesman Kang Min-seok called criticism of the countrys entry policies regrettable and argued that they had helped stem new cases from China. Weve rationally taken into consideration the effectiveness of outbreak-prevention measures, as well as the interests of our people, Kang said in a statement Thursday. Coronavirus: Places That Have Imposed Travel Restrictions Infections in South Korea are now accelerating more quickly than in China. Daily life has largely ground to a halt in hard-hit Daegu, a southern city of 2.5 million people known for producing textile and apples thats long been a stronghold of the conservative opposition. When the president said the virus will soon be under control and that we can go back to our everyday life to continue economic activities, thats when people started to take their protective masks off, and things got out of hand from there, said Lee Haemin, a 31-year-old man in the financial industry living in Seoul. The local economy is now on the verge of falling apart. Now, buses are empty, restaurants are shut and kids are staying home from school. A concert featuring K-Pop boy band BTS scheduled for March 8 was postponed. Seomun market -- the citys largest, where vendors hawk everything from fresh vegetables to clothing -- has been closed until Sunday. Our business is in trouble and we might need to extend the shutdown if this continues, said Kim Young-ou, president of the Daegu Merchant Association. I asked the president for financial aid and tax deductions when he visited Daegu, but I dont know if its feasible. Economic Hit Anxiety about the impact on the economy is rising across the country, with the Bank of Korea on Thursday lowering its growth forecast for 2020 to 2.1% from 2.3% in November. The benchmark Kospi index had its worst week since August 2011. Koreas Finance Ministry said Friday that stabilizing the economy would require extra budget funds in excess of the 6.2 trillion won ($5.1 billion) spent to counter the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, outbreak five years ago. Many Daegu cases have been traced back to South Koreas Patient 31, a 61-year-old local woman who belongs to the Shincheonji religious sect. The church, whose founder says hes a prophet sent by Jesus Christ to prepare for the end of the word, claims it has 300,000 members. Congregates sit elbow-to-elbow and knee-to-knee, in services that typically last one to two hours. How One Patient Turned Koreas Virus Outbreak Into an Epidemic While authorities dont yet know how Patient 31 was infected -- she didnt have a record of traveling overseas -- reports of the sects members returning from services in China have inflamed public sentiment. Moreover, several Chinese cities have in recent days moved to enforce quarantines on anyone who recently returned from South Korea, a blanket action of the sort that Seoul has so far spared Chinese arrivals. Fraught Relations Despite strong business and cultural links, China and South Korea have a complex and fraught relationship, including a shared history of Japanese occupation and fighting on opposite sides in the Korean War. Recent tensions, like how China froze out South Korean businesses and stopped tourism in 2017 after Seoul agreed to host a U.S.-backed missile system, linger close to the surface. Moons government fueled public anger when Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said in an exchange with lawmakers Wednesday that the biggest cause was Korean nationals coming in from China. He was emphasizing that most of the initial confirmed cases involved Korean nationals who visited Wuhan, not Chinese nationals visiting Korea. The administration has come under fire for failing to stockpile protective masks and sending many to China, when the country now faces shortages. South Korea exported $61.3 million worth of masks to China in January, up from $600,000 in December, according to customs data. Another $118.5 million of masks were sent in the first 20 days of February. Hasty Call Moon apparently prioritized the economy and diplomacy -- two issues that will really matter once the virus situation is over -- based on a hasty call that this will be over soon, said Lee Jae-mook, who teaches political science at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. That made sense to the majority of South Koreans only before they saw other nations do the opposite: sacrifice potential economic benefit for the sake of peoples safety. On Wednesday, the government limited mask exports to only 10% of daily production and pledged to distribute 3.5 million masks daily via post offices and pharmacies. Health authorities are also now testing around 10,000 people a day while sending extra hospital beds to Daegu. Thats done little to relieve anxiety for residents like Cho Eun-mi. The 32-year-old mother of two says shes too afraid to go outside. When I wake up, hundreds of patients are increasing every day, she said. The fact that those patients also visited places where I go, like Starbucks, supermarkets near my home, is really freaking me out. --With assistance from Peter Pae, Kanga Kong, Jihye Lee and Sam Kim. To contact the reporters on this story: Kyungji Cho in Seoul at kcho54@bloomberg.net;Yoojung Lee in Seoul at ylee504@bloomberg.net;Heesu Lee in Seoul at hlee425@bloomberg.net;Kyunghee Park in Singapore at kpark3@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Brendan Scott, Emma O'Brien For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Erdogan, Putin voice concern over Idlib as Turkey says 33 of its troops were killed in Syrian government attacks. The Security Council held an emergency session following an attack that killed more than 30 Turkish soldiers in Syrias Idlib. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the deaths as one of the most alarming incidents in the Syrian war. The US made it clear that it stands by Turkey, its NATO ally, while Russia rejected the notion that Turkish forces were deliberately attacked. Al Jazeeras Gabriel Elizondo reports from UN headquarters in New York. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson courageously rode with the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang in search of the savage heart of the American dream. Similarly, on Friday evening , I fearlessly hit the road with the Rolling Elvi Mardi Gras motor scooter-borne parading group, in search of the essence of abstract Americana or something like that. Attempting to master the throttle and brakes of a fearsome 49cc scooter in the midst of a lurching parade, while tossing plastic beads, plush dice and Pfc. Elvis A. Presley dog tags to an encroaching crowd, is not for the faint of heart. The Rolling Elvi do not scoot in straight columns or chevrons or anything remotely geometric. They are an amorphous laissez-faire swarm. +195 New Orleans Mardi Gras enters the home stretch with 37 parades from Muses to Rex this week Ready or not, here it comes. From Wednesday (Feb. 19) to Fat Tuesday (Feb. 25), at least three dozen float and foot parades will caravan throu The only thing more chaotic than the scootering on Friday night was my fake hair. Somewhere on upper St. Charles Avenue, my Elvis wig took on a life of its own. It had begun as a pastiche of Presleys pompadour, but it devolved into Phyllis Diller territory, with tendrils reaching randomly into space in all directions. The splendidly synthetic wig had come from China via Amazon.com. So had my snowy white, star-spangled Evel Knievel jumpsuit and cape. Why were so many scooter riders costumed as the daredevil motorcyclist, who legendarily accumulated 433 bone fractures? Because that was the signature getup of Elvi co-founder Macon Moore, a fun-loving hospital executive who passed away last spring. As the story goes, Moore and his pal Dave Center originally set out to form a dune buggy-driving Carnival krewe. But when dune buggies proved too expensive, they settled on tiny scooters instead. Though he formed a parading group dedicated to Presley, Moore wasnt a huge fan. He and Center just chose a universally recognizable American icon to lend the new krewe an instant identity. Who better than the king of rock 'n' roll? The Elvi whittled Presleys image down to its bare tongue-in-cheek essentials: the jumpsuit, the swooping comb-back, the curled lip, the sideburns, the tinted aviator glasses and the six-gun finger-stab gesture. Theres something affectionately meta about it all. Postmodern, even. The Elvi arent Elvis impersonators. The Elvi are an impersonation of an impersonation of an impersonation of the memory of the real Nixon-era Elvis. One members pompadour had been transformed into a mirrored disco ball, another was leprechaun green and anothers was snowy white, as if Elvis had lived long enough to become a sort of Big Daddy Roth-style Santa Claus. For dudes like these, reinterpreting Elvis as Evel Knievel was hardly a death-defying aesthetic leap. The noisy Rolling Elvi first rolled in the 2004 Muses parade. Though the Elvi careen in other Carnival processions, the Muses parade is still probably their biggest stage. This years Muses parade, however, was postponed by stormy weather and pared down to fit into the next nights already busy parade lineup. Luckily, the Elvi were still allowed to participate in the streamlined parade. But the swarm had to apply the gas to keep up with the quickened pace. There was no dawdling. Engine stoppages were frequent along the route, with members of the so-called Memphis Mafia (Elvi rookies dressed as mechanics who walk briskly amidst the riders) swooping in with gas cans and other assistance to keep the Elvi sputtering along. Thankfully, my scooter, which was graciously loaned to me by a highly regarded member of the krewe, functioned flawlessly from start to finish. It was pink and equipped with checkered flags, black tassels, a basket for throws, a stowage bin, cup holder, twin mini headlights and a chrome Cadillac logo. It was beyond beautiful. Friends cried out as they recognized us beneath our disguises. Elvis fans pledged their devotion to all we represented. The mayor waved at us as we attempted to toss Elvi bracelets and necklaces her way at Gallier Hall. Apparently no one could help falling in love with us. Afterward my clothes were redolent with the glorious scent of gasoline. My calves vibrated with the residual strain of skipping along the pavement to stay upright. Other lower region muscles were also a bit tender. The Elvi are a conspicuous feature of the 21st century explosion of do-it-yourself Mardi Gras parading clubs. They were the product of a wave of New Orleanians who wanted to participate in the big party, not just observe from the curbs. I am immeasurably proud and grateful that the Elvi welcomed this eternal observer to be a guest participant in their swarm. Thank you, thank you very much. +82 Mardi Gras 2020: All the dance and marching groups from the Pussyfooters to the 610 Stompers These days, the best part of Mardi Gras parades is between the floats. In the past decade tongue-in-cheek dance troupes have proliferated fast A grand jury on Friday indicted a Missouri man on first-degree murder and other charges in the disappearance of his Chinese wife, who is presumed dead. Joseph Elledge, who has a 1-year-old daughter with his missing wife, Mengqi Ji, had been in jail for months on two counts of child endangerment one count of child abuse. Boone County prosecutors sought to charge Elledge with murder Prosecutors speculate that Elledge strangled his wife because he wanted to avoid a costly divorce and ensure that she didn't flee to China with their daughter. Authorities say Elledge discovered his wife missing on Oct. 9 but didn't report that she was gone until the next day, when a friend came to the house at the request of Ji's mother. During that 24 hours, he allegedly drove to remote areas, spending around 45 minutes at a secluded access point to the Lamine River after dark. Cadaver dogs detected the presence of human remains there, but law enforcement was unable to find a body despite multiple searches. John O'Connor, the lawyer who has been defending Elledge against the child abuse charges, declined to comment about the murder case. The county's prosecuting attorney, Dan Knight, said he couldn't comment on the specifics of the case or his trial strategy. Im pleased the grand jury returned indictments in both cases and were going to do everything we can to make sure justice is secured, he said. Amy Salladay, an attorney for Ji's parents, who share custody of their grandchild with Elledge's mother, said Friday the Ji's family was pleased with the grand jury indictment. They're not surprised by it, so for them, the charges just mean they have to face the reality that she really is gone, Salladay said. This is a first step toward resolution. They appreciate the fact charges have been filed, and are hopeful that with the filing of these charges, they can move toward resolution of all of this. The couple married in 2017 and attended the University of Missouri. Since Winona is a city full of travelers and internationally known businesses, COVID-19 coronavirus disease 2019 is a focus for many as it spreads to more than 40 countries around the world, including the United States. Winona Community Services Director Karen Sanness says Winona County has been updating the Minnesota Department of Health about supplies the county has on hand, such as masks and other preventative equipment, which they would need to deploy should an outbreak occur. Several times a week, we have phone calls with the Minnesota Department of Health regarding the coronavirus and what we can do locally to assure that were prepared for it, Sanness said. We work with all of our local hospitals just to keep them appraised. Sanness confirmed that Winona is at low-risk of COVID-19. A coronavirus outbreak is a very low likelihood in Winona, Sanness said. But we continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control to assure that if there is an outbreak, we have emergency preparedness in place. She added: The flu outbreak is actually a more severe threat to Winona County than the coronavirus. Sanness also said the state is keeping the county up-to-date on precautions that would need to be taken should an unlikely outbreak occur. We get updates from the Minnesota Department of Health on how, if an outbreak occurs, we would notify our network of providers, which includes Winona Health, Emergency Preparedness, ambulances and our different first responders within the county, Sanness said. Sara Gabrick, Winona Health chief operating officer/CNO, explained what would happen at Winona Health if a patient had symptoms of COVID-19. Because the symptoms of the virus are fever, cough and shortness of breath, she said, the clinics and urgent care are seeing a lot of similar symptoms related to influenza during this time of year. Gabrick said more specific questions are being asked of patients, including whether theyve traveled out of the country recently or been in close contact with someone who has. If a patient is ever suspected of suffering from COVID-19, she said, they will be put in a negative airflow room and will have limited contact with other people. The provider will contact the Minnesota Department of Health, who will then give more instructions and possibly further testing. Winona Health is working to prepare for possible cases by having the staff practice good hand hygiene and staying home if not feeling well, providing careful COVID-19 screening of patients and working with health authorities for updates to the local community-wide pandemic plans. Winona Healths Infection Control Committee holds weekly meetings to review Centers for Disease Control and MHD updates, along with weekly calls with these organizations. Winona Health is also instructing people to visit cdc.gov/coronavirus for more information. Megan Meller, an infection control practitioner at Gundersen Health System, said the Gundersen Winona Campus now has signs posted about the virus. Patients are being asked to notify staff whether they have traveled recently or are suffering from any respiratory symptoms. Meller said that state departments are recommending that people who believe they might have COVID-19 first notify the Minnesota Department of Health and then contact health providers before visiting the campus. Patients who are experiencing symptoms of any illness, especially the cold and flu, are being asked to put on masks at the campus. The staff is being educated about how to handle outbreaks, too, Meller said, including how to use personal protective equipment. Gundersen has not seen any possible cases of COVID-19 yet. Businesses in Winona that have known associations with regions where COVID-19 is pervasive, such as Watkins Inc., have echoed the countys assurance that it is not an issue for them. Watkins reports that the virus has not impeded its day-to-day business, nor has it affected its business with countries like China. Winona Area Public Schools superintendent Annette Freiheit sent a letter to district families about the recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 and how the schools are preparing for possible local cases. Freiheit said the district has had a conference call with the Minnesota Department of Health about the virus. These calls are expected to be held weekly while the outbreak continues. Some information that the MDH has already shared with the district includes that the immediate health risk related to COVID-19 in the state is considered low, no event or extracurricular activities have been suggested to be canceled because of the virus, school closings have been discussed but are not being considered and that the schools are not responsible for assessing those who have recently traveled. WAPS health services coordinator Mitzi Girtler is keeping in contact with public health specialists from MDH and Winona County and sharing information with district staff. The same level of regular health care is expected to continue to be given in the district for the time being. Children with fevers higher than 100 degrees will be sent home, and parents will be informed to keep them home until the fever is gone without fever reducers for at least 24 hours. Freiheit shared in the letter that custodial supervisor Scott Albright and maintenance staff members are increasing disinfection work and using products that are able to kill COVID-19 and other viruses. The district has added information about the outbreak and COVID-19 on its websites Student Health Services page. Updates are expected in the future. Cotter Schools is also taking steps to prepare for a possible local outbreak. Cotters Wellness Committee met to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak and its potential impact, said Erik Christenson, Cotter director of international and alumni advancement. We communicated with our parents and staff last week advising them of best practices, provided publicly available resources and are prepared to institute e-learning days if needed. Cotter will continue to be proactive with its monitoring of the COVID-19 outbreak. In Winonas higher education organizations, COVID-19 is also a focus. A statement from Minnesota State College Southeast said: We are monitoring the news about COVID-19 closely. As a member of Minnesota State, we are committed to taking steps necessary to protect the health and safety of all faculty, staff and students. Minnesota State is working with state agencies to provide direction and guidelines for all of the college and universities in the system. So far, no events or extracurricular activities are expected to be canceled because of the virus. No cases have been reported in the Minnesota State system, according to the statement. The college is sharing similar instructions as WAPS is with the community about caring for oneself and staying home if feeling sick. We are also asking supervisors and faculty to offer flexibly to employees and students who are sick, have respiratory issues or who need to care for family members who are ill, the colleges statement said. MSC Southeast administration is expected to look at its emergency and continuity of operations plans next week. Saint Marys University is still working to prepare for the possibility of a local outbreak, with weekly meetings beginning soon. The university is monitoring reports and educating its students on how to prepare against the virus. Our No. 1 concern is for our students wellbeing and safety, said Deb Nahrgang, SMU senior director of external relations. Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber, director of preparedness and response at the Minnesota Department of Health, has confirmed that there are no known cases of COVID-19 in the state. Petersen-Kroeber has requested that concerned people should look at the statistics the Minnesota Department of Health has published on its website about COVID-19. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Rachel Mergen News reporter Winona Daily News reporter Rachel Mergen can be reached at 507-453-3522. Follow Rachel Mergen Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today As Mama June's family attempts to save her life on TV following a rocky year, the reality star was seen enjoying a trip to Florida with her boyfriend Geno Doak. The From Hot to Not star, 40, who was arrested in 2019 for cocaine possession, could be splitting a plate of fries with her man at the food court in the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Florida Casino and Hotel Friday night. The pair kept their looks causal, as the mother-of-four looked slightly sullen. Date night: Mama June, who was arrested in 2019 for cocaine possession, was spotted splitting a plate of fries with boyfriend Geno Doak at the food court in the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Florida Casino and Hotel Friday night As her beau carried their greasy snacks to a table, she sipped her soda in a pair of white trainers, a black turtleneck and patterned leggings. According to reports from TMZ, the couple are not staying at the hotel, but nearby in Boca Raton and the troubled reality star seemed 'standoffish.' Unlike Mama, the outlet reported Geno 'seemed happy somebody recognized him.' Grab and go: The pair kept their looks causal, as the mother-of-four looked slightly sullen The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum's family has desperately tried to get Mama June to end her dysfunctional relationship with Geno, who crashed his SUV into their house in Georgia while driving drunk last summer. The new season of Not to Hot, which follows the Shannon family coping with the fallout of Mama's arrest, features the heated moment when daughter Lauryn Michelle 'Pumpkin' Shannon scrams Geno is 'a piece of s*** for the damage he's caused to their lives. Another a clip on Friday showed Doak yelling back at Shannon: 'Are you f***ing' stupid,' Pumpkin chimed in: 'I just don't think that Mama understands that everything she does effects all of us too.' Rocky reality: Shannon's transformation has been documented through the years on her own reality show, which first saw the mother undergoing extensive surgeries to create an entirely new body More footage revealed extreme family tensions and the toll Mama's drug issues have caused her family and health. In the alarming clip, the Georgia native sobs and reveals a cracked front veneer. Shannon's transformation has been documented through the years on her own reality show, which first saw the mother undergoing extensive surgeries to create an entirely new body. Poor Honey Boo Boo: Her mom's absence appears to be hurting her former pageant queen daughter the most, who opened up about her mom in a teaser and said, 'I don't even know who she is anymore' Her procedures reportedly cost a staggering $75,000, which included a breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction and veneers worth an estimated $10,000, according to People. Her mom's absence appears to be hurting her former pageant queen daughter the most, who opened up about her mom in a teaser and said, 'I don't even know who she is anymore.' Her sister Jo 'Doe Doe also echoed her own concern saying, 'June is not in a safe place. Geno's got such a hold on her.' A U.S. Department of Homeland Security employee who traveled to China was told to return to her job in Newark earlier this month, despite protocol that mandated a 14-day quarantine period to screen for coronavirus, according to a report by The Washington Post. Earlier this month, the woman, who works at the Newark office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, returned from traveling to China and asked her boss if she should stay home in quarantine, the Post reported. But her boss told her to come back to work by Feb. 10, in violation of a mandatory coronavirus quarantine period of two weeks, the report said. The alleged violation is contained in complaints filed by the union that represents the womans coworkers, the report said. The womans name has not been released. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in close coordination with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and various public health organizations, Sarah Rodriguez, a USCIS spokeswoman said in a statement. DHS has issued guidance mandating that employees returning from China adhere to a quarantine protocol. According to the report, neither the woman nor her coworkers have shown any symptoms of the coronavirus, which continues to surge throughout the world, with most of the reported cases in Wuhan, China. The woman told coworkers she would be self-quarantining at work by sitting on the opposite side of the room from them, a union attorney told The Washington Post. As federal, state and local officials buckle down and begin preparations for what many medical experts are saying is an imminent spread of the virus to the United States, the alleged quarantine violation causes concerns that some of the policies implemented by the federal Centers for Disease Control are not being followed, the Post reported. One of the complaints was filed Friday, a day before it was revealed a patient in Monmouth County was being treated and tested for a suspected case of coronavirus. If the patient tests positive, it would be the first confirmed case of the virus in New Jersey. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The BJP leaders in Karnataka rallied behind Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal amid a controversy over his remarks that centenarian freedom fighter HS Doreswamy was a 'Pakistani agent' Bengaluru: The BJP leaders in Karnataka rallied behind Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal amid a controversy over his remarks that centenarian freedom fighter HS Doreswamy was a "Pakistani agent". The saffron party leaders have extended support to Yatnal, days after he called Doreswamy a "fake freedom fighter" who behaves like a "Pakistani agent". Yatnal made the comments at a press conference on 25 February while reacting to a query on a public meeting organised by the Congress titled 'Save the Constitution'. "There are many fake freedom fighters. There is one in Bengaluru. Now we have to say what Doreswamy is. Where is that old man? He behaves like a Pakistan agent," Patil had said. "Doreswamy is an elderly person and senior to all. He had participated in various agitations. He should also see what to talk and who will be hurt with those statements. We have all seen what he said about Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar told reporters in Kodagu on Saturday reacting to Yatnal's outburst against Doreswamy. Noting that the statements were made in bitter taste, Kumar said, "If you speak unpleasant, you will hear unpleasant." Bellary City MLA G Somashekara Reddy too backed Yatnal saying that the his statement was appropriate. "There is nothing wrong in his statement. It is absolutey correct. I support him. It is not just okay to be a freedom fighter but he should be a 'Deshbhakt' (patriot) too, who respects the unity and integrity of the nation." On Friday, another BJP Minister KS Eshwarappa slammed Doreswamy alleging that he had visited Amulya Leona's residence and was in good relationship with her family. Amulya had raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans at an anti-CAA event here on 21 February, taking everybody present by shock and dismay. "We respect Doreswamy but he dances to the tune of Congress and supports whatever their leaders say," Eshwarappa alleged. NSW Liberal Party powerbrokers will attempt to use a party conference in May to impose a ban on property developers running in local council elections, after their repeated efforts to change the rules were blocked behind closed doors. Debate on the ban was again delayed on Friday night at a state executive meeting in the southern highlands, amid resistance from federal minister and factional operative Alex Hawke, who is Prime Minister Scott Morrison's representative on the executive. Federal government minister and lieutenant of Scott Morrison, Alex Hawke, opposes the ban. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The moderate faction has a "hit list" of councillors, some of whom are property developers or are believed to be property developers, whom they want to prevent re-contesting this year's council elections. "We can't be running people if there's potential dodginess," one state executive member said. "It is infuriating. It hurts our brand, even if it's just a perception." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Bangladesh from March 16 to 18 where he will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, according to local media reports. Dhaka Tribune, citing multiple sources, has reported that a wide range of bilateral issues is expected to be discussed during PM Modi's official talks with Sheikh Hasina on March 18. The Prime Minister will arrive in Dhaka on March 16 for his three-day visit. On March 17, Modi will take part in an event being organised to mark the birth centenary celebration of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. According to the report in Dhaka Tribune, Foreign Secretary Harsha Vardhan Shringla will visit Bangladesh in the first week of March to prepare the groundwork for the Prime Minister's visit. "It is confirmed that the Prime Minister will attend the ceremony on March 17, but the details of his schedule are yet to be finalised," Debabrata Paul, Second Secretary, Press, of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, was quoted as saying. Last year, at the invitation of PM Modi, the Bangladesh Prime Minister had paid an official visit to India on October 5. However, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan had cancelled their scheduled visits to India a few months after her visit. After Momen cancelled his visit, the MEA had said that any speculation that the development was connected with the passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill was "unwarranted". The Citizenship Amendment Act allows non-Muslim refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014, to have Indian citizenship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nigerian Health authorities are preparing to handle any possible outbreak and urge citizens to remain calm. "We have enough reagents to do the checking now, there are four laboratories in Nigeria that can test for this particular virus," Health Minister Emmanuel Osagie said. "We also have a system for sample transport, so samples can be taken from somewhere and transported to a testing center within a few hours. So that is part of the network that we have prepared." The effort comes as officials confirmed the country's first case of the coronavirus. Nigerian health authorities say the patient is a man from Italy a country hit hard by the virus who works in Nigeria and returned from the Italian city of Milan to Nigeria's economic hub, Lagos, days ago. This makes Nigeria the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to record a case of the virus, which is blamed for more than 2,800 deaths worldwide. Health minister Osagie says they're working with airline officials to identify other passengers who may have had contact with the infected patient, in order to prevent further spread. "We are going to get the manifest and then do a contact tracing and find all the people who were there." Osagie said. "Usually we get their numbers and addresses and monitor them. We are not going to assume that all of them are OK or will fall sick, but advise anyone who has any symptoms to report and be monitored." The coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December. A recent assessment by the World Health Organization named Nigeria as one of 12 countries in Africa at high risk of the coronavirus threat, because of the high level of travel and trade between the West African country and China. At an Abuja public briefing, WHO Health official Dr. Clement Peter, admitted that the coronavirus issue is serious and challenging to contain. "Indeed globally, the sounding from WHO is very clear," he said. "We don't know how this outbreak is going to go. While things should be stabilizing in China gradually, many countries are getting cases that have no link to China." The coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people, and infected more than 83,000 in over 50 countries. Nigerian health officials are hoping that no other cases turn up in Lagos, one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. BERLIN Well over a decade after filming started, and a year after its chaotic rollout as an immersive installation in Paris, DAU has finally made it here to Berlin, the city where it was supposed to first be seen. The Russian director Ilya Khrzhanovskys unwieldy biopic of the Soviet scientist Lev Landau has found its way into the 70th Berlin Film Festival, not as a single project but as two feature films screening through Sunday. Natasha and Degeneratsia (Degeneration) have a combined running time of eight and a half hours. But that represents only a sliver of the 700 hours of footage shot for the project. DAU grew out of a multiyear experiment in which hundreds of nonprofessional actors lived and worked in a replica of a Soviet research institute, what may be the most ambitiously immersive film set ever made, in Ukraine. People played versions of themselves, transposed to lifestyles and careers of the Soviet Union. Artists, scientists and religious leaders visited the set, becoming part of the production and even holding lectures and workshops. Many have warned Prince Harry of his decision to quit the royal family. Critics said that when the Duke of Sussex looks back and decides to undo what he has done, the doors of the royal firm might remain close for him, his wife Meghan Markle and their little family. Doors Are Closing On Wednesday, Prince Harry came back to the U.K. for the last round of engagements as a senior member of the royal family. In a few weeks, he and Meghan Markle will formally step away from their duties as members of the monarchy. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to push through with their plan to become more financially independent. Once all the details of their separation have been approved by the Queen, everything will become official by March 31 of this year. However, critics were too quick to warn the prince that his decision to step back as a royal might not just close the doors of the royal family for him. When he and Meghan decide to forge international ties to gain support for their non-profit organizations, not all the doors will be welcoming. "What you have to remember is that Harry grew up in an environment where he could ask for help, free help from pretty much everyone," said Max Foster, a Europe correspondent of CNN who has been reporting on the upcoming departure of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry from the U.K. Selling The "Sussex" Brand "He can go to any government department and ask for help. He's got access. Doors are open to him because he is part of the royal family," Foster emphasized. With that said, Foster pointed out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might need to sell their image to be able to gather support for their future pursuits. "They won't be open to him anymore," Foster added, referring to the connections he had previously that might break once he steps away from the royal family. Moreover, Foster warned that the couple lacks the experience in making business within the celebrity scene. He further emphasized that Prince Harry does not have any experience selling himself and his ideas as other celebrities do. "Even the Duchess who has had a career in Hollywood does not have any experience either, not at that level," Foster said. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have little hope that the Queen would allow them to continue using the "Sussex Royal" brand. Sure enough, they are banking on the "Sussex Royal" brand as they pursue support for their future charity. In fact, they even applied for its trademark in May 2018 to ensure that they would be able to use it. However, according to the statement issued last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have agreed to give up the brand. They fought a good fight, insisting that the Queen did not have any jurisdiction for the executive use of the word "royal" in other countries. In addition, the couple's current circumstances will be reviewed after a year. This is to ensure that the projects they take on for their personal financial gain did and will not disrupt royal practices or break royal traditions. Although things might not have gone as planned, Harry and Meg remain positive that it will end well. After all, their goal was simply to live a simple, happy life together while building their family and their dreams. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS: DLAKY) is moving rapidly to reduce costs and preserve cash flow as the coronavirus outbreak widens to more countries. Three days after announcing a series of expense reductions, Lufthansa on Friday said group companies would reduce short-haul operations by up to 25% in the coming weeks, reduce long-haul flight schedules and park 23 long-haul aircraft (up from 13 already sidelined). The company said it is also contemplating whether to reduce working hours in certain areas. As previously reported, Lufthansa has instituted a hiring freeze, offered reduced work hours on a voluntary basis, and scaled back training for new employees. Earlier today, United Airlines suspended many flights to Japan, Singapore and South Korea as the economic threat of the coronavirus extends beyond China. International airlines have virtually eliminated flights to mainland China in the past month, but are now being forced to pare capacity elsewhere in Asia because people are afraid of traveling. (Read more about United, Hawaiian and Delta airlines' schedule adjustments and how that's drying up airfreight capacity in "United Airlines slashes Asia flights as coronavirus spreads," which posted earlier today.) There are more than 80,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,800 deaths so far associated with the flu-like disease. Image Sourced from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. An American man who contracted the coronavirus while a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship has warned that the virus hits 'hard and fast' after he rapidly fell ill on his flight home to the United States. Carl Goldman, 66, left the U.S. in January for a 16-day cruise around eastern Asia with his wife Jeri Seratti-Goldman, joining the cruise that has seen six coronavirus deaths. He finally returned to the U.S. on February 17 and had to be brought to hospital by stretcher after falling ill with the coronavirus, despite walking onto the plane an apparently healthy man. Goldman said that the virus, which has now claimed almost 3,000 lives globally, struck him out of nowhere causing a high fever after he displayed no symptoms at all during the two weeks he spent in quarantine in Japan. The couple is now at a bio-containment facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha where Carl is still testing positive for the disease. Carl Goldman on a stretcher being taken to Nebraska after he contracted the coronavirus Carl Goldman, pictured with his wife Jeri, was a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Six people have died and over 700 were diagnosed with the coronavirus from the ship A bus arrives near the cruise ship Diamond Princess which was placed in quarantine after dozens of passengers tested positive for coronavirus, may others were diagnosed after release 'I had a bit of a cough, but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin,' he said of his flight back to the U.S. as he was evacuated from Japan. Goldman said that exhausted from departing the ship, he fell asleep but woke up feeling that he had a fever. 'When I woke up about two hours later, I knew I had a high fever,' he told ABC News. 'My wife touched me and she knew I was burning up. I went up to the military doctors, they took my temperature and immediately put me in a quarantine area.' Goldman added that the coronavirus 'hits very, very fast' and that a person 'can go for days feeling fine' despite having the illness. 'We could have been exposing so many people to the virus not knowing we had it,' he said. The cruise ship was first warned of the onboard outbreak on January 17 when a passenger who had disembarked a few days earlier tested positive. It quickly turned back to Yokohama in Japan where the entire ship was kept in quarantine for two weeks. Goldman and his wife left the quarantine believing that they had avoided contracting the disease until Carl took ill. Over 700 other passengers have been diagnosed with confirmed cases, six of whom died. Jeri Goldman continues to test negative for the virus, despite sharing a room with her husband during the ship's quarantine. Carl Goldman claims that the virus is no worse than a cold or flu and his symptoms were 'mild' Carl Goldman, far right, and his wife Jeri Seratti-Goldman, below him, with another couple aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship where Carl contracted the coronavirus Goldman already lives a fit and healthy lifestyle having gone skiing for his 60th birthday Although falling in the older age range which evidence shows places Carl Goldman at higher risk of both contracting the virus and it proving to be fatal, the disease has not worked to slow him down. The 66-year-old posts online from his confinement about trying to beat his steps each day, continuing the active lifestyle which saw him go skiing to celebrate his 60th birthday as he warns that exercising is the way to remain healthy. While the virus appeared to hit him from out of nowhere, he described his other symptoms as 'mild' and that he felt worse when he contracted bronchitis. 'I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I've ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days,' Goldman wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post. 'This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don't have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual.' When the couple landed back in California, they and 11 other infected evacuees were flown immediately to the center in Nebraska but Goldman was already showing signs of improvement by the time he reached Omaha. 'The good news is my fever broke by the time I came to the hospital. I had a little fever, mild fever the first day. And then over a night ago, I had a little fever as well, that just came for about an hour and then disappeared,' he said. While he is still testing positive for the virus, he told NPR that all he has is a 'little cough still'. 'My voice is a bit raspy, and I'm a little fatigued, but that may be also because of the jet lag and the travel and everything else on top of it,' he said. 'It doesn't feel any different than recuperating from a regular cold.' A picture taken by Jeri Seratti-Goldman as the couple arrived back in the United States Bus carrying the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship leave the port Goldman also warned that there is no need to panic about the virus as it will have less of an impact than the flu. 'I think just have a thermometer... don't panic with this, and realize that this is going to be less of an impact in terms of deaths than the flu is each season,' Carl told Fox News when asked for advice. He adds that he seems to have been given 'gallons and gallons' of Gatorade while in quarantine which has helped to ward off any dehydration. Goldman has been keeping an on-going journal of his experience via the website for the radio station he owns, offering some tips to beat off any symptoms. 'The advice I relay in all my interviews is to purchase a good digital thermometer for each person at home, drink warm fluids, put fresh ginger in warm water, and exercise,' he writes. 'All will push body temperatures up. It appears the coronavirus, COVID-19, like the flu bug, does better in cold environments. It doesn't like the heat. 'My wife also wisely advises to refrain from our typical California greeting of hugs and kisses. We should segue to the Japanese custom of a simple bow.' The couple, who have been married for 29 years, are both still separated in quarantine but are able to call each other from their separate cells. They haven't seen each other face-to-face in almost two weeks despite being in the same building. 'The time has passed more quickly than I would've expected. With my laptop, I get as much work done as I can, remotely. I catch up with friends. I take walks around my room, trying to take a thousand more steps each day. I also watch the news,' Goldman writes. 'It's surreal to see everyone panic - news conferences, the stock market falling, school closures - about a disease I have. It does seem likely that coronavirus will spread in the U.S., but it won't help anybody if we all panic. 'I have been relatively fortunate: At least six Diamond Princess passengers have died from the virus, of the around 705 passengers who caught it. But coronavirus doesn't have to be a horrible calamity,' he added. 'If you told me when I left home in January that I wouldn't be back until March - that, instead, I would be confined for more than 24 days because I'd catch a novel virus at the center of what could become a pandemic - that would have completely freaked me out. But now that it's happening, I'm just taking it one day at a time.' A top Japanese government adviser has now claimed that the quarantine on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship may have been flawed, allowing for further transmission of the disease to other passengers and staff. 'We suspected some of the cruise staff may have already been infected, but ... they had to operate the cruise ship itself, they had to see the passengers, they had to deliver the meals,' said Dr. Norio Ohmagari, the director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center at the government-funded National Center for Global Health and Medicine. 'So that may have caused some close contact with the cruise ship workers and also the passengers.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 14:49:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Primary and middle schools in different regions shall not reopen until the epidemic is basically under control, according to China's Ministry of Education. It also made clear two other conditions for such schools in starting the new semester: when schools have the capability in essential prevention and control, and the safety of teachers and students and the public health security in schools is effectively guaranteed. For the period before the new semester, local education authorities and schools were asked to design reasonable schedules for pupils and middle school students and strengthen the guidance for their study at home, said a circular from the ministry released Friday. It also urged colleges and universities to evaluate the effect of their online teaching projects and make timely adjustments. K Ezhilarasan By Express News Service TIRUCHY: Two Tamil films that deal with honour killing in different perspectives set off a buzz on inter-caste marriages. Kanni Maadam and Draupadi do not boast of the star cast and top directors, but the films stoke intense debate among nationalists and leaders of caste-based outfits. Draupadi hit the screens on Friday and was received with frenzy by PMK cadre. Banners with slogans Here comes Draupadi to save the women of all communities, are erected in theatres in Tiruchy. Police personnel were deployed in the theatre in the wake of the response the trailer generated weeks ago. There are adequate symbolic representations in Draupadi to indicate that the plot revolves around the Vanniyar community. A character has a ring tone Maaveeraney song, which evoked pandemonium in the theatre. For, the late leader of Vanniyar Sangam J Guru was referred to as Maaveeran by his supporters. Further, several youths in the movie are shown sporting yellow t-shirts, bearing symbols of the Vanniyar Sangam. Director G Mohan believes that many cases of honour killings were not true and that thought finds explicit reflection in some scenes and dialogues. The argument of the director is that there exist people who woo girls from wealthy families only to extort money. PMK founder S Ramadoss watched the movie with his family and tweeted recommending the movie especially for those who have daughters. BJP leader H Raja also praised the movie as an attempt to reform the society. Kanni Maadam The movie released last week, is directed by debutant Bose Venkat. It runs down caste pride and shows how it kills ones own wards in the name of honour and finally how it destroys a beautiful family. Periyarists and Ambedkarists are celebrating the movie saying that it speaks loud of ill-effects of the caste system. Advertisements for this movie feature images of the two leaders. Also, many sequences in the movie show the portrait of these two leaders. Before the curtain falls, a saying of Periyar against caste and religion comes on screen. The honour killing scene would remind one of the Udumalaipettai incidents. After watching the film, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan described it as the need of the hour. The reception the film drew has surprised the distributors, who had only exhibited it in Chennai and neighbouring areas, fearing it may not have takers in the hinterland. Now they are planning for a re-release on Monday. Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) said it has partnered with the regions first pop-up cinema concept Films In A Box to bring films to a wider audience at the forthcoming Al Marmoom: Film In The Desert. The event, which is a platform to support and showcase emerging and established filmmakers both locally and regionally will take place between March 4 to 7 in Al Marmoom desert as part of the seventh edition of Dubai Art Season. During the four-day event, Dubai Culture will present Films In A Box pop-up cinema concept where transportable, 28-seat box-shaped movie theatres will be constructed on site to show non-dialogue short films running at between 10 and 15 minutes. This creative collaboration is an example of the cross-pollination between the public and private sector, which underlines Dubai Cultures mandate to work together with all creative entities to enhance synergies and explore new opportunities for productive cooperation. Films In A Box will present a series of non-dialogue films across genres, which encourage cross cultural understanding without a need for translation or subtitles and are also inclusive to the deaf community. The medium of non-dialogue films allows filmmakers, cinematographers and actors to focus on creativity and diverse story telling whilst being freed from language boundaries. The presence of such an accessible artform in the region underlines Dubai Cultures community-focused drive and emphasis on inclusivity. A full programme of workshops talks and interactive discussions has also been designed to suit young people, children, enthusiasts and all the family. The partnership with Films In A Box is aimed at allowing films to be accessible to the hearing impaired and deaf community, providing them with the opportunity to participate in Al Marmoom: Film in The Desert and to enjoy the storytelling experience of the event. It aligns with the Authoritys mandate of social responsibility to all members of Dubais multi-cultural community. Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Dubai Culture said: "The partnership with Films in A Box for Al Marmoom: Film in The Desert is a vital part of the overall philosophy of the event: to be accessible and suitable for everyone. We are working to inspire the next generation of film makers and enthusiasts by providing an inclusive platform from which to witness films as well as to learn about all the aspects of filmmaking." "Films In A Box allows audiences to get beyond language and therefore overcome cultural barriers, which will ultimately result in people uniting and coming together through the medium of film," explained Al Suwaidi. Terry Miranda, Managing Director of LHP Lighthouse Productions, said: "Films In A Box is inspired by the UAEs and Dubais diverse cultural landscape and is aimed at bringing film to wider audiences and to increase participation in films in general." "Dubai Culture is extending this platform through Al Marmoom: Film In The Desert and therefore it is a fruitful collaboration for us. We want to bring the magic of film to the full spectrum of society in the UAE & the region, so it is a great pleasure to be partnering with Dubai Culture for the first edition of this event, which will, hopefully take its place as a popular event on Dubais cultural calendar," added Miranda.-TradeArabia News Service Jack Grealish will earn 150,000-a-week if he moves to Manchester United from relegation-threatened Aston Villa. Villa are yet to agree a deal with United, who have previously shown interest in the creative midfielder. Senior officials are reportedly working on personal terms ahead of the potential move. According to the Sun, Grealish's lucrative move to Old Trafford will happen regardless of how Aston Villa finish their Premier League campaign. Jack Grealish would earn 150,000-a-week if he were to join Manchester United, per the Sun The creative midfielder has impressed for the relegation-threatened Aston Villa this season Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown interest in Grealish before United's rivals Manchester City are said to also be interested in the 24-year-old and are monitoring the situation. Grealish will want to ensure he will be given ample gametime is he was to leave his boyhood club - as England manager Gareth Southgate continues to track his progress ahead of Euro 2020. United already have Bruno Fernandes, who they signed in January from Sporting Lisbon, but they are also bracing for the departure of French midfielder Paul Pogba. Grealish could be off to Euro 2020 with England and would replace Paul Pogba at United Despite earning big money for a move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, Grealish's ex-team-mate Gabby Agbonlahor has urged the Aston Villa star to reject Manchester United. 'I am not just saying this as I have played with him, but I honestly think he is the best attacking midfield option that England have got at this current time,' Agbonlahor told The Sun. 'That is why, when people say Grealish to Manchester United, he could do so much better than that. 'He could walk into any team in the world, even Barcelona or Juventus.' Grealish and Aston Villa are preparing for their Carabao Cup final against Manchester City this Sunday. North Adams Committee Hosting Short-Term Rental Information Session NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The City Council's Community Development Committee will be holding a public presentation and discussion on short-term rentals on Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The session will review the work happening in the Community Development Office and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission pertaining to short-term rentals such as those advertised through web portals such as AirBnB. This meeting is intended to provide North Adams residents and stakeholders with relevant information and research pertaining to local-level regulations of short-term rentals of residential properties. Additionally, this meeting will be an opportunity for the committee and public in attendance to provide input that will help shape any short-term rental regulations yet to be developed by the city of North Adams. "This is an excellent opportunity for public stakeholders to hear what work and research has already been done by the Community Development Office, and to help inform any policy to be developed around short-term rentals going forward," said Committee Chairman Benjamin Lamb. The Community Development Committee has been looking into regulations for short-term rentals for some time. The committee is a subcommittee of the North Adams City Council comprised of Councilors Lamb, Jason LaForest and Jessica Sweeney. Parliament This Week in Parliament Military lawmakers at the Union Parliament on Feb. 26. / The Irrawaddy Monday (Feb. 24) Kayah State lawmaker U Soe Thein asked if the government had a plan to set up a general provident fund (GPF) so civil servants had savings when they retired or resigned. In response, Deputy Minister for Planning, Finance and Industry U Maung Maung Win said his ministry had formulated a draft GPF law so government employees could live off their savings after retirement. Tuesday (Feb. 25) The debate on charter amendment bills began at the Union Parliament. Lawmaker U Ne Myo Tun of the National League for Democracy (NLD) asked Parliament Speaker T Khun Myat to take action against Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker U Maung Myint over his controversial remarks about the NLDs ministers and members. Wednesday (Feb. 26) Military lawmakers and allied USDP members strongly rejected proposed constitutional amendments to weaken the militarys political power. They strongly opposed the proposed amendment of Article 40(c) which grants sovereign power to the commander-in-chief during a state of emergency. Military lawmakers also bitterly opposed amending Article 59(f) which bars Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming the countrys president because of her late husband and children having British nationality. Thursday (Feb. 27) T Khun Myat told lawmakers to stop making inflammatory remarks in their discussions on charter amendment bills or face lawsuits. Friday (Feb. 28) Six ministries discussed a Joint Public Accounts Committee report on tax revenues for the second half of the 2018-19 fiscal year. The Union Parliament approved the report. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Parliament Speaker to MPs: Act Civil or Face Lawsuits Helly Shah age, height, weight, net worth, boyfriend/husband, top songs and movies: Rising star Helly Shah has been shining so brightly that she has captivated admirers around the world, including superfan from Egypt. Talking about her current role popular TV actress Helly Shah is winning the hearts of the viewers with her performance in Star Bharats Sufiyana Pyaar Mera. The beautiful actress is playing the double roles of Saltanat and Kaynaat in the romantic show. TV actors often shoot for 12-15 hours a day to meet the telecast deadlines and this often takes a toll on their death. Meanwhile, Helly Sha keeps her fan updated about her life by posting frequently on her social account. To know much about the actress, read Helly Shas age, height, weight, net worth, boyfriend/husband, top songs and movies. Jakob Lindenthal had participated in multiple protests against the CAA in Chennai while he was enrolled in an exchange programme at IIT-Madras. The Centre has revoked the visa of German exchange student Jakob Lindenthal, who was told to leave the county after he participated in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at IIT-Madras, Indian Express reported. Lindenthal, a post-graudate student of physics at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD), told Indian Express the Indian Embassy in Germany informed him that his visa had been cancelled on 8 February. Officials, however, did not give him any reason for their decision, he said. Lindenthal was earlier advised by the Embassy against returning to India on his current visa, Indian Express reported. Lindenthal left the country on 25 December, two days after the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Chennai told him to do so or face deportation. The move came after he participated in multiple protests against the CAA. In one protest, he was holding a placard that had an indirect reference to the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Germany between 1933 and 1945 during the Hitler regime. Images from the protest show him holding a placard which read "1933-1945... we have been there" and another which read "No democracy without dissent". Lindenthal was part of a student exchange programme between IIT-Madras and TUD and arrived in India in July 2019. He would have completed his course in May 2020. His visa was reportedly going to expire in June 2020. Kim Magister, Head of Press Office and Public Relations at the university in Dresden confirmed that Lindenthal's visa had been cancelled, as per the report. "Lindenthals visa has indeed now been officially cancelled, meaning that he is no longer able to travel to India to continue his student exchange. However, he was able to successfully complete one semester at the IIT Madras. For this period, he will receive a Transcript of Records from our partner university, she told The Indian Express. IIT-Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said the decision to cancel Lindenthal's visa was taken by the immigration authorities and that the institute was not involved. If the visa is granted, the student or visitor comes, else they do not. This is the process followed everywhere," he said. Following Lindethal's expulsion from India, the TUD has decided to introduce special workshops to optimally prepare students for such foreign exchange programmes, said Magister adding that Lindenthal has also been invited to talk about his experiences in India. Protests against the amended citizenship law spread across many cities and university campuses in India in December, with protesters alleging that the law, which seeks to fast-track citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from three countries, discriminates against minorities. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is asking hunters to test their deer for Chronic Wasting Disease after it was discovered in Kimble County, about two hours northwest of San Antonio. The disease was found at a deer breeding facility on Wednesday, making it the first positive detection in that area, TPWD said in a news release. The origin of the disease is unknown as records show the deer facility has not shipped in new deer in the last five years, said Mitch Lockwood, director of the big game program for TPWD. The breeder has also had an active disease surveillance program since 2011 and hadn't had a positive detection until now. The disease is neurological and affects the brain and nervous system of deer, elk and moose. The result is always fatal, Lockwood said. READ ALSO: Invasive tilapia are taking over Texas waters, including two San Antonio lakes The disease has been documented in 26 states and three Canadian provinces. In Texas, the disease was first discovered in 2012 near El Paso. The disease has since been detected in 169 white-tailed deer, red deer and mule deer in the following counties: Dallam, El Paso, Hartley, Hudspeth, Kimble, Lavaca, Medina, Uvalde and Val Verde. Symptoms do not appear for several years and include staggering, abnormal posture, drooling, confusion and severe weight loss. The majority of the animals that test positive for the disease have "looked perfectly healthy," Lockwood said. The disease also goes by "zombie deer disease." There is no evidence the disease can be naturally transmitted to humans, livestock or pets. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not to consume meat from infected animals. Although the disease has not been detected in the San Antonio area, Lockwood said "anything is possible" and advises all Texas hunters to test their deer just in case. If you are planning to harvest deer, contact your wildlife biologist for more information. Chronic Wasting Disease zones and information can be found here. Priscilla Aguirre 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 | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris have spoken to Northern Ireland officials regarding the coronavirus. It comes as a woman is recovering at home in Belfast, after testing positive for the virus. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. [music] Today: After years of false starts, the United States has signed a historic peace deal with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan. My colleague Mujib Mashal traveled to the front lines in Afghanistan and the signing ceremony in Doha to find out whether peace is actually possible. Its Friday, March 6. Mujib, what was the situation heading into this peace deal? mujib mashal This conflict has gone on for about 40 years. It kind of began with the Soviet invasion in the 70s, and it dragged on. It became a civil war. And the chaos of the civil war became a safe haven for terrorist groups like Al Qaeda that use it as launching grounds to attack the United States. And in retaliation, the United States invaded Afghanistan. And they toppled the Taliban government that was hosting Al Qaeda. So now weve got mostly three main players. One is the Taliban that feels that they are a government-in-waiting because they were toppled. And then its the U.S. military thats been on the ground for 18 years, and they want out. And so thats the second player. And the third player is the Afghan government that has been propped up by the United States over the past 18 years. And they are in the middle because they havent been part of the negotiations. So the effort to find a way out that can satisfy all the three players, its been a difficult process. michael barbaro Right. And Mujib, the last time you and I spoke, a peace deal was on the brink of happening. But the Taliban carried out an attack. It killed an American. President Trump, who was involved in those negotiations, was furious and at the last minute, called the talks off. mujib mashal Exactly. But that process was picked up again in recent months. And in the past few weeks, it finally felt like it was seriously coming together that we may have a way out of this conflict. [music] The way it happened is that they took the same deal that they almost finalized last September. They put a condition in front of it. The condition was that for seven days across Afghanistan, the violence level needed to be significantly reduced just to build some trust so ordinary Afghans could finally get to imagine what the dividends of peace could look like. And when that temporary truce started, the first thing that came to my mind was, what does it mean to the soldiers who have been fighting for years with no respite? So I thought of this guy I had sat next to on one of my flights, earlier flights, from southern Afghanistan. I had sat next to this guy, and I started making small talk with him. And he was like, yeah, Im a highway police commander, posted in this stretch of highway between Zabul and Kandahar provinces, both very, very badly hit areas of the war. And so I was like, hey, would it be OK for me to come visit you at some point? He was like, sure. So I got his number. And we were always nervous to go visit a place like that for security reasons. So when this truce went into effect, the first person that came to my mind was him. I want to go see what this would feel like for these guys who have constantly faced loss and fire. To go see, engage their emotions, and how they were experiencing this very rare breather from daily violence and daily attacks. michael barbaro So what did you do? mujib mashal So the photographer Kiana Hayeri and I, we flew to Kandahar. And from there, we found this old, really seasoned taxi driver who had done the road for about 40 years. And he drove us to the commander, to the base on the highway. And its a beautiful drive. But every couple miles of the drive getting to this commander, was seeing bridges blown up, the road blown up. So we arrived at this outpost on top of a hill, and were met by the commander. And he sort of oversees this 40, 50-mile stretch of the highway. ^mujib mashal ^: The one good thing he has is good weather. mujib mashal Hes got about 300 men spread out in a dozen outposts because what the Taliban do is plant a bomb when a convoy is driving. They blow up the bomb. And then once the convoy sort of gets disoriented with the explosion, they attack them from all corners. interposing voices [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal This is the main way the Taliban come here. mujib mashal So every morning, they come out, and they just patrol along the highway, look for any wires, look for any pieces of the asphalt dug up. mujib mashal This is where they get the kiana hayeri The mines. mujib mashal the mines. Thats the reason [INAUDIBLE]. kiana hayeri The actual mine or the cables? mujib mashal The cables. Thats how they dig it up. kiana hayeri OK. mujib mashal This is what they dig the cable with. mujib mashal And this commander something that really, really got to me in the sense of how bad theyve been suffering was, he was like, listen, Ive lost more men fetching water than I have in face-to-face fighting. michael barbaro Mm. mujib mashal My men come out, and they make their way down to get water in these buckets. And a sniper takes them out. michael barbaro Wow. mujib mashal So thats how badly theyve been surrounded. Thats the kind of fire they were receiving. And I asked him, I was like, how has it been this couple days of we visited them on day three, I think, of this violence reduction. And hes like, its been beautiful. interposing voices [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal These are the latest [INAUDIBLE]. interposing voices [SPEAKING PASHTO] [laughter] interposing voices [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal [LAUGHS] I was like, is that thing still packed? He was like, yeah, if I push it right now, its Im like, please dont. mujib mashal Seeing them walk around. Seeing them just some of them having their weapons down. mujib mashal Hes just been engaged three days ago. mujib mashal It felt like they were breathing a little relief. [walkie-talkie sound] mujib mashal And then he said, lets go for a drive. speaker Good? mujib mashal He was showing us a couple other outposts. mujib mashal Like, of the 300 other people he has, he probably doesnt have a single one who hasnt been wounded at some point during the war. mujib mashal And the amazing part was a lot of his fighters were really young 20, 22, 23, 25. A lot of them had started as child soldiers 14-, 15-year-olds. And many of them were really badly broken. Somebody was missing a finger. Somebody was missing a leg. Somebody was missing an eye. Some were wounded two, three times by the time theyre 24, 25 now. Lets see, there are these two brothers, actually three brothers. speaker Assalamu alaikum. mujib mashal The one was home, had already lost a leg. Their father had served in the police for a long time. And hed just died last year clearing roadside bombs. And so that job and been passed down to his sons. And both of them were in their early 20s. One was, I think, 21. The other one was 23. police officer [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal And one of them, his only interaction with the Taliban, was when he was detained by them for three days and tortured. And he still has the scars of that torture to show. police officer [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal The village they come from, in different neighboring province, it is entirely contested by the Taliban. So these brothers cant really go home often. One of them actually even arrived late to his own wedding because his family had prepared all the festivities. He tried to find the truck driver that could smuggle him to his own village for the wedding. By the time he got there, the festivities were over. So he missed his own wedding, basically. They are so young. And theyre so shaped by this war, that when I asked them even basic questions of what peace could mean to them, they would just smile and just grin. And they couldnt mentally get into the details of it. So I pushed them a little. I was like, listen, peace means that 50,000, 60,000 Taliban fighters out there, either laying down their arms or integrating into the army and the police, and basically sitting across from you, sharing this barrack with you. And one of them was like, I dont like them. I dont like the way they look. And I was like, well, thats what peace means. It means those Taliban fighters who need to be accommodated somehow. So he thought about it again. And he was like, well, peace is good, but well think about it. interposing voices [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal The commander is just 29 years old. But he seems so sort of seasoned and so experienced and so wise. And he got a little more reflective as we were driving between outposts. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal And one of the stories you told us as we were driving was, as an example of what pains him about this war. And he said, listen, I wish I was fighting people who were from a different country. The people were fighting, theyre not even from a different village. Theyre not even from a different district. And he told us the story of this local guy he said had come to his outpost for tea and for lunch with other elders maybe even a dozen times. And then they discovered him planting roadside bombs during one of their operations. And he didnt even know the guy was a Taliban. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal To him, that was a point of how localized, how interlinked and interwoven this conflict is. It almost seems that the easier part of the peace is between the Taliban and the Americans. But were talking about peace between people who are sharing the same stretch of the highway. michael barbaro And sharing tea, in fact. mujib mashal Or sharing tea. Yeah. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal And he said, the most basic thing, the most important thing in human life is freedom. And he said, life is nothing without freedom. And he said, the way we live, these targets on our back wherever we travel, constant fear of attacks and violence he said, this is not life. This is not life. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal [SPEAKING PASHTO] [music] mujib mashal As I was with them and hearing their stories, it was very clear that the truce was working. They hadnt faced any fire in several days. And the truce working meant the peace deal would go ahead and be signed between the U.S. and the Taliban in Doha. So we got back in our taxi, drove to Kandahar. We took a flight from Kandahar to Kabul. I spent the night in Kabul, and then from there, fly to Doha to make it in time for the signing. [music] mujib mashal Its the day before the agreement is supposed to be signed. And the dignitaries are arriving from around the world in the Sheraton Doha. It seems like its happening. michael barbaro Well be right back. mujib mashal Theyre putting final touches at the venue. michael barbaro So Mujib, you are in Doha getting ready to report on this historic peace agreement. What is the scene like there? mujib mashal So the event is supposed to happen at the Sheraton in Doha. mujib mashal Theres a podium where the signing is going to happen, and two sides are going to give speeches. mujib mashal And this ballroom is prepared. mujib mashal A kind of spotless red carpet. And red sort of velvety drapings behind the platform, and it says, The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan. mujib mashal And people are slowly trickling in to find their way. [camera shuttering] The most high-profile guest is the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the emir of Qatar. chatter mujib mashal And then chatter mujib mashal dozens of Taliban started arriving for the occasion. chatter mujib mashal And a lot of more unusual noise and clamor than you would see at a normal diplomatic event, and because this wasnt a normal diplomatic event. It was an insurgency that was only known for blowing stuff up and fighting in the battlefield. And now sitting in the same room as the secretary of state and world leaders and getting ready to sign as equals with a world power. archived recording [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal Ceremony just gets underway. All the dignitaries have arrived. mujib mashal And then as the proceedings started, I found a seat in the balcony upstairs. archived recording (mike pompeo) Good afternoon. I want to start by thanking his highness, Sheikh Tamim for Cutters invaluable role as host for these historic talks. mujib mashal And Secretary of State Pompeo gets up, and he gives brief remarks. archived recording (mike pompeo) This effort only became real for the United States when the Taliban signaled interest in pursuing peace and ending their relationship with Al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups. The agreement that we will sign today is the true test of this effort. michael barbaro So Mujib, whats actually in the agreement thats about to be signed? mujib mashal The most concrete thing in the agreement is an American commitment to start withdrawing the remaining of its troops. So right now, theres still about 12,000 American troops in Afghanistan. And the agreement lays out a 14-month timeline for a gradual withdrawal of those troops. archived recording (mike pompeo) Heres our take on what steps by the Taliban will make this agreement a success. mujib mashal There is some basic language of conditionality attached to it. archived recording (mike pompeo) First, keep your promises to cut ties with Al Qaeda and other terrorists. Keep up the fight to defeat ISIS. mujib mashal That in return, the Taliban are making some commitments that they would not allow terror groups, theyll not allow Al Qaeda. The other pieces are that the Americans will help release up to 5,000 of the Taliban prisoners who are in the Afghan government. And those prisoners will get released in the next couple weeks before the Taliban sit down for direct negotiations with the other Afghan side. archived recording (mike pompeo) And start the difficult conversations on a political roadmap for your country. mujib mashal And then in that future negotiations, at the top of the agenda, would be a comprehensive cease-fire. archived recording (mike pompeo) And for all of us here, and most importantly for the security of the American Afghan people, this must happen. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] mujib mashal And then. sheikh tamim [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal The Talibans deputy gets up. archived recording (deputy leader of the taliban) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal He seems nervous, and hes struggling to read the text. But he basically says the same thing that we want a peaceful future. We are committed to the agreement that well sign. archived recording [APPLAUSE] mujib mashal There is muted cries of allahu akbar from the Taliban guys, which is sort of victory cry. And then the deputy Taliban leader takes his place at the desk. And the American chief negotiator takes a seat next to him. The Taliban guy, hes watching closely to make sure the American envoy puts his signatures down first michael barbaro Wow. mujib mashal as if to make sure there isnt some sort of a last-minute trick. And after the American signs the first page, the Taliban opens his pen, and he starts signing also. archived recording [APPLAUSE] mujib mashal And that was it. They had signed an agreement that had taken a year and half of negotiations. And there was a sense of expectation that this momentous signing between the U.S. and the Taliban would open the way for peace. michael barbaro Mm-hm. mujib mashal But as soon as the two sides signed, the Taliban have started attacking again. archived recording 1 Now, remember that landmark deal between the U.S. and the Taliban at the weekend, well archived recording 2 Cracks are now starting to appear in the agreement. archived recording 3 Appears to be unraveling. archived recording 4 Its already unraveling just four days after it was signed. archived recording 5 New violence in Afghanistan just days after that landmark truce between the mujib mashal Back to Taliban launching attacks on Afghan outposts. Back to Taliban stopping people on the highways. archived recording 6 Afghan police say that at least three people have been killed earlier. mujib mashal Dozens dead every day since. archived recording 7 Separate attacks have left at least 19 people archived recording 8 20 Afghan soldiers archived recording 9 More than 20 Afghan soldiers archived recording 10 Dead. archived recording 11 33 attacks in 16 archived recording 12 Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned that violence will continue in Afghanistan. [music] michael barbaro Mujib, why would the Taliban begin launching attacks days, hours after signing a peace deal? mujib mashal The Taliban say the deal makes it clear their violence is only ending with the Americans. michael barbaro Mm. mujib mashal And theres nothing in the deal about reducing attacks on Afghan government, on Afghan security forces. And Ive posed this question to the Taliban. And I was like listen, so for 18, 19 years, youve been saying this is a jihad against foreigners, right? But the foreigners just signed with you. Theyre leaving. So how do you legitimize the shedding of Afghan blood now? michael barbaro Right. mujib mashal And he was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on. Just because we got the foreigners to agree to leave doesnt mean we can give up already that the structure they created, the government they propped up, the system they put in place will inherit everything, and we will be left out here without correcting that system that is in Kabul to include our wishes also. So theyre very clear that theyre going to continue to use violence as leverage to bring political change also. michael barbaro So in their mind, they need to keep waging a war on these kind of extensions and projections of American power. And they are allowed to do it under this agreement because it only explicitly says you cannot attack U.S. forces. mujib mashal Precisely. So theres an interesting thing that happened just on Wednesday. After three days of violence, the U.S. military got back into action. They carried out an air strike against the Taliban. And the U.S. militarys justification was, listen, the agreement may have just ended the violence explicitly between us meaning, between the Taliban and the Americans but theres a sense in the agreement that if you all of a sudden start attacking the Afghan security forces, we, as the U.S. military, reserve the right to go to their defense. michael barbaro That feels like a very significant structural flaw in a peace deal to have left so much ambiguity that your former enemy can go on to destroy the government that the United States has built there. mujib mashal Theres a structure flaw in that for sure. But getting around that structure flaw, there were two possibilities. One was you can ensure that doesnt happen by getting the enemy to agree to a cease-fire, right? michael barbaro Mm-hm. mujib mashal The Taliban in no way were going agree to a cease-fire. So you either kept negotiating for months to try to force them to a cease-fire. Or they have agreed to this structurally flawed agreement, but hoping that because the U.S. reserves the right to carry out airstrikes, would mean the Taliban will carry out fewer attacks to risk being killed by American airstrikes. So what were seeing right now is the Taliban testing how much they can get away with in this ambiguous area of how far the U.S. will go to defend the Afghan government. But theyre also testing something else. So as part of the deal, the U.S has committed to helping release 5,000 of Taliban prisoners. And the Afghan government said, no way. Those are our prisoners. The U.S. doesnt have the right to commit to something like that. And the Taliban now are like, we dont care. U.S., you sort it out. You committed to us. But at the same time, it almost feels like theyre using violence to remind the Afghan government that if they drag their foot on the prisoners issue, the Taliban are still a reality in the battlefield. That they still have the same sort of firepower. [music] michael barbaro Mujib, I wonder if you have talked to those police officers that you had visited before the signing? [phone dialing] mujib mashal I did. automatic operator The number you are calling is not in service. mujib mashal I mean, it was a bit of a struggle to get back in touch with them, because that area where theyre serving what the Taliban do is they cut off cell towers, and you lose cell phone signal. [phone dialing] But when I got back in touch with them. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal They say theyve been facing fire for the past three consecutive nights. michael barbaro Wow. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal One of the outposts they showed us and I toured, they had two people wounded in that outpost. Their commander that we went to see, he was ambushed. So the commanders like, its back to the same levels as a attack for us. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal But he said something really interesting that I think summed up the mood after the recent Taliban attacks. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal He said, the one thing that is good about their attacks now is that it makes things clear. It makes our fight clear that until now, the Taliban were saying, oh, the foreigners are here. Were fighting the foreigners. And that kind of give their fight a little legitimacy, right? And they said now that theyve gotten their agreement with the foreigners, and theyre still deciding to attack us, we have a more open hand to return fire, as their attacks dont have that same legitimacy anymore. So its almost crystallized the fight for them a little bit. lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] mujib mashal But the fact that their daily reality after the signing has been no different from their reality before the signing seemed heavy on them, that they were back to the same being shot at and returning fire. mujib mashal [SPEAKING PASHTO] lt. col. musa-kalim rodwal (on the phone) [SPEAKING PASHTO] [music] michael barbaro It feels like nothing about this peace deal actually looks like peace to them. In fact, its just the beginning of a new phase of the war. mujib mashal At the moment, it doesnt. It actually feels like a continuation of the war they were fighting already. But one thing that came out of this peace deal was a brief pause, even if it was just for seven days. They felt and experienced a new reality. And maybe, maybe for a long time, they wont experience that again. Maybe their reality will be violence. But at least they have a reference point now. They can think back to seven days. And maybe that will serve as a reminder of what is still possible and what they could still get to. [music] michael barbaro Mujib, thank you very much. mujib mashal Thank you. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today. Italy and Iran have ordered all schools and universities to close as the coronavirus sweeps across both countries. In Italy, around 150 people have died from the virus the highest number outside of China. While in Iran, there are now more than 3,500 infections. In the U.S., California has declared a state of emergency after an outbreak that has infected dozens of residents. And state officials said they were ordering a cruise ship to remain off the coast of San Francisco out of fear that the coronavirus may be spreading among its passengers. As of Wednesday evening, there were at least 211 infections in the U.S. And archived recording (elizabeth warren) I will not be running for president in 2020. But I guarantee I will stay in the fight for the hardworking folks across this country who have gotten the short end of the stick over and over. Thats been the fight of my life, and it will continue to be so. michael barbaro Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the Democratic race for president on Thursday, saying, that after a series of disappointing primaries, there was no longer a place for her in the race. archived recording (elizabeth warren) I was told at the beginning of this whole undertaking that there are two lanes a progressive lane that Bernie Sanders is the incumbent for, and a moderate lane that Joe Biden is the incumbent for. And theres no room for anyone else in this. I thought that wasnt right, but evidently I was wrong. michael barbaro Warren declined to endorse either Biden or Sanders for now. And during a news conference in front of her house, expressed regret that there was no longer a woman in the race. archived recording And I wonder what your message would to the women and girls who feel like were left with two white men to decide between. archived recording (elizabeth warren) I know. One of the hardest parts of this is all those pinkie promises, and all those little girls who were going to have to wait four more years. Thats going to be hard. michael barbaro During the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, Mike Pence, the Vice President, gathered the audience to rally against socialism. He said that freedom always wins while he executed a case for the reelection of President Donald Trump. As Pence did his 14th appearance at the annual conference, he was welcomed and received roars and choruses of "four more years" and also "U-S-A". While he was announcing that the 2020 race will provide the voters an option among socialism, he added that elections are about choices. He said that the choice has never been more apparent and that the stakes have never been higher. He also added that the men and women of CPAC still have work to do and that truthfully, it wouldn't be sufficient to succeed in the next election. That is why they have to persuade the next generation. Pence continued that they have to tell them the facts and reality regarding socialism and the advantages that will be gained from freedom. He believes that when several of this new generation talk about socialism, they are talking about more dependable and qualified health care and education, or to have a better environment to live. He added that in the reality of socialism, it is very diverse. He believes that the people who belong in the "rising generation" truly "embrace life and liberty". He stated that it is a generation of freedom and that the fact that people who can listen to a song and decide to download it on their smartphone a few moments after is considered freedom. He also stated that socialism has never accomplished in any area, time, continent, and class of people it has been tried. He believes that freedom works and socialism does not. He added that it was never socialism because freedom provided us with the most powerful and most flourishing nation in the history of the world and that freedom also has ended the slavery in this world, succeeded in two world wars, and has delivered America a light of hope for all human being. Pence suggested while criticizing Sen. Bernie Sanders, the so-called front-runner, and self-described socialist, for having "honeymooned in the Soviet Union that when you are running for the position of the Democratic president, there will be no moderates. He also said that since the Democratic Party aims to nominate and clasp the flunked systems of socialism, they need to restore their resolution within the year 2020. He also brought up what President Donald Trump said one year ago that there is no way that America will become a country of socialism. Pence brought up and praised administration taking office under Trump for the issue about defeating the ISIS, supporting the military of the United States, having defenses at the border, and for the efforts in supporting pro-life Americans. He said that each leading presidential candidate from the Democratic party has said that pro-life voters have no place and isn't worthy to be in today's Democratic Party. He told the pro-life Americans who are Republican, independent or a Democrat that they belong in today's Republican Party. He announced to the audience that he went on Thursday to CPAC for only one purpose and that is to reelect President Trump. Pence said that during the four years of President Trump's administration, America has become great again. He suggests that if they want it to remain great, they have to choose and vote to make President Trump continue to lead and stay in the White House for four more years. He convinced the audience to think about it and that if they continue to support Trump, it'll mean that there will be more jobs for them, more judges, and more assistance for their troops. He added that it will take four more years to "drain that swamp". He wants the audience to convince their neighbors and friends, the people in their school and university, and their workmates to address the options we have and that is either freedom or socialism. He also wants the audience to tell them that they have a country that has a president of the United States of America who loves freedom. Pence stated that Trump is the best option they have and that he keeps his words and means it and that quitting in fighting to keep the promises he has made for everyone is never Trump's option. He told the audience that it is their turn to stand in the battle for him. Lastly, he added that whenever they carry the banner of freedom high, and when they choose to make freedom their cause, they are making Trump's word as their own, and that where the Lord's spirit is, there will always be freedom and that means freedom will always win. South Korea reported a whopping 594 additional cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total infections here to 2,931 as the country intensified its anti-virus fight with a massive program of testing. So far, 16 people have died in South Korea from the virus that emerged in China. Of the 594 new cases, 476 were in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, while 60 were reported in neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Other major provinces and cities have also reported some infections, with Seoul reporting an additional 12. Since raising the virus alert level to "red," the highest level, Sunday, the health authorities have focused on halting the spread of the virus in Daegu, the epicenter of the outbreak here, and North Gyeongsang Province. Experts said the number of confirmed cases is expected to jump in the coming days as health authorities have begun testing more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus at the center of the rapid spread in other provinces. (Yonhap) Across Pennsylvania, more than 5,100 children experienced abuse in 2018, or an average of 14 substantiated cases each day. Most children were under the age of 5 and most injured by a parent. Thousands more suffered from neglect. Most tragically, in the same year, 47 children died as a result of abuse in Pennsylvania, nearly one per week. Stop reading for a moment and let that sink in. Beyond each of those numbers is a child, helpless and in pain. For their own protection, they are entered into a child protective system that they do not understand and that is often overwhelmed by the sheer number and need of so many abused, abandoned and neglected children. In any given year, there are nearly 22,000 children involved in the Dependency Court system, all of whom have experienced abuse or neglect. These children need a voice. That is why the role of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) was created here in Pennsylvania. Trained CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to be the eyes and ears of the court during proceedings to help determine an abused or neglected childs future. They are the voice of the child, advocating for their best interests. CASA volunteers gather information from the child, their biological parents, foster parents, teachers, counselors, and others. They recommend to the judge what the child needs and what is best for them. They deal with questions ranging from where the child should live and who should care for them to whether they need extra help and support in school or are getting the health care they need. Independent research has found that children with a CASA volunteer are substantially less likely to spend time in long-term foster care and less likely to re-enter the child welfare system. Less than 1% of children assigned a CASA volunteer re-entered the foster care system in 2018, as compared to 21% of the general population of children who did not have a CASA volunteer assigned. That certainly makes sense, since the volunteers are a close and continuing adult presence for the child and a knowledgeable and trusted resource for judges and others who must make difficult decisions about how to get the child into a safe and permanent home. In the context of a system that often serves as a revolving door of professionals in and out of the lives of children, CASA volunteers are a consistent, caring adult. At CASA Youth Advocates, 74% of the Delaware and Chester county children who achieved a permanent outcome last year only one CASA volunteer walking alongside them during their entire journey in the child welfare system. Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough CASA volunteers to speak for all the children who need it. Right now, there are 21 local programs serving just 27 of the states 67 counties. That includes CASA Youth Advocates serving Delaware and Chester counties. Existing programs only have the resources to serve 22% of children eligible for a CASA. These programs support more than 1,100 CASA volunteers each year, advocating for more than 2,100 children statewide. This is life saving for many children, but too many do not get the benefit of this important support. Gov. Tom Wolf recognized the success of the CASA network and the crushing need for more programs and volunteers. In the proposed state budget he issued earlier this month, Gov. Wolf included an additional $1.3 million for the CASA network in Pennsylvania so that more children can be safe, find a permanent home, and have the opportunity to thrive. This funding will dramatically increase and improve services to abused and neglected children in Pennsylvania and help CASA Youth Advocates and other local programs recruit, screen, train, and supervise more volunteers so they can be champions for abused and neglected children. Will this investment be enough to meet the need? No, but it will be an essential step forward. The governor has staked out his support for this vital program by proposing this dedication of resources to benefit the most vulnerable children in our communities. It is now the state legislatures turn to approve it in a final budget. It is an opportunity for the state senators and representatives from Delaware and Chester counties and across the state to stand up for the CASA volunteers who dedicate their time and abilities, but most importantly, to stand up for the most vulnerable of our children. By PTI LONDON: The top civil servant in the UK Home Office at the centre of a row over a strained relationship with Indian-origin Home Secretary Priti Patel resigned from his post on Saturday and said he plans to sue the government over his "constructive and unfair" exit. Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary in the department led by 47-year-old Patel, said there had been a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him over the last 10 days and pointed the finger of blame at the minister. "The Home Secretary (Patel) categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office. I regret I do not believe her," he said in a statement. "Even despite this campaign, I was willing to effect a reconciliation with the Home Secretary, as requested by the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the Prime Minister. But despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this," the statement said. Rutnam said his experience formed part of a wider pattern in government and that he plans to take legal action on the grounds of constructive dismissal. "I believe that these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal, and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts. My experience has been extreme, but I consider there is evidence that it was part of a wider pattern of behaviour," his statement adds. The resignation comes just days after he and Patel had issued a joint statement in an effort to quell media reports of discord within the Home Office. "The Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary are deeply concerned about the number of false allegations appearing in the media," a UK Home Office spokesperson said on Monday, when the government took the rare step to issue a formal statement to quash rumours circulating around the frosty relationship between the minister and her top civil servant. Patel has been at the centre of a controversy over an alleged bullying atmosphere within her department, an allegation that has been denied and also led to Downing Street confirming that the minister has the "full confidence" of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. These allegations will be revived again as Rutnam makes reference to it in his detailed resignation statement published in a blog for 'The Spectator' magazine. He said: "One of my duties as Permanent Secretary was to protect the health, safety and well-being of our 35,000 people. This created tension with the Home Secretary, and I have encouraged her to change her behaviours." "I have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out." The bureaucrat with a 33-year career in the UK civil service said he expects his resignation could have very serious personal implications but he had chosen to turn down an offered financial settlement from the Cabinet Office to take a stand. The UK Home Office is yet to comment on the news of Rutnam's resignation. Year 2021: Meet the CMs who Stepped Down, Returned to Power Punjab CM backs questioning of Kartarpur pilgrims India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Chandigarh, Feb 29: A day after the opposition targeted the Congress-led government over the issue of questioning of some Kartarpur Sahib pilgrims, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh backed the Punjab Police's action and said it acted on the request of the Intelligence Bureau in the interest of national security. "Had the Gurdaspur police failed to act, I would have taken strict action against them," Singh informed the House in the ongoing budget session here. They took action in the interest of national security, he said. The Punjab Assembly on Thursday had witnessed uproarious scenes over the questioning of a few devotees upon their return from the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan by the Punjab Police, with the opposition targeting the government for allegedly "harassing" the pilgrims. Kartarpur corridor practical proof of Paks desire for peace: UN chief The chief minister said police acted within permissible limits of functioning in the matter. He was responding to a question over the issue by AAP legislator Kultar Singh Sandhwan. Singh said his government will cooperate with central agencies in the larger interest of the national security as and when required. If police force fail to act in accordance with the established security mechanism in coordination with the central agencies, action would be taken against them, he said. The chief minister pointed out that over 51,000 pilgrims had already paid obeisance after opening of the Kartarpur corridor and this was the first such instance of devotees being questioned. The IB had in this case raised some doubts and asked the state police for assistance in ensuring the credentials of some of the pilgrims for security reasons, he added. Pakistan considering proposal for passport-free entry of Indian pilgrims to Kartarpur Corridor In view of its sensitive border location, the state was duty bound to work closely with central agencies to ensure the country's security, he further said. On Thursday, jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had informed the House that the pilgrims were questioned after the directions came from the central agency, Intelligence Bureau, in Amritsar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 7:46 [IST] NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. In 2011, Rep. Joe Walsh was a tea party darling, a harsh critic of the Obama administration who brought the house down at the Conservative Political Action Conference. In 2020, he was at CPAC again but as a guest of "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah," hesitantly walking through the exhibition halls with comedian Roy Wood Jr. The conservative radio host had been recognized by people who once were his friends and couldnt pretend they didnt see him. Walsh carried a stigma: Hed insulted President Donald Trump by not only criticizing him but by having the gall to run against him in the Republican primary. Torn between catching up with an old colleague and being singled out by observers as talking to a Trump foe, they split the difference and instead kept asking him how his wife was doing. It was really fascinating, said his political manager, Lucy Caldwell, whod watched Walsh field that interaction repeatedly. I think it shows that were all human and that we want to have human connection, so you want to reach out to someone you were once close to. But its also everything thats wrong with the enablers of Trump. Former CPAC attendees said in interviews that they shared similar sentiments and that they barely recognized their beloved conference anymore. This years lineup was saturated with Trump officials and firebrands they would have never seen at a pre-Trump CPAC: YouTube personalities like Diamond and Silk, deep state witch hunter Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and radio host Dan Bongino. The agenda, conservative columnist Mona Charen pointed out, didnt even have any time devoted to the conservative movements former hang-ups: the budget deficit and taxes. And two years after Charen had been booed at CPAC for criticizing Trump, the appetite for intraparty ideological disagreement a former hallmark of the conference, they said has drastically plummeted. This was the year, after all, that Matt Schlapp dramatically banned Mitt Romney from the conference after he voted with Democrats to allow witnesses at Trumps impeachment trial even claiming that he worried for Romneys physical safety should he even step into the venue and youth activist Charlie Kirk encouraged the crowd to boo whenever they ever heard Romneys name. Story continues Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks during Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2020, at the National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The environment thats been created now is so hostile to anyone that has a different view. And particularly those of us who have taken principled stands against Donald Trump as conservatives, said Tara Setmayer, who was a Republican communications director on Capitol Hill in the pre-Trump era. Setmayer said she attended 15 CPACs, starting when she was a college student in 1993, and stopped after 2015. And in the age of Trump, going is out of the question. I don't think I would feel safe going to speak, or even walking through CPAC given my position against stuff. With a speaker lineup stacked with Cabinet members, campaign officials and Trump progeny not to mention their spouses it was clear Trump was the center of the conference, keeping everyone in his orbit with the pull of anti-socialism. Even the American Conservative Union, the group that organizes the even, was not separate: The wife of the organizer, Mercedes Schlapp, was a White House official until she left last year for the Trump 2020 campaign. Movement conservatives saw themselves as being separate from the administration, recalled Matt Lewis, a columnist at The Daily Beast who was honored as CPACs blogger of the year in 2010. Part of our job was to hold them accountable and to cheer them when they did well, boo them when they did bad. And now I think theres a sense that theyre really one and the same. The conservative movement is the Republican Party, is CPAC, is Donald Trump. A former CPAC organizer admitted that this symbiosis with the White House was a likely draw for attendees. I cant imagine that it hasnt garnered attendees that may have attended before and never got to experience a sitting president and first family, as well as a sitting VP and almost every Cabinet secretary representative or Cabinet level official, said this organizer. Admittedly, CPACs exiles now have other options to network with their political ilk. This week alone, two other conservative groups are holding events in Washington in direct competition with CPAC. The Summit on Principled Conservatism, held by young Trump critic Heath Mayo and focusing on the meaning of conservatism, its future, and its core principles, set up shop at the National Press Club. I wanted to be with like-minded people that like good, thoughtful, deep discussion about what future is for conservatism, said University of Virginia doctoral student Alex Welch, who had attended CPAC from 2011 through 2013. It went the other way as well. Across town at the Omni Shoreham, Infowars Alex Jones and nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes spoke at the National File Emergency First Amendment Summit on Wednesday, a tiny, far-right conference for "Groypers" with speakers railing against immigration and claiming that ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp was blunting Trumps New America agenda for the gain of his corporate clients. But for an event thats nearly 50 years old and has a keystone place in the history of the modern conservative movement Ronald Reagan first spoke of his shining city upon a hill at the first CPAC in 1974 watching the conference become one and the same with the Trump administration has been nothing short of depressing for Trump critics. They have ginned up this sentiment where people, because we have a difference of opinion, political opinion, that we're no longer safe or welcome in the same room, Setmayer said. That is hard to fathom, and certainly not conservatism in the traditional sense. This was the week in which the one-time King of Hollywood became Inmate Number 06581138Z. On Monday, Harvey Weinstein was convicted in a New York court of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree involving one woman and rape in the third degree involving another. The disgraced movie mogul was acquitted of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault involving the two women and one count of first-degree rape. With that, the curtain was brought down unceremoniously on Weinstein's stranglehold on Hollywood. He currently awaits sentencing in a New York prison. "This is a big day. This is a new day," Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr said in the aftermath of the trial. "This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America, I believe, and this is a new day. It is a new day because Harvey Weinstein has finally been held accountable for crimes he committed." It's certainly a milestone moment in the #MeToo movement, which has been over 13 years in the making. Activist Tarana Burke first coined the phrase to draw attention to sexual abuse and violence, largely within the African-American community. Thanks to the propulsive power of social media, the movement picked up momentum in late 2017, in the wake of those accusations levelled against Weinstein. The online #MeToo movement has been credited with shifting the offline paradigm across the globe, as more and more people spoke out and shared stories of sexual harassment, assault and violence. The allegations against the film producer sparked a huge reckoning across Hollywood that led to a public outing of other celebrities including comedian Louis CK, director Brett Ratner and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey. While these allegations have ended the careers of many of these alleged perpetrators, Weinstein is one of the few to face criminal charges, so far. Yet three years on from that seismic social media moment, some big questions loom large. Has #MeToo changed anything? Is it business as usual within the corridors of the arts, media, and business? Has the sea change that was mooted three years ago materialised and tangibly changed things for the better (or worse)? And what has changed in Ireland since the #MeToo movement started? There's no doubting that seeing the complexity of sexual assault acknowledged by a court jury, as happened in the Weinstein case, has been a positive visual. "I do think in many ways this was definitely a significant verdict," notes academic and activist Ailbhe Smyth. "For women everywhere in this situation who have experienced violence, it feels like a vindication. Women are being heard, listened to and believed. "But really, this is an issue we started fighting on as feminists in the 1970s," she adds. "Oh God, it's the year 2020. It's about time a man who was once in a powerful position has been pulled down for this. It's not the end of the road by a long shot, but it's still a really important step. "It's also a very powerful warning to men, including very powerful men, that their actions do have consequences," Smyth adds. "They will be pulled up by the law and the courts. I would hope that this [verdict] would encourage legal people to prosecute and bravely move forward and take on these cases, but they matter so much to women." In the direct aftermath of #MeToo, several abuse, assault and rape survivors actively sought support. From October to December 2017, calls to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network - a US crisis hotline - rose by 23pc compared with the same period in 2016. Some of these abuse survivors cited #MeToo as a stressful influence, saying it resurfaced the pain of their abuse. Others have reported feeling less alone, saying it encouraged them to address past trauma by talking. The other powerful message that emerged from #MeToo was that men are often victims of sexual violence, too. Attitudes and behaviours have changed in society also, according to research. The dating website Match.com surveyed 5,000 single men and women in 2019, and found that after #MeToo, 51pc of men reported that they had changed their behaviour in general, 41pc noted that they had changed their behaviour at work, while 33pc of men reported that they changed their behaviour while on a date. Another study, published by the Public Library of Science in San Francisco in 2019, researched reporting of workplace sexual harassment. Those researchers found decreases in sexual coercion and decreases in unwanted sexual attention, but increased gender harassment. The study's authors were pleased to see declines in the more overt behaviours of sexual harassment, they also noted that there appeared to be a "backlash effect" with increased hostility to women in the workplace since #MeToo. Ireland experienced a unique confluence of events in the direct aftermath of #MeToo in the year following the Weinstein allegations. Within weeks, a number of women alleged instances of abuse and harassment by Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan (he denied outright many of the charges laid against him). Yet in the wake of these allegations, the Gate Theatre commissioned independent workplace relations expert Gaye Cunningham to review the claims. Months after 2017's #MeToo groundswell, a nine-week trial took place from January to March 2018 in Belfast. Four men who stood trial - Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison - were found not guilty on all charges. The trial came at a time when issues of consent and male entitlement were being discussed across the country. The trial drew consternation on social media when the complainant faced extensive cross-examination over nine days. Soon, the hashtag #IBelieveHer was trending in Ireland. The trial was seen by many as Northern Ireland's #MeToo movement, and was seen as a catalyst for improving the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to complainants' rights. And last year in the Republic of Ireland, the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence came into force in July. The convention's purpose is to protect women from all forms of violence, and to prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence. These are all very important and significant moments. However, Noeline Blackwell, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, observes that in reality, some things remain maddeningly unchanged when it comes to the reporting of sexual harassment and assault. "One indicator of change is that we've never been busier," she reveals. "More people are seeking our services. There's no doubt we are hearing from people who have previously not reported sexual assault or harassment, because they feel the climate is less hostile and judgemental of them now, and the blame is being placed where it should be, with the perpetrator. "Yet the system remains extremely difficult for anyone seeking to report sexual harassment and assault in the workplace," Blackwell notes. "That remains the experience of the people we are encountering. No matter how excellent the policies and procedures in place in any workplace, there still remains a fear in reporting; that they will be seen as a disruptor. "Some people's advice will be - and this will resonate with many people who are victims of sexual harassment or assault - 'are you sure you want to go down that road? Think of the trouble you're putting yourself through'. "Still, the fact that there is a lot more conversation about this is a massive step for our society, especially to be able to discuss more freely issues of consent and non-consent. The Belfast trial in particular activated a lot of young people to step back and take another look at their behaviour." The revelations of the #MeToo era have sparked a larger debate about workplace culture. More than ever, employers are now considering how best to create a positive workplace in the wake of #MeToo. Blackwell has seen an increase in Irish businesses seeking to understand why sexual harassment in the workplace might happen. "We were peripherally involved in a programme undertaken by the Department of Arts and Culture to provide governance training to boards involved in organisations funded by the Arts Council," Blackwell notes. "We do lots of training in that area, especially in recognition of how to support people trying to report [sexual harassment and assault]." Senator and barrister Ivana Bacik was instrumental in creating, with a handful of other experts, a harassment toolkit for Amplify Women, an umbrella organisation for women working in the cultural and media industries. "It sets out some helpful advice and guidelines for people who have been sexually harassed, and what protections are available in Irish law," she explains. "#MeToo certainly motivated many of us in law to publicise better the protections that exist." Bacik observes that, thanks in part to the Weinstein case, people are now more aware that harassment and sexual assault can be found actionable under either criminal law or civil law. "I think every time there's a high-profile instance of harassment, it educates or informs people about the twin areas of resources and redress," Bacik says. Bacik has been researching extensively the changes that have arisen globally from the #MeToo movement. "Quite a number of cases have been reported in Ireland and damages have been granted," she notes, referring to the instance in April 2018 in which an accounts clerk was awarded 10,000 in a claim before the Workplace Relations Commission. A month previously, an Irish car parts company was ordered to pay 46,000 to a receptionist who was sacked after refusing to have sex with her boss. According to CSO figures, there was a 10pc rise in sexual offence allegations in Ireland in 2018. Since the first quarter of 2015, reported incidents have risen 54.9pc from 2,086 to 3,231 incidents in the first quarter of 2019. Yet Bacik recalls a moment when she spoke at an Irish university a few months ago in a debate about harassment. "I was struck very forcefully by the instances where, one after another, young women spoke of their own direct experience [of sexual harassment]," Bacik recalls. "I found it really distressing that they were subject to the same sexual harassment that I would have experienced when I was younger and working as a waitress. It was so routine for them. "I am more optimistic in a wider sense, and do feel that men are more enlightened and aware, but it's just slow to see attitudes changing," she adds. "It will take some time to tackle." Yet the #MeToo movement has been interpreted from a different angle. There are some who believe that the movement is a group of 'elite' feminists shouting at each other in an echo chamber. Others believe the movement "has gone too far". Ella Whelan, political commentator and author of What Women Want, believes that the movement is not representative of the majority of women's experiences. "The problem with #MeToo is that it became this catch-all way to describe everything from convicted rapists to people saying off-colour jokes in the workplace," she says. "Looking at the way it's been discussed, there's this sense that men are mean and girls need protecting, and that has no positive political basis. "I think the biggest problem for me is that it's created a climate and culture of fear," she adds. "The message is that all men have the potential to rape or harm, and all women should always be on their guard. You shouldn't be going into a date with one hand on a pepper spray. That's kind of living a sexist life in itself." Citing the likes of Aziz Ansari, the American comedian who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018, Whelan notes: "The movement suggests that women need interventions for bad behaviour with men, but it's up to you to say, 'hang on a minute, I wasn't ready for a kiss'," she explains. "That's being an adult, and taking ownership of your own life. You don't need intervention from the state or from feminist campaigns to do that. The thing about conflating the two - rape/sexual assault and men behaving quite badly - is that it denigrates the seriousness of rape." The Weinstein episode of the #MeToo story is far from over. As he awaits sentencing on March 11, legal proceedings move to the California courts, where he faces dozens of civil lawsuits. For Weinstein's victims, this week has been a moment of vindication. "I haven't exhaled in so long," actor Rose McGowan told The New Yorker. There's an undeniable sense that when it comes to creating equality, enlightenment and change - not to mention a society that won't tolerate abuse - women are only getting started. "To anyone that says #MeToo has gone too far, we would say, how can we have gone too far when the mechanism for reporting for sexual harassment and assault remains as it was before?" posits Blackwell. "We know from #MeToo that people now recognise that they're not alone. They are now aware of thousands in a similar situation, and that they should call it out." "In my opinion, #MeToo hasn't gone nearly far enough," agrees Smyth. "This is an incredibly deep-rooted, ongoing and prevalent problem for women. #MeToo was merely the tip of the iceberg. "I hope that women in this country wondering about reporting are given a bit more confidence [to do so], and to think it through. So few cases still get to court and the conviction rate is still so low. Hopefully, #MeToo will be a jolt for the professional, judicial and legal people to see that convictions in this instance can be done, and need to be done." If you are affected by this article, you can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's 24-hour helpline on (1800) 778 888 or by email at counselling@rcc.ie. The luxury tax rate on electric automobiles and the added value created in Vietnam in automobile manufacturing and assembling may be cut to zero percent to encourage the development of supporting industries. The draft resolution on solutions to promote supporting industries being compiled by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) comprises solutions to stimulate demand and reduce the prices of automobile products manufactured and assembled domestically. MOIT says the automobile industry is facing big risks as the import tariff on CBU cars from ASEAN has been cut to zero percent since January 1, 2018 in accordance with the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA). According to the ministry, some other regional countries, such as Thailand and Indonesia, cut the luxury tax rate on electric cars for three years. Thanks to attractive tax and investment policies, the countries can attract foreign capital from many large automobile manufacturing groups in the world. MOIT says the automobile industry is facing big risks as the import tariff on CBU cars from ASEAN has been cut to zero percent since January 1, 2018 in accordance with the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA). Hyundai, for example, decided to pour $1.5 billion into Indonesia in 2020, while Toyota has expanded the production of electric cars in Thailand. If Vietnam doesnt set attractive preferences, it will continue missing the opportunity to attract large investment projects to the automobile industry. This will also affect the domestic enterprises such as Thaco, Thanh Cong and VinFast. The draft resolution says the Ministry of Finance (MOF) needs to reduce the luxury tax on electric cars to zero percent, and the luxury tax exemption on the added value created in Vietnam for automobile manufacturing. The duration for applying tax policies is five years. MOIT also thinks that it is necessary amend the provisions in Decrees 149 and 157 which set tax rates on engines and gear boxes, valid until 2025, to zero percent, which is equal to the tax rate stipulated in ATIGA. MOF has also proposed to refund the 10 percent VAT for equipment and machines imported to create fixed assets for enterprises in the supporting industries. Meanwhile, some preferences may be given to projects on manufacturing automobiles with fewer than nine seats, which have the capacity of 50,000 cars a year or more, localization ratio of 40 percent, products for export for five years and plans for technology transfer. The preferences may include land rent remission, and support in technology transfer costs and training. It is also necessary to offer preferences to technology and training experts. Tran Thuy Govts new decree removes barriers to automobile imports 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. New Delhi, Feb 29 : The information provided by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) about the prevailing ground situation in northeast Delhi before riots broke out were "unsubstantial in nature", sources in Delhi Police said. The input generated by the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Delhi headed by Joint Director Vikram Thakur and shared with Delhi Police had "vague reference" of communal tension and "nothing specific" was mentioned in their series of intel reports, sources said. They further stated that IB Director Arvind Kumar along with Thakur had visited the riot-affected areas early wee hours on Wednesday. They did after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval took charge of the riot-affected situation on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direction. Doval had appointed Special Commissioner of Police S.N. Shrivastava to look after the law and order situation. After visit, Kumar had submitted a detailed report to the Prime Minster Office which had stated reports of rioters coming from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad and few other areas. It also stated that how a mobilisation of locals was made on Sunday evening within an hour. It has also a sequence of the events and how violence started. The SIB, which is responsible for gathering local intelligence, allegedly failed to gauge the situation in the northeast region. This is not the first time it had happened. The SIB has failed to generate specific reports at many instances. Be it the police and lawyers feud, violence in JNU, or conspiracy to hit Central government on Citizen Amendment Act, the SIB could not gauge the situation. The unit for the last two years is more engaged into preparing reports on cabinet ministers' performances, marriages of bureaucrats' family members and other issues, but it always had missed larger issues which happened in Delhi, sources police, state government and Ministry of Home Affairs alleged. The unit earlier was headed by IPS officer Safi Ahsan Rizvi, who had stressed more on generating ground reports rather than copy-cut-paste job. When Rizvi was promoted as Additional Director in 2019 and sent to head economic intelligence, the SIB came under 1996-batch IPS Vikram Thakur who is from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. Before this, Thakur was in the operational wing of the Intelligence Bureau and worked in coordination with the Delhi Police Special cell for long. He had worked upon various terror modules. The Delhi Police has also a unit -- Special Branch -- which also generate local intelligence. The unit is currently headed by 1993-batch IPS officer Praveer Ranjan. Their reports before riots too had no 'specific input'. The death toll of the riots in north-east Delhi rose to 42 on Friday after three more dead bodies were pulled out of drains and another person succumbed at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Apart from the 38 who died at or were brought dead to GTB hospital, three died at Lok Nayak hospital, and one died on Monday at Jag Parvesh Chandra hospital. Almost all the injured and all but one of the dead who have been identified by HT were men. Days after the violence abated, family members of those missing visited the mortuary of Guru Teg Bahadur hospital as a last resort. For the family of Mohsin Ali, 24, the visit led to confusion and uncertainty. Looking through the unidentified dead bodies stored in the mortuary, Mohsins cousin and father thought they had found him. Outside, his father Sajid Ali broke down while his cousin completed the paperwork. On Thursday morning, they realised it was not him. The hair was longer, there were cut marks on the arms and the clothes were different. The face was very similar, but our first clue was when the bandage on the head was removed. The hair was longer. Mohsin had shaved his head recently, said the cousin, Haider Ali. Police found a charred body next to a completely burnt car that was identified as Mohsins. Now, the family is waiting for the results of a DNA test which will likely come on Saturday evening. Six bodies at the GTB mortuary remain unidentified. The family of Mubarak Ali, who was missing since Monday, came to the hospital mortuary to identify the body listed as Mubaraks . We just saw the body but it is not him, said Chand Rizvi, his brother-in-law. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 00:01:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- China and Britain will emerge from the test of the epidemic of the novel coronavirus with stronger mutual trust, closer cooperation and deeper friendship, and the "Golden Era" of bilateral relations will yield more "golden fruits," Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has said. The leaders of China and Britain have expressed their confidence in victory over the epidemic in a telephone conversation last week and agreed that China and Britain will shoulder the responsibility and work together to ensure this victory, Liu recalled while speaking at the "Together We Fight against the Virus" event jointly hosted by the City of London and Chinese and British Business Communities on Friday evening. "Virus knows no borders. So does love...I think today, with this event, we are demonstrating our determination, our confidence and our perseverance," said the ambassador. Liu said the outbreak of COVID-19 has been the most severe public health crisis since the founding of New China in terms of the speed of its spread, the scope of its impact and the difficulty of prevention and control. "Thanks to our persistent efforts, the spread of the disease is basically contained, and our measures have taken initial effect. The numbers of newly-added confirmed and suspected cases are on a descending trajectory and there has been a sharp increase in the number of cured cases. Facts prove that the disease is preventable, controllable and curable," he said. The Chinese diplomat said China has shared information about the epidemic with all the relevant parties in a timely manner, including sharing the genetic sequence of the virus and enhancing cooperation on vaccine development. "As the Chinese people are fighting hard against the virus, people all over the world have stood firmly together with us. More than 170 heads of states or governments and more than 40 heads of international organisations have conveyed their sympathy and support," said Liu, adding that the international community has donated fund and supplies in the spirit of mutual assistance. The ambassador said China are deeply grateful for the support coming from all quarters in Britain when China is fighting against the epidemic. British Queen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have sent their sympathy and best wishes to China. The British government has provided urgently needed medical supplies. People from all walks of life here have lent their invaluable support. "Today's event once again sends a strong message from the Chinese and British business communities that China has your support in fighting the virus and China can count on you for advancing cooperation between our two countries," said Liu. He said China and Britain should adopt a long-term perspective, keep to the right direction of the China-Britain "Golden Era", and remain committed to win-win cooperation. "No matter how severe the situation is, no matter how daunting the challenges are, China will stand united with the international community, including Britain, in the spirit of the community with a shared future for mankind. We will pull in the same direction and go all out to win this battle against the virus," said Liu. CASS COUNTY, MI -- After robbing a Dollar General store in Southwest Michigan, a man asked a motorist outside the store for a ride. When he was rejected, the robber took off on foot. Police didnt need long to track him down and he was soon arrested. The robbery happened about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 at a Dollar General store in Vandalia. Cass County sheriffs deputies said a man came into the store and asked for money. The man led a worker to believe he had a weapon. After getting money, the man left the store and got into a car outside the store. He asked the driver for a ride but was denied. Police arrived at the scene and used a tracking dog to search for the robber. The 32-year-old man was located a short time later at a Mulberry Street address in Vandalia and arrested for armed robbery. More from MLive Shaggy the Newfoundland dies 5 years after his Grand Rapids capture made national headlines Car crashes through wall of Kent County house The number of confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in South Korea rose by 594 on Friday to a total of 2,931 infections. The majority have been in the countrys fourth largest city, Daegu, home to 2.5 million people. Sixteen people have died, including three people on Friday. Nearly half of the infections have been traced back to the Shincheonji religious cult, with 210,000 of its members currently being tested for the virus. Only 33 cases of Covid-19 infection have come from people who recently travelled overseas or been in direct contact with them. As of Thursday night, 717 confirmed cases were of unknown origin or were still in the process of being tracked, meaning the number of new infections could grow rapidly. South Koreas two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, have reported 62 cases and 65 cases respectively. The Seoul metropolitan area is densely populated, home to half of the countrys more than 51 million people. Medical facilities in Daegu have been overwhelmed by cases, with hospitals lacking enough beds for all the new patients. It takes a considerable amount of time to transfer patients after triage, and were getting more than 150 new patients every day. That means were going to be seeing people waiting for quarantine [in our figures] for some time, said Jeong Eun-gyeong, the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals in Seoul have agreed to accept only patients in critical condition. The total number of people under quarantine, including those being tested for the virus, stands at 30,237. On February 23, the central government raised the virus alert level to red, the highest of four tiers. The new alert level allows the government to impose stricter quarantine measures and ban public activities. The government announced the same day that it would delay the start of the new school year, set to begin next month, by one week. Public schools will now open on March 9. President Moon Jae-in called on authorities to take unprecedented, powerful measures without consideration for regulations. In other words, authorities have been given the go-ahead to ignore the law, setting a dangerous precedent for future crises, real or fabricated. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has already banned rallies from taking place at the three most popular locations for protests in the city. As governments lack genuine healthcare plans for responding to epidemics, if the situation with Covid-19 continues to deteriorate, they will not hesitate to respond with increasingly repressive measures. The economic impact is already being felt. The Bank of Korea is projecting that the countrys annual growth rate will fall from 2.3 percent to 2.1 percent, as the economy contracts in the first quarter. On Friday, Seouls Finance Ministry announced two bailout packages for businesses affected by the spread of Covid-19. In addition to four trillion won (US$3.3 billion) already spent, Seoul plans to provide an additional sixteen trillion won (US$13.3 billion). The Finance Ministry also plans to push for an extra budget topping 6.2 trillion won (US$5.1 billion) next month. Major conglomerates have been forced to shut down production at factories temporarily. Hyundai closed its Number 2 factory at Ulsan on Friday, but plans to reopen on Monday after disinfecting the entire plant, despite the fact that exposed workers could still pass on the virus without their knowledge. Other businesses have closed out of fear or due to a lack of customers. In some cases, workers are being forced to use their paid vacation days so that businesses can close. Small travel agencies, for example, have been forced to lay off employees or cut wages as the number of people taking trips has drastically dropped. Depending on their job status, workers directly hired as regular employees are having their pay cut by 30 percent if forced to stay home. However, independent contractors or so-called irregular workers could see their wages entirely slashed or lose their jobs if they do not go to work. Afterschool teachers still run classes even though schools are closed and regular teachers will not be at work. These afterschool programs provide necessary daycare for working class families. Couriers at Korea Post face similar instability. The National Union of Korea Post Couriers stated in early February, The government announced that it would provide 70 percent paid leave for workers in quarantine based on the Labor Standards Act, but they dont even have a standard for such financial support for delivery couriers, categorized as specially hired workers. With people staying home rather than going out to eat or shop, they are having more things delivered to their homes. One of the leading food delivery app companies, Baedal Minjok, stated recently that if any of its drivers must be quarantined, the company would pay them the paltry minimum wage of 820,000 won ($US673) for two weeks. In 2018, Baedal Minjoks revenue came in at $272.4 million, a jump of 96 percent from the previous year. These workers have called for increased safety measures. Koo Kyo-hyun, an official at the Riders Union representing delivery drivers, said on Thursday, Delivery workers who meet customers every day and work outdoors face a risky situation, but measures by companies and the government are not (strong) enough (to protect them). Its quite worrying since we dont know how much the virus will spread. Other vulnerable layers of the population are being affected as well. Immigrants have complained that they are not receiving health updates regularly sent out to peoples cellphones because the notices are only available in Korean. Some immigrants also fear that if they contract Covid-19 they will be expelled from the country and therefore may run the risk of not receiving help if they do fall ill. At the beginning of February, many soup kitchens for the poor were also closed or had their services cut back, leaving tens of thousands without a place to get a meal. In other words, the working class is bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 crisis, and not just in South Korea. What is needed is a coordinated, international response in which treatments and medical supplies are not subordinated to the capitalist markets. Vietnam Airlines managers salaries to be reduced as revenues take hit Vietnam Airlines, whose revenues have been hit badly by the Covid-19 epidemic, has cut the salaries of senior managers by 40 percent this year. Mid-level managers salaries have been reduced by 20- 30 percent, Duong Tri Thanh, the CEO of the carrier, said. The impact of the epidemic is "unprecedented in aviation history," Thanh said. Vietnam Airlines expects the number of passengers to decline by 2.5 million this year, and, as a result, revenues by VND12 trillion ($519 million). In addition to a big fall in the number of Chinese passengers, the airline is also facing a decline in the number of passengers on other international and domestic routes. It had said it was losing VND200-250 billion ($8.6-10.8 million) per week following the suspension of flights to China. It has also cut many flights to South Koreas Seoul and Busan as the epidemic worsens in that country. The cancellation of flights has meant that as many as 40 aircraft, or 40 percent of Vietnam Airliness fleet, are idle now, Thanh said. The novel coronavirus outbreak will cost the Vietnamese aviation industry an estimated VND25 trillion ($1.08 billion) in revenues this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam estimates. Vietnam has suspended entry from all areas affected by the coronavirus outbreak following the discovery of more cases in South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Iran. While in Vietnam all 16 Covid-19 patients have been discharged and no new cases were recorded in the last two weeks, the global death toll has reached nearly 3,000, mostly in China. The mother of a British teenager who is accused if hiring a hitman to have his American girlfriend killed has told how his life has been ruined by the allegations. Alexis Stern, 19, from Minnesota, sat down with CBS' 48 Hours for an episode set to air Saturday, and told the program that she believes her ex-boyfriend ordered the hit. In July 2018, investigators contacted Stern to inform her that someone with an online username of 'Mastermind365' had procured the services of Yura - a man who allegedly operates a murder-for-hire site on the dark web. After her initial shock faded, Stern says she began to suspect that her former beau, 24-year-old Adrian Fry, was behind the assassination attempt. His mother Sue told MailOnline: 'His life has been ruined by this girl and she should be ashamed of herself. 'Adrian has been left very depressed by these allegations. They are completely untrue and baseless.' Scroll down for video Stern and Fry met over the internet in 2016, and soon began dating. Fry, who is based in the British city of Bath, came to visit Stern three times in her hometown of Big Lake, and was deeply in love. They are pictured in an old social media snap Alexis Stern (left) spoke with CBS' 48 Hours for an episode set to air Saturday, and told the program that she believes her British ex-boyfriend, Adrian Fry (right) ordered a hitman to kill her. Fry has denied the accusation Stern and Fry met over the internet in 2016, and soon began dating. Fry, who is based in the British city of Bath, came to visit Stern three times in her hometown of Big Lake, and was deeply in love. Stern told 48 Hours: 'I was always partial to British accents, so I thought it was kind of a bonus. I wanted to have a boyfriend and it was a perfect opportunity.' However, Stern told the program that Fry became 'controlling' and was angered when she broke their relationship off. 'He pretty much said "You pretty much deserve everything terrible that happens to you"', she claimed. Sue Fry said the program makers in America asked Adrian for an interview but he said declined. She added: 'He hasn't done anything wrong and is being accused of something he knows nothing about. 'He's very withdrawn at the moment, barely comes out of his bedroom and is struggling to get on with his life. It's unfair what has happened to him. 'Adrian is disappointed that this whole thing has resurfaced. He was hoping that it had been laid to rest.' The new 48 Hours special seeks to track down Yura - the man who allegedly operates a murder-for-hire site on the dark web that was used in the foiled attempt to kill Stern Stern told 48 Hours that there are a number of tell-tale signs that she claims prove it was Fry who paid $5770 in Bitcoin to have her kidnapped and killed. The date the hit was ordered came just one day after Stern had informed Fry that she was in a new relationship. Additionally, the person behind the 'Mastermind365' username used British English phrases that Fry had used in text conversations with Stern. Further, both 'Mastermind365' and Fry both spelled 'thank you' incorrectly. Stern says she was left in shock when officers revealed that someone on the dark web had paid to have her assassinated Fry vigorously disputes Stern's claim that he was behind the criminal act. He declined to be interviewed for 48 Hours, but spoke with Daily Mail in December. 'I can't believe what I'm hearing and what she's accusing me of. I'm traumatized and hurt that she would even think that it could be me,' he stated. 'I would never think of killing anyone, I've never so much as harmed a fly.' Fry - who is an avid gamer- continued: 'I once really loved Alexis and we parted on bad terms because I wanted the relationship to survive. Of course I was heartbroken, that's just normal when couples break up. But that doesn't mean I wanted her killed. It's absolutely unjust and preposterous to think that. ' 'I don't know anything about the dark web and I wouldn't know how to access it. The only IT training I've received is for accounts systems.' Further protesting her innocence, he defiantly declared: 'None of the things that Alexis has pointed out is concrete evidence against me. It's just flimsy nonsense. She's understandably worried that somebody wants her killed and is looking for a scapegoat, who just happens to be me.' Stern first told her story to Harper's magazine last year, with the article claiming that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were investigating the incident. Ms Stern (left) was contacted by police in Minnesota in July 2018 to say that her life was in danger and that there had been an order on the internet by someone to have her assassinated Fry denies that he paid in Bitcoin currency from his home in Bath, Somerset, to a murky alleged hitman who promises to kill, maim or kidnap targets in exchange for cash The Harper's article gave details about the attempted hit, claiming that 'Mastermind365' initially asked for Stern to be kidnapped. A week later, the user sent another message requesting she be murdered instead. A payment was then made for more than $5770 in bitcoin and a photo of Stern was also sent to the site, which exists only on the dark web. After Stern was alerted by police in her hometown last July, the case was then taken over by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, who failed to uncover the identity of 'Mastermind365'. Fry told Daily Mail that he was heard about his alleged involvement in the plot for the first time when a journalist from Harper's had contacted him for an interview via social media. 'I got a message on Twitter from somebody asking to speak with me about the dark web, Alexis and an attempt to murder her. I thought it was a bad joke and didn't understand what it was all about so just said I wasn't interested in speaking. 'I don't even have any significant savings and there's no way I could afford to pay $5770 to have somebody killed. This whole thing is just ridiculous.' Day after India banned all Iranian flights to India over novel coronavirus, the Iranian government asked New Delhi to take immediate action for transfer of passengers of both countries who have been affected as result of existing limits on travel The day after India banned all Iranian flights due to the novel coronavirus, the Iranian government has sought that New Delhi "take immediate action for transfer of passengers of both countries who have been affected as result of existing limits on travel". In a note verbale, the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi communicated the same to India, while also informing New Delhi of its full preparedness to carry out "needful medical examination" for screening of the virus at all points of exit from Iran. India had on Thursday temporarily suspended all flights from Iran as the country struggles to control the spread of novel coronavirus. The virus as of Saturday has killed 43 in Iran and infected 593. Reports have also emerged that the West Asian country has been hiding the actual number of casualties, however, Tehran has denied the allegation. According to a report in Business Standard, aviation sources said there are 250 Indians stranded in Iran who were supposed to return home via Iran Air while around 350 Iranians are currently in India and booked to travel on Iran Air flight from Mumbai till March-end. Currently, two Iranian carriers Iran Air and Mahan Air operate flights to Mumbai and Delhi, respectively, while no Indian airline flies to Iran, the report added. The Iranian embassy in New Delhi also said that Indian nationals travelling via air can get themselves screened for the virus at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran or at screening centres setup at exit points via land. "Iran expects from Indian authorities to provide the same facility for Iranian nationals at the time of departure from India and take immediate action for transfer of those passengers of both countries who have been affected as a result of existing limits on travel," it said. India's Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra, on Saturday said that the authorities are working to facilitate the return of those Indians who wish to go back to New Delhi."In view of coronavirus, working to facilitate the return of those Indians wishing to go back home. Discussions are underway with concerned authorities to work out arrangements," the ambassador said. Iran is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands of people getting tested for the new coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again Saturday, an official said, underscoring the fear both at home and abroad over the outbreak in the Islamic Republic. The virus has infected more than 85,000 and caused more than 2,900 deaths since emerging in China. Iran, with 43 people dead, has the world's highest death toll outside of China. Of the 730 confirmed cases scattered across the West Asia, the majority trace back to the Islamic Republic. With inputs from agencies The following York County restaurants were found to have violated Pennsylvanias health and safety regulations during inspections between Feb. 2-8. Inspections are overseen by the Department of Agriculture. The department notes that in many cases violations are corrected by the restaurant before inspectors leave. SAL'S WAY, LLC D/B/A FIG & BARREL PUB 25 W. Market St., York Date: Feb. 6, 2020 Type: Regular Compliance: Out Violations: Loose rubber door gaskets observed on the prep-table cooling unit. Broken prep-table door located at grill area Observed an accumulation of grease and food debris under and behind all cooking equipment. A working container of chemicals was stored above or on the same shelf with food. Chemical bottles stored hanging on clean dish rack. Observed chemical stored on top of food product in the dry storage area Person-in-charge does not have adequate knowledge of food safety in this food facility as evidenced by this non-compliant inspection. Observed cooking equipment/pans, in the kitchen area, with encrusted grease and soil accumulation. Observed single-service filters in kitchen area, stored uncovered or not inverted at the coffee area. Observed single-service, single-use articles stored in kitchen area which were not in the original protective package. Cleaned and sanitized utensils located in kitchen area, are stored with food-contact surfaces/food or lip area exposed to hand contact when retrieved by food employees. Observed clean single-service items stored in storage area directly on the floor, and not six inches above the floor. Observed scoops being stored on top of the dry storage containers in the dry storage area First aid supplies being stored in kitchen area, on top of plates, and a possible source of contamination. Food ingredient storage containers, in the prep-table area, is not labeled with the common name of the food. Manual can opener blade, a food-contact surface, was observed to have food residue and was not clean to sight and touch. Observed dirty dishes stored with clean dishes on storage racks in the kitchen. Food in the Avantco cooling unit and walk-in cooler area stored open with no covering. Dr V G Somani, Drugs Controller General (India) releases IPA guidelines on Market Complaints Patient Centricity and Integrated Quality Management is the theme for this years India Pharmaceutical Forum, organized by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) in Mumbai. Now in its 5th edition, the event brought together manufacturers, regulators, academia and other relevant stakeholders together facilitate discussions resulting in meaningful and actionable outcomes. Dr VG Somani, Drugs Controller General of India delivered the Keynote Address and released the IPA guidelines on Market Complaints. Dr VG Somani, Drugs Controller General of India said, We are working to simplify regulatory framework in pharma sector in India as we believe the pharma industry should focus on simplicity to achieve efficient compliance. The key for regulation lies not in what is written, but how it is implemented. Patient centricity is vital to Indian Pharmaceutical industry and regulations should be able to enhance it than restrain. Indian Pharmaceutical Forum (IPF) is a pioneering initiative of IPA that lays a strong foundation for quality culture and capability building. Quality is fundamental to our industry and would help to take India to next level. This Forum is a unique platform which brings together all stakeholders comprising of Indian and global regulators, government policymakers, industry, academia to move forward the quality agenda. This years theme Patient Centricity and Integrated Quality Management will be pivotal for our journey on quality, said Mr. Sudarshan Jain, Secretary-General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance The 2020 Forum focused on patient-centric approach to the manufacturing of quality medicines. With ten sessions spread over two days, the conference focused on some of the pressing issues in pharmaceutical industry such as Quality, Capability Building, Affordability and Patient-Centric Approach among other topics. With international and Indian stakeholders coming together to discuss pertinent issues related to quality management systems and thereof, the Forum brought together the relevant stakeholders in the Pharmaceutical industry to map a way forward for the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Indian pharma has made considerable progress in our quality journey. Forums such as the IPF play a significant role in achieving the vision of the industry - to be the global benchmark in quality. Several eminent speakers participated in this edition of the IPF and made it an enriching experience, said Mr. Satish Reddy, President, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance. The CEO Panel on Patient Centricity and Integrated Quality Management by the CEOs of Lupin, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Cadila Healthcare, and Cipla will reflect thoughts on the Indian pharmaceutical industry current standing and the path ahead. Otherwise, the presumptive Democratic front-runner communicates a sense of moral and ideological certitude unrelentingly sustained for decades that seems to thrill his followers but terrifies me. Other candidates have changed their views on one thing or another over the years, albeit with varying degrees of sincerity: Joe Biden on the war in Iraq; Mike Bloomberg on stop-and-frisk; Elizabeth Warren on super PACs. Not Bernie! The young man who joined the Young Peoples Socialist League as a student at the University of Chicago in the early 1960s on the hoary notion that capital should be in the hands of workers, not capitalists, is now the old man who rails compulsively against the billionaire class and wants to nationalize the health insurance industry. The guy who was angry about the downfall of Salvador Allendes Marxist regime in Chile in 1973 is still angry about it today. He isnt entirely letting go of Fidels achievements, either, even if it risks Floridas 29 electoral votes. Yes, literacy in Cuba (largely for purposes of indoctrination) is high, and Sanders thinks he has a moral obligation to affirm this. This isnt to say that everything Sanders ever thought as a young man and still thinks today is wrong. At Chicago he helped force the university to end racial segregation in its private housing. He made the definitive case, in the pages of the college newspaper, for the right of students to have sex. He joined Martin Luther King Jr.s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. These are things of which the senator can be proud. Other things, not so much. He was affiliated with the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party when it was shilling for the Khomeini regime during the Iran hostage crisis. He shilled for the Ortega regime in Nicaragua in the 1980s, while denouncing skeptical journalists as worms. In 1985, as mayor of Burlington, Vt., he made the case for bread lines: Sometimes American journalists talk about how bad a country is because people are lining up for food, he said. That is a good thing! In other countries, people dont line up for food. The rich get the food and the poor starve to death. Sajid Javid planned to reduce the basic rate of income tax by 2p in the next budget, he has revealed. The former chancellor said he planned a tax cutting programme which also included a reduction to stamp duty and relief for capital investment. Mr Javid resigned during the cabinet reshuffle earlier this month before firing a parting shot at Prime Minister Boris Johnsons chief aide, Dominic Cummings. His radical plan, disclosed in an interview with The Times, would have seen the first reduction to the basic rate of income tax for 15 years, from 20p to 18p in the pound from April, at an estimated cost of 10billion a year. Mr Javid, 50, said he intended to send a huge signal for working people that the Government was absolutely on their side in next months Budget. Sajid Javid planned to reduce the basic rate of income tax by 2p in the next budget, he has revealed The interview will put pressure on his replacement, former Treasury minister Rishi Sunak, to include similar tax cutting policies in his own budget, expected on March 11. Basic rate tax is levied on incomes between 12,501 and 50,000. Some 26 million of the UKs 31 million taxpayers fall in to this bracket. The tax cut would have been worth up to 750 a year, with those in the higher tax rates benefiting the most. Mr Sunak has already faced pressure to scrap reported plans to hike fuel tax in the budget, which would end the ten-year freeze on fuel duty. In a pointed resignation speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Javid criticised the growing influence of Boris Johnsons senior adviser Dominic Cummings and the danger of higher taxes. Mr Javid warned that the merging of Treasury and No10 teams ordered by Mr Cummings would stifle debate and was not in the national interest. He also predicted that the Tories would wreck their reputation for economic competence and damage Britains public finances if a budget spending spree resulted in higher taxes. And in an apparent reference to Mr Cummings, he added: Now I dont intend to dwell further on all the details and the personalities... the comings and goings if you will. Mr Javid quit after refusing No10s demand to sack all of his advisers and work with a joint team based in No10. Mr Javid said that he did not know if any of his proposals will be retained by Mr Sunak, but his intervention puts pressure on the chancellor to prioritise tax cuts. The interview will put pressure on his replacement, former Treasury minister Rishi Sunak, to include similar tax cutting policies in his own budget, expect on March 11 He said he would have paid for the tax cuts partly through a Whitehall waste-busting drive, and said he had killed off plans for a mansion tax. Other measures in the pipeline included proposals for a network of fast-charging points for electric cars and help for the five million adults lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills with a right to retrain. He said the Prime Ministers plans will cost 100billion in extra day-to-day spending over the next five days, and warned he must be careful not to break borrowing rules. Combined with the 100billion planned in capital spending, Mr Javid said Mr Johnsons programme amounts to the biggest fiscal expansion in peacetime. Mr Javid again criticised those in Downing Street who want No10 to control the Treasury. Commenting on his resignation Mr Javid said it was a black and white decision to quit rather than being humiliated by sacking his aides. He said a number of colleagues congratulated him on his defiant Commons speech: I had text messages from a number of cabinet ministers and ministers saying well done. One of them said: Thank you for speaking on behalf of all of us. A Treasury spokesman refused to comment but a Treasury source told The Times: The former chancellors Budget was characterised by tens of billions of tax rises, including a mansion tax and steep council tax rises, not tax cuts. His scorecard never balanced the cost of a 2pm tax cut. One person has been killed in clashes between KSU members and non-tribals during a meeting on CAA and inner line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills after which mobile internet services have been suspended in six districts, officials said on Saturday. The clashes between the Khasi Students Union members and non-tribals broke out during anti-CAA and pro-ILP meeting held in Ichamati area of the district on Friday, they said. Mobile internet services have been suspended in six districts East Jaintia Hills, West Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills an South West Khasi hills of the state from Friday night for 48-hours, officials said. Curfew was imposed in Shillong and adjoining areas with effect from 10 pm of February 28 to 8 am of February 29, an official order said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two reports have highlighted how the proposed Mallow Relief Road would end the type of traffic chaos witnessed above in the town centre The welcome news that a route has finally been selected for the long-awaited M20 Cork-Limerick motorway must not be allowed to detract from one of the biggest issues facing Mallow. That's the view of Mallow Development Partnership (MDP) vice-chair John McDonnell, who has said attention must now turn to the provision of the badly-needed Mallow relief road. Last December Cork County Council put pen to paper on a contract for the preparatory phase of the multi-million project that will incorporate design, environmental reports and compulsory purchase orders prior to the lodging of a planning application with An Bord Pleanala. While no firm timetable for the project was set, Mr McDonnell welcomed the news saying the importance of the project to the town could not be understated. Speaking to The Corkman this week Mr McDonnell said that while news that the M20 will proceed along the Mallow/Charleville corridor was welcome, it will be many years before it is completed, underling the urgency to press ahead with the relief road. "Mallow's location at the crossroads of Munster means the town receives substantial volumes both north-south and east-west traffic. With no east-west relief road relief road, Mallow continues to suffer serious traffic congestion to the town and impacting on journey times to those passing through," said Mr McDonnell. He pointed out that the Indecon Report commissioned by the Mallow Representative Group and published in 2015 stated that the Mallow Relief Road should be completed as a priority independent project and complementary to the M20. Among the key findings of the report were that a bypass would remove heavy traffic from the town centre, increasing accessibility and footfall; enhance Mallow's attractiveness for investment creating new jobs and facilitate the revitalisation of the town. Crucially, the report also found that a bypass could be worth up to 90 million to the town. "Removing large vehicular traffic from the town would allow for parking to be reorganised, pavements remodelled and new pedestrian areas introduced. In other words, the relief road would begin the process of transforming the main street from a serious traffic blackspot to a more attractive thoroughfare for the benefit of businesses and the people of Mallow," said Mr McDonnell. He said the 2017 Jacobs Route Feasibility Report reiterated this point saying a bypass would 'effectively provide important relief for the town centre congestion, as well as facilitate access to key supply and market routes, and would form an integral component in the future completion of the wider N20 corridor upgrade and the regional national road network.' He said while the relief road was moving through its preliminary stages was "pleasing news" it was "far too early to think the work is done." "Learning from earlier disappointments, we know Mallow needs the relief road project to be seen through to the very end and so we must continue our long-standing campaign to 'Unblock Mallow's Heart'," said Mr McDonnell. He said the campaign, which has the backing of Cork County Council, the businesses/industry sector, local community and politicians ensured the relief road was put on the Government's priority list in 2015 and again in 2018. "Only by continuing a similar campaign, aimed at securing the necessary funding once planning is obtained, can we bring this continuing saga of too many false dawns to a successful conclusion," said Mr McDonnell. A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to four months in prison for the theft of 41,892 from Bank of Ireland in Sligo. Austin O'Malley of 7, St Bridget's Terrace was found guilty of six counts of theft after a six-day trial last June. At the sentencing hearing at Sligo Circuit Court last Wednesday, Judge Francis Comerford said the thefts were opportunisitic rather than pre-meditated but highlighted that O'Malley had made no attempt to repay the bank since. Between October 26th and October 27th, 2017 O'Malley stole a total of 41,200 (41,896.59 including fees) from Bank of Ireland, Stephen St, Sligo. Evidence during the trial outlined after setting up a business account for his agricultural machinery sales business, Eireann Plant Sales Ltd in May 2017, O'Malley was offered a currency exchange system called FX Pay, allowing for transactions from various currencies. O'Malley had made lodgements to his business account between October 23rd and October 25th leaving a balance of 41,308.13 on October 25th in his business account.On the same date, O'Malley requested an online FX Pay transfer of 39,000 (41,200) to another machinery company at 5.19pm. The trial heard evidence that as this payment system is different to online banking, the transaction does not update an account in real time and before it could be registered to O'Malley's account, he made six withdrawals from his business account over the following two days, clearing the account, and putting it into 611 of an overdraft. When the online payment was processed days later on November 2nd, for 41,200, this put the account 41,815 overdrawn. The trial heard the bank are still at a loss of this amount. Summarising evidence at the sentencing, State prosecution, Mr Leo Mulrooney BL, instructed by State solicitor, Ms Elisa McHugh, said the online payment was akin to writing a cheque and waiting for the cheque to cash. He detailed the six seperate sums of money O'Malley withdrew from ATMs, in branch and transferring money into his personal account, subsequently leaving the business account overdrawn. O'Malley's defence during the trial was that he was expecting a payment of approximately 42,000 from a company for a machine, and after he requested the FX payment and checked his account the following day he assumed the 41,200 balance was the inward payment for the machine. O'Malley had told gardai he was only aware this was not the case when the bank made contact with him a week after. Defending barrister, Mr Joe Barnes, instructed by Ms Laura Spellman, solicitor, told the court his client had declared bankruptcy in February 2018. Mr Barnes handed in a reference to court from Fr Patrick Lombard and said O'Malley has a number of health issues, is on disbability payment, and is a carer to his mother. He said his client had the possibility of part time work and his capacity to repay the bank was 'limited'. Judge Comerford accepted O'Malley had health issues and had worked productively up until these offences and had no previous convictions. The judge commented that though O'Malley dealt in significant amounts of money, the business he ran was not well resourced and he never had a great deal of money himself. "The failure in Bank of Ireland's system did create the circumstances where he could take out money when the account should be close to nil," the judge noted. Judge Comerford said he was satisfied a customer would not know about the 'glitch' in the FX Pay system and said the thefts were opportunistic, rather than premeditated. However, the judge did add that once O'Malley took the first amount of money on October 26th, he went 'back to the well five more times'. "Once he knew the money was there to be taken he took it," said Judge Comerford. The judge indicated a headline sentence of 16 months for the offences, and in considering aggravating circumstances, the judge said O'Malley must have known there would be no 'come back' from the bank and said 41,000 was a lot of money for anyone. Judge Comerford said there was an absence of mitigation, considering no guilty plea and therefore no explanation for how he committed the offences. He also highlighted the lack of redress for the bank even when he had money changing his hands following the commital of the thefts. Outlining mitigating circumstances, the judge accepted it was O'Malley's first offence, that he was providing a useful role in caring for his mother and that his health was not good which resulted in him on a range of medication. Considering the factors, Judge Comerford said he could not deal with the matters short of a custodial sentence, sentencing O'Malley to nine months in prison with the final five months suspended for a period of five months post release. MIDDLETOWN Five-year Middletown Board of Education member and current Chairwoman Deborah V. Cain recently was chosen as one of Connecticuts Top 100 Women of Color. She was selected for her dedicated activism and community leadership, according to Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner. In just three months as chair, Deb Cain has become an invaluable asset to the Middletown Public Schools. What a joy and pleasure to collaborate with her, on nearly an everyday basis, for the betterment of our kids. Her positive outlook and her heart for equity are contagious. I cant think of a better person to be recognized in such a special way, he said. Cain was honored to receive the award, especially in light of the work and long hours volunteer members of the education board put in every month. It really makes me feel good, she said. Its a lot of reading, a lot of meetings. Sometimes it goes unnoticed, but its good someone recognizes your hard work out in the community, said Cain, a business system analyst. Many times, those who sit on commissions, committees and other panels dont receive the praise theyre due, she said. Im not doing all this hard work for nothing. Somebody is actually paying attention, added Cain. She also sits on the Hartford Behavioral Health board of directors. Cain and the other honorees will be recognized at a gala awards night at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford April 3, with Gov. Ned Lamont and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and other special dignitaries expected to attend. Im thrilled for Deb. Her sharp focus on serving all the students of Middletown, and her willingness to take on a variety of community and leadership roles across our city is to be celebrated, fellow board member Anita Dempsey-White said. As busy as she is, she is always there for all of us: the board, the city and our kids. I love serving with her, and being there with her as we move our district forward, she added. Meanwhile, Cain is focused on closing the academic achievement gap in Middletown. Education can make a difference in a childs life. Not all students are going to excel immediately. Sometimes there are going to be kids who need help. I want to give a voice to the voiceless, she explained. Cain is also an advocate for mental health, especially in the black community. Shell often visit the state Capitol, speaking to lawmakers, taking part in marches and other events. If I can, Im there. In November, Middletown saw four African Americans win council seats on the 12-member panel. It speaks volumes to not only the officers, but Middletown as a whole, Cain explained. Voters turned out to elect the most diverse Common Council in city history, and sent the citys first African-American woman, Jeanette (White) Blackwell, into the second-highest office. That is a clear indication residents are ready for change in leadership positions, Cain said. Were not always present at the table, but its good to have a voice there, to advocate for health care for the less fortunate, higher paying jobs in the community, and access to grocery stores in a city thats been characterized as a food desert, most notably downtown. Overall, its awesome to have a diverse group of people to stand in the gap, and speak for those who may not have a voice otherwise, Cain said. The district also recently welcomed Magda Parvey, who joined the school system in late 2019, as the chief academic officer. She comes to Middletown from New Rochelle, New York, after serving in a variety of leadership capacities there, including interim superintendent, chief academic officer, and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, according to Conner. She joins the MPS district with over two decades of educational experience in various economically, racially and culturally diverse settings, he said. Parvey enjoys the reception shes received from the community. My whole career as an educator, Ive served in very diverse communities, and, as I considered a transition last year, I knew that was a staple I hoped to have again. Middletown was exactly the right fit in that regard, and in terms of the academic, innovative and equity plans it is implementing, Parvey said. In just three months, she is seeing our academic picture with eyes keenly focused on student learning. I love the way she is quickly assessing our academic strengths and our growth areas, pushing our instructional leaders and faculty to be the best they can be for our kids, Conner said. These are two dynamic women in vital leadership positions for our schools, said Geen Thazhampallath, the districts chief of talent and performance management. Deb brings a natural and strong hometown voice, advocating for all our kids, and Dr. Parvey brings a professionalism that I know Dr. Conner and the board are thrilled to have in Middletown. Both not only capture our commitment to gender equity and leadership, but are also terrific role models for our staff and students, Thazhampallath added. For event tickets, visit Bushnell.org or call 860-987-5900. T hree more patients from England have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the number of confirmed UK cases to 23. The new cases are from Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Berkshire, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said. Prof Whitty said two of the patients had recently returned from Italy - the worst-hit European country - and the other one from Asia, where the virus originated. Any individuals who had contact with the patients are now being traced. Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures 1 /61 Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures A man wearing a protective mask travels on the underground tube Reuters A woman wearing a protective face mask Jeremy Selwyn A man and woman wearing protective face masks on a bus PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A woman shopper wears a protective mask as she walks down an aisle in a supermarket in London AFP via Getty Images A man wearing a face mask waits to board an underground train on the Central Line at Bank station in London AP A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A woman wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street in London PA A woman wearing a mask walks by the Emirates Stadium Action Images via Reuters A man is seen wearing a protective face mask at Waterloo station Reuters A woman wears a surgical mask as she walks through Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport Reuters A fan in the stands wears a mask during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridg PA A man wearing a protective face mask walking down Oxford Street PA Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A person wears a mask in a display of street style outside the BFC Show Space show in London PA Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn Commuters with masks on during the Coronavirus outbreak Jeremy Selwyn A commuter on the tube wearing a face mask Jeremy Selwyn A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridge Getty Images People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A man wearing a face mask walks past an entrance sign for Bank underground train station AP The coronavirus outbreak will unlikely lead to a Tube ban PA People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground. PA People wear masks at Holborn underground Station Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA A pedestrian wears a face mask whilst walking along High Holborn PA A man wears a mask as he takes a photograph in China Town AP A man in a hazmat suit and face mask cleans the Ritchie Street Health Centre, Islington PA A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter at Euston wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A man arrives at Euston Underground wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Staff in suits at St Thomas's Hospital today Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A commuter arrives at St Pancras wearing a mask Jeremy Selwyn A man wears a face mask as he stands near an electronic arrivals board at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images A man wears a face mask as he walks along the Thames embankment AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a protective face mask is seen on London Bridg Reuters Health officials said it was not clear if the patient had contracted the virus directly or indirectly from somebody who had recently travelled abroad. The patient had been transferred to a specialist NHS infection centre at Guys and St Thomas. There have been 21 confirmed cases in England, while there has been one confirmed case in Northern Ireland and one in Wales. Wales's chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said the first diagnosed patient there had recently travelled back from Italy. People wearing face masks in Trafalgar Square in London / PA As of 9am on Saturday, more than 10,000 people in the UK have been tested for the virus. The case in Surrey was the 20th UK case, but unique because the man had not recently travelled abroad. Haslemere Health Centre in the county was temporarily closed for cleaning as a "precautionary measure" but has now reopened. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, said he was thinking of "clinicians, staff and patients" at the surgery during this "worrying time". Boris Johnson: Coronavirus is 'top priority' He wrote on Twitter: "Thoughts today with new Covid19 patient and local GP with symptoms alongside their families." On Saturday morning, health minister Edward Argar refused to comment on reports that a GP may have been infected with coronavirus, also known as Covid-19. "I'm aware of the report, but I'm going on the basis of what I've been told," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I haven't had any details of that and I think it would be wrong to comment on speculation in the press without that detailed advice from the chief medical officer." Coronavirus: Costa Adeje Hotel lockdown in Tenerife 1 /32 Coronavirus: Costa Adeje Hotel lockdown in Tenerife A police officer stands by a barrier in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel where the number of coronavirus cases has doubled AP People stand on their balconies of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel AP General view of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje Reuters Tourists sunbath at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta AFP via Getty Images Police officers stand outside of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife Reuters Spanish police officers stand outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain AP Emergency workers rest at a health control outside H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife REUTERS PA AP A woman looks from a terrace of H10 Hotel, which is on lockdown after novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Reuters General view taken on February 25, 2020 of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta, where hundreds of people were confined to their rooms after an Italian tourist was hospitalised with a suspected case of coronavirus. - Tourists staying in a four-star hotel on the Spanish island of Tenerife AFP via Getty Images H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google A police officer controls the road to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island AP via Reuters An employee wears a protective mask as he talks with guests inside a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adej via Reuters Tourists stand on the balcony of their rooms at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel in La Caleta AFP via Getty Images H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain Google AFP via Getty Images A Spanish police officer sets a barrier blocking the access to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain AP A Spanish National Police car is parked outside a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adeje, in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife via Reuters Spanish police officers patrol outside the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island AP Employees wearing protective masks arrange water bottles in the lobby of a hotel under lockdown after a coronavirus case was identified in Adeje, in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife via Reuters H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in Tenerife, Canary Island, Spain, Google StreetView Also on Friday, a British man, reported to be in his 70s and said to have lived abroad, was confirmed as the first UK citizen to die from coronavirus . The man, who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship which has been quarantined off Japans coast amid the outbreak, was the sixth person from the vessel to have died. It comes as the Government prepares to bring in new emergency powers to help stop the virus spreading. It is believed this will give schools, councils and other parts of the public sector powers to suspend laws - including health and safety measures - to cope with a pandemic. Boris Johnson, who has been criticised for his response to the outbreak, is due to convene a Cobra meeting over the virus on Monday. The Government has insisted that the NHS "has what it needs" to manage the coronavirus outbreak . Health Minister Edward Argar said the health service has "long standing plans" to deal with an increase in hospital admissions and that there is "no reason to think that we shouldnt be able to continue containing it". Elsewhere, a major real estate exhibition due to take place in Cannes next month announced the event would be postponed due to fears of the virus spreading. MIPIM, which bills itself as the worlds leading property market, was due to open on March 10 but has been rescheduled for between June 2 and 5. In Tenerife, hundreds of guests have been confined to the H10 Costa Adeje Palace after at least four tourists, including an Italian doctor, were diagnosed with coronavirus. However, six Britons were among those who were told they could leave on Friday by Spanish authorities because they arrived at the hotel on Monday - after those who tested positive had been taken to hospital. Workforce Solutions South Plains gave grants to 25 school districts across the area on Thursday. The $792,742.65 distributed is intended to go toward Career and Technical Education program (CTE) training materials and equipment like blood pressure machines, convection electrical ranges, automotive vehicle lift systems and more. Plainview ISD received $14,255 and Abernathy ISD received $3,743 of those funds for their respective CTE programs. Funding for the project was provided by several area economic corporations including: Plainview/Hale County Economic Development Corporation, Texas Workforce Commission, Idalou EDC, Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Texas Mutual Insurance Company, Littlefield EDC, Levelland EDC and the Brownfield Industrial Development Corporation. Participating school districts include: Plainview, Abernathy, Olton, Springlake Earth, Sudan, Anton, Brownfield, Denver City, Frenship, Idalou, Levelland, Littlefield, Lorenzo, Lubbock-Cooper, Morton, Motley County, Patton Springs, Plains, Shallowater, Slaton, Spur, Tahoka, Wellman-Union, Whitharral and Wilson. Its estimated that the grants will benefit about 1,890 students across these districts with CTE programs for construction technology, culinary, welding, health sciences, ag mechanics, automotive technology, business, web design, HVAC and STEM programs. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Saturday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Earlier today, Shah returned from his two-day visit to Odisha where he chaired the 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council in Bhubaneswar on Friday and also addressed a public meeting. The Union Home Minister will be visiting West Bengal tomorrow where he will address two public meetings in Kolkata. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The daughter of UVF murder victim Ian Ogle has joined forces with the sister of Robert McCartney, who was killed by the IRA. Toni Johnston Ogle met Catherine McCartney earlier this week to discuss the murders and both families' campaigns for justice. The Ogles and the McCartneys lived yards from each other on different sides of the east Belfast peaceline. Robert was just a year older than Ian, and both men had two children but, due to sectarian divisions in the city, they had never met. Ian was stabbed to death by members of the east Belfast UVF on January 27, 2019 in Cluan Place. Robert McCartney was stabbed to death outside Magennis's Bar on January 31, 2005. Toni said: "The similarities between my daddy and Robert are striking. Had they both lived, my daddy would be 47 and Robert would be 48. Expand Close catherine mccartney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp catherine mccartney "We lived in Cluan Place and the McCartneys were just across the peaceline on the Mountpottinger Road in the Short Strand - two families, just yards away from each other, who now tragically share so much in common. "My daddy and Robert were both murdered in cold blood in the street and left to die." Toni was only 13 when Robert was stabbed to death, but she remembered her daddy talking about it at home. "He said it was an awful thing for a man to be killed like that. He was disgusted," she said. "Little did we imagine that the same thing would happen to him 14 years later. "There is just so much that unites us with the McCartney family. Our experience of fighting for justice is very similar to theirs. "They have suffered intimidation from within their own community, just like we have." Toni said she had moved from her home after being "tortured by east Belfast UVF members and their supporters". The McCartneys left the Short Strand months after Robert's murder. "It was very comforting for me to meet Catherine," Toni said. "She went through all this long before me and had a lot of knowledge and advice about campaigning for justice. "Her family were just on the other side of a wall from us, but it took murder to happen before we got to know each other. "It is time that east Belfast was removed from the grip of paramilitary crime gangs. They instil fear in the community and it has to stop. "My daddy and Robert are dead. We don't want there to be any more victims like them again." Catherine McCartney said: "The similarities of what happened to Robert and Ian are striking, especially given how close our families lived to each other. It has not just been murder, but cover-ups, intimidation, and a lack of witness co-operation with the police - due to both fear and loyalty - in the two cases. "Those who killed Robert and those who killed Ian weren't acting on behalf of their community. "It wasn't about ideology for either the IRA or the east Belfast UVF - republicanism or loyalism wasn't at the centre of this. "It was about themselves, protecting their own self-interest and their own turf." Catherine paid tribute to Ian Ogle's daughter, saying: "Toni is a very brave young woman who has had no chance to grieve. "I would call on politicians to give her the same level of support that they gave our family. She has my full support in her campaign for justice." Ian Ogle was beaten and stabbed 11 times in an attack said to have lasted around 30 seconds. Three men have been charged in connection with the murder. Nobody has been convicted of Robert McCartney's murder. City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown sits during a City Council meeting at City Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. Read more Give it up for former Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown for so succinctly summing up the state of politics: Its nobodys business but mine, she said in January when asked about whether she would apply for the controversial Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP). Brown had previously shunned the program, which allows elected officials to double-dip by simultaneously earning salaries and accruing pension payouts. This past week, Brown changed her mind and applied for DROP. As my colleague Sean Collins Walsh reported, the city cant calculate Browns expected DROP payment yet. But given her final salary as a councilmember was $137,000 and the $102,000 annual salary she makes now in a newly created position in the Office of the Register of Wills, itll likely be somewhere between cha-ching and daaamn. Certainly, the nothing-to-see-here attitude of Philly politicians and public officials isnt new. Years before Browns about-face, she was fined for lying about using campaign funds to pay off a personal loan from the son of then-Congressman Chaka Fattah. Father and son both ended up in prison. But in the spirit of all-politics-is-local, Browns Nobodys Business explanation also goes a long way in explaining the state of national politics: Donald Trump not releasing his taxes. Bernie Sanders not releasing specifics on his heart troubles. Mike Bloomberg refusing to discuss those nondisclosure agreements. After Sen. Elizabeth Warren eviscerated him on the subject during last weeks Democratic primary debate, he said a few days later that he would allow his company to release three women from the agreements. But that didnt stop his longtime partner Diana Taylor from jumping to his defense. Get over it, Taylor said. It was a bro culture. Oh, like the bro culture or locker-room banter Trump and his apologists referred to when a hot-mic recording of his interview with Access Hollywood caught him saying you can grab women by the p ? Or the toxic bro culture from Sanders zealots including a staffer who was fired for mocking and degrading other candidates thats routinely unleashed on anyone who fails to worship at the altar of Bernie? Locally, its the Larry Krasner bros who go ballistic anytime anyone dares question or criticize what some, including families of murder victims, have characterized as one-sided criminal justice reform. But then politics local, regional, or national has always been about choosing sides and then doing all the mental gymnastics necessary to defend or apologize for your pick. Whatever it takes: Its racism! Its sexism! Its a witch hunt! Sometimes. But other times its just a way to excuse bad if not straight-up criminal behavior, all while the enabled elected official plays the victim. Days after former State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell pleaded guilty to state corruption charges, Kenyatta Johnson joined Bobby Henon as the second sitting member of Council to be indicted. Johnson-Harrell, if you recall, won a special election to replace another disgraced politician, former Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who resigned under protest after she was convicted on bribery and other charges. And let us never forget Desiree Peterkin Bell, the hashtag-happy member of former Mayor Michael Nutters cabinet, who eventually pleaded guilty to stealing and misusing funds from a city-operated nonprofit, despite the mayors ride-or-die defense. On Twitter last year Bell thanked God and tweeted an image of Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa under the words: Lifes not about how hard of a hit you can give... its about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward. Meanwhile, public officials routinely brush off the public part of their jobs as some pesky annoyance. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania lawmakers are claiming legislative privilege for shielding records that show how it spends $360 million in taxpayer money it receives each year. Speaking of tax dollars: On Friday, the citys Department of Revenue held its annual Taxpayer Appreciation Day. Property owners who paid their 2020 real estate tax bill by Saturday got a whopping 1 percent discount. Compare that with $237 million to $277 million dollars DROP has cost the city from 1999 to 2015. But hey, there was music and refreshments at the appreciation event held at the Municipal Services Building, so taxpayers got to wash all that political hypocrisy down with a free drink. The Congress on Saturday accused the police of carrying out a "one-sided" investigation into the violence in Delhi and urged the Supreme Court to appoint an amicus curiae to scrutinise all such cases in which protesters and activists are being slapped with serious charges. The party's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma also said the situation is far from normal and an atmosphere of fear is still prevailing in the national capital. Sharma alleged the police "which allowed Delhi to burn for four days" is carrying out a "one-sided" investigation. He said in the name of action it should be seen against whom the action is being taken. "What is the definition of hate speech? If the speeches made by the BJP leaders were not hate speeches, and the protests are a threat to the society as per the cases registered. Shockingly, as per an FIR against a group of people and an organisation called United Against Hate. And what is the case...for having said in a speech that 'we shall not get up or give up our protest even if we have to die for that'. For that they were slapped with section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder)," he said. "We urge the Supreme Court to take cognisance of all these cases and appoint an amicus curiae to scrutinise all these cases where people are being framed and put in jails," Sharma told reporters. An amicus curiae assists a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the case. "The SC is the custodian of the Constitution. The delays don't help. The entire world is watching this country, it is time that the Supreme Court intervenes effectively to protect the rights of the citizens guaranteed by the Constitution," Sharma said. "We have no expectations from Centre or the Home Ministry or Delhi Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) but we have hopes from the courts," he said. At least 42 were killed and over 200 injured in the communal riots that broke out in northeast Delhi on Monday after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control. The areas worst affected in the violence include Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By PTI AMARAVATI: Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani had a two-hour-long meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at the latter's residence here on Saturday, where industrial development in the state and investments were discussed. In a late-night release, the CMO said the Chief Minister discussed with Ambani, Reliances partnership in the state governments schemes in the education and health sectors. The Chief Minister explained the 'Naadu-Nedu' (then and now) programme taken up by his government to improve infrastructure in schools and hospitals. Accompanied by his son Ananth Ambani and Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, Mukesh arrived by a special flight from Mumbai and was received at the Vijayawada airport by YSR Congress MP V Vijayasai Reddy. They then drove to the Chief Minister's residence at Tadepalli where Jagan and his wife Bharati welcomed the industry moghul and felicitated him. "The Chief Minister and Ambani held talks for more than two hours. Issues like industrial development in the state and investments were discussed at length," the CMO release said, without further details. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Irine H. Gayatri (The Jakarta Post) Victoria, Australia Sat, February 29, 2020 The governments recent decision to not repatriate Islamic State (IS) fighters to Indonesia should be appreciated. Follow-up measures must come immediately. The government says it will gather data on the number and identity of the citizens who had joined IS; moreover, young children might be repatriated. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said that children under 10 will be considered on a case-by-case basis: for example, if they have parents there or not. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday held talks with Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi said the Chinese government and people are making all-out efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), during which the Mongolian government and people have offered precious support. Hailing Battulga as the first foreign head of state to visit China since the outbreak, Xi said the special visit by Battulga to express consolations and support to China fully embodies the high attention he pays to the China-Mongolia ties and the profound friendship between the two peoples. This vividly shows that China and Mongolia, as neighboring countries, can rely on each other in difficult times, said Xi. Xi expressed his welcome as Battulga paid the visit only one day after Mongolia's traditional Tsagaan Sar holiday, and sent festive greetings to the Mongolian people. Xi said that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have attached great importance to the epidemic, activated a national response mechanism and taken the most comprehensive, thorough and rigorous measures. A leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 was established immediately and a central government guiding team was sent to Hubei province, said Xi. After arduous work, the positive trend in the prevention and control work is now expanding, Xi said, adding that the country has full confidence, capability to win this battle against the epidemic. China has coordinated the prevention and control work with the economic and social development, and tried its best to minimize the impact of the epidemic, he said. According to Xi, China has adopted a targeted approach in different regions to advance resumption of work and production based on local health risks, ensure timely agriculture work in spring and guarantee people's basic livelihood. Noting that China's economy is resilient with broad domestic demand and a strong industrial basis, Xi said China will strive to meet this year's economic and social development targets. Xi said that guided by the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, China is making every effort not only to protect the life and health of its own people but also to contribute to global public health security. With an open, transparent and responsible attitude, the Chinese government has actively stepped up international cooperation on fighting the outbreak, said Xi, adding that China's efforts have been highly affirmed and recognized by the World Health Organization and the international community. China will continue to work with countries including Mongolia to fight the epidemic and safeguard regional and global public health security, he said. Noting that China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors linked by waters and mountains, Xi said China has attached high importance to the bilateral relations and always taken Mongolia as an important direction of China's neighborhood diplomacy. China is committed to cementing political mutual trust with Mongolia and enhancing Belt and Road cooperation to benefit both peoples, he said. Battulga expressed consolations to the Chinese people over the outbreak and spoke highly of China's rapid establishment of a joint prevention and control mechanism and national people-oriented efforts to fight the epidemic. Stressing that Mongolia and China are comprehensive strategic partners, Battulga said the Mongolian people completely relate to what the Chinese people are going through and would like to stand closely together with the Chinese people in the difficult times. Mongolia launched fund-raising activities to support China's fight against the epidemic, and received active responses from all walks of life, he said, adding that Mongolia will send additional 30,000 sheep apart from the previous donations. Battulga said he believes that the Chinese people will definitely win the battle against the epidemic at an early date and overcome the difficulties to realize the set goals of social and economic development under the strong leadership of President Xi. Mongolia commends China's pursuit of neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and stands ready to work with China to deepen mutual trust and support, enhance cooperation to promote greater development of bilateral relations, said Battulga. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 28, 2020) -Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY) (OTCQB: ELYGF) ("Ely Gold" or the "Company") announces that it has elected to accelerate the expiry date of a total of 2,655,000 outstanding common share purchase warrants as described below (the "Warrants") originally issued by Ely Gold as part of its private placement of units (the "Private Placement") which closed in two tranches on December 31, 2018 and January 17, 2019 (refer to press releases dated December 6, 2018, January 2, 2019, and January 18, 2019). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of Ely Gold (a "Warrant Share"). In connection with the Private Placement, the Company issued: (i) 13,000,000 Warrants exercisable at a price of $0.22 per Warrant Share with expiry dates of either December 31, 2023 or January 17, 2024 to certain subscribers; and 510,000 Warrants exercisable at a price of $0.135 per Warrant Share with expiry dates of either December 31, 2020 or January 17, 2021 to two finders. To date, 10,855,000 of these Warrants have been exercised, leaving a balance outstanding of 2,655,000 Warrants. Pursuant to terms of the Warrants, Ely Gold can elect to accelerate the expiry dates of the Warrants at any time, following the customary hold period and prior to the expiry of the Warrants, if the daily volume weighted average trading price of Ely Gold's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is greater than $0.60 for more than 20 consecutive trading days, by giving notice (an "Acceleration Notice") to the Warrant holders by issuing a press release within three (3) trading days of such an occurrence specifying that the Warrants will expire on the 30th day following and the giving of such Acceleration Notice. Effective at the market close on February 28, 2020, Ely Gold's volume weighted average trading price for each of the preceding 20 consecutive trading days has exceeded $0.60. The expiry date of the outstanding Warrants is being accelerated to 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver time) on Monday, March 30, 2020 (the "Accelerated Expiry Time").Any Warrants remaining unexercised after the Accelerated Expiry Time will be cancelled and will thereafter be of no force or effect. In addition to issuing an Acceleration Notice by way of this press release, Ely Gold will mail notice of the acceleration that address of the holders of the outstanding Warrants to the holder's address shown on the applicable Warrant certificates. Should all the Warrants outstanding be exercised, Ely Gold will receive proceeds of approximately $541,600.00 and will have approximately 115,917,885 common shares issued and outstanding. Warrant exercise funds received will be used for project generative activities and for general working capital purposes. About Ely Gold Royalties Inc. Ely Gold Royalties Inc. is a Vancouver-based, emerging royalty company with development assets focused in Nevada and Quebec. Its current portfolio includes 36 Deeded Royalties and 22 properties optioned to third parties. Ely Gold's royalty portfolio includes producing royalties, fully permitted mines and development projects that are at or near producing mines. The Company is actively seeking opportunities to purchase existing third-party royalties for its portfolio and all the Company's option properties are expected to produce royalties, if exercised. The royalty and option portfolios are currently generating significant revenue. Ely Gold is well positioned with its current portfolio of over 20 available properties to generate additional operating revenue through option and sale agreements. The Company has a proven track record of maximizing the value of its properties through claim consolidation and advancement using its extensive, proprietary data base. All portfolio properties are sold or optioned on a 100% basis, while the Company retains royalty interests. Management believes that due to the Company's ability to generate third-party royalty agreements, its successful strategy of organically creating royalties, its equity portfolio and its current low valuation, Ely Gold offers shareholders a low-risk leverage to the current price of gold and low-cost access to long-term mineral royalties. On Behalf of the Board of Directors Signed "Trey Wasser" Trey Wasser, President & CEO For further information, please contact: Trey Wasser, President & CEO trey@elygoldinc.com 972-803-3087 Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer jjobin@elygoldinc.com 647-964-0292 FORWARD-LOOKING CAUTIONS: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding: (i) cancellation of unexercised Warrants; (ii) increase to the Company's outstanding common shares; and (ii) use of warrant exercise proceeds. These matters are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks of declining precious metals prices, failure of projects in which the Company has an interest may underperform current management forecasts, the Company may not be able to identify suitable new royalty acquisitions, and the political uncertainties and regulatory or legal disputes or changes in the jurisdictions where the Company carries on its business that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effect. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/52980 The clashes took place between the Pakhtun and Punjabi students backed by the Pakhtun and Baloch Students Council and Islami Jamiat Tulaba respectively, on Friday over holding a 'cultural activity' by the former on the campus Lahore: At least 14 students of Pakistan's Punjab University were arrested on Saturday after clashes broke out between two student groups on the campus over holding a festival which left 20 injured. The clashes took place between the Pakhtun and Punjabi students backed by the Pakhtun and Baloch Students Council and Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT), respectively, on Friday over holding a 'cultural activity' by the former on the campus. According to Punjab University Register Professor Khalid Khan, during the clashes between the two student groups, 12 students from both sides and eight security guards, who tried to stop the violence, were injured. "We have arrested 14 students 10 belonging to Pakhtaun student group and the remaining to the IJT," police official concerned Tasi Asghar Ali told PTI. He said raids are being made to arrest six other suspects. The university official said such clashes often takes place on the campus. Although the varsity administration claims that it does not allow any 'political activity' on the campus, Pakhtun students allege that Vice Chancellor Niaz Ahmed supports the IJT because of his association with the Islamic group. Three graves belonging to the Ahmadis have been allegedly desecrated by police in Pakistan's Punjab province, a member of an organisation representing the minority community said on Saturday, days after Prime Minister Imran Khan warned that anyone targeting the country's minorities would be dealt with strictly. Pakistan's Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. A decade later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslims. They are banned from preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. Spokesman of the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Pakistan, the Pakistani organisation representing the Ahmadis, Saleemuddin said the incident took place at a graveyard in Chak-2 TDA district in Khushab, some 300 kilometres from Lahore. "Police have desecrated three tombstones of Ahmadis' in a graveyard in Chak-2 TDA, district Khushab. This was done at the behest of mullahs (clerics). The Ahmadis are not even safe in their graves in Pakistan," Saleemuddin said in a statement. He also uploaded pictures of the desecrated graves on Twitter. Last week, a 100-year-old place of worship of the Ahmadi community in Khrepar in Kasur district, 50 kilometres from Lahore, was taken over by the local clerics. "They (Ahmadis) are not allowed to live in peace. Let them rest in their graves in peace. Desecration of Ahmadi graves is un-Islamic and inhuman. Please do something; perhaps, issue an order against desecration of graves?" senior journalist and author Mehr Tarar said in tweet. Who will the minority community turn to when the police are involved in targeting the Ahmadis?, Saleemuddin asked. He also reminded Prime Minister Khan of his recent warning that his government would take strict action against those involved in violence against the minorities. "I want to warn our people that anyone in Pakistan targeting our non-Muslim citizens or their places of worship will be dealt with strictly. Our minorities are equal citizens of this country," Khan said in a tweet on Wednesday. An official from the office of Deputy Commissioner Khushab told PTI that the tombs/plaques from the graves were removed on a complaint filed by the locals. "Complainant Syed Athar Ali Bokhari and others in their application to the Deputy Commissioner Khushab said that Islamic verses and the Prophet's name were inscribed on non-Muslim Ahmadis graves," the official said. The application said "the act is hurting the sentiments of Muslims, therefore these tombs/plaques should be removed," the official said. Acting on the complaint, the police and the local administration removed the tombs, the official said, adding that the administration had not received any application from the Ahmadi community. Ahmadi community's Punjab spokesman Amir Mahmood said that police and the local administration had entertained the hardline clerics' application. "How can we file an application with police or deputy commissioner knowing that this may lead to further problems for us?" Mahmood told PTI. In Pakistan, around 10 million out of the 220 million population are non-Muslims. According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority (5 million) in Pakistan. Christians make up the second largest religious minority, with almost the same number (4.5 million) and their concentration is mostly in urban Sindh, Punjab and parts of Balochistan. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsi are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) SPRINGFIELD American Outdoor Brands Corp., the parent company of Springfields Smith & Wesson, will pay former President and CEO P. James Debney more than $1 million in severance and other compensation. The eight-page separation agreement appeared Friday on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, but doesnt give any new detail about why American Outdoor Brands ousted Debney in January. The document instead says the reasons are to be kept confidential by both sides American Outdoor Brands in January posed a statement on its website that said the ouster followed a determination by the Board of Directors that he engaged in conduct inconsistent with a non-financial company policy. The company did not elaborate at that time either. In the agreement made public Friday, American Outdoor Brands agreed to pay Debney $83,333 a month in severance in each of the 12 months following his leaving the job. Thats a total of $999,996. The company also agreed to pay $5,000 to Debney to compensate for the expense of moving his personal property out of the companys offices, and to continue paying for $5 million in life insurance for a year. Debney must give up his corporate membership to GreatHorse county club in Hampden, according to the document. The agreement also extends Debneys option to purchase stock until the separation of the companys gun and outdoor products businesses. Prior to Debneys departure, American Outdoor Brands had announced a plan to spin off its outdoor products and accessories business as a tax-free stock dividend to its stockholders later in 2020. The deal will create two independent, publicly traded companies: Smith & Wesson Brands, which will encompass the firearms business, and American Outdoor Brands, which will encompass the outdoor products and accessories. In January, the board of directors named Mark P. Smith and Brian D. Murphy as co-presidents and co-CEOs of American Outdoor Brands Corp. Debney received total pay of $3.8 million for the fiscal year that ended in April 2019. That was up from $2.2 million in the same period a year earlier, according to federal filings. In the fall, Smith & Wesson shareholders voted against approving a new executive pay package, a defeat seen as a rare example of shareholder pushback against executive pay. 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. The Phoenix Hill Sports Park in the capital of Southwest Chinas Sichuan province hosted the 2021 Chinese FA Cup final as its inaugural event Sunday. Covering an area of 128,000 square meters, the park consists of two world-class sports venues, a retail and hotel complex, and a public plaza. It will be one of the venues of the 31st Summer World University Games Jan 12, 2022 05:45 PM Kuala Lumpur, Feb 29 : Former Home Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will be sworn in on Sunday as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia, the National Palace said in a statement on Saturday following a week of political power struggles. The surprise announcement from the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, said the King had agreed to appoint Muhyiddin as premier after receiving a list of nominees from party leaders and independent MPs, and deeming that he may have the majority support needed in Parliament, reports Efe news. Muhyiddin will be sworn in at the National Palace at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday. "(The King) said the appointment of the Prime Minister cannot be delayed for the sake and wellbeing of the nation... He believes this is the best decision for everyone and hopes this puts an end to the political crisis at the moment," Ahmad Fadil said. The political crisis was sparked by the stepping-down of Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister and Bersatu party chairman on Monday. The King had accepted his resignation and had appointed him as interim premier until a new government was former. The palace's announcement of Muhyiddin as the new leader came hours after Mahathir said he had the numbers needed to be the next Prime Minister, and the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition announced its support for him. Mahathir's Bersatu party on Friday nominated its president Muhyiddin as its prime ministerial candidate. In a twist on Saturday, Muhyiddin also declared himself Bersatu chairman, even though Mahathir returned to that position during the week. Bersatu's Secretary-General then released a statement refuting Muhyiddin's claim, saying the only person who has absolute power to lead the party was chairman Mahathir. On Saturday morning after a meeting with leaders of the PH coalition, Mahathir said in a statement that he was confident he had "the numbers needed to garner majority support in the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament)." "I am therefore prepared to stand as prospective candidate for Prime Minister," he said, adding that this would be conveyed to the King. In a separate statement, the PH presidential council backed Mahathir, saying it was giving its "full support" to him as prime ministerial candidate. However, a day earlier, the PH had said it was backing Anwar Ibrahim of the People's Justice Party for the job. On Saturday, Anwar went to the King to present a letter of statement that PH was nominating Mahathir over him "to prioritize the nation above personal agenda", he told reporters, according to local media. Muhyiddin was backed by Bersatu, and others including Barisan Nasional, which Mahathir and the PH coalition ousted in a shock victory in the March 2018 election after 60 years of rule, along with then-prime minister Najib Razak who now faces 1MDB corruption allegations. Anwar had been the promised successor to Mahathir after the two old foes banded together ahead of the 2018 polls. The Delhi violence which first broke out on Sunday has claimed over 30 lives till now. Among them is Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal. On February 24, he lost his life after sustaining injuries during the violence in North East Delhi. Many took to social media to pay their respects to the officer and offer condolences to the family. Several people also took to Twitter asking for a way to help the family in any way possible. IPS officer Arun Bothra has shared Ratan Lals wifes bank account details should anyone like to offer help. Verified bank account of wife of martyred Head Constable #RatanLal is here: Mrs. Poonam Bari A/C no. 33150100023786 Bank of Baroda IFSC Code - BARB0BURARI (Fifth Character is Zero) Took time to obtain & verify as shocked family was not in position to communicate. https://t.co/eggggGYYAz pic.twitter.com/nwsGj6lIyE Arun Bothra (@arunbothra) February 28, 2020 Many have replied to the tweet and come forward to help the family. From 51 to 3,000, people have shared whatever they could to help the family. Here are some such tweets: As of my condition, I've donated a small amount to her account. Hope, ppl from all faiths will help her by donating her in this distressful time at large pic.twitter.com/k8B6j34V7D Singhdeo (@Singhdeo_Uk) February 28, 2020 On February 16, two days after his death, Ratan Lals last rites took place in Rajasthan. He was accorded with full state honours and gun salute. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The World Health Organizations director general had wise words this week for those who incite panic around the COVID-19 virus. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 28/2/2020 (684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion The World Health Organizations director general had wise words this week for those who incite panic around the COVID-19 virus. "Our greatest enemy right now is not the virus itself its the fear, rumours and stigma," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during his opening statement at the WHOs daily briefing on Friday. "And our greatest assets are facts, reason and solidarity." We could have used a lot more facts and reason (and less rumour and fear) Thursday when many jumped to the conclusion that a passenger taken off a Westjet flight in Winnipeg was suspected of having the novel coronavirus. The passenger did not, according to Premier Brian Pallister (although that still wasnt confirmed as of Friday). But that didnt stop a flurry of reports, many on social media, that Winnipeg might be looking at its first confirmed case and that we should all be alarmed. Even if the passenger were infected, its hardly cause for panic. Thats precisely the message the WHO has been trying to get across for weeks since the COVID-19 virus outbreak began in China in late December. Yes, its a serious disease. Health care systems and emergency response teams must be fully prepared to deal with it. However, most people who become infected with the virus will, at most, experience mild illness. A small percentage will get very sick. An even smaller percentage, around two to three per cent on average, will die. But, just like seasonal influenza which kills about 3,500 Canadians a year (there have already been 20 deaths from the flu in Manitoba this season) those who die from the COVID-19 virus usually have underlying medical conditions, or are elderly. Local health officials say we should take the same precautions against novel coronavirus that we do with other viruses, such as seasonal influenza: wash our hands frequently, cover our mouths when we sneeze or cough, and stay home when were sick. Those standing orders are repeated every year (in addition to recommending we get the flu shot). Stick to facts and reason, says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (Salvatore Di Nolfi / Keystone) Despite that, people still die from the flu every year. It's tragic. However, we dont get alarmed about it. We treat all viruses seriously, based on facts and science. We take precautions. Hospitals have protocols in place to deal with influenza, including detection and isolation, and they take measures to protect health care workers. But people dont freak out on social media when we get hit with a bad flu season. "Right now, certainly, the risk of acquiring novel coronavirus in Manitoba is low," Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Thursday. "Its much higher to acquire another respiratory virus, including a seasonal coronavirus, which we have many circulating." Other than the fact COVID-19 is a new virus (and that scientists are still learning about it), its not that much different. The mortality rate is somewhat higher than seasonal influenza (which averages about 0.1per cent), but this is not the Ebola virus, which has a death rate of up to 90 per cent. Were also fortunate to live in a country with modern medicine and well-resourced health care systems. We know how to respond to epidemics. 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. "Weve learned a lot from SARS, weve learned a lot from pandemic influenza," Roussin said. "Our systems are well prepared for these and we continue to prepare as the situation evolves." Thats not meant to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19. On the contrary, its about being prepared for it, having knowledge of what it is (including what the symptoms are) and keeping it in perspective. According to the WHO, the most important thing is that health-care systems have measures in place to contain the virus when it arrives, including meticulous tracking of who infected patients had contact with. These, and many other measures, have found success not only in China, but in places like Singapore, which are now seeing a rapid decrease in new cases of COVID-19. Global containment of this virus is still very much possible, according to the WHO. COVID-19 will likely come to Manitoba. When it does, we need to respond to it based on facts and science, not rumours and misinformation. The last thing we need is more overreaction like we saw on Thursday. tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca Azerbaijan temporarily closes the Iranian border to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the country's government reported. The Iranian MFA announced their first cases of coronavirus on February 19. A total of 593 cases have been identified in the country, and 43 people have died. An outbreak of coronavirus was recorded at the end of December 2019 in the Chinese Wuhan. The WHO has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international proportions. The death toll has reached 2,924, worldwide. And 85,212 cases have been confirmed, while 39,539 people have recovered. The virus has been recorded in 60 countries. VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) Southeast Asias top diplomats praised China's handling of the virus outbreak and pledged Thursday to help fight the disease that emerged in a central Chinese city and spread in the region and around the world. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted the unprecedented steps his country has taken to contain the two-month outbreak in an emergency meeting with his Southeast Asian counterparts. He pointed to signs the outbreak may be starting to ease. Laos, a close China ally, hosted the meeting between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in its capital, Vientiane. Wang and his fellow ministers locked arms in a traditional show of solidarity before TV cameras and photographers at the start of the session. They then applauded and cheered, Stay strong Wuhan, stay strong China, stay strong ASEAN, referring to the Chinese city where the virus emerged in December. We reached an important consensus on China and ASEAN joining hands to fight against the epidemic, Wang told journalists after the meeting. We agreed to stand united and stay confident and support each other in this time of difficulty. Wang and the ASEAN foreign ministers did not take questions after reading their statements. They outlined steps to collaborate better, share timely information and techniques, and align actions to fight the disease, which the World Health Organization has labeled COVID-19. Wang proposed a summit on the outbreak for Chinese and ASEAN leaders to underscore regional cooperation, but two Southeast Asian diplomats told The Associated Press that no consensus was reached on the idea. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have authority to discuss the matter publicly. More than 75,000 people have been infected globally with more than 2,100 deaths, mostly in China. Six countries in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc have confirmed cases of the virus. Wang indicated that the situation in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province has been brought under effective control and expressed confidence that China can secure an early victory against this outbreak. Story continues Wang made the assurances days after ASEAN leaders expressed alarm over the outbreak in a joint statement. He stressed that economic losses arising from the viral crisis could be overcome and China would recover. The outbreak may have taken a toll on economic cooperation between China and ASEAN countries but such an impact can be overcome and made up, Wang said. The Chinese economy has strong driving forces and is highly resilient and the long-term positive trajectory will remain intact. China was praised for sharing information about the virus that allowed other countries like Singapore to develop test kits early. The Chinese government has also placed cities around Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million under lockdown and taken other unprecedented steps to contain infections. Those steps followed public outrage over Hubei authorities handling of the outbreak when it began, including playing down the risk of human-to-human transmission. Doctors who tried to warn the public were reprimanded by police. Many countries have set up border screenings and airlines have canceled flights to and from China to prevent further spread of the disease, which has been detected in about two dozen countries. ___ Associated Press journalists Yves Dam Van and Sakchai Lalitkanjanakul contributed to this report. Julia Mae Perez, 87, of Philadelphia, who for years worked as a nurse and mental health therapist for disabled children and adults, died Friday, Feb. 7 of atherosclerosis at the Edgehill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Glenside. Mrs. Perez was the second of six children born to the late Julian and Martha Harris. She attended Philadelphia public schools. After graduating from high school, she worked for several years as a practical nurse. She later earned an Associates Degree in Mental Health Therapy from Community College of Philadelphia. With that degree, she worked for both United Cerebral Palsy and Northwest Centers, helping to treat disabled children and adults. Mrs. Perez was baptized in the Catholic faith and remained a devout Catholic all her life, said her daughter Lonna Evans. As a younger woman, she was an active member of St. Athanasius Church in West Oak Lane. Later in life, after moving in with her daughter, she began attending St. Raymond of Penafort Church, in East Mount Airy. Evans said everyone referred to her mother by the nickname, Juju what her granddaughter, Cheryl, called her as a toddler because she could not pronounce Mrs. Perezs first name. Mrs. Perez was not only a caregiver in her profession as a nurse and mental health therapist, but she also was known to take care of elderly family members and to give generously whenever anyone needed financial help. If all my mother had was $5, and you needed money, she would give you every penny of it, Evans said. She never cared about material things. She wanted to help people. Evans said years ago as a younger woman, she thought her mother gave too generously to some people. But as I got older, I came to understand that this was my mothers faith, Evans said. "She really believed God wanted us to serve other people. She really was a great lady." She also was a godmother to many of her grandchildren, nieces and nephews and taught them how to pray. In her spare time, Mrs. Perez loved to travel and had visited Europe, the Caribbean Islands and Atlantic City. She also enjoyed working as a volunteer at the polls during elections. In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Perez is survived by two granddaughters, four great-grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services were Friday, Feb. 21. A friend in London tells me that Chinatown is deserted these days, that people are avoiding the restaurants there because of coronavirus, and it seems that Chinese restaurants here are starting to experience something similar. In a show of support, we head to the new Kitchen 85 in Dublin for an early dinner on Sunday evening. This is a sister restaurant to M&L around the corner on Cathedral Street, a restaurant beloved of chefs and those who like to think of themselves as being in the know when it comes to Chinese food. I wouldn't say that I'm a regular at M&L, but I eat there several times a year and occasionally find myself lying awake at night and thinking of the lamb with cumin seeds, the green beans with dried chilli and minced pork, the dumplings... and less so the deep-fried soft-shell crab with egg yolk which I ordered on my last visit. Unless you eat at M&L with someone who knows the menu there inside out - and there are many who do - there is the risk of disappointment if you venture into the realms of the unfamiliar. But then, that's half the point of going: it wouldn't be the same without at least one dish that you have to chalk down to experience - the tripe being another case in point. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but China is a big place and home to many different regional cuisines. At M&L, the focus is on Sichuan dishes, known for being spicy, while at Kitchen 85, the menu is largely made up of Cantonese dishes, which are less so. The menu is long, broadly divided between roast meats, 'authentic' dishes, starters and mains (by default these are 'inauthentic' and include options such as sweet and sour chicken and prawn satay) and hotpots. We order largely from the 'authentic' section, but I'd like to go back and try the hotpots, my only previous experience of which was in Beijing, where a strong constitution was required to cope with the mystery meat/offal quotient. The boneless duck with pancakes - that Chinese restaurant cliche - is excellent, nicely crisp, with a plum sauce that's tangy and less stickily sweet than the norm. My children remind me that we used to bribe them to co-operate with the babysitter with the M&S version, which they loved. Would that they were still so easy to placate Roast pork with honey sauce is less interesting. It comes in two rows of decorous slices, and we'd have preferred a little more crisp fat. Fried beef with coriander is flavoursome enough, but a 'sizzling' dish of squid is disappointingly bland, the squid rubbery and not very sizzling, with an over-abundance of large pieces of under-cooked pepper. Crisp aubergine with sweet and sour sauce, recommended by our server, is soft, yielding, delicious, perfectly balanced between - yes - sweet and sour, and the salt & spicy flammulini (a new one on me: tiny strands of deep-fried mushroom under a smattering of finely-sliced chilli) are a crisp revelation, with great batter and subtle mushroom flavour. The family member who has never met a Singapore noodle that he doesn't like - really I should disown him - says that Kitchen 85's version is very good. The bill for dinner for five, with pak choi, rice, two beers and three soft drinks, comes to 144.60 before service, which is smiley and delightful. At the end of our meal, owner Angie Wang comes over to ask us how we have enjoyed our food. She tells us that she recognises us from M&L (that may be flattery) and asks which we prefer. She says that Kitchen 85 is aimed at the people who find the food at M&L too spicy, and she hopes that by having two restaurants so close together, she will be able to please all of the people, all of the time. I think that she is on to something, but the next time I get that craving I'll be heading back to M&L for the hit. THE RATING 7/10 food 8/10 ambience 8/10 value 23/30 ON A BUDGET You can order a vegetable-based main course from the 'authentic' section of the menu - stir-fried black fungus with mixed mushroom perhaps - with a side of boiled rice for less than 15. ON A BLOWOUT Count on spending 25/30 a head before drinks. THE HIGH POINT Discovering flammulina. THE LOW POINT We missed the spicy kick that you get at M&L. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that the United States would remain committed to Afghan security forces and while the signing of a historic accord between Washington and the Taliban would be a good step, the road ahead would not be easy. In Doha, the United States signed a historic deal with Taliban insurgents on Saturday that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there. While the deal was signed by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Esper met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul where they announced a joint declaration. Watch: US, Taliban sign peace deal aimed at ending war in Afghanistan This is a hopeful moment, but it is only the beginning. The road ahead will not be easy. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require patience and compromise among all parties, Esper said while standing next to Ghani and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the presidential palace. If the Taliban uphold the agreement, the United States will begin a conditions-based, and I repeat conditions based, reduction in forces, Esper said. He added if the Taliban did not live up to commitments, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement. Esper said the United States and international partners would continue to provide the Afghan security forces with the necessary support. His trip was seen as a way to show Ghani that the deal with the Taliban does not mean that the United States will abandon the Afghan government. Washington is essentially trying to show that its full strength is behind this deal and it wants to also indicate to Kabul that its fully behind Afghanistan as the peace and reconciliation process moves toward a formal beginning, Michael Kugelman, deputy director Asia Program at the Wilson Center, said. Afghans, and many in the region, are concerned that the United States could abandon Kabul much like it was perceived to have left the region after the Soviet Union exited Afghanistan decades ago. The accord comes amid a fragile political situation in Afghanistan. The Independent Election Commission said on Feb. 18 that Ghani won a Sept. 28 vote beset by allegations of rigging, technical problems and other irregularities. Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah rejected the results, claimed to be the victor and vowed to name a parallel government. (Espers trip is) perhaps an indication that the U.S. is ready to essentially accept the new government in Afghanistan, Kugelman said. Experts are cautious about what the accord may lead to. The word I keep coming back to is preliminary... ultimately, if theres ever going to be a longer lasting peace reach, its going to have to be settled among Afghans, Jason Campbell, with the RAND Corp think tank in Washington. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 29) A suspected rebel leading extortion activities in Mindanao was killed in an encounter with government troops in Bukidnon, the military said Saturday. The Eastern Mindanao Command in a news release identified the alleged member of the New People's Army as Eduardo Arnado, also known as Choi. The military said Arnado served as deputy secretary for the Guerilla Front 53 and "head extortionist" in Cotabato province and in the southern parts of Davao del Sur and Bukidnon. According to the military, soldiers from the 3rd and 19th Infantry Battalions were conducting security operations at Sitio Lamparuc, Barangay Sampagar in Damulog town, Bukidnon when they encountered a group of rebels Friday afternoon. A resident informed them about the presence of an armed group in the remote area. The soldiers and rebels engaged in a 10-minute firefight, which resulted in the NPA members' retreat. They left Arnado's body behind, the military said. A caliber .45 pistol with magazine and ammunition, spent shells from various high-powered firearms, and other personal belongings were recovered from the encounter site. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which has waged a five-decade insurgency the longest-running in Asia. President Rodrigo Duterte has been calling on the rebels to surrender since he walked away from the peace talks in 2017. READ: How peace talks with communist rebels failed The two camps are considering returning to the negotiating table, but Duterte and CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison could not agree on contentious issues, including the venue of the meetings. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday met with President Ashraf Ghani and other political leaders of Kabul ahead of the signing of US-Taliban agreement on the withdrawal of Americal troops from Afghanistan. During his meeting with Ghani, Shringla handed over a congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Afghan leader's victory in the presidential election. The President appreciated India's consistent support for democracy and constitutional order in Afghanistan. Besides Ghani, Shringla also met Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah, first Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh and NSA Hamdullah Mohib. Shringla reached Afghanistan on Friday on his maiden trip abroad as foreign secretary. During the meetings, Shringla reiterated India's support for Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process which results in enduring and inclusive peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. "Foreign Secretary @HarshShringla called on President @AshrafGhani and handed over a congratulatory letter from PM @narendramodi. President appreciated India's consistent support for democracy and constitutional order in Afghanistan," tweeted External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. "India stands with Afghanistan for strengthening national unity, territorial integrity, democracy, plurality and prosperity in the country and bringing an end to externally sponsored terrorism," he added. The meetings come ahead of the US-Taliban deal, which has been under negotiation for almost 18 months between the two sides and is expected to be signed in Doha on Saturday. On the same day, the US and Afghanistan are expected to issue a joint declaration to emphasise American commitments to the war-torn country. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the ceremony and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are expected to be in Kabul for the announcement of the declaration in the weekend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mauritius president Pritivirajsing Roopun was stopped at the international airport in Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi over excess luggage on his way to Delhi and asked to pay up before officials intervened. The Mauritian president was on a two-day visit to the temple town along with a six-member delegation. An employee of Air India said Roopun will be allowed only after a payment was made for the excess baggage, an official at the Lal Bahadur Shashtri International Airport said. Airport director Akashdeep Mathur confirmed the development and said as soon as he came to know about the matter he immediately intervened. District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma also spoke to Air Indias staff. Air India staff, however, said they will have to follow the procedure. Officials then spoke to the aviation ministry and senior Air India officials were asked not to charge the visiting dignitary for the excess baggage. Air India manager Atif Idrish said since there was excess baggage his team asked for payment. After instructions from authorities, the excess luggage was sent without any charge, he said. The Mauritian president then boarded the flight for New Delhi. A Derrick Adams exhibit at SCAD explores his legacy. He referred to himself as the "black, male Lucille Ball." Essence considered him "a breath of fresh air in an industry that often takes itself too seriously." He dressed the likes of Grace Jones, Princess Diana and Paloma Picasso, and was known for his exuberant designs and spirited runways. For many, Patrick Kelly represented joy. His contributions to the fashion industry are profound he's been the subject of museum retrospectives before but his legacy has just recently started receiving mainstream recognition. (He died in 1990.) With an exhibition from the Brooklyn-based artist Derrick Adams at the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film inspired by his work and a biography on the way from esteemed academic Dr. Eric Darnell Pritchard, it's likely that his name will become a greater part of the fashion consciousness. "I was aware of who Patrick Kelly was as a designer and his legacy but I didn't really know about Patrick Kelly the person, which is why the archive was so important," Adams said on a panel hosted by SCAD deFINE Art in Atlanta. To prepare for this project, Adams immersed himself in Kellys archives at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. He discovered a trove of artifacts including sketches, swatches, memorabilia, and personal correspondence belonging to the African-American designer all of which laid the groundwork for an exhibit that first debuted at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2017. For the SCAD show, the large-scale collages and sculptural works are displayed alongside archival items on loan from Kelly's friend Carol Martin including dresses by the designer, newspaper clippings, and a fashion show invite for the first time. A room in Derrick Adams's new exhibit at SCAD. "I discovered in the archive that there was a proposal from Dr. Maya Angelou requesting support from a publishing company to produce a book on Patrick Kelly. It was making a plea about how important it was that a book be made about this person at this particular point in history. She said that it should be titled Patrick Kelly: The Journey, so when I was putting together the work I thought the most fitting title would be a reference to the letter." Story continues Kelly was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1954. He attended segregated schools until his senior year of high school. On a 2019 episode of the "Dressed" podcast, Dr. Pritchard explained how "that race context informed his social, political, and cultural beliefs. He grew up in a rich context for thinking about individuality, democracy, diversity, difference, and inclusion as things to be fought for and celebrated." Kelly's interest in fashion came from the women in his life and particularly the fashion magazines his domestic-worker grandmother would bring back from the homes she cleaned to give to him. "He'd look through those and really loved the images that were in them but he also noticed black people were not in those magazines," Pritchard said on "Dressed." "He knew that black culture and style was important enough and significant enough to be the center subjects. That gave him the gumption to want to get into fashion." Some of Kelly's personal items, on display at the SCAD exhibit. After a one-year stint at Jackson State University, Kelly moved to Atlanta and began working at an Yves Saint Laurent boutique. He would make clothes for his friends on the side for their nights out (dubbed locally as "The Kelly Kids"). It was there he met model Pat Cleveland, who would encourage him to move to New York City to pursue fashion. But his journey wasn't easy: A Parsons scholarship he had received was rescinded and he was unable to secure a job with any of the fashion houses, many of them American sportswear labels that at the time didn't jive with his artistic sensibilities. After a little over a year, Kelly headed to Paris and it was there that he would achieve in a few years what many aspire to in a lifetime. In France, Kelly presented collections that were met with massive approval. He cultivated a community of expatriates and local creatives in the Marais. He became the first American to be accepted into the Chambre Syndicale du Pret-a-Porter, the governing body of the French ready-to-wear industry. "I think he made it in Paris because of hard work, opportunity and serendipity," Pritchard told Fashionista. "Looking at Paris fashion in the '80s, it was an open community for creativity in work. At that time, if you had a new idea, they were really excited about the new idea." Patrick Kelly buttons and label, on display at SCAD. Kelly's designs were colorful and cheeky, often incorporating unexpected elements ranging from mismatched buttons to racially-charged imagery. "He was definitely a purveyor of it," Pritchard said of how Kelly would use these racist symbols in his work as a way of subverting them. In a 2004 article for the Washington Post, Robin Givhan mused that "no other well-known fashion designer has been so inextricably linked to both his race and his culture. And no other designer was so purposeful in exploiting both." Kelly's life was tragically cut short in 1990, when he died due to complications from AIDS. To Pritchard, that might be a reason why most people don't know his name: "This was at a time when so many people many of them creatives in the fashion and art world were also ill and passing away. My theory is his legacy got swallowed up in the sea of individual and collective grief and mourning." That doesn't mean his legacy isn't felt, though: Pritchard sees Kelly's work as embodying black exuberance and black joy, themes seen in the collections of Christopher John Rogers, Mimi Plange and Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss today. "I think Kerby's doing something that's very unique. He's not trying to be Patrick Kelly or even engage in the exact sort of vocabulary or glossary of black identity," Pritchard explained. "But I do think they share a similar cultural politic." (Adams actually collaborated with Jean-Raymond on his Spring 2019 collection for Pyer Moss, creating 10 paintings based on old family photographs that were then printed onto garments.) "[Jean-Raymond's] use of gospel choirs for the performance atmosphere of a Pyer Moss show is also very similar to how Kelly thought of a show as an event," Pritchard continued. "I think he's very unapologetically black and Kelly was unapologetically black." Kelly's iconic cap. This notion of black joy as empowerment is something that permeates Adams's ethos as well. "When you look at Black History Month in school you never see pictures of James Baldwin dancing with Maya Angelou on the wall. That's the image you should be putting in kid's classrooms," he said. "When I started to think about leisure and seeing the black body in a form of rest and enjoyment, to me that was political. We as a culture often feel like those images are not as powerful because we were taught that we have to look like we're fighting in order to look relevant. But to me, when we're at the most creative and most gathered in the community, that's when it's most threatening. If you're still thriving in the face of adversity and oppression, that shows me the culture's still thriving." Patrick Kelly: The Journey is on display at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta through July 19. Disclosure: SCAD paid for my travel and accommodations to visit its exhibition in Georgia. Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country's borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country's borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece. Migrants played a cat-and-mouse game with Greek border patrols throughout the night and into Saturday, with some cutting holes in the fence only to be turned back by tear gas and stun grenades. Greek authorities also fired tear gas to repulse attempts by the crowd to push through the border. The move by Turkey to open its border, first announced Thursday, was seen in Greece as a deliberate attempt to pressure European countries. It comes as tensions ratcheted up between Turkey and Syria. More than 55 Turkish troops have been killed since Turkey began sending further reinforcements into areas of northwest Syria under the control of rebels, which are backed by Turkey. We will not close the gates to refugees, Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul. The European Union has to keep its promises. If Erdogan really has opened the border, it would be a dramatic departure from Turkey's current policy. Under a 2016 deal, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid. It has since protested that the EU has failed to honor the agreement. Erdogan was speaking for the first time since 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in air strikes in northwest Syria on Thursday, the largest single loss of life for Turkish forces since their country became involved in Syria in 2016. The Turkish troop deaths led officials to declare Turkey would not impede refugees seeking to enter Europe. Turkey currently hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and many fleeing war and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East use it as a staging post and transit point to reach Europe, usually through neighboring Greece. On Saturday, small groups managed to get across into Greece clandestinely. The vast majority were from Afghanistan, and most were men, although there were also some families with young children. They took shelter during the night in abandoned buildings or small chapels in the Greek countryside before starting to walk towards northern Greek. Erdogan has frequently threatened to open the gates and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided, particularly at times of tension with European countries. Thursday's deaths were the most serious escalation between Turkish and Russian-backed Syrian forces. The development has raised the prospect of an all-out war with millions of Syrian civilians trapped in the middle. Syrian government forces have been on a weekslong offensive into Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold, which borders Turkey. Thousands of Turkish soldiers are deployed inside rebel-controlled areas of Idlib province, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. The Idlib offensive has pushed nearly 950,000 displaced civilians toward the Syrian-Turkish border amid cold winter weather. We learnt the border was open and we headed there. But we saw it was closed, and we found a hole in the fence and went through it, said Ali Nikad, a 17-year-old Iranian who made it into Greece overnight with a group of friends. Nikad said he had spent two months in Turkey but couldnt make ends meet, and was hoping to find his uncle who was already in Greece. Many of those who made it across the land border were seen being arrested and driven away in white vans. A police officer told The Associated Press there was pressure along the 200-kilometer (125-mile) land border from migrants trying to force their way through overnight, and groups were being constantly repulsed. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the record. Others were making their way to Greek islands in dinghies from the nearby Turkish coast. Greece and Bulgaria increased security at their borders with Turkey. In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened an emergency meeting of top cabinet, military and coast guard officials Saturday morning on the issue. In Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said one of its soldiers was killed and two were injured by Syrian government shelling, the latest fatality after the deadly airstrike that killed 33 earlier this week. The announcement late Friday also said Turkish forces hit Syrian government targets and a number of Syrian troops were neutralized. It remained unclear whether Syrian or Russian jets carried out the airstrike, but Russia denied its aircraft were responsible. Erdogan had given the Syrian government until the end of the month to pull back from areas captured in Idlib, threatening large-scale military action if they didn't. But any large scale Turkish military action risks more loss of life among Turkish soldiers. He had kept unusually silent since the 33 deaths. NATO envoys held emergency talks Friday at the request of Turkey, a NATO member. While urging deescalation in Idlib, NATO offered no further assistance. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone Friday and discussed implementing agreements in Idlib, the Kremlin said. Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's director of communications, said they had agreed to meet "as soon as possible." Erdogan also spoke with other world leaders, including President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire in Idlib. He warned that without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour, and as always, civilians are paying the gravest price. Coronavirus, or COVID-19, which had now killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 80,000 became a worldwide threat. It caused a recession in some countries and had an impact of panic on people. According to the latest report of the World Health Organization, they announced that new cases of Coronavirus are now in the countries of South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Iran. As a worldwide threat, it caused an info-demic to people and scared millions of people all around the globe. Although it spread from people and animals the information of coronavirus had misleading information about the risk of the disease. Coronavirus had a great impact on the world's economy, security, and health welfare. Although coronavirus hits the respiratory system it is not as deadly a disease compared to Ebola. If proper precautions are taken and vaccines are administered there's no reason for people to panic and spread false information. Worried now that the world's future is at stake and anxiety increases, people must be put at ease. After all, coronavirus is weaker than the flu. Below are five reasons why people need to calm down, instead of scaring themselves. Coronavirus is a known and familiar illness. It is known that it came from the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) family and it is less deadly. According to reports of the Ha'aretz, the mortality rate of coronavirus ranges from 0.5-2% and is lower than the range of SARS outbreak in 2002 that had a 9.2% and 34.4% in 2012. The coronavirus outbreak just had an ordinary percentage and can be compared to any flu outbreak in the United States. The United States response to the disease is positive. The country may now have been affected with 16 cases but thus far, noone has died. The United States also tried to calm down the community because democrats are complaining about the funding and staff cuts that never actually happened. The vaccines are yet to come and they are about to be introduced in the public soon. Pharmaceutical industries and private companies in the United States are now developing the vaccine not only because it is very much needed by the public but also the one who can release it first would make such a big money. As of now the cases of coronavirus in China are slowly decreasing. The affected cases in China might sound huge but we should also consider how big China's population is. China might have been overly complaining about the issue. Indian economist and philosopher, Amartya Sen also observed that India, unlike China, has not experienced famine because India has a free press. U.S press are now learning about the risks of investing in China but soon China will get through everything. The people who spread wrong information just want to cause panic and discourse. As the coronavirus is now a hot issue, media wanted to add fuel to flame to also destroy Trump. Together with the hoax of Coronavirus, the Russian collusion hoax is also being spread to make the people worry not just about the disease but also to the war. It is important to stay tuned in the news, but when it comes to protecting ourselves we must consider our own safety first. We must wash our hands thoroughly, stay hydrated, take vitamins, get enough sleep, and wear protective masks to protect ourselves, not only from the coronavirus, but also other illnesses. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 05:25:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Dutch sociologist Stephan Petermann takes pictures of installations introducing China's rural development at the exhibition "Countryside, The Future" in Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the United States, Feb. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) by Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Luo Jingjing NEW YORK, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has been dramatically redefining its vast countryside with continuous investment in infrastructure and poverty alleviation as well as technology innovation, said a famous sociologist. UNLIKE EVERYTHING EVER SEEN "I come from Europe and Europe is also a very old continent. Some things go slow and some things go so fast (there). But the growth and changes in China are unlike everything I've ever seen," Stephan Petermann told Xinhua at New York City's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum when the exhibition Countryside, The Future opened to public on Feb. 21. Petermann, a Dutch architectural researcher and sociologist based in the Netherlands, is among the key contributors to the exhibition which is on view for six months until Aug. 14 and highlights advancements in global rural areas through a series of case studies. The show is a project of renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, his research studio Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in collaboration with students at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing; Wageningen University, Netherlands; and the University of Nairobi. Petermann, a member of OMA for 15 years, said he had been working as a visiting professor at CAFA on the project about China's countryside transformation in the past few years. "If you see the amount of change (in Dongfeng village) in the last four years, already it's more than I've witnessed in 30 years in Holland. So it goes so rapidly," said Petermann, referring the Taobao Village he went through for the project in China's eastern province of Jiangsu. Taobao villages are China's rural communities where at least 10 percent of the population makes its living by selling products online -- mostly on Taobao.com, the Alibaba-owned consumer-to-consumer marketplace. Petermann said he was impressed that Chinese government and Chinese people have such a wide range of consistent policy measures and innovative initiatives to design its countryside. "They embrace new things. It is such a natural thing for Chinese people. I'm really impressed by that. And it's something that I also try to bring home to try," he said. "Chinese also have an ability to mix things that we think are impossible to mix, which is another great thing," he said. "And I learned from China basically to be a bit more open towards really mixing new things and finding new inventions." Petermann said that was a reason why the exhibition featured a section that is "really about Chinese inventions for the countryside" because Chinese find "multiple new platforms, new technologies, new cultural interests in making really the countryside new." "I see a much more vibrant relationship also between the cities and the countryside," he said. "It's not a thing of the past which is more in America and Europe the case that people think are the countryside, that's of the past." "We want to show the energy with which China works on its countryside and the engagement sometimes goes well, sometimes not, but at least it's a try. And we can always improve on that," he said. "So I sincerely value that and I think that's a beautiful beautiful thing." SHOW WINDOW ON TODAY'S CHINA Drawn from original research on the rapidly changing rural areas across the globe, the exhibition, as Koolhaas said, aims to put the world's countryside, or the 98 percent of the Earth's surface not occupied by cities "on the agenda again." It is also a unique show window for westerners to see what is really going on in today's China, said Petermann, who has visited China with Koolhaas over 30 times since 2006. "We have a deep fascination of the country because it's so huge, so diverse, so not understood by a lot of the rest of the world," he said. "We really see it as a mission to tell the rest of the world to come to China to see it, to absorb it, to enjoy it, to maybe sometimes criticize it, but also to just to find a new relationship." "I think it's a crucial moment that China is inevitably one of the largest players in the world economically and on many levels," he said. "I think that brings us a responsibility to talk more, also to listen and to understand and try to build this relationship, because it's the one that will be the most crucial probably in the future for us." "This is also why we thought this was such an important moment to show this in America, to show another side of China, in a more friendly tone, a more nuanced tone, more engaging tone, and in a more constructive way," he said. "This is one thing we want to show here," Petermann said, adding he sees "a lot of potentials" to continue this collaboration with CAFA after this exhibition. "I plan on staying with the school and its students, like we try to bring some things to China and we take some things home too. We feel this is a a good way to do this type of work and to actually show our intentions." UPSC Recruitment 2022: One day left to apply for several vacancies at upsc.gov.in, here's direct link Situation in Delhi far from normal, environment of fear prevailing: Cong India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, Feb 29: The situation is far from normal and an environment of fear is still prevailing in Delhi, the Congress party said on Saturday, after 42 people people died in the worst communal riots in the city in over three decades. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also claimed that a 'one-sided' investigation is taking place into the riots. 'We have no expectations from Centre or Delhi CM but we have hopes from the courts,' he told reporters. Meanwhile, The Delhi government is considering to issue a WhatsApp number on which people can complain about hate messages being circulated on the instant messaging app in wake of the riots that claimed 42 lives in northeast Delhi, sources said on Saturday. The death toll in the Delhi's communal violence has gone up to 42 now with four more fatalities being recorded at the city's GTB Hospital. Delhi govt to launch WhatsApp number to lodge complaint about hate messages The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital has recorded 38 deaths, the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital three, and the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital has reported one. Nearly 7,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the affected areas of the northeast district since Monday to assist hundreds of Delhi police men and women to maintain peace. More than 250 people have been injured in the communal clashes. The areas mainly affected include Jafrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, February 29, 2020, 14:22 [IST] The post mortem of a 25-year-old Dalit man, who had died in police custody here on Thursday, has not been conducted so far as the victim's family are adamant with their set of demands of a compensation of Rs 1 crore, strict action against the accused policemen and a government job to one family member. Senior district administration and police officials have held negotiations with the family members but the impasse is continuing on Saturday. The family members along with relatives and locals are staging a dharna outside the mortuary of the district hospital since Thursday. We have assured them that the compensation under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be given to them but they are adamant for extra compensation, District Collector Ansh Deep said. Deep said the district police have also offered to give their one-day salary to the victim's family. The negotiations with the family members are going on, he added. Jeetu Khateek (25) was picked up by Barmer Sadar police on Wednesday and he died in custody on Thursday. The police had detained him on the basis of suspicion that he was involved in a theft case but no case was lodged against him. Khateek's family has alleged that he was beaten to death by policemen in the police station and his brother has lodged a case of murder against the SHO and other policemen. Sadar SHO Deep Singh has been suspended and remaining staff of the police station have been shunted to Police Lines for the custodial death while Barmer SP Sharad Chowdhary and Circle Officer Vijay Singh were put under awaiting posting orders after it became clear that there was no case against Khateek, who was kept under illegal detention. The body is still at the mortuary of the district hospital and an autopsy has not been done. Efforts are on to pacify the family members, a police official said. Police said the family's demands were for compensation of Rs 1 crore, arrest of the accused policemen and a government job for one family member. Apart from a judicial inquiry, the matter is also being probed by Additional SP, CID-CB, Jodhpur. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The third confirmed case of coronavirus in Santa Clara County is an older woman who differs from the two previously identified cases because she "does not have a travel history nor any known contact with a traveler or infected person, officials said Friday. The woman has chronic health conditions and had been hospitalized with a respiratory illness, the county Public Health Department said in a news release. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Feb.29 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Romania will host a seminar on prospects for business partnership with Turkmenistan with the participation of the Embassy of Turkmenistan on March 17, Trend reports citing the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania. The seminar will focus on cooperation opportunities in the fields of agriculture (production and sale of agricultural products, technology and equipment supply to the food industry), tourism and digitalization. Interested companies will be able to obtain information on economic issues, the existing fiscal policies and the banking system of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat and Bucharest have intensified diplomatic efforts in recent years to create the Caspian-Black Sea transit corridor. It is expected that Constanta can become a transshipment point for goods transported from the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi to the EU, as well as from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The supply route runs through the Caspian Sea to Baku (Azerbaijan), then by rail to Batumi or Poti (Georgia, Black Sea region) and from there to Romania. Google and Microsoft are accelerating efforts to shift production from China to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, amid the worsening novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak, the Nikkei Asian Review reported. Google is set to begin production of its Pixel 4A with its partners in northern Vietnam as soon as April. The company also plans to manufacture its next-generation smartphone, the Pixel 5, as it is expected to be called, in the second half of this year directly from Vietnam, two people with direct knowledge told Nikkei. Meanwhile, Microsoft is scheduled to start producing its Surface line, including notebook and desktop computers, in northern Vietnam in the second quarter of this year at the earliest, another two sources familiar with the matter said. Most if not all Google smartphones and Microsoft-built computers have been made in China so far. The US-China trade war, along with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, caused many industries to consider the risks of overreliance on China for manufacturing. "The unexpected coronavirus hit will definitely push electronics builders to further seek production capacity outside their most cost-effective production base of China," Nikkei quoted a supply chain executive as saying. Microsoft declined to comment. Google did not respond to Nikkei's request for comment as of publication./. Vingroup, Google to produce smart TVs VinSmart Research and Manufacture JSC, a member of Vingroup, has announced a cooperation agreement with Google to produce smart TVs under Vietnamese brands, meeting international standards, to serve the domestic and global markets. Source: Xinhua| 2020-02-29 21:44:12|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close DOHA, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States signed on Saturday a historic peace agreement with Afghanistan's Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha that includes Taliban reduction of violence and withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. Source: Xinhua| 2020-03-01 01:59:39|Editor: yhy Video Player Close LONDON, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Britain is set to publish its negotiating objectives for its trade talks with the United States next week amid rising concerns over the National Health Service (NHS) and food standards, British Department for International Trade has said. The document is expected to set out Britain's "red lines" on some controversial issues, including whether TO open NHS, the country's publicly funded healthcare system, to U.S. private companies. There are also rising concerns in Britain that the trade deal will lower barriers to controversial U.S. exports such as chlorine-washed chicken, which was banned in the European Union (EU) in 1997 over food safety concerns but is considered "safe" in the United States. "We must not allow those standards to be undermined by imports of goods which would be illegal for our farmers to produce here," said the National Farmers Union (NFU) President Minette Batters earlier this week, calling for an import ban on chlorinated chicken. However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly expressed his ambition for a "massive" trade deal with the United States. He criticized "America bashers" who take a "hysterical" attitude towards U.S. food earlier this month, according the local media. British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss met U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in London Thursday. The two sides reiterated their commitment to get on with negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA). "The UK stands ready to negotiate a highly ambitious FTA with the U.S. and will publish UK's negotiation objectives very soon," said Truss. Johnson government's plan to kick off the trade negotiations with the United States soon after the beginning of its talks with the EU scheduled on Monday, is also seen as an attempt to put further pressure on Brussels, which has questioned Britain's goal to seek a "Canada-Style" comprehensive FTA. According to the policy paper revealed by British government Thursday, Britain will plan for an "orderly exit" from the EU if not enough progress is made with Brussels in the negotiations by June. Despite the strong political will to forge a trade deal, observers are not as optimistic about the prospects for the UK-U.S. trade talks. In some British experts' view, a summary of specific negotiating objectives on the U.S.-UK trade agreement published by the U.S. government in February 2019 shows it is "demanding concessions but offering little in return". When Britain is outside the EU, the country might have declining voice on the negotiation table with countries like the United States, argued Peter Holmes, fellow of the UK Trade Policy Observatory, an independent group that analyses trade policy proposals for Britain. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London and deputy director at UK in a Changing Europe, also doubted that the two countries could secure a trade deal in the near future, given the "massive imbalance" in power between the two countries. "The UK get some sort of sweet heart deal from (U.S. President Donald) Trump," he said, but trade deals are "about the maths not the chemistry". New Delhi: As many as 14 flights have been diverted from Delhi Airport to Lucknow, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur due to bad weather in Delhi. The private weather agency Skymet weather said, "We expect only isolated rains to occur over Delhi-NCR and southern districts of Haryana. However, moderate rains will appear over northern districts of Punjab, Haryana, and Northwest UttarPradesh." Airport sources claimed that flights heading for Indira Gandhi International Airport had to be diverted due to "strong winds" which started at around 5 pm on Saturday evening, as per news agency IANS. "The weather condition lasted between 5 pm to 6.30 pm in this time period flights to the airport were diverted elsewhere," sources said. According to the weather department, there is a cyclonic circulation over east Afghanistan and Pakistan in the middle tropospheric level and the induced cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan in lower levels. Under its influence moderate to widespread rains with isolated thunderstorm, hailstorm, lightning and gusty winds expected over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on March 1.